KOG and I have been working on the ruleset, so here's our beta. Issues needing discussion that I remember are the size of Hyrule, the Sacred Realm and Master Sword, the playability of the War Mod, and a few other things I forget. I stand by leveled mages being like recruiting after the recruitment limit.

Welcome one and all to Hylian Wars. Please observe the rules below:

1) BE REALISTIC. If you have a powerful enough army, you can destroy another army easily! If you attack with a volcanic eruption, methinks the enemy will die!

2) You may start out with up to 10,000 troops, and further advance to, but not surpass an army limit of 25,000. Armies may only be recruited through a realistic way (i.e. paying Gerudos, negotiating with Keese to help you, no getting Zoras on Death Mountain, etc.).

3) One day in-game is 6 hours out-of-game.

4) You are allowed to gain 250 units every game day (1,000 every real day). However, you do not have to post every game day. If you do not post, you may make up all the troops that would have arrived between your latest log and the current one. Therefore, if you do not make a log for 48 hours, you are allowed to gain 2,000 units in your next log. However, if you make a log but do not add troops to it, that is too bad. Try to keep your troops within the general alignment of your army, e.g. Rauru wouldn't have Stalfos.

5) You may only control up to two (2) sets of "main character(s)" at the start, known as Generals. Twinrova would count as ONE character, even as Koume and Kotake. The Poe sisters would count as ONE character. If there is a character found in more than one LoZ game, such as Link or Ganondorf, there will only be one. No duplicates of characters are allowed.
5a) You may only gain one general every real week. The exception is the first post, in which you may start with up to two. You may not have more than four generals at any given time.
5b) Generals can be defined as "major or unique characters." Regardless of what rank you give to a major/unique character, said character must still be counted as a general. The same rule applies for "companions" as well.
5c) If you have gained your generals in a legal fashion, then you need not get rid of them, even if losses in battle or some other situation reduce your troop amount to below the amount necessary to originally gain that general.
5d) Creative choices for generals are encouraged. However, any sign of giving “godly” powers to a general will be seen as an invitation to the War Mod allowing him to take away the god-general AND one other general of the War Mod’s choice. If your idea of a new general is questionable, please consult the War Mod before deciding. The exceptions to this rule are ‘Hero’ characters, outlined in rule 7.
5e) Characters from non-Zelda games or sources are allowed. However, any such characters must be made Generals. They CANNOT be Companions or Heroes, nor can they be troops. In some cases, the power found in the original game is too much, and will thus needs to be toned down. Ask the War Moderator for assistance if needed. This does NOT include original characters created by the player. They are allowed to be companions.
5f) Ganondorf, Link, Zelda, and Majora are not playable character unless decided otherwise.

6) Characters that do not fight can be considered “Companions.” A Companion character is more important to the plot than a normal soldier. They are either characters who travel with you and simply look on and have to be protected in some cases, or are regular people in your army. If a Companion is a regular member in the army, his presence counts in the troop tally. Otherwise, they are not counted. They cannot fight unless promoted to army member, General, or Hero. Limitations on General and Hero recruitment still apply

7) One ‘Hero’ character is allowed per player. This unit may transcend normal limits, and is much more difficult to kill. These characters can take down swaths of troops without much fear and is only easy to conquer by great numbers or another Hero. They may also make use of technology that other troops cannot, such as flying spinners or magical rings. They are not invincible, however, and should not be treated as such. Their powers are limited to be within general reason, and excessive power will lead to a punishment based upon rule 5d.
7a) Alternatively, players may choose to create several ‘Champions’, lesser heroes without powers as great as heroes, but considerably higher than normal units. Their power decreases the more you have, with the limit being ten.
7b) A Hero's Quest must be undertaken to gain a Hero or Champions. This project, which takes a minimum of 28 ingame days, requires the Hero or Champions in question to take part in a project or quest that will grant them their vast power. Creative methods are encouraged, for example, a ritual is one way to create a Hero, whereas another player may opt to perform a quest in a faroff mountain of Hyrule.
7c) Hero quests are project-intensive, meaning other advancements are limited while gaining a Hero.
7d) Heroes and Champions do not count among General and troop limits.
7e) When a Hero dies, the player may not gain another for 14 out of game days. For Champions, the time is 7 days.

8) There is only one place where you can have a base, which is Hyrule. You may have as many bases as you wish, provided it is reasonable, regardless of whether you have a general there or not. However, remember that spreading troops thin is a bad idea and leads to easily being conquered. Admittedly, space may eventually run out. If you have an idea of where to put a base when no area is available, give a suggestion, and if it's okay with the War-mod, then it goes.

9) Battles are not timed, but turn based. You make an action, and wait for a response. In an attack or defending situation, the war moderator will determine casualties. Numbers will be realistic, e.g. 1,000 Iron Knuckles could destroy a fort that has only 100 Wolfos with little to no casualties.
10a) In the event that someone who is attacked does not respond within seventy-two hours, that person automatically loses the battle. The attacker, in turn, suffers minimal casualties.

10) Timing will be used for building structures, researching technologies, and other appropriate events such as rituals. When any of these are completed, state what they do, and how it can be destroyed. That is out-of-game knowledge, until figured out in-game.
10a) List all timed projects together. Keep the amount reasonable(e.g. you wouldn't be doing much else while building a castle) Projects include anything timed based upon rule 10. This number can be altered by random events, very large scale projects, and Hero Quests.

11) To make this less of an argument, no troop or character transformations or merges, such as those from masks or rings, will be allowed. Transformations and character merges that appear within the Zelda series are allowed. You may acquire as many Special Items per week as you wish, provided it is reasonable. The War Moderator will decide whether the speed of finding is reasonable. If you are unsure, it is recommended that you ask the War Moderator.
12a) A “Special Item” is defined as an item or song found in a Zelda game, any unique item, or a player-created item, that has special properties. Examples: Song of Storms, Book of Mudora, Bombos Medallion, Din’s Fire.
12b) All Special Items that are found in a Zelda game are in their respective locations, or as near to them as can be placed if the games do no align well. The only exceptions are Din’s Fire, Nayru’s Love, and Farore’s Wind. They can be found at Death Mountain Crater, Lake Hylia, and the Lost Woods, respectively. Any Special Items that are not found in games which feature Hyrule or Termina can be found anywhere, as long as it is reasonable. If you are in doubt, ask the War Moderator.
12c) Relics are Special Items that cannot be duplicated. They are limited to only the ones in existence already, and once destroyed cannot be remade except by War Moderator intervention.

13) Read ALL posts that you haven't yet before posting, so you know what is happening.

14) Post in a logbook format. Say what you did that day. For battles, you may make several posts a day saying what you did in battle.

15) If you are banned, any continued posts other than those contesting the ban except when noted otherwise will be ignored

16) Having multiple armies under multiple accounts will result in an automatic ban. NO EXCEPTIONS. In other words, if you have multiple accounts, they must all be in charge of the same army and you must also inform us.

17) Respect the war moderators (Exotria and Greetings). They exercise arbitrary power, and may state exceptions to the rules if the situation is appropriate.

18) War moderators can play in the game, however, their actions are subject to the jurisdiction of the other war moderators. War moderators cannot be allies in the game, and if their rulings appear biased, a vote can be taken according to rule 19 to either remove them from being a war moderator or a player.

19) If a war mod is found incompetent/unfair, a vote will be taken by users that meet these requirements:
19a) Have participated in at least one previous topic.
19b) Are at least user level 20.
19c) Have at least 1 unit.
19d) Have not previously been declared banned or defeated by the war mod.
19e) A two thirds majority vote is required to oust a war mod.
The war mod will be stripped of his powers, and a replacement will be found immediately in accordance to rule 20.

20) In the event that a War Mod is ousted and a replacement cannot immediately be found, the position will be temporarily filled by the person who held the job prior to the incompetent/unfair Moderator.

21) No War Mod may make any changes to Rules 19, 20, and/or 21 unless his changes are approved by an official vote. Random Events are as the name suggests: things that the War Moderator makes happen randomly to either players or locations. There is no set pattern to them, and they may or may not be beneficial. At times, they are not random and are instead planned story events, such as the emergence of the Hero of Time.
22a) If a War Moderator seems to be favoring or harming a certain player or group of players deliberately through the use of Random Events, the action can be revoked by a three-fourths majority of the players.

23) You must post everything you're working on in your logs.

24) When you post in your log, it is not public knowledge. When you send a letter, it cannot be intercepted easily. Point is, just because someone has it in their logs for all to see, it doesn't mean that you can act as though your character knows it. For example, if someone is plotting to betray you behind your back, you can't act as though you know it.

25) Have fun.

This is a basic starting log layout.
If there are any questions, ask, and ye shall receive.

Army Name
General
Captain
Messenger(Optional)
Base:

War:
Alliances:

Troops



Total of 0-10000

Arms.



Projects


LOGS

Item List

Swords:
Wooden Sword
Ordon Sword
Hero's Sword
Kokiri Sword
Four Sword/Picori Blade
White Sword
Magic/Master Sword
Biggoron's Sword
Great Fairy's Sword
Noble Sword

Shields:
Wooden Shield
Magical Shield
Iron Shield
Ordon Shield
Hero's Shield
Hylian Shield
Mirror Shield

Ranged Weapons:
Hero's Bow/Fairy Bow/Bow (Fire Arrows, Ice Arrows, Light Arrows, Silver Arrows)
Boomerang/Magical Boomerang/Gale Boomerang
Slingshot
Seed Shooter
Hookshot (Long Shot, Switchhook [Long Hook], Claw Shot, Double Clawshot)
Grappling Hook
Hawkeye (It's only purpose is for range. >_>)

Hammer's/ Big, Crushy things:
Skull Hammer
Magic Hammer
Hammer
Megaton Hammer
Ball and Chain

Boom Goes the Dynamite:
Bombchu/Bombling
Water Bombs
Bombs
Super Bomb
Powder Keg
Bomb Flower
Bomb Arrow's
Remote Bomb

Rods:
Fire Rod
Ice Rod
Dominion Rod
Cane of Somaria
Cane of Pacci
Cane of Byrna
Magic Rod/Wand
Rod of Seasons

Special Suits:
Zora Armor
Mermaid's Suit
Blue/Red Mail
Magic Armour

Boots:
Iron Boots
Pegasus Boots
Hover Boots

Wrist ****
Silver Gauntlets (Golden Gauntlets)
Power Bracelet (Power Bracelet Level 2)
Magnetic Gloves
Red/Blue/Green Rings
Grip Ring
Mole Mitts
Power Glove/Titan's Mitt
All manner of damned rings

Random ****:
Gnat Hat
Shovel
Deku Nuts
Deku Stick
Flippers/Zora Flippers
Magic Cape
Fishing Rod
Ocarina (Ocarina of Time, Flute, Whistle, Recorder)
Harp of Ages
The Wind Waker
Deku Leaf
Gust Jar
Bottles
Bug Catching Net
Cross
Crystal
Lantern
Candle
Raft
Magic Beans
Magnifying Glass
Minish Cap
Moon's Pearl
Ooccoo
Pictograph Box
Kinstones
Tingle Tuner
Yoshi Doll


Seeds
Ember Seed
Mystery Seed
Scent Seed
Gale Seed
Pegasus Seed


Magic:
Dins Fire
Nayru's Love
Farore's Wind
Fire
Reflect
Jump
Shield
Fairy
Thunder
Spell
Magic Powder
Quake Medallion
Bombos Medallion
Ember Medallion
Sands of Time
Vessel of Light
Fused Shadows
Medallions (Light, Shadow, Spirit, Water, Fire, Forest)

Oh Dear Lord, it BURNS!
Blue Candle
Red Candle
Blue Fire

Librarian's Dream:
Book of Mudora
Book of Magic
Bomber's Notebook
Ancient Sky Book
Book of Seals

Storage Items:
Quiver
Bomb Bag
Seed Satchel
Bait Bag
Spoils Bag

Masks:
Who cares about these? We won't be using them.

Oh for the love of...
Zora Mask
Goron Mask
Deku Mask
Fierce Deity Mask
Stone Mask
Keaton Mask
Gerudo Mask

There. I did as many as I care to do. Hope this works...

Define Mercs. Can get Hero at start. Can get 2nd hero, but it takes double research than normal players for 1st Hero.

Goddesses' spells/songs General-only.

No troop requirements for Generals.

Figure out dragons. General only. Put in rules explicitly.

Teleportation is non-troop only, and limited only to teleportation existing in previous maps.

Maps of territories recommended, but not required.

Get rid of research limits.