Great work
Overview
A great work is any major economic investment which is sufficiently large in scope that it provides a benefit to the inhabitants of an entire territory. The return can take the form of money, herbs, materials for crafting items or mana crystals.
Great works do not normally result in the creation of an Imperial title, as most great works do not require an Imperial citizen be appointed to oversee them. The Senate may choose to create a custodian for a great work - an Imperial title with responsibility to look after the great work.
There are a number of important rules that impact great works, setting the costs, restricting the benefits, and imposing limitations any of which may be superseded by an appropriate opportunity.
Senate Commissions
The Imperial Senate may pass a motion for the construction of infrastructure capable of improving the wealth generated by resources in a territory.
It is also possible for the Senate to pass a motion to upgrade a great work, increasing the benefits that it provides.
Benefits
Each great work is linked to a specific type of personal resource in a specific territory. Every member of that nation who attended the last event and who owns the appropriate personal resource in the territory gains the benefit.
The size and effectiveness of the great work sets the total size of the benefit that accrues to everyone in the territory - this benefit is divided equally between the affected players of that nation each season (in the setting there are wide reaching benefits to other NPCs but these are ignored when calculating returns for play balance reasons).
The type of benefit received is restricted to the normal production of a resource. A great work that effects farms or businesses provides additional money while one that affects mana sites provides mana crystals.
A great work that effects a specific type of mine or forest must provide the appropriate ingots or measures. A great work that affects all mines or all forests will produce random ingots or measures. A great work that benefits herb gardens provides random herbs.
As always, these restrictions apply only to a standard commission. A great work that arises from an opportunity may have different costs and provide different benefits.
| Type | Resource | Type | Resource |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business | White Granite | Herb garden | Weirwood |
| Farm | Weirwood | Mana site | Mithril |
| Forest | White Granite | Mine | Mithril |
Costs
- Materials: Variable (minimum 40 wains)
- Time: 3 months to construct per 50 wains of materials used
- Labour: 2 crowns per wain
- Upkeep: None
The more resources are devoted to constructing a great work, the greater the return. Under normal circumstances, the material required will be the one associated with upgrading an equivalent personal resource. For example, at least 40 wains of mithril is required to create a great work that enhances mana sites.
| Wains | Money | Ingots | Herbs | Mana Crystals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 900 rings | 50 | 75 | 37 |
| 56 | 1080 rings | 60 | 90 | 45 |
| 80 | 1300 rings | 72 | 108 | 54 |
| 100 | 1440 rings | 80 | 120 | 60 |
| 160 | 1800 rings | 100 | 150 | 75 |
| 280 | 2340 rings | 130 | 195 | 97 |
In addition to the wains required, it costs 2 crowns per wain to pay for labour and skills to complete the construction.
The table shows some standard costs and benefits for a range of great works. For example a greak work created by the Senate using 56 wains of mithril could produce 45 mana crystals each season. There is no upper limit on how many wains can be used to construct a great work; provided at least 40 wains are used, then any amount can be spent to build it.
Limitations
It is not possible to create a great work which creates ilium, liao or synod votes, mithril, weirwood, or white granite, without a relevant opportunity.
It is not possible to create a great work which is linked to military units. If the Senate wishes to spend significant sums to increase the military effectiveness of the Empire then they must do it by raising armies or constructing fortifications.
It is not possible to create a great work that affects congregations.
Great works are not affected by rituals that target personal resources. A ritual that increases the production of a green iron mine will not affect a great work that provides green iron nor one that benefits green iron mines.
Only members of a nation may benefit from a great work - a vast series of forges throughout Hahnmark might provide a bonus to all Wintermark mines based in the territory - but Wintermark characters dwelling in other territories - and characters from other nations would not benefit from the great work.
Responsibility
The Senator for a territory is expected to be responsible for any problems that might beset the structures represented by a great work. For example, if Grendel corsairs are raiding the Madruga shipyards, then the Empire will expect the Madruga senator to deal with the problem.
Multiple Great Works
The Senate may commission a great work be upgraded - or create a second great work in a territory that is intended to benefit the same personal resource. For instance the Senate could authorize the creation of a vast rope works in Siroc in Madruga that would provide an income in crowns to all businesses based in the territory.
Because the new great work would benefit businesses in the Madruga, if there was already an existing great work in Madruga that benefited businesses, the effectiveness would be reduced. In effect the total benefit would then correspond to the total amount of wains spent constructing great works that benefit businesses in Madruga.
The civil service can provide estimates on the total benefit that will accrue from the completion of a great work in a territory. These estimates are only valid for the current state of the territory.
A second great work in a territory that benefited owners with different personal resources would provide the full effect listed.
Recent Great Works
The table includes all great works which have been created in recent times.
- While "Little Mournwold" in Tassato Mestra is not a great work constructed by the Empire, it effectively functions as one.