The Last Island

 

Premise

Deep in the heart of the Ocean is the Last Island. The people arrived centuries past, and have forgotten how to build ocean crossing vessels long ago. The tribes are locked in almost constant warfare for resources and space. Only the Magumba, the High Priest of the Volcano, is respected and feared by all.

Do you have what it takes to be the greatest leader? Can your tribe survive on the Last Island?

 

Purpose

The Last Island is an online forum game for the Brisbane Strategy Gamers by the Empirical Imperium. It is designed to run without a GM. Players compete for resources and territory and the idols they contain. The first tribe to be elected Magumba three times wins the game.

 

Magumba

The Magumba is the Holy Leader of the Last Island. It is the Magumba alone who may speak to the spirits who live inside the great volcano, and placate their great wrath. During the reign of a Magumba, the tribe he represents is sacred, and may not attack or be attacked. To spill sacred blood will surely incite the anger of the Volcano spirits.

Every two seasons the Magumba sacrifices himself by leaping into the lava as a propitiation for the crimes of the people.

As a result, a new Magumba must be elected.

All tribes may vote with the number of Idols they control. The tribe with the highest number of votes becomes the new Magumba. An individual from the tribe must be nominated as the Magumba – that individual must still be fed, but may do no work.

The Magumba has an additional administrative responsibility of publishing player orders to a common thread, calculating random numbers, and tracking timber stocks.

The Magumba receives an income from sacrifices offered by warring factions.

 

Map and Territories

The Last Island is divided into 25 traditional territories, each of which contains resources, structures, and Idols. The central territory contains the Volcano, and is a sacred area. No one may approach the seat of the spirits except the Magumba.

 

In addition to the land territories, there are four ocean zones – north, south, east, and west. Ocean Zones contain the fish that the tribes must consume to live.

 

Turns

Turns will be weekly. Each turn is called a “season”, and represents an indeterminate amount of time…

 

Resources

The Last Island has no large animals or many edible plants. The two primary resources are wood and fish, which the Island has in abundance. The other resources are people – Male and Female, which occur naturally under the right circumstances.

Wood and fish may be stored until used or destroyed. People continue to exist until killed by disaster, war, childbirth, cannibalism, or ritual suicide.

 

One Tribe Member with Tools will cut down 1 tree and create 10 wood per season. The wood will be transported to the Tribe’s home territory.

 

One Tribe Member with a Canoe will gather 10 fish (enough to feed 10 tribe members if storms don’t sink the Canoe).

 

Female Tribe members assigned to stay in a hut may produce 1 random offspring per season, using the random number generation system:

Result:

1 – No offspring, Female dies

2 – No offspring

3 or 4 – Female offspring

5 or 6 – Male offspring

Multiple females in the same village will use subsequent results on the random number system. For Example: if there are five females in the village the first five results from the random number system will be used. The Player may choose which number they will take as the first roll (choose A to F).

 

Equipment

The people of your tribe are quite clever and can construct items, as long as they have tools. A tribe member with a tool may construct three small items per season. Large items will take multiple tribe members to construct.

 

Small Items:

Tools – Used to build Items and Structures and Gather Wood – 1 Wood to construct

Clubs – Simple weapons used for killing through blunt trauma – 1 Wood to construct

Spears – More advanced weapons used for killing at a distance – 2 Wood to construct

Shields – Devices used to protect warriors in battle and reduce death – 2 Wood to construct

 

Large Items:

Huts – Protect tribe members during storms, as well as provide a place for females to produce offspring – 2 workers and 5 wood to construct

Canoes – Allow tribe members to gather fish for food – 4 workers and 8 wood to construct

Idols – Giant wooden carvings designed to succour favour from the spirits – 6 workers and 10 wood

 

Random Number

Each turn every player (except the Magumba) chooses a whole number between 1 and 50 inclusive. The Numbers are totalled and divided by 24. The remainder is taken as the Number Table selection. Upon consultation of the Random Number Table, the six random numbers for the turn are determined. These numbers are referred to as ‘A’ through ‘F’, and have a value of 1 to 6. Effectively, these are the d6 results for the turn.

 

Idols

The spirits of the Island don’t like to be crowded, so no territory under a player’s control may contain more than one idol than any other territory under their control. Each Idol in territory you control counts as one vote towards the position of Magumba.

 

Control

Land Territories are either controlled by a tribe, or open to all tribes. A Territory that is controlled by a tribe may only be entered by members of that tribe. A Territory that is not controlled may be entered by members of any tribe (to harvest trees, etc). Control may only be changed by a successful Challenge.

 

Challenge

Warfare on the Last Island is highly ceremonial and formalised.

Each tribe may issue one Challenge each turn. A Challenge must be issued against a specific territory that is adjacent (but not diagonal) to an already territory already controlled by the tribe.

The Challenge must be made via the forum at least 72 hours before orders are due.

The Challenge must be accompanied by a "Challenge Stake" - an offering made to the Magumba on behalf of the tribe. The Stake may consist of any number of any small items, food, wood, canoes, or people.

The Tribe that has been challenged may:

1.      pay the initiating tribe double the Challenge Stake and thus averting battle and keeping the Territory

2.      not pay the double stake and fight a battle

3.      issuing a counter challenge against a territory adjacent to the initial challenged territory. A counter challenge must be accompanied by a stake equal to the one first paid.

 

(options 1 and 2 must be done at least 36 hours before orders are due)

 

The counter Challenged tribe may choose to pay double the stake to keep their own territory safe. But the initial challenge still stands.

 

(must be done at least 18 hours before orders are due)

 

A Challenge issued against an open territory may have the Stake met by any other tribe (except the Magumba). If the Stake is not met, the Territory is automatically transferred to the Challenging tribe.

 

For Example:

 

The Blue Tribe wish to gain control of an adjacent territory. The territory is not controlled by any tribe. The Tribe issues a Challenge, and accompanies it with a Stake of 5 fish. These fish are given to the Magumba as an offering. The Tribe that controls the Magumba keeps the stake. Any other tribe may choose to pay double the stake (10 fish) to satisfy the honour of the Blue Tribe, and prevent them occupying the territory.

If the Red tribe wishes to prevent the Blue Tribe taking the Territory, they must give the Blue Tribe double the Stake. If no one meets the stake, the territory comes under the control of the Blue Tribe.

 

The following turn, the Red Tribe regrets allowing the Blue tribe to occupy the territory, and issues a Challenge, accompanied with a stake of 3 fish, 4 wood, and 2 tools. These items are given to the Magumba to satisfy the spirits.

The Blue tribe may choose to pay the Red Tribe double the stake in order to keep the peace. If they choose not to pay, then a battle may result following the turn's orders. The Blue Tribe may also issue their own challenge to the Red Tribe, paying an equal stake with a chance of gaining control of an adjacent territory. Only one battle will be fought for control of both territories.

If a player loses his last territory, all his possessions, tribes members, etc, become the property of the Challenging player.

 

Battle

A Battle may only occur in a Territory that is the subject of an unpaid challenge.

After publication of orders, a new thread is established where both sides post their warriors and weapons.

Warriors are just tribe members that carry weapons. An individual warrior may be equipped with 1 spear, 1 shield, and 1 club or set of tools. Excess weapons may not be counted in a battle.

 

The battle occurs as follows:

1.      Warriors with Spears throw - 1 kill each

2.      Warriors with Clubs fight - 1 kill each

3.      Warriors with tools fight - 1/2 kill each

4.      Warriors with no weapons or tools fight - 1/3 kill each

Shields cancel out 1 kill.

The side taking the casualties decides which of their warriors are killed.

The total casualties are calculated, and a winner determined. The loser is the side that has been totally eliminated, or the side that has taken the greatest number of casualties.

The losing side retreats with any surviving warriors and the equipment they brought with them. The winner recovers half (rounded down) of any equipment left on the dead of each side.

 

For example:

Red and Blue meet in battle.

 

Red has 10 Warriors, each armed with Clubs.

Blue has 5 Warriors, each armed with Spears and Shields.

 

Spears are thrown first, so Blue kills 5 Red Warriors with their spears. Red has no shields, so takes the damage. Red has no spears to throw back, so the battle moves onto clubs.

Only 5 Red warriors survive the first round to attack with their clubs - 5 kills against Blue. But Blue has shields, and blocks 5 kills.

Neither side has unarmed warriors, so the battle ends.

 

5 Red warriors are killed, and no blue. Blue (having suffered the least number of casualties) wins the battle. The Territory (and everything in it) is now their property. Blue recovers half of the dead warriors (own and enemies) weapons - in this case, 2 clubs.

 

A Second Example:

Red has 10 Warriors, without weapons.

Blue has 2 Warrior, each armed with Spear, Club, and Shield.

 

Spears - Blue kills 2 Red

Clubs - Blue kills 2 Red

Tools - neither side

Unarmed - Red kills 2 (6 unarmed warriors divided by 3). Blue uses the two shields to cancel these 2 kills.

Blue wins the battle.

 

Orders

Each player must submit a set of orders to the Magumba each turn before the due time. The Magumba must not look at the orders until after they have prepared their own.

Orders must follow this format:

 

1.      Tribe Name and Turn Number

2.      Random Number Generator (whole number, 1 - 50 inclusive)

3.      Tribe Record from End of Last Turn(all tribe members, equipment, huts, canoes, idols, territories, etc).

4.      Additional Items, people, etc, gained or lost from activity on the forum. Be sure to include any offspring created last turn, remove warriors and weapons lost, receipts or payments of stakes, double stakes, etc)

5.      Updated Tribe Record

6.      Eating - subtract 1 food for each tribe member. If not enough food, one half of the excess die as a result of cannibalism (or all excess die if you prefer not to eat human flesh)

7.      Orders

List Territories in Alphabetical order, and everything that is happening in that Territory. Orders include Gather, Construct, Village, Fight, Magumba…

8.      End of Turn Tribe Record

9.      End of Turn

 

 

Example Orders

1.      The Red Jellyfish Tribe - Turn 6

2.      Random = 42

3.      Tribe Record from Turn 5

12 Males

8 Females

28 Fish

28 Wood

17 Tools

5 Spears

3 Shields

12 Clubs

3 Canoes

Territory A - 3 Huts, 2 Idols

Territory B - 0 Huts, 1 Idol

Territory C - 2 Huts, 2 Idols

 

4.      Forum Activity

Paid Stake on Territory D - 4 Fish, 2 Wood

Received Double Stake on Territory D - 8 Fish, 4 Wood

 

Offspring Generated - 1 Male, 3 Female

1 Female died in childbirth.

 

5.      Updated Tribe Record

1 Magumba

12 Males

12 Females

32 Fish

30 Wood

17 Tools

5 Spears

3 Shields

12 Clubs

3 Canoes

Territory A - 3 Huts, 2 Idols

Territory B - 0 Huts, 1 Idol

Territory C - 2 Huts, 2 Idols

 

6.      Eating

32 Food, 25 People = 7 Food Excess (no deaths or cannibalism)

 

7.      Orders

Territory A -

3 Females – Village –“E”

1 Female, 3 Males, 6 tools, 10 wood - Construct Canoe

2 Males, 2 tools, 5 wood – Construct Hut

1 Males, 1 tool, 3 wood – Construct 3 tools

 

Territory B -

6 Females, 6 tools, 10 wood - Construct Idol

 

Territory C -

2 Females - Village – “B”

 

Territory H (open) –

2 Males, 2 tools – Gather Wood (20)

 

Territory Y -

1 Magumba - Appease spirits.

 

North - 1 Male, 1 Canoe - Gather Food (10) – “B”

 

South - 1 Male, 1 Canoe - Gather Food (10) – “E”

 

East - 1 Male, 1 Canoe - Gather Food (10) – “C”

 

8.      End of Turn Tribe Record

 

1 Magumba

12 Males

12 Females

37 Fish

22 Wood

20 Tools

5 Spears

3 Shields

12 Clubs

3 Canoes

Territory A - 4 Huts, 2 Idols

Territory B - 0 Huts, 2 Idols

Territory C - 2 Huts, 2 Idols

 

9.      End of Turn

 

 

 

Natural Disasters

Each turn the Random Number “A” indicates what, if any, Natural Disaster has struck The Last Island.

1 – Storms in the North

2 – Storms in the South

3 – Storms in the East

4 – Storms in the West

5 – Storms over the Island

6 – No Disaster

 

Each Canoe Gathering Food must have a Random Number chosen between “B” and “F” (If no number is chosen, “B” is default). In the event of a storm in the sea area, the Canoe is sunk (and no food gathered) if the Random Number chosen is 4 or more.

 

When there are storms over the Island, the people must huddle in their huts to avoid death by exposure. Each hut can contain five tribe members. Any excess population is eliminated.

 

 

Forest Growth

 

Each turn the Forests of the Last Island might regrow. If the Random Number “F” is less than the number of trees in a territory, a new tree grows.

The Magumba is responsible for tracking and publishing the number of trees in each territory.

 

 

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