Game Idea

[Callie]

Because I unfortunately have too much time on my hands this summer, I wish to moderate a game. I have proposed the game below; however, I am open to suggestions for other games to moderate. Please provide some constructive criticism - I really want to run a fun game for everybody! I have no idea if this is a kind of game people would play.

 

Rules:

 

 

Overview

 

 

Lynaeus is a game for ten to sixteen players divided into equal numbers of Pact members and farlanders. A game consists of seven turns lasting 24 hours each. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game is the winner. Players accrue resources and citizens throughout the game; citizens are used to convert raw resources into processed goods and subsequently into final products. Final products are worth victory points and may provide military bonuses. A list of all goods and citizens is provided below. The number in parenthesis represents the item’s victory point value. The number in italicized boldface represents the item’s food value, if applicable.

 

 

Each player is assigned a role with a specific nationality and allegiance (Pact and Farlander). Each nation has its own special citizen and special product that provide additional military bonuses. Roles, nations, and allegiances all have attributes, enemies, and abilities that affect gameplay. See the appendix for lists of roles, nations, and corresponding attributes.

 

Beginning of Game

 

The moderator assigns each player a role and a scarab by private message. Scarabs are assigned at random and provide special abilities listed in the appendix.

 

The Turn

 

Each turn consists of the following steps:

 

Beginning of turn:

Draw resources

 

Middle of turn:

Make trades

Inspection

Identify

Use abilities and scarabs (if applicable)

Forge alliances (except turn 1)

 

End of turn (in order):

Use abilities and scarabs (if applicable)

Construct Buildings

Production

Claim Resources

Feed Citizens (if applicable)

Claim Citizen

Conduct Raids (except turn 1)

Cattle Breeding (if applicable)

 

 

 

Beginning of Turn

 

 

The moderator posts the pool of resources and citizens available for claiming. See the appendix for examples of pools.

 

Draw Resources

 

Each player receives two raw resources required for their special product (Khemeria receives two cattle or two silk at random). Seven other raw resources are drawn at random; players can receive more than one of the same raw resource. Farlanders receive nine raw resources.

 

 

Middle of Turn

 

 

Make Trades

 

Each player is allowed to make two trades per turn (Dharam gets three trades). Players can trade any combination of raw resources, processed goods, final products, and citizens. Special products and scarabs cannot be traded. Trade requests are submitted to the moderator. Trades are conducted successfully if two players submit matching trade requests. A player may trade three of one resource for another like resource at any time (i.e. three stone for one wood, but not three stone for one lumber).

 

Inspection

 

Once per turn, a player can inspect another player and choose to ascertain an unknown enemy of that player. The Tawon Empire can choose to learn the player’s allegiance instead.

 

Identify

 

Twice per turn, a player may attempt to identify the allegiance, nationality, or role of another player. A correct identification provides an increase in base strength against that player (+1 for allegiance, +2 for nationality, and +4 for role). These bonuses do not stack, so identifying a nationality and then later identifying a role only provides a +4 bonus. Similarly, players will gain victory points for a correct identification (+1 for allegiance, +2 for nationality, and +4 for role). Players whose role is identified lose two victory points for each successful identification. An incorrect identification will provide -1 to base strength against the player. Players will not be informed of the correctness of an identification.

 

Use Abilities

 

Some role-specific abilities and scarabs can be actively used during the turn. Others work passively.

 

Forge Alliances

 

Players can make a request to forge a defensive or offensive alliance with another player. Defensive alliances allow players to pool their defense; likewise, offensive alliances allow players to pool their offense. Players who wish to form an alliance make a request to the moderator; if the players’ requests match, the alliance is formed. Alliances can consist of more than two players, but each player must include all other players in the alliance for the request to succeed. An alliance only lasts during the end-of-turn phase in which the alliance is forged. Players are allowed to violate an alliance by not taking the allegiance’s chosen action during the end-of-turn phase; however, any player who violates an alliance receives the traitor card, which is worth -6 victory points. The traitor card is held until another player violates an alliance. Alliances cannot be made during the first turn.

 

 

End of Turn

 

 

Construct Buildings

 

Players can construct buildings out of brick and lumber. Buildings increase production by 50%, rounded down. Pact members must pay four lumber and two brick or four brick and two lumber to construct a building. Farlanders must pay four lumber and four brick. The architect citizen halves this cost, rounded up; the firm building stacks to reduce cost by one third, rounded up. Buildings are worth eight victory points each. The Kva can replace wood costs for buildings with stone; the Wyldrylm can repclae stone costs for buildings with wood.

 

Production

Players assign each of their three citizens a task. An unskilled citizen can convert two of one resource into one improved resource. A skilled citizen can covert up to four resources at a one to one ratio. Raw resources are converted into processed goods, which are then converted into final or special products. Milk is a special processed good: it takes two cattle to produce one milk. The milker citizen doubles this production. Cattle are not converted when used to produce milk.

 

Claim Resources

A pool of different resources is available for the player to claim. Examples of items in the pool are: “2 wood”, “3 stone”, “1 lumber”. There are always twice as many items in the pool as players. Once resources are claimed, new resources are placed in the pool, or stacked on unclaimed resources. For example, if “two wood” is taken, there will be “2 wood” available next turn. If “3 stone” is not taken, there will “6 stone” available next turn. One player is randomly selected at the beginning of the game to pick first. This player is at the top of a list of all players in random order; once the first player claims a resource, the player two spaces down on the list goes first next turn. When submitting a claim to the moderator, players make list in order of preferred claim, according to their place on the player list. For example, a player who is four spaces down from the first player would submit a list with five choices in descending order.

 

Feed Citizens

Citizens must be fed at the end of turns 2, 4, 6, and 7. Each citizen must eat two food. A requisition card is given to the player for each missing food required. Requisition cards are worth -3 victory points each.

 

Claim Citizen

As with resources, a pool of citizens will be available for players to choose from. The number of citizens in the pool is equal to the number of players plus two. Players choose in order according to the same mechanic as resource claiming; a different list will be created for the citizen pool. A player may refuse to claim a citizen.

 

Conduct Raids

Players can conduct raids (after the first turn) against other players to steal their resources and possibly even citizens. Each player has a base strength equal to: # of citizens + # of weapons + # of armor + 2 x # of special product. The bonus from the number of weapons, armor, and special products cannot exceed the number of citizens the player has. For example, a Kellem player with 4 citizens, 6 weapons, 3 armor, and 2 wands has a base strength of fifteen. Consumables (potions, scrolls, and runestones) can be used to increase base strength. Runestones can be consumed to permanently increase the strength of a weapon, armor, or special product by one. Potions and scrolls can be consumed to temporarily increase base strength by two each, but only for the turn in which they are used.

When players conduct a raid, an attack bonus is added based on attributes, enemies, abilities, and scarabs. Pact members gain +4 attack against farlanders; farlanders gain +3 attack against Pact members. Additionally, players gain +3 attack against players listed as an enemy. Pact members receive a -3 penalty against non-enemy pact members. Some players receive a defense bonus according to attributes, abilities, and scarabs. Players can pool offensive and defensive strength by forging alliances.

Once the raid has been conducted, the victor is determined by comparing attack and defense. The winner wins a number of victory points’ worth of items from the opponent equal the difference between attack and defense scores. The items won are chosen randomly by the moderator, but non-weapon, non-food items will always be stolen first, followed by non-food items, and then food. Citizens may be stolen as a last resort and are worth 4 VP each. Alliances randomly pool the won resources. Special products and scarabs cannot be stolen. The attacked player will be informed of the attacker’s nationality, but not the name of the player.

It is possible for a player to be completely eliminated by a raid.

 

Cattle Breeding

At the ends of turns 2,4,6, and 7 cattle will breed. One new cattle is produced for every two existing cattle. For the Wyldrylm, two new cattle are produced for every two existing cattle.

 

 

Other

 

 

Communication

 

Communication is encouraged to form alliances and make trades. All forms of communication are permissible, including smoke signal.

 

Rounding

 

All percentages are rounded to the player’s disadvantage.

 

Scoring

 

A player’s total score is the sum of the following:

Sum of points from items (according to table)

4 points for each citizen

8 points for each building

8 points for role-specific victory point bonus

-2 VP for each player who identifies your role

+50% of average allegiance base score, excluding enemies

-25% of enemy 1’s base score

-25% of enemy 2’s base score

-25% of enemy 3’s base score

 

The player with the most points is the winner.

 

 

 

 

Appendices

 

 

Appendix A: Scarabs

 

 

Truesight Scarab: Inspections can reveal allegiance

Scarab of Subtlety: Negates a target’s inspection

Scarab of Tenacity: +4 Defense, -2 Attack

Scarab of Evasion: Evade raid from target

Amethyst Scarab: 1 gemstone from the draw

Opaline Scarab: Raid target will not learn nationality

Malachite Scarab: +4 Attack, -2 Defense

Bone Scarab: +1 DEF/hide

Scarab of Warfare: +2 Base strength

Life Symbol Scarab: +2 Defense

Scarab of the Pure Claw: +2 Attack

Pulsating Scarab: +1-3 Attack at random

Scarab of the Void: +3 Defense, -1 Attack

Searing Scarab: +3 Attack, -1 Defense

Corrupted Scarab: Lose half the normal goods from raids

Frost-Rimed Scarab: Immune to targeted abilities

 

 

Appendix B: Nations and attributes

 

 

 

 

Appendix C: Roles and abilities

 

 

 

 

Appendix D: Example resource pool for ten players

 

 

4 stone

4 wood

3 herbs

3 ore

2 silk

3 crystals

2 grain

2 fruit

2 cattle

2 brick

2 lumber

1 paper

1 reagent

2 ingots

1 cloth

1 gemstone

1 flour

1 must

1 raw beef

1 hide

 

 

 

 

[Slawbug]

Thoughtfully constructed and very ambitious. Count me as a maybe depending on timing.

[Sudanna]

Also a maybe, though it seems like too much for a forum game.

[keira]

Thoughtfully constructed and very ambitious. Count me as a maybe depending on timing.

 

[Callie]

I'll probably post a signup in a day or two, but I'm worried I won't have enough people due to the dearth of activity here lately.

 

Also a maybe, though it seems like too much for a forum game.

That's my biggest concern, but I remember Northern Isles became fairly complicated in later games, and *i had enough people to play.

[nikki.]

I'll toss my hat into the ring, Ex.

[Randomizer]

I like the idea, but I don't have the time. *sigh*

[Mistah Q]

I like the idea, but I don't have the time. *sigh*

Same for me.

[Goldengirl]

I'd love to play, but it just seems to complicated. If we did something more akin to the level of the Darkside Loyalist games a while back, though, that would be cool. Even an RP would be fun, though perhaps it should be closely managed to prevent becoming too sprawling.

[Sarachim]

I'll play. Also, I'll win.