The Campaign Builder's Guild

Hoping to cure my withdrawal of roleplaying, I've decided to make a forum game.

This will be similar to the World at Dawn! game, although on a smller scale. For time's sake, I'm going to copy-paste alot of the stuff, and change it as needed.

Q: How does it work?
A: This game is basically a moderated story '" or if you like, D&D writ large.  It is essentially a role-playing game, except instead of playing an adventurer, you are playing leaders of people '" specifically, a Noble House in a large kingdom.  Like D&D, this game has a DM (that's me).

The basic system is this: You, the player, post stuff in this thread that describes your house and what's going on in it.  You post 'orders' '" you write about what's going on in the family '" and once I read your orders, I post a periodic 'update,' which describes what has gone on in the game world during that period of time.  After the update is posted, you post orders again, and so on.

This is a cooperative game, and you cooperate both with me and with each other.  You can engage in diplomacy with other players (in game, of course), ally with them against 'NPC' peoples, or even go to war with each other.  As the moderator, I use your stories to decide what exactly happens that round.  For example, you can attack your neighbor, and I will post in the update about how the war went.

D&D is played with a plethora of rules '" the DM doesn't decide how much damage you hit the goblin for, the dice do.  In this game, I decide these things, but that doesn't mean there aren't rules.  Each person does have its own statistics, describing things like authority, wealth, subterfuge, and piety.  I use these and a bit of imagination to determine the outcome of your ventures.  Remember that this is less of a competitive game than a cooperative story; over time we'll hopefully develop a vibrant, intriguing world that has evolved from your imaginations and mine.

Q: So can I win this game?
A: Not really, no.  Playing a house of pacifists and a house of warmongers are both equally viable ways to play.  Your house might be extinguished, but you can always rejoin the game as another, newly formed, house, or another entity that I've been controlling.

Q: How do I write these 'orders?'
A: Much like playing a character in D&D, there are limits to what you can describe.  You can't say 'my people discover iron working,' just like you couldn't say 'my character kills the goblin' in D&D.  What you can describe are actions '" attacking a neighbor, building a library, spreading your faith, and so on.  The outcome of these actions on a large scale is delivered in the update by me.

This is a story game, and you are encouraged to write orders in some kind of prose.  This can be as long or as short as you want.  Heck, write a poem if you want - as long as it gives me an idea of what's going on in the house, that's good enough for me. If you absolutely have to, you can write bare orders, but it's not nearly as much fun.

You don't need to address absolutely everything in your orders.  If you spend your orders talking about the new library you're building, I won't assume everything else is abandoned; other aspects of your house will continue more or less as before.

The game works best if you give orders regularly, but nothing terrible will happen if you go on vacation or otherwise leave for a while.  I'm not in the business of penalizing people in the game because they have real lives.


Q: I'm a terrible writer and/or I have no imagination.  I can't play this game!
A: Sure you can!  We're not judging your writing quality here, or critiquing your imagined nation.  All you need is a little bit of creativity.  You shouldn't feel compelled to write a page-long story because some other player did, or to write totally awesome prose that just blows us all away. And besides, practice makes perfect.

Q: So why should I play this?
A: Because it's fun!


Q: Okay, I'm interested.  What do I do?
A: All you do is tell me about your House. Like characters, your house as a whole will have statistics that I will assign based on your description. You should include:

Name: The name of your house, preferably with a symbol of coat of arms as well.
Origin: How did this family become noble?
Religion: What do you worship?
Traditions: What are the ways your house does business? do for sport? How are conflicts handled?

In addition, you will have several 'Agents,' members of the House. These will also have statistics, assigned by me, and during the course of the game your family tree of agents will expand. Currently, you have 5 (five) agents, and can place them however you want within the following guidelines:

You need to have a head of the House, and he must be married.
You must have at least one male still able to bear children. (younger than ~60)
Everyone must be related by blood or marriage.

Beyond that, go nuts. Describe each of them briefly, so I know what you want them to be.

Q: So is this a fantasy game?
A: It's fantasy in that it isn't reality; we're not using a world map.  If you mean elves, magic, and dragons, the answer is no '" at least not yet.  For now, we're assuming that this is a 'normal' world, following normal laws of physics and with the kind of flora and fauna that you would find on Earth.  I reserve the right to introduce fantasy elements as we go on!

Q: When should I submit orders?
A: The first update will come after enough people have posted their city-state info, and will just describe the known world as it is at present.  After that, I'll accept orders for the next update.


Q: What about IC/OOC?
A: It's totally fine to have ooc discussion here, if it's about the game.  You can make things easier for me and other players by putting your prose and diplomacy in an 'ic' block.

Q: I want to sneak attack my fellow player.  How can I keep it a secret?
A: Players are encouraged to post all their stories and orders in this thread, but if you have orders that really must be secret (like a surprise attack against another player), you can send me a private message.  You don't need to do this if it's a sneak attack against an NPC; they won't get advance warning just because you posted orders.

Q: I didn't catch this game when it started, but I want to join in.  What do I do?
A: Send me a private message and I'll get you joined up right away.

Q: So what's the place look like anyway?
A: I'm not entirely certain yet. I'll definitely get a map up this weekend, but for now There's a large port city, the capitol, and a new colony, each separated by about a week's journey into a large triangle.

[ooc]Is it alright if I make an Elven House?[/ooc]

Sorry, I'm gonna be running human-earthlike only.

Name: House Fa'rcaal

Origin: House Far'caal originated from House {Insert one of the major house's names here}. Long ago, many people were unhappy with the leaders of {previously mentioned house} so they broke away and formed their own house. They named it after the leader of their small rebellion, Danor Far'caal. When Danor died, he had no children or brothers, so his cousin Jaenak Numorul took over. He had 7 sons. Five of them where historians, one was a doctor and the other became an architect.

Religion: House Far'caal worships a god known as Yuquol. They believe him to be the creater of life, but humans themselves evolved from the original beings created. Yuquol is all knowing and all seeing but never interferes in anything. It is said that when someone dies their awareness becomes energy and new life is created. He who dies is aware of what happened, but the newly born human does not know of the soul inside of him. once that person dies, the energy of both beings is fused and enters another body. Both can communicate with eachother but not with the living one or vice versa. It is possible for one person to have the energy of millions of beings inside of himself.

Traditions: It is considered the greatest of honors to have seven sons. House Far'caal makes most of it's money mostly from trading medical supplies. Most conflicts are handled by a court system that they have developed. For sport, most of Far'caal's inhabitants Watch bullfighting or participate in it. Other games include horse riding and running.

okay, which five are in the house? You've got nine people listed...

Those people are long dead. soon i will post agents and a new and improved coat of arms.

[spoiler Agents] [spoiler Jaenak Numorul VII]the eldest son of Foro Numorul. Father of Bario, Sormir, and Orote Numorul. Husband of Seeril Numorul and Leader of House Far'caal.Age:52[/spoiler] [spoiler Seeril Numorul]Wife of Jaenak Numorul VII ans mother of Bario, Soromir, and Orote Numorul.Age:50[/spoiler] [spoiler Bario Numorul]Eldest son of Jaenak Numorul VII and Chief of trade of House Far'caal.Age:30 [/spoiler] [spoiler Soromir Numorul]Son of Jaenak Numorul VII, twin brother to Orote Numorul and chief historian of House Far'caal.Age:24[/spoiler] [spoiler Orote Numorul]Son of Jaenak Numorul VII and twin brother to Soromir Numorul. Chief Doctor of House Far'caal.Age:24[/spoiler] [/spoiler]

Name: House Illezou
Origin: One of the oldest houses, no one remembers exactlty how the Illezou family came into power, but most beleive it was by popularity of the people.
Religion: House Illezou beleives in not a god, but in an ever-present force, one that regulates life and lifts one up to the next stage as they die.
Traditions: The sons of House Illezou have a reputation of excellent swordsmanship and intellect. The women are rumored to be excellent archers. House Illezou runs many buisnesses, one being trade (they have a great investment in ships and caravans), along with archery and fighting schools. Most males compete in fencing, or other sword-fighting competitions, and the women prefer to cook, ride horses, or compete in archery.



Agents:
[spoiler Voran Illezou(Head of House)][/spoiler]
[spoiler Heltrun Illezou(Chief Espionage Agent)][/spoiler]
[spoiler Sheruni Illezou(House Matron)]Voran Illezou's Wife[/spoiler]
[spoiler Jolineh Illezou(First Son)]Deadly with a rapier, likeable, good friends with Seshesh.[/spoiler]
[spoiler Seshesh Illezou(First Cousin)]Great friends with Jolineh, known for his intelligence.[/spoiler]

[ooc] If i can't play elves, then I'll just have to make an ancient elitist group of swordsmen and archers! :P Really, though, they aren't like elves, except for the rapier and bows stuuf[/ooc]

[ooc]So... I'm confused here. We're creating noble houses, right? Not city-states? Or are we? And if not, what kind of an environment are we in control of? And what kind of technology level, on a global scale?

Thanks for your replies in advance, an' all.[/ooc]

Quote from: Wensleydale[ooc]So... I'm confused here. We're creating noble houses, right? Not city-states? Or are we? And if not, what kind of an environment are we in control of? And what kind of technology level, on a global scale?

Thanks for your replies in advance, an' all.[/ooc]

You will each contorl a noble house in a kingdom. You'll start out with some family land, and can gain control of entire cities eventually. Essentially, you're vying for power among yourselves, with the ultimate goal (probably) of getting one of your guys as king.

The time period will be medieval right before the renaissance, so no guns yet.  

[ooc]Right then! But... if it's medieval times, wouldn't we all have the same religion? Being in the same kingdom, and all?[/ooc]

Quote from: Wensleydale[ooc]Right then! But... if it's medieval times, wouldn't we all have the same religion? Being in the same kingdom, and all?[/ooc]

Not quite that medieval. Like the D&D pantheon, sorta. What will probably happen is that I'll make each of your religions a different sect of one large one. If some are too deviant, those would be exotic foreign religions.

CoA:

Name: The House of Sengeren

Origin: Luurik Sengeren was a military officer with outstanding merit and even more ambition.  He quickly rose to the rank of lieutenant general.  Equally feared and respected by his men, the lieutenant general achieved his goals with ruthless efficiency. In one campaign, Lieutenant General Sengeren repelled an attack on the ruler of the land. After painfully executing all of the prisoners, Sengeren was given the title of nobility.  Sengeren was given some land near the border to rule and became a baron.  

Baron Sengeren, however, proved that his method of leading men into the battlefield was not effective in leading civilians.  The baron became very unpopular in his barony.  To that end, his daughter had him and his wife poisoned.  Isevia Sengeren, Baron Luurik Sengeren's eldest daughter, claimed the title of Baroness despite the heir apparent being her brother, Jarlen.  Thus the House of Sengeren, under control of Baroness Isevia Sengeren, came to be.

Religion: During one of Luurik Sengeren's campaigns, he was just about to have a village burned when he found an old and beautiful tome in their town hall or temple (he was not sure what it was).  He took the tome and then had the village incinerated, along with its inhabitants.  The book was a theological text about the many deities found in the land and how they were not truly powerful.  The deities are neutral beings despite how they appear, and what we do in life is returned to us in different ways.  The tome never gave a name for the being that it thought was the all-powerful force, but it said that the deities are all in its sway.  Under the dictation of this tome, life does to people as people do to life.  One who lives well will have a life that does well for them, but those who are spiteful will have a wretched life.  The gods are the forces that enact this, giving to those who deserve gifts and taking from those who deserve malcontent.

Isevia Sengeren found this tome that Luurik Sengeren, disbelieving it, had tossed away, and adopted its beliefs - at least, that's what she says.  The House of Sengeren preaches from this tome a religious philosophy they call the Echo belief. The great force they will not give a name, simply calling him the Overgod.  Several copies of the Overgod's tome have been created, and they tell people they are free to read from it.  Isevia Sengeren, however, does not truly believe in the tome, but is simply using it as a tool to get people under her sway.

Prior to Echo, the barony largely believed in the local goddess, Halucca, who controled the rain and harvest.  The Echo has swallowed up the remains of this small goddess's worshippers and now people believe that Halucca was simply a servant for the Overgod.

Traditions: The House of Sengeren is less than two decades old and thus has few real traditions.  That said, they make themselves available to the people.  They have created many festivals for the Echo which they host.  They also make a point of working harvest with the people.  The House of Sengeren is well known in its barony and well approved because of how visible and down to earth its members are.  Of course, most of it is just an act.  Austringing (the act of training hawks) is common in the family, and the true-blood members of the family have green eyes.  

Agents:
Isevia Sengeren: Baroness Isevia Sengeren is the matron of the house.  She is the eldest daughter of Luurik Sengeren and Iuvia Oriphine Sengeren and older brother of Jarlen Sengeren. She married Dedric Caloan, then forced him into taking her family name, much against tradition.  They've had three children since then; their eldest son is Khaluu, and then she has two twin girls, three years old, named Abigayle and Bella.

Isevia is thin and long bodied, with slightly brown skin and long, waving black hair.  She has the green eyes of the Sengeren family, shared by her ascendants.  At the age of 28, she is dispassionate and calculating, but good at acting as though she is loving.  She is appreciated by her family, who know the real Isevia, but not loved.  She is ruthless and takes some small pride in torture.  She has taken on the role of magistrate within her barony just to be the one to judge people, and she is never good to those accused.  Nonetheless, she is good at painting a picture of complete guilt to those watching and is almost always supported in her decision.  While she is not as public as her husband and eldest son, the people still talk well about her.  She is, above all, just as malicious and ambitious as her father.

Isevia is an austringer, taking great joy in training hawks.  She is mediocre with the rapier, unlike her brother Jarlen, but her prized bay-winged hawk, Gulatos, is with her almost constantly.  She uses him to send letters and while hunting, and she often says that he is more intelligent than most of the people she surrounds herself with.  She also has several other hawks, but Gulatos is her favorite.

Dedric Caloan of the Sengeren House: Dedric Caloan comes from a good family.  He is a large man, weighing over 300 pounds, but jolly and well-liked by those around him.  He is highly charismatic and his mood can never be ruined.  He is the foremost spokesman for Echo, being the first believer after Isevia Sengeren introduced him to the religion. He loves his wife, and though he does not always agree with her cruel and deceptive ways, he is not one to say anything against her.  He was easily swayed into become second to her, taking her family name rather than hers, and spends most of his time among the people of the barony.  He is 31 years old with a jolly, mustached face.  When he's not busy, he can almost always be found playing some new sort of board or card game with anybody willing.

Jarlen Sengeren: Jarlen was the heir apparent for Baron Luurik Sengeren, being the only male born to them.  His sister, Isevia, however, took reign over the family.  Jarlen has little self-confidence and has attempted suicide a number of times. He is loyal and a good swordsman, so often escorts Isevia on her trips.  Isevia plays him well, giving him just enough confidence to keep him there and sworn to her, but not enough to ever want power.  Despite this, he is a very good looking man.  Though socially a little awkward, the women love him.  While he doesn't go out often, when he does he often spends time with a couple families in the barony, helping them with their work and becoming close to the children.  He is, despite everything else, not a bad fellow.

Khaluu Sengeren: Khaluu is Isevia's eldest son and possibly just as manipulative and cruel as she is, possibly more so.  He spends all of his time with the people and acts as the single cutest, most fun-loving kid around.  Everybody loves him.  He has dark hair and lightly browned skin, and the green eyes of the family.  He is eleven.  All of the other children see him as their leader, and he coordinates all of the games.  He does this, however, by his mother's will, seeping himself into the people's lives to make them love him.  While at home, his hobbies include torturing prisoners and training hawks.

Arua "Sapience" Viadrose Sengeren: Arua Viadrose married Luurik Sengeren's brother before the family became nobility, but Arua made good use of it. Even darker than Isevia, Arua was the one that, on Isevia's request, poisoned Luurik and Iuvia Sengeren.  But, not wanting to waste the opportunity, she also poisoned her husband.  Now Arua is a widow but still a member of the family and acts as the slightly deranged but still wise aunt of the family.  Sapience, as they call her, is 43, with graying hair and a plump, though not necessarily unattractive, figure.  She has no children of her own, though she is currently looking for a replacement for her deceased husband.

Derenthem

Name: House Derenthem

Origins: The sprawling wooden stablery, fortress and home of the Derenthem has been owned by a set of minor royal cousins since time immemorial. More through their relations than through their own merits did they rise to power, and it is only recently that they have obtained their reputation as horsemen and traders. Their barony can be found amongst the hilly highlands and semi-mountainous terrain of the north, sheep terrain, and good for their special breeds of horses too. The founding lord of the house was named Tanthir Derenthem, and it was he who began building the fortress on its partially artificial plateau. Since then, parts of it have been rebuilt in stone, and much of it has been extended to hold stables and residences for newer servants.

Religion: As do many if not all citizens, Derenthem believes in an omniscient source - a kind of Overgod. It holds many festivals to this overgod, which frequently involve horse races and hunts for which the villagers are rewarded (as well as the inevitable feasts at the manor).

Traditions: An old but minor house, Derenthem has established several traditions - mostly feasts, dances, and competitions (mostly focusing around horse-riding) at several points of the year, including the equinoxes, the points between each season, and harvest-time. It also has competitions for crossbow-firing from the saddle - a strange method of combat, to be sure, but perhaps it will prove useful if a war ever embroils the Barony.

Agents

Pierru Derenthem, Baron of the Estates of Derenthem

Pierru is a generally aloof and arrogant man, spending most of his time closeted in his private rooms, writing memoirs, managing his estates, and caring for his dying wife, who has long since become too sick to perform her duties. During festivals, however, he seems to become a different man - joining the celebrations apparently wholeheartedly. He is an intelligent man, and can be excessively cold - even using torture if need be. He has a kind of distant love for his family, and appears to even show affection at times, although this is rare. He has four children, Manius, Alaan, Mari and Darnan, only two of whom - Manius and Mari - are old enough to perform any duties for the house. Both Darnan and Pierru's wife, Elise, appear to be taken with the same horrific wasting sickness, which physicians say cannot be cured.

Manius Derenthem

Manius is the eldest son of Pierru - of the four children (three of whom are sons), he is the only male capable of performing duties for the House. He is a fine horseman, and fights well with both sword and lance. He is the child who generally conducts trade with other nobles for the fine, well-bred warhorses his house is often famed for, and his cruel, hawklike features (a trait from his mother) and tendency to forcibly remove troublemakers generally gets him a good price. He is married to the lady Yana, and unlike his father spends most of his time in the public (or semi-public) eye, fraternising with bodyguards, high-ranking servants and the like when there is no company of his own social standing. He has an eye for money, and can be as cold as his father when it pleases him, although he has an extremely deep affection for his sister Mari, and a more distant, political relationship with his wife.

Mari Derenthem

Mari is pretty if not beautiful, with her mother's hawklike eyes, and appears to most as a stereotypical nobleman's daughter. Despite her constant trips to places 'with more society', and her apparent love for overexpensive dresses, to assume that Mari is a simple woman with nothing more on her mind than marriage would be foolish. She can use a dagger as effectively as any assassin - and indeed, has performed assassinations for the family on two occasions (in which she was obviously above suspicion) although she prefers to leave such duties to her uncle's men. She has a talent with money, and a talent for obtaining what she wishes. She has an extremely deep affection for her brother, Manius, and it is likely that when he succeeds his father as Baron, she will be equally involved in managing the estate. She is so far unmarried.

Rodolfo 'The Red' Derenthem

Rodolfo is feared by all who have met him, an often violent brute of a man who is known for his drunken rages (often in battle), his apparent inability to die (even surviving a blade straight to the chest, although this has quelled his strength somewhat) and his ability with all manner of weapons, from the sword to the battleaxe to the morning-star. He has never harmed any of his family, however, and much of this angry, destructive bravado is actually a smokescreen of sorts. Rodolfo actually controls a small network of spies, placed within a few (if not many) cities, as well as several hired killers. Those who see him as a vicious fool - as most do - of course never suspect him of any kind of 'intelligent' foul play.

Yana Derenthem

The Lady Yana is the recently-married wife of Manius, and as the eldest 'constant' woman in the household, generally organises the servants. She has many contacts in the dangerous world of 'female politics', and is a manipulative woman, although her attempts to do so with Manius have so far failed. She is, however, likely to have children - and her stately beauty serves her well in manipulating the commoners. She often sits as the judge in the noble courthouse, especially when her sister-in-law is away, and delights in the small power she has over the commoners, who are rather in awe of her.