I'm back! Didja miss me? ... ... ... *crickets* ... ... ... Ingrates. *dodges thrown anvils* Hey!
Anyhoo, it's time for a new Civilization. Not going back to Civ IV, as I don't have my notes and it was already well underway to being a survivable situation and I was (sorta) running out of ideas.
So, let's get some groundwork laid, shall we?
THE RACES
Rather than just goblins, I decided to open the field up to allow other breeds of "monster" as well. The tribe will be made up of the percentages of the votes, so if there's 10 votes and seven vote goblins and three vote Orcs, then the tribe is made up of 70% goblins and 30% Orcs. If people vote one of each for a mix of everything, then it'll be up to you to decide how the hell you can stop them from mass murdering each other (and I ain't helpin' ya). If you pick races that are incompatible, the starting tribe *will* still have the population made up of them but you'll have to design ways to stop them from going at each other's throats. Animosity is dangerous.
The top three races that get the most votes will have their racial powers available for the entire tribe. Each race also has racial Aspect modifiers, but I'm keeping those hidden; you can infer them from the descriptions below. You will start with a population of 2d150 (+100 if the result is less than 100).
Finally, on the advice of Badgeaddict, I'm adding something else. Each vote for a race shows you have some "investment" toward that race. If players go inactive or leave, those "shares" (as Badge put them) begin to shift. If one species finds itself no longer the 'dominant' race, and another one rises, it might make for some very interesting politics!
You can choose from the following list of victims races (one vote for race per player):
► Show Spoiler
Kobolds are everyone's (least?) favorite vermin. They are small, quick, and intelligent, despite their appearance. They're somewhat fast breeders and are knowledgeable in the ways of caves, caverns, mines, dungeons and traps. They have a gift for the arcane and are resistant to disease and poison. On the downside, they're fragile, they can't use bigger weapons or gear, the "Lawful" races (humans, ponies, elves, dwarves, halflings) will attack them on sight and they tend not to be taken very seriously by anyone except other kobolds and the occasional goblin tribe. Their Racial Power is the Tunneler's Touch, allowing them to dig through hard things much faster than normal.
Goblins are the generic go-to race for the past four Civilizations. They're small, quick on their feet, breed fast but are not terribly sturdy. They're fast-breeding, social and have an affinity for the arcane. If chosen as the dominant (one with the most votes) race, it will be equal parts Goblins, Hobgoblins and Bugbears in an alliance. On the down side, because of their size, other larger races will bully and pick on them, often going to war easily (sensing easy kills for loot and slaves). They might be great socially, but they're still not taken very seriously. Their Racial Power is the Group Swarm, which effectively swarms the most powerful enemies on the battlefield and may break morale or cause fear in addition to doing damage.
Orcs are big, strong, a little dull in the head, but fantastic warriors. Their great skill in Warfare and spiritual/shamanistic power means both of those Aspects improve -extremely- QUICKLY. However, they're also slow breeders, stupid and technologically inept. The "Lawful" races will attack them on sight, while Orcs despise Skaven and will attack them on sight. Their Racial Power is the Barbarian Chant, which provokes them into a battle frenzy that overpowers foes bigger than they are and makes them impervious to pain (Damage Reduction 5 for 30 seconds).
Lizard Men are swamp-dwellers and are as beefy as Orcs . Ruled by the Kroxigor, they're divided up into the bashers (the Sauri) the workers (the basic Lizard Man), and the movers/doers (the Skinks). They're intelligent and shamanistic with a flair for magic in general, and they not only can eat almost anything, they come with Amazon slaves equal to half of the normal population if they're the dominant species. All that power comes with downsides though; they're cold blooded, the skinks get hurt -easily-, they're as boneheaded as ogres, they have many natural enemies (Skaven, Wemics, Centaurs) and they breed -incredibly- slowly. Their Racial Power is Blood Poison; their blood is naturally toxic (like a komodo dragon's bite).
Drow on the surface are a rarity, and a tribe of them on the surface can only mean that Lloth has discarded them (rather than kill them, which is surprising in and of itself). Naturally they have great skill in magic and if they're chosen as the dominant race about 5% of them will be Driders instead. Their melee skill suffers as a result of all that magic skill and nobody trusts them whether they're "disconnected" from Lloth or not. The "lawful races" will attack them on sight. Their Racial Power is the Spider Standard, a racial banner that bolsters the military and prevents fear, morale breaking, breaking of a Drow through torture, and the like.
Skaven are disease-resistant anthropomorphic rats. They're good at sneaking, stealing, poisons and acids, squeaking, and (American) football. Skaven breed well, like rats, and are good at a little bit of everything. Their devotion to the Horned God shows in their spiritual power. Starting population is doubled if the dominant race. Downsides include the fact that Skaven are dirty and their gear is often run-down and of bad quality whether they like it or not. They are physically weak and also have a distinct lack of magic (wizards, not skill). The "lawful" races will attempt to exterminate them wherever possible, oftentimes banding entire countries together to stamp out the rat menace. Skaven despise Orcs and Ponies and will attack them on sight. As a Racial Power, Skaven get the Plague Run, where one rat runs through the enemy army, infecting anyone within ten feet of him with a potentially lethal disease (Fortitude save; DC scales with Personal Aspect level).
I've gone and decided to add a joke potential race: The Ponies! Everyone and their pet stone giant is into My Little Pony these days (besides, if they're the dominant race, think how many new viewers Thunt would get if this took off and it were submitted to Equestria Daily...). Anyway, Ponies are very well-rounded, knowledgeable in magic and great at uncovering hidden mysteries and Strange Shiny Things. Goblins, Drow, and Skaven will attack them on sight with intent to exterminate, since such cuteness cannot be allowed to thrive, it is a direct tie to the "lawful" races! heh heh heh Their Racial Power is Greater Diplomancy; Ponies can talk down the most warlike of enemies and instill fear in the most steadfast of warriors.
Grippli are available, on suggestion of Badgeaddict. They're man-sized anthropomorphic toads built like dwarves, with lots of muscle and weight behind their mighty leaps. Rather than slimy, their skin is like leather, giving them a bit of natural armor. Grippli are naturally curious and socially intelligent. Their connection to the divine is -very- strong. The higher-ranking ones have toxic skin and starting population is increased whether dominant race or not. The downside to Grippli is that they are terrible at non-natural technology (using objects of metal is normally taboo) and they're not so good at arcane magic either. They also breed very slowly, as they need perfectly-controlled conditions for their egg chambers. Skaven and kobolds will attempt to wipe them out on sight. Their Racial Power is a natural Smite Evil (a tongue lash) due to their connection to their god.
Centaurs are self-explaining. If you don't know what a centaur is, google it. Centaurs are well skilled in combat (better ranged than melee) and have a good connection to the forces of magic however Centaurs don't breed quickly. At all. They are prideful and it shows. Centaurs are physically weaker than Wemics (but not by very much), and Wemics are kind of an on-again-off-again enemy of theirs. Their racial power is Regrowth; Centaurs can bring growth and nature to lands once thought barren (deserts, broken lands, wastelands), potentially bringing civilization wherever they go.
Wemics are the leonine counterpart to Centaurs , normally occupying the same locales a lion pride would. They're stronger than Centaurs and not as prideful, and their shamanistic skill is near-unsurpassed when they have the proper ingredients. They make poor priests/sorcerers and worse archers (where Centaurs prefer range, Wemics will melee). Wemics have natural curiosity working in their favor and some of them are far more lucky than any have a right to be. Wemics have a very low birth rate, are strictly carnivorous, are less social than Centaurs and have a weakness to cold. Their Racial Power is Stepping Sideways, allowing access to the universe's deeper mysteries at less of a cost than others would have.
Finally, against my better judgment but I wrote up stuff for them, we have a ??? race. It's something I completely made up, the result of a mad wizard's anthropomorphic taur-mashings. If you don't pick them, you'll meet them eventually. If you DO pick them, they only hang out with themselves (no breakup of races --- the tribe will be nothing but "???" if they get the top vote spot). I'll just say this... they will be -very- difficult to play correctly unless you end up playing them as a seriously deviant tribe.
Goblins are the generic go-to race for the past four Civilizations. They're small, quick on their feet, breed fast but are not terribly sturdy. They're fast-breeding, social and have an affinity for the arcane. If chosen as the dominant (one with the most votes) race, it will be equal parts Goblins, Hobgoblins and Bugbears in an alliance. On the down side, because of their size, other larger races will bully and pick on them, often going to war easily (sensing easy kills for loot and slaves). They might be great socially, but they're still not taken very seriously. Their Racial Power is the Group Swarm, which effectively swarms the most powerful enemies on the battlefield and may break morale or cause fear in addition to doing damage.
Orcs are big, strong, a little dull in the head, but fantastic warriors. Their great skill in Warfare and spiritual/shamanistic power means both of those Aspects improve -extremely- QUICKLY. However, they're also slow breeders, stupid and technologically inept. The "Lawful" races will attack them on sight, while Orcs despise Skaven and will attack them on sight. Their Racial Power is the Barbarian Chant, which provokes them into a battle frenzy that overpowers foes bigger than they are and makes them impervious to pain (Damage Reduction 5 for 30 seconds).
Lizard Men are swamp-dwellers and are as beefy as Orcs . Ruled by the Kroxigor, they're divided up into the bashers (the Sauri) the workers (the basic Lizard Man), and the movers/doers (the Skinks). They're intelligent and shamanistic with a flair for magic in general, and they not only can eat almost anything, they come with Amazon slaves equal to half of the normal population if they're the dominant species. All that power comes with downsides though; they're cold blooded, the skinks get hurt -easily-, they're as boneheaded as ogres, they have many natural enemies (Skaven, Wemics, Centaurs) and they breed -incredibly- slowly. Their Racial Power is Blood Poison; their blood is naturally toxic (like a komodo dragon's bite).
Drow on the surface are a rarity, and a tribe of them on the surface can only mean that Lloth has discarded them (rather than kill them, which is surprising in and of itself). Naturally they have great skill in magic and if they're chosen as the dominant race about 5% of them will be Driders instead. Their melee skill suffers as a result of all that magic skill and nobody trusts them whether they're "disconnected" from Lloth or not. The "lawful races" will attack them on sight. Their Racial Power is the Spider Standard, a racial banner that bolsters the military and prevents fear, morale breaking, breaking of a Drow through torture, and the like.
Skaven are disease-resistant anthropomorphic rats. They're good at sneaking, stealing, poisons and acids, squeaking, and (American) football. Skaven breed well, like rats, and are good at a little bit of everything. Their devotion to the Horned God shows in their spiritual power. Starting population is doubled if the dominant race. Downsides include the fact that Skaven are dirty and their gear is often run-down and of bad quality whether they like it or not. They are physically weak and also have a distinct lack of magic (wizards, not skill). The "lawful" races will attempt to exterminate them wherever possible, oftentimes banding entire countries together to stamp out the rat menace. Skaven despise Orcs and Ponies and will attack them on sight. As a Racial Power, Skaven get the Plague Run, where one rat runs through the enemy army, infecting anyone within ten feet of him with a potentially lethal disease (Fortitude save; DC scales with Personal Aspect level).
I've gone and decided to add a joke potential race: The Ponies! Everyone and their pet stone giant is into My Little Pony these days (besides, if they're the dominant race, think how many new viewers Thunt would get if this took off and it were submitted to Equestria Daily...). Anyway, Ponies are very well-rounded, knowledgeable in magic and great at uncovering hidden mysteries and Strange Shiny Things. Goblins, Drow, and Skaven will attack them on sight with intent to exterminate, since such cuteness cannot be allowed to thrive, it is a direct tie to the "lawful" races! heh heh heh Their Racial Power is Greater Diplomancy; Ponies can talk down the most warlike of enemies and instill fear in the most steadfast of warriors.
Grippli are available, on suggestion of Badgeaddict. They're man-sized anthropomorphic toads built like dwarves, with lots of muscle and weight behind their mighty leaps. Rather than slimy, their skin is like leather, giving them a bit of natural armor. Grippli are naturally curious and socially intelligent. Their connection to the divine is -very- strong. The higher-ranking ones have toxic skin and starting population is increased whether dominant race or not. The downside to Grippli is that they are terrible at non-natural technology (using objects of metal is normally taboo) and they're not so good at arcane magic either. They also breed very slowly, as they need perfectly-controlled conditions for their egg chambers. Skaven and kobolds will attempt to wipe them out on sight. Their Racial Power is a natural Smite Evil (a tongue lash) due to their connection to their god.
Centaurs are self-explaining. If you don't know what a centaur is, google it. Centaurs are well skilled in combat (better ranged than melee) and have a good connection to the forces of magic however Centaurs don't breed quickly. At all. They are prideful and it shows. Centaurs are physically weaker than Wemics (but not by very much), and Wemics are kind of an on-again-off-again enemy of theirs. Their racial power is Regrowth; Centaurs can bring growth and nature to lands once thought barren (deserts, broken lands, wastelands), potentially bringing civilization wherever they go.
Wemics are the leonine counterpart to Centaurs , normally occupying the same locales a lion pride would. They're stronger than Centaurs and not as prideful, and their shamanistic skill is near-unsurpassed when they have the proper ingredients. They make poor priests/sorcerers and worse archers (where Centaurs prefer range, Wemics will melee). Wemics have natural curiosity working in their favor and some of them are far more lucky than any have a right to be. Wemics have a very low birth rate, are strictly carnivorous, are less social than Centaurs and have a weakness to cold. Their Racial Power is Stepping Sideways, allowing access to the universe's deeper mysteries at less of a cost than others would have.
Finally, against my better judgment but I wrote up stuff for them, we have a ??? race. It's something I completely made up, the result of a mad wizard's anthropomorphic taur-mashings. If you don't pick them, you'll meet them eventually. If you DO pick them, they only hang out with themselves (no breakup of races --- the tribe will be nothing but "???" if they get the top vote spot). I'll just say this... they will be -very- difficult to play correctly unless you end up playing them as a seriously deviant tribe.
► Show Spoiler
We're doing something different with the Aspects this time, because I simply want a change.
All Aspects start at a level of 2 (plus racial modifiers of the top three species votes), while all Sub-Trees of an Aspect start at a level of 1.
Each month, all Aspects improve by .5 and all Sub-Trees by .25.
If an action used utilizes an Aspect and is successful, that Aspect gets .75 EXP, the Sub-Tree used gets .5 and those not used get .25.
If an action used utilizes an Aspect and is unsuccessful, that Aspect and the Sub-tree used get .25 EXP.
If the action is a Critical success, the Aspect gets 2 EXP, any Sub-Trees used get 1.5 and those not used get .75.
At Midsummer, all Aspects improve by 2, all Sub-Trees by 1.
At Winter's Meet, all Aspects improve by 3, all Sub-Trees by 2.
Each Aspect has a Base Level and three Sub-Trees. A higher level in the Base Level lowers the difficulty of the roll (so if you have Sorcery 5 and the difficulty would normally be 80+, it's instead 75+), while the Sub-Trees add additional bonuses to the roll (2 * level, so a Sub-Tree Librariomancy level of 3 would give a +6 to that 75+) and influence perks.
You get Perks for every three levels of a Sub-Tree. You get Gifts at every four levels of an Aspect. Think of Perks as Standard Actions and Gifts as Finest Hours in regards to their power; Perks are fun to have while Gifts pack a punch.
Here's a list of Civ 5's Aspects and Sub-Trees.
Village Defense: Village Defense deals with defending the homestead, and combines the various "stuff at home" Aspects I had of the previous Civs. It's divided up into the Militia Skill tree (dealing with warfare within a mile of the village), Home and Family (influences population), and Food and Water (healthy warriors mean better fighters).
Dungeoneering: Dungeoneering deals with finding and cleaning out all the Bad Places you find, both above and below ground. It's divided up into Legends and Lore (Hearing of them), Mazefinding and Lootseeking (Finding and ransacking them) and Dungeon Combat and Tactics (Surviving in them).
Warfare: Warfare is a general catch-all for most combat that doesn't specifically deal in dungeons. Warfare and Militia Skill from Village Defense stack; if one is used in a roll, the other will be used as well. Warfare's cut up into Group Tactics, Single Tactics ("special tricks") and Magic Tactics ("researched spells").
Technology: Technology ushers in the Age of Moving Parts. Everything from cogs to bows to nuclear engines that run on orc vomit fit here. It's divided into Tools N' Traps (anything smaller than a goblin), Blueprints and Gears (anything smaller than an Orc), and Tinkery and Invention (for throwing caution to the winds for you mad scientists out there). Surprisingly enough the Sub-Trees do NOT stack with one another; Tinkery will be used for making something "the first time" while Blueprints or Tools N' Traps will be used for repeated creations.
Personal: Personal deals with the players' stats themselves and will add bonuses to the rolls for their Standard Actions and Finest Hours. Not surprisingly it's cut up into the Occupations, Skills and Hobbies trees, adding points if you do actions based on your skills and occupations and the like.
Spiritual: Spiritual deals with... stuff. Yeah. Spiritual stuff. It's divided into the Divine Focus and Favor Sub-Tree (Influences strength of gifts you may earn and may add a fudge factor to tough rolls), Healing and Smiting (self-explaining) and Shamanism (influences omens and warnings and the like.)
Social: Social deals with non-violent means to ends. If you're not fighting whatever's in front of you, it'll use this. It's divided into People and Culture (first impressions), Language and Goods (words and trading), and Noble Diplomancy (negotiating).
Sorcery: Sorcery is the arcane side of the divine-arcane coin. It's cut up into Librariomancy (Research and Development), Ley Line and I.M.E. (influences outside sources of magical power), and Spell School (which allows for specialization).
Mystery: It's the return of the Mystery aspect! It still influences outside random events, which may happen (80+) if a Something Interesting (70+) roll is made (which naturally is triggered by successful Standard Actions). It's divided into (naturally) the Something Interesting, Standard Action and Finest Hour trees (which simply improve odds of success for them).
All Aspects start at a level of 2 (plus racial modifiers of the top three species votes), while all Sub-Trees of an Aspect start at a level of 1.
Each month, all Aspects improve by .5 and all Sub-Trees by .25.
If an action used utilizes an Aspect and is successful, that Aspect gets .75 EXP, the Sub-Tree used gets .5 and those not used get .25.
If an action used utilizes an Aspect and is unsuccessful, that Aspect and the Sub-tree used get .25 EXP.
If the action is a Critical success, the Aspect gets 2 EXP, any Sub-Trees used get 1.5 and those not used get .75.
At Midsummer, all Aspects improve by 2, all Sub-Trees by 1.
At Winter's Meet, all Aspects improve by 3, all Sub-Trees by 2.
Each Aspect has a Base Level and three Sub-Trees. A higher level in the Base Level lowers the difficulty of the roll (so if you have Sorcery 5 and the difficulty would normally be 80+, it's instead 75+), while the Sub-Trees add additional bonuses to the roll (2 * level, so a Sub-Tree Librariomancy level of 3 would give a +6 to that 75+) and influence perks.
You get Perks for every three levels of a Sub-Tree. You get Gifts at every four levels of an Aspect. Think of Perks as Standard Actions and Gifts as Finest Hours in regards to their power; Perks are fun to have while Gifts pack a punch.
Here's a list of Civ 5's Aspects and Sub-Trees.
Village Defense: Village Defense deals with defending the homestead, and combines the various "stuff at home" Aspects I had of the previous Civs. It's divided up into the Militia Skill tree (dealing with warfare within a mile of the village), Home and Family (influences population), and Food and Water (healthy warriors mean better fighters).
Dungeoneering: Dungeoneering deals with finding and cleaning out all the Bad Places you find, both above and below ground. It's divided up into Legends and Lore (Hearing of them), Mazefinding and Lootseeking (Finding and ransacking them) and Dungeon Combat and Tactics (Surviving in them).
Warfare: Warfare is a general catch-all for most combat that doesn't specifically deal in dungeons. Warfare and Militia Skill from Village Defense stack; if one is used in a roll, the other will be used as well. Warfare's cut up into Group Tactics, Single Tactics ("special tricks") and Magic Tactics ("researched spells").
Technology: Technology ushers in the Age of Moving Parts. Everything from cogs to bows to nuclear engines that run on orc vomit fit here. It's divided into Tools N' Traps (anything smaller than a goblin), Blueprints and Gears (anything smaller than an Orc), and Tinkery and Invention (for throwing caution to the winds for you mad scientists out there). Surprisingly enough the Sub-Trees do NOT stack with one another; Tinkery will be used for making something "the first time" while Blueprints or Tools N' Traps will be used for repeated creations.
Personal: Personal deals with the players' stats themselves and will add bonuses to the rolls for their Standard Actions and Finest Hours. Not surprisingly it's cut up into the Occupations, Skills and Hobbies trees, adding points if you do actions based on your skills and occupations and the like.
Spiritual: Spiritual deals with... stuff. Yeah. Spiritual stuff. It's divided into the Divine Focus and Favor Sub-Tree (Influences strength of gifts you may earn and may add a fudge factor to tough rolls), Healing and Smiting (self-explaining) and Shamanism (influences omens and warnings and the like.)
Social: Social deals with non-violent means to ends. If you're not fighting whatever's in front of you, it'll use this. It's divided into People and Culture (first impressions), Language and Goods (words and trading), and Noble Diplomancy (negotiating).
Sorcery: Sorcery is the arcane side of the divine-arcane coin. It's cut up into Librariomancy (Research and Development), Ley Line and I.M.E. (influences outside sources of magical power), and Spell School (which allows for specialization).
Mystery: It's the return of the Mystery aspect! It still influences outside random events, which may happen (80+) if a Something Interesting (70+) roll is made (which naturally is triggered by successful Standard Actions). It's divided into (naturally) the Something Interesting, Standard Action and Finest Hour trees (which simply improve odds of success for them).
ACTIONS
► Show Spoiler
I had a whole idea about using a dice pool and the concept of "difficulty" out of the White Wolf series of now out-of-print games, but the more I worked on it the more and more overcomplicated it got until I was buried under reams of pages of numbers and spreadsheets. So instead of adding it to actions, I'm going to keep what I used for Civilization 4: Everyone has a set number of Standard Actions and Finest Hours they can use (starting at three Standard and one Finest), and they can stockpile more every Midsummer (50% for one SA) and Winter's Meet (two rolls at 75% for a SA and one at 25% for a FH) up to 15 Standard Actions and 3 Finest Hours.
I'll judge actions to be Depressingly Basic (50+), Simple Enough (60+), Moderate (70+), Difficult (80+) and Truly Difficult (90+). Most Standard Actions will be Moderate on the scale, while Finest Hours almost always will be at least Difficult by default. I'm changing the margins of Criticals here; 95+ will be a critical (UNLESS the action is Truly Difficult, which only a 100 will crit), where a natural 100 normally will be a monumental event. By the same token, a 5 or less will be a critical failure, while a natural 1 will go off with a BANG in your face (possibly literally). Difficulties will be lowered by the Base Aspect level, and the dice roll itself will have a bonus equal to twice the Sub-Tree level (thrice in the case of Occupation/Skill/Hobby rolls).
I'm also introducing Action Points. For each successful action, you get 1d5 Action Point to a pool. When you declare an action, you can say that you're spending X Action Points in addition, and this'll be added to the final roll. They CANNOT be used to cause a Critical, nor can they be used on Finest Hours.
I'm going to be keeping track of the number of successful actions this game. If in a game year you have more successes than failures, then it's a Good Year and you get an additional 15 Action Points. If there are more failures than successes, you get 3. If NO failures have been rolled the entire year, the bonus rises to 45.
Each successful action also gives 2 EXP to the Winter's Meet Aspect Pool (1 in the case of a failure). Instead of choosing where to dump it, experience will be spent to "balance out" the Aspects and equalize them. For each experience point that ends up spent in an Aspect, all Sub-Trees advance by .25. Odd EXP out go to the one with the least EXP.
At the end of the year, I'll total up the remainder of SAs and FHs; at Winter's Meet you get (4 * SA) + (7 * FH) + 15 EXP as a second pool to spend where and when as you see fit. Instead of taking the average of people's votes this time, each player gets an average amount of EXP to spend instead (so if there are 12 players and 60 EXP to spend, each player can spend 5). EXP from this pool can go into actions (one EXP for +5 to the roll) and they CAN be used on Finest Hours.
Player cap is 20 25 20 people. Note to the viewers out there, just because you're not "playing" doesn't mean you can't take part and vote in the monthly actions!
If you end up making a character yet end up NOT being active (by not voting once within a 12 game month span), I'll move you to Inactive (no SA/FH regeneration and SA/FH doesn't count toward EXP). Two game years with no response or vote puts you on the "Disabled" list (regulated to "background" or "out of sight out of mind") and if someone is waiting for a slot to open they'll get their chance.
Stories involving Inactive/Disabled characters will be suspended, so if you started on something important to the tribe...
Finally, each player (including new players later on in the game) needs to vote for species as if the game were starting. If people end up Inactive or Disabled, these "investment" numbers may shift and what once was the dominant race might not end up so dominant (bonuses won't change from game start, though)!
I'm sticking as usual to Random.org for all my dice rollin' needs.
I'll judge actions to be Depressingly Basic (50+), Simple Enough (60+), Moderate (70+), Difficult (80+) and Truly Difficult (90+). Most Standard Actions will be Moderate on the scale, while Finest Hours almost always will be at least Difficult by default. I'm changing the margins of Criticals here; 95+ will be a critical (UNLESS the action is Truly Difficult, which only a 100 will crit), where a natural 100 normally will be a monumental event. By the same token, a 5 or less will be a critical failure, while a natural 1 will go off with a BANG in your face (possibly literally). Difficulties will be lowered by the Base Aspect level, and the dice roll itself will have a bonus equal to twice the Sub-Tree level (thrice in the case of Occupation/Skill/Hobby rolls).
I'm also introducing Action Points. For each successful action, you get 1d5 Action Point to a pool. When you declare an action, you can say that you're spending X Action Points in addition, and this'll be added to the final roll. They CANNOT be used to cause a Critical, nor can they be used on Finest Hours.
I'm going to be keeping track of the number of successful actions this game. If in a game year you have more successes than failures, then it's a Good Year and you get an additional 15 Action Points. If there are more failures than successes, you get 3. If NO failures have been rolled the entire year, the bonus rises to 45.
Each successful action also gives 2 EXP to the Winter's Meet Aspect Pool (1 in the case of a failure). Instead of choosing where to dump it, experience will be spent to "balance out" the Aspects and equalize them. For each experience point that ends up spent in an Aspect, all Sub-Trees advance by .25. Odd EXP out go to the one with the least EXP.
At the end of the year, I'll total up the remainder of SAs and FHs; at Winter's Meet you get (4 * SA) + (7 * FH) + 15 EXP as a second pool to spend where and when as you see fit. Instead of taking the average of people's votes this time, each player gets an average amount of EXP to spend instead (so if there are 12 players and 60 EXP to spend, each player can spend 5). EXP from this pool can go into actions (one EXP for +5 to the roll) and they CAN be used on Finest Hours.
Player cap is 20 25 20 people. Note to the viewers out there, just because you're not "playing" doesn't mean you can't take part and vote in the monthly actions!
If you end up making a character yet end up NOT being active (by not voting once within a 12 game month span), I'll move you to Inactive (no SA/FH regeneration and SA/FH doesn't count toward EXP). Two game years with no response or vote puts you on the "Disabled" list (regulated to "background" or "out of sight out of mind") and if someone is waiting for a slot to open they'll get their chance.
Stories involving Inactive/Disabled characters will be suspended, so if you started on something important to the tribe...
Finally, each player (including new players later on in the game) needs to vote for species as if the game were starting. If people end up Inactive or Disabled, these "investment" numbers may shift and what once was the dominant race might not end up so dominant (bonuses won't change from game start, though)!
I'm sticking as usual to Random.org for all my dice rollin' needs.
UNIVERSE TWEAKS
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On the advice of Badgeaddict, I've gone and added some "Universe Tweaks". Each one comes with pros and cons; you get to pick two (three if Drow are the dominant race). They are of a "You get this, BUT..." variety.
Population Shift: You can choose between Heavy and Light Population. Heavy population doubles your starting population while Light cuts it in half. If this Tweak is chosen, you get the extra people, BUT in response your starting village lies under a near-impenetrable city of resources (and enemies). If Light Population is chosen, this will be reversed (you have the resources, but said city will be under you, poised to potentially invade unless you think of something quick).
Dungeon Maze: Your starting village is in a labyrinth deep below ground. If this is chosen you get the added defense a mad wizard's maze brings, BUT you may have to deal with said mad wizard or his entourage of extra-bashy Minotaurs...
Distressingly Furry: The world has anthropomorphic animals and sometimes even regular ones. If this is chosen you might be able to gain animalistic tribal allies, BUT by the same token, "food that talks back might not be food..."
Lycanthropy: Half the starting tribe is made up of Lycanthropes of three randomly chosen animals. This gives them enhanced senses and a resistance to normal weapons (3/Silver) BUT also puts them at the whims of the moon, which could lead to blood lust or worse depending on what animals are rolled.
Resource Source: Your starting village is within range of multiple sources of high quality resources (wood, metal, fresh water). If this is chosen you get a bonus to village defense and you start with mostly Masterwork gear, BUT such resources are not limitless and you'll have rivals on them in no time at all.
Magic Zone: Your home village is in the midst of a magical zone, allowing for strange variations in the local population (in effect, Mutations). If you decide to pick this one up, 5% of the populace will have very strong mutations, BUT not all of them will be good and if I roll poorly on the wild surge generators I use, could spell a potential quick end for the tribe.
Celestial Event: The tribe founds their village on the night of a Celestial Event, and as such may give rise to true heroes BUT a blood enemy to your race has achieved near-godlike (for a mortal) power and is coming to exterminate you once and for all...
Divinely/Arcanely Barren (or Boosted, your choice): Your village is in a location where it's Divinely Barren (or Boosted) or Arcane Barren (or Boosted). It gives general penalties or boosts (depending on what's picked) BUT deities/otherworldly sources will have their eye on you (or away from you) and it will be very difficult to change their opinions (in any choice).
Technological: Your tribe is technologically adept (or inept, your choice), BUT magic as a whole will suffer (or be boosted). Stacks with Divine/Arcane boost or barren, which will make the threats that much stronger to compensate.
Deviant Deity: Your tribe worships a strange deity, which offers even stranger powers... BUT also requires strange rituals or requirements in addition!
War Zone: You've set up your village in a war zone between two warring tribes of something. You can ally with one or both, or sell weapons to them or something... BUT if diplomacy or war fails, you'll likely be outright overwhelmed.
Gaia: You've found an ecological paradise to build your village in, BUT it's both arcanely and divinely dead. D-e-a-d Dead.
Mysterious Benefactor: Someone founded your village for you, with a few interesting additions, turning the village into an empty fortress waiting to be populated... BUT the devil will come calling and want his fiddle of gold back...
Underdark Connections: Your home is deep within the Underdark, with all that it entails (mines, edible fungi, etc). BUT not all Underdark tribes are friendly, and the village is a bit too close to some volcanic hotspots...
Population Shift: You can choose between Heavy and Light Population. Heavy population doubles your starting population while Light cuts it in half. If this Tweak is chosen, you get the extra people, BUT in response your starting village lies under a near-impenetrable city of resources (and enemies). If Light Population is chosen, this will be reversed (you have the resources, but said city will be under you, poised to potentially invade unless you think of something quick).
Dungeon Maze: Your starting village is in a labyrinth deep below ground. If this is chosen you get the added defense a mad wizard's maze brings, BUT you may have to deal with said mad wizard or his entourage of extra-bashy Minotaurs...
Distressingly Furry: The world has anthropomorphic animals and sometimes even regular ones. If this is chosen you might be able to gain animalistic tribal allies, BUT by the same token, "food that talks back might not be food..."
Lycanthropy: Half the starting tribe is made up of Lycanthropes of three randomly chosen animals. This gives them enhanced senses and a resistance to normal weapons (3/Silver) BUT also puts them at the whims of the moon, which could lead to blood lust or worse depending on what animals are rolled.
Resource Source: Your starting village is within range of multiple sources of high quality resources (wood, metal, fresh water). If this is chosen you get a bonus to village defense and you start with mostly Masterwork gear, BUT such resources are not limitless and you'll have rivals on them in no time at all.
Magic Zone: Your home village is in the midst of a magical zone, allowing for strange variations in the local population (in effect, Mutations). If you decide to pick this one up, 5% of the populace will have very strong mutations, BUT not all of them will be good and if I roll poorly on the wild surge generators I use, could spell a potential quick end for the tribe.
Celestial Event: The tribe founds their village on the night of a Celestial Event, and as such may give rise to true heroes BUT a blood enemy to your race has achieved near-godlike (for a mortal) power and is coming to exterminate you once and for all...
Divinely/Arcanely Barren (or Boosted, your choice): Your village is in a location where it's Divinely Barren (or Boosted) or Arcane Barren (or Boosted). It gives general penalties or boosts (depending on what's picked) BUT deities/otherworldly sources will have their eye on you (or away from you) and it will be very difficult to change their opinions (in any choice).
Technological: Your tribe is technologically adept (or inept, your choice), BUT magic as a whole will suffer (or be boosted). Stacks with Divine/Arcane boost or barren, which will make the threats that much stronger to compensate.
Deviant Deity: Your tribe worships a strange deity, which offers even stranger powers... BUT also requires strange rituals or requirements in addition!
War Zone: You've set up your village in a war zone between two warring tribes of something. You can ally with one or both, or sell weapons to them or something... BUT if diplomacy or war fails, you'll likely be outright overwhelmed.
Gaia: You've found an ecological paradise to build your village in, BUT it's both arcanely and divinely dead. D-e-a-d Dead.
Mysterious Benefactor: Someone founded your village for you, with a few interesting additions, turning the village into an empty fortress waiting to be populated... BUT the devil will come calling and want his fiddle of gold back...
Underdark Connections: Your home is deep within the Underdark, with all that it entails (mines, edible fungi, etc). BUT not all Underdark tribes are friendly, and the village is a bit too close to some volcanic hotspots...
That being said, let me know what you want. Give me your votes for starting race, location (just give me a basic scenery type, such as "rocky desert" "mountain", "Chain of islands" etc. shut up, madmartin
and tweaks (you can pick "no tweaks" if you don't like any of these). We'll begin the actual adventure in 600; the first three months will be setting up basic stuff before the game really gets underway.3... 2... 1... Hit it!
