Sengoku - Development Diary #12 - Plots

[Captain Gars]

Hello and welcome to this week's Sengoku developer diary. Today we will introduce you to plots. Plots are a way to covertly coordinate diplomatic actions between both players and the AI.

Playing as a vassal you have two potential plots at your disposal. The first is to break free and form your own clan. This one mirrors a diplomatic option to do the same, but with the added bonus that all internal backers of the plot will follow you into your new clan as your vassals, and any external backers will go to war with your old clan, should the clan leader dispute your independence.

The other plot is to usurp the clan leader title. This one is only available if you belong to the ruling dynasty of the clan. Should you succeed with this plot you will send a message to your clan leader with two options. Either to willfully step down and hand over the title to you, or fight you in a civil war.

Once you have started to plot, a decision will become available that list the requirements for actually resolving the plot. The plots may have additional requirements, but all of them demand a certain level of plot power. This is basically a ratio of armed forces between you and your backers and the target. Once you have invited enough backers to reach the required plot power strength, you can resolve the plot by taking the decision. The timing of when you take this final step is of course important and up to you as the leader of the plot...



As a clan leader you can plot to attack another neighboring clan. This is a very nice option to have, especially if you plan on attacking a bigger clan than yourself. By finding others who might be interested in the same goal you can together make sure that you have the necessary power to back up the attack. These might even involve vassals of your target as long as they're not of the same dynasty. To be able to resolve the plot you need to first declare war on your target, but once this is done you don't have to call in your fellow plotters. You can decide to not do it at all, or to wait until the time suits you.

Once you do this however, all backers are called in at the same time, and any backers within the clan of your target switches side to you. The plot is however only an agreement between you and your backers of who to attack, and that the attack is coordinated, not that you are in an alliance or that you in any way have agreed to how the spoils of war will be divided among you. So be aware of who you invite, because as in many other cases in this game, the riches falls to whoever takes it...

 

[Captain Gars]

First! Could not withstand .

But I have a question as well: Will there be only two levels of rulers: clan leaders and vassals?

I ask because Crusader Kings had three levels (kings, dukes and counts). I do not have a problem with it. I just ask.

Vassals can include both daimyo and kokujin, but only those who are direct vassals under the clan leader can enact these plots.

 

[Captain Gars]

How does a kokujin become a daimyo? I mean, is daymio a creatable title, as in CK? Does the AI grant daymio titles to the player?

You can request that a daimyo title from your liege if he has one to grant. Or you might get one from conquering all the provinces in a kuni (a historical Japanese province consisting a several kori - the games actual provinces) during a war. The AI should grant players titles just as he grants it to other AI characters.

Are plots moddable?

To a degree, so you can add additional plots or tweak the ones we have written, but you won't be able to do to complicated stuff as the AI most be able to eveluate the plots. If they can't they won't join them.

This seems really wonderful, actually. I am impressed.

How does the AI decide who to invite to their plots? Is there any way to turn the plot back on the attackar by, say, acting a mole or telling the person of the plot? Is there any way you as the victim of a plot can get to know it before it has happened?

The AI evaluates this just as any other diplomatic action it can take. Your Master of the Guard has an intrigue value and might discover the plot. There are also a number of events that can happen to those involved in the plot which might splil the beans. So the longer you plot and the more backers you have, the bigger the risk of it being exposed.

 

[Birken]

I'm VERY enthusiast of the concept of Plot arriving in Paradox games. I'm very curious about event and other things that happen in the situation of a plot against us is discovered.

If you've discovered that someone is plotting against you, you can choose to expose the plot, which will cost the plotters some honor and make the plot invalid after a while (the plotters can still try to do what they've plotted to do, but chances are that backers might start abandoning your plot when it's exposed to save their own skin).
Or you take some precautionary actions such as sending ninjas to assassinate the plotters, try to force them to commit seppuku, strip them of their provinces etc. while they're still unaware of you knowing about the plot and then expose it to hurt them further.

 

[Birken]

Secret diplomacy... at last! Now, implement this in Vicky 2 and EU3.

edit : but if this is secret diplomacy, why losing honor by doing so?

Well, eventually the plot is set in motion and then it's less of a secret.

 

[Captain Gars]

But what if a plot ends undiscovered?! If this is possible. Then the overall loss of honor just for entering the plot would be unrealistic. If knowbody knew apart from the plotters.
And a loss of honor for entering a still secret plot is a little bit problematic for another reason: If an AI player loses a certain amount of honor for no obvious reason a human player could guess that he has joined a plot.

I would suggest that the loss takes place when the plot finally fires. One way or the other.

Yes, I agree. I only think the bill should be paid later.

The problem with paying at a later point is that you might not have enough honor at that time, which creates all kinds of problems. However, should you leave the plot, you get almost all of it back again.

 

[Captain Gars]

So, what is the benefit of plotting against, compared to just attacking your target?

If you think you can beat your opponent without help: none whatsoever. But you are usually in a situation where help would be appreciated, and instead of sitting around waiting for someone else attacking that target, why not try to coordinate it? Plots are also a great way for several small clans to gang up on one big threat. With the internal plots you can also get more people with you once you split off compared to using the diplomatic option.

 

[Captain Gars]

If one does not have enough honor at that time to pay it is as in real life: If you are already a completely dishonorable person you cannot lose anything any longer, apart from your life of course. BTW: Such a character will be in deep trouble for other reasons normally .

There are still problems with this. First, since you have no idea at what point the leader of the plot intends to activate it you will need to keep that cost saved up at all time anyway, and if one plot member would not be able to pay up at the start of the plot, the plot would lose in power, which means that whoever is the plot leader would have to manually go around and make sure everyone has enough honor before taking the decision, creating a lot of anoying micromanaging. Plus there are a number of other actions that will decrease or cost honor so I don't think it will be a big problem being able to see who is plotting and not.

Or you could allow negative honor which means that the character will have to get back into positive numbers before he can actively buy something with honor again. If his lack of honor does not become his fate before.

SInce zero honor means game over this won't work.

 

[Darkrenown]

But it's not acceptable to us

 

[Captain Gars]

Plots sound very interesting.

Will the AI offer the player to join his plots?
Is it possible to discover AI plots that are not aimed against you? For example if you are a vassal and other vassals plot against your lord, in that case is it possible to apply to join the plot, or to report the plot to your lord in hope of a reward?
Also what if you are offered to join a plot and you refuse, is it possible to report the plot to the intended victim?

The AI will invite the player as well. There is no game mechanic to expose a plot you become aware of, but there are some event chains where details about the plot might leak or where someone can start blackmailing you or expose the plot to the target.

 

[Captain Gars]

Thanks for the answer.

Another thing I just tought of, will plots have 'plot leaders'?
Can every plot member invite others to the plot or only the person who started the plot in the first time? Or maybe suggest to the plot leader to invite someone?

Every plot has a leader - the one who started it - and it is only he who can invite others. There is however nothing stopping you from being a member of one plot and start another one as leader with the same target.

 

[Captain Gars]

I guess that won't be the case, be is there counterplots?

ie: Once you discover a plot against you, can you create your own plot that will activate once the initial plot activate. This could be useful to protect yourself against a "Everyone attack X" plot, by getting other clans to fight the initial plotters.

(Although that could easily get confusing.)

Well if you find out that X is plotting against you, you can try to assassinate him or start you own plot against him.