I will note the The Dissolution is going to test every aspect of the Ymaryn civilization. What's going to happen each turn is that you get a crisis (Famine, War, Economics, Plague, etc.) that you must solve based on a limited set of special actions. The Hero will let you know how many 'points' each response is worth as well as how many points you need to achieve to resolve that crisis. It means you can solve it in one turn.
If you fail to solve that crisis, they stack up. Meaning you have to respond to Famine and War with the same number of limited actions (though you get more options since there's two crises). After you fail to solve a crisis for a few turns, you collapse simply because you can't solve the mess that's stacking up in front of you. The Dissolution is going to be hard to overcome so temper your expectations.
Each turn you have an active crisis that isn't resolved, I role on the Table of Pain to see what about the Ymaryn breaks. If you have multiple crises, you roll multiple times.
What sort mechanics are you planning to use then? It is going to be something like CK2 quest or something else? I know it isn't going to be a civ quest like the original PoC, but you don't mention much beyond that in the opening post.
What sort mechanics are you planning to use then? It is going to be something like CK2 quest or something else? I know it isn't going to be a civ quest like the original PoC, but you don't mention much beyond that in the opening post.
You get a common pool of six actions. During the Dissolution, two of those will be locked to crisis response.
Note: a comparable Medieval Kingdom would normally only get three actions due to their decentralized nature and the underlying weakness of the state. You can lose actions on the Table of Pain, especially if there are multiple crises ongoing at once.
Each action can be committed to oversee subordinates and give them general directions to pursue. If you dedicate a full action, you're micro-managing them, but can be certain that they're doing their best work, have all the supplies they need, and are not nefarious or corrupt. A half action means you give direction and oversee them, but can't micro-manage. You can also create a subordinate (requires 1 action) and then not oversee them. You have to trust them because there's no mechanism to really tell if they're following your orders or embezzling the budget you give them.
Traditionally, Ymaryn Kings have had 6 advisors: a Patrician, Guild Master, member of the Gentry, a General, their Heir, and wife. Some decide to have more, but that depends entirely on the specific King and the crises that the Kingdom are facing. You can also take a defined group within the Kingdom (a banner company, free city, or governorship, for example) as a subordinate in order to dedicate more focus to solving local problems. At its height, the Ymaryn Kingdom had numerous subordinates that were not managed, leading to general systematic dysfunction. When you have 6 governorships, 3 banner companies, 5 free cities, a trade colony, etc. you simply have no other choice.
Uncommitted actions allow you to pick from a bunch of different possible actions separated into categories: Martial, Industry, Culture, Diplomacy, Economy and Megaprojects. You can pick freely between categories, but it's often thought best to take a balanced approach. Actions are executed with Influence (trying to coordinate, politic, and get people to go along with your orders) or Authority (effectively commanding that your will be done with all of the state's power). Influence involves dice rolls while Authority always succeeds at the highest non-critical level of success. At the start of the game, you will only have 1 Authority and getting more is hard. You will have 3 Influence with any that you can't execute as an uncommitted action being delegated to help support your subordinates.
Heroes generally get a large bonus to dice rolls when using Influence and automatically critical success when using Authority within their specialty.
Due to the foundation of Mylathadysm, you don't have one. Due to the reluctance of the players to really get involved with religion as a political faction back in PoC, they ended up essentially forming their own independent church within the structure of the Ymaryn Kingdom. Over time, the spirit chiefs have dissociated themselves from secular politics, focusing on building up the church's base of power.
No, this isn't a going to bite the Ymaryn at all, why on Earth are you asking?
Due to the foundation of Mylathadysm, you don't have one. Due to the reluctance of the players to really get involved with religion as a political faction back in PoC, they ended up essentially forming their own independent church within the structure of the Ymaryn Kingdom. Over time, the spirit chiefs have dissociated themselves from secular politics, focusing on building up the church's base of power.
No, this isn't a going to bite the Ymaryn at all, why on Earth are you asking?
[X] The Administrator
[X] The King Selects
-[X] The Diplomat
[X] The Ymaryn Live! (Acquire: The Dissolution disaster and permanent Reunification CB, ongoing risk of social, cultural, and technological damage until the Empire stabilizes)
[X] The Administrator
[X] The King Selects
-[X] The Diplomat
[X] The Ymaryn Live! (Acquire: The Dissolution disaster and permanent Reunification CB, ongoing risk of social, cultural, and technological damage until the Empire stabilizes)
If we can try to diplomance other heroes I suggest we try focus efforts on one. Probably the general.
[X] The Administrator
[X] The King Selects
-[X] The Diplomat
[X] The Ymaryn Live! (Acquire: The Dissolution disaster and permanent Reunification CB, ongoing risk of social, cultural, and technological damage until the Empire stabilizes)
[X] The Administrator
[X] The King Selects
-[X] The Diplomat
[X] The Ymaryn Live! (Acquire: The Dissolution disaster and permanent Reunification CB, ongoing risk of social, cultural, and technological damage until the Empire stabilizes)
[] The General
[] Parliament Elects the Heir
[] The Ymaryn Live! (Acquire: The Dissolution disaster and permanent Reunification CB, ongoing risk of social, cultural, and technological damage until the Empire stabilizes)
Turn 1: Heavy Lies The Head
1620 AGF: Reign of Ydrys, King of All Ymaryn
[X] The Administrator
[X] The King Selects
-[X] The Diplomat
[X] The Ymaryn Live! (Acquire: The Dissolution disaster and permanent Reunification CB, ongoing risk of social, cultural, and technological damage until the Empire stabilizes)
When Ydrys was crowned the 170th King of All Ymaryn, it was with none of the fanfare he remembered from his youth. He'd been a boy, attending the Academy of Valleyhome, when the Last King was crowned. He remembered months of parties, celebrations, and revels. Wine flowed freely as the priests brought out ancient scrolls with the People's oldest stories and amused all passersby with tales of their own history. Theatre productions and music echoed from every possible venue. It had been loud, raucous, and wonderful.
His crowning was serenaded by slowly petering wails of the dying and newly widowed. Punctuated only by vicious accusations once talks broke down with the other Heroes of Valleyhome. Words were said, things that could not be taken back, and three of them had been forced to depart.
"It'as going to happen," Rhys said softly. "One crown, one Elect, and five paths before us. Your foot has five toes, but it only ever walks one trail."
"Was it? Was anything in the last five years preordained?" Ydrys asked.
There was nothing to say to that. Five years past, the Ymaryn had seemed invincible. Untouchable. They stood astride the world at its center; industry, scholarship, and commerce making them the envy of the entire civilized world. Everything, everyone, outside their borders had seemed a pale imitation.
"When you close your eyes at night and wake with a scream on the tip of your tongue, what were you dreaming of, Rhys?"
Ydrys felt old. Only felt it, however. The King should have some grey in his hair, Ydrys thought, but he was not even thirty years old and crowned King of All Ymaryn, the youngest of all the candidates Parliament considered. Rhys was older, close to forty. Only Gylys had been older among the five of them. Was that what it meant to be King? To have old men come seeking your wisdom while you put on a mask and pretended to be more than a fresh-faced youth?
"I dre'm of the worl' fallin' out beneath me, m'King," Rhys responded. Eyes closed, he grimaced. "I c'n picture it, stan'ning in the hall of the Governor's palace in Greenshore, hearing them tell o'their plans. Western Wall'd fallen, the Heaven's Hawks utterly destroyed. We were on our own, the Core couldn't protect us."
"The King couldn't even protect himself," Ydrys said. "I heard that countless times in the countryside while trying to herd refugees or desperately scrounge for supplies."
"It'w'sn't the same. There's always been resentment from Greenshore. They're trapped along the edge of the Mor; whenev'r the powers of Syffryn waxed, their homes became the front line in any conflict. When the Stymyr looked greedily to us, desperate for our land and wealth, they were attacked."
"And when the central army arrived, it was only in time to help Greenshore bury their dead, rebuild their homes, and shout insults at the retreating back of the enemy."
"Aye," Rhys acknowledged. "But when called, the army arrived. It'w'sn't what I saw that day, Ymaryn turning on Ymaryn. Blood in the streets. We are one People." Except the Stymyr, went uncomfortably unsaid. "With one King. Somethi'n about the People, something important, died that day. It was all I could do to spit curses and turn my back on it."
"And now we are four." Ydrys sighed. "When I wake up in the middle of the night, I don't dream about the times I crawled in the dirt, wiggling under roots so that the Khan's men would pass me by, taking my horse but not my life. I do not dream about the time I was escorting refugees and we were too slow, light cavalry overtaking us and tormenting those too slow to escape. I don't even dream about the disease of foreign lands that I saw stalk every province of the Kingdom. When I saw its victims lying dead at the side of the road, discarded like husks. When I wake late at night, all I can think of is my time back at the Academy."
Rhys' brow knit in confusion. Blond haired, light-eyed, and fair-skinned, he was obviously of northern stock. Beautiful in a way that men rarely were. "You studied in Valleyhome?"
"Yes," Ydrys responded. "'Clench your hand into a fist,'" he quoted. "'See your thumb and fingers. One is useful, powerful, and enables the rest to function. Three are supporters, fine in form and function.'"
'"And the last?'" Rhys quoted the adage.
"'Useless,'" Ydrys cut in savagely. "My best friend was one of those," he said a moment later. "He gave his everything, and ended up taking tea with a priest. He told me beforehand. It's that conversation that always plays over in my dreams. Not the death or the destruction of the last five years."
Rhys was silent.
"'Gardless, we need more fingers now. Advisors."
Traditionally, Ymaryn Kings always had six advisors: their Heir, wife, a general, a member of the gentry, a patrician, and a guild master. In the distant past, records spoke of selecting a priest, as a seventh advisor, but the idea was anathema now. Most priests spent little effort on secular matters, focusing instead on the spiritual and the growth of the Mylathadysic Church.
Advisors could also be selected from provincial officials and other factions within the People, but there were few options for that now. The Banner Companies — only one in a hundred, a tiny handful of those storied armies still existed. They had all deserted with their leader, Dyfan, travelling into the ruins of Western Wall. The Blackbirds had secluded themselves, hiding away in their hidden fortresses. The Carrion Eaters had fallen under the sway of Inek after he quickly purged the order of all desenters. They had left for Greenshore, quickly earning Rhys' enmity.
"We cannot select anyone from the Imperial Cities," Ydrys said. "The cities are the single greatest threat to us now. They produce vast quantities of industrial goods, but little food. Even with rationing and the liberal actions of local priests, we may not be able to find enough to preserve us through winter."
"Their pri'ri'ies would be wrong," Rhys agreed. "Any 'visor from the Cities would be putting their needs first. It would hinder any… necessary steps we're forced to take."
"We should likely select someone from Txolla. They've stayed loyal, out of fear if nothing else. With the East in revolt and the Highlanders launching probing attacks, their borders are too porous for them to make a play at independence."
"I've contacts," Rhys said. "I had a talk with them." At Ydrys' clear surprise, he explained. "I'd'en building up connections; I wanted to convince the governor to launch a voyage of exploration to the east. It isn't what I had dreamed of using them for..."
"The question is, what to select for in advisors?" In uncertain times, with the Ymaryn Kingdom at the brink of collapse, loyalty would be critical. Ydrys knew much of what they would uncover in rebuilding the Kingdom would be damaging information. Disloyalty, weakness, or even simple embezzlement could push them over the edge. On the other hand, loyalists often brought nothing new to the table, no ideas and no connections. The Old King's court had been an utter snakepit of competing interests, but it was an effective snakepit. The fact that Ydrys and Rhys were there at all proved it.
Alternatively, they could look for ability. Now was a time of crisis and an endless amount of work that had to be done. Doing it well was going to be critical for survival.
The third consideration would be connections. Advisors that knew more people often could provide a greater diversity of possible plans and more effectively use the influence and resources provided. If well supported, these individuals would be substantially more effective.
"The las'choice is to throw the ma'er to Parliament," Rhys said. Parliament had always occupied a strange role in Ymaryn society. While officially only a forum for Patricians to gather and work in support of the Kingdom, their influence was far ranging. Often as not, Parliament held Kings hostage in order to pass policies of their own choosing. It was all cloak and dagger as the King was supreme authority, but it was so much murkier in practice.
"They'll give us what they think we need," Ydrys suggested. "Hopefully. They'll likely appreciate the gesture, especially after..." He gestured at the coronet that rested on Rhys' head. The irregularity. Parliament had always been profoundly jealous of their ability to Elect the next King. With the sheer number of crises going on and the fact that so many Patricians were dead that it wasn't possible to achieve quorum, pushing a Heir through could be rubber stamped as a fait accompli. "But knowing what we'll get is impossible. Any advisors we get will almost certainly be beholden to someone."
"Only'a li'le mor'so than usual, m'King," Rhys countered. "'Beware a Ymaryn come offerin' aid.'"
"'He only wants a little favour,'" Ydrys responded. "Everyone owes someone something."
(This affects the slate of candidates you get. Councilors with Connections make great use of delegate Influence. Parliamentarians generally please Parliament, but are a grab bag. Managing Parliament's loyalty will be important in the future.)
"It will take time to get candidates in order, but we should be able to make final selections soon," Ydrys said.
"How many can'e manage, though?" Rhys asked. "The smaller the circle, faster we'll respond. It'so means responsibilities can be more clearly defined. I'd've normally recommended a small group. Three-er-four, at most."
"Normally, I think we could manage as many as a dozen," Ydrys countered. "With everything going on, however, the absolute limit is eight. Fewer would probably be better. The problem won't be managing personalities, it's overseeing everything. There are only so many reports I can read each day or remember in detail."
"It was differen' in the n'vy," Rhys said. "Trapp'd on a small boat for day-er-week meant balancing people was key. People'd've torn each other apart otherwise."
How many Councilors will you look for:
[ ] Number
-[ ] Type of Councilor
-[ ] Type of Councilor
-[ ] Etc.
The types of Councilor are:
Patrician (Highly politically connected, multi-disciplinary, profoundly skilled)
Guild Master (Technology and industry focused)
Gentry (Rural focused administrators)
Generals (Major officers within the armed forces. Includes admirals.)
Urban Councilor (Someone to advocate for the urban poor. Rarely done and upsets other councilors.)
The Heir (The next King. Selected by Parliament, tends towards being competent.)
King's Wife (Tend to vary profoundly in ability and loyalty.)
Governor's Appointee [Txolla] (Provides a key way to address local issues)
Imperial Mayor [Valleyhome, Redshore, Valleyguard, Sacred Forest] (Advocates for the interest of a Free City.) Merchant (Locked. Merchants are heavily marginalized in Ymaryn society. May as well appoint a criminal.) Rural Councilor (Locked. Rural peasants are so marginalized as to be invisible.) Priests (Locked due to Independent Churches Social Feature) Banner Company Captain (Locked due to the fact you currently have none.) Spiritual Specialist [Blackbird, Carrion Eater, Spiritbonded] (Locked, they've either abandoned you or are in seclusion rebuilding.)
You get six actions each turn; two are dedicated to the Dissolution right now. Overseeing an advisor consumed ½ of an action to manage them and a full action to micromanage.
"It might also be a good idea to keep a few positions open," Ydrys suggested. "Wait and see if any new advisors present themselves. Dismissing an advisor is difficult and angers their supporters."
"Such's 'ur wife," Rhys said. "When'd you plan to marry?"
"I have avoided it," Ydrys said.
"Choice eunuch?" Rhys asked. "Few'o those in the n'vy."
"No," Ydrys said quickly. "I have no objection to marrying or distaste for women. It's… The reason I took such a lowly position as a rural administrator even though I earned my Philosopher's Degree was because of what marriage meant. Children. I… I couldn't send mine to the Academy, even if it's to Valleyhome. Seven is too young to go there."
"Y'll've'ta," Rhys said. "I respect my wife. She respects me. Isn't bothered when I till the fields or I'm away from the children at sea. Anything can be made to work."
"For the children of a King, the expectations are high. Impossibly high. Remember what happened to the family of the Last King?"
"A King with no children has no care fer the future," Rhys said. "The People'll notice, n' they'll know you've no hope. What use's a tree when there's no fruit?"
Ydrys is currently unmarried. Should he look for a wife?
[ ] Yes
[ ] Put it off a few years
[ ] No
(The King's marriage will provide 1 Stability when completed.)
The Dissolution Procs!
Famine strikes the people, bringing starvation, the disease of foreign lands, for the first time in recorded history. The Core is built on enormous cities that consume endless tonnes of food each day. With agriculture nearly destroyed by the ravages of the Great Khan, drastic action must be taken.
Many of the actions that the People normally take in response to food shortages have already been taken such as rationing, 'encouraging' the marginalized to conserve food for working people, and converting to a mostly vegetarian diet. Extremely drastic action is required.
Select Two: 5 points are needed to resolve this crisis. Some options can worsen future crises.
[ ] Enserf a large number of peasants and disperse them as farmers in Txolla (2)
[ ] Dyfan has called for refugees to help resettle Western Wall, push everyone you can onto him (2, Provides 1 Favour with WW)
[ ] Cut down large sections of the Sacred Forest to turn over to croplands. (3)
[ ] Buy food internationally (1)
[ ] Buy enormous amounts of food internationally (2)
[ ] Work to repair damaged aqueducts and farming infrastructure (1)
[ ] Tear out all cash crops in Txolla, replacing them with staple agriculture. (2)
[ ] Levy the poor as soldiers to fight enemies and curb excess population. (1)
[ ] Use the army to raid your neighbours for supplies. ( -1, 0, 1, roll dependent)
[ ] Expand the navy to increase fishing (1)
Note: The Buying Food options are mutually exclusive.
Ydrys is the Admin Hero King.
Rhys is the Diplo Hero Heir.
Gylys is the Tech Hero. He rules Hyathya.
Dyfan is the Martial Hero. He rules Western Wall and took the remains of the Banner Companies with him.
Inek is the Priest Hero. He purged the Carrion Eaters and took them with him to Greenshore.
I'd say switch Txolla to full food production and give Dyfan refugees. The refugees will give us a favor, worth 2 points too and we can repair the aqueducts later. Switching over to this plan.
-[X] Guild Master (Technology and industry focused)
Gentry (Rural focused administrators)
-[X] The Heir (The next King. Selected by Parliament, tends towards being competent.)
Interesting. Never participated in the original quest, but I was in one of the QM's other quest. I'll watch with interest. (Though partially in the hopes that From Stone to Stars may one day come back as well.)
[X] Plan Meritocracy
-[X] Ability
-[X] Yes
-[X] Dyfan has called for refugees to help resettle Western Wall, push everyone you can onto him (2, Provides 1 Favour with WW)
-[X] Tear out all cash crops in Txolla, replacing them with staple agriculture. (2)
-[X] 5
-[X] Patrician (Highly politically connected, multi-disciplinary, profoundly skilled)
-[X] Guild Master (Technology and industry focused)
-[X] The Heir (The next King. Selected by Parliament, tends towards being competent.)
-[X] King's Wife (Tend to vary profoundly in ability and loyalty.)
-[X] Governor's Appointee [Txolla] (Provides a key way to address local issues)
You get six actions each turn; two are dedicated to the Dissolution right now. Overseeing an advisor consumed ½ of an action to manage them and a full action to micromanage.
@Redium If I am reading this right, we will have six actions total for this turn, but two of them have to be devoted to dealing with the current crisis or crises. We are currently only voting on what to do with those two dedicated actions so we will have four other actions once we have chosen our advisors and whatnot before this turn ends and we roll on the wheel of pain?
Some of your navy in the Kus Ocean has gone to piracy, but a fair portion of it stayed loyal. The Yllthon Mor is basically free of piracy. Between you, Greenshore, Hyatha, and (eventually) Western Wall, there's no space for pirates to operate. Privateers could arise at some point in the future if relationships turn hostile, but not now and not pirates.
Currently the Navy situation is: You ~ Hyatha >> Greenshore >>>>> Western Wall. You kept the Royal Flagship and the largest battleships, since those were located in Redshore, but most of the smaller craft defected along with their various provinces.
You don't have a merchant navy, since the Ymaryn were isolationist, but merchants come to you. You're just going to ask that instead of coming will holds full of gold and silver to trade for your goods, they bring grain instead.
You have regular trade access with Khemri (Nile Africa) and Kus (India). Both regions are major breadbaskets and as such able to provide a lot of food. It's going to cost a lot, however. Especially if people catch on you're desperate for food and start to gouge you.
@Redium If I am reading this right, we will have six actions total for this turn, but two of them have to be devoted to dealing with the current crisis or crises. We are currently only voting on what to do with those two dedicated actions so we will have four other actions once we have chosen our advisors and whatnot before this turn ends and we roll on the wheel of pain?
Yes, you will get four actions later on. Since you don't have advisors yet, I can't calculate what portion of your actions are uncommitted or generate the slate of actions for each advisor.
Note: your regular actions cannot be used to pick among your Special Options for the Dissolution. Those actions represent crisis response that is above and beyond what's normally possible for the Ymaryn state. It's effectively all you can do in the face of the sheer amount of damage the Kingdom sustained. There's simply no more resources to throw at the crisis in a productive way. Most of your other actions are going to be more modest in scope until the Ymaryn recover.
All of this is still turn 1; you role on the Table of Pain at the end of the turn. It's probably going to have 1-2 more updates purely since there's so much set up.
Yes, you will get four actions later on. Since you don't have advisors yet, I can't calculate what portion of your actions are uncommitted or generate the slate of actions for each advisor.
Note: your regular actions cannot be used to pick among your Special Options for the Dissolution. Those actions represent crisis response that is above and beyond what's normally possible for the Ymaryn state. It's effectively all you can do in the face of the sheer amount of damage the Kingdom sustained. There's simply no more resources to throw at the crisis in a productive way. Most of your other actions are going to be more modest in scope until the Ymaryn recover.
All of this is still turn 1; you role on the Table of Pain at the end of the turn. It's probably going to have 1-2 more updates purely since there's so much set up.
So is it possible to resolve the crisis this turn without taking this action by getting another point using our regular actions or are we forced to either this action or roll on the Table of Pain?
