Faction Commands
Role-play happens directly, in chat channels and direct messages. Faction commands are what’s left: who goes where and what do they do. To facilitate the umpire’s job, a limited set of commands is provided.
Basics
The faction members are collected in UNITS. Each unit has a NAME.
Faction members with special powers exist as single member units. Thus, commands that apply to units also apply to individuals.
Orders given continue to apply in subsequent rounds and don’t need to be repeated.
Players are encouraged to write a SUMMARY at the end, listing the LOCATION and strength of each unit (in parentheses) so that the umpire can quickly double check if views diverge and so that encounters are quick to work out.
Format
Start with a unit and then provide your orders:
UNIT Gandalf
DESTROY bridge
MOVE TO Fangorn
REST
Repeat as necessary for all units that need new commands.
At the end, provide a summary:
LOCATION Fangorn
Gandalf
Ents (4)
This summary is important for units on the move for more than one turn. Provide the location you expect them to be this turn.
ATTACK [target]
Attack another unit or all enemy units present if none is provided. This stance continues until cancelled by a HIDE or REST command.
When attacking a unit that issued a MOVE command, the umpire decides where exactly the fight breaks out. It is therefore possible to draw units away from a location if they didn’t start with an ATTACK stance.
See GUARD.
BESIEGE [location]
Units can try to besiege a location, preventing others from coming and going. If plausible, the necessary siege weapons are automatically built on-site.
The siege can only be broken by the besieging units moving to a different location or a successful ATTACK on the besieging unit.
See GUARD.
BUILD [thing]
Units can build infrastructure and ships. This may take a very long time, possibly longer than the game allows. If plausible, the umpire will automatically draft the local population to help in the effort. The inhabitants of a town preparing for a siege, for example, can be forced to help dig a ditch.
See GUARD.
BUY n thing
At locations where things are for sale, units with gold can buy things. The umpire will determine the best price and the quantity of goods available and procure the best deal available to the unit.
Whether upkeep or trail rations or indeed drinking water needs to be purchased depends on the game being played.
DESTROY thing
Units in a location with infrastructure such as city walls, buildings, sewers or the like can opt to destroy them. This may take a very long time, possibly longer than the game allows. If plausible, the umpire will automatically draft the local population to help in the effort. The inhabitants of a town that fell to a siege, for example, can be forced to tear down their own walls.
FOLLOW unit
Follow another unit, doing what they are doing. This stance is cancelled by any other command.
GIVE thing TO unit
Transfer things from this unit to some other unit in the same location.
GUARD [thing]
Be on guard against malfeasance, but don’t attack without provocation. Guarding another unit is also possible, usually in conjunction with a FOLLOW command.
A hidden unit can guard a thing. This is a trap.
When guarding a thing, other commands by units in the same location are resolved as follows:
- ATTACK: If the unit is guarding a location (keeping the peace), any attack by anybody results in a counter attack by the guarding unit. If the unit is guarding a thing or a unit that’s not under attack, the guarding unit does nothing.
- SEARCH: A non-hidden unit guarding a location or guarding the thing being searched reveals this fact to a search party.
- STEAL: A unit guarding a location or guarding the thing being stolen will attempt to prevent this and attack the thieves, if possible.
- TAKE.
HIDE
Units that can sneak, move-silently, shape-change or otherwise evade detection, may use this command to change to a hidden stance.
This cancels ATTACK since the attack immediately reveals the hidden unit.
Hidden units may use the GUARD command.
Hidden units can be searched using the SEARCH command.
JOIN target
Units can join other units to facilitate command giving. This only works for units with similar stats: two militia units can join up but a militia unit cannot join a wizard unit.
See SPLIT.
MEMORIZE spells
Units with spell-casting abilities can prepare spells. Use this command to have the units memorize these spells every day. If necessary, units will use this spells to the best of their advantage.
MOVE TO [location]
Move somewhere else, including into locations. To leave a building, move to the town it is in.
REST
The unit does nothing and recovers from exhaustion, morale improves, hit points come back. The unit may not receive any further commands this turn.
SEARCH [thing]
Be on the lookout for a thing. If nothing is specified, this looks for any valuables that might be worth stealing. This uses all the units capabilities. Once found, nothing happens. If the thing is found, you’ll learn if it appears to be guarded by any of the other units present in the same location. You need to use the STEAL or TAKE command.
See GUARD.
The SEARCH command can be used to try and flush out hidden units. The search party will use whatever means necessary to discover hidden thieves, shape-changers, active undead, bandit lairs and the like. In a settlement, such a search may lead to a riot.
See HIDE.
SPLIT n name
Split off n members of this unit to form a new unit with the given name. This new unit can be given commands in the same turn.
See JOIN.
STEAL [thing]
Units with stealth options use them to their advantage in order to steal the thing (or anything of value, determined randomly). After stealing a thing, the unit should use the HIDE command and possible the MOVE command to evade apprehension. The umpire decides upon the result:
- complete success;
- partial success because the stealing unit was identified;
- failure because the stealing unit was detected;
- failure because the stealing unit was detected and identified.
Identification allows other units to issue an ATTACK command.
See GUARD.
TAKE thing
Take the thing, but only if it appears unguarded.
Use STEAL to take guarded things.
In order to receive guarded things without stealing them, the other unit must use the GIVE command.
See GUARD.
UNIT name
Give orders to a different unit.
RECRUIT [n]
Units in a location where potential reinforcements are available, can attempt to recruit more. The results depend on the game. Pirates might recruit from villagers they just attacked. Some undead might recruit from the victims they just slew. Shape-changers might find it impossible to recruit new shape-changers since this ability cannot be imparted or taught. Some recruitments might be possible in theory but have no effect for the current game, such as recruiting wizards.