FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
At present, there haven't been a whole lot
of frequently asked questions. But in anticipation that there will
be, I have created this page.
1.0. General
1.1. Scope of the Game
Q: Will I be able to do everything
in L54 that a country or group could do in an RPG (e.g., raise
dracolisks, meddle with dead gods, learn secrets man was not meant
to know)?
A: Yes. This sort of thing is highly encouraged. Be
bold, be creative, and of course be prepared to have the GM rain on
your parade, or at least make the parade march uphill. Such
things will usually be handled with the Research Project
mechanism.
1.2. The Excel Order Sheet
Q: There isn't enough room in the
cell to tell you what I wanted to say.
A: The row height is set to 11.25. Right-click on the row
number, select "Row Height" and enter a multiple of this
number (22.5, 33.75, 45.0, etc.) for more room. Right-click
again, select "Format Cells", select "Alignment"
and click "Word Wrap". DON'T increase the
column width, or it will not print properly.
Q: There aren't enough
"Army" blocks for all my leaders!
A: Copy one of the existing blocks to the bottom, as many as you
need. Make sure all the copies are above the gray bar that
contains your position name.
1.3. Geography
Q: What is the minimum region
status through which trade can pass?
A: Tributary.
Q: What is the minimum city status
in which a fleet may berth at the end of a turn?
A: Non-Paying Tributary (NT)
or permission of the owning player..
Q: If a port city is shown on the
border between two sea zones, is it adjacent to both?
A: Yes.
Q: When a region is subjected to a
slave raid, does it yield results based on its actual terrain, or on
how the native race values it (e.g., more from dwarven hills as
opposed to regular hills)?
A: Based on the race present
in the region.
Q: To which rivers are the cities
of Pyrayus (in Kerma) and Merwal (in Habu) adjacent?
A: Both cities are adjacent to all three nearby rivers: The
Middle Artaxes, the Lower Artaxes and the Lethes.
1.4. Movement
Q: Does it cost an AP to enter a city?
N: Yes and No. If you are in a land region, entering or exiting a city in that region costs 0 Action Points. However, if you are in a sea zone (including a river), you must pay 1 AP to enter an adjacent city. However, if you then move on to the surrounding land
region (in the same turn), it costs you one less AP then normal, since you have already paid that 1 AP.
Example: If you enter the Adramagdus mountains from the land side, it will cost you 3 AP. To then enter the city of Muzir costs you 0 AP. However, if you start in the Sea of Bells and enter the city of Muzir, that will cost you 1 AP. To then continue into the Adramagdus mountains (in the same turn) will cost you 2 AP, for a total of 3.
Q: Can I issue an order to do nothing for
awhile, so that one leader waits for another to show up before
acting?
A: Yes. It's a Hold order. The first leader issues a
Hold order until he's ready to act.
1.5. Investments
Q: I have a "0" in
"Airship" and "Aerial Beast" QR's. Can I
invest in these?
A: No. This is an
exception to the general rule. The secrets of Airships and
aerial beast riders must be
discovered in play.
Q: I have a "0" in Magic
Ops/Magic Bonus. Can I invest in these?
A: Yes. Magic is
everywhere in Theeurth.
Q: I'm not an Elf or Dwarf.
Can I invest in Elf or Dwarf magic?
A: No.
Q: Who can invest in
"Holy" or "Unholy" magic QR's?
A: Only a religious primacy,
religious order or certain secret empires.
1.6. Builds
Q: When I build troops intended
for the army of a Full Ally as per the Basic Rules (5.4.8), do I
build them in my Homeland Build Zone (HBZ) or in the allied region?
A: I don't know that there is a "right" answer for all
LOTE games. For this game, if you want to take advantage of
the 1/2 NFP cost, you MUST build the troops in the ally's region,
and that the HBZ does not apply. The ally must not be
isolated, or you can't get the money and your half of the NFP there.
Also, you must have a land route to the allied region from your
capital, or you will need to ship your half of the NFP to the region
on transports.
1.7. Trade
Q: What actions require an
Interfere with Merchant Affairs (IMA) order, and what can be done
without it?
A: Inter-nation Trade Fleets may be freely initiated.
Starting MSPs will be determined by the computer. To add MSPs to an existing Inter-nation Trade fleet or to move MSPs between fleets requires an IMA action.
Internal Trade/Fishing Fleets may be freely
initiated. Starting MSPs are added by the player, without a
need for an IMA. Additional MSP may be added to an existing fleet without an IMA
action. However, to move MSP between existing fleets does require an IMA action.
Moving ANY type of fleet to a new port requires an IMA action.
1.8. Intel/Assassin Ops
Q: Must a Leader be in the
region/city where the Intel or Assassination is taking place?
A: Yes. As Thomas Harlan puts it:"
James
Bond doesn't sit in Mayfair sipping martinis while the action is in
Togo!"
1.9. Miscellaneous
Q: Why is the "ascending
order of control" in Rule 2.14.6 different from the ordering of
the region control status in Table 2.7? Which is correct?
A: Both are correct. Rule 2.14.6 correctly states the
order of control, while Table 2.7 correctly states the amount of
money one can squeeze from a particular region. One can take
more from a pacified region than a tributary region because the
point of a sword is a marvelous argument for digging deep at tax
time.
Q: How do merchants, RO's, PRA's
and SE's interact with the intrinsic Yard Capacity of cities?
Must they share with the Open Nation? Who takes precedence if
both try to use the same capacity?
A: The open Nation always takes precedence. Merchants can build
their own industrial capacity, which they have sole access too...
but otherwise everyone has to share.
An agreement amongst the players may occur, of course, but the order
of
precedence if there are multiple IndCap builds occurring would be:
1. Open Nation
2. Primacy
3. Religious Order
4. Merchant House
5. Secret Empire
Q: A Leader set to
"Rule" can also issue the "Have Children" order
simultaneously for no additional AP. Are there any other
orders that will permit this?
A: Yes. A King or Heir in the capital may issue
free "Have Children" orders while also issuing
"React", "Administer" or "Govern"
orders. They will not automatically do so. Only if you
issue the order.
2.0. Races
2.1. Dwarves
-
2.2. Elves -
Q: Won't the immortality of the
elves give them a huge advantage by perpetuating good leaders?
A: It will also perpetuate terrible leaders. It will
give rise to fewer chances for Dynastic Failure, but that's in the
nature of the elves of Theeurth. This is Lords of the Earth,
and it was never intended that all the positions have the same power
or advantages, or be balanced with all other positions.
3.0. Positions
Q: Does (Position X) have any kind
of cool unique magic to go with it?
A: Just what you see on this site.
4.0. Combat
4.1. React Order
Q: How does the React order
work? Do extra AP's help?
A: Each LOTE GM is given broad latitude to decide how armies and
leaders react to danger and invasions. Here's how I do
it.
There are four states of readiness:
Defend, React, Attack and Everything Else.
Defend: Almost nothing will
cause a Defending army to move from its prepared position.
React: If the Army is set to
react when the danger becomes apparent, the Leader will make a React
roll to see how quickly he responds. At that point, he will
act either according to conditional orders or according to what the
GM thinks he would do (based on his situation, knowledge and Combat
ability). Don't bother writing "React if
invaded". This is just "everything else" to
me.
Extra AP's don't make one react more
efficiently. The question is, is the leader issuing a React
order when he becomes aware of the danger?
Attack: Armies ordered to
attack will react less quickly than armies ordered to React, but
still maintain some tactical flexibility. However, if they are
off in some distant region, they may never hear of the danger.
Everything Else: If a leader
understands that a danger or invasion is happening, he will react
eventually. This will be according to your conditional orders
or according to what the GM thinks he would do.
Note that any reaction depends on the
Leader's knowledge of the danger. Using an RF op will improve
the chances of leaders being aware of danger in a timely manner.
5.0. Magic
5.1. Spells
5.2. Leader Sorcery
5.3. Artifacts
Q: How can I get more magical
artifacts?
A: There are many ways. Leaders might find clues to their
location in dusty tomes and ancient legends (i.e., through the use
of RF actions), or stumble upon them in some shadowed necropolis
(Investigate Location action). Or an Adventuring Company might
be commissioned to recover one. Or you can steal one from your
neighbors. Or defeat a terrible dragon and ransack its
hoard. There are many ways.
Q: How do I know what each one
does?
A: You can gather clues by reading the newsfax. You can do
some of the aforementioned research in dusty tomes. Certain
Divination spells will reveal the appropriate information.
Additionally, certain items will reveal their own abilities when
discovered.
Q: Do artifact abilities stack? (i.e.,
if I have two general bonuses to combat, do I get the bonus for
both)?
A: It depends on the type of artifact. Two items that both
improve your Leader Combat ability will not stack. Two items,
wielded by two different leaders, that give additional Combat
Strength, will stack.
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