Hello, and welcome to the Family. This is my first forum game and I am fair excited. Any and all similarities to XVG's or RNN's games is because I blatantly rip them off, thank you to them for creating an entire genre for use by the community.
Welcome, to America and welcome to New York! The year is 1898 and the world is open to opportunity. You may have recently traveled here, or may be an old blooded settler, but it is no matter. New York City was just officially formed and it is open to exploitation. The American Dream is here for the taking, you just have to take it.
The game can be joined at any time.
You must be a Politician, Businessman, Criminal or Policeman
To join, simply make a post in the following format:
In The Family, the Characters have an amount Stats: Income, Wealth, Weapons, Underlings and Influence. Wealth is measured in American Dollars, and represents a character's material's worth. Income is measured in dollars per year, and represents the income a character has, whatever the means it is achieved. Influence is measured in clout, and is representative of the sway, friends, fear and favors a character accumulates and inspires over time. Weapons are the weapons they own, while underlings are men that they control at least fairly directly.
So how are they useful? Well, each turn your income generates more wealth from you. And then wealth can be used on different orders, like buying more land, businesses, politicians etc. Influence is gained by having position, winning battles, courting favor among, and so on, and will make your orders, actions, and plots generally go smoother.
Orders cost wealth to carry out, and plots use influence to increase their chance of success. If you are low on wealth, you can spend Influence on orders, but not vice-versa. If you plan to do this, note it in your orders.
Every character gets one personal order per turn. This can be anything, though you may want to make it useful. For instance, if you are short on wealth, getting favor from an official would be smart so no one looks your way. If you are looking to carry out a plot, visiting various families and currying their favor would be a good idea. This should be limited to a single action, and should take up no more than four lines in the message box.
In addition to their personal order, all players get an an administrative order. This is used to carry out their duties for the Family, such as handling administration, or smuggling alcohol, etc. The Family Head have one of these, and he is to use it for administering the Family (i.e. if he wants to expand boroughs, build specific buildings, etc.) The administrative order can have multiple actions in it so long as they are related, and should take up no more than six lines in the message box.
Note that the personal order is for actions that help your character, and the administrative order is for doing the duties that a character is tasked with doing by the Realm or other organizations.
You can use an administrative order to help yourself, but you must make it reasonable.
Finally, the Family Head get an additional Family order on top of their administrative and personal orders. This is used to do Realm actions such as granting titles, promoting (or demoting) characters, etc. The Realm order can have as many appropriate actions as the Family Head wishes in it, and it will have no limit for length.
Note that IC regarding policy changes within government, the police or addressing minis (such as the NYT) will be taken as an order.
Orders should have a subject of “The Family - Your Character’s Name, Current Year”. So, for example:
Plots are group covert efforts, for example assassinations. These will be treated as a special kind of order. Players are free to secretly plot, gather influence, etc. without GM approval. When the plot leader feels he is prepared to act, he must send the GM a PM detailing the plot goal, its plan, and those who back it. Any requests for NPC support (such as the business leaders, foreign interests, etc.) can be directed to me. Once I confirm the people that back the plot, it will be considered an order. A plot serves as the player’s personal order for the turn he decides to launch it, as well as for all those backing the plot. The greater the combined influence a plot has, the more likely it is to succeed.
Note that any assassination of a higher ranking Family member, or the Head himself, will need a VERY powerful plot backing to succeed.
One of the primary parts of The Family is just that, the Family. Beginning in 1898, life is short and your family is all you have. Be it made up of various PCs or just one, every criminal, policeman, businessman and politician in New York belongs to a family. Each player that advances the Family gives the Head more power and money in which to make executive decisions for the Family.
The Family Head starts out simple at the beginning of the game, it is the eldest member of the family. However as contenders for power rise, anyone may attempt to overthrow the Head via a plot. When a Family Head dies, the Family must get together and elect a new Family Head, in which to be in ultimate control of everything the Family does.
There are two types of updates. These will contain the results of orders, events, and other important happenings. The first type of update is a Main Update. It will cover a year in-game, and will contain the results of all the orders sent in, among other events that happen that year. The second type of update is a Mini Update. It will highlight or cover a specific event during the year.
Events are significant happenings (such as a war, political changes, a natural disaster, or an unexpected benefit) that will usually cause a headache for the Families, though sometimes will bring them or other characters joy. The majority of The Family will be player-driven, but the events will provide the substance for you as a player to create this content.
War is unique, as it can happen between police and criminals, or between rival families. When this occurs, the main commander of the various sides send me a general plan, which PCs are in the battle and the composition of their forces. Each PC involved is required to be in charge of at least one squad.
I will write up mini updates for major battles, and perhaps if you are a soldier or an officer commanding a squad, you will be noted in such a mini for commendable service to the Family and it's Head.
Well, that is it! If you still have any questions regarding the rules, or if some part of them is unclear (or badly written, feel free to PM me here on the Forums or contact me on IRC. Have fun with The Family!
The IRC Channel is for OOC conversation and speaking with the GM. It is not a requirement, but it is strongly recommended.
Network: http://www.coldfront.net/
Channel name: #TheFamily
Instructions:
1) Go to ColdFront using the link above.
2) Choose the Flash or Java Client
3) Create a screen name
4) The client will auto-add you to #coldfront. Leave this channel.
5) In the command box type "/join #TheFamily"
You should then be logged in and ready to chat.
Welcome, to America and welcome to New York! The year is 1898 and the world is open to opportunity. You may have recently traveled here, or may be an old blooded settler, but it is no matter. New York City was just officially formed and it is open to exploitation. The American Dream is here for the taking, you just have to take it.
Joining the Game
The game can be joined at any time.
You must be a Politician, Businessman, Criminal or Policeman
To join, simply make a post in the following format:
Name:
Birth Year:
Culture: (English, Irish, German, Dutch, Italian, etc...)
Field: (Must be politician, businessman, criminal or policeman)
Biography: (Short background story for your character
Family: (An already created family or one you created yourself)
Stats
In The Family, the Characters have an amount Stats: Income, Wealth, Weapons, Underlings and Influence. Wealth is measured in American Dollars, and represents a character's material's worth. Income is measured in dollars per year, and represents the income a character has, whatever the means it is achieved. Influence is measured in clout, and is representative of the sway, friends, fear and favors a character accumulates and inspires over time. Weapons are the weapons they own, while underlings are men that they control at least fairly directly.
So how are they useful? Well, each turn your income generates more wealth from you. And then wealth can be used on different orders, like buying more land, businesses, politicians etc. Influence is gained by having position, winning battles, courting favor among, and so on, and will make your orders, actions, and plots generally go smoother.
Orders
Orders cost wealth to carry out, and plots use influence to increase their chance of success. If you are low on wealth, you can spend Influence on orders, but not vice-versa. If you plan to do this, note it in your orders.
Every character gets one personal order per turn. This can be anything, though you may want to make it useful. For instance, if you are short on wealth, getting favor from an official would be smart so no one looks your way. If you are looking to carry out a plot, visiting various families and currying their favor would be a good idea. This should be limited to a single action, and should take up no more than four lines in the message box.
In addition to their personal order, all players get an an administrative order. This is used to carry out their duties for the Family, such as handling administration, or smuggling alcohol, etc. The Family Head have one of these, and he is to use it for administering the Family (i.e. if he wants to expand boroughs, build specific buildings, etc.) The administrative order can have multiple actions in it so long as they are related, and should take up no more than six lines in the message box.
Note that the personal order is for actions that help your character, and the administrative order is for doing the duties that a character is tasked with doing by the Realm or other organizations.
You can use an administrative order to help yourself, but you must make it reasonable.
Finally, the Family Head get an additional Family order on top of their administrative and personal orders. This is used to do Realm actions such as granting titles, promoting (or demoting) characters, etc. The Realm order can have as many appropriate actions as the Family Head wishes in it, and it will have no limit for length.
Note that IC regarding policy changes within government, the police or addressing minis (such as the NYT) will be taken as an order.
Orders should have a subject of “The Family - Your Character’s Name, Current Year”. So, for example:
To: Dadarian
Subject: The Family - Rizzo Martini, 1910
Message text:
Personal Order:
Lots of fun stuff.
Administrative Order:
Even more fun stuff.
Realm Order:
The most fun stuff.
War Order:
Lots of fun war stuff (only to be used when attacking/raiding/etc. For recruitment/training, use other orders)
Plots
Plots are group covert efforts, for example assassinations. These will be treated as a special kind of order. Players are free to secretly plot, gather influence, etc. without GM approval. When the plot leader feels he is prepared to act, he must send the GM a PM detailing the plot goal, its plan, and those who back it. Any requests for NPC support (such as the business leaders, foreign interests, etc.) can be directed to me. Once I confirm the people that back the plot, it will be considered an order. A plot serves as the player’s personal order for the turn he decides to launch it, as well as for all those backing the plot. The greater the combined influence a plot has, the more likely it is to succeed.
Note that any assassination of a higher ranking Family member, or the Head himself, will need a VERY powerful plot backing to succeed.
The Family
One of the primary parts of The Family is just that, the Family. Beginning in 1898, life is short and your family is all you have. Be it made up of various PCs or just one, every criminal, policeman, businessman and politician in New York belongs to a family. Each player that advances the Family gives the Head more power and money in which to make executive decisions for the Family.
The Family Head starts out simple at the beginning of the game, it is the eldest member of the family. However as contenders for power rise, anyone may attempt to overthrow the Head via a plot. When a Family Head dies, the Family must get together and elect a new Family Head, in which to be in ultimate control of everything the Family does.
Updates, Events, and War
There are two types of updates. These will contain the results of orders, events, and other important happenings. The first type of update is a Main Update. It will cover a year in-game, and will contain the results of all the orders sent in, among other events that happen that year. The second type of update is a Mini Update. It will highlight or cover a specific event during the year.
Events are significant happenings (such as a war, political changes, a natural disaster, or an unexpected benefit) that will usually cause a headache for the Families, though sometimes will bring them or other characters joy. The majority of The Family will be player-driven, but the events will provide the substance for you as a player to create this content.
War is unique, as it can happen between police and criminals, or between rival families. When this occurs, the main commander of the various sides send me a general plan, which PCs are in the battle and the composition of their forces. Each PC involved is required to be in charge of at least one squad.
I will write up mini updates for major battles, and perhaps if you are a soldier or an officer commanding a squad, you will be noted in such a mini for commendable service to the Family and it's Head.
Well, that is it! If you still have any questions regarding the rules, or if some part of them is unclear (or badly written, feel free to PM me here on the Forums or contact me on IRC. Have fun with The Family!
IRC Channel
The IRC Channel is for OOC conversation and speaking with the GM. It is not a requirement, but it is strongly recommended.
Network: http://www.coldfront.net/
Channel name: #TheFamily
Instructions:
1) Go to ColdFront using the link above.
2) Choose the Flash or Java Client
3) Create a screen name
4) The client will auto-add you to #coldfront. Leave this channel.
5) In the command box type "/join #TheFamily"
You should then be logged in and ready to chat.
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