[dux_is_me]

So I decided to finally make another ripoff... er, sequel to S1x's original strategy game. Did you enjoy Age of Empires? Advance Wars? Heroes of Might and Magic? ... No? How about Pikmin? Then you'll enjoy this game. If you didn't enjoy any of those, you'll still enjoy this, so get playing.

In Many Marios X: The Invasion, you control a tribe of characters; right now, only Toads, Goombas, Koopas and Shyguys are available, though more may be unlocked throughout the game. Anyway, the objective is to become the most powerful tribe in the world by increasing your population, earning coins and, eventually, waging war against the opposition.

To begin the game, pick one of the races. Basically, Toads are builders, Goombas are raiders, Koopas are defenders, and Shyguys are mages. Remember that you can only recruit new units of that race (in other words, no hiring Goombas if you're the Shyguys), and you can't change your choice midgame (exception: when a new race is unlocked, but more details will be posted when that happens). Also, more than one player can choose the same race (this doesn't mean they're allies; each of them is an individual tribe of the same race).

You start with funds of 1000 coins and one house. A house can hold up to 10 units, which means you won't be able to hire more than 10 units until you build another house. You can use the coins to hire new units, pay for buildings, purchase items, and other stuff. Also, you have to pay for your units at the beginning of every day: each unit you have will cost you 5 coins, regardless of race. If you can't pay, you will lose the excess units.

Each unit has a certain amount of energy, which resets to maximum at the beginning of each day. This energy is used to create buildings, gather coins, and perform other tasks. The task you will be performing the most for now is resource gathering, which gives you 4 coins per point of energy you invest.

Available Races

Toad: Builders of the grand Mushroom Kingdom, Toads are known for their building skills. However, they are the most expensive race to recruit. They cost 115c to hire, and have 4 energy, which increases to 6 for building.
Goomba: Once Bowser's minions, now an independent tribe. Their aggressive personality leads them easily into war. Goombas are cheaper to recruit than other races, and pack more of a punch in combat; but their disdain for work means they have reduced magic, technology, and building skills. Goomba fighters are also more fragile than other fighters (otherwise, how would Mario stomp them in one jump?). They cost 90c to hire and have 3 energy. They get a +2 bonus to attack rating.
Koopa: The Mushroom World's trademark turtle race tends towards peace more than any other race does; this manifests as a high defense rating and improved defensive structures such as walls. This also means Koopas inflict less damage in battle. They cost 100c to hire and have 4 energy. They have a +1 bonus to defense and a -1 penalty to attack. Koopa walls have 10% more defense, but Koopa weapons cost 10% more to create.
Shyguy: Always isolated from the outside world, Shyguys spend most of their time improving their magical skills. Their preference for wizarding academies, however, translates into less battle training centers, which means Shyguys are weaker in physical combat. Shyguys cost 100c to hire and have 4 energy. They get a -1 penalty to attack and defense, but a +2 bonus to magic.
Boo: As the magical incarnation of a deceased soul, Boos are separated from the rest of the world by an ethereal veil. Thus, they can't equip any objects. However, they can cast spells without spellbooks and get a +1 bonus to magic. They have 4 energy and cost 100c to hire.

Tasks

Gather resources: You get 4 coins for each point of energy spent.
Explore: You can invest any amount of energy into exploration. The more energy you use, the better your results will be. Beware, there's a small chance that you will get bad results, just as there is a small chance you will get awesome stuff.
Build: Energy invested in building goes into a pool. When you have enough energy to build a certain building, you spend the pooled energy and the specified amount of coins, and you get the building.
Research: This is the way to obtain new technology. You can't research unless you have a Library. To research, spend any amount of energy. This energy accumulates into the research pool. When you have enough energy to buy the technology, that amount is subtracted from the research pool.
Cast a spell: Spells normally cost energy to cast, though sometimes they cost coins too. Only a unit equipped with a spellbook can cast a spell, and only if you have a Mage Guild of the spell's level (level 0 spells don't need a Mage Guild).

Combat

Combat stats: Each unit has two stats: attack and defense. Under normal conditions, these stats are equal to the unit's current amount of energy; for example, a Toad at full energy would have an attack and defense of 4 (a 4/4 unit), while one that has spent 1 energy in exploration will have an attack and defense of 3 (a 3/3 unit). Bonuses affect these stats by the specified amount. For example, Koopas have an attack of 3 and a defense of 5 at full energy (a 3/5 unit), while Goombas have an attack of 5 and a defense of 3 (a 5/3 unit). Certain units, such as Ostros and Yoshies, have 0 base energy, but they have +5 to defense, making them 0/5 units.
Attack means the amount of damage a unit deals each round.
Defense means the amount of damage a unit can take before dying. A dead unit stops existing; if you want to keep your fighters alive, make sure they don't lose their last defense point.
Starting a battle: Battle always has an attacking party and a defending party, and it is the attacker that begins the battle. That player would do so by sending me a PM with his battle strategy, and then I would send a PM to the defending player detailing the attacker's troops (not the strategy). The defending player then replies with a battle strategy, and then the actual combat begins.
Battle strategy: To create a battle strategy you have to detail the following things:
-Which units you will use as offensive units. Offensive units normally take damage every round.
-The order in which your offensive units will take damage. You may assign a single unit to take as much damage as it can, or you can spread the damage out among some units. You can mix it up in nearly any way you can think; be tactical.
-Which units you will use as defensive units. Defensive units don't normally take damage, but they can't deal damage either, unless they are using a ranged weapon or a spell. To deal damage to your opponent's defensive units, you have to destroy all the offensive units first (unless you're using a long bow, which allows you to shoot directly at defensive units).
-The order in which your defensive units will take damage.
-Battle triggers. You can use as many of these as you want ("If my Yoshi riders fall, my spearmen will throw their spears and then run away").
The actual combat: Combat is composed of several rounds. During each round, units deal and take damage. The steps for each round are as follows:
-Battle triggers are activated.
-Units with first strike deal their damage. Units that are destroyed won't deal their damage in the next step.
-Units without first strike deal their damage.
-Units dealt more damage that their defense are destroyed.
-If a party is left with no units, or all of a party's remaining units run away, or a party surrenders, the combat is over.
Prizes: These will be detailed later...

Items

Spear
Cost: 30c
A spear increases the attack rating of equipped unit by +1. They can also be used as a ranged weapon, but the spear will be lost.

Money Bag
Cost: 25c
A unit equipped with this item collects 5 coins per point of energy, rather than 4.

Warp Pipe
Cost: 50c
Increases one day's exploration by 50%. The Warp Pipe functions only once.

Spellbook
Requires: Mage Guild
Cost: 150c
Allows the equipped unit to cast spells.

Short sword
Requires: Forging
Cost: 50c
A short sword increases the attack rating of equipped unit by +2.

Long sword
Requires: Forging
Cost: 80c
A long sword increases the attack rating of equipped unit by +3.

Short bow
Requires: Forging
Cost: 80 coins
A short bow increases the attack rating of equipped unit by +2 and allows it to shoot from a defensive position. The unit will not receive melee damage.

Long bow
Requires: Forging
Cost: 150c
A long bow increases the attack rating of equipped unit by +3. It allows the equipped unit to shoot both from a defensive position and into one (thus being able to hit opposing bowmen behind swordsman lines).

Buckler
Cost: 25c
The most basic defensive item, it increases the wielder's defense rating by +1. It's also the only shield that can be used with a bow.

Yoshi egg
Cost: 5c
Your units can spend energy into raising the Yoshi egg. When it reaches 35E, it will hatch and become a Yoshi.

Kuribo's shoe
Cost: 70c
Increases the wielder's attack and defense rating by +1, but prevents the unit from wearing other weapons or armor.

Knife
Cost: 15c
Increases the wielder's attack rating by +1, but it is so inefficient that the unit won't inflict any damage against armored enemies or walls.

Magic rod
Requires: Mage Guild
Cost: 50c
Increases the wielder's magic energy by +1.

Rod of Power
Requires: Mage Guild Lv2
Cost: 100c
Increases the wielder's magic energy by +2.

Buildings

House
Cost: 100c, 10E
Increases your maximum population by 10.

Mushroom Hut
Cost: 300c, 30E
Allows you to purchase items using energy instead of coins. Each point of energy is worth 5 coins.

Minor wall
Cost: 300c, 30E
A minor wall adds 30 to the defense rating of your city.

Mage Guild
Cost: 100c, 10E
The Mage Guild gives you access to magic and spells. It starts at level 1, and upgrading it costs 100c and 10E more than the previous upgrade (200c and 20E for level 2, 300c and 30E for level 3, and so on). Each level brings you more powerful spells and new magic-enhancement items.

Stable
Cost: 200c, 20E
The Stable allows you to hire riding units such as Ostros and Yoshies.

Library
Cost: 280c, 28E
Allows you to research technologies. Technology doesn't do anything on its own, but it gives you access to new buildings, items, and other technologies. To research, spend any amount of energy. This energy accumulates into the research pool. When you have enough energy to buy the technology, that amount is subtracted from the research pool.

Bonus level
Cost: 40c, 4E.
Grants a +1c bonus to one unit's coin gathering. You can have more than one of this type of building.

Great wall
Requires: Masonry
Cost: 500c, 50E
A great wall adds 60 to the defense rating of your city.

Pipe system
Requires: Plumbing
Cost: 150c, 15E
Units in your city get +1 to their defense rating.

Technologies

Forging
Requires: Library
Cost: 15E
Allows you to buy short swords, long swords, short bows, and long bows.

Masonry
Requires: Library
Cost: 30E
Allows you to build Fortresses and Great walls.

Plumbing
Requires: Library
Cost: 8E
Allows you to build the Pipe system.

Spells

Aid Another
Level: 0 (Doesn't require a Mage Guild)
Cost: 3E
Gives an extra 1E to a unit.

Coin Shower
Level: 1
Cost: 1E
Produces coins out of thin air. Adds 4c to your funds.

Scry
Level: 1
Cost: 1E
Allows you to spy on distant lands. Adds 1E to your exploration.

Fortify
Level: 1
Cost: 1E
Gives a +1 bonus to attack or defense to a single unit.

Craft Item
Level: 2
Cost: Varies
Allows you to create an item that you can otherwise buy. Each 1E you spend to cast this spell adds 10c to the maximum cost of the item you can create.

Fireball
Level: 2
Cost: 5E
Deals 50 damage to the opponent's units in battle. This spell can deal damage to defensive units.

Special Units

Special units are similar to the normal units you can hire, except they can be hired by any player, regardless of race, and often have special requirements. They also tend to be more useful than regular races for specific purposes.

Magikoopa
Requires: (Special)
Cost: 200c
Energy: 0 (+20 magic)
Magikoopas are the most powerful spellcasters in the realm. They become randomly available for hire in any city with a mage guild. The higher the guild's level, the more often Magikoopas will be available for hire.

Ostro
Requires: Stable
Cost: 50c
Energy: 0 (+3 defense, +3 exploration)
An Ostro can be used as scout cavalry, providing 3E to an exploration. An Ostro can also be rid into combat. Mounted units gain first strike, which means they deal their damage before units without first strike.

Yoshi
Requires: Stable
Cost: 150c
Energy: 0 (+5 defense, +5 exploration)
A Yoshi can be used as scout cavalry, providing 5E to an exploration. A Yoshi can also be rid into combat, giving the rider first strike (as seen above). A Yoshi will also eat (destroy) a random enemy unit with a defense rating of 5 or less each round of combat.

Storyline

Now that the basics are down, I can tell you what's been going on since the last Many Marios:
Bowser's tyrannical empire, which once seemed indestructible, has now come to an end, and the time of mighty armies has long passed. Great kingdoms have dissolved into hundreds of loosely related villages, less worried about expansion than about leading a peaceful existence.
But that is about to change: an unknown neighbor is now knocking at your door.
The raids began not long ago; small villages were the first to fall, so the peril remained unnoticed for weeks, and those that noticed blamed it on Goomba skirmishing parties. However, the threat was only realized when a great Mushroom city fell without warning. Now, their presence was undeniable.
Soon, peaceful rulers were replaces by seasoned warchiefs as every town struggled against the endless invasions. Now, in the heat of battle, you have ascended into power.

Scoreboard as of day 23
Prince Toad: 4635
SephirothKirby: 3357
ChunkyKong12345: 3109
BSkullDragoshi: 3077
Tazy 10: 3011
Luigi Fan 950: 2365

Remember, you're all free to join. Just name your race and post your actions for the day. Good luck!