Messages

181

Feature Requests / Re: New Combat Features

« on: August 01, 2011, 10:38:41 PM »

Admittedly, #3 was much less of a specific idea than the others. It was more of a "let's discuss this", I guess.  Drawing back to Minas Ithil, If I can remember back that far, where you and I both played- the wars were always waged in a similar manner. We recruit, we travel, we fight, we travel home, we nurse our wounds. Rinse, repeat.  The army moves together and there's really no reason for multiple armies. The only usefulness most people seemed to get out of them was if a duke simply wanted to lay claim to "his knights" or if a real wanted a quick strike, "active" army, or if there was one devoted to realm maintenance and the like.

But what if, using Minas Ithil's example, the General was coordinating a raid on the Barony (the bastards couldn't stay out of things), an assault deep into Darka, and mounting a defense from an incoming CE force?  With current playerbases, mechanics, and traditional tactics, you would usually conclude that to spread yourself that thin is suicide.  But ultimately, I think it's because we are stuck in a "numbers win" mentality.  Do mechanics force these tactics or do these tactics make this the mechanical rule? I'm not sure.

182

BM General Discussion / Re: Worldbuilding - BattleMaster at its best

« on: August 01, 2011, 10:33:05 PM »

Yep, I think that's what I had gathered. And the homeworlds need to be generated and have some flesh to them or they'll feel cold and unbelievable.

183

Feature Requests / New Combat Features

« on: August 01, 2011, 10:30:31 PM »

I've had a number of things pop into my head but the three that have been rattling around the longest are as follows:

1) Combat should have options to move laterally, not just vertically.  Currently the lines go something like this:

  C |   |  I |  A|   |   |   |A  | I  |   | C

All movement is made up and down the battlefield, in two directions.

This leaves no room for flanking maneuvers or any other sort of tactics where the the armies are not lined up directly in front of each other (which honestly was probably a rarity).  What if the battlefield looked more like this:

      |C |  A|    |   |   |   |AC| I  |   |
      |   | IA|    |   |   |   |AC| I  |   |
      |   | IC|    |   |   |   |A  | I  |   |

Suddenly tactics come back into play instead of just sheer numbers. The game wouldn't be about sitting at home in the capital for weeks recruiting only to march out for one or two battles and head home again.


2) From what I remember, the Generals were left with very little to actually do with the advent of a decent Marshal or two.  So the next two ideas are ways to potentially give them some more flex in their muscles again.  First, Marshals have the ability to override individual troop settings with their own.  But what's lacking in combat is a sense of direction. Orders on the field, as it were.  The suggestion here is that when a General is participating in a battle, he has the ability to direct one aspect of the start of combat.  For example, "Archers target strongest unit", "Cavalry target smallest units", "Archers target largest unit", etc.  It would act as an initial directive, and could be overridden by such factors as "Continue until suffering X% casualties, then act as usual", "Continue until target unit is destroyed, then act as usual", or "Continue until no units fit such parameters, then act as usual".


3) In general, it should be easier to wage war on multiple fronts. Perhaps it's because it's always been a numbers game, I'm not sure, but I've always wondered why every marshal from every army usually takes part in every mid-major battle the realm is a part of.  I picture the General's role as the guy in the command tent with the big map-o-the-world and lots of toy figurines, moving pieces around.  Here, there's always been too much of a "jumbled mess clashes with jumbled mess".  And maybe that's simply because of lack of creativity on the parts of the people waging war.  Thoughts?

184

BM General Discussion / Re: Worldbuilding - BattleMaster at its best

« on: August 01, 2011, 09:13:23 PM »

Funny you should mention that, Bedwyr. The last SM revival we had was just as Tom was preparing for another invasion on BT. We tried to convince him to have this one lead by human-controlled SpellCasters.

But yes, either of those ideas are right on the mark and have promise.

185

BM General Discussion / Re: Worldbuilding - BattleMaster at its best

« on: August 01, 2011, 09:01:22 PM »

Ha. Neither.  I miss the community created by working on a project like FEI before it opened.  It would be fun to develop another setting, but maybe knowing this time it would eventually be turned over to the gamists/simulationists for them to have some fun too.

186

BM General Discussion / Worldbuilding - BattleMaster at its best

« on: August 01, 2011, 08:38:03 PM »

Call it nostalgia. Call it me trying to remember why I quit 3+ years ago and why it still doesn't feel the same.  Whatever the case, I went back last night and read through a lot of the old posts on the old RP list.  And I mean "before you could physically have characters on FEI because right now it's only a map" old.  And I was reminded of the incredible community that was built on three simple tiers. A singular jpg image of a map. A collective of creative minds. And a desire to build an incredible story.

Ultimately, mechanics were necessary to resolve conflict and to prove in game terms what had been narratively described. But the heart of FEI was always in building the world together. And now, looking back, I'm confident in saying that's why the island lost its luster and why long ago it lost its "RP Island" description.  Once the characters dropped in, the world was populated, the secessions started to happen, and mechanics could replace a good story, it did.  All three of the tiers fell down or were replaced.  What was once a simple sandbox map became a tactile simulationist playground. Still good, still fun. But not equivalent.  Where once we had a community banded together by creativity, we now felt fixated on the mechanics and how to get the game to do what we wanted instead of simply roleplaying it to be so, and then rolling with the punches.  And then, our "story-first" mentality went down the drain and was replaced by a more "me-first" gamist attitude. Again, not a horrible thing. Most people like a game they can win. But it's not what the island was built on.

So what did that original worldbuilding, story first community turn to? Again with Tom's help, we attempted to revive SpellMaster. Characters were made and developed through interactive narrative, creative juices flowed about simple mechanics, and again we only had the flat map to unite our vision.  Touting a lower playerbase, we had some good fun for a few months until we got bogged down again in the mechanics issue and people started losing interest when story alone seemingly couldn't resolve issues and they felt the mechanics were not coming soon enough. So again, it eventually fell flat.

Dwilight showed up but from day one, that project seemed all about the simulation and not at all about the story, so it never drew the same crowd.

I guess what I'm getting at is that in my opinion (and I don't think I'd be alone- though a number of the original worldbuilding crew has moved on like I did) BattleMaster has never been better than when it truly operates as a group of friends sitting down with just an image and some creativity to build an amazing story.  So... who wants to build a world together?

((Tip of the cap to such sources as this and this, where I've learned much, as well as learning and losing a good bit in my own tabletop RPG writing endeavors.))

187

Far East Island / Re: The northern war

« on: August 01, 2011, 05:59:10 AM »

And if everything changes in one fell swoop...


 

188

Roleplaying / Re: Ex Cineribus Resurgam

« on: July 23, 2011, 07:58:21 AM »

The next day
**********
Arella grills her two confidants, Mikil and Gibral, and her nephew, Azrael.

"What do you mean I told you not to tell me any of this?"

"M'lady, before your return, we were put under strict orders to never leak any information of your past and to never push you toward a particular destiny or decision. In short, we were told to protect and train you until such a time that the full truth became known to you."

"But what became of me, and why did I wish to return? What purpose was it to serve?"

"M'lady, we are not able to..."

"You're not allowed to tell me if I don't already know. Got it."

She turns and stares at Azrael. "But you are under no such oath. And I can tell by your uncomfortable demeanor that there's something you have to say. Spill it."

Azrael clears his throat and strokes his trimmed black goatee twice before replying. "If I may be perfectly honest?"

"Of course. Anything less and we wouldn't be family, no?"

This brings a brief smile to both their faces. "Yes, true. The truth is that you failed. Your mission- at least that which we believe you were sent to do- was a failure."

The young woman frowns. "How so? What went wrong?"

"You did," is the reply. Gibral looks at Mikil, startled, as Azrael continues. "That we have descended from the Aenil is true. That apparently you ascended as a chosen one and given a divine task is true. That there was a dark storm coming- a cloud of change, uncertainty- is also true. That there was a taint enveloping the world- that, too, is true. And you believed that your role in the big picture was to rid the world of the darkness- to bring light to all the shadowed places until the dark had been eradicated."

He stops to brush a dark lock from his face. Arella, until now, standing and pacing, sits. All of this seems so very familiar- as if she'd heard it all in a dream long ago.

"But you learned- too late to correct your mistake- that eliminating the darkness was not your calling. Indeed, it could not be the calling of anyone- mortal or Aenil. For the light cannot exist without darkness, and vice versa. To rid the world of darkness would be to destroy it- and thus would eliminate the light you sought to bring forth. You failed because you did not understand your mission."

A look of deep sorrow strikes Azrael's face as he looks at Arella. "Tenebrae and I spent years studying what had happened, digging through the manuscripts you had unearthed, and piecing together the details..."

Gibral interjects. "Excuse me, who? And what manuscripts? I was unaware of any of this."

Mikil holds up a hand to his friend. "Tenebrae is... or was, the younger sister of Helios Raiva. As for the manuscript..." He looks to Azrael.

The man nods. "I spent the bulk of my military career in Minas Ithil, on Atamara, with the sister of your good friend Helios. After your passing and his, Tenebrae received a strange package from the Far East containing the things her brother had left behind for her. Among those things were a number of writings. Many were his own records of events. Most were documents written by you regarding what you had unearthed and been taught. A few of them were even older, including the Book of Promises."

"But that's impossible," Arella cries. "I only just saw the book on display deep inside the temple."

"Ah yes. A copy. A hand-written facsimile. Made by you, of course. Helios had the original in his possession after you left, and sent it on to Tenebrae with her inheritance. And so we had all that the two of you together had compiled. And plenty of time on our hands."

He pauses. "Does any of this sound familiar?"

"Yes," she replies, sucking in air. "Every bit of it."

"It wasn't about making the world wholly pure," he continues, as if reciting. "Without the darkness, there is nothing to hold up a light against. Without some evil, purity becomes the mundane, not the exception. Light and darkness. Good and evil. They both must exist for either to exist. The Aenil never had an agenda to bring about one or the other. All along, they were seeking..."

"Balance." The four of them all found themselves answering together.

189

Roleplaying / Re: Ex Cineribus Resurgam

« on: July 22, 2011, 08:26:25 AM »

It was a long, hard, mostly silent ride back to the estate following Arella's release from the Arcaean prison.  She had, thus far, refused to speak of what had occurred within the walls, but Mikil and Gibral both carried a worried expression on their faces.  The young woman's jaw was set, her eyes blazed with fire, and when she thought no one was looking, she allowed the occasional tear to fall.

Arella, her lieutenant, man-at-arms, and two regular soldiers rode hard the last few hours and eventually, the Morningstar estate was upon them.  The four men took their leave of the lady after escorting her into the main house with her thanks.  She marched directly into the library, intent on doing as much research as she was able before she passed out from exhaustion.

But as she entered the room, something caught her eye on the floor.  Moving to pick it up, she finds a parchment with a male's scrawling handwriting on it.

From Azrael Morningstar, Count of Winwich
To Tenebrae Raiva

My aunt was... many things.  Delusional, perhaps.  Or cursed by enlightenment.  I myself do not know where Arella ends and where the myth of the Arcangela begins.  There was so much mystery surrounding her once she made it to the Far East that I often wonder how much was smoke and mirrors and how much was truth. 

She did always have a penchant for tricks.  Not practical jokes, mind you, but sayings that baffled the mind and actions that left people assuming much more than what was really there.  I believe it was her way of never letting people know precisely who she was.

Not that she didn't want anyone to know.  But she wanted them to be certain before she was certain she could let them in.  And I don't think any were willing to delve that deep.

One thing that was never hidden was her love for her people.  She did everything she could for them, and in the end, died of a broken heart.  If only for that legacy, I am interested in learning what these manuscripts have to say.  And also to meet you, Tenebrae.  This must have been something of great importance for you to be so excited about it.  I look forward to digging into these texts together.

Her mouth agape, Arella watched, frozen as the parchment falls from her hands onto the floor once more. Azrael- her nephew?  But he was so old! Unless she was...

She moved away from the window side of the large table and crossed to the nearest bookshelf.  What was it Jenred had said about her? Arcangela or Apostate?  And what was the book he had mentioned?

Nearly in a panic by now, she reached for a nearby book and flipped quickly through it before dropping it and reaching for another.  Her brain swam with information and questions and answers to questions she had yet to ask.

Orphen. Wings. Rhamiel's Children. Arcangela. Helios. Toril. Taith Aenil.

The room was spinning by this point but she continued her frantic searching.

Hand of Ambriel. Orphaea. Dark. Xarnelf. Light. Book of Promises. Truth. Lies.

The room had suddenly stopped spinning and the world went black.  The last thing running through the young womans mind were the words recorded in the book still clutched in her hands.  It was written in her own handwriting.

There must be balance.  Light cannot exist without darkness.  But the two will always be in constant struggle.  For the darkness does not understand that, were it to win, all that we now know would cease to be.

190

Helpline / Judge Communication with Prisoners

« on: July 22, 2011, 02:48:27 AM »

Having just been in prison, I thought the judge was ignoring me after his initial conversation.  Turns out now that I've been released, he tried continuing the conversation but I didn't receive any of them until after being released.  I haven't been judge in at least 4 years so I can't remember how the interface works.

Is it a bug that I never received any messages from him or did he have to reply differently (specifically to a prisoner) and just failed to do so?

191

Far East Island / Re: FEI History

« on: July 18, 2011, 08:42:48 PM »

The declaration of war was made in early January 2005.  I'm fairly certain it didn't last very long, so I would place it in or around February 2005.

192

BM General Discussion / Re: What you really wanted to do in BM but never did

« on: July 18, 2011, 06:20:03 PM »

It's funny to me how many things on other people's lists that I've accomplished without really even thinking about it.

-Secede and found new realm. Check.
-Rebel and become leader on an island where you're already ruling. Check. (I think this was prior to any rules against it, but still.)
-Have an infiltrator known across 3 islands. Check.
-Start a religion that essentially revolves around worshiping your character and/or family. Check.

I just recently came back from a 3+ year absence and thus have created a new list.  Mostly related to re-establishing my family name.  Though I do have to say that 6 days in-realm with Outer Tilog has got to be a new game-wide record for election to a local lordship. 

193

Development / Re: Testers Recruitment

« on: July 13, 2011, 10:54:43 PM »

Hello, been here since 2008. I am the #1 roleplayer in this game

...and humble too!

194

Development / Re: Retention Revisited

« on: July 09, 2011, 09:34:28 PM »

What? You all mean to tell me that this social experiment we call a game actually parallels real life? 

195

Roleplaying / Re: Ex Cineribus Resurgam

« on: July 09, 2011, 06:23:09 PM »

The two men barge into the room in time to see Arella pick up a small stiletto from her bedside table and fling it at a figure on the other side of the room. This man, for that is what he was, deftly taps aside the stiletto with a short blade of his own.

"Dearest Arella, please stand down. I have been waiting for you. I am the last of your known kin. Please, let us all speak with swords sheathed."

He slides his own blade into its scabbard. "I am Azrael."

The young woman hesitates and looks to Mikil and Gibral.  After a momentary pause, Mikil sighs and nods.

"It is true."  Then, to Azrael, "Speak wisely, sir."

The newcomer brushes back a wavy black lock from his shoulder and begins stroking a neatly trimmed goatee. 

"Yes, I am well aware of the Lady's... condition."  He says the word with a slight hint of disdain in his voice.  Azrael moves to take a seat on the window ledge.  A moment ago one could have been convinced he was much younger but now his more deliberate movements proved he was every bit a man nearing 60.

"I am the son of your sister.  Yes! You do have a sister.  She was," he glances toward Mikil, "...quite a bit older than you."

Raising a hand, he points toward a small bookshelf.  "I have brought a number of books that belong to... our family.  I've spent many of the past years in seclusion, unfolding many of the secrets hidden within the texts.  I urge you to immerse yourself in them.  Lose yourself in them and you will find yourself."

He stands again.  "I will not push you further at the moment.  We have a celebration today, yes?"

Azrael reaches to shake the woman's hand, then thinks better of it and pulls her into a full embrace.  "Welcome home.  I will be around the estate.  We can talk more later."

He turns to leave her to her preparations.  At the doorway, he pauses.  "Believe those who seek the truth..."

Arella finds herself finishing the phrase, "doubt those who find it."