Götterdämmerung 66 MYA - The Dinosaur IH

[Barry Goldwater]

Götterdämmerung 66 MYA - The Dinosaur IH


'That doesn't look good.'

Map:

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It is sixty-six million years before January 1st, 2011. Since members of their species had begun showing high degrees of intelligence around 200 million years ago, in the early Jurassic period, dinosaurs have grown into the dominant species on the planet, eventually developing the power of intelligent speech, tool-making and a propensity to build nation-states of their own. All over the continents of Laurasia and Gondwana dinosaurs have set up minor kingdoms and tribes, disorganized and bitterly fighting with each other for resources (mainly food) and territory, but one by one these small states are uniting or conquering others to form increasingly powerful empires that may soon clash for higher reasons.

The base struggle between carnivore and herbivore still exists; while an agreement has been reached by most successful kingdoms - that wars would be fought to secure carnivores fresh meat so they wouldn't have to eat their comrades, and new grazing grounds for the herbivores so they won't have to starve - to keep their subjects united, both groups still naturally distrust (at the very least) each other for rather obvious reasons even if they live under the same rulers.

Religion has added fuel to the fire. Precisely one million years ago, one raptor experienced a powerful religious vision from a 'Star Father' and attempted to go 'vegan', restricting himself to feeding on rodents (claiming that the Star Father did not want to see His children devour each other) and other small mammals, and going about preaching a message of peace 'under the eyes of our Star Father'. He was eventually murdered by his own pack for being a nuisance, but not before damning all who opposed his message to a fiery death, followed by an even worse afterlife. His message was wholeheartedly embraced by many herbivores (who obviously don't want to run a risk of being consumed) and even some carnivores out of either politics (in which case they are rather unlikely to actually practice the faith) or genuine religious conviction. A Church has been organized, its leaders tracing their descent from the original Great Raptor and Voice of the Star Father, and now wields enormous political clout - including the loyalty of a number of chivalric orders. Opposing them are adherents of the Old Gods, a blanket term for all pre-Church of the Star Father faiths, and now a religious element has been added to the many wars plaguing Laurasia and Gondwana.

Meanwhile, astronomers and doomsayers alike are preaching that the end of the world, represented by a great flaming rock is nigh. While most dinosaurs are too preoccupied with day-to-day survival to care, some are beginning to fear that either the Star Father's Great Judgment is rapidly approaching, or that the Old Gods are reawakening to take hold of the Earth, depending on their faith.

In these dark times, plagued by warfare for food and the looming danger of extinction, will you lead your faction to glory - however short-lived it may be, should the astronomers' predictions prove true - or disappear under the hooves and claws of your rivals?

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To prevent the doom of RB, I'll wait until that dies before actually starting this IH. You can make your faction once I get the info up, though

[Barry Goldwater]

Faction Rules:

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Very simple - you can make your own faction. Just post the faction thread in the diplo subforum with the following info:

Government type
Ruling family (one ruler, one ruler's spouse and one heir of either gender allowed at game start)
Societal structure

And a faction map. You can claim any patch of territory on that map and divide it into five starting provinces, all of which will be light green with the exception of your capital (which starts dark green, Lvl. 4).

Don't forget to keep track of your economy, diplomacy and military stats.

Lastly, this IH won't be as serious as WEF or RB (we're dealing with friggin sapient dinosaurs here ) so feel free to set up your faction according to any medieval or pre-medieval theme. Yes, this means you can have Roman or Greek or Visigothic or Mongol-style dinosaurs

All factions start with a population of 10,000.

Economic rules:

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Unlike previous IHs that relied on % economies, I've decided to go with something new this time around. Each province secured by the legions will contribute a set amount of florins every turn, which may increase or decrease due to certain random or not-so-random factors (ex. a beneficial 'good harvest' event or rebels rampaging throughout the province). Provinces occupied by an enemy force will not contribute a single florin to your treasury.

Please check the economic map to discover how much each province makes.

Level 1 - Red: 15,000 coins/turn
Level 2 - Blue: 25,000 coins/turn
Level 3 - Light Green: 50,000 coins/turn
Level 4 - Dark Green: 75,000 coins/turn

You can upgrade a province's infrastructure level for a set amount of florins.

Level 1 to Level 2: 5,000 coins - 1 turn
Level 2 to Level 3: 15,000 coins - 3 turns
Level 3 to Level 4: 60,000 coins - 6 turns

You may sign mutually beneficial trade agreements with other factions. Both factions will make money off of these agreements. There are five levels of trade agreements you may sign:

Level 1 - 15,000 coins
Level 2 - 30,000 coins
Level 3 - 60,000 coins
Level 4 - 120,000 coins
Level 5 - 240,000 coins

However, note that you may only have three trade agreements at any time, and in addition breaking a trade agreement will have negative effects depending on the level of the agreement; breaking a Level 1 agreement will just result in you losing some money, while breaking a Level 5 one may lead to large-scale economic collapse. Thus, choose your trading partners wisely - this is as much a matter of trust as it is one of making money.

Everyone starts with 50,000 coins to spend on their initial military.

Lastly, there are several important resources to secure:

Food: You all start with a stockpile of 10,000 Meat and 10,000 Plants. If this stockpile drops to zero, it's game over for you as your subjects starve to death. The following buildings are needed to produce Food:

Farm - Level 1 (1,000/turn), Level 2 (5,000/turn) and Level 3 (10,000/turn) - Simple farms manned by herbivorous dinosaurs, increasing in size and complexity - and output - with each level. Three days and 25k coins to upgrade from Level 1 to Level 2, five days and 50k coins to upgrade from Level 2 to 3.

Abattoir - Level 1 (1,000/turn), Level 2 (5,000/turn) and Level 3 (10,000/turn) - Brutal 'meat farms' where herbivores are raised and butchered as cattle to provide sustenance for Pagan carnivores. Three days and 25k coins to upgrade from Level 1 to Level 2, five days and 50k coins to upgrade from Level 2 to 3.

Rodent Farm Level 1 (1,000/turn), Level 2 (5,000/turn) and Level 3 (10,000/turn) - Brutal 'meat farms' where rodents are raised and butchered as cattle to provide sustenance for Believer carnivores. Three days and 25k coins to upgrade from Level 1 to Level 2, five days and 50k coins to upgrade from Level 2 to 3.

[Barry Goldwater]

Military rules:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

You can now create your own units, as promised. Firstly, you will need a base dinosaur to work off of, as well as unit size:

Base dinosaur types:

Carnivores:

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Maniraptora - 1,000 coins - Small, agile dinosaurs suited to offensive skirmish actions, and capable of using weapons. An example would be Deinonychus. Come in groups of 300. Also cost 500 Meat/day to keep.

Allosauridae - 3,000 coins - Medium-to-large-sized theropods neither as powerful as Tyrannosaurids nor as agile as Maniraptorans, but still capable of holding their own in a fight and wielding weapons to boot. An example would be Allosaurus. Come in groups of 150. Also cost 1,000 Meat/day to keep.

Tyrannosauridae - 6,000 coins - Heavy, powerful and fast-moving dinosaurs who, while unable to use any weapons at all, more than compensate for that with their size and brute strength. An example would be Tyrannosaurus rex. Come in groups of 50. Also cost 2,000 Meat/day to keep.

Herbivores:

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Hypsilophodont - 1,000 coins - Small, agile dinosaurs with great tactical flexibility, capable of fighting as scouts, skirmishers or archers. An example would be Hypsilophodon. Come in groups of 300. Also cost 200 plants/Day to keep.

Prosauropoda - 1,000 coins - An order of small herbivores who are generally larger and heavier than Hypsilophodonts, and still capable of using weapons. They are better suited to melee combat than Hypsilophodonts. An example would be Anchisaurus. Come in groups of 200. Also cost 500 Plants/Day to keep.

Ornithopoda - 3,000 coins - Medium to large sized herbivores (including Iguanodontids and Hadrosauridae or 'duckbill' dinosaurs), nowhere near as fleet-footed as Hypsilophodonts or Prosauropods, but much stronger and still capable of using weapons in nearly any role. An example would be Anatotitan. Come in groups of 150. Also cost 800 Plants/Day to keep.

Ceratopsia - 4,000 coins - A perfect blend of speed and power, these horned dinosaurs can bulldoze their opponents in one great charge, though they do not have the ability to use weapons. An example would be Triceratops. Come in groups of 80. Also cost 1,000 Plants/Day to keep.

Stegosauria - 4,500 coins - The 'poor man dinosaur's subsitute' for ankylosaurs. Stegosaurs lack the formidable armor of Ankylosauria, but are still well-equipped with sharp tail spikes, and most also have some plates or spikes on their back for extra protection. However, they are slow and rather less intelligent than most other dinosaurs, and still cannot use weapons. An example would be Stegosaurus. Come in groups of 65. Also cost 1,200 plants/day to keep.

Ankylosauria - 5,500 coins - Living siege engines, sluggish but capable of taking enormous amounts of punishment thanks to their heavy armor and dishing out a lot of pain if they ever reach an enemy line. They are also unable to use weapons. An example would be Ankylosaurus. Come in groups of 50. Also cost 1,500 Plants/Day to keep.

Sauropoda - 10,000 coins - Massive, lumbering long-necked dinosaurs. Don't let their relatively gentle appearance and feeding habits fool you, in battle these titans shake the earth with their every move and, beyond being able to send smaller opponents flying or simply crushing them into bloody pancakes under their massive feet, their mere appearance will frighten the enemy; however, they cannot use weapons. Come in groups of 10. Also cost 3,500 Plants/Day to keep.

Next, you need to give them weapons (you can have two weapons per unit at most, but their costs will stack):

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

None - free - This should be obvious. Some dinosaurs can't use weapons, so...

Spear - 1,000 coins - Also obvious. Spears are good defensive weapons, but not as useful on the offensive save in massed formations that may have trouble maneuvering.

Pike - 1,000 coins - An extremely long spear usable only by infantry. Excellent weapons on both the offensive and defensive in massed formations that are virtually impenetrable from the front, but also require a great deal of discipline and aforementioned tight formations to work properly, sacrificing tactical flexibility.

Lance - 1,000 coins - Cavalry-only spears, devastating in charges but difficult to use in the following melee, usually necessitating a secondary weapon like an axe or sword.

Axe - 1,200 coins - Heavy hacking weapons useful for heavier troops such as Allosaurs and duckbilled dinosaurs.

Slashing Sword - 1,500 coins - Longswords and the like, blades of wood, bone or copper built for slashing. More useful for 'individual' warriors like Allosaurs and mounted troops.

Thrusting Sword - 1,500 coins - Gladius and the like, blades of wood, bone or copper built for stabbing. More useful in massed infantry formations and for smaller dinosaurs like Maniraptorans.

Bow & Arrows - 1,200 coins - A simple bow and arrows. Can range in size from shortbows for the likes of hypsilodonts and maniraptorans to powerful longbows for the larger herbivores and carnivores.

Crossbow - 1,200 coins - A more accurate and powerful ranged weapon, but with slower rate of fire and shorter range than the bow. Useful in massed volleys, just like the bow.

Slings - 800 coins - A very simple ranged weapon, used to throw sharpened rocks at an opponent. The favored weapon of small herbivores and maniraptorans who don't like bows and crossbows for whatever reason.

Javelins - 1,000 coins - A spear designed specially for throwing, a favorite of larger and heavier dinosaurs.

And armor:

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None - free - Obvious.

Bone armor - 1,000 coins - Equipment constructed from the bones of fallen enemies. Not of particularly good quality, but it can provide some protection while not sacrificing any speed, making it ideal for smaller dinosaurs.

Wooden armor - 1,500 coins - Equipment constructed from tough wood. Provides decent protection without costing too much speed, ideal for the likes of Allosaurs and duckbills.

Copper armor - 3,500 coins - Heavy armor constructed from copper, a long and difficult process. Provides superb protection but greatly reduces speed, ideal for ceratopsids and heavy cavalry.

And mounts:

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Light Mount - 4,000 coins - Hypsilophodonts, prosauropods, maniraptorans. Light, agile mounts suited for reconnaissance and skirmishing roles. Can be used only by Maniraptorans, Prosauropods and Hypsilophodonts.

Medium Mount - 6,000 coins - Duckbills, medium-sized theropods and larger maniraptorans such as Utahraptor. A blend of power and speed, though they still generally prefer flanking attacks or skirmishing roles as opposed to head-on charges. Can be used by all but Tyrannosaurs, Ceratopsids and Ankylosaurs.

Heavy Mount - 10,000 coins - Ceratopsids, Ankylosaurs and Stegosaurs. While not as fast as the previous options, they pack a lot more punch and survivability and can charge an enemy line head-on. Can be used by all but Ceratopsids and Ankylosaurs.

Ultra-heavy Mount - 15,000 coins - Sauropods. Massive, lumbering creatures capable of carrying multiple riders and bulldozing entire enemy lines with little effort. Can be used by all but Ceratopsids and Ankylosaurs.

Marine units:

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Protostegidae - 2,500 coins - More or less armored transports. An absolute necessity for transporting an army by sea. Think of them as a cross between transport ships and destroyers.

Icthyosaur - 5,000 florins - Forming the bulk of most naval forces, icthyosaurs are 'all-purpose' fighting marine animals, capable of carrying out recon, escort and underwater combat operations. Basically the cruisers of the game, only permanently underwater.

Mosasaur - 7,500 florins - Massive marine reptiles who generally lead the underwater living fleets of nations into battle. They are your equivalent to battleships, if battleships could only operate underwater and bit you to death instead of firing projectiles at you

Aerial units:

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Small pterosaur - 2,000 coins - Small, agile flying reptiles useful as scouts or in massed aerial attacks. Think of them as recon planes.

Medium Pterosaur - 4,000 coins - Larger and heavier built than their smaller cousins, these creatures form the majority of most air forces and are fully capable of fighting or going on strafing runs against an enemy army, dropping rocks, heavy logs or even balls of naphta on the heads of unfortunate opponents. Think of them as your F-4 Phantoms.

Giant Pterosaur - 8,000 florins - The kings and queens of the skies, these massive flying monstrosities are capable of swatting entire squads of smaller pterosaurs out of the sky in minutes and providing heavy aerial support. Think of these guys as air superiority planes or, if providing ground support, heavy gunships.

The unit format is thus:

Name
Cost
Upkeep (1/2 of total cost)
Base
Mount (if any)
Primary Weapon
Secondary Weapon
Armor

Special units:

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The following are special units, recruitable either from Religious Orders (Believers only), Cults (Pagans) or Military Guilds (either). You can't actively recruit from the Orders or Cults - they'll come to you instead. However, Guild troops can be recruited normally.

Order units:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Sergeants of the Sturdy Foot
Cost: 25,000/unit
Base: Anchisaurus - Prosauropoda
Mount: None
Primary Weapon: Spear
Secondary Weapon: Bow & Arrows
Armor: Wood
Desc.: Belonging to the Order of the Sturdy Foot, a religious order named after the Hadrosaurids ('sturdy lizards') who make up the bulk of the order and the Ornithopod or 'bird-footed' order of dinosaurs in general. Highly versatile medium infantry you can trust to both hold a line or (thanks to their armor) serve as longer-lasting skirmishers.
Special ability: Zealotry - These soldiers are so utterly convinced of the righteousness of their cause that they will never retreat from battle save under orders, preferring to fight to the last man dinosaur instead.

Knights of the Sturdy Foot
Cost: 35,000/unit
Base: Edmontosaurus - Ornithopoda
Mount: Triceratops - Heavy Mount
Primary Weapon: Spear
Secondary Weapon: Slashing Sword
Armor: Copper
Desc.: Belonging to the Order of the Sturdy Foot, a religious order named after the Hadrosaurids ('sturdy lizards') who make up the bulk of the order and the Ornithopod or 'bird-footed' order of dinosaurs in general. Powerful shock cavalry feared for their devastating charge, and known even better for being fanatical in their faith.
Special ability: Zealotry - These soldiers are so utterly convinced of the righteousness of their cause that they will never retreat from battle save under orders, preferring to fight to the last man dinosaur instead.

Masters of the Sturdy Foot
Cost: 65,000/unit
Base: Argentinosaurus - Sauropoda
Mount: None
Primary Weapon: None
Secondary Weapon: None
Armor: Copper
Desc.: Belonging to the Order of the Sturdy Foot, a religious order named after the Hadrosaurids ('sturdy lizards') who make up the bulk of the order and the Ornithopod or 'bird-footed' order of dinosaurs in general. Ultra-heavy shock troops who shake the earth with every step and whose reputation for ferocity and fanaticism in combat strikes fear into their opponents' hearts even before they physically show up at a battlefield.
Special ability: Zealotry - These soldiers are so utterly convinced of the righteousness of their cause that they will never retreat from battle save under orders, preferring to fight to the last man dinosaur instead.

Fire Archers of the Sturdy Foot
Cost: 55,000/unit
Base: Parasaurolophus - Ornithopoda
Mount: None
Primary Weapon: Fire Arrow (special)
Secondary Weapon: Spear
Armor: Wood
Desc.: Belonging to the Order of the Sturdy Foot, a religious order named after the Hadrosaurids ('sturdy lizards') who make up the bulk of the order and the Ornithopod or 'bird-footed' order of dinosaurs in general. These soldiers are trained in the use of the Fire Arrow, a primitive rocket consisting of a bag of black powder attached to a long stick and fired from a launch platform consisting of hundreds of crude tubes. The explosions created upon impact, as well as the screeching noise produced by these weapons, will naturally have a great psychological effect on your enemies.
Special ability: Zealotry - These soldiers are so utterly convinced of the righteousness of their cause that they will never retreat from battle save under orders, preferring to fight to the last man dinosaur instead.

Cult units:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Cult Hunters
Cost: 15,000/unit
Base: Dromaeosaurus - Maniraptora
Mount: None
Primary Weapon: Slings
Secondary Weapon: Axe
Armor: None
Desc.: Insane pagan cultists with a reputation for taking bizarre drugs right before battle, so as to work themselves into a state of uncontrolled aggression and savagery. Besides being absolutely vicious melee fighters, these critters are also excellent skirmishers even when high as a kite.
Special ability: Berserker Trance - These maniacal cultists drop a number of psychoactive drugs to increase aggression and (if their myths are to be believed) remove any sensation of pain on the even of battle, making them extremely terrifying fighters. They will reduce the morale of their enemy and fight fanatically...until the drugs wear off anyway, at which point they are left a gibbering wreck with nothing on their mind but 'must find new drugs'.

Cult Warriors
Cost: 30,000/unit
Base: Allosaurus - Allosauridae
Mount: None
Primary Weapon: Axe
Secondary Weapon: Javelins
Armor: Wood
Desc.: Insane pagan cultists with a reputation for taking bizarre drugs right before battle, so as to work themselves into a state of uncontrolled aggression and savagery. These warriors are fearless and merciless in equal measures - at least until the effects of their drugs wear off - and have a reputation for collecting the heads of their enemies.
Special ability: Berserker Trance - These maniacal cultists drop a number of psychoactive drugs to increase aggression and (if their myths are to be believed) remove any sensation of pain on the even of battle, making them extremely terrifying fighters. They will reduce the morale of their enemy and fight fanatically...until the drugs wear off anyway, at which point they are left a gibbering wreck with nothing on their mind but 'must find new drugs'.

Cult Tyrants
Cost: 60,000/unit
Base: Carcharodontosaurus - Tyrannosauridae
Mount: None
Primary Weapon: None
Secondary Weapon: None
Armor: Copper
Desc.: Insane pagan cultists with a reputation for taking bizarre drugs right before battle, so as to work themselves into a state of uncontrolled aggression and savagery. These monstrous warlords generally serve as cult leaders, owing to their size and natural aggression - which even their psychoactive drugs have a problem increasing.
Special ability: Berserker Trance - These maniacal cultists drop a number of psychoactive drugs to increase aggression and (if their myths are to be believed) remove any sensation of pain on the even of battle, making them extremely terrifying fighters. They will reduce the morale of their enemy and fight fanatically...until the drugs wear off anyway, at which point they are left a gibbering wreck with nothing on their mind but 'must find new drugs'.

Cult Grenadiers
Cost: 50,000/unit
Base: Torvosaurus - Allosauridae
Mount: None
Primary Weapon: Napalm Grenade (special)
Secondary Weapon: Axe
Armor: Wood
Desc.: Insane pagan cultists with a reputation for taking bizarre drugs right before battle, so as to work themselves into a state of uncontrolled aggression and savagery. Warriors trained in the use of a unique weapon known as the 'grenade', a metal ball containing a mysterious gelling liquid that sticks to the skin of their victims/to the ground even as it burns ceaselessly. Such a weapon is not only extremely dangerous, but demoralizes the enemy as well.
Special ability: Berserker Trance - These maniacal cultists drop a number of psychoactive drugs to increase aggression and (if their myths are to be believed) remove any sensation of pain on the even of battle, making them extremely terrifying fighters. They will reduce the morale of their enemy and fight fanatically...until the drugs wear off anyway, at which point they are left a gibbering wreck with nothing on their mind but 'must find new drugs'.

[Barry Goldwater]

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[Barry Goldwater]

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[Pericles of Athens]

NICE!! Im in.

[Bjorn]

I want to be a big herbivour race, but... we dont have hands xD How can we make tecnology?

[Pericles of Athens]

Well now that I think dinos cant us tech they dont have thumbs

[Jingo Eugene]

Well now that I think dinos cant us tech they dont have thumbs

So how exactly would tyrannosaurus rexes use tools? Their heads are in the way!

[Pericles of Athens]

So how exactly would tyrannosaurus rexes use tools? Their heads are in the way!

Ya thats what im saying dinos keep themselves from doing anything

[Barry Goldwater]

All the rules you need to make a faction are up. Some dinos can't use weapons.

[Dan the Man]

You guys are thinking it through too much! Have fun with it, it's meant to be a little silly!

[Barry Goldwater]

Exactly, I figured I could use a break from more serious IHs for once, though that won't stop me from developing future editions of WEF, RB or maybe a serious strategic IH in the future

[Xion]

No bows or throwing weapons?..Hm..guess I can give this a try..it does sound amusing...reminds me of that WW2 Dinosaur game that came out a while ago.

[Barry Goldwater]

Damn, I knew I'd forgotten something. Adding ranged weapons right now

[Xion]

Yay..also..are the dinosaurs intelligent enough to wield two weapons ( Say Throwing Spear and Spear?)

[Barry Goldwater]

Yep, I've actually just added the option for all dinosaurs (minus the ones that can't use weapons, like tyrannosaurs) to carry a secondary weapon, though costs will stack in that case.

[Marshy]

OMG YESH!

[Barry Goldwater]

Updated military rules with some new dinosaurs and added food upkeep costs. You can make your factions now if you want and claim areas on the map ahead of time, but I'm not actually starting this IH until after RB.

And yes, you can have Carnivores and Herbivores fighting alongside each other, so the massive variety of herbivores compared to carnivores doesn't become game-breaking Just come up with some IC reason as to how they can tolerate each other within your borders when writing your faction.

[Bjorn]

This is looking cool