Of Caliphs and Kings
Historical Context:The year is 776. The location is, generally, Western Europe; more specifically, Iberia.
Since 711, the Muslims have ruled in Spain under the Umayyad Caliphate of Damascus. That power structure has been upended, as the Umayyads were overthrown in the Near East by the Abbasids, throwing the Caliphate into disorder. Things were made even more complicated when an Umayyad Prince, Abd al-Rahman, crossed from Morocco into al-Andalus in 755 and began a bold campaign to declare himself Emir of Cordoba, essentially staking out a separate Caliphate in Iberia in all but name. By 776, Abd al-Rahman as secured control over much of the peninsula, save for a few hold-out Christian Kingdoms in the North and the always rebellious Basque peoples.
As Abd al-Rahman’s power grows in al-Andalus, so grows suspicion of him. The Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad, al-Mahdi, is especially concerned of his waning power in West and worries of losing authority of North Africa to the last Umayyad. The assurgent Charlemagne of the Franks and the Lombards stands as the guardian of Christendom from the Muslims of Iberia, with many pressuring him to send an army and remove the threat, as Pope Leo III sits in Rome and fears for the souls of the Mozarab population. Even within in al-Andalus, Sulayman ibn Yokdan al-Arabi al-Kelbi maintains loyal Muslim forces in Zaragoza as a check on the rise of Abd al-Rahman in Cordoba. The Christian Kingdom of Asturias, under the leadership of King Silo, is also a source of worry for the Umayyad Emir as a potential ally of a European Christian army.
Who will write the story of Iberia – the Christians or the Muslims?
Rules:Turns: Turns will last for a week at a minimum, although they can be extended, if needed, to a maximum of 10 days. Each turn will cover 6 months in-game: Early (January to June) and Late (July to December). The game commences on January 1, 776.
Intrigue and Diplomacy: Covert negotiations and decisions
must be sent to me so I know what is going on in my game. I will not recognize any orders, alliances, plans, plots, or otherwise that I am not informed on. This is a strict rule.
Start of Turn Updates: The map will be updated at the beginning of every turn. Each turn will begin with an update on the effects of the previous turn and I will give each player two to four personal problems to address. Lack of responding to these problems will result negatively for the inactive player. Too many inactive turns and your character will be killed off and you will not be allowed to rejoin, without special circumstances being granted.
Assassinations: Several rules were successfully assassinated during this period and there were numerous other conspiracies to commit other assassinations. To account for this, every player will be designated a number between 1 and 100 at the start of the game. At the end of each turn, I will hit a random number generation and, if those two numbers match, that character will be assassinated. If your character is assassinated, depending on the situation in your country, you may be able to continue ruling as if nothing happened, you may be locked in a bitter power struggle, or you may have reached your end game.
Succession: Laws of succession in this time were not as clear as they are today. Male, legitimate children are the best and safest way to ensure easy succession. This does not always happen. Depending on your country, the in-game decisions made, and the manor of your death, things could go a number of ways. Another player could make a power-grab and make a claim to the throne. Your chosen heir could be recognized as legitimate and you carry on playing as normal. Your chosen heir is not universally recognized and you’re now faced with a succession crisis and, possibly, a civil war. Remember these wise words: monarchs need an heir and a spare.
Rebellions: This period is ripe with rebellions. Zaragoza and the Berbers of the Duero River have launched rebellions in the last decade. This can happen in any other country, at largely any time, based off of in-game decisions. Depending on the scope, scale, and cause of rebellion, you could be overthrown and reach your end game, or your face yourself with a tricky situation that needs urgent attention before the guillotine comes out.
Statistics: To avoid overcomplication, economic status will be ranked in four categories: Excellent, Good, Mild, and Poor. You obviously want to be in Excellent. The higher your economic status is, the easier time you will have ruling. Your popularity will also be ranked in four categories: Excellent, Good, Mild, and Poor. A ruler with Poor popularity will face rebellions and opposition from within. Legitimacy will also be judged on the four point scale: Excellent, Good, Mild, and Poor. New rulers will often begin at Mild. A ruler with Poor legitimacy will be faced with the possibility of a civil war and other challenges to their rule.
Simulation: As Lumine does in his games, I will use dice rolls and a random number generator for all sorts of events, actions, and player moves. That doesn’t mean everything is left to chance, as factors change the order of the dice roll. I’ll use the same reasoning Lumine uses.
Example: An army of 20,000 men fights an army of 5,000 on an open field. Since numerical superiority is so large, the first army is awarded an extra dice (three against two). But let’s say the 5,000 army is instead defending a strong city like Toldeo, or the commander disparity is large (as in, pitting Charlemagne against Abd al-Rahman’s teenage son). Then the smaller army would get an extra dice because of that advantage, and so on. Then we roll:
The Muslims have two dice, plus one on account of numbers. It rolls a 4.
The Franks have two dice, plus one on account of defending Toledo with Charlemagne. It rolls 18.
An extreme example and unlikely example, yes, but you can see the large disparity would make this a crushing victory for the Franks. Then I roll again, one dice for each side, to account for losses. The Franks could roll a six for high losses, but since their margin of victory is huge it won’t be as painful. The Muslims could just roll 4, but since they got crushed they will take heavy casualties.
Players: The initial playable nations are as follows:
Emirate of Cordoba Led by Emir Abd al-Rahman (Novella)
Abbasid Caliphate Led by Caliph al-Mandhi (JacksonHitchcock)
Frankish Kingdom Led by King Charlemagne (Windjammer)
Papal States Led by Pope Leo III (BaconKing)
Asturian Kingdom Led by King Silo (HenryWallaceVP)
Emirate of Zaragoza Led by Governor Sulayman ibn Yokdan al-Arabi al-Kelbi (Garlan Gunter)
Berber Confederation Led by King Salih ibn Tarif (TimTurner)
Additional states and characters may become available as the game progresses.
