Nationsim Workshop

Future Imperfect

2006-12-20T23:58:00.000-05:00

There is a new game on the horizon, which hopefully will be launching around the beginning of 2007. The game is Future Imperfect, a project of Graham's (a.k.a. Lysindur), and will be set in the near-future following a limited nuclear exchange which has left the United States balkanized, the European Union in disarray, Canada as a hegemonic regional power in North America, an Islamic Caliphate holding dominion over the Middle East, and a planet of other nations trying to find their way in this new world order.

While I am a touch disappointed that a full round of Fantasy Realms won't be starting anytime in the near future, Graham and fello admin Alberto (a.k.a. Bandeiromem) are certainly enthusiastic about this project and the forum is already getting plenty of traffic without any real promotion of an imminent game start. Take a look and pick a nation.

Future Imperfect

WPV: Stats Thoughts

2006-12-01T12:47:00.000-05:00

I wanted to offer my stats example and rules/explanations without editorial on the message board so as to let players look at the stats and draw their own conclusions without me there to "defend my baby." However, I think it may be helpful if I did make some notes somewhere to explain my reasoning and thought process behind some things. Thus, this posting.

Power Ratings - The power rating system is my way of providing an easy way to determine relative national strength. It's also a convenient way to let players know whether they can or cannot do something. Let's say an inexperienced, militant player with a small nation decides to invade his neighbor for reasons that make no sense. When I as an admin veto this action as the HoS/HoG (BOSS HoG, baby!) and have to address his complaints about it, I can say, "Well, there was a big disparity in national power, dummy."

Projects - I came up with the project system because of what I'll term "spending spam" among some nations in the game. I'll get four or five build/research/policy orders from some nations every turn. I'm not faulting the players, mind you, as they're following the rules. However, it just seems to me like it's excessive. I think the "project slot" system is a fair way to make players focus and prioritize goals.

Political - The big reason behind the political stats is to provide some hard data so that if things turn south for a player domestically, they will at least know partially it was coming and can't think the admins are just picking on them.

Military Unit Detail - I've had people say to me that my military unit design is both the greatest thing since sliced bread and that it's so complex that I'm going to lose it trying to keep the stuff together. Keep in mind this is my first time admining a game. I don't know what's too complex, too simple, or too hard to do, and when I get my hands into a project, my tendency is to be obsessive about it until it's finished to my satisfaction. So, don't be afraid to tell me something is too much.

Regarding the units themselves, early combat orders involved things to the effect of "send X planes to Y, send X men to Z" and so on. That's all well and good, except I have no idea if a nation in an alternate history 1950 could feasibly do that. So, putting numbers to each nation's military definitely appeals to me.

The force modifiers system is a way to keep track of which units can do special things without having to keep reams of data on each unit. I think it will work. :D

Research System - I'm torn about this. I think there's only two ways research can go, a category-and-rank system like I've got here or a tech tree. Research has been somewhat, well...very, sloppy to this point. And it's important we find some way to reign it in. I don't know if this is the way, but I'm open to suggestions.

Worldpower Vortex: Eve of Destruction

2006-11-09T22:01:00.000-05:00

"The eastern world, it is explodin'.
Violence flarin', bullets loadin'.
You're old enough to kill, but not for votin'.
You don't believe in war, but what's that gun your totin'?
And even the Jordan River has bodies floain',
but ya tell me over and over and over again, my friend,
that you don't believe we're on the Eve of Destruction."
-P.F. Sloan, Eve of Destruction

At the end of this turn, the Greek War will have entered its second year. The conflict shows no signs of doing anything but escalating. The Soviets and the western powers have yet to meet in a land battle, although one could expect that to happen sooner rather than later. I hope that this one particular conflict does not go on to dominate the entire round. It will be interesting to see what the final resolution of it is.

Pax Italia: Nations Continued

2006-10-28T17:31:00.000-05:00

Duchy of Milan

Arguably the most powerful of the Italian city-states, the Duchy of Milan is primed to hold a commanding position over Italy. The city of Milan itself is a center of industry for Southern Europe, and Milan's dominance over the Genoese gives them access to one of the largest ports on the Mediterranean. The ruler of Milan, the Regent Ludovico Sforza, il Moro, is one of the most polarizing figures in all of Italy. Having dominated the child heir, Gian Galeazzo, Sforza has a free hand to engage in his intrigues.

Status: Independent
Ruler: Ludovico Sforza
Family: None
Relations: Genoa (vassals), Florence (friendly), Naples (hostile)

Duchy of Modena

--Modena will actually be removed from the list of playable nations as it was a possession of the Duchy of Ferrara during the period. This is a note to myself to do so.--

Kingdom of Naples

Sprawling over half of the Italian Penninsula, the Kingdom of Naples is the largest and most populous of the Italian states. However, the Kingdom is racked by instability due to the competing claims on the throne by both the French and the Spanish. Having just put down a serious rebellion, the imperious Ferdinand I finds his rule in jeopardy of domination by one of the great powers. A large familial network could give the Neopolitans a resource to calm their realm, however.

Status: Vassals of Spain
Ruler: Ferdinand I di Napoli
Family: Alfonso II di Napoli (General), Frederick IV di Napoli (Chancellor), Giovanni I di Napoli (Bishop), Francesco I di Napoli (Lord)
Relations: Spain (hegemonic), Ferrara (friendly), France (hostile), Milan (hostile)

The Papal States

Lo Stato Ecclesiastico, the Papal States are the temporal realms of the Holy Mother Church in Italy. Centered, naturally, around Rome, the Papal States occupy much of the central part of the Italian Penninsula. The current Bishop of Rome, the newly elevated Pope Alexander VI, is known throughout Europe as a cunning diplomat. The enormous power The Church wields has both advantages and disadvantages, as the Pope can make entire dynasties legitimate or illegitimate via a simple Bull. At the same time, the Church's power and finances are governed in large part by the Cardinals throughout Europe and the tithes of Kings which may wish to see returns on their contributions to Rome.

Status: Independent
Ruler: Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia)
Family: Cesare Borgia (Bishop, General, Lord), Juan Borgia (Bishop, Lord), Lucretia Borgia (Chancellor, Spymaster)
Relations: Ferrara (hostile), Florence (hostile), Milan (hostile)

Running out of steam for the evening... more to come later.

WorldPower Vortex: Doing Big Things

2006-10-28T17:28:00.000-05:00

This week, I became the Europe admin for WorldPower: Vortex. This is my first experience in admining a game, and I'm looking forward to it greatly. It will be a good primer for Pax Italia, even though, ironically, it will delay the development of Pax Italia as it takes up more of my time.

Speaking of Pax Italia, I hope to finish the nation descriptions today. We'll see. In the meantime, sign up for WPV. Things are really starting to pop over there and it's a great time to get in.

nationsims.net: Hope after all (maybe)

2006-10-13T12:31:00.000-05:00

I was talking idly with a web-slinging friend of mine today, and he mentioned he may have possibly found a way to make a phpBB based forum do what I want it to, which is to copy a post from a thread that can be viewed by user A to a thread which cannot be viewed by user A (i.e. the way players send messages and orders in nationsims).

If it works, then the prospect of a complete nationsim website with free hosting for games might be on the horizon.

If it works.

Pax Italia: Rule Conceptualization - Game World

2006-10-09T19:44:00.000-05:00

A week ago, I posted the map of the Pax Italia game world. Now comes the time to flesh out the game world beyond just a map. There will be three different aspects of the game map represented by graphics (maps). Those aspects are: the political, the economic, and the religious.

Political Map and Nations

Pax Italia Province Map (PNG format, 226 KB)

There are 11 playable nations to begin with in the game, although future playable nations could be created as a result of in-game events. Due to the small number of nations, team play will be allowed. I anticipate that the complexity of the game will be such that there would be enough for two people to do on a nation if a nation were being played as a team. However, if a nation should open up or be created, any players on a team would be encouraged to take that nation.

The Nations

Duchy of Ferrara
The Duchy of Ferrara is a smaller state situated on the northern border of the Papal States along the Adriatic Sea. Although the Duch is centered around Ferrara, it also includes the city of Modena, over which the d'Este family also holds dominion. In 1492, the Duchy of Ferrara is ruled by Ercole d'Este, a popular and enlightened figure of the Renaissance. The d'Este family has strong dynastic ties to Naples and is less than a decade removed from war with Venice and the Pope.
Status: Independent
Ruler: Ercole I d'Este
Family: Alfonso I d'Este (Lord, General), Niccolo II d'Este (Bishop)
Relations: Naples (friendly), Venice (hostile), Papal States (hostile)

Republic of Florence
In 1492, the Republic of Florence is at a crossroads. The wealthy Medici family, the longtime rulers of Tuscany, is in peril. With the recent death of Lorenzo de Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificient), the wise and beloved ruler of Florence, dominion has passed to his eldest son, Piero II. Florence is unencumbered by any alliances or vendettas against other states, although the activity of the conservative prophet Savonarola could be pose a grave danger to the Medicis' rule.
Status: Independent
Ruler: Piero II de Medici
Family: None
Relations: Milan (friendly)

Republic of Genoa
After a century of decline, the Republic of Genoa finds itself under the heel of their neighbors to the north, the Milanese. Genoa has seen their possessions in the eastern Mediterranean lost to the Ottoman Empire and Sardinia to the Aragonese. Genoa still remains a major banking and trading center and if adequately inspired, the Genoese are more than capable of breaking free of Milanese hegemony.
Status: Vassals of Milan
Ruler: Giovanni Roncaglione
Family: None
Relations: Milan (hegemonic), Venice (hostile)

Marquisite of Mantua
The city-state of Mantua is a wealthy and loose vassal of the Republic of Venice. Since the early 14th century, Mantua has been ruled by the House of Ganzaga, the head of which, Francesco II Gonzaga, has in the past served as the commander of the Venetian armed forces. While Mantua does bow to Venetian authority, the association is loose and Mantua enjoys positive relations with Venice as well as her enemies.
Status: Vassals of Venice
Ruler: Francesco II Gonzaga
Family: Bordo de Saluzzi (Treasurer), Isabella d'Este (Chancellor)
Relations: Venice (hegemonic), Ferrara (friendly)

Taking a break now. More to come later.

Pax Italia: Attributes -- Attributes (cont.)

2006-10-08T13:39:00.000-05:00

National Attributes
The national attributes will affect an innumerable amount of game features from raising troops, to trade, to the value of currency.

Stability - National stability is one of the most important attributes in the game. It is the measure of the strength of the player's government and the faith the people have in the player's government. It affects all revenue categories, the ability to hire retainers, the ability to raise troops, provincal stability, and a number of other attributes. The consequences of maintaining a low national stability can range from economic collapse to civil war.

Prestige - National prestige is the measure of how favorably your nation is looked upon by the world at large. Prestigious nations attract more capable retainers and larger mercenary forces and are more likely to obtain the good will of the major powers.

Inflation - Inflation is the measure of the value of a nation's florins versus the Ducat. Inflation is primarily affected by the amount of minting a nation does and primairly affects prices for goods in the game, although inflation can have a negative affect on national stability and prestige if allowed to grow rampantly.

Tolerance - Tolerance is the measure of the Prince's attitude toward ethnic and religious minorities within his realm. Highly tolerant Princes may attract enclaves of Jews and liberal thinkers within their lands, strengthening their cultural, research, and economic efforts. However, highly tolerant Princes may find themselves in trouble with their devoutly Catholic populations if the people feel that their traditional values are in danger.

Diplomatic Stances - The nation's, as a whole, general opinion on other nations. This can affect CoS for diplomatic actions with NPC nations, retainer loyalty, and national stability. If a Napolitan Prince signed an alliance with Milan while his people hated the Milanese, the action could cause trouble for the Prince with his people.

Territories

Stability - The strength of the player's government locally. Local stability affects the government's ability to enforce laws, maintain order, and collect taxes. Unstable provinces are at risk of revolts and rebellions, particularly if there province is predisposed toward independence or if the people identify more with one of the Prince's neighbors than with his or her nation.

Culture - While every province in the game (save perhaps Corsica and Venetian holdings in the Balkans) are Italian, there are still significant cultural differences between Northern Italians, Southern Italians, Sicilians, and other cultural subgroups. Cultural homogeny throughout a Prince's realm will provide bonuses to local and national stability and help to reduce revolts and independence movements while a province with a different culture than the Prince's capital may be more inclined to be rebellious.

Infrastructure - A general score of the infrastructure in the province. Roads, public health, and the bureaucracy are all, at a glance, measured by infrastructure. Provinces with high infrastructure will be more valuable and generate more revenues. Plus, armies can move quicker through provinces with high infrastructure and are more resistant to attrition. There will be a number of provincal improvements that can improve a province's infrastructure rating.

Population - The amount of people in a province. Population growth and shrinkage are affected by all other provincal attributes, plus national stability, national prestige, and tolerance. A province's population affects census tax collections, production, and the amount of troops which can be raised from the province.

Production - Production is a measure of the gross product of a given province. Production determines how many ducats worth of goods a province sends to its trading center. It can be affected by other provincal attributes, plus the building of production-related provincal improvements.

Resources - Each province generates different types of resources, which are sent to the province's trading center. Resources are necessary for the construction of improvements, although the player will not need to keep track of the specific number of resources needed for a province. For instance, in order to build a great cathedral, the player may need wood, stone, and marble, however they won't need to gather 100 wood, 200 stone, and 50 marble. This will be covered in greater detail in construction.

Fortification - For game purposes, each province is assumed to center around a city. Fortification is a measure of that city's defenses. A province's fortification rating affects the ease of which it may be conquered. It also can affect local stability and the chances of a revolt, as rebellious citizens are less likely to waste their lives thrashing against an impregnable fortress as they are a relatively undefended town.

Independence - Independence is a measure of how much the population identifies as being part of a greater nation. Indepedence will affect the CoS for many actions the player takes in that province, as well as revenue collections and revolt risks. Princes will be less successful imposing their will in a province that thinks of itself as only nominally committed to the Prince as opposed to a core territory whose population thinks of themselves as subjects of the Prince's nation first and residents of their city second.

Troops

Type - There will be several different types of troops, ranging from pikeman, to light and heavy cavalry, to fusiliers and bowman, each with advantages and disadvantages.

Quality - The measure of how well trained, experienced, and equipped the unit is. A unit of well equipped crack veterans could make short work of a rabble of farmers with pitchforks many times their size.

Loyalty - Loyalty measures just that: the amount of loyalty the troops have for the Prince and the nation. Loyalty affects how likely the troops are to commit to a pitched battle with an enemy and how successful a rival can be in luring away the unit with a bribe or better offer. Needless to say, troops raised from the Prince's own population are likely to be more loyal than mercenaries.

Number - The amount of troops in a given unit. Units can be reinforced with new troops as they shrink due to combat and attrition, however doing so can have negative affects on quality and even loyalty, depending on where the reinforcements come from.

Morale - Needless to say, morale is the measure of the spirits of the men. It affects performance in battle as well as the attrition rate. For instance, a unit with low morale will suffer more deserters than a unit with high morale.

Leaders
These are the measure of the leaders of nations (i.e. the player's character).

Reputation - The measure of how the Prince is seen in the eyes of others. This is affected by the behavior of the Prince in the course of the game. Does the Prince betray his or her allies? Is the Prince devoutly Catholic or a liberal? Does the Prince manage his realm well or squander his treasury on a whim? Reputation can affect the CoS for recruiting retainers and dealings with NPCs.

Family - What other leaders and retainers is the Prince related to by blood or marriage? Familial relations can affect diplomatic relations as well as the motivations and loyalty of retainers.

And that should cover all of the attributes used in the game. Up next: rule conceptualization. Hooray!

Pax Italia: To Do List - week of 10/8/06

2006-10-08T13:37:00.000-05:00

It was kind of a slow week last week, but I did do the game map, which wasn't on the list. Anyhow, onto the list for this week:

1. Attributes listings and descriptions.
a. for retainers
i. Skill
ii. Charisma
iii. Reputation
iv. Loyalty
v. Politics (diplomatic opinions)
vi. Traits
vii. Relation
viii. Rank
b. for nations
i. Stability
ii. Prestige
iii. Inflation
iv. Tolerance
v. Diplomatic Stances
c. for territories
i. Stability
ii. Culture
iii. Diplomatic Stances
iv. Infrastructure
v. Population
vi. Production
vii. Province Value
viii. Resources
ix. Fortification
x. Loyalty/Independence
d. for troops
i. Type
ii. Quality
iii. Equipment
iv. Loyalty
v. Diplomatic Stances
vi. Number
vii. Morale
e. for leaders
i. Charisma
ii. Reputation
iii. Family
iv. Diplomatic Stances
2. Rule conceptualization.
a. Game World
i. Nations
ii. Dioceses
iii. Trading Centers
b. Economic
i. Production and Taxes
ii. Trade
iii. Tribute
iv. Minting (Ducats v. Florins -- Inflation)
v. Resources
vi. Construction
vii. Structures and Effects
c. Military
i. Standing armies v. Condottieri
ii. Training/arming troops
iii. Hiring condottieri
iv. Combat resolution
v. Naval warfare
vi. Attrition
d. Diplomatic
i. Player to Player contact
ii. Player to NPC contact
iii. Retainers and Effects
iv. Popular behavior
v. Espionage
vi. Subversion
vii. Foreign influence and intervention
viii. The Church
ix. War and peace
x. Independence/annexation/vassalization
e. Game structure
i. Player role
ii. Code of Conduct/Rules of Decorum
iii. Orders Process
iv. Limited information
v. Role of admin/formula-based resolutions/manual interventions
vi. Random and Historical events
f. Research
i. Technologies and Effects
ii. Research Process
3. Formula determinations and testing.
a. to be filled in upon completion of 1 and 2.
4. Research
a. Nations and Diplomatic Relations
b. Leaders
i. Relations
c. Retainers
i. Condottieri
ii. Provincal Rulers
iii. Court Members
d. Historical Events
e. Technology
5. Table Construction
a. Retainers
b. Random Events
c. Condottieri
6. Ruleset Construction
i. Drafting
ii. Proofreading
iii. Critiquing
iv. Revising
v. Internal Playtesting
7. Launch
i. Website/Forum Construction
ii. Promotion
iii. Game start
iv. Self-congratulation and feeling smug

Pax Italia: Attributes -- Retainer Attributes

2006-10-05T04:05:00.000-05:00

Before I move on to the subject of the post, a couple of terminology things to get out of the way.

CoS - Chance of Success of a particular player-initiated action.
Condottieri - I've used this term for two different things recently: the captains of mercenary units of the period, and the units themselves. From here on, Condottieri will be referring to the captains.
Leader - "Leader" will be used interchangable with "you" and "player character" throughout this initial, informal conceptualization phase. When the rules are written, it will likely be replaced with "player"

Now, on to attributes. The first attributes discussed will be the attributes of retainers. Retainers will play a critical role in the game and their management will be a core aspect of the gameplay. Please feel free to chime in with any questions, comments, or suggestions.

ATTRIBUTES
Resolutions of actions taken by players will be resolved by formulas as much as possible. To that end, clear definitions of each variable in formulas should be explained, even if the formulas themselves are not explained. Below is a listing of each attribute which may be used in an in-game formula. Unless otherwise noted, all attributes will have the following values:
10.00-8.00 -- Best
7.99-6.00 -- Good
5.99-4.00 -- Average
3.99-2.00 -- Bad
1.99-0.00 -- Worst

Players will never actually see the number of the values themselves. Instead, each 2-point range will have a text equivilent. This is both to have a degree of uncertainty in the player's mind as well as to make the game more immersive and prevent it from being overwhelmed by numbers.

All of these attributes, and their effects, are of course subject to change.

RETAINERS

1. Skill - Skill is the measure of the retainer's ability to master the technical aspects of their job. It affects all tasks which the player may ask the retainer to perform, and it may affect many passive tasks the retainer performs automatically, such as the collection of taxes in a Lord's province or the prevention of attrition deaths in a condottieri's unit. Also, skill can affect random event rolls and revolt/mutiny checks.

2. Charisma - Charisma is the retainer's ability to inspire and lead others. This will affect both active and passive actions of any retainer which deals with subordinates, foriegners, or the people. Good specific examples are: troop morale, nation diplomatic stances, Chance of Success (CoS) for diplomatic and intrigue actions, and provincal stability. Also, charisma can affect random event rolls and revolt/mutiny checks.

3. Reputation - How well the retainer is thought of by others. Reputation will affect morale and stability and CoS on a number of actions. Reputation is especially important for Generals and Condottieri as opposing forces may refuse to take the field against an esepecially beloved or feared foe.

4. Loyalty - The retainer's personal loyalty to you and general happiness in their position. Loyalty will affect the extent to which a retainer will try to follow your orders as well as the CoS of efforts by other players or NPCs to bribe your retainer. A retainer with a loyalty in the 8-10 range will skip to the gallows with a smile on his face while a retainer with a loyalty in the 0-2 range will put a knife in your back for a few coins or perhaps the personal satisfaction of doing it.

5. Politics - The retainer's thoughts on the other nations in the game. This attribute works much like loyalty, only it has a situational application. For instance, a Chancellor with a hatred for the Milanese may be unable or unwilling to broker a trade deal with Milan, although the same Chancellor may work very well with Venetians. This may also make a retainer unwilling to do something negative to a nation for which he thinks well of.

6. Traits - There are two different types of traits. The first are qualifications, which are the types of jobs a retainer can perform. The qualifications are:
Lord - This retainer can rule a province
Captain - This retainer can command a unit of troops
Chancellor - Court position. This retainer can act as your nation's Chancellor, who is your Chief Emmissary to other nations. His skills will apply to many of your diplomatic actions and some of your intrigue actions.
General - Court position. This retainer is the overall commander of your nation's armed forces. He is responsible for training and leading your troops in the field. His skills affect troop morale and loyalty, condottieri loyalty, CoS for improving troop or condottieri skill, CoS for recruiting and retaining condottieri, and the leader's personal security.
Spymaster - Court position. This retainer is responsible for gathering information on and subverting your rivals. His skills affect some diplomatic actions and most of your intrigue actions, as well as the leader's personal security.
Engineer - Court position. This retainer is versed in the sciences, and his skills affect a broad range of things. Of note are: construction costs and build times, technical research, and CoS for sieges.
Artist - Court position. The artist may be a painter, a playwright, a sculptor, or a practictioner of any other sort of artistic discipline. Their skills affect your leader's reputation, national stability and prestige, and social research categories.
Treasurer - Court position. Your treasurer is the Chief manager of your nation's finances. His skills affect national inflation, territorial production, province value, CoS for collecting taxes, CoS for economic research, and in short, most anything to do with money.
Bishop - Court position. Your Bishop is the vatican's representative to your nation, and your nation's representative in the Vatican. His skills affect national and territorial stability, CoS for altering tolerance, territorial loyalty, and CoS for influencing the Church.

7. Relation - The retainer's relation (if any) to the leader. A retainer with blood or marital ties to the leader will recieve a loyalty bonus, plus the retainer is available to be placed into an arranged marriage.

8. Rank - The recognized rank of the retainer among his peers. Is your General a lowly condottieri or a Knight of an old and respected order? Is your Bishop a lay priest or a Cardinal? As retainers move up in rank, they recieve bonuses to many of their skills, however they may become more demanding as they become more aware of their increased stature.

9. Integrity - Similar to loyalty in the areas it affects, however unlike loyalty, integrity is unchangeable. A retainer with high integrity and low loyalty may see you as a pox upon the land and lead an uprising against you, while a low integrity retainer in the same situation may accept a bribe to try to assassinate you.

10. Motivation - Whatever the retainer's reason for working for you. It may be money, self-fulfillment, religious zeal, family ties, or other motivations. Motivations will largely affect loyalty and can be affected by integrity. Each different category of motivation will have a different modifier.

Pax Italia: To Do List - as of 10/1/06

2006-10-05T02:01:00.000-05:00

In no particular order, mainly here so that in addition to organizing my thoughts, I can tell when I'm making progress.

1. Attributes listings and descriptions.
a. for retainers
i. Skill
ii. Charisma
iii. Reputation
iv. Loyalty
v. Politics (diplomatic opinions)
vi. Traits
vii. Relation
viii. Rank
b. for nations
i. Stability
ii. Prestige
iii. Inflation
iv. Tolerance
v. Diplomatic Stances
c. for territories
i. Stability
ii. Culture
iii. Diplomatic Stances
iv. Infrastructure
v. Population
vi. Production
vii. Province Value
viii. Resources
ix. Fortification
x. Loyalty/Independence
d. for troops
i. Type
ii. Quality
iii. Equipment
iv. Loyalty
v. Diplomatic Stances
vi. Number
vii. Morale
e. for leaders
i. Charisma
ii. Reputation
iii. Family
iv. Diplomatic Stances
2. Rule conceptualization.
a. Game World
i. Nations
ii. Dioceses
iii. Trading Centers
b. Economic
i. Production and Taxes
ii. Trade
iii. Tribute
iv. Minting (Ducats v. Florins -- Inflation)
v. Resources
vi. Construction
vii. Structures and Effects
c. Military
i. Standing armies v. Condottieri
ii. Training/arming troops
iii. Hiring condottieri
iv. Combat resolution
v. Naval warfare
vi. Attrition
d. Diplomatic
i. Player to Player contact
ii. Player to NPC contact
iii. Retainers and Effects
iv. Popular behavior
v. Espionage
vi. Subversion
vii. Foreign influence and intervention
viii. The Church
ix. War and peace
x. Independence/annexation/vassalization
e. Game structure
i. Player role
ii. Code of Conduct/Rules of Decorum
iii. Orders Process
iv. Limited information
v. Role of admin/formula-based resolutions/manual interventions
vi. Random and Historical events
f. Research
i. Technologies and Effects
ii. Research Process
3. Formula determinations and testing.
a. to be filled in upon completion of 1 and 2.
4. Research
a. Nations and Diplomatic Relations
b. Leaders
i. Relations
c. Retainers
i. Condottieri
ii. Provincal Rulers
iii. Court Members
d. Historical Events
e. Technology
5. Table Construction
a. Retainers
b. Random Events
c. Condottieri
6. Ruleset Construction
i. Drafting
ii. Proofreading
iii. Critiquing
iv. Revising
v. Internal Playtesting
7. Launch
i. Website/Forum Construction
ii. Promotion
iii. Game start
iv. Self-congratulation and feeling smug

Pax Italia: Scope and Scale, Leaders and Retainers, Timeline Divergence

2006-10-04T11:38:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of starting from the beginning, I suppose it's a good idea to lay the most basic trackwork of the game concepts down first before getting into the juicier parts of the ruleset (where my mind keeps trying to drift off to focus).

Scope and Scale
The game will begin in 1492 and will not have a set ending date. I have a limited amount of experience with nationsims, but I observed during the most recent round of Gloria that the players knowing when the round would end gave rise to some gamey and unsual decision-making in the endgame turns. I hope that not establishing an end date will at least prevent endgame, pin-your-ears-back rushes.

For the style of gameplay itself, I think that gameplay will be largely numbers-based, although the vast majority of these numbers will be behind the curtain, the sole province of the GM. The successful player in Pax Italia (hereafter abbreviated as PI) will be goal-oriented as opposed to task-oriented and will be able to develop a proactive strategic plan and concentrate their efforts on that plan as opposed to simply reacting to in-game events and trying to take advantage of every opportunity that comes along.

I'm not entirely sure how the mixture of strategy and tactics will finally break down in-game. Combat will largely be hands off as the Italian Princes had very little control over their armies. In essence, wars will be conducted by players giving their Generals (specific in-game entities with attributes of their own) objectives to accomplish and the Generals will go about it. Combats will be resolved by making determinations based off of the size and composition of armies, the quality of the troops involved, the quality of equipment, the skill of the respective generals, morale, the skill of the battalion captains and [i]condottieri[/i], the presence of X-factor technologies (such as artillery), the quality of player-defined orders given to each General, the tactical situation in the province (weather, terrain, disposition of the province's population), and a randomly-generated number representing the fortunes of war. All of the above determinents will be represented by a numerical value, which will be plugged into a formula. The formula will output a number between -10 and 10, with -10 being an overwhemling victory for the defender, 0 being a draw, and 10 being an overwhelming victory for the attacker. Casualties will be determined by a seperate formula.

As the players are playing the roles of the Princes themselves and the Generals are seperate entities, players will not be required to submit tactical battle plans as part of their war orders. To this end, combat itself will resemble combat in the Civilization series of computer games.

To compensate for this, the player will have more to do on the management end of the game. There will be multiple streams of income (census taxes, trade, tariffs, tribute, and patronage from great powers among others) to fund players' adventures, and there will be a multitude of factors that can increase or decrease them, all of which the player can affect. Diplomacy, too, will also play a major role in the game. Not only will players be able to interact with one another, but there will also be the matter of interaction with the NPC great powers. The great powers will represent both a threat and an opportunity for players, as manipulation of them could lead to prosperity for the successful player, or it could bring the French storming across the alps to everyone's detriment. Each nation will start the game with a diplomatic rating with each of the great powers, ranging from hatred to the deepest friendship.

Espionage and court intrigue will also play a larger role in PI than in most any other game. Bribery, assassination, and subversion were the favorite strategic weapons of the Italian princes in the age of the Borgias and they will be available here to a great extent. Players will not only be able to gather information or sabotage a project but they can also bribe away condottieri from a rival state (even on the eve of a battle), bribe or subvert a provincal ruler, affect a favorable appointment for a local bishop, affect the Papal election, and most any other action that could have reasonably taken place during the era. So, while PI will not be a deeply tactical military simulation, there will still be plenty of things for players to do to affect theirs and others lands.

Leaders and Retainers
A very important part of the game will be the effective use of retainers. This was the age of Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolo Macchiavelli, and others, and all of them will be available for use in the game. The leader of the nation itself will be the player, and while they will be the historical leader of that state at the beginning of the game, they will not be constrained by that person's historical strengths and weaknesses. The only attribute the national leader will possess will be prestige, which will basically be a measure of how well they are known and respected throughout Europe. Prestige will range from universally loved to universally hated, with unknown lying at the middle point, and prestige will affect a great number of things, including national and provincal stability, the ability to hire retainers, the success of diplomatic moves with NPCs, etc.

In addition to the national leader, there will be retainers. Each player will have many retainers, not all of which are necessarily loyal to the player. Each province will have a provincal leader, each military unit (standing army or condottieri) will have a Captain, and the player him or herself will have a collection or personal retainers, such as a court engineer, court painter, General, spymaster, etc. Retainers will have attributes which govern their effectiveness as well as traits, which determine which roles they can be used for. To keep the statistical workload from getting too elephantine, the attributes will be fairly simple. There will be skill, which is a measure of the retainer's ability to do the technical aspects of their job. For a General, this would be a knowledge of tactics while for a provincal leader their deftness at managing their local bureaucracy. The next attribute will be charisma, which will basically affect their ability to inspire and lead others, which will in turn affect troop morale, provincal morale, etc. The third attribute will be loyalty and measures how loyal that retainer is to you, personally. This will affect the susceptability to be subverted by the actions of others. The last attribute will actually be a table of sub-attributes which will measure the retainer's opinion of the other nations and the great powers. For instance, a German condottieri who thinks highly of the Habsburgs may not be too enthusiastic about attacking that Imperial army bearing down on your city.

Timeline Divergence
There will be no alternate history up to the point where the game begins. If it happened prior to August of 1492 in real life, it happened in the game. However, there will be no guarantee that any event which happened afterwards takes place. This is to allow the players to chart their own destiny secure in the knowledge they control their little section of the game world. Charles VIII invaded Naples in 1494, prompting the First Italian War, however his invasion was largely the result of coaxing by Ludovico Il Moro and Pope Alexander VI, and neither the Milanese nor the Papal player may take the same course of action in the game.

To keep things interesting, there will be a large random events table that will, from time to time, spit out events that affect one or multiple states and be of varying degrees of magnitude. The events will be both good and bad, although the likelihood of getting a good or bad event will in someway depend on the player's effectiveness. To clarify, the formula to determine which (if any) event from the random events table comes into play will take into account attributes such as player prestige, national stability, and other factors as well as a random number. The events on the 'high' side of the table will have a greater mix of good to bad while events on the 'low' side of the table will have a greater mix of bad to good.

Alright, time to make like bad eggs and run. More to come later.

Pax Italia: Premise and Game Map

2006-10-03T12:48:00.000-05:00

As referenced in the last entry, I've begun working on a nationsim ruleset and a game to feature the set. The game will be set during in Italy in the High Renaissance and will begin in 1492, shortly after the ascendency of Pope Alexander VI, whose actions played a large role in the start of the First Italian War.

The game will be somewhat unique in that none of the world's great powers (France, Spain, Holy Roman Empire, Ottomans) will be playable. Instead, the players will each play the head of one of the Italian states of the period. The state of diplomacy during this period, with constantly shifting alliances and betrayals, lends itself well to a nationsim, and I think it will make for an interesting and challenging game.

Due to the way wars were fought during the period, specifically in Italy, it will be exceedingly difficult for any player, no matter how strong, to establish any measure of military dominance in the game. I'm anticipating that clever diplomacy, espionage, and aggressive economic management will be the tools that will carry the successful player to victory.

I felt like coloring last night, so I started with what is perhaps the least important thing, the game map. To reflect the micro focus on one balkanized nation, you will notice that the map focuses solely on Italy. While the players will be able to interact with the great powers (and that interaction will be an important part of the game), they will not be able to venture far beyond Italy, other than for trading purposes. The game will consist of 60 provinces covering Northern Italy, the Italian Penninsula, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and Venetian holdings in the Balkans and will be divided among the 11 initial playable nations (game events may prompt the creation of new playable nations).

The map:

Pax Italia Province Map (PNG format, 226 KB)

Duchy of Ferrara

Republic of Florence

Republic of Genoa

Marquisite of Mantua

Duchy of Milan

Duchy of Modena

Kingdom of Naples

The Papal States

Duchy of Savoy

Republic of Siena

Republic of Venice

More to come later.

Welcome

2006-10-03T05:35:00.000-05:00

Hello,

If you've found this, then odds are you play one of the nationsims that can be found on the internet, you're interested in learning more about nationsims, or you've made quite a remarkable typo while searching for "nationalism," and we are ranked much higher than I ever could of dreamed.

If it is the latter, then let me take a moment to explain what nationsims are. Nationsims are a hybrid between a Role Playing Game and a Strategy Game, where players control the fate of a nation in a competitive, multiplayer environment based on an online forum. The settings are varied, ranging from the present day to historical settings to fantasy and science fiction universes. The games vary in depth from what are basically Axis and Allies-type slugfests to highly complex diplomatic simulations more akin to a Model UN than a traditional "game." Despite the level of complexity, nationsims are extraordinarily easy to learn and are overwhelmingly populated by a friendly community of players and Game Masters who are more than eager to help new players with questions or problems they are having.

I came to start playing nationsims by stumbling a ring of nationsims on the ezboard forums. If you think you may be interested in trying one of these fantastic games out, I encourage you to visit the forums of the games and post. The games in the nationsim are:

WorldPower: Vortex - Now Playing
European War 1800 - New Round Under Development
Gloria - On Hiatus
Magna Grecia - On Hiatus

These two games aren't officially on the ring, however they are populated by the same community and merit mentioning.

Fantasy Realms - On Hiatus
Gloria in Excelsis Deo - On Hiatus

With the introduction out of the way, allow me to take a moment to explain why I created this blog. I've had an idea for a nationsim in my head for a while now, and after kicking it around for a few weeks, I've decided to make a serious effort toward developing it. I have created this blog to serve as a clearinghouse for information about my nationsim progress so that anyone interested can stay current on its development as well as offer feedback and suggestions. However, there is no reason this blog should stay current to my project, and if anyone else wants to blog here about nationsimming, I'll be happy to add you on as a contributor.

All that being said, welcome. Enjoy your stay. :-)

-Travis