I miss Melkor (3rd Gnome IR) :)

[Creamsteak]

I think you can work within those 3, but you might want to broaden out the top level structures for them a bit. Start from the ground and see what is necessary, then see how to "categorize" them. My thoughts are that Espionage (even including all of it's subsets such as defensive, anti-terrorism, anti-theft, etc.) still sounds like too specific of a word. Same for diplomacy. I'm having some serious trouble thinking of good words though. I'm trying to think of what all each encompasses, and what might fall out of the loop.

Also, how would you attack another person's "diplomacy" bonus exactly? I try to out persuede you? I assume you could "bluff" them, or "intimidate" them with this. Not sure though.

Espionage, intelligence, counter intelligence, sabotage, internal security, policeing, networking, etc.

Would "control" over your own people be espionage or diplomacy? By that I mean, a truly vicious government would likely keep a tight control (espionage), and also maintain a false sense of loyalty that makes themselves a unified power. Meanwhile another group would have very strong diplomacy score and maintain a nearly unified people as far as controlling the people to act in a certain way. The two end up being slightly related I guess...

Diplomacy, loyalty, morale, possibly "general pleasure" or "entertainment" could be a part, etc.

Military, manpower, arms, discipline, general fighting ability. Looks good to me.

 

[Kalanyr]

Diplomacy is primarily internal relations (such as your peoples loyalty and your control), and diplomatic relations with uncontrolled powers. You damage Diplomacy by making people lose face, if you are so much better at persuading (Uncontrolled Area) Y to join you, than they are it damages their credibility, which also makes their people lose faith in them. Diplomacy could also be used if someone attempted to cause civil unrest (probably Diplomacy (Defender) vs Espionage (Attacker)).

Espionage is primarily spying and sabatoge on external powers and defending yourself from such attempts.

Military is your ability to conquer people by the sword.

If something else comes up Festy and I will discuss it and assign it to an appropriate header or just use pure Circumstance bonuses to a basic 2d10+0.

 

[Kalanyr]

If you come up with an alternate name for Espionage or Diplomacy we'd be happy to consider it.

 

[Serpenteye]

Hi Edena , this scheming UoO player is very glad to see you around again. I would really like seeing you as a player in this game, I have a feeling you would be a lethal opponent and an invaluable ally. (I have the feeling I'm going to need allies in this one. )

-

Kalanyr, Festy, I've only given the rules a brief glance, but they look, as William wrote, interesting. I think they are a good start.
How are you planning on including magic and (higher) technology into the rules? What kind of mechanics will you use for growth, and how much is a PL worth in the different areas (what can you do with 1 PL)?
Will you factor in population growth and decrease in PL-calculations? Will you include random events such as famines and plagues?

I think the (unfinished) rules I suggested could be a useful complement to your system, but I am quite biased.

 

[Melkor Lord Of ALL!]

Do we have to play nations?

I am not sure I will join yet, but I intend to play a secret organization/cult( or even several appearing to be quite diffrent on surface) that are allied with the Powers Beyond. Could my PL be a part of the nations played by others players? It will be pretty weak at the beginning, but will grew in power as more magical elements will appear.

 

[Kalanyr]

Hmmm, I'll have to talk to Festy about that Melkor, but my basic feeling is that it wouldn't have to necesarily be a nation.

Serpenteye: Advancement is simply based on the quality of your posts and emails about advancing magic and tech. At the current stage we aren't going to use PL at all.

 

[Melkor Lord Of ALL!]

Hey there. Thanks for the warm welcome back.

I am having a LOT of trouble with this new version of Netscape Navigator, and MIE does not work at all.
I read through page one, and I began one of my giant mass reply posts. I spent an entire hour on it, responding to each post. Then, near the end, it froze my computer, and I lost all my work.
I cannot issue the kind of mass reply that you'all have come to see as a trademark of mine. Not while I'm stuck with this system.

I'm trapped down here at the bottom of page 9, and I can't get out.

I wish to say hi to Zelda, and greetings to Finland. How are you doing? (And Zelda, I would not say yours was a weak, neutral, power. Two scheming Union of Oerth players are lucky you didn't walk in their back door and squash them.)
I want to say hi to Venus, thanks for his letter, and greetings to the Netherlands. How are you doing?
The same to 'o Skoteinos. How are you doing?
Greetings to you, Dagger. How are you doing?
William, it goes without saying: Hey there, and merry meetings!
Lichtenhart, nice to see you again! How are ya?
Knight Otu: Hey there. How are ya? (What power did you play, by the way? I'm getting Alzheimer's ... I'm losing my memory!) Greetings to Germany!
Festy Dog, are you there? (I love that SN, but I'd hate to run into a festy dog alone in the countryside!)
Forgotten One, where are you?
Melkor, where are you?
Creamsteak ... congrats on becoming a moderator. What is it like, being an ENWorld Moderator? And, how are you?
Darkness, how are you doing? And greetings to Austria.
Kalanyr, hey there! Greetings to Australia. Greetings to Oz (why do they call it Oz? Is it derived from Frank Baum's Oz. If Australia is THAT nice, then everyone in the world will be moving to Australia!)
Forrester, are you still around?
Darwin of Mind, where'd you go?
Gez, are you around?
Maudlin, the MAPMAKER (and EVERYONE should remember his beautiful maps) where did you go? I never saw you again after Turn 5.
Darkness, hey there. Greetings to Germany. How are you doing? Again, I'm sorry the IR didn't turn out as well as it should have. I got bogged down by all the happenings. I couldn't react fast enough.
Anabstercorian, where is my favorite illithid? (William, reason is useless against illithid, since they consider human beings below reason. Hehe.)
Balor, are you still with us?
John Brown, creator of Dark Byzantium, hey there. I hope you are there. I'm sorry things didn't work out. Perhaps in a 4th IR, they would!
Hey there, Sollir. Are you there? Greetings to the player who worked with Creamsteak to hold off two very scheming players of the Union of Oerth!

Now I know I've missed a whole lot of people. I'm just trying to address those on page one, which I've read! Bear with me here, guys and girls. I'm just Edena!
Someone post a list. Of ALL our players. So I can greet you all. So I don't have the stupid, paltry excuse of failed memory to have to fall back on! I want to say hi to everyone again!


I'm still on page one of this thread.
I think Melkor was a blast, and wish to say so. And, heh, he almost blasted ALL of you into entropy! The taraakians barely saved you. Blame Forsaken One, who held out on you! (Long live the Swarm! Cheers, Forsaken One )
I hope Melkor is still with us. I really do. Hey there, Melkor. If you read this, reply to an old friend. And remember, you DID blow up all those Crystal Spheres ... it's just the taraakians recreated them as the Demiplane of Hope, and transferred the spirits of the living to that Demiplane, an instant before you blew up everything. Blame Forsaken One, who cooperated with the taraakians at the last instant!

Hi Edena, your Gamemastering was brilliant! Nice to hear from you again, I am living in Poland like I always did, studying law( law education in Poland is a bit diffrent than in USA, you need to learn for 7 years if you want to be a lawyer with all legal rights), I have finished my first year exams a month ago.

 

[Serpenteye]

Serpenteye: Advancement is simply based on the quality of your posts and emails about advancing magic and tech. At the current stage we aren't going to use PL at all.

So it's enough simply to make a statement of intent? If I write that I'm trying to invent the Steam Engine (and describe how I would go about doing that) would I suddenly have rail-roads crossing my country?

 

[Serpenteye]

Have you given any thought to the cosmology of the world? Are there any Powers Beyond? Are there devils, deities, demons and (I was about to say angels, but that would be a can of worms best left unopened) other outsiders of various alignments who act as divine servants? What about elementals, fey, monsters, aberrations and demi-humans?

 

[Kalanyr]

A statement of intent and sufficient time yes, if you say you're inventing the steam engine and have made the necessary prior discoveries like steel and don't immediately launch a war on your neighbour, then yes you will make the discovery, you won't however suddenly have a network of railways unless you state that too and that will also take time.

There may be outsiders drawn from the mythology of the various countries, there won't be demihumans D&D style (who tend to be humans in funny costumes).