Battle for Spherus Magna

[Nik the Three]

Great Beings were ruling their people peacefully for thousands of years. But as population was growing, they were unable to control everything. Last straw was chaos created by plague, which struck Spherus Magna. They decided to create eight powerful Element Lords, each ruling their assigned tribe. Soon after creation of Element Lords, Energized Protodermis started escaping planet’s core, due to building of Giant Robot, later known as Mata Nui. In hunger for power, Element Lords started wars between tribes to get each other’s Protodermis. As so began the long and cruel Core War.

Become one of eight Element Lords in ongoing Core War. Train your troops and conquer adjacent lands to get Energized Protodermis. Think strategically and create alliances with other tribes to become more powerful. Beware the Skrall, dangerous species, which may strike suddenly without warning. Claim whole area of Spherus Magna before the Shattering happens!

Setup
On the very beginning of the game, you take role of random Element Lord (Fire, Water, Ice, Sand, Earth, Jungle, Rock or Iron) and are assigned to your corresponding Tribe. Your place on Spherus Magna is chosen randomly. There are 9 positions, aligned to 3x3 grid with Skrall area in center. Three positions have advantages. South-west (bottom-left) area can’t be attacked until it lost its immunity by attacking other tribe. This immunity falls automatically at start of round 10. East (center-right) area has permanent defense bonus +1. At start you get 2 defense units, increasing defense by +2. When Skrall (center) area is controlled by player, it receives permanent attack bonus +1.

Round
Game is turn-based and divided into rounds with each player having one turn. In odd rounds (1st, 3rd...), order of player’s is generated randomly and in following rounds, order is reversed.
Each round, player chooses between three different actions: training troops, increasing your attack value by +1, training defense units, increasing your defense by +1 and attacking adjacent tribe. You perform one action for each area you have.
Additionaly you can use your Glatorian or Legend (not both in one turn). Using them don’t counts as action (you can for example use Glatorian and train troops in the same turn) and most of effects are applied before action.
Game definitely ends at the end of round 30 by the Shattering (if the game will be running smoothly, I can extend it). Player with highest amount of tribes conquered wins. Game can have 2 or more winners in case of draw. Taking over all 9 areas also makes you win.

Attacking
If all other conditions are met, you can attack ever since round 6. When you choose to attack, all of your troops are sent to attack chosen tribe. You can’t choose to send only part of your troops (This is also where defense units get useful). Each tribe’s troops work independently, even if they are owned by same player.
I tried to make attack as simple as possible, but it is still too complicated. I have made a calculator (it works 99.9% right) to ease the things. You don’t really have to read attack mechanics below, but that’s up to you.

When you attack, you first have to deal with opponent’s defense units. If your attack is higher than or equal to opponent’s defense, you proceed to opponent’s attack units, losing number of your attack units equal to half of enemy’s defense (round up if needed).
If your attack is smaller than opponent’s defense, half of your attack units is lost (round up if needed) and they return to tribe they came from. They however destroy number of defense units equal to your attack.
Then you deal with opponent’s attack units. This is fairly simple, if your attack is higher than your opponent’s (and you have at least 1 attack unit left), you conquered the area, reviving half of your destroyed units (round up if needed). Defense units aren’t regained.
If attack is smaller than or same as opponent’s, you loose all of your attack units and opponent regains half of his own (round up if needed).
After unsuccessful attack (either losing to defense or attack units), half of destroyed defense units (round down if needed) are regained.

Skrall
Skrall perform one action on end of each round, starting by round 6. They can’t be attacked, but can attack. Their attack is performed in same way player attack is performed, but if they win, they left area without single defense unit or troop, making it vulnerable to other tribes.
Their attack is controlled by me (or random.org). I randomly generate number between 1 and 12. There is 1 in 12 chance for each tribe to be attacked by them, and 1 in 12 chance for each +1, +2 and +3 attack boost for next round. Basic attack is 4 and permanently increases every 5 rounds with first increase in round 10 (r9 = 4, r10 = 5, r15 = 6). Their current attack will be always announced on start of each round.
Whoever is first to have three tribes will automatically claim Skrall area, making it work as normal area (with +1 attack bonus). It can attack every area on Spherus Magna (including corners), but also can be attacked by every area (including corners). That makes it strategically important and vulnerable at the same time.

Glatorian
Glatorian and Legends gives each tribe special ability. Glatorian’s ability can be used more times (each have different cooldown) and is bound to area, so you can use different abilities for each of your owned areas. Legends can be used only one time and their effect applies for all your owned areas. If you conquer new area, you cannot use it’s Legend, even if it wasn’t used by previous owner.
Fire Tribe
Legend: Ackar - Increase your attack power by +2 for next turn (all areas)
Glatorian: Perditus - Train 1 troop unit immediately (once per 4 rounds)
Water Tribe
Legend: Tarix - Increase your defense power by +1 for next 3 rounds (up to 4 chosen tribes)
Glatorian: Kiina - You can’t attack and can’t be attacked in next round (once per 5 rounds)
Ice Tribe
Legend: Strakk - You can’t be attacked in this and next round. You also can’t attack this round (all tribes)
Glatorian: Gelu - Choose one adjacent tribe. It can’t perform any actions, but Glatorian and Legends (once per 5 rounds)
Sand Tribe
Legend: Malum - All enemies have defense power decreased by -1 for next 2 rounds (all other tribes)
Glatorian: Vorox - Increase attack by +1 for next 2 rounds (once per 7 rounds)
Earth Tribe
Legend: Nuhviix - Control one adjacent area’s actions in next round, making it able to attack even on it’s own tribe’s area. Everything goes as in regular attack.
Glatorian: Ontaru - Disable (NPC or player controlled) Skrall area for it’s next turn (once per 5 rounds)
Rock Tribe
Legend: Stronius - Increase your attack power by +1 permanently. Can’t be used until round 15. (all owned areas)
Glatorian: Branar - Destroy 2 defense units of chosen adjacent area. (once per 6 rounds)
Jungle Tribe
Legend: Vastus - Increase your defense power by +3 for next turn (all areas)
Glatorian: Gresh - You can attack any area adjacent to your adjacent areas (excluding Skrall area) (once per 8 rounds)
Iron Tribe
Legend: Telluris - Choose one tribe to have -1 defense for 3 rounds. Can’t be used until round 12. (all areas of one tribe)
Glatorian: Skorpoku - Train 2 defense units immediately (once per 7 rounds)

Rules
1. All BZPower rules applies. That’s an obvious one.
2. Post your actions (including Glatorian and Legends activation) here, not in PM.
3. In order to speed things up, do not wait for your turn, but instead post as soon as possible (if it is not necessary for your strategy to know what other person will do). All turns will be performed when everybody does their turn.
4. Limit for each round is 24 hours. It might be extended on special occasions. (It is an upper limit, 6-hours round would be great!)
5. If you don’t respond in 24 hours limit for first time in row, you will automatically train troops. Second time is idle (no action).
6. If it happens 3 times in row, all your areas will be deserted with 2 defense units and 0 attack units, leaving them vulnerable to your neighbors. You can’t ever come back then. Your areas are also deserted if you miss 6 turns totally. There might be very special exempts, but don’t rely on them.

Feedback
Before game starts, I don’t have problem with any suggestions. It took me a while to write this down, but I would like to hear, if something can be better.
Same goes for questions. If you misunderstood something, ask me. Remember that stupid questions are better than stupid playing. Or something like that.
Lovely picture on top was made by me with Inkscape and GIMP. Share your hype by posting this 200x200 version of it in your signature!
http://i.imgur.com/C12GKBJ.png

Players
1. ToaKapura
2. Portalfig
3. empty
4. Jed1ndy
5. empty
6. empty
7. empty
8. Fishers64

Edited August 9, 2015 by Nik the Three

[jed1ndy]

Sure, I'll join! Spot 4, good sir!

[Nik the Three]

Sure, I'll join! Spot 4, good sir!

Can I worship you as a first ever person to join my first ever BZPower game?

 

I am curious about how game will play. It should be pretty slow, but as players conquer other areas and their original tribes dissapear, game should start running faster, because 2 players are more likely to answer quickly. Otherwise, game should take no longer than 30 days, which is still pretty long time for 8 player game.

About 8 players, I have decided for lower number, because it would be really hard for me to manage more for this type of game. There were 8 tribes on Spherus Magna and it perfectly fits 3x3 grid with NPC in center for some extra excitement.

[jed1ndy]

 

Sure, I'll join! Spot 4, good sir!

Can I worship you as a first ever person to join my first ever BZPower game?

I mean, if you want to, then of course you can. But if not, then I don't really find it necessary. Edited July 29, 2015 by jed1ndy

[fishers64]

I think that there is a little too much randomness in the game. Can't we select our tribes for best strategy?

[Nik the Three]

I think that there is a little too much randomness in the game. Can't we select our tribes for best strategy?

 

It's because some Glatorian and Legends might be a bit overpowered while some others might be underpowered. Also, players then might be complaining, because who come first has the biggest choice choosing from 8 tribes, 5th from 4 tribes. And then, finding 8th player might take longer, because everybody might be like: "I don't want to play as Earth Lord, earth is so stupid element! How is it even different from rock?"

 

About Glatorian, they were added to not have "generic Bionicle-themed strategy game".

Edited July 30, 2015 by Nik333

[fishers64]

I see. I'll join then - spot 8. 

[Nik the Three]

You're in fishers! 6 spots remaing.

[Portalfig]

Okay so

 

I think I'll join

 

Against my better judgement that tells me I'll be too busy but

 

I do like how this game works. Should be fun!

 

(Also, welcome to G&T! You might have been around here before but you just joined your first Mafia game IIRC so yeah. welcome whether this is new to you or not!)

[Nik the Three]

You were added, nice to host you!

 

I think that this way of getting to know BZPower (joining Mafia, Corpus Rahkshi, starting my own game) is much better than observing from distance.

[ToaKapura1234]

Oh wait I thought I had already joined this. Spot 1.

[Nik the Three]

You're in. 4 spots left!

 

*chance of this game starting intensifies*