Theo's Blog & Updates

Theo's Blog & Updates

February 22nd, 2011.
Hey everybody! I'm Theo, the Administrator of Warring Fronts. I set this up so I can give you the low down on stuff that's going down in Warring Fronts as well as changes that are constantly being made to the game to ensure equality and fairness. I'm not going to spend as much time on me as I am on the game so don't worry about that, but this first update will kind of serve as an introduction.

I ran the original Warring Fronts which got to about upwards of fifteen active kingdoms. The system was much more basic with no tangible economy or cultural systems. Militaristic nations had a legitimate upper hand, whereas cultural and supposedly economic nations had all their strength in fluff and not the numbers. Warring Fronts v2.0 has fixed that, although the system has been upped in difficulty. Hopefully everything will work outself out as we get the first four or five kingdoms rolling on here!

Updates

1. New Race Introduced! The Drow

I added the Drow because in most medieval fantasy settings they are fairly prevalent and have a reasonably sophisticated culture. I gave them the racial bonus of being able to have underground kingdoms because in all traditional senses they have always lived underground, although I wish I could've worked it out in such a manner as to give them a more magical trait. Their racial opposite is infighting, which means that civil wars and assassination attempts are much more common, as is the Drow nature.

2. Battle of the Cultures

I've made the National Trait Cultural Enlightenment and the Weakness Trait Cultural Infertility incompatible now. I did this because I was getting the impression people were picking these two to get the +2 Cultural Points from Enlightenment and picking Cultural Infertility as it was a reasonably minor weakness trait after the -1,000 birthrate is negated. This has now been fixed. All kingdoms that were accepted before this update are alloted to keep their set up if they had it in such a way, but the Moderators will eventually change the traits as the meta game develops.

3. New Resource Introduced! Rare Goods

I'm adding Spices as the " Economy of a Culture. " It will generate a small amount of Economic Points, but the primary point of Rare Goods as a resource is to boost Culture and kind of give an incentive for cultural kingdoms to enter the market and get their hands dirty so to speak. I was kind of ambivalent about whether it should be Rare Goods or Exotic Spices, but Rare Goods can be changed to a larger encompassing variety ; furs, spices, jewels, et cetera! Hopefully this resource will pick up and get introduced into the world soon enough. Hahaha.

4. New Resource Introduced! Aquaculture

Aquaculture is like fish farming, and it'll be a unique resource it that how much it generates depends on how much you want to go after it and how much you want to spend on it. However, it can run out and so it'll be important not to just try and gobble up as much as you'd like. Down the road I'm hoping to try and make every resource as unique as Aquaculture. All and any suggestions are appreciated in the Suggestions/Questions section!

5. Feudin' with Feudalism!

I've added the bonus of Heavy Cavalry having a decreased price under Feudalism as well to simulate the rallying of knights and the idea that feudal lords and not the reigning kingdom help pay for the knights training, armor, mount, et cetera. Should make Feudalism a tad more appealing of a trait.

Theo's Blog & Updates

February 24nd, 2011.

Hey everybody, the second update is here! I'm pretty happy with the system so far except for a few tweaks here and there. The biggest one I see so far is Mercantilism, it's powerful. Too powerful. It's being changed, so check it out. The cool thing here is that I'm letting an exception out, if you had Mercantilism before the change, and you don't like it afterward, you can change. I want diversity and variety. I don't want everyone to have the same traits! Blah, blah, blah!

1. Changes to Mercantilism

I got rid of Trade Societies and instead combined the traits into Mercantilism. I felt Mercantilism was getting a little powerful so hopefully this will level the playing field.

2. New Social Trait! Religious.

So, Religion is a trait now! It works pretty simply and the fluff text insinuates that as the religion grows and the kingdom builds centers of worship, the culture will also expand. Hopefully it gets used.

3. New Weakness Trait! Opposing Political Factions.

This was an old one from Warring Fronts v1.0. Self-explanatory.

4. Military Unit Maintenance

So, at the suggestion of the player of the Republic of Ever-Winter, Military Maintenance costs have been created to ensure that kingdom's do not just end up conscripting half of their population into the military. The costs are low enough to warrant growth, but still high enough that militaries won't be doubling up on every Population Growth. This system may be altered after a few Population Growths depending on how the systems pans out! Sweet!

Theo's Blog & Updates

March 2nd, 2011.

Hey everybody! I found the entire list of traits from Warring Fronts v1.0. I'm going to add a lot of them! Take a look!

Failing Infrastructure - The kingdom has seen better days. It might be because of war, or perhaps a corrupt leader who doesn't care for the kingdom as much as he should, but things are getting bad. The roads haven't been taken care of in months. Many of the buildings need to repaired, and the looks hurt relations with foreigners and don't do much to help the local populace stay happy.
* Causes public dissent
* Hurts foreign relations
* Causes accidents
* Creates logistics problems during wartime.

Insurgency Problems - It might be disgruntled miners, or it might be the Orcs next door trying to weaken the empire, but there is a definite guerilla problem happening within the confines of the kingdom. However, this problem will also garner support from like minded governments. During wartime their activities will increase, which will gradually become a problem unless troops are stationed in appropriate areas.
* Creates logistic problems during war.
* Increases public dissent
* 10% of the army must be committed to anti-insurgency during wartime.
* Increases diplomatic relations with Kingdoms who have the same type of government.

Opposing Political Factions - A certain group of people are disgusted with whose in power. They are planning something, as they always have. It might start with a public protest, but sooner or later an assassination attempt is very likely. In an Aristocracy, it's the opposing party, in an dictatorship, it's the disgruntled advisers, and in a Theocracy, it's those who disagree with the religion itself.
* Increases the chance of an assassination attempt.
* Increases the chance of rioting during wartime.

Natural Disasters - The location of the kingdom might be on top of a fault, or perhaps near a supposedly inactive volcano, whatever the case may be, it seems like mother nature herself has more against the kingdom than any of its neighbors. Natural disasters, while not an everyday occurrence, are absolutely deadly and will often times bring a whole kingdom to a standstill while lives are saved and the nation begins to rebuild itself.
* If this one is chosen, also choose two of the following: Earthquake, Volcano, Avalanches, Flash Flood, Blizzard, Tornado, or Tsunami.

Social Differences - The people are divided. It might be the rich and the poor, the army and the civilians, whatever the case is -- there is a cultural divide that has kept the country from being as unified as it possibly could be, although these differences have little effect on trade and commerce.
* Causes public dissent.
* Increases the chance of army mutinying or staging a coup.
* Generates the small chance of internal military conflict.

Poverty & Crime - A portion of the population is without jobs, without homes, and often times without food and clothing. A section of the capital has turned into the slums, and this has put an economic damper on things and puts a cultural damper on the kingdom as a whole. Crime is also a problem in the kingdom. Theft and murder are becoming common in the slums and people are afraid to go out at night. The local guards are stretched thin, and trade routes have nearly been compromised by marauding bandits.
* Causes public dissent.
* Decreases diplomatic relations with other kingdoms.
* Decreases cultural strength.
* Requires 5% of the army to stay in the capital at all times.

These are going to be the new Weakness Traits methinks.

And Technological Traits .. maybe? Ionno yet. I have a bunch though.

Theo's Blog & Updates

March 12th, 2011.

1. New Map.

The Map of the Known World has changed from a geographical and climate-esque map to a purely political map. This helps me to identify changing borders and distinguish other kingdoms. Things had to be changed, the Dominion of Chai is now on a continent by itself and the inactive kingdoms were removed. The Merenaz Caliphate and the Kingdom of Ezria now have blue water capability, haha. The Republic of Ever-Winter is still present, it just lies under Ezria. I hope you guys like it! As it stands, if you want to be somewhere else you can still change!

I took the liberty of naming the oceans.


2. New Ranged Unit.

Light Infantry will no longer be able to have ranged capabilities. They will be replaced in that regard by the Skirmisher.

Skirmishers - Skirmishers are light infantry designed primarily for ranged combat. They can be archers, peltasts, or even slingers. They have the same mobility as Light Infantry but have very minimal melee ability. They will route very quickly if engaged for a prolonged period of time in hand to hand combat.
* Costs 2 Military Points
* Comprised of 300 soldiers.

3. Change to Master of the Seas

Master of the Seas has changed from ALL ships to a SINGLE ship type.

That's all for right now. Check back closer to Saturday to see what else is up!

Theo's Blog & Updates

March 24th, 2011.

Hey everybody, back with a new update. I've got a few ideas that I'm panning out, and I'm probably going to change the TRAIT SYSTEM for sure, since I've worked it out in my mind how it's better going to serve Warring Fronts. Also another big change is unit prices, they're getting jacked up, as are maintenance costs. Here we go!

1. New Unit Prices

Conscripts
* costs 1 Military Point.

Light Infantry
* costs 3 Military Points.

Skirmishers
* costs 3 Military Points.

Heavy Infantry
* costs 4 Military Points.

Light Cavalry
* costs 4 Military Points.

Heavy Cavalry
* costs 5 Military Points.

Spellswords
* costs 10 Military Points.

Mages
* costs 7 Military Points.

Catapults
* costs 3 Military Points.

Battering Ram
* costs 3 Military Points.

Siege Tower
* costs 8 Military Points.

Transport
* costs 3 Military Points.

Bireme
* costs 3 Military Points.

Trireme
* costs 5 Military Points.

Galley
* costs 8 Military Points.

2. New Kingdom Trait System

I abandoned it earlier because the crowd was split, but this is going to give more tangible effects to the system. Here's how it works, there are eight categories: Tradition, Glory, Commerce, Freedom, Philosophy, Tyranny, Thought, and Zeal.

Every kingdom will pick TWO of the categories and subsequently unlock whatever sub-trait in that category as they amass the necessary cultural points. Here are the categories and their sub-traits.

3. New Units and Adjustments

These units are being deactivated: Light Infantry and Heavy Infantry.

These are the new units.

Warrior Company -
* Requires no resources.
* Cost 2 Military Points.

Swordsman Company -
* Requires Bronze, Iron or Mithril resource.
* costs 3 Military Points (Bronze).
* costs 4 Military Points (Iron).
* costs 6 Military Points (Mithril).

UNIT ADJUSTMENTS

Light Cavalry
* Requires Horses resource.
* Costs 3 Military Points (Horse).
* Costs 4 Military Points (Horse / Bronze).
* Costs 5 Military Points (Horse / Iron).
* Costs 6 Military Points (Horse / Mithril).

Heavy Cavalry
* Requires Horses resource.
* Costs 4 Military Points (Horse).
* Costs 5 Military Points (Horse / Bronze).
* Costs 6 Military Points (Horse / Iron).
* Costs 8 Military Points (Horse / Mithril).


4. New Resources and Adjustments.

Horses - Horses have and will always been an absolutely essential crutch to warfare. Without access to the domesticated horse, cavalry cannot be called into action. This resource allows you to utilize and purchase Cavalry units.
* Allows the purchase of Cavalry units.
* For every ONE Horse Resource Node, you can support 10 Cavalry units.

Wood
* Wood is now required to purchase Catapults, Battering Rams, Siege Towers and all Ships.
* For every ONE Wood Resource Node, you can support 20 Ships and/or Siege Equipment.

Bronze
* For every ONE Iron Resource Node, you can support 10 Swordsman Companies.

Iron
* For every ONE Iron Resource Node, you can support 10 Swordsman Companies.

NOTE: ANY AND ALL LIGHT AND HEAVY INFANTRY YOU HAVE, AS WELL AS CAVALRY WILL REMAIN -- BUT WITHOUT THE PROPER RESOURCES NEW ONES CANNOT BE PURCHASED! HAPPY HUNTING!

Theo's Blog & Updates

March 25th, 2011.

1. Happiness

Happiness is now the fourth addendum to the original triumvirate. We now have Military, Economics, Culture and now Happiness. Happiness is based primarily on the idea of stability in the kingdom. To keep the Happiness system simple, it has been created on a scale of having 100 Happiness per city to represent the entire kingdom. For example.

City-State of Elias has two cities, Elias and Vargus. That means they have 100 x (number of cities) = 200.

Elias would look like this:

Elias:
Happiness: 100/200. (-6)

All kingdoms start with a Happiness of 50% of the standing number. Issues and events will cause great increases or decreases in happiness and Military Units, Economic Points and Cultural Points can be used to increase happiness.

Happiness degrades at 3 points per city a week as a base. This differs depending on traits and government.

You ask, " Another thing I have to keep up with? Why?! "

Well now happiness is tangible. You have to at least care a little bit about your people, to the extent that entirely militaristic despots or hugely economic powerhouses can exist without at least moderating the happiness of the people a little bit. Happiness will not come into effect until the new Kingdom Trait System is finished.

Ways to increase happiness without traits:
Military
-- Stationing Military Units in areas of low happiness will momentarily decrease the loss of Happiness.

Economy
-- Building new constructs or giving Economic Points to the population will increase Happiness.

Culture
-- Spending cultural points to spread positive culture will give Happiness points out.

2. Kingdom Trait System 3.0

Governments -

• Monarchy - Monarchy is a form of government where power is vested in an individual. Often, but not always, power passes to the monarch's heir upon the current ruler's death. (There are some elected monarchies, but not many.) Monarchy is similar to despotism, but with one important difference: the monarch rules within the state's laws, while a despot is above all law. It is of course quite possible for a monarch to be a despot - but it is also possible for a monarch to be part of a political process which allows the people a good deal of freedom.
  -- Price of all Cultural activities is decreased by 25%.
  -- At least 10% of all Military Units must be stationed in the capital at all times to guard the monarch.
  
  
• Oligarchy - Oligarchy is a form of government in which a small segment of society has all of the power. Power might be held by a specific family or tribe, or people of a certain religion or from a special caste. Usually the rich or militaristically imbued are the ones with the power. Some oligarchies can be good in nature, though this is rare.
  -- 10% of Economic Point income a week must be spent to pay the oligarchs.
  -- Allows the creation of five "Elite type units of a single type to act as a Royal Guard. They cost double the price of the standard unit but fight as "Elite" types.
  
  
• Despotism - A true dictatorship, there is one leader and he or she has taken full power and there is nothing the population can do about it. The people are treated according to their whim, whether good or bad. However, their presence is not preferred by the people and they make it known often.
  -- Must choose the Tyranny Trait Tree as one of your two Trees.
  -- For every 5 Military Units purchased, 1 free Military Unit is given.
  -- Decrease of -2 Happiness per city per week.
  -- Increases chance of Sudden Government Change.
  
  
• Confederacy - A confederacy is a patchwork of states coming together under a shared banner for a single purpose. They have each decided to support eachother financially, militarily and politically to consolidate their power. A confederacy is power in ways of unity and offering multiple views, but it is weak in that disagreements are often common, and full unanimity is required in all decision making.
  -- Generates +5 Economic Points as a baseline.
  -- Decrease of -3 Cultural Point per week.
  -- NOTE: This government allows the Kingdom to choose up to three races.
  -- Lizardmen and Avians may not be in the same confederacy.
  
  
• Republic - A republic is a form of government in which people or the representatives of the people have ultimate power rather than the power being vested in a monarch or despot. The people or their representatives may elect a leader, but that leader's power derives from the consent of the people.
  -- Must choose the Freedom Trait Tree as one of your two Trees.
  -- Increase of +3 Happiness per city per week in peace time.
  -- Decrease of -4 Happiness per city per week in war time.

Customs - Customs is the policy of honoring the decisions made by one's ancestors and all earlier rulers of the state. New policies are viewed with deep suspicion and distrust. A kingdom with the Customs policy tree is one bound by the old ways.

• Feudalism - Under this policy, the power and prestige in a nation is held by those who own the land. The more land one owns, the more powerful one is. In some cases land ownership may be limited to members of a certain class, tribe, religion, or even gender. Great care must be taken by the elite to see to it that the great unwashed mass of peasants don't become angry with them, as such situations often end with a radical redistribution of land, which may or may not be accompanied by the executions of the former landowners.
  -- Must establish at least three fiefdoms per city if this policy is selected.
  -- Swordsmen Companies and EITHER Light or Heavy Cavalry cost 1 Military Point less.
  -- Only 50% of available Military Points may be spent at any one time. During a declaration of war the other 50% is automatically spent.
  
  
• Legalism - Legalism is a policy in which the relationship between the ruler and his or her subjects are laid out in a series of laws, which both sides must adhere to strictly. If the law is fair and is properly enforced, the people will be content and the ruler's position will be secure. However, some laws may be biased and unjust.
  -- Creates a governance based on a particular Writ of Laws. This increases Happiness by +1 per city.
  -- Increase of 2 Cultural Points a week.
  -- Greatly decreases the chance of a Sudden Government Change.
  
  
• Slavery - The kingdom has legally funded the institute of slavery within its borders. Slaves can be of the same race of the kingdom, or another race. Slavery allows for the freemen of the kingdom to work and if they need to, fight. This has allowed for increased economic growth as well as possible military growth during wartime. However, other kingdoms that don't condone slavery look down upon this kingdom for its barbaric institutes.
  -- All Resource Nodes generate +1 Economic Points per week.
  -- All Constructs cost 50% less Economic Points.
  -- Decrease of 3 Cultural Points a week.
  -- Decreases Happiness in all cities by -4 per city a week.
  
  
• Serfdom - Serfdom is the enforced labor of serfs on the fields of landowners, in return for protection and the right to work on their leased fields. A kingdom with serfdom always has a viable work force, but they are not always happy. If you need something built, you'll always have a large supply of workers. They own only the clothes on their back and for working on their lords fields they are given food and shelter. Civil unrest is common in serfdoms, but someone not working is very uncommon.
  -- Generates 1 Economic Point per 10,000 citizens a week.
  -- Decreases Happiness in all cities by -2 per city a week.
  -- 300 soldiers per 10,000 must stay in the kingdom to protect the serfs.
  
  
• Agrarianism - A social and political philosophy which stresses the moral superiority of a rural life based on farming, as opposed to the supposed corruption of city life, with its banks and factories. The agrarian lifestyle supplements the idea of self-efficiency over importing and exporting and advocates huge farmlands that can field the entire population no matter what.
  -- Foodstuff resource nodes generate +3 Economic Points.
  -- Increases population growth by 1,000 a week.
  
  
• Vassal States - Vassal states is like an "asymmetric alliance." Basically, one civilization serves as the master in the relationship and collects tribute from the weaker, vassal nation. A vassal state is any state that is subordinate to another. The vassal in these cases is the ruler, rather than the state itself. Being a vassal most commonly implies providing military assistance to the dominant state when requested to do so.
  -- Can create Vassal States from Colonies or conquered territories.
  -- Vassal States resources will count toward your kingdom.
  -- Vassal States have half of their population count toward your kingdom.
  -- Vassl States generate EITHER Military Points, Cultural Points or Economic Points for your kingdom.

Commerce - Commerce deals with the exchange of goods and services, either through barter (in exchange for other goods and services) or by the exchange of some form of currency. Commerce is as old as language and perhaps even older. In some cultures merchants occupy a lower class than those who rule or who get to carry the weapons. In other cultures, merchants are seen as the elite, and the acquisition of wealth is seen as the greatest good.

• Mercantilism - Mercantilism is a form of economic nationalism that encourages a nation to engage in policies of "protectionism" to promote its own exports and to limit imports from other nations. As a nation's "balance of trade" increases, the nation gains in wealth and prosperity, and if it dips below zero (the nation imports more stuff than it exports), the nation and its people grow poorer and more vulnerable to external threats.
  -- Every Trade Agreement that creates exports generates +2 Cultural Points a week.
  -- Every Trade Agreement that creates imports decreases -2 Cultural Points a week.
  
  
• Trade Guilds - Trade guilds are organizations of workers who have banded together to gain better working conditions, increased salaries and so forth for their members. The trade guilds negotiates contracts with the employer, hopefully achieving more success than any individual employee could on his or her own. If the negotiations are unsuccessful then the trade guild might organize a work stoppage (or "strike"), limiting or curtailing the employer's income. Many kingdoms have bitterly resisted the creation of guilds and more than a little blood has been shed over the matter.
  -- Requires only 30 Economic Points for a Golden Age requirement.
  -- Generates 1 Economic Point per week per 10,000 citizens in the kingdom.
  -- Decreases Happiness by 1 per city per week.
  
  
• Naval Traditions - Nations with strong naval traditions value their country's navy above all other branches of the military. (For obvious reasons: they're often island nations.) Service in the navy is expected of the ruling class, and naval officers are seen as superior to officers of the army.
  -- All Ship Military Units cost 1 Military Point less.
  -- All types of ships fights as Advanced.
  
  
• Colonialism - Kingdoms that practice colonialism believe in seeking out and finding trade and resources rather than waiting for them. They will explore new lands, establishing outposts and trade routes as they go, which will bring new wealth and resources from distant lands. Kingdoms that are colonial in nature may also establish colonies, addendums to their kingdoms that are not connected to the kingdom to fund interkingdom trading.
  -- SMALL and MODERATE sized colonies become free to settle.
  -- 6 Economic Points must be spent to fund the expedition for a LARGE colony.
  -- 10 Economic Points must be spent to fund the expedition for a MASSIVE colony.
  -- Colonies require a payment of only 1 Economic Points per 1,000 citizens to maintain.
  -- Trade Agreements are allowed between Colonies and the Kingdom.
  -- Much larger chance of finding Natural Resource Nodes.
  
  
• Protectionism - Protectionism is the policy of restraining trade between nations through quotas, taxes and other methods. It is employed by countries who seek to slow or stop foreign goods and services from entering national markets and thereby "protecting" the local industries. Protectionism is also used by rulers who wish to limit their citizens' contact with foreign people and goods, either because they think that foreign things are evil, or because they don't want their citizens to know how badly off they are compared with people elsewhere in the world.
  -- Gem, Spices, and Fur resource nodes each generate +3 Happiness a week.
  -- Gem, Spices, and Fur resources cannot be traded to other kingdoms.
  
  
• Taxation - The kingdom has decided that it can vary the level of taxation upon its citizens. The economy can flux and the taxation rate can be adjusted to ensure the people are kept happy. When the taxation rate increases, the revenue of the kingdom increases but the unrest within the kingdom increases as people make less and less for themselves.
  -- Taxation Rate: Anywhere from 0 to 20.
  -- For every level of taxation past 8, a decrease of 2 Happiness points a week occurs.
  -- For every level of taxation of 8 or below, an increase of 1 Happiness point a week occurs.
  

Philosophy

• Hedonism - Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. This is often used as a justification for evaluating actions in terms of how much pleasure and how little pain (i.e. suffering) they produce. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize this net pleasure (pleasure minus pain).
  -- Increases Happiness by +4 per city per week when not at war.
  -- Decreases Happiness by -6 per city per week when at war.
  -- -- Requires only 30 Cultural Points for a Golden Age requirement.
  
  
• Scholasticism - Scholasticism is a style of teaching that emphasizes critical reasoning and debate. The teacher would choose a book for study, and then he and the students would debate the meaning of the book, examine other books on the same topic, examine any criticism of the work, and so forth, by so doing gaining a fuller understanding of the topic than might be gained by rote memorization. It surpasses standard teaching of the day.
  -- Generates +3 Economic Points per week for every Academy Construct built in the Kingdom.
  
  
• Philanthropy - Philanthropy is the policy where a nation's wealthiest citizens give some portion of their wealth back to the people, often in the form of libraries, museums, hospitals or scholarships. Unlike patronage, where the citizen is paying for the creation of art for himself and others of his class, philanthropy tends to benefit the poorer members of society.
  -- Allows the conversion of 1 Economic Point into 1 Happiness Point at any time.
  
  
• Nationalism - Nationalism is the policy that emphasizes the importance and uniqueness of the state. The state is the mother and father of the people, and the people love the state. Everybody has the national flag flying from their home, and everybody attends the founding day parade of military personnel and cool hardware. Nationalist states are often quite powerful, as the people work tirelessly for the state's advancement. However, internal criticism of the state may be stifled, which can limit the state's ability to correct itself if goes off course.
  -- Allows the creation of Conscript Companies which cost 1 MP / 2 MP (Bronze / Iron). They have no military upkeep price.
  
  
• Aesthetics - Aesthetics is the policy which is concerned with the creation and appreciation of beauty. The search for beauty (and its sister, truth) is the highest of all human endeavors, the heart and soul of life itself. Many cultures throughout history have created and appreciated beautiful things.
  -- Cultural Activity prices are decreased by 25%.
  -- Monuments and Religious Centers have their prices decreased by 50%.
  
  
• Arts & Literature - The kingdom has a penchant for the arts. Their writers are famed for their imaginative words, their artists known throughout the land for their majestic paintings. Neighboring kingdoms fawn over such awe inspiring art. Such art finds its way into foreign cultures and shows how wonderful of a culture that kingdom truly is.
  -- Increases population growth by 900 a week.
  
  

Glory - In a "glorious" society, the citizens' status is based upon the society's judgment of their personal qualities. Qualities that are usually considered glory include fealty, honesty, integrity, and courage. In many such societies men are expected to "defend their glory" to the death, as any loss of honor and glory is considered far worse than loss of life.

• Professional Army - A professional army is a full-time military organization that remains in being even when the country is at peace. Its soldiers are paid for their services by the state and spend their time training or performing public works when not at war. The earliest armies were not professional. When war was imminent, the country's leaders would issue a call and all able-bodied men would shoulder their weapons and march off to battle. These amateur soldiers usually didn't have much training and were often expected to supply their own weapons and armor, so their quality was not very high. They tended to desert when they had to tend to their crops, so battles were scheduled for the summer. If victory wasn't achieved by harvest, the war would often be called off for a year. Professional armies form when a society has grown wealthy enough to support a large number of men who do not work the fields or perform other productive work. The soldiers are usually housed in barracks and segregated from the civilian population to minimize friction, and the state provides their food, weapons, armor, and training. They are almost always more effective than the amateurs.
  -- All Military Units cost twice as many Military Points.
  -- All Military Units have double Maintenance Costs.
  -- All Military Units now fight as "Veteran" types.
  -- Kingdom can no longer recruit Warrior Companies.
  
  
• Military Discipline - In a military structure, discipline refers to a soldier's willingness to follow legitimate orders, to respect superior officers, and to put their life in jeopardy or even die when required. Disciplined soldiers are expected to uphold the dignity of their uniform when off-duty and to protect the weak and helpless. Lapses in discipline may lead to military punishment or even courts-martial and discharge.
  -- Increase of 2 Cultural Points a week.
  -- Soldiers will never mutiny or openly disobey orders.
  -- Soldiers fighting in Home territory have increased fighting prowess.
  
  
• Espionage Network - The Espionage Network gives a Kingdom superior clandestine abilities by formalizing a system of spies, contacts, operatives, and organizers. With specialized training and a complex system, the network's operatives can outperform mere hired thugs or prying ears. In addition, Espionage Networks study ways to extract information from prisoners, and also train their own members and politicians in resisting these methods.
  -- Espionage Networks automatically form in nations that have contact with this kingdom and will send information via modmarks. Funding the Spy Network (with EP) increases its effectiveness
  -- Clandestine activities have a greater chance of success
  -- Subjects of kingdoms with Espionage Network are more resistant to interrogation
  -- More information can be gained from prisoners
  
  
• Military Tactics - The kingdom has developed certain tactics that are above the norm, they give the kingdom an edge in time of war. There are a multitude of different choices bu the kingdom has honed and perfected only a handful of these strategies.
  * May choose two of the following:
  -- Ambush - Ambush allows the kingdom to deploy a few regiments of Light Infantry in a position that will conceal them to the point of being unable to be located by enemy scouts and forces. When the time is right, they may ambush the enemy and inflict high casualties upon them.
  -- Forced March - When logistics are stretched, or when the soldiery can not move fast enough, the army has been trained to fast and drop everything that's not necessary. Entire armies can cross huge swathes of land within a few days to intercept an incoming force or flank an enemy force.
  -- Hire Mercenaries - When marching in either neutral or hostile territory, the kingdom has learned to look in the right places at the right time to find those who will fight for coin. The mercenaries will continue to fight for the kingdom so long as they are being paid. This trait greatly decreases the prices of all mercenary companies. Mercenaries are purchased and maintained with Economic Points, not Military Points. This decreases the price of all mercenaries.
  -- Scorched Earth - This trait can be used either in enemy or native lands, but the effect is same. All vegetation is destroyed, and if discovered, natural resource nodes can be temporarily destroyed. If used in enemy territory, this will substantially hamper their ability to sustain themselves, and if used in native territory, will substantially slow the enemies movement.
  -- Local Militias - In times of great peril, local militia's will rise up to defend their homes. These militia's will last only three weeks and can not leave the kingdoms borders. For every 5,000 citizens a single Light Infantry Company will be raised to fight if an enemy army enters the kingdoms borders with the intent of waging war.
  
  
• Advanced Training - The kingdom has given more time and training to a certain type of soldiery. It may be the Light Cavalry, used for scouting and quick flanking types, or it may be the Light Infantry have had their training and equipment bolstered so that they may go head to head with other kingdoms Heavy Infantry, but all the surrounding kingdoms understand that these well trained units are a symbol of national heritage.
  -- One type of Military Unit is always considered Elite.
  
  
• Military Tradition - Military tradition is the policy of honoring and romanticizing service in the nation's military. Soldiers and veterans are venerated, while those who do not serve in the military are inferior, possibly even dishonorable. People look into the future with hope that their sons will one day join the battlefield of their kingdom.
  -- Requires only 3 Major Military Victories for a Golden Age requirement.
  -- Increases population growth by 700 per week.
  

Tyranny

• Conscription - In times of war, many of those serving in non-military roles are put through a hurried training, given a weapon and ordered to the front. They do not have to pay for their own weapons or training, the kingdom pays for it as the kingdom is the one who needed them there. They are fed, but as soon as the kingdom no longer needs them they will be disbanded and returned to their original form of work.
  -- During war time, Warrior Companies, Swordsmen Companies and Light Cavalry can be purchased at a price of 1 Military Point.
  -- For every one Military Unit conscripted, 2 Happiness points are automatically deducted.
  
  
• Barbarism - The policy of barbarism greatly diminishes the cultural ideologies of the kingdom. People are generally less clean, less caring of their etiquette and more ferocious in their ways of war. The people are always unhappy however and always seem to yearn for more and more.
  -- Warrior Companies fight as "Veteran" units.
  -- Warrior Companies cost 1 MP even if using Bronze and Iron.
  -- Happiness can never reach higher than 65%.
  -- Decrease of 4 Cultural Points a week.
  
  
• Caste System - The caste policy is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of occupation, endogamy, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with more elemental aspects such as nobility, race or social class, in that members of all castes in one society may belong to the same race. The caste system divides the kingdom up among it's different castes, and while sometimes can be a positive enforcement, is mostly negative. There are usually the worker, warrior and often times leader or noble castes. These castes create social conflict and can sometimes lead to political or military incidents.
  -- Increase of population of +400 per amount of castes created (maximum of 4 castes).
  -- Decreases of Happiness per 2 per week per amount of castes created (maximum of 4 castes).
  
  
• Prosciption - Whether legitimate enemies of the state or it may just be that these men are wealthy, certain leading elements of society are targeted for state sanctioned murder. In addition, lands are seized as are all personal finances of those affected in cities across the country. While in most free kingdoms, or even legitimate monarchies, simply killing people is not legal, under a tyranny it's different. People can be condemned and killed for whatever reason the absolute ruler feels necessary.
  -- Increases chance of Sudden Government Change.
  -- Allows for the Proscription of Nobility, Peasantry, or Military.
  -- Proscripting the Nobility automatically raises 10 Cultural Points and kills off 5% of your population and automatically receives a Decrease of 10 Happiness in the kingdom.
  -- Proscripting the Peasantry automatically raises 10 Economic Points and kills off 10% of your population and and automatically receives a Decrease of 15 Happiness in the kingdom.
  -- Proscripting the Military automatically raises 20 Military Points and kills off 20% of your standing military.
  
  
• Martial Tradition - The people of the kingdom have a long tradition with war. They know how to fight, and their history tells the story. Those neighbors around them understand it and are fearful, or at least woe at the thought of negotiating with a people who are so eager to fight, but it matters not for this kingdom. Fighting is what they're good at!
  -- Greatly increases martial prowess in battle.
  -- Decreases Cultural Points by 1 a week.
  -- Can take Prisoners of War. Prisoners of War may be enemy soldiers who have surrendered, or if in enemy territory they can be hostile citizens of an enemy kingdom. Every 500 prisoners taken generate 1 Economic Point.
  
  
• Militarism - Militarism is the policy that the state requires a strong military, and that the needs of the military are paramount, trumping all other considerations. The state's army and navy are glorified, and its military officers hold a great deal of political power -perhaps all of it. Military states may be expansionist, but that is not a requirement.
  -- All Military Units cost 1 less Military Point.
  

Freedom

• Citizenship - Citizenship is the policy of a nation that acknowledges that a certain group of people, usually based upon their race or tribe or where they were born, are members of that nation, and as such, deserve a certain amount of protection as well as some rights and privileges, above and beyond those accorded to foreigners. For example, a citizen can often move around the country freely, while a non-citizen may be subject to deportation or imprisonment if discovered by the authorities.
  -- Requires Happiness of only 75% for a Golden Age requirement.
  -- Constructs cost 20% less.
  
  
• Meritocracy - A meritocracy is a system in which the most talented and worthy are assigned jobs and gain advancement in the government bureaucracy, rather than, say, those who are close personal friends of the current ruler (or congressman), or those from a certain tribe or caste or religion. Many long-lived governments swing back and forth between some form of meritocracy and some less sensible method of choosing those who run things. At first the officials are chosen for their ability, then over the years patronage or privilege creeps into the system and the government becomes increasingly inefficient and corrupt. Eventually things become so bad that the bureaucracy is jettisoned or reformed, and more meritorious officials are once again appointed.
  -- Every resource node you have generates +1 Happiness and 1+ Economic Point as long as it is not being traded in Massive amounts.
  
  
• Constitution - A constitution is a set of rules which outlines how the government will operate. It lists the powers and obligations of the rulers and it describes how elections are to be held (if the state has elections). Many countries have written constitutions but others do not. The presence of a constitution adds stability in the kingdom and allows people to get on with their lives without fear of reprisal and oppression.
  -- Greatly decreases chance of a Sudden Government Change.
  -- Increases population growth by 800.
  
  
• Rule of Law - The government is bound by certain laws or traditions to respect the rights and privileges of its citizens. Respecting these traditions makes for a happier populace and less corruption, but also makes it more difficult to crack down on unrest or criminals.
  -- Increases Happiness by 3 per city per week.
  -- Increases chance of Crime & Lawlessness.
  
  
• Social Freedom - As a trait, freedom generally means that no class of society is subservient to another, and that all are equally subject to the laws. I can't own you, and you can't take my wife from me simply because you're the king's son-in-law. Free societies are generally more successful than non-free states, as the free people often feel that they have more of a stake in their country's success or failure.
  -- Increases +1 Cultural Points per 10,000 people a week.
  
  
• Sovereignty - Sovereignty, short for "popular sovereignty," is the belief that the state belongs to the people, and that the rulers are "servants" to the people. Power derives from the people, and those who rule do so with the people's consent. Popular sovereignty can be most easily contrasted with a theocracy, in which the ruler derives his power from God, not from the people. Nations with popular sovereignty usually have some form of periodic elections in which the people can express their will, hopefully voting for the best candidate, rather than say the tallest or the best liar.
  -- If the kingdom is generating positive Happiness, and has an overall Happiness over 70, the kingdom generates +2 Economic Points and +2 Cultural Points.
  

Territories

• Masters of the Realm - The kingdom's people have grown familiar with a certain environment. They know how to live and fight in it better than others, which gives them a concrete advantage.
  -- May choose one of the following Environments. The Kingdom has improved martial prowess and logistics in that environment, and resources found in this environment provide +1 extra Economic Points. Your Kingdom MUST be at least half within this environment:
  * Desert - Your people are desert people, adept at surviving long periods without water and surviving the burning heat.
  * Mountain - Your people are natural mountaineers, able to climb rough slopes and adapt quickly to freezing cold and thin air.
  * Tundra - Adept at living in cold and frozen lands, your people will also fare better on winter campaigns in foreign lands.
  * Plains - Masters of the endless green, cavalry fight much more effectively and your people understand the intricacies of the plains biome.
  
  
• Resource Exploitation - The kingdom is mining ore, cutting lumber, or collecting stone from the quarry with absolutely reckless abandon. They have absolutely no regard for the long term effects, but instead are serving the immediate financial gains of having enough resources for those in the kingdom and having a large surplus to trade away.
  -- Iron, Bronze and Mithril Resource Nodes can now support 20 units.
  -- Horse Resource Nodes can now support 30 cavalry units.
  -- Decrease of -3 Cultural Points a week.
  
  
• Kingdom of Old - The kingdom was founded over the ruins of a much older civilization, the remnants of which can still be found lying about the world. The knowledge and technology within these ruins has helped the kingdom grow stronger.
  - The kingdom starts with one of the following constructs: Major Religious Center, Fortress, Well Developed Roads, Major Stone Wall.
  - All Constructs cost 3 fewer Economic Points.
  
  
• Nomadism - Many of the kingdom's people are nomads, living off their skills and whatever the land provides during their wanderings. Such a lifestyle breeds hardy people, capable of adapting to scarcities and hardships, and leading to a more decentralized kingdom. The kingdom itself still has leadership and a capital, but the majority of those living within the kingdom are hunter-gatherers.
  -- Kingdom does not start with or require Foodstuffs Resource.
  -- Kingdom may only have a maximum of one city that acts as a primary settlement.
  
  
• High Natural Resources - The kingdom's ancestors luckily settled in the right place, for the land that they settled in is extremely high in many different natural resources. The kingdom has thus started with possession of more natural resources than other kingdoms.
  -- Kingdom starts with three Natural Resource Nodes. One of them must be Foodstuffs.
  -- Two other Natural Resource Nodes can be duplicates.
  -- Chances of finding other resources in the kingdom is greatly decreased.
  
  
• 
  
  

Zeal

• Organized Religion - Organized religion is one in which a number of people follow the same religious practices and have the same beliefs. The religion may have priests who intercede with higher powers on behalf of the believers or who set/interpret the religion's rules. There may be a complicated hierarchy of priests and other religious leaders. The religion may have temples or other sanctums in which the people pray and worship. Generally the believers contribute money to support the religion, its priests and buildings. Generally, organized religion is a force of stability within a culture. People who share a religion have something important in common, and although strangers are less likely to murder each other. It can also be quite divisive as well - historically many organized religions have seen other religions as threats or abominations, and more than one war has been fought over whose god is the real God.
  -- Cultural Activities Minor Border Expansion and Major Border Expansion have their prices decreased by 50%.
  -- Allows the creation of a stabilized religion that must be: Polytheistic or Monotheistic.
  
  
• Mandate of the Gods - The mandate of the gods policy says that the current rulers of a country are in power because the gods put them there and support them. Dissent against the rulers is not only treasonous, it's also sinful. Such systems greatly promote support for the rulers, but they are not without risk. If the country suffers a natural disaster - famine, flood, earthquake, hurricane, rain of frogs, or whatever - that may be seen as a sign that the gods are displeased with the leaders and has removed its "mandate" from them. This gives the citizens the right to overthrow the sinful rulers and replace them with ones more to the god's liking.
  -- Every 2 Happiness points over 80% of the maximum are turned into Cultural Points.
  
  
• Religiously Devoted - The people of the kingdom have a widely accepted spiritual belief. Whether it be a monotheistic, polytheistic, animalistic or spiritualistic, the religion may not be state mandated but these beliefs have spilled into a certain belief so much that non-soldiers will quickly join the file and ranks on sheer religion alone.
  -- Minor Religious Centers generate 1 Cultural Points a week.
  -- Major Religious Centers generate 3 Cultural Points a week.
  -- Allows the purchase of Warrior Companies for 1 Military Point.
  
  
• Ritual Sacrifice - The sacrificing of animals, or even people, in a ceremonial way to please the deities of a nation. While the actual effectiveness of these sacrifices is unknown, they provide a measure of confidence and devotion for those who follow the religion.
  -- Sacrifice for War means killing 1,000 citizens and spending 5 Economic Points and for the next battle randomly selected units will fight at Veteran status.
  -- Sacrifice for Prosperity means that for every 200 citizens sacrificed 1 Economic Point is given.
  -- Sacrifice for the People means for every 200 citizens sacrificed 1 Cultural Point is given.
  
  
• Mysticism - is the pursuit of communion with, identity with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, spiritual truth, or a god through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight. Mysticism usually centers on a practice or practices intended to nurture those experiences or awareness. Mysticism may be dualistic, maintaining a distinction between the self and the divine, or may be nondualistic. Differing religious traditions have described this fundamental mystical experience in different ways.
  --
  
  
• Foreign Missions - The kingdom has considered the creation and dispersal of missionaries a very important part of their religion. A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. Missionaries spread religion and help to convert non-believers into believers.
  -- Allows the creation of Missionaries for the price of 5 Cultural Points.
  -- Missionaries may go to foreign cities and begin converting. Missionaries are one-time use units that convert 5% of the standing population to the kingdom's native religion.
  -- For every 5% converted to the new religion, the targeted kingdom experiences a Decrease of -5 Happiness Points.
  

Theo's Blog & Updates

April 4th, 2011.

Heroes

I'm testing this out. Heroes. Every kingdom will be allowed a maximum of 3 Heroes at any one time. All Kingdom's start with 1 Hero, their leader. So you get 1 free Hero and you'll have to get your 2 other Heroes down the road. Every Hero is allowed 2 traits and they are randomly given 1 malus, which is something bad. Here are the traits and malus.

Traits

Charismatic -
-- Generates +2 Happiness Point per week.

Industrious -
-- Construct Prices are decreased by -3 points.

Expansive -
-- Minor Border Expansion and Major Border Expansion cost -3 Cultural Points.

Creative -
-- Generates +2 Cultural Points a week.

Financial -
-- Generates +2 Economic Points a week.

Organized -
-- 10% of Military Maintenance costs are waived.

Aggressive -
-- Increased Morale when leading army.

Magically Gifted -
-- Hero unit is given 5 Mana per battle.
-- Must have Arcana policy tree.

Warrior -
-- Increases individual prowess in battle.

Diplomat -
-- All trade deals generate +1 Economic Point for the kingdom.

Pious -
-- Missionaries convert 3% more when used.

Malus

Drunkard -
-- Increases the chance of the Hero being unavailable at crucial times.
-- Decreases Cultural Points by -1 per week.

Lazy -
-- Decreases Economic Points by -2 per week.

Pacifist -
-- Decreases Military Points -5 per week.

Unpopular -
-- Decreases Happiness Points -1 per week.

Coward -
-- Increases chance of retreating during battle or if battle is near.
-- Instant -10 Happiness if a retreat is taken.

Incompetent -
-- Decreases Morale when commanding army.

Gambler -
-- Increases chance of the hero gambling.
-- If hero gambles, instant loss of 5% of the kingdom's treasury.

Ignorant
-- Increases chance of the Hero being randomly killed.

Arrogant
-- Decreases diplomacy with neighboring kingdoms.

Example Hero

Count Anju of Mille Sessau
Industrious -
-- Construct Prices are decreased by -3 points.
Charismatic -
-- Generates +2 Happiness Point per week.
Incompetent -
-- Decreases Morale when commanding army.