[center][h1]Bayonets, Brimstone, and Bullets - A Napoleonic Inspired NRP[/h1][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Howb1js.png[/img][/center] [center][i]“The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood.”[/i][/center] [center][b]Otto von Bismarck[/b][/center] Some maps: [center][url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/628811074489286657/668625456584458250/MusketRPMap.jpg]A Geographic Map of the World[/url][/center] [center][url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/628811074489286657/668625587782418432/MusketRPMapPolitical.png]A Political Map of the World[/url][/center] [center][url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/628811074489286657/668625567943229443/MusketRPMapOverlay.jpg]An overlay map, with the political and geographic maps together.[/url][/center] [center][url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/628811074489286657/673060334281687051/MusketRPMapKoppen.png]A heavily WIP Koppen Climate Classification Map[/url][/center] Change looms. The world is marching on a new era. Revolutions, societal upheaval, technological advancement, and more seem to fill the world. From the ice cold arctic tundras in the north to the humid tropical jungles of the equator, in the great steppe and the vast mountain ranges of the east, within the subjugated and defiantly independent lands of the new world, change is poised to strike hard and fast. The two great empires, of Quat’i Al-Qarikha and Grakaisaran Imperpulau Anyueva, millenia old rivals, teeter on the brink of war. Around them, the lesser powers both great and middling watch eagerly, desiring to enrich and empower themselves in the ensuing carnage. [center]______________________________________________________[/center] In this NRP, you play as a nation of your own creation. This is a setting with heavy historical inspiration, but no direct parallels. The best term for the setting is schizotech - this is a world wherein an orderly column of line infantry exchange musket fire after being ferried across the nation by train, while steam-powered drydocks assemble great first-rate ships of the line to rule the seas. While not to the same extent as my other NRP, this, direct comparisons are to be avoided - as a nation taking inspiration from the likes of China or Peru may boast technological capabilities that exceed the greatest of European powers at the time. Vast empires with vast populations, deep history, and so on. That said, this is not a map painting simulator, and if you want to conquer the world, I fully understand, but this is not a Total War or EU4 game and such should not be your driving goal. Individual nations are player created, with randomly rolled stats serving as a guideline upon which you should build your nation. This is a world with by now some decently well established lore, and I encourage you to speak to me and the other players about how your own nation fits into it! Technology is a bit of a giant anachronism, but the most technologically advanced nations could be said to be in a position around the early 1860s, with railways, steam powered industry, and more making their way into the big time. The major exception is military technology - which has lagged behind, and will at the beginning of the RP resemble that of the Napoleonic wars. As the RP progresses, it will catch up with the rest of technology as rifled muskets, minie balls, improved artillery, and more make their way into play. I invite those interested to join our [url=https://discord.gg/z7S7nut]Discord server[/url] and get to know the players already in! This RP will hopefully begin early March, and I hope you enjoy it! [h2]Rules[/h2] [list] [*] Use common sense. [*] Don't game the rolls. [*] No godmodding, powergaming, etc. You get the point. [*] What the GM and Co-GMs say, goes. Please don’t push things this far. I don’t like having to put my foot down but I will. [*] No meme nations (why do I have to make this a rule?) [*] Don’t be an arse. [/list] [hider=Character Sheet] [b]Name of Nation:[/b] [b]Territorial Claims:[/b] [b]Species:[/b] [b]Population (total and by species):[/b] [b]Culture and Society:[/b] [b]History:[/b] [b]Economy:[/b] [b]Army:[/b] [b]Navy:[/b] [b]Traits:[/b] [b]Foreign Relations:[/b] [b]Rolls:[/b] (Rolled by GM in the Discord Server. Just ping me, and I’ll roll as soon as I’m able.) [hider=Capabilities:] Societal Development: Technological Development: Economy: Land Power: Naval Power: Arcane Sophistication/Religious Strength: [/hider] [b]Other:[/b] [/hider] [hider=Religion] Religion has been a vitally important aspect of life for nearly all of history - and in this RP it is even more crucial, being central to the performing of magical acts. Religions in this RP fall into two broad categories - Elder and Gestalt. These terms reflect both the nature of the gods or pantheons they worship and the ways in which their followers pay homage. Elder gods are ancient, primordial beings, having existed long before the emergence of life as we know it upon the world and possessed of natures wholly Eldritch and unable to be fully comprehended by mortal minds while retaining what we might call sanity. They are heavily influenced by the works of HP Lovecraft and such, and while many of them are not actively malevolent as his creations were (some may even be more benevolent in nature), they are inscrutable, powerful forces that exist on a level of reality far beyond that of mortal ken. However, they do have their ambitions and goals, esoteric and incomprehensible as some of them may be, and will grant knowledge of the workings of the arcane and more in exchange for service and devotion. With this knowledge, a nation can construct magitechnological devices and works to further their goals. Elder god religions are recommended for those who are not only familiar with the writings of HP Lovecraft and other contributions to the Cthulhu mythos, but who prefer the slower, more definite and permanent nature of their magic. Gestalt gods are those new ones formed by the collective minds, thoughts, and spiritualities of their followers. They are myriad and varied, ranging in power as widely as they do in their nature. Being an innately ‘human’ construct they follow mortal morals and whims, and are much more in line with the nature of various historical deities of a humanoid and personified nature. Gestalt gods, being of a wholly different make and nature to their Elder counterparts, likewise interact with their followers and the universe in a wholly different manner as well. Instead of conferring upon their followers the knowledge of the cosmos and the arcane, for such knowledge is beyond them too, they utilize the collective might that makes up their being to bend the laws of the universe to their whim - or more accurately, to the whim of their followers. Magical power and capabilities of such beings can wax and wane rapidly and drastically as the size and strength of conviction of their following grows or shrinks. With this power, a nation can call forth works of the divine to suit their ends, instead of constructing the elaborate and dizzyingly intricate works of those nations following an Elder god. Gestalt religions are recommended for those players wishing to create gods and religions more heavily inspired by the culture and mythology of our own planet earth, are unfamiliar with or do not like the work of HP Lovecraft, or prefer a more ‘traditional’ means of working magic as an inscrutable force of the arcane. [/hider] [hider=Magic] Magic, in this world, is significantly different from that of most fantasy settings. In most settings, a mage conjures a fireball in his hand from the ether and propels it at the enemy - that is not how it works here. Imagine the magic of the world as a shallow puddle with the breadth of an ocean, covering the entire world, but not ‘deep’ enough to allow much more than low level cantrips, or a telepath to communicate with others. But within this puddle there are spots that could be considered ‘low lying’ - where the magic of the world collects and concentrates, manifesting physically as a crystalline material that can be mined and processed, brimming with the magical energy of the world. These magical crystals can be used as power supplies for the magical works of those nations advanced in the arcane or possessed of a powerful god, a machine to cast bolts of lightning or launch balls of fire for those of great sophistication, or a contraption to draw water from the earth or a stone circle to communicate at great distances for the middling. A nation’s magic roll is related to the prevalence and size of these ‘hotspots’ - determined by the magical reserves roll. Just as with material resources for a nation dependent on tech, the supplies of this crystal are crucial for the war effort of a nation dependent on magic. Magic is performed and learned of through two primary routes, through communion with an Elder god to learn of the ways of the universe through their revelations in exchange for some service, or through prayer and devotion to a Gestalt god to gain their intervention in the working of magic. As explained in the section on religions, the ways in which different peoples will use these capabilities vary widely. Those following an Elder religion rely upon what is essentially magitech, imbued with its nature through myriad means of channeling and shaping the forces of the universe, in much the same way that electronics or mechanical devices must be carefully manufactured and arranged for all of their components to function together. Those who follow a Gestalt religion will invoke the power of their god, and, provided sufficient crystal is available and the faith has the power to do so, the desired effect will be worked through the divine intervention of the deity in question. For example - to draw water from an underground aquifer: An Elder worshipping people possessing the relevant knowledge will construct a device reminiscent of a pump, perhaps covered in various runes to focus and channel the power of the arcane, which when supplied with crystal, performs the work of a pump and mechanically pulls water from underground through a hole drilled through the rock. A Gestalt worshipping people will, provided sufficient crystal is available to power the ritual and the faith is capable of the task, assign a priest to call upon the intervention of the god. The god will then act, and the water in the aquifer may be transported into an awaiting reservoir, cast into the sky to fall as rain, or so on. Those learned in the ways of magic’s use are known as mages - almost anybody can become a mage, as the use of magic is for the most part a matter of learning and applied technique, rather than any inborn attributes. There are other means of supplying magic in the field, but these are costly. The sacrifice of living beings, for instance, - dozens or hundreds - can create enough energy with the turmoil of death to supply magical devices for a limited time. This method is widely abhorred in much of the world, and those seeking to use such means with any frequency will find themselves similarly shunned. Magic’s use, however, comes with a darker side - one that can and has spelled doom for many civilizations and empires before. Excessive extraction of magical crystal can lead to depletion of the magical field in the area - ‘dry’ spots can occur, and should action not be taken to dramatically lessen or outright halt crystal extraction, calamity can occur. There is always ample forewarning - magically sensitive individuals will experience splitting headaches and full body pain, for instance. A basic (and somewhat silly) visual guide can be seen [url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/381248465751113729/594959940171464734/this_Magical_Cataclysms.png]here[/url]. Should such a calamity occur, it will become immediately obvious. At the point wherein the depletion reaches a critical point, the very landscape will begin to change. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, vast lightning storms, and all manner of natural disasters are likely to occur, greater than any recorded on earth in living memory. The land itself will turn fallow, life becomes twisted, corrupted, a shadow of its former nature as universal forces unknown to the living crash into the mundane world. Such land is tainted, and for the first centuries at least the land will be unlike anything of the natural world. Warped abominations will prowl through toxic streams, plants and animals molded into new, perverted mockeries of life, unable to live outside of the hostile, abnormal conditions that gave rise to them. The only mercy is that those who created such conditions rarely live to see the worst of them. To survive, let alone remain sane and uncorrupted within such land is all but impossible, and it can take a millennium or more for the area to truly heal. Magic is a flexible system - but it is far from omnipotent; and with great power comes great responsibility. [/hider] [hider=Explanations on Rolls and other aspects of the RP] And now, a brief explanation of the rolls, tech trees, and other aspects of the sheets. Your rolls are a guideline for your nation, and they serve as an upper limit. If your roll is large, but you wish to go smaller, you are welcome to. With your rolls, you can subtract a total of ten points from wherever you wish and redistribute them elsewhere. Additionally, you can choose any two stats within a roll to swap - changing fertility with land area, for instance. However, to increase a stat from 19 to 20 will require the use of two points, in order to prevent minmaxing and to reflect the significant jump in capabilities from 19 to 20. Likewise, decreasing a stat from 20-19 will yield two points. Stats can be increased in game. Players wishing to increase their stats must make a post describing in at least some moderate detail the events and efforts of their nation to begin this process - be it gathering the wisest heads in the land or plundering lost forgotten cities of old lore, posts need not be in excruciating detail. This post may even take the form of a direct message to myself with a bullet point list of actions if time is short. The GMs will then roll a d20 to determine the success of these efforts. Increasing a stat has four tiers, to advance in tier the roll must equal or exceed the current value of that stat, if a 20 is rolled you may even advance multiple tiers at once. Once finishing tier 4, the stat is increased by one. Your Land Area: This roll determines the amount of land you have under your sway. It covers how much of the map is under your control. Your Land Fertility: This roll dictates the suitability of your land for your people. A low roll may be host to a harsh climate (natural or artificial) difficult to inhabit, it may have soils that yield small crops or those inedible to your people. Conversely, a high roll will have rich, fertile soil and a climate that lends itself to habitation by your people. Your Army: This roll dictates the size of your nation’s land forces, and the level of training and sophistication of your land forces. A nation with a large army roll is likely capable of raising powerful forces, numerous, well trained, and well equipped. Your Navy: This roll dictates the size of your naval forces. In addition, it represents the sophistication, extent, and other facets of your marine infrastructure - dockyards, drydocks, ports, and so on. This roll does not solely determine the quality of your warships or ability to field advanced designs, as these are also tied to your economy and technological development. A nation extremely high in all of these may well be fielding fleets of early steam ships. Your Economy: Your Economy is a representation of the wealth of your nation. It stands for the money your people hold, the amount you import and export, and to some extent how connected with others your nation is. A nation with a high economy is able to fund and finance more expensive works, and can maintain a war for considerably longer periods of time. Your Societal Development: Societal Development represents the sophistication and development of your nation’s culture, civilization, and governmental structure. It is essentially the difference between a country with bustling cities and intricate systems of trade and taxation, and a collection of thatch roof villages loosely controlled by a reigning warlord. Your Technological Development: In contrast with Societal Development, Technological Development represents the sophistication of techniques, tools, materials, and equipment available to your people. A more technologically developed nation may field a train network, steam powered industry, and will likely be on the verge of or in the midst of an industrial revolution. Your Magical Reserves: In this, Magic is not powered by an unseen ethereal force - but by a physical, tangible object. An iridescent crystal that goes by many names is the physical manifestation of magical energy that permeates the universe. Its scarcity varies greatly throughout the world and the universe at large, and this roll dictates the reserves of crystal you have available. Your Arcane Sophistication/Religious Strength: In this world, magic is a potent force but a tricky one; it requires intensive study to understand and requires expert training and meticulous technique to harness - or a powerful and numerous faith to bend reality to its whims. It is better described as “the Science of the Arcane” rather than “Magic” for those of an Elder bent, and as “Collectively powered works of the Divine” for those of the Gestalt. Capable of impressive feats when properly used, a magically potent nation can create massive contraptions to unleash a ball of flame upon their foes or invoke their god to cast lightning from the sky, or more mundane uses - a trained individual can communicate remotely with a similarly trained individual in a manner akin to a radio (range dependent on the power of the system) or water can be drawn from deep underground aquifers. [i]Every single stat[/i] is an important one, not to be overlooked and ignored. Traits - The Traits of a nation are miscellaneous additions outside the base rolls and tech tree system. A nation can have up to five different traits. Traits must carry a trade off past the first one, or be countered by another trait with negative effects. Traits can confer a number of effects, such as bonuses or other effects upon your militaries, populations, climates, or other elements of your nation not touched on by other mechanics. Your traits can carry some flexibility with your rolls, but nonetheless they are still constrained - for instance, a nation with a fertility score of one may not have a trait that describes their land as being a bountiful nation of plenty. An example trait, for instance, may reference an age old warrior culture and boost the morale of their armies, ensuring that flight is only a possibility in truly dire circumstances. Battles will be decided in two ways. Battles between player nations, where the two players have agreed upon the story they wish to tell require no GM involvement, and can be written in whatever style chosen. Battles between a player and an NPC nation, or between players who disagree on the outcome of the battle, will be decided by rolling. Players will describe the actions they wish to take, and dice will be rolled to see if that action succeeds or fails, with bonuses being applied based on relevant stats. The exact details of the battle will then be written according to the players’ desires, in line with the results of the rolling. This is for multiple reasons - to ensure a way to break stalemates while remaining fair and impartial, to prevent immediate steamrolling of NPCs, and because the element of uncertainty and randomness adds some excitement! Land Area sizes: 1 up to Lebanon in size (4000 mi²) 2 up to Denmark in size (16,000 mi²) 3 up to Ireland in size (32,000 mi²) 4 up to Bangladesh in size (50,000-60,000 mi²) 5 up to United Kingdom in size (90,000-100,000 mi²) 6 up to Japan in size (140,000-150,000 mi²) 7 up to Thailand in size (190,000-200,000 mi²) 8 up to Turkey in size (300,000 mi²) 9 up to Ethiopia in size (400,000-430,000 mi²) 10 up to Assyrian Empire in size (550k mi²) 11 up to Iran in size (630,000-640,000 mi²) 12 up to Almohad Caliphate in size (850,000 mi²) 13 up to Song Dynasty in size (1,200,000 mi²) 14 up to Seleucid Empire in size (1,500,00 mi²) 15 up to Tibetan Empire in size (1,800,000 mi²) 16 up to Achaemenid Empire in size (2,100,000 mi²) 17 up to Ming Dynasty in size (2,510,000 mi²) 18 up to Brazil in size (3,200,00 mi²) 19 up to Canada in size (3,800,000 mi²) 20 up to slightly below Qing Dynasty in size (5,500,000 mi²) [/hider] [hider=NPC Nations] NPC nations are nations controlled either by the GM or players that create them, intended to serve as flavor, flesh out the region, and provide a rich playground for our greater powers to frolic in. NPC nations have stats much the same as our own nations do, rolled by me, the GM. [/hider] [hider=Technology and other capabilities.] In place of a tech-tree system, as in other RPs and in my own older NRP Takanis, you will write up a description of the capabilities of your nation in the selected fields below and append this to your nation sheet below under the “Capabilities” section. I will give you feedback and guidance on it. You will write a description of your capabilities for the following stats: Societal Development: Technological Development: Economy: Land Power: Naval Power: Arcane Sophistication/Religious Strength: Technological advancement will be a matter of good writing, and if I or a co-GM decide that something is to our distaste, we will inform you. [/hider] And with that, I welcome you to this land - troubled though it may be, and await your own entry into the great games of war and politics that will play out!