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Topics - Dishman

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BM General Discussion / Trader Religion: Capitalism, the game!
« on: November 24, 2014, 12:01:03 AM »
I'm wanting to build a priest and thought of a little game that could be played with the religion mechanic. It could make good RP as well as act as a kind of mini-game within BM.

A merchant religion based around a gold idol god “Auz”. Beyond that, I'm still fleshing out the flavor. Essentially it would be a recruitment/tribute scheme built around "traders" at the bottom paying slight tithes for "brokers at the top", with an elected "arbiter" at the top controlling the game.

Traders are non-members, paying into the game. Traders can become brokers with the advocacy of a new member to the game. With various levels of brokerage for advocacy, each broker takes an allotted piece of the pot, but leaving at least half the pot for the lottery. The highest authority (the Arbiter) is tasked with the melting down of excess gold and redistributing it among the traders through lots. The Arbiter chooses an arbitrary number and traders who guess the closest are granted payouts.

Thoughts, suggestions, or interest in helping with the idea?

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South Island / So what are you doing in War Islands?
« on: June 20, 2014, 01:47:34 AM »

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I figure the lavishness and excess of high-born feudal age nobility would be summed up well in a grand ball. Gifts, talks, music, etc. Nobles didn't just farm peasants and stab each other.

I've always wanted a kind of gambling game in Battlemaster, and this seems like the ideal form. I figure that reciprocal gifts in medieval society swayed public opinion quite a bit, so a kind of "blind gift bet" can be made at social functions. Wager honor/prestige with another character and if one character's gift far surpasses the other, they are demeaned in the public's eye and you gain a portion of their h/p.

The point would be to aim your gift just under your competitors. You offer 200, they offer 230, you gain 30 gold and no one loses h/p. You offer 100, they offer 200, you've got 100 gold but you lose h/p (and they gain).

I figure it would also be neat to give some of the other skillsets a chance for tournaments, too. Debates, speeches, and games were not uncommon. A kind of oratory/courtier/trader tournament could be included with some prizes.

Pros
-Good avenue for RP
-Offers less battle-centric characters a tournament/event.

Cons
-Potential abuse if players coordinate to exchange gold for h/p in the reciprocal-gift game.

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BM General Discussion / Region Description Feedback
« on: April 11, 2014, 06:55:26 PM »
So my East Continent character recently had some gamemaster feedback from his region description, and it was labelled bad. Fair enough, I don't put too much effort into writing for that character. I added a little blurb at the end of what was previously there and hadn't really thought anything about it.

I don't like to delete someone else's work, so I reworked what I had posted to be more general, and it was rejected. I'm not disgruntled or anything, I'm always open to reworking something, but the feedback system is piss-poor in terms of constructive feedback.

I contacted a dev to see if I could get more input. He said that with the new Titans, we'll probably see a lot of reviewed region descriptions that haven't been looked over in a while. He suggested public dialogue.

So, I don't have the first draft I had. I recall it had more temporary details, but it was still just the last paragraph:

Quote
Dimwood is a vital region in the east-west connection of Perdan, especially between the capital Partora and Aix as well as on the route between Aix and Perdan City.

It is a small rural region usually focused on farming and fishing, but its population also benefits from the trade route between the three cities.

Dimwood originally belonged to the Duchy of Aix within the realm of Perdan. Fortunately the region was saved from being annexed to the Diocese of Aix after the last Great War. Loyal Perdanese who did not get slaughtered in the other regions of the Duchy fled back into Dimwood.

After the destruction of the Theocracy in Aix, many of these people have started to return to Aix and the other regions, making the size of Dimwood's population fluctuate greatly in the recent days.

After its previous turmoil, Dimwood experienced a time of peace and grew to its full capacity. With time, separate cultures began to develop from the prosperity. "The Dim": comprised of mostly fishermen and passing traders on the coast, and "The Wood": comprised of mostly farmers and artisans in the plains and woodland.

Thoughts, criticisms, suggestions, and other people's region descriptions welcome.

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BM General Discussion / When will the Ice settle?
« on: March 16, 2014, 02:26:52 AM »
So are we in store for some grand event with the revised rebalance? It would be neat if the monster/undead spawns were calmed so people can focus on fighting each other. Maybe a second coming of the freaky omnipresent couple?

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All of this is still very rough-draft, but I figured I'd post what I have worked out so far. I'm trying to approach this fairly professionally. Think of it as a academic exercise, a unpaid internship, or some equivalent. We aren't just spamming, we are recruiting. If enough people are interested, it would make a great group-learning project on marketing/psycholgy.

I welcome any help/input. The beauty of this marketing campaign will be that it can be tailored for what resources we can muster. If I'm alone, it will be a long and slow process. With a well coordinated group the whole effort becomes more than the sum of its parts. If done well, each representative can exponentially increase the overall outcome.


Prime Directives of Campaign
-Increase awareness of Battlemaster and Might & Fealty
-Increase player-base of Battlemaster and Might & Fealtywith active and fun new members

Priorities for Representatives of Campaign
-'Delight' potential new players with your interactions
-Associate friendly/helpful/fun representatives with BM and M&F
-Ensure good name of BM and M&F and related entities
-Determine if an audience will be receptive or not
-Remain discrete about intent

Stage 1-Research
-Research key terms, relatable hobbies, and similar interest groups in search for prime recruitment.
   This is a targeted campaign. We are looking for max-yield for our posts, so our audience really matters. Roleplaying, strategic games, fantasy writing, medieval diplomacy; all of these sources may yield better interest. It may take some experimentation before we know for sure what is the best target demographic.
-Research the audience/topic of best potential new member sources. (etiquette, interests, rules, age/nationality/activity of members)
   We want to be subtle about this, so sincerity matters. If you really can't get into/wrap your head around the audience and their interest, it might be better to see if other representatives may be more suited. Also keep an eye out for specific members of the audience that look promising, as they might warrant a direct presentation (a private message or some such).
-Research additional marketing gimmicks to increase yield
   I'm rusty on a lot of the little tricks and deceptions used to make salient memories and embed ideas into people's head, so this has near-infinite room for expansion.

Stage 2-Assessment
-Organize/delegate forums/sites to representatives.
   We need the right people for the right audience, so this is important. Know your strengths, weaknesses, and those of other representatives.
-Introduce yourself; immersion and sincerity need to be evident, as well as your presence
   You are going to be apart of this online community for some time, so immerse yourself as you can. We want their experience to feel natural and unprompted, so genuine reactions will be beneficial to the process.
-Semi-regular posting that is friendly and on-topic
   Small remarks on things of interest, helping those who have questions, and making your presence known. Build up a fair repertoire with your hosts before attempting to 'make the sale'.
-Test for reception toward BM and M&F
   Subtle leads may help quickly gauge an audience without giving your intent away. Questions like "Wouldn't it be neat if this game had more roleplay?" or "Does anyone know of a good place to practice writing and get regular feedback (while in a fun environment)?". Information gleaned is information that can be used.
-Find what presentation of BM and M&F would best suite this audience
   Some audiences will prefer the roleplay, some the strategy, some the politics. Make sure you know what your audience wants for each forum/site. A targeted campaign relies on both the right audience and the right presentation.

Stage 3-Views
-After sufficient participation in the group, find an appropriate place to garner views for BM and M&F
   "Other games" type sub-forums, misc chatter, or even a well traveled thread prone to tangents can reach a wide audience. Check for any forum statistics for better indications of where the most views can be gained
-Make sure that your presentation is tasteful, appealing, and easily understood.
   Too over the top, and it may lose non-english speakers and skeptics. Too unmemorable and it won't prompt clicks/account creations. Try to balance brevity, wonder, and a sense of fun. Try not to disrupt the natural flow of the community, but make sure your presentation gets seen.
-Utilize previous resources to attract interest (youtube clips, wiki, etc)
   The youtube history clips of islands, cherry-picked wiki articles, and older campaign attempts can prove useful. It will take experimentation to see what gives us our best bang-for-buck.

Stage 4-Teasers and Bumps
-If the link does not seem to be getting views/interest, attempt to renew interest causually
   This can be tricky, depending on the situation. Some cases it might be better to wait a while and present BM and M&Fonce the initial memory of rejection fades. Do not proselytize or be overly-aggressive. The more it feels as if it is their own choice, the happier they will be with their choice.
-If interest wanes, and you think there are still potential members, bump/repost with an immersive or well crafted story of the game.
   Have a secondary presentation ready that caters more to personal experience. You want your tale to be impressive, but you want to hint that they can do better within BM and M&F framework.

Stage 5-Analysis
-Attempt to record all relevant information to aid in future works
   Number of posts made, where, what kind of yield for views/accounts/active players. This may be easier in certain cases than others.
-Determine strengths/weaknesses of approach, estimate future efforts
   As with any new endeavor, there will be room for improvement. Even if this initial effort doesn't pan out, it may lead to more fruitful projects.

Stage 6-Payment Upon Satisfactory Results
-20 bucks
   Some token business transaction would be nice. Negotiable, though.
-A good reference if I ever decide to try to get my foot in the door in the field of marketing.
   I've dabbled in a few different fields and it is all about pressing-the-flesh and networking (no matter what). If marketing is something I take to, you never know what business contact can lead to another. This would be my prime incentive (beyond bettering Battlemaster).
-Others who join the campaign may want different things. Incentive matters in a variety of ways, so hopefully Tom/Devs are willing to negotiate depending on results.

First Edit: Coupled Might & Fealty and Battlemaster in presentation.

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Roleplaying / In the Ice, Through the Mist
« on: March 01, 2014, 09:32:54 PM »
This is the only bit I've really got for the Ice Age event, but I figured others might have some good stuff. Anyone is welcome to post their own tales.

Quote
A single ship emerges from the mist. A tattered sail, still catching the breeze, pushes the ship onward toward the docks. As it approaches, it is clear that is it unmanned. The rigging seems right, but there isn't a soul to be seen on it. It approaches closer and closer, until it rams through an unused dock and runs itself aground.

After some time, a single mustachioed young man climbs down from the beached and broken ship. Seemingly unharmed and unaffected by what has just happened, he sets a leisurely pace towards Azzal. A small audience had arrived to see the devastation, but none ventured near the man.

Some onlookers are close enough to here him talk to himself. "...where in the blasted void am I? Even the illiterates of Outer Tilog could follow a damned map, The ship captain must have been drunk before it happened...".
Quote
let me know if it's a problem and I'll take it down, but it seems harmless to add
Roleplay from Jager
For days now dark tidings and portents had been reported by many across the realm, and not only by the usual superstitious old hags.

Omens suggested the height of the darkness was imminent, and now there were stories of a sole passenger mysteriously crashed ashore. “Pile the logs high on the camp fire tonight lads somethin' sinister be afoot,” Jager instructed his troops, “we should have secured this troublesome region again by morning but need to stand ready for anything.”

The knight pondered awhile in front of the growing camp fire. “This strange newcomer has now announced himself? Not quite the scale of what was foretold but send word back and ask him if he is the apocalypse. If he be not, bid him welcome.”
Quote
Reaching Azzal he checked the registries of estates and military affairs. Upon errands in the city, he came upon some of the watchers from the coast. They had followed him. Strange, he thought. Increasingly strange, when they offered their lives to him and his quest against the coming. They think I am a messiah...oh, poor devils....

After equipping the most able, he headed off to Massillion to take an estate. Not before replying to his first correspondence:
   
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Dear Jager O'Deathh

    I assure you, I am no apocolypse. A beginning, an ending, and the chaos in between, perhaps, but a mere young man set adrift more accurately.

    Not being doom manifest, I humbly extend my warmest regards to you and your livestock for your good welcome.
Quote
Snow Trolls? Emeric thought, No, no ho ho no, no...maybe. What HAD he seen in the mist? Rending of flesh, the flaying of living meat, sure, but that wasn't new. He could have easily did that to the crew of the ship. He didn't, though...not this time. He had seen great hulking beasts emerging from the waters of the mist, maybe they were snow trolls, but he had seen other things before he had emptied his chest of gold and locked himself in. He had seen ALOT of distressing imagery before, but he had never seen THAT...

Emeric looked away from the scout reports of the north. He was inland now and there were things to do. An estate, some training, paperworkpaperworkpaperwork....but Masimillion was not far off. He wondered how long he could delay returning northward. Aye, a week or so distracting myself at the academy might slip by the general.

Content on thinking of putting off the horror, rather than the horror, he rode on. He knew he would be called, and knew he could not ignore it when ordered to face it. For now, though, he idly thought of how to get a dagger into a person's ribcage from their foot.

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Roleplaying / Under the Rose-An Unlikely Prophet
« on: February 16, 2014, 03:58:05 AM »
A Declaration from Central Toprak

How long had he waited to pull the rug? Perhaps not long after becoming friends with Bowie Ironsides. Little schemes and minor heresys, then. Why, the group just wasn't the same without Bowie. It was such a shame to lose a partner to plot with. Someone with a taste for the theatrical, the absurd, and the most enraging mockery. How many years had he spent as a priest?

Enoch gathered at the Temple, making a declaration to the faithful. A well practiced smile, and a little enthusiasm really did go far. "Long have I sought the signs from the stars to show me the way. On journey for them, in service under them...I have always sought their message."

Crusade had been a hoot. How much gold had he looted, people roughed up? How much liquor? The bender from central Toprak to the beach in Darfix would make a great tale if he ever dared tell it.

"It is now, that I must declare the most glorious message I have been blessed with as the Regent of Sanguis Astroism. I have seen the prophet reborn!"

She had been an unlikely accomplice. He had first met her as she was trying to ferret out Bowie in service to the church. Oh, how the cat and mouse games had been a lark.

"She has served the church to her fullest extent. Yet, her service was shunned by this earthly realm. She was cast adrift in her time of need. Yet she continued to toil in harmony with the Bloodstars."

It was always hard to keep a straight face at the punch-line.

"It is my honor and service to you, to announce the great Jonsu Himoura as the holy prophet refound! Let the stars bless us for our fortune!"

And it was done. More pleasantries and exuberance over the news would have to be faked, but it was done. Now if only he could play a rim-shot for all of Dwilight.

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BM General Discussion / Update your families' wiki page, or fie on you
« on: January 31, 2014, 02:04:57 AM »
http://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Dishman_Family

I suppose we could also post any other wiki articles that we might want to share that are neat, too. But no, seriously, at least bare-bones update your family page. And what about all those things saved in that text file, why are you hording that?

http://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Swordfell/Spring_Opener
http://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Ironsides_Family/Bowie
http://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Rettleville_Library#A_Modest_Collection

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Roleplaying / General Monster and Undead Roleplay
« on: December 21, 2013, 10:27:32 PM »
Since we all deal with them, I've always found it neat to give them some flavor. I'm hoping others will add their own. Here's one from an eccentric in East Continent.

Roleplay from Emeric Dishman
Message sent to all nobles of your realm in the region Chaos Temple

Bursting through the door to the breeding pens, Emeric looked dismayed at the empty and mauled holding cells. He immediately set to beating the wyvern keeper with a cane, a stout block of a man with missing digits and covered in scars. Once the man had recovered consciousness, Emeric asked "How did my precious babies get out, and why aren't you dead?"

Looking down, the wyvern keeper replied "It happen a'time back, dey was a ruttin' and ready, so's we coupled them togethers and let them have at it. Looked like dey was tearin each other apart, alls while tearin anything around 'em apart. Once the first breedin' pair got loose, dey tore through the otherses cages and then DEM started the breedin. Befores I knows it dese stone cellar wasa tornado of teef and I hightailed it out. Not sure what happen next, da guards found me up a tree babblin about flying beasts with two backs." At this, Emeric once again set upon the man with the cane.

Once finished with the good wyvern keeper, Emeric looked to his estates' scouts and neighbors to the whereabouts of his flying pets. He found that they had been dealt with in battle. In lamentation, he set men to look for more wyvern eggs, surely left by his previous pets.


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BM General Discussion / Heavy RP Region
« on: November 01, 2013, 11:01:39 PM »
I wondered how hard it would be organize regions dedicated to heavy RP. Coordination of effort to reward players for heavy RP, and actually flesh out a bit of story behind certain dedicated regions. I see so many regions with little snippits of information and no real background. Why don't we have years and years of history for more regions on the wiki?

Wasn't sure about a posting this to feature request (since this could be done without any real changes to the interface), so figured I'd spitball the idea here.

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Roleplaying / The Mad Mute: Chaos Reigns
« on: February 15, 2013, 06:08:14 PM »
Willy was a strange man. A man who had ticks and seemed to go in an out of lucidity. He relied on simple writing to communicate, as he had lost his tongue as a child. He had taken to fighting monsters and undead throughout the Obisidian Islands, as none would employ him in trade or labor. One day, while searching around the Chaos Temple, he found a strange altar that was on no map and had no indication of use for many years. There he found a mysterious book and a bottle of strange oil. Although none know what happened that day, Willy's actions drastically changed. No longer did he hunt monsters. He began to hunt in a different way.

The First Kill

Willy had traveled far. From the mainland of the Obsidian Islands, through the wasteland islands, and through the heart of Perdan he had journeyed in search of the monster. Many monsters had been felled by his battered short sword...but not the one who had taken his tongue. The monster that had been in every dream, every waking memory. The only clear memory he had, really. He couldn't remember his childhood in Perdan. He scarcely remembered his adolescence in the Obsidian Islands. Yet the memory of THAT day was clear and always present. The day he lost his mother, his tongue, and his mind.

His mother was having one of her worse days. Raving on about one of the men that had frequented her bed. This one she claimed was his father. Not the only one, but the one that made her most delusional. Even at the age of 10 he knew that a noble would never take him and his mother in. She was a mad whore and he was nothing more than a street urchin. Actually going to see this man she called his father only emphasized her madness. Her madness only emphasized little Willy's dread.

She dragged him to Eldoret. Quite far from the slums of Partora where they scraped by. Babbling and screeching about a handsome and noble man who had paid her promptly and said she was the finest women he had ever taken. A man she had seen only once but knew would remember her. He doubted any memory of his mother would be found in a noble, especially a decade old memory of a night with a whore. None of her other patrons (or fathers, as she liked to call them) remembered her, but he dared not say it. Her wrath could lay him up for weeks, and serious injury this far from there hovel could end up very bad for him. If this had been a journey with one of his orphan friends, or even by himself, he probably would have liked it. Yet it was when they reached the manor of House Dishman that he knew there could be no joy.

It had all happened so fast. His mother had cooed at the retainers patrolling the land. The head of the house, a man called Eoman, had been called out by the friendly servants. He strode out smelling of wine and harder spirits. When his mother had proclaimed that she was his wife and that this was their son, Willy hadn't been surprised to see him strike her. He hadn't even been surprised when his mother started cursing the noble. It had surprised him, though, when Eoman drew his sword and struck her down.

Splattered with his mothers blood, all Willy had been able to do was cry. His mother had been hard to deal with, but seeing her slain had broken him worse than she could have done herself. He picked up where his mothers tongue had left off, cursing the cruel noble like a sailor. Eoman beat him to the ground but couldn't stop him from cursing. Willy was sure he would die, but instead Eoman kneeled down and took out a dagger. Grabbing Willy's tongue, Eoman had cut it off in one drunken swipe. It was then that Willy had gathered enough sense (or shock) to run.

With the memory of that night, Willy hung in a tree outside the Dishman manor. Willy would take down a monster this night. The only monster that really mattered.

Once lights began to flicker out, Willy slunk down a creek towards the house. Quietly he waited each time he heard the near presence of a guard or retainer to pass. The patrols seemed pitiful. Distracted by monster hordes in neighboring regions, or short handed by their sons military pursuits, Willy had no clue. It was enough that the gods blessed madmen with good fortune for one night.

It was hard climbing to the master bedroom. Slow waits in the shadows when any noise was within earshot, as well as futile peeks into windows of servants quarters. It was when he reached the top floor, hanging by sharp edges of the masonry that Willy saw what he sought. Eoman, old and fat after the 10 years since Willy had seen him, was sleeping alone. Alone....the monster was alone!

Willy broke the latches on the window slowly. Eoman didn't even stir. Nor did he stir when Willy slinked across the floor, stood above his bed, and plunged his short sword into the hold mans chest. Eoman's eyes did open, shocked as a cut pig, but no breath could escape the pierced lung. It was when Willy removed the sword and proceeded to cut out Eoman's tongue that Eoman gurgled his last efforts.

His monster was dead. Willy would have laughed if the cold rage didn't still beat in his heart. Now all that was left was to flee. Flee before any other monsters caught whiff of him.

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Other Games / King of Dragon Pass
« on: February 08, 2013, 11:56:25 PM »
Thought you folk would like this. It's a kind of city-state strategy rpg. It has a well fleshed out world and mythology that I appreciated. It plays mostly through prompted stories and has a tendency to repeat itself, but it's got a lot to discover. Good artwork, conquest, diplomacy, trade, and sacrifice galore.

http://www.a-sharp.com/kodp/

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Summary: Infiltrators would have an option to create a hidden group/guild similar to the underground.

Additional capabilities could include anonymous messages (rumors) that could be sent outside the group.

Details: Infiltrators would have the ability to create/maintain a spy-network that any person on the continent could join with an invitation. The network would resemble the 'rebellion/underground' available to realm-specific malcontents, but would be led by the Infiltrator and capable of including the entire continent. The infiltrator (or multiple infiltrators) would have power over who can join and who knew what. Potentially, a guild-based rank/treasury could be implemented.

An additional option would be to allow the infiltrator to leak information/misinformation through anonymous messages outside of the group. With a chance of exposure (dependent on skills, region loyalty, not sure), it would be a way to send information you wouldn't want people to know that you were aware of on a reasonable gamble.

Benefits: Giving infiltrators a chance to organize and lead reconnaissance and info gathering, as well as being able to spread misinformation more easily. It would open up more game-mechanic related ways for members of different realms to plot with one another, as well as create potential factions independent of the realms. It could be used for multiple RP purposes (underground cults, shadow societies, etc), and generally making the infiltrator class more of a 'spy-master' role.

The ability to send anonymous messages would help create a rumor mill that could be used/misused for multiple purposes. Slanders, exposing plots, or framing others for leaking information.

Possible Exploits/Downsides: As to secret groups, "Clan-like" behavior would be easier to disguise. Distrust could become a major problem.

As to anonymous messaging, it could become a spamming tool. However, if it were sent like a regular letter the 'vulgarity' report could balance that.


Just wanted to throw this out there. I'm not real familiar with either the Infiltrator class or rebellions (working on what I remember of the old system), but it seems like people would like the infiltrator class reworked. I, for one, would like to see a true 'spy-master' capability in the game that was supported by game mechanics.

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