We're going to play a game. We're stuck inside, and there's little we can do outside of our homes, so we're gonna pretend we're out there conquering the world. 

This is a diplomatic role-playing game. Each player is the master of a domain and owner of a stronghold. Players will need to expand their domains to thrive, and upgrade their strongholds to survive.

Every day, two things will occur: first a new event will occur, forcing players to react to the ever-changing world. Players can work together or undermine each other, depending on their wants and needs. Second, players will perform one action, allowing them to expand, hold court, or plot. Each of these actions furthers the interests of the performing player, whether it be for the good or ill of the other players.

Please note: I am making this up as I go along, so it will be messy and broken. The point is to have fun and create an interesting story.

No worries. This isn't meant to be a heavy commitment. If you have time to respond to one more email a day, you have time to play this game.

However, if you so choose, you can engage other players in plots of intrigue, betrayal, heroism and valor. That's up to you and how you choose to engage the other players. I've installed a comment and chat plugin on this site. Use it to communicate, if you wish, or use your own email or phone. Whatever you wanna do. Get social, or not. Again, this isn't meant to tax anyone's time.

Every Monday, resources are distributed to all players based on the locations in their domain (and assuming another player hasn't robbed them of those resources).

Every morning of every day of the work week, players will receive an email detailing a random event to be collectively dealt with, and also what actions they are able to choose to perform on their own behalf for that day.

Some actions require that resources are spent to perform them (costs are described in the Actions section below), so players must be aware of the amount of resources available to them for the rest of the week, and how to ensure they have enough resources for their plans in the following weeks.

Players have until the end of the day to submit their responses. The actions that players have performed are resolved and announced the following morning. If a player does not respond, no biggie, but they may find that they missed an opportunity or had something bad happen while they were away.

Every day a random event will occur. This can range from weather, to invasions, to god-knows-what. You will receive an email explaining what is occurring, and you will be prompted to respond. Your response will help shape the outcome of the event, for better or worse.

This is the long reading part. Don't get scared, it's not that complicated and you'll pick it up as you go along.

In the event email you receive with the description of the daily event, you will also be prompted to choose your action for the day. You may choose one, and only one action per day, unless a specific event or outcome allows otherwise.

Below are your three basic actions and the three specific ways to use them. 

The action you choose to perform will never be stated to other players, and will be kept secret, though savvy players may be able to deduce what you are doing:

Expand: There are three types of expansions to choose from, each making you a more durable player.

• Domain: You may expand your domain by taking over a city block or neighborhood adjacent to your existing domain. Specify which neighborhood (by streets, if necessary) in your daily email response.
  • When you expand your domain, there is a chance you will gain resources from the locations therein, but there is also a chance that you will have an encounter (similar to a mini-event that will only affect you) and will have to suffer the consequences, or reap the rewards of that encounter before resolving your expansion. Real world locations can affect the outcome of this action. 
  • If you expand into another player's domain, a conflict will occur, with only one player being the victor and retaining ownership of that area and its resources.
• Stronghold: By paying 5 resources, you may strengthen your stronghold by gaining one random bonus to your stronghold in the form of a follower or expansion to your structure. These may be passive effects, or one-time use abilities. You can never have more than 3 stronghold expansions at a time.
• Fortify: Choose one location in your domain. It gains a permanent defensive bonus that lasts as long as you control it. A location can only be fortified once.

Expanding is a necessary part of the game, especially if you wish to gain access to special abilities and have the resources necessary to weather negative effects of events (as well as player aggression).

Hold Court: Holding court allows you to engage not only other players, but also non-player entities in a diplomatic manner. You may do the following type of Hold Court action:

• Parlay: Offer terms of peace and concord with another player, or non-player entity (controlled by the Games Master, and will be successful depending on circumstances and a dice roll). If both parties agree, they enter into a compact, as decided upon by both sides. Either side is free to break a compact, but word gets around and there may be more intangible, karma-based repercussions to those who break a compact. A player may force another player or non-player entity into a non-aggression compact at a cost of one influence per day.
• Festival: The welfare and mood of your subjects can mean all the difference in hard times. Increase the morale of you subjects and gain some karma.
• Consolidate: Muster your power. Gain one resource of your choice: Influence, Resources or Might.

Plot: This action allows you to engage in underhanded dealings for the benefit of your domain.

• Rob: This allows you to attempt to receive the benefits of one location that you do not own, and deny those benefits to its owner. The successfulness of the dice roll associated with it will dictate whether a portion is taken, the whole of it, or more than one week's worth.
• Agitate: Reduce the morale of a neighborhood or location.
• Intercept: Your agents intercept and possibly redirect an enemy's orders. Choose one player and see what action they are taking before committing your own. Spend 3 influence to choose a new order for that player to take instead.