Many Marios: A forum-based strategy game

[Dux is not you]

After years of development, I have finally decided to run Many Marios again.

Many Marios (original idea by S1x, further developed by S1x and me) is a forum game that puts you in command of a small town of creatures from the Mario universe and challenges you to build the mightiest kingdom in the Mushroom World.

Playing the game

Many Marios is updated daily. Every day you can order your town's units to follow commands such as constructing buildings or collecting coins, which you can then use to recruit more units or buy items to improve them. As days pass and your wealth grows, you will be able to assemble an army and fight other players.

Each of your units has a certain amount of energy (E) that can be spent each day and is replenished at the beginning of the next day. Goombas, for example, have 2E each, while Toads have 4E. Each command your units follow consumes some of this energy. Getting new energy every day is what keeps your town growing, so try to avoid leaving any energy unspent, as it will go to waste.

Starting the game

To begin playing Many Marios, choose one of the basic tribes:
Toads: You begin the game with 5 Toads, 5 Coin Blocks and a Spawning Pipe set to Toads.
Goombas: You begin the game with 10 Goombas, 5 Coin Blocks and a Spawning Pipe set to Goombas.
Koopas: You begin the game with 6 Koopas, 10 Coin Blocks and a Spawning Pipe set to Koopas.
Shy Guys: You begin the game with 6 Shy Guys, 10 Coin Blocks and a Spawning Pipe set to Shy Guys.
Keep in mind that Spawning Pipes, like all buildings, grant you a daily income, which means you start Day 1 with 15 coins in addition to whatever your units manage to obtain.

Basic commands

These commands let you obtain coins and blocks, the basic resources of the game. Costs are in parentheses; 1c, 1E means one coin and one energy, while 1B means one block.

Gather (1E): Adds 5c to your coin total.
Build (1c, 1E): Adds 1B to your block total. Spend these blocks to construct buildings.
Explore (1E): Lets you find prizes in the form of resources, items, units and buildings. Also lets you find missions for further prizes.

Maintenance

As long as your total wealth is above 1000c, your town demands maintenance to support itself. Maintenance costs are calculated with a particular formula that depends on your total wealth; as your city grows, you will find that maintenance costs become extremely taxing.
Maintenance is automatically subtracted from your coin total at the end of each day, so make sure you always leave enough coins in your coin total.

Phases of a day

1. Start phase
Your units are replenished to full energy. Any units, items and buildings obtained the previous day enter your inventory. At this time, your wealth is counted and your maintenance costs for the day are set.

2. Command phase
Per-turn effects are now applied, including collecting income from your buildings. You can now issue orders to your units, add or remove equipment, and apply item effects. Coins and blocks will be earned immediately, but any units, items or buildings thus obtained will enter your inventory the next day.

3. Market phase
You can now recruit units, buy items and construct buildings. All of these will enter your inventory the next day.

4. Ending phase
The maintenance costs set at the start of the day are now subtracted from your coin total. Failure to pay your maintenance in full will cause your units to rebel, making you lose your next day, and any unpaid costs will be added to your coin total as debt.

Wealth and maintenance

Your total wealth, the number that goes into calculating your maintenance costs, equals the coin worth of all your units and items plus the cost of all your blocks and buildings.
Each block contributes 6c to your total wealth, and each building contributes 6c times its block cost.
As soon as your wealth is above 1000, a maintenance cost will be set at the beginning of each turn, and you must leave enough coins in your coin total to pay the maintenance. The maintenance formula is as follows:
M = 0.25*W - 249000/W - 1
Where W is your wealth at the end of a given day, and M is the maintenance cost for the next day.
You can easily calculate your wealth and find your maintenance costs using the Wealth Calculator spreadsheet.

Units

Units make the population of your town. Each unit has a certain amount of energy, which gets replenished at the start of each day. This energy is used to complete tasks.
You can recruit units of a certain type during your Market Phase, and only if you have a Spawning Pipe set to that unit type.
Many Marios Unit List

Buildings

To create a building, spend the indicated amount of blocks during your Market Phase.
Each building has a daily income, which is automatically collected at the beginning of your Command Phase.
Many Marios Building List

Items

To buy an item, spend the indicated amount of coins during your Market Phase.
Certain items can be equipped to your units to grant them additional effects. Barring exceptions, a unit can't be equipped with more than one item at the same time.
Each equipment in your inventory can be equipped only once per day. This means that if you choose to unequip a Super Mushroom from a unit, you have to wait until the next day to equip it to another unit.
An item isn't considered an equipment unless its effect specifically refers to it being equipped on a unit. For example, although a Starman's effect is applied to a unit, it is not considered an Equipment, as it doesn't use the term "equip".
Items with a [Combat] label have different effects when used in combat. Normally, using a consumable item in combat does not consume it.
Many Marios Item List

Combat

As your town grows, you will be able to build and improve your army, and enter battles with other players, or against non-player opponents set by me.
Rules of Combat
To build an army, you need to know the Army Point (AP) value of the battle you're going into, and the AP values of your units, items and buildings. You can build an army easily using the Army Builder spreadsheet. Remember that AP values are bound to change over time, and this might mean having to rebuild your army.

[Dux is not you]

I'm still wondering how 40 views become 0 replies.

Anyway, since nobody has started playing yet, I'll go ahead and start with a Koopa set.

Day 1 Start
Koopa x6, Coin Block x10, Spawning Pipe x1 [Koopas]

Command Phase
Income: +15c (15c)
I command my Koopas to Break the 10 Coin Blocks (spending 10E out of the available 18E), which gives me +150c (165c). My Koopas then Build two Blocks, leaving me with 163c and 6E available. The remaining energy is used to Gather +30c (193c).

Market Phase
I build a Pipe (-2B), recruit three Koopas (-180c) and buy a Coin Block (-8c) leaving me with 5c.

Ending Phase
No maintenance costs were set for the day.

Inventory
Coins: 5c
Blocks: 0B
Units:
Koopa x9
Items:
Coin Block x1
Buildings:
Spawning Pipe x1 [Koopas]
Pipe x1
Total wealth: 625

Day 1 End

Just so you know, I've already laid out the combat rules. They should be up as soon as I choose combat effects for all the units and items.

[Cosmonautical]

This looks pretty cool man. I'm sorry I've basically already dedicated my time elsewhere.

A lot of views tend to come from lurkers, visitors, and web-crawlers/spiders. Don't let it bug you, dude. If people have the time to play, you'll have someone in here sooner or later, just maybe not in a day.

[Robotazy]

Well, I was gonna wait for someone else to join before jumping in, but screw it.

I'll go ahead and pick Shy Guys, because why not?\

That gives me 6 Shy Guys, 10 Coin Blocks and a Spawning Pipe set to Shy Guys. Giving me 18 E

I'll follow by example and use my Shy Guys to break all of my coin blocks to give me lots of delicious coins. Giving me 150 coins and equaling to 165C and leaves me with 8E, which I'll use to build 4 blocks, leaving me with 4E, 161C and 4B With the remaining 4E, I'll just Gather, giving me 20c (181c)

For me Market Phase, I'll build a pipe, I buy 1 Shy Guy, a Fire Flower (leaving me at 81C), then I'll buy 4 Coin Blocks (49c)

So, stealing Dux's little progress thingy I currently hold...

Coins: 49c
Blocks: 2B
Units:
ShyGuy x7
Items:
Coin Block x4
Fire Flower x1
Buildings:
Spawning Pipe x1 [ShyGuys]
Pipe x1
Total wealth: 49+12+(60x7=)420+36+40+(6x8=)48+12= 617? (This is just a guesstimate but, I should be correct. Hopefully. <_<)

[Dux is not you]

Calculating wealth is my duty as a host. You don't really have to do it, unless you're determined to control your maintenance down to the last coin (which shouldn't be a worry right now, anyway, as the 1000c milestone doesn't happen until around days 3 to 5).

Having said that, your calculations are right for the most part. The four Coin Blocks provide 32 (=8x4) wealth rather than 36(=9x4) as you listed them, and the Spawning Pipe's value is calculated from the 10B (8B + Pipe) total cost, rather than just the 8B cost over the Pipe. Thus, your wealth is 4 less and 12 more than what you listed, for a total of 625 rather than 617.

[Dux is not you]

I just realized the Toad's special command, Engineering, had an incorrect value. The effect now reads, "Consume 2 Coin Blocks and add 5B to your block total", a much better trade.

[SephirothKirby]

-> Push Start

6 Shy Guys
10 Coin Blocks
Spawning Pipe [Shy Guys]

Income: +15c

Resource Pool:
18E
15c

Command Phase

Gather (-1E, +5c)
Build (-7E, -7c, +7B)
Break 10 Coin Blocks (-10E, +150c)

Market Phase

Buy 3 Starmen (-120c)
Buy 5 Coin Blocks (-40c)

Resource Pool:
0E
3c
7B

UNITS
6 Shy Guys

ITEMS
3 Starmen
5 Coin Blocks

BUILDINGS
Spawning Pipe [Shy Guys]

[Dux is not you]

The Mushroom House and Starman have been modified. In the case of the Starman, it's a preview of its combat effect; for the Mushroom House it's also a preview, but there was a loophole that could allow a player to evade taxes in an alarming way, and that needed to be fixed immediately.

Building rules have been updated, as unique buildings are evidently not the rule, but the exception. This causes no difference in gameplay.

Come to think about it, it's just too weird that the Super Mushroom is costed higher than the Fire Flower. The Super Mushroom's new cost is 40c and the Fire Flower's is 60c. Tazy, as the only player that has bought either of those items, it's your choice whether to keep the Fire Flower and lose 20c, or keep your coins and exchange the Fire Flower for a Super Mushroom. Please decide as soon as possible.

[Dux is not you]

As you can see, I've added the combat effects for everything except Toads. However, combat rules haven't been posted yet; this is me being both lazy and evil, as you can now see what all your toys can do, yet you can't play with them.

The idea is that combat is meant to make you feel like you're playing with a bunch of Mario figures and toys. Which should be the most fun you could ever have.

[Robotazy]

Ah, piss...

Give me the Super Mushroom. It's not like I cared about it or anything. <_>

[Heroine of the Dragon]

*leaves red marshmallows for Tazy and SK* Go ShyGuys!!!!!

I wish I had more time to devote to something like this, dux, since it looks fun... *gives you rainbow marshmallows*

[Blake]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh this game is addicting but I'm gonna be a day or 2 late Too late to think about this atm but I'll be back for this!

[Dux is not you]

Originally Posted by Heroine of the Dragon

*leaves red marshmallows for Tazy and SK* Go ShyGuys!!!!!

I wish I had more time to devote to something like this, dux, since it looks fun... *gives you rainbow marshmallows*

No cheers for Koopas? [You might want to play Many Marios even if you don't have much time, read below ]

Originally Posted by Blake

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh this game is addicting but I'm gonna be a day or 2 late Too late to think about this atm but I'll be back for this!

Anyway, this version of Many Marios has pretty much removed the hardcore economic competition that was the essence of the previous versions.

You can build a perfectly working town and a decent army without having to post daily; indeed, you can go casual and just update whenever you have the time. It's not like your Shy Guys are going anywhere if you're not around. That still doesn't mean growth is a bad thing.

I had developed a somewhat punishing economic system which, at the higher levels of wealth, required a lot of effort to just sustain minimal growth. But since the rules for maintenance won't be relevant for a few days, and there are some casual-minded players interested in the game, I have some time to work out a different system that allows a more relaxed game experience and doesn't punish inaction.

[Dux is not you]

Day 2

The day when combat rules will finally be published is coming closer... and thus the game will reveal its complexity. Soon the first post won't be enough to contain all the game data, and just trying to find that item you're looking for will become impossible. I've begun preparing for that time, though: I present to you the Many Marios Wiki. It's still under development, of course, but when it's finished it will become a permanent reference for Many Marios.

It's about time to start day 2, so let's go.

Dux

Your maintenance for today is 0c (from 625 wealth).
Your income for today is +18c (23c).
Resources: 23c, 0B
Units:
Koopa x9
Items:
Coin Block x1
Buildings:
Pipe x1
Spawning Pipe x1 [Koopas]
Total wealth: 643

Tazy

Your maintenance for today is 0c (from 625 wealth).
Your income for today is +18c (67c).
Resources: 67c, 2B.
Units:
Shy Guy x7
Items:
Coin Block x4
Super Mushroom x1 (1 unequipped)
Buildings:
Pipe x1
Spawning Pipe x1 [Shy Guys]
Total wealth: 643

SephirothKirby

Your maintenance for today is 0c (from 625 wealth).
Your income for today is +15c (18c).
Resources: 18c, 7B.
Units:
Shy Guy x6
Items:
Coin Block x5
Starman x3
Buildings:
Spawning Pipe [Shy Guys]
Total wealth: 640

[SephirothKirby]

Resources:
18c
7B.
Units:
Shy Guy x6
Items:
Coin Block x5
Starman x3
Buildings:
Spawning Pipe [Shy Guys]

18E

Command Phase

Use 3 Starmen (+30E)
Break 5 Coin Blocks (-5E, +75c)
Gather (-43E; +215c)

Market Phase

Buy 23 Coin Blocks (-184c)
Buy 1 Starman (-120c)

Resource Pool:
0E
4c
7B

UNITS
6 Shy Guys

ITEMS
23 Coin Blocks
1 Starman

BUILDINGS
Spawning Pipe [Shy Guys]

[Robotazy]

You certainly went all out with this, huh dux?

anyway...

Your income for today is +18c (67c).
Resources: 67c, 2B.
Units:
Shy Guy x7
Items:
Coin Block x4
Super Mushroom x1 (1 unequipped)
Buildings:
Pipe x1
Spawning Pipe x1 [Shy Guys]
Total wealth: 643

21E

COMMAND PHASE:
I'll start by breaking all of the coin blocks I bought earlier giving me 60c (127c), then I'll equip a Mushroom onto one of my Shy Guys giving me an additional +2E. (23E). From here, I think I'll create 8 Blocks to get me my mushroom house. (119c), (23-8=15E) (10b). From there, I'll arrange to use the rest of the energy to Gather since I can't do anything else with these Shy Guys yet. (0E, 119+75=194

MARKET PHASE:
mmmmmmm, I'll buy another Shy Guy (194-60=134c) then put my Mushroom House of my dreams together. (0b). Then I'll buy a Warp Potion (because I am a Shy Guy Master after all) (114c) And I'll buy 5 Coin Blocks. (114-40=74c)....and I'll buy a Starman (74-40=34)

FINAL SCORE:

Resources: 34c, 0B.
Units:
Shy Guy x8 (one has a mushroom)
Items:
Coin Block x5
Super Mushroom x1 (equipped)
Warp Potion: x1 (unequipped)
Starman x1 (unequipped)
Buildings:
Pipe x1
Mushroom House x1
Spawning Pipe x1 [Shy Guys]
Total wealth: Rattata's Ass (This turn may drive me into the taxes zone. Time to pay my Mario Tax!)

Also, is there gonna be any events, like in past Many Mario games, because if Bowser is gonna show up to have a tea party, I'd like to be informed.

[Dux is not you]

Yeah, there's going to be stuff Though nothing damaging. Taxes are enough damage already.

To do list:
- Finish designing the first object list
- Write up and publish combat rules
- Set AP costs for everything
- Develop a more casual tax system

[Dux is not you]

Command Phase
Energy available: 27E
Break the Coin Block for +15c (38c)
Build x8 (30c)
Gather with the remaining 18E for 90c (120c).

Market Phase
Build a Spawning Pipe [Toads].
Buy Starman x3 (0c).

YES, NO COINS, NO BLOCKS Things are going just fine.

[Dux is not you]

I'm finding the Pipe's 2B cost to be kinda awkward, given that a Pipe takes up at least 4 tiles in the games. Thus, the cost for a Pipe has been doubled to 4B, and its income has been correspondingly doubled. The Spawning Pipe's cost has been correspondingly reduced to 6B plus a Pipe, leaving its net cost unchanged.

Tazy, as the only player that currently owns a Pipe, your Pipe will retain its previous values as an "Old Pipe". If you choose to use it as material for a building, you must spend an additional 2B on that building to compensate.

(You should also set an item for your Mushroom House. Currently, you can choose Starman or Warp Potion, as they are the only combat items. One upcoming combat item is the 1-Up Mushroom.)

[Robotazy]

I'll set to Warp Potions.

Then I'll regret it later.