Nowhere Land
PART 12 · PART XII: STRONGHOLDS & POLITICS
Bastion Management

Bastion Management

Establishing: Suitable location + 500 silver + 1 month + Social Exchange TN = Domain Willpower x 4 (or by force).

Bastion Overview

Bastions are player-controlled strongholds that provide safe havens, generate resources, and serve as narrative anchors. They can be anything from a fortified tower to a thriving town.

What Bastions Provide

  • Safe Rest: Full recovery without encounter checks
  • Resource Generation: Gain supplies, coin, or specialized goods
  • Political Influence: Negotiate with domains from a position of strength
  • Story Hub: NPCs, quests, and domain events center around your Bastion

Establishing a Bastion

To establish a Bastion, you need: a suitable location, initial resources, and permission from the domain (or the strength to claim it by force).

Founding a Bastion

Step 1: Choose Location

Near a portal, resource-rich area, or strategic chokepoint. Trickster determines suitability and initial threats.

Step 2: Negotiate or Conquer

Use Social Exchange to negotiate with domain entities (TN = Willpower x 4) or clear the area by force. Either way, achieve Disposition +2 minimum.

Step 3: Invest Resources

500 silver minimum + 1 month downtime. Hire workers, gather materials, construct core buildings.

Step 4: Define Stats

Set starting values: Population 1, Prosperity 1, Stability 1, Threat 0.

Resource Management

Bastions are tracked with four core resources: Population, Prosperity, Stability, and Threat.

Bastion Resources

ResourceRangeNotes
Population1-5Determines project slots & workforce
Prosperity1-5Generates silver income per season
Stability1-5Resistance to crises
Threat0-5At 5 = bastion destroyed

Resource Effects

Population Benefits:

  • Pop 1: Can complete 1 project per season
  • Pop 2: Militia (10 guards), market established
  • Pop 3: Can complete 2 projects per season, attract specialists
  • Pop 4: Town status, establish laws and governance
  • Pop 5: City status, political power in domain

Prosperity Income per Season

PopulationSilverExtras
1100-
2250-
3500+1 trade good
41,000+2 trade goods
52,500+5 trade goods

Bastion Projects

Bastion Projects (1 Season Each)

Fortifications

Effect: +1 Stability, -1 Threat. Walls, gates, watchtowers.

Market Square

Effect: +1 Prosperity. Attracts merchants, enables trade.

Housing District

Effect: +1 Population cap (up to 5). Homes, apartments, infrastructure.

Temple/Shrine

Effect: +1 Stability. Improves Disposition with domain by +1.

Workshop Quarter

Effect: +1 Prosperity. Crafters produce equipment at half cost.

Portal Anchor

Effect: 1,000 silver + Arcane Resonance TN 16. Permanent portal to one domain.

Domain Relations

Your Bastion exists within (or adjacent to) domains. Managing relationships is crucial for survival and prosperity.

Domain Disposition

Track Disposition with each nearby domain separately (-5 to +5). This affects trade, threats, and Blessings/Curses affecting your Bastion.

At +3: Blessing applied to Bastion (your choice: +1 Population, +1 Prosperity, or -1 Threat)

At -3: Curse applied (your choice: -1 Stability, +1 Threat, or -1 Prosperity)

Threats & Events

At the end of each season, roll on the Event Table. Higher Threat increases negative event chances.

Seasonal Event Table (1d6 + Threat)

RollEvent
2-3Windfall: +1 Prosperity or Population. Unexpected boon.
4-5Growth: +1 to lowest resource (player choice if tied).
6-8Uneventful: Nothing significant happens. Peaceful season.
9-10Minor Crisis: -1 to any resource or +1 Threat. Trickster describes (banditry, supply shortage, unrest).
11+Major Crisis: Roll on Crisis Table. Immediate threat requiring PC intervention.

RollCrisis
1Monster Attack: Elite creature raids Bastion. Defeat it or lose -2 Population.
2Plague/Curse: Domain Curse spreads. Test party's combined Survival TN 16 or -1 Population, -1 Stability.
3Bandit Siege: Hostile force demands tribute (500 silver) or attacks. Combat or negotiation required.
4Political Coup: NPC faction attempts takeover. Resolve via Social Exchange or lose -2 Stability.
5Supply Crisis: Trade routes cut. Lose -1 Prosperity. Must complete quest to restore.
6Domain Collapse: Nearby domain dying. Portal instability. +2 Threat. Must stabilize domain or relocate Bastion.

Seasonal Turns

Bastion management happens on a seasonal timescale (3 months = 1 turn). Between adventures, resolve one seasonal turn.

1. Collect Income

2. Resolve Projects

3. Roll Event (1d6 + Threat)

4. Adjust Resources

2-3 Windfall | 4-5 Growth | 6-8 Uneventful | 9-10 Minor Crisis | 11+ Major Crisis

See Also