Eternal hasn't updated his bop thread in ... literally years, and it was decided by the popular vote of about 3 people that I throw up a new one that's all like super up to date and stuff. And hopefully will be kept that way. So...
What is BoP?
BoP, or Balance of Power, on Taleworlds has varied from various historical settings, to science fiction, to fantasy, to gay bars in Manchester. Just as variable as the settings are the mechanics. What all these bops have in common is their core as being geopolitical mechanics-based forum games. And sometimes even the shared "geopolitical" aspect isn't necessarily true. In any case, all bops have one or more hosts, the GMs, who run the game for as few as 8 or as many as 25 players (though these days it rarely exceeds 15). Players are presented with country cards that track their country's (or whatever they're playing as) resources, which are then allocated as the player desires, preferably with some fun creative writing and fluff to go along with it. Players also manage foreign relations with other players and NPC entities. Once all orders are in the host locks them and processing phase begins. Interturns, allowing players to react to events during the processing phase, may or may not happen. Then, once processing is completed, players receive new reports and updated country cards and the loop continues.
It's a lot of fun.
Current games
Hosts are generally always looking for replacements for dropped players and such. A game may be started, but feel free to ask the host to consider a slot for you to join mid-game.
BoP: The Fifth Sun hosted by Pixel
Rules
I don't really think BoP has any rules overall - just guidelines. There are some exceptions though - these are rules I think most bop hosts would agree upon.
Please don't metagame - that is, use information from outside the game to your advantage (like judgments based on the player, rather than their country)
Please don't edit/remove in-character posts in the bop thread without permission. However, this has almost never been a problem, ever, so this is kind of a lax rule honestly.
Don't screenshot bop diplomacy and stuff from your report, ideally there should always be some doubt about what you're saying.
If you aren't a player and know something about the game please don't reveal that information while the game is running.
Ideally, try to include the host in any diplomatic PMs. Not super important but it's nice.
Guidelines
Some time ago I wrote some guidelines, both for bop hosts and bop players. I feel they offer some good advice to make bop more fun for everybody, but they reflect only my experience being a bop host and bop player, albeit the most experienced host. Jus' sayin' : )
Rule 0: Have fun. Above all, make hosting fun and not a chore. Make players suffer in creative ways. Exploit holes in their logic or take their orders a little too literally just for fun. At the same time, reward creative problem solving, and if they're doing well, tell them about it. Write reports about prosperity and grandeur, glory and might. Don't be afraid to be cinematic and wordy.
Rule 1: What you say really is final. Don't be afraid to put your foot down sometimes. That said, you can make mistakes. Acknowledge and embrace that inevitability. No matter how many times you proofread a card, some minor error can and will sneak through.
Rule 2: You can't give away player-sensitive information. Sometimes, someone will pressure you to do so, inadvertently or not, and if that happens you have to invoke Rule 1.
Rule 3: Plan ahead for everything, so you can be consistent in your approach. Copy -everything- down. That's right, everything. Every convo you have with a player, every question you answer. That said, remember Rule 4.
Rule 4: Players will always eventually ask a question you never even imagined anyone would want to ask. It's always the simple stuff - things you really should have thought about, but haven't.
Rule 5: At least one player will always drop/get replaced by turn 2. That player is often a major power. Be ready for this, have replacements on hand if possible.
Rule 6: Some players will just never read your OP or understand your mechanics, no matter how simple or complex they are. Some players simply don't care about your efforts to balance things and will never apply any of those mechanics ever.
Rule 7: Hosting a bop is always about three times harder than you expect it to be. Be minimalist. Minimize your workload, don't take on seemingly minor additions - you'll find they add a lot more effort and time than you think.
Rule 8: Respect the Players' time. Think about it: they've waited two weeks to a month or more to see your report. Give them something worth reading. Actually respond to their orders - every single one should be addressed. Yes, even the seemingly pointless ones. Not just processed on the card, but given at least some kind of feedback. If you don't do this, they will probably just ask you questions about it anyway, so you might as well. It doesn't have to be long or interesting as long as it's covered.
Rule 9: It takes more than one person to run a country (or a starship, or a megacorp, a cabal of dark eldar pirates, a gay bar - whatever it is). Realistically, players should be given lots of advice and support from ... well, all the people helping them run their country. Don't just sling your players into a battle with a map in front of them - their officers should be briefing them about the disposition of forces and so on. Use this to give your players direction.
Rule 10: Don't worry so much about player interest. In my experience, the length of turn processing has never killed a bop. If the bop is good, that is. If you're doing a good job, players don't care if it takes a month and a half. Heh, trust me, been there. That said, be as fast as you can when it comes to processing. The faster it gets done, the more of the previous turns (its events, its player questions, etc.) you will remember, and more importantly you will feel a lot less stressed. Aim for two weeks - but accept that three is more common.
Rule 1: What you say really is final. Don't be afraid to put your foot down sometimes. That said, you can make mistakes. Acknowledge and embrace that inevitability. No matter how many times you proofread a card, some minor error can and will sneak through.
Rule 2: You can't give away player-sensitive information. Sometimes, someone will pressure you to do so, inadvertently or not, and if that happens you have to invoke Rule 1.
Rule 3: Plan ahead for everything, so you can be consistent in your approach. Copy -everything- down. That's right, everything. Every convo you have with a player, every question you answer. That said, remember Rule 4.
Rule 4: Players will always eventually ask a question you never even imagined anyone would want to ask. It's always the simple stuff - things you really should have thought about, but haven't.
Rule 5: At least one player will always drop/get replaced by turn 2. That player is often a major power. Be ready for this, have replacements on hand if possible.
Rule 6: Some players will just never read your OP or understand your mechanics, no matter how simple or complex they are. Some players simply don't care about your efforts to balance things and will never apply any of those mechanics ever.
Rule 7: Hosting a bop is always about three times harder than you expect it to be. Be minimalist. Minimize your workload, don't take on seemingly minor additions - you'll find they add a lot more effort and time than you think.
Rule 8: Respect the Players' time. Think about it: they've waited two weeks to a month or more to see your report. Give them something worth reading. Actually respond to their orders - every single one should be addressed. Yes, even the seemingly pointless ones. Not just processed on the card, but given at least some kind of feedback. If you don't do this, they will probably just ask you questions about it anyway, so you might as well. It doesn't have to be long or interesting as long as it's covered.
Rule 9: It takes more than one person to run a country (or a starship, or a megacorp, a cabal of dark eldar pirates, a gay bar - whatever it is). Realistically, players should be given lots of advice and support from ... well, all the people helping them run their country. Don't just sling your players into a battle with a map in front of them - their officers should be briefing them about the disposition of forces and so on. Use this to give your players direction.
Rule 10: Don't worry so much about player interest. In my experience, the length of turn processing has never killed a bop. If the bop is good, that is. If you're doing a good job, players don't care if it takes a month and a half. Heh, trust me, been there. That said, be as fast as you can when it comes to processing. The faster it gets done, the more of the previous turns (its events, its player questions, etc.) you will remember, and more importantly you will feel a lot less stressed. Aim for two weeks - but accept that three is more common.
Rule 0: Maybe it bears repeating. Have fun. Indulge in whatever strikes you as cool. Maybe you like building ships, or court drama, maybe you want to go full autism and write a new law code. Maybe your only goal is to push the boundaries of science or something. Or maybe you want to start world war 1-4 as soon as possible. Go nuts. Having fun is the only real win condition in bop, since world conquest isn't practical and they tend not to last long enough for culture/science victories or whatever.
Rule 1: If the GM says no to something, he has a reason. I promise. And ... sometimes, he cannot tell you the reason. This is why this rule exists. The GM telling you the reason may contradict Rule 2 of BoP Hosting.
Rule 2: Be patient and polite about GM oversights and mistakes. Never assume that you're the only one getting mistakes on your card or that the GM is deliberately ignoring/targeting you with something.
Rule 3: It's possible the GM may contradict himself or be inconsistent, if not in actuality than at least from the player's perspective. Perhaps he allowed someone else to complete a project you've been working on with little success for 6 turns straight. If this happens, try not to blame the GM. The other player could have had more resources (or allocated them better) or approached the problem differently than you did and in a way the GM deemed more effective. Never assume host bias.
Rule 4: Be patient and polite with asking the GM questions. Remember that there are about a dozen other people with questions, and if the GM is not careful, he might contradict his own rules (see rule 3). There's a lot to think about, even with the simplest questions players have.
Rule 5: If you're gonna drop, the earlier the better. I don't think there's ever been a time I wished someone had dropped later than they did. If you're gonna be gone a while, for goodness sake, tell the host(s).
Rule 6: The mechanics of any given bop are assembled by amateurs in their spare time, not professional game designers. It's not very nice to deliberately find exploits of those mechanics and break the game. That said, it's also not nice to say nothing about these potentially game-breaking problems.
Rule 7: Respect the GM's time. That is to say: don't join a bop if you aren't going to be able to commit a reasonable amount of time to it. You really just have to write a minimum of a few hundred words every couple weeks - 's not that hard. Do you know how long it takes to make a country card? All the research? The maintenance? The making-it-interesting? Now imagine doing all that for someone who then tells you that they can't play. If at any point you are unable to respect the GM's time by being active enough, consider dropping if it's gonna be over the long term. Last thing any GM wants to do is make reports for a player that isn't contributing anything or having fun. You could be replaced by someone who actually wants to play.
Rule 8: It's a fact: the people who talk to the host (IE: those who ask more questions and point out mistakes, not necessarily those who are the hosts' best friends) are the players who will be more successful in BOP. I've seen it time and time again. So why not? Ask your questions, get your clarifications. If something doesn't look right on the card, always point it out, no matter how minor it may seem. Also, there's a very practical reason to share your diplomacy with the host as much as it is for their amusement: It helps us figure out what the **** you're doing.
Rule 1: If the GM says no to something, he has a reason. I promise. And ... sometimes, he cannot tell you the reason. This is why this rule exists. The GM telling you the reason may contradict Rule 2 of BoP Hosting.
Rule 2: Be patient and polite about GM oversights and mistakes. Never assume that you're the only one getting mistakes on your card or that the GM is deliberately ignoring/targeting you with something.
Rule 3: It's possible the GM may contradict himself or be inconsistent, if not in actuality than at least from the player's perspective. Perhaps he allowed someone else to complete a project you've been working on with little success for 6 turns straight. If this happens, try not to blame the GM. The other player could have had more resources (or allocated them better) or approached the problem differently than you did and in a way the GM deemed more effective. Never assume host bias.
Rule 4: Be patient and polite with asking the GM questions. Remember that there are about a dozen other people with questions, and if the GM is not careful, he might contradict his own rules (see rule 3). There's a lot to think about, even with the simplest questions players have.
Rule 5: If you're gonna drop, the earlier the better. I don't think there's ever been a time I wished someone had dropped later than they did. If you're gonna be gone a while, for goodness sake, tell the host(s).
Rule 6: The mechanics of any given bop are assembled by amateurs in their spare time, not professional game designers. It's not very nice to deliberately find exploits of those mechanics and break the game. That said, it's also not nice to say nothing about these potentially game-breaking problems.
Rule 7: Respect the GM's time. That is to say: don't join a bop if you aren't going to be able to commit a reasonable amount of time to it. You really just have to write a minimum of a few hundred words every couple weeks - 's not that hard. Do you know how long it takes to make a country card? All the research? The maintenance? The making-it-interesting? Now imagine doing all that for someone who then tells you that they can't play. If at any point you are unable to respect the GM's time by being active enough, consider dropping if it's gonna be over the long term. Last thing any GM wants to do is make reports for a player that isn't contributing anything or having fun. You could be replaced by someone who actually wants to play.
Rule 8: It's a fact: the people who talk to the host (IE: those who ask more questions and point out mistakes, not necessarily those who are the hosts' best friends) are the players who will be more successful in BOP. I've seen it time and time again. So why not? Ask your questions, get your clarifications. If something doesn't look right on the card, always point it out, no matter how minor it may seem. Also, there's a very practical reason to share your diplomacy with the host as much as it is for their amusement: It helps us figure out what the **** you're doing.
Other wise words from the old masters:
This game is sort of a roleplaying game, with ourselves playing as the nations (usually from the viewpoint of leaders, but those can die or get overthrown as the game goes on). The host has a set of rules to loosely govern how trade, technological development, and war are conducted, and the players then set out to do horrible things to one another interact. Alliances are formed (be they public or private), trade deals are struck, and eventually conflicts arise. The attacker usually has the advantage, unless they are Gaham, since they tend to plan and prepare for the war in advance. A good player will have a set of defensive plans on hand though, which goes a long way towards keeping you alive. Remember that detailed plans are usually rewarded, though leaving some flexibility allows your generals to respond to unexpected attacks.
In addition to player nations there are NPC nations, which tend to be less powerful than player controlled nations (since successful warlike players devote tremendous resources to their militaries). You can trade with or attack these powers as well, and they are controlled by the host. If you're looking to expand then NPCs with no direct ties to other players tend to be safer targets. Players on the other hand tend to form private friendships and launching a war on one of them without support can result in multiple people ganging up on you.
In addition to player nations there are NPC nations, which tend to be less powerful than player controlled nations (since successful warlike players devote tremendous resources to their militaries). You can trade with or attack these powers as well, and they are controlled by the host. If you're looking to expand then NPCs with no direct ties to other players tend to be safer targets. Players on the other hand tend to form private friendships and launching a war on one of them without support can result in multiple people ganging up on you.
1) Decide what approach on the realism - equality scale you're going to go for in countries.
Some game hosts want to provide the 'strong' nations with just about as many resources as the rest of them, while others want to have a pretty big disparity between the powerful and the weak. This is your choice and yours alone, but once you make the choice dedicate to it.
2) Manage your time very, very wisely.
This is easily the most important point. Be aware a full turn takes around 8 hours to process with ~20 people. Manage your weekends so that you can fit that into two weeks. Past two weeks, GMing gets harder. Not only do you have people breathing down your neck, but you also start forgetting what's even going on, which makes having to go back and read every turn order a chore and a pain. You get disconnected from the world, don't enjoy it, feel guilty for letting people down, and a normally alright GM experience turns miserable. Be sure that you try your hardest to get those turn reports out in two weeks or your game will go into a downhill spiral very, very fast.
If you know that the next two weeks will be extremely busy, it is better to call a month off and let people submit turn reports afterwards, rather than keeping people waiting. This way, people will be able to plot and talk instead of losing their patience waiting for you to distribute turn reports.
3) Don't give a damn what people say - stick to your mindset.
Let's face it, unless you have a very complicated system for everything, the game is more or less arbitrarily how you want it. If someone wins a battle because you looked at the numbers and felt 'victory', then if the loser complains you need to ignore him or explain politely that he lost and that's that. Balance of Power is, frankly, a game that is played more against the host than other players. You have to respect that fact and don't allow other players to trump around you while others are disadvantaged because they don't *****.
That's not to say that you won't make mistakes - because you will. However, making a numerical mistake or missing an important line from a battle is different from "in my opinion, x should have happened!" The former should be corrected, the latter should be ignored.
4) Enjoy yourself, make yourself a 'force' in the game world.
Honestly, if you dread having to do turn reports, you're doing them wrong. Enjoy yourself. Add some flair and fun. In my BoP, I made Hitler have a stroke. I wanted to see how Shatari would react, and what the world would do. With some players, they're essentially playing a war against me because they don't really have international interactions and so I'm giving them domestic issues that they have to fight off. Have fun. Make yourself the world and make the world interactive. Follow the thread, follow what people are saying and fix whatever issues in the system there are. I've had to readjust the economy several times, and it has been interesting to see how players have responded to that system's changing. Participate in the game as if you were a player.
5) How to go about handling a turn order.
I had to figure this one out on my own, so this is actually pretty key. You'll forget these steps at first, but once you do enough turn reports they'll become almost like instinct.
1) I keep my inbox the way it is set up by default. I have the most recent messages in front and then you have to go back pages as the PMs get older. I open up several tabs in this order:
First tab will be your 'alternate' tab. Put on music here, or check some other sites once you get bored.
Second tab is your OP. This is to check resource costs and game mechanics.
Third tab will be the PM you're sending.
Fourth through x tabs will be every single page in your inbox that has a turn order. This way, you can very easily cross-reference different turn reports if there is discrepancy in terms of trade or diplomacy.
This keeps everything at-hand and allows you to flip back and forth between everything as you need it.
2) Read every single turn order. If there are any big interactions, write them down. If you want to do something interesting, like a pandemic in an area, write it down.
3) Read every single turn order again. You want to be familiar with who is doing what ahead of time. If you see a plan being foiled by another player, make note of that and make sure not to bungle that up when you're distributing turn reports.
4) Go down the list, starting with major powers. Do all of the trade first, and make sure to do trade for both the trading nation and the nation being traded to.
5) Finish the country card. If they write "build defensive structure", write it on the card before you write the turn report. You will very quickly forget trades and card changes if you do the turn report first.
6) Write up the turn report. Have some creativity and fun with it. Some GMs enjoy writing long essays for theirs - you know me, I'm creative and different but very concise and to the point. Put your own flair in there. See point 4.
7) If they did anything that will go in the global turn report, write it down.
You can come up with your own system, but the above is what I do and it works pretty well.
Some game hosts want to provide the 'strong' nations with just about as many resources as the rest of them, while others want to have a pretty big disparity between the powerful and the weak. This is your choice and yours alone, but once you make the choice dedicate to it.
2) Manage your time very, very wisely.
This is easily the most important point. Be aware a full turn takes around 8 hours to process with ~20 people. Manage your weekends so that you can fit that into two weeks. Past two weeks, GMing gets harder. Not only do you have people breathing down your neck, but you also start forgetting what's even going on, which makes having to go back and read every turn order a chore and a pain. You get disconnected from the world, don't enjoy it, feel guilty for letting people down, and a normally alright GM experience turns miserable. Be sure that you try your hardest to get those turn reports out in two weeks or your game will go into a downhill spiral very, very fast.
If you know that the next two weeks will be extremely busy, it is better to call a month off and let people submit turn reports afterwards, rather than keeping people waiting. This way, people will be able to plot and talk instead of losing their patience waiting for you to distribute turn reports.
3) Don't give a damn what people say - stick to your mindset.
Let's face it, unless you have a very complicated system for everything, the game is more or less arbitrarily how you want it. If someone wins a battle because you looked at the numbers and felt 'victory', then if the loser complains you need to ignore him or explain politely that he lost and that's that. Balance of Power is, frankly, a game that is played more against the host than other players. You have to respect that fact and don't allow other players to trump around you while others are disadvantaged because they don't *****.
That's not to say that you won't make mistakes - because you will. However, making a numerical mistake or missing an important line from a battle is different from "in my opinion, x should have happened!" The former should be corrected, the latter should be ignored.
4) Enjoy yourself, make yourself a 'force' in the game world.
Honestly, if you dread having to do turn reports, you're doing them wrong. Enjoy yourself. Add some flair and fun. In my BoP, I made Hitler have a stroke. I wanted to see how Shatari would react, and what the world would do. With some players, they're essentially playing a war against me because they don't really have international interactions and so I'm giving them domestic issues that they have to fight off. Have fun. Make yourself the world and make the world interactive. Follow the thread, follow what people are saying and fix whatever issues in the system there are. I've had to readjust the economy several times, and it has been interesting to see how players have responded to that system's changing. Participate in the game as if you were a player.
5) How to go about handling a turn order.
I had to figure this one out on my own, so this is actually pretty key. You'll forget these steps at first, but once you do enough turn reports they'll become almost like instinct.
1) I keep my inbox the way it is set up by default. I have the most recent messages in front and then you have to go back pages as the PMs get older. I open up several tabs in this order:
First tab will be your 'alternate' tab. Put on music here, or check some other sites once you get bored.
Second tab is your OP. This is to check resource costs and game mechanics.
Third tab will be the PM you're sending.
Fourth through x tabs will be every single page in your inbox that has a turn order. This way, you can very easily cross-reference different turn reports if there is discrepancy in terms of trade or diplomacy.
This keeps everything at-hand and allows you to flip back and forth between everything as you need it.
2) Read every single turn order. If there are any big interactions, write them down. If you want to do something interesting, like a pandemic in an area, write it down.
3) Read every single turn order again. You want to be familiar with who is doing what ahead of time. If you see a plan being foiled by another player, make note of that and make sure not to bungle that up when you're distributing turn reports.
4) Go down the list, starting with major powers. Do all of the trade first, and make sure to do trade for both the trading nation and the nation being traded to.
5) Finish the country card. If they write "build defensive structure", write it on the card before you write the turn report. You will very quickly forget trades and card changes if you do the turn report first.
6) Write up the turn report. Have some creativity and fun with it. Some GMs enjoy writing long essays for theirs - you know me, I'm creative and different but very concise and to the point. Put your own flair in there. See point 4.
7) If they did anything that will go in the global turn report, write it down.
You can come up with your own system, but the above is what I do and it works pretty well.
Host List
Just kidding, I consider this obsolete.
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