Turns
Turns will last probably a week each. They may be longer or shorter depending on if I am busy or not busy. But a week should be plenty most of the time.
At the turn change the results for all actions of the previous turn will be given, along with any NPC actions. Changes to the world as result of these will be given. The length of the coming turn will be given (probably 2 years, but if I feel this is not enough later I may change it). Finally, effects and notes about the coming turn will be given.
Creating the world
During the game you may, nay, should endeavour to define the world. Describe the lands you travel through; describe the look of your orginisations halls, what arms their men bear, tell us of the royalty of your nation, of the names of its cities and how they are built. Describe everything new; new actions, new things, new concepts. Take the basic world and colour it in with details!
If you need a gameplay reason: Because good roleplay will make me like you which will increase your major action's success rates!
Actions
Minor Actions
Each turn you may undertake a number of simple yet failable action (simple and easy actions can be roleplayed as succeeding). This will be based on a skill you posses against a difficulty rating. Normal skill is D6; normal difficulty is D5. Both 'die' will be thrown, and if the skill roll is higher than the difficulty roll, the action succeeds. Lower, and it fails. Equal, and it sort of fails/succeeds/does nothing depending on the situation. Also, 'winning' by a larger margin increases the level of success of the action. Static bonuses/penalties are acquirable for both sides.
Note: Minor actions are the most ruley things in the game, but they are not the most important!
Skill levels. Note that these are only guidelines.
Individual character: D6Interest, D3 for 2 related skills
Example: A slick-tongued merchant, dealing in curiosities: D6 commerce, D3 politics, D3 technology)
Organisation: One interest: D8 interest, D4 2 related skills. Two interests: D6 both interests, D3 two related skills. Representatives (armies, priests, spokespeople, ect): One interest: D6 interest. Two interests: D4 both interests.
Example: The Vinecian League, sending vessels far and wide to bring things back to vinece, by violence if necessary: D6 Commerce, D6 Exploration, D3 politics, D3 warfare. Their trading fleet on the Ivory Coast has D4 Commerce and D4 Exploration.
Country: 36 Ds to spread around the standard 6 interests (see title), with max D8 and min D4, based on the countries policies. They can raise representatives of all six skills with D(country skill - 2).
Example: ExampleLand, the backwards military nation with strong religious feeling. D8 warfare, D7 religion, D6 commerce, D6 politics, D5 exploration, D4 technology. Their armies have D6 skill, their priest D5, their traders D4, their diplomats D4, their explorers D3 and their engineers D2.
Difficulties. Note that these too are only guidelines.
Normal tasks are D5. These are, for example:
Individual political: Fix a diplomatic error to restore some relation between two factions, one of which you represent.
Organisation religion: Remind people of the virtures of a supported religion, preventing people from converting away, when luring forces are not unduly strengthened. (um. you would have to describe it better than that, but you get what I mean)
Country exploration: Increase influence in a mapped part of the new world.
Easier tasks may be D4 or D3- D2 will probably never happen. Examples:
Individual warfare: Lead an army against a weakened foe.
Organisation commerce: Raise taxes on members to generate capital.
Country Technology: Apply an improved technology, like improving crossbow design or steel making process.
Hard tasks are going to be D6 to D8. Examples:
Individual Religion: Convert Islemics to Luthianity peacefully, by strength of your conviction.
Organisation Technology: Utilise a radical technology throughout your organisation.
Country Warfare: Recruit an army from a demoralised population.
Bonuses and penalites. These are barely even guidelines
Minor bonuses are small things that give small bonuses to skills. Examples:
Individual (all):Great wealth. Whilst all powerful individuals are rich, some are even richer, to the point where they have more money than they need to support their lifestyle. This excess can be spent for a one off +1 bonus to any skill.
Organisation (religious): Relic. The bone of a saint, a splinter of the Ecks, any relic lends weight to religious actions. Two +1 bonuses to religion skill.
Country (exploration): A mighty vessel. Capable of sailing headfirst into a storm and with enough room in the hull to sail for a decade without stopping (as it were), this vessel will make exploration easier, to the tune of +1 to one exploratory campaign. You might want to use it for a major action though. Just saying.
Minor penalties are also applied to skills, although you cannot choose to use them, they are automatic. Examples:
Individual (commerce): Poverty. Ok, you aren't a beggar, but what merchant doesn't already have a fortune? You can make money, but it won't be as easy as you think. -1 to your next commerce action.
Organisation (politics): Bad hype. A recent screwup has made people less glad to see you. It will blow over, but trying to expand your organisation or make deals with nations might be harder. -1 to political actions for the next 2 turns.
Country (warfare): Rusty weapons. Your armies are ill equipped, and your armouries are worse. -1 to military actions until you make new weapons, buy new weapons, steal new weapons, or in some way acquire new weapons!
Major bonuses/penalties come from big screw ups, or big successes. They are just below skill changes in value. Examples:
Vast fortune! You are so rich you have money coming out of your ears! You can buy anything, hire anyone, commission everything! For whilst the money lasts you receive +2 to all actions (lasts one turn due to where has all the money gone?)
Crushing defeat! No one wants to join a war with results like yours. -2 to recruiting-type actions and -1 to all military actions till your next decent victory.
And so on.
Difficulty bonuses/penalites are applied by the entity in control of the action in question. Examples:
Trade encouraged: The government of this city has lowered taxes and such like, making trade easier. -2 difficulty to commerce actions in the city
Flooding: Mother nature has decided to flood the lands you seek to act in, making it a little harder to do so. +2 to dificulty rates in the region.
Acceptance: Organisations round here are open to new ideas; -1 difficulty to technology and religion actions.
Inter-Entity minor actions, like an organisation doing politics with a country, are harder to work with. In a case of direct conflict, like two armies clashing, both sides skills are used, and the highest side 'wins'. Example:
Two merchants are competing for a market. Both are D6 in commerce skill. Both throw their D6s, and the higher one beats the other.
Indirect conflict, like a single preacher infiltrating a country, the 'attacked' entity does a free minor action, which depending on it's success will modify the difficulty of the 'attacker''s action. Example:
An Islemic preacher is infiltrating a Unifist country. Exampleland has D6 religion, and Islem is pretty feared round there, so the action is easy (D4). Alas (say), the action fails 3 to 4, the priesthood failing to get the message of Islem being evil across properly. This does not affect the difficulty of the preacher's action, which remains high- D7. The preacher has D6 religion skill, and beats the action 5 to 3, converting a bunch (5%) of people to Islem, and increasing sympathy for Islem.
When both sides want the action to succeed it is the same as indirect conflict but success on the 'defender's part will lower the difficulty for the 'attacker'.
Skills and what they are good for. GUIDELINES
Politics and related skills: Politics. Influencing of opinions.
Warfare and related skills: Recruiting armies and fighting battles. Leading armies and fighting duels for individuals.
Religion and related skills: Converting people and unconverting people. Also rousing fervor.
Commerce and related skills: Setting up trade, making money from trade, generating resources to trade.
Technology and related skills: Inventing new things, probably not (do major actions for this). Applying new technologies, convincing people new technologies are a good idea, building complex things.
Exploration and related skills: Sailing to far away lands, walking to far away lands, acting in far away lands.
Major Actions
World-changing actions, or at least actions that have never been done before, or preparation therefore. What constitutes a major action differs per entity. To an individual, going to a new country might be a major action, whereas to a nation, invading another country is. Major actions fail or succeed based on my whims, not on the throw of the dice. This does not mean they will always succeed, as they will work as I judge they are most likely to work. So tell me more about them than '[X] does [Y]'. Tell me how X does Y, what Y is exactly, why X thinks he can do Y. And then I will tell you how and why X failed or succeeded at Y and what Z resulted from this.
What is a major action and what isn't I leave up to your common sense. If you are not sure if an action would count as major, you can always ask.