This page only includes rules changes published by Peter the GM in Tribe News or via email after the latest Mandate (published 20 August 2025). When a new version of the Mandate is released, this page is reset.
Rules listed on this page take priority over anything listed in the Mandate.
Please ensure that units absorbed in the previous month do not figure in your Orders for the present month.
(Tribe News 904-03)
Standard Auctions (as they are) are 6 per year
They are not held on months 04 and 10 (Fair months)
In months 05 and 11 Auctions are held just for Clans that have started in the previous 18 months (as long as there are at least 3 Clans meeting this criterion)
In 02 and 08, a travelling hawker/tinker sells goods (a la Fair) but minor household items that will mainly be of interest to newer players. There will be set prices for 10 commodities paid for in Silver. If Steve has time these will be listed in a separate spreadsheet. But limits = roughly Fair/5, eg about 500 Iron Ore. Any unit with Silver may purchase these.
In short.
Auctions as you have known them) in months 1,3,6,7,9 and 12. Auctions for new starts only in months 5 and 11. Mini (limited) Fair in months 2 and 8.
(Tribe News 903-12)
A Barge (GOTO) route is “owned” by a particular Clan. However, other Clans may use this if permission is granted by the owner.
(Tribe News 903-12)
Cargo capacity now 900.
(Tribe News 904-02)
Please list the % chance of success of acquiring DL0 in your Orders in GM Actions and do not include in Research attempt (once the research has been started you do not need to do this).
(Tribe News 904-06)
If building a Jetty in a hex with no Meeting House do not use Activities. Send the Logs to 1263 in Transfers tab and indication hex and unit building in GM Actions.
(Tribe News 903-12)
The creation of a new unit is a GM action. population of the unit is (or should be) player action via Transfers. If no other indication is given, a new unit is created at the start of the turn and is empty of people and can do not actions (not that it needs to as the people flagged for the new unit are working in the spawning unit). If a player wants to create the unit somewhere else in the cycle, eg after Movement, this needs to be flagged in GM Actions (along with any GT implications) - clearly and succinctly. 0331 create 0331e1 after movement and make 0331g1 the GT for this unit. Note that where in the cycle the unit is created will have implications for when the transfer of people (BM or AM) is done.
(Tribe News 903-12)
New Order Sheet Functionality
You'll notice the order sheet looks a bit different in a few places. These changes were made to help the player and help the GM.
Enhancements:
Naming functionality: You can now name you units and the names will appear through the sheets. This is to help you (hopefully) make less mistakes with the units' orders. This first week most of the names will be blank, but we've added a new sheet called "Auto-GM" which will allow you to name the units (and change names as well). These will automatically show up next turn, but for this turn, if you want to see names show up you'll need to ALSO type the name into the 'Valid_Units" tab under description by the unit names.
Transfers Description: In column H "Description of Transfer Units" this will now show the units trade too and from, and use the names if available. So it should show "0330 to Dump" or "Fair to 0330" if 330 is unnamed. If 330 is named "MainTribe" then the column should show MainTribe to Dump" or "Fair to MainTribe". These changes should help make sure you have the right units trading to the right places.
TribeMovement: I've added a new column in the Tribe Movement tab called movement type. This is for fleets currently, but may be used in the future for other purposes. This is "Row" or "Sail" currently, but note this is a placeholder while that functionality is built out. All fleets will still sail until that is done. For all other types of movement, please leave it blank.
New Activity types: "MaintainBoats" and "GMAllocated_Workers" are added. Neither of these have any practical impact yet, but they will help tie out your "Clan" sheet. Maintainboats is to follow the normal rules. "GMAllocated_Workers" is for any activity that is needed to help you tie out your numbers. There are a number of uncoded activities where the player performs transfers and previously were instructed to leave unused workers. This will help fill that gap until those activities are coded. There is a column on the "Clan" tab that will tell you the total per unit of these people used and tie into the Used/Remaining Totals.
Auto-GM: Do not add or delete any columns here. (thats also true of other orders sheets generally. Rows are fine.) Two other additions besides the naming. Declarations: Truce or other clan to clan declarations. This should list all of your current status and allow you to add/modify any you'd like.
Growth option: This is specifically to turn off population growth for a unit. It is assumed that all units want population growth unless you put the unit and "No Growth" in this table. This is specific for this turn only, So if you need to do this for multiple turns, please enter the order in each turn.
The 9 month population thing has been removed, you might see some pop growth vary from that anticipated, go with it.
Other:
Rice is now edible without conversion to provs are a rate of 3 rice per person fed.
Salting fish is now coded and a valid order.
Drinking water and eating fodder have been coded (when needed), but no losses have been coded yet. This will most likely be done soon, so make sure you have them on hand.
(Tribe News 904-04)
Ferrying of goods is regarded as part of the Before or After MV stage of orders, and as normal transfers of goods do not require people assigned, so Ferrying does not require people assigned.
(Tribe News 904-05)
When using a GT relationship across a river via Ferry there is no need to assign crew. In a normal GT relationship goods are not actually moved from one unit to another, and thus weight of goods and carrying capacity is not relevant. When moving across a hex of Ocean/Lake you do need to have enough ferries and crew to carry the desired cargo.
(Tribe News 903-12)
Ferrying – 1 Jetty only required on each side of the transit
(Tribe News 904-04)
Fish are now regarded as weighing 0 lbs.
(Tribe News 904-05)
There are some rounding issues with adding even numbers of Aux. I am thinking at the mo that the coding issues with the on shore/off shore, and the cargo limit on an item that disappears at the end of the turn if not eaten, and that fishing returns are pretty good as they are, will turn Fishers/Trawlers into another Wagon/Swamp/Elephant issue and I am not ready for that.
(Tribe News 903-12)
Returns are too high and will be reduced. From (and including) 05 904 there will be an across-the-board reduction in Fishing returns of 20%. Nets will be minus 20%. Crews on ships in Fleets will be able to Fish.
(Tribe News 903-12)
There has been a fix to Fleet Movement. I suspect some Fleets might get pinged for overweight and will not move. In the module there is a Weather option “becalmed”. I have never run this, however, should you not move this turn you can consider your Fleet becalmed and adjust cargo before next turn Movement. Its also possible that people in Fleets are added to cc – will check this out during the next week.
(Tribe News 903-12)
New Item placeholder (not yet coded)
Glass Pane
Skill: Glasswork 4
People: 2
Sand: 20
Lead: 4
Coal: 20
Notes: Used in some higher end buildings. Weigh 10 lbs,
(Tribe News 904-01)
Above and below the line
There are two types of GM Actions. Those for which I need to enter data in the data base (eg “please name 0250 Village at AA 0101, Salem”). Those where I do a visual check/audit (eg “0250e1 is delivering 50 Ivory to Ragusa at BB 0202, using 3263”).
Please keep the manual actions to the top of the tab. Then a couple of lines spacing. Then visual actions to the bottom of the tab.
(Tribe News 904-01)
Editor is Chris (0340)
chris.gartman@keepinstep.com
(Tribe News 904-04)
Under development but 80% done
Heavy Weapons Troops
(Tribe News 903-12)
Int 7 - ask the local fishermen if there are any islands in a particular map sheet lake (yes/no)
(Tribe News 904-03)
Joint project builds are hit and miss. Transferring materials to 1263 is a good idea when using JP If you go auto and you are out by 1AM it will either not build (if under) or start building a second structure if over.
(Tribe News 904-01)
Players should not use the move “to limit” option, if they are running Locate orders.
(Tribe News 903-12)
As older players will attest, some parts of the world experience Heavy Rain in some Summer months. This impacts most Farming. While summer has been unseasonablr dry these past couple of years, forecasters predict a return to normal in 905.
(Tribe News 904-06)
The development tree around these skills and research is not sitting consistently with other skill/research developments.
The Mining/Geology and Farming Agriculture progressions are better models of development.
Navigation/Astronomy would be better served with this sort of model.
That is, Astronomy is the new name for the subsidiary skill developed through research, taken out of the normal skill options and accessed via Nav11 (cf Mining 11 and Geology)
Astral Navigation would be dumped as a research project (anyone who has started it or pursued it, replaces it with Nav11 research).
This also enables richer research development (a la Geology).
(Tribe News 904-02)
Oars and Paddles required for the ship count as cargo.
(Tribe News 904-02)
Selling and Buying (examples using containers)
If you are selling 10 Barrels of Ale your transfer would be “1000 Ale, 10 Barrels”
If you are selling 500 Oil your transfer would be “500 Oil”. That is, you do not need to trade/transfer Jars. However, you do need 1 Jar in your inventory for every 50 Oil present.
(Tribe News 904-02)
In any one month your Clan may send one (only) unit from any one Port.
(Tribe News 903-12)
Note that provs are eaten right at the end of the turn. So at the point of Movement you unit would have added 10lbs x number of people to its weight. This should be factored in as the weight appearing on your Report does not include this.
(Tribe News 904-02)
Picks do not assist Quarrying.
(Tribe News 904-05)
If the target has NO security or suppression, then for every 4 mounted warriors, one Horse is available if a Rope is present for each Horse taken. Slaves OR Horses can be the target of Raiding. Where conflict ensues the numbers apply to unwounded raiders.
(Tribe News 903-12)
The maximum number of Clans in a Religion has been increased from six to eight.
(Tribe News 904-06)
Marksmen, Close Order Infantry, Close Formation (Close Order Cavalry), Marines, Generalship, Junior Officer, Home Guard, Navy, Naval Tradition, Junior Naval Officer
(Tribe News 904-02)
In the first instance these should be run through Discord for preliminary discussion/filtering. The principle is that sixty sets of eyes are better than one.
(Tribe News 904-04)
While Rice can be planted and harvested it is not yet harvested as provs. Players will need to convert using to/from 1263. Provs = Rice/3
(Tribe News 904-01)
New reqs to enable easier code, testing shows it is working.
Capacity Requirements to Build (26 AM in code)
Capacity 10 people, 50 logs, plus:
10 iron, 20 coal, or 10 brass/bronze, 15 coal
(Tribe News 904-01)
Smelter: No skills, 50 Iron, Bronze or Brass, 200 Coal.
1 Person per 10 metal installed. That is, 5 people to install Iron/Bronze/Brass smelters.
Kiln: No skills, 40 Iron, Bronze or Brass, 150 Coal.
1 Person per 10 metal installed. That is, 4 people to install Iron/Bronze/Brass smelters.
(Tribe News 904-06)
Unless specified otherwise a Clan may interact with/use a Special Hex once per turn.
(Tribe News 904-04)
People lost to starvation will likely be auto need turn – make sure your house is in order.
(Tribe News 904-06)
Herding the one cohort of animals with two or more units will result in strays.
(Tribe News 903-12)
Note the Transfer code is 2263.
(Tribe News 904-03)
A Triball Guild allows Guild Members to gain the ability to assign Warriors to the Triball activity during Fair to generate Gold. This is independent of the normal Triball Activity. That is, an additional 800 Warriors may be assigned during the Fair – enabling the generation of both Gold and Silver from Triball but assigning up to 1600 Warriors.
(Tribe News 904-01)
TribeNet Validator
A useful tool from Nate (0293)
https://github.com/nmarigoni/tnvalidator
(Tribe News 904-04)
A Clan may have more than one University.
(Tribe News 904-06)
I have been manually fixing transfers when the item in question is not a Valid Good. Eg Log/Logs, Sling/Slings, Horse/Horses, Club/Clubs. This usually adds about 30 mins to processing time and will not be done in future.
(Tribe News 903-12)
Cannot enter Swamp
(Tribe News 904-04)
Stones are installed at 5 per person.
(Tribe News 904-02)
Removed as an item
(Tribe News 904-02)