Europa Equestrianus

[Tamerlane]

Europa Equestrianus

It has been centuries since the extinction of Mankind, and the world is a very difference place. In the place of humanity, the Earth has been inherited by a variety of sentient ungulates and many 'mythical' creatures. However, it is the descendant of the common horse that looks like they will be the masters of this new world. Ponies are divided into three 'kinds': Earth Ponies, which apart from the presence of "Cutie Marks" and unusual hair colouring, are very similar to ponies. Unicorns have the ability to wield magic with via use of their horns, whilst Pegasi have the ability to fly with their wings and can miraculously walk on clouds. However, the spirit of unity and cooperation have yet to be universal, and these new factions are all competing for dominance in this new world..

Welcome to Europa Equestrianus, a play-by-post game of the Imperium Offtopicum variety. Imperium Offtopicum (IOT) is a role-playing game spun out of the Altered Maps thread in Off-Topic of Civilization Fanatics Forum, hence the name. Players assume the role of leader of a nation of their own creation, and interact with each other on such issues as law, economy, science and technology, humanitarianism, and national defence. This particular version is a "lite" IOT, with rules simplified for the sake of beginner learning. The rules here are simpler than many of the recent IOT derivatives, as the people here are probably beginners in this genre. The game will also focus only on Europe, for similar reasons.

The Rules

Note: all rules are subject to change, so please keep an eye out for them.

House Rules

1. Do not flame, troll, or personally insult any other player OOC or IC. At all. You may comment on certain things negatively, but don't take it further than that.

2. Stay on topic. Make sure all comments are relevant to the fictional world of the current IOT and have nothing to do with your personal religious/political beliefs.

3. Your posts should actually consist of something relevant to your nation and not just one-liner comments. Do not spam.

4. Long diplomatic discussions belong to the realms of Social Groups or visitor and private messaging, not the Game Thread.

5. No powergaming. By definition, powergaming is making your country surpass every other country by all terms including armed forces, technology, etc.

6. The GM is supreme. He reserves the right to change game rules, ignore or modify orders, impose restrictions on players, disband player nations, and so on.

7. Above all else, RESPECT THY FELLOW FORUMERS.

I'll usually warn players first if they break the rules. If they break the rules repeatedly, then I'll apply this:

1st Strike: Player is suspended from the game for one turn.

2nd Strike: Player is suspended from the game for three turns.

3rd Strike: Player nation dissolved, and the player banned from ever rejoining.

I reserve the right to ignore this policy for players who really piss me off, and kick them out of the game instantly.

Inactive players (AWOL for more than 3 turns) risk facing the Wrath of the GM (WoG) ie having their nation disbanded. These players can rejoin the game, but their old territories won't be restored to them; they'll start off with 10 claims like every new player.

Joining the Game

To join the game, first choose a nation name and colour to represent your realms. Perhaps tell us a bit about your nation; your government, policies, history, and so on. Claim any five provinces on the map, with the condition that they either have to be contiguous or on the coast. When making coastal nations, common sense is the rule of thumb: a country consisting of Sicily and Southern Italy would be okay, but NOT a country of Lapland and Morocco.

You will also need to fill out what species your country will be. There are four categories:

-Earth Pony: +50% income bonus

-Unicorn: +50% research bonus

-Pegasus: Can attack and claim two territories from their borders

-Non-Pony (Griffon, Buffalo, etc): +50% on combat rolls.

The Map

Updates

This IOT is a turn-based game. Each turn ends and a new turn begins with an Update. Updates occur 24 hours after half the players have sent in their orders. Any player who have not sent in their orders by this point will be PMed.

Roleplaying

Roleplaying is the essence of IOT. It’s how your nation develops. It’s how alliances are formed and broken. Roleplaying is very encouraged. Feel free to inhabit your nation with whoever or whatever you want.

Expansion

If you are not at war, you can peacefully claim FIVE provinces each turn. If no other nation claims the same territory, they will be annexed to your empire on update. They must be next to your own territories or on the coast. Note that you cannot expand in this manner in wartime.

Island Chains (shown in boxes) are counted as one territory for purposes of claiming, while small islands (defined as islands with 5 or less pixels) are only half a territory. 1-pixel islands aren't counted as territories at all and are immediately part of the nearest territory you have claimed. Small land territories are treated likewise.

The Sahara, Empty Quarter and Siberia are impassable and cannot be claimed.

Industrial Capacity

Industrial Capacity (IC) is the backbone of your economy. With it, you can settle territories or build units with them. Each territory produces 1 IC. You can also invest in Infrastructure, which costs 2 IC, which produces 1 IC.

Terrestrial(?) Warfare

Armies cost 5 IC to build, while Navies cost 10 IC to build. Navies are used to take control of sea zone, as described below.

Armies only attack countries that are are connected to your territory or are on the coast. You'll need to have at 1 navy per army if you are to attack the latter.

Armies compete against each other by adding them up and rolling a number on the RNG. For example if there is a conflict between 10 and 20 armies, I will roll a number between 1 and 20, with >10 being a victory for the first faction. A casualty roll will then be done, determining how many armies are lost for each side. Any army not used to attack defends. You can only attack a province adjacent to yours, or a coastal province if you destroy his navy. If you are defending from a surprise attack, your forces will be distributed evenly across the front.If a war starts going badly, you may experience revolts.

Technology

Your research goes into military tech. Military tech, in turn, unlocks a variety of bonuses.

Each Technology costs 100 * the level. There's an unlimited number; every level you have over an opponent adds +10% to your rolls. In the case of other percentage bonuses, your Military level bonuses are applied first, and any secondary bonuses are applied on top of that. This may seem like a small bonus at first, but remember that a country with a Tech Level of 7 would have +70% added to their combat rolls!

Naval Warfare

As you will see, there are no sea provinces, and therefore naval warfare works a little differently than terrestrial warfare. Each navy costs 10 IC, which you may send your navy to destroy the enemies navy so you can invade or blockade him with. If you blockade him he may lose 25% of his income, if its an island nation and you blockade him he may even lose 75%.

Trade

Provided that neither of them are blockaded, any nation can send IC, Armies or Navies to another country.

Victory:

Victory is achieved in the following ways:

Military: Have 1000 armies and at least 50% more than your closest rival.

Domination: You and your allies control every province.

Scientific: Research Tech Level 20