NEROINTERNATIONAL
NEROEstateSystem
ReleaseVersion1.1
By Chris Sanders 11/25/2013 Edited by Trey Martin and Chris Sanders. Additional input by Rob Marshall. Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2 Estate Moves ................................................................................................................................... 2 Money and Estates ......................................................................................................................... 2 Esquires and Estates ....................................................................................................................... 3 Large, Small and Other Estate Types .............................................................................................. 4 Cities ................................................................................................................................................ 5 The City Center Tile ..................................................................................................................... 6 Municipality Tiles and Improvements ........................................................................................ 6 Town Guards and Militias ........................................................................................................... 9 Player Characters and Special Guardians ................................................................................. 10 Settlements ................................................................................................................................... 10 Food / Feeding your Population ................................................................................................... 10 Subsistence Living ..................................................................................................................... 11 Health, Happiness and Loyalty .................................................................................................. 11 Resources .................................................................................................................................. 12 Population, Zone of Control, buildings and improvements ......................................................... 13 Improvements ........................................................................................................................... 13 Buildings .................................................................................................................................... 15 Player Controlled Homes .......................................................................................................... 17 Player Controlled Businesses, Buildings and Workshops ......................................................... 18 Workshops (Labs and Forges) ................................................................................................... 19 Using Craftsman Skills ............................................................................................................... 20 Military Improvements, and Buildings, Units and Garrisons ........................................................ 20 Military Units ............................................................................................................................ 22 Macro‐Scale Construction Projects ............................................................................................... 23 Construction Time and Workforces .............................................................................................. 24 Taxes ............................................................................................................................................. 25 Upkeep .......................................................................................................................................... 26 Failure to Pay Upkeep ............................................................................................................... 26 Abandoning buildings and improvements ................................................................................ 26 Reassigning population ............................................................................................................. 27 Appendix: A Sample Estate Move ................................................................................................. 28 1 Introduction
Welcome to the NERO Estate System! Any character may become involved in the estate system as long as they follow the necessary in‐game and out‐of‐game steps. Characters involved in the estate system are referred to as “esquires.” The term esquire refers not only to city mayors, but may refer to a Baron (or other noble landholders) as well as to business entrepreneurs, caravan leaders, mercenary captains, or any other type of character with regular Estate System interactions. The Estate System may seem complex, but the most important thing to keep in mind is that the more involved you are with the system, the more you need to stay in touch with your local Estate Logistics Team. Esquires that don’t message or e‐mail at least once a month with their moves can easily find themselves facing a starving population as well as cities with a myriad of problems. EstateMoves
All esquires may register ONE set of estate actions per real world calendar month. These actions are collectively referred to as an “estate move.” In general, estate moves that are registered less than one full week prior to an on‐site event may not be processed until AFTER that event. Therefore, make sure you give your Estate Logistics Team sufficient notice if you want to bring any of your Estate Resources (Gold, Production, etc.) into game at an on‐site event. You can contact Estate Logistics via your chapter’s forums or through a specific form or e‐mail address provided by your local chapter’s Estate Manager. See your Chapter’s Estate Logistics Team for details about the monthly cut‐off date for Estate Moves. MoneyandEstates
The term “estate” typically refers to a piece of land or property, from as large as an entire Kingdom to as small as a single home or storefront for a business owned by a player character. An estate may also represent other holdings that are less concrete…trade routes, ships, wagons, or even soldiers. Characters may acquire estate holdings in a variety of ways…through land grants, exploration, or in some cases simply bought. But regardless of the means by which 2 an estate is gained, the driving force behind all estate improvements and maintenance is MONEY…and lots of it. Being an esquire can be a very expensive proposition. Buildings and improvements require maintenance, and establishing your holdings can be quite costly. Even so, a very successful esquire can expect his or her holdings to return some profits in the form of in‐game production items, evaluate items and other forms of resources. It is important, however, to understand that an estate is NOT a “bank.” Money that is put into the estate is immediately earmarked to be spent on the esquire’s holdings. Hard currency becomes lumber for your building, wages for your workers and food for your population. It is possible to dismantle your holdings in exchange for in‐game currency. This is known as “cashing out,” but be aware that doing so will result in a significant penalty on the funds you receive. If an esquire chooses to cash out by selling all or a part of his holdings, he will only receive 1/10th of the value of that holding in hard coin. Also, due to the real world limitations on a NERO chapter’s ability to keep large amounts of coinage on hand, an esquire who cashes out may be required to accept items of value, such as trade bars, gems or evaluate items in lieu of hard coin. There may also be a delay while the chapter makes arrangements to provide you with the requested tags and physreps. EsquiresandEstates
Esquires may be referred to by different terms, depending on their level of involvement and interaction with the Estate System. Common Esquires – A Common Esquire is any character who has registered ownership of one or more personal estates. Common Esquires may own homes and businesses and other individualized estates. A Common Esquire may also legitimately refer to themselves in‐game as an Esquire, as a commoner’s title of respect. Mayoral Esquires – A Mayoral Esquire is any character who founds (or is elected or appointed to administer) a city. Mayors are quite influential within their city, and may make meaningful decisions regarding the growth and development of the city he or she controls. The proper form of address for a Mayor is “The Honorable” (For example, The Honorable William Stout, Mayor of Hilltown). Noble Esquires – A Noble Esquire is any member of the nobility of Evandarr who has been given title in order to administer lands in the name of the King. This category 3 includes Lords, Barons and Counts (PC titles) as wells as higher ranking NPCs (whose holdings are administered by the appropriate PLOT Committee) like Dukes, Princes and even the King. Military Esquires – A Military Esquire is any individual who controls military structures and units. The permission of a Baron or Count is required to establish a military estate within their lands. Large,SmallandOtherEstateTypes
Estates come in a variety of sizes, and are held by player characters in a variety of ways. Deeds – A Deed is similar to an item card, and is used to record any estate or estate resource which has not been registered in the estate system. Deeds can represent buildings, businesses, crates full of food (or other resources), or other “miscellaneous” items like ships or wagons. In order to take full advantage of these estates, the esquire must register the estate by turning it in to their chapter’s Estate Logistics Team so that it can be recorded under the player character’s account. Small Estates – A Small Estate includes a Player Character’s registered home and other personalized holdings including buildings, businesses and similar interests. The number of Small Estates that a PC can register and own is limited. Each PC may own and register ONE house, plus a number of additional personal interests equal to their Character Level divided by five (round down). In addition, the PC must obtain the permission of the appropriate mayoral or noble esquire in order to purchase or build and then register his small estates in lands owned by these characters (or NPCs). Goodman Liam is a Jeweler (and a 16th Level Rogue). Liam may own and register a house in any city in which he has permission from the local Mayor. He can also register and hold up to three (3) additional homes, buildings or businesses, or add the functionality of a different building into their home. Goodman Liam has chosen to own a Jeweler’s Shop (a business) in his home town of Emberwick in the Barony of Redawn, and makes his home in the rooms above it (a house). He also has purchased controlling interest in a Mining Operation (a building / hex improvement). Goodman Liam often travels to Tyrangel city to attend market gatherings, and maintains a second Jeweler’s Shop (a business) there for when he is in town. As he becomes more experienced in his profession (advances in level), Goodman Liam will also become more efficient in the administration of his estates. At level 20 Goodman Liam will have one (1) free “slot” that he can use to establish a new Shop somewhere else, to purchase a summer home on the coast the Fellmist Sea, add a Research Library into his home, or to acquire any other singular estate that he can manage to obtain. 4 Large Estates – A Large Estate is any estate of city size or larger, including baronies, counties, duchies, principalities and kingdoms. Cities are owned by and registered to their mayors, while noble estates are owned by their ruling nobles and/or their respective courts in the name of the King. Barons and Counts (but not mayors) may appoint an Administrator (usually a member of their Court) who then has permission to make any and all decisions relating to that Estate. A Baron or Count may choose to remove an administrator at any time by contacting Estate Logistics, though any moves made by administrator prior to removal are considered in‐game and may not be retroactively countered. Foreign Estates – Noble esquires have access to Foreign Estates which are registered to one noble (the Foreigner) but lies inside territory and is thus “owned” by another noble (the Host). Embassies are the most common form of Foreign Estate. Foreign Estates exist totally at the whim of the Host, who may seize any Foreign Estate in his territory, then register or redistribute it however he or she wishes. While registered and in control of a Foreign Estate, the Foreigner may control all aspects of the Foreign Estate. All esquires possessing estates will have access to a Summary Report of their holdings. City mayors will have a report which lists all of the relevant estate information for their city. Barons and Counts (or their Administrators) will also have access to a high level overview of all their cities and populations, as well as their Military Forces (if they have any). Cities
The primary component of the Estate System is the city. To build a city, a suitable spot near water on the main hex map must be located, and it costs 10 gold to begin construction. If you do not have water near your city, you must find a formalist to cast the cantrip “Purify Well” before the city can be built. You must then choose your city’s Center Hex as well as ten (10) additional hex plots which are up to three hexes away from the city’s center hex, on the map that your city will control. These hex plots are where you will establish your buildings and improvements. You now have a city (technically, a Hamlet) with a Population of 1, and can build one free hex improvement on one of your ten hex plots. A good suggestion is to build a Farm but you can choose any improvement that you want that does not have a prerequisite that your new city does not meet. 5 A starting Hamlet begins with a population of 1, but can get a boost up to a maximum starting population number of 4 if the Esquire in charge has the gold to spend. Each additional population point beyond the first costs 100 gold pieces, and this purchase can only be done at initial city creation. Thus, to start a new hamlet off with a population of 3 instead of 1, the total cost would be 210 gold. The first 10 gp covers the standard starting Hamlet cost, the rest represents going out and paying people to pick up their lives and move to the new Hamlet. As it grows, a city is known by many names. Though a player can call it anything they want in‐game, for the purposes of the Estate System the following labels are used: Population Number City Label 0 Settlement 1 Hamlet 5 Village 10 Town 15+ City TheCityCenterTile
All cities begin with ONE special tile which is designated as its city center tile. Certain buildings and improvements may ONLY be constructed in a city center tile. As a city grows, so does this special zone, and for every twenty full population points, the city converts one of its existing hexes that is adjacent to one of its already exiting city center tiles into an additional city center tile. Because the city begins with a center tile, they do not gain a second tile until they hit forty population. Note that this increases the city’s zone of control by one hex as the city grows outward, and if another building or improvement already occupies the converted hex, it must be cleared before one of these special buildings may be established (See Abandoning buildings and improvements, below). MunicipalityTilesandImprovements
Beyond a population of 10, a town begins to grow into a true city. A town that reaches a population of 15 officially becomes a city and gains access to special Municipality Tiles. Municipality Tiles increase a city’s zone of control by 1 each (a tile is lost by the City Center, and 2 are gained on the outskirts of town), and allow the city to acquire special Municipality 6 Improvements. A city acquires ONE municipality tile when its population reaches 15, and one additional municipality tile for every 5 population points thereafter. Municipality tiles will always be built adjacent to the City Center Tile(s). If a building already exists in the hex which becomes a Municipality Tile, it must be demolished to allow for the ever growing city. Thus farms will make way for more urban buildings. The Esquire may recover half the cost of the original, lost, improvement as normal when expanding. Positive municipality improvements require gold and maintenance, just like any other improvement. A positive municipality tile improvement that is not maintained has a chance of converting into a negative improvement. Also, when the city gains a new municipality tile, if they do not build a positive improvement on it, a negative will develop automatically. Positive Cost Effect Special Hex Settlement Municipality (Y/N) Improvement Town Hall 10 Improves Loyalty Requires Free 1 N Municipality Tile City Watch 10 Reduces effects of Requires Free 1 N Negative Municipality Tile; Municipality Tiles Requires Town Guard Training 10 Improves the Requires Free 1 N Grounds effectiveness of the Municipality Tile; Militia Requires Militia Guild Hall 10 Provides bonuses to Requires Free 1 N appropriate buildings Municipality Tile and improvements, and may provide additional bonuses to the city as a whole Fairgrounds 10 Improves Happiness Requires Free 1 N Municipality Tile Public Bath 10 Improves Health and Requires Free 1 N Happiness Municipality Tile; Requires Running Water Note that every third municipality tile will automatically develop as a negative municipality tile improvement, chosen at random by Estate Logistics (or in rare occasions, by PLOT). BP 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 Negative Municipality tiles happen automatically on every third Municipality tile, but they can also occur through city neglect or Plot action, and the existence of one will make the development of a second more likely. In cases like this, a tile that previously contained a Positive Improvement loses that Improvement, and does not receive the normal one‐half the price of the Improvement in gold that they would get if they had purposefully destroyed it. These negative “improvements” can be left alone (in which case they will have an effect on the surrounding tiles and/or population) or attempts can be made to “clean them up.” Mitigating a negative municipality tile requires PLOT interaction, which the Esquire initiates by filing an FYI with the appropriate local chapter’s PLOT Committee. There is a minimum amount of gold an Esquire can expect to pay as well, though Plot may deem that the circumstances require more than the listed costs to remove a tile. Once a negative municipality tile improvement has successfully dealt with, a positive municipality improvement can be built in its place. Negative Cost Effect Special Hex Settlement BP Municipality (To (Y/N) Improvement remove) Slum 20 Reduces Replaces existing 1 N 0 Happiness Improvement or Building Red Light 25 Reduces Health Replaces existing 1 N 0 District Improvement or Building Thieves’ Guild 30 Reduces Replaces existing 1 N 0 Happiness and Improvement or reduces total tax Building revenues in the city by 10% Organized 35 Reduces Replaces existing 1 N 0 Crime Ring Happiness Improvement or Building Anarchists’ 30 Reduces Loyalty Replaces existing 1 N 0 Conclave Improvement or Building 8 Negative Cost Effect Special Municipality (To Improvement remove) Necromancers’ 30 Reduces the Replaces existing Guild Health, Happiness Improvement or and Loyalty of the Building population; Recruits its own “militia” units Hex Settlement (Y/N) BP 1 N 0 So for example, a city with a population of 27 (2,700 people) will have a total of 3 municipality tiles, which would allow 13 hexes in its Zone of control on the city map. Initially, up to two of the municipality tiles may be used to acquire Positive Municipality improvements. The third Municipality Tile automatically generates a negative municipality improvement that must be mitigated by the city’s Esquire before it can be used to purchase a third Positive Municipality Improvement. TownGuardsandMilitias
While it is not required, it is recommended that once a city reaches the village level (population 5) the esquire should invest in a Town Guard. When the village grows into a town (population 10), the esquire should consider establishing a Militia. These improvements function as a local police force, and may in times of war be called upon to help defend a city from attack. As time passes and the town becomes a city proper (population 15) and expands to its second additional municipality tile (population 20) the esquire may decide to invest in a City Watch and/or Training Grounds for its Militia. These municipality improvements increase the size and effectiveness of the city’s guards and defenders. Each of these improvements costs 1 gold per population point at the time of establishment. Thus a village that waits ‘til pop 7 to form a Town Guard will pay 7 gold instead of 5, with no additional benefit. The citizens in a city that possesses one or more of these improvements enjoy a safer and more lawful existence that they would otherwise. Town Guards and city watches keep crime down and provide a bonus when determining the occurrence of negative municipality tiles and other random negative events that sometimes plague a city. 9 PlayerCharactersandSpecialGuardians
Player Characters who make their primary home in a city may but are not required to register as members of a city’s guardians or defenders. Doing this requires the permission of the city’s Esquire, and the PC must officially register their participation with the Estate Logistics Team. Player Characters who do this provide a small but not insignificant bonus to the effectiveness of the city’s Town Guard and/or Militia improvements. Player Characters that join a city’s guardians or defenders are NOT subject to losing lives on their character cards due to occurrences in the Estate System. These characters may however suffer a “PLOT death,” in which they must role‐play having died in defense of their city. Again, these deaths do not add to a player’s Death Count. Cities may also acquire Special Guardians that increase the effectiveness of its guards and defenders. These assets are never guaranteed, and must be acquired through in‐game actions and events, and must be approved by PLOT. Settlements
A settlement is a tiny city that does not have a permanent population point (in game it has less than 100 people living there). It costs 10 gold to establish a Settlement, which then generates a 10 Hex Zone of control (similar to a city) but has a limited number of Improvement and Building types that can be within it (those that require no population to maintain). Settlements can be upgraded to a Hamlet at a cost of 10 gold. This represents bringing enough people into your settlement to increase the population to 1, and they will then receive the free Hex Improvement as a starting town. Once this occurs, the city is no longer a Settlement, and must conform to all rules normally applied to cities. Food/FeedingyourPopulation
The population of a city is roughly one hundred people per population point. Each month they must consume 10 food per population point or they will starve and the population will be reduced by 1. So a 5 population city needs 50 food a month to sustain the population or it will be reduced to a 4 population city. Esquires must also feed any Military Units and Workforce Units they control. Military Units also require 10 food per month, or they will disband. 10 Instead of just sustaining the city each month, it can be grown by feeding it 100 times its current population in food. Feeding a 5 population city an additional 500 food will grow it to a size 6 city. This food can be collected during a month and immediately used to sustain or grow the city that same month. Note that Military Units may NOT be increased in this manner. After the minimum amount of food to sustain a city is met, ½ the surplus food can be stored if the city builds a granary. Additional surplus food that is not used in some other fashion such as trade is assumed to be lost to vermin, rot, etc. A city cannot store more than half its surplus in food, no matter how many granaries one builds. This is due not to the space required, but to the ability to prepare large quantities for storage. The rest of the month’s surplus must be used in some fashion or lost. Once in storage Food remains viable but can only be drawn out to feed people and can no longer be used to create evaluate items or Components. Farm output can be boosted by appropriate Craftsman skills (see Craftsman Skills, below) such as Craftsman Other: Farmer. There is also a substance known as Kingsilver. A king of the realm has the ability to empower a handful of silver coins, which makes them useful as a formal component in magic rituals. But Kingsilver has a second use: When buried in the ground correctly, they increase the fertility of the land itself, thus increasing the output of any farm built on that hex. SubsistenceLiving
Some populations choose to live off the land. These people are assumed to hunt and gather exactly the amount of food they need to eat each month, and do not store up extra food. A population living in this manner is restricted by the amount of land they have to live upon. For the purposes of the system, a hex on the Duchy map is considered to produce enough food to support 10 population every two months. Thus a population of 5 could live in the hex from month to month without moving, or a population of 10 could live for a month, but would then move on to the next hex to live the next month. Obviously this prevents building permanent settlements. They will, however, tend to have a central “home” hex to which they return. Communities of this sort are considered nomadic, and may not construct Buildings or benefit from improvements. Health,HappinessandLoyalty
Certain buildings and improvements have an effect on the Health, Happiness and Loyalty of a city’s population. In general, these factors play a part in determining the frequency and severity of random events that occur in a city. The following ‘infrastructure’ improvements are built 11 within the city and do not require hexes. Note that their yearly maintenance cost is different than the costs of other buildings and improvements. Improvement Cost Effect Maintenance Settlement BP
(gold) Cost/Year (Y/N) Latrines 5 Increases Health 3 gold Y 1 Running Water 75 Increases Health and 50 gold N 25
Happiness Sanitation, 20 Increases Health 5 gold N 5 Gutters Sanitation, 70 Increases Health and 30 gold N 20
Sewers Happiness Resources
Certain Buildings produce Resources that may be used by an Esquire create Production items (like Potions, Scrolls, Traps, Weapons and Armor, and Alchemical substances). Other Resources may be required to take certain Estate Actions, or used to reduce the cost of building and maintaining improvements. 1. Parts (used with create trap) 2. Essence (used with create potion) 3. Ink (used with create scroll) 4. Ore (used with smithing) 5. Reagent (used with alchemy) 6. Leather (used for armor) 7. Stone (used for building) 8. Food (used to feed people) 9. Wood (used for building) 10.Cloth (used for building) Resources may also be converted by the appropriate Building within the Estate System to produce special items (like Shatter Resistant or Formal Magic Components or Evaluate Items). Estate Resources (Crates of Food, Bundles of Leather, Jars of Ink, etc.) may be found as treasure at events, and turned in to Estate Logistics for use by an Esquire. 12 Population,ZoneofControl,buildingsandimprovements
A city’s population and Zone of control determine how many buildings and improvements a city can build and sustain. A city can only support a number of improvements equal to the total number of hexes within its Zone of Control. Similarly, a city can only support a number of Buildings equal to its total population. Note that these maximums do not restrict the esquire from establishing free standing buildings and improvements that do not require a hex or population points to maintain (see the appropriate chart, below). Improvements
Improvements provide general benefits to a city and the areas surrounding it. These improvements can all been seen on the hex map of a city. Some improvements, (like Farms and Municipality improvements,) may monopolize a particular tile on the city’s Hex Map, while others (like Roads, Walls and Hunting and Fishing Operations) do not. Regardless, a city can only support a number of improvements, equal to the total number of hexes within its Zone of Control. Improvement Cost Effect Special Population Hex Settlement BP (gold) Requisite (Y/N) Apothecary 10 Produces 30 Hills or plains 1 1 N 10 Essence only Boatyard 30 Allows building of swamp or 1 1 N 5 trade vessels plains, along water Bridge 25+ Allows free Cost is 5 gold 0 0 Y 5/ movement across times the Hex
a body of water number of Water tiles crossed, squared; (5 x Hexes)2 Builder’s 10 Produces 30 Parts
Hills or forest 1 1 N 10 Supply Shop only Dock 5 Allows small water, along 0 1 Y 1 boats to dock in the shore the city; Increases Tax Revenue by 1 Farm 10 Produces 50 Plains only 1 1 N 1 Food/Month 13 Improvement Ferry Fishing Operation Harbor Herbalist Lighthouse Livestock Ranch Lumber Mill Mine Quarry Ranch Road, Cobblestone Road, Dirt Road, Paved Cost (gold) 1 Effect Allows delayed movement across a body of water Produces 25 Food/Month Special Must be adjacent to a body of water 5 Must be adjacent to a body of water 25 Allows larger water, along boats and ships the shore or to dock in the extending a city; Increases Tax smaller harbor Revenue by 2 or dock 10 Produces 30 Water or Reagents swamp only 10 Extends Zone of Any non‐water Control 2 hexes along the shore into the water 15 Produces 15 Food Plains, hills or and 30 Leather mountains only 15 Produces 30 In or next to a Wood forest 25 Produces 30 Ore Mountains, hills, or desert only 25 Produces 30 Mountains, Stone hills, or desert only 15 Produces 15 Plains or hills Cloth; Supplies only mounts 1/hex Allows free any non‐water movement within a city .5/hex Allows free any non‐water movement within a city 3/hex Allows free any non‐water movement within a city Population Requisite 0 Hex Settlement (Y/N) 0 Y 1 1 1 N 1 1 1 N 3 1 1 N 10 0 1 Y 1 1 1 N 2 1 1 N 5 1 1 N 13 1 1 N 13 1 1 N 12 0 0 Y 1/2 0 0 Y 1/5 0 0 Y 1 14 BP Improvement Scribner Cost (gold) 10 Effect Special Produces 30 Ink Forest or swamp only any non‐water Settlement 10 Silk Farm 25 Establishes Zone of Control Produces 30 Cloth
Special Tile Wall, Stone special 2.5/ hex special Defensible structure Wall, Wood .5/hex Watchtower 5 Waterwheel 10 Defensible structure Extends Zone of Control by up to 3 adjacent hexes, if built on the edge of Zone Provides bonuses to mill related businesses Hex Settlement (Y/N) 1 N BP 0 11 Y 1 1 1 N 10 special 0 1 0 special Y Sp. 1/ hex
0 0 Y any non‐water 0 1 Y 1/ hex
1 next to water 0 1 N 1 Forest or Plains near Forest special 5 silver less if replacing Wood Wall Population Requisite 1 Buildings
Buildings represent individual structures (or in some cases, a small compound or group of structures) that allows the city’s population to produce a particular benefit. A city can only support a number of Buildings equal to its total population. Some buildings are considered “free standing” and do not require a population point to support, while a some buildings may actually require more than one population point. These buildings are all considered to be contained within the City Center tiles, and do not show up on the hex map of a city. Building Cost Effect Special Pop. Settlement BP
(Y/N) Alchemical 500 Generates a random selection City Core Tile Only 1 N 50
Academy of alchemical substances each month (may include normally restricted items); May unlock new recipes at PLOT discretion 15 10 Building Cost Effect Special Pop. Settlement BP
(Y/N) Alchemist 50 Converts 100 Reagents into a 10 Serves as a 3 Man 1 N 10
gp eval. item Alchemy Lab Arcane 500 Stores and maintains Formal City Core Tile Only 1 N 50
Academy Scrolls and Cantrips; May convert 100 Ink/10 gold (per level) into a copy of a stored scroll or 50 Ink/5 gold per cantrip *OR* owner may provide one full set of the necessary formal components to obtain a copy Artificer 50 Converts 100 Parts into a 10 gp Serves as a 3 Man 1 N 10
eval. item Traps Lab Astrology 15 Increases Zone of control by 5; Only 1 per city 1 N 10
Tower Provides bonuses to certain craftskills at PLOT’s discretion Chemist 50 Converts 100 Essence into a 10 Serves as a 3 1 N 10
gp eval. item Man Potion Lab Carpenter 20 Converts 100 Wood into a 10 1 N 5 gp eval. item Farmer’s 20 Converts 100 Food into a 10 gp 1 N 5 Market eval. item Forge 50 Converts 100 Ore into a 10 gp Serves as a 3 Man 1 N 10
eval. item Forge Formal Lab 125 Converts 100 of any resource Maintains a 1 N 10
(Celestial) into a random Formal Magic Celestial Component Circle of Power Formal Lab 125 Converts 100 of any resource Maintains an Earth 1 N 10
(Earth) into a random Formal Magic Circle of Power Component General Store 20 Converts 100 Parts into a 10 gp Requires Supply 1 N 2 eval. item Shop Granary 20 Stores ½ of surplus Food each 0 N 1 month to help the city grow Guardhouse 10 Provides bonuses to the city’s 1 N 1 Town Guard Hunting 3 each forest and swamp hex in Only 1 per 10 0 Y 1 Operation your zone of control produces 5 huntable hexes food a month 16 Building Cost Effect Leatherworker 20 Converts 100 Leather into a 10 gp eval. item Masonry 20 Converts 100 Stone into a 10 gp eval. item Mercantile 10 Adds 1 to the city’s base Tax Revenue. Post Office 20 Increases happiness the population Refinery 20 Converts 100 Ore into a SR1 Component Research 100 Provides bonuses to research on Library any subject Scribe 50 Converts 100 Ink into a 10 gp eval. item Specialized 100 Provides significant bonuses to Library research on ONE particular subject Tax Office 25 Generates 1 additional gold per
point of population in a city each month Theatre 15 Increases happiness and loyalty of the population Trading Post 80 Increases the tax revenue of a settlement by 3 gold University Warehouse Winery Special Requires Ranch Pop. Settlement BP
(Y/N) 1 N 2 Requires Quarry 1 N 2 1 N 1 1 N 1 Requires Mine 1 N 2 1 N 10
Serves as a 3 Man Scroll Lab 1 N 10
1 N 10
May reduce the happiness of the population 0 N 5 0 N 2 May ONLY be built in a settlement’s City Core Tile City Core Tile Only 0 Y 2 1 N 50
1 N 1 1 N 2 500 population can read; Increases Tax Revenue by 3 50 Stores any one type of Retains 80% of production item Production value in a pool of points 20 Converts 100 Food into a 10 gp Requires Farm eval. item PlayerControlledHomes
A Player Character may own ONE House (or Manor House), plus a number of Businesses, Houses (or other Special interests) equal to their Character Level divided by Five (round up). 17 Owning a House establishes a PC as a “resident” of a given city, and may allow them access to special benefits (rumors, modules, or other PLOT‐driven occurrences) that happen within a city. PlayerControlledBusinesses,BuildingsandWorkshops
Player Characters may also establish a Business for 10 gold. Businesses may be of any general type, and a general description of the Business must be established and recorded by the Estate Logistics Team when a Business is established. If a PC wants to open a business, they first must decide where they want to set up shop. Once they find a city they like, they then must determine if the city can support their business. A city can support up to ten (10) Player Controlled Businesses per each city center tile within a city’s Zone of Control. This is not to say that PC control the only businesses in town, but city’s with a large number of Player Controlled interests definitely provide certain advantages to the local populace and the economy. All Businesses generate 1 gold in revenue for their Owners each month and 1 silver in taxes (taken from the businesses revenue by the local Liege or Mayor). If a player wants to establish a not‐for‐profit Building (such as an asylum, an orphanage, a stable for his Manor House etc.) he may do so. Buildings of this type do not provide their owners with revenue, but may provide other benefits to the Esquire that owns them and the city in which they are built, at the discretion of PLOT and the Estate Manager. Not‐for‐profit Buildings are intended to support an Esquire’s role‐playing in relation to his or her Estates. Thus there is no guarantee that a not‐for‐profit Building will provide any concrete benefits. Well thought out and well‐role‐played ideas may however occasionally result in one or more tangible benefits purely at the discretion of PLOT and the Estate Manager. Building Cost House Embassy 5 10 Effect Special Pop. Settlement BP
(Y/N) Establishes a home for a player 0 Y 1 Counts as a House for a Requires Mayor’s 0 N 2 Foreign Noble approval 18 Building Cost Effect Special Pop. Settlement BP
(Y/N) Manor House 15 Establishes a high quality home Manor Houses are 0 Y 2 for a player; Defensible structure
assumed to employ a small number of dedicated guards that do not add to the city’s overall military strength Business 10 Establishes a PC run business Owner may use 0 Y 1 that generates 1 gold in revenue appropriate for the Owner, and 1 silver in Craftsman skills to taxes for the city increase revenue Workshops(LabsandForges)
A Workshop is a special form of building that is used to allow a player to double their base production for a weekend (see Nero 9th ed Rulebook). Workshops are not portable once purchased and are Chapter based, so you must designate the Chapter for which it will be used and the city in which it is located when purchasing one or more of these Buildings. An Esquire that owns a Workshop in the Estate System will only be able to access it when pre‐registering his or her production for the appropriate Chapter. Even if the Workshop is not in the same in‐game location as the event, it will be assumed the Player Character went to the Workshop and then traveled to the in‐game event location. Workshops that are purchased in the Estate System do not expire, but must receive the required upkeep as listed in the table to remain functional. The size of the workshop determines how many people can use it per event. Buildings Cost Effect Special Pop. Settlement BP
(Y/N) Personal 20 Allows 1 user to increase their 10 Gold Yearly Y 2 Workshop production points for 1 skill Upkeep (per type) Small 40 Allows 3 users to increase their 20 Gold Yearly N 4 Workshop production points for 1 skill Upkeep (per type) Medium 60 Allows 5 users to increase their 30 Gold Yearly N 6 Workshop production points for 1 skill Upkeep (per type) 19 Buildings Cost Effect Special Large Workshop (per type) Factory Workshop (per type) 80 Allows 7 users to increase their production points for 1 skill 40 Gold Yearly Upkeep 100 Allows 10 users to increase their production points for 1 skill 50 Gold Yearly Upkeep Pop. Settlement BP
(Y/N) N 8 N 10
UsingCraftsmanSkills
A Player Character may improve the quality and productivity of his business by purchasing appropriate instances of the skill, Craftsman. For every level of an appropriate Craftsman: Other that a PC has, he may increase the revenue of his Business by 10%. A PC may support multiple businesses with his Craftsman skills, but each skill may only be applied to ONE of the PC’s businesses. Note that Production skills do not count for this. MilitaryImprovements,andBuildings,UnitsandGarrisons
Military Structures are special buildings and improvements that may only be built adjacent to a Castle, Keep or Fort. Note that Castles, Keeps and Forts DO NOT generate their own Zone of Control, but if they are built on a city center tile, all hexes within the city’s Zone of control become eligible to support Military Structures instead of only the ones adjacent. Military Units represent an abstract accounting of the military strength and forces controlled by a Military Esquire. Military Units must be fed 10 Food per month or they will disband. Military Units also SUBTRACT from the Base Tax Revenue of any city in which they are garrisoned, representing the cost needed to maintain a healthy, effective fighting force. Certain Military Structures (Forts, Keeps, Castles and Barracks) are necessary in order to house Military Units. A Military Esquire can maintain a maximum number of Military Units as indicated by the appropriate Structures under his control. 20 Military Cost Effect Improvement Archery Range 10 Recruits Archery Units Special Must be built on Plains, Forest or Hills Recruits Infantry Units Must be built on Plains, Forest or Hills Recruits Mounted Units Must be built on Plains or Hills, must have nearby Ranch Recruits Siege Units Must be built on Plains Houses Military Units Garrison up to 2 Units Allows building of Must be built adjacent to a military ships and Boatyard recruitment of crew Boot Camp 10 Stables 20 Siege Works Barracks Shipyard 30 15 50 Military Buildings Fort Cost Effect 125 Defensible wooden structure; Doubles the military value of garrisoned troops when defending the Fort. Hex Settlement BP
(Y/N) 1 N 1 1 N 1 1 N 2 1 1 1 N N N 3 2 5 Keep Castle Military Academy Special Garrison up to 5 Units or counts as up to 5 Houses; May be a city center tile 500 Defensible stone structure; Garrison up to 10
Triples the military value of Units or counts as garrisoned troops when up to 10 Houses; defending the Keep. May be a City Center Tile 1000 Extremely defensible stone Garrison up to 25
structure; Quadruples the Units or counts as
military value of garrisoned up to 25 Houses; troops when defending the May be a City Castle. Center Tile (Must have approval of local Nobility) 500 Trains existing military units and City Center Tile converts them into Elite Units only Pop. Settlement BP
(Y/N) 0 N 10
1 N 50
1 N 100
1 N 50
21 MilitaryUnits
The following is a list of Military Units and the costs associated with raising them. Other troop types are possible with Plot approval, and may require a special Plot approved building to house them. Archery Units Archers Requires 10 Gold, 100 Bows, 100 Quivers of Arrows, 100 suits of light armor (5‐15 pts.) to form a unit Crossbowmen Requires 10 Gold, 100 Crossbows, 100 Quivers of Bolts, 100 suits of light armor (5‐15 pts.) to form a unit Infantry Units Swordsmen Requires 10 Gold, 100 Swords, 100 Shields, 100 suits of medium armor (20‐30 pts.) to form a unit Pikemen Requires 10 Gold, 100 Polearms, 100 suits of medium armor (20‐30 pts.) to form a unit Hedge Requires 10 Gold, 100 Swords, 100 Shields, 100 suits of heavy armor Knights (35‐45 pts.) to form a unit Men‐at‐arms Requires 10 Gold, 100 Weapons, 100 Shields, 100 suits of medium armor (20‐30 pts.) to form a unit Mounted Units Cavalry Requires 20 Gold, 100 Swords or Spears, 100 Shields, 100 suits of medium armor (20‐30 pts.) to form a unit Horse Archers Requires 20 Gold, 100 Bows, 100 Quivers of Arrows, 100 suits of light armor (5‐15 pts.) to form a unit Cavaliers Requires 30 Gold, 100 Lances, 100 Shields, 100 suits of heavy armor (35‐45 pts.) to form a unit Siege Units Ballista Requires 50 gold, 100 Wood, 100 Ore, 50 Leather to form a Unit Catapult Requires 50 gold, 200 Wood, 100 Ore, 100 Stone, 50 Leather to form a Unit Trebuchet Requires 100 gold, 250 Wood, 200 Ore, 100 Stone, 100 Leather to form a Unit Sappers Requires 30 gold, 50 Short Swords, 50 suits of light armor (5‐15 pts.), 50 Explosive Traps (30‐60 pts. each) to form a unit Ships Pinnace Requires 10 gold, 100 Wood, 50 Ore, 50 Garrisons 1 Military Unit Leather, 100 Cloth to form a Unit Sloop Requires 15 gold, 100 Wood, 50 Ore, 50 Garrisons 1 Military or Leather, 100 Cloth to form a Unit Trade Unit 22 Barque Galley Requires 25 gold, 200 Wood, 100 Ore, 100 Leather, 150 Cloth to form a Unit Requires 50 gold, 300 Wood, 100 Ore, 100 Leather, 200 Cloth to form a Unit Garrisons 2 Military or Trade Units Garrisons up to 5 Military or Trade Units Macro‐ScaleConstructionProjects
While the Estate System generally deals with things on the city scale, Barons and other high ranking Noble Esquires occasionally have to deal with larger scale construction projects (such as in the case of roads between cities and fences that cover large areas), as well as other grand projects (such as planting a forest or digging a canal). These projects are measured against the large hexes which are used on the Duchy‐level Estate Maps, and may cost significantly more that similar projects which occur at the city‐level. There are many such projects that are possible, and you may have to work with your Estate Manager and PLOT to assign a cost to unusual projects. Some of the more common Macro‐Scale Construction Projects are listed below. Improvement Cost Effect Special Hex Settlement * (Y/N) Aqueducts 25+ Can serve as a water source for a Must begin n/a N city; Increases Health and adjacent to a Happiness of connected cities natural body of water Bridge 25+ Allows free movement across a Cost is 5 gold n/a N body of water times the number of Water tiles crossed, squared; (5 x Hexes)2 Fence, Stone 7.5+ Restricts unauthorized n/a movement through a hex; More durable than a Wooden Fence Fence, 5+ Restricts unauthorized n/a Wooden movement through a hex Road, Dirt 5+ Adds 1 gold in tax revenue to n/a all cities along the road Road, 10+ Adds 2 gold in tax revenue to all n/a Cobblestone cities along the road Road, Paved 20+ Adds 3 gold in tax revenue to n/a all cities along the road BP 5+ 5+ 20+ 10+ 10+ 20+ 30+ 23 Patrol, Road Patrol, Countryside Special 1+ Patrolled road hexes are less Cost is 1 gold n/a likely to develop bandits and per hex of road suffer fewer random negative events 5+ Patrolled countryside hexes are Cost is 5 gold per n/a less likely to develop bandits and hex of countryside suffer fewer random negative events var. See PLOT See PLOT var. * Costs and BP are PER HEX of construction. 0 0 var. var. ConstructionTimeandWorkforces
Once an Esquire has decided to establish a Building or Improvement, and the appropriate amount of gold and/or other resources have been spent to pay for it, the next question to consider is how long will it take until Building or Improvement is finished and fully operational. Each building and improvement has an associated number of Building Points (BP) that represent the time and effort needed to completely establish it. A population point that is not otherwise engaged (i.e. is not in rebellion, sick, etc.) can be used to accomplish 1 BP of labor each month. Additional work can be forced out of a populace, gaining up to 2 BP per population, but this comes with the side effect of causing unhappiness (even when they are working towards their own best interests!) and potentially reducing the population of the city, either through death of workers or people leaving. The larger the population of the city, the more likely forcing the people to work will lead to accidents and unhappiness that would cause people to leave. Note that the decision to force the populace of a city to work is (for simplicity’s sake) simply a yes or no equation. It is not possible to force 5 of the population to work extra hard while another 5 works normally and attempt to reduce the chance of loss of population. The other option to speed up construction of a building is Shoddy Construction. Shoddily constructed buildings take half the normal BP to throw them up. The downside to Shoddy Construction obviously is loss of functionality, which can be disastrous in the case of fortifications. The exact effects of Shoddy Construction depends on what building is built that way and how they are being used, but in general they will cost more in maintenance and could have other complications. It is possible to Shore Up a Shoddy building, bringing it to a normal state. This costs as much BP and half the gold cost of building a new building. A Barony, County, etc. needs a Workforce they can turn on construction projects that need to be done quickly. A city’s Mayor can petition to have this force brought to bear upon one of 24 their projects as well. Often these workers double as soldiers in wartimes, though their primary function is to build. A unit of workers counts as a roving population point, providing 1 BP per unit to reduce the time it takes to build a building. These workers must have food to sustain them wherever they are. A unit of workers requires 10 Food per month to feed them when idle, and 20 Food per month when working. Also note, an idle workforce, while consuming less food, also decreases the happiness of the town it is stationed in. Extraneous workers can be disbanded, and there is a chance they will increase the population of the town they came from, or the town they last worked in. Alternately they could simply disperse to their individual walks of life, thus not increasing the population of either city. To raise a Workforce, a Noble in charge of an area can either recruit them from a town, decreasing its population by 1, or can hire a unit for 20 gold. A purchased unit will remain contracted for one year or until disbanded. Note that since there is no specific city a purchased unit comes from, upon disbanding they will either bolster the town in which they worked, or disperse. This is a random choice and is not decided by the one hiring them. Force Used for Construction Amount of Work/Month Cost to Raise or Maintain Normal City Population 1 BP per 1 Pop point/month Free, comes from your city Forced Labor 2 BP per 1 Pop point/month Causes Unhappiness in the city Workforce 1 BP/month each 20 gold or 1 Pop to raise 10 Food/month to maintain idle 20 Food/month to maintain while working Taxes
As members of a Feudal Society, all members of a city’s population are required to pay taxes to the King. In general, these taxes are collected by each city’s Mayor, who in turn is responsible for maintaining the development and Upkeep for his city. Mayors may also be required by their Barons to provide a portion of their taxes and other resources to the Baronial Coffers and Stores. Likewise, a Baron may be required to provide a portion of what he collects to his Count. This process continues up the hierarchy of Nobles…Baron to Count, Count to Duke, Duke to Prince, all the way up to the King himself. The Base Tax Revenue of a city is equal to 1 gold coin per population point, per month. In addition, various buildings and improvements may add (or subtract) from this figure. Barons may impose additional taxes on their populations, but risk damaging the Health, Happiness and Loyalty of their citizens by doing so. 25 Upkeep
All buildings and improvements require constant maintenance and repair as time goes on. Unless otherwise stated, the price of this Upkeep for Buildings is equal to 1/4 of the purchase cost per year. For Improvements, which require more constant attention, there is a monthly Upkeep equal to 10% of the purchase price. All Esquires are responsible for proactively depositing the necessary coins into the Estate System needed to satisfy the Upkeep requirements of any Estates they control. This can be done by contacting your local Estate Logistics Team. If Upkeep is not proactively paid by the Esquire, funds will be deducted from the Esquire’s Bank (if he has any) to cover the deficit. FailuretoPayUpkeep
If an Esquire fails to pay the required Upkeep for one or more of his Buildings or improvements, there is a chance that his Estates will lose effectiveness and may even collapse due to neglect. For each month in which the Upkeep for a Building or Improvement goes unpaid, there is a 10% cumulative chance that the Building or Improvement will Fail. Once a Building or Improvement Fails, it no longer provides its normal benefits to the Esquire. Once a Building or Improvement Fails, the Esquire may recover the Building or Improvement by paying ALL back Upkeep (including the Upkeep for months after the Building or Improvement failed). Once all back Upkeep is paid, the Building or Improvement resumes providing its normal benefits, but does not retroactively for previous months. If Upkeep goes unpaid for one full calendar year, the Building or Improvement is considered Abandoned and the land must be either Rebuilt or Cleared before any further Buildings or improvements, can be established in the same location. (See Abandoning buildings and improvements, below). Abandoningbuildingsandimprovements
Whether through intention or neglect, an Esquire may choose to Abandon one or more of his Estates. But once a Building or Improvement has been Abandoned, it doesn’t simply disappear. Abandoned buildings and improvements are a source of blight within a city’s Zone of Control, and each such Abandoned structure reduces a city’s Health, Happiness and Loyalty until it has been Rebuilt or Cleared. A voluntarily Abandoned Building or Improvement may be Rebuilt for one‐half the original cost of the Building or Improvement. However, if the Building or Improvement was Abandoned by 26 the Esquire due to a failure to pay Upkeep, the same Esquire may not Rebuild until all back Upkeep has been paid first. There are also times when an Esquire wishes to tear down a Building or Improvement to make room for something else. In this case, the Building or Improvement must be Cleared. Clearing a Building or Improvement costs one‐quarter of the original price to establish the Building or Improvement. Once a Building or Improvement has been Abandoned for one full calendar year, it becomes a Ruin. Ruined buildings and improvements may not be Rebuilt, and must be Cleared before any new construction may be begun in the same location. Ruined improvements reduce the city’s Zone of Control by removing the Hex they are built on from the city’s control. If a city’s Zone of control is ever reduced to zero or fewer Hexes, the entire city becomes a Ruin and the city’s population disperses permanently (though up to half of a city’s population may be Reassigned by Plot, see below). In addition to the penalties to a city’s Zone of Control, Abandoned and Ruined structures also reduce the Happiness, Health and Loyalty of a city’s population. Reassigningpopulation
Population cannot be reassigned from city to city except in actions taken by Plot, which would be a very rare, story‐driven, occurrence. 27 Appendix:ASampleEstateMove
Congratulations, your local Baron has placed you in charge of a small established city! In return they expect you to do your best at making the city profitable (taxes!) and keeping your people happy and healthy. Working with your Estate Logistics team, you are given a map of the city (see fig. 1) as well as the pertinent information you need to run it. For this example, the city is a Pop 10 town, with 3 farms, a livestock ranch, a granary, a tax office, and a barracks. There is a unit of Archers Garrisoned in the barracks. Note the granary and tax office do not appear on the map. They are in the city itself, the tile with the star. Each month without use of cantrips or craftsman other skills, this town produces 165 Food and 30 Leather. The town eats 100 food (10/Pop) to survive, leaving only 65 Food, of which 33 could be added to the granary. Of the remaining Food, the Archers eat 10 and the rest must be sent somewhere or used in some way or lost. The town produces 20 gold a month in taxes for the Fig. 1 Barony due to the tax office, but spends 1 gold to pay for the Archers, so 19 gold goes to the Barony (which they can then use to build roads, etc. and pay taxes on to their County). This month the estate move might read: Put all excess food in granary. Remainder send to OtherTown. Build 1 Farm on furthest south hex and 1 Watchtower on NE hex, expanding control over 3 adjacent hexes. Gather leather. With a Pop 10 you easily have enough BP to build the farm and watchtower, at one each. You now also owe 15 gold. You can turn that into Estate Logistics, or it will come out of your taxes/the Barony’s money – which may upset your Baron. You will also receive tags for 30 Leather since you don’t have a warehouse to store it in. Possibly a good future purchase. 28 Index Building, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 24, 26, 27 Building Points, 24 city, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 city center, 6, 18, 20, 21 Craftsman Skills, 11, 20 Esquire, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 18, 19, 20, 24, 26, 27 Food, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 20, 25 guardians, 10 Happiness, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 23, 25, 26, 27 Health, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 23, 25, 26, 27 Improvement, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27 Loyalty, 7, 8, 9, 11, 25, 26, 27 Macro‐Scale Construction, 23 Military Units, 10, 11, 20, 21, 22 negative municipality, 7, 8, 9 Player Controlled, 17, 18 Population, 5, 6, 10, 13, 25, 27 Positive municipality, 7 Resources, 2, 12 settlement, 10, 17 Tax, 13, 14, 17, 20, 25 Taxes, 25 Town Guard, 9, 10, 16 Upkeep, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 Workforce, 10, 24, 25 Workshop, 19, 20 zone of control, 6, 16 Zone of Control, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20, 26, 27 29