I have been thinking about this - and I really like it!

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Puppet Ruler

Often in history, a conquerer will install a leader of the conquered nation, to control the captured lands.

The conquerer may be able to extract more out of the captured lands, and generally, the population is less restful and aggresive to the conquerers.

Therefore this (proposed) rule re-creates this effect.

XXX.1 - During the Economic phase, an Empire may create a Puppet Nation in any conquered territories, which meet the minimum criteria -

A) They hold a Major Planet
B) They hold a province of the same Empire as the captured Major Planet, and the province is either around the Major planet, or adjacent to the province the Major planet is in.

The creater can include more connected provinces, and planets in the Puppet territory.

The 'Puppet' then assumes control of those territories given to it.

XXX.2 Long Term Capture - Each turn in force, is worth 2 turns to LTC.

in addition, raids in the Puppet Ruler territory will NOT effect Long term capture.

In addition, Police ships may not be called up by the original parent Empire in the Puppet Ruler territories.

XXX.3 Economic Benefit.
Major planets will produce +0.5 Ep's per turn
Minor planets will produce +0.25 Ep's per turn

Puppet held planets also commence the normal recovery, unless the conquerer declines to allow this (once started it can only be stopped and can't be re-started).

XXX.4 Income
A minimum of 50% of the Puppet Territory income is used by the Puppet, to produce defensive forces (or saved in a satelite stockpile - which can't be taken by the conquerer).

The conquering Empire may decide to take less than it's 50% share of the income - and the balance becomes the Puppet Rulers.

XXX.5 Defensive Forces allowed are -
PDU's and PGB's for his planets. No Tug is required to set them up.
A Single Planetary Repair Dock (PRD) may be built on a single Major planet owned by the Puppet Ruler.
1 Frigate per turn (of the original Empire, which doesn't effect their ship building rate), per Major planet the Puppet Ruler holds.

Ships of the Puppet may be used freely by the conquering empire - and supply is assumed to come from the Conquering Empire, or the Puppet Rulers own planets.

XXX.7 Self Killing of Puppet Ruler ships.
A Puppet Ruler Ship may only be self killed if atleast one conquerer ship is also self killed in the same combat round.

XXX.8 Repair of Crippled Puppet Ruler Ships.
Repairs can only be done at either the Conquering Empires bases, or at the Puppet Ruler's own PRD. The PRD will only repair Puppet Ruler ships (at Puppet rulers expense).

XXX.9 Captured Empire Ships
A Puppet rule may be given any ships captured from it's original parent Empire, and does not need to pay the 3 Ep surcharge for captured and repaired ships.

In addition, handed over ships retain all original abilities.

Ships handed over to the Puppet Ruler in this fashion, become fully owned by the Puppet Ruler.

XXX.9
Rebellion
The Puppet ruler may decide the wind has changed, and decides to return to his original parent Empire.

Each turn, prior to the Operational movement phase of the Conquering Empires turn, 2D6 is rolled for each Puppet Ruler.

2-10 Puppet Ruler is happy - no effect
11 Civil War. Forces loyal to the original parent Empire attempt to overthrow the Puppet Ruler. The Puppet Empire is disolved and all forces of the Puppet are destroyed.

Planets which have a forces from the Conquering Empire (or Ally) are captured immediately, and are valid supply and retrograde points. The 2 turn delay for receiving Ep's from the planet is started from the following turn.

Planets which do not have any force of the Conquering Empire (or Ally) in the hex, return to the original empire, at the start of the original empires turn. (RDU's will appear then, so no battle is generated if the former Conquering Empire 'attacks' the planet).

12 Traitor!
The Puppet Ruler switches sides and all Planets and forces become fully controlled by the original parent Empire.

Due to mixed loyalties, the Conquering Empire may leave any hexes which have both former Puppet Ruler forces in and former Conquering Empire (or Allies) in.

Should any forces remain, a normal battle hex is created.

XXX.10 - There is no limit to the number of Puppet Rulers (other than each needs 1 or more major planets) each Empire may have created.

XXX.11 - During the Economic phase, a Conquering Empire may disolve a Puppet Ruler.

All forces of the Puppet Ruler are immediatly destroyed, but the Original Empire receives salvage at 50% of the normal rate. (The Puppet Ruler is that unhappy at being deposed, he gives aid to his original parent Empire).

Planets are treated as Civil War for ownership and all long term capture benefits are lost and are 'reset'

On subsequent turns, a new Puppet Ruler could be set up.

...............

What do people think - and could it work?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, July 21, 2014 - 07:01 pm: Edit

This actually seems interesting. Presumably you would declare the puppet empire "neutral" which penalized you for the benefits gained. You could un-neutralize the puppet at some future time. Note sure about the rebellion die rolls.

By Thomas Mathews (Turtle) on Wednesday, July 23, 2014 - 09:48 pm: Edit

Perhaps change the die rolls so that a 2 is Civil War, 3 - 11 No Effect, 12 is Traitor.

By Keith Plymale (Zaarin7) on Thursday, July 24, 2014 - 07:46 am: Edit

To account for the advanced game IMHO Diplomats, Prime Teams and IGCE or ship based 'G' need to be accounted for coming from both the conqueror/liberator and the original owner or allies of the original owner.

When Civil Wars is done I could see this being used to bring the Patriarch/Usurper out of the Wyn Cluster.

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Saturday, August 23, 2014 - 01:53 pm: Edit

I would suggest that Puppet Empires cannot build FFs on their major planets but rather may build a minor shipyard first and THEN use it to build frigates (of the conquered empire). No more than one such shipyard can be under construction at a time, and no more than two can be constructed at all. (Reason is that existing empires are limited to two unless they are really big empires).