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Messages - pcw27

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16
BM General Discussion / Grand Melees
« on: December 08, 2020, 05:43:37 PM »
Here's an idea for something new in BM that should not require any code changes. In the middle ages grand melees were an early form of tournament in which dozens of nobles would charge at each other in a mock battle. It seems to me that Battlemaster could have its own form of that. Start with a guild, "The Grand Melee League" for organizing and coordinating. All participants show up in a pre-selected region. The rules could stipulate that no one realm can be overrepresented at the melee (e.g. if Realms A and B send just one unit realm C cannot send two). At an appointed time all participants set their units to murderous. The TLs are also free to challenge each other to duels to surrender. Battles ensue for a certain number of days, perhaps 3-5. After each round all TLs of the defeated side must withdraw from the region until only one unit remains victorious. TLs who lose a duel must also withdraw. Additional prizes may be given for winning duels, wounding opposing nobles in battle or capturing them (last unit to deal damage to their unit is assumed responsible). This could be a lot of fun, especially when there are few wars going on.

17
Roleplaying / Re: The Tale of Barrett Brine
« on: September 20, 2020, 07:02:36 AM »
Helm:

"Get out of that ditch lad, and face us in battle, or leave by sea, I don't care which. If you hide in the ditch then we'll hunt you out.

I'm no duelist, I've won a couple of contests by luck but I've no great skill with the sword, so I'll not be fighting a duel with you."

Barrett:

"Well that is a shame. Just goes to show you can't believe every bit of tavern gossip you hear. The ships that sail these waters cannot accommodate my men and I'll not leave them behind. I'm all to happy to confound your efforts and keep you tied up here as long as possible. Or one of you can test your mettle. That's a "nay" from cravens, Carlos and Helm. What about the rest of you lot? Come on! If you live you'll be telling your grandkids how you once stood up to the great Barrett Brine! And if you don't well your next of kin will tell your tale none the less."

Helm:
"Sir Barrett, I see that you are a knight of SA. I'm the Sword of the Maddening, the General of Astrum. Why not join Astrum and serve in the vanguard of the Bloodstars? You sound like a stout lad and I'm always on the lookout for good knights. It's a man's life in The "Bloodstar Invincibles" !

Barrett:
"Lord Helm, It cannot be. I am oathsworn to Navarch Solomon. He won my loyalty fair and square in a contest of arms and I never break my word."

Helm:
"Pity. But admirable, a knight should keep his word. Now I must rest, see you at sunset if you fail to evade successfully. By the way, your best chance  of getting away is to head for Libidizedd evading. If  you evade again successfully you can then use the free ferry route to Eidulb. Several of your realm mates have used that route to escape. Good Luck."

Barrett:
"That is mighty sporting of you. If that's the bet way to save my men I'll have to commit to it. I invite you to give chase."

18
Roleplaying / Re: The Tale of Barrett Brine
« on: September 19, 2020, 08:59:06 PM »
Barrett scowls at the puny fishing boat before him. No larger vessel could travers the rocky shoals off the coast of Libiddo.

"I'm sorry m'lord but there's only room for you, save yourself and leave your men behind," says the skipper.

"I've left a lot of men behind over the years," says Barrett, "I've no desire to abandon any more."

Turning from the peasant Barrett inspects his beloved marines. Only five still stand, the rest are laid out in the healer's tent. Barrett absentmindedly touches the bandage on his own arm. Then looking inland he sees the Astrumese banners cresting the hill once again.

A returning scout interrupts his moment's reflection.

"Sir, there's no possibly way we could make it through Libbido or Dizzedo, both are lousy with militia"

Barrett sneers and turns back towards the encroaching troops.

"Tell the men to hide if they can," he says.

With that he strolls to an adjacent hill and cries out at the enemy,

"Come on you mangy dogs, take me head on! I'll duel every last one of you!"

19
East Island / Re: Good Job Dudes
« on: September 12, 2020, 10:51:21 PM »
Oh also is the traversability of the seas new? I actually hadn't had a chance to try them before.

20
East Island / Re: Good Job Dudes
« on: September 06, 2020, 05:09:52 AM »
I'm curious what in particular brought on the changes?

21
Feature Requests / Re: Meaningful Paganism Penalty
« on: August 28, 2020, 06:40:21 PM »
Oh ok then. Is there a thread for the religion overhaul I could contribute to?

22
Feature Requests / Re: Non-combat Activities Overhaul
« on: August 27, 2020, 08:33:07 AM »
I've been requesting hunts and banquets for years. I'd love to see it if the devs can find the time.

23
Feature Requests / Meaningful Paganism Penalty
« on: August 27, 2020, 08:20:50 AM »
Title: Meaningful Paganism Penalty

Summary: Increase penalties for pagan nobles so there is more incentive for them to join in-game religions

Details:

According to the Battlemaster's Lore "paganism" is defined as a variety of peasant superstitious beliefs and practices. It is supposed to be shameful for a noble to be a pagan. In practice however, no one really seems to care. Pagan nobles are quite common and it's almost unheard of for this to result in consequences from players. In-game penalties for being a pagan lord are minor and in fact it can be much worse to choose a religion that is hated by your peasants.

I propose increasing region penalties for pagan lords. This can be done by simply increasing the existing penalty to the point where it will actively encourage players to select a religion. Flavor texts should read "The region's lower gentry are mortified to be serving a pagan lord. They flagrantly shirk their duties and refuse to pay taxes, some are even sowing unrest among the peasantry". This is will better explain the rational for the penalty, particularly in regions with high pagan peasant populations.

Benefits:
Encourages more players to join in-game religions which is porporteday expected of them according to BM lore. Creates potential for roleplay, P2P conflict and intrigue.

Possible downsides/exploits:

It might be possible for a player to sabotage their own region by withdrawing from their religion. However it is worth keeping in mind that there are plenty of other ways a player can sabotage their own region if they want and the realm's leadership has the power to penalize and even remove them to stop this from happening.

This rule will give more power to the heads of religions. This is not an inherently bad thing. In the middle ages the heads of major religions, most notably the Pope, could be quite powerful and able to influence politics all over Europe. However some players may dislike giving a particular class more power.

Religious leaders could cause harm to a realm by excommunicating lords from their faith. This action would in most circumstances be of limited effect as the noble could simply join a new religion.

Such excommunications would be more impactful however if:

1. The region in question overwhelmingly follows the religion in question.

2. That religion has declared all other religions evil.

On the other hand this will encourage more careful consideration for inter-religious politics and religion-realm relations.

Finally all of these potential problems can be mitigated by fine-tuning the penalty to be just high enough that a casual player will simply choose to join a religion rather than having to keep holding court but not so onerous that they can cripple a region within a short time.

24
Roleplaying / Re: The Tale of Barrett Brine
« on: July 07, 2020, 11:33:20 PM »

Barrett steps off his ship and marches straight for the main square before the palace of Golden Farrow. The city watch has a path of egress cleared for him, which cuts through a rather sizable crowd. Tales of his mutiny had be told among peasants and nobles alike, and of course any event in which the King addressed the people was sure to draw attention.

The mariner arrived at a set of temporary wooden steps before a raised stone stage meant for public addresses. Solomons stood at the top, on a second tier platform so as to stay in view at all times.

Barrett paused a moment and sighed. His terms were met. His crimes would be forgiven and it would all be done according to his code, but still, he was embarrassed that he lost. Without looking back he ascended the steps. The king kept a stern face, not betraying relief, or pity or even satisfaction.

Barrett cleared his throat. 

"I say first, before all witnesses here today that Navarch Solomon has proved himself a man of honor. He is the sort that would put forth even his mortal body in defense of his principles. Some weeks ago I made a wager with the Navarch that if he could best me in a duel I would make public apology for all crimes I have committed against the crown, and swear loyal service to him henceforth. As he did unseem me from hip bone to rib cage I now must keep my oath. Let it be known that this day, Navarch Solomon has the distinction of being the only man ever to make the Great Barrett Brine kneel.

The mariner unstrapped his cutlas from his side and held it, still sheathed in both hands, parallel to the ground. Then he dropped to one knee.

"To all those who were in the military council during the events of my mutiny, I apologize for having insulted you, and defied your orders," he said

"To those nobles who were tasked with hunting for me in the wild north. I apologize for your hardships and the death of your men in battle and due to the elements. 

To Sir Kophyn, I apologize for having slain your men, held you captive and divested you of your raiment. 

Last, and most importantly, Navarch Solomon, as all crimes committed against your subjects are in turn crimes committed against the crown I humbly apologies for all my transgressions."


Solomon takes the sword.

"By the power vested in me as Navarch of Tol Goldora I grant you full pardon. Swear loyalty to me and I shall restore you as a full noble citizen of the realm with all rights and privileges therein"


"Navarch Solomon," said Barrett, "I swear loyalty to you henceforth."



Solomon gestured for him to rise. Once on his feet the Navarch handed him back his cutlass. 



"It is done," he said.



Some applause broke out in the crowd.

I wonder how the song will end now, Barrett wondered.

25
Development / Re: Holy/Guild Wars
« on: July 03, 2020, 09:32:50 AM »
If you've never gotten into a religious war you are missing out. I've had some good times with Turin and Sigurd. Auto De Fe's religious takeovers, persecuting heretics, regions going crazy when your religion is declared evil. I do however notice this kind of fun seems to be the exception rather than the rule for religions.

The problem is it's hard to get people to participate in religions. Church of Aaron took around a year to get up to speed. Now I hear it's basically dead. It has members but no one talks or anything.

I think the devs should consider increasing the paganism penalty. Officially paganism is a collection of peasant superstitions that are supposed to be shameful for nobles to believe in. Unofficially however it's really no big deal. I've never once seen a noble mocked or called out for being a pagan. The fact is it's hard to get people to check their modern sensibilities at the door and act like medieval nobles. That's why we need game mechanics that incentivize it.

Right now being pagan is a very minor drawback for a region lord. In fact they'll suffer worse penalties if they choose the wrong religion. A pagan region lord should get a message along the lines of "The region's lower gentry are horrified that their new lord believes in peasant superstitions rather than following a proper noble faith" and the penalty should be a severe. It could be a penalty to realm stats, or perhaps gold production with further flavor text explaining that many nobles are refusing to pay taxes to a pagan lord. Mere knights can be pagans if it pleases them, but once you're a lord it's time to get serious.

The other thing preventing the sort of scenario PolarRaven wants is that religions are usually highly regional, sometimes even directly tied to a realm. When they're more spread out the religion is probably so tolerant that no one feels threatened by it. The reason a lot of religious strife has happened in the past is that tolerance and persecution varied over time. In the Roman empire for example the Christians were relatively unmolested under the Antonine and Severan dynasties, and throughout the crisis of the Third Century. They were even able to openly build temples. Then the persecutions of Diocletian came around and that really got the Christians riled up. As another example in the middle ages Christian regions might have varying levels of toleration for Muslims and Jews. These groups might build communities for a time only to be driven out soon after. The same is true for Christians and Jews in Muslim lands.

26
Roleplaying / Re: The Tale of Barrett Brine
« on: June 28, 2020, 06:39:25 AM »
"Drizztle! I'll be damned it's my old Lieutenant! Everyone this here is the longest standing member of my old Privateer's guild! We took many a rogue town together. Pity it didn't last during my absence. Any idea what became of all the gold in it? If memory serves there was a good 40,000 left give or take when last I laid eyes on it."

"My old friend! It is so good to see you again. Sadly I have had little time for the Privateers Guild. Until recently, I was Lord Confessor. Since I no longer am, I have been able to attend this tournament. And the chance to fight again has me smiling big. Come and join me and tell me of your adventures"

"Well for starters," Barrett says pulling off his boot, "I got this,"
He props his wooden foot up on the table for all to see.

"Fine work of craftsmanship, works almost as well as the real thing. As for my adventures since regaining my sea legs, well as it happens there's a song about it."
Barrett claps and a portly and grey bearded man rushes over with a band of minstrels behind him.
"This here's Cliff, my chantyman, play the new one for him Cliff!"

 

And so Cliff sang:


My name is Barrett Brine, as I sailed, as I sailed
My name is Barrett Brine, as I sailed
My name is Barrett Brine, man’s laws I did decline
A reckoning was mine as I sailed, as I sailed

Oh, my grandad vouched for me, as I sailed, as I sailed
My grandad vouched for me, as I sailed
My grandad vouched for me, gave me nobility
But no thanks would he see, as I sailed, as I sailed


I spied three rogue land towns, as I sailed, as I sailed
O, I spied three rouge land towns, as I sailed
I spied three rogue land towns and pillaged the surrounds
Laid rogue folk in the ground. As I sailed, as I sailed

Oh, I sacked Golden Farrow, as I sailed, as I sailed
I sacked Golden Farrow, as I sailed
I sacked Golden Farrow with cutlass, mail and arrow
Far from the straight and narrow, as I sailed, as I sailed

My marines I laid to rest, as I sailed, as I sailed
My marines I laid to rest, as I sailed
My marines I laid to rest, their arms upon their chest,
Then sought out a new quest, as I sailed as I sailed

Oh, I steered from sound to sound, as I sailed, as I sailed
Oh I steered from sound to sound, as I sailed
I steered from sound to sound, off to old Darfix town
And there I came aground as I sailed, as I sailed

A monster did maim me, as I sailed as I sailed
A monster did maim me, as I sailed
A monster did maim me, from foot to near the knee
But the beast did not stop me, as I sailed as I sailed

I answered the Navarch’s call, as I sailed as I sailed
I answered the Navarch’s call as I sailed
I answered the Navarch’s call, Placed my flag upon the wall
Oe’r Golden Farrow’s hall, as I sail as I sail

To Darfix I returned, as I sailed as I sailed
To Darfix I returned, as I sailed
To Darfix I returned, and soon the city burned
Much gold and fame I earned, as I sailed as I sailed

I left to lead a raid, as I sailed as I sailed
I left to lead a raid, as I sailed
I left to lead a raid, my troops and scouts were paid
But then I was betrayed as I sailed as I sailed

They stripped me of command, as I sailed as I sailed
They stripped me of command, as I sailed
They stripped me of command, and so they forced my hand
Transgressions would not stand, as I sailed as I sailed

I challenged them to duel, as I sailed as I sailed
I challenged them to duel, as I sailed
I challenged them to duel, called the marshals craven fools,
defying all their rules as I sail as I sail

The marshalls I defied, as I sailed as I sailed
The marshalls I defied as I sailed
The marshalls I defied, ere Darfix town I spied
and mutiny I cried as I sailed as I sailed

And they hunted for me, as I sailed as I sailed
And they hunted for me, as I sailed
And they hunted for me, vict’ry they didn’t see,
I laid them low with glee as I sailed as I sailed

I captured sir Kophyn, as I sailed as I sailed
I captured sir Kophyn, as I sailed
I captured sir Kophyn, a trophy I did win,
for I stripped him to his skin, as I sailed as I sailed.

“The rest isn’t written yet but needless to say it’ll be a rip-roaring tune,”

27
Roleplaying / Re: The Tale of Barrett Brine
« on: June 02, 2020, 03:16:01 AM »
Roleplay from Solomon Greybrook Player experience level: mentor Player play preference: rp-combat
Message sent to all nobles in Gelene Outskirts (2 recipients) - 3 days, 15 hours, 47 minutes ago
Solomon had begun his return journey to Golden Farrow after completing the payments due to the crown of Westgard when a scout reported in:

"My Navarch, the traitor is in Gelene Outskirts - it is Sir Barrett!"

Eyes wide and a hand on his hilt, Solomon looked to the horizon to see the golden horse of family Erickson flutter in the morning breeze:

"Immediately form defensive battle positions and approach the Special Forces with caution - the man is dangerous, I must speak to him. I hope he is sober..."

At once, the 20 man unit of the Navarch of Tol Goldora formed two lines, presented arms and cautiously approached the much larger force of now Astrum soldiers. With a gesture, Solomon sent a scout ahead to inform the privateer of his arrival.

Roleplay from Barrett Brine Erickson Player experience level: mentor Player play preference: rp
Message sent to everyone in Gelene Outskirts (4 recipients) - 2 days, 1 hour, 6 minutes ago

The scent if iron and clang of hammers fills the air as Navarch Solomon approaches the Avenging Marines, for they are at the smithy having their arms and armor repaired. The troops waiting to get their equipment back have turned the affair into a revelry. Ale and spirits are passed about, and some have begun singing a new chanty.

My name is Barrett Brine, as I sailed, as I sailed
My name is Barrett Brine, as I sailed
My name is Barrett Brine, man’s laws I did decline
A reckoning was mine as I sailed, as I sailed

Oh, my grandad vouched for me, as I sailed, as I sailed
My grandad vouched for me, as I sailed
My grandad vouched for me, gave me nobility
But no thanks would he see, as I sailed, as I sailed

The men pay Solomon little mind as he draws in closer. None seem to recognize him. Furthermore by their appearance and accents the special forces don't seem to be of Goldoran stock. The Navarch wonders what became of the men who mutinied alongside Barrett and as he wondered the song continued.

I spied three rogue land towns, as I sailed, as I sailed
O, I spied three rouge land towns, as I sailed
I spied three rogue land towns and pillaged the surrounds
Laid rogue folk in the ground. As I sailed, as I sailed

Oh, I sacked Golden Farrow, as I sailed, as I sailed
I sacked Golden Farrow, as I sailed
I sacked Golden Farrow with cutlass, mail and arrow
Far from the straight and narrow, as I sailed, as I sailed

Finally he came to a man overseeing the repairs. He had his back turned revealing a fine fur cloak.  The garment was unfamiliar, but the flask in the noble's hand Solomon recognized instantly.




Roleplay from Solomon Greybrook Player experience level: mentor Player play preference: rp-combat
Message sent to all nobles in Gelene Outskirts (2 recipients) - 1 day, 16 hours, 44 minutes ago
Seeing as the knight would not hail him, the Elite stopped and Captain Gunther would instead:

"Sir Barrett Brine of family Erickson, you are humbly requested to acknowledge the presence of royalty and to present arms for the Navarch of Tol Goldora. Please accept the mercy of the Navarch for he shall not command your immediate arrest if you comply."

Roleplay from Barrett Brine Erickson Player experience level: mentor Player play preference: rp
Message sent to everyone in Gelene Outskirts (1 recipients) - 1 day, 8 hours, 12 minutes ago
The figure turns, his cloak billows as he does and the Navarch recognizes it as having once belonged to his subject, Kophyn D'espana. The last of his knights to engage Barrett. He knew well that this effort had failed. And the song continued.

My marines I laid to rest, as I sailed, as I sailed
My marines I laid to rest, as I sailed
My marines I laid to rest, their arms upon their chest,
Then sought out a new quest, as I sailed as I sailed

Oh, I steered from sound to sound, as I sailed, as I sailed
Oh I steered from sound to sound, as I sailed
I steered from sound to sound, off to old Darfix town
And there I came aground as I sailed, as I sailed

"Well, well, fancy seeing you in these parts. My arms are right here, present and accounted for," he joked as he patted his elbows, "I wager you meant present my weapons, well they're in the shop as you can see. Well what now?"

A monster did maim me, as I sailed as I sailed
A monster did maim me, as I sailed
A monster did maim me, from foot to near the knee
But the beast did not stop me, as I sailed as I sailed

I answered my King’s call, as I sailed as I sailed
I answered my King’s call as I sailed
I answered my King’s call, Placed my flag upon the wall
Oe’r Golden Farrow’s hall, as I sail as I sail



Roleplay from Solomon Greybrook Player experience level: mentor Player play preference: rp-combat
(Personal message to Barrett Brine Erickson) - 2 hours, 33 minutes ago
Not satisfied with the brief attempt of humor, the Navarch strode out towards the knight and bluntly engaged him:

"Sir Barrett, why when the world was at your feet did you choose to mutiny? It was your own carelessness, lack of leadership and detail that lost your marshalship, your honor and title as Gylden Champion. The insult you gave me when you chose to turn away my mercy is something I will not forget but demand greater explanation. I will suffer this insult while in the honorable Westgardian lands but within the borders of my rule, I would not be so kind, thank the Tidemother for this mercy."

Solomon Greybrook
Navarch of Tol Goldora
Royal of Tol Goldora
Duke of Golden Farrow

Roleplay from Barrett Brine Erickson Player experience level: mentor Player play preference: rp
(Personal message to Solomon Greybrook) - just in
Barrett cocked his head to the side. He crossed is arms then raised his hand to his chin to stroke his beard in contemplation. The song carried on as he pondered.

To Darfix I returned, as I sailed as I sailed
To Darfix I returned, as I sailed
To Darfix I returned, and soon the city burned
Much gold and fame I earned, as I sailed as I sailed

I left to lead a raid, as I sailed as I sailed
I left to lead a raid, as I sailed
I left to lead a raid, my troops and scouts were paid
But then I was betrayed as I sailed as I sailed

"Why, why indeed," he said, "To me it's a simple thing. Command was mine. Whoever said otherwise was just plain wrong. I wasn't raised in any courtly way. I was a grown man before old Turin acknowledged me as the natural born son of his natural born son. On the wharfs of the Dragon Isles you have to fight for yours. Out in the far north I was ready to fight for mine and I did, and I won.

Far as I can see I've lost nothing but chains. My honor, glory, every title and claim to fame are intact. One day all that will be left of you, and every King alive for that matter will be a vine covered statue and your name in a long boring book that no one reads, but they'll be singing songs of my adventures at every tavern in Dwilight until the seas swallow the land.

As for the insult Navarch, my offer stands. If you want satisfaction I'll oblige just as soon as my sword is tempered, and any time after that so long as you're still raw about it and I'm still breathing".

They stripped me of command, as I sailed as I sailed
They stripped me of command, as I sailed
They stripped me of command, and so they forced my hand
Transgressions would not stand, as I sailed as I sailed

I challenged them to duel, as I sailed as I sailed
I challenged them to duel, as sail
I challenged them to duel, defied the marshall’s rule
And called him cow’rd and fool, as I sailed as I sailed

Barrett Brine Erickson
Knight of Libidizedd

28
Development / Re: Pets for adventurers
« on: May 27, 2020, 04:22:56 PM »
The average commoner is not likely to "own" their own horse (maybe a dog). 
Another thought, is to maybe have horses and dogs available for "renting" in certain types of regions.
Maybe a fast horse (1.25->2.5 travel speed?) can be found in cities and towns and a good hunting dog (plus 10? to hunting/combat skill) in certain rurals.  (a pigeon to maybe help locate and corner sages and wizards?[a more accurate report of sages/wizards within 2-3 regions of the advy]might be tougher to code?)
Could be daily or weekly rentals. 
Some advies have the gold to spare and some do not.

Maybe advy's get a donkey. Then they can become Sancho Panza.

29
Development / Re: Family Home Overhaul and other changes
« on: May 08, 2020, 08:56:37 AM »
I think we should add more estate customization options before doing so for family homes.

30
Development / Re: Inter-Realm RP
« on: May 08, 2020, 08:54:51 AM »
Hmm, interesting proposal. The most important thing is to prevent this channel from becoming oversaturated. Sanguis Astroism is a great example of an inter-realm channel but unfortunately it degenerated into endless bickering, usually between the same two players each accusing the other of trying to take over the church, with no one being willing to just tell them to shut the hell up because no one cares.

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