Schylerwalker

Once Upon A Kingdom

I like this, I think a discord would be helpful. I also have some questions as I was just curious. Like do rulers get 1 in each stat or just 7 total and 0 if we put nothing into it. If we put nothing into it does that hurt us?

@LordZell

I'll get to work on a Discord. All of your Attributes start at 0; a 0 in an Attribute means that your Ruler has no training or experience in that thing. This is probably a bad idea, but if you want to, you're more than welcome to do so. It can create an interesting roleplay opportunity to play a character that is feeble, hideous, or utterly gormless.

Once Upon A Kingdom

So is this kinda like a board game?

@Noblebandit

Not really? I suppose there's some boardgame-like elements at work here. But I've played in a few NRP's with Resources and Turns before, and in my experience, they added a lot to the structure and pacing of the roleplay, without impacting writing or storytelling.

If people aren't able to post for a Turn, they won't lose Resources, and people are allowed to post more than once per Turn to perform diplomacy and tell stories.

Once Upon A Kingdom

That's pretty much all you need to do. I'd simply add another hider/section of your sheet labelled Heroes. Then simply list them, with their name, class, and Attributes, and any description you wanted to add (In this instance, their relations to your Ruler and Realm).

Once Upon A Kingdom

Seems good so far, though I was NOT expecting anybody to go with Ponies/Unicorns! Nothing wrong with that of course.

When you say that you're not sure what to do about Heroes, do you mean you're not sure how to format them, how they work rules-wise, or how to incorporate them in to your background/race description?

Once Upon A Kingdom

I would not be opposed to having a Discord, though I was not planning on it. People can start writing up Realms and applying whenever they'd like.

Once Upon A Kingdom

The OOC is up, but it's still a bit of a WIP.

Once Upon A Kingdom

Welcome to Once Upon A Kingdom! Each of the players in this roleplay will be controlling a Ruler and their Realm in the shattered kingdom of Paigeturne. Once a bright and prosperous land, greed and corruption have brought it to blight and ruin. Some of these Rulers may seek to restore the kingdom to its former glory. Others may have decided that perhaps it is time for a new power upon the throne. Perhaps even a few have decided to push it further in to darkness.

Paigeturne is an ancient kingdom, steeped in magic and mystery. Its forests and valleys are enchanted places. It is a place of story and song, built on the ruins of old lands and cities. The kingdom's folk are passionate artists and fierce in their love and loyalty. Fae blood pulses through their veins, and most of the kingdom's nobles can trace their ancestry hundreds or thousands of years in to a legendary heritage of some sort. While not every peasant can boast such an illustrious heritage, Paigeturne's people are keenly aware of their land's blessed status.

This magic comes with a price, of course, as it always does. While some might consider Paigeturne a paradise, the land has always been troubled. Unquiet spirits dwell in mossy ruins of dead kingdoms. Wolves of unnatural intelligence stalk the woods, devouring the unlucky and the unwary. Dragons rule the mountain passes and peaks, bringing ruin on any that would defy their majesty. All manner of witches and wizards ply their mysterious trade across the land, not always to the betterment of normal folk. And even such an enchanted land is not free of desperate folk with empty hearts and sharp blades.

The Ruler

Each player is represented by a Ruler, the absolute center of power in their corner of Paigeturne. You have 7 points to spread between your Attributes, with none of them being higher than 4.
Charm represents a character's ability to conduct themselves diplomatically,
Lore represents a character's general knowledge and education, but also their ability to master magic.
Mighty characters are hard to kill and are ferocious warriors in melee.
Skilled characters are cunning and stealthy, and have a knack for ranged combat.

Name: What should we call you? Should include a title and rank of some sort. Each Ruler is welcome to call themselves a King or Queen if they want, but we'll see if the other Rulers of Paigeturne accept your presumption.
Race: You may be any sort of fairy-tale race that you want. But if you're a Giant or Dragon or something like that, you're a young or weak example of that kind, or you've been cursed.
Description: Describe what your Ruler looks like, how they think and act.
Attributes: Charm, Lore, Might, Skill
Focus: Pick something that your Ruler is good at, something they enjoy doing more than anything else. The more broad you are (War, Magic), the less good your Ruler will actually be at that thing, but at least they'll be well-rounded. On the other hand, if you pick something specific (Swordplay, Illusions), your Ruler will be highly skilled in that activity.
Foible: Pick something that your Ruler is bad at. Were they cursed in the cradle? Did they drift off whenever their noble tutors lectured? If you're rather general in your choice (Diplomacy, Administration), it'll be a constant nuisance to you, but never disastrous. But if you're rather specific (Counting backwards, tying your bootlaces), at some point, your Foible will come back to haunt you, with ruinous consequences.

The Realm

Claim a small chunk of this map. After everyone's decided where their Realm is going to, I'll decide where the old capital was. Try to be reasonable with your claims; in my mind, there's room for about 10-15 Realms on the map, though I doubt we'll have that many players. Note down on the map where your Realm's Court is.

Name: What corner of Paigeturne do you rule? The Iron Barony? The Grand Duchy? Or perhaps a new Kingdom is arising from Paigeturne's still smoldering ashes?
Description: How did you come to be Ruler of your Realm? Do you come from a long line of nobles, or is the land recently conquered? What are its people like, in culture, race, what do they love and hate? Do they worship the gods, do they serve the king, do they love the land?

Each Realm has several Attributes. The Ruler has 7 points to distribute between these Attributes. Your choices should reflect your position on the map, your Realm's history, and the people who live there.
Fertility: Golden fields of grain, fruit heavy on the vine, waves bursting with fish; a fertile realm has any or all of these, and can support a large population. You Produce Food each Turn equal to your Fertility.
Industry: Your people toil in mines and quarries, they labor in smithies and foundries. The bones of the earth are the playthings of an Industrious Realm. You Produce Crafts each Turn equal to your Industry.
Nobility: No Ruler is absolute in their power. Underneath them is a delicate network of petty nobles, chieftains, officers, and wealthy supporters. You Produce Influence each turn equal to your Nobility.
Prosperity: Prosperous Realms have many towns and marketplaces. The Realm and its visitors are skilled merchants, always seeking to turn a profit. You Produce Silver each Turn equal to your Prosperity.

Realm Traits:
Pick 2 Traits for your Realm and its people. Use these Traits to help refine the Description of your Realm and its people. You can pick the same Trait twice.

Ancient Armory: The Ruler begins the game with a powerful magical weapon or piece of armor (Such as a Flaming Sword, or a Coat of Dragon Scales). One of your starting Heroes receives an Enchanted Weapon (Such as a Sword or Bow) or Enchanted Armor (Such as a Helm or Shield). Additionally, you may craft Armaments for 2 less Crafts (This does not stack if selected twice).

Eldritch Beauty: The Realm's Heroes and its Ruler receive +1 Charm. You produce 1 additional Silver per Turn.

Fertile Ground: Whenever your Heroes Forage, Rest, or Patrol, they Produce 1 additional Food.

Grace and Focus: The Realm's Heroes and its Ruler receive +1 Skill. Your Levies receive some basic training with ranged weapons.

Hardy Folk: Your Heroes can always survive taking at least 1 more Wound, and its more difficult for them to receive Wounds in the first place. You produce 1 additional Craft each turn.

Noble Company: The Ruler starts with 1 additional Hero. Should one of their Heroes Perish, they will receive a random new Hero 2 Turns later.

The Secret Art: The Realm's Heroes and its Ruler receive +1 Lore. Your common folk are somewhat more familiar with and resistant to magic.

Sweeping Estates: You have 2 more points to spend on your Realm's Attributes.

Warriors Born: The Realm's Heroes and its Ruler receive +1 Might. Your Levies receive some basic training with melee weapons.

Heroes

Every Ruler begins with 3 Heroes. These are exceptional individuals, cut from a different cloth than most folk. They protect the Realm, represent the Ruler's interests in foreign courts, lead their armies, delve in to dark ruins, and explore the wilds on its borders. You're free to describe your individual Heroes in as little or great of detail as you wish, though they should each at least have a name.

Each Hero may move up to 1 adjacent Region per Turn, then take 1 Action. They also consume 1 Food each Turn; if the Ruler cannot provide this Food, they must take the Forage Action. Most Heroes can survive taking up to 3 Wounds.

Actions

Assist: Only Magicians can take this Action. See Forge Armaments.

Explore: The Hero explores the wilder parts of the Realm in search of Adventure. Whenever the Hero takes this Action, they can just Explore the area in general, or they can seek out something specific.

Forage: The Hero Produces 1 Food.

Patrol: The Hero keeps a lookout for outlaws and enemy soldiers.

Raise Warband: See Warbands.

Rest: The character removes 1 Wound.

Travel: The Hero travels in to an adjacent Realm, or the Wilderness between their current Realm and a Realm adjacent to it.

Bard
Protected by both societal convention and a noble writ, the Bard is the liege's voice abroad in Paigeturne. Through song and tale they travel the land, lifting the spirits of the common folk and any of their more robust traveling companions. They are lovers, not fighters, but even the most villainous of individuals fears to raise their hand against a bard; even dreadful monsters hesitate to bring them harm. By ancient custom, the Bard is welcome in any hall, should they agree to share a story or a song for a place by the hearth. The greatest wisdom of the Bard is to know when song is needed, or silence.
Attributes: Charm 3, Lore 1, Might 0, Skill 2
Recruit: 1 Craft, 3 Influence, 3 Silver
At the beginning of each Turn, there is a chance (Based on their Charm) that the Bard Produces 1 Influence. Whenever the Bard takes the Travel Action, as long as they're in a Realm, they may Produce 1 more Influence.

Hunter
Paigeturn has always been a kingdom of rugged wilderness and breathtaking vistas, hidden valleys and dark forests. The Hunter has seen them all, or hopes to someday. Hunters patrol your Realm's gloomy backroads and troubled borders, tracking beasts and bringing outlaws to justice. Most are skilled fighters in their own right, preferring to take down their foes with a well-placed arrow or spear. They tend to be grim and humorless folk, far from the lights of civilization and unconcerned with social mores. To them belong the shadowed eaves, the lonely highways, and haunted hills.
Attributes: Charm 0, Lore 1, Might 2, Skill 3
Recruit: 2 Crafts, 3 Food, 2 Silver
Whenever a Hunter takes the Forage or Rest Action, you gain 1 additional Food, and then the Hunter *may* move to an adjacent Realm or Wilderness region.

Knight
Trained from birth in chivalrous combat and court etiquette, the Knight is the paragon of their liege's will. Whether an instrument of tyranny or an advocate of justice, the Knight exemplifies their master's ideals and strives to spread them throughout their land. The Knight is first and foremost a warrior, skilled at arms and brave in the face of peril. Whether it be leading troops in to battle, or facing down monsters and brigands alone, a Knight is utterly fearless and prepared to die in the defense of the Realm. Glory is their purpose, and their power.
Attributes: Charm 2, Lore 0, Might 3, Skill 1
Recruit: 2 Influence, 3 Crafts, 2 Food
The Knight can survive at least 1-2 more Wounds than other Heroes. Soldiers the Knight leads cannot break unless the Knight Perishes first.

Magician
Magic rings through Paigeturne and its inhabitants. The land hums with its subtle and awesome power, in particular in the most remote wildlands and secret places at its forgotten corners. The Magician can hear this hidden rhythm and dances to its ecstatic tune, and dedicates their life to mastering it. Magicians dwell in the courts of Paigeturne as advisers, historians, and scribes, using their lieges as protectors and patrons. They fill tomes and libraries with arcane knowledge (And more mundane information), identify curious relics, and dabble in alchemy.
Attributes: Charm 2, Lore 3, Might 0, Skill 1
Recruit: 4 Influence, 3 Silver
Pick a specialization for each Magician; Battle Magic, Divination, Healing, Illusion, or Necromancy.

Scoundrel
Few rulers care to admit it, but there's certain things they can't accomplish in a straightforward manner. An upstart rival, a troublesome family member, smuggler's rings, and thieves' guilds are but a few of the problems that the Scoundrel is required to handle. While not always a loathsome cad, most Scoundrels accept their role in life with a dark pride. Some serve their liege out of some twisted sense of honor. Others have a debt to pay, an obligation to society. But most are in it for the bright silver, the red wine, the maiden's laughter. Life's a game, and they're here to win it by any means necessary.
Attributes: Charm 2, Lore 0, Might 2, Skill 2
Recruit: 1 Food, 1 Influence, 5 Silver
Whenever the Scoundrel takes the Patrol or Rest Action, you gain 1 Silver.

The Turn

Time in Paigeturne is recorded in Turns. As the Rulers politic and scheme with one another, they will collect taxes and position their forces throughout the Kingdom. Acts of diplomacy between the Rulers doesn't consume an action.

Collect: The Ruler Produces resources based on their Realm Attributes and Traits.
Upkeep: The Ruler feeds their Heroes and pays any other per Turn costs they may have incurred.
Heroes: Each of the Ruler's Heroes takes their Action.

The Ruler is then entitled to 2 Actions of their own. They can only perform each Action once per Turn.

Exert Influence: Convert Influence in to any 1 other Resource, at a 3 to 1 rate.

Forge Armaments: You Produce 1 Armament, at the cost of 5 Crafts. These are proper, professionally made weapons and armor. You can trade them, or use them to equip Levies or Mercenaries at a later date. Each time you Produce an Armament, you need to note its general type (Such as Crossbows, Swords, Mail).
Forge Relic: You begin to make progress on an Enchanted Weapon or Armor. You must decide what kind of item you are making from the start (Such as a Sword or Shield). Each time you take this Action, you must spend 1 Craft, then you make Progress on the item equal to your Lore. Magicians may spend their Action to Assist this Progress as well. When you reach 20 Progress, the item is complete. You may work on multiple Items at once if you wish. If you have the Ancient Armory Realm Trait, you gain 1 additional Progress each time you take this action.

Hire Mercenaries: This costs 5 Silver, and they consume 2 Silver per Turn. A company of Mercenaries appears at the Ruler's Court. Professional soldiers, but untrustworthy and superstitious; they won't fight monsters or face supernatural threats for you. Typical mercenaries carry axes, maces, and spears. Mercenaries function fundamentally like Heroes, save that the only Actions they can perform are Patrol, Rest, and Travel.

Recruit: You induct another Hero in to your ranks for their Recruit cost.

Raise Levies: You draft a group of peasants to fight for the Realm. They're poorly armed, unarmored, and barely trained. It costs nothing to force these poor folk to fight for you, but for each group of Levies you maintain, you must pay 1 Food per Turn. Levies operate much like Heroes do, but the only Actions they can perform are Patrol, Rest, and Travel.

Rule: You Produce Influence equal to your Charm.

Warbands

Any Hero may muster up a Warband as their Action. These are semi-professional warriors and skirmishers loyal more to the Hero, than to the Realm or its Ruler. A Warband is always at least somewhat related to the Hero thematically. So a Knight will generally call upon a devoted group of sworn swords and bosom companions armed with sword, spear, and shield. Hunters are just as likely to gather a few fellow archers and scouts as they are to summon a pack of wolves. Troublemakers and firestarters follow in the Scoundrel's dubious wake. Warbands are unique to their Hero and to the Realm they call home, and more-or-less represent its standing army.

Raising a Warband costs nothing but an Action, but while a Warband is raised, the Hero consumes 1 additional Food per Turn, and can only take the Patrol, Rest, and Travel Actions. Warbands can be equipped with Armaments much as Levies and Mercenaries, but require them less.

Once Upon A Kingdom

OOC will be up later today!

Once Upon A Kingdom

A couple things that I suppose I should bring up real quick...first, I don't know how to use Photoshop in the slightest. Generally when I do this sort of thing, I grab a map from the internet (With the artist's permission), and then edit it with MS Paint. Or I'm content to just draw a crappy map in MS Paint and use that.

If anybody else wanted to tackle a map, or had a suggestion of a map or program to use, I'd be fine with that as well.

Secondly, I had planned on each player controlling a noble or petty monarch in the ruins of a fallen/falling kingdom. That is to say, you wouldn't be creating a whole empire from scratch, but rather controlling a region of that nation state. That's not to say that you can't create your own cultural identity, or species other than the most common of the kingdom. Something along the lines of...say the King of England died, and the players would be the equivalent of loyal Dukes or rebel Kings of Cornwall, Lancaster, York, Warwick, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. But some of those nobles might be giants, elves, dwarves, etc.

Once Upon A Kingdom

Knights and dragons, wizards and princesses. Idealistic and romantic, trite and over-used. But there's something to be said about familiarity and going back to old tropes and visuals. I've been thinking about running a campaign that really leaned in to old-fashioned fairy tales and over-the-top fantasy tropes, and wondered how that might be applied to a Nation Roleplay. We often talk about going out of our comfort zones and trying weird new things, and I like doing those things too; steampunk catfolk dictatorships battling squidfolk democratic theocracies with crystal-powered laser guns. Or high concept out of the box thought experiments. But I was wondering if some folks would like to grab their plumed helmets and mount a broomstick with me on a journey of lighthearted conquest and grimm court intrigue.

I'd be using some light rules (Some resources, turn-based, number of actions, heroes, that sort of thing), and I'd like to keep posts on the somewhat more casual side. I mean, if people want to write novels dripping with eloquent prose, that's cool too, but I wouldn't want to make it a requirement. Just decent writing, and respect for your fellow roleplayers.

Any ideas, thoughts, suggestions, or questions are more than welcome!