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"Very good. I shall pass along the request to our Diplomat slash Architect. Should make him less sullen." Bob gathers the papers and hobbles off to Vallen's office with the good news. The dwarf got to build again.
So if I read everything right the Loyalty check fails we take the Vacancy penalty for the ruler for a round. Vacancy Penalty: A kingdom without a ruler cannot claim new hexes, create Farms, build Roads, or purchase settlement districts. Unrest increases by 4 during the kingdom’s Upkeep Phase. Since we are past the Upkeep Phase I guess the penalty applies next Upkeep which means a -4 to the Stability check. But all the claiming and farms and road building is out. We start with 16 BP (15 treasury +1 from Stability check). Mill is 6 and house is 3. 7 BP left. Need an economy roll from Oleg and we should be done. DM: Question. I was never sure but is there such a thing as negative Unrest? Or like surplus? We built a castle and a house when we had zero unrest for a total of -5 (which is currently what the realm management sheet says). Does that mean we can handle actions that increase unrest up to +5 before it hampers us? Or is it just lost potential?
No problem. Like I said I find the management pretty fun. I realize I made a mistake above though. I forgot we are building on hills, not plains. Also we have a river which means a bridge which doubles the road cost. That's 11 BP to claim and add a farm and road, not 4 BP. Big difference. So just the Mill this turn.
"Succulently put, Miss Lupin," a voice says from outside the ring of rulership. A man stands outside the group, leaning lightly on a cane while holding several rolls of parchment. He's old, slightly over weight, and almost completely bald. What hair he does have is combed and cut with meticulous precision. He's suit is likewise, fitted, wrinkle-free, and every bit as clean and neat as the rest of him. But the most notably aspect is the almost youthful energy about him and the twinkle of purpose in his eyes. He is a man who has found new reserves of life and energy despite his advanced age. He picks up his cane and holds it in his other hand so he can reach out to shake Vladric's. "Bartholomew Baxter, at your service Mr. Zharatov. Or Bob if it suits you." Feeble as he might seem, his handshake is as firm as any mans. "I regret that we haven't had a chance to meet these past few days you've been here. I wasn't actually sure about the reason of your visit. Too busy looking to the future to notice the present I guess. I help manage the day to day affairs of the kingdom and advise future growth. I have brought a few ideas to pass along to our illustrious guardians." He places the parchments on Akiros' desk and spreads a few out. "I managed to talk Master Silverclasp down from his grand ambitions for the smithy to something more reasonable but no less worthy of a dwarf's time. With Lord Orlovsky's untimely abdication, the next project will be an important one. We could address the current needs with a Mill or Tannery, both excellent options to boost economy what with the new farm and ample trade with hunters. Or," he says rolling out a few more parchments with blueprints on them, "we can make a statement about the future. For instance, a library or a park. What we build now sets a precedent for the future. A library could mean we value knowledge, a park could mean we value respect of the land and nature, and a Mill would say we value comfort and trade. Just a theory I've been working with really. But with a transition of leadership, things will naturally become chaotic. And the actions we take during these times will be important. They will be remembered."
Okay so Upkeep phase. Step 1: Stability check. +23 vs DC 22. Can't fail. +1BP. Huzzah. Alexi and Vladric have the same Charisma so no change thankfully. Step 2: Pay consumption. Currently balances 3 to 3. Step 3: Fill Vacant Magic Item Slots. N/A. Step 4: Modify Unrest. No negatives so nothing here. Edict Phase: Step 1—Assign Leadership. Here's the bad news. Replacing Alexi, our Ruler, means automatic 2 Unrest and Loyalty Check to not incur a vacancy penalty which is really bad. Also, a -4 to the check cause its the ruler (So -6 total because of Unrest. Really unfair here). So that's +16-6 vs DC23. So no pressure Vladric, just have have to roll 13 or better. On a failure, we cannot claim hexes, build farms or roads and Unrest is 4 higher for the rest of the turn. Step 2—Claim and Abandon Hexes. Claim the Hex we prepared last turn for 1 BP. Assuming we pass Loyalty. Step 4—Build Terrain Improvements. 2 per turn. Farm and Road in the new hex. 3 BP. Assuming we pass Loyalty. Step 5—Create and Improve Settlements. Loyalty and Economy are priorities (Though we hopefully won't have to worry about Loyalty for a while after this). Assuming we can get the farm, road, and hex, we have 11 BP left to play with. We have to build a House to, to lower the 2 unrest we get from changing Ruler's. That leaves us with 8. Cheap Options: Brewery 6 BP, 1 Lot
Library 6 BP, 1 Lot
Monument 6 BP, 1 Lot
Mill 6 BP, 1 Lot
Tannery 6 BP, 1 Lot
Park 4 BP, 1 Lot
Mechanically the Library is the best option, with a park or monument a close second. But they are also odd choices realistically at this stage in a kingdom. Tannery or Mill make better since but don't address Loyalty. There are other options but I thought these were the best. Step 6—Create Army Units. Have not looked at mass combat yet so don't want to mess with this. Step 7—Issue Edicts. Stay the same. 13 BP spent. Income Phase: Step 1—Make Withdrawals from the Treasury. Don't think anyone is going to do this. Step 2—Make Deposits to the Treasury. Or this. Step 3—Sell Expensive Items for BP. Or this. Step 4—Collect Taxes. Economy roll. +19 currently but 2 Unrest will reduce it to 17. Depending on choices above this can vary wildly. Could be as low as 13 if Vladric fails Loyalty and jumps Unrest to 6. So need a Loyalty roll from Ruler and Economy roll from Treasurer. Good luck Vladric and welcome to the game.
14 BP. The successful Stability check nets us 1 BP because unrest is 0. I'd like to prepare but not claim the next hex. Preparation costs 2 BP and takes a month. Claiming would increase size, consumption, and Control DC. Don't want to do that if we don't have too. Average 9 BP a turn then. Not bad. Expansion will be slow though. Probably a hex every 3 or 4 turns. Have to save up to prepare the hex, claim the hex, and build a farm and road. Probably want to keep 5-10 BP in reserve.
The dwarf's ice-blue eyes look up at Jenya, and he ushersher in. "Ah, Jenya, good to see you. I was just making plans for a centralized, state-owned smithy we were planning. I had an idea for a new furnance design while I was working on it, one that incorporated alchemically treated, aerated charcoals to make them burn hotter. Of course that means the fire bricks would need to be treated as well, and.... " "Scope creep Mr. Silverclasp," Bob says overhearing the conversation as he walks by. "Go for economical. We can make improvements when we have all the essentials of a thriving city going first. Pardon me," he says as apology for interrupting and continues on his way.
Okay so Upkeep phase. Step 1: Stability check. +20 vs DC 22. Unrest is 0 so if we make it, +1 BP. only a nat 1 fails that. Step 2: Pay consumption (1). Don't have any farms or anything yet so have to pull that from BP. Step 3: Fill Vacant Magic Item Slots. N/A. Step 4: Modify Unrest. No negatives so nothing here. Edict Phase: Step 1—Assign Leadership. Would like to remove Oleg and Svetlana but we haven't found anyone to replace them. And we need a new diplomat or Vallen might go crazy. Still no replacement though. Step 2—Claim and Abandon Hexes. Would suggest not claiming right now to keep Control DC low and wait until we can add improvements. I think we can still prepare the next hex though. 2 BP and 1 month to begin laying foundations on Hill terrain. Vallen mentioned going north to the mine and then to Oleg's to establish a trade route. I agree so prepare the next one north. Can't remember the number. Claim it next round. Step 4—Build Terrain Improvements. 2 per turn. Farm and Fishery. No brainer. 8 BP here. Consumption decrease by 3. Step 5—Create and Improve Settlements. Add Smithy. 6 BP. No houses. Unrest is 0 so that isn't necessary. Waste of BP. Step 6—Create Army Units. Have not looked at mass combat yet so don't want to mess with this. Step 7—Issue Edicts. Increase Holiday and Promotion to 1 to avoid the negatives at 0. This will increase total Consumption to 3 but with the farm and fishery it balances. 16 BP spent. DM said we had more than 17 right? Because the excel sheet we're using didn't discount the castle? Income Phase: Step 1—Make Withdrawals from the Treasury. Don't think anyone is going to do this. Step 2—Make Deposits to the Treasury. Or this. Step 3—Sell Expensive Items for BP. Or this. Step 4—Collect Taxes. Economy roll. +19 with smithy and Oleg's bonus. /3 for BP earned. So need a Stability roll from Ruler and Economy roll from Treasurer.
For his part, Bob gathered an assortment of documents and proceeded to bury himself underneath. He came up for air periodically but few knew what he was doing. Truth be told he was getting familiar with the area. It's geographic placement, local resources, census information on incoming settler, and so on. All to better council the fledgling nation and its fledgling rulers. Making the place sustainable and defensible was the first priority.
Is the third one a discount tree?
That's what I have been using. And you're right. I originally planned for NG. Erastil is LG. I imagine the River Kingdoms in general are CG or CN so I took us a step closer to that. A little freedom but not too carried away. I would put Holiday and Promotion to 1 and Token to avoid the negative. We can make up the Consumption later. Tax is zero. It's just not worth it. Plus it doesn't give us a negative at the lowest level so why bother. Do we set those edicts before or after the first phase? It makes a difference. Both increase Consumption and we have no terrain improvements to lower that yet. That means paying out of pocket. I'd rather take the hit to Stability and Loyalty then pay the the extra BP. Upkeep Phase:
Edict Phase:
Income Phase:
Cool?
Well balls. Lost the Ruler just as we needed him. Bob can help at least. I like converting Alexei to NPC. And bringing Akiros. No army for the general just yet anyway and we need to bring him out if his aimless nature. Gotta work on Kesten too from your description of them. Anyway, looked at the excel workbook. Pretty neat if a bit complex. Made some changes to it to set things at the right level. Must have missed some stuff because we ended up better than I originally calculated. Which is good. So stats before first round are set. I don't think we can make any terrain improvements until edict phase so i deleted the farm for now. I wanted an accurate upkeep phase. So I think we can finally take the first step forward.
"Excellent names all. I did not, however, come to impede that process nor weigh in. That solely falls to you by what I read in the charter. I merely came to expedite and make efficient the process. I assume none of you are trained or experienced in the creation of nations or even cities?" he asks. Assuming no one speaks up to the contrary, he pulls open a scroll case and unravels several documents. "I am not an expert in creation but I have studied the process and helped run a major city for the better part of 30 years. I have taken the liberty of drafting a few mandates, basic laws, constitutions and other legal documents common among all cities of any size. I have included many options from which to add or subtract as you see fit. My expertise is yours to command. I am here only to help. So," he smiles winningly, "Shall we create a kingdom?"
A man poked his head in to the room and smiled. "I seem to have found the right place." He then stepped fully in. The man was dressed well, much better than the farmers and craftsmen outside. His hair and mustache were also well kept. The fact that most of it was silver attested to his advanced age along with the cane at his side. He carried several scroll cases in a sling and placed them on the table as he walked forward. "Good day. My name is Bartholomew Baxter. Most have deigned to call me Bob though. If that is your preference that is fine." He smiled, showing he was genuinely fine with that. "A few years ago I was the personal aid to the current Lord Mayor of Restov. I retired to a quiet life in relative luxury and found that extremely boring. I tried to get my job back but found I had been replaced. Can't really blame the lord mayor, she was a lot prettier than I." He smiled again at his own joke trying to lighten the mood. "Hearing about the little venture down here, I thought I'd offer my services. Seems I arrived at the right time? Did I hear correctly that you are discussing a name?"
But in this case it just increases the Control DC. The castle takes a whole district so we'd have to put the house in a second district. That increases Size by 1 and thus Control DC. The House and Tenement provide no great bonus so they are pointless. The Mansion only increases Stability and the Noble Villa is far too expensive. Plus it's not realistic to start building mansions before basic needs are met. So here's why that is important. Control DC is essentially what we roll everything against. We have to do a Stability Check at the beginning of every round or unrest increases. That is why Stability is important and must be close to Control. We also roll Economy against it to get BP for the treasury. That is why economy needs to be close to Control. Loyalty is not used often except in battle, changing leadership roles and probably random events. That is why it can wait. Control DC is 20 + Size. Size is number of districts with buildings + number of controlled hexes. Currently that is 22. We build a castle and a house, it jumps to 23 because we have to put the house in a new district (the castle takes up a whole district). This is why the I through the slower option out there. We can build four other buildings in the same space as a castle and avoid increasing control DC. We can instead focus on terrain improvements and hexes. Each hex will increase Control DC but we get two terrain improvements per round and only one building. They mostly modify consumption but we can use the extra consumption on tax, promotion and holiday edicts which increase the three main stats respectively. I hope this is making sense. Basically we have to watch our growth. We can only add new districts or new hexes once we've improved our stats enough to make the checks reliably. We also get a random event (which could be nothing) every round. S!+&, now I am leaning towards postponing the castle. If we want to take advantage of our one building and two terrain improvements per round for a while we'll need to move slower. That is going to drain BP fast. Did I mention it's all hills around us. That means farms (reduce consumption), roads, fisheries (reduce consumption), vineyards (reduce consumption), preparation time (time it takes to gain control of a hex) and costs for most of those are all a little higher. Edit: I made a new Avatar. Could not resist. With your permission I'd like to add him to the game to RP my interest in the affairs of our budding kingdom. |
