Fable Of Empires

In a Nut-Shell.

In this game, you take control of a nation building an empire in a medieval non-fantasy setting. At the start of the game, you are assigned a unique objective to complete and a unique bonus your empire gains, it is then up to you to lead your nation, improving its wealth and food incomes, training armies, researching new technologies and forging alliances or waging war with other empires that may stand in your way. Each empire will go through 4 ages of technology with certain requirements to reach the next age. (Think of it as your empire levelling up!)

This game is recommended for players who like role-play, diplomacy and thought-based strategy or tactics styled games.

Character Creation

1) Select 'join game' and disregard genre and trait selection.
2) Put in a name and role. Your name should be the name of the leader of the country (who you are) and your role should be their title which should include the empire name. For example 'John the King of Therrinfort' or 'Harmardrek the Emperor of Hijik'
3) Ignore might, agility and wisdom (they are not in use in this game, delete any and all traits, and set your life and power to 2.)
4) Tell the GM that you have done steps 1-3! They will then send your a private message, giving you three empire objectives to choose from.
5) Message the GM, telling them which empire you'd like to be. Make a note (at the top of your notes) of your unique bonus (This will be told to you by the GM)
6) Write a description of your empire and its leader! The GM will give you some prompts for this if you're not sure what to write.
7) You're ready to play! Select an area on any of the 4 battle mats that makes up the world that is at least 3 tiles from any other thing on the board, your first town is automatically built here and garrisoned by two militia

Over-world Mechanics

The over-world is made of four fabletop Battlemats in a 2 by 2 grid. The name of the scene will tell you which section of the map you are looking at. On the over-world entire towns and armies are represented by just 1 miniature.

The following things show up on the over-world map.
-The type of terrain (see terrain rules)
-Towns, castles and wonders built by any Empire.
-Armies that have left a town of castle belonging to any empire. (If two armies walk onto the same tile or an army walks onto the same tile as another empires' town, castle or wonder, a battle begins.)
-Trade caravans send out by an empire, and their escort. (If a caravan reaches a town, a battle doesn't start but instead a trade can commence.)
-Villagers going to build a new town or castle, and their escort.

To prevent the mini limit from being hit too quickly, try and spread your empires across the 4 different maps and don't deploy too many armies at once!

Basic Mechanics.

Your life represents your empire's food income. It can be increased by building farms or researching certain technologies. Food is used to hire any sort of unit.

Your power represents your empire's wealth income. It can be increased by building farms or researching certain technologies. Wealth is used to build any sort of building or to research.

at the end of every round, all empires regain 25% of their maximum food and wealth.

The amount of units you can have in total is limited by a 'unit cap'. Your unit cap increases when you build towns, houses or research certain technologies. Your unit cap begins at 3.

The amount of towns you can have in total is limited by your current age. You may have 1 town only in the Dark Age, up to two towns in the Feudal age, up to three towns in the Castle Age and up to four towns in the Imperial Age.

Each town you build can then have up to four other buildings built in it. (Building requires a villager and costs wealth.) some buildings will allow you to train units for your army, others will unlock new types of research or increased the unit cap, wealth income or food income of your empire. Each building that trains unit can train one unit per turn at the cost of 1 food each.

For 1 wealth (Dark or Feudal age) or 2 wealth (Castle or Imperial Age) a piece of research can be performed once per turn. From your next turn, this research is then unlocked, providing a bonus across your whole civilisation. This does not take a unit.

Once a player has a certain amount of research and XP, they can pay a large amount of both wealth and food to advance to the next age. This will automatically upgrade a lot of troops into a new type of unit.

Troops, Garrisons and Armies

Every type of troop has a life and attack stat (outlined further down in this forum.) They also have a type assigned to them, and some may have special ability. Troops can either be in a garrison or in an army. Troops in a garrison are within a town and don't show up on the over-world map. If your town is attacked, your garrison can defend it! Armies (including trade caravans and villager escorts) do show up on the over world map and can move 1 tile per turn, or 2 tiles if both spaces are along a road.) If a battle is started involving this army, a new scene is loaded and all the troops within your army put down for the fight. A fight lasts for two rounds, then returns to the over-world map with casualties taken into account.

Units may get an advantage over other units depending on their type. Cavalry units gain an extra die against infantry and ranged units and Infantry units gain an extra die against siege units. Ranged and siege units do not gain an advantage, but are able to attack at range.

Terrain may also give some units an advantage (see terrain rules)

If an army attacks a town garrison and wins, they have three options.
1) They can capture the town, gaining control of it and all its buildings - to do this a unit of villagers must be in the attacking army and the empire capturing the town must not exceed their town cap by taking the town.
2) They can pillage the town, taking half of the wealth and food of the empire who controlled the town and adding it to their own wealth and food. The town is then left derelict and can be captured by any unit of villagers from any empire.
3) The town can be destroyed, completely removing it and all its buildings from the map.

Terrain Rules

The type of terrain has an effect on the tide of battle, and whether certain types of buildings can be built. These rules are listed below (by terrain type)

Plains: On the plains, the attacking army goes first and cavalry (except camels) gain an attack die.
Desert: In the desert, the attacking army goes first and camels gain an attack die. Farms cannot be built in the desert unless there is an adjacent water tile.
Hills: On the hills, the defending army goes first and ranged and siege units can an attack die.
Desert Hills: On desert hills, the defending army goes first and ranged and siege units gain an attack die. Farms cannot be built on desert hills unless there is an adjacent water tile.
Mountains: On mountains, the defending army goes first. Ranged units gain an attack die, whilst siege units loose an attack die. Only castles can be built on mountains
Swamps: In the swamps, the defending army goes first. All units except infantry loose an attack die. No buildings can be built in swamps.
Ford: On fords, the attacking army goes first. Siege units loose an attack die. No buildings can be built on fords.
Bridges: On bridges, the defending army goes first. No units gain any advantages. No buildings can be built on bridges.
Forest: In the forest, the defending army goes first. Ranged units loose an attack die.
Road: On the road, the attacking army goes first. All cavalry gain an attack die on roads. Roads built across water become bridges. Roads built across mountains or hills become high-road.
High Road: On the high-road, the attacking army goes first. Cavalry, Ranged and Siege units all gain an attack die on high roads.
Water: Water terrain is impassible by all units.

The Dark Age (Age 1)

The following buildings can be built in the dark ages:
Town Centre: Costs 2 wealth, trains villager units. Increases your unit cap by 2.
Barracks: Costs 1 wealth, trains infantry units.
Mine: Costs 1 wealth, increases your wealth stat by 1.
Farm: Costs 1 wealth, increases your food stat by 1.
Houses: Costs 1 wealth, increases your unit cap by 1.

The following units can be trained in the dark ages (1 food each)
Villager: Attack 1, life 1, infantry. Each villager can build one building per turn. (Trained from Town Centre)
Militia: Attack 2, life 1, infantry. (Trained from barracks)

The following technologies can be researched in the dark ages (1 wealth each)
Loom: Villagers gain 1 life.
Town Scouts: When your town is attacked, instantly add 1 militia to your garrison if you can do this without exceeding your unit cap.
Trade: At any point, you can pay 4 food to gain 1 wealth or 4 wealth to gain 1 food (later research will improve this rate)
Weapon Smiths (requires a barracks): Militias gain 1 attack.

Feudal Age (Age 2)

To reach this age, you must have at least 3 Dark Age technologies researched, 10xp and pay 3 wealth and 3 food to advance. (This counts as your research for that day). Upon reaching the Feudal age, all your militia automatically become Men-At-Arms and the amount of towns you can build increases to 2.

As well as the previous Age 1 buildings. The following buildings can be built in the Feudal Age for 1 wealth each.
Stable: Trains cavalry units.
Archery Range: Trains ranged units.
Markets: Trains trade caravans. Each day three random units of any type are available at the market. Hiring them costs 1 food and 1 gold.
Blacksmith: Unlocks several research options.
Tower: Towers have 3 attack and 5 life. Towers are treated as a unit, but cannot leave your garrison. They count as one of your 4 buildings for the town.
Road: Roads are built outside of your town so do not count to the 4 building limit. The tile a villager unit is standing on, and an adjacent tile become a road.

The following units are can be trained in the feudal age (1 food each)
Villagers: Attack 1, life 1. Infantry. Each villager can build one building per turn. (Trained from Town Centre)
Men-At-Arms: Attack 3, Life 2. Infantry, (trained from the barracks)
Spearmen: Attack 2, life 2. Infantry, gain +2 attack against cavalry and cavalry do not gain an extra attack die against spearmen. (trained from the barracks)
Light Cavalry: Attack 3, life 2. Cavalry. (trained from the stable)
Archers: Attack 3, life 1. Ranged (trained from the archery range)
Skirmisher: Attack 2, life 2. Ranged (trained from the archery range)
Trade Caravan: Attack: 0, life 1. Siege.Any amount of food and/or wealth can be put into a trade caravan. Upon reaching another player's town those resources are transferred to them. If another army destroys your trade caravans, that player gets the resources instead. (trained from the market)

The following technologies can be researched in the Feudal Age. (for 1 wealth each)
Wheelbarrow: Increases unit cap by 1.
Advanced Mining: (requires a mine) Increases the wealth stat by 1.
Horse Collar: (requires a farm) Increases the food stat by 1.
Scale Mail : (requires a blacksmith) Spearmen and Men-At-Arms gain 1 life.
Scale Barding: (requires a blacksmith) Light cavalry gain 1 life.
Padded Armour: (requires a blacksmith) Archers and Skirmishers gain 1 life.
Fletching: (requires a blacksmith) Archers and Skirmishers gain 1 attack.
Forging: (requires a blacksmith) Light cavalry, men-at-arms and spearmen gain 1 attack. Costs 2 wealth.
Trade Markets (requires a market and the 'trade' research). Trade rate improves from 4 for 1 to 3 for 1.
Coinage (requires a market). Increases the wealth stat by 1.

Castle Age (Age 3)

To reach this age, you must have at least 7 Feudal Age technologies researched, 40xp and pay 5 wealth and 5 food to advance.

--to come--

Imperial Age (Age 4)

To reach this age, you must have at least 11 Castle Age technologies researched, 75xp and pay 8 wealth and 8 food to advance.

--to come--

Xp System

2 xp is awarded per hour.
A bonus 1xp is given to each player who role-plays to a good standard
A -1xp penalty is give to a player who does not role-play to a sufficient standard.
A 1xp bonus is given if you arrived at the start of the session and play to the end of it without a long period spend away from the game.

Note Formatting

Please make your notes look like this. Please copy and past below the line, correct for your empire and update as things change.

_____

Current Tech Level: Age X: (Dark Ages/Feudal Age/Castle Age/Imperial Age)
Units/Cap: X/X

Civilisation Bonus: (as given by GM)

Technologies researched
-Tech 1.
-Tech 2.
-etc.

Town 1:
--Town Name--
Building 1, building 2, building 3, building 4.
Garrison: Unit 1, unit 2, unit 3, etc.
(add additional towns and castles as you build them)

Army 1:
--Army Name--
Unit 1, unit 2, unit etc.