Jehoshua
Catholic
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2009
- Messages
- 7,282
JNES RULES AND INTRODUCTION
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Welcome to JNES.
Recently while enjoying the respite of the Australia Day public holiday by holing myself away and interactive with the good burghers of NES on chat, I found myself lamenting the dearth of the eponymous NES's on the thread and resolved that the best way to be proactive would be to start an NES myself. Now regretfully I am a working man with many commitments which means a statistic heavy game would unfortunately almost certainly result in me running for the hills, and indeed on previous occasions when I have considered starting an NES the prospect of managing a bevy of spreadsheets and calculations has always been the reason which led me to demur. So instead of a stat heavy NES, I have decided to follow the example of Thlayi's TNES VI [currently on hiatus], and develop a fantasy NES which has minimal stats but which is heavy on narrative. I have also heavily ripped off his [admittedly simple] ruleset with due diligence being undertaken and amended i slightly according to my own preferences. They do say plagiarism copying someone is a form of flattery after all ...
. At any rate I acknowledge him as the pioneer in this particular subtype of NES and for his excellent work with TNES [may it be resuscitated before we see 2021 ]
Now then, before I get to the thick of things, I want to make clear that I will try to update once every two months on the first of the month [Australian time, so make sure to get your orders in early!] as a regular schedule, giving three weeks from the start of each turn for orders to be submitted. Note well that I will not in any circumstance give people extra time to submit their orders, although I may take them as well as stories into account after the cutoff depending on the status of the updating procedure at the time they are received. Also I may update faster if things go well and I find things proceeding more smoothly than expected, but as I mentioned before I am a busy man toiling away at his desk job, and this if my first NES so I am giving myself plenty of time and a regular goal to get things done.
One last thing, the story that develops in this game shall be entirely player driven, I will not 'force' a scenario of my choosing. That said there are certain loci placed within the game that players by their own agency might invoke be it by design or accident and which might serve as key drivers of the story. Good luck finding them!
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Introduction
Similar to TNES you can begin as a god, a numinous being beyond mortal comprehension, a hero, a mortal touched by the divine, or an empire, with each beginning with an allocation of points respective to their station.
To initiate your selection your application should include the name of your god, hero or civilization in addition to a description or story to establish the character of your entity, or for an empire the values and cultural foibles of said empire. For example.
For a god/hero:
Name : Shadur/Gilgamesh
Basic description: Eldritch Monolith/Demigod Warrior
Narrative Introduction or Detailed description: varies in style according to ones artistic muse or inspiration.
Location: Optional [if choosing a god, a specific region rather than a precise location would be ideal]
For an Empire
Culture name: The name of your culture [needn't be a civilisation, could be any society of mortals]
Mythos: What are your peoples beliefs regarding the gods and the world.
Society: How does your culture’s people normally govern themselves? What are their social customs? What are their traditions.
Location: Please note where you are on the map precisely.
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The Rules:
The rules are simple. You shall be distributed of two types of points, Magic and Civilization and it shall be up to you how to make good use of them.
At the beginning of the game, you will claim one of the three possible roles. You will get 5 points distributed across the 2 categories to spend or bank as you see fit in your first turn. You will then generate at least one new point a turn, and probably more, if you do something I think is meritorious and/or I feel generous. Furthermore at my discretion factions/characters may gain or lose power depending on circumstances in the game narrative. For instance a god whose "sphere" is damaged may lose power, whereas one who has obtained widespread worship or via other means spread its influence far and wide may gain more power than expected. This does not necessarily pin on a gods relationship with mortals, it is perfectly fine for a god to ignore the writhing hordes of mankind if that is what you feel like. Likewise an empire that obtains great temporal power and is filled with numerous subjects will on the whole gain more power than one that is nothing more than a huddling tribe slowly starving to death, same with a hero who fulfils a great deed.
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God: A great supernatural being. The font of magic power. These are beings that are beyond physical constraints. Their favor is capricious, and their wrath terrible to behold. Tremble in fear before their holiness for they adhere not to mundane but to a higher order far greater than we who crawl in the muck.
(Choice 1: 0 points civilization, 5 points magic) (Choice 2: 1 point civilization, 4 points magic)
(NOTE: Do note I will not accept a one dimensional deity. Gods are complex beings. They may have a portfolio of powers, or their power may be completely un-categorizable. But they are fundamentally mystical. If I don't think your deity will work in this NES than it will be rejected and you will be asked to think of something else.)
Empire: The artifice of mankind, the rule of chiefs raised up to the status of law, the invention of wealth. Empires often have a symbiotic relationship with gods and heroes; they worship them, and occasionally are ruled by them. But at times the hubris of mortals, or even just the desire for understanding results in rebellion against the gods and a fractious relationship with the divine. After all Empires thrive on predictability, and gods and heroes are not predictable.
(Choice 1: 5 points civilization, 0 points magic) (Choice 2: 4 points civilization, 1 point magic)
(NOTE: An Empire refers to any type of civilization. You need not be large, or even imperialistic, to qualify.)
Hero: The medium between our world and the world of gods and magic. Humans or other mortals touched by magic, or gods touched by humanity. These can be mighty warriors, or the greatest of priests. The holiest of saints or the most blasphemous of apostates. Perhaps your hero is a great king, or a beggar crawling his way through the refuse of humanity and watched by something in the world, yet beyond it. Heroes can be produced by gods or empires, in the heart of courts or on the fringes. Heroes, however, wherever they arise have one foot in the spiritual world and are inherently unpredictable. Change inevitably follows in their wake.
(Choice 1: 3 points civilization, 2 points magic) (Choice 2: 2 points civilization, 3 points magic)
(NOTE: Heroes usually spawn from an existing Empire or God. You can work with another player, however you do not need their consent to arise from their midst or in their service be it as it may. Heroes can ‘belong’ to Empires or Gods, but they can also be free agents. You can control heroes as another faction, although one never knows if circumstance might lead to betrayal...)
As mentioned before each turn, you will generate magic and/or civilization points, depending on your nature and actions. You can then spend your magic and civilization points to do great things. You can also use any holdings (people, artifacts, etc.) and Heroes you have gathered. Writing stories or world building will generate bonus points in return for your beneficent service to the NES. Even naming things is of great utility.
Note: you may store points for later use if you so desire.
Here are some things you can do with your points:
Magic
Note: You can also do things that aren’t listed here; tell me what it is and I’ll give you an appropriate cost.
-
Updates
Update 0 - The Beginning of Days
Update 1 - The Harbinger of Destiny
Update 2 - The Price of Knowledge
-
Current Deadline: pending
-
Welcome to JNES.
Recently while enjoying the respite of the Australia Day public holiday by holing myself away and interactive with the good burghers of NES on chat, I found myself lamenting the dearth of the eponymous NES's on the thread and resolved that the best way to be proactive would be to start an NES myself. Now regretfully I am a working man with many commitments which means a statistic heavy game would unfortunately almost certainly result in me running for the hills, and indeed on previous occasions when I have considered starting an NES the prospect of managing a bevy of spreadsheets and calculations has always been the reason which led me to demur. So instead of a stat heavy NES, I have decided to follow the example of Thlayi's TNES VI [currently on hiatus], and develop a fantasy NES which has minimal stats but which is heavy on narrative. I have also heavily ripped off his [admittedly simple] ruleset with due diligence being undertaken and amended i slightly according to my own preferences. They do say plagiarism copying someone is a form of flattery after all ...

Now then, before I get to the thick of things, I want to make clear that I will try to update once every two months on the first of the month [Australian time, so make sure to get your orders in early!] as a regular schedule, giving three weeks from the start of each turn for orders to be submitted. Note well that I will not in any circumstance give people extra time to submit their orders, although I may take them as well as stories into account after the cutoff depending on the status of the updating procedure at the time they are received. Also I may update faster if things go well and I find things proceeding more smoothly than expected, but as I mentioned before I am a busy man toiling away at his desk job, and this if my first NES so I am giving myself plenty of time and a regular goal to get things done.
One last thing, the story that develops in this game shall be entirely player driven, I will not 'force' a scenario of my choosing. That said there are certain loci placed within the game that players by their own agency might invoke be it by design or accident and which might serve as key drivers of the story. Good luck finding them!
-
Introduction
Similar to TNES you can begin as a god, a numinous being beyond mortal comprehension, a hero, a mortal touched by the divine, or an empire, with each beginning with an allocation of points respective to their station.
To initiate your selection your application should include the name of your god, hero or civilization in addition to a description or story to establish the character of your entity, or for an empire the values and cultural foibles of said empire. For example.
For a god/hero:
Name : Shadur/Gilgamesh
Basic description: Eldritch Monolith/Demigod Warrior
Narrative Introduction or Detailed description: varies in style according to ones artistic muse or inspiration.
Location: Optional [if choosing a god, a specific region rather than a precise location would be ideal]
For an Empire
Culture name: The name of your culture [needn't be a civilisation, could be any society of mortals]
Mythos: What are your peoples beliefs regarding the gods and the world.
Society: How does your culture’s people normally govern themselves? What are their social customs? What are their traditions.
Location: Please note where you are on the map precisely.
-
The Rules:
The rules are simple. You shall be distributed of two types of points, Magic and Civilization and it shall be up to you how to make good use of them.
At the beginning of the game, you will claim one of the three possible roles. You will get 5 points distributed across the 2 categories to spend or bank as you see fit in your first turn. You will then generate at least one new point a turn, and probably more, if you do something I think is meritorious and/or I feel generous. Furthermore at my discretion factions/characters may gain or lose power depending on circumstances in the game narrative. For instance a god whose "sphere" is damaged may lose power, whereas one who has obtained widespread worship or via other means spread its influence far and wide may gain more power than expected. This does not necessarily pin on a gods relationship with mortals, it is perfectly fine for a god to ignore the writhing hordes of mankind if that is what you feel like. Likewise an empire that obtains great temporal power and is filled with numerous subjects will on the whole gain more power than one that is nothing more than a huddling tribe slowly starving to death, same with a hero who fulfils a great deed.
-
God: A great supernatural being. The font of magic power. These are beings that are beyond physical constraints. Their favor is capricious, and their wrath terrible to behold. Tremble in fear before their holiness for they adhere not to mundane but to a higher order far greater than we who crawl in the muck.
(Choice 1: 0 points civilization, 5 points magic) (Choice 2: 1 point civilization, 4 points magic)
(NOTE: Do note I will not accept a one dimensional deity. Gods are complex beings. They may have a portfolio of powers, or their power may be completely un-categorizable. But they are fundamentally mystical. If I don't think your deity will work in this NES than it will be rejected and you will be asked to think of something else.)
Empire: The artifice of mankind, the rule of chiefs raised up to the status of law, the invention of wealth. Empires often have a symbiotic relationship with gods and heroes; they worship them, and occasionally are ruled by them. But at times the hubris of mortals, or even just the desire for understanding results in rebellion against the gods and a fractious relationship with the divine. After all Empires thrive on predictability, and gods and heroes are not predictable.
(Choice 1: 5 points civilization, 0 points magic) (Choice 2: 4 points civilization, 1 point magic)
(NOTE: An Empire refers to any type of civilization. You need not be large, or even imperialistic, to qualify.)
Hero: The medium between our world and the world of gods and magic. Humans or other mortals touched by magic, or gods touched by humanity. These can be mighty warriors, or the greatest of priests. The holiest of saints or the most blasphemous of apostates. Perhaps your hero is a great king, or a beggar crawling his way through the refuse of humanity and watched by something in the world, yet beyond it. Heroes can be produced by gods or empires, in the heart of courts or on the fringes. Heroes, however, wherever they arise have one foot in the spiritual world and are inherently unpredictable. Change inevitably follows in their wake.
(Choice 1: 3 points civilization, 2 points magic) (Choice 2: 2 points civilization, 3 points magic)
(NOTE: Heroes usually spawn from an existing Empire or God. You can work with another player, however you do not need their consent to arise from their midst or in their service be it as it may. Heroes can ‘belong’ to Empires or Gods, but they can also be free agents. You can control heroes as another faction, although one never knows if circumstance might lead to betrayal...)
As mentioned before each turn, you will generate magic and/or civilization points, depending on your nature and actions. You can then spend your magic and civilization points to do great things. You can also use any holdings (people, artifacts, etc.) and Heroes you have gathered. Writing stories or world building will generate bonus points in return for your beneficent service to the NES. Even naming things is of great utility.
Note: you may store points for later use if you so desire.
Here are some things you can do with your points:
Magic
- 1 magic point: The memory of a distant god.
- 1 magic point: The making of a prophecy.
- 2 magic point: The occasional favor of a cohort of magical beings.
- 2 magic points: A caste of magicians, to obtain through esoterica what one cannot by force of arms.
- 3 magic points: The creation of a magical artifact.
- 3 magic points: The destruction of a mundane mass of foes or their homes.
- 4 magic points: The enlistment of a race of magical servants.
- 4 magic points: The birth of a demi-god, or a Hero.
- 4 magic points: The casting of a great blessing or a great curse.
- 4 magic points: The breaking or making of a great feature of the world.
- 5 magic points: Try to wound a god; perhaps if you are lucky it will break them. Or unlucky.
- 6 magic points: The birth of a god, or a new race of magical beings.
- 6 magic points: The breaking of an empire.
- 7 magic points: Attempt a deicide.
- 9 magic points: Wreak a great and lasting change on the bones of truth.
- 10 magic points: Complete the prophecy.
- 1 civilization point: A court, guards, weapons, a village, farms, a tribe. Trappings, workings, makings.
- 1 civilization point: Diplomacies and emissaries, spies and intelligence.
- 1 civilization point: Enjoy life! (Sometimes it helps.)
- 2 civilization points: A city, a modest castle, or a network of towns.
- 2 civilization points: An ideology or religion that people may not forget after you are gone.
- 2 civilization points: A new innovation, well aren’t you clever.
- 2 civilization points: Raise an army, or an elite band.
- 2 civilization points: Create a new caste of specialists in your society.
- 3 civilization points: A tributary or alliance with neighbors that brings them into your system, for now.
- 3 civilization points: A humbling sign of obeisance that placates gods or rivals enough to keep you around..
- 3 civilization points: The execution of a mortal, or semi-mortal, foe.
- 4 civilization points: The production of a great ruler, leader, prophet, genius, or Hero.
- 5 civilization points: Something truly wondrous: A hundred ships, a glorious legion, a towering fortress. A reasonable kingdom.
- 6 civilization points: An empire of glories.
- 7 civilization points: To dare that which mortals should not.
- 8 civilization points: Make a gambit for world empire, to bring the very gods to their knees.
- 10 civilization points: Apotheosis.
Note: You can also do things that aren’t listed here; tell me what it is and I’ll give you an appropriate cost.
-
Updates
Update 0 - The Beginning of Days
Update 1 - The Harbinger of Destiny
Update 2 - The Price of Knowledge
-
Current Deadline: pending
Last edited: