ClocktowerEchos

Building Rules for a Universal Nation Roleplay Game

So I got bored and did a thing and made a "budget" thing. I just drew a quick thing up to do a basic economy thing; not hard to use in an NRP if you're willing to do some numbers. If it looks familiar, its probably because I'm jacking EU4's thing just a little. Don't worry though, the math behind it is just addition and subtraction so no wonky percents or anything.

Do note that this is based entirely on a turn-based system and that everything is just mucking about at this point and may not be universally applicable. All "prices" would be determined by the GM for the RP if they use the this.

Click Here for the thing

short explanations of what each thing would do

The Land Tax would be how much you get from each amount of land wether that be in tiles/hex/km² or what not, basically a national tax. The Land Upkeep would be how much you have to pay for the land in terms of infrastructure and what have, probably be like... 50% of the the Land Tax (just using 50% as an easy example number).

Production is basically how much your industry makes and split between civilian and military, I shouldn't have to explain what those are. Trade Goods is something I took out of EU4 and basically the worth of whatever special resource you have or something and may not be universally applicable. Trade deals is basically you agree to have a special trade deal like you see in Total War with someone and it gives X amount of money to both sides.

Tribute, Reparations and Looting are some what self explanatory to anyone whose played EU4 or the like. Tribute is basically any money you get from a subject nations (ie: vassal or colony). Reparations is straight from EU4 with the looser of a war having to pay the victor a set amount/percent each turn if the victor decides to press it. Looting is basically you have an army, its sitting on a piece of enemy land and you get the Land Tax for "looting" it each turn instead of the enemy.

Military Upkeep is again, simple; X number of troops/ships will cost Y amount to maintain and each major fortification would require a certain amount to keep running and stocked. The Diplomatic on the Expense side is the reverse of the Diplo on the Income side. This is where your tributes/reparations would go if you are the ones giving them.

So yeah, @Polybius maybe you could use this as some sort of basis for the economics of the system or something? I just got bored and interested and spun this out so yeah, its not exactly very deep but nor is it complex to understand. If you really wanted to add dice rolls to it you could have it so that each turn you roll a d10 or something and on a 4-7 nothing happens, on a 1-3 the total goes down respectively (3 would be 90%, 2 is 80%, 1 is 70%) or something and on a 8-10 the inverse would happen. I don't think that's possible to do google sheets tho.

Shadow of the Imperium – W40k Inquisition RP (OOC UP)

@The Survivor No, the one who has the role of Inquisitor won't have an another character to prevent conflicts of interest.

Building Rules for a Universal Nation Roleplay Game

Nations are not characters.

@Polybius

I would actually like to argue against this statement.

Nations are in fact characters but they aren't a typical character. Between normal character RPs people play and the nation-states and factions of games like EU4, Civilization, etc that NRPers love to play, I find the concept that you can humanize or characterize a nation is something which isn't commonly done because people either don't really know how to do it beyond Countryball-ing and Hetalia-izing things.

For me personally, I accomplish this through my own take on what history is: the greatest story ever told. Taking the nation as a whole and using its people to tell its history as a story is not something too uncommon. Now that I'm actually trying to explain it, I find it harder to properly articulate my thoughts. I guess one way to go about it is to say to think of the people as a whole instead of the country. For example, in World War 2, we all have heard about the unwavering revenge Russia got on the Nazis after they backstabbed them a, how deftly resistance movements fought insurmountable odds against a vastly superior foe and yet didn't back down, the desperate if not suicidal zeal of which Japan fought with when they knew they could not win against the Americans.

While it may not be all sunshine and roses, there's a distinct difference between telling a story vs telling an After Action Report. "United against a common foe, one thousand times stronger then them, Country X fought against all odds and through force of will and great sacrifice won out over Country Y" has a very different tone of narration then saying "Country X defeated Country Y because of reasons A, B and C".

Some videos which really help express the "personification" of a nation-state are as follows:

My Hider

One of my favorite RPs that sort of demonstrated this on a personal level was something that @Theodorable had created, second iteration of "An Age of Nationalism" I think. I was playing my go-to notJapan nation of Fuso as those of you who have known me for a while will not be surprised with and in it notWW1 just finished. Fuso was basically an upstart nation, recently industrialized to the ability of being able to participate, the first in notAsia to do so, only to get absolutely wrecked early on, peace'd out and occupied. To my memory, I spent the RP trying to rebuild both a nation and army in ruins, tending the wounds of a disenfranchised martial-focused nation who just saw what modern war was like and trying to become relevant. And you know what? I absolutely loved it.

And before anyone has to point it out, yes, I know my point is very convoluted and I'm not even quite happy with how I put it down but oh well, as of right now, I'm not sure how to really put in better words.

Basically I'm trying to say that just because an NRP doesn't have actual characters doesn't mean it has to be an AAG or something focused purely on the leader (something which I see a LOT of); it can be a triumphant story, a tragedy, something heartwarming or heart wrenching instead of just military arms races and kings sending letters between each other in real time. Tell a story of a nation with a nation. Tell a tale how it was once a mighty empire that fell and gave rise to others. Tell a story how a small, backwater gathering that suffered at the hands of fate became one of the strongest nations on the planet. Tell an epic of how an underdog won against insurmountable odds in a war they were forced to fight. Tell the legacy of an poor country turned itself into an industrial nation and all of its success and victories. tl;dr - Don't write a AAR or a biography, make a story.

Thank you for listening to me ramble on about this, hopefully it made a trace of sense and provided something of remote value ^^

1/1/2300: "Black January" [Sci-fi, Cyberpunk NRP set in the Solar System]

Territory/Claims:

Martian Territories

Aramas Prime

The crown jewel of the Aramian Empire is carved deep into the base of Mars' Mount Sharp and sprawled across the Gale Crater, centermost of the Aeolis quadrangle. Founded as the military contractor firm's colony in the early 22nd Century, the once tiny settlement is now the focus point of an ever-growing empire.

Aeolis Quadrangle

A popular landing sight in the early colonization era, is now the center point of the Aramian Empire. Expanding outwards, the armies of Aramas conquered its close neighbors in the region with relative ease in the early 23rd Century. Since then, a large number of smaller cities have dotted the region, most of which are military training facilities and barracks used to house the civilians of conquered regions.

Eridania Quadrangle

Sought after in the years following the Aeolis Campaign, the Eridania Quadrangle stands as one of the richest and largest campaign in the empires history. Despite heavy opposition from opposing Mars based institutions, Aramas managed to rip cites out of corporatocratic control, destabilizing dozens of enterprises that established headquartered there. The Eridania Campaign is marked by the hostile takeover of dozens of companies in the region, earning Aramas subsidiaries in various industries. With the wealth gained from the campaign, the Eridania Quadrangle houses the vast majority of Aramas' mining complexes, military equipment forges and military ground transportation factories.

Elysium Quadrangle

The sight of Aramas' most recent successful campaign on Mars, the Elysium Quadrangle lies southwest of the capital. The vast flat landscape is home to heavily populated metropolises and Aramas' brand new energy sector, marked by a vast sea of solar panels used to power the energy guzzling nation.

@LokiLeo789

>Aramas Prime
>Aeolis Quadrangle
>Eridania Quadrangle
>Elysium Quadrangle

Part of me thinks you should just rename your people to "Star Polygons" or "Square Aramas" at this rate =p

1/1/2300: "Black January" [Sci-fi, Cyberpunk NRP set in the Solar System]

<Snipped quote by ClocktowerEchos>

Likewise. Splitting Mars in half seems unfair in general. How about 25/25 to better offset possible interest?

@LokiLeo789

Fine by me mate.

1/1/2300: "Black January" [Sci-fi, Cyberpunk NRP set in the Solar System]

@LokiLeo789 Ye, I saw that which is why I made sure to clear up that I didn't have all of Mars. Would you be willing to split it 50/50 or whatever else if there's someone else who decides they want a chunk o' Mars?

Also, nice to see you again Loki :>

1/1/2300: "Black January" [Sci-fi, Cyberpunk NRP set in the Solar System]

Not sure if I can dedicate all of my time, but in the case I can, here's a WIP.
As it stands right now, I'm mostly based on Mars with a few holdings in the form of stations elsewhere in the system.
There's probably some things I missed in the course of the this thread's life so do tell me if I have made such mistakes.
In case its not abundantly clear from what I've said in the sheet, I DO NOT OWN ALL OF MARS.

The Mechanicus

Faction Name:
The Mechanicus (Most Common)
The Holy Mechanical Technocracy of Mars (Official)
Machine Kingdom Kingdom
The Cult Collective
The Cult Mechanicus

Faction Government:
Theocratic-Oligarchical-Monarchy (its complicated)

Ruled by the Archmagos from the Fortress-Forge of Rediron Prime, the Archmagos has complete control over the military, spiritual and economic aspects of the entire Mechanicus. The title is technically non-hereditary and supposidly a meirtocracy but given the politicking that goes on, more often then not "dynasties" are established from the ruling elite. Supporting the position of Archmagos is the Fabricator Counsel which contains advisers, representatives and general underlings who help in the administration of the Omnissiah's hollowed lands.

The Current Archmagos is one Alwyne Sydonia, third of his line.

Territory/Claims:
The Mechanicus holds considerable claims of land on Mars, although not all. Their territory is easily marked by massive manufactory-temples and hive cities that cram millions into their lands with thick pollution and rivers of molten metals and a network of pipes and wires going everywhere.

Beyond Mars, the also have claims to a handful mining and research stations in the astroid belt as well as on an undisclosed moon of Jupiter as well as at least one gas mining station on Venus.

Culture:
It's been a long time, and a lot of people from a lot of different places have given birth to a lot of descendants. Do you hold an old culture from Earth dear? Have you naturally developed one over the years? Did you purge the old and invent a new culture in some kind of space nationalist revolt? Give us an idea of how your people think, act, and even greet each other if you like.

The Mechanicus put the "cult" in "culture"; their way of life is something never seen on Earth although one could make connections to cultures such as German and Japanese, even if only in the most superficial of industrial work ethics. Many non-believers see it as a cult of machine worship although that is only partly true.

Knowledge and enlightenment are key components for the Cult Mechanicus; the object of worship is the Machine God is an immanent and omnipotent spirit that governs all technology, machinery and knowledge in Creation. The Machine God is believed to be friendly to humanity, and to be the originator of all human technological and scientific knowledge. According to the teachings of the Cult Mechanicus, knowledge is the supreme manifestation of divinity, and all creatures and artifacts that embody knowledge are sacred because of it.

This deity is not a person, but rather a force immanent in the universe. For unspecified reasons, it has appointed humans as its chosen people, and reveals its true designs and machines to them through selected prophets. In order to interact with the physical world it was also prophesied to create a physical avatar, called the Omnissiah.

Machines are seen holy and much stronger than that of flesh for to the Cult, the flesh is weak and iron is strong. A near fetishization of implants, prosthetics and bionics are wide spread amongst the the people, becoming increasingly common and complex the higher up the social ladder you go. Some of the highest members of society are said to be more machine than man at this point. The lower classes try to emulate this in the vain hope of mimicking the upper social echelons to one day become them through cruder, simpler attachments to their bodies or even just tattoos.

The AI who have both converted and created by the Mechanicus share a similar zeal and have proven to be loyal allies and followers, perhaps out of the fact that their existence is treated as a semi-mythic thing in of itself. Many wealthy nobles have their children "bonded" to an AI in which the natural brain of man is combined with the logic subroutines of an AI, creating something new entirely. While the Mechanius see such a perfect hybrid of man and machine as sacred and beautiful, to the rest of the system it varies from curious to horror.


History:
A summary of the faction’s history, pretty straightforward. Start around the colonial era depending on when it was involved (a lunar nation's history would begin with the founding of the first colony in its territory, while an Earth nation's would start from when it became involved in space colonization). Remember that most of early colonization (up until the deeper parts of the asteroid belt) was done by corporations here.

Technology:
An overview of the faction’s technological capabilities. Keep in mind the general scale I outlined. If there are any questions, PM me.

Military:
The military/policing arm of the Mechanicus, the Skitarii, is long seen as a merciless machine by many. Unflinching and robotic in their movements, with no remorse or compassion to an inhuman extent. This is partially due to the intesive implants many of the soldiers have and the fact they are often literally controlled by their commanding officer in a manner akin to remote controlled toys. While the grunts see themselves as the holy weapons of the Omnissiah's brilliance, the commanders just see them as assists and machines to be used in any manner they deem fit.

Shadow of the Imperium – W40k Inquisition RP (OOC UP)

So to everyone currently involved in the RP: If there's still room, I'd like to run a non-combat Medicae/Scientific Research-type character, assuming that role hasn't been filled(I'll be honest, I only skimmed the different CSs that have been posted)

@DepressedSoviet

Go for it mate

Shadow of the Imperium – W40k Inquisition RP (OOC UP)

GM POST

@The Survivor@Ollumhammersong@BCTheEntity@Eyeruption@Elgappa@Keksalot

I have some announcements to make to all of you.

After some recent events which I will not be mentioning here, the spot of the Inquisitor is once again open to anyone willing to take up its responsibilities and position. I have one potential Inquisitor who may be taking the role in the form of one @agentmanatee but should you wish to throw your hat in the ring, by all means, please do.

In response to my style of GMing, particularly in the area of CS reviews, I have decided to entirely distance myself from the process as it is clear that what I do does not help anyone. As such, everyone in the RP will now be free to make whatever they wish to create without any of the restrictions I had previously imposed. Everyone will be able to critique, judge and review each other's sheets for any faults they may have and once enough people have agreed to accept it, it will be considered accept it upon approval of the Inquisitor player.

In addition, the number of characters allowed total and the number of characters allowed per person will also be up to you, the players, and the Inquisitor position.

Special mentioning to the following:

@Keksalot Your original idea and character can now be once again used without any alterations although I still do suggest a formatting face lift.
@The Survivor While I do like your sheet and would have otherwise approved of it, it is now up to the rest of the players as to its status.

In addition to the lifting of my limitations of creative freedoms, I am also loosening the rules and having everyone be the judge of wether or not something breaks such a rule or breaches acceptable protocol. If you are asking what my job will be then at this point, it will simply be to:

A) Set up the RP and its rules
B) Act as a final word/decision should people believe it is needed
C) Make IC posts and poke people to make posts.

I do hope that these changes are favorable to everyone and that they can potentially improve the experience for all, that will be all.
The Emperor Protects.

Shadow of the Imperium – W40k Inquisition RP (OOC UP)

@Eyeruption That actually sounds pretty interesting now that you've explained it. Go ahead an draw up a CS for it, I'm curious on this.