The Underground Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
undergroundmods) wrote2015-04-15 04:23 pm
undergroundmods) wrote2015-04-15 04:23 pm
Territories
Territories
London is home to a variety of supernatural communities, not all of whom get along. The London boroughs are considered territories for different supernatural factions, and these territories may shift as new alliances are made and disputes occur. There are 33 territories in total, including the City of London.
This map shows the status of each territory as of 1st September 2017.
Territories
| COLOUR | FACTION | TERRITORIES OWNED | RULES/STATUS |
| Purple | Circle Daybreak | Wandsworth, Kingston, Merton, Sutton | No hostilities, no free fae, fae cannot enter or leave Other Realm |
| Grey | East End Pack | Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking & Dagenham, Havering | Vampires will be killed on sight |
| Blue | Hillingdon Clan | Hillingdon, Hounslow, Richmond | No vampires |
| Yellow | Islington Nest | Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Lambeth, Greenwich, Southwark | Werewolf trespassers will be punished |
| Pink | Night Council | Westminster, Camden, Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, City | No hostilities. Fae cannot enter Night Council HQ. |
| Light Green | Redbright Institute | Harrow, Brent, Ealing, Enfield, Barnet, Haringey | Safe zone, no hostilities |
| Dark Green | Seelie/Unseelie Court | Bromley, Bexley, Croydon | Fae move freely to and from Other Realm |
| Orange | Disputed | Newham | Lawless & disputed territory |
| Beige | Unclaimed | None | Neutral territory |
Disputed territories are claimed by more than one group. There are currently no disputed territories.
Winning and Losing Territories
There are three ways to win a territory in the game. The first two guarantee that you will win a territory, while the third depends on various factors.
1. Claim a territory as an activity reward. This reward is only available to level 4 or 5 characters.
2. Claim a territory as the most influential faction in the game. This is a potential reward offered every three months to the most active faction.
3. Make a move on a territory as part of a player-initiated plot. If neutral territories are claimed unopposed, then victory is guaranteed. If a claim is opposed or if the territory being claimed belongs to another faction, then a dispute will occur. In this case the outcome will be decided based on a combination of various factors, including no. of player characters and their level, how strong they are, no. of minions and their level. There will also be a random element to the outcome.
While disputes occur between the factions attacking or defending a territory, it is also possible for characters from other factions to get involved if they wish. For example, allied factions may help each other out.
Players will have the opportunity to make their territory claims and decide how to involve their characters in the monthly plotting post. The mod will make the final decision regarding which faction wins. Everything else is up to players! Seize victory by force of strength or magic, set a trap, take hostages, call in favours. You could even come to a peaceful agreement. There is no formula for how territories are won and lost: every faction and situation is unique.
Rules for Territory Claims
Please take note of the following rules when taking part in a territory claim:
Signing up to a claim
• When you sign up to a claim, you are volunteering your character to take an active role in the plot. Please do not sign up if you won't be able to play.
• You have three days from when the initial claim is posted to sign up. If you sign up late, your character won't be counted when deciding the outcome.
• You can still take part in the plot even if you didn't sign up. However, your character won't be counted when deciding the outcome.
• Feel free to use the OOC comm to plan your character's involvement! If you're stuck for ideas, you can ask the plot lead.
Attack and defence
• Each faction can claim no more than one guaranteed victory per month.
• Factions can attack a territory (choose a territory to claim), defend a territory (obligatory if their territory is the one being claimed), or oppose a claim (make a counter-claim to grab the territory themselves).
• Attacking factions can only claim territories that are adjacent to territories they already own.
• If a faction's territory is attacked, it is obliged to defend its territory and at least one member of the faction must sign up to defend the territory. Otherwise the defending faction will lose.
• Factions can also choose to oppose claims made in any territory adjacent to their own. If they succeed, they will win that territory.
• This does mean that territory disputes can be between more than two factions. Please be sure to say which faction you are supporting when signing up to any conflict!
Fighting multiple disputes
• It is possible for the same faction to fight in multiple territory disputes in the same month. This includes attacking a territory, defending a territory, and opposing a claim.
• However, each character can only sign up to support a faction once per month.
• For every territory that a faction attacks, defends or opposes, at least one player character in that faction must sign up to support it. Otherwise they will automatically lose.
• Minions are automatically distributed between disputes. For example, if the East End Pack fought two territory disputes in a month, half their minions would be counted for one conflict and half for the other. Only the minions belonging to the relevant faction will be counted. If you really want a particular minion to take part in a specific dispute, let the mod know.
Supporting other factions
• Characters can choose to support another faction, if it makes IC sense. As above, they can only support each faction once per month.
• Players can only sign up one of their characters each month to support a particular faction. If you have more than one character who might support the faction, you should sign up the character who is a member of that faction. Otherwise you're free to choose.
• You can sign up multiple characters to the same dispute only if they are supporting different factions e.g. one character for the attacking faction and one for the defending faction.
• You can ICly lend minions to support other factions, but this won't be counted by the mod when calculating who wins the dispute.
Guidelines for Leading a Claim
Territory claims are always led by players. Please note the following etiquette guidelines when planning your claims:
Step 1: Decide on your strategy
• Players in the same faction should decide on their strategy together. Anyone can lead a territory claim, no matter who you are playing.
• You will need support from other players in your faction, so make sure you communicate with each other before making a claim.
• If your character does not ICly lead your faction, then you will need to get the go-ahead from the player who does, to check that their character would ICly order the claim. In cases where the players of leading characters are absent, check with the mod.
Step 2: Make the claim
• You do not need to seek permission from other factions when making a territory claim, even if it's their territory you're attacking.
• However, you must state your claim in the OOC plotting post and give players of the defending faction the chance to sign up and defend their territory. Everyone involved on both sides should have the opportunity to plot what happens together. IC surprise attacks are allowed, OOC surprises are not.
• You need at least two players to sign up to your claim in order for the plot to go ahead. This is the case regardless of whether your claim is a guaranteed win or not.
Step 3: Plot!
• As the plot lead, it is ultimately up to you to decide how the territory claim happens and how you want to organize it.
• Make sure that you post in the OOC comm to outline your plans and give players who have signed up the opportunity to plan and take part in the plot.
• It is recommended that you post a log for the event in the IC community. This makes it easier to track what is happening and for everyone to take part.
Finally, please remember: IC events have IC consequences. This goes for factions and characters. Every time you claim a territory, you risk either losing or being counter-attacked by another faction. If you sit and do nothing, you risk losing the territories you have when other factions attack you. These are all inevitable consequences of the ebb and flow of the game, and no one is exempt from them.
The same goes for the personal role that your character plays in events. While obviously no one wants their character to be rendered unplayable due to in-game events, please consider the consequences of your character's actions and try not to back them into a corner. Always communicate with your fellow players.
After Winning a Territory
Different factions have their own ways of moving in on a territory once they have succeeded in winning it.
• Circle Daybreak perform a ritual to seal away the Other Realm, preventing fae from crossing over. Witches can still summon fae if they choose. Fae that are already in the mortal realm can still physically pass through Daybreak territory, but they cannot create doors to the Other Realm.
• The East End Pack will move in to find suitable areas where they can transform during the full moon. In wolf form, they will also mark their territory.
• The Islington Nest will walk the streets at night and appropriate safe houses within the area for the less daylight-friendly to be able to shelter in. During the day, the human allies will begin working on new recruits for the donor network. And of course, a victory party is highly encouraged.
• The Night Council has a policy of non-expansion and does not seek to gain new territories. It will however defend the territories it already holds. Note that the Night Council is off-limits to guaranteed victories.
• The Redbright Institute makes its territories safe zones that are open to all supernatural species, as long as they go about their lives in peace. It will send in agents to scout the new area for supernatural activity and will strictly enforce its no-hostilities policy. Harmful or dangerous elements will be removed if they do not comply e.g. vampires who kill people, witches practising dark magic.
• The Seelie and Unseelie Courts will combine forces to guard their territory and most likely throw a party. Large conflicts are frowned upon. Territories held by the fae will see a slight increase in doors to the Other Realm. If the Other Realm has been sealed off within the territory, the fae will seek to unseal it. Fae comings and goings are not to be interfered with.
• No one knows yet what the Hillingdon Clan might do if they decide to join in the fun.
Questions
Can characters live outside their designated territories?
Yes. The territories only show which faction is dominant in that area. So you could be a witch and choose to live in Islington, but be aware that you are in vampire territory and they may consider you fair game. Not all species are welcome everywhere. If a vampire so much as sets foot in werewolf territory, they could be killed. Other areas like the green safe zone are intended to be open for everyone, as long as they live peacefully together.
What about the Other Realm?
The Other Realm belongs solely to the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. In the summer, the Seelie Court claims all territory north of the river Thames and the Unseelie Court rules south of the Thames. In the winter, this alignment flips. They tend to consider themselves above the petty affairs of the mortal realm, but this doesn't stop them interfering when they feel like it.
Generally, the fae are wild cards in any territory dispute. Often they don't get involved at all. But sometimes they will throw in their lot with one side or the other, especially if it's against a faction they don't like. They have recently begun to claim territory in the mortal realm as well.
How does a faction decide which territory to claim?
That's up to you. You can only claim a territory which is adjacent to a territory you already own, but other than that you can choose any one you like. Generally speaking, your choice should be determined by IC factors e.g. which factions are in conflict, which territories are the weakest.
But my faction doesn't have any territories...
In that case you can start anywhere on the map you like. Choose wisely.
Can a faction claim more than one territory at the same time?
Each faction can only claim one guaranteed victory per month. For non-guaranteed claims, you can go for more than one if you like, but think carefully before you do this. If you fight more than one territory dispute in the same month, then you will be required to split your forces. This will make it harder for you to win. Remember that you also have to defend the territories that you already own as well.
Who can take part in a territory dispute?
Anyone, within reason. Obviously, the factions involved in the dispute will take part. But player characters from other factions can also volunteer to support one side or the other, if it makes IC sense for them to do so. OOCly, players will sign their characters up to participate. Any characters who do not sign up will not be considered as part of the conflict, even if they are members of the warring factions.