One of the goals for my design documents was to create a player-facing sandbox system that (sorta kinda) ran itself. As part of that, I ended up looking at the yearly and monthly event tables of 1985's Oriental Adventures. The TLDR was that, besides the text not aging well at all, I found the tables very big on verisimilitude, but with lacking easy ways for players to engage with what was happening.
My philosophy is that modern gaming happens in such brief chunks. Having, say, 2 hours a week is an incredible luxury, so I want those 2 hours to be full of actionable things that players can directly engage with. All rolls should be viewed through the lens of why they might matter to a group of pirate PCs. Wars and politics matter only insofar as they would matter to a pirate.
MAJOR POWER CONFLICT:
Once a Major Power Conflict has begun, determine the participants. Periodically roll to determine the theatre the Major Powers are sparring in (probably every time you roll for Overworld Events). Victory is 50-50 to either side and can be resolved with a d6, though the GM can give Advantage / Disadvantage to any one side. If the players interfere, adjust results accordingly. Keep a running tally of Victory Points, and assign a winner when the Conflict is resolved. It shouldn’t really matter to the PCs who wins, since it’s really the fallout of the conflict that affects them.
VPs
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RESOLVING
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-
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Stalemate
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1
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Minor victory
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2
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Major victory,
some concessions
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3
|
Humiliating victory, large concessions
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|
EXAMPLES OF FALL-OUT / CONSEQUENCES THAT MIGHT IMPACT PCs:
Diplomatic/Intelligence
During: More port scrutiny, bounty-hunters, encounter spies After: Strange law passed, defection, mutiny/unrest, betrayal
Sabotage/Economic
During: More navy patrols, prices plummet, damaged merchant ships After: Damaged patrols, Trade-good monopoly
Military
During: More demand for arms, increased troop movements After: Town/fort changes hands, troop/ship presence, named general |
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