This thread is the newest incarnation of an old but no longer abandoned forum game. I swear on the bones of my ancestors that this one won't end up dying in the way the others did.
The game is currently full and the waiting list won't be moving anytime soon, but feel free to post and reserve a place.
BeginningTurn 1Turn 2Turn 3The premise is this: You take control of one of several young species on a gene-warping planet, where mutations which are oddly uniform and almost always beneficial occur with almost every single generation, guiding them through their troubles and moulding them in the crucible of natural selection. Alternatively, you can take the form of a god, for the gods are real and powerful, and grant your favour to the world’s creatures or inflict your wrath upon them as you see fit.
Feel free to comment, suggest, and, most of all, join in. In order to avoid being bogged down, I will be making use of co-GMs. The species cap will initially be five players, but should I receive stout applicants of virtue true for the post of co-GM or somehow end up being able to handle five players easily this cap may increase later on. The cap for gods will remain indeterminate, since they don't really have to do much and the number is sort of limited by the number of sentients present regardless. To join, submit a species or a god in accordance with the guidelines below.
The most important thing to remember here is that this game runs on narrative and imagination, with a bit of strategy thrown in. The rules are secondary to keeping things moving, and above all, interesting. As GM, I’ll be keeping track of the numbers and such. That said, here are the rules you need to be concerned with:
On the Rules Governing SpeciesNaturally, the game revolves around these. They are defined by their various traits, which you, the player, buy with Evolution Points, or EP. Everyone gets a bunch of these per turn, and you start with 55 EP to use as you please. You only need to spend one EP to buy a trait, but the more you spend on it, the more useful it will be. There is no limit on the level of a trait, but level costs will increase as you go up: the cost is the level you're buying divided by two, rounded up; that is, upgrading to level 5 will cost 3 EP, for example. Buying levels 1-5 outright will cost 9 EP. Again, rules are secondary to imagination; invent whatever traits you like, and I’ll come up with a way to make them fit into the game’s overall framework and give you some sort of tangible benefit. To make a species, put down the following:
NameEvery creature needs a name, except for the creatures who don't have names. You may want to include plural, singular and adjective forms, as well as how the race as a whole is referred to. Or you may not.
OutlineWhat it looks like, how it lives, et cetera. Details can go here or down in the traits list.
Breeding FactorHow well your species reproduces. Breeding factor follows a slightly different progression for point costs to other traits: every species has it even if they haven't spent any points on it, but each level costs a number of EP equal to the level you're raising it to, so buying levels 1-5 outright will cost 1+2+3+4+5 = 15 EP. It determines how fast you reproduce under ideal conditions: this can be modified by factors such as disease, weather, availability of food and so on.
Multiplying FactorThis is how large, powerful and rare creatures and legions of weaklings are balanced against one another. Population, for the purpose of calculating stuff, is represented by points. By default, these are equivalent to ten thousand creatures each, and your average creature has a multiplying factor of one.
If your creature is rare but powerful, give them a multiplying factor less than one. If it's common but weak, give them a multiplying factor greater than one. No negative or imaginary numbers are allowed. Irrational numbers are technically permissible, but regarded as poor sportsmanship.
Edit: Zero, complex numbers and extremely large or extremely small numbers are also out. It should go without saying that vectors, matrices and quaternions are absolutely forbidden.
Physiological traitsEverything from legs to poison glands to toughened skin to wings to some sort of organ that lets you generate electricity goes here. They define the physical appearance of your creature: without any of these, it's just a blob.
A creature with no physiological traits is capable of the following:
- Moving very slowly: oozing along the ground or equivalent.
- Limited sensory perception: fairly poor eyesight and hearing or equivalent.
- Reproduction, which is covered by Breeding Factor above.
- Eating a limited diet, such as grass or plankton or something similar it's capable of catching.
It has no natural defences, is extremely vulnerable to predators, and quite easy to wipe out. In short, it's pretty useless physically.
Civil traitsAny abilities that aren’t physical or supernatural go here. Mainly skills which the species as a whole tends to have (e.g. dwarves might have mining and metalworking here, or a warlike race might have martial tradition) and any sort of organization or form of government. The line between technology and civil trait can be a fine one, but as a rule stuff that deals solely with accumulated knowledge goes in technology, while everything else goes here.
Supernatural traitsMagic, psychic powers, what have you. Paranormal stuff. Also includes religious powers; not those pertaining to the establishment of a religion, but the ability to contact and otherwise interact with the gods.
Special traitsSometimes, a creature may have properties which make it radically different to conventional animals. An example from previous games is the Yrb, which were a fungus. They were described as large mats of mould covering the ground, and could not be killed easily because any patch of fungus of any size could function as an independent entity. Under the rules here, they would have the special trait 'Homogeneous.' EP costs (or possibly bonuses, for negative traits) for these will have to be worked out on a case-by-case basis. PM me if you're wanting one.
TechnologiesCement mixing, fire making, hut building, any conceivable tool or weapon or science goes here. The player doesn't have much control over this: it will operate under a blind research system, where you pour EP in here and you get technologies. You can, however, choose to focus on a particular field or topic if you like. This system is in place so that there's some standardization between technologies, making it easier to balance the benefits of technology. Incidentally, don't be afraid to be a bit creative when deciding what to focus on: technology progression need not be like it was on Earth or even especially realistic, although it will have to make some kind of sense. Gunpowder weapons immediately after inventing rudimentary chemistry and some kind of metallurgy, for example.
One last point. Feel free not to put any EP into civil traits and technologies; monsters on the edges of civilization are just as good as more enlightened species. Nor should you feel pressured to put anything into supernatural traits, and you can even leave physiological traits more or less alone if you like; no reason you can't get by on magic or psychic powers alone.
Disclaimer: This may be a real creature, but I make no claims as to the accuracy of this information. Especially since I'm lumping all species of octopus together here.
This is kind of a perfunctory creature entry and could be set out better, but it gives you a general idea of what to do.
You'll note that there's no 'Intelligence' trait below. Intelligence, for the most part, is simulated by points put into civil traits and technologies.
This creature is only 45 EP, but Mother Nature made octopuses underpowered and also with no technologies or anything.
Name: Octopus
Plural: Octopuses
Adjective: Octopine
Outline
The octopus is a sea-dwelling creature with eight arms attached to a single bulbous head. Its body is almost entirely flexible, with the only hard part being a small beak which serves as its mouth. Its diet consists mainly of small crustaceans and fish.
Breeding Factor: 3 (6 EP)
Multiplying Factor: 0.1
Physiological Traits
Arms: 5 (9 EP)
Octopuses are capable of fine manipulation and limited use of tools despite having no hands. Their arms are completely covered in suckers, allowing them to hold objects in place while they use their other arms for manipulation.
Beak: 1 (1 EP)
An octopus's beak is tough enough to drill a hole in the tough shells of some of the creatures it feeds on, given enough time.
Venom: 4 (6 EP)
Octopuses are equipped with a paralyzing venom, which is used on both predators and prey alike.
Ink Cloud: 2 (2 EP)
The octopus is able to spray a cloud of ink to confound predators while it swims away.
Swimming: 5 (9 EP)
The octopus, in addition to being able to walk along the ocean floor, can also move quickly underwater through a form of jet propulsion, which involves spraying water through a special orifice.
Keen Vision: 4 (6 EP)
Octopuses are able to see a good distance underwater, and can also detect the polarization of light.
Flexibility: 3 (4 EP)
The extremely squishy nature of an octopus's body allows it to fit through tight spaces and wriggle out of things with ease.
Supernatural Traits
Divine Nature: 2 (2 EP)
Octopuses are actually shadows cast into this world by horrors beyond comprehension. They do not actually wield any powers of their own, but they seem to enjoy some small measure of favour from the Horrorterrors. Those mortals unlucky enough to be touched by the Horrorterrors will for this reason often perceive them as great octopuses.
All the action takes place on a moderately-sized section of one planet. The planet is permeated by energies which are responsible for supercharging the evolutionary process, emanating from the green second sun which appeared in the sky a while ago. The map will be made specifically to accommodate the species players create. Players can invent whatever local terrain features or wildlife they like, so long as they don't actively try to destroy the opposition or anything like that. Unless you get GM approval, of course.
A Brief Explanation of TimeThis game is turn-based. Each turn, every species and every god posts actions, and then the GM resolves them. The results will have an element of randomness to them, as dice are involved. Turn lengths will be variable; by default, about a century long. If stuff begins to happen, such as wars or whatever, the turns will become shorter, to a minimum of about a year. Likewise, if nothing's going on, turns may be extended up to a millennium or more. We'll see how we go. Actions will take time to perform, of course: in a short turn, they may not end up completed. EP will be awarded based mainly on ingame time elapsed.
Actions don't have to be public; any player may submit hidden actions via PM. Where appropriate, the effects of these actions will remain hidden until they come to light.
The Inevitable WarsContrary to popular belief, violence should not be your last resort. Violence is, in fact, the best means of resolving a dispute available, and all wise men know that it should be resorted to as often as is practical.
A war requires troops, of course, and the ability to mobilize them and send them places is one of the most important factors in warfare. One cannot simply take a population point and throw it at the enemy: part of that population point must consist of soldiers.
When attacked, all creatures become soldiers of a sort, but militia and insurgents are less effective than properly trained and equipped troops, and cannot carry wars into enemy territory. Professional armies, whether they be a warrior caste, a volunteer standing army, slaves, conscripts, a levy, or some sort of warband will be able to overwhelm a militia unit of equivalent size under most circumstances.
A mobilized army, however, is no longer part of the workforce. This is less of a problem for species who don't have a workforce to begin with, but those who do should be mindful of decreased production.
When two opposing armies meet, a battle occurs. This can be resolved numerically, but if the situation warrants it and it can be managed, a turn-based tactics game may be run in between turns.
Concerning the DivineAs is often the case, gods are powered by prayer. They are brought into existence by mortal beliefs or prayers, and without worshippers they usually fade away. A single follower will serve to anchor the deity to this world, but if all are dead or converted then he or she or it is powerless.
Gods perform actions much like species, but there are some key differences. For one, gods pretty much always succeed at whatever they do, but they are more limited in the actions they can take. These limitations are:
- Divine Power, or DP. Larger interventions cost some, and it regenerates over time; the rate of regeneration and the maximum amount is defined by your number of worshippers in terms of population points. Most lesser actions cost nothing, but a god must have a certain minimum amount to do them. This reserve is the same for all gods, and can be spent freely. By doing so, even lesser gods can perform great works - at the expense of being rendered nearly powerless for at least a few years.
- Domains, sometimes called spheres. They define the things you have the most power over. Actions which do not pertain to any of a god's domains will be very expensive. The smaller a god's portfolio, the more efficient actions within it will be; very broad domains, such as 'Change', are not advised unless you expect to have a lot of DP to make up for how expensive everything will be. Domains can be changed over the course of the game, generally at the cost of some DP.
- Deities are not simply fuelled by faith; in a sense, they are faith. They are constructs of belief, and as such they cannot affect anything without worshippers present. A god's followers will therefore project a field of sorts around them, within which gods are free to act normally. The more worshippers present, the larger the field will become, even if they are very tightly packed. Acting outside this field will cost additional DP, which is proportionate to the distance. Creatures that actively oppose a deity will project a field with the opposite effect, hindering efforts to use divine powers. This means that it would be difficult but possible to cause fire to rain down upon a battlefield, for instance, as both supporters and opponents will be present. It is also possible for gods to choose to grant or deny other gods the ability to act within their own spheres of influence, which has a similar effect to mortal worship or opposition.
Playing a god is pretty freeform, once you've digested that. Give them a domain and a name (or don't), describe their history (if any), their appearance/physical form (or lack thereof), their goals and desires, whatever.
Sentient races have emerged from the chaos once more, and a new chapter in this world's history begins. It is for them to name the newly-risen mountains, to claim the unclaimed valleys, and to build civilizations that can withstand the inevitable wars.
For the land is small. Resources are limited. And Darwin's Law is in full effect.
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Topic: Evolution VIII: Ediacaran Power (Read 56109 times)