Ethics Mechanical Effects?

[Zardnaar]

This does feel rife with potential issues when applied at the individual character level, as much or moreso than alignments.

Do you have to be seen to be playing your character traits consistently in order to gain their benefits? Who judges that? Are there out-of-game moral / ethical issues when it comes to providing game-mechanical rewards for being xenophobic? And are we talking fantasy xenophobia between, say, elves and dwarves, or are you legitimising players expressing real-world racism?

It's a port from the Stellaris game. Xenophobic ranges from isolationists to genocidal.

In game they get cheaper expansion costs and growth rates.

I'm thinking of mapping various abilities to the ethos. Eg militaristic might get weapon and armor proficiency like dwarves and elves.

Militarists get combat bonuses.

Daleks would be fan xenophobic, Militarist and fanatical purifier civic.

 

[MarkB]

It's a port from the Stellaris game.

Sure, and it works well enough on the broad, impersonal societal level, in a game where a great deal is abstracted. But applying it to individuals is intrinsically more problematic.

 

[Zardnaar]

Sure, and it works well enough on the broad, impersonal societal level, in a game where a great deal is abstracted. But applying it to individuals is intrinsically more problematic.

Well the game involves genocide, slavery and extra galactic "Tyranids" that want to eat the galaxy.

Not sure in Xenophobic traits. There's a few villains on the game anyway.

 

[Blue]

Back in the 90s, Vampire had a trait called Willpower that you could spend down from your base. Following your inner or outer appearance would recharge it.

You could make it that following your ethics recharges some long term attrition ability to push.

 

[Zardnaar]

Well there's several things I could use instead if species.

Traits
Ethics
Civics
Origin

Is what the game uses. I want to translate this to a building blocks for species.

Traits. Mostly ability scores and abilities of your species.

Ethics. Beliefs your civilization has mentioned in OP.

Civics. Training you have had in your culture or similar thing. Eg technocracy, agrarian idyll, exalted priesthood.

Origin. Your home planets "thing" eg tomb world, relic world, ring world, space habit, prosperous unification.

Each species would get +2/+1 assigned how you like if you pick a strong trait you gain +1 strength.

Traits: 2
Ethics: 3 Points
Civics. 2
Origin. 1.
That's my basic idea.