Seasons
- Details
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Parent Category: The World Has No Mercy
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Published on Thursday, 03 February 2011 00:00
One Season passes between each game - it is during these Season Actions that the Ven can improve their holdings, train, recruit vassals and all the rest. A Season action consists of a few seperate parts:
- Planning: The first thing you need to do is decide what each of your Regions is producing, if a Region can produce more than one thing. Each Region can only produce one type of Resource - a level three Plains can produce three Wine or three Spices, but not two wine and one spice, for instance. Cities and Villages can create Goods, but they use up other Resources to do so - Resources that you must have already on hand from your last Season. You'll need to note all of this down - if you don't, the Storyteller will just randomly pick what each Region is producing.
| Region |
Produces |
| Castle |
Nothing: Nobles live here |
| City |
Goods |
| Farm |
Food or Industry |
| Forest |
Food or Lumber |
| Hills |
Lumber or Metals |
| Mountain |
Metals or Stone |
| Plains |
Wine or Spices(Luxuries) |
| Ruin |
Special Bonus |
| Shoreline |
Trade |
| Swamp |
Herbs or Poisons |
| Village |
Goods |
- Actions: Every season you can take a number of Season actions based on your Cunning:
| Cunning |
Actions |
| Weakness |
1 |
| 2 |
2 |
| 3 |
3 |
| 4 |
3 |
| 5 |
4 |
Additionally, many of your Vassals can take actions as well, but usually only to do one specific thing. You can also take actions in another noble's domain, but those actions each cost one additional action. The exception is your Spouse - he or she can take actions within your Domain with no penalty. Take a look at the Actions section below to see what kind of things you can do.
- Harvest:This phase is mostly handled by the Storyteller - this is where all of your actions take effect, production is harvested, and all the like. This is just to make it clear that all of these effects only happen after the first two phases.
- Trouble: Usually last, but not least, Trouble might be brewing in your lands - this will be reported to you, and you'd best handle it quickly with your Actions next turn - Regions that are still experiencing Trouble at the end of the next Harvest phase generate no resources.
- End of the Year: This only occurs at the end of the Winter Season. Winter sucks. This is when the Storyteller tracks your character's age - not the precise number, but the chances of you moving from the "Spring of your life" to the "Summer of your life" and the like. The Loyalty of all your Regions drops by 1-3 points (minimum of 1). You must also feed all of your Vassals - each Vassal consumes 1 Food Resource, except for Band Vassals (like Caravans, Personal Guard, Roadmen, Secret Army, Spy Network, and Staff ) which consume 1 Food per Rank. At the end of the Year, you may move all your unspent Resources into storage. Your Castle, Silos, Mayor and Warehouses all store Resources. Any Resources you cannot store are lost: they were used to repair existing structures during the harsh Winter, used for bribes, stolen or spoiled. Either way, they are gone.
Build a Holding: Make your Regions better places by building important structures. Each Holding requires one Stone and one Lumber unless otherwise stated, and takes two successive Season actions to complete. Each Region can only have one Holding under construction at a time, and any given Region can't have more Holdings than its Rank. See the list of Holdings, below.
Create Art: Each Season spent creating requires one Resource of an appropriate type(Stone for a sculpture, Food for a banquest, etc - when in doubt, use Luxuries). Composing an Opera requires on extra Resource that must be a Luxury. The quality of the work of Art is dependent upon your Beauty and any other bonuses you can spend Style to muster(from Aspects and the like).
Conquer: You can attempt to Conquer and sieze a fellow Ven's Region. This has to happen in stages - first Season, spend an Espionage Action(you get these from a Spy Network Vassal) to look at your target's Regions - you get to see one Region for each rank in your Spy Network. Any attempts to Conquer a Region without scouting it first in this manner will automatically fail. The next Season, you spend a Season Action to direct your Personal Guard into the Region you wish in order to occupy it - every Season your Guard spends there, the Region's loyalty to your foe drops. Once that loyalty reaches zero, the Region is yours. Of course, in the mean time your target may move their own Personal Guard into the Region and the two forces will have to fight it out.
Establish/Grow Village: At a cost of one Lumber and one Stone, you can establish a Village. A Village counts as one of your Regions. Growing a village is also a season action, increasing its rank(to a maximum of 3) for one Lumber and one Stone. A village can spend its own Season action to grow itself - the resource requirement remains the same, and the village can't produce any Goods in any Season it grows itself.
Explore a Region: Open up a Region previously unavailable to you. You gain one Region of any type, but it starts off at Rank 1(unlike a Conquered Region, which might be of higher Rank and have Holdings associated with it). This action might become more difficult over time as uncivilized lands grow farther and farther away. Creating a new Castle is a special case, which costs 3 Lumber and 3 Stone in addition to the Season action. You'll probably want to have at least one Castle Region in every Province.
Found a City: To create a city, you must already have a rank 3 Village. For 3 Lumber, 3 Stone and 3 Luxuries, that Village is transformed into a City at the end of the Season.
Hire a Vassal: Bring on some new hands to help you maintain your Domain. This costs no Resources, but every Vassal must be fed at least one Food at the end of every Winter, and you may also want to give them additional Resources(especially Luxuries) to guarantee their loyalty.
Make a New Contact: Make more potential backstabbers - make another PC into a Contact. You must have their permission. You gain one free Season Action in a Contact’s Domain and may use it as if the Domain was your own. You may only spend one Season Action per Season in this way. You can also send one of your Resources to each Contact each Season without having to spend a Transport action. Last, but not least, you can also spend a Style to add two to a Contact's challenge at a game.
Personal Training: Make yourself a better leader. You may use a Season Action to learn an Advanced Maneuver (see Revenge). You can also use a Season Action to teach another ven a Maneuver. You can only teach up to the rank you know, so you can’t teach someone how to Parry unless you have at least one rank of that Maneuver. The instructor spends the Season Action, not the pupil. (If you fnd yourself in the position of teaching other ven Advanced Maneuvers, you’d better make sure it is someone you can trust and you’d better make damn sure you get a favor out of it.) You can also spend a Season Action to add an Aspect to your sheet. Each Phase has a number of Aspects you gain for entering that Phase. Two for Spring, three for Summer, four for Autumn, fve for Winter. You may learn a number of additional Aspects equal to your Wisdom divided by two, rounded up. No Wisdom? No bonus Aspects.
Quell Trouble: Get rid of pesky brigands, orks and other bothers in a single Region. Regions that have unquelled Trouble at the end of a Season will not produce Resources, and increase the chances of Trouble in nearby Regions.
Region Development: Improve a Region’s rank by one, to a maximum of 3. Castles are a special case, in that they cost 3 Stone and 3 Lumber in addition to the Season Action. Villages are also special, and are dealt with under "Establish/Grow a Village".
Research Sorcery: Gain more illegal knowledge - requires one Herbs Resource.
Transport Resources & Goods: Move around valuables - transfer any number of Goods and Resources to another Ven's Province(or to another of your Provinces, if you're might enough to have multiple ones).
Vassal Training: Give your followers more skills. You can work to increase the Rank of a Vassal by one or, if the Vassal is already Rank 3, make them into a Master Vassal - a full on NPC with a complete character sheet, but also with that most dangerous element of free will(making them ideally suited to be a PC for another character if you have a willing player). Increasing a Vassal's rank takes a number of Vassal Training actions equal to the Rank you are going to - so, to increase a Rank 2 Vassal to Rank 3, you need 3 Seasons worth of Vassal Training, and to increase that Rank 3 Vassal to a Master Vassal requires 4 Seasons worth of Vassal Training.
Art Gallery (Castle) - An Art Gallery adds one rank to any Art you create. It allows you to throw showings of great Art. See The Party, below.
Dam (Plains, Forest, Farm, Hills, Shoreline, Swamp) - Region can now produce Food. Thus, building a Dam on a Plains allows that Region to produce Wine, Spices and Food. If Region currently produces Food, it may produce 1 additional Food per Season.
Game Reserve (Forest) - Your Forest produces one extra Food per Season. You may also hold Hunts. See The Party, below.
Garden (Castle) - Once per Season, you can use your Garden to add two to a Beauty-based risk. A Province may have only one Garden.
Garrison (any Urban Region)- Increases Security by 1. Roll one less die for Trouble in this Region (minimum 0).
Gymnasium (Castle) - Once per Season, you can use your Gymnasium to add two to a Strength- based risk. A Province may have only one Gymnasium.
Marketplace (City) - Building a Marketplace makes it easier for your people to get the things they need. The City may now produce Trade (change one Resource for another).
Mine (Mountains or Hills Only) - Mines make it easier for your people to produce Metals and Stone. Any Region with a Mine may produce an extra Metal or Stone per Season. If your Region produces Metal, it produces two Metal. If it produces Stone, it produces two Stone.
Opera House (City or Castle) - The great and grand Art. You may sponsor Operas. See Compose Opera below for more information.
Port (Shoreline or City) - Ports make it easier for you to trade with other nobles. Once per Season, your Port provides you with a free Season Action to trade Resources with another noble.
Road (any Rural Region) - Roads connect your Regions together, making it easier for your Vassals to get back and forth. Roll one less die for Trouble in this Region (minimum 0).
School of Etiquette (any urban Region) - Once per Season, you can use your School of Etiquette to add two to a Cunning-based risk. A Province may have only one School of Etiquette.
Shrine (any Region) - Building a Shrine to a particular suaven increases the people’s knowledge of that dreaming ven. When you build a Shrine, you must specify a Suaven and have a Relic of that Suaven. When you call upon that suaven for a risk, you never need to spend Style to do so. Relic listed in the requirements for this Holding does not add to the number of actions needed to build it, but you must fnd the Relic to build the shrine. See Suaven for more on Relics.
Silo (Farm) - You can store up to 3 Resources in a silo.
Stadium (City) - Stadiums provide your people with entertainment, making them happy and keeping their minds away from their miserable lives. Increase your Province’s Loyalty by 1.
Swordsman Academy (any urban Region) - Once per Season, you can use your Swordsman Academy to add two to a Prowess-based risk. A Province may have only one Swordsman Academy.
Temple (any urban Region, Requires: To build a Temple in a Region, you must frst have a Shrine there for at least one Year. It must also be built in an urban Region (Village, Town or City).) - Constructing a Temple for one of the Suaven not only makes your people happy, but also provides you with valuable insight from the invisible world. The Temple increases your Region’s Loyalty by 2 (replacing the Shrine’s beneft). Also, as one of your Season Actions, you may visit the Temple. For each Temple you build, increase your Devotion to that Suaven by one rank (maximum 5).
Theater (any urban Region) - You may now sponsor Plays. See The Play below for more information.
University (any urban Region) - Once per Season, you can use your University to add two to a Wisdom- based risk. A Province may have only one University.
Warehouse (City) - You may store up to 5 Resources in a Warehouse.
Winery (Plains) - Once per Season, you can use your Winery to add two to a Courage- based risk. A Province may have only one Winery.
Villages, Cities and Goods
Villages and Cities are special types of Regions. They turn Industry into Goods via Craftsmen. A village automatically has one Craftsman, and can only ever have one. The Rank of that Craftsman is the same as the Rank of the Village, and cannot exceed it (though if a Craftsman dies or otherwise needs to be replaced, a Rank 1 Craftsman dwelling in a Rank 3 Village is certainly possible, for instance). A rank 1 Craftsman can turn 1 Industry into a Rank 1 Good each Season. A Rank 2 Craftsman can transform 2 Industry into 2 Rank 1 Goods each season...OR devote 2 Seasons to transform 2 Industry into a single Rank 2 Good. A Rank 3 Craftsman can transform 3 Industry into 3 Rank 1 Goods each Season OR devote 2 Seasons to transform 2 Industry into a single Rank 2 Good OR devote 3 Seasons transforming 3 Industry into a single Rank 3 Good. If a Village is using its action to grow itself, its Craftsman cannot produce any Goods that Season.
Cities can hold more than one Craftsman - they can hold up to 4, one of each Rank 1-4. Unsurprisingly, a Rank 4 Craftsman has all the options a Rank 3 Craftsmen has, except when they produce Rank 1 Goods they produce 4 of them, and they also have the choice of spending 4 Season Actions to turn 4 Industry into a single Rank 4 Good. Since Cities grow from a Rank 3 Village, they automatically start with a Rank 3 Craftsmen. Craftsmen are essentially Vassals, though they don't need to be given any Food so long as they are resident in a Village or City. They can be recruited or raised to higher Rank just like other Vassals though, and this is how a City can get up to potentially 4 Craftsmen.
What to Goods represent? They are things like a finely crafted Sword, or an elegant cloak, or an intricately detailed broach. They are works of Beauty, and the Ven who brings fine Goods to an event is considerably more Stylish. A Ven gains Style equal to the combined Ranks of all their Goods carried at an event - but only if they represent those Goods with appropriately spectacular costume items or props. A Rank 1 Good is merely well crafted, but a Rank 4 Good is something spectacular - a masterpiece. A Ven can only benefit from a number of Goods equal to 1 plus their Beauty. They can, of course, be given as gifts to other Ven, who will doubtless appreciate them.
Artisan - Creates Art to decorate your home and inspire your fellow ven. See Create Art Season Action below. There are many different kinds of Artisans, each a specialist in his own feld. You must pick a specifc area of expertise for each Artisan.
Apothecary - Your apothecary creates potions and poisons, treatments and toxins. He uses his Season Action to create one dose of Poison or one dose of Narcotics. He can alternatively use his Season Action to make you immune to one Poison.
Caravan (Band Vassal)- The caravan moves Resources from place to place, dodging Trouble whenever they can. Your caravan may use their Season Action to move Resources.
Court Scholar - Deals with all supernatural threats to your Domain, counters any belligerent sorcery, and makes sure no (other) sorcerers practice their illegal craft in your lands. Your court scholar may use his Season Action to research a new sorcerous ritual. He may research a number of rituals equal to his rank. See Sorcery for more information.
Craftsman - A Craftsman can create Goods. The rank of the Craftsman determines the quality of the item. In other words, the Craftsman’s rank equals the Quality of the Item. Craftsmen are part of Villages and Cities. Every Village has one Craftsman equal to the rank of the Village. You may, if you wish, hire a Craftsman to work in your Castle. You may only have one Craftsman in your Castle. His rank cannot be higher than the rank of the Castle. See Cities and Villages for more information.
General (Master Vassal) - A General leads Secret Armies. Of course, you would never think of violating the law and raising such a thing, now would you? When your Secret Army reaches rank 3, you may spend a Season action to train a General: an NPC to lead your troops. Your General is an NPC and may have Virtues, Aspects and Advanced Maneuvers just like every other ven. See Violence and Conquer (below) for more information.
Herald - Notifes your people of your will and news of the day. Also delivers propaganda—I mean “messages”—to your neighbors. Your herald may use his Season Action to raise the Loyalty of any Region by one rank. He may not increase any Region’s Loyalty by more than one rank per Season. Your Herald can also make an attempt to lower a neighbor’s Loyalty by one rank. Roll your Herald’s rank in a contested risk against the current Loyalty of the foreign Region’s Loyalty. If your Herald rolls greater than the Region, its Loyalty goes down by one rank.
Maid/Valet - Stands by your side and helps you with mundane tasks. Women have maids. Men have valets. And they let you bring additional Advantages to a party if you choose to bring them - one per Rank(though that first Rank equals out because you need to spend an Advantage to bring your Maid or Valet).
Master of the Road (Master Vassal) - When you increase a rank 3 Roadmen to the status of NPC, you gain a Master of the Road. The Master of the Road is a full-fedged NPC with Virtues and Aspects. The Master of the Road deals with orks and other rural bothers in your Domain. Your master of the road may use his Season Actions to quell any trouble in one rural Region. He can also perform the Explore Regions Season Action for you, assisting in expanding your Domain.
Master Spy (Master Vassal) - When you increase a rank 3 Spy Network to the status of NPC, you gain a Spy Master. The Spy Master is an NPC, complete with Virtues and Aspects. He may add to your Spy Network’s Espionage Actions as a character. See Espionage Actions for more information.
Mayor - You need a City before you can have a Mayor. Your Mayor quells trouble in a City. He can also store 2 Resources per rank when the Winter comes. Thus, a rank 2 Mayor can store up to 4 Resources at the end of the Year.
Personal Guard (Band Vassal) - Personal Guard increase your personal safety. Like the Spy Network and Roadmen, your Personal Guard come in packs of ten. Each rank of Personal Guard counts as ten guards dedicated to your safety. This provides you with ten ven willing to die to protect you, but it also provides you a degree of safety during Mass Murder scenes.
Roadmen (Band Vassal) - Roadmen (knights) wander the countryside solving problems and quelling trouble. Like the Spy Network and Personal Guard, Roadmen come in packs of ten. Each rank increases their number by another ten.
Secret Army (Band Vassal) - Make no mistake. Raising an army in Shanri is illegal. A threat to all other nobles. If caught, you may be forced to wear the black for a very, very long time. Perhaps even executed. But, if you like playing close to the edge, here you go. Every Province may have one Secret Army. Like other Vassals, your Army begins at rank 1 and can gain in rank with Season Actions. Only you or your Seneschal may train your Army. Of course, your spouse as well. An Army may only have a rank equal to the number of Farms in your Province.Each Season, you must choose a Region where you hide your Secret Army. If an enemy performs an Espionage Action on your selected Region, they may very well fnd your Army. Evidence of such an army could lead to your character’s death. Like other Group Vassals, once your Secret Army reaches rank 3, you spend one more Season action to hire a General to lead them. Secret Armies can take any Season Action your Personal Guard can take. Each Province may have only one Secret Army. See the Violence chapter and Conquer Region for more.
Seneschal (Master Vassal) - When you increase a rank 3 Staff to the status of NPC, you gain a Seneschal. Your Seneschal can use his Season Action to quell trouble anywhere in your Domain. He may also use his Season Action to increase the rank of any of your Vassals. Finally, your Seneschal may also increase the ranks of your Regions.
Sheriff - Maintains law and order in your Domain. Your sheriff can use a Season Action to quell trouble in any urban Region in your Domain. He gains a number of Season Actions equal to his rank.
Spouse - Your Spouse is not really a Vassal—try ordering around your real life signifcant other and fnd out what happens—but the Spouse is listed here for reference. A Spouse can take any action a character can; 1 Action per Season. He grows in strength and competence like any other Vassal.
Spy Network (Band Vassal) - Increases the security of your own Domain and helps “investigate” other Domains. Like the Roadmen and Personal Guard, your Spy Network comes in a pack of ten spies. Every rank increases their number by ten. Your spy network can perform Espionage Actions. See Espionage below for more information.
Staff (Band Vassal) - Staff maintain your Castle, make sure everything is put in its proper place. Your butler, maids, cooks, and other lesser servants fall under this Vassal. If you have Staff, you never have Trouble in your Castle. Also, they assist you in throwing Parties. You can only throw a Party with a rank equal to your Staff’s rank. Last, but not least, if you have you a party in your Castle and bring your Staff, they let you bring an additional Advantage per rank, much like Maids and Valets.
Swordsman (Master Vassal) - When you increase a rank 3 Personal Guard to the status of NPC, you gain a Swordsman. Your Swordsman is an NPC, complete with Virtues and Aspects and may take Season Actions to assist your Personal Guard. He can also accept duels for you. See Violence for more information on duels. Your Swordsman can use his Season Action to add to the Security of yourself or any of your other Vassals. He adds a number of Security ranks equal to his Prowess. See Security, below. Finally, a swordsman can teach you a Maneuver as a Season Action. He may not teach you more than one Maneuver per Season.
Espionage Actions are only performed by Spy Networks and Master Spies - you cannot perform these yourself. You can, however, spend a Season Action to assist your Spies and increase their effectiveness, if you wish. Unlike most regular actions, Espionage Actions have a chance of failure. Espionage Actions include:
Assassinate Vassal: Assassinate a rival's Vassal. This requires an action both from a Master Spy and from a Spy Network, and is risky - it is not guaranteed to work, nor is your Master Spy guaranteed to survive even if successful.
Bribe Vassal: Attempt to turn a rival's Vassal - you can then either have them come work for you, or employ them as a double agent. At the very least you'll want to spend Luxuries equal to double the Vassal's rank, and possibly more if the Vassal is especially loyal.
Cause Trouble: Create Trouble in someone else's Region.
Increase Security: You can focus your Spy Network or Master Spy on making your own Province more resistant to the Espionage Actions of others.
Interrogate: If you've managed to capture someone else's Spies, you can try and glean additional information from them.
Sabotage Holding: Attempt to destroy someone else's holding. You must have successfully performed a previous Espionage Action confirming the holding exists, of course.
Spy on Regions: You may choose to use your Spy Network to spy on foreign Regions. If successful, you discover a number of the following facts equal to your Spy Network’s rank: what Resources the Region is producing this Season, what Holdings the Region has (complete or under construction), the Security of that Region, the Loyalty of that Region, or if the Region holds a Secret Army. You choose. You may learn a number of the above facts equal to the rank of your Spy Network. If your Spy Master participates in the action, you may add his Cunning to the rank of the Action.
Spy on People: You may also choose to use your Spy Network to investigate people from other Domains. This includes player characters, Vassals and NPCs. If successful, you fnd out: what Season Actions the character made this Season, or one of the character’s invokes, tags, or compels, or discover the rank of one of the target’s Virtues. You only get one regardless of your Spy Network’s rank or your Master Spy’s Cunning.
Tyrant: Blood from a turnip? That’s easy. You just need the right vise. This is an Espionage Action only a Spy Master can perform. You may, if you wish, crush the hopes and dreams of your people, forcing them to work beyond normal means. You may squeeze a number of Regions equal to one plus your Cunning, forcing each Region to produce an additional Resource, but those Regions’ Loyalty automatically lowers to 1.
