Game mechanics for rebuilding

[Adm.Lee]

Here's something that has flitted through my mind off and on for years. Has anyone devised in-game mechanics for rebuilding communities?

That hit me again tonight. Say you wanted to run a game in which the PCs have decided to settle in one village. Dobrodzien with B Troop, or somewhere in America. After they drive off whatever marauders you invent, then what?

Obviously, the GM could just write it up as story, but what feeds into that story?

Say the PCs survive in one village, and want to hook up with another one, and one after that. Say they take the role of King Julian I, and set themselves up to rule over a region. Any numbers or mechanics for that? How many militiamen they can recruit per 1,000 citizens? Possibilities for opposition? Politics?

Traveller seems to have had rules for everything at one point or another, has anyone seen anything over there? I've heard of Trav games where the PCs rise from tramp freighter to multiship corporations and nobles ruling a whole planet, is there something we could swipe from there?

Just curious.

[Legbreaker]

It's too big of an aim to have "simple" game mechanics for it. Far too many variables.
Best to simply think it through (if it's the GM alone) or Players lay out a plan and the GM interprets the results.

[Panther Al]

The last real long term game I played in was very much along these lines: based in the mountains of Austria granted, the PC's (which I was the IC/OOC commander for all intents) was given a tasking by higher to go forth in the hills, find a defensible town on a secondary portion of the Road Network (Mainly as an excuse to accept a lower level of supply and equipment), and make of it as you will.

Of course, in addition to finding and fortifying, we had to beat of marauders, and later organised Czech, Soviet, and Italian Forces, find and organise the locals to support said community, and establish trade down stream towards more organised zones.

We started out with an respectable amount of kit: Honestly more than we really could use ourselves. But that was half the point- we had to establish ourselves deep in indian country, so the kit was needed.

Basically, our GM winged things. We was on a road, in a old smallish village. Deserted, but not abandoned. By showing up and setting up camp, a few locals came back, and as we showed the ability to hold and secure, more and more. The better we did - in essence, show that we was serious about making things right - the more and better quality civilians showed up.

And, so on and so forth. Worked out OK.

[kcdusk]

I think the V1.0 and 2.0 DnD Dungeon Master Guides talked about how to build up a "party", moving through to village, town, castle etc. They included thoughts on food, morale, trade, currency, natural barriers, neighbours and armies. I know its DnD, but that game did do this thing well in my view (the whole levelling up thing).

How does that relate to T2K?

Most games i've seen have been about survival, rather than rebuilding on any scale. T2K has probably had a different focus, very few people look at T2K in terms of how much money they can accumulate or heads they have in their personal army. The goals are generally much smaller and times lines shorter. But i agree, i like the thought of rebuilding a village or small geographic area.

In terms of game mechanics I'd do some rough calculations, and apply them generally to the game. Something like this maybe:

It starts with water. Say 5 liters per person per day. Where is the village/town getting that kind of water from? Or put another way, how much water is available per day/week? How many people can that support? It gives you a rough indication of how suitable the area is for a population. In winter there may be more water, but less food.

Same with food. What does the ref manual say about food? Is it 2kg per person per day of proper food (ie meat or MRE's), and 3kg per day of wheat and other stuff? Again, how much food is available, and for how many days? in spring there might be more food available but less water. So players have to plan ahead (store water in winter via wells, water tanks, dam) and the same with food (cure or salt meat to make it last through winter).

Planning and rationing becomes a skill, and being able to sell that to a population. Knowing how much food and water is available in the local area can be worked out mathematically and guide you to how many NPCs characters might be able to recruit. I'm not sure if this is the kind of "game mechanic" your after? I'd keep the maths simple and use lots of rounding.

How the PCs interact with other people would be huge. Do they share food/water? Is morale high or low? If they appear too weak they open themselves up to marauders and a hostile take over.

To me, the key factors would be
1. potential enemies that might be near by to slow progress or take over all together after the hard work has been done.
2. food and water
3. other people wanting to join whatever community the PCs had created
4. defending the area, and having enough infrastructure to house, feed and run (politics) a large group of people. Even waste would become an issue, depending on how detailed you want to get.
5. Use long time lines to keep the game moving. Maybe game out them digging a well over a number of days (where to dig it or how to get water in it, getting wood for supports etc), and get the community started. But if they end up wanting to build a dam, i wouldnt game out daily work drills. Maybe have the players plan out a 6 month schedule and make a couple of die rolls to see if they have stayed on time. And another die roll to see how successful the dam is (for example they were aiming to build a dam to store 500,000 litres in 6 months. A good first die roll meant they finished the dam in 4 months, but a poor second roll meant while they finished early the dam only holds 250,000 litres). Its a chance to give non-combat characters a chance to shine.

Just some ideas.

[kcdusk]

And split PC tasks up amongst the group. Put a different PC in charge of defence, food (farming and vegi patch), water (stockpiling it somehow in a well/tank/dam, and also how to collect it (rain, underground reservoir, river, plant transpiration) and then transport it for use (buckets? horse and cart? Pipe system?).

I'm sure each PC will leap at a short term fix, get it done, then realise how short sighted they were (the GM will make sure of that!) so when they think their job is done, they find out they have under provided.

Even high level success (more people are attracted to the place) means more pressure on a perhaps fragile balanced system (enough food for now, but as more arrive the vegi patch and farm animals are quickly run down).

Set up schools?
Town theft could take off.
An NPC wants to take over, gains popularity, how do the PCs take being relegated to the back seat?
Eventually they could create their own Krakaw. Will players accept anyone into their town? How do they police it?

[bobcat]

having done this in several other games i have to say the first rule is simple
location location location.
meaning where are the bad guys, where can you get adequate raw materials, where can you get water and grow crops, can you raise livestock, does anyone else claim the area, are there settlements nearby for trade, and many other similar questions come into play right off the bat.

then come the matters of resources such as where is the required manpower coming from(slaves, volunteers, paid laborers), is enough food available to last until the settlement is self sufficient, is there enough weapons/ammo to maintain a defensive posture, is there transportation for trade with nearby settlements, is there fuel for said transportation, are there adequate medical supplies to keep the citizens alive, how are buildings to be constructed, how will waste be dealt with, and so on

and ever important throughout the entire matter is diplomacy such as
how will soviet/allied forces be dealt with, how will the settlements neighbors be approached, who will be accepted into the settlement, who will be in charge, how will the defense force be organised, how will labor be distributed, how will resources be distributed, and such

each action will have a reaction and long term plans might not always fulfill short term needs. it add a whole new layer of chaos to the game.

[Tombot]

Originally Posted by Adm.Lee

Here's something that has flitted through my mind off and on for years. Has anyone devised in-game mechanics for rebuilding communities?

Traveller seems to have had rules for everything at one point or another, has anyone seen anything over there? I've heard of Trav games where the PCs rise from tramp freighter to multiship corporations and nobles ruling a whole planet, is there something we could swipe from there?

True, true
Traveller had lots material for the rebuilding-topic!
F.e.; "World Builders Handbook" from DigestGroup for Megatraveller, and the "World Tamers Handbook" for TNE.
And i saw a preview of a newer book called (it think) "Dynasties" (Moongoose?) which had guidelines for group-/faction-based campaigns, which you easily modify for something like the Markisz of Slesia, etc.
I guess, you dont need it, but sometimes its nice to have a table about agricultural output, religious habits, political events, and other highlevel-gaming ingredients.

I agree with Legbreaker about the mass of variables, so these sources should be screened by the GM for the individual game.
Which elements do my players prefer ? Which do we really need, which make a good mini-game (like the Trade-Rules for a typical Traveller-Setting) in itself ?
And what kind of an attitude (provided by the leaders of the relevant factions) does rule in a specific location ?
Be flexible; provide new ideas between sessions. Listen to players input. Have some inspirations (i was watching "Tour of Duty", "Deadwood", "Rome", "Sons of Anarchy", playing "GTA IV", etc. to steal my ideas!).

Rebuilding is fun!

[Adm.Lee]

OK, thanks.

I have no game in mind for this, but it was something percolating in my head for a while.

[WallShadow]

Once again reaching into the tophat of GDW and pulling out a rabbit--
One of the Traveller: 2300/2300AD organizations with ties and origin leading directly back to the Twilight War is Zapomoga, a Polish relocation and emigration organization that started out as a refugee-management/recovery group following the cessation of hostilities in 2000. The PCs could be the inspiration for the locals to bootstrap themselves (and, later, others) back into a productive society.
It could start with the simplest of things--showing a youth how to start vegetable seeds as seedlings, the loan of a shovel or a saw, a weekend of aiding a family put an abandoned house into somewhat liveable condition. And all these little things get "paid forward", snowballing into what becomes a rather dynamic humanitarian aid group.

[comped]

Originally Posted by kcdusk

I think the V1.0 and 2.0 DnD Dungeon Master Guides talked about how to build up a "party", moving through to village, town, castle etc. They included thoughts on food, morale, trade, currency, natural barriers, neighbours and armies. I know its DnD, but that game did do this thing well in my view (the whole levelling up thing).

Advanced DnD had quite a bit of stuff about (re)building. If you want, I can scan it in, and post it.

[Adm.Lee]

No, thanks, I'm good. I still have my AD&D stuff, I just didn't think of looking there.

[comped]

Originally Posted by Adm.Lee

No, thanks, I'm good. I still have my AD&D stuff, I just didn't think of looking there.

I believe it was in the dungeon master's guide.

comped

[Lundgren]

If I recall correctly, Living Steel had some rules about re/building machinery and items. It was a sci-fi game of rebuilding a world after an alien attack, so perhaps there would be more things to use.

For larger machinery, there were lists of what components needed to put one together. Then there was lists of what basic components (as in nuts, bolts, cable and casing) to build those components.And what kind of raw material and machinery to create those basic components, if not being able to scavenge what was needed.

[kiltedguard]

Originally Posted by Lundgren

If I recall correctly, Living Steel had some rules about re/building machinery and items. It was a sci-fi game of rebuilding a world after an alien attack, so perhaps there would be more things to use.

For larger machinery, there were lists of what components needed to put one together. Then there was lists of what basic components (as in nuts, bolts, cable and casing) to build those components.And what kind of raw material and machinery to create those basic components, if not being able to scavenge what was needed.

Now that would be something I would be interested in seeing.

[NanbanJim]

Loved reading this thread, and it made me think of another idea for it--not that the ones provided are insufficient AT ALL.

Board Games.

You could use a night of Settlers of Cataan (which should need no introduction) to develop the metaplot and basic results of the growth period. Citadels, which if you'll pardon the link is reviewed in an awesome web series on board games Shut Up & Sit Down Show could also provide metaplot and essential development. You'd have to adapt the characters, mind.

By "metaplot" I mean the overarching plot that spawns the plot of each adventure. I love the idea of using one game to direct another, and I think someone's got to have some board game that would work well for this.

I mean really, in the end, it's all GM Fiat anyway. Why not have fun with it?

[headquarters]

Talk to General Pain - he has made excel sheets for a number of various types of industries with corresponding items , that cost a certain no of points etc..

Factors such as manpower and knowhow factor in etc

[kalos72]

The rebuilding concept has been most of my GDW "career"...I ate through the modules fast so everything now is "next step".

GURPS Low tech has some cool stuff too...depends on what sort of tech level you envision for the rebuilding.

I think most of the country is back to medieval sort of times while using the advanced tech for certain key small functions.

Sailing ships and carts for the day to day...growing food where you live rather then trucking it across country...composting toilets instead of running sewers...but having a nuclear power plant working at 10% power for the important stuff kidna things.