First I'd like to thank everyone who's helped me come up with this, either directly or indirectly, as well as the GMs of all previous Arms Races, of which most if not all of these rules are some form of.The Selicate Empire stands on the verge of collapse. A half dozen different political factions have risen up against the ruling family, and it seems like every foreign nation seeks to influence the outcome in some way. Nations across the two major continents are signing accords with one another, and as the struggle in the Selicate Empire worsened the war spilled across borders and soon the two continents of the world were a smattering of various nations on both landmasses divided between two sides: The League of United Nations, and the Central Alliance. This hardly concerns you for now however, as your stories begin on an island stuck between the two continents.
During the colonial days two nations, the Selicate Empire during it's prime to the south, and the Republic of Endicar to the north, settled Harren Island - in an odd coincidence, the explorers from both nations that led the expeditions to the island shared a last name - simultaneously and without knowledge of one another.
Salvios ThreadAbbera ThreadIW Discord ChannelThe colony of
SALVIOS to the south served as a trade post for the Selicate Empire. Salvios gained independence a scant few years ago when the Selicate Empire relinquished control over some periphery states so as to focus on the brewing civil war. The wealthy merchant families were always seen as leaders of the city anyway, as they were responsible for most of it's prosperity, so there was little debate when they opted to grab official power.
As the world marched closer to war the Salviosi Merchant Lords had hoped to stay out of the conflicts kicking off on the mainlands, perhaps even profit from the whole ordeal. These hopes were dashed when Communist rebels based in the Selicate Empire raided and sabotaged the Salviosi port facilities. The citizens of Salvios were wholly united in their desire to join the Central Alliance and aid the Selicate Empire in stabilizing itself and it's surrounding territories - until representatives from the League of United Nations came forward with damning evidence proving the "Communists" were actually Selicatian Agents tasked with manipulating Salvios into joining their war. Needless to say, this ploy had quite the opposite effect once discovered. Salvios now fights for The League, a collection of nations run by the people or for the people in some way, or so they would have you think. The League wishes to overthrow the old ways, allowing governments based off ideas such as Communism and Democracy to flourish.
When Endicarian explorers came across Harren Island they noted the abundance of game in the northern woods and soon the outpost of
ABBERA was a trapper's paradise. The Abberans were run by a Governor chosen by the people and two of his or her chosen associates. Things went well for a while, but the Endicarian people were greedy, and the people of Abbera valued their freedom, so when the mainland began demanding goods such as furs, meats, and the resources beneath the land with no compensation, they had something to say about it. What started off as protests grew into clashes between locals and mainlanders, and eventually blew up into a full-scale fight for independence.
As the Abberans pushed the Endicarian forces off the island the fleets bombarded the harbors and sunk whatever ships were available to the Abberan forces. A day later representatives from the Central Alliance appeared in Abbera having snuck onto the island. They stated that the Central Alliance would recognize Abbera's claim to independence if they joined them. With the seas full of ships from both sides just waiting for the declaration of war, the Abberan Governor opted to join the side that would take them and hopefully keep the enemy from their shores. The Central Alliance is a collection of nations ruled in a more classical fashion, such as Monarchies or Empires, where power grows greatly the closer you get to the top. While it may not always feel great, these methods of rule had brought stability to the world prior to the recent shake-up.
Both sides of the island now prepare for war. The only obstacle is the old Harren Fortress City in the center of the island. Originally an outpost built then abandoned by the Abberans, only to be claimed, fortified, and abandoned in turn by Salvios, the fortress-city became a haven for lowly types from all over the world. With the number of different factions in Harren, it only makes sense that this coming war has caused the city to descend into chaos. Without the ability to field an oceangoing navy for either side, the race to the only crossings (the map only shows one on each side but there are multiple) at the Harren Fortress City is paramount to a successful invasion for both of them. Crossing the river east or west of the city is an option, but it would be difficult to pull off given the state of either navy.
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Industrialized Warfare is an Arms Race based in an alternate universe on a planet of humans about to enter their equivalent of our World War I. The AR is contained in a mild Science Fiction setting: as long as you can give a reason why something should work (more than "because it can") then it should be possible. Think something like a cross between evictedSaint's Iron Behemoths and ChiefWaffles' Mad Arms Race in WWI thematically. If you're not sure about the viability of a proposal, you can always ask and I'll let you know if it's at least within the scope of the game, with a little more advice at the start.
You take the role of either a
Salviosi or
Abberan engineer responsible for designing the weapons of war for your nation. Neither side has any "starting tech" in terms of the game, as both sides will be responsible for filling out their armories throughout the course of the five turns leading up to first contact between the sides. During these first five turns each side will be taking full control of their half of the island leading to Harren itself.
Once the war begins in earnest the team will vote on how to advance, detailed in "Strategy" below.
The first five turns will also have Design and Revision phases that will be different than your standard turn as explained below, though the details to the changes will be posted in the individual thread as the turns go by. Turns are the equivalent of six months in game time, and represent the island's "Hot" and "Cold" Seasons. Below are the rules for the game!
The first phase of every turn is the "Design" phase. This is where you introduce new ideas and creations. Results of a design are based off of 2d6, with rolls of 6, 7, and 8 being equivalent. Design results are also modified by difficulty. Generally the results of a Normal Design scale as below:
Utter Failure (2): Nothing is gained but the knowledge of how not to do it next time.
Buggy Mess (3): The design functions, just not too well at all. At least some experience is gained.
Poor (4): The design can be used without being a threat to anyone handling it. Still, it is far from reliable.
Below Average (5): It works, but there is clear room for improvement.
Average (6,7,8): The design functions as intended.
Above Average (9): The design works, and something about it works out better than expected.
Superior (10): It works much better than intended, and a lot is learned in related fields of research.
Masterwork (11): This is the perfect design.
Unexpected Boon (12): Development of this design goes so well that some sort of extra benefit is provided to the side building it.
The difficulty of the design modifies the roll for +4 (Simple), +3 (Trivial), +2 (Very Easy), +1 (Easy), 0 (Normal), -1 (Hard), -2 (Very Hard), -3 (Theoretical), -4 (Ludicrous), or -x (Impossible). Difficulty is based off of the ambition of the design as well as how experienced you are with similar concepts. Impossible designs will always fail, but they may still result in some sort of progress on a higher roll.
Each player is allowed to vote for up to two proposed designs per phase, with the design with the largest number of votes being rolled for. On account of an unbreakable deadlock a coin will be flipped or proper-sided die rolled depending on the number of ties in order to randomly select an option. This will only happen as a last resort, and it is preferred that players attempt to persuade one another instead.
The second phase is the "Revision" phase. Revisions use the same 2d6 and rules as designs, but are restricted to altering preexisting designs. Results on either end of the spectrum of rolls are also generally less extreme. As with Designs, each player is allotted up to two votes for favored Revisions, with the most popular Revision being rolled for. The same rule for ties also applies.
Designs and Revisions will be hidden from the opposing side for the first five turns of the game during the pre-war period.
The Strategy Phase comes after the Design and Revision Phases. In this phase each player can vote for two "lanes" to advance along (Left, Center, and Right). The lane (or lanes, if it's decided to attack one lane) not attacked on gains a small bonus to it's ability to defend. The Strategy Phase will also be when any other miscellaneous votes are finalized, such as Resource Allocation (detailed in "Resources and Requirements" below) or special events, and Entrenchment (detailed in "Defensive Capability and Contesting Territory").
Each sector on the map has three resource "nodes" that can be developed. Once during each Strategy phase a team may choose to fill a resource node in territory they control with a resource of their selection. This does not cost any actions, and can be done until all nodes in occupied territory are in use. Individual nodes cannot grant more than one of the assigned resource, but multiple nodes can be assigned the same resource in a sector. The capital of each nation is a special case, as they start with two of each primary resource and two of a specialty resource.
There are three Primary Resources:
Ore represents the cost of an item in metals and other basic resources extracted from the earth.
Wood represents the cost of an item in lumber.
Oil represents the chemical fuel and lubricant required to run vehicles and machinery.
Each side is capable of "designing" new Specialty Resources based on the expected needs of some of their more ground-breaking work, of which they will need to vote on one for themselves by the start of the war. You will be capable of designing one of your own separately from the actions given to you during the pre-war turns so long as a decision is made by Turn 1. If you have a question about the benefits of a specific resource idea, don't be afraid to ask about it. Your other designs may also reveal the need for new kinds of required materials and there is no punishment for waiting to decide on a Specialty Resource for the Capital until the last pre-war turn to see what crops up.
Any design requiring a Specialty Resource that is not available will become [Complex] or [Very Complex] if already complex. Each level of complexity increases the Expense Level of the design by one, which is as follows:
Cheap: All Resource needs are met, and the design can be used wherever desired.
Expensive: If a design lacks 2-3 Resources then it is considered Expensive and will not be fielded in large numbers.
Very Expensive: A Very Expensive design is missing 4-5 Resources, and is rarely seen in use.
National Effort: A 6-9 Resource deficit is a National Effort, allowing only one to be fielded at a time.
Theoretical: Any Resource deficit 10+ is considered theoretical and will not be built until that changes.
Note: There is no Transport Capacity to worry about. If you control it you can use it.
Each turn during the Strategy Phase the team can decide on a sector to fortify. The four levels of Entrenchment (Ent.) are as follows:
0 - Occupied: The default level of an area's defensiveness, providing no bonus to defenders. This represents troops being garrisoned in farm houses, city centers, and other preconstructed buildings. Armies outside cities and towns often camp in tents in open fields. Defensive lines generally consist of men lining up along tree lines, hedge rows, roads, and rivers.
1 - Dug-In: Soldiers are ordered to prepare positions, digging foxholes and placing obstacles like barbed wire. Plant life is cleared and wooden fortifications are scattered along the line. The prepared positions work to stymie enemy advances along large stretches of land and provide cover for defenders.
2 - Entrenched: Trenches are dug all along the front multiple lines deep to provide cover to troops as they defend themselves while they move from position to position. Vast swathes of land are cleared and the trenches reinforced with well-protected bunkers. Command Posts, Barracks, and other facilities are all moved to the trenches in fortified positions as well.
3 - Fortified: This is the highest level of defensive preparedness. A fully fortified sector includes even further expansion of trenchworks (both above and below ground), as well as trenches and bunkers being reinforced with cement, wood, and steel. Fortified positions maximize the protection offered to soldiers of all types on the battlefield, with many layers of positions prepared to carry out an effective defense. Both Capitals count as Fortified.
At the start of the war all occupied territory is controlled 100% by the occupier. Once a side launches an effective attack into an enemy territory it will then become Contested. Control percentage of a sector is given to a side based on their successes and failures, further modified by the Entrenchment of the sector.
When an attacker attains 25% Control the first Resource node flips over to them, the second at 50%, and the third at 75%. Once an attacker reaches 100% control they gain control of the sector and its defenses, replacing emplacements with their own and making sure they face the right way.
The Combat Phase is where the magic happens! All you need to do is wait to see how things turn out. Note that each side will be receiving reports in their respective threads - this thread's purpose is for information, event submissions, and trash talking between the teams.
Credits are awarded upon completion of certain events. You will be told when a Credit is available for taking. Credits include, but are not limited to:
Expense Credit: Can be used to reduce a design's cost by one level for a single turn.
Espionage Credit: Allows a number of things such as theft or sabotage of a design or various other acts of subterfuge.
Research Credit: Allows an extra 2d6 roll on a design or revision, with the highest one used for the result.
Design/Revision Credit: Grants an extra Design/Revision.
Resource Credit: Grants an extra Resource point without taking up a sector node.
This is my first shot at an AR, so while I will try my best to keep from making errors, I'm only human, but I will aim to rectify my mistakes in a timely manner. If there is anything else I realize I forgot then this post will be updated.
And finally on the topic of updates, I've been getting scheduled at least 50 hours a week at this bowling alley I mechanic for. While small updates like Designs and Revisions are easy enough to do, the Combat Summaries will take some time and effort. This means I'll only have time to post the Combat Reports on the one or two days off I have a week. It's not the worst pace, but I just want everyone to know not to expect anything faster than that for now.
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Topic: Industrialized Warfare: An Arms Race / Core Thread (COMPLETE) (Read 11588 times)