Gwalethain National Point System

The Gwalethian National Point System (GNPS)

Type	Roleplaying Balancing System
Founder(s)	Aeternaea
Area served	Gwalethia
Key people	Ulskar
Owner(s)	Ahdam E. Dour
Website	www.shadyraven.com

The Gwalethian National Point System, simply referred to as GNPS, or the Ginps system in slang, is the roleplaying balancing system developed for the region of Gwalethia for the purpose of balancing nations and making the roleplaying more realistic. It is based off of the system developed by Shady Raven Studios for similar purposes in homebrewed tabletop sessions. Based off of the "Raven's Lament System" and the older "Votis" System, it has since been adapted for the purposes of Gwalethia.

Summary

The GNPS System is a simplified system allowing for nations to have a balanced roleplaying experience, with the hopes of preventing godmodding and metagaming, as much as possible. As mentioned before, it is based on several tabletop systems, and as such has a requirement for dice, specifically 1D10, for rolls whenever necessary. A great majority of the actions can be done without any rolls, only requiring the intervention of a roll when one party involved forces the action. Below are two examples, the first being a scenario where roleplaying is enough to allow for the story to progress, and the second being an example of a forced action that will progress the story with whatever the results will be:

1. Nation A and Nation B are in a war. They are currently in a stalemate. For whatever reason, neither nation is taking action and are both satisfied with the current scenario. This allows them to progress with the story on their own terms, possibly choosing to pursue diplomatic actions instead.
2. Nation A and Nation B are still at war, and still in a stalemate. Rather than accepting the current scenario, Nation B decides to launch an additional offensive with reserve troops with the aims of routing Nation A's army. This scenario will catch player A off guard, unless they've had a reason to suspect an attack, such as through espionage. The result of this will not only Nation B gain a bonus due to their actions, but Nation A will take a penalty. Following this, the moderator will roll 1D10 for each of them, with the following formula: 1D10+X+Y-Z (Where X denotes the land tech modifier, Y denotes the bonus modifier(s), and Z denotes the penalty modifier(s).) After the roll is made, the moderator will provide the results, and the nations can continue from there, rather than from where they were in the beginning.

Note: In scenario 2, if Nation A had shown prior that they have been spying on Nation B, and with sufficient actions taken, with a successful outcome, they would not be taking the penalty, and could even turn the scenario around depending on how they roleplay it.

Due to its basis in tabletop systems, it requires three key items to function properly:

1. The GNPS Sheet to be completed.
2. A unbiased moderator who will act as the intermediary whenever a roll is needed.
3. A dice roller system, such as this for the moderator to perform rolls on, which they can screenshot and show a history of rolls, if they need to provide evidence.

The second and third items are filled on the side of the moderators, so there is no responsibility for the nation to get these prior to beginning roleplaying (they can merely contact a moderator when they are needed for a roll). The first item however, the GNPS Sheet, is required by all nations. It is similar to a character sheet, except on a larger scale, as it will impact their entire nation. It is very simple to do, and merely requires investing points into categories, and that is all. A spreadsheet will be given somewhere in the region so that people can do this rather easily. The spreadsheet should auto-populate the information that will aid nations to roleplay, and can allow for an easier time tracking information so that nobody abuses it. It will auto-populate field such as; currency, population, and literacy rate, among many others.

Upon having the above three items, the roleplaying can begin right away. Moderators will always be willing to help whenever needed. If however, there is ever the need for more information, one can contact Aeternaea directly over discord, NationStates Telegrams, or even through his contact information found on Shady Raven Studio's main website. He typically replies within 1-24 hours, depending on timezone and the question(s) asked.

Point Allocation

Traditionally, each new nation to the system will be given 30 Allocation Points (AP) in order to invest however they choose to into 10 fields (Innovation, Diplomacy, Economy, Magecraft, Land Tech, naval Tech, Adaptability, Population, and Navigation), which will determine the strengths and weaknesses of said nation.

Example: a nation with a 3 invested into Land Tech, everything held constant, versus a nation with 6 invested into Land Tech, would traditionally lose in a pitched battle.

Of course, there are many ways around these scenarios, as other fields grant bonuses and penalties based on the number invested into them. It is also that, since this system is to be used in tandem with dice rolls (done by moderators), that an upset could occur, just as in real life.

Continuing, the 30 APs are to be invested into the fields below, up to a limit of 6 points per field, which means that it is impossible to get all 10 fields to the maximum level at the beginning. That being said, there are ways for nations to improve their standings in these fields; seeking out assistance in them, performing certain RP actions, etc. Any time a nation has earned the ability to invest an additional point into a field, a moderator would inform them. If, for whatever reason, a nation believes they have earned the right to improve a certain field, they can make an appeal to a moderator. If this appeal is denied, a nation is allowed to appeal once more to a different moderator, whom will then discuss things with the first moderator to see what, if anything, can be done.

It is important to note that this system is still in a trial stage, and changes are always possible. Any time a change happens, it will be put into the change notes below.

Allocation Categories

Below are the ten allocation categories; each allowing for your nation to be specialised in certain fields. The purpose of these fields is so that nations can vary greatly, yet still be balanced overall. As some nations will be greater at espionage, whereas others could be better seafarers. So be sure to read the descriptions below, so that you can better understand what they are for, and what they will affect.

Innovation

Innovation is perhaps the one category that affects the others the most. Innovation is, as it sounds, your nations ability to develop new technologies, techniques, equipment, magicks, and such. The way this works exactly is that your innovation score will tie into one of the categories that would require innovation in order to keep them up-to-date in comparison to rival nations.

For example: A nation with 6 innovation and 6 Land Tech will be able to constantly keep their army up-to-date, but a nation with a 1 innovation and a 6 Land Tech would not be able to; their army would be able to use level 6 technology, but would not have their hands on it through national production, and would instead need to rely on outside trade.

In addition to this, the production also ties into innovation, but we will discuss that in more details later.

Roll Bonuses Include:

• Discoveries
• Creations
• Reverse-engineering

Diplomacy

Diplomacy is the ability to interact with other nations. All nations are able to interact with others, but nations with higher diplomatic points will, by default, be considered better at it. It is important as it allows nations to demonstrate that they are able to communicate with one another through non-violent means. An example would be that nations with a track record in diplomacy would be the go-to ones for arbitration.

For example: Two nations send diplomats out to nation A; Nation 1 and Nation 2. Nation 1 has level 6 diplomacy, and Nation 2 has level 1. Nation A would have a better chance of working alongside with Nation 1, rather than nation 2.

Roll Bonuses Include:

• Diplomatic Actions
• Arbitration & Mediation
• Treaty Writing

Economy

The Economy one is very important, as it is the key factor in determining how rich your nation will start out. In addition, nations with a strong economy are also likely to be strong traders and merchants. These kinds of nations are likely to be the ones who can grant loans, forgive debts, create trade agreements, and use their money as their power. It is important however to note that a strong economy does not mean a strong production level.

Roll Bonuses Include:

• Internal Economic Actions
• External Economic Actions
• Mercantile Actions

Production

Production is important as it allows for a nation to produce a large degree of goods and services. Nations with high production rates are able to mass-produce and create large inventories. This is a way to promote economic growth, and as such, it is heavily tied in with the economic category. The main difference though is that production requires funding to work properly, and nations with weak production may be forced to outsource in order to get the goods they require.

Roll Bonuses Include:

• Construction Actions
• Mercantile Actions
• Manufacturing Actions

Magecraft

Magecraft is the only category that directly relates to magic. Having a high amount of points in this field means that your nation has a better background in it, and has a higher chance of justifiably having mages. It is, however, important to note that even if you had level 6 Magecraft, you still would not have a huge magical population, as magic is seen as extremely rare, with less than 1% of individuals being able to use it. That being said, having a high amount of proficiency here is beneficial, as mages can serve in many positions in a nation, being able to assist with the environment, with combat, and with much more. They are perhaps the best supporters to mainstream activities.

Bonus Rolls Include:

• Magical History
• Magical Usage
• Alchemy

Land Tech

Land Tech is one of the two military categories that can be invested into. The higher your investment into this, the greater your nation's skills, abilities, and training will be. A high land tech does not always equate to a higher quality gear though, as that would be tied into innovation. That being said, a nation starting with 6 land tech would be assumed to have mastered iron-forging, in addition to having high-quality soldiers. A nation with a high military training could also inspire allied troops in battle if they are present, granting leadership bonuses to them.

Roll Bonuses Include:

• Land Exploration
• Military Training
• Military Leadership

Naval Tech

Naval Tech is another of the two military categories that can be invested into. The higher your investment into this, just like with Land Tech, the great your nation's skills, abilities, and training will be. A high Naval Tech does not always equate to higher quality ships or equipment; as that would be tied into innovation. That being said, a nation starting with 6 Naval Tech would be assumed to be able to make Caravals and Cogs.

Roll Bonuses Include:

• Naval Exploration
• Naval Training
• Naval Leadership

Adaptability

Adaptability is your nations ability to use foreign tools, objects, weapons, creations, or anything. It also includes your nations ability to work alongside other nations more easily. A nation with high adaptability allows for your nation to be able to have a low production if you are able to afford to import equipment from producer nations.

Bonus Rolls Include:

• Adaptation
• Conservation
• Teamwork

Population

The population category is simply the number of people living in your nation. With a high population, your armies and navies have a larger pool to recruit from. In addition to this, with a large population, nations are able to send the excess population out to colonise new locations with the intent of peacefully expanding your nation.

Note: It is important to note that the population that you receive in the end (through the use of a formula), is not set in stone. You are always allowed to claim less than or equal to the number received. For example, if you were to get a 10,000,000 population, you can take any number less than or equal to that. Whilst not abandoning the actual number, which you can always RP with later on through events such as "mass immigration", or a "baby boom".

Bonus Rolls Include:

• Colonisation
• Entertainment
• Morale

Espionage

Espionage is quite simply how good your nation is at gathering and storing information from multiple locations across Gwalethia. Nations with high espionage levels are possibly some of the more dangerous ones, as they are able to possible prevent surprise attacks. In addition to this, it is not unheard of for strong espionage nations to sell their skills to other nations.

Bonus Rolls Include:

• Infiltration
• Exfiltration
• Counter-Espionage

GNPS Table

Below is an example of the base table that you will find on the associated spreadsheet. The actual spreadsheet that you will find is a lot more detailed and will have fields that will auto-populate.

Here's a slightly more detailed example:

As you can see, the above table is the traditional one that a player will have; the numbers will allow for an auto-population of certain fields. If there are any questions, be sure to contact a moderator.

GNPS Moderators

GNPS Moderators are nations who are specifically chosen by the GNPS regional admin for the role of overseeing the system to make sure that everyone RPs fairly and without discrimination. There is no authority difference between a GNPS Admin or a GNPS Moderator aside from GNPS Admins being able to appoint a moderator.

Moderators have important responsibilities;

1. They must learn the basics of the system.
2. They must be unbiased in all decisions, as it is up to them to perform the rolls.
3. They must deal with any drama that arises.
4. They must also be friendly and approachable.

In the region of Gwalethia, the region in which the system was developed for, the two original moderators are;

• Aeternaea - The Lord-Chancellor of the Centre & the Left (A title to be given to a third moderator when they become available)
• Ulksar - The Lord-Chancellor of the Right

There exists an additional moderator title in Gwalethia, the Lord-Chancellor of the Outer; which will mean that this region has a total of 4 available moderator positions, with the Centre also being the admin position. All moderators, as a bonus for their service, are granted an additional 10 points to invest initially. These points remain with them if they were to step down from the position, although they cannot gain an additional 10 for regaining said position.

GNPS Change Notes

GNPS is currently in its beta format. It is considered to be in version 0.1.0.

Any further updates to the system will be updated here.

Plans for the future

Currently, the plans are to exit the beta stage of the system. To do this, the system must be more thoroughly tested. New implementations will be added as the testing progresses.

Notable Mentions

Here you will find those who have had a major impact on this project, the purpose is to thank them. You will find them below;

• All of the Shady Raven Studios crew.
• Ulksar