I'm starting a background, play-by-post/email game based on Zak S's Slow War rules for my
Kalak-Nur setting. I was trying to be coy about it, but it's not gonna get done right without a big blog post everyone can refer to, so here is that. Players, remember, email me your moves. If you put them here or G+ you're giving info away to your potential enemies.
If you're not playing, it's full up at the moment, sorry. Comment here and if I remember I'll let you know if a spot opens up and there are unclaimed factions.
If you're in my every-other Friday games, hey, we're all adults here; either don't read this or separate player knowledge from character knowledge. Some of this your guy might even know, as history or whatever.
Movement is generally 4 Hexes on the Map per turn.
Special Movement notes:
-The following forces move at half the above, 2 hexes per turn, barring special circumstances: Digrot, Trepan, Rebel Droids
-EMFLWEM's forces must Occupy a hex for a full turn before moving on to properly freeze the ground for movement. Hella slow, but see bonuses to fight in those hexes.
-Occupying a hex: at least 20 STR worth of your forces are there unopposed (or winning a conflict) for a turn. This lets you take resources if there's a town there. Only the major cities are listed above; there are smaller settlements that can be found by exploration.
-The Goblin Coalition forces can move at double-speed below ground, IE not exploring just getting troops into position; there's less NPC stuff underground to encounter, but more of it is hostile.
A lot of this is adapted from Zak S.'s Slow War Rules.
Direct and relevant quotes from his blog:
"Moves:
Make a move at any time by telling me. Do whatever you want. I'll inform you what needs to be done to resolve your action.
There'll be a lot of rulings-not-rules and Common Law game design here.
Most of the rest of this is just nitpicking and I-dotting, so don't let it intimidate you....
Timing and Speed:
I'll try to get back to y'all at least once per day. Actions where timing is immediately important will be resolved in order of fastest action first.
Nominally, each day represents at least a day, so put everything you want done (including if/thens) in your orders.
Strength: **
Basically you start with 100 Strength. This is the currency you use for a lot of things representing wealth, power, influence, etc.
1 strength point represents 1% of your army (usually about 1000 hd worth of regulars) or 10 levels/HD worth of special types (including whatever is needed to train, transport and feed them)--like if you need an assassin, you can spend a Strength point to get a 10th level assassin or spend a strength point to make a little force of 2 3hd fighters and one 4th level wizard, etc.
(At the start, some armies (like [Amaya Neow's or potentially Digrot's] army) are big; some, like [The Black Veil] are small, but the total strength of those forces is equal. One [Sister of the Veil] is effectively worth [several crazy biotech mutants or mindless undead].)
When you win fights or take important territory you win Strength.
A lot of things cost no Strength, you just do 'em.
I'll keep track of how much Strength you have.**Exceptions: Town armies start at 50 STR, but a player may have two of them as their Forces. Digrot's army's STR depends on his first move.
Exploration:
Every space on the map has something on it...
Just rolling around purposefully searching territory without fighting anyone else is kind of like pulling cards off the Chance pile in Monopoly--you might get something good, you might get screwed.
If you find anything good, likely at least one other faction will hear about it.
Battles:
Each side rolls d100 plus or minus modifiers plus the total Strength of the troops you sent. High roll wins, disparity equals the percent of the strength gambled that the losing side lost.
You can send as many troops as you want, but a maximum of 30 Strength worth of troops can be "gambled" on one roll. Battles larger than that go in phases, and there is time for forces to maneuver after the first engagement/roll.
Headquarters:
Many factions have a headquarters at their starting location. If you lose that, you lose half your Strength.
[Digrot, Rebel Droids, Amaya Neow, and The Elves of Trepan have no headquarters to begin with.]
Winning and Losing:
When you're out of Strength, you gotta lick your wounds and take your army home.
Maybe make a new faction. Last man, woman or salient entity standing is the winner or, if the game ends early, whoever has the most Strength when the game ends wins.
The players will be ranked, and their FLAILSNAILS D&D PCs will be awarded bonus xp based on that rank.
Spies:
When you do secret stuff there's a pretty good chance at least one other faction will find out. This is the table I'll roll on (note [Digrot] isn't on there, he only notices the obvious):
Who hears about your plans?
Roll d20
- Mocata (I know, I know, no one's playing him...)
- Mocata
- Victarion
- Victarion
- Chchcchchctktktktktk
- Chchcchchctktktktktk
- Chchcchchctktktktktk
- Goblins
- Goblins
- Rebel Droids
- EMFLWEM
- Black Veil
- Black Veil
- Amaya Neow
- The Elves of East Trepan
- Targenmoor
- Baksheesh
- Vance
- Cortuth
- roll 1d4 on 16-19
-10 in open battle; +10% to success of tricks and traps.
The Droid Army of Victarion the Brave
Occasionally, something draws Victarion's attentions beyond his plantation and the delivery of food from it to the settlements of the Grey Waste. Once his droids get out of the Westlands, whatever that something is usually doesn't last long. -1/4 STR if his forces attack Goblins (they are traditionally allies.)
Rebel Droids for a Free Future
A faction of Droids have freed themselves from Victarion's will and formed their own force. Through means both physical and otherwise, they have bound some of the mindless zombies infesting the Westlands to use as footsoldiers. 1/2 move, +10 to open warfare, 1 in 10 chance of fuckup (zombies, mindless, etc); -10 to attack zombies except in self-defense.
EMFLWEM The Ice Demon
Since being released by adventurers some time ago, EMFLWEM has taken over in the dark, frozen South. Ice Goblins are his footsoldiers, and if he freezes enough ground he can call forth Frost Giants.
(Must occupy a hex one entire turn before moving to the next; +20 to open combat in frozen squares)
Look, poetry fails you sometimes, so here: Psychic Jedi Nuns whose mission is to keep anyone else from getting too much magical strength or using big items.
Low in numbers, so -10 STR to open warfare each turn after the first in sustained fights. They act first in battle.
Amayawjkqd neow3j0100101010 - Amaya Neow for short
An insane mutant vocaloid who has turned most of the isolated cults in The Grey Waste into human/android/insect hybrids. Lots of weird abilities, but 1 in 6 chance her forces get distracted by something shiny for a turn.
Chchcchchctktktktktk
"We have lived among them, even loved them, but their time is over. The pretender moves through the waste, and we must end her and her tortured mutants."
Starts at 25 STR in any settlement, must get to any other to gain another 25 STR.
Digrot
The one who had bound me is destroyed; I awake, and soon, all will sleep. Forever.
(His forces are at -25 STR to attack Droids; they hunger instead for living flesh. Possibility to raise the slain fleshy types to increase his strength.)
The Elves of East Trepan
Our spies in many settlements have stopped reporting; perhaps our inferiors are finally catching up. Time to crush them. Even separated from our homeland, we will triumph.
1/2 move (unfamiliar territory), Sorcery, -10 STR if they have not occupied a settlement in the last 5 turns.
The Armies of the Free Cities
Each starts at 50 STR; a player may choose 2 of them to begin with.
Targenmoor
The grand bazaar is soon. (modeled on fantasy arabia, but just one sprawling city; allied with genies)
Baksheesh
Built on crashed ships. Has some weird tech. Closely allied with Mocata. Why hasn't be communicated recently?
Cortuth
Grew around a remote trading post. Defiantly independent. Relies on trade to survive though. Protected by the Ludo, giant furry beasts that can control stone by singing.
Vance
Ancient, dark forces flow through here, causing the people to keep secrets, conspire against one another, and get in touch with dark powers.
No comments:
Post a Comment