Brethren of the Brick Seas (BoBS) Intro Thread, Era II

[Capt Wolf]

1 hour ago, Kwatchi said:

On ‎1‎/‎20‎/‎2021 at 4:07 PM, Capt Wolf said:

KPA editors are fast at work as shipping reports come in from all over the Brick Seas. But beyond the mercantile numbers, if you have a personal sigfig storyline that is worthy of inclusion in this month's edition, please PM @Capt Wolf.

<cough>
 

?

News on the battle for Kings Port is taking more time to compile than anticipated. Working on it.

[Capt Wolf]

Hear ye, hear ye! All the news that's fit to print!

 

[Darnok]

Hooray!

 

Now the long wait for the next issue begins...

[Bregir]

Results of the first round of the Terraversan war has now been published. The battle for Kings Port shall soon be decided, and with it, perhaps the future of Terraversa?

 

[Bregir]

@CapOnBOBS: Moving the discussion here, as Jose's inn is really for light-hearted, slightly off-topic banter.

I understand where you are coming from. There are a lot of rules to keep track of. As you say, it is important to bring any inconsistencies to light. BoBS has evolved over many years, and there may in places be inconsistencies or things in old rulesets that has not been properly corrected as new rules have taken over.

However, I also think that it is important not to overreact, so let's keep calm and get this sorted. 

I refer to the land combat rules, where it states:

On 10/7/2020 at 9:10 PM, Bregir said:

NB: Fortresses in a settlement under attack will add their garrisons and artillery to the defense. ((Crew + Guns) * 5) will be added to troop numbers.

The only reference I can find to fort protection radius is in the "by land - maps..." topic in a single table. As far as I know, it is not elaborated further elsewhere - please correct me if I am wrong. That also means you would have had to make assumptions about what "protection radius" actually meant. So I do feel you are overdramatizing in your statement:

34 minutes ago, CapOnBOBS said:

is a HUGE change to the universe that goes directly against the published description of how the universe works!

...

That redraws the whole map and changes the dynamic of the whole system.

If I am wrong and there is a "published description" somewhere else, please point it out to us. This protection radius was part of the old, never finished and never published war rules. I will look at replacing that table shortly.

42 minutes ago, CapOnBOBS said:

it is real frustrating when the rules seem to be changing mid-fight.

No rules are changing mid-fight, but having to develop them retroactively based on player actions does make it somewhat complex to ensure full consistency - we have to learn as we go, so to speak. I can also assure you that in none of the OL attacks on Terraversa have you had to fight forts or garrisons outside the settlements you were attacking. That would likely have changed the whole war up quite considerably. (Apart from making it horribly complex to gamemaster... )

51 minutes ago, CapOnBOBS said:

I hope my borderline obsessive posting shows you how much I appreciate the world you have built.

Of course - we are happy you are getting involved and having fun.

51 minutes ago, CapOnBOBS said:

How can I help you make it more clearly understood by all those who enjoy it. 

If in doubt, ask - that can help us clarify any inconsistencies, and help other players get a handle on the rules - BoBS is a complex system, and even the veterans get confused or get things wrong from time to time. There is also an extensive complex of rules, many of which have been revised several times, meaning there is a risk of "old rules" still listed somewhere. Any help in identifying these is much appreciated.

Also, I will just ask that we all take a deep breath before going all dramatic. We are all working on this project in our spare time (at least, that's what I tell my employer... ) and none of us claims to be perfect. But the court is devoted to making the game fair and fun for all, and none of us enjoys much seeing minor disagreements, misunderstandings, or miscommunications turning into OOC drama. IC drama, on the other hand!

 

All that said, thanks for your enthusiasm and your attention to detail. I am happy we are getting this misunderstanding and inconsistency sorted, and I hope you will find on second thoughts that it doesn't really make that much of a difference - at least not for the worse. If you wish to recall or correct some of your fort licenses based on this, we can certainly arrange that.

[Bodi]

@CapOnBOBS Even if forts' combat radius aren't that large, building forts is still an efficient way (if not the most efficient from the aspect of cost/efficiency) to protect a settlement, so keep them coming!

[CapOnBOBS]

To whomever updated the fort chart under the land rules thread to remove the "defense radius" column, thanks. Obviously, clean up like that is very helpful. 

[Bregir]

54 minutes ago, CapOnBOBS said:

To whomever updated the fort chart under the land rules thread to remove the "defense radius" column, thanks. Obviously, clean up like that is very helpful. 

Thank you - removing evidence is what I do! ;)

Thank you for the help in finding the inconsistency.

[Bregir]

Hear ye, hear ye! Kings Port has fallen! Oldis is beat! Read the latest news, only in the Kings Port Advertiser!

 

[Mesabi]

Real quick, I've always been a bit confused by this:

On 10/7/2020 at 2:10 PM, Bregir said:

There is a limit to how many soldiers can be "recruited" (i.e., purchased and MOC'd) from a settlement during any MRCA period, based on the settlement's level:

Is this still per MCRA, or is this per month? I've seen some monthly happen, so I just wanted to check. 

[Keymonus]

I think it’s for MRCA turn, as the incomes for land-based properties, the upkeeps etc. I’m not sure about the licensing limit and the time required between prospect and mine establishment, but unfortunately I’m not in the condition of building too much! 

[Bregir]

"Everything is turnbased (/awesome)"

[CapOnBOBS]

9 minutes ago, Bregir said:

"Everything is turnbased (/awesome)" 

I have been watching OL's recruiting closely. My assumption is that troop recruiting since 28 OCT and until whenever the next MRCA turn closes will constitute 1 turn. Each settlement can raise troops only one time in that window?  Is that right?

[Bregir]

5 minutes ago, CapOnBOBS said:

I have been watching OL's recruiting closely. My assumption is that troop recruiting since 28 OCT and until whenever the next MRCA turn closes will constitute 1 turn. Each settlement can raise troops only one time in that window?  Is that right?

Correct - or as you say in OL: "Oui, monsieur" (Assuming you raise the max amount that one time)

[Bregir]

We are now in a situation, where someone (who shall not be named... ) have accidentally, and by no fault of their own (sort of... ), ended up in a war with an NPC.

Since an NPC cannot really fend for itself, nor react as a player faction can, some of you may be wondering how this will be handled and would be interested in a quick look below the hood of the machine that is BoBS. (If no one cares, well, I wrote it anyway! )

I should note that proper NPC reactions have been GM'ed (game-mastered) by the court before, but not to this extent, and we might still have a few kinks to work out, but I am convinced this will work beautifully and give our world some life. What we have done is the following:

Oldis and L'Olius (as well as some Terraversan "Loyalists") have had their basic motivations defined (more on those below). What do they, in headlines, want, what do they care about, what sort of personality do they have. Basically the building stones for a character, that has to act and react in a fluid world. Based on these, we will play the characters. In practice, @Capt Wolf will play Oldis, and I will play L'Olius. We will of course do our utmost to separate IC and OOC, and ensure that these characters act loyally to their own interests and motivation. This means that I do not know what Oldis will do, Capt Wolf does not know what L'Olius will do, and everyone else doesn't know what either will do. This should make it fun for everyone involved and will let the situation develop fluently - it will be exciting to see where this ends. (To ensure a bit of peer review and guard against bias, we will discuss headlines in court/the gm group)

These motivations have been based on the backstories of each character, as well as how they have been played, portrayed, etc. in BoBS so far. We will not publish these motivations, but if you want to try to guess at them, I would suggest looking into Jameis Farstrider's guide to Terraversa, as well as the various adventures that have been taking place on Terraversa. (OL, ESL, COR)

We expect this to result in a fairly flexible approach, where each NPC can respond fairly swiftly to developments (rather than having to discuss up and down in the gm group first) based on their basic motivations. It also means we know neither the final outcome (no railroading), nor exactly how each party will react to any given situation, hopefully making this fun for all. 

In terms of general speed of reaction, there will be some delays as each figure out a response to various developments and potentially produces a small vignette for the purpose. In some cases, some players may have advance knowledge of some details as we may ask someone to assist by building a small vignette to progress part of the story, something I think a lot of people will find fun. If it works out well, we will probably use the same approach again in the future, and potentially ask for volunteers to play various NPC characters when needed.

That's it for today's "BoBS behind the scenes" - hope you enjoyed it!

[Captain Dee]

Good info. So... some NPCs are kinda player/non-player... We're in the twilight zone! 

[Capt Wolf]

1 hour ago, Captain Dee said:

NPCs are kinda player/non-player

Well, all NPCs are controlled by Game Masters, and in BoBS all the GMs are players, so …

[blackdeathgr]

5 hours ago, Bregir said:

That's it for today's "BoBS behind the scenes" - hope you enjoyed it!

Truly exciting times to be on the BoBS ship brothers!

[Bodi]

8 hours ago, Bregir said:

@Capt Wolf will play Oldis, and I will play L'Olius.

Should be a challenging task, considering the current circumstances, I don't envy your roles.

Those who aren't interested in political intrigues could find their consolation in the builds illustrating this negotiation, I hope everyone could have fun.

[Maxim I]

Just a thought, can a newly licenced vessel start from a recent captured location? (more to the point: can new licences start in Terra Versa)?

A Galleon took 2 years to build. HMS Victory took 6 years, so it would not make that much sense if a newly build ship can already start in Kings Port (for Oleon), Pamu (for Eslandola) or Westface (for Corrington).

What are your thoughts?

[Bregir]

1 minute ago, Maxim I said:

Just a thought, can a newly licenced vessel start from a recent captured location? (more to the point: can new licences start in Terra Versa)?

A Galleon took 2 years to build. HMS Victory took 6 years, so it would not make that much sense if a newly build ship can already start in Kings Port (for Oleon), Pamu (for Eslandola) or Westface (for Corrington).

What are your thoughts?

We never had any rules for this, if nothing else then because it will be hard to manage.

I would personally encourage people to give a new ship a location in its description - and that way explain where it starts. And generally, that ships start their career in a port that makes sense (e.g. not a blockaded one)

[Bodi]

8 hours ago, Maxim I said:

Just a thought, can a newly licenced vessel start from a recent captured location? (more to the point: can new licences start in Terra Versa)?

A Galleon took 2 years to build. HMS Victory took 6 years, so it would not make that much sense if a newly build ship can already start in Kings Port (for Oleon), Pamu (for Eslandola) or Westface (for Corrington).

What are your thoughts?

My reasoning is to build a ship, we have to find a place to build it first, as most of shipbuilding works are done on land. So unless someone already owns a shipyard in Terraversa, I don't know how a new ship can be licensed there.

[Mesabi]

12 hours ago, Bregir said:

We never had any rules for this, if nothing else then because it will be hard to manage.

I would personally encourage people to give a new ship a location in its description - and that way explain where it starts. And generally, that ships start their career in a port that makes sense (e.g. not a blockaded one)

I definitely can see the placement rule as something that can easily be exploited, but it's never been an issue so far. I think a lot of us abide by the gentleman's agreement of having the ship placement make sense, and I hope we continue to do so.

[Bregir]

I am looking for a volunteer to supply a build for the next step in the story of the TER peace talks. I need it as soon as possible (within a few days) to progress the story.

I need a build of a large room in an inn (or other reasonable meeting place - perhaps a small official residence/palace/townhall) where the Corlander delegation (Lord Spud, Captain Brickleton, Montoya) meets Oldis and his advisors.

It does not need to be a fancy build - just a vignette will suffice. Characters does not need to be exact, but it would of course be nice if most of them were recognisable to some degree.

I will be writing the story.

Any takers?

[Count Vroskri]

I'd be interested, but I have very few of these new hair pieces and pirate-style clothes- I  need to buy some more.