Brethren of the Brick Seas (BoBS) Introduction and Starting Thread

[gedren_y]

Since the new map is now established, I made a minor edit to Stargazing to reflect that the old map (which includes its location) is incorrect.

[Legostone]

Btw, the trade value modifier doesn't seem to be great - if I see it correctly you drop 15% in Trade value if you go from Large Town to city (and it gets worse the steps after that). Wouldn't it make more sense to have the trade value affected linearly by the settlement size? (technically you could have a town with 300 properties, with 80% trade value instead of 30%)

 

[Mike S]

2 hours ago, Maxim I said:

As said, it would have helped if we have earlier access to the maps. There are many claimed islands without an official map.

I think we need to have one member from each faction that will volunteer to be the cartographer of their faction's maps. Then when each faction gets a new island, the detailed maps get distributed to that member who will then add the general geographical features while I would suggest that Ska focus on the NPC islands. As it is now with the third region of maps released, with so many islands needing geographical features added, I think the workload is too big for any one person that has real life responsibilities. I can continue producing Corrington's maps and I can distribute the basic detailed maps of the Prio Sea region that I have without any geographical features, like the La Sombra map, to the other factions.  

[Maxim I]

16 minutes ago, Mike S said:

I think we need to have one member from each faction that will volunteer to be the cartographer of their faction's maps. Then when each faction gets a new island, the detailed maps get distributed to that member who will then add the general geographical features while I would suggest that Ska focus on the NPC islands. As it is now with the third region of maps released, with so many islands needing geographical features added, I think the workload is too big for any one person that has real life responsibilities. I can continue producing Corrington's maps and I can distribute the basic detailed maps of the Prio Sea region that I have without any geographical features, like the La Sombra map, to the other factions.  

I don't have cartography skills... Otherwise I would love to help with those maps...

So if there is an Eslandolan member who has cartography skills: feel free to volunteer, otherwise I will learn how to do it :)

[kurigan]

Ok, so lately I've been tempted to give BoBs a shot but, as I've said in several conversations, I find the whole mind boggling. Well, I figured "why not start at the beginning and see if I can get a grasp on things this time?" So, I opened up the "Brethren of the Brick Seas (BoBS) Introduction and Starting Thread". First page goes Ok, doesn’t seem to be to vital to memorize it all especially as I know some things have changed already. Next page seems like a bunch of questions and conversation, no big deal. A few more pages of the same, then I hits me. "How many pages of this are there?" 80!  80 pages of introduction to sift through. For sure most of it won't apply, but how do I know I'm not missing something vital in the fray? 

 

That brings me to my point: Is there some kind of repository of pertinent information or, even better, a new members'/late comer's guide? 

 

Personally, I wouldn't even know who to declare for. The faction introduction threads aren’t much of a lighter read. I'd like to pick a faction based on mutual value; that is, I want to bring something into the mix which will better my team and pay off in the end. 

 

I really can't be the only one wondering and I do apologize if I'm repeating something I may have missed in the myriad pages of unfiltered data. 

[Captain Genaro]

54 minutes ago, kurigan said:

Ok, so lately I've been tempted to give BoBs a shot but, as I've said in several conversations, I find the whole mind boggling.

I get the feeling you're not the only one. If you are interested in joining, I suggest you concentrate your efforts on a brief overview (no need to memorize everything, just get the gist) of the Main Index and ignore this thread for now. Your faction's leadership should be able to help you get started, and many of the issues addressed here and elsewhere are unlikely to be relevant to you. The ones that are will be brought to your attention by your faction's leadership. And even then, you can build without participating in the larger economic and military game.

Basically, starting shouldn't be too hard. Just make a few builds, which your faction's leaders can help you license and choose locations for, and before long you should be able to handle all the basics.

I do agree that a newcomer can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and rules. The Court is aware of this and is working on ideas and suggestions to improve the game's image to new players.

[Ayrlego]

2 hours ago, kurigan said:

Ok, so lately I've been tempted to give BoBs a shot but, as I've said in several conversations, I find the whole mind boggling.

I agree. The whole concept is huge and I'm glad I signed up at the start, as I think trying to work out how to jump in now must be very intimidating.

Firstly, for now ignore the Introduction and Starting thread. Start at the thread linked below, everything you need is linked there

Captain Genaro is right, starting shouldn't be too difficult, just create a primary character and backstory and go for it. Before you can do that of course, you need to pick a faction! Deciding on faction can be a difficult decision. The first couple of posts in each of the faction threads are a good starting point. No need to read further than the first page however. Given your nautical expertise, I'd guess you'd be right at home in any of the factions. In my mind the differences between them can be summarised as below:

Corrington: Redcoats. (inspired mainly so far by elements of historic Great Britain) Science and the enlightenment are main focuses for Corrington, and our main income is from our strong merchant fleet. Of course a dependence on our merchants has meant a focus on a strong navy to protect them. Thus far we have preferred diplomacy over force. We have bonuses for educational buildings. (We'd of course be honoured to have you! )

Olean: Bluecoats. (inspired mainly so far by elements of historic France) Religion, the arts and culture are the main focuses for Olean. They also have developed a decent merchant fleet and a strong navy. Like Corrington, they seem to favour diplomacy over force. Although Olean and Corrington were supposed to be bitter rivals, relations have been amicable thus far. Olean has bonuses for art/culture buildings.

Eslandola: Greenbacks. (inspired by elements of historic Spain/Portugal, The Netherlands and even sometimes trade republics like Venice, Milan or Lubeck.) Their politics are chaotic, at times they appear more a loose confederation of merchant barons than a civilised nation. From the outside it appears that a trio of very powerful trade companies control everything, although they bicker amongst themselves just as much as they aggressively advance their interests in the new world. Probably the most active faction (in terms of builders). They are currently in a war with one of the largest NPC nations, Mardier. A war that, despite what they tell you, they technically started Eslandola have bonuses for commercial buildings.

Sea Rats: Pirates. Basically your wildcard, these men and women have rejected the 'civilised' societies and make their own way in the new world, owing allegiance to no central authority. Some try to pursue legitimate businesses, others live a life of plunder and piracy. Pretty much room here for any flavour of character you like. Sea Rats have cheaper ship licenses and bonuses for artisan buildings.

Of course they are just my general impressions. Someone is sure to tell me off for equating each faction to a real life faction, but that is how I see it. Of course you don't need to be bound by any of the above!

The basics of the maritime component of the economic game system can be found here:

The basics for the land based component of the economic game system can be found here:

Again, you don't have to participate in the EGS, or you can opt to jump in at a later date.

Anyway hopefully this long post has helped and not confused matters further!

I think if you can choose a faction, the best thing would just be to create a charactor and work it out as you go. We'll all help out when it comes to licensing your first ship/property! And there are plenty of tycoons around to loan/donate some doubloons to get you started!

 

 

 

[Jacob Nion]

Ahoy!

I need some advice regarding the bureaucracy; 

How am I supposed to relocate troops, lets say from one vessel to another or from vessel to land. Or do I have to disband the old troops and raise new ones? 

And is there an option to see how many troops I have raised and where I stationed them?

[Elostirion]

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCXOiTz4XpAu2x949TZoF_8Toxh_4BaDSx0tJx62iwsdrD5g/viewform?c=0&w=1

Though that one only is about relocation, not about disbanding.

 

Found here:

 

[Kolonialbeamter]

'The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy' - Oscar Wilde

@Jacob Nion When you first placed your troops using the army location form, you had to give them a name. Now, just do the same thing again - fill out the army location form with the name of your troops, and add a new location... and most importantly: pray to all the Gods that it worked, because there's no feedback or overview so far... Did I hear you scream in agony? Well, now imagine keeping track of all faction troops

 

@kurigan As was said before, for starters all you need to do is to choose a faction - think in what kind of society you'd like to see your sigfig in. Then, you'll be guided through the jungle of BoBS rules, by your faction leaders in terms of faction stuff, and by all here (mostly in this thread) regarding all else... and don't forget the mandatory smack talk 

[Zaael]

@kurigan I joined recently and felt the same. All these rules, bureaucrazy and forms, them forms! Luckily I joined the ever helpful Oleon-"we are the good guys "-team. And got a lot of help in regards to the rules and procedures in the private channel. I suspect the rest of the teams also have that. I did what KB suggested; created a character, some backstory and took the plunge. My teammates learned me how to swim.

Happy building! 

[Jacob Nion]

@Kolonialbeamter I did not know that. There is no special field for names. So you mean I would have to write something like "platoon 'scallywag 1' on ship 'xy'"?

Well that means all my troops are nameless. I know there was some information about raising troops when it became a thing, but I can't find that bloody post yet. The master index is definitely lacking a proper guideline about army raising.

[Kolonialbeamter]

I think this whole troop distribution system is sort of a mess. And I'm afraid once there will be more military in BoBS it will blow right up in our faces.

1 hour ago, Jacob Nion said:

So you mean I would have to write something like "platoon 'scallywag 1' on ship 'xy'"?

Yes, like this.

And you'll have to keep track of those troops by yourself - meaning name and current location. It works - I hope - but there is just no way of getting any feedback...

[Maxim I]

7 minutes ago, Kolonialbeamter said:

I think this whole troop distribution system is sort of a mess. And I'm afraid once there will be more military in BoBS it will blow right up in our faces.

Yes, like this.

And you'll have to keep track of those troops by yourself - meaning name and current location. It works - I hope - but there is just no way of getting any feedback...

 

I have recently raised an army, but I haven't seen an empty field to fill in their name tbh...

 

[Jacob Nion]

9 minutes ago, Kolonialbeamter said:

I think this whole troop distribution system is sort of a mess. And I'm afraid once there will be more military in BoBS it will blow right up in our faces.

Yes, like this.

And you'll have to keep track of those troops by yourself - meaning name and current location. It works - I hope - but there is just no way of getting any feedback...

Alright it isn't to hard for me to look up the upkeep costs and tell how many regiments that must be. 

My problem is now that I haven't given them names in the first place. 

Do you think it would work if I write something like "1 platoon from ship 'x' to ship 'y'" in the relocation form? How does this very form work? Does the staff have to look them up and replace the troops individually? I can't imagine it being automatic.

[Kolonialbeamter]

8 minutes ago, Maxim I said:

I haven't seen an empty field to fill in their name tbh...

You have to fill out the blanks where it says 'Troops stationed on LAND: List where your troops are located by platoon (you can list them at higher volumes if in the same place)' or 'Troops on vessels: Detail which vessel has how many additional troops on board'

Use both location and name here. Note: you can copy-paste entire prepared lists into these blanks, which helps a lot.

5 minutes ago, Jacob Nion said:

Do you think it would work if I write something like "1 platoon from ship 'x' to ship 'y'" in the relocation form?

It should. Sounds like a good idea in order to name your units, and replace them in the same time. Make sure to not forget those names!

6 minutes ago, Jacob Nion said:

How does this very form work?

I use it by announcing all changes there are per month by copy-pasting army overviews into those blank fields. However, there is no official guideline, as you've already noticed...

7 minutes ago, Jacob Nion said:

Does the staff have to look them up and replace the troops individually?

To my knowledge @SkaForHire is the only one with access to this.

[Garmadon]

8 hours ago, kurigan said:

Ok, so lately I've been tempted to give BoBs a shot but, as I've said in several conversations, I find the whole mind boggling. Well, I figured "why not start at the beginning and see if I can get a grasp on things this time?" So, I opened up the "Brethren of the Brick Seas (BoBS) Introduction and Starting Thread". First page goes Ok, doesn’t seem to be to vital to memorize it all especially as I know some things have changed already. Next page seems like a bunch of questions and conversation, no big deal. A few more pages of the same, then I hits me. "How many pages of this are there?" 80!  80 pages of introduction to sift through. For sure most of it won't apply, but how do I know I'm not missing something vital in the fray? 

 

That brings me to my point: Is there some kind of repository of pertinent information or, even better, a new members'/late comer's guide? 

 

Personally, I wouldn't even know who to declare for. The faction introduction threads aren’t much of a lighter read. I'd like to pick a faction based on mutual value; that is, I want to bring something into the mix which will better my team and pay off in the end. 

 

I really can't be the only one wondering and I do apologize if I'm repeating something I may have missed in the myriad pages of unfiltered data. 

Great to see that you might finally bit the bullet and join!  The others' advice is quite excellent - really, I wouldn't read all the rules just now, just skim the land rules and maybe read the MRCA ones a bit more carefully (both linked by Ayrlego above), and you'll really have everything you need to give it a go!  The Master Index is a great place to find pretty much all the information that exists.  And yep, please don't try to wade your way through the previous 80 pages before joining! 

As to which faction to join - I know we'd love to have you in Eslandola (which is by far the coolest and best one out there, by the bye! ), but just join whichever appeals to you most and where you'd most like to be! 

[Capt Wolf]

4 hours ago, Kolonialbeamter said:

When you first placed your troops using the army location form, you had to give them a name.

KB, this is not true. There is no place on the form to name your troops. There's a place for the player's name, the amount of troops, and location, but the troops do not get named.

10 hours ago, kurigan said:

Ok, so lately I've been tempted to give BoBs a shot but, as I've said in several conversations, I find the whole mind boggling.

kurigan, I'm glad you're looking at taking the plunge! And, yes, it's quite intimidating. Ayrlego's advice is almost spot-on what I was going to say. I would add that, if you're having trouble deciding on a faction, keep asking questions in this thread or one of the faction threads until you get the answers you need. Once you decide on a faction, you'll be included in a faction-wide PM that will get you connected to faction activities that aren't immediately apparent otherwise.

@Phred, can you take Ayrlego's post above and pin it as a "Quick Beginner's Guide to BoBS" or somesuch?

[Maxim I]

7 minutes ago, Capt Wolf said:

KB, this is not true. There is no place on the form to name your troops. There's a place for the player's name, the amount of troops, and location, but the troops do not get named.

kurigan, I'm glad you're looking at taking the plunge! And, yes, it's quite intimidating. Ayrlego's advice is almost spot-on what I was going to say. I would add that, if you're having trouble deciding on a faction, keep asking questions in this thread or one of the faction threads until you get the answers you need. Once you decide on a faction, you'll be included in a faction-wide PM that will get you connected to faction activities that aren't immediately apparent otherwise.

@Phred, can you take Ayrlego's post above and pin it as a "Quick Beginner's Guide to BoBS" or somesuch?

KB, that's what I meant with no blank field :)

Phred, only edit the Eslandola part a bit we are not that bad

[Kolonialbeamter]

19 minutes ago, Capt Wolf said:

KB, this is not true. There is no place on the form to name your troops. There's a place for the player's name, the amount of troops, and location, but the troops do not get named.

Bad choice of words, my bad. Of course you don't have to. But it's the only thing that makes sense. Not for the purpose of placing troops somewhere, but for the purpose of redistributing specific troops somewhere else. Therefore troops need a unique designation - or name.

With all these questions here, and the confusion, I hope you see how flawed the current setup is - and how much work this will cost us to handle once military becomes more prominent... 

[Capt Wolf]

Just now, Kolonialbeamter said:

Bad choice of words, my bad. Of course you don't have to.

Well, not only don't you have to, but you can't on that form.

Just now, Kolonialbeamter said:

Therefore troops need a unique designation - or name.

Totally agree! Although that doesn't entirely solve things...

1 minute ago, Kolonialbeamter said:

With all these questions here, and the confusion, I hope you see how flawed the current setup is

Yep.

FYI, I've had to deal with raising some troops and moving them around. Basically, when you move them, as long as you're moving a quantity of troops from a place they exist, everything works, but there's nothing in place for players to track it other than writing it down and keeping track of it themselves. And naming troops doesn't necessarily solve the problem, as a company could be broken up into platoons and sent to different locations. What we need is a record somewhere that shows the status of all ground troops (number, location, owner) that can be accessed by the players (at least for their own faction's troops).

[Maxim I]

It should be able to be easier..

First of all, in the settlements topic, there should be a column with number of troops stationed in a settlement.

The relocating form should look like this:

Quote

 

Owners name: (insert name)

Number of troops drawing back: (number or list)

place/vessel they were previously located: (inser place)

 

(now those troops are relocated to your account:

Settlement A: - X soldiers

Account: + X soldiers

up to the next page)
 

Quote

 

Number of troops sent to the new location: (number or list)

place/vessel they are sent too: (insert place)

 

(the troops are relocated from your account to the place. This makes that if an account has a negative number of troops, it can be easily discovered and the sending of troops to a new location can be undone then).

Is also very usefull as we have the information now where those troops are, and it is all automatically (just like licencing a fortress)

Edited January 24, 2017 by Maxim I

[Kolonialbeamter]

Just now, Capt Wolf said:

Well, not only don't you have to, but you can't on that form.

Yes, you can. As I said earlier, just drop all info on who and where into the following blanks - 'Troops stationed on LAND: List where your troops are located by platoon (you can list them at higher volumes if in the same place)' and/or 'Troops on vessels: Detail which vessel has how many additional troops on board.' Again: you can copy-paste entire lists into these, it's good for more than just a one-liner.

3 minutes ago, Capt Wolf said:

FYI, I've had to deal with raising some troops and moving them around.

How do you handle this?

3 minutes ago, Capt Wolf said:

And naming troops doesn't necessarily solve the problem, as a company could be broken up into platoons and sent to different locations.

But it does - each individual platoon gets a designation - larger units, too. Then, split up and recombine as desired by stating the changes each month using the army location form.

Well, that's 'my' system for OL troops. If yours works, too, there's no problem in this regard. What I see as problematic is that there's no guide to this, nothing official - so everybody is creating their own system - or not. I can only assume behind the scenes this is starting to look messy.

[Bregir]

Regarding troops, I can assure you all that Corrington has absolutely no overview over its forces. But that any agression will be met with fierce resistance, should your puny ships make it past our warfleets to land troops!

In short, I believe we have a leadership task in regards to troops... ;)

[gedren_y]

Are we supposed to be spouting silly self-pride? Okay.

<sings> "Just look for . . . the Truachesh label."