4X Fantasy Campaign Rules

[F1zban]

Hi Forum,

I'm in the middle of some world building. Looking to get a bit of history for the various factions in the world setting.

Our player group is really stable, the same players for years now, and we like to get involved in each other's world building projects. Bouncing ideas off each other, seeking advice, etc.

I am looking to create the factions and their relationship with each other, and I'm looking to do this through a wargame campaign.

I have spoken to my players and they have each given me a high level concept for a faction/kingdom they would like to play. However I am unsure about the rules as I have never run a wargame like this before.

I am looking for 4X fantasy wargames rules, that allow for extended campaigns. Not like TI3 or SoC where an entire game can be played in a day, but instead something that would usually take up a campaign slot of up to 8 months (weekly sessions).

Does such a thing exist? I'm open to advice on how to run such a campaign, and suggestions of what rules systems to use.

Thanks in advance.

[Narkis]

Birthright maybe? You could jettison the setting and the magic system and keep just the parts about managing your kingdom.

[F1zban]

Birthright sounds like it does what I need, but I can't find a pdf to preview anywhere. Does anyone have any ideas? I'll buy it if it's good but I'd rather not pay $10 on a pdf I may never use.

[Narkis]

There used to be a site, www.birthright.net, where the Birthright fans had taken over its development and ported it over to more recent system, but it appears to be down at the moment. Some googling revealed that Paizo has come up with some similar rules for Pathfinder, which you can find here (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateCampaign/kingdomsAndWar.html). I got no idea how well they work though, I didn't even know they existed half an hour ago.

[F1zban]

Thanks for that, I'll take a look.

[Lost Demiurge]

Pathfinder's "Ultimate Campaign" book has rules for kingdom building and that sort of thing. It's a revamped system from the "Kingmaker" module path, which my group greatly enjoyed. There's also mass-battle rules which tie into them.

You kind of need a spreadsheet to track things, but it adds a nice touch of Simcity, high-level management with just enough details to be entertaining to 4X types.