Megagame Makers

This is there to simulate the threat of starvation and stress of being besieged by an actual evil empire. The siege does not last long enough for people to be actually horribly weakened by starvation. But if the rulers of Urr fail to adequately feed the population, Urr will reach the rat on a stick and tree bark soup stage of a food shortage.

It is a simple 0 to 10 scale. 0 being the default peace time state. It only goes up, it measures sustained stress, not the current political mood, which can be easily affected by a rousing speech or some flashy heroics.

At the start of the game the scale is at 0. It climbs 1 place when:

• The blockade of Urr is complete. (apply only 1x during the game)
• The first time a grotesque atrocity occurs that can be seen from the city walls. Human sacrifice, unearthing the contends of a graveyard (apply only 1x during the game)
• The first time something clearly supernatural attacks the city directly. Undead, a dragon, or Rumblebotty's Flying Nightmare. (apply only 1x during the game)
• The first time the outer wall is breached. (apply only 1x during the game)
• The Gnomes deploy the Earthmaw spell. (apply only 1x during the game)
• The Invaders deploy the Fractured Unity spell. (apply only 1x during the game)
• Every strategic turn with a food shortage (apply multiple times)
• Every time Urr deploys the The Fabulous Fabi and his Posse spell. (apply multiple times)

It only has in game effects when it changes colour at 4, 8 and at the end of the scale.

At 4, there are riots. Mobs try to lynch the people they hold responsible for their misery. Players with a character inside the city when this point is reached are gathered together. They all roll a d6. The ones who share the lowest result are the ones whose character(s) are blamed and a lynch mob attacks them. Characters survive if they are, an elf, a Temple Hermit, named Fabian, or in the presence of a raid unit loyal to them personally.

At 8, The map umpire counts the number of units defending the city. He rolls an equal number of d6's. For every 1 rolled, a unit deserts. The map umpire chooses, but below are some general guidelines.

First. Units not based inside Urr. Dwarves excepted. After that. Militia of the Wall (Crossbow Corps) units. With the exception of the West Quarter militia unit. Finally. Dwarves (notoriously stubborn) and full time soldiers in the direct employ of the city..

Reaching the End of the scale, Urr's spirit is broken it surrenders and the game ends immediately.