Except (1) we promised Meliansee we wouldn't do that, and (2) we lose the advantage of the pre-built house in Stronghold, which could make a difference if the numbers are close.
It remains to be seen what exactly Melianse does and does not condone. As I argued by e-mail, a Waterfront could be interpreted as making a large-scale effort to control and localize the (unavoidable) commercial traffic around our capital city, thus paying a high price to accomodate her wishes (but gaining some welcome benefits from it ourselves).
Even if the nixie hates ports in general, and the one rivermouth and one side of the lakeshore adjacent to it are turned into a port, there will still be miles and miles of untouched lakeshore (and a second rivermouth) next to it. How much shoreline does a nixie need, anyway?
My worry is he'll effectively demand the whole Cathedral for Eristil, and Lilac does *not* think that is acceptable.
That is not acceptable, and he'll have to swallow it. He is the Duchy's High Priest, but that does not allow him to abuse his power to spread his religion with political leverage. The separation of churches and state should be an important part of our Neutral Good policy.
Though I still think the Evil gods should only be given a small representation, if any, in our Pantheon Cathedral. If they are represented, the priests should be held to emphasize the neutral, rather than the evil, aspects of those deities. I mean, we wouldn't want to foster a clique of murderers by sponsoring the worhip of, say, NORGORBER, with state money, would we? Preposterous!
As I argued by e-mail, a Waterfront could be interpreted as making a large-scale effort to control and localize the (unavoidable) commercial traffic around our capital city, thus paying a high price to accomodate her wishes (but gaining some welcome benefits from it ourselves).
I personally feel this argument is sophistry. You are welcome to ask her about it during council session, however.
I personally feel this argument is sophistry. You are welcome to ask her about it during council session, however.
Sure. I'm sure I won't stand alone at that session, though, and I'll make sure that Treasurer Leveton leads the word, being responsible for commerce. I'm already sick of being the default scapegoat before we've ever had our first "mixed" council session.
Water traffic is an integral part of our civilization, and it's preposterous for thousands of our people in our very capital to suffer from the whims of a single Fey. We don't mess with their Fairy Nest, and they don't mess with our Humanoid Nest. It's only fair.
Next thing you know, some nymph is going to show up and demand that we stop take showers or baths. Because, you know, we're make the water dirty.
I personally feel this argument is sophistry.
And I think it's very generous of us. Even if we just build a few Parks on one side of the lake and shift the Waterfront to another district, we are investing the equivalent of hundreds of citizens working full-time, and shifting the flow of an entire province of farming output, to satisfy the whims of a single person. Let's keep things in perspective here.
In case we don't want to put the Waterfront in Stronghold, how about the future city with a Pier in U2? (Southhaven? Sunport?) It lies in a good place for trade with Varnhold and Mivon, and maybe Nicolas will allow us to incorporate the existing Pier into a Waterfront, rather than building a redundant Waterfront next to it.
(I still think Stronghold would be a much better location for a Waterfront, though. Even just the stacking of base value contributions, as the General pointed out, would be valuable.)
The fact is, the location of a Waterfront is almost entirely and issue of aesthetics and whim. There are several other cities which would serve exactly as well as Stronghold for the purpose. Almost all the arguments for locating it in Stronghold have been to satisfy an aesthetic sense of what it neat and proper in terms of its location, not for any real economic reason.
And in fact, while you may take issue with the newly local fae (possibly) requesting it not be in Stronghold, your logic in requesting it not be in Candlemere is, if anything, of exactly the same nature -- you do not want the tramp of common commerce anywhere close to the place you have decided shall be your haven of academic tranquility. (And I must say, Iaurinn, that such is the kind of argument that makes me raise my eyebrows when you speak as if the fae are lunatics while your arguments are untouched by any considerations but logic.)
In addition, you yourself further made the argument when you were on that topic -- in stating that a Cathedral should be built at Candlemere despite the fact that it makes less economic sense than doing so elsewhere -- that decentralization has benefits, especially in the shadow of ongoing threats.
It is possible that Treasurer Leveton may take the Stronghold side of the case, as many seem to have become enamoured of the idea that the capital city must also be the principal port, despite the fact that there are innumerable kingdoms where this is not the case. But if he looks purely at the hard numbers of commerce, he will be forced to admit it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. A Waterfront will bring an equal amount of commerce to the Kingdom in Thornford as it would in Stronghold.
The *only* argument I have yet heard that makes *any* sense whatsoever is Hemael's point that concentrating base value in a single city has some benefits. Of course, this is an argument that could apply to ANY city in the realm, not necessarily Stronghold. We could as easily make Stronghold a center of arts, entertainment, and culture and concentrate our economics in a different city altogether. It would make NO DIFFERENCE to the realm as a whole, and would in fact have the benefit of a bit of decentralization.
It sounds like you are open to the possibility of locating it somewhere other than Stronghold. Good. Because I am currently in the position of listening to Hamael say his sensibilities would be offended if it is not in Stronghold, and Melianse possibly saying her sensibilities would be offended if it is in Stronghold, and you saying that not only are your sensibilities would be offended if it is built in Candlemere but also your sensibilities are offended by Melianse's sensibilities being offended if it is in Stronghold, leaving me in the ENVIABLE position of trying to make all of you happy somehow.
And in fact, while you may take issue with the newly local fae (possibly) requesting it not be in Stronghold, your logic in requesting it not be in Candlemere is, if anything, of exactly the same nature -- you do not want the tramp of common commerce anywhere close to the place you have decided shall be your haven of academic tranquility.
That is a good point, though I'd like to point out that the entire academic elite of the kingdom is going to depend on that tranquility, not just me.
By the same logic, though many residents of Stronghold no doubt prefer tranquility over the hustle and bustle of commerce.
My favorite solution to the problem is to start a second district of Stronghold, on the other side of the river, in which we would concentrate all "loud" parts of the city, leaving the original district pleasant and peaceful.
(And I must say, Iaurinn, that such is the kind of argument that makes me raise my eyebrows when you speak as if the fae are lunatics while your arguments are untouched by any considerations but logic.)
I will freely admit that I am not immune to Calistria's sting, and that it seeks me preferentially when we are discussing the Fey. Many of my recent "gut reactions" turned out to be based on false fears. (Corax was not just any lumberer, he specifically cut down part of a nixie's home after having been informed of that fact; Melianse just wants a place to live rather than to stifle Stronghold's entire development.) The Forest Fey are turning out to be different than the ones in my projections, and I am slowly learning to tell the difference.
At the same time, I do hope the Forest Fey are learning to tell the difference between my real person and what they think me to be.
A Waterfront will bring an equal amount of commerce to the Kingdom in Thornford as it would in Stronghold.
By the numbers, that is also true of Dancing Lady, though it makes no sense to ship the nation's commerce into that remote cul-de-sac. It borders on metagaming to pay no attention to such verisimilitude disjunctions.
The location of Stronghold has also be described as so central and well-connected to all parts of the kingdom that it gives a +1 to all stats, should we found our capital there. That's gotta mean something.
I agree, though, that Southhaven would make an almost equally good port city.
Overall, I think the "industrial district of Stronghold" solution makes the most sense. It capitalizes on the perfect location of Stronghold without dumping the real estate value in the "old town".
leaving me in the ENVIABLE position of trying to make all of you happy somehow.
In the end, it's not your job, but the responsibility of us all to come up with a universally acceptable solution.
Also, we're civilized people (with the possible exception of the kobolds) and friends (with the possible exception of Jhod too), so it's not like we're at each other's throats over this.
By the way, should we start planning Turn 19?
At the end of last session, DM said we should assume for now that we will survive the wedding and that we can get a few Turns done until next session.
My favorite solution to the problem is to start a second district of Stronghold, on the other side of the river, in which we would concentrate all "loud" parts of the city, leaving the original district pleasant and peaceful.
My own concerns tend more towards having an industrial zone and a non-industrial zone ... Pleasant and peaceful is good, but I'd also be perfectly happy if the original district were vibrant and festive, with theaters and an arena and suchlike. We can discuss further, of course.
At the same time, I do hope the Forest Fey are learning to tell the difference between my real person and what they think me to be.
Well, Melianse at least has no personal fractious history with you, and Tiressia likely considers you a hero, so some of them at least have a start on knowing the real you, or at least a relatively clean slate so far. :)
(There are clearly evil fae who are a threat to us -- just as there were evil human bandits who were and are a threat to us. And even the neutral and good ones will likely have moments when their needs or customs are to some extent at odds with those of humanoids. But if we're willing to try getting along with the kobolds, I figured we could give it a shot with the dryads. :)
By the numbers, that is also true of Dancing Lady, though it makes no sense to ship the nation's commerce into that remote cul-de-sac. It borders on metagaming to pay no attention to such verisimilitude disjunctions.
Really? Dancing Lady, the key assembly and shipping point for ALL of our export lumber currently coming down the Murque river from the ENTIRETY of our current developed forest holdings?
Seriously, it's hard to think of a city on a waterway in or out of game that wouldn't have a valid reason for a profitable Waterfront. That's not metagaming at all, just the importance of water shipping to a medieval economy.
Although it's probably moot, since it sounds like we're now aiming to build it in Stronghold anyway. But as a note for the future Candlemere, Thornford, and Dancing Lady all could potentially have shipping functions of equal value to Stronghold. It's not metagaming, just how we choose to place our focus on import, export, materials, and resources.
By the way, should we start planning Turn 19?
Sure, although to my mind, turn 19 is both fairly simple and very dependent on magic item generation ...
1) If magic item generation is sufficient to guarantee at least a 94% chance of doing so with no deficit, build a Black Market (plus 1-2 houses as needed).
2) If magic item generation is insufficient for this, build or claim only such items as would guarantee a 94% chance of successfully building a Black Market the following turn (possibilities might include doing nothing, claiming the forest hex by Stronghold and building a road, claiming the hill hex by Stronghold and building a road and farm, building a park in Stronghold, and/or withdrawing 1 BP from the Treasury to pay Corax.)
3) If magic item generation is particularly awesome, combine (1) and (2).
4) Leadership changes lead to +1 to Economy, +3 to Loyalty. Fool around with Edicts until best fit is achieved (highest possible Econ when Loy and Stab are no lower than DC-2)
Only worrisome possibility: Magic item generation is exactly sufficient to build Black Market and one house but not Black Market and two houses. Do we build in Stronghold or wait? (I believe the Treasury is currently at 33-verging-on-34, and we have a 94.75% chance to get at least 9 BP from Economy and Stability. So magic items worth an amount between 10-BP-and-change and 13-BP-no-change are our annoyance point.)
My own concerns tend more towards having an industrial zone and a non-industrial zone ... Pleasant and peaceful is good, but I'd also be perfectly happy if the original district were vibrant and festive, with theaters and an arena and suchlike. We can discuss further, of course.
Fine by me. City blocks are pretty large anyway, it's no big deal to have "vibrant" and quiet areas in the same district.
If today's sports fans are any indication, though, an Arena is a very uncomfortable place to live near. :P
Really? Dancing Lady, the key assembly and shipping point for ALL of our export lumber currently coming down the Murque river from the ENTIRETY of our current developed forest holdings?
It's nice to think of our cities as having "personalities" like that. :)
We should write them down (and maybe plan ahead a bit, as with the "tranquil" Candlemere).
Although it's probably moot, since it sounds like we're now aiming to build it in Stronghold anyway. But as a note for the future Candlemere, Thornford, and Dancing Lady all could potentially have shipping functions of equal value to Stronghold. It's not metagaming, just how we choose to place our focus on import, export, materials, and resources.
For that matter, we are not going to stop at a single Black Market, Waterfront, and Magic Shop in Gwendor. We'll have to start sprouting them in various locations to make sure the magic item slots keep up with our rampant urbanization plans!
Speaking of rampancy: We are already two hexes "behind" in terms of farm-building, with Q and E2 claimed but unfarmed. Hopefully we'll be able to catch up with that while saving up for the Black Market.
Consumption-wise, we can keep expanding at a rate of 2 hexes per Turn and building only 1 farm each time, since one farm can pay for two hexes, but realistically we'll have to slow down every now and then because cities are going to require extra farms. (Also, even with the expected drastic increase in income in a few Turns, it will still be hard to keep up with the DC increase of all-out expansion, and we do have a hard limit on buildings per Turn.)
Eventually, we're going to want to put all claimed Hill and Grassland hexes to good use, meaning roughly one city hex per two farm hexes. That means we'll need a Turn of staying put and just "filling out" those claimed but unused hexes every few Turns. I haven't done the math, but I'd guess that our long-term sustainable expansion rate is about 1.5 hexes as long as the ruble is rolling.
2) If magic item generation is insufficient for this, build or claim only such items as would guarantee a 94% chance of successfully building a Black Market the following turn (possibilities might include doing nothing, claiming the forest hex by Stronghold and building a road, claiming the hill hex by Stronghold and building a road and farm, building a park in Stronghold, and/or withdrawing 1 BP from the Treasury to pay Corax.)
Also, is Melianse fine with waiting a month for her Park to be built?
Only worrisome possibility: Magic item generation is exactly sufficient to build Black Market and one house but not Black Market and two houses. Do we build in Stronghold or wait? (I believe the Treasury is currently at 33-verging-on-34, and we have a 94.75% chance to get at least 9 BP from Economy and Stability. So magic items worth an amount between 10-BP-and-change and 13-BP-no-change are our annoyance point.)
In that case, personally, I'd be fine with letting those 10-12 BP of extra income slide and waiting an extra Turn to build that Black Market. We're ahead of our original schedule anyway, and we are getting a free +4 stat increase from the council rearrangement. Put together, that's a merit of 3.3-4. :) Also, we wouldn't risk going into negatives, which might be an issue if we want to pull off withdrawal for Corax.
By the way, couldn't we just declare those 1500 gp that we're spending on Corax to be part of the 4 BP we're spending to build that Park...?
I'd guess that our long-term sustainable expansion rate is about 1.5 hexes as long as the ruble is rolling.
If you do the math, bear in mind that the numbers are going to change very soon. Once we hit size 26, we can claim 3 Hexes and build 2 farmlands per turn. Also remember that we can claim the occasional "consumption free" forest hex, and we might potentially also want "unfarmable" mountain hexes for one reason or another when we get to them.
And even with a single major item generator, building enough buildings to keep our stats at pace with our DC's may be as much a check on expansion as farming for some time yet.
Hmm ... Two Hill Hexes + two roads + one farm + enough buildings to increase all stats by +2 is what, around 24 BP? Actually just about what we should be making soon, but we'll have to slow down for city founding, bridges, saving for major buildings, etc. And we won't be able to afford to take 3 hexes/2 farms on any regular basis until we at least get a second major item going.
Of course, 50 BP bonanza items are always possible, which changes things, as are 0 BP dud major items.
Also, is Melianse fine with waiting a month for her Park to be built?
Remember she never actually *asked* for a park specifically, just a lack of trash-creating development where she was living. We decided to make the tree planting into a park as something non-industrial to put there that she'd particularly like, but a temporarily undeveloped area shouldn't bother her -- it's the potential development she was worried about.
By the way, couldn't we just declare those 1500 gp that we're spending on Corax to be part of the 4 BP we're spending to build that Park...?
GM was already asked. GM already said no. :) I would guess it's because our deal with Corax is "above and beyond" the standard park-building costs -- we are paying a fourth level character time and a half for it rather than making 1st level grunts do it at standard rates.
By the way, should we start planning Turn 19?Sure, although to my mind, turn 19 is both fairly simple and very dependent on magic item generation ...
I'll post the beginning of turn 19 this evening. And we can go forward from there.
The current kingdom sheet is valid until the end of turn 18, right?
The current kingdom sheet is valid until the end of turn 18, right?
1) It does not appear to include the 4 extra BP we earned from having our army defeat various threats. Treasury should be at 34 BP and 3778 gp
(NOTE: as usual, I was off by 1 in my calculations above ... how do I keep doing that? Means our cut-off point for waiting on the Black Market is anything below 12 BP + 222 gp worth of saleable magic items.)
2) At the start of turn 19, we will presumably have an extra +1 to Economy (from Kressle's new belt.) All other changes due to leadership will of course take place mid-turn, so the other scores are still accurate.
Other than that, everything looks correct to me.
So ... "getting lucky" would mean having at least 48,222 gp in saleable magic items. This is possible, but the odds aren't with it.
If we don't make that much, we ideally want to end the turn with at least around 47 BP in the Treasury ( a bit lower is *probably* fine, but means multiple dud magic items could potentially screw us over on Turn 20.)
That means we might need about 3-4 BP from the magic items to make target. So I'd say if magic items are in about the 0-6 BP range, we should probably just sit tight.
Around 12 BP means we can build the Black Market.
So the 7-10 BP magic item range means we could do one minor thing, and 11 BP is where we could maybe get away with two. Possibilities might be:
1) Build the park (with or without Corax's money withdrawn this month)
2) Build a farm
3) Claim the woods hex by Stronghold, build a road (we should be able to adjust edicts to keep stats in the optimal range if we do this.)
Any other possibilities, or thoughts on how the above should be prioritized if we get a chance to do one or two?
So the 7-10 BP magic item range means we could do one minor thing, and 11 BP is where we could maybe get away with two. Possibilities might be:
1) Build the park (with or without Corax's money withdrawn this month)
2) Build a farm
3) Claim the woods hex by Stronghold, build a road (we should be able to adjust edicts to keep stats in the optimal range if we do this.)
I like the farm option, since we already have 2 unused hexes of farmable land just sitting around and causing Consumption. We're going to build cities soon, so those farms are going to be necessary.
I like the farm option ...
Works for me.
LAMASHAN 4712 AR (turn 19)
START:
Economy: +41
Loyalty: +40
Stability: +39
DC: 41
Unrest: 0
Treasury: 34 BP and 3,778 gp
Special:
??
Upkeep phase
Stability check:
Consumption: 0
Magic items:
- minor item 1: scroll of obscuring mist [25 gp]
- minor item 2: scroll of fog cloud [150 gp]
- minor item 3: potion of hide from animals [50 gp]
- minor item 4: scroll of misdirection (CL 3rd) [150 gp]
- medium item 1: battlement shield (APG) [16,180 gp]
- medium item 2: scroll of gaseous form [375 gp]
Unrest: Loyalty check for presence of Kobolds --
Improvement phase
Changes in leadership: Since the beginning of the turn, Kressle provides another +1
Claimed Hexes:
City improvement:
Roads:
Farmlands:
Edicts:
Income phase
Deposits/withdrawals:
Magic items (Economy currently +40 at this point in turn; DC 35 for medium items; DC 20 for minor items; 4 city districts)
Income (economy check):
Event phase
END:
Economy:
Loyalty:
Stability:
Consumption:
DC:
Unrest:
Treasury:
By the way, list the leader changes on this turn, so we remember them. I've realized they are not on the sheet for turn 18 (and that's because they happened in turn 19). So I get the final stats will be widely different from the ones at the start of the turn.
All right. Doing the rolls. Looks like it's going to be a chill month.
I mean, apart from all the death and dismemberment and bees and stuff.
All right. Doing the rolls. Looks like it's going to be a chill month.
I mean, apart from all the death and dismemberment and bees and stuff.
I'm glad DM still expects Kressle to be in the government after that. I was half worried that that sting she caught before the swarms attacked was some sort of specialized "assassin bee", or maybe some evil Fey arrow.
The changes are made on my sheet; I'm waiting for your rolls to put it online.
Wow, those magic items are pretty underwhelming. Those gaseous spells must be a reaction to the choking mists that princess Rhoswen threatens us with.
Should we list this event as "The Day of the Tenzekil"? ;o)
LAMASHAN 4712 AR (turn 19)
START:
Economy: +41
Loyalty: +40
Stability: +39
DC: 41
Unrest: 0
Treasury: 34 BP and 3,778 gp
Special:
- Lay Prostitutes do their all for Gwendor: +51
Roll: 7; Success, +1 to Economy rolls this month
- Missionaries: 5 Missionaries courteously and carefully explore the fairy nest hex; +16
Roll: 17; Total of 33 to escape potential Hazards
Upkeep phase
Stability check: Roll 14; Success, +1 BP
Consumption: 0
Magic items:
- minor item 1: scroll of obscuring mist [25 gp]
- minor item 2: scroll of fog cloud [150 gp]
- minor item 3: potion of hide from animals [50 gp]
- minor item 4: scroll of misdirection (CL 3rd) [150 gp]
- medium item 1: battlement shield (APG) [16,180 gp]
- medium item 2: scroll of gaseous form [375 gp]
Unrest: Loyalty check for presence of Kobolds -- Roll 13; Success, no additional unrest
Improvement phase
Changes in leadership:
- Since the beginning of the turn, Kressle has provided +1 Economy; counted above
- Chief Sootscale takes position as Royal Assassin (+2 Loyalty)
- Sempor takes position as Spymaster (no numerical change to Economy)
- Melianse takes over as Counsellor (+1 Loyalty)
Claimed Hexes: None
City improvement: None
Roads: None
Farmlands: None
Edicts: Increase taxes to normal (+2 Economy, -3 Loyalty)
Income phase
Deposits/withdrawals: None
Magic items (Economy currently +43 at this point in turn; DC 35 for medium items; DC 20 for minor items; 4 city districts)
- Sell medium item 1: battlement shield (APG) [16,180 gp]
Roll 3; Success
- Sell medium item 2: scroll of gaseous form [375 gp]
Roll 20; Success
- Sell minor item 2: scroll of fog cloud [150 gp]
Roll 13; Success
- minor item 4: scroll of misdirection (CL 3rd) [150 gp]
Roll 20; Success
TOTAL: 16,855 gp + 3778 "leftover" gp = 20,633 gp = 5 BP and 633 gp
Income (economy check):
Roll 8; Success, 10 BP
Event phase
1d100 ⇒ 32 Calm and quiet. That is, apart from wedding crashers!
END:
Economy: +43
Loyalty: +40
Stability: +39
Consumption: 0
DC: 41
Unrest: 0
Treasury: 50 BP and 633 gp
NOTES: We indeed could not have afforded both a Black Market and even one House turn this month without going into negatives. Next month, however, it should not only be 95%+ assured, but we should be able to undertake other things as well at the same time.
ARG I AM AN IDIOT WITH NO FORESIGHT WE TOTALLY SHOULD HAVE BUILT A HOUSE IN LEVETON THIS TURN OTHERWISE WE CANNOT BUILD A PARK IN STRONGHOLD NEXT TURN EVEN IF WE HAVE THE MAGIC ITEM MONEY BECAUSE WE WILL BE OVER THE BUILDING LIMIT!
GM, would it be OK if I revised above to build 1 House in Leveton?
(If so I will edit above post to reflect change to prevent the carryover problems we sometimes get from cutting and pasting outdated versions.)
(Deep breath) Sorry, I am excitable. Anyway, looking ahead:
Next month, normal Economy and Stability rolls should enable us to build our Black Market in Leveton with at least 4 BP to spare. We can add anything from the Magic Item Economy onto that amount.
So, for next month, we should definitely:
1) Build Black Market in Leveton
2) Withdraw 1 BP from Treasury to pay Corax (reinvest leftover amount), as the payment is then due
Depending on how we want to play it, we could then go a could of ways. With some additional deficit spending, we could theoretically do something like the following:
3) If Magic Item Money (MIE) provides at least 1 BP, build Farm
4) If MIE provides at least 3 BP, also prep land for Kobold City
5) If MIE provides at least 7 BP, also build Park in Stronghold (if GM permits revision above)
6) If MIE provides at least 11 BP, also claim forest hex by Stronghold and build road
7) If MIE provides 12+ BP, save any extra
Or we could just sit tight, leave all of that for Kuthona instead of Neth, and leave ourselves a monetary "cushion".
I would personally suggest that we split the difference -- we see how much money the MIE generates, and then do some deficit spending but not "as far as we can go" (i.e. not shooting to end up at exactly 0 BP) -- just up to the point where we would end up having a bit of leftover money in the Treasury at the end of the turn.
GM, would it be OK if I revised above to build 1 House in Leveton?
I guess we've missed the deadline to edit your post by a minute… No problem with adding the construction of a house. You want to repost Lamashan? And I'll post the beginning of Neth tomorrow.
****REPOST WITH CORRECTION*****
LAMASHAN 4712 AR (turn 19)
START:
Economy: +41
Loyalty: +40
Stability: +39
DC: 41
Unrest: 0
Treasury: 34 BP and 3,778 gp
Special:
- Lay Prostitutes do their all for Gwendor: +51
Roll: 7; Success, +1 to Economy rolls this month
- Missionaries: 5 Missionaries courteously and carefully explore the fairy nest hex; +16
Roll: 17; Total of 33 to escape potential Hazards
Upkeep phase
Stability check: Roll 14; Success, +1 BP
Consumption: 0
Magic items:
- minor item 1: scroll of obscuring mist [25 gp]
- minor item 2: scroll of fog cloud [150 gp]
- minor item 3: potion of hide from animals [50 gp]
- minor item 4: scroll of misdirection (CL 3rd) [150 gp]
- medium item 1: battlement shield (APG) [16,180 gp]
- medium item 2: scroll of gaseous form [375 gp]
Unrest: Loyalty check for presence of Kobolds -- Roll 13; Success, no additional unrest
Improvement phase
Changes in leadership:
- Since the beginning of the turn, Kressle has provided +1 Economy; counted above
- Chief Sootscale takes position as Royal Assassin (+2 Loyalty)
- Sempor takes position as Spymaster (no numerical change to Economy)
- Melianse takes over as Counsellor (+1 Loyalty)
Claimed Hexes: None
City improvement: Build house in Leveton (3 BP, -1 Unrest)
Roads: None
Farmlands: None
Edicts: Increase taxes to normal (+2 Economy, -3 Loyalty)
Income phase
Deposits/withdrawals: None
Magic items (Economy currently +43 at this point in turn; DC 35 for medium items; DC 20 for minor items; 4 city districts)
- Sell medium item 1: battlement shield (APG) [16,180 gp]
Roll 3; Success
- Sell medium item 2: scroll of gaseous form [375 gp]
Roll 20; Success
- Sell minor item 2: scroll of fog cloud [150 gp]
Roll 13; Success
- minor item 4: scroll of misdirection (CL 3rd) [150 gp]
Roll 20; Success
TOTAL: 16,855 gp + 3778 "leftover" gp = 20,633 gp = 5 BP and 633 gp
Income (economy check):
Roll 8; Success, 10 BP
Event phase
1d100 ⇒ 32 Calm and quiet. That is, apart from wedding crashers!
END:
Economy: +43
Loyalty: +40
Stability: +39
Consumption: 0
DC: 41
Unrest: 0
Treasury: 47 BP and 633 gp
NOTES:
-- Suggest House in Leveton go next to Dump. It strikes me as appropriate that the coming Black Market be located in the seedy part of town away from the respectable Inn.
-- We indeed could not have afforded a Black Market this month without going into negatives. Next month, however, it should not only be 95%+ assured, but we should be able to undertake other things as well at the same time.
NETH 4712 AR (turn 20)
START:
Economy: +43
Loyalty: +40
Stability: +39
DC: 41
Unrest: 0
Treasury: 47 BP and 633 gp
Special:
??
Upkeep phase
Stability check:
Consumption:
Magic items:
- minor item 1: scroll of obscuring mist [25 gp]
- minor item 2: scroll of unseen servant [25 gp]
- minor item 3: potion of hide from animals [50 gp]
- minor item 4: scroll of endure elements [25 gp]
- medium item 1: wand of invisibility (50 charges) [4,500 gp]
- medium item 2: scroll of nondetection [425 gp]
Unrest: Loyalty check for presence of Kobolds --
Improvement phase
Changes in leadership:
Claimed Hexes:
City improvement:
Roads:
Farmlands:
Edicts:
Income phase
Deposits/withdrawals:
Magic items (Economy currently +40 at this point in turn; DC 35 for medium items; DC 20 for minor items; 4 city districts)
Income (economy check):
Event phase
Something happens! (, )
END:
Economy:
Loyalty:
Stability:
Consumption:
DC:
Unrest:
Treasury:
Wow, those magic items are craptacular. Looks like we're going to make a single BP, so we could go for the Farm Lilac suggested.
Should I make the rolls?
Event phase
1d100 ⇒ 1 Something happens! (1d100 ⇒ 12, 1d100 ⇒ 64)
Ouch, that's going to hurt… Once you're through with the kingdom building of this month, I'll tell you what check you need to do.
Nooooo...! :\
Sure make rolls if you want to; add +1 to Econ from specials I will fill in details of specials later
Sure make rolls if you want to; add +1 to Econ from specials I will fill in details of specials later
Ah, you're back early; good. I'm just about to go out for the evening, better if you do the rolls.
Don't botch that event save...
Ah, you're back early; good.
Nope -- just have a cell phone now. Doing the rolls.
(Wonder what the event is ... METEOR STORM -- lose d20 random buildings? FAMINE -- All farms cease producing for one month; roll stability for half production? INVADING BARBARIAN AQUATIC ELF ARMY -- any city without a City Wall is destroyed?)
NETH 4712 AR (turn 20)
START:
Economy: +43
Loyalty: +40
Stability: +39
DC: 41
Unrest: 0
Treasury: 47 BP and 633 gp
Special:
- Lay Prostitutes get to work: +51
Roll: 16; Success, +1 to Economy rolls this month
- Missionaries: 5 Missionaries, with great trepidation, head to dangerous, newly opened lands ... a few miles away from Leveton and Fort Serenko to explore Hex A:7; +16
Roll: 14; Total of 30 to escape potential Hazards
Upkeep phase
Stability check: Roll 13; Success (+1 BP)
Consumption: 0
Magic items:
- minor item 1: scroll of obscuring mist [25 gp]
- minor item 2: scroll of unseen servant [25 gp]
- minor item 3: potion of hide from animals [50 gp]
- minor item 4: scroll of endure elements [25 gp]
- medium item 1: wand of invisibility (50 charges) [4,500 gp]
- medium item 2: scroll of nondetection [425 gp]
Unrest: Loyalty check for presence of Kobolds -- Roll 3; Success (no increase in unrest)
Improvement phase
Changes in leadership: None
Claimed Hexes: None
City improvement: Build House in Leveton (-3 BP, -1 Unrest); Build Black Market in Leveton (-50 BP, +1 Unrest, +2 Economy, +1 Stability, +2000 City Base Value), +1 Major Item, +1 Medium Item, +2 Minor Items)
Roads: None
Farmlands: Build Farm in Hex D:5 (-4 BP, -2 Consumption)
Edicts: Increase Promotions to Standard (+1 Consumption, +1 Stability); Increase Festivals to 6/year (+1 Consumption, +1 Loyalty)
Income phase
Deposits/withdrawals: Withdraw from Treasury to pay Corax (-1 BP, +1 Unrest); redeposit remainder in Treasury (+500 gp to Treasury)
NOTE: -1 PENALTY ON ALL CHECKS FROM THIS POINT IN MONTH FORWARD
Loyalty check to prevent further unrest: Roll 15, target is DC+1, Success (no additional Unrest)
Magic items (Economy currently +40 at this point in turn; DC 35 for medium items; DC 20 for minor items; 4 city districts)
- Sell medium item 1: wand of invisibility (50 charges) [4,500 gp]
Roll 4; Success
- Sell medium item 2: scroll of nondetection [425 gp]
Roll 18; Sucess
- Sell minor item 3: potion of hide from animals [50 gp]
Roll 12; Success
- Sell minor item 1: scroll of obscuring mist [25 gp]
Roll 1; Failure
TOTAL: 4975 in sales (+1 BP and 975 gp to Treasury)
Income (economy check):
Roll 16, Success (Current Economy 45; +12 BP)
Event phase
1d100 ⇒ 1 Something happens! (1d100 ⇒ 12, 1d100 ⇒ 64)
(Unknown Rolls Occur)
END:
Economy: 45
Loyalty: 41
Stability: 41
Consumption: 0
DC: 41
Unrest: 1
Treasury: 3 BP and 2108 gp
NOTES: Black Market and House in Leveton must be built by House built last turn; once again, I suggest three buildings wrap around Dump to create seedy area of town
So that will be a Stability check, including the -1 from unrest, if it's not already included in the end-turn stats you list above.
I'll post the new round tomorrow, probably in the evening.
So that will be a Stability check, including the -1 from unrest, if it's not already included in the end-turn stats you list above.
Stability Check: Roll 18
Stability = 41 - 1 Unrest = 40Total = 58
DC = 41
LOOKING AHEAD (as always, this assumes we survive and deal with whatever disasters befall the Kingdom):
Our economy is about to, in some ways, become extremely volatile. From our basic Economy rolls, we can now generally count on harvesting BP in the very low double digits each turn, averaging around 11-12 now, with that number very slowly increasing over periods of months and years.
From Magic Items, however, we can only count on an average amount. Turn 19 was not actually a "bad" month for the MIE -- it was an average one that followed a string of particularly good ones, and was then followed by an actual bad one.
Until we are selling enough items that they tend to average out within a turn rather than across months -- and we are likely years away from that truly being the case -- our earnings could fluctuate wildly from month to month. Right now, we predict an average MIE of around 16 BP or so, but the actual number on any given month might be 0 or might be 75.
Given that, it starts to become difficult to use a "this month we do this, next month we do that" system. If you don't know if you're getting 11 BP or 80 BP on a given month, precise planning becomes impossible.
I would suggest at this point, we instead come up with a list of guidelines and priorities; we follow the guidelines whenever possible, and order the priorities, enacting them whenever we have enough money to go to the next one on the list (sometimes possibly skipping down a little bit.)
My proposed example might be:
GUIDELINES:
1) In general, each month, claim at least one hex, build at least one road, build at least one farm (if possible), and build enough buildings to support this expansion. On any month, this can be reduced to purchase a specific big-ticket item instead, or increased if a bonanza of BP allows for it.
2) On most months, spend less BP than will be earned in order to save for big-ticket items. On any month, an exception can be made for this to purchase said big-ticket items. (Big-ticket items shall be loosely defined as anything that would require saving for on an average income month when purchased in combination with standard hex/road/farm expansion. Currently probably anything above 20 BP or so?)
3) Build at least enough city districts to potentially sell all Major and Medium magic items each turn.
4) As soon as is feasible after construction, make sure every city has a defense value of at least +4
CURRENT PRIORITIES:
1) Claim final hexes around Stronghold
2) Build Kobold city (and some appropriate buildings)
3) Annex Thornford, build Castle
4) Build Temple City and Temple
5) Cathedral in Stronghold
6) Academy in Stronhold
7) Magic Shop in Stronghold
8) Arena in Stronghold
9) Complete Stronghold district
10) Waterfront in Stronghold
So that will be a Stability check, including the -1 from unrest, if it's not already included in the end-turn stats you list above.Stability Check: Roll 18
Stability = 41 - 1 Unrest = 40
Total = 58
DC = 41
So something happens to your kingdom but you reign in most of the difficulties and the only consequence is that your Unrest increases by 1. More in-game…
KUTHONA 4712 AR (turn 21)
Magic items:
- minor item 1: 5 +1 crossbow bolts [1,030.5 gp]
- minor item 2: scroll of unseen servant [25 gp]
- minor item 3:scroll of true strike [25 gp]
- minor item 4: scroll of endure elements [25 gp]
- minor item 5: wand of silence (50 charges) [4,500 gp]
- minor item 6: scroll of expeditious retreat [25 gp]
- medium item 1: silver smite bracelet (APG) [16,000 gp]
- medium item 2: bracers of armor +4 [16,000 gp]
- medium item 3: potion of spider climb [300 gp]
- major item 1: staff of slumber (APG) [34,050 gp]
Event Phase:
Something happens (, )
Kressle decided they needed the aid of adventurers, and hired a party of them on the side to deal with the bandit problem (you guys are obviously too busy for that kind of menial tasks). Their success or failure can have a ripple effect on the region: make a Stability check; success adds a +2 bonus to that given check until your next Event phase, while failure instead adds a -2 penalty for the same duration.
(Don't forget that, if I'm not mistaken, you have an unrest of 2 at the start of Kuthona 4712 AR.)
OK ... Iaurinn, is my general plan OK? Shall I figure out what we can afford off the priority list and do the rolls?
... success adds a +2 bonus to that given check until your next Event phase, while failure instead adds a -2 penalty for the same duration.
I'm not sure precisely what this means -- we pick one of our three checks for this to affect?
... success adds a +2 bonus to that given check until your next Event phase, while failure instead adds a -2 penalty for the same duration.I'm not sure precisely what this means -- we pick one of our three checks for this to affect?
Sorry, my bad, that was a quick copy/paste.
During the event phase, do a Stability check. If you succeed, the kingdom gets a +2 to Stability until the next event phase. If you fail, the kingdom gets a -2 to Stability until the next event phase.
My suggestions for purchases might be: 1 hill hex by stronghold, 1 road, farm, clear land for kobold city, build park in stronghold, city wall in leveton. Cost: 21. Anticipated minimum income: 27.
We could actually afford to claim both hexes by stronghold, but sticking to one and saving a little money would put us in a stronger position to potentially annex Thornford and get the half-price castle next turn if we want it.
silver smite bracelet (APG) [16,000 gp]
Indeed. An immensely useful item for Lilac, which Iaurinn cannot make at a later time, which we may not be able to import anymore now that relations have cooled with Brevoy, and which I have absolutely no chance whatsoever of affording in any amount of time that makes it worthwhile to leave it there.
It is, however, at the very maximum of what one of our cities might eventually produce by nonrandom means, so I just need to wait until Stronghold has a Waterfront, Alchemist, Black Market, Guildhall, Luxury Store, Magic Shop, Market, Pier, Inn, and Shop, or the base value equivalent. And by then, maybe I can afford the &^$*&^! thing.
My suggestions for purchases might be: 1 hill hex by stronghold, 1 road, farm, clear land for kobold city, build park in stronghold, city wall in leveton. Cost: 21. Anticipated minimum income: 27.
I'm rather uneasy about going back to the zero-reserves strategy, but pretty much all of the above is rather time-critical, so I'm fine with it.
The longer-term strategy mentioned above makes sense to me. As soon as we start saving up for another bigger building, we should have our safety cushion back.
Park and City Wall also reduce our current Unrest of +2, which is a Good Thing™.
BTW, since we lose the Farm in the kobold lands and are about to found two cities; do we have enough Farms? We should build one every turn now, so I think we should be able to keep up with Sootscale and Thornford when they come up.
DM, you said Thornford was built by now, and required to be annexed. Does that mean the Castle is also built...? ;o) Otherwise, do we still get a half-priced Castle?
All right, then. Doing the rolls. :)
KUTHONA 4712 AR (turn 21)
START:
Economy: +45
Loyalty: +41
Stability: +41
DC: 41
Unrest: 2
Treasury: 3 BP and 2108 gp
Special:
Missionaries explore Hex A:8; +19
- Roll 8; 27 to escape Hazards
Lay Prostitutes: +22
- Roll 13; Failure, no benefit
Upkeep phase
Stability check: Roll 14; Success (-1 Unrest)
Consumption: 0
Magic items:
- minor item 1: 5 +1 crossbow bolts [1,030.5 gp]
- minor item 2: scroll of unseen servant [25 gp]
- minor item 3:scroll of true strike [25 gp]
- minor item 4: scroll of endure elements [25 gp]
- minor item 5: wand of silence (50 charges) [4,500 gp]
- minor item 6: scroll of expeditious retreat [25 gp]
- medium item 1: silver smite bracelet (APG) [16,000 gp]
- medium item 2: bracers of armor +4 [16,000 gp]
- medium item 3: potion of spider climb [300 gp]
- major item 1: staff of slumber (APG) [34,050 gp]
Unrest: Loyalty check for presence of Kobolds -- Roll 20; Success (no increase in Unrest; -1 Unrest from Royal Assassin)
Improvement phase
Changes in leadership: None
Claimed Hexes: Claim Hex G5 (-1 BP, +1 DC, +1 Consumption)
City improvement: Prep Hex E6 as city site (-2 BP, +2 Consumption from loss of farm); Build Park in Stronghold (-4 BP, +1 Loyalty, -1 Unrest); Build City Wall in Leveton (-8 BP, +4 city Defense, -2 Unrest)
Roads: Build road in Hex G5 (-2 BP)
Farmlands: Build farm in Hex G5 (-4 BP. -2 Consumption)
Edicts: Reduce Festivals to 1/year (-1 Loyalty, -1 Consumption)
Income phase
Deposits/withdrawals: None
Magic items (Economy currently +45 at this point in turn; DC 50 for major items; DC 35 for medium items; DC 20 for minor items; 4 city districts)
- Sell major item 1: staff of slumber (APG) [34,050 gp]
Roll 6; Success
- Sell medium item 1: silver smite bracelet (APG) [16,000 gp]
Roll 4; Success
- Sell medium item 2: bracers of armor +4 [16,000 gp]
Roll 9; Success
- Sell medium item 3: potion of spider climb [300 gp]
Roll 2; Success
TOTAL: 66,350 gp = 16 BP and 2,350 gp + 2,108 "leftover" = 17 BP and 458 gp
Income (economy check):
Roll 8; Success (+10 BP)
Event phase
1d100 ⇒ 23 Something happens (1d100 ⇒ 47, 1d100 ⇒ 68)
Kressle decided they needed the aid of adventurers, and hired a party of them on the side to deal with the bandit problem (you guys are obviously too busy for that kind of menial tasks). Their success or failure can have a ripple effect on the region: make a Stability check; success adds a +2 bonus to that given check until your next Event phase, while failure instead adds a -2 penalty for the same duration.
Roll 3; Success (+2 Stability until next Event phase)
END:
Economy: 45
Loyalty: 41
Stability: 41 (can add +2 until next Event phase)
Consumption: 0
DC: 42
Unrest: 0
Treasury: 9 BP and 458 gp
NOTES:
- Park in Stronghold should go on bottom right side of lower left block, as depicted in current "urban planning" chart for Stronghold
- Decided to sell medium potion of spider climb rather than minor wand of silence on grounds that an open medium slot has more potential then an open minor slot, and wand can be sold next month when we will have 1-2 more city districts (in other words, it'd suck to say, miss out on a 10 BP shield next month to get a 1 BP wand this month)
LOOKING AHEAD:
As said before, planning is a little tricky with the volatile MIE. However, here's a few possibilities for next month:
1) If next month's MIE is pretty much dead-on average, we should have enough to annex Thornford, build the half-priced castle and a road, build a farm to offset the increased consumption, and grow the treasury a small amount
2) If next month's MIE is above average, we could do the above and some or all of the following, depending on how much "extra" there is: (1) build another small building, (2) claim the final hex by Stronghold and/or build a second road (bring us to our 24th road)
3) If next month's MIE is below average, we should probably just claim the last hex by Stronghold, build a road and farm, build a couple of small buildings, and call it a month.
NOTES
- Good small buildings to build at this point might include: Brewery in Stronghold, Monument in Candlemere, City Wall for Candlemere or Sootscale, Brothel anywhere, cultural buildings in Sootscale, Dump in Thornford.
- If the money/decisions happen to fall in such away that there is a choice between 1 extra small building and building a second road, the roads are most likely the better choice.
- (All cases take into account the fact that we will be building Sootscale on the same turn; since the GM has said that Thornford will be annexed rather than built, this presents no problem. Sootscale's added Consumption has also been taken into account.)
I'm rather uneasy about going back to the zero-reserves strategy, but pretty much all of the above is rather time-critical, so I'm fine with it. The longer-term strategy mentioned above makes sense to me. As soon as we start saving up for another bigger building, we should have our safety cushion back.
Quick note about this -- in my opinion, the nature of the desired "safety cushion" has shifted a little. Once we get our economy up to at least, 48 (which is would be possible to do next turn with a decent MIE), selling magic items is extremely low-risk, since we get multiple chances and can sell from most to least expensive. I'm not really worried about rolling 1's multiple times in a row.
That means the only "risky" source of income is the economy roll, with its one-shot nature and therefore 5% failure chance. In my opinion, as long as we make sure we would be able to weather rolling a 1 there most of the time (with occasional exceptions for big-ticket items or emergencies), we're in good shape.
So, for example, next month, as long as we do not spend more than we expect to earn, there is almost no risk because we start with a cushion of 9 BP. A flubbed Economy roll would still leave us in non-negative digits.
Also bear in mind that the consequence of going into negatives is 2 Unrest, which we can take care of pretty easily at this point. I don't think we should seek it out by any means, but it's pretty easy to correct with our resources even if there's a perfect storm of a BP-sapping Event with added Unrest, a flubbed Economy roll, etc., etc. I'm happy to play it safe most of the time, but taking a risk every now and then isn't really all that risky any more.