Lords of Ether (20th Anniversary Edition) Production
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13. Production
At its heart Lords of Ether is a game about building a nation or power and competing with others. The most common (and arguably most fun) way of doing this is with military power, but a military cannot be built without an economy backing it up. Soldiers need to be trained, aircraft need to be built, ships need to be laid down.
This emphasis on matters military should be clear; Lords of Ether emphasizes military-related economics to streamline play. Production concerns itself virtually exclusively with military units and logistics as well as specific aspects of civilian economics such as Bulk Trade. Likewise Economics concerns itself with top-level aspects such as economic growth, population 'upkeep' and direct deals with other powers.
In all cases it is assumed that a nation or trans-stellar (or even a hero) has legions of trained accountants, managers, legal experts and whatever else to keep the complex behind-the-scenes aspect of a given power operating. So long as one has the requisite industry (or magic, as the case may be) there is no mucking about ship slips or mage academies. Due to the significant differences between how magic and technology go about building their death-dealing toys each will be treated separately; cases where there is crossover will be clearly marked as such.
Building a unit
Technological
- Choose the Batch Type, which will produce a fixed number of units for 1 PP and provide your Basic Batch Cost. Some rare singleton units require multiple PP to produce one batch. The Basic Batch Cost determines Draft requirements, base upkeep, and the application of certain Capabilities.
- Choose Added or Reduced Capabilities, if any, from the Modifiers section below. Each Capability, or “Cap”, adds or reduces 1 PP. If there are no advantages taken, a Reduced Capability reduces the Basic Batch Cost by 50%. The Basic Batch Cost can never be lower than 0.5 PP.
- Apply your Technology Level. Multiply the sum of your Batch Type + Capabilities by your highest Technology Level involved in its creation. If you have a Fusion, or multiple Fusions, multiply by the highest Fusion level instead.
(Basic Batch Cost +/- Capabilities) x Highest Technology Level = Final Unit Price.
Artificing
Biotechnology
Creatures
For the Magical Wildlife traits for Advantages and Transtellars.
You can add your own Added Capabilities to them using your Advancement Levels, in which case the creatures are treated as uncapped ‘base’ units (with a cost of Base Batch Cost x Advancement Level) that are already built, reducing build times. Otherwise, you can treat them as ML3 units designed using the Artificing rules and they enter service immediately.
Template Stack
Template stacking is available under certain circumstances, and means to combine multiple unit types/builds into a single super unit. For example, a mage unit with +x warrior skills can be combined with an infantry unit (see “warrior skills” under mage added caps). A postulant with +1 warrior skills can be combined with an elite infantry unit to create a paratrooper mage.
First, build your postulant as normal. 1pp (base cost) + 1pp (+1 warrior skills) x 1 ML = 2pp.
Now, add an elite infantry build, omitting the base cost since you’ve already paid that and adjusting for the different batch size (you only need ¼ an elite infantry batch since elite infantry are 1000 per batch and postulants are 250). 0pp (no base cost) + 3pp (+1 body armor, +1 weapons, +1 paratrooper training) x 4 TL = 12pp / 4 = 3pp
Add costs and build times to get the final values. Base unit wealth upkeep does not stack, but all other base unit upkeeps (such as the base EU upkeep for a mage) do.
Now you have the following:
Paramage (Postulant/Elite Infantry) ML 1, TL4 +1 warrior skills +1 body armor +1 weapons +1 paratrooper training 2pp + 3pp = 5pp 1 WU, 1 IUU, 1 EU Build Time: 2 months + 4.5 months = 6.5 months Obviously other design choices could be made. Note that at each step you are limited by the categories used and capabilities available to the template you are in. Thus our paramage could not take mage added caps at the elite infantry stage.
Genetic Engineering/Cybernetics
Genetic Engineering/Cybernetics are another avenue to template stacking. Genetic engineering is unlocked at Bio 4 and 5, and cybernetics at Bio 3 + Eng 4 or 5. To apply genetic engineering or cybernetic caps, treat them as a unit of identical batch size to the unit receiving them, and build them as normal. So, our paramage can take the following set of genemods: 0pp (no base cost) + 3pp (+2 regeneration, +1 automation) x TL5 = 15pp, adding that cost to our total so far. Genemods and cybernetics take normal build time and add +1 WU upkeep for every two caps taken and the fifth.
Permanent enchantments of the flesh or other magical analogs for genetic engineering and cybernetics are unlocked in the same fashion by Creation 4 and 5 or Creation 3 + Trans 4 or 5. However, these pay added upkeep in EU rather than WU.
Industry
Industry is the standard method of building anything. It represents the raw production power of a Power. It is the normal means for gaining things like swords, tanks and ships. The mechanism for this is simple – every month the industry allows production of items of cost equal or less than the total industrial production. However, if the full production is not used it is lost – Industry cannot be "banked". The monthly Industry Production becomes available at the beginning of every month.
Production is not instantaneous. The full cost is paid as production starts (and if this cannot be paid for then construction cannot start) but completion can extend over months or even years. In the case of military units, the time to completion is determined by the total Production Cost of the unit multiplied by a modifier dependent on the power’s advancement levels. This number in months is the amount of time needed to finish the unit in question.
| Advancement | Build Speed Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Engineering 1 | 4 |
| Engineering 2 | 3 |
| Engineering 3 (With at least 2 other TL3 Categories) | 2 |
| Engineering 4 (With at least 2 other TL4 Categories) | 1.5 |
| Engineering 5 (With at least 2 other TL5 Categories) | 1.0 |
| Biology 5 (With at l east 2 other L5 Categories) | 1.5 |
| Transmorgification Fusion Peripheral Ability | As per Engineering level, reduced by 25% |
| Engineering/Transmorgification Fusion Core Ability | As per Engineering level, reduced by 50% |
| Biology/Creation Fusion with Eng 0 (for pure Biotech units) | 0.75 |
| Final build time reduced by half. |
In the case of Unit Types made up of multiple individuals, for general simplicity all units are completed in one big whack at the end of this period. However, in desperate times when every tank and plane counts, this can be broken down for individual pieces of equipment.
For example, 25 Tech level 3 fighters have a Production Cost of 3 – six months for all 25 to be completed. However, if the Power in question is in a desperate air war and needs what it can get now then it could instead receive them at a rate of 4 a month. This method makes keeping track of numbers harder and creates a lot more work, so unless needed it should not be used.
You can also speed up production. Doubling the Production Cost halves the time taken, which is nice in emergencies. This double cost must be paid at the beginning of production though (the workers must be previously informed of the rushed cycle). If Production is needed to be rushed on a project already underway, the full extra cost of the unit is paid, but only the remaining time is cut in half.
As with Enchantments, mages cannot aid advanced production, however, a Power that Fuses Transmogrification with Engineering can reduce their engineering multiplier by half, though this only applies to those items it could build with the fused level of Engineering. Engineering 3 fused with Transmogrification 3 could increase the speed of a battleships construction, but would be unable to help with building mobile suits faster (they require Engineering level 4).
Production points can also be maximized by specializing, either on extraction of resources, or refining them into finished goods. This effectively doubles the Industrial Production rating. This is an excellent way for a Power which has surplus industry to get around the "no banking" rule – producing raw materials and selling them to other Powers which can then correspondingly increase their own production. Converting from a mining and manufacturing industry to just mining or just manufacturing takes a cost in Wealth equal to the points being converted and shuts that portion of Industry down for a month to make modifications. A Power can make only raw material without specializing, but then they are just shutting down the corresponding manufacturing facilities and not turning what they extract into finished products and thus they gain no benefit of a double rating. Purely magic powers have a divergent method of producing units that is similar in principle but not the same as Technology. See “Artificing” under “Types of Magic.”
Economic Basics
Economics: - The social science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services and with the theory and management of economies or economic systems.
More succinctly, economics in Lords of Ether deals with the generation and use of Wealth. While having a healthy economy and a big bank account doesn't necessarily translate into raw power the same way that endless tank factories does, it does contribute to steady economic growth, continued prosperity and the ability to buy goods and services one would not otherwise possess. In short, Wealth is important for building a power up. The ways which this are accomplished are detailed in the following sections and function the same for both magic and technology.
As a final note, the Lords of Ether rules prohibit running any form of deficit budget. While it is entirely possible to get short-term loans (often at punitive interest) or other agreements if one is in a bind, under no circumstances whatsoever can a power spend money that they do not possess.
Important Times and Terms
Year Start: This is when all new infrastructure construction for the previous year comes into effect. Generally this is combined with End of Year tasks (see below), since both happen during the rollover into the new year.
January: Upkeep Month! While of course a nation isn't obliged to pay upkeep in January, the first month of the year is generally considered the time at which one pays yearly upkeep on one's units. Note that new nations do not have to pay yearly upkeep in their first year.
June (End of Fiscal Year): June is the end of the Fiscal Year in Lords of Ether, and when all yearly infrastructure construction payments must be completed by. Any done after June will roll into next year's fiscal year growth.
December: The final month of the year, and when yearly Artifacts are rolled.
End of Year: The year end rollover period, at the end of December. This is when Population Upkeep and Tech Treaty Maintenance is paid, as well as when RP points are spent (if desired) on advancement. Additionally, this is when Prospecting is rolled and when all active enchantments disperse.
System/Star System: Lords of Ether treats each star system as a discrete economic unit. This has significant implications for imperialistic powers and Trans-Stellars. Full details on how this affects economies are detailed below.
Infrastructure Construction
Vital for long-term growth, the construction of new infrastructure is often a major part of a power's yearly expenditures. Infrastructure can only be bought once a year and for budgetary simplicity it is encouraged to do all your infrastructure buying at one time. All new infrastructure MUST be paid for by June, else it does not take effect until the following year. That said, the importance of infrastructure belies the simplicity involved in calculating it.
Each new point of Housing, Members, Associate Members, Industry, Wealth or Research costs a base of 20 Wealth save Ether which costs 20 Wealth and 20 Industry to build.
There are two ways to expand infrastructure. There is the Normal Construction rate which is based on the amount of relative increase in a particular field, with crash industrialization or funneling ever-larger crowds of investors into financial Rube Goldberg currency-printing machinery being less efficient. Then there is the Base Construction rate, which is a minimum fixed amount based on your Advancement that you can build ignoring how much or how little you have in a particular category.
| Normal Construction Percentage Increase | Cost Modifier |
|---|---|
| 0-5% of existing category | x1 |
| 5-10% of existing category | x2 |
| 10-15% of existing category | x3 |
The exception to this rule is Housing; the value used for housing is the total number of population units in a power, not the number of population units that are already 'housed'.
Thus if a power has 100 industry, it can buy up to 5 points of new industry at a cost of 20 Wealth each, or 6 to 10 at a cost of 40 Wealth each, or 11 to 15 at a cost of 60 Wealth each. Obviously rampant economic growth requires a large supply of money and powers tend to hoard money during the early months of the year in anticipation of infrastructure construction expenses.
The Base Infrastructure Construction Rate can be used if a location has a small amount (or zero) infrastructure and it makes more sense to build a fixed minimum amount. Base Rate construction has a cost multiplier of x1.
| Advancement Level | Base Construction Rate |
|---|---|
| 5 | 3 Production Points |
| 4 | 2 Production Points |
| 3 or Below | 1 Production Point |
If you have both the technological and magic categories that influence a specific field at a level of 2 or higher, you may add their Base Construction Rates together, however it may not exceed 3. So a power with Engineering 2 and Transmogrification 3 would have a Base Construction Rate of 2. If they have a fusion of those two they may use their TM Advancement level, up to a maximum of 5.
| Infrastructure | Advancement |
|---|---|
| Housing | Biology/Creation |
| Members | Engineering/Transmorgification |
| Industry | Engineering/Transmorgification |
| Wealth | Psychology/Mental |
| Research | Engineering/Transmorgification |
| Ether | Engineering/Transmorgification |
Thus a power with 10 Research and Engineering 4 would only be able to build an absolute maximum of 1 points at 40 Wealth each if using Normal construction, since 1 research would be a 10% increase. However, if it were to use Base Rate construction it would be able to build 2 new points at the cost of 20 each.
The catch is that a nation cannot use its Base Rate more than once in each field per year unless it has To The Stars, in which case it may use it an additional time in an offworld location.
No one location may use both Normal Construction and the Base Infrastructure Construction Rate in any given field. It is one or the other.
Transstellars
Normal Construction and Base Rate Construction applies to Transstellars in the same way as nations, except that the three Risk levels are treated separately.
Similar to nations, this considers the total amount of each field across all Areas of Influence.
Safe: The total amount of new infrastructure placed in any number of Safe areas cannot exceed your Base Construction Rate per field. The only exception to this is Members.
Calculated Risk: Any infrastructure built using Normal Construction must be placed in a zone of Calculated Risk or a Danger Zone. This implies if you have only Safe areas, you may not use Normal Construction in any field save Members.
Danger Zone: You may use your Base Construction Rate at each Danger Zone location or buy 2x the amount allowed by Normal Construction with additional no cost penalty. It all must be placed in a Danger Zone. Whatever your choice, you may only do one or the other.
Consider the Cult of Phleem as an example Transtellar. They have 60 units of Chittering Cultist Members, 20 Industry, 80 Wealth, 40 Research and 40 Ether spread over their 5 Dark Cathedrals. Their Base Construction Rate is 2. Two of them are Safe, one is a Calculated Risk and two are in a Danger Zone full of zealous do-gooders. Being a pragmatic evil organization, they choose not to spend extra money on Normal Construction going past the 1.0 cost multiplier. It makes little sense for them to use anything other than their Base Construction Rate on Industry and they have little need for it, so they put 2 Industry in any of their Safe areas. However when considering their 80 Wealth, they could build 4 new sources of Wealth using Normal Construction or 2 with Base Construction. If they build 4, then it must go in their zone of Calculated Risk near the enclave of Gahnn the Usurper. However...if they were to expand their Altar of Blackest Blood and put it all in their Danger Zones, they could build 8. So much potential for evil monetization! If they chose to expand Research they could build 2 using either Normal Construction or Base Rate and most likely choose the Base Rate to put them in a Safe zone, however because they have two Danger Zones they could build 2 in each one for a total of 4 with no penalties. When it came to Members, they could build either 2 using the Base Rate, 3 with Normal Construction or 4 if they decided to use their Danger Zones. Given their atrocious manpower losses, it seems prudent for them to use Normal Construction and place them in a Safe zone.
Industrial Mobilization
During times of emergency a power can chose to mobilize its industry on a month-to-month basis. This costs 1 Wealth or Ether per point of industry mobilized and for the month it is mobilized it produces 2 PP instead of 1. In short it lets one turn money or ether directly into finished goods, although at a cost.
Long-term mobilization tends to lead to civil disorder as people soon grow sick of working excessive overtime. While this will generally not be an issue when a power is facing a desperate fight or rolling forward on glorious offensive (so long as the victories keep coming in), mobilizing a significant part of one's industry for no good reason more than once or twice a year is probably not a good idea and can drop you down to Unhappy Populace or worse.
Fanatical Population also allows a power to mobilize its population production in the exact same way as conventional industry. Additionally, Fanatical allows one to mobilize more before suffering any ill effect.