MouseKing said
Sounds fair enough. I wasn't trying to criticize I just found the system to be very micromanagement oriented. Going halfway provides for more customization (a plus) without being too overbearing or requiring too much micromanagement (another plus). How exactly will combat work? Assuming two players don't work out the solution on their own. Will it be one big dice roll? Will it work in smaller phases? Will you have options once battle starts? Or will you just go into a battle and either win or lose? (What I mean by this is, can I change a strategy? Are their strategies? What if I start losing? Is my entire army going to be obliterated? Will I have the option to retreat?) Will terrain affect the combat?I'm also unsure what Bullis is for other than purchasing weapons and mercenaries? Can you buy walls? Manors? Towns? Infrastructure? As there only seems to be a point cost for world creation associated with each in the rules. I'm assuming that this will change?Edit: Baileys and Military Baileys? Each are worth 2 points, but what bonuses do they convey. The manor and wall options are for defence, but the baileys are for?
Dice combat is meant to resolve one situation at a time. I'd prefer to keep the formula secret, because I believe it will work better if the players aren't looking for ways to manipulate it, but it takes a great deal of each situation into account.
Anyway, one player or another is likely to start the game with NPC enemies, so NPC combat will work as such:
I will draw up a battlefield. It won't be super fancy, but will provide all the detail you'd need (if it doesn't, simply ask). In a post, you will send orders to to your men and commit to some strategy, and the enemy will either enact a plan of their own, or react to yours, depending on the situation and enemy. Once two forces meet, I will make the necessary dice rolls, factoring in number of troops, terrain, weather, weapon pairings, training/discipline, morale, and other conditions, like if either of them have been marching on an empty belly for awhile. A casualty number will be spat out, along with whether one side or the other breaks and retreats. From here, I will give a description of what exactly happened, and the battle will continue in this fashion for each such encounter. So long as you can communicate your wishes to your troops somehow (a horn, a drum signal, a bonfire, what have you) you should be able to give any sort of orders you'd like mid-battle.
When two players are fighting, the pace will proceed similarly, save for the situations when the two players can agree on an outcome. If the two players can't agree on exact casualties, I can draw those easily. I'm currently working on a formula that can decide whole battles as well, instead of just individual encounters.
Bullis will be used in-game to purchase things. One in-game, you can excavate for resources, or build a deep mine to perhaps increase the resource level of a fief. You could use it to build new infrastructure, fund a royal trade caravan, bribe or pay other players for services or goods, and of course pay for the arming and upkeep of your troops.
As for there being two types of Bailey, I decided that too much was afforded to having a single Bailey, making it a rather must-have thing, and decided to split them up based on what purposes the player might like to fulfil with them. As for the purposes of the baileys themselves, they are there to provide resources for the manor itself.
Suppose you have a manor with both Baileys. In peace, it means you will be able to stay inside the manor indefinitely, without needing to leave for town every time the pantry runs low, or some medicine needs to be bought. There main use is to provide convenience for its owner. Military baileys allow weapons, troops and horses to reside comfortably inside the castle. If they weren't there, the troops would have to sleep on the ground, would have no formal place to train, no place to safely store their weapons, and the horses would have no place to stay where they could be kept watch on.
tl;dr Baileys are useful conveniences, but aren't strictly necessary.
Warmonger said
May I jump in on this?
Of course.
Can you have a bailey and a military bailey in the same castle?
Also of course.
