Infothread for THE GROGPUBLIC OF ROME

Started by JasonPratt, August 19, 2018, 06:48:52 PM

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JasonPratt

#15
THE EXPANSIONISTS will be Player 6. They're created by the senator group with the highest remaining influence (again). This Faction sees Rome's future being built on expanding off the Italian peninsula to take over the worrrlllld muahahahaha!  >:D

Your senators' knights count double when voting for any senator (even from another Faction) to be Governor of a Province. They also count double when voting for sending a Force to any War where victory creates a Province, or helps protect a Province, or recovers a captured Province, or recovers a Revolting Province... you get the idea. (Later in the game that's most Wars.)

Expansionists are better than usual at Developing Provinces when the Senate assigns them as Governors, and they get double rewards for successfully doing so. With your senators as Governors, Provinces also add +2 to every gain result in a Province -- so thanks to your superior management you can pick up more personal profit (if you want to risk that) but Rome itself profits more, too, and you can more efficiently add provincial fleets and troops for Province defense. Relatedly, your Governors gain twice as much reward for successful Victories as Governors against enemies of the Republic. But they aren't really combat-minded, so your senators don't get extra Military skill or other combat bonuses. Which is why they get more rewards than Militarists, for successfully stomping out a War from the launching point of their Province. Expansionists get x2 results; Militarists get 1.5 results + 1 extra point, but Militarists with their knight headquarters are much better at leading the Legions and Fleets to kick ass, and are more likely thus to pick up Veteran allegiances. No one really expects a Provincial governor to beat a War, so he gets extra reward for a heroic defense protecting Roman territory.

Provinces always have an inherent defense anyway, but the Senate can assign Legions as Garrisons, and Governors can build up local province defenses, including at sea where applicable. While inherent defense always stays with the Province, provincial troops can be added to help rebellions march on Rome! -- but Provincial units, unlike Garrison Legions, fight at half strength.

So Expansionists are super-Governors, who help out Rome and themselves thereby. But there are two big catches: your senators are more effective when they aren't in Rome, and thus not in the Senate voting with their minions; and your Faction has no special abilities for the first several turns of the game -- because there aren't and can't be any Provinces yet. You won't start playing according to your abilities until (some semi-random time in) the Early Provincial Era. Specifically, not until the Republic faces the first War that creates a Province.

So your Faction can improve quickly, but not until all other Factions are (probably) ahead of you. Until then, you're a purely generic Faction. And, more than any other Faction, your special abilities rely more on other Factions. So this is a tricky Faction to play, maybe the most difficult in the game, and arguably the most diplomatic.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

JasonPratt

#16
THE PROGRESSIVES will be Player 7. They're created by whichever of the remaining senator groups has the highest oratory (again).  Like the Populists, your Faction appeals to the people of the Republic, but rather more specifically than the Populists do: you protect the people against corruption in the Senate (even in your own party occasionally!)

Your senators' knights count double when voting for (not against) land bills, and when voting for or against any Law. Moreover, your knights count double when voting against another senator's gain, or for another senator's harm! (For example, against a senator gaining office or gaining a concession; or for a senator's conviction in prosecution. The former example may often team you with the conservatives, ironically!) Most importantly, each of your senators winning in a vote where their knights counted double (exercising your abilities), gain 2 Influence! -- and if they win a prosecution vote against one of your own senators, they gain 4 Influence!

Thus, Progressives tend to farm influence by being the spoilers or trolls, or if you prefer the internal affair investigators, of the Senate. Using your special abilities can be very powerful, and advance your Faction in Influence quickly; but naturally this comes as the expense of being the overt enemy of practically every other Faction. And usually your ability will also be at the expense of the actual progress of the Republic, making it less able to defend itself and grow and stay in existence. Unwise use of your abilities can easily lead to EVERYONE losing -- including yourself. So, this Faction requires careful subtlety to avoid self-destruction.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

JasonPratt

#17
THE NEUTRALISTS (or Neutrals) will be the 8th and final faction: obviously created by the last remaining senator group left over. ;) The Neutrals aren't activists, which is why naturally their Party forms last. But this refusal gives them a reputation of honesty and simply focusing on getting the job done. This renders you somewhat beloved by the common, invisible senators, who see you as something like the non-Faction, and therefore like themselves.

Consequently, your own knights count twice (convincing their friends) when voting in favor of your senators being granted concessions, plus 2 more general faction votes; and the same is true when voting against the conviction of your senators in any prosecution. (The 2 extra general votes, notice, remain true even if you have no knights at the time.) The idea here is that your reputation deflects charges of mismanagement and corruption, so you're more likely to be trusted with major offices and, ahem, extra income generations. ;)

Moreover, the knights of other factions don't normally vote AT ALL against your senators' gain, nor for your senators' harm! -- thus rendering other Factions less able to combat you! But, other knights will still vote with their normal and special abilities for you or against your harm; and they'll vote with their normal and special abilities when opposing you in favor of their activist interests.

Specifically: the Aristocrat general double-knight voting power will always affect you, so long as their Faction is the most influential (which triggers their activist ability, which in their case affects all voting topics pro or con). But if their faction isn't the most influential, then their knights won't oppose you.

Conservative knights still oppose you, and at double power, if voting against a Proposition that gives gain to your senator. But their activist ability doesn't affect other votes, including Prosecutions, so their knights will never vote for your conviction if you're prosecuted.

Progressive knights still gain double votes against your senators gain or for their harm, because that's their activist ability against everyone. So the Progressive knights are always essentially immune to your neutralizing power. Meaning, you had either better team up closely with the Progressive player, or he's going to be your nemesis.

Expansionist knights are only activist voters (bringing double votes) in situations which don't involve opposing anyone's senators anyway, so they're always affected by your neutralizing power. And Militarist knights aren't activist voters are all (concentrating on management of wars instead). But while Populist knights aren't activist either, and so are always affected by your neutralizing power, Populist senators gain extra votes by a totally different method which your power doesn't affect! -- and so those extra votes (from Popularity rating) will always affect you.

So there's still a lot of balance involved. You aren't simply nerfing all other knights from voting against your senators' gain or for their harm.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

JasonPratt

I have just updated the post with the rulebook, clicked back upthread here, to feature the doc file flow-list that I would be using to run the game. This includes all patch-ins for the prologue and epilogue Eras, plus house-rules for asynch, and some rule updates I've invented to work out some kinks in the April '18 living rules; printed in a flow-list somewhat like a computer program, so that I can follow the rules in a sequential order.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

JasonPratt

#19
Okay, the Crisis Grogs have finished out Falling Sky game, and now we're going back to the start of the Republic to see if we can return to the end of it!  <:-) Or words to that effect!

So far, I've got slots reserved for Barthheart, Dave, Larry (aka ArizonaTanks), and Rich.

Windi expressed an interest upthread, and "IncompetentIdiot" seems in (sorry, I thought you were "Iconoclast"). That's six, so two slots are nominally open; but players might withdraw or change their mind, so if anyone wants to sign in, go ahead. (I don't know whether I'm insane I MEAN SKILLED enough to run two games simultaneously, but I won't rule it out...!)


Anyway, players should confirm by posting below, and if you have any faction preferences let me know. I'll do my best to slot people in according to the initial random draws.

Edited to add: eh, I created a thread specifically for signup instead.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

JasonPratt

I have now created the gamethread here at that link. I won't be posting further to this thread, except perhaps to update the rules occasionally.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Ethel the Frog

Sorry for the delay. 

I will give each Senator 2, and they will not contribute to the republic treasury.   (You have indicated that the republic treasury can go negative without problem as long as I am in charge, so I see no need to throw any money away.  Plus the treasury seems to have money.)