Possible IOT Idea (RFC)

[GhostWriter16]

Note: I'm not volunteering to GM something such as this: I haven't been here in awhile but I'm assuming much more experienced, competent people are still around to GM. I'm just throwing out a possibility that someone else might want to pick up and run with, or not. I'd certainly offer to play, and join the discussion as to particular rules, but that's it. If someone else isn't interested in GMing it its not going to happen.

Has anyone ever considered running a "Rhye's and Fall" type IOT? It wouldn't necessarily have to be purely historical, but say you took a world map and started with, say, six different nations (I'm throwing out a number, RFC started with four IIRC and you could probably do anything from 3-8 depending on how many players.) Nations would start with more land than normal, but you'd also have nations "Springing up" out of the old at timed intervals, so say maybe you start with four nations and then two new ones get to rise after 2 turns, then maybe 4 more the next two turns, exc. Or something... But basically, you'd have the whole stability concept and there'd be a tradeoff for being an ancient nation, you'd get more time to prepare but you'd also have new nations springing up out of your land all the time.

I don't have a specific ruleset in mind, just the basic idea and I figured I'd better post it rather than let it go to waste. Let the discussion begin.

 

[Tani Coyote]

Games have been done before with the various Civ games as basis of sorts. The hot seat's limitations mean this usually manifests as the GM having players run the country and decide what happens collectively.

 

[GhostWriter16]

I didn't mean actually playing Civ. I meant making an IOT with a ruleset that's based off of RFC (Primarily the idea of new nations rising out of old ones being reduxed in IOT...)

 

[AluminumKnight]

I'm just thinking out loud here, but based on my experience so far, you would definitely need dependable players for the rising nations.

For simplicity's sake, let's say you copy RFC. 7 people sign on in the initial sign-up phase and they get these nations:

Egypt
Babylon
India
China
Greece
Carthage
Persia

The game will begin with only 4 players and the rest will have to wait until the game progresses far enough for them to begin, which could take weeks or longer.

I don't want to be pessimistic, but from what I've seen, a GM can kill a game by delaying the start for a week or 2 because half the players will drop out (with warning or without).

I would suggest then limiting sign ups to the nations that are actually available, so only accepting 4 players to start, then on the week that Greece is to spawn, open that nation for application. It might get to feel a little exclusive, but maybe it's best

 

[GhostWriter16]

I could imagine starting with seven nations. I don't know if we'd copy RFC's nations or let people make their own (Although they'd have to be at least conceivably era-appropriate if people made their own). But yeah, I'd definitely think letting people sign up weeks in advance is PROBABLY not a good idea unless that player has a history for consistency (Which I, admittedly don't.)

 

[christos200]

But yeah, I'd definitely think letting people sign up weeks in advance is PROBABLY not a good idea unless that player has a history for consistency

I have. And if you create a IOT like this, I would most propably ask you to reserve Greece.

Anyway, the problem for an IOT like this is that only a few players will enjoy the game, since you are limiting the number of players to 4, and most IOTers are not going to wait for whole weeks to or months (if you for example want France) in order to play as the nation they want. Not to say that it is not very fun for everyone to have to wait for weeks to join the game while the lucky ones to see the thread first will not have to wait at all.

 

[Tyo]

I wouldn't have the patience myself.