[Forum Game] - Federation Or Empire

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FedEmpLite​

Welcome players, to the 24th century and the Star Trek universe!
May you live long and prosper, and your shirts never be red.​

Overview
This is a relatively simple (from the players view, anyway) rule set inspired by the board game Federation and Empire (F&E).
A further inspiration for this are Jeff Watts rules posted in the BoardGameGeek forum for F&E.
This variant targets forum gamers and supports rapid turns, a simple player interface, and the capability of cycling players in and out over the course of the game.

The Story So Far...
Despite the best efforts of mundane rulers, politics evolve over the course of Alpha Quadrant history.
Empires rise and fall, and the Illuminati continue behind the scenes.
Working subtly over the millennia to guide the fate of worlds and their sapients, these functionally immortal puppet masters manipulate events covertly to influence the progress of the galaxy towards their individual goals.
While interstellar governments pretend they run the show, the Shadow Lords compete with each other in their unending game* to mold the universe to their own ends.

*It can be considered a game, ‘From a certain point of view...’, as one misguided ancient wit put it.

Wha...?
OK, my part in this little drama is?
In ‘FedEmpLite’, each player assumes the role of a puppeteer, guiding one of the two major galactic factions (either the Coalition or the Alliance) in their struggle for dominance over the other.
As such, each player controls a portion of that faction’s military, spread over the component nations of the group.
While ostensibly working towards a common victory with the other players on their side, each is also competing with their fellow Illuminati in accumulating Glory for their minions.
For the player on the winning side having the most Glory is both the game victor and primed to become the driving force behind the future of the Alpha Quadrant.


Game Highlights

1. Rapid game progress. Each turn is on a 48-hour cycle (real) time, representing a year in the game. As such, the historical 18 year General War plays out in about five real weeks.

2. Quick Response. The GM posts the results of each turn within six hours of turn end, leaving the players plenty of time to plan for the next turn.

3. Simple Player Interface, complex-supporting rule set. Players can spend little time in their turns and still have an enjoyable and effective gaming experience. Or they can delve into detailed social actions with fellow players, exhaustive analysis of play options, strategy permutations, and so forth. Players decide their level of involvement. The GM is the one doing the work behind the scenes, implementing the details of player guidance.​

Rule Highlights

1. Players control multiple ships for one of the two sides in the game.
2. The player with the most Glory on the side winning the war wins the game.
3. A side wins the war by controlling two-thirds of all provinces.
4. Players get Glory by commanding winning battles where they kill more ships than they lose.
5. Players command a battle by having more ships in a battle than any other player on their side.
6. Players win battles by being on the side with ships remaining in the province at battle end.
7. Players gain Influence each turn they are in the game. Generally, the less Glory a player has, the more Influence they receive.
8. Players use their Influence to purchase additional ships.​

Administration

1. Be nice to the other players in your communications. I will do my level best to help this game do well, and I can use your help in accomplishing that.
2. This is a beta. I have tested the rules as best I can, but as everyone who has ever played a new game knows, some things fall through the cracks or were not anticipated. So bear with me as we work through the issues.​

Thanks, and have fun!

 

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Game Status Updated on this Page Each Turn

Current Turn is Zero (Pre Game Start)

Next player orders are due: TBD



CURRENT ALPHA QUADRANT MAP

If unable to see the details by selecting the above map, use the following link:
http://imageshack.us/a/img832/802/t1startfltjpg.jpg




Players can view the details of the composition of each fleet at:
http://imageshack.us/a/img822/2199/fleetdetails.png

 

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FedEmpLite Rules​

1. Players can learn the essentials of the rules by reading just the light colored type in this section.

2. For those wishing to know the gory specifics of game mechanics, as well as examples and illustrations of the rules, select the links at the start of each rule section.


I. Overview
This section provides a high level view of the game. You saw that in the opening advertisements.

II. Glossary
This link provides definitions to game terms players may not be sure of.

III. Components
Here is a detailed listing of the parts of the game, along with some pretty pictures of what they look like.

IV. Player Sides
The player may join one of the two sides in the game, either the Alliance or the Coalition.

V. Setup
The players post in the forum which side they wish to play on, along with whatever optional rules they want. The GM adds the applicant to the player list.
Once accepted by the GM into the game, players submit a list of the ships of each nation they want to control, along with which Fleet(s) to deploy them in.
Players may deploy Ships only in Fleets belonging to the ship's nation.
Generally, the fewer the ships a player requests, the better the chance of getting them.

VI. Sequence
Each turn starts with the players submitting orders to the GM (48 hour real-time submission window). The GM processes the turn based on those instructions, and posts the results to the forum. That starts another turn.

VII. Orders
Player orders may consist of three parts; listing the units they wish to buy, combat instructions to Fleets they control, and movement of controlled ships between Fleets.

VIII. Purchase
Players include in their requests the ship nationality, quantity, Influence bid, as well as the Fleet destinations for the ships acquired.

IX. Missions
Players controlling one or more Fleets (Fleet Admirals) may issue orders to those fleets, either 'ATTACK', 'DEFEND', 'DEPLOY' or 'MOVE'.
If 'ATTACK', specify the attacking fleet, then pick one or more provinces adjacent to friendly ones as targets.
Select 'DEFEND', indicate the fleet and choose the number of provinces the fleet protects.
To move a fleet to a new staging area, command 'MOVE', list the departing fleet and the destination province.
To transfer ships between fleets, command 'DEPLOY', the fleet losing ships, how many ships, and the gaining fleet.
The closer the target(s) are, the more ships that make it to battle.
The fewer the targets, the more ships available for each one.

X. Basing (MOVE Mission)
Fleet Admirals wishing to redeploy their Fleets to new locations use the MOVE mission, specifying the new friendly province as the Fleet destination.

XI. Combat
The GM determines how many ships from Fleets make it to their targets.

The greater the target range from the fleet, or the number of attacking Flotilla's, usually the fewer ships that arrive.​

Those that arrive attack the opposing ships in a series of combat rounds, with each ship hitting an opponent on a d6 result of ‘6’.
The GM removes those hit from the game, checks to see if one or both sides withdraw from the fight, and if ships from both sides remain, conducts another round of combat.
At the end of the fight, the GM announces the victor, awards Glory to deserving players, and updates both the Fleet strengths to reflect losses and any changes to political control of provinces.

XII. Victory
If one side controls 2/3 of the map provinces, that side wins the war.
The player on the winning side with the most Glory is the game victor.
In cases of ties, then of the tied players, the one with the most ships wins.

XIII. Deployments
The GM moves rebasing Fleets to their new locations and updates the Fleet rosters with their newly acquired ships from the Muster Pool.

XIV. Production
The GM adds ships and new Fleets to the Muster pool for each side.
The GM increases each player’s Influence, generally with the player with the lowest Glory receiving the greatest amount of Influence.
The GM removes players missing a turn. New players may join if a side agrees to take them.

XV. Sample Turn. A write up with screen shots of the course of one game turn.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx OPTIONAL RULES xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Only those optional rules the players ALL agree to use are implemented.

1. Pre-War Operations -
Adds two turns to the game before the war breaks out, allowing players to set up the initial locations for their fleets. Replaces GM set initial fleet deployments for player specified ones.
Extends the concept to other national activations, starting player involvement with them on a limited basis before their formal activations.


2. Fan Fiction (Role-playing) -
Each turn players may earn additional Influence by posting stories relating to the game in the forum.


3. Preservation Levels -

Introduce the concept of discretion being the better part of valor.
Players can now indicate how long they want to risk their forces in a fight before leaving the battlefield.
Add a new line to the player orders: Preservation: XX, where XX is an integer between zero and 100. The larger the value, the sooner the units will leave the battle.​

4. Tactics - DOES slow the game down by inserting an additional two day period in the turn sequence.

a. Tactics allow the player to significantly affect the outcome of a battle by outsmarting their player opponents.
b. Add a line to the player’s orders: Tactics: XXXXXX.
c. XXXXXX is either ASSAULT, RECON, ENFILADE (LEFT, RIGHT), REFUSE (LEFT,RIGHT), STAND, or RETROGRADE.
d. The GM compares the tactics of the respective commanders and adjusts the combat accordingly.​

5. Military Technology Improvements -

a. Players may elect to invest in advancing military technology, gaining advantages over their less developed opponents at the expense of increasing production costs.
b. Add one or more lines to player’s orders: NATION TECH: XXXX, (Plus/Minus One).
c. NATION is one of the active nations on that player's side.
d. XXXX is either Speed, Attack, Defense, or Stealth research fields.
e. (Plus/Minus One)sets whether to increase or decrease the number of research centers in a field).
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6. Ship Types - Does not require any other Optional Rules, but will modify some of those if the players select them and this rule.

a. Invoking this rule changes the composition of the initial ships available.
b. Player purchase orders now must specify the TYPE of ship requested in addition to the existing requirements.
c. Ship Summaries.

i. Dreadnaughts (DN) - The battleships of the galaxy, they take a lickin and keep on kicking. DNs’ can take two hits to destroy, and have a hard time not killing a target each combat round.

ii. Carriers (CV) - Mounting swarms of short-range attack craft, and carrying a decent weapons compliment themselves, these ships can bring pain to any opponent. Though their attack craft do not individually do as much damage as actual starships, they can kill their bigger brethren, and after each battle, their carrier replaces any lost fighters at no cost.

iii. Cruisers (CA) - The Orc’s of the galactic navies, they are cheaper than the heavier capital ships, dish out a lot of punishment for their size, and better at long distance travel to battlefields.

iv. Scouts (SC) - Actually misnamed, these Electronic Warfare ships cause havoc far in excess of their numbers. Before a battle, these ships perform as scouts, determining the location, size, and capabilities of the enemy combatants. During the actual fight, these ships work their electrical magic, blunting the targeting systems of the foe while enhancing the ability of friendly units to hit their targets.​

 

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Weapons—Unit Information
Weapons – Players can new purchase weapons for their brigades, which can have only a single type of weapon at a time.
The current weapon type for the unit is displayed as an icon in the control box, with its name below it.

The weapon list includes the following information:

• Name: The name of the weapon, along with its icon.

• Guns, Money, and Iron: resource cost to purchase the weapon for one brigade.
The cost of a new weapon is reduced by 50% of the cost of the brigade’s current weapon, though the cost of the new weapon cannot be reduced below zero in any resource by means of this reduction.
For example, if a brigade that currently has a Springfield Rifle (Cost: 30 Gun, 5 Money, 2 Iron) purchases a new Henry Rifle (Cost: 120 Gun, 75 Money, 10 Iron), then the cost of the Henry Rifle is decreased by half the cost of the Springfield (15 Gun, 2 Money, 1 Iron).

• Support: Both nations’ economies can only support a certain number of weapons.
When the number of brigades (belonging to either player) with that type of weapon becomes larger than the Support number, then the cost of the weapon increases by 10% per brigade in excess of the Support number.
The first number is the current number of brigades with the weapon; the second number is the Support number.
For example, Enfield Rifles have a Support level of 30, and a base Money cost of 30.
If 35 brigades have Enfield Rifles, the purchase cost of a new Enfield Rifle is increased by (35 brigades -30 Support level) X (10% of 30 Money) = 15 Money.

• Upkeep: Giving a brigade a weapon can increase a brigade’s Upkeep costs (in Money, or “$”), or its Supply needs (or both).
If a weapon increases the Upkeep costs of a unit, this is simply included in the unit’s total Upkeep.
If it increases the Supply costs of a unit, this is also included in the unit’s total Supply costs, but is itemized on the Supply report.

• Quick Combat: In quick combat, brigades receive a bonus to damage based on the Quick Combat rating of their firearm.
Each level of Quick Combat rating that a weapon has increases damage by 25%.

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Requirements for Purchasing New Weapons:

Some weapon types have pre-requisite upgrades, or require a certain level of relations with one of the European powers before they can be purchased.
Furthermore, new weapons may not be purchased if a brigade is located in enemy territory.

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Weaponsand Sieges

Weapons for Forts –
Players can buy different types of weapons to protect their forts, just like brigades.
These have the effect of decreasing the Artillery Rating of the besieger, and increasing the damage done by defending units.
An expensive, powerful weapon can make a fort much more difficult to besiege successfully.

Siege Value: Different weapons also now affect the siege progress of sieges, since they can now vary from unit to unit.
Each weapon has a Siege Value that determines its effectiveness during sieges.
Siege Values only contribute towards sieges for weapons assigned to artillery and Horse Artillery units: infantry and cavalry units ignore the Siege Value of their weapons.

Artillery Advantage –
In the Advanced Game, since weapons can be changed, the type of weapon an artillery unit has now affects the besieger’s Artillery Advantage.
Each Weapon has a Siege Value (listed on the Weapons table in the Appendix.)
The Artillery Advantage is determined by comparing the Siege Value of the besieging units’ weapons against the Siege Values of the defending units’ weapons, including the Siege Values of the fort’s weapon and the weapons of any Artillery or Siege Artillery units within.
A defending fort or city receives a +2 bonus to its Siege Value.
The resulting ration determines the Artillery Advantage. (A slightly more technical explanation is presented in the Appendix.)

NOTE: Weapons used by artillery and Siege Artillery use Siege Values, but weapons used by infantry and cavalry ignore their Siege Values.​

 

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Reserved

 

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Siege Artillery - participate in siege combat, but not in any other kind of combat.

Forts –
Forts come in three different sizes: Fort I, II, and III, of which Fort III is the largest.
Forts protect a province from capture by enemy units in the same way that cities do, and prevent Plunder in the province where they are located (see below).
Forts are designed to contain defending units.
Forts without defending units attached to them can be captured by enemy units.
A Fort I can hold 2 brigades, a Fort II can hold 4 brigades, and a Fort III can hold 6 brigades.
Units in a fort are available to participate in any battles in the province.
They do not retreat to a nearby province if the battle is lost, but instead retreat back into the fort.

Siege Options
The first turn of a siege (i.e. the turn that a siege order is given to a group), the player has the option of changing the type of siege.
The type of siege may be changed each turn.

• Normal – This is the default type of siege. Defending units inside the siege target get an attack against randomly determined besieging units, and besieging units in the province each make an attack on the defending units. An attack always inflicts some damage, modified by various factors. There is also a chance (based on both the Engineering and Artillery Ratings) that each attacking unit reduces the target’s Defensive Rating. Units that are out of supply only do half-damage during a siege.
During a Normal siege, artillery units (especially Siege Artillery and Gunboats) are much more likely to do damage to the Defensive Rating than other units.

• Encircle – Encircling is a slow but safe method of besieging. Both defending and attacking units are spared serious damage (it is only a tenth of what it would normally be). Attacks do not reduce the fort’s Defense Rating – instead, this rating decreases slowly each turn by some amount between 0-20%, though there is also a small chance each turn that the fort recovers up to 25% of the Defense Rating it began the siege with. This is a good way to besiege when the besieger is short on artillery.
Defending cavalry units are excellent counters to Encircle sieges, and do quadruple damage against the besiegers.

• Entrench – Entrenching is a half-strength, defensive siege: besieging units not only deal half the ordinary amount of damage to enemy units during the course of the siege, but also take half damage from any defending Artillery or Siege Artillery units within the city or fort. The rate of progress against the fort or city’s Defense rating by the besieger is also only half the rate of a normal siege.

• Bombard – During Bombard sieges, only attacking Artillery and Siege Artillery units may make attacks. Defending artillery attacks normally, but defending infantry and cavalry make only half-strength attacks. During a Bombard siege, only besieging artillery units have a chance to damage the Defense rating of the defending fort or city. This is a good way to besiege if the besieger has a strong artillery advantage.

• Aggressive – A headlong, reckless besieging technique. The besieging units do double the normal damage, but the defending units do triple the normal damage. Casualties are therefore usually very high. A good way to siege if you want to take the fort quickly and don’t care about your own level of casualties.

• Subterfuge – An attempt to take the fort or city by stealth and trickery. The damage that defenders inflict is normal, but the besieging units inflict only half of normal damage. There is a 10% chance that the target will lose between 0 and 100% of its Defense rating – otherwise, it recovers 1-5% of its Defensive Rating.

• Cancel Siege – Cancels the siege and removes the Siegeworks unit.​

 

[bakerydog]

So this game is almost exactly like the modern WW2 ACW forum game you had going on?

 

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Movement Considerations

Normal March / Force March –
Players can specify whether their armies, corps, and divisions are using regular movement, or are moving by forced march. Using the Force March option for a military group (army, corps, or division) increases its chances of moving into a province by 25%, but units that it contains suffer penalties if they are involved in combat during the subsequent movement phase.
NOTE: Force marching does NOT get the unit to the destination any faster. It just increases the chance that they will get there at all.

Weather –
Inclement weather can greatly lessen the chance of successful movement into or out of a province. Provinces that are being hit by snowfall or heavy rain are indicated on the main map.

Winter Movement Penalty –
Winter movement can be very difficult--during winter months (December, January) the initiative check of units receives a penalty based on the state in which the movement terminates. States located in the southern part of the map (North Carolina, Alabama, etc.) have only a small winter penalty, but the penalty in northern states can be quite severe.

TIP: Movement may often fail or even be practically impossible during winter months, especially in the north. During November, players should consider maneuvering their larger military groups to “winter quarters” in safe provinces with access to Rail Supply and which contain friendly forts.

Ungarrisoned Enemy (units in the field) in a province will halt friendly movement through it.

March Attrition
Every time an infantry or artillery brigade moves via regular movement (i.e., not via rail) from one land province to another, it loses 5% of its Strength.
If it is being Force Marched, the loss is 10%.
Units do not suffer attrition when moving via rail. Divisions with at least one brigade having the ‘Baggage Wagon’ attribute disregard March Attrition.

 

[bakerydog]

Glory,Production, and Combat.

 

[MastahCheef117]

Accidentally posted here >___> disregard this.