Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Let's Play... the Muriad! (4X Grand Strategy)

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,519
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Bear in mind, dear laclongquan, that Wednesday in Australia does not fall exactly the same time it falls in, say, Europe or North America. :salute:
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,519
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Looks like it. Then again, The Barbarian might have tried updating while the Codex was down for all we know. I'm confident we'll have our update soon. :salute:
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,519
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
The Barbarian said:
Conan will not be explaining the mechanics, as originally planned, merely utilizing them. This is inline with his conception of the game as an intuitive, rather than a mechanistic experience.

I heartily approve of this! :thumbsup:

This has the added benefit that you can tweak the rules as we progress, should you see fit. M:
 

The Barbarian

Liturgist
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
599
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Chronicle Entry – 100RE to 150RE (Recorded Era)

’When the sons of the Black River go to war, its waters run red… The Gods are pleased by such offerings.’

Old Mobian proverb, circa 140RE

***

Muria2.jpg


The dawn of the 2nd century RE brought woe upon the peoples of the Black River basin – they who had already suffered so heavily in decades previous. The heady triumphs of the later first century over the Jomnii and the Emphythines did not satiate the increasingly belligerent Sunking of the Black River, and his many disciples, for long. Instead, Sororu Haragami – third of his line – lord and protector of the Mobian peoples expanded his armies greatly between 97RE and 112RE. In 114RE, with the public exchequer exhausted, the augurs finally blessed a campaign against the hated Emphythines; they who had jostled with the Mobians for so long. Five thousand Mobian foot and a small detachment of cavalry crossed into Longinia to make war upon the infidel.

The Emphythines had not been idle in the interim. The city-folk drew back from their earlier defeats against the well-equipped Mobian hordes, and instituted a series of military reforms in the first decade of the 2nd century RE. Their urban militia was reforged as a solid, highly drilled block of spearmen, with skirmishers and riders in the van and on the flanks. It was this force that was to meet the more numerous and better armoured Mobians in mortal combat at the Vuyten Crossing, in Longinia’s interior. This, the first battle of the Black River Wars, saw the Mobians defeated soundly. They retreated back into the Delta to reinforce and regroup. The Emphythines did not pursue them with any vigour, which eventually allowed the Mobians to initiate another campaign in 116RE. This time, under wiser leadership, the Mobians dealt the Emphythines several sharp reverses, before a bloody and painful stalemate was reached in the hinterlands of Longinius. The Mobians settled in for the winter, before receiving dire news.

300px-Alexandermosaic.jpg


The Jomnii, under Thurge Kenson, son of Hroot, son of Juneison, were ravaging the newly settled Mobian Southlands. Their raiding parties were exacting a ghastly toll in slaves and booty, as the communal militias failed to cope with their threat. Sororu III was forced to recall a large portion of his tired army from Longinia to deal with the threat. The opportunistic Jomnii persevered, and continued raiding well into the 120s. The Emphythines, for their part, regrouped, rearmed and reinforced their broken militia. This did not, of course, mean that the city was solely focused on the war effort during this troubled time. In fact, the period of 120-140 was, according to available evidence, a time of great cultural and commercial development in Longinius, which was still the largest and wealthiest city in the Known World. Furthermore, it was quickly becoming obvious that the Emphythines were better able to bear the financial burden of warmaking than the Mobians, who were experiencing great financial stresses.

With their efforts split, the Mobians were never able to crush the Jomnii for any significant period between 110 and 150RE. When the Mobians began another campaign against the Emphythines in 123RE, the Jomnii resumed their raids with increasing voracity. Nonetheless, the Sunking was convinced that defeating the Emphythines was the first priority, and this emphasis nearly bore fruit in 124RE, when the Emphythine armies were convincingly defeated at Hephesta. The Mobian horde would triumph again two years later at Senca. In 128RE, however, the Emphythines managed to stem the Mobian tide at the outskirts of Longinius itself, smashing them in a pitched battle that sent their foe reeling.

The Mobians and the Emphythines agreed to stop hostilities, thereafter, with the Emphythines obliged to pay large quantities of silver to the Mobians and to concede some territory along the border, in exchange for peace. Though they had triumphed at the death, the Emphythines needed respite from the fighting. The Mobians, for their part, were finally able to turn their attention to the Jomnii. This time there was no pitched, decisive battle between the two, and the constant back-and-forth raids were to take their toll on both sides.

To the south-west, beyond the Kul-Kaltra range, the Ilitrad were proving similarly hostile to the Panoplites. These tall, bearded behemoths, with their shaven heads and pony tails were proving a consummate foe for the priests of Meir Ginis and Meir Solise. The latter were wholly unprepared for Illitrad ferocity and, though their armies offered some protection, were unable to stop the Kings of Mindulj; the Mountain Lords of Kul-Kaltra from taking thousands of slaves between 95 and 140RE. Panoplite merchant caravans and river boats were frequently the target of Illitrad depredations, even as these began reaching the Baltusians downriver, who were proving to be a folk cut from a similar cloth, and who were ready to compete with the Panoplites as fellow merchants.

Despite the tender attentions of the mountain men, the Panoplites continued to focus on trade, cultural pursuits and building projects. These were yielding great riches by 138RE, when the Grand Bazaar was opened in the Panoplite capital. This contemporary wonder housed trade goods from virtually the entire Emerald Coast and brought the priesthood much wealth. It was around this time, too, that said priesthood became even more aligned with money-making pursuits, and a mercantile meritocracy was developing as a result.

Further down the Emerald Coast, the Priest Kings of Amalech were also beginning to settle into their role as rulers of a stable domain. They began to place a stronger emphasis on cultural pursuits and urban dwelling, even though the Amalechites’ bloody origins were never far from the surface. This was best evidenced by the so-called ‘crimson sports’ that the Baal’im nobility entertained itself with every year. In 135RE, the yuletide celebrations in Elam resulted in the deaths of up to three hundred gladiators in mortal combat. Amalech was not a place for the timid. Soon, the influence of the Baal’im brought the neighbouring region of Nemech into the growing Amalechite realm, as the Twin Pantheons spread further and further out.

In the Costalian lands, a propertied nobility was slowly rising, as Costalian settlements spread into Faragusta. More and more councils of elders were dominated by the wealthy, who could increasingly buy their way into local power and influence. The inexorable settlement of Faragusta was somewhat disrupted by proper contact with the Holau – a coastal dwelling people whose lightning riverine raids into Famagusta cost many Costalian lives, but whose trade goods saved hundreds of others. The ‘Children of the Sea’, as the Holau were also known, were proving a curious folk, indeed, for Costalian villagers. By 150RE, there had been both peace and conflict in equal measure between these two burgeoning peoples.

Finally, to the south, the matriarchs of the Inui were directing their people to settle Sython, a region that housed the source of the Odetta river. By 125RE, this process was well advanced. There was little resistance to the spread of Inui dominion. This allowed the deeply religious Inui to begin rudimentary mining efforts in the foothills of Sython – an effort that quickly yielded results, and expanded the scope of the Inui economy enormously. Coupled with this increased economic activity was Inui emphasis on thought. The first half of the 2nd century was marked by a number of great Inui thinkers, including Derecca and Anike. These women were responsible for some incredibly advanced theories regarding the life cycles of flora and fauna.
 

The Barbarian

Liturgist
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
599
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Murian Province Listings:

***

Mobians

97 – The Black River Delta
99 – The Southland

Costalians

27 – Hiradi
26 – Agotia
28 – Faragusta

Amalechites

119 – Elam
118 – Nemech

Emphythines

100 – Longinia (Longinius)

Inui

16 – Murom
23 – Sython

Panoplites

78 – Meir Ginis
68 – Meir Solise

Jomnii

93 - Norfjord

Oxheads

82 – Many-Calves
89 – The Brothers

Illitrad

65 – Mindulj

Holau

32 – A’aufara (Tagapakoti)

***

Notes for Turn 3:

- A new 'feature' will be brought into play (more details forthcoming)
- When sending in orders, please title the e-mail '[Player Culture] Orders for [Turn Number]' - this just saves Conan a sorting headache
- Expect more flavor stuff, as a number of these cultures are incredibly well developed, and Conan doesn't have adequate opportunity to showcase them as they should be showcased. The authors of the lore deserve kudos.
- The Player Sheets will be out a fair bit later today.
- Finally, if you are very clever, Conan is sure you will be able to figure out how the IC rolls correspond to the war between the Mobians and the Emphythines. For gameplay purposes, the war was a very narrow Mobian victory. If the margin had been wider, a reserve culture might have had to come into play. Further tweaks to this 'system' are to be expected...
 

Johnny the Mule

Educated
Joined
Jun 23, 2011
Messages
567
Is there a way to write on the map?
Write the names on the map if possible. I know where my chicks are and the Costalians, but as soon you talk about Illitrad, I have to look it up, and it makes me angry. :oops:

Also I really dont like the idea of d10 as a random factor in a single roll for war. Especially in a 50 years span with 3 possible conflicts and a fixed bonus that is smaller than the die. Its too random for war. I mean, its not a raid. I figure the bonus is from our stats so if you got +3 in war stuff and the opponent got 0, than it means nothing! There is no equalizing feature of many rolls like in dnd combat so you get an unpredictable result. You civilization could just disappear in a turn. I hope you are accounting for that.
I know you said not to powergame but come on. :M
 

Damned Registrations

Furry Weeaboo Nazi Nihilist
Joined
Feb 24, 2007
Messages
14,982
Hmmm, it seems the Empthyines had a better developed military than I'd realized (or various circumstances conspired to considerably hamper the Mobians.) Well, the important thing is lots of people died because of a selfish egomaniac. :thumbsup:
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Johnny the Mule said:
Is there a way to write on the map?
Write the names on the map if possible. I know where my chicks are and the Costalians, but as soon you talk about Illitrad, I have to look it up, and it makes me angry. :oops:

Also I really dont like the idea of d10 as a random factor in a single roll for war. Especially in a 50 years span with 3 possible conflicts and a fixed bonus that is smaller than the die. Its too random for war. I mean, its not a raid. I figure the bonus is from our stats so if you got +3 in war stuff and the opponent got 0, than it means nothing! There is no equalizing feature of many rolls like in dnd combat so you get an unpredictable result. You civilization could just disappear in a turn. I hope you are accounting for that.
I know you said not to powergame but come on. :M

Kingdoms have been destroyed and subjugated in lesser time than 50 years, so it isn't out of the norm that a single, particularly disastrous war would see your walls razed, your womenfolk taken, and your men gelded. Waiting for the updated player sheet before I send out any orders, but I'm curious about what aggressive diplomacy actually entails.
 

Damned Registrations

Furry Weeaboo Nazi Nihilist
Joined
Feb 24, 2007
Messages
14,982
I think his complain was more that the roll is too random. Even with say, a +3 advantage over the enemy (Presumably ahead a point in every military trait) you'd still lose an opposed d10 roll something like 30% of the time (I don't know how to do this sort of probability, calling all mathfags to this thread), which is pretty considerable for such a major advantage. By comparison, if d6's were used, that same modifier would give the advantaged player a victory nearly every time, and if say, a roll of 10d6 were used, well, you may as well just be rolling 1d6+32 at that point, the rolls will average out so much. Of course, this is purely speculation, since we don't know what mechanics are entailed or what the combat stats/modifiers of the parties were that those rolls were derived from.
 

Destroid

Arcane
Joined
May 9, 2007
Messages
16,628
Location
Australia
It looks like six trials were done so over time even a moderate advantage should work out. A +3 advantage on a D10 is pretty damn big (greater 72%, tie 7%, lesser 21%), although we don't know if the numbers are summed or if he takes best of six (a sum would favour the side with the bonus more, I think). I'm sure there are other factors outside straight military advances that have an impact on the rolls and personally I'm happy to trust The Barbarian and whatever system he has created without paying it too much mind. But then I'm just watching the NPC I created at this point.

@Barbarian: Will other types of conflict (mercantile etc.) be resolved in a similar way to military conflict? I also agree with Johnny the Mule that you should probably write the names of cultures on the map, or put a key on the map.
 

oscar

Arcane
Joined
Aug 30, 2008
Messages
8,036
Location
NZ
Awesome stuff Barbarian. Any chance of me getting in on this action? I love this sort of thing.
 

Destroid

Arcane
Joined
May 9, 2007
Messages
16,628
Location
Australia
Make a reserve culture and mail it in. Reserves come into play if one of the six players gets eliminated, but until that point your culture will be an NPC (unless it's too crowded I guess).
 

The Barbarian

Liturgist
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
599
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Also I really dont like the idea of d10 as a random factor in a single roll for war. Especially in a 50 years span with 3 possible conflicts and a fixed bonus that is smaller than the die. Its too random for war. I mean, its not a raid. I figure the bonus is from our stats so if you got +3 in war stuff and the opponent got 0, than it means nothing! There is no equalizing feature of many rolls like in dnd combat so you get an unpredictable result. You civilization could just disappear in a turn. I hope you are accounting for that.

It is not just the die roll, but the differential between the opposing die rolls that makes a difference - and the stats have a fairly significant effect, therein. In order to be wiped out properly, you need to have a disastrous single turn of conflict, or several turns of overall loss. Important: Winning a conflict over a single turn, but not wiping out the opponent is NOT a waste of a turn's order. The Emphythines, for example, are currently considered on the 'back foot'. The Mobians garner advantage from victory.

Of course, Conan is not simply using a chaos engine to determine the results of conflicts. As always, common sense prevails. The mechanical aspects are there simply to assist Conan. For example, the fact that the Mobians expanded into the Southlands directly bordering the Jomnii, while also waging war against the Emphythines, significantly detracted from their war effort. This is not accounted for in the die rolls.

***

root - the Barbarian posted the list a few pages back. That reminds him that he needs to update the OP and create an index.

@Barbarian: Will other types of conflict (mercantile etc.) be resolved in a similar way to military conflict? I also agree with Johnny the Mule that you should probably write the names of cultures on the map, or put a key on the map.

Such a map already exists for Conan's benefit. He will see if the names are possible to make out on the JPEGs that CC3 generates. For whatever reason, CC3 chooses not to create any JPEG larger than 1200x900. Anything over that resolution crashes, which is very annoying to the savage Barbarian.

Other forms of conflict will be resolved by Conan in another way - but certainly without IC rolls.
 

The Barbarian

Liturgist
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
599
Location
Melbourne, Australia
oscar, as Destroid said, mail a reserve culture in and it will be put on the map. Conan won't be accepting too many more, as the logistical overhead is getting a bit intense with managing a large number of cultures, but another couple will not be too aggravating.
 

laclongquan

Arcane
Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
1,870,144
Location
Searching for my kidnapped sister
I dont think a +3 advantage in a d10 war is small. If you accuse that +3 matter not a damn in a disastrous rolls, please remember that in primitive conditions, weather is king of battlefield. Note the destruction of the Mongol's invasion fleet for Japan by a sea storm "Kamikaze".

@Conan: you could just modify the icon images for each culture, adding their names under/above them as you see fit.

And what's up with 73? The river is strange, start from mountain and flow up north? The culture is strange, no info. Is that a nonhuman's?
 

The Barbarian

Liturgist
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
599
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Hmmm, it seems the Empthyines had a better developed military than I'd realized

Indeed! Such is the nature of the proverbial beast.

RE: map with names, how is this:

MurianNames1.jpg


Please note:

Conan is aware that the province name 'Agusta' should be 'Agotia'. It was late. The next version of the map will have the correct nomenclature.

Also, a number of reserve cultures that exist as per the map are not yet on the named version. This is intentional.
 

The Barbarian

Liturgist
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
599
Location
Melbourne, Australia
And what's up with 73? The river is strange, start from mountain and flow up north? The culture is strange, no info. Is that a nonhuman's?

Conan is confused... There is no mountain in 73 - it's a coastal province.

But laclongquan must note that many Murian rivers flow north. Rivers flow downhill, regardless of compass direction.

If he may quote that great fountain of knowledge, Wikipedia:

Rivers in fact flow downhill regardless of compass direction. Sometimes downhill is from north to south, but equally it can be from south to north, and usually is a complex meandering path involving all directions of the compass.[16][17][18] Three of the ten longest rivers in the world—the Nile, Yenisei, and Ob—flow north, as do other major rivers such as the Rhine, Mackenzie, and Nelson.

Yes, the culture in 73 is a currently unknown NPC. In fact, it is a reserve culture - and a beautifully developed one, lore-wise - sent in by one of our brothers-in-Codex.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom