Vassals & Valour
Game Rules
Game Settings
* Cecil XIX is the Game Master. (GM)
* Lands to Conquer Gold
* Holy Roman Empire
* Difficulty VH/VH
* Huge Unit Size
* Battle timer Off. Show CPU Moves. Manage All Settlements
* Victory conditions Empire
* Minor Personal Mod to add the family tree and some extra names.
* Every ten (10) turns, the GM will give each AI faction a cash infusion of 2000 florins for each settlement the player faction holds.
* The number of land units being transport on fleets cannot exceed twice the number of ships.
* Hotseat campaign to allow GM to control AI factions that player faction is at war with.
How to Play - Detailed Rules
1. The Role of the Players
*1.1 Each player will role play a feudal noble in the chosen faction. They start as vassals of their father/benefactor. Each noble owns property, which include their own personal bodyguards at a bare minimum but can include additional military units, ships, agents, settlements and ancillaries. Some property provide income, some require expenses, and each noble has a personal treasury that increases and decreases each turn based on the income and expenses the noble has each turn.
*1.2 Upon joining, a player may choose from any unassigned avatar available. Players cannot formally reserve specific avatars, and must try to arrange for ‘gentlemen’s agreements’ with other players where possible if there is an avatar they want in the future. The game will not be modded just to include RGBs. Players should role play the traits of their avatars.
*1.3 Players whose avatars lead a battle are expected to fight that battle when at all possible. This will involve downloading the save file of the battle, playing it, saving it and then uploading the resulting save file. Uploading the post-battle save must be done within 48 hours of the pre-battle save game being uploaded. If the deadline expires, the battle is auto resolved. If there are multiple generals involved in the battle, the avatar chosen by the computer is considered the leader for all purposes and has the right of first refusal to command the battle. Other avatars in the ‘stack‘, hereby referred to as an ’army’, may substitute if the player of the avatar chosen by the computer is unavailable.
*1.4 The player will vote as his avatar on edicts, charter amendments and rule changes at regular intervals.
*1.5 Players are encouraged to write in-character stories in the stories thread; to discuss matters of state in the Deliberative Body deliberations thread; to write-up battle reports; to PM each other in character for role playing. Screenshots can be posted full-size, but must be kept under spoiler tags.
*1.6 Each player is required to post in the ‘Status & Arrangements Thread’, or SAT. Here they must list what settlement contains their treasury, and which province is their personal Capital. Players are also encouraged to use the SAT to post standing policies they have which other players should be aware of, such as not allowing other players to march in one’s territory without permission.
*1.7 Players do not need avatars to participate in the game. However, players with out avatars cannot fight battles or own property, and can only vote in Body sessions.
*1.8 - If, during the course of a normal Diet session, a player with an avatar neither speaks in the Diet nor votes in the poll he will have his avatar removed from him and offered to a player without an avatar on a first-come-first-served basis. The player will be exempt from this rule for one Diet session if he gives advance warning of his absence.
2. The Role of the GM
*2.1 Cecil XIX is the Game Master (GM) for Vassals & Valour. He is the only person who can decide when turns begin and end, either personally or through a temporarily appointed delegate. He has the final say on all rules disputes, except those that his character is involved in. Such disputes will be resolved by a neutral third party to be determined by the arguing players.
*2.2 Cecil XIX oversees each avatar’s finances. At the start of the turn he will list each noble’s property, income and expenditures. At the end of the turn he will tally up the changes each player has made and add the numbers up to determine how much money the faction should start with in the next turn, using the Financial Overview Screen (FOS). If the amount of money the faction has at the beginning of the turn is not what the FOS predicted last turn, the FOS takes precedence and the amount of money in the treasury will be adjusted via console command.
*2.3 Whenever they desire, but no more often than once every 10 turns, Cecil XIX or anyone he chooses may create an in-game Event. Events are not limited in scope, subject matter, or method of implementation. All game rules can be violated to implement an Event. The players can prevent the implementation of any single Event through a simple majority of OOC votes.
*2.4 The GM may always participate in OOC polls.
3. Personal Finances and Property
*3.1 Unlike previous TW RPGs, there is no Chancellor, Megas Logothetes or Seneschal. In V&V, nothing is owned by the faction. Instead, every province, unit, ship etc. has one, and only one, owner. Those things which are owned by avatars, including but not limited to settlements, army units, ships, agents and ancillaries are hereafter referred to as 'property'. At the start of the game, the factions property will be assigned to the avatars by the GM. All property conquered, recruited or otherwise created afterwards will be assigned based on the following rules. A noble can use his property and treasury as he wishes, to his ultimate (and personally defined) success or failure!
3.2 Property which are recruited in settlements belong to the lord of the settlement they were recruited from. Ancillaries are the property of the avatar they spawn in. Princesses, unlike other agents, are the property of the closest, oldest male relative.
*3.3 The amount of ships, soldiers and agents a lord can recruit and own is limited only by his treasury’s ability to support their upkeep, and whether he has enough in his treasury for the down payment. The exception to this is agents that have recruitment limits, such as priests and merchants. Since the limit for such agents is determined by the buildings in the settlements, a lord may only train such an agent if the number of such agents he has already trained is smaller than his settlements contribution to the agent recruitment limit. An example:
A lord who owns one settlement with a small church may recruit only one priest, as a small church only adds one priest to the agent recruitment limit. He can use that priest however he likes, but if he chose to give that priest to another lord he must wait for that priest to die before recruiting a new one.
Further more, an agent transferred from one lord to another will count against the limit of the giver, unless the receiver has the unused limit to take in the given agent. The receiver must have the given agent count towards his personal limit, if possible. For convenience it shall be noted here that only merchants and priests have an agent limit. The limit for merchants is equal to the number of cities with any level of market in them. The priest limit is the same, except any city with an Abbey or larger will add two to the limit rather than one.
3.4 The acquisition and allocation of new settlements is determined by a multi-step process involving the Kaiser and the Diet. First, a settlement cannot legally be captured unless an edict was passed in the previous session authorizing it’s conquest. An edict can only authorize taking one settlement, each settlement requires it’s own edict. The session after a province is conquered, the Diet will automatically vote on granting the conqueror, which is defined as the General leading the army which first entered the settlement, the province as a fief to be held by him and his successors in perpetuity. This vote requires a two-thirds majority to pass, and should it not pass than the province passes to the King who may grant it as a fief to any avatar as soon as he sees fit. A noble who holds one or provinces in violation of this rule should be considered an outlaw, and have his property seized.
*3.5 When players take the save, they must state what actions they took that would affect their property, income or expenditures. This can be announced in the same post where they return the save, or in a PM to the GM if they prefer such information to remain private.
*3.6 Sources of Income and Requirements for Expenditure
Each avatar has his own income, expenditures and treasury. V&V Uses the Financial Overview screen to determine the Financial status of the faction, and from that it derives the financial status of the avatars. The financial screen is the final word on what money flows into and out of the faction, even though the faction itself has no money. It is the sum total of every avatars income and expenditures, and it is divided into several sections which work in V&V in following manner:
Farming - When a noble is made the lord of the province, he establishes one or more manorial estates there for his own purposes. These states generate farming income from the work of the peasants there, which the lord collects as his due. The total displayed in the financial overview screen is the sum of the contribution of each province, which can be viewed individually in the settlement detail window.
Mining - Certain provinces are rich in minerals, which are viewable from the campaign map. The lord of a province lucky enough to contain these minerals can establish a mine there, run as his personal property. The revenue from selling these valuable minerals flows directly into his coffers. The total displayed in the financial overview screen is the sum of the contribution of each province, which can be viewed individually in the settlement detail window.
Trade - In every place, trade occurs. This is especially true in a large area of land like a province, where trade flows into and from neighboring provinces via land and sea. Nobles collect revenue from this trade via tariffs and tolls. Keep in mind that blockades can eliminate sea trade, and if the provincial capital is besieged than the lord cannot derive any trade income at all. Trade income derived from merchants ‘agents’ is listed separately, and not under this heading. The total displayed in the financial overview screen is the sum of the contribution of each province, which can be viewed in the settlement detail window.
Merchant Trade - The lord of major city has the ability to empower a merchant prince to leave the settlement, and travel the world in the name of his lord seeking resources to barter with for profit. Once a merchant is making a profit, he sends a portion of it back to his lord for the privilege of being able to serve him, which provides the merchant with protection and opportunities he could not have otherwise. The total displayed in the financial overview screen is the sum of the contribution of each agent, which can be viewed individually either on the ‘Character Details’ screen of the merchant or by place the mouse over the merchant on the campaign map and reading the tooltip.
Taxes - Taxes are the primary source of income that a lord has, barring the King’s Purse or a gold mine. Lords are ever in need of money to wage their wars, so it is often necessary to simply take this money from the people in the province, generally with the assurance that it’s necessary for their protection. Whether the lord is being honest or manipulative is up for the player to determine. The total displayed in the financial overview screen is the sum of the contribution of each province, which can be viewed in the settlement detail window.
Wages - Wages are fees paid to agents, for anything from the expenses inherent in the job to payment for services rendered. This category also represents the costs necessary for a noble to maintain his privileged lifestyle. A Noble must be able to pay for his own lifestyle, as well as any units in his employ. The wages of an agent can be viewed on it’s recruitment screen. Each general and princess requires a wage of one hundred florins.
Army Upkeep - Keeping large numbers of men around, ready to move wherever you want and fight whomever you want at a moment’s notice, is expensive. Nobles need money to pay for every regiment and ship they own, the costs of which can be seen by right clicking on any military unit.
Construction - Erecting a building requires men, material and time. All of these things means it also requires money. In order to place a building in the production queue of a settlement, the lord of that settlement must have sufficient money in his treasury. This category also includes a irregular source of income: The purposeful demolishment of buildings to sell their valuable components.
King’s Purse - It goes without saying that the King occupies a very special position in his realm, and has much power and prestige. One manifestation of this is the King’s Purse, whereby the King uses his unique influence and connections throughout the land to add to his income. Of course, this money is uniquely the King‘s to do with as he sees fit. This can only be viewed on the Financial Overview screen.
Diplomacy/Tributes - This covers the exchange of money between Kingdoms during diplomatic negotiations, either through fair trade our outright coercion. As it is arranged by diplomats, it applies only to the king. This can only be viewed on the FOS.
Corruption and Other - Corruption works differently in V&V. Rather than being calculated based on the distance from the capital of the kingdom, it is calculated based on the distance to the capital of the lord of the settlement. In addition, all other incomes and expenditures not applicable to the other categories are placed here.
3.7 Although a noble has certain incomes and expenditures to his name, he can give his income to anyone he pleases, and he can take the money to pay for his expenditures any way he pleases.
*3.8 Each noble has a treasury, where he keeps his gold. Unlike the faction treasury, the noble’s treasury physically exists. One a new avatar enters the game, he can place his treasury anywhere or with anyone he pleases. Thereafter, it can only be moved if it is taken by a army and deposited at a new location. If a general has possession of another’s treasury for any reason, he can choose to take any amount of money out of it and place it into his own treasury. He must announce this in a public, IC thread.
*3.9 Treasuries can also be taken by force of arms by one Noble from another. If a city or fort holding one or more treasuries is conquered, then the conqueror, which is defined as the General leading the army which first entered the settlement, takes possession of the treasury and can either absorb it into his own or return it to his owner. If an army is transporting a treasury, it will lose half the treasury if it is defeated in battle and the entirety of the treasury if the army is annihilated. The treasury will then go to the General leading the victorious army. If a fleet transporting a treasury is attacked, the treasury will only be affected if ships in the fleet are sunk. The player must designate which ships in the fleet hold which part of the treasury when the fleet embarks, and those ships that are sunk will have their portion of the treasury sink with them. When a treasury or portion thereof has been seized, it must added to an existing treasury to be used anywhere outside of the tile it is in.
*3.10 The AI factions can also seize a nobles treasury in the manner outlined in 3.9. AI factions will always take the treasury for themselves, and it will be subtracted from the Player Faction and given the AI Faction via console command.
3.11 Players are encouraged to sell, trade, loan, gift or otherwise barter with each other using their property. History is replete with examples of diplomatic deals where one party agrees to loan it’s soldiers to another party, for example.
3.12 A noble can only hold a limited number of provinces and still collect their full income. This number is equal to half the noble’s loyalty stat, rounded down, or in the case of the Kaiser his full authority stat. Should a noble exceed this number of provinces, then each province in excessive will reduce the noble’s settlement income by twenty percent.
4. Crusades and Missions
4.1 Any noble may decide to use his property towards completing a mission assigned to a faction, where he is able. The rewards from successful missions are given to those nobles whose property was used to complete them, or is split amongst them if multiple nobles are involved in proportion to the resources involved.
4.2 The player faction can call a crusade in two ways: Either the King does so unilaterally at any time, or the Body votes to do so with a simple majority if the Player faction is already at war with the crusader target‘s faction.
4.3 Characters are free to then join the Crusade, using their property in any way they see fit to the task. They can act together or separately.
4.4 The conqueor of the Crusader target automatically receives it as his fief.
5. The role of the Diet
5.1 The Diet will meet in session every 10 turns. Out of session, there can still be open debate and deliberations. Each session lasts 3 days of real time with 3 days of voting.
5.2 At each session, nobles can propose edicts. These require two seconders to be put to the vote, and a simple majority of voters to pass, calculated as in rule 5.7. Edicts are laws that express the official opinion and standing of the Kingdom on whatever subject matter the nobles choose, and are considered in effect until the next session. Should a noble violate the edict, it is as if he is going against the will of the realm.
5.3 Each Noble may only propose ONE edict or charter amendments per session. In addition, Dukes may propose three additional ’House Edicts’ per session. These edicts operate normally, with the exception that the must have the public backing of two House Members, or every House Member if the House has less than three members. Avatars whose players have officially taken a temporary leave of absence will not count against their Duke for the purposes of rule 5.3.
5.4 Certain rules of the game can be changed by a Charter Amendment, which once passed is permanently in effect. This is an IC vote that requires a two-thirds majority to pass, calculated as in rule 5.7.
*5.5 Rules marked with a (*) can only be changed by a ‘Rules Change’. This requires an OOC vote where a two-thirds majority passes, where every person’s vote weighs the same. Such a change is permanent, and requires another Rules Change to itself be changed.
5.6 Tied legislation fails. When contradictory legislation is passed, Rules Changes take precedence over Charter Amendments, which in turn takes precedence over regular edicts.
5.7 Certain avatars get bonus votes, up to a maximum of +7. This extra influence comes from the fact that the Body is made of more characters and just the nobles, and powerful nobles and sway more of these anonymous legislators. Below is the method in which this influence is calculated. The King has the option of adding his authority stat to his vote instead, if it would give him a bigger bonus.
Appointed Influence: (Max +6 Points)
Duke: +3
Prince: +2
Chancellor, Marshall, Spy Master, Steward or Count: +1
Stat Influence: (Max +2 Points)
15 or more total stat points: +1
6 or more ranks in one stat: +1
6. The Role of the Upper Ranks - The Kaiser, the Prinz and the Dukes
6.1 The Kaiser presides over the body. He calls the body to order and maintains decorum; if necessary he can bar nobles whose behavior offends him from entering the body. If I cannot attend for whatever reason, he can appoint the Prince to act as his deputy to exercise the powers of rule 5.1.
6.2 The Kaiser is the only noble who can control the faction’s diplomats; he also pays for their upkeep. Other nobles cannot recruit diplomats without his permission. He can use his diplomats unilaterally for any action, with the exceptions that he cannot give away provinces that he does not have. This also means he can start and (attempt to) stop wars at any time for any reason.
6.3 The Kaiser adjudicates on IC rules disputes, unless the dispute directly involves the King. In that case, rules disputes will be solved by a council of the Dukes of the Realm.
6.4 The capital of the faction must be a province owned by the Kaiser. If this is not so, then the Kaiser can move the capital to any settlement that he owns.
6.5 The Kaiser can grant excess provinces to a character. When he does so the Kaiser has an option to make the receiver a Reichgraf (Imperial Count), loyal directly the crowns. He could even bestow upon a character the rank of Duke, whereupon a new house would be born. Both of these moves should be seen as a great threat to the authority of the existing Dukes.
6.6 Both Kaiser and Prinz can only be they who are chosen by the game. Players are encouraged to think of roleplaying-reasons for a character to become the new Prinz and publicly identify him as such as soon as possible.
6.7 Nine houses exist at the start of the game, though this number is likely to be reduced due to civil war. Those houses are Austria, Bavaria, Bohemia, Brandenberg, Franconia, Holland, Saxony, Swabia and Tirol. The Leader of the House of Brandenberg styles himself Margrave, effectively a count with a Duke's influence, while the other eight style themselves Dukes.
6.8 Dukes can grant one of their excess provinces to a character, making him Count of the Province within the Duchy. A Duke must retain one province to act as the Ducal capital. Dukes and Counts are part of the feudal chain, each owing his loyalty to his immediate superior.
6.9 Dukes and Counts should name a successor, who will take over their titles and settlements when they die. If no successor is named, the oldest natural son inherits, (if none, oldest adopted son; if none again, then the oldest son-in-law).
6.10 Both Kings and Dukes have the authority to demand payment of scutage tax from their direct vassals. This can take any form the lord can think of. This tax is not collected automatically, the vassal must explicitly decide to pay it.
6.11 (CA E1.1) In the aftermath of its unfortunate civil war, the Holy Roman Empire is officially reorganized as follows:
1) The Duchies of Brandenburg, Franconia, Saxony, and Tirol are hereby dissolved.
2) The original heads of the remaining Duchies are as follows: Leopold/Austria, Otto von Kassel/Bavaria, Vaclav Premyslid/Bohemia, Andreas Hümmel/Holland, Henry/Swabia.
3) The city of Frankfurt and its outlying province will become part of the newly-created Imperial Dominion. All newly-conquered cities become part of the Imperial Dominion until/unless the Kaiser grants them to a Duchy, as per Charter provision 6.6.
4) Upon ascendancy to the throne, the new Kaiser automatically inherits the entire Imperial Dominion. Whether they wish to pass off their current lands to a successor or not is up to them.
5) All nobles of the Diet, upon accepting their position, must swear an oath of loyalty to the Kaiser. The oath is as follows:
I hereby swear that, during my time as an Elector, I will serve the Reich faithfully and the Kaiser loyally. I recognize that the Kaiser is the sovereign of the Reich and, while I may disagree with him politically, I will not question his supremacy.
Failure to recite the oath will result in automatic barring from all Diet activities.
6) Any Imperial noble that declares war on the Kaiser is automatically at war with every single other Imperial noble. Any Imperial noble that backs out of this automatic declaration of war is subject to the same treatment.
7) Any Imperial noble that enters the province of Frankfurt with an army larger than his personal bodyguard without the Kaiser's explicit permission is considered at war with the Kaiser and subject to the treatment detailed in Clause 6.
8) If the Kaiser personally declares war on an Imperial noble, the automatic declarations in Clauses 6 and 7 do not apply.
6.12 There are four offices within the Reich that assume special responsibilities in the Kaiser's Court. They are:
Reichsmarschall:
Term: Self-nominated and elected every normal Diet Session.
Powers:
(1) The Reichsmarshall is no longer to have sole authority to recruit mercenaries.
(2) The Reichsmarshall shall have the power to recruit troops from the recruitment facilities of any Duchy, to be paid for and supported from the Reichsmarschall's budget, with the consent of the settlement owner.
(2) Can recruit and disband mercenary and regular regiments in the Reichsmarschall's army, can move mercenary and regular regiments to and from armies or assign to/remove from an Elector
(3) Recruitment and upkeep are paid for by a pool of funds which is sustained by an income tax on all electors automatically paid each turn and by a flat tax on the proceeds from sacking captured settlements and ransoming enemies.
Penalties:
(1) If the pool runs out, mercenaries are paid for out of the Marshal's treasury.
(2) The 'Mercenary Tax' rate will be a fixed 10% rate levied against the income of all Electors. A further tax is to be levied of 50% on any sacking proceeds and on ransom proceeds to support the Reichsmarshall's budget.
(3) The Reichmarshall's army has two priorities, in order of importance:
a) To defend the Reich's current possessions
b) To reclaim lost settlements
As such, the Reichmarshall's army cannot be used to conquer new territory, unless expressively authorized to do so by the Diet. This, however, cannot surpass priority a) or b).
(4) The Reichsmarschall shall use his centrally funded resources and position for the benefit of the Reich as a whole and not in pursuit of the individual interests of himself, anyone else, his Duchy or any other.
Chancellor:
Term: Appointed by the Kaiser each Diet Session.
Powers: Can move Diplomats and conduct diplomacy, just as the Kaiser can.
Spymaster:
Term: Self-nominated and elected every normal Diet Session.
Powers: Sole control over all spies and assassins, can recruit them in any settlement with the owner's permission.
Penalties: Pays for all spies and assassins out of pocket.
Steward:
Term: Appointed by the Kaiser, serves at his pleasure.
Powers:
(1) His settlement limit, minus his settlements, is added to the Kaiser's.
(2) Sets tax rates for the Kaiser's settements when in the Kaiser's territory.
7. Civil Strife
*7.1 A noble must make a public declaration of war against another noble before he takes the save to attack his opponent. Other nobles can then choose to join the conflict on either side, or start their own separate wars.
*7.2 An internecine conflict will end when all participants are dead or agree to peace. Peace is had when all parties either simply decide to stop fighting, or sign a treaty. It is not necessary for all parties involved in a conflict to agree to stop fighting at once, nor must a peace treaty include all participants. Should a treaty be signed to end a conflict, the terms will go into effect automatically as soon as the treaty is signed and either posted publicly or PMed to the GM. Terms which stay in effect over time can also be canceled at will by either party. (Should peace terms call for one part to receive property occupied by a hostile party, the hostile party must first remove it’s soldiers before the transfer can take place.)
*7.3 While two nobles are at war, the game plays mostly as usual. However, in keeping with the TW series, players in involved in war are given a set turn order, just as the factions are, in the order of their timezone. Players must take their turn in order thirty-six hours to do so. When nobles are at war with each other, the GM will make every effort to have it be as similar as fighting an AI faction as possible, including using the console. When two player controlled armies meet in battle, an army must have a noble in it in or it will be controlled by the AI in a custom battle.
*7.4 Whenever a battle occurs where both sides have a noble present, it is a PvP battle. The GM or a someone designated by him will act as umpire; the umpire cannot be a player who’s avatar is participating in the battle. Participants are free to request a different umpire if they feel there is a conflict of interest, and if possible such a request will be fulfilled.
*7.5 If both players agree, the battle can be fought via online multiplayer, however since withdrawal is impossible in online multiple the loser of such a battle will have his entire army wiped out. The umpire will determine what unit’s the players can bring to battle online, as well as what their valor/armor etc. level is. The players must post a screenshot to verify they did not use an illegal units, as well as a screenshot showing how much damage each unit took.
*7.6 If the battle is not fought online it will be fought using the normal throne room style, or an abbreviated version thereof. Which of the two will be used shall be determined by an OOC poll of all players, to last until the battle has finished it’s deployment phase. Regardless of the result, is the duty of the umpire to determine the map and army composition, as well as other relevant settings. The umpire must have the battle reflect what would happen in an in-game battle as best as possible. The umpire will also have the final say as to what the results where, including what units need to be disbanded due to casualties, whether a nobles was captured or killed, whether a settlement has been conquered, and whether a ancillary will be removed to change hands. Console commands will be used when necessary.
*7.7 The shorter style of Throne Room PvP acts much the same as normal, except it has three phases. The first phase has each side deploy it’s forces as normal. The second phase has each side submit a detailed battle plan, which the umpire will then follow for the first half of the battle. In the third phase players will be allowed to make changes to the battle plan, which will be followed for the rest of the battle. The results will then be PMed to all players involved.
Imperial Diet & Rules
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