256
Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Ventures by Torchlight 2 (always open for players, new and veteran)
« on: July 18, 2023, 03:07:43 pm »Spoiler: Notta Pyrad (click to show/hide)
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257
Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Risky Ventures: Traditional [Open! Turn 10! The Gift of Winter]
« on: July 18, 2023, 03:56:52 am »Quote from: Dizzy Pike contract
The undersigned agree to share-based joint ownership of a trading vessel to be named "Dizzy Pike", which shall initially traverse the Northlands route.ACTACTACT: Launch the Dizzy Pike, sailing the Northlands route until further notice.
Each investor receives shares equal to the number of 1.2 Sovereigns they contribute. 10 shares are available. Each share entitles the holder to 1/10th of the goods delivered by the Dizzy Pike upon returning to harbour. Each share also requires the holder to pay 1/10th of any costs incurred in the regular operation of the vessel (eg repairs and chart costs), failure to pay resulting in shares being seized and auctioned, with proceeds paid out to remaining shareholders.
Shareholders of Dizzy Pike shall be automatically charged full repair costs (unless they choose to fail to pay.) Full repairs may be substituted for partial or no repairs by a majority vote of shareholders.
Any changes to the Dizzy Pike's operations require a majority of shares to agree. Any changes to this contract require all shares to agree.
Signed,
-Radiant Trading for 4.8s (+0.6s chart costs)
-Aywen Ayes for 1.2s
-Fairchild Enterprises for 4.8 (+0.6s chart costs)
-Wares-To-Sell for 1.2 (+0.15s chart cost)
NRC: Paid 1.5s by Dizzy Pike shareholders for chart.
Also, Glowing Manta shareholders, I assume everyone is okay with continuing the Northlands route, and will pay 0.15s per share for the chart.
Spoiler: Radiant Trading (click to show/hide)
258
Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Risky Ventures: Traditional [Open! Turn 8! Only the Finest for my Masterpiece!]
« on: July 17, 2023, 04:28:35 pm »The new price applied as of last turn, we changed it the turn before that.I'm assuming that each shareholder of the Crazy Aywen deducted the 0.15s per share required to rent the charts from their funds.I thought it was 0.12 per share? It's still a better deal than sand, so I will pay the 0.75s I owe, but just wondering when that changed.
Quote from: NRC Price Change VoteChange the price of Northland charts from 1.2s to 1.5s.For anyone it may concern the price to head on our Northland route will be 1.5s next turn.
Price change to take effect from Turn 9 onwards.
Majority of shares (4+) required to approve change.
-Radiant Trading (3 shares):
-Corsair Incorporated (3 shares): YES
-Fairchild Enterprises (1 share): YES
The price is 1.5 as of this turn (we changed it last turn).Quote from: Crazy Aywen NRC Chart ContractCrazy Aywen shall make use of the NRC's Charts to change their Route, sailing to Northland for Preserved Meats.I'll get the ball rolling, I looked at the NRC contract and yup it is per journey. I am willing to put the bird on the "Crazy Aywen" for no charge.
0.12 must be paid for each stock owned to the NRC, for a total of 1.2s each trip. Otherwise this contract becomes void.
When the NRC Changes the Price, it is reflected on this Contract.
Recurring clause:
Unless otherwise voted on for a new route or a change of the "Crazy Aywen's" initial charter contract, every time the "Crazy Aywen" returns to port the shareholders must buy the chart from the NRC.
-Monkey Corps(2 shares)
-
-
-
Edit: Added a Recurring clause so we don't have to keep making the contract again.
With that said, I'd like to propose thus.Uh, from the second post:Quote from: Plea to the Palace: ShipbuildingNumerous Shipowners have pooled together their resources, but the cost of ships are too much. It reduces the amount of ships trading goods and weakens the economy. The following wish to reduce the Cost of buying Ships by 2 Sovereigns, so that more goods can enter the market. So signed by those with 10 Favor with the Royal Palace.
-Corsairs Incorporated (2/10 RF)
-
-
-
-
Immediate turnaround letting more ships be built.
Quote
2 Royal Favor to drop ship prices by 1, Up to a decrease of 2 total
259
Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Risky Ventures: Traditional [Open! Turn 10! The Gift of Winter]
« on: July 17, 2023, 12:45:45 pm »I've got 7.12 available anyway. But we do need to resolve the Glowing Manta item frst.Let's have a vote on which option to go with. Technically we only need a majority, I'd argue, but ideally we'd get a unanimous vote.
I'm on board with getting the Favour, myself.
Quote from: Glowing Manta: Snowglobe what do
Sell now:
Auction:
Donate to palace: (2/10) Radiant Trading
260
Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Risky Ventures: Traditional [Open! Turn 10! The Gift of Winter]
« on: July 17, 2023, 12:08:27 pm »
ACTACTACT: Sell 2 Preserved Meats for 2.02s, sell 2 Sand for 0.9s
I'm assuming that each shareholder of the Crazy Aywen deducted the 0.15s per share required to rent the charts from their funds.
NRC: 1.5/7=Each NRC share receives 0.21s. The NRC retains the 0.03s remainder, added to the 0.02 already held.
a1s, you're good to repay your loan this turn, I trust?
I'm assuming that each shareholder of the Crazy Aywen deducted the 0.15s per share required to rent the charts from their funds.
NRC: 1.5/7=Each NRC share receives 0.21s. The NRC retains the 0.03s remainder, added to the 0.02 already held.
a1s, you're good to repay your loan this turn, I trust?
Spoiler: Radiant Trading (click to show/hide)
Quote from: Dizzy Pike contract
The undersigned agree to share-based joint ownership of a trading vessel to be named "Dizzy Pike", which shall initially traverse the Northlands route.
Each investor receives shares equal to the number of 1.2 Sovereigns they contribute. 10 shares are available. Each share entitles the holder to 1/10th of the goods delivered by the Dizzy Pike upon returning to harbour. Each share also requires the holder to pay 1/10th of any costs incurred in the regular operation of the vessel (eg repairs and chart costs), failure to pay resulting in shares being seized and auctioned, with proceeds paid out to remaining shareholders.
Shareholders of Dizzy Pike shall be automatically charged full repair costs (unless they choose to fail to pay.) Full repairs may be substituted for partial or no repairs by a majority vote of shareholders.
Any changes to the Dizzy Pike's operations require a majority of shares to agree. Any changes to this contract require all shares to agree.
Signed,
-Radiant Trading for 4.8s (+0.6s chart costs)
-Aywen Ayes for 1.2s
-(5 shares remain)
-
261
Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: COLLAPSE: A structured suggestion game about forestalling the inevitable
« on: July 17, 2023, 09:32:54 am »
Turn 2 - First Action Results
TURNTURNTURN
The IWAR Fund runs into its first hurdle before even leaving the Imperial Court. The Regent is accused of overstepping his authority by approving these increased taxes without consulting the Emperor. Which is fair. When the Regent then attempts to get the Emperor to approve of the reform, he is accused of asking the Emperor to weigh in on a subject that goes beyond his youthful experience. Which... is also true, but somewhat contradictory to the first complaint. Eventually, the protestors are bought off by introducing tax cuts in other areas... which de facto means the IWAR Fund is almost entirely financed by the Imperial government. (-1 Wealth)
The peasantry aren't happy about being forced to volunteer, but they don't really have the power to complain in a noticeable way. I mean, their mood might be worse, but we don't even keep track of that, so who cares?
At least expanding canals and reservoirs is something people generally approve of. The Empire is famous for the grand canals constructed in ages past, and digging new ones is a perfectly respectable endeavour. A few mavericks warn that the new canals are poorly designed, and will drastically change how water flows through the region, potentially resulting in severe flooding. But by the time these warnings reach the Imperial Court, the plans have already been approved and construction has begun. It's... it's probably fine.
[Unlucky] Unfortunately, while the new reservoirs might reduce the impact of droughts in the future, they are not finished in time to alleviate the current drought. The subsequent famine is worse than expected, perhaps in part due to a lot of peasants being called away from their fields to dig canals. While not apocalyptic, significant levels of starvation seem inevitable at this point.
The State of the Empire:
Population: 7
Wealth: 7
Military: 7
Technology: 7
Reputation: 7
Lucky Sevens: No effect, but it looks nice.
DISASTER: Drought-caused Famine (Regular): Famine has struck the north. Local governors are not able to handle it.
REFORMS:
-Revived Senate (chance to avert civil wars)
-Revised Imperial Budget (makes financial reforms easier)
-Imperial Workforce And Relief Fund (makes infrastructure expansion easier, makes peasants unhappy)
-Northern Canals And Ecological Livability Project (increases risk of flooding, decreases risk of drought)
Choose your second action, and a stat to manually decrease.
TURNTURNTURN
Reform: Imperial Workforce And Relief FundRESULT: [Average] Raise taxes, draft labourers, encourage 'voluntary' additional donations, and then expand water management across a vast region? What could possibly go wrong?
With the population “miscalculation”, the Empire has seen fit to create a dedicated workforce and fund to ensure we have the manpower and money necessary to develop projects that’d benefit the Empire. Local governors have their taxes raised and are to provide a portion of their population for the volunteer workforce. Governors are incentivized to provide additional donations for the IWAR Fund through a “Disaster And Victimization Ensurance” Program that guarantees any project dedicated to the development of a governor’s region after some sort of disaster will use at a minimum the amount of money they have provided. Initial seeding funds are provided by Imperial coffers in order to hire the first group of workers.
The first project is the Canals And Ecological Livability Project. The CAEL Project is focused on the northern regions, and will expand waterways and dig canals while the waters are slightly lower and therefore less of an obstacle. Large reservoirs and deep wells are also dug in order to improve the population’s access to water.
The IWAR Fund runs into its first hurdle before even leaving the Imperial Court. The Regent is accused of overstepping his authority by approving these increased taxes without consulting the Emperor. Which is fair. When the Regent then attempts to get the Emperor to approve of the reform, he is accused of asking the Emperor to weigh in on a subject that goes beyond his youthful experience. Which... is also true, but somewhat contradictory to the first complaint. Eventually, the protestors are bought off by introducing tax cuts in other areas... which de facto means the IWAR Fund is almost entirely financed by the Imperial government. (-1 Wealth)
The peasantry aren't happy about being forced to volunteer, but they don't really have the power to complain in a noticeable way. I mean, their mood might be worse, but we don't even keep track of that, so who cares?
At least expanding canals and reservoirs is something people generally approve of. The Empire is famous for the grand canals constructed in ages past, and digging new ones is a perfectly respectable endeavour. A few mavericks warn that the new canals are poorly designed, and will drastically change how water flows through the region, potentially resulting in severe flooding. But by the time these warnings reach the Imperial Court, the plans have already been approved and construction has begun. It's... it's probably fine.
[Unlucky] Unfortunately, while the new reservoirs might reduce the impact of droughts in the future, they are not finished in time to alleviate the current drought. The subsequent famine is worse than expected, perhaps in part due to a lot of peasants being called away from their fields to dig canals. While not apocalyptic, significant levels of starvation seem inevitable at this point.
The State of the Empire:
Population: 7
Wealth: 7
Military: 7
Technology: 7
Reputation: 7
Lucky Sevens: No effect, but it looks nice.
DISASTER: Drought-caused Famine (Regular): Famine has struck the north. Local governors are not able to handle it.
REFORMS:
-Revived Senate (chance to avert civil wars)
-Revised Imperial Budget (makes financial reforms easier)
-Imperial Workforce And Relief Fund (makes infrastructure expansion easier, makes peasants unhappy)
-Northern Canals And Ecological Livability Project (increases risk of flooding, decreases risk of drought)
Choose your second action, and a stat to manually decrease.
262
Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: COLLAPSE: A structured suggestion game about forestalling the inevitable
« on: July 16, 2023, 04:02:59 pm »And if we play our cards right, maybe the barbarians may teach us the secrets of firepowder.I'm not going to comment on the treasonous aspects of the proposal, but I will clarify that Firepowder is already known in the Empire; the Barbarians must have somehow stolen the recipe.
263
Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: COLLAPSE: A structured suggestion game about forestalling the inevitable
« on: July 16, 2023, 01:15:57 pm »
Turn 1 - Second Action Results
In the process, a number of corrupt officials were caught red-handed, and a lot of landowners suddenly realised they'd forgotten to pay their full taxes- a 'mistake' they quickly rectified. As a result, not only do we have a much better idea of what our income is, that income is also higher than it was before the audit. (+1 Wealth)
MANUAL DECLINE: Military: Hey, it's not like we really need such a big military, right? We can afford to cut back on the number of armies in service.
Turn 2 - Year 4 in the reign of the 77th Emperor
TURNTURNTURN
[Lucky] Fortunately, the regency has been stable so far. The Regent's supporters eventually stood down, as it became clear there were no imminent challenges to his authority. The Emperor himself is now ten years old, and is being tutored by the greatest scholars in the land in all the important subjects an Emperor needs to know- poetry, calligraphy, sword rituals, Imperial etiquette, etc.
DISASTER: There's a spot of drought in the north of the Empire. A famine seems likely, although it shouldn't be too severe, and the local governors should be able to handle it.
RANDOM DECLINE: Population: An informal census, asking regional governors to estimate the population of their territories, suggests that we don't actually have as many citizens as we thought we did. Not sure how that happened. Well, what's a few million missing people compared to the vast population of the Empire?
The State of the Empire:
Population: 7
Wealth: 8
Military: 7
Technology: 7
Reputation: 7
DISASTER: Drought-caused Famine (Minor): Famine is imminent in the north. Local governors should be able to handle it.
REFORMS:
-Revived Senate (chance to avert civil wars)
-Revised Imperial Budget (makes financial reforms easier)
Choose your first action.
Reform: Revised Imperial Budget: With an bloated empire, and centuries of records, accurate bookkeeping can become quite challenging. Run a through accounting of the income, rents, tarriffs, land, and other assets coming in, and likewise for expenditures going out. This may help find overlooked incomes, and help reveal corruption and graft.RESULT: [Lucky] The bureaucratic apparatus that runs an empire is like a thick rug, in that it needs to be shaken out every now and again to get rid of the dust. And sometimes when you lift the rug, there's lost change underneath. And/or cockroaches. With the Regent's approval, a gathering of trusted accountants is unleashed upon the bureaucracy. They are zealous and efficient, and after a few months have produced a... well, not a perfect account of the Empire's finances, but one that is a lot better than what we had.
Decrease Military: Population is power, 7 is still good for military I bet :p
In the process, a number of corrupt officials were caught red-handed, and a lot of landowners suddenly realised they'd forgotten to pay their full taxes- a 'mistake' they quickly rectified. As a result, not only do we have a much better idea of what our income is, that income is also higher than it was before the audit. (+1 Wealth)
MANUAL DECLINE: Military: Hey, it's not like we really need such a big military, right? We can afford to cut back on the number of armies in service.
Turn 2 - Year 4 in the reign of the 77th Emperor
TURNTURNTURN
[Lucky] Fortunately, the regency has been stable so far. The Regent's supporters eventually stood down, as it became clear there were no imminent challenges to his authority. The Emperor himself is now ten years old, and is being tutored by the greatest scholars in the land in all the important subjects an Emperor needs to know- poetry, calligraphy, sword rituals, Imperial etiquette, etc.
DISASTER: There's a spot of drought in the north of the Empire. A famine seems likely, although it shouldn't be too severe, and the local governors should be able to handle it.
RANDOM DECLINE: Population: An informal census, asking regional governors to estimate the population of their territories, suggests that we don't actually have as many citizens as we thought we did. Not sure how that happened. Well, what's a few million missing people compared to the vast population of the Empire?
The State of the Empire:
Population: 7
Wealth: 8
Military: 7
Technology: 7
Reputation: 7
DISASTER: Drought-caused Famine (Minor): Famine is imminent in the north. Local governors should be able to handle it.
REFORMS:
-Revived Senate (chance to avert civil wars)
-Revised Imperial Budget (makes financial reforms easier)
Choose your first action.
264
Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Risky Ventures: Traditional [Open! Turn 9! Lost at Sea...?]
« on: July 15, 2023, 01:20:51 pm »See this is why I like owning my own ship. No need to make decisions by committee, no worrying if I'm going to get undercut or repossessed - you guys should try it, it's excellent.We can't hear you, you're hundreds of miles away.
265
Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: COLLAPSE: A structured suggestion game about forestalling the inevitable
« on: July 15, 2023, 12:38:53 pm »
Turn 1 - First Action Results
TURNTURNTURN
Most of the Regent's supporters stand down too, but a small force remains camped just outside the capital to, ah, 'protect the peace'.
The public are pleased that bloodshed was avoided, but are uncertain about the status of the Senate. They appointed the Regent, does that mean they can revoke that appointment? Wouldn't that imply the Regent is beholden to the Senators? Opinions are split on whether this is a good thing or not, but either way, the veneer of unquestionable Imperial Authority has been tarnished. (-1 Reputation)
Turns out some of those bribes were quite pricey. While the monetary value was paid from the Regent's personal fortunes, concessions of lands, rights, and titles to the Senators have reduced Imperial incomes. Probably. It's honestly a little hard to keep track of where the money in the treasury comes from. All we can say for certain is that there's slightly less coming in now than there was. (-1 Wealth)
The State of the Empire:
Population: 8
Wealth: 7
Military: 8
Technology: 7
Reputation: 7
DISASTER: Uncertain Regency (Minor): The Regent's position is not entirely secure, and the potential for violent confrontation still lurks.
REFORMS:
-Revived Senate (Chance to avert civil wars)
Choose your second action. And then, it is time to do your part to doom the Empire! Choose which stat to decrease.
(It'd probably be best to vote for a combination of action+stat, and not have separate votes for each)
E: Minor rules tweak- stats can in theory rise to a max of 10 (it was a max of 8).
TURNTURNTURN
Quote
Reform: Make the regent be elected by the SenateRESULT: [Average] Empowering the Senate in this way is somewhat controversial, given the institution had shrunk down to an all-but ceremonial role in governing the Empire. Nevertheless, the Emperor's mother and uncle both agree to recognise the Senate's choice in this matter. Nobles from across the Empire dust off their senatorial togas and assemble in the Capital, in a hastily renovated Senate Chamber. After some debate, consideration, and bribes, the Senate announces that the Emperor's uncle shall be the regent. Though some in the mother's camp protest, the woman herself steps down, retiring to her family home.
Most of the Regent's supporters stand down too, but a small force remains camped just outside the capital to, ah, 'protect the peace'.
The public are pleased that bloodshed was avoided, but are uncertain about the status of the Senate. They appointed the Regent, does that mean they can revoke that appointment? Wouldn't that imply the Regent is beholden to the Senators? Opinions are split on whether this is a good thing or not, but either way, the veneer of unquestionable Imperial Authority has been tarnished. (-1 Reputation)
Turns out some of those bribes were quite pricey. While the monetary value was paid from the Regent's personal fortunes, concessions of lands, rights, and titles to the Senators have reduced Imperial incomes. Probably. It's honestly a little hard to keep track of where the money in the treasury comes from. All we can say for certain is that there's slightly less coming in now than there was. (-1 Wealth)
The State of the Empire:
Population: 8
Wealth: 7
Military: 8
Technology: 7
Reputation: 7
DISASTER: Uncertain Regency (Minor): The Regent's position is not entirely secure, and the potential for violent confrontation still lurks.
REFORMS:
-Revived Senate (Chance to avert civil wars)
Choose your second action. And then, it is time to do your part to doom the Empire! Choose which stat to decrease.
(It'd probably be best to vote for a combination of action+stat, and not have separate votes for each)
E: Minor rules tweak- stats can in theory rise to a max of 10 (it was a max of 8).
266
Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: COLLAPSE: A structured suggestion game about forestalling the inevitable
« on: July 15, 2023, 03:19:25 am »
Turn 1 - Year 0 in the reign of the 77th Emperor
TURNTURNTURN (As usual, I'm including invisible text here to make finding turns easier)
Long live the Emperor! After his father's untimely demise, the six-year old Emperor has been enthroned, with his mother acting as regent. His reign is sure to be long and peaceful and- oh, wait.
DISASTER: Turns out his uncle thinks he's too young. And a number of nobles agree. A large number. As do several generals, governors, and other assorted powerful people. They claim the Emperor will be a puppet of his mother and scheming courtiers. Which... between you and me, might be true, at least for now. But is that a good enough reason to ignore the line of succession? No, of course not. Nevertheless, the uncle has raised an army, and is marching upon the Imperial Capital. We need to deal with this quickly, or the civil war will claim the lives of thousands of soldiers, and ruin the reputation of the Imperial Family!
RANDOM DECLINE: Technology: In other news, it seems a Barbarian has acquired the recipe for firepowder. You know, the stuff used to make fireworks. It's probably not a big deal.
The State of the Empire:
Population: 8
Wealth: 8
Military: 8
Technology: 7
Reputation: 8
DISASTER: Civil War (Severe): Emperor's Uncle seeks to seize the throne by force. A large army is marching on the capital, and many powerful people are supportive.
It is time to do your part to save the Empire! Choose your first action.
(Standard suggestion-game voting will suffice (that is, +1 the action you support))
TURNTURNTURN (As usual, I'm including invisible text here to make finding turns easier)
Long live the Emperor! After his father's untimely demise, the six-year old Emperor has been enthroned, with his mother acting as regent. His reign is sure to be long and peaceful and- oh, wait.
DISASTER: Turns out his uncle thinks he's too young. And a number of nobles agree. A large number. As do several generals, governors, and other assorted powerful people. They claim the Emperor will be a puppet of his mother and scheming courtiers. Which... between you and me, might be true, at least for now. But is that a good enough reason to ignore the line of succession? No, of course not. Nevertheless, the uncle has raised an army, and is marching upon the Imperial Capital. We need to deal with this quickly, or the civil war will claim the lives of thousands of soldiers, and ruin the reputation of the Imperial Family!
RANDOM DECLINE: Technology: In other news, it seems a Barbarian has acquired the recipe for firepowder. You know, the stuff used to make fireworks. It's probably not a big deal.
The State of the Empire:
Population: 8
Wealth: 8
Military: 8
Technology: 7
Reputation: 8
DISASTER: Civil War (Severe): Emperor's Uncle seeks to seize the throne by force. A large army is marching on the capital, and many powerful people are supportive.
It is time to do your part to save the Empire! Choose your first action.
(Standard suggestion-game voting will suffice (that is, +1 the action you support))
267
Forum Games and Roleplaying / COLLAPSE: A structured suggestion game about forestalling the inevitable
« on: July 15, 2023, 03:18:57 am »
The end is nigh. The question is not "How can we win?", but "How long can we forestall the inevitable?"
Oh, sure. The Empire is vast. The Empire is rich. The Empire is strong, advanced, and respected. The Barbarian nations beyond its borders are all small, poor, weak, backwards, and insignificant.
But the Empire is also stagnant, corrupt, and arrogant. Meanwhile, the Barbarians are energetic, focused, and innovative.
Few in the Empire recognise this. Those of us who do are powerless to change the views of those who do not. If we do nothing, the Barbarians will overtake us in a matter of decades, and the Empire will fall into ruin.
So, our task, as humble servants of the Emperor, is to delay the collapse for as long as possible. Sacrifices are not optional- it is literally impossible to maintain the Empire in its current form. But perhaps clever thinking will let us slow the descent, and maintain some semblance of civilisation for another century or two.
TURN OVERVIEW:
Each turn represents 4 years, and follows the following structure:
-Random stat decrease. Any disasters that happen are described.
-Players decide on an action.
-Action results are described.
-Players decide on a followup action, and choose a stat to decrease manually.
-Followup results are described. Turn ends.
STATS:
The Empire has five key stats:
-Population
-Wealth
-Military
-Technology
-Reputation
All five start at 8 (in theory stats can go as high as 10).
Every turn, a semi-randomly selected stat will decrease by 1. Additionally, you must choose a stat to decrease by 1 yourselves.
If any stat reaches 0, the game ends- the Empire is destroyed.
Needless to say, the stats are more than just a countdown.
As they decrease, disasters may be triggered that challenge the empire in unpredictable ways.
If the stats become overly unbalanced, other disasters may occur. (Disasters may also occur for other reasons)
They are also currency that you can spend on actions (see below).
Stats can increase as a result of your actions, though this will generally come at a price.
ACTIONS:
You get two actions per turn (in separate phases). What can you use an action for? Well, almost anything you can think of, really. Actions are freeform. Generally, though, the sort of things you would want to do fall into three categories:
-Stat Swaps: Decrease one (or more) stats to increase one (or more) other stats (the two totals do not have to be equal). Some sort of fluff justification is desired, but not technically necessary (eg you could just say "Swap 1 Reputation for 1 Population", but saying "Persuade people to immigrate into the empire, even if it makes us look less prestigious" is better)
-Disaster Relief: (Try to) resolve an ongoing disaster. Depending on the severity, you might want to spend some resources, but this isn't always necessary. Regardless, the method used is more important.
-Enact Reform: Proactively try to change the Empire in some way, potentially increasing stats, making future disasters less severe, or simply paving the way for other, more advanced reforms. What needs to and can be reformed is initially somewhat vague- but action results (good or bad) will often hint at things that could use a reform.
In the extreme case that someone proposes an invalid action, I'll let you know.
The results of an action may not be what you intended. Simple, unambitious actions will generally do what you expect, but the more complex and ambitious you get, the higher the risks. I may use dice, but you will not be told what those dice are. Instead, action results are prefaced with one of four tags: [Expected], meaning no randomness was involved, and [Lucky]/[Average]/[Unlucky], which should be self-explanatory.
THE FIVE GREAT REFORMS:
And those are all the rules. Yup, there's no victory condition. Definitely not. It's just a matter of forestalling the inevitable. There certainly aren't special reforms that will permanently stop a stat from decreasing randomly. And even if there were, it would be impossible to enact them all, since they'd each require at least three foundational reforms to be enacted first- and there's no way you people will manage to survive long enough to enact 20+ reforms.
Oh, sure. The Empire is vast. The Empire is rich. The Empire is strong, advanced, and respected. The Barbarian nations beyond its borders are all small, poor, weak, backwards, and insignificant.
But the Empire is also stagnant, corrupt, and arrogant. Meanwhile, the Barbarians are energetic, focused, and innovative.
Few in the Empire recognise this. Those of us who do are powerless to change the views of those who do not. If we do nothing, the Barbarians will overtake us in a matter of decades, and the Empire will fall into ruin.
So, our task, as humble servants of the Emperor, is to delay the collapse for as long as possible. Sacrifices are not optional- it is literally impossible to maintain the Empire in its current form. But perhaps clever thinking will let us slow the descent, and maintain some semblance of civilisation for another century or two.
TURN OVERVIEW:
Each turn represents 4 years, and follows the following structure:
-Random stat decrease. Any disasters that happen are described.
-Players decide on an action.
-Action results are described.
-Players decide on a followup action, and choose a stat to decrease manually.
-Followup results are described. Turn ends.
STATS:
The Empire has five key stats:
-Population
-Wealth
-Military
-Technology
-Reputation
All five start at 8 (in theory stats can go as high as 10).
Every turn, a semi-randomly selected stat will decrease by 1. Additionally, you must choose a stat to decrease by 1 yourselves.
If any stat reaches 0, the game ends- the Empire is destroyed.
Needless to say, the stats are more than just a countdown.
As they decrease, disasters may be triggered that challenge the empire in unpredictable ways.
If the stats become overly unbalanced, other disasters may occur. (Disasters may also occur for other reasons)
They are also currency that you can spend on actions (see below).
Stats can increase as a result of your actions, though this will generally come at a price.
ACTIONS:
You get two actions per turn (in separate phases). What can you use an action for? Well, almost anything you can think of, really. Actions are freeform. Generally, though, the sort of things you would want to do fall into three categories:
-Stat Swaps: Decrease one (or more) stats to increase one (or more) other stats (the two totals do not have to be equal). Some sort of fluff justification is desired, but not technically necessary (eg you could just say "Swap 1 Reputation for 1 Population", but saying "Persuade people to immigrate into the empire, even if it makes us look less prestigious" is better)
-Disaster Relief: (Try to) resolve an ongoing disaster. Depending on the severity, you might want to spend some resources, but this isn't always necessary. Regardless, the method used is more important.
-Enact Reform: Proactively try to change the Empire in some way, potentially increasing stats, making future disasters less severe, or simply paving the way for other, more advanced reforms. What needs to and can be reformed is initially somewhat vague- but action results (good or bad) will often hint at things that could use a reform.
In the extreme case that someone proposes an invalid action, I'll let you know.
The results of an action may not be what you intended. Simple, unambitious actions will generally do what you expect, but the more complex and ambitious you get, the higher the risks. I may use dice, but you will not be told what those dice are. Instead, action results are prefaced with one of four tags: [Expected], meaning no randomness was involved, and [Lucky]/[Average]/[Unlucky], which should be self-explanatory.
Spoiler: Example actions (click to show/hide)
THE FIVE GREAT REFORMS:
And those are all the rules. Yup, there's no victory condition. Definitely not. It's just a matter of forestalling the inevitable. There certainly aren't special reforms that will permanently stop a stat from decreasing randomly. And even if there were, it would be impossible to enact them all, since they'd each require at least three foundational reforms to be enacted first- and there's no way you people will manage to survive long enough to enact 20+ reforms.
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Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Risky Ventures: Traditional [Open! Turn 9! Lost at Sea...?]
« on: July 14, 2023, 02:11:05 pm »[bad reasons, and an admission that you intend to steal shares]Okay, good. Just wanted to be sure.
A more conventional contract, for those who'd prefer it:
Quote from: Dizzy Pike contract
The undersigned agree to share-based joint ownership of a trading vessel to be named "Dizzy Pike", which shall initially traverse the Northlands route.
Each investor receives shares equal to the number of 1.2 Sovereigns they contribute. 10 shares are available. Each share entitles the holder to 1/10th of the goods delivered by the Dizzy Pike upon returning to harbour. Each share also requires the holder to pay 1/10th of any costs incurred in the regular operation of the vessel (eg repairs and chart costs), failure to pay resulting in shares being seized and auctioned, with proceeds paid out to remaining shareholders.
Shareholders of Dizzy Pike shall be automatically charged full repair costs (unless they choose to fail to pay.) Full repairs may be substituted for partial or no repairs by a majority vote of shareholders.
Any changes to the Dizzy Pike's operations require a majority of shares to agree. Any changes to this contract require all shares to agree.
Signed,
-Radiant Trading for 2.4s (+0.3s chart costs)
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Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Risky Ventures: Traditional [Open! Turn 9! Lost at Sea...?]
« on: July 14, 2023, 12:50:33 pm »The price is 1.5 as of this turn (we changed it last turn).Quote from: Crazy Aywen NRC Chart ContractCrazy Aywen shall make use of the NRC's Charts to change their Route, sailing to Northland for Preserved Meats.I'll get the ball rolling, I looked at the NRC contract and yup it is per journey. I am willing to put the bird on the "Crazy Aywen" for no charge.
0.12 must be paid for each stock owned to the NRC, for a total of 1.2s each trip. Otherwise this contract becomes void.
When the NRC Changes the Price, it is reflected on this Contract.
Recurring clause:
Unless otherwise voted on for a new route or a change of the "Crazy Aywen's" initial charter contract, every time the "Crazy Aywen" returns to port the shareholders must buy the chart from the NRC.
-Monkey Corps(2 shares)
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Edit: Added a Recurring clause so we don't have to keep making the contract again.
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Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Risky Ventures: Traditional [Open! Turn 9! Lost at Sea...?]
« on: July 14, 2023, 12:13:03 pm »We still need 3 people to Ship. Is your issue the destination? (You can buy multiple stocks.)Can you explain why you've opted for your weird contract? What benefit does it give compared to a standard ship contract?
You'll need to pay for the chart, in that case.I'm assuming that the Crazy Aywen will continue the meat trade.it's in our charter that we must ply whichever route is the most profitable.
