Hello and welcome to Anthill RPG! This is your host, Nilo the Ant.
The purpose of this out-of-character thread is to settle all questions and doubts that may surface before the actual RPG begins, to avoid getting the actual RP thread cluttered with questions and doubts that could have been answered before. That being said, feel free to ask any questions. This thread is here to answer them, after all.
Let's get down to business, shall we?
Okay. Some main rules are pretty straightforward. 1. Proper grammar and spelling is one of the most important. If english is not your 'best' language, just do the best you can. 2. Keep your actions reasonable. Don't try to go over the edge. 3. If you lose, remember that it's just a game. No reason to get mad at others. 4. When the victory conditions are met for a person, that's that. He/She wins.
The Map, the place in which the RPG will take place in.
Here is the sheet that will be used, along with short descriptions for each of the points (eliminate the spaces and information when you're done):
Name Pick a name for your insect/arachnid nation. Replace the 'Name' with it. Examples: "The Empire of Antopia", "The United Anthills of Example".
Race: Pick an insect/arachnid species, such as "Fire Ants" or "Common Termites". Once you pick your species, it's taken, which means that nobody else can choose it as well. There can be many players using Ants as their species, but only one player using Fire Ants or Bull Ants. The species that you can't pick (in any form) are: Mantises, Tarantulas and Scorpions, as these will be important NPC factions. If you pick Bees or Wasps, or such an insect (with wings), note that they will not be able to fly, as this would be an unfair advantage.
Main Anthill/Lair/Nest: Name your capital insect/arachnid anthill or lair or nest, as well as its location. It can be anywhere in the British Isles except in London, The Ise of Man, Edinburgh, Dublin, or Cardiff. Example: "Antopia, East Scotland". Replace Anthill with Lair, Mound, or such if necessary.
Cities under Control: Leave blank. The cities that fall under your control will be listed here, as well as their respective food income. Ex. Glasgow+X. ------- Food: Start with 200. To keep the heart of the RPG (its relative simplicity), there is only one material, and it's this, food. Use food to research technology, train soldiers, and pretty much everything else.
Food Income: Start with 30. This is how much food you receive each turn, be it by farms, trade, tax, and tribute. It can be increased by technologies, threatening another faction, or gaining territory.
Technology: Leave blank. Your technologies will be added here.
Age: the Age of Stone. This age is the one your species is currently in. ------- Soldiers: Start with 300. Soldiers are your main fighting force.
Soldier Cost: Put here a 100. Soldiers can only be trained in companies of 100 soldiers. This tells you how much food it'll cost you to train 100 soldiers. According to your weapons, and certain technologies, the cost can either increase or decrease.
Weapons: Start with none. These are the weapons your soldiers will fight with. You can pick a maximum of two different weapons at the same time, unless a technology modifies this. All your soldiers are equipped with the same weapons.
Vehicles: Start with 50 grasshoppers. Vehicles for your soldiers to ride and fight in/from. ------- Here is a blank space. As the RPG goes on, more will be added (for example, how close you are to winning).
Now, let's proceed to several other rules!
How To Win/Objectives
Your objective in this RPG is to become the dominant insect species in Britain. The way to achieve this is to, well, win. There are several ways of winning. Here's the list:
1. Basic Victory: be the only remaining species in Britain. 2. Conquest Victory: conquer and hold London for 5 turns. 3. Scientific Victory: build a rocket and launch it to space. 4. Military Victory: build a WMD and blow up everyone. 5. Cultural Victory build a Wonder and hold it for 5 turns.
The player must be in possession of his/her main Anthill/Lair/Nest to win. it is also to be noted that if a player loses whilst attempting victory (for example, the player builds a Rocket and someone else destroys it), the player can try to win again (by building another rocket). The winner gets a..uhâ¦a prize!
ECONOMICS
Technology
Technology is pretty straightforward. You just pick a technology from the tree that must be linked to a technology you already researched, pay up what it costs, and in the next turn it'll be available. Simple, right?
Workers
Since you're insects/arachnids, workers come in pretty large numbers. That's why you have an unlimited supply of them. They can't fight, however. A single soldier can kill scores of workers.
Food
Food can be obtained through several means. You could just rely on your food income, which provides a slow but steady supply of it. You could have your soldiers forage in the woods, which yields a moderate amount of food. You could raid other anthills for food. Or you could be creative and obtain food through other means.
WARFARE
Soldiers and Soldier Recruitement
Soldiers are a bit more complicated than workers, though. To train soldiers, state how many you'd like to train, pay the cost, and then receive your soldiers the next turn. Note that soldiers can only be trained in companies of 100. You could, however, train as many companies as you're able to in a turn (you could train 200 soldiers in a turn).
Weapons and Vehicles
I hope this doesn't mix people up.
The real purpose of weapons is to allow your soldiers certain actions. For example, you could order some archers to attack a group of spearmen from a safe distance. The spearmen, if equipped with shields, could retaliate by forming a shield wall, if equipped with shields. The same applies to vehicles. Ordering a group of soldiers to mount some grasshoppers, then charging at the archers.
Combat
In a PVP battle, things could turn out rather different. If one player read the other's actions before posting, he could just retaliate and have an unfair advantage. This is why you will be able to e-mail your actions to the email I just created! operationnilo@gmail.com. For every PVP battle there will also be a map, in which you could make your soldiers climb hills, ford streams, etc.. There will also be a battle map for every Player-Environment battle of respectable size. Don't worry, I have lots of free time.
OTHER
Player Alliances or Agreements
Players are able to ally one another to fight a common foe, declare war on one another, and/or engage in certain agreements (Ex. attack that guy and I'll pay you). Keep in mind that your ally is also allowed to betray you, so be cautious! It is also to be noted that an Alliance could also win together, under one condition. The species of the members of the alliance must all be related in some way. For example, an alliance of Fire Ants and Bull Ants could win as a team, but an alliance of Fire ants with Wolf Spiders could not.
Players are allowed to sell or buy technology to other players.
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I'm more than open to suggestions/questions/complaints/threats, so don't hesitate!
The Glorious Empire of Wasp Race:Wasp Main Nest: Stingza (Cork, Ireland) Cities under Control: None ------- Food: 200. Food Income:30. Technology: None Age: the Age of Stone. ------- Soldiers:300. Soldier Cost: 100 Weapons: None Vehicles:50 grasshoppers -------
Lets say each building has a cost of workers/food
Players are going to have an unlimited supply of workers. So it would only cost food and a certain technology to unlock it.
there also should be a cost per worker, cost per soldier, that is a rate they consume at a given time so building and sustaining a large army requires food.[/quote This suggestion I quite like. Soldiers will consume a bit of food each turn. But how much? It could be SoldierNumber/10 and that's how they consume.
[quote]What would make it really cool is lets say an army will have a number of turns before they need to be "resupplied" otherwise they run out of food and retreat or have to pillage the territory they are in...
This suggestion I love. But I'm not sure how it would work out. Perhaps each army could have its own little sheet?
Also think you should have "Scientist" who could work in the labs :P
This I think is the most complicated of your suggestions :I
Granary: Holds food/Maximum Storage
Every anthill/city has a granary by default. So, yeah. But having a food limit...perhaps the granary size would increase by age/tech?
Farm: Produces food
Approved.
Factory: Produces weapons or vehicles at a given rate
What I had in mind to produce vehicles was actually researching the respective Tech and getting some more vehicles each one researched it. We could perhaps make it like the first system (the recruitment system).
Laboratory: Research tech
:I
Barracks: Holds Soldiers/Max Soldiers
I was thinking an army could camp outside a town, or something. So it would be kinda easy to dodge that bullet.
Training Camp: Produces Soldiers at a given Rate
Yup, everyone has it by default. But I don't like the idea of producing soldiers automatically, especially because they cost food. And if we made it controllable, it would be exactly like the first system, just with a building mixed in with it. Perhaps it could be there just as an ornament, and if destroyed, the anthill couldn't recruit anymore until the camp was repaired.
2-3 days. Getting all this stuff later is taking a bit longer than I expected. The only things missing are:
1. Sorting out the remaining rules. 2. Map-making 3. Tech-tree making
I am already working on the maps, but the other two are a bit more complicated, especially sorting out the rules because I already have the technologies.
Leauge of Theridiidae Race: Black Widow Main Lair: Lactrodectia, Dublin Cities under Control: ------- Food: 200 Food Income: 30 per turn Technology: Age: the Age of Stone ------- Soldiers: 300 Soldier Cost: 100 Weapons: None Vehicles: 50 grasshoppers
I went over your sheet, and there's only 1 thing you need to correct. You can't pick Dublin as your location (some NPC Tarantulas are going to live there). Some suggestions: 1. Western Ireland. 2. North Scotland (Edinburgh and Glasgow belong to another NPC faction). 3. Sunderland.
League of Theridiidae Race: Black Widow Main Lair: * Cities under Control: ------- Food: 200 Food Income: 30 per turn Technology: Age: the Age of Stone ------- Soldiers: 300 Soldier Cost: 100 Weapons: None Vehicles: 50 grasshoppers
League of Theridiidae Race: Black Widow Main Lair: Lactrodectia, Killarney Cities under Control: ------- Food: 200 Food Income: 30 per turn Technology: Age: the Age of Stone ------- Soldiers: 300 Soldier Cost: 100 Weapons: None Vehicles: 50 grasshoppers
Sign-ups are going to end tomorrow (except in special cases ). So, uh, if you're reading this and wish to join, please file your sheet as soon as possible.
Right now, I'm busy making the descriptions for the techs. I already finished those of the 1st and 2nd age. 3rd and 4th, here we (I) come!
Goldberg's Worshippers Race: Pharoah Ants Main Anthill/Lair/Nest: I hope you like this one. Cities under Control: ------- Food: 200 Food Income: 30 Technology: Age: the Age of Stone. This age is the one your species is currently in. ------- Soldiers: 300 Soldier Cost: 100 Weapons: None Vehicles: 50 -------