BFRPG Domain rules

[Battlecreek]

This is the thread for my attempt at creating Domain creation and management rules.

Currently my thoughts on this are to have a look at whats out there and what works. I don't want to add to much complexity to the basic game but instead use stuff already in the game and just expand on it to handle this stuff.

Brainstorming

Domains can be started at any level, they just require wealth and resources to grow.
Domains can be a tribe, clan, guild, religion, kingdom, empire, nation or any group of people that has an organization to it.
A larger domain is just a bunch of smaller domains all interlinked.
Random events that cause stuff to happen to a domain are always fun.
Domains can go to war with another domain but sometimes outright warfare isn't the answer so need some rules to cover stuff like trade wars, one upmanship and other indirect stuff.
Need some way to figure out growth and shrinkage.
People die and give birth all the time so need to reflect that in an abstract way.
Make a Domain turn either yearly, if you want to advance quickly, or monthly, if you want to advance slowly. Anything shorter wouldn't really have enough growth.
Resources can be claimed and utilised if you have the right skilled worker or slave.
Slavery is a valid, but evil, form of labour recruitment.
Rules are made by the ruler of the Domain, and can only be enforced if he has the people to enforce it.
Different organisational structures have different effects in game.
Each Domain has a Morale score which can affect the way the people in the group act towards the leader.
Failing a Domain Morale roll means that you face the start of an uprising or maybe a coup attempt or a breakaway faction or something else like that.
Unify the morale system with the battle rules.
A Domain can maintain itself barely.

[Solomoriah]

Battlecreek, in due fairness... we don't "reserve" space here. Wait until you have something to say, then say it.

[Battlecreek]

Ah ok sorry my bad.

I'll edit my first post to add a few ideas I've had.

[hjmartin70]

unify the morale system with the battle rules,
forex the domain morale score is the starting morale of troops raised there

[Joe the Rat]

I like the idea of Morale, but morale fail = revolt is a bit turbulent. I'd be more inclined to have morale fail = lower morale. If morale gets below some point (5? 3?), or maybe rolling a 12, you go to revolt (depends on how random you like to run things). The ruler's Charisma should influence starting morale.

Morale could also directly effect tax and tribute: Low morale people aren't working as hard - or are holding back - or you've got a lot of corruption in the system. High morale is bountiful effort. You could work separate ratings for domain and garrison, but it might be simpler to keep the single morale rating, and assign bonus (or penalty) to the soldiers.

If it suits the campaign model, you could take this in an Ars Magica type approach.
The idea there is that "adventuring" takes place over the course of a season, with the rest of the year dedicated to research and other medieval scholar-cum-wizard activities. Breaking it up a bit, take the year in seasons. Directly managing affairs should be more beneficial, but taking time to adventure puts you on the road for a season or two (or longer).

Terrain is a factor - but use if for deciding what's there, not making production bonuses (this ain't Civilization).

For simplicity, assume that barring unusual circumstance, a domain can maintain its basics: the population will be stable, and can feed and shelter itself. tolls and tariffs are sufficient to maintain roads & salary the constabulary; taxes cover the rest of the infrastructure... just.

Beyond that... how point-unit-action-cost based do you want to go?

[Battlecreek]

unify the morale system with the battle rules,
forex the domain morale score is the starting morale of troops raised there

That works for me. I'll add that to the brainstorming list.

I like the idea of Morale, but morale fail = revolt is a bit turbulent. I'd be more inclined to have morale fail = lower morale. If morale gets below some point (5? 3?), or maybe rolling a 12, you go to revolt (depends on how random you like to run things). The ruler's Charisma should influence starting morale.

Morale could also directly effect tax and tribute: Low morale people aren't working as hard - or are holding back - or you've got a lot of corruption in the system. High morale is bountiful effort. You could work separate ratings for domain and garrison, but it might be simpler to keep the single morale rating, and assign bonus (or penalty) to the soldiers.

If it suits the campaign model, you could take this in an Ars Magica type approach.
The idea there is that "adventuring" takes place over the course of a season, with the rest of the year dedicated to research and other medieval scholar-cum-wizard activities. Breaking it up a bit, take the year in seasons. Directly managing affairs should be more beneficial, but taking time to adventure puts you on the road for a season or two (or longer).

Terrain is a factor - but use if for deciding what's there, not making production bonuses (this ain't Civilization).

For simplicity, assume that barring unusual circumstance, a domain can maintain its basics: the population will be stable, and can feed and shelter itself. tolls and tariffs are sufficient to maintain roads & salary the constabulary; taxes cover the rest of the infrastructure... just.

Beyond that... how point-unit-action-cost based do you want to go?

I'd be more inclined to continue lowering morale when failing morale checks till it hit a magic number (probably 3) and then have people starting to revolt. I think rolling 12 would just add an extra negative modifier to morale rather than going straight to revolt.

A single morale number for domain and garrison is the way to go with I think 6 being the average and not adding a modifier to taxes and tribute. Speaking of taxes I was thinking for simplicities sake that we use the gold coin standard, even if your domain is a tribe of stone age people who don't actually use money but barter for everything, so it would represent a value of stuff that you have stockpiled for improvements and so on.

An Ars magica approach could be cool and breaks up the year into four seasons which is probably better than rolling every month. Plus for that season of adventuring you'd have to leave NPCs in charge leading to further complications like coup attempts and civil war!

You might be right about Terrain but I like the way that the Kingmaker deals with terrain and allows you to develop different types of Terrain with buildings and upgrades that your domain controls, but it does make things more complicated. Maybe have it as an option rather than a core mechanic.

Not sure what you mean by point-unit-action-cost?

[hjmartin70]

Here is something I was working on a few months back. It is far from finished and the formatting doesn't come through all that well.

On beginning a turn, the DM…
1. Checks weather and/or weather related events affecting all players
2. Checks for scheduled events affecting all players
3. Checks for random events affecting all players (and each player).
4. Checks for Encounters for each player
None of these results are revealed to the players at this point. Then the players…
1. Declare Actions
a. Military
i. Create/disband units
ii. Train/upgrade units
iii. Hire mercenaries
b. Political
i. Declare war/peace
ii. Pay tribute and/or taxes
iii. Entertain
c. Economic
i. Trade
ii. Tax
iii. Tithe
iv. Collect rents
v. Borrow money
d. Projects
i. Roads
ii. Ports
iii. Fortifications
iv. Bridges, fords and ferries
v. Dams (flood control and/or mill)
2. Pay for Actions (including projects announced this turn)
Then the DM announces the events (narrative or timeline)…
1. Weather effects
2. Scheduled events effects
3. Combat or other conflict
4. Progress on projects announced on previous turn (or earlier).
5. Determines confidence level (morale) for next turn.
Weather – d12
• 1-5 Seasonal Norm
• 6-7 Seasonal Cold
• 8-9 Seasonal Hot
• 10 Opposite of Seasonal Norm and Extreme
o Snow in July or 100 deg in Jan
• 11 Rain (or Snow Nov-Mar) Extreme
• 12 Drought (or Flood in desert climes)
Scheduled Events –
• Jan- Winter
• Feb-Winter
• Mar- Spring Season Festival (Ostara)
• Apr – Tax Collection - Plowing- Campaign Season Begins
• May- Campaign Season
• Jun- Campaign Season
• Jul – Midsummer Festival (Beltaine) - Haying- Campaign Season
• Aug- Haying- Campaign Season
• Sept – Harvest Begins- Campaign Season
• Oct- Late Harvest
• Nov- Harvest Festival – Rent Collection
• Dec – Winter Season Festival (Yule)
Random Events – d12 once for each and once for all (on a 1 roll again and consult the table)
• 1-2 Raid (Bandits, Humanoids or other)
• 3-4 Feud (between players or within dominion)
• 5 Hunting Party
• 6 Traders
• 7 Liege visits
• 8 Natural Disasters
o Flood
o Fire
o Sinkhole
o Tornado
o Volcano
o Earthquake
• 9 Assassination
• 10 Pilgrims
• 11 Market Glut/Shortage
• 12 Spies
Encounters – d12 for each (on a 1 roll again and consult the table)
• 1-4 Misc. Nuisance, Dangerous (giant ant infestation or ankehg in the croplands)
• 5-8 Hunting Opportunity, Dangerous (Aurochs or Giant Boar)
• 9 Treat with Powers (Druids, forest elves or mountain dwarves angels even)
• 10 Signs and Portents (Comets, Meteors, Unusual Monsters)
• 11 Plague
• 12 Wandering Monster (Dragon or similar)
Projects –

The players determine what they want to do and the DM has to decide what modifiers to assign to progress based on current events in the turn the project was announced and the current turn. For example a player wishes to build a road to the town of another player to improve trade. In the turn the project is announced the player pays the project initiation cost and during that turn weather is seasonally normal (for summer), it is June and there is no war in the land so labor is plentiful and happy. Pilgrims are passing through, bound for holy sites in the east and the player takes a giant sloth while hunting. At the end of the next turn, during which the weather was seasonally normal (for summer). It is now July and the midsummer festival is approaching. There are some small raids along the frontier, easily driven off by the player’s troops and little else is happening. The DM judges that progress has been above normal both months and the 6 month project is actually half done after only two months. In August floods and feuding between the player’s people and his neighbors people actually set back the project to 40% after three months work. In short, wing it. Figure out how long the project should take, assign negative modifiers to bad events and positive modifiers to good events. Also, keep in mind not all projects succeed in their goals. When the road is completed the neighbor may just use it to invade!
Reasons to play, not just manage…
1. This is your home, defend it and improve it for…
2. The next generation! You need an heir and for that you need a spouse. The second son of a neighboring barony? Or perhaps the pretty wench who runs the kitchens?
3. Build up your power to go a conquering!
4. Get rich and buy your way into power!