# Create Your Own Terra (CYOT): Nationbuilding/Diplomacy RP



## Tani Coyote (Sep 28, 2019)

*Create Your Own Terra*

(Terra is the Latin term for Earth)

CYOT (pronounced like “coyote”) is a simplistic half-game, half-roleplay for people who love roleplaying in the strategy genre; put differently, this is a nation building/worldbuilding type of game. If you’ve liked games like Civilization, Paradox’s various games, city builders, Rise of Nations, or Diplomacy, this is likely your type of game.

You create a nation of your choosing, whether based off a real one or from scratch, and lead it through the course of the game. You share the world with other players, sometimes making friends, sometimes making enemies. Be an advocate for world peace, be a notorious warmonger, or just be an isolationist who minds their own business. That choice is yours.

My responsibility is to serve as a neutral GM (game moderator/master) who compiles everything, help a little bit with overall narrative, and most importantly, keep things from getting *too* out of hand.

*Basic Setting:*

More or less modern era, after an unspecified apocalypse or "Cataclysm" destroyed the old governments and societies of the world. Sci-fi and magic things are fair game. In that vein, you can roleplay essentially whatever you desire, though only things rolled for with a D20 are 100% canon and have mechanical effect. You can boast about having the biggest Army in the world, but if you roll a 1, all you really have is a bunch of inflatable tanks.

*Signing Up/Joining the Game:*



Spoiler












State your nation’s name, color, and pick 5 provinces/territories on the map; most islands do not count as territories.

Giving additional details is optional, but highly encouraged. You can be more or less whatever you desire (though in the interest of game quality, I do reserve the right to say something’s a bit much).

A nation entirely populated by anthros. A nation with strong ethnic tensions between anthros and humans. A prosperous democracy. A brutal dictatorship. These are all some ideas you can mix and match. If you ever wondered what it might be like to control a country, this is for you.

If you need some ideas on crafting a history, it never hurts to take a look at a country or region’s Wikipedia article and get some ideas for your area. Just remember you are not confined to RL history; the Earth map is largely used for practicality.
*

Here’s an idea of what a signup could look like:*






Name: Coyotl Confederation

Government: The Confederation is based on the principles of anarchism, with the county being the base sovereign unit. Every county sends a representative to the Confederal government for a four year term, though they may be recalled before their term is over following rules set by their county of origin.

Each county is free to organize its government however it pleases, but must include provisions for ballot initiatives.

Economy: The Confederal government has very limited authority over the economy, only able to directly regulate truly intercounty commerce like banking and transportation. Each county may organize its economy as it pleases, with counties having economies varying from very capitalist to being made almost exclusively of collective enterprises.

Religion: There is no state religion, and no clearly dominant faith. Most people are syncretic in their beliefs, however, and coyote entities like the Navajo Atse’hashke and Mexica Huehuecoyotl are a common element in the various belief systems.

Language: Spanish (official), with widely spoken Nahuatl and Navajo

Currency: The Cacti Spine

History: The Confederation emerged approximately a century after the Cataclysm, when anthropomorphic coyotes wandered out of the wastes of what had once been the American Southwest. Intelligent and with amazing physical abilities, the various coyotes brought a restoration of technology and order to the various people of the region. As time went on, more and more anthropomorphic animals became known, gradually ending humans’ status as the majority species. In spite of this, the coyotes’ values of personal liberty and hedonism went a long way to maintain peaceful coexistence. A central government that exists largely to regulate trade and diplomacy with other nations does the rest.

*Gameplay:*

Once enough players are signed up, the game begins, which is divided into turns of varying length. There are three parts to every turn:

1)  Expansion. Unless you’re looking for a challenge, you will want to expand your borders. For every 3 territories you control, you get 1 XP per turn. You lay claim to territories by stating you are going to use 1 XP to expand into it. At the next turn’s start, that territory will be yours.
1a) I will keep track of all nations and their XP on a chart, so you do not need to calculate your XP yourself each turn.
1b) XP does not necessarily need to be spent and can be banked for use in future wars or perhaps in various projects.

2)  Policy. You can attempt to pass one major policy each turn. This could be a new law, signing a treaty, a new weapons program, whatever you like. A D20 roll determines success or failure, and your nation may receive in-game modifiers reflecting the roll. Your limit is essentially your imagination though remember the more ambitious you are, the harsher the penalties for failure.

3)  Roleplay. This is not required, but you may freely post about events in your nation, engage in diplomacy with other players, etc. This can be as long or as short as you please. Roleplay can be in private messages or on this thread; the thread is your official announcements and the like, while private messages are suited for secret discussions with other players.

*A note on roleplay/policy separation:* While you can freely discuss policies and treaties with other players as much as you want, only things that are rolled for with a D20 will have mechanical effect.

*A word on warfare:* Sometimes, countries don’t get along. You are free to declare war on other players. Players who are attacked may designate XP for use in defense. Players attacking need three times the number of XP to make a successful attack.

Example: Zootopia declares war on Cornernia. If the Cornerian Republic defends with 2 XP, the Zootopian Empire will need 6 XP to make a successful attack, and will only gain 2 territories from the deal rather than the 6 it would have gained claiming neutral territory.

In the interest of fair play, *sneak attacks are not allowed*.

In short: warfare is generally not worth it. Peaceful play is generally encouraged, though there will certainly be tensions.

*Discussion of politics*: By its very nature, it is probable some level of political discussion will come up in this game. The guiding rule is to keep it relevant to the universe of the world and to minimize discussion of RL political subjects. It is one thing for say, a totalitarian government to argue its system provides more security than a democracy, but if we are actively referencing real world politicians and governments it can quickly get out of hand.

*A closing note:*_ This game’s mechanics are extremely abstract and simplified, serving primarily to provide some structure to the overall roleplaying scenario, and should not be interpreted as a reflection of political reality.
_
With that, any signups or questions are open!


----------



## Limedragon27 (Sep 28, 2019)

I would love to sign up for this! I've grown to miss nationbuilding stuff, haven't been able to do it in awhile with other people. I have a  few questions, how long had it been since the Cataclysm? And how would we go about signing up?


----------



## Tani Coyote (Sep 28, 2019)

Limedragon27 said:


> I have a  few questions, how long had it been since the Cataclysm?



I would say a few decades, allowing some semblance of rebuilt civilization!



> And how would we go about signing up?



Just pick a color, 5 territories on the map, and post what everyone else would need to know about your nation! A name is the absolute minimum of course, though all the fluff details like government structure, culture, economy, etc. are greatly appreciated and enrich everyone's experience.


----------



## Limedragon27 (Sep 28, 2019)

Tani Coyote said:


> I would say a few decades, allowing some semblance of rebuilt civilization!
> 
> 
> 
> Just pick a color, 5 territories on the map, and post what everyone else would need to know about your nation! A name is the absolute minimum of course, though all the fluff details like government structure, culture, economy, etc. are greatly appreciated and enrich everyone's experience.



Sounds good to me, will do.


----------



## Limedragon27 (Sep 28, 2019)

Name: Republic of Zotriara

Government: Representative Democracy
Like the old world, the leader is elected into office after a nationwide vote. Each province sends representatives to represent their province and regions in the senate and grand court. Laws need to pass through the senate and grand court before coming into full effect, however, there are no political parties.

Economy: Zotriara practices a mixed economy, many stating it as a Regulated Capitalist society.

Religion:
Majority: Alekogarism - A Polytheistic religion centered around Universe and Dragon worship.
Minority: Christianity, Animism, Atheism/Agnosticism, Other

Language: English was made the official language, with traditional Draconic spoken in the country side by the Dragon population, and native languages like Algic and Iroquoian spoken often spoken among the native population of Wolves Foxes and Mountain Lions.

Currency: Nuras

Races:
---Majority: Dragons
---Minority: Wolves, Foxes, Mountain Lions, Other

Capital: Dragonhold ((Albany))

History:
The first attempt to create a Dragon state by anthro Dragons fleeing Europe during the colonial era was ultimately crushed, but it planted the seeds as the Dragons dreamed of creating a state of their own. After the fall the Dragon population proved dominance as there was more unity than their human counterparts, the Dragon factions proved the most dominate, human groups either fled for better territory or died out. Long later the Dragon groups formed together and met in what was once Albany, forming a new republic called the Republic of Zotriara, a safe haven for Dragons all over the world. Groups of what is called native mammalians, such as Foxes, Wolves, and Mountain Lions would also be incorporated into the new Republic through time. During this time most Dragons would return to their old roots and traditions, converting from to the Dragon pagan religion of Alekogariam and even speaking Draconic, English would still be the official language but old world religions would find themselves in the minority.


----------



## Yindyssagh (Sep 29, 2019)

Spoiler: flag











Name: United Uruk Clans
Capital: Du'ul, set up near the Welsh side of the River Seven.
Government: Clan Assembly: confederated democratic clan structure, with each clan leader elected by their clan members and a hand being appointed by the clan members to go to the Clan Assembly or “Hand Assembly” to construct united clan measures. In times of emergency, such as war, the Clan Assembly has the power to appoint a Warchief to hold executive dominion to lead the UUC against the crises.
Economy: Clan Economy: semi-commanded by the clans with the pooling of the Commons. Markets relations are between clans, between the UUC & foreign powers and between clans & foreign powers. Merchant activity is set through co-ops.
Religion: Dragon Worship, as well as Druidism, shamanism, Chaos and other faiths
Language: Uruk, along with Aarh, Welsh, the Fair Folk Tongue (AKA Manx) Lutin, Chaddoqi, Greek, and Draconic
Currency: drogons
Species: orcs, goblins, trolls, minotaurs, gnolls, kobolds, humans, elves, dragonborn, ogres, werewolves, centaurs, gnomes, satyrs, lizardfolk and others
History: the "Cataclysm" came with a arcane storm. The first powers came to be the Stone Kingdom of Sigrudland in the mountains of Norway and the Chaddoq Horde. After the Pact of Du'ul many clans united under the United Clans of Aar; after taking union with the Chaddoq Hord and the break up of the Stone Kingdom of Sigrudland, along with the volunteering joining of clans like the Lutin, the union reformed as the United Uruk Clans.

Clans: here they be



Spoiler: claims









*Work in progress*


----------



## Limedragon27 (Sep 29, 2019)

Bump, need more people here.


----------



## Tani Coyote (Sep 29, 2019)

That's two, at least! I think to maximize the dynamic of the world, we need a few more... while two players is good for say, some kind of Cold War scenario (though that would entail me coding in lots of minor powers as NPCs, which I think could be difficult with this game's mechanics), as the game is currently designed, I am unsure if two players would be sufficient. :x I went with very simple, straightforward mechanics to avoid making anyone feel intimidated about joining. 

Worst case scenario, I'd probably have to consider a different venue for hosting. I have seen the NationStates website, which is built around political and diplomacy sims, gives free reign to build games like this in its roleplay subforums. Main drawback is it isn't a furry website, however.


----------



## GooSquirrel (Sep 30, 2019)

Spoiler: Claims











Spoiler: Flag











*Name*: Pan-Hellenic League

*Government*: Diplomatic league of local city-state governments, built to unite the efforts of the re-emerging Greeks across the Aegean. Most of the cities range from classical monarchies to limited direct democracies, with some notable exceptions such as the Delphic theocracy, more anarchic Athens (the Athenian aligned states don't practice either serfdom or slavery), and the merchant Republic of Byzantium.

*Major internal states*: Laconia (Spartan-style military democracy), Athenian Commune (anarchic city-state with true direct democracy), Republic of Byzantium (Merchant republic run by the rich citizens, with trade posts throughout the Hellenic world and beyond), Delphi (Theocratic and religious center of the Hellenic World), Macedonia (tribal kingship of the northern plains and protector of their northern mountain borders)

*Religion*: Hellenic pantheon

*Language*: Kione Greek, local dialects

*Currency*: Drachmae, coins

*Economy*: Local economies built off indentured labor, freemen artisans/crafters/etc and the commercial activity and patronage of a limited cadre of citizens. Much of the food resources in each city-state is pooled into a public supply and distributed, via grain dole while luxuries are purchased in a more conventional way. On a more macro scale, they rely on trade as a major source of resources and income for the region, as they straddle major bottlenecks between Europe, Asia, and Africa.

*Species*: Being a crossroads, just about anything can be encountered in the region. However, natives tend to be majority caniforms (dogs, wolves, foxes, rarely bears save in mountains), while certain felines such as lynxes, and others like deer, ibex, or boars are common in certain regions yet still in the minority. Rodents tend to be considered second class among the Hellenes, partially due to being so quick breeding making them a good cheap labor force. Humans are a stark rarity, if any still exist in the region.

*History: *Like most of their history, the Greeks always proved to be survivors. When things went to shit, they simply adapted. Their societies became more local, even as humans phased out and the more animalian life replaced them, still calling themselves Greeks. In keeping themselves alive, the Greeks found themselves back in their ancient traditions of city-states and tribes, balkanized yet culturally still very similar. Clinging to the coasts, and finding the old traditions held magic again, belief in the ancient gods skyrocketed while the newer religions retreated. And, worried about any emerging powers nearby, the mercantile and defensive minded Hellenes simply decided to, despite their political and social differences, form into a confederate league to defend themselves. 

This doesn't mean they haven't stopped warring internally, it just means any outside force will be seen as more of a threat than their sibling states.


----------



## Limedragon27 (Sep 30, 2019)

Tani Coyote said:


> That's two, at least! I think to maximize the dynamic of the world, we need a few more... while two players is good for say, some kind of Cold War scenario (though that would entail me coding in lots of minor powers as NPCs, which I think could be difficult with this game's mechanics), as the game is currently designed, I am unsure if two players would be sufficient. :x I went with very simple, straightforward mechanics to avoid making anyone feel intimidated about joining.
> 
> Worst case scenario, I'd probably have to consider a different venue for hosting. I have seen the NationStates website, which is built around political and diplomacy sims, gives free reign to build games like this in its roleplay subforums. Main drawback is it isn't a furry website, however.



True, a few people would be best, but npc nations could also be fun to add. I think a discord would make the easiest way to set up anything, while nationstates could make a good way to advertise. There's also other furry roleplaying forums that could make good places to advertise.


----------



## GooSquirrel (Sep 30, 2019)

I will say NationStates I don't think allows advertising other sites within their forums, so it'd either be hosted there and advertised elsewhere and be beholden to the NS rules, or held here and probably more lax rules.


----------



## Limedragon27 (Sep 30, 2019)

GooSquirrel said:


> I will say NationStates I don't think allows advertising other sites within their forums, so it'd either be hosted there and advertised elsewhere and be beholden to the NS rules, or held here and probably more lax rules.



I'm not sure about the forums, but you can make a region that's all about it, post the link to it and whatever you want. I was apart of a nation building forum that advertised on nationstates.


----------



## Limedragon27 (Sep 30, 2019)

I'm going to make an add on a forum website, see if we can't get a few more faces on board. But first is this SFW only or not? I need to know so I don't post on the wrong thread.


----------



## Yindyssagh (Oct 1, 2019)

I think it is of the SFW nature.


----------



## Tani Coyote (Oct 1, 2019)

I mostly threw out NationStates as a suggestion because it not only has a very large and active roleplay community, but one that specializes in this type of strategy/nationbulding/diplomacy topic. In addition, they allow both freeform roleplays and ones with structured mechanics. 

One of the drawbacks is that since NationStates is already based on people forming their own states and acting out interactions, I'd probably need to increase the number of mechanics to make the game appeal. 



Limedragon27 said:


> I'm going to make an add on a forum website, see if we can't get a few more faces on board. But first is this SFW only or not? I need to know so I don't post on the wrong thread.



Safe for work in accordance with this forum's rules!

References to casualties of war and politics aside. 



Limedragon27 said:


> True, a few people would be best, but npc nations could also be fun to add.



My main grievance is that due to the simple structure of the rules, they'd largely just be there to take up space, as I wouldn't want them to take away from player initiative.


----------



## GooSquirrel (Oct 2, 2019)

I'd say the amount is pretty perfect for even NS, too much more you get headaches over people complaining about the capriciousness or DM fudging things, taking away from narrative too, often.


----------



## Tani Coyote (Oct 2, 2019)

GooSquirrel said:


> I'd say the amount is pretty perfect for even NS, too much more you get headaches over people complaining about the capriciousness or DM fudging things, taking away from narrative too, often.



Having GMed games like this with up to 30 players before, I think it's highly variable. 

Though, if all 3 players want to see where this goes, I'm certainly open to giving it a go!


----------



## GooSquirrel (Oct 3, 2019)

Tani Coyote said:


> Having GMed games like this with up to 30 players before, I think it's highly variable.
> 
> Though, if all 3 players want to see where this goes, I'm certainly open to giving it a go!


I'd be up for anything, prolly.


----------



## Limedragon27 (Dec 14, 2019)

I know it's been awhile since this was going to be a thing, but I never mentioned I made this to mark what was already marked.


----------



## Toasty9399 (Dec 16, 2019)

Hey, can I join? I plan on doing something a lil sci-fi if you're okay with that.


----------



## Toasty9399 (Dec 16, 2019)

*Name:* Maxohlx Hegenomy

*Headquarters:* Crash Site of the battlecruiser Rexktal. Off the coast of the East Sea.

*Government: *Not Established, currently following military ship regulations

*Religion: *Manifest Destiny / Monotheistic Religion

*Currency: *Not Established

*Economy: *Not Established

*Species: *Maxohlx. Genetically Engineered to be smarter and stronger, 8 feet tall and nanomachines that swim through their blood, they are a hyper-advanced alien species that vaguely resemble felines.  They have fine grey fur, yellow eyes and teeth that protrude from their upper lip similar to sabertooth tigers. They are, however, in no way related to any of the anthropomorphic felines that currently inhabit Earth, however the resemblance deeply disturbs them.

*History:* The battlecruiser Rexktal was ordered alongside its battlegroup to investigate Earth's local Elder wormhole, which unexpectedly shut down. These wormholes are spread across the galaxy and they were built by an ancient species over 130 million years ago.
Earth, being located far away from any form of civilization, was too distant for any normal ships to reach. The Rexktal, alongside it's crew, were ordered to modify their ship for a long-distance journey, investigate the wormhole, go to Earth, and then come back. The Maxohlx know that Earth is inhabited by an extremely primitive species, Humans, who still use chemical rockets for spaceflight.
After a year jumping and waiting for their wormhole capacitors to recharge, their monotony was only broken when they scanned the elder wormhole. As they began their trip to see what the hell humans were up too, they were attacked.
Everything went white.
The crew were awoken by atmosphere screaming into the ship as they plummeted to the planet.
The Rexktal crashed.
Thanks to the ship's AI, most of the crew survived. 
Crash landing on a planet wasn't the thing that shocked the crew the most. Somebody had attacked them, somebody had attacked a senior species who's been active in the galaxy for over 200,000 years. What makes it worse, is that they're now stuck on a primitive planet with only around 113 surviving crewmembers.
Now the surviving Maxolhx are driven to survive, and build up the infrastructure to fix their ship. This is harder than it sounds, because even before this supposed cataclysm, Earth never had the capability of producing the exotic materials used in the most common of Maxohlx components. 
The only weapons the Maxolhx have is advanced knowledge, a pissed off AI, two dropships, a broken husk of a once proud starship that can't even move, a small shipborn autofactory designed to produce replacement parts, and a burning hatred to whoever did this to them.
The weird part is, the last time they checked magic didn't exist, and human history was different. Where did all these anthropomorphic animals come from?


----------



## Toasty9399 (Apr 16, 2020)

Goddamn it, I wish the DM stayed with us. This whole civilization RP idea was cool. Are there any DM's who're willing to take the ropes?


----------



## Tani Coyote (Apr 17, 2020)

Toasty9399 said:


> Goddamn it, I wish the DM stayed with us. This whole civilization RP idea was cool. Are there any DM's who're willing to take the ropes?



It touches my heart to see this sort of thing still getting some attention after several months!

Unfortunately the player base had seemed so small I reasoned the game might not be viable, and I do apologize for my unceremonious disappearance. I generally run games like this over at Civilization Fanatics' Center, but was trying to see if there was a similar strategy RP demographic among fellow furs.


----------



## Toasty9399 (Apr 17, 2020)

Tani Coyote said:


> It touches my heart to see this sort of thing still getting some attention after several months!
> 
> Unfortunately the player base had seemed so small I reasoned the game might not be viable, and I do apologize for my unceremonious disappearance. I generally run games like this over at Civilization Fanatics' Center, but was trying to see if there was a similar strategy RP demographic among fellow furs.


Holy Crap you're on! Will you still consider doing it if more people joined? It'll be really fun. I'd never done an RP like this and it seems really interesting.


----------



## Limedragon27 (Apr 19, 2020)

Added the Maxohlx Hegemony to the map.


----------



## Toasty9399 (Apr 19, 2020)

Limedragon27 said:


> Added the Maxohlx Hegemony to the map.


nice


----------

