Base Building and Organizational Management in RPGs

[Twisting H]

In the RPPR podcast episode 139: Chains of Command, Ross Tom and Dan discuss how to play/build an rpg that centers upon organizational management and may touch upon base building or domain management in general.

I love these types of games.

I wanted to know who had already published on these topics, so I queried the Something Awful traditional games hivemind.  If a game line is listed (like Ars Magica) then these organizational rules are in the core book.  Most of the others are supplements to major game lines, as these topics doesn't always get a central focus.

Base Building, Domain Management or Organization Building RPG guide.

D&D
Birthright (AD&D)
Stronghold Builder’s Guidebook (3.5 D&D)
Dragon 395 (4ed D&D) – strongholds and upgrades
Adventurer’s Vault 2; Dragon 383 – lair magic items
Dragon 412 (4ed D&D) – boats
Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium – hireling rules
Admiral o' the High Seas (4ed D&D; Pathfinder) aka Seas of Zeitgeist – building ships, naval combat

OSR/D&D related
Ultimate Campaign (Pathfinder) – has updated Kingmaker rules
Hell’s Rebels Campaign (Pathfinder) – build a rebellion
Way of the Wicked Book 2 (Pathfinder) – Henchmen management rules
Way of the Wicked Book 6-7 (Pathfinder) – Kingdom management rules
Adventurer Conqueror King - domain management
The Nightmares Underneath - establishing ties to and influence over local businesses and organizations

Sine Nomine (goon Kevin Crawford)
An Echo Resounding
Godbound
Stars Without Number
Other Dust
Silent Legions

HarnMaster
HarnManor – manage noble estate, growing motherfucking turnips
Pilot’s Almanac – sailing ships, trading cargo

White Wolf
Gilded Cage (V:tM)
Damnation City (V:tR)
Exalted 2e Storyteller's Companion – Mandate of Heaven rules.
Exalted 2e Masters of Jade

Traveller (Mongoose)
Traveller: Core – build planets
Merchant Prince - trading companies
Dynasty – manage dynasties over generations
Mercenary – military bases.

GURPS
GURPS Boardroom and Curia
GURPS Low-Tech Companions 1-3
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy: Taverns
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy: Guilds
GURPS City Stats

Other
Sagas of the Icelanders - Icelandic Homestead Management minigame
Mutant: Year Zero
Conspiracy X
Blades in the Dark
Reign
Ars Magica
Pendragon
Gods and Monsters (Fate)
Mystic Empyrean
Apocalypse World - hardholder has to manage their settlement, the hocus has to    manage their cult, the chopper manages their gang.
Legacy: Life Among the Ruins (goon)
Weapons of the Gods Companion
Green Law of Varkith (Dungeon World) – build guild
Spellbound Kingdoms
Savage Worlds Super Hero Companion – build superhero bases
Champions (all versions) – build superhero bases
Rogue Trader: Stars of Inequity – build planets and manage colonies
A Song of Ice and Fire (Green Ronin) – run game of thrones house and holdings
Dune: Chronicle of the Imperium – manage a House Minor
Underground – changing society to be more or less crime-ridden rules

Just for fun (and to freak out any math phobes) here are the so called turnip rules from Harn.





 


Examples of play:

Lord Quest - a well loved quest thread about ruling a demesne on /tg/. Only the ones tagged "Lord Quest"

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Lord%20Quest

Planetary Governor Quest - Managing a planet in the Warhammer 40k universe. Short.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Planetary%20Governor%20Quest

Embers in the Dusk - Managing a planet in the Warhammer 40k universe.  Long.

https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/embers-in-the-dusk-a-planetary-governor-quest-43k.10642/

Governor Quest -- Scifi Managment of a planet

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Known%20Space

[Twisting H]

To address specific ideas brought up in the podcast:

@Tom :  You mentioned that you liked the idea of writing rules for a "Middle Manager of Villainy," possibly in the superhero genre if memory serves. 

According to SA, it seems like most superhero books will deal with base building but not organizational management like you were describing.

However, this iOS/android game Middle Manager of Justice might be inspirational http://middlemanagerofjustice.com/

Also Blades in the Dark does have organization building rules and I do know that they will be releasing a cyberpunk setting hack, so there might be something like that in the product to come.
 
@Dan: The only Fate book that I could find that may have organization building rules is the free supplement Gods and Monsters.

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150889/Gods-and-Monsters--A-World-of-Adventure-for-Fate-Core

Anyway, discuss domain management and similar topics!

[trinite]

Pathfinder, which I didn't see on your list, also has rules for running organizations. The kingdom-building rules were originally published in the Kingmaker Adventure Path, and were later revised and included in the hardback Ultimate Campaign. That book also contains rules for other types of organizations, mostly structured around creating a base of operations with rooms and equipment and such, and staffing it with teams of workers.

I don't know whether the rules are any good (I bought Ultimate Campaign when it came out, but I've never tried to play with any of the systems). But Kingmaker was an extremely popular adventure path for a long time.