Nation Builder RP [tabletop-like]

[NinjaHillbilly]

Interest Check
IC Thread

Alright, here's the gist of the system. Random events and most rolls are determined by me and a d100. The system stuff is mostly done on the background via PM, so that nations cannot cheat and look at what each other are doing with OOC knowledge. Discussion is allowed, but remember, you don't have to tell the truth (in-game you do though, since you're actually roleplaying your choices and what happens (there can still be stuff happening behind the scenes, of course)).

Time is measured in weeks. Not real weeks, though. A week is essentially a round of everyone acting. Focusing entirely on one thing for some time gives a bonus to that thing. During a battle, time is measured in turns, and nations must out-maneuver and out-smart each other.

You may or may not receive RP bonuses. You'll never know, because I have all the dice!

Nobody will know the map aside a few squares around their starting area, for fairness (Mapmaking increases this range).

Nations will be sent via PM, for fairness, but you may discuss things here or in PM with others if you want.

And now for something completely (mostly) statistical.

Nation Creation!

Evolution Points: You start with 10 (Negative costs give you extra EP). Spend these on starting advantages for your Nation. All Nations require some kind of Terrain, or I'll put you wherever the dice tell me to (chances are this will not be to your advantage, the dice are very fickle)

Traits

Production:
2 EP-Crops: Nation is good at growing plant-life, including edible fruits and vegetables, as well as herbs for use in remedies. (+Food/+Medicine)
3 EP-Livestock: Nation is good at domesticating docile wildlife. Provides meat for food, as well as leather for armor. (+Food/+Hide Production)
1 EP-Scavenging: Nation’s chances of gathering useful things while scavenging is increased. Quality of finds is also slightly increased. (+Scavenging)
1 EP-Hunting: Nation’s chances of gathering useful things while hunting is increased. Quality of finds is also slightly increased. (+Hunting)
2 EP-Forestry: Nation is better at harvesting wood. (+Forestry)
5 EP-Mining: Nation has basic mining tools from the start. (+Mining)

Research:
1 EP-Medical: Nation has improved medical aid. (+Medicine)
1 EP-Mapmaking: Nation starts with better knowledge of its surrounding area. (+Map)
2 EP-Biology: Nation starts with better knowledge of its surrounding wildlife. (+Bestiary/+Hunting)
3 EP-Botany: Nation starts with better knowledge of its surrounding plant-life. (+Scavenging/+Crop Synergy)
5 EP-Studious Leader: Leader starts with some knowledge of magic. (+Magic)
3 EP-Studious Nation: Nation learns things faster than others. (+Research)

Construction:
4 EP-Architecture: Nation constructs stronger buildings and settlements. (+Structure Defense)
4 EP-Building: Nation constructs buildings and settlements faster. (+Construction Speed)
4 EP-Weapons: Nation begins with better selection of basic weapons (read: you get bows 'n shit). (+Combat)
2 EP-Mobility: Nation has wagons and boats, allowing for ease of travel and faster establishment of new settlements. (+Travel/+Expansion/+Nomadic Synergy)

People: (These are mechanical system traits only, you can describe them however you want, and these are intentionally vague for that reason)
4 EP-Semi Aquatic: Nation’s people are capable both in aquatic environments and on land. Can cross any rivers and lakes without boats or bridges, but cannot travel overseas or build aquatic settlements. Gains bonuses in Swamps. If taken with Aquatic, this trait removes on-land penalties. (+Travel/+Swamp Synergy)
6 EP-Aquatic: Nation’s people are chiefly aquatic, capable of building aquatic settlements and traveling through water. Takes penalties on land, but not in Swamps. (+Aquatic/-Travel/-Land Penalty)
8 EP-Flight: Nation’s people are capable of flight. (+Flight/+Travel/+Scouting/+Scavenging/+Hunting)
2 EP-Burrowing: Nation’s people are naturally capable of burrowing underground. (+Tunneling/+Mining)
3 EP-Nomadic: Nation’s people are used to moving around. They create caravans in place of settlements, making them more adaptable. Mobility is required to take both Crops and Nomadic, as the crops must be taken along. (+Travel/+Scavenging/+Hunting/+Mobility Synergy)
5 EP-Magic: Nation’s people have natural magic. (+Magic)
-5 EP-Normal: Nation’s people can never learn Magic. (Magic = 0)

Terrain: (Only One)
0 EP-Plains: Basic.
1 EP-Coastline: +Food
3 EP-Forest: +Scavenging/+Hunting/+Forestry/+Forest Synergy
2 EP-Prime Farmland: +Crop Synergy/+Livestock Synergy
-4 EP-Barrens: -Food/-Hunting/-Scavenging/-Forestry
-2 EP-Desert: -Food/-Hunting/-Forestry/+Desert Synergy
1 EP-Swamp: +Swamp Synergy
3 EP-Jungle: +Scavenging/+Hunting/+Forestry/+Jungle Synergy
-1 EP-Mountains: -Food/-Forestry/+Mountain Synergy
-1 EP-Tundra: -Food/-Scavenging/+Tundra Synergy
0 EP-Lake: -Aquatic Only/+Food
2 EP-Coral: -Aquatic Only/+Settlement Defense/+Construction Speed/+’Forestry’
3 EP-Blighted Lands: -Food/-Hunting/-Scavenging/+Magic/+Blight Synergy (If Nation also has Normal, Blight’s cost is -2 EP instead)
-6 EP-Volcano: -Eruption Chance/-Food/-Forestry/+Mountain Synergy/+Hot Springs
0 EP-Inactive Volcano: -Food/-Forestry/+Mountain Synergy/+Hot Springs
Note: All Terrain costs are 0 EP for Nomadic Nations, as they can move their settlements. They can instead purchase Terrain Synergy for any Terrain for 1 EP each, and I'll put them near their favored terrain.

Note: Terrain such as Swamps and Deserts give roll penalties, except to those with Synergy. Terrain without penalty gives bonuses for Synergy instead; the effect is pretty much the same either way. Home field advantage.

Also suggest to me how close you want to be to other nations.

Currency: If you wish, your nation may have some form of currency it produces and uses. How useful this is in dealing with other nations depends on them.
Food: Your food stores. When you don’t have enough, Morale drops rapidly.
Wood: Your main building material in low-tech levels.
Hide: Another building material in low-tech levels.
Stone: Mining nations can use Stone as a building material. Other nations can also collect rocks for weapons/whatever.
Metal: Mining nations will also have access to metal, which will be very useful, especially in increasing tech levels.
Gems: Pretty shiny rocks. Magic nations may find these useful later on.

Medicine: A higher Medicine rating increases your nation’s chances of fighting diseases and harsh conditions. Also restores more Hits to recovering units.
Research: A higher Research rating increases your nation’s chances to discover or invent something new when studying things.
Morale: A higher Morale inspires your people and gives bonuses to their rolls. A lower Morale makes them hate life and they get penalties. If Morale reaches 0%, the nation is on the verge of collapse and must make a save each week or fall apart, until it manages raise Morale back up to above 0%.

Upkeep: Food required to sustain the unit.
Hits: The unit’s hit points. When this reaches 0, the unit is dead.
Attack: The unit’s attack power, which enhances their combat rolls.
Defense: The unit’s defense power, which hinders the enemy rolls.
Damage: Damage done to opponent Hits on a successful attack roll.
Move: Distance the unit can move each week.
Range: Range of unit's attacks.
Mana: The unit’s maximum and current magic points, if it can learn magic.
Spells: The unit’s powers and their mana costs, if it can learn magic.
Special: Special traits and bonuses the unit has.

Leader:
Your Leader receives 100 Stat Points. You distribute these among their stats however you want. Note that, under normal circumstances, these cannot be raised later. Unless you like pump the guy/girl full of drugs/cybernetics in much higher tech levels. Or use magic. So choose wisely.
Upkeep is 5 Food. Move is 2. Range is 1, or up to 3 if the Nation has Weapons (and therefore bows). Leaders have a Terrain Synergy if their nation does.
Leader Death: The Nation is helpless for one week, after which it appoints a new Leader if still alive. Units will defend themselves if attacked, and may counterattack, but cannot move very far from a settlement without some form of organization.

Basic Unit Examples:
Jungle Ranger
Upkeep: 20 Food
Hits: 3
Attack: 10
Defense: 10
Damage: 1
Range: 1
Move: 2
Special: +Hunting/+Scouting/+Jungle Synergy

Stone Golem, Lesser
Upkeep: 10 Stone
Hits: 10
Attack: 5
Defense: 15
Damage: 3
Move: 1

Here, the Jungle Ranger and Lesser Stone Golem attacking each other would each have -5 to their roll, because of Attack and Defense, but if the Ranger is hit he's dead. At the same time, the Ranger beats the Golem in Move, and can easily out-maneuver it to get away, especially in the Jungle. If the Ranger's Nation had bows, he could easily pick off the lone Golem gradually from afar.

Note: Since you'll want to design your society, give me suggestions for basic units and I'll finalize stats for them.

Structure Stats
Upkeep: Food required sustaining the villagers/worker/etc. assumed to be working within. It’s not like your nation is a bunch of sentient buildings (unless they are!)
Materials: The building materials required to make the structure. Generally you can use anything to build it, but that affects durability.
Attack: Entirely determined by units within the structure (for now, until you get things like mounted turrets and defense systems and all that good stuff).
Defense: The structure’s architectural strength, or the difficulty of getting inside when the people inside don’t want you to, which hinders enemy rolls.
Damage: Again, won’t come up for a while.
Range: Also for later tech levels.
Special: Special traits and bonuses the structure gives its Nation.
Notes: When a structure’s Defense is breached, the units inside must be killed before the structure can be captured or destroyed.

Basic Structures
Note: Beyond these examples, what you build is up to you. Tell me what you want to do and I’ll stat something up for it for you.

Basic Settlement
Upkeep: 25
Materials: 50 (first is free and Wood)
Defense: 0 Hide/5 Wood/15 Stone/20 Metal
Special: Contains your civilians. Buildings are constructed within Settlements.

Basic Wall
Upkeep: 0
Materials: 30
Defense: 5 Hide/10 Wood/20 Stone/30 Metal
Special: Stacks with Settlement Defense.

Basic Farm
Upkeep: 0
Materials: 10 Wood and 5 Hide
Defense: 5
Special: Produces 20 Food per week. Increased or decreased by modifiers from the terrain and the nation’s traits. May have other products depending on traits. Nomads will need wagons to carry their plants.

Basic Caravan
Upkeep: 25
Materials: 30 Wood and 20 Hide (first is free, you get this instead of a free Wood Settlement)
Defense: 10
Move: 2 (With Mobility, +2 and can cross water)
Special: Nomadic Nations Only. (They can still build Settlements if they really want.)

Note: No build speeds are noted, because I haven't finalized that yet.

Here are some forms for those who like those. * means the information is optional.

Nation Name: Self explanatory.
*Appearance: What the people (and their architecture if you want) generally look like. This would be the average person.
*Beliefs: What the people believe. Can be philosophy, religion, culture, or just a more general outlook.
Traits and Terrain: Your chosen advantages or disadvantages.
*Distance: How far or close you'd prefer to be to other nations.
*Basic Units: Design three basic 'unit type' ideas, whether combat or not. Stat spread suggestions, what they do, any interesting information about them or their origins. This is not required and you can make more up as you go, it's just easier to start out with a few ideas so you don't have to make it up on the spot later.

Leader Name: Self explanatory.
*Gender: Self explanatory.
*Age: Self explanatory.
*Appearance: What the leader looks like, and anything that sets them apart from the norm.
*Personality: How the leader acts and reacts to situations, and any personal beliefs that might differ from the norm. Or adhere strictly to it, if that's the case.
Upkeep: 5
Hits:
Attack:
Defense:
Damage:
Move: 2
Range:
*Mana:
*Spells:
*Special:

Not accepting any more once things have formally started.

[mast3rlinkx]

Sorry, but I'm not really liking how this turned out. I'll have to drop.

[thatguy12]

im still interested

[mast3rlinkx]

I just don't like how it's overcomplicating things. I wanted something nice and simple, with dice only controlling combat. I'd have preferred it be like Stars of Eden, where he trusts the players to be responsible enough to make combat fair.

- - - Updated - - -

I just don't like how it's overcomplicating things. I wanted something nice and simple, with dice only controlling combat. I'd have preferred it be like Stars of Eden, where he trusts the players to be responsible enough to make combat fair.

[NinjaHillbilly]

Last time my friends and I tried this it was more free form, and the nations got so out of hand the other two (who were running it) decided to quit. Plus, I've always enjoyed dice rolling games. It's fine if it's not your thing, just figured I'd give something more structured a shot.

[mast3rlinkx]

Well, I wish you luck in this. Have fun!

[NinjaHillbilly]

Thanks, you too! Maybe I'll try getting the other two from the original in on this.

[thorgili]

I am interested if I don't get too busy with the others I will make a NS soon

[IAmZero]

I... will try this. This seems significantly less casual, and definitely in the advanced ring. But, whatever. I'll create my nation in a bit.

[Heyitsjiwon]

Well, I'm considering joining. Look forward to a sheet soon.