I was thinking it would be the wilderling homeland, so all this would fit.
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I was thinking it would be the wilderling homeland, so all this would fit.
Glad to see you responding to all suggestions. So the Wilderlings will be the main NPC enemy of the southern kingdoms. Will the Wilderlings attack randomly, or will they only attack on the claim, say the northern portion of the snowmelt river.
Not necessarily the main enemy. There are foreign princes married to the current Kings daughters, who might try to press their claims should he die...
My plan with outside threats is to use them to create situations for the players to react to, as well as keep things from getting too stable.
Thus, Wilderlings might stage small, random raids, or they might muster a full-scale invasion of the northern provinces if they think they have an opportunity.
But I take it we wont be having a full scale invasion every turn like last time? 
Might PM you a few ideas I have tomorrow if that's ok?
Might PM you a few ideas I have tomorrow if that's ok?
Last game was ridiculous because of all the wars. One of my characters was grand master of the order of the light, sent to counter the franconian scourge while my other character was in a battle of logic with the other lords over the other enemy kings.
I hope you don't make this game too complex. The hereditary factor is going to make this game fun, but I hope it isn't too crazy. I don't want to take account of al of my marriages to make that I have a claim on the king.
Also, make the Wilderlings smarter. It would be nice for some Wilderling raids, but not constant invasions declared by the High King himself every turn.
One last thing, is there going to be other NPC factions besides the Wilderlings like maybe a viking-like civilization who either invades or trades wealthy goods.
I hope you don't make this game too complex. The hereditary factor is going to make this game fun, but I hope it isn't too crazy. I don't want to take account of al of my marriages to make that I have a claim on the king.
Also, make the Wilderlings smarter. It would be nice for some Wilderling raids, but not constant invasions declared by the High King himself every turn.
One last thing, is there going to be other NPC factions besides the Wilderlings like maybe a viking-like civilization who either invades or trades wealthy goods.
Are any of these usable? They're all a bit cookie cutter I'm afraid, but they might help. The photos are just to give you an idea of what I think they look like.
I - The Highlands, a region much like Scotland. Lots of rough terrain, pine forests and mountains/hills. The people of the Highlands live in close groups of several families, known as Clans.
Warfare between the Clans is not uncommon, although it is generally seen only in summer, as winter in the Highlands is cold and dangerous. During winter, the Highlands experience the greatest snowfall of any region of the South. The forests of the Highlands are made up of mighty pine trees, and amongst these trees prowl huge wolves and bears, as well as mighty stags. The most common weapons in the Highlands are swords, daggers, and the Ga-sleá, a long barbed spear, made of Highland Oak with an Iron tip. The Ga-sleá is used either as a close combat weapon, to stab at enemies, or as a thrown weapon, to disable or injure an enemy. The Ga-sleá is also used for hunting, which provides good practice for war.
H - The Dale, a region of low hills, quite streams and small forests. Mists are frequent in the Dale, and the region is famed for the sudden white outs that can occur, throwing many travellers off course. The Dale folk are a hardy and short people, and many make their living fishing or herding sheep. The Dale is full of ancient barrows, in which reside the remains of great warriors and kings. Because of this, The Dale is said by many to be cursed, who also say that the sudden mists are creations of dark sorcery.
As foolish as this is, it is rare to find an unfortified town in The Dale, and whilst stone fortifications are non existent save the in the province capital of Mistwater on Bern lake, almost every village or town has some form of earthen rampart topped with a palisade.
The people of the Dale are not warriors by trade, but they have an understanding of how to fight. Frequent raids from Highlanders, Bandits and other terrors require a reaction, and as such the people of The Dale usually own some form of weapon. The most common weapons used by the Dalefolk are spears, which they use in combination with a shield, usually round, and the short bow (They are incapable of using larger bows due to their short stature, 5ft being the average, with 5 and a half feet being amongst the largest). Armour is almost non existent in the Dalefolk, most wearing simple everyday clothes, with the luckier members of the army wearing a padded jack.
The Knights of the Dale ride on small, hardy horses, that are neither fast, nor particularly strong. What they do boast however, is an uncanny sense of direction and the sure footedness of a mountain goat. The Knights of the Dale are usually quite poor, and mail is the most common form of armour, with most knights wearing a basic Hauberk, mail hood and helm. Most of the Knights carry a sword or axe, a shield and a short lance.
The Dale is currently ruled by Girion Heldorn I, Duke of the Dale and Holder of the Barrowlands. He is 34, and has been ruling since the mysterious drowning of his father when he was 17. He is liked by his vassals, loyal to his liege and has been successful in protecting The Dale from outside aggression. He is however, considered a weak ruler by some, who believe that his lack of ambition and failure to take revenge on the Highlanders for their raids is a sign of a lack of strength, indecision and cowardice. He has 2 sons, Harron, 16 and Terlic, 14 and a daughter, Rosylin, who is 17.
B - The Ironlands, rough mountainous terrain. Almost the entire province is mountainous, and there are many large veins of Iron ore and other minerals running through the soil. The Ironlands control a large amount of the Kingdoms Iron supply, and the Lords of the Ironlands make a handsome profit, especially in times of war. The Ironlands themselves are an area of high black mountains, often covered in snow during winter. Pine trees cling round the slopes, and ground vegetation is sparse.
The Ironlands are ruled by Count Vagmar Jorgmund II. He is 38, and has 3 sons, Hjalmar, Lokir and Kaldim, 22, 21 and 19 respectively, and all proven warriors. Vagmar himself is a hardened warrior, veteran of many battles against Mountain Bandits and iron smugglers.
The Ironlanders are a exceedingly tough people, and most make their living mining and smithing. A few hunt for game in the Pine forests that cling to the bottom of the mountains, but they find little prey other than the odd bird. In warfare, the Ironlanders are often equipped with basic helmets, made by the village smith. The most common weapons are maces, axes and war picks. Horsemen are almost non existent in the Ironlands, with only the nobles and a select few riding horses. These horses are almost always imported from elsewhere in the realm. In battle, Ironlander forces tend to prefer defensive tactics, and battles in the mountains usually involve each side trying to provoke the other to attack their formation.
F - Wyneland, a fertile region on the Southern coast. The province is warm and perfect for the growing of fruits and in particular for the making of Wyne, an alcoholic drink made from fermented Grapes that makes up the regions chief produce. The province and the drink take their name from the River Wyne, which winds its way South from the Dawn mountains and emerges into the Summersea next to the provincial capital of Pitan.
Wyneland is militarily one of the weakest provinces in the Kingdom, its forces numbering pitifully few. The average Wynelander force is made up of some peasants, armed either with small crossbows or spears if they are available, or more commonly, simple farm implements. These are accompanied by knights, who although rich enough to afford good equipment, are of inferior quality due to a lack of training.
Wyneland is a region of large farms and plains, dotted with the odd deciduous forest and home to many rivers and streams. The capital, Pitan, is a bustling hub of trade, particularly in Wyne, Olives, Peaches, Apples, Pears and Paatraa (Spiced pig meat). From Pitan, ships take these goods all across the Kingdom, and even to other realms. The main destination however, is the Royal capital, with the King himself being a great fan of Wyne. The landscape is dotted with the odd fortification, usually a simple stone keep, sometimes with a moat. Small towns are also common, although these are unfortified. The greatest land use in Wyneland is farming, with most of the province being used as an Orchard, Vyneyard, or grazing field.
Wyneland is ruled by 45 year old Count Marco Littorai, who's family has ruled as Counts of Wyneland for as long as anyone can remember. Rich, and enjoying the favour of many nobles due to his provinces exports, he lacks military power and must maintain the balance of power between merchants and nobles, with both trying to capitalise on their provinces riches. He has 3 daughters, Maria, 24, Malthilda, 19, and Bella, 14. He also has a 27 year old son, a notorious womaniser and drunk, Fillip.
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They're all good in my opinion, except that I'd like Wyneland to be the former demense of one of the King's late sons, and now held by his son, a small boy. Marco could be a powerful local Baron who is acting as regent for the young boy.
I'm a bit concerned that the Dale might be doubling down on the Darkwood, our existing spooky province. I think we can pull off two though. I also wanted at least one county level title held by the church, and I think Dale might be the natural choice.
I'm a bit concerned that the Dale might be doubling down on the Darkwood, our existing spooky province. I think we can pull off two though. I also wanted at least one county level title held by the church, and I think Dale might be the natural choice.
I'm not really sure The Dale fits as a church territory, as I'm not sure I can really see a religious leader wanting to have such a perceivably unholy place as his title. I also think the idea of a Lord sitting in his castle, isolated in misty hills, works better than that of a Bishop in the same situation. I'd suggest rather that the Bishops or whatever they'll be called to be put in the either D/E or G. If the presence of 2 unholy places is a problem, I guess we could annex G to The Dale, add a few more hills to both and then make The Dale another of the Lords, albeit a less powerful one. That way, the spookyness can be kept, without adding another spooky location, as the area will directly border the Darkwood.
I'll have a go at writing some background for a couple of Bishops tomorrow if I have time.
I'll have a go at writing some background for a couple of Bishops tomorrow if I have time.
The church could always have come under control of the church during the last kings reign. The dutchy had increasingly come under "dark" influence with the outlining townships became increasingly distant/"dark. The duchal family died under mysterious circumstances and the last king turned over jurisdiction to the church, both to combat the "darkness" and also to be pious. That could be nice flavorful and interesting addition
Some ideas for Church areas. Might be useless, might be ok, see what you think.
E - The Arch Abbotship of Sudwald. Sudwald is a province famed for its open plains and deciduous forest, and is loved by many for its game hunting. Despite bordering many key provinces of the Kingdom, Sudwald is mainly a quiet place, with the odd village or Church being found nestled amongst its green fields and forests.
The ruler of Sudwald is currently Arch Abbot Elbert III, 37, who managed to reach his current position through being incredibly apt at the art of backstabbing. Using the other figures of the Church as springboards, he has managed to become one of the most powerful religious figures in the realm at an age when many have not even risen to the rank of Abbot.
Recently, Sudwald has experienced a large increase in banditry, with a group known commonly as 'The Woodland Brotherhood' and known to the Arch Abbot as 'a bunch of thieving peasant bastards taking MY money'. They hide in the forests of Sudwald, and ambush passers by, taking their riches and goods and carrying off the women. These outlaws claim to be chivalrous resistors to the excessive taxes levied by the Arch Abbot (Most of which is used to line his own pockets), but in fact they are just common bandits, with little good about them.
Militarily, Sudwald is a weak province, lacking in manpower and professional forces. Most of the lands are held by the Church, leading to a short supply of knights in the region, and those that do dwell there are poor and ill equipped. Overall, a force from Sudwald would likely be made up of a core of a few poor knights, supplemented by peasants armed with hunting bows and other everyday items.
G - The Arch Abbotship of Nordland. Nordland is a province of little wealth, power or circumstance. It is a region of low hills, dotted with the odd pine tree. The soil is infertile and very little grows, turning what would otherwise be a good province for farming into a sparsely habited expanse. Because of its lack of population, major urban centres and anything in the way of valuable exports, Nordland is often called the forgotten province of Neumark.
Nordland is currently ruled by Arch Abbot Mikhael I, 57. Mikhael was unfortunate enough to make an enemy of the High Patriarch soon after attaining the position of Arch Abbot (Some, including Mikhael, say this was a plot engineered by Elbert III), and whilst the High Patriarch could not justify any real punishment, he instead gave Mikhael's position as Arch Abbot of Sudwald to Elbert, sending the former to the desolate regions of Nordland, thereby removing him from any power without being seen as tyrannical. Because of this, Mikhael resents the High Patriarch and Elbert III enormously, and would likely back any claimant to the throne that would help him take revenge upon them.
Traditionally, the Arch Abbot of Nordland is considered to be the leader of the faith in the North, and whilst not equal in rank to the High Patriarch, enjoys a wide degree of respect from Northerners. He theoretically should also be able to call upon the various Militant Orders that reside in his province, but once again, due to the High Patriarch's moves, the leaders of these Orders have been turned against Mikhael.
In reality, Nordland is a very weak province. Whilst still the third most powerful religious province in the realm, she is very poor, lacks populace and her ruler is outcast by many of his peers. Furthermore, she has to contend not only with matters of faith in the North, but also the fact that she borders the Darkwood to the North, and The Dale to the South, both of which are said to be unholy places.
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More or less what I was thinking, though I had the titles different. But for extra fun, I had the monestaries being seperate from the regular church hierarchy, much like the real middle ages. Also our "pope" figure is far away and as likely to side with our foreign rivals in Gallus and Estheim as he is with us.
My proposed structure:
The Primus: Head of the Faith, lives far away in Valtheon
Proxies: Equivilant to Archbishops or Cardinals, second only to the Primus, two or three in the kingdom
Proctors: Equivilant to Bishops, head of the church in an area roughly equivilant to a county
Priests: exactly what they sound like
Yes, I like alliteration, sue me
Seperate from the regular church hierarchy, the monastic orders. I'm thinking getting them on your side might give specific benefits. For instance the Tolan monks specialize in herblore and medicine, so having their favor might make your characters less likely to die of disease or poison (maybe even make your efforts to poison a rival more likely to succeed). I was thinking we could have two more monastic orders. One could focus on mathematics, engineering and architecture, allowing a friendly lord to build bigger and better castles and more sophisticated siege equipment. The last one might focus on agricultural knowledge, which they can share with those they favor to give them more income from their holdings. There might be a military order as well, but their interest in Neumark would be as a source of income and recruits for far away holy wars.
Edit: oh, and the reason I thought the Dale fit for the Church is kind of that if something is haunted/cursed, you might want to call an exorcist. Or that if you are a cynical, corrupt clergyman, you might want to emphasize all the scary monsters out there to drive people into the arms of the faith...
Religion sounds good.
Still not sure about The Dale being Church land though. I'm just don't think it fits in with the original Barrow Downs/Wales/Bard the Bowman theme I was going for.
Are the ideas for the provinces any good? What about the titles going with them?
Still not sure about The Dale being Church land though. I'm just don't think it fits in with the original Barrow Downs/Wales/Bard the Bowman theme I was going for.
Are the ideas for the provinces any good? What about the titles going with them?
I like the provinces. Sudwald might be a good one for a second church domain, with D as a vassal. The Dale would be a vassal of the Proxie of Nordland, but with its own lord.
A. will be called the Ash Islands, unless someone has something better. They'll be the last great lordship, sort of our version of the Isles off Scotland. Sort of Norse-themed. Would house Drachenwald be too cheesy? I think a dragon makes the logical sigil.
It seems filling the map is in good hands.
In the meantime, I've been considering the game's 'engine' sort of speak. So far we've been dividing Neumark into lordships and them into smaller districts or so. Making a quick glance, by the time it's finished we'll have 30 or 40 locations.
So far, all the locations given are of either 3 types: castles, cities and monasteries. A few places are hibrids, like St Collin for instance, but all of them can be assimilated into one of the categories. I'm asuming that we'll have a monetary economy, meaning each player has an income and has to spend it maintaining its armies, expanding the cities and so on and so forth.
At the moment I'm considering the income system, where each location will be classified into one of the 3 types and has a level in a scale of 50 levels. Monasteries and castles may provide for other bonuses or stats, righ now I'm considering only the monetary aspect of them.
In the case of cities the scale would be the following:
I've already have an idea of how to make the complete chart (lineal scales are too boring). The sites shall be classified according to their backstory, balance, etcetera.
In the case of castles and monasteries, they'd have shorter scales, 5 to 500 and 10 to 800, considering that their main focus is not resource generation and that they have other functions.
Thoughts?
EDIT: This also includes the cost of upgrading, that shouldn't be lower than 1.5 times it's current income..., so you can't turn a village in a city overnight
In the meantime, I've been considering the game's 'engine' sort of speak. So far we've been dividing Neumark into lordships and them into smaller districts or so. Making a quick glance, by the time it's finished we'll have 30 or 40 locations.
So far, all the locations given are of either 3 types: castles, cities and monasteries. A few places are hibrids, like St Collin for instance, but all of them can be assimilated into one of the categories. I'm asuming that we'll have a monetary economy, meaning each player has an income and has to spend it maintaining its armies, expanding the cities and so on and so forth.
At the moment I'm considering the income system, where each location will be classified into one of the 3 types and has a level in a scale of 50 levels. Monasteries and castles may provide for other bonuses or stats, righ now I'm considering only the monetary aspect of them.
In the case of cities the scale would be the following:
I've already have an idea of how to make the complete chart (lineal scales are too boring). The sites shall be classified according to their backstory, balance, etcetera.
In the case of castles and monasteries, they'd have shorter scales, 5 to 500 and 10 to 800, considering that their main focus is not resource generation and that they have other functions.
Thoughts?
EDIT: This also includes the cost of upgrading, that shouldn't be lower than 1.5 times it's current income..., so you can't turn a village in a city overnight
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Sounds good. I might start working on some Coats of Arms for the provinces I've made if I get some free time, as well as stuff to fill the last few empty spaces.
Drachenwald would seem to suggest a forest to me. I'd say something more like Drachenstien or Drachenberg, meaning Dragon Rock or Dragon Mountain. A Dragon sigil is good though, as is their general theme. I think they could be tied to the Ironlands a bit, perhaps make the people be of much the same culture or have historical ties to each other.
Santi, that looks good, although I would suggest adding a further class for cities to represent the truly huge cities of the world, like Constantinople or Paris IRL.
OK, charts done. In order to represent the huge cities of the world, there's a really big gap between each level of city, and I've taken their limit to 1.100. Besides, the update cost goes up rather steep. Here we go:
Looks good Santi, although a Monastery should maybe be a bit more economically viable than a Castle, as the Church historically wasn't exactly poor (Excuse my meagre knowledge of the time period, I'm mostly just using common stereotypes of the age)? That would also help to stop castle spam, as people would only build castles where they were most needed.
Good point about the name. Drachenstien has rather an awesome ring to it, no?
For mottos, I have two possibilities: "You don't want to wake the dragon" or "through the fire and the flames."
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Regarding the settlement levels, I approve entirely. Cities should be primarily about generating coin, with castles primarily about generating troops, with Churches/monestaries somewhere between. Also, the player wouldn't get 100% of the income or troops, but a percent determined by the loyalty of the vassal in question (basically like CK 2)
As we're going into the "under the hood" stuff, lets talk combat:
Basically, we'll use CK2 as our template. Holdings will generate troops of different types. The types will have bonuses and maluses against other types. Combat will take place in several phases, with each phase involving dice rolls by the GM
1. "Planning:" This phase determines whether the players orders get implemented as planned. In an age of primative communication and non existant command and control, lots can go wrong. Maybe one part of the army doesn't show up on time, or one of your lords drags his feet or blunders into an ambush.
2. "Skirmish:" The phase before the armies meet head on. The phase where archers and light cavalry excell, and where light infantry suck somewhat less. Slow heavy infantry suffers.
3. "Melee": The phase where the main bulk of the armies clash. Heavy infantry and knights rule
4. "Pursuit": Once one army breaks, the other army gets the chance to chase them and inflict more casualties. Light cav is a killer here.
The general troop types:
Light Infantry: Peasant levies equipped with whatever they can scrounge up. Can actually be usefull in big enough numbers
Archers: catch all term for ranged infantry troops, be they shortbows, longbows, crossbows, or what have you
Drilled Infantry: Somewhere between Light and Heavy infantry, these footmen are semi-pro fighters who fight as a unit in formations. Landsknechts, Swiss-style pikemen, etc.
Heavy Infantry: Professional soldiers, well equipped with melee weapons and armor
Light Cavalry: Fast unit, lacks the heavy impact of knights but great for recon, skirmishing, raiding and running down fleeing units.
Heavy Cavalry: Mounted knights, squires, and other such men of war. Heavy armor and devestating shock charge, but expensive and sometimes undisciplined.
Units will also have a Quality rating between 1 and 10, which impacts how they perform in battle. This represents the quality of their training and equipment. You can't directly buy upgrades in quality, but you can impact it.
For instance, instituting a rule requiring archery practice for peasants could in time improve your archer quality, or spending cash to bring in master armorsmiths could improve your heavy troops. More prosperous peasants might be able to field levies armed with proper weaponry instead of farm implements if you reduce their rents, but at the cost of reducing the amount of knights your barons can field. I want to leave this wide open to creativity on the players part.
Morale will also play a part, with players recieving bonuses to their roles if, say, their troops are fighting a desperate last stand to save their loved ones under a popular and respected leader. Terrain will also play a factor.
Available troops will replenish/grow in time due to natural growth rate as new men come of age. You can try to accelerate efforts in a pinch by, say, offering patronage to Hedge Knights and sellswords, but likely at a cost to your troops overall quality.
Mercenary companies will also be available for contracts. As in real life history, these will be rather expensive and potentially problematic.
As we're going into the "under the hood" stuff, lets talk combat:
Basically, we'll use CK2 as our template. Holdings will generate troops of different types. The types will have bonuses and maluses against other types. Combat will take place in several phases, with each phase involving dice rolls by the GM
1. "Planning:" This phase determines whether the players orders get implemented as planned. In an age of primative communication and non existant command and control, lots can go wrong. Maybe one part of the army doesn't show up on time, or one of your lords drags his feet or blunders into an ambush.
2. "Skirmish:" The phase before the armies meet head on. The phase where archers and light cavalry excell, and where light infantry suck somewhat less. Slow heavy infantry suffers.
3. "Melee": The phase where the main bulk of the armies clash. Heavy infantry and knights rule
4. "Pursuit": Once one army breaks, the other army gets the chance to chase them and inflict more casualties. Light cav is a killer here.
The general troop types:
Light Infantry: Peasant levies equipped with whatever they can scrounge up. Can actually be usefull in big enough numbers
Archers: catch all term for ranged infantry troops, be they shortbows, longbows, crossbows, or what have you
Drilled Infantry: Somewhere between Light and Heavy infantry, these footmen are semi-pro fighters who fight as a unit in formations. Landsknechts, Swiss-style pikemen, etc.
Heavy Infantry: Professional soldiers, well equipped with melee weapons and armor
Light Cavalry: Fast unit, lacks the heavy impact of knights but great for recon, skirmishing, raiding and running down fleeing units.
Heavy Cavalry: Mounted knights, squires, and other such men of war. Heavy armor and devestating shock charge, but expensive and sometimes undisciplined.
Units will also have a Quality rating between 1 and 10, which impacts how they perform in battle. This represents the quality of their training and equipment. You can't directly buy upgrades in quality, but you can impact it.
For instance, instituting a rule requiring archery practice for peasants could in time improve your archer quality, or spending cash to bring in master armorsmiths could improve your heavy troops. More prosperous peasants might be able to field levies armed with proper weaponry instead of farm implements if you reduce their rents, but at the cost of reducing the amount of knights your barons can field. I want to leave this wide open to creativity on the players part.
Morale will also play a part, with players recieving bonuses to their roles if, say, their troops are fighting a desperate last stand to save their loved ones under a popular and respected leader. Terrain will also play a factor.
Available troops will replenish/grow in time due to natural growth rate as new men come of age. You can try to accelerate efforts in a pinch by, say, offering patronage to Hedge Knights and sellswords, but likely at a cost to your troops overall quality.
Mercenary companies will also be available for contracts. As in real life history, these will be rather expensive and potentially problematic.