Valiens Nantaris
Head Admin
This morning we have something new in the galaxy of faction conflicts. One of the major engines of faction activity is Dominions, but they lack a certain something gained by opposition. Invasions deliver that, but often lead to high stakes and a lot of barely contained drama.
So why not offer a combinations? Conquests are designed to be a less stressful version of Invasions because there’s less at stake; no cloudbreaks or lost territory. On the other hand they are more meaningful than skirmishes because one side can gain something.
We suggest this will be a great way for factions to collectively increase activity whilst opening some fun situations.
The rules are included below and will be added to the top bar later today.
In case it is not somehow clear this is an addition to the rules, not a replacement. Dominions and Invasions remain completely unaffected.
CONQUESTS
Conquests allow Major Factions to compete with other factions to claim entire neutral hexes. This involves two Major Factions fighting for control of a neutral hex adjacent to both factions' influence clouds. Major Factions may still do Dominions of hexes bordering other Major Factions if they wish instead of a Conquest.
HOW TO END A CONQUEST
VICTORY CONDITIONS
The following will not be considered when judging an Conquest.
There will also be a map update template too:
CONQUEST
Planet Hex Won: (Insert Name of Primary planet in Hex Here)
First Participating Faction: (Insert name here.)
Second Participating Faction: (Insert name here.)
Name Of The Faction That Won: (Fully Name The Faction With Zero Misspelling.)
Link To Conquest Thread: (Insert Conquest Thread URL)
Number Of Posts Conquest Has At The Current Time: (Insert Post Count Here)
End Date of Last Conquest: (Insert End Date of Last Conquest thread here. If no previous Conquest completed, mark N/A)
Link To Last Conquest: (Insert previous Conquest Thread URL)
So why not offer a combinations? Conquests are designed to be a less stressful version of Invasions because there’s less at stake; no cloudbreaks or lost territory. On the other hand they are more meaningful than skirmishes because one side can gain something.
We suggest this will be a great way for factions to collectively increase activity whilst opening some fun situations.
The rules are included below and will be added to the top bar later today.
In case it is not somehow clear this is an addition to the rules, not a replacement. Dominions and Invasions remain completely unaffected.
CONQUESTS
Conquests allow Major Factions to compete with other factions to claim entire neutral hexes. This involves two Major Factions fighting for control of a neutral hex adjacent to both factions' influence clouds. Major Factions may still do Dominions of hexes bordering other Major Factions if they wish instead of a Conquest.
- At any point, a Major Faction may acquire an adjacent SWRP Chaos Map hex by completing a Conquest thread and posting to the Map Update thread.
- A Conquest may only be started on a hex adjacent to both Major Faction’s influence clouds.
- A Conquest thread’s title must include the name or acronym of the participating Major Factions, and the name of a planet visible in the hex.
- A Major Faction may only participate in one Conquest at a time and may not start or participate in another until the original Conquest is completed and judged.
- Both Major Factions participating must collaborate and agree upon a story for which the Conquest to be based on prior to the launch of the in-character thread.
- Stampeding is not allowed. Stampeding is when several members of a Major Faction post repetitively without waiting for a proper response from the opposition.
- Other Major Factions may not interfere with a Conquest thread. They may not participate as in-character aid or opposition. Only members of the two participating Major Factions are allowed to participate in Conquests.
- Companies and Minor Factions may participate only if they have a preexisting established interest in the hex that is the target of a Conquest. Their participation will not be included in judging.
HOW TO END A CONQUEST
- A Conquest ends 14 days after the creation of the in-character Conquest thread.
VICTORY CONDITIONS
The following will not be considered when judging an Conquest.
- Person vs Person Duels. The amount of duels won or lost in a Conquest does not contribute to either faction’s victory.
- Objectives. The amount of objectives won or lost in a Conquest does not contribute to either faction’s victory.
- Non-Player Characters. The actions of NPCs involved from either side in a Conquest does not contribute to either faction’s victory.
- Participation. A conquest is a story of conflict between two factions, and the participation of both factions will contribute to their chances for victory. This is does not include the total contribution of posts from one faction as compared to another, nor the total amount of individual writers from one faction as compared to another. This does include, but is not limited to, the level of consistent activity of both factions throughout the course of the thread, the interaction between members of both factions with the opposition from the start of the conquest to the end, the steady responses between writing partners made in a reasonable frame of time, and the amount of cooperation and teamwork between members of each faction to achieve their goals.
- Tension. Throughout conquests there will always be a conflicts, large or small. This can be something as small as a Padawan and an Acolyte dueling and how their conflict plays out, or as large as the interaction of two massive fleets in orbit. These moments, as well as how members of both parties respond to and shape them, can contribute to a faction's chances for victory. This is not determined by the literal outcome of these moments. They will be decided by how unique these moments are, how fair and appropriate the moments that lead up to these interactions are, as well as how each individual and group handles these moments and either recovers or takes advantage of them in a fair and appropriate manner.
- Story. At the heart of an conquest lies the stories woven by writers from the first post until its last, whether it is through a violent conflict, a peaceful diplomatic resolution, or anything that lies between. Actions made by individuals, groups, and the factions as a whole make up the fabric of this story and will contribute to each faction's chances for victory. This will not be determined by a summation of duels, objective wins, and general tallying of scores. This will be determined by subjects such as, but is not limited to, whether the actions of individuals and groups make sense in their given context, the expansion of a given location's lore and history, the general flow of the overarching story as it unfolds and is influenced by the actions of each faction, how engaging each individual and group's storyline is, and the impact felt by the gains and the losses of both factions - as well as the fair and balanced actions made by individuals of each faction.
- Drama. While the focus of a conquest will always be the actions of each character and faction in-character, the interaction and the general behavior of writers of each faction out-of-character also create an impact on the flow of a conquest. The goal for every conquest is for members of both parties to have fun and enjoy their experience, and to create a fun and interesting story comprised of the actions of each character as individuals and participating factions as a whole; however, this can be derailed by behavior that is not conducive for such an ideal environment. It is our goal for this to always end as a tie, with both parties never showing examples of inappropriate and negative behavior, but any negative behavior instigated by either side, visibly, can negatively impact that faction's chances for victory in an conquest.
There will also be a map update template too:
CONQUEST
Planet Hex Won: (Insert Name of Primary planet in Hex Here)
First Participating Faction: (Insert name here.)
Second Participating Faction: (Insert name here.)
Name Of The Faction That Won: (Fully Name The Faction With Zero Misspelling.)
Link To Conquest Thread: (Insert Conquest Thread URL)
Number Of Posts Conquest Has At The Current Time: (Insert Post Count Here)
End Date of Last Conquest: (Insert End Date of Last Conquest thread here. If no previous Conquest completed, mark N/A)
Link To Last Conquest: (Insert previous Conquest Thread URL)
