The Thirty Years War [Concluded]

[Ibn-Khaldun]

The Thirty Years War

TYW is a game that is played on a hex based map with players having the chance to control one of the states from 1618 to 1648. The goal is very simple - become the strongest state in Europe. You can use diplomacy, espionage, economy, religion and military on your way.

Old Info:

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In order to start this game 4 players are needed to take control 4 kingdoms who played big part in the Thirty Years War. These are:
Austria
France
Spain
Sweden(or Denmark)

However, if there are more people interested of joining then they can join TYW as one of these states:
England
Savoy
Bohemia(emergent)
Netherlands
Saxony
Transylvania
Poland-Lithuania
Muscovy
Turkey
and either Sweden or Denmark(which ever is still open)

There are more than 40 Land and almost 15 Sea regions. Many of them can give certain bonuses(or military units) if you own them. This is how the map looks like:

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1. Portugal
2. Spain
2a. Leon-Castille
2b. Aragon
2c. Andalusia
3. France
3a. Aquitane
3b. Provence
3c. Ile-de-France
4. England
5. Scotland
6. Ireland
7. Iceland
8. Spanish Netherlands
9. Netherlands
10. Denmark
11. Norway
12. Sweden
13. Finland
14. Livland
15. Germany
15a. Northern Germany
15b. Southern Germany
16. Switzerland
17. Savoy
18. Milan
19. Venice
20. Central Italy
21. Southern Italy
22. Algeria
23. Greece
24. Balkan
25. Coast of Adriatic
26. Wallachia
27. Transylvania
28. Hungary
29. Austria
30. Bohemia
31. Poland
32. Lithuania
33. Moldavia
34. Crimea
35. Anatolia
35a. Anatolia
35b. Coast of Aegean
35c. Coast of Black Sea
36. Syria
37. Georgia
38. Don Cossacks
39. Zaporogian Cossacks
40. Russia
40a. Novgorod
40b. Muscowy
40c. Ryazan
40d. Kazan

About the game:
* Diplomacy - Sign trade agreements, secret pacts, military alliances, loan money etc.
* Espionage - Find out other kingdoms information, incite revolts, kill enemy generals or even kings etc.
* Economy - Build cities and ports to improve your economy, use ships to get taxes from your colonies to Europe etc.
* Military - Use armies to conquer Europe, recruit generals to lead them or let your king do it etc.

Current map with all States:

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Players(14):
Cultured Drizzt fan (England)
Subotan (France)
Greyblades (Spain)
Double A (Turkey)
shlashandburn (Austria)
SSNeoperestroika (Transylvania)
Beefy187 (Russia)
scottishranger (Sweden)
Centurion1 (Saxony)
spL1tp3r50naL1ty (Poland-Lithuania)
Beskar (Netherlands)
miotas (Portugal)
Chaotix (Denmark)
Askthepizzaguy (Switzerland)

Useful information:

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How battles work:

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Land Battles

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1. If two enemy armies enter adjacent hexes or on the same hex then battle is fought.
2. The battle is fought on a 10*10 hex based map.

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Battlemap with deployment areas.

3. The side(upper or lower) is randomly decided.
4. Default unit placement:

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1) 3rd line: Artillery(behind all other units)
2) 2nd line: Pikemen, Infantry
3) 1st line: Musketeers, Arquebusiers(front line units)
4) Wings: Cavalry

5. Unit stat explanation:

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1) Fire - distance how far unit can shoot(Field Artillery also reduces Morale).
2) Moves - how many hexes unit can move(Artillery can't move during the battle).
3) Attack - strength of the attack(Cavalry reduces Infantry(except Pikemen,Tercio, Landsknecht, Swiss Pikemen) Morale when they attack)
4) Defence - units defence strength(Pikemen get +1 when attacked by Cavalry)
5) Morale - when it reaches 0 then unit will rout.

6. Battle has Fire/Attack and Move rounds.
7. Battle starts with Fire round when all units with Fire ability shoot the closest enemy unit.
8. Move round - All units(except Artillery) move forward.
9. Fire/Attack round - All units without fire ability will Attack while those who has it use Fire.
10. If two units from one army stand adjacent hexes and attack one unit from the other army then their attack will be merged.
11. The same goes for defence.
12. Infantry unit loses 1 Morale per every 200 dead soldier. Cavalry unit loses 1 Morale per every 100 dead soldier.
13. Army who manages to rout the other one wins the battle.
14. All Players can create their own battle formations but they will be used only when Generals/Rulers lead their Armies.

Retraining

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1. Cheap Way- Each turn 100 men will be automatically(without fee) added to every unit that is below their maximum strength.
2. Expensive Way - Pay 1/10 of the unit cost per every 100 soldier.
(Example: Pikemen cost 400$(1/10 is 40$). If that unit needs 200 soldiers you could pay 80$ to bring that unit back into full shape.
3. Retraining don't use order slots.

Siege Battles

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1. Attacking army needs Siege Artillery and it must be positioned like this:

Fort(City)|empty hex|Siege Artillery

2. As long as the Siege Artillery remains on it's position then each turn Fort(City) will loose 1 point from it's strength.
3. Default strength of the Fort is 5 and default strength of the city is 2.
4. When the strength of the Fort is reduced, attacker can send Infantry units to attack the fort.
5. In that case, battle, similar to land battle, will follow.
6. The lower the strength of the Fort, the less defensive cannons it has(and the more "holes in the wall" it has).

Naval Battles

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1. If two enemy fleets enter adjacent hexes or on the same hex then battle is fought.
2. The battle is fought on a 10*10 hex based map.

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Naval Battle map.

3. Before the battle, wind direction is randomly chosen(N, NW, SW, S, SE, NE).
4. If ship moves upwind it receives -2 movement penalty, if downwind then receives +2 movement bonus.
5. Ships are placed on the battlemap just like they were on political map.
6. Ship stat explanation:

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1) Moves - how many hexes ship can move.
2) Fire - how far ship can shoot.
3) Hull - strength of the ship.
4) Morale - how many shots crew can put up with before they retreat.

7. Ships can fire only 2 enemy ships per Fire round.
8. Battle starts with Move round and is followed by Move round.
9. The closer the ships, the stronger the shots(Fear the Ship of the Line!).
10. Repairing ships works just like retraining. The only difference is that it's Hull that needs to be repaired.

How Trade is calculated?

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Each hex generates fixed 200$ every turn. All tax and Trade bonuses will be calculated from that. It's actually something I have to check every turn but not players(they can if they think I have miscalculated something).
Hex where port is get's 50% Trade bonus. That is 50% from what that hex usually makes(hex generates 200$ normally). That is something you can't loose no matter what. If that port borders sea region(30 hexes border that Sea region) then it brings 25% from each hex(25% is 50$.. so 30 hexes*50$=1500$). If you have a trade partner then you will get 25% what he makes. If he too gets 1500$ then you get 25% from it and the total sum of your trade is 1875$
If for example Portugal sign Trade agreement with England then both of them get 25% from what ever the other kingdom makes.
Let's say that Portugal generates 4000$ from Trade and England 6000$. In this case Portugal gets 25% from 6000$(that is 1500$) and England gets 25% from 4000$(that is 1000$) add to their total Trade Income.
This is how Sea trade works(both kingdoms also need ports).
Land trade is much easier. All hexes that share border will get 25% added to their income.

How does Millitary access work?

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Your armies can cross each others territory.
Neutral states can't cross each others hexes.
Enemy states occupy each others hexes.

How do you recruit mercenaries?

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Mercenary recruitment can be done outside the orders.
They also don't need Generals to lead them.

How many units can I recruit per action(Order point)?
Can I order troops or ships to perform an action in the turn I recruit them?

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Only one. Yes You can.

Can ships sail by settlements?

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Neutral and Allied ships can pass Cities/Forts/Ports but not enemy ships.
Ports can be blockaded by enemy warships(Galleons and Ships-of-Line).
Warships are the only ships that can enter adjacent hex of enemy port(blockade) but even they can't enter hex adjacent to city or fort.

What is the proper format for Orders?

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This is just an example:

1.Build a City on hex4 in Balkan (Name it "RTW")
2.Recruit Militia unit 1 in Transylvania hex3
3.Build a Port on hex8 in Moldavia(Name it "M2TW)
4.Move Militia Unit 1 south and southeast to hex5
5.Recruit General
6.Build a Fort on hex4 in Hungary (Name it "ETW")

Miscellaneous/Diplomacy:
I have a trade agreement with Dracula(If he also writes it down)

I also have a Defensive Alliance with Persia(If he also writes it down)

How does Public Order work?

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It determines how likely that hex will rebel and whether you loose Tax money. If public order is low (-2 or -3) enemy spies have higher chance successfully incite rebellion against your rule. When this happens neighboring hexes with low PO might join it too. Rebellions could lower PO in every hex you control if they are not suppressed fast enough.
Public order will drop every time Player:
* starts war against another Player led kingdom. Allies who join this war don't have to worry about PO drop.
* backstab their Allies.
* have rebellion unchecked for 2 turns.
* have lost 30% of it's territory to rebellion.
* have lost more than 3 battles per turn.
* have been in debt more than 4 turns.
* have more than 50% of the country with another religion.
* have too large Royal Court.
Spy missions against your country also reduce PO.
Public order will be raised every time when Player:
* defeats rebellion in his country.
* have won more than 3 battles per turn.
* have captured enemy spy.
* have converted all hexes in his country into his religion.
* builds a fort(all adjacent hexes will get +1PO).

Can I sell my units as mercs?

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Yes, you can sell both your land and naval units. This requires confirmation PM from both players(add it to your orders) and unit you want to sell must already exist. You can't sell a unit you don't have.
Also, this deal will only make those units change their flag. I will not "teleport" them from one side of the map to another.
This deal automatically gives Military Access to the side who bought units until they move their new army out of sellers country.

Transport ships. Loading/unloading units?

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There are two ships that can carry units: Transport and Fluyte.

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(Unit Name/Fire/Hull/Morale/Special/Moves/Recruitment cost/Upkeep)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Transport 1/5/3/Transport/4/300$/150$
Fluyte 3/3/3/Transport/5/400$/200$

How many units ship can carry is determined by the size of the ships hull. So, that means Transport can carry 5 units and Fluyte 3 units.
Loading/unloading units uses one movement of transport ship.
For example, You want to board your army and move it across the sea. The distance between two lands is 3 hexes.
Your order should look like this then:

3. Load 1st Army on to 1st Fleet. Move the fleet 3 hexes north next to Whatever region. Unload Army there.

So, you just successfully transported your army from one region to another using all the movement point of Fluyte.

Can I move the same army in multiple order points? And the Ottomans were free to move into Wallachia without any announcement?

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Yes you can. Yes, since that region was not controlled by the player.

Do you require me to openly designate a figure leading my army before it moves, and can it include the leader?

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Yes, you must have General leading your army(militia and mercs are exceptions). Just PM me which general you want to lead your army. And, Yes, your ruler/leader/king can lead armies. They start automatically with 2 commands stars.
However, there can't be more than one general per army.

Chapters:
Year 1618, from January to June
Year 1618, from July to December
Year 1619, from January to June
Year 1619, from July to December
Year 1620, from January to June
Year 1620, from July to December

[Cultured Drizzt fan]

OHHH IN!

Although I would prefer to play as England anyway.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

You can play England as long as there are more than 4 other players(for the major kingdoms) playing this!

[Cultured Drizzt fan]

excellent. If there ends up being less then four then put me down for Austria, but I think there is going to be quite a few more than four

[Subotan]

IN
Anyone but Spain

[johnhughthom]

In please, I'd like Savoy if you have enough players, Sweden if not.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Subotan - Why not Spain? At the start of the game they are one of the strongest kingdoms.

johnhughtom - If you take Sweden then make sure Gustav II Adolf doesn't lead any armies in 1632

[Greyblades]

In. I'd like to be either england or spain preferably england but I'm not too fussed.

[Subotan]

[QUOTE=Ibn-Khaldun;2361585]Subotan - Why not Spain? At the start of the game they are one of the strongest kingdoms.
Eh. Spain in that period aren't cool unless they have Charles V/Carlos I.

[Double A]

Sign me up for Turkey!

Dibs on all the Holy Lands.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Currently Signed Up Players:
Cultured Drizzt fan (Austria)
Subotan (France)
Greyblades (Spain)
johnhughtom (Sweden)
Double A (Turkey)

If you want to change countries then go ahead. Just as long as the Big Four have players it's OK!

[johnhughthom]

Any chance of expanding on the rules I-K, or are they going to be part of a role pm?

[Ibn-Khaldun]

It's more like a Manual(no, it doesn't have 100 pages .. yet) and I will send it to all players once the game starts.
However, if there is some part you want to know now then just ask.

Basically, hexes represent provinces. They are gathered into regions.
Each hex gives you fixed amount of money that can be increased with cities/ports and regional bonuses.
Hexes also show you how many units you can have. At the start of the game Savoy can have 5 but France 47 units.
Your Armies can move as fast as their slowest member. So, having artillery with you will slow your movement a lot since it can move only 1 hex per Order while Infantry can move 2, Cavalry 3-4 and Ships from 4 to 6.
This brings to Orders. Each game turn lasts 6 seasons. It's good if people could send their orders like this:

Orders
1. Move Royal army north 2 hexes.
2. Build City in Aquitane on hex 4
3. Send spy to Austria to Gather Info on their Economy.
4. Increase Royal Court
5. Recruit new General
6.Convert Region – Provence

Each point represents one season. Under these you can add what ever info you think is important(alliances etc).
Orders are carried out simultaneously.
Anything else you like to know?
Trust me, it's not that difficult. Once you start playing this will become really easy.
I also leave a lot of room for RP. You want to name your cities, generals or what ever? Then name them!

I'll keep the sign ups open for another day or two.

[johnhughthom]

johnhughtom - If you take Sweden then make sure Gustav II Adolf doesn't lead any armies in 1632

Can I take it real life leaders/generals will be in the game and is it complicated enough that you can lose your leader in a battle you win?

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Can I take it real life leaders/generals will be in the game and is it complicated enough that you can lose your leader in a battle you win?

Yes, you can lose your generals/leaders. They can die in battles or they can be assassinated. However, the chances are small that this could happen. But you will never know..

EDIT: Btw, there are some historical characters(Wallenstein for example) you can't recruit in normal fashion. They appear in certain times and you can either accept them or not. Also, some characters have special traits that will affect them in battles one way or the other.

[Csargo]

I'll take Sweden if john wants to switch to Savony. If not I'll take P-L

[Double A]

What happens if there are 2 superpowers in thirty years and they're just about to hit it off?

[Cultured Drizzt fan]

I want Britain definitively. just said Austria in case you only got 4 players.

This sounds like fun Ibn, I like it

[Csargo]

I'll take Austria then instead of Sweden.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

What happens if there are 2 superpowers in thirty years and they're just about to hit it off?

Another game?

[scotchedpommes]

Would like to register my interest, to play as... Transylvania.

I want Britain England definitively.

*whistles*

[White_eyes:D]

Would like to try out Muscovy

[scottishranger]

In as Netherlands hopefully

[Ibn-Khaldun]

8 players already? Make that 9.

I should start writing PM's then..

[Beskar]

Poland-Lithuania please.

[johnhughthom]

This area of history is not really my strongpoint, was Germany in this period still a hodgepodge of small states? I guess you haven't included them to make things abit simpler?
Oh and if anybody would like to use Sweden (or Denmark) rather than the faction they have picked let I-K know so I can use Savoy. No biggie if I can't change though.

[Centurion1]

In as saxony i suppose.

[johnhughthom]

You had to pick Saxony right after I asked why there were no German options didn't you? You will feel the might of my Swedish armies for that insult.




Don't know how I missed them...

[scottishranger]

Id love to take Sweden John.

[Beskar]

I am going to make Riga my new capital!