Ok, I'll send the file when I get home.
Before we get deep into the game, I think we need to clarify the rule about "embassy/consulates/missions" (those 1 holding presences on worlds you don't own).
I like the idea of treating them as diplomatic presences, and the rule about needing to have a noble housed there to initiate diplomatic contact. But, we need to consider a couple of things:
1. Not all houses start with diplomatic missions with all other houses. For instance, Li Halan has no presence on a Hawkwood-held world (though I believe Hawkwood has a mission on one or two Li Halan worlds). Li Halan also has no presence on a League world. On the other hand, Li Halan has three missions on Decados worlds.
2. The missions are pretty lightly defended and rebels don't distinguish between targets.
3. Since the missions are farms, they can't build anything but serfs (non-combat).
4. All houses (plus the Church, the League, the Fleet and the Eye) have castle missions on Vril-Ya (the Vau mainworld). Likewise they all have missions (well, more like fortified palace estates plus outlying farms to feed them) on Byzantium Secundus.
5. Occasionally, there are worlds which are not "owned" and have missions on them.
So, I'd like to submit the following suggestions for rules:
1. Diplomatic contact can only be made by a House with a staffed diplomatic mission (see below) on a world controlled by the target. So in the example above, Li Halan can not initiate contact with House Hawkwood, but Hawkwood can initiate contact with Li Halan (I'm pretty damn sure I've seen a blue farm on one of my planets).
2. New diplomatic missions can be built, but only with the explicit permission of the target House. The target House has the right to designate the specific hex where the mission will be built. (The mission must be a Farm and must be within 3 hexes of a city owned by the House governing the planet -- no putting a mission out in the wilderness). It will be the building House's responsibility to acquire and transport an Engineer to the planet. At no time can the House that the mission belongs to overfill the mission with units for the express aim of starting a plague. (The requirement that it be a Farm helps cut down on the chances of that). There is also a limit of ONE mission per planet.
Missions can be built on NPC worlds (Church, League, Vau) with the following restrictions:
a. No new missions on Holy Terra (can't imagine the Church allowing that). Any other Church-controlled world is okay (Artemis, De Molay, etc.)
b. No new missions on Leagueheim. Other League-controlled worlds are okay.
c. A new mission may be constructed on Vril-Ya in the same hex as the original mission, if something happens to destroy it. No other locations on Vril-Ya are allowed, nor are mission on other Vau planets, unless Vril-Ya somehow leaves the Vau sphere of control.
d. The missions can be in any hex, as long as they fulfill the requirement above of being within 3 hexes of a city owned by the planet owner.
3. The House owning a mission is required to staff a Noble onsite as Ambassador, otherwise they must withdraw all units from the mission. If the Noble is killed, the House must provide a replacement within three years or withdraw all units until such time as a Noble is provided.
4. The House owning the mission may reinforce or reduce its garrison as it sees fit (as long as there is sufficient food), with the understanding that increasing the garrison without explanation or advisement to the hosting House may cause diplomatic tension and be seen as a provocative act.
5. A House may voluntarily recall its Ambassador at any time, for any reason, though this can be seen as an insult to the House whose planet the Ambassador is withdrawn from, unless there is reasonable cause (plague, Symbiots, massive rebel uprisings, a lack of noble units needed elsewhere, redundancy in missions with that House). Upon removing the Noble unit from the mission, all remaining garrison/staff must be removed within three years. The mission city itself is NOT removed, but the food generated cannot be moved if there is no staff.
6. A House may also expel another House's Ambassador at any time, for any reason, though likewise this is seen as a serious insult. Once formally expelled, the owning House has three turns to remove the Ambassador and all mission staff/garrison. Failure to do so will be seen as a breach of Imperial protocol.
7. During open warfare, missions are not exempt from attack. But by tradition, they are typically left unharmed as long as the garrison is kept to a minimum for defensive purposes (i.e. anti-tank guns, artillery batteries, flak guns, and basic infantry). If a House desires, they can attack and capture the mission, but this will sever diplomatic contact with that House, which will make ceasefire offers difficult, if not impossible. It is for this reason that missions are typically NOT attacked, or at least not captured.
8. Food grown by the mission can be transferred by cargo vessel off the planet, but cannot be sold at the Agora on the planet. It also cannot be used as a "blocking" unit to force another House to declare war to gain access to an area. In addition, a minimum of one year's planetary food consumption must be left on the planet to avoid any chance of plague.
9. Missions on planets with no recognized owner (i.e. The Palace is not occupied by a Great House, the Holy Church, the League, the Vau or an Imperial Agency -- or there is no Palace -- so the world name appears in grey) are not subject to the above restrictions.
Thoughts/comments? I like the potential for hijinks that these mission holdings add, but want to make sure we're all on the same page so they don't get abused.
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Topic: EOTFS: Emperor Wars (5/5) - Church vs. Capitalism the odds are 431:431 (Read 21626 times)