Ascendancy: a ruleset for Intrigue

[Anti-Eagle]

Ascendancy

"It is now the 2660th year of the world by the Auroran Count, the 1900th year since the gods arose, and by my count the 1573rd year since the first of the cataclysms. It has been 726 years since the return of civilization, 720 years since word of the Yellow thing began to spread..."

"It is by the blessings of the dead ones that I have lived to see this day and it is by the curses of the dead ones that I have suffered to see this day."

"Sinan is gone..."
"626 years have passed..."
"A new time of industry has begun..."
"The grip of the Ascendant has weakened on the Earth..."
"Men walk the lands again, reclaiming their former glories..."
"One day at a time..."
"An age of man..."
"A storm is coming..."
"A new destiny..."

- fragments of a lost diary

Hello. This is my second draft of an attempt at homebrewing a game system, built off of games that came before it, more specifically built on my previous attempt "Only Ruins." 'Only Ruins' was a world barely held together after an apocalypse, in which people were trying to begin again amongst the ruins of an age of wonder. 'Ascendancy' is a game set 726 years in the future of that world as society begins to come together again.

The below rules are a mostly bare framework to build upon as time goes on both in and around the planned game using this system.

My plan is to finish the setting guide I've began posting over the course of the next month or so, expanding what I've written as time permits and more is submitted to me by players and participants. My current projection for beginning recruitment is around Christmas or New Years.

Feel free to speak, discuss, and critique should you feel the need to. I'll be patching holes and building upon this as directed and as I see need to.


Original Recruitment (https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.842654-Mythopoeia-A-combined-Nation-and-Godgame-RP-Now-closed): https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.842654-Mythopoeia-A-combined-Nation-and-Godgame-RP-Now-closed
Second Recruitment (https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.854323-Mythopoeia-A-combined-Nation-and-Godgame-RP-now-recruiting#21144859): https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.854323-Mythopoeia-A-combined-Nation-and-Godgame-RP-now-recruiting#21144859
Game Thread (https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.843623-Mythopoeia-RP-of-gods-and-nations-game-thread-closed#20769330): https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.843623-Mythopoeia-RP-of-gods-and-nations-game-thread-closed#20769330
Group (https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Mythopoeia-group): https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Mythopoeia-group



Setting Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?506647): http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?506647
Rules Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?506645): http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?506645
Original Recruitment Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?506837): http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?506837
Second Recruitment Thread (:"http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?522244"): http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?522244
Third Recruitment Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?545504): http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?545504
Out-Of-Character Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?508062): http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?508062
Game Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?508138): http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?508138



Mythweavers Forum (https://www.myth-weavers.com/game.php?g=32204): https://www.myth-weavers.com/game.php?g=32204
Setting Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?571095): http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?571095
Rules Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?572627): http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?572627
Tumblr (https://luminenwalker.tumblr.com/): https://luminenwalker.tumblr.com/

GiantITP Recruitment Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?575133): http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?575133
Mythweavers Recruitment Thread (https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?p=13952190): https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?p=13952190
Escapist Recruitment Thread (https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.1056416): https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.1056416

Game Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?577380""): http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?577380
Out of Character Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?576932): http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?576932
Discord (https://discord.gg/EeHvCUk): https://discord.gg/EeHvCUk

Grand Index: https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=478805
Index: https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=478804
Setting: https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=452723
Rules: https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=454668
Applications: https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=459475
Sheets: https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=459477
Game: https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=459852



Grand Index: https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=478805
Index: https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=478801



Grand Index: https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=478805
Index: https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=478802

[Anti-Eagle]

In the beginning each faction can take up to three actions a week with the ability to take additional actions (up to two more) by burning wealth (+10 for the fourth, +30 total for five actions).

If you attempt something other than these actions, they will be accommodated within reason and possibly added to the list. This list is meant to be added to. If you wish to do something in secret then a PM to me is appropriate.

Concepts (Concepts can be cultural, technological, magical, or societal)
- Create a concept (Create a new concept for your faction)
- Develop a concept (Improve an existing faction concept)
- Alter a concept (Change an existing faction concept)
- Merge concepts (Merge existing concepts to create a new more advanced concept)

Influence
- Spread your influence (Increase your influence score, designating which nation or faction you would like to increase your influence with)
- Hoard Wealth (Burn 12 influence production to increase wealth production by 3 points)

Wealth
- Gather Wealth (Increase your wealth)
- Loan Wealth to another Faction.
- Redistribute Wealth (Burn 12 wealth production to increase influence production by 3 points)
- Refurbish Forces (Burn 12 wealth production to increase the roll modifier of conflict rolls by +3)

Unity
- Promote Unity (Burn 12 unity to increase influence production by 3 points)

Diplomacy
- Establish trade with a nation or another faction.
- Form a formal treaty (can be for any number of things for any number of reasons).

Espionage
- Infiltrate another faction and put an agent into place (Costs materials and is required for espionage in another faction. Espionage actions may cost materials).
- Attempt to uncover a foreign agent.
- Spy on another faction and attempt to learn or steal their secrets.
- Sabotage another faction.
- Attempt an assassination.

Exploration
- Search Ruins

Magic
- Attempt to locate and/or recruit wild mages

Military
- Assault a Stronghold.
- Raid another faction.
- Clear a Yellow infestation.

Cultural (Free Actions)
- Worship a Deity (Influence is designated as desired)

Each turn players can take up to three actions. This can be increased by up to two more actions (five actions total) by burning wealth.

Influence - Influence is the representation of your factions overall influence over the nations of the world, including other factions, taking the place of both population and territory. It can be gained both passively and actively, naturally growing by 3 every season, and can be forcibly increased with actions.

Influence makes it easier to well influence the world and the nations within it.

Every 12 points of influence production increases the amount of wealth produced per season by 1 point. 12 points of seasonal production can be burned to increase wealth seasonal production by 3 points.

Wealth - Wealth is the representation of your factions overall wealth and prestige on the international market. Wealth can accrued through concepts, producing wealth seasonally, or by gathering it via actions. Wealth is used for almost every action to one degree or another and is gained at the beginning of each season, naturally by 9.

Every 12 points of wealth production increases your conflict roll modifier by +1. 12 points of seasonal production can be burned to increase conflict roll modifiers by +3.

Unity - Unity is the overall representation of your factions overall health and stability as a group. Unity is a score starting at 12 that raises or lowers based upon your overall actions, and increases naturally by 12 every game year. A low Unity is a bad thing and leaves a faction vulnerable to chaos and the corruptions of the world.

Every 12 points of unity production increases the amount of influence produced per season by 1 point. 12 points of unity production can be burned to increase influence seasonal production by 3 points.

Worship - Worship. Does it do anything? No one is sure. Your worship score is equal to your influence score and like your influence is divided between various entities. Who these entities are is up to you and can be changed by you through a free action, though not all of it can be changed at once after the first ingame year has passed for your faction.

Artifacts - Artifacts are leftovers from the previous ages, advanced pieces of magic and technology scavenged from ruins across the continent. Artifacts have a variety of uses and purposes and are gained through the exploration and looting of ruins, purchases on the black market, and theft.

There are two main forms of conflict implemented so far in the rules, Military and Espionage. This is not the limit to the forms of conflict that may take place but they are the most obvious and powerful.

Conflict rolls take place when one player and another either disagree to a point in which they decide they need to have some form of war, or when one decides they want something that the other player has. Or alternatively, when one wants to influence nations beyond bog standard actions.

These conflicts and actions can range from precise military strikes, raids, and invasions to corporate espionage, theft, and political blackmail. This is not a limit to what you can do. Perhaps in the future someone will have the idea to impose trade sanctions on a trading company, humiliate a politician to weaken a rival faction, or stage a kidnapping.

The basic form of conflict is resolved with competing d20s, and beyond RP effects damage may optionally be applied to the losers unity score.

Game turns begin on (Sundays) after the GM has posted their update and end on (Saturday Evenings). Each turn a Faction can do five actions.

Each turn is an equivalent to a month in-game time, and every three turns the season changes (Spring -> Summer -> Fall -> Winter). Each season change brings resource acquisition, and in the future modifiers may be added for each season.

At the end of each turn, the GM will post a summary of the turns actions and outcomes as well as any events that have occurred otherwise. Things can and will happen outside of everyone's control due to the nature of the world as it is.

- As it was implemented in the previous game, a one week reserve pool for actions exists, granting those who don't post in a week the actions they would have otherwise had. But only one weeks worth. We don't want people to intentionally stockpile actions to cause havoc.

[Anti-Eagle]

This is a placeholder post for future content.

I am creating this placeholder for the purpose of placing future content above possible discussion that may be generated in the future.

[Anti-Eagle]

This is a placeholder post for future content. Below is the first update log.

The rules have been updated to bring it more in line with the state of the world and produce more interesting mechanics through the merging of wealth and materials, and the introduction of the unity stat and mechanic.

[Anti-Eagle]

This is a placeholder post for future content.

The setting guide in its current incarnation is for the moment finished (though I'll be working on it in the future).

For anyone watching. The recruitment will begin soon. PM me or watch the recruitment forum if you're interested.