Forsaken Kingdom



No man is an island,
Entire of itself...
-John Donne, 1624


Seldom is power obtained without allies in the Kingdoms of Briande. Twenty years have passed since the death of Old King Bremen and his web of ancient alliances lay in tatters. King Bremen, whom history will remember fondly, held together what little peace between the ancient houses he could muster for the entirety of his reign. But with no heir apparent, invading barbarians, threatening pirates and the ancient houses teetering on the edge of open warfare, a new era of war emerges. Briande has become a Forsaken Kingdom..

The lands of Briande are filled with soaring mountains, primeval forests and temperate coasts. Settlements are rare, but ancient, with generations of peasants occupying the same land for centuries. A myriad of keeps and fortresses, relics of old wars lay neglected along borders, overlooking quiet agricultural tracts. On the fringes of the Kingdoms are nomadic tribes of barbarians with cruel weapons and insatiable greed. In ancient times, these barbarians were hired as mercenaries to fight alongside the noble houses. King Bremen and his forebears banished them from the realm and forbid any of the ancient houses from hiring them. However, some would argue the royal decrees no longer apply since the departure of King Bremens soul from this mortal world...


The Regions of Briande




To the East is the Taciturn Sea, a calm, tideless ocean that reaches into the far north forever. The tempestuous Inner Sea is to the West, surrounding the Mercenary Isles. Briande is in the middle. The rivers and mountains are too numerous to name and are left to you (the players). Towns and villages may be added later, but great cities have not existed in Briande since before the sidhe vanished some two-thousand years ago.


Each player will start with one region and populate it with 1 township, 1 fortress and 3 villages. Townships are necessary to collect taxes from villages, and fortress provides defense. You are expected to give a fair amount of detail to your starting region, but subsequent regions acquired or conquered need not be as detailed (unless you so desire). More information about regions and how to start are forthcoming.


Meta Stuff & Roleplaying

In this turn-based RP, you take the role of a king, warlord or heir to the throne and fight for power in a land of gritty fantasy. I have given only the barest of world information to get the kingdoms started, but I prefer to keep within the boundaries of early medieval era. Magic is scarce and religion and god remaining mysterious and frightening to peasants.

With such a focus on combat and lust for glory and power, I found it fitting to devise some combat mechanics that are simple and require only basic math skills. I hope they only serve the roleplaying narrative, not hinder it. Also, I believe a good game should have a clear beginning and an ultimate ending, and so shall this game. Whether it be a set number of turns, or 'victory' conditions, this game will eventually end.

Gameplay will proceed in two distinct ways. The first is the turn-orders phase in which you submit your orders via PM to me, the GM. The second is the roleplaying narrative conducted in the IC thread of the main gameplay thread. This is where an opportunity exists to make the world come alive. You may post IC as frequently as you wish, but be aware of the timeline and the current turn. You don't want to write a battle scene before the guy your attacking has sent his orders.

A quick note about turns: Turns are called seasons in game and proceed as follows: Harvest, Winter, Spring, & Summer. Resources are collected every turn and are available the following turn for use.


Regions, Construction and Resources:

W.I.P. No numbers cited here are final.
Regions are the meat of the world map, divided by arbitrary borders that represent some geographical division (i.e. the lines on the map are not literally borders, but rather rough divisions) in resources. At the start of the game you pick 1 region, fill it with 1 fortress, 1 township and 3 villages and give them names. Fortresses provide defense for the region, townships are necessary to collect gold from villages. All resources are collected regardless of the season. There is no limit to how many things you may build each turn. If you cannot pay an upkeep cost for more than 2 consecutive seasons (turns) on constructions or units, you lose them.


  • A player starts with 1 Region, 1 township, 1 fortress, 3 villages and 10 gold to purchase your starting units. A new unit can be purchased for its upkeep cost.
  • A village costs 5 gold to construct and has no upkeep.
  • A township costs 10 gold to build and has no upkeep. Townships are where your new troops start.
  • A fortress costs 25 gold to construct and has an upkeep of X.
  • A castle costs 100 gold to construct and doubles the amount of taxes collected in each region. Castles have an upkeep of X.
  • 1 village = 1 gold (representative of goods sold, i.e food and simple manufactured goods)
  • A township is necessary to collect gold and to build new construction.
  • A fortress is helpful in defending a region from invasion.
  • Region bonus:
  • A region containing the following receives a bonus:
  • Mountain: +X to defending
  • Coastline: +1g Trade Bonus per village
  • River: An army loses all initiative in passing across a river
  • Empty: (neither mountain, river or coastline)


Unit Movement, Attacking & Defending:

W.I.P.
Units start in the regions Township. Units move in the straightest path to their target unless otherwise started. Enemy units that cross paths during a turn immediately ensue combat. (Consider Stealth?)
Combat & Units:

Warfare is conducted with Infantry, Archers, and Cavalry that require an upkeep cost. You can pay this cost by controlling Regions which supply you with gold from taxes (collected in townships), and food from villages. If you are attacked, hiding in a fortress or castle will help you defend your territory greatly, but diminish your resources without being able to collect them for that turn. Here is the basic information for Combat Units:

Each unit has a hit die assigned to them to simulate how much damage they can deal and how much damage they can take. Each unit has a standard Hit Point Value (the total number of hits they can receive before dying) that is modified by a roll of their respective hit dice. Basic units like militia have a low hit-die (militia is a d4) while powerful units like cavalry are assigned larger dice (cavalry is a d8).

Militia
Dice: (d4)
Cost: 1g per season
Initiative: 0
HP: 1/1

Infantry
Infantry may be spearmen, swordsmen, pikemen etc.
Dice: (d6)
Cost: 2g per season
Initiative: 1
HP: 2/2

Archers Expensive, but devastating at ranged attacks.
Dice: (*d4)
Cost: 3g per season
Initiative: 2
HP:1/1

Crossbowmen Even more expensive than standard Archers, with equal measure in damage.
Dice: (*d6)
Cost: 4g per season
Initiative: 2
HP: 2/1

Cavalry (d8) Knights armed with the best weapons money can buy.
Dice: (d8)
Cost: 5g per season
Initiative: 3
HP: 3/3

Non-Combat Units:
Priests: Priests aid in healing wounded Units after combat.

Other Possible Units:
Sappers, Sorcerers, etc.


Mercenary Units may also be purchased for a non-negotiable? fee. Mercenaries are drawn from the various barbarian tribes on the outskirts of the kingdoms. They are fickle, greedy and probably no to be trusted, but may turn the tide of battle in your favor.

Table of Mercenary Units:
To determine the Mercenary Units that Show to Battle roll 1d20
Results:
1: You have been ripped off! No units show to battle.
2-5: Whether by cowardice or treachery, only a handful of mercenary units report for duty.
6-15: A sizeable company of warriors has reported for duty.
16-20: The barbarian hordes have come! It would appear the entire troop has joined battle.

*In case of a 20, the barbarians may attempt to take some of the loot and or land for themselves if victorious. If you are not victorious in battle, you may not hire mercenary/barbarian troops for 2 years.

List of Mercenaries & Barbarians
To be populated