Three Kingdoms-era wargame (concept in development, feedback appreciated)

Hey all, I'm in the early stages of putting together a hex-based strategy game set in imperial China, circa 210 AD, after the collapse of the Han dynasty. Although adjustments can and probably will be made based on community response to this thread, the features included so far are:

-Tactical battles featuring a variety of cavalry, infantry, and missile units
-Detailed map allowing for complex logistical and strategic maneuvers
-Factions with multiple players and an internal hierarchy
-Diplomacy-style, anything-goes interaction and negotiation between players
-A streamlined economic system that keeps the focus on politics and warfare

Possible features (ones that I have the means to do, but haven't decided whether or not to include yet) are:
-Random-map battles (a large number of maps will be made for each region/terrain type, given a number, and chosen by a random number generator prior to each battle), adding tactical variety and an element of chance to warfare
-Imperial relations- pleasing the Emperor can mean bonuses and extra resources, and controlling a puppet emperor can be a powerful political weapon. Players can fight to restore the old dynasty or to establish one of their own (the capital would start out well-defended and under the control of a moderator)
-Unique troop-recruitment system- each team/faction has pools for Men (the basic building blocks of units), Horses (needed for cavalry), and Arms (the amount of heavy weapons and armor available for issue), with caps determined by the faction's size, number of players, and possibly their Imperial relations or other measure of influence
-Wages: Faction leaders regularly receive tax income in Gold, which they can then distribute among their retainers (other players on their team) however they please. This gold can be spent on improvements for troops, for hiring Staff (ancillaries who provide various bonuses to players), or on bribes and various other attempts to manipulate politics, whether in their own faction, in the Emperor's court, or in other factions. For faction leaders, paying your retainers more will help keep them loyal, but will also give them the resources to undermine you if they so choose

The spirit of this game is to try and recreate the tumultuous times of the early Three Kingdoms period, when simple soldiers could become great lords and the powerful were often brought low as much by treachery in their own ranks as by defeat on the battlefield. My goal is to give players as much freedom possible, with all that it implies- the vast majority of diplomacy will be conducted without the knowledge of any moderator, and deception and disinformation will be perfectly legal tactics. Internal politics will also be an important factor, as retainers can revolt, defect, or even declare independence and start their own faction. On top of this, there will be a deep, well-balanced, and nuanced combat system. Turns will advance simultaneously, as in Diplomacy, meaning that the game can keep a methodical pace while still playing out in something resembling real time.

Who's on board? Are they any additions or changes you'd like to see made? And is there anyone who would be willing to be a sort of assistant or backup moderator when this game gets off the ground?

OSHI-

My awesomeness intake has overloaded. I HAVE to be in this game, it just sounds so fun.

IN :yes: depending on when it is of course.

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Originally Posted by Cultured Drizzt fan

IN :yes: depending on when it is of course.

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There's still a good bit of work to be done (the battle mechanics are pretty much set, but I'm still working on the map and the economic side), so it will probably be at least a couple weeks before it's in any shape to be played. Sometime between now and then I'll check out the calendar and figure out a start date.

Oh! Ibn can give you the hex map site!

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Originally Posted by Double A

Oh! Ibn can give you the hex map site!

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There's a site for that? Dope, I was worried I'd end up having to do it all by hand

Heya, if you played SimRTK, you might know me from there (Or not.), I even did a Mafia game based on the Red Cliff battle that you can read here, called The Red Phoenix. I've mixed historical and literary facts together and made a game which had a lot of twists and was considered pretty good in the end. I am also in the pre-development of a Large Mafia game in the Three Kingdoms setting which will feature most of the famous characters of the period (Which didn't appear in The Red Phoenix, due to it being centered on a battle).

Regardless as you'll probably be the sole Game Manager of this game I'd advise you and insist that you maintain game mechanics as simple as possible. Not only it is less of an overload to the normal player, but most importantly, it is much less of an overload to you. Anyways, as a Three Kingdoms scholar, my only choice is to be in this game.

Interested.

Yes.

most definetly, please dont overwhelm yourself as i believe poor ibn did...... his head may or may not have imploded