Lords of the Rising Sun (Pre-NES)

[kkmo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakitsu_Treaty

^ But that doesn't mean treaties can't be broken! If only the So were worth anything at this time... But yes it would be quite fun to play for someone who wants to build for a few turns.

 

[T_F]

Ack, I'm too used to playing MEIOU for EU3 (starting in 1356)

 

[kkmo]

As a general note with many orders:

Many of you are a bit over-zealous with your military options. You will mention in orders "take this castle", and that is all. Castles sometimes took years to successfully take (really depends). Also, some more detail on how you wish to take the castle is preferable. Then, to make matters worse, some of you will write in to proceed to attempt to take 3 or 4 major castles in a single year, and with a small army. Or you will write in your orders that you want to be engaged in a siege in a domain's capital by year's end - all the way to the heart of the enemy in a single turn.

Remember there are dozens of minor estates, forts, and castles not shown on the map. I fear some of you might be treating this as a boardgame because of the map. The map is deceitful and is for reference, not for the backbone of gameplay. Anyway, so many minor castles exist. So if you say to take 1 and then 2 major castle complexes with a small army - well it is a bit ridiculous.

Of course this is the first turn, so it doesn't matter and I will not hold it against any one. But remember that wars are costly, long, and take time, men, and money. I hope you all won't be disappointed if your territorial gains are not nearly as significant as you might think they should be. Marching through rugged terrain, dealing with the elements, preparing for and fighting battles, and then dealing with minor armies, retainers, peasants, etc. - from Turn 1 getting to a massive domain's capital is simply not possible, especially with a tiny army.

Of course I'm not holding it against any one, and it wasn't everyone - just a few people. Not a big deal - as we go, you will get better at seeing what can be accomplished in a given amount of time. Anyway, there will be many interesting developments in this update! Hope to have it done by Monday.

 

[Anonymoose]

Psha. Go big or go home. I'll take 8 castles with five and a half samurai this turn. 'Cause I rock hard like a boss.

 

[kkmo]

Psha. Go big or go home. I'll take 8 castles with five and a half samurai this turn. 'Cause I rock hard like a boss.

Well that makes sense. The half-man is either a small person, able to cut legs easily - or a torso with flailing arms placed upon the back of one of the other five. Deadly combos result.

List updated to include more people that have sent orders!

 

[Luckymoose]

Oh, wow I didn't even realize the orders were due so quickly. I'll get them in today.

 

[kkmo]

OK. Looking forward to it...

 

[kkmo]

Get him to get them in.

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

Well it's Sunday and I have some things to do. Once those things are done, I will begin writing. flexing fingers

 

[Anonymoose]

That book is a mockery of our proud people. We can't read.

 

[Thlayli]

I often enjoy setting specific nations I play in NESes to music, giving them an anthem of sorts.

For the Uesugi, I was considering something fairly martial and patriotic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlE6sVpkEf8

 

[kkmo]

http://youtu.be/JqoGHKIthS4

But this is a piss-poor video of Noh. Damnit. Seriously try to watch Kagemusha, as the Noh scene in that movie is remarkable.

 

[kkmo]

I'm finding it really difficult/troublesome/uninteresting to write aspects of nations that are successful. For example, if someone in their orders wrote to build a castle, it seems unnecessary for me to write in the update that a palace has begun construction. Or if someone writes to improve roads, I don't want to write about roads being improved. I don't like repeating these smaller aspects of orders. For me, writing about the stuff that needs my moderation is significantly more fun (i.e. battles, intrigue, and so on).

Any tips?

 

[Ninja Dude]

Perhaps you could just dedicate a paragraph or two to every clan's "generic" activities. Have a paragraph talking about everyone who began improving roads. A paragraph for castles. Stuff like that. I dunno, there's probably a better way of doing it, but I'll just throw my idea out there

 

[Thlayli]

I'm finding it really difficult/troublesome/uninteresting to write aspects of nations that are successful. For example, if someone in their orders wrote to build a castle, it seems unnecessary for me to write in the update that a palace has begun construction. Or if someone writes to improve roads, I don't want to write about roads being improved. I don't like repeating these smaller aspects of orders. For me, writing about the stuff that needs my moderation is significantly more fun (i.e. battles, intrigue, and so on).

Any tips?

One thing that certain mods like Birdjaguar, North King, and occasionally myself have done is to temporarily replace the basic moderator narration with short personal stories.

So you could talk about the architect of a new castle meeting with his daimyo and discussing the various features, or something like that, or a common laborer reflecting on how setting the foundation is taking longer than normal. Or take the viewpoint of a merchant who travels between clans talking with an associate about which clans have improved their infrastructure the most and which roads are still bad, etc.

It never hurts to throw in fun random events, too. Not everything that occurs should be ordered by a player.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I understand how you feel kkmo, but you should keep in mind that players are concerned bout what happens when they spend money on stuff and if no mention is made of some effort or the results of that effort do not show up in the stats, they then wonder if you noticed the spending. Pms and questions then appear. maybe your update could have a section like this:

Road improvement: Hojo, Satomi, Uesugi
Port facilities upgraded: Ashima
Castles started/improved: Hojo, Takeda
etc.

Or condense it further:
Castle spending: Hojo, Ashima...
Infrastructure spending: Hojo, Satake
Trade improvements: Hojo, Oda

 

[Birdjaguar]

One thing that certain mods like Birdjaguar, North King, and occasionally myself have done is to temporarily replace the basic moderator narration with short first-person stories.

So you could talk about the architect of a new castle meeting with his daimyo and discussing the various features, or something like that, or a common laborer reflecting on how setting the foundation is taking longer than normal. Or take the view of a merchant who travels between clans reflecting on which ones have improved their infrastructure the most and which roads are still bad, etc.

^^^^ My favorite approach, but very time consuming. I always make a list for each nation that had everything I wanted to include in the update about them, then I find a place to include each item. Sometimes an item would show up in another nation's section.

 

[kkmo]

I like that idea. The short narrative stories sound good, too, but they would get tiring after a while. What if I just said, "Everything you spent money on you have improved!"

Anyway. I think I'm going to write haiku about it.

Oh and Birdjaguar, the list idea is great. I should be doing that.

 

[Kozmos]

Well there was always that approach that if it didn't get mentioned in the update it worked. Which is particularly pleasing to me since I used to play a lot behind-the-scenes organization (and still do).

 

[Birdjaguar]

I like that idea. The short narrative stories sound good, too, but they would get tiring after a while. What if I just said, "Everything you spent money on you have improved!"

Anyway. I think I'm going to write haiku about it.

Oh and Birdjaguar, the list idea is great. I should be doing that.

I write my updates in Word and begin with a list like this:

Hojo
Improved rice production
Gifts sent
Wins 3 battles against Uesugi (summer and fall)
Echigo castle submits (no siege)
Daimyo killed, heir captured

Uesugi
Embassy sent to Satake
Castle XXX improved with moat construction
Army decimated
Daimyo killed
Rebellion among local clans
Famine strikes the land



Then as I write each section and items are included, I take it off the list. When finished, I cut and paste into the thread. For the most part it keeps me from forgetting stuff over the long time it takes me to do an update.

 

[kkmo]

I've been doing that, too, but only with the "fun" stuff (like the stuff you mentioned). I am writing in Word, as well.

I just think that simpler tasks like building roads, improving ports, etc. requires no moderation per se. Honestly, part of me sincerely believes players should post about that stuff on their own to solidify their reality, rather than having to include them in the update.

But if I must include them, I will do it in small, one-sentence prose narratives or perhaps even haiku (I was serious). Put it in the context of, for example, a haiku poet such as Basho traveling a road and commenting on its cleanliness. So on and so forth.