This is one half of a game I wanted to run, but it has been suggested to me that I don't have the political side nearly ready so I'm running it as a PvP 4X.Players are powerful space lords who command entire planets and want to become the Emperor of Space.
Planets fall into several categories:
- Farming planets: produce enough food to feed themselves and 2 additional planets. If a planet is not supplied with food for the turn, it (reverts to subsistence farming and) does nothing that turn. Food can be bought an sold as normal, but cannot be stockpiled.
- Mining planets: produces 3 units of ore.
- Manufacturing planets: turn up to 3 ore into an equal number of machines
- Recruitment planets: produce 3 armies (see conquest) Armies can not be stockpiled, and are raised anew if destroyed.
- Shipyard planets: may spend 3 ore to produce 1 fleet/turn. (Note: You must also spend 1 ore per fleet as upkeep, or that fleet will have a bad time.)
Colonization: This is a 2 step process. The controller of a fleet may send it away on a mission of exploration (thus preventing it from combat use.) One fleet will find one potential colony per turn (that only the fleet controllers know of.) Each colony is of a particular kind (see planets) and costs 10 machines to settle. Fleets which are not supplied can not explore.
Conquest: Armies are assigned to a planet each turn by PM. It takes an army to take over a planet. if there are several armies present, they may fight until no disagreement about who the planet belongs to exists.
Fleets are also assigned to a planet (or exploration) each turn by PM. A fleet stationed above a planet may prevent any armies (except the planet controller's which are already there) from landing there. Of course if there are several fleets stationed above a planet they may also fight until no disagreement about which armies can land exists.
(So to recap: fleets beat armies, but only armies can take planets)
Combat: Works like in Risk. When fleets or armies fight, they roll a six sided die for each army/fleet. The highest die on each side is compared and whichever side has the lower number loses 1 fleet/army (in case of ties no one loses) then the next highest die and so on. Fleets which are not supplied roll with a -2 disadvantage. If after a round of combat units remain on both sides, another round is automatically run, until only one side remains.
Trading: Players are free to trade anything to anyone (from food and ore to alliances and votes.)
There's also a backup market, that sells food, ore (for 100 Million Florins) and machines (for 200.) Or buys them (for 10 and 20 Million respectively.)
Starting conditions: Each player starts with 5 planets of their choice and 1000 Million Imperial Florins (M₣).
Winning Conditions: Each turn a vote is carried out, with each player having as many votes as they have planets. The only issue to vote for is who will be Emperor. This player wins the game. (There is no reason to vote for anyone but yourself, but you can to fulfil a deal or out of king-making spite.)