OP
New
DanBaque
Let's Have Fun
- Location
- Occupied Catalonian Countries
- Pronouns
- He/Him
THE PRINCES OF THE BORDERLANDS
A WARHAMMER FANTASY GAME
There is a backwater's backwater. The Border Princes are not commercially badly off: they sit between several dwarfish holds, and ancient roads connect them. It is the strategic picture that paints their doom. They sit next to the Badlands, the heart of modern greendom, where every enterprising Orc or Goblin leader has found purchase. It is the fate of the Border Prince to never be united, not only due to their demented squabbling, but due to the regular Waaghs that come roaring out of the southeast, smashing any incipient states aside. Or is it? Morai-Heg has seen a glimpse of another world in her runes. There may be luck in the offing for that little sparse kingdom. In every corner of it a local prince or another rises supreme. Instead of being measured in yards, borders begin to be measured in miles. But it is long to come before a true union, be it a confederation or despotate, shows itself across its fields and valleys. And much blood will be spilt to that end.
Hello all and welcome to a Warhammer Fantasy GSRP set in the Border Princes region. The setting conceit is that, due to unforeseen (and unknown) causes, this round of statebuilding and conquest has been particularly successful, and may continue to be so. Players will apply as one of the many princes existing in the region, each starting in control of a single 'province', and duke it out for absolute control.
The game is intended to last until the region is united, with a possible two-turn waagh epilogue. I ask people to join this game as report writers as well, in order to be able to deal with all the players who wish to join.
World
I assume anyone applying here knows what the Warhammer world is, but if your knowledge is limited, don't fear. This won't be a grognard's center. The game will begin forty years before the birth of Karl Franz, in the year 2430 IC.
Technology wise, the industrial revolution is beginning in the Empire, while of course Dwarfs and Elves both are leagues ahead in many fields. Essentially none of that has trickled down to the Border Princes. You should assume that crossbows are high technology, difficult to implement an industrial construction of, and even so too steel.
The population of the Border Princes is a hodgepodge of Bretonnian refugees, Myrmidian remnants, and Imperial tribes. Strigany are quite common in the region as well, as are humans of essentially all provenances, but it is those four that make up the vast majority of the country. You should then expect that culturally, while a melting pot, it is mostly out of those that the expectations of those you rule over will be formed.
Religiously, there is no such thing as a united religion. All forms and ideas flourish. The Border Princes have traditionally been the refuge of exiles, and so feel free to apply as any, be aware that a state religion will be difficult to formalise, and do not expect it to play a massive role in-game.
Neighborwise, there are essentially four great neighbors: the Dwarfish holds, the city-states of Estalia, the Elector Countship of Wissenland, and Skavenblight. You do not, obviously, know about the last one, but they will likely attempt to have some influence in affairs. The other three are not likely to pay much attention to you, but can be parlayed with, offered goods, recruited from, and so on and so forth. Given history, there will be a slight Sigmarite advantage in terms of dealing with both dwarfs and the Empire, but nothing overwhelming. Note also that the coast will have influence from the Pirate Republic of Sartosa. Farther away polities can also be dealt with, but with more difficulty and less interest.
Unless outright said differently, all armies raised from within the territory and population of the Border Princes are essentially a form of Free Company Militia or Bretonnian peasants. You should not expect them to be eager to fight unless it is their homes and families at stake, and even then their loyalties and quality to be doubtful. Most Border Princes instead bet on keeping their dominance through a small number of trusted (or not) retinues and mercenaries, but these are usually loyal to money above all. This situation, and the way stats are done, will change as the game goes on.
You should also remember that, as a rule of thumb, while you may ultimately be setting up a better situation for the Borderlands in your character's view, the means of doing so are not likely to do so. Building an army will require taxes or looting. Creating a state will mean interfering in local governance and livelihoods. All the impositions of the state are likely to be resisted unless (and even if) you obtain buy-in and such like. Of course, you don't need the mob to like you so long as the nobility does, and viceversa.
Map
Game Map (only the brownish bits):
Official WHF Maps:
https://whfb.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/4/49/BorderPrinces.jpg
https://theoldworld.com/
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammerfb/images/8/8e/BorderPrincesB%26W.jpg/
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammerfb/images/c/c2/Battle_of_Matorea_map.png
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammerfb/images/f/f1/Border_princes_Map_2200_CA.jpg/
http://www.gitzmansgallery.com/maps/Map-Border-Princes-2-with-Dwarf-Ruins.jpg
An important note on the maps: the settlements listed on the official ones are not more game-relevant than any others. You should primarily use these maps to understand the geography of the region. The sole non-natural landmarks of importance are the Old Roads, such as the one linking Tilea to Barak Varr, which provide profitable opportunities for the wise ruler. Do not try to fleece a dwarf.
Not shown on the map are the functionally infinite number (it being five thousand years of history) of abandoned strongholds, settlements, cult centers, and so on and so forth. These ancient ruins have generally long been stripped of any wealth inside them, but there are still opportunities to be found in them. Dwarf and Nehekaran rulers might be grateful if you return old belongings and bodies found in their ruins, for example, and dark power-aligned players could certainly find knowledge and bodies scattered through them- it depends on your imagination and luck. The main use of the ruins for most players, however, will be being torn down so the stone can be reused.
Travelwise, it will be up to fiat and narrative sense, but we will work under the rule of thumb that an army can march ten miles a day on road and still be hale for fighting the next day, and forced marches can double or triple that speed. It would, assuming no difficulties or battles and using the main roads, take perhaps three months (i.e. half a turn) for an army to march from one end of the Borderlands to the other.
Military
Despite what said above, there are actually three starting local sources of military forces. These are militias, bandits, and mercenaries. Now, the barrier between any of these three is porous and uncertain, but as a rule of thumb they should be treated differently depending on context.
Militias are 'the people in arms'. They are likely to be the most numerous, but are essentially civilians with the barest of training or weaponry. You can expect to be able to motivate militias to fight against a Greenskin or Chaos horde, and even against humans out to sack them, but calling on them to invade your neighbors will be harder. By and large, the most difficult to get the loyalty of.
Bandits are those who have just given up on an honest day's work and intend to live off the rest. Probably quite similar to you, really. Based on that, it can be quite easy to recruit bandits to your armies if you promise plenty of loot or threaten them with death, and they come with relative experience, already-existing bonds of comradeship, and the like. These soldiers tend towards the brutal and disloyal, but know to back a winning horse.
Mercenaries are undoubtedly the best of the local forces to be found. They are generally loyal to money, but the region being as it is, it is perfectly common for a mercenary captain to coup their employer and establish themselves as a new lord. If you want actual discipline and military knowledge, come here. If you want dedicated equipment such as 'gunpowder', 'siege engines', 'heavy cavalry', and so on, come here. But come here with gold.
The Dogs of War and those kinds of famous and great mercenaries will not be present in this game until the point when player countries reach the income and treasure necessary to be able to buy them. The mercenaries here, while particular and foible-like, will all be new creations for the game. They will be primarily human, too.
There is of course a fourth category, that being Your Dude(tte)s. As your princeship grows, you will likely begin to both need and be able to fund such things as a real standing army. Things like the state troops, or the like. These will be essentially up to player customisation, though if recruited locally they will essentially have to be almost entirely human in numbers.
Alliances, vassals, and player diplomacy
The base setting and diplomatic situation of the Borderlands is aggressive ruthlessness. Players, as such, may ally, betray, and so on and so forth with general liberty. That being said, there are exceptions based on common sense: if you're playing a Bretonnian LARPer and your daughter has married your neighbor, it wouldn't make sense to just invade them outright. A subtler strategy would be called for. NPCs will behave similarly if they rise to enough relevance to do so.
Unification and vassalship will be a separate matter. In the Borderlands, showing weakness is a fatal flaw, so accepting the rule of another over you will increase the chances of coups, internal disloyalty, and the like. Furthermore, accepting integration into the realm of another PC runs the risk of being washed away in the tides of history and made irrelevant.
Even the simplest form of homage, ie 'I will accept you as my Prince and answer your calls to arms when under attack' may risk the first, though certainly not the latter. Thus, any unification or integration by diplomacy must be well thought out and ensure the powers of the weaker partner(s) should they wish to avoid death or exile.
Border Prince NPCs will also be willing to engage in alliances and backstab, but will be reticent towards any form of integration out of self care and megalomania. Be watchful around them, but of course you will build your princedom out of these.
Character creation
The meat of it. As you can see above, and by the general lore of the region, you may apply as most anything or anyone: elves of any type, dawi of any type, any human religion, champions of chaos, and so on and so forth. You may not, however, apply as daemons, skaven, greenskins, or lizardmen. You must apply as a new creation of your own. This character must want to unite the Borderlands under their rule, but that may be a secondary motivation, a means to an end, or similar.
Institutionally and population wise, there will be, as a baseline, no real world bigotries. This refers to sexism, homophobia, and inter-human racism. There will, however, be xenophobia, inter-religious hatred, fear of the undead and so on and so forth. Individual characters may hold different opinions, but that will be personal, not a mechanical disadvantage. As a rule of thumb, if you're unsure of something, then ask me. Let us call this Wokehammer.
This includes foreign nations in their treatment of you who, despite being flagrant misogynists as the Ulrican cult, will not particularly care that a woman is a ruler if you manage to grab their attention. They will see it as 'those madmen who don't matter' and not as a true concern.
Importantly, all player characters will be equal in terms of personal combat ability, that being 'good but not excellent'. This is due to my wanting to level out outcomes and focus more on the strategic, rather than combat, aspect of matters. If you wish to change this, you will have to use your special boon (see below) for it.
Stats themselves will work on a double foursome. There are four stats, each of which can be as low as 0 or as high as 4. At the beginning, you will have 16 points to split between each stat, but you must do so between both your character and your initial institutions.
Slaanesh: Your capability of understanding, evoking, and manipulating emotions. Particularly important for all social endeavours. Diplomat/August/Gallant/Torturer
Khorne: Your bullishness against opposition, strength of character, and ability to push a single cause. Key to war and leadership. Overseer/August/Administrator
Nurgle: Your ability to withstand, adapt to, and resist events. Important in all scenarios, but particularly notable in state-building. Architect/Administrator/Scholar
Tzeentch: Your capability of seeing long-term, advancing your ambitions, and causing change. Always useful, but key to guesswork and plots. Schemer/Strategist/Scholar/Diplomat
These fields are about themes, avenues, strengths and weaknesses. No single problem cannot be solved by a character due to being low in a particular stat, but the method would need to be different and possibly outside the box.
Character stats legend
0 = Children laugh at your failures in this regard.
1 = You are painfully average in this regard.
2 = Your peers acknowledge your strength in this regard
3 = You are a border princes defining individual in this regard.
4 = You are an average mature elf/dwarf/champion in this regard.
Institution stats legend
0 = You are alone, and lonely.
1 = You and yours could adequately set up an office in this field.
2 = You and yours have the knowledge to create a rickety structure in this field.
3 = You and yours could organise a stable structure in this field.
4 = You and yours carry with you the institutional strength of an Imperial city-state.
Personal stats will affect every action your character takes, and any order that corresponds to things your character is good at and ordered in a manner that makes use of his strengths will be more likely to be successful. All player character's stats will increase by one each turn in whichever section I consider narratively appropriate; so long as all stats are below 4 this will be guaranteed. You can also increase them by means of magical rituals and pacts with the Dark Gods.
Institutional stats will directly affect starting state stats, but have a broader effect throughout the game. They are how knowledgeable and talented your retinue is in the various aspects of state-building, and how good they are at transmitting that knowledge. It is not the same to enter the great game as a Bretonnian peasant mob leader than it is to be an exile of Naggarond with half a dozen familial vassals at your back. High institutional stats will affect the growth of your state stats through the game, your ability to bounce back, and so on. Sufficiently high ones will mean your country does not end with your death and you may play as a 'heir' if you wish. Institutional stats can grow with both conquest of others and general improvement of one's state.
Related to this, and in accordance to your application, you are to select one special boon of some kind that you bring with you. All boons will be equalled in value by me at game start when creating stats, to the approximate value of one (1) battle wizard; ie one medium-good hero unit. What they are, and what their use is, is entirely up to you. Are you the leader of a local mercenary band? Do you bring with you a squadron of Norscan longships? Did a band of refugees follow you to the Border Princes? Is a Dwarfen bodyguard escorting you? It's your choice. Merely having magical ability or being a hedge mage will not require a boon, but training in it, necromancy, vampirism and so on and so forth (having the combat capacity of a hero unit) will.
Character creation template:
Name: Obvious.
Species: Include culture as well
Religion: Obvious.
Pronouns: Feel free to remind me if I muck it up.
Titles: Remember, the bigger and bolder, the more likely to make an impression.
Personal Stats: Obvious.
Institutional Stats: Obvious.
Location: Please select a province on the map (plus rgb color if you want to), and a runner up as well.
Biography: Obvious.
Specialty: Your special boon.
State stats
Legend:
Tiny/Paltry/Small/Moderate/Adequate/Large/Vast/Huge
Terrible/Awful/Weak/Moderate/Adequate/Good/High/Excellent
Principality
Treasury: Reserves/Income
Notes:
Stability: Elite/Masses
Notes:
Army: Size/Quality
Notes:
Navy: Size/Quality
Notes:
Airforce: Size/Quality
Notes:
Specialties:
Player(s):
Orders
This game will use the Shattered Stone/Ordeal by Fire system of three orders and 200 words total. In other words, you can order three things to be done each turn in a total of 200 words for all together. Each turn will last six months in universe.
Reports
As said before, I am going to use the tried and tested method of report writers. People, players or not, are asked to apply to write reports each turn once orders are in. They will write parts of the update, posted as they are finished and reviewed, with the GM dictating the general line of events and watching for bias. They will be held in high trust by the GM and will be given early knowledge of what will occur in the update, but cannot misuse this or they will be permanently kicked from the game. I encourage everyone to consider participating in this way to ensure the game flows smoothly and swiftly.
Name: Luchinus Rosso
