RPG Rules Discussion

Chieftess

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These are temporary until an actualy ruleset is in place.
Fundamental Rules

1. The stories and enjoyment of the players are the primary goals of the RPG. Rules exist as a framework to promote a cooperative and fun environment.

2. Thou shalt not resurrect characters, locations, plots, etc from previous RPGs.

3. Thou shalt not kill another player’s character without express permission from that player or the Game Manager. Same for any major alteration in another player’s character’s fortune, health or plotline.

4. Each player may have several characters. When posting make it very clear which character is involved.

5. Storylines often require one person to declare actions/dialog for another player’s characters. Be nice. Anything you declare that another player’s character is doing or saying should be in line for how that player has developed his character. When a storyline involves several characters give the other players a chance to contribute. Don’t jump the story beyond their chance to respond.

6. Thou shalt stay in the bounds of the demogame. Local technology is limited to what is possible in the demogame. If we are at war with a country in the demogame then we are at war in the RPG as well. We are not at war in the RPG unless we are at war in the demogame. Try to build in and build upon the demogame events in the RPG storylines.

7. Thou shalt stay in the bounds of reasonable suspension of disbelief. Your character may believe he is a vampire that can fly and mesmerize with his stare but he can’t actually physically do that. His actions must be explainable in a real world sense.

8. No take backs. Unless the Game Manager determines that an improper or illegal event has been put into a storyline everything that has been written happens.

9. New rules can be approved by either a majority of the current Managers (each player receives 1 vote regardless of how many Manager positions they hold) or a super majority of players in a 48 hour poll. Each manager holds veto power over their own ruleset for rules approved by the Manager method.

10. At the end of each month there will be a support poll for each manager to continue in that position. If any manager fails to receive a majority of support that position will be put through an election process.

11. The Game Manager has overall authority for activities in the RPG. He determines random events and can insert/remove elements to guide and enhance storylines. He determines when characters die from age or unpredicted (non-storyline) violence or accident. When he determines that an event will occur that directly affects a character he notifies that player so the player can work it into his storyline. If the player can’t do so the Game Manager will write the event story himself.

12. The Item Manager has overall authority for all items in the RPG. His responsibilities include tracking the exceptional items owned by each character and monitoring to prevent abuse or introduction of inappropriate goods.

Character Rules

1. When a character is created the player decides what caste it will be (see Nobility section for a list of castes). Each player may only create one character at a time that is of high gentry or better birth. A single player may have more than 1 upper caste character if their lower caste characters rise in position). Not all castes will be available at all times as government styles, technology, etc modify what is available. There is a maximum percentage of noble characters to non-noble characters so creation of a noble may be disallowed based on current numbers.

2. Each character has a life expectancy equal to that shown in the current save of the demogame. Each game turn is considered one year in the RPG for character age. A character will die of old age at the life expectancy plus/minus 10%.

3. Character statistics are the innate traits of the character. These are determined by a combination of assignment and random contribution.

4. Character abilities are the learned skills of the character. These are determined by the player.

5. The Character Manager has overall authority over all things character related. He can add/remove/modify as he feels appropriate in order to prevent unbalanced or game threatening characters.

Land Rules

1. Might makes right. The despot starts out with everything and everybody else grovels at his feet.

2. As territory grows it gets beyond the ability of one character to control. New nobles are raised to run these territories. They are sworn to allegiance but rebellions have been known to happen. The despot can actually give away land but this generally only happens as a reward to a long time loyal follower. More often the lesser nobles are running the despot’s land in service to him.

3. It’s possible for there to be more than one despot. If a revolt succeeds and is not put down by the despot that territory is then a separate entity. Note that newly acquired territory in the demogame still goes to the despot who holds the demogame capital.

4. In a monarchy new land goes to the most logical king. That is the royal character that has adjoining lands, nearby capital, etc.

5. In republic and democracy new land is offered for general sale to the populace.

6. In communism all land reverts to control of the government.

7. Land provides a number of gold, shields and food that it would generate if worked in a city. If no city controlled by the tile owner can access the tile it never makes more than what is shown when right clicking on the tile in the game. Gold can be converted to food or shields with one gold making 1/2 of either. If currency hasn’t been discovered yet all gold produced must be taken as shields or food.

8. Cities produce the number of gold, shields and food for the tile they reside on plus an additional gold for each population point.

9. A single contiguous land territory that has at least 5 * P (where “P” is the number of provinces in the demogame) will receive an additional gold per tile in the territory. If the territory has 10 * P receives 2 gold per tile in the territory and one that has 15 * P receives 3 gold per tile in the territory.

10. The Land Manager has overall authority over land issues and is responsible for keeping track of ownership, territories and the base g/f/s values of the tiles.

Unit Rules

1. Each character may raise a certain number of units per chat. This is based on their caste level and modified by their statistics and abilities.

2. Each character also has a maximum number of units that they can maintain command over. This is based on their territory controlled and modified by their statistics and abilities. (Note that with the proper statistics and abilities a character can raise and maintain troops regardless of their caste level.)

3. Each unit costs one shield and one food per chat to be maintained in fighting order. A unit without this support becomes a half strength unit. After 2 chats at half strength the unit will disperse.

4. Each unit costs a number of shields to raise that is equal to 1/10 of the number of shields to build it in the Civ3 game.

5. Mercenary units must be supported with gold and cost gold equivalent to their unit raising cost each chat. (Example: It costs 3 shields to raise a swordsman. It would cost 3g per chat to maintain a mercenary swordsman.)

6. Units are stationed in a territory and can be assumed to be located anywhere inside that territory. A unit can move into (through) one territory per chat for each of its Civ3 movement points. If movement is not contested and is along roads a unit can move into (through) 3 territories per chat for each of its Civ3 movement points. A unit must always stop movement when it enters a contested territory.

7. Units in a contested area will fight using their unit attack/defense values from the Civ3 game modified by character warfare skills, terrain, defenses, etc. Forces may be destroyed, rebuffed, routed, etc.

8. The Conflict Manager has overall authority over all units and is responsible for tracking the units for each character, their location, movement, upkeep, status and all conflicts resulting from actions in contested territories.

Economic Rules

1. The economy of the RPG grows with the technologies known in the demogame. There is no effective economy until the discovery of currency. At that point each character will begin earning a default amount of gold based on their caste level. This is a small amount assumed to be the result of their basic living activities.

2. Currency also brings about the advent of shops. These are personal or collective establishments and must be appropriate to the skills and abilities of the proprietor/owner. Each PLAYER will be able to start one shop during the course of the game.

3. Banking technology allows the addition of companies and banks. Companies are large organizations that are owned and run by shareholders. The focus of a company does not have to be based on the skills and abilities of the owners. Banks are lending institutions that may process loans and advances for private and commercial interests.

4. The Corporation technology allows stocks and corporations. Stocks are portions of a company that can be bought and sold as a commodity. Corporations are multi-company organizations that can act in their own right to purchase/sell stocks, companies, corporations, land, etc according to their charters.

5. The Economic Manager has overall authority over the economy and is responsible for approving shops, companies and corporations. He also tracks the amount of gold that each character, company and corporation has and bankrupts a those that cannot cover expenditures.

Nobility Rules

1. All characters begin play in a specific caste (Imperial, Royal, High Noble, Noble, Upper Gentry, Lower Gentry, Common). It is possible for a character to become a higher (or lower) caste through appointments and storyline effects.

2. During despotism all peers and titles are under the direction of the despot. The despot may grant and take titles on a whim. Granted titles are almost always bound to an appropriate territory.

3. During monarchy the noble houses become forces in their own right and sponsored characters may be given title despite the wishes of a king. The king no longer has the power to remove titles but a council of nobles may be able to do so.

4. During republic any character may achieve a noble title with the expenditure of sufficient resources.

5. In democracy new titles cannot be gained though hereditary ones may still be passed on.

6. In communism all titles except the gentry are lost.

7. The Nobility Manager has overall authority of noble titles and is responsible for tracking the noble houses as well as the individual titles of each character.
 
Unnofficial ruleset

Let's continue the discussion here. I think this should be added under Economy:

Resource Gathering - you are limited in the number of resources that you can gather in one turn. (or however this system will work). But, it will increase as the eras progress. For exmple:

Code:
Resource	Ancient		Middle		Industrial	Modern
spices		100grams	500grams	2000grams	5000grams
Animal hides	10 cloths	250cloths	20,000cloths	25,000cloths

Also, if the needed resource isn't availible, the amount collected would be less than the base value.
 
What are we planning on doing with a players possesions after a character dies? Inheritance laws?
 
Perhaps. Thus will create family heirlooms, and heritage. Someone could make a bronze necklace, and pass it down as a family treasure. If that family becomes rich, then it's more fuel for the storylines.
 
Would there be an exception to the Time rules for a Central Character and a Secondary Character (The most used NPC). I am curious since I dont want to see my character nor my Secondary character to be effected by time and die off before the end of the demogame. I will have my other NPCs Die off from the Effects of time.
 
Originally posted by Shaitan
No exceptions. You can pass down family traits, etc, but each character should be uniquely different from the others.

I can pass down traits like Character Stats, Jobs the person held, Items the person has, and Skills?
 
Maybe some character stats. Genentics doesn't always choose an exact match. But, I'm guessing that at one point, you could have a slew of characters? (i.e., several hundred characters). They could break off into their own kingdoms. :)
 
Originally posted by Chieftess
Maybe some character stats. Genentics doesn't always choose an exact match.

I just got an Idea, Would it be possible for the Child Character to pick up some of the Character stats from both parrents or something like it (Starts to feel he is playing The Sims now)
 
Originally posted by CivGeneral
I can pass down traits like Character Stats, Jobs the person held, Items the person has, and Skills?
As CT said the stats might be related to those of the parents but they wouldn't be a direct transfer. Hereditary jobs are certainly possible - generally speaking a shop proprietor was succeeded by his children, nobles certainly were. That will depend on the character. Skills would not pass down as those are learned things. A child character can start out at age zero and be trained in the same skills as the parent though so this would actually be sort of possible. If the character has heirs then items would pass down to them. After Code of Laws a will could ensure that items go where the character wants them to.

Originally posted by SAAM
A question: do abilities like the Force (assuming Zarn wants to) get passed down generation to generation?
That would likely be up to the Character Manager.
 
Originally posted by Shaitan
After Code of Laws a will could ensure that items go where the character wants them to.

How can I make the Will ensure that the items will be passed on to the next Generation and the Next Generation and soforth. So that I dont have to write one up everytine my Two Major Characters gets bumped off (Stuff will be added on to the will later on)
 
Originally posted by Shaitan
You can write up a generic will and just fill in the names when needed.

Sounds good :). And I have an option to have a Third Party Persion (Non-NPC) or have one of my Minor NPC read it. I would like to know since I have not done the "Presenting of the Will" before, I know how to write one though :).
 
Maybe before Code of Laws, we could have Birthrights. Maybe birthrights could extend until Nationalism, or continue under Monarchy.
 
I stopped reading after the part about not being able to kill a person's character without express prior written permission. I thought our RPG would involve battles and duels and power struggles and stuff like that there (at least during despotism). A lawless land (at least until we learn code of laws) where violence rules. Whatever happended to the Despot, that fella we all love to hate?
 
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