Warlords of Antiquity

Rules and Player sign-up

In this game of conquest set in 272 BCE, players control the decisions of their nation and may engage in diplomacy, warfare, and skullduggery to achieve victory!

VICTORY CONDITION: First player to own 100 regions wins the game.

Starting World Map:

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I recommend opening world map image in a new browser tab for clarity. You will also be able to zoom in.

The Regions on this map will be filled with different colors depending on which faction/country owns it.

This is the starting map on Turn 0, where each faction/country owns 1 region to start with.


Map Legend (Factions)

Map Legend (Factions)

These are the available factions you can play as in this game. I’ve included a zoomed-in image of the factions’ starting locations to help you find them on the world map.


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  • Athens = Light Yellow
  • Sparta = Brown
  • Pergamon = Hot Pink
  • Macedon = Dark Blue

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  • Getae = Dark Brown

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  • Scythia = Gold

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  • Egypt = Light Purple
  • Seleucid = Blue-Gray

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  • Aorsoi = Green

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  • Parthia = Purple

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  • Baktria = Sky Blue

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  • Suebi = Salmon Pink

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  • Boii = Aqua

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  • Rome = Red
  • Carthage = Gray

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  • Epirus = Tan

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  • Gallaeci = Cream
  • Arverni = Dark Green

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  • Pontus = Orange

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  • Iceni = Blue

Turns

Turns

This will be a turn based game, where each turn is 24 hours. All players will post their moves once per day, and the GM (me) will post an updated Map every 24 hours with the result of attacks/movements/new territory conquered/etc.

You can win the game by owning 100 regions.

Please note: if a player does not post a move in time (in the 24-hour window) he/she will basically skip that turn.


How to Join, and GM-controlled Factions

How to Join, and GM-controlled Factions

To join the game, you need to choose a faction. Simply comment here with the faction you’d like to play, and I will add you to the game. Scroll up to the “Map Legend (Factions)” section to see the list of factions.

GM-controlled factions

If not all factions are claimed by players when the game starts (sometime next week, perhaps June 28th or 29th), the Game Master (GM - which is me) will control the unclaimed factions to balance the map. New players can still join at any time! When a new player joins the game, they can choose any (one) GM-controlled faction to take, and that faction will be given to that new player.

Factions controlled by the GM:

- Cannot win the game!
- Cannot perform Assassination or Rebellion missions with Secret Agents
- Can engage in diplomacy
- Plays passively (cannot attack a player unless attacked)

Additionally:

  • A player can only switch factions if their faction owns less than 5 regions.
  • A GM-controlled faction with 75 or more regions cannot be taken over by a player because it is too close to the 100 region victory condition. Again, GM-controlled factions cannot win the game.

Map: some rules

Map: some rules

As mentioned before, this is the starting map. Regions will be colored in as the game progresses depending on which faction owns it:

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I recommend opening this map image in a new browser tab for clarity.

The thick black lines are mountain ranges, and are impassable. If you want to attack a region on the other side of the mountain, you will have to go around the mountain. There are 14 sea zones. Sea zones are labeled, and separated by black lines.

A white area of 14 pixels or bigger with black borders around it is considered a region. A white area smaller than 14 pixels is considered part of the nearest region to it.

To attack a region on a map, simply color in that region with your faction’s color, and post the map. Alternatively, you can just say something like “Attack the northern regions of my empire”, or “Attack Crete [just an example]” and that is also fine.

Depending on your dice rolls (more on this later) you may or may not be successful in capturing a region. I will post the updated map at the end of each turn.

Your starting region is your capital. You will find out how to build the other structures (cities, fortifications) below.


Prestige

Prestige

Your faction’s Prestige is a big factor in the game. The more Prestige your faction has, the more Moves you will be able to perform each turn.


1-25 Prestige: 1 move per turn

26-60 Prestige: 2 moves per turn

61-65 Prestige: 3 moves per turn

(65 is the maximum Prestige)

All factions start off with 1 Prestige at the beginning of the game.

Your Prestige can increase (or decrease!) depending on what actions you take in the game.

Throughout the rules you will see specifically how much Prestige you gain or lose by certain these actions.


Moves and Dice Rolls

Moves

A player can do a certain amount of Moves per turn. The amount of moves allowed is determined by that player’s “Prestige”.

Things that count as “Moves”:

  • Moving your Capital (New players, meaning players that have played for less than 5 turns, can move their capital for FREE)
  • Attacking a Region (by land or sea)
  • Attacking a fleet
  • Building something (Great City, Fortification, or fleet)
  • Repairing a fleet
  • Moving a fleet from one sea zone to another

Diplomatic actions (making alliances, declaring war, etc.) are FREE. You do not need to use Movement points on those.

Dice Rolls

For each Move you wish to perform, the GM (me) will roll the dice to see how successful you were.

All dice rolls are public and will be performed using https://rolz.org, so there can be no cheating. I will post the link to the Dice Room with every turn so it is public record. Only some Secret Agent dice rolls will be kept hidden, and even those will be revealed once the game ends.


Now for the fun stuff


Regions and Invasions

Regions and Invasions

Attack by Sea

To attack a coastal region by sea, you first need to have a fleet in that naval zone. Naval zones are labeled, and are divided by black lines on the map (Ex: Eastern Mediterranean, West Mediterranean, Black Sea, etc.).

Attack by Land

You can only attack a region that you are in contact with (meaning, one of your regions is touching the enemy region that you want to attack).

The GM will roll a virtual 6-faced dice (https://rolz.org) to see how successful you were in your attack.


[0] = Crushing Defeat (You are unable to attack this region next turn)(-2 Prestige)

[1] = Clear Defeat (-1 penalty for your next attack on this region. Penalty expires after the next turn.)(-1 Prestige)

[2] = Average Defeat

[3] = Close Defeat (+1 bonus for your next attack on this region. Bonus expires after the next turn.)

[4] = Pyrrhic Victory

[5] = Average Victory (+1 Prestige)

[6] = Clear Victory (+1 Prestige)

[7] = Heroic Victory! (+2 Prestige)

[8] = Legendary Victory! (+3 Prestige)

If your final score is 4, 5, 6, or 7 congratulations! You have taken the region, and depending on what you rolled, maybe you even got a Prestige bonus!

However if you got a 0, 1, 2, or 3, you were not able to take the region, and maybe even got an Prestige penalty.

If you got a 0 or 1, the enemy has a chance to counter-attack! The GM will roll the dice again to see if the counterattack was successful (counterattack has a 50% success rate):

  • [1, 2, or 3] = Counterattack fails. You are safe.
  • [4, 5, or 6] = Counterattack is successful, and the enemy takes YOUR region that you attacked from. (If you attacked by sea, your fleet is destroyed.)

Importance of Capital region

Normally it takes a Move to change your Capital from one region to another. New players (those who have played less that 5 turns) can change their Capital without using a Move.

If you lose your capital region you will lose 3 Prestige. However, if your capital is taken by another player, or you lose it due to rebellion, you can assign a new capital without using a move.

If you don’t assign a new capital you lose 3 Prestige every turn.

Losing all of your regions

A player who loses all his/her regions to another player will be able to make a revolt once every two turns in the province they last owned. The GM will roll to determine the results of the attempted revolt. A player who doesn’t have any regions in 4 turns will be eliminated.



Rules (Parts 2-4) continued in the comments below (due to character limitation for Posts)

  • @Rogue_GeneralOPM
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    1 year ago

    Rules Part 3


    Secret Agents

    Secret Agents

    Secret Agents are well-versed in the art of espionage. As the leader of a nation you may sometimes need to employ an Agent to do your dirty work. You unlock the use of a Secret Agent once you build or conquer your first Great City.

    Once unlocked, Secret Agents can perform certain missions for your faction. See the mission types below for details.

    The number of Secret Agents your faction has access to depends on how many Great Cities you own:

    1 Great City = 1 Secret Agent
    2 Great Cities = 2 Secret Agents
    3 Great Cities = 3 Secret Agents
    4+ Great Cities = 4 Secret Agents
    

    Secret Agent Missions

    There are three types of missions a Secret Agent can perform:

    1. Spy
    2. Assassinate
    3. Incite a Rebellion

    1. Mission Type: Spy

    Secret Agents can spy on enemy regions. If successful, you will get a bonus if you attack the region in the same turn. After performing a spy mission, the agent cannot perform any type of mission the next 2 turns.

    A 6-faced virtual dice (https://rolz.org) is used to determine the outcome of the Spy mission:

    [0] = Legendary Failure: (-1 penalty to your next spy mission, -1 penalty for attacking this region this turn.)
    
    [1] = Epic Failure: (-1 penalty to your next spy mission, -1 penalty for attacking this region this turn.)
    
    [2] = Failure: Your agent barely escapes with their life.
    
    [3] = Failure: Your agent fails the mission, but is able to flee.
    
    [4] = Success: Your spy has uncovered info that will help you in your attack against this region (+1 bonus if you attack this region this turn)
    
    [5] = Success: Your spy has uncovered valuable info that will help you in your assault (+1 bonus if you attack this region this turn)
    
    [6] = Success: Your Agent managed to waltz right into the enemy General's tent, and steal detailed plans! (+1 bonus if you attack this region this turn, +1 bonus if you decide to perform another spy mission in the next 3 turns)
    
    [7] = Success: Your Agent knows the enemy like the back of his hand! (+2 bonus if you attack this region this turn, +1 bonus if you decide to perform another spy mission in the next 3 turns)
    

    To use perform a spy mission, post it along with your turn. Example:

    “Send a Secret Agent to spy on the region of Carthage, and attack the region with my medium fleet”
    
    or
    
    “Send an agent to spy on the rebel region north of our empire, and attack the region by land”
    
    etc...
    

    1. Mission Type: Assassinate

    Secret Agents can also assassinate important enemy figures, causing chaos among their ranks.

    To perform an assassination, PM (private message) me which faction you would like to target. After performing an assassinate mission, the agent cannot perform any type of mission the next 5 turns.

    The GM will roll a 6-faced virtual dice (https://rolz.org) to see how successful your Secret Agent was in his assasination mission:

    [0] = Legendary Failure: (-2 Prestige, -1 penalty to your next assassination attempt. Everyone will know that it was your Secret Agent.)
    
    [1] = Epic Failure: (-1 Prestige, -1 penalty to your next assassination attempt. Everyone will know that it was your Secret Agent.)
    
    [2] = Failure: (-1 Prestige. Everyone will know that it was your Secret Agent.)
    
    [3] = Failure: Your agent fails the mission but learns from their mistake. No one will know it was you who sent the agent. (+1 for your next Assassination attempt.)
    
    [4] = Success: (-1 penalty to one enemy move this turn)
    
    [5] = Success: (-1 penalty to all enemy moves this turn)
    
    [6] = Success: (-1 penalty to all enemy moves this turn, +1 bonus if you decide to send an assassin again in 6 turns)
    
    [7] = Success: (-1 penalty to all enemy moves this turn, -1 penalty to one enemy move next turn, +1 bonus if you decide to send an assassin again in 6 turns)
    

    NOTE: If a player is targeted by multiple assassination missions in a given turn (and the assassins succeed), the -1 penalties do NOT stack. Only the first assassination will cause the -1 penalties. After that, the targeted player will lose prestige in accordance with this chart:

    [4] = Success: (-1 Prestige to target)
    
    [5] = Success: (-1 Prestige to target)
    
    [6] = Success: (-2 Prestige to target)
    
    [7] = Success: (-3 prestige to target)
    

    1. Mission Type: Incite a Rebellion

    Secret Agents can incite a rebellion in other factions. If successful, the targeted region will fall back into rebel control, and the region will be colored white.

    To incite a rebellion in a region, send me a private message (PM) and tell which region you want to target. After attempting to incite a rebellion, the agent cannot perform any type of mission the next 5 turns.

    A virtual 6-faced dice (https://rolz.org) is used to determine the outcome of the mission:

    [0] = Legendary Failure: (-2 Prestige, -1 penalty next time you attempt to incite a rebellion. Everyone will know that it was your Secret Agent.)
    
    [1] = Epic Failure: (-1 Prestige, -1 penalty next time you attempt to incite a rebellion. Everyone will know that it was your Secret Agent.)
    
    [2] = Failure: (-1 Prestige, Everyone will know that it was your Secret Agent.)
    
    [3] = Failure: Your agent fails the mission but learns from their mistake. No one will know it was you who sent the agent. (+1 for attempting a rebellion in 6 turns.)
    
    [4] = Success: The targeted region now belongs to rebels.
    
    [5] = Success: The targeted region now belongs to rebels.
    
    [6] = Success: The targeted region now belongs to rebels (+1 bonus if you decide to incite a rebellion in 6 turns)
    
    [7] = Success: The targeted region now belongs to rebels, and in the chaos that ensues, a nearby enemy region also falls to the rebels! (+1 bonus if you decide to incite a rebellion in 6 turns)
    

    You cannot incite a rebellion in a faction that has 3 or fewer regions.


    Final notes on Secret Agents

    • If your agent is revealed while they are conducting an Assassination or Rebellion mission against an Ally, you will lose an additional 3 Prestige.
    • In any given turn, a maxiumum of 2 Secret Agents in your faction may perform the same type of mission. For example, if you have 3 Secret Agents you can perform 3 missions, but only 2 of the missions can be Assassinations. The third mission must be either a Spy mission, or an attempt to incite a rebellion.

    Rules continued (Part 4 - FINAL) continued below

    • @Rogue_GeneralOPM
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      1 year ago

      Rules Part 4 - FINAL


      Diplomacy (Gifts, Alliances, and Oath-breaking)

      Diplomacy & Gifts

      Diplomatic actions can have a positive or negative affect on your faction’s Prestige. Back-stabbing, breaking alliances, and general skulduggery is allowed… but be warned that it will cause Prestige penalties.

      On the other hand, entering into alliances and other “positive” diplomatic actions will increase your Prestige.


      Some terms to know before we proceed:

      Ceasefire: A temporary pause in military action between 2 warring factions. No military actions can be taken against a faction if you have a ceasefire with that particular faction. Secret Agents can still be used. Players must negotiate how many turns the ceasefire lasts. Players cannot declare war with a faction they have a ceasefire agreement with, or they will lose 15 Prestige. The 2 factions are automatically at war with each other when the ceasefire expires.

      Peace Treaty: An agreement between 2 warring factions. This treaty immediately resets the 2 factions into a “neutral” stance towards each other.

      Non-aggression pact: An agreement between 2 neutral factions. They agree to not engage in hostilities for a certain number of turns.

      Alliance: Allied factions have Military Access over each other. This means that when allies share borders, one ally can “travel” through the other ally’s territory and attack an enemy region on the other side.


      The following list shows the bonuses (or penalties) a player gets for each Diplomatic action:

      Diplomacy with Neutral Factions:

      
      - Establishing an Alliance: [+3 Prestige] Both factions involved in alliance get this bonus. (If you were allied with a faction previously but later broke your alliance, you are allowed to become allies with them again. However, you will NOT get the +3 Prestige bonus the second time. Also, after your first 5 alliances you will no longer gain prestige for establishing additional alliances.)
      
      - Attacking a neutral faction, without declaring war in the previous turn: [-5 Prestige]
      
      - Declaring war on a neutral faction and attacking the next turn: [No Prestige effect]
      
      - Announcing a Non-Aggression Pact for "X" number of turns, where "X" is a number agreed upon by the 2 Faction leaders: [No Prestige Effect]
      

      Diplomacy with Allied Factions:

      - Terminate an Alliance using diplomacy = [-10 Prestige] (only the faction that terminates the alliance gets this penalty)
      
      - Standing by an Ally if they are attacked: [+1 Prestige] (You join an ally in a defensive war by declaring war on the aggressor. Defensive war means that your Ally was attacked by another faction. If your ally was the aggressor, you will not get this Prestige bonus)
      
      - Refusing to join a defensive war: [-5 Prestige] (Defensive war means that your Ally was attacked by another faction. If your ally was the aggressor, you are not obligated to join the war and you will not get any penalty for refusing to help)
      

      Diplomacy with Hostile (at war) Factions:

      - Announce a Ceasefire until ___ turns ( fill in __ with the number you agreed on with the other faction) [No Prestige Effect]. While a Ceasefire is in affect, both factions cannot perform military actions against each other, or declare war on each other. If a faction breaks a Ceasefire agreement, they will lose 15 Prestige.
      
      - Announce a Peace Treaty [No Prestige Effect]. This treaty immediately resets the 2 factions into a "neutral" stance towards each other. If you declare war on a faction within 10 turns of signing a Peace Treaty with that faction, you will lose 15 Prestige. Declaring war on a faction after 10 turns of the Peace Treaty have passed is allowed, and you will not get any penalties.
      

      Oath-breaking

      Penalties of violating diplomatic norms:

      - Betraying an alliance (attacking your allies without breaking Alliance first) = [Your Prestige is reset to 1]
      
      - Violating the terms of a Non-Aggression Pact or Ceasefire: [-15 Prestige]
      

      Casus Belli

      “Casus Belli” is an act or situation that can be used to justify war. If you get a Casus Belli on another faction, you will get a Prestige bonus if you declare war on them. You can even get a Casus Belli against an ally! If this happens, you will receive no penalty for breaking the alliance, and in fact you will gain certain bonuses if you decide to declare war on them.

      There are 2 ways to get a Casus Belli:

      1. A player fails in an assassination attempt against your faction, and is revealed.
      2. A player fails when trying to incite a rebellion in one of your regions, and is revealed.

      If either of those 2 events occur you will gain a Casus Belli against the opposing faction, and if you declare war on them in the next 2 turns, you will:

      - Gain +2 Prestige.
      - All military actions that you take against them for the next 3 turns will receive a +1 bonus.
      

      Note: You cannot gain a Casus Belli on a faction that you are already at war with.

      Gifts

      • You can gift up to 3 regions every 5 turns.
      • You can gift up to 3 fleets every 5 turns.
      • If you send a gift to a faction that you are at war with, the gift must be part of an Ceasefire/Peace Treaty agreement.
      • You cannot gift a region if your faction has 5 or fewer regions.
      • Gifts can be a part of other negotiations, such as Alliances. The 3 region/fleet limit every 5 turns still applies.

      To negotiate Alliances, Non-aggression pacts, Peace treaties, etc, you may communicate privately or publicy with the owner of another faction to establish an agreement.

      But to make the agreement official you must publicly announce it on the main game thread.


      Join the Game

      Ready to join? Post a comment here saying which faction you want to play, and I’ll add you to the player list. Choose a faction from the list below:

      Please note, if you’re using Jerboa or another mobile app you may not be able to see the tables formatted correctly. Please open this post in a regular web brower (firefox, chrome) to read the table below

      Faction Current Player
      Aorsoi
      Arverni
      Athens
      Baktria
      Boii
      Carthage
      Egypt
      Epirus
      Gallaeci
      Getae
      Iceni
      Macedon
      Parthia
      Pergamon
      Pontus
      Rome
      Scythia
      Seleucid
      Sparta
      Suebi

      I’ll be starting this game on June 28th or 29th.

      New players may still join after the game has started.