Manual (RPCSS)

The RPCSS User Manual is separate from the in-game user manual because RPCSS is a separate system that is accessed via the web, not from with in UO.

May 4th, 2020: I have cleaned up most of the references to "Noble Houses" in the manual. They should all reference estate instead. However, I will need to do a complete review of the manual before the next release, so check back here at that point.

Overview

This system has had one Alpha, and is now in Beta. Expect bugs and occasionally some clunky user interface issues.

Additionally, this manual was written for the alpha when there was no UO integration.

I will continue to update this manual as I review and use the system, check back often. Text that is in red is from the alpha may not be working as documented, proceed with caution.

Items that have been struck out are not implemented but are required to be documented as a place holder for further releases.

Regions

The names on the RPCSS map are regions, they are used to give notifications of actions. Things like "An army has been sighted in Tarafeyn" means any one of the hexes traditionally defined as that region -- not specifically the hexes currently controlled by an estate. Regions are loosely divided along roads but are not intended to be precise. It provides only a general area of the map to explore. Regions in this case are used only for indicating an area of the map something may have happened in.

Release

• We are in Beta Release 2.0
• Updates can be found on the RPCSS Update Thread on the forums.

Pending Actions

• Defend and Support Orders have been added to RPCSS but they have not been added to this manual.

Known Issues

• The map is VERY persnickety. The toolset we went with has been a bitch to make work smoothly. We know about it, and have been working on it for ages. If it gets all twisted up and isn't responding, actively log out and close the tab/browser and log back in.
• Sometimes the map doesn't let you choose a hex. This happens normally when submitting more then one scout order. This is another known map issue we are hunting down. The simple fix for it is to go to the dashboard and then back to the role in-between issuing the orders.
• Logout does not currently rest properly after end of turn. You need to either close the tab that had the website open in, or close your browser.
• The last time submitted is off due to time zones and will be fixed eventually.

Trouble Shooting

1. Make sure the issue is not a known issue by looking above.
2. Make sure you are using the right URL, using the wrong URL will definitely cause things to go wonky.
3. Try logging out and logging in.
4. Try closing the browser window completely and re-opening it.
5. Try force refreshing the page, the command for this varies by browser, you'll need to check for how your browser does it.
6. Ask in Discords RPCSS-topic channel, you can also search thru the channel for previous discussions that relate to your issue.
7. Finally, if its an issue that is stopping you from playing, post it on the RPCSS Board.

Registration

• RPCSS is connected to Sanctuary and thus your user name and password for RPCSS is the same as your UO Sanctuary Shard ID. When you log in for the first time you should see this:

You are not currently part of any team in RPCSS. If you are the leader of an Estate in Sanctuary, please contact Lara in Discord chat and let her know that you have logged into RPCSS and are ready to have your faction assigned. She will need to know your account name so that she can verify the Estate you lead, and can assign you to the proper team.

Introduction

End of Turn

On Sunday Night at Midnight SLT the end of turn cycle begins. (There may be reasons why we change that time, including the first few weeks.) The end of turn takes less than 30 mins and does the following things:

1. Initiative is Rolled for all Factions
2. All Raid Orders resolved in Initiative Order
3. All Marching Orders and thus Combat resolved in Initiative Order (Combat Resolution detailed below)
4. All Consolidate Power Orders resolved in Initiative Order
5. All other actions resolved in Initiative Order
6. Tax Income is paid
7. Mercenaries are paid

First Turn of the Month

If the End of Turn is the first end of turn in the month, the following things happen:

1. Upkeep of castles and stronghold is deducted. (3 for Strongholds and 5 for castles)
2. Military units are paid (1 gold per unit)

Close of Turn each week

1. Muster Points and all other counters are rest
2. Notifications and Rumors are sent out

Notifications and Rumors

Immediately

• Small Council players will always receive back responses to the actions they submitted. Only they can see them, responses do not go out to anyone else except the one who submitted them.
• Small Council players will usually receive notification of actions done against them. However, not all actions done against a faction are known to the faction. Some are only known if another action has been made to reveal them. In most cases, actions that involve armies moving in your territory or attacking your armies are always revealed to the General.

Two Days after End of Turn

• Faction members have a random chance of receiving a rumor from home that involves action that affected their faction. At this stage you only hear about your faction. Not everyone will get a rumor, and not everyone will get the same information. You are encouraged to go role-play finding out. Rumors are sent to your character via in-game post. Any character registered in the guild has a chance or receiving post from home about their guilds home hexes.

Four Days after End of Turn

• The town criers will receive random rumors that involve actions going on in the world. Not every town crier will get the same information. You are encouraged to go role-play with others and explore the various town criers to find out the information.

Dashboard

A summery page which shows different information to different roles. It includes general information about the turn and a map to explore hexes.

Actions

The actions listed here are the only ones implemented.

Estate Owner

Some actions which use to be only in RPCSS are not in UO under the guild master functions. This section has to be reviewed and changed once Mith makes the edits.

RPCSS Roles

Under the guild master functions you will see the RPCSS Roles option. Here you can set the individual RPCSS roles for leader, war lord, spy master and coin master. If you set someone other than yourself as RPCSS leader you will not be able to access RPCSS.

Ally Guild

It use to take a whole turn for one team to ally with another team. With the implementation of RPCSS in UO, the guild system can be used more effectively. To create an ally in RPCSS, guild leaders only need to set the ally between guilds on their guild stones.

Allies have a number of features which are necessary

• Ally armies will not fight if they run into each other
• Ally armies can support each other using the support function of the Warlord role.
• Ally armies can pass over allied lands without flagging the action as hostile.

Warring Guild

Just as guild masters can set allies, they can also set enemies. This relationship is consensual and either party may refuse. There is no additional features to be had in RPCSS for doing this, as it is assumed all non-allied teams in RPCSS are hostile.

However at some point, conflict between two armies will be clearly an act of war. When these cases are created, RPCSS will flag the two UO guilds at war for a period lasting no less than a week. This feature is part of this discussion on the forums.

General/Warlord

Overview

This is the Warlord Overview page. It will provide the Warlord with relevant resource information, a breakdown of the factions current armies, and a list of any submitted actions this turn. Each of the roles has a similar screen, that is tailored to the specific role.

This is also where you will choose which actions you wish to submit, bu using the List of blue buttons on the right. Click the button for the action you would like to submit.

Armies

• The more hexes you control the more armies you can have, and the larger the army can be.
• An army can never have more than 4 units in it.
• A unit can be infantry, knights or siege equipment.

Some Examples

At one hex you can have 1 army with up to 3 units

At three hexes you can have 3 armies -- 1 with 3 units and 2 with 2 units

At six hexes you can 4 armies -- 1 with 4 units, 1 with 3 units and 2 with 2 units

At nine hexes you can have 5 armies -- 2 with 4 units, 1 with 3 units, and 2 with 2 units

At 10 hexes you are maxed out and can have 6 armies -- 3 with 4 units, 1 with 3 units, 2 with 2 units

Muster

The RP of it: Just because you have men at arms at home with their families, knights off in the tourney circuit, or siege weapons in storage, dinna mean you can start a war right away. Ya gots to put the call out to them, so they know tis time to get their arses back to work. But mind me now, you can only muster at a castle, a stronghold or your homelands, ya can't go mustering men in the middle of a farm field, roight?! Next, yew better have one of your army officers waiting around to get them men settled or they may just wander off."

• Mustering costs muster points: Infantry is 1, Knights are 2 and Seige Equipment is 2.
• You get 1 muster point for every stronghold you control, plus 2 points for every castle you control.
• You can only muster ONE unit of Infantry, Knights or Seige Equipment PER fortified hex.
• You can not muster into a hex that is only arable land (+Populated) or wilderness.
• You must have an army with available unit openings in the hex you wish to muster into. (This will require you to move an army into a homeland, stronghold or castle hex before you muster.)

Exceptions

• If you do not have a fortified hex you will be given 1 muster point and be able to muster into an arable hex.
• In the beginning, when you don't have any armies the game willl "create" your first army for you in the hex you muster in.
• Mustering into a hex with no army in it will create a new army if you have room for one.
• If you are marching an army out of a fortified hex you must wait until the completion of the end of turn before mustering a new army into that hex. (You can't move an army out and create a new one in the same turn.)

The First of the Month Turn Ends

Turns end on Sunday Night, the first turn which ends after the first of the month will automatically pay your units

• Understand from your coin master how much gold you earn each turn from taxes and other methods.
• All Units cost 1 gold bar per month.
  
• All units active at the payment turn are paid, nothing is prorated.
• Payment to units happens automatically after taxes are collected.
• Loan interest is calculated and added to your loan balence.

Marching Orders

Update 6/2/2020

How Marching orders works WILL be changing.

Marching Orders is used to move one army up to seven hexes away, which is a speed of 10 miles a day across a single hex. One order can only move one army. However the general/warlord can issue additional marching orders to other armies, but subsequent marching orders function at a -1 penalty on combat for the first additional order, then -2, then -3 and so on. {March Order Modifier}

To move an army, go to your Warlord Tab and select the action Marching Order. A map of the world will pop up showing where your armies are with a blue marker shaped like a guitar pick. Select a path of up to 7 adjacent hexes heading in the direction you wish to go. You must select the hexes in order if you select them out of order, it won't validate. You can not travel over water or impassable hexes -- obviously.

Once you have the path click the validate path button and RPCSS will check the path to make sure it's valid. You can reset this path before you submit if you change your mind by clicking the reset path button. Once you have a valid path click submit. At the end of the turn, you will be informed of what happened. Possible outcomes include:

• No problems at all, the path was clear and you arrive at your destination with no difficulties.
• Your path collides with another factions territory. However, there is no army in that hex, you may pass through, but the other faction is (100%) informed of you crossing their borders.
• Your path collides with another army.

Marching orders are resolved by initiative and the entire order is performed. Therefore, if you collide with another army that army was already there, or beat you to that hex with a better initiative. Armies in motion do not collide because armies are never "in motion" at the same time as far as the end of turn goes and the rules for the initiative.

As other actions such as alliance, support order and defend order go in, there will be ways to pass through another's territory without causing an uproar.

Combat Resolution

At the end of turn, RPCSS will determine the results of any combat that ensues.

Step 1 - Determine Combat Strength of both sides

1. Add up Unit Strengths (Infantry 1, Knights 2, Seige see below) for each Army.
2. Add the combat strength of any friendly armies in adjacent hexes that have a support order
3. Add the Combat Strength of any defending order in the hex (defender only)
4. Add or subtract the {March Order Modifier} of the attacker.
5. Add the strength of any Fortifications in the hex such as a castle or stronghold for the defender. (Strongholds 1, Castles 2)

Strength of a Seige Engine

If you are the attacker moving into a fortified hex (stronghold or castle) your siege engines count as a unit strength of 4. However, if you are the defender or not attacking a fortified hex, they count as 0 but are the last to be destroyed.

Step 2 - Determine the winner of the battle

1. Compare Combat Strength of each faction, the faction with the higher strength wins. We do not use random rolls as it opens itself up to accusations of cheating. The stronger side wins.
2. In case of tie, compare Faction Influence each faction
3. If still tie, compare Court Level of each faction
4. If still tied, compare the number of hexes owned by each faction

Step 3 - Determine casualties

1. The loser begins by taking 2 casualties. Casualties are in units.
2. If the loser is the defender, subtract any fortification value (stronghold 1, castle 2).
3. Destroyed units are determined by the following progression:

• Infantry first,
• Knights second,
• Siege third

Step 4 - Retreats and Routing

1. If attacker loses, he retreats back to the starting point of the marching order and the units are marked as routed.
2. If defender loses, he retreats to an adjacent empty or friendly hex. If one is not available, the army is destroyed.
3. Routed units move at a rate of 5 hexes per turn instead of 7 until they reach a hex with a friendly stronghold or castle. Friendly means their own as well.

Additional actions will provide additional bonuses or subtractions to the combat strength when they are released.  Until alliances, support and defend orders can be added to the game, two armies cannot help each other by attacking the same hex.  However, they could surround the targetted hex to keep the defeated army from escaping.  Make sure you leave a hex for your buddy to get thru.

Coin Master

Collect Taxes

This is not an action, it happens automatically at the end of turn cycle.

• You collect 1 gold bar per court level automatically per turn

Borrow Gold

The RP of it: Ain't nobody who has sense put themselves into debt to the Iron Bank. Ask for some or ask for much, in the end if you don't pay them back roight quick, they will own you, your lands, your cattle and your pretty gentry cats."

• You can only borrow gold once per turn.
• Borrowing gold is dangerous, much like a pay day loan. If you can't manage a pay day loan in your real life, don't do it here!
• You can borrow (gold bars) up to 2x your court level in a turn.
• And a maximum (gold bars) up to 10x your court level.
• Interest at a rate of 30% (rounded up) is accrued immediately and then again at every First of the Mount account.
• You must pay 1 gold bar per turn to avoid nasty nasty evil consequences that involve things like Bank Armies invading and such.
• To pay back the bank you will use a "Transfer Gold" action.
• Your current total debt is only displayed on the coin master page, and not visible by any other role.

Raise Court Level

The RP of it: You gots to spend money to make money. It takes gold to hire on tax collectors, bribe court officials, administrative staff, build overseers, engineers, tradesmen and so on. But you can only grow so big afore everyone is stepping all over themselves, so make sure you got the land to grow."

• Raising your court level costs your current court level in gold bars. It costs 1 gold bar to increase your court level to 2, then 2 to 3, 3 to 4, and so on.
• You can only raise your court level once per turn.
• Your court level cannot exceed the number of hexes you control. Wilderness hexes do not count.

Note

If you lose a hex your court level will not go down. However, your maximum court level may show as being lower than your current court level. In such a case, you will need to regain hexes thereby raising your maximum court level back up.

Occupy Land

To raise your court level you must gain more hexes. To perform this action in RPCSS is a two step process. The warlord must march an army into the hex you wish to occupy. On the next turn the coin master chooses "Occupy Land" from his list of actions and a screen with currently controlled hexes shown in purple, and available hexes with an army in place are shown in orange. Please note, you can have up to 10 arable hexes max. There is currently no limit on wilderness hexes.

Note: You cannot occupy a hex that has an army in it that is not your own. This even applies to allied armies. If an army moves into that hex before you occupy it, and the army is not your own, the occupy will fail.

1. Select the land you wish to occupy.
2. The cost of the action is:

• 0 gold for wilderness hex
• 1 gold for arable (+ populated) land
• 2 gold for a strong hold (tower icon)
• 3 gold for a castle (castle icon)

• Can only be performed on a hex that is adjacent to your other hexes.
• You must have an army in the hex, if you march the army out in the same turn as trying to occupy, the occupy will fail.
• This can only be done once per turn per army in a hex which can be occupied.

Spy Master

The Spy Master role in RPCSS acts as the spymaster, scout leader, guerrilla warfare tactician, information broker, etc for the faction team. This can be role-played a variety of ways, as there is a variety of things that the spymaster can do in the game. Many of the actions are influenced by the Influence track.

Recruit Spy

• Costs 1 gold and increases your influence by 1.
• You can only have 1 spy per influence level, to a maximum of 10.
• You can only issue one scout order per turn.

Scout Order

You can order one of your agents to scout a hex and its immediate surrounding hexes. This is an area of 7 hex total. At the end of turn, if there are enemy armies in any of the 7 hexes, their location will be revealed to the spymaster for 1 turn.

To perform this action go to your spymaster actions and select "Scout Order" from New Action. Choose a hex on the map to scout. If you select a valid hex you will be able to then submit action.

It is very difficult to know which scout was sent to which hex given the current design. Do yourself a favor and make notes or take screen shots.

Special Circumstances

Relocate

If you wish to relocate your home hex for role-play reasons this is how we have determined such a thing can be done.

1. Advise Lara that you are doing this as soon as possible, so she's prepared and on page. Expect her to ask for role-play to support it.
2. The general needs to issue marching orders.
3. After end of turn when marching orders are resolved contact Branwyn.
4. Lara will go into the game and move your home hex from its original location to where you end up after end of turn.

Please Note:

• If you have adjoined hexes to your home hex and you move your home hex to a distant hex, you lose those that were connected to it, this may further reduce your court level, which will in turn reduce your taxes.
• As of 3.30.18 if you move into a hex that does not have a stronghold or a castle you can not muster. So don't do that.
• If you meet resistance as part of your marching orders, it is possible that you may not end up where you think so make sure you read the details of how conflict is resolved.
• At this time, you can not have a faction in the game that does not have a hex. The system has NOT been tested for that and it will cause the game to break.

Give Hex

• If you wish to give a hex owned by your faction to another faction you can record the request on Discord in the #RPCSS-help channel and tell Lara. Please include screen shot of the hex to give.