| Chapter I: The Dystopian World |
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| Time |
Dystopian time passes many times more quickly than yours. This is summarised below. An in depth understanding is not absolutely necessary.
| Dystopian time | Your time |
| 1 minute |
2.5 seconds |
| 1 hour |
2.5 minutes |
| 1 day |
1 hour |
| 1 month |
1 day |
| 1 year |
12 days |
Each of our months contains 24 days and each year 12 months. Our seasonal calander is described below, every season lasts 3 months:
| Season | Months |
| Spring |
Jan - Mar |
| Summer |
Apr - Jun |
| Fall |
Jul - Sep |
| Winter |
Oct - Dec |
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| Protection |
A form of protection is afforded to starting territories, this
is a period of two months during which their whereabouts are unknown.
This is not an idle time and preparations must be made to enter
the unforgiving world. Military must be trained and buildings built.
Note: actions that may give away your position are prohibited during
protection, these including attacking (see Combat), treachery (see
Treachery) and aggressive spells (see Magic).
Main points:
Territories start in protection. Protection lasts 2 Dystopian months. |
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| Rounds |
The Dystopian world regularly succumbs to the chaos that spawned
it. This resurgence of chaos wipes the land clean of life. Time
is forgotten, but slowly the world reforms. The aftermath of such
an event allows leaders to start over and have another chance at
dominating the Dystopian world, if only until the next chaos emerges.
Main points:
The Dystopian world is destroyed and recreated on a regular and almost predictable basis.
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| Kingdoms |
It might be appealing to think you can take on the Dystopian world alone. By all means you may try, but your chances of success are far increased by joining a team of territories and working together. A kingdom is a team of up to 8 individual territories of any race. Forming a kingdom with other territories allows sharing of information on potential targets and the use of group tactics to defeat enemies. A kingdom has a monarch to manage its affairs and moderate its discussions, the position is simply a formality and holds no material benefit.
Main points:
Kingdoms are a group of up to 8 territories working together. There is great advantage in joining a kingdom as opposed to going solo.
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| Gold Pieces |
The monetary unit in the Dystopian world is gold pieces (Gp). Gold pieces can be used to buy almost anything. Raw materials and services needed for development of your territory are easily bought. This guide will later detail how to use your population and lands to generate gold.
Main points:
Dystopian money is gold pieces (gp)
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| Land |
Land is measured in acres. Land is the raw material upon which your territory is based. Each acre may be dedicated to a certain function through the construction of buildings (see Buildings). Land can be gained through claiming (see Claim) and combat (see Combat).
Main points:
Land is measured in acres. Acres are gained through exploration or combat. |
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| Population |
Your population is divided into lowerclass and upperclass citizens known as serfs and vassals respectively. This differentiation is a social mindset based on bigotry and egotism, not a true physical difference. The nature of superiority complexes amongst your society is of little interest, what is of concern is the uses each class has...
- Serfs
Serfs are generally hardworking laborers more than willing to get their hands dirty. Physical labour and basic production is the serf specialty. They are far less particular about lodgings than vassals and consequently may be housed in greater density. The undiscriminating serf attitude also serves to create a higher reproduction rate. This rate can be further increased through the provision of hospitals (see Buildings).
- Vassals
Vassals spend their lives on personal business of some description. Regardless of the nature of this business their dealings undergo territory imposed taxes. Vassals are useful in the sense that they generate a measureable income. Sadly their self confessed sophistication is also a drawback, with far slower reproduction rates than serfs and less dense housing. Reproduction rates amongst vassals may be greatly boosted by the provision of hospitals (see Buildings).
Main points:
Your population is divided into two classes, serfs and vassals.
Serfs: Perform manual labor, have high reproductive rates and may be housed in high density.
Vassals: Earn you gp, have low reproductive rates and are housed in lower density than serfs |
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| Military Units |
Your territory is capable of training units in several ways. Different classes of units have different uses, some will help you defend your lands, others will be more useful in attack (see Combat) and still others will be useful in both respects.
Serfs, limited by their intellect, are trainable into specialists or sentries...
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Offensive specialists: A unit trained only in attack. These are melee fighters generally schooled in the use of a single weapon. Their limited knowledge and lack of discipline often leads to reckless actions. For this reason their mortality rates are higher than that of elites, but lower than that of ranged units in close combat. It must be noted that the resulting soldier from this form of training will not fight in defensive action, only in attack. The base time for training offense specialists is 6 days.
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Defensive specialists: This could be considered the opposite of offesive specialist training. The resulting unit is specialised towards and will only fight on defense. Defense specialists are melee units facing the full force of an attacking army. Mortality rates are higher than those of elites and slightly higher than those of ranged units on defense. The base time for training defensive specialists is 6 days.
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Sentries: Sentries are the most basic of military units. They remain at home within a territory and fight only on defense as melee units. Sentry training only touches upon melee fighting, most of their time is dedicated to other disciplines such as survival in the wilds, claiming land (see Claiming) and operation of cannontowers (see Buildings). The base time for training sentries is 4 days.
Vassals on the other hand are capable of more advanced skill and can undergo training to become an elite or ranged unit. These more advanced units are capable of fighting in both offense and defense.
- Elites: Elites are adept melee units trained in effective methods of attack and defense. Additional training is given in avoidance of ranged projectiles and various shielding techniques. These disciplines combine to greatly reduce their mortality rates in all forms of combat. The base time for training elite units is 8 days.
- Ranged: By ranged I speak not only of archery, but of any ranged attacks. Arrows are the chosen projectiles for several races, others use rocks, spikes, javelins, exhaled fireballs and so on. These units use their skills to attack enemy units before any melee combat occurs. The effectiveness of archers in ranged skill varies greatly with race (see Race). Ranged units do also participate in melee combat, yet are not as well trained or equipped to deal with this as elites and offense specialists are. Consequently the major source of ranged unit losses is melee combat.Very few archers die as a result of enemy ranged attacks, they are generally out of range. Ranged attacks mostly hit forward combatants such as specialists and elites. The base time for training ranged units is 8 days.
The specific strengths of units as a result of these training routines, and the costs associated with training vary depending on race (see Races). Unit strengths are a relative measure made in comparison to a sentries defensive ability (valued as 1). For convenience your units will have their statistics displayed indicating their ability in both forms of combat. The established format for this is (offensive/defensive). For example, if your elites have the relative values of 2 offense and 3 defense they would be displayed as (2/3).
Main points:
| Unit | Draft from | Train time |
| Offense specialist | Serfs | 6 days |
| Defensive specialist | Serfs | 6 days |
| Elite | Vassals | 8 days |
| Ranged Unit | Vassals | 8 days |
| Sentry | Serfs | 4 days |
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| Power |
Power is simply an indication of a territories accumulated strength. It is a measure that combines military strength, land and built infrastructure (see Buildings).
Main points:
Power is strength, your aim is to increase your territories power. |
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