Hi.
In this post, I'll be introducing the world of MetaSeed. Originally a low fantasy worldbuilding project, it is tied to providing the backdrop for a turn-based card strategy game. I'll be touching upon both briefly for now, with more detail in later posts.
So, what is the inspiration for MetaSeed?
The initial impetus came with the release of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar and Total War: Warhammer. The former is a complete revamp of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, cutting out the majority of the complex tables, obscure rules and complex mechanics and replacing them with a set of rules that can fit within 4 pages.
Total War is probably familiar to most of you. You command an army composed of units of several types in real time, on a battlefield where tactical maneuvers provide decisive advantages. TW: Warhammer is going to be released in a few weeks, and hopefully will be the fantasy version of the epic campaigns the series is known for.
As a long term fan of collectible card games, I've wanted to design a game that can provide all of the above in a setting with consistent tone and coherent mechanics. I'm also secretly a hard science fiction nerd, so expect scientific theory and maths to be thrown into some explanations.
What's the big idea?
Write up an interesting setting, design an open-minded game and put them together for a product you might find interesting to read about.
Let's start with the world.
The setting should be vaguely familiar to you, reader. The Asian plains, the European mountains, the deserts of Africa... they are all still here. But, you and your people, you've been long gone.
Some time in the distant past, the MetaSeed arrived on the planet. It was not malicious, it was not benevolent, neither solid nor sentient. It created life by consuming itself, and warped the sky and seas to support its children.
The first people to rise from the mud are now called the Firstborn, or the Elves. They called themselves Humans, and children are reminded of their deeds as a warning. Back then, the MetaSeed was still fresh and powerful. Not content with being given a paradise, the Elves sought to grow powerful, and so they applied their science and technology to understanding the MetaSeed. They soon learnt to harness its energies, and used it to fuel their progress. Carelessly, they sickened the seas, polluted the earth and announced themselves Masters of Creation while murdering one another in pointless wars.
Quickly, they lost control over the energies they had unleashed. Forced to give life to twisted creations and living weapons, the MetaSeed lashed out against its own creation. In punishment, the Elves were fused with their weapons and machines, and left breathing in agony as the Earth covered them in dirt and buried them under rock and tide. Their last cry for help was sent to the stars. We are certain something heard them...
Betrayed and exhausted, the MetaSeed lay dormant for hundreds of thousands of years.
An eternity has passed since that dark age. Our scholars cannot ascertain the date, for corrupted energies challenge those who travel too deep in search of the answer.
What they do tell us is that the MetaSeed rose again to perform its duty. The pollution of the Firstborn was scrubbed to the best of its ability, and it scattered itself to seed life all over the globe. We People are just one of its new creations.
Who are the new races?
Nautilids - Canada/Alaska/North Sea. Humanoid sharks, eels, crabs, with pincers, tentacles and gills. They prey on merchant ships and haunt the nightmares of fishermen. They roam the open seas on monstrous mounts, and they follow their Fertile Queen blindly. However, their incursions are becoming more frequent, each time moving deeper into land. Some say a dormant power, dwelling even deeper than the Nautilids, has awaken and is driving them out of the seas...
Saurians - South America/Central africa. Dwellers of swamps, jungles and humid forests, this race awakened before the People. They resemble crocodiles with elongated limbs, frogs walking upright, geckoes with human eyes... they are natural predators the of humans. They have rudimentary tools, with which they build lethal traps to protect their forests and the wonders rumored to be hidden within. The lucky explorers die in spike pits or are riddled with poisoned arrows. The unlucky ones are captured and put to use as sacrifices in elaborate rituals to please the Howling God. Their screams echo throughout the night, and the next morning, villagers are raided and women and children poached by scaled warriors that move through the undergrowth with supernatural speed, shooting arrows and hunting with spears and nets.
Ashra - Central Asia/North Africa. In the dry plains east of the Stone Empire, hordes of demons roam. Deadly archers on horseback, impressive tacticians on the fields of battle, these nomads only resemble humans from afar. Under their armor, they have jaws built for rending flesh, claws for slicing open their victims. They utter chants of dark magic that turns their skin red and hot. The raids are announced by a shadow assassin, a mere cloud and knife, slitting the throat of a senior commander or leader, to be found dead next to his relatives in the morning. The intelligence and skill of these creatures is evident, but instead of building cities, they tear down others. Some say this is the work of the Centaur King's prophecies, himself the creation of a Sorceror's Cabal privy to knowledge forbidden to humans.
Black Kingdoms - Russia/East Europe. In these cold lands, the pollution of ancient wars persists, and so the MetaSeed never finished its task of clearing them. Early men were cursed by the combined presence of the pollution and the active MetaSeed fighting it. In their presence, they degraded into ghouls that preyed on their families after death. Corpses withered but never decayed, sometimes springing to life with otherworldly hunger. Vampires are the brave souls that hunted for power in the magical wastes and returned, their noble hearts turned black by the curse of immortality. Their life was now sustained by consuming the blood of the living. Together, they destroyed the Republic and formed the Black Kingdoms on its remains. Each Kingdom has its Vampire King- a being centuries old, transcending mortality and humanity, always desperate for blood. They war as much between themselves as with the Stone Empire.
Free Realms - South Europe/Arabian Peninsula. A diverse tapestry of tribes, nations and republics that fight for a democratic, cosmopolitan way of life. They make their living braving the seas and deserts to trade between themselves and the Stone Empire. Disputes are settled by both sides hiring mercenaries from the Stone Empire. This flow of gold back to the Empire is said the be the sole reason why the Empire's ports open up for them. Others say it is the education of their mages and their control of the sea lanes that keep the Empire from mounting a full offensive. While a citizen might enjoy freedom and rights found nowhere else, there are dark corners in the Free Realms. Greed has pushed some into piracy and dealings with the People's enemies. Others delve into the dark arts, either in a quest for power or forbidden knowledge. Many a mage has been caught smuggling black tomes from the North and trying to recreate the blood magics of the Vampires...
Stone Empire - Central Europe/West Europe. The once greatest civilization of men. A thousand years ago, they expanded from their birthplace on the European shores, growing tall and powerful as they reclaimed land and forest from the wilderness. Any non-humans they encountered, they crushed. They discovered the use of magic through technology, fuelling their research and building undefeated armies with it. When the Republic crumbled, its population fled into the mountains, where they burrowed and starved for generations. A hundred years later, they crept out of the holes a different people. Each step forward was behind a fortress. Each farm was ringed with defensive walls, each road dotted with watch-posts and each hill topped by a tower. The paranoid, pessimistic rulers murdered each other over the newly acquired scraps of land, and the survivors formed an iron-fisted Empire. Driven by magic, armies grew once more. To feed their people, the Stone Empire trades manpower and mercenaries for food and skills. To control them, there is an oppressive monotheistic religion and a personality cult around the Holy Emperor. Many fear the Empire returning to the deviancy of the Republic.
Terminology
The People refers to the group of races that resemble humans the most. The Elves or Firstborn were the first People, and the Stone Empire and Free Realms are populated by the People.
The MetaSeed refers to the original life-force that shaped the Earth's biosphere millions of years ago. It can also mean the concentrations of magical energy found where the wars of the first age were the most destructive. Finally, it is considered to be a physical property of living flesh that distinguishes it from inanimate matter.
Magic is the product of MetaSeed. It is the end result of concentrating the energy released from MetaSeed and directed towards completing a certain task. Theoretically, everything magic can accomplish can be reproduced by machines of varying complexity.
What about the game?
Well, I'll keep this brief, as I'll go into detail about it in later posts. The core concept is that each player has a total number of points for an army, and a certain number of spells.
These points are divided freely between a number of units of the player's choosing. An 'army deck' for a 1000 point game can consist of 250 units of 4 points each, up to 10 units of 100 points each.
The individual unit's points are distributed into Attack, Defense, Hitpoints and Speed, with Equipment (0-2 of six selections) and Skills (up to 3) having fixed costs. They are also divided by race, with each race providing bonuses and maluses, or racial skills.
Instead of 'cavalry' or 'archers', the player is free to create them by giving the unit a high Speed stat or a Missile equipment slot.
The units, once designed and the points distributed, are assembled into regiments. An army can have a maximum of 10 regiments. There will be more details later, but a regiment acts as one 'super-unit' in combat.
Regiments have a movement range dependent on the speed stat of their slowest unit. They are played in order of speed. For example, a regiment of 8 units with 10 speed will move before a regiment with 7 units at 11 speed and 1 unit at 5 speed.
Combat involves a Movement, Shooting, Melee and Losses phase. Flanking gives a bonus to Attack power.
After the fastest regiment has had its turn, the next fastest regiment gets to play, even if it is the opponent's regiment. If there is a wide distribution of speeds, the regiments will be played back and forth between players, so there are no distinct 'turns' where one player crosses their arms for half an hour.
After all regiments have been moved, the opposite player can use a spell card. The number of spell cards available to each player is determined at the start of the game. The spells a player can start with depends on the composition of their army. A 100% undead army can use the most powerful faction spells, while an army with 10% of each race has to contend with generic spells.
To sum it up:
Free movement turn-based tactical wargame, with unit cards freely created by the player and assembled into regiments. It can be played with a deck of playing cards, a notebook and a ruler at the bare minimum.
MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
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matterbeam
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MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
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matterbeam
- Youngling
- Posts: 80
- Joined: 2016-04-04 08:52pm
Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
Well then, time for more exposition.
The Black Kingdoms
At the very beginning, it was a research outpost. The first reports of monsters empowered by magic crossing over the northern borders piqued the interest of scholars. They selflessly set up camp in the tundra, dissecting and analyzing the cadavers of the soldiers delivered to them.
Once they concluded that the monsters were indeed empowered by a magical source much more potent than anything in the lands of the Republic, a much less academic interest was aroused in young men and women seeking power.
These individuals would leave their comfortable, opulent lives in the Capital and headed into the frozen wastes. Many were unprepared for the frigid temperatures. Others were eaten alive by the monsters, or ate each other to survive. The few that returned, however, were changed. They spread stories of untold riches and empowering magic, but it was only partially true.
Far beyond the borders of the Republic, the air became permetaed with raw, wild magic. An unearthly white haze obscured vision, and could not be blown away even by howling winds and sudden snowstorms. The fearless ones who penetrated this barrier found something on the other side... or someone. They do not speak of it, but we now know that they concluded a trade. Immortality and power, in exchange for depravity. From there on, they would live forever, so long as they drank the blood of a mortal for every year of existence. If they did not, their bodies would crumble to dust beneath them.
This cruel bargain changed them. Where before they would vow to protect their families, they now saw them as easy sacrifices. Instead of outmaneuvering their rivals, they would be found murdered and drained of blood. Wealth began to accumulate in their coffers, and their influence grew as rivals dropped dead or fled in terror. They built impressive castles and lavish mansions, and held news-worthy feasts for their guests. Some moved back into the North and founded the Northern Kingdoms to launder ill-gotten money or prey on the constant stream of adventurers heading out to acquire fame and prosperity of their own.
Some Vampires had not completely lost their humanity, and tried to settle and take care of families of their own and their friends'. What they did not know was that Vampires spread sickness through their very presence. The Curse of the North, it was called. Those they tried to protect led short lives and withered into ghoul-like forms. Their corpses did not rot, sometimes bursting to life in a ravenous frenzy. Having killed all in sight, they would revert to their immobile, but undying state. Believing it was a disease, the Vampires sought help from doctors and medical practicioners from the Republic, but their masters held on to them, or chose not to leave their profitable practice in the Capital for the frozen wastes of the North.
The Vampires who failed to protect their people thus entered a deep despair, and abandoned their humanity like the rest. The Northern Kingdoms fell, the frozen corpses of its population advancing day by day, sporadically, towards the warm-blooded cities of the South.
In the Capital, the Vampires felt that the time was ready to perform a coup. A hundred years had passed since the first expeditions, and the original Vampires were still youthful and healthy. They had gathered enough influence, vampiric troops and had infiltrated the highest positions of power. The Red Night, it is known as. A simultaneous attack by the Republic's wealthiest and most powerful on the ruling class. Their personal guards overpowered the soldiers stationed in the city, and long-time friends stabbed and cut politicians down. The streets ran red with blood, and vampires did not hesitate to drink it openly in front of terrified denizens.
Decapitated, weakened by corruption and internal strife, and under constant attack by the Ashra in the East and the Undead in the North, the Republic collapsed.
Its people fled to the mountains of central Europe, burrowed into them and hid. They starved for generations, often resorting to cannibalism, and led a life no better than the Undead they hid from. Eventually, they turned their mountain burrows into stone fortresses, and went out into the light once more to reclaim their lands. Today, they are the Stone Empire.
Others heard the news of the approaching doom, and braved the seas infested with Nautilid forces, and crossed the Inner Sea. On sandy shores, they staked a new existence, and became the Free Realms.
The remnants of the Republic's majestic cities and fabulous architecture are now the Black Kingdoms. Each Kingdom revolves around a Vampire King, centuries old and an epicenter of magical power. The Undead hordes scramble to reach this power, and fall under the control of a Vampire King. Many of them still remember the suicidal expeditions into the frozen wastes that had granted them immortality.
Today, they prey on the Stone Kingdom.
Time and time again, they gather their forces and assault the stone walls meant to keep them out. When they succeed, they abduct a portion of the population and put them into a deep sleep. Some awake and are eaten by the Undead on their way north. Those that do not are revived in front of a gathering of Vampires, and only have time for a shrill shriek before they are perforated by dozens of fangs.
The Vampiric Armies:
The Undead units all suffer a -5 malus to speed. Without functioning muscles and their flesh falling apart after centuries of decay, the Undead units cannot achieve the same mobility as the warm-blooded races they hunt. However, they all gain the Undead skill for free. It is locked, but does count towards the skill limit (2 for units, 3 for heroes).
Undead (Free)(Locked): If killed, 25% chance of reviving with 50% hitpoints.
What does this mean for a primarily Undead army?
To minimize the impact of the speed malus (a negative speed is reduced to 0), and to maximize the benefit from the free Undead skill, players are encouraged to design units that are very cheap in terms of points, and organized into well-populated regiments.
The fact that the Undead skill counts towards the skill limit means that it is difficult to create effective 'mid-tier' units with special abilities. This makes 'super-units' more attractive instead, as the cost of the extra skill and the speed malus is absorbed into the high total cost.
Instead, the player could go for 100-point Heroes to lead their regiments with regiment-level skills.
Example units:
Ghoul
1 Attack
1 Defense
1 Hitpoints
1 Speed (-5) = 0
Equipment: None
Skills: Undead (Free)(Locked)
This unit costs only 4 points, but gets 4 'free' points from the speed rounding up to zero, providing an Undead army with massive benefits if employed in large numbers.
Skeleton Horse Archer
10 Attack
1 Defense
4 Hitpoints
20 Speed (-5) = 15
Equipment: Missile Weapon (5)
Skills: Undead (Free)(Locked)
This unit costs 40 points, so it costs as much as 10 Ghouls. By saving on Defense and Hitpoints, it can be placed inside a regiment full of slower Undead units and die last due to the speed-ranked damage distribution. It also provides slow regiments a ranged attack that increases its reach while it is moving around the battlefield.
Vampire King
1 Attack
7 Defense
50 Hitpoints
6 Speed (-5) = 1
Equipment: Mail Armor (5)
Skills: Undead (Free)(Locked), Dispel (25)(+5)
This adds up the necessary 100 points. When placed inside a regiment of 0 speed units, it will be damaged last, so an investment of 6 speed points is necessary. Mail armor protects against Blunt and Missile weapons (0.8x damage taken). The extreme number of hitpoints and the Mail Armor help it survive being shot down while it tries to escape archers with only 1 speed available. The Dispel skill costs 25 points, at it gives the unit a 50% chance to cancel a player spell entirely. As these are limited to only a handful per battle, Dispel skill are extremely useful despite their cost, and the high hitpoints, once again, keep the Vampire King alive to Dispel spells again and again. Player spells can be very lethal to Undead armies, as something like Earthquake from a Stone Empire player deals 1 hitpoint of damage to all units in a certain area, bypassing defense. Against Ghouls, this would cause disproportionate losses.
Rules mentioned:
The second skill costs 5 points more, and the third skill costs 10 points more.
The second equipment costs 5 points more.
Heroes must have a total of 100 points, and can have a third skill.
Mail armor costs 5 points, Plate armos costs 7 points. No armor equipped gives the unit Hide armor. Hide takes 20% more damage from Missile Weapons. Mail takes 20% more damage from Pierce weapons, and 20% less damage from Blunt and Missile Weapons. Plate takes 20% more damage from Blunt weapons, and 20% less damage from Pierce and Missile Weapons.
Each unit must have a minimum of 1 points in each of Attack, Defense, Hitpoints and Speed, for a minimum unit of 4 points.
Regular units can have up to 2 equipment and 2 skills. Heroes can have 3 skills but must be 100 points in total.
Speed-ranked damage: Unless affected by skills, damage is distributed from the slowest to fastest units.
The Black Kingdoms
At the very beginning, it was a research outpost. The first reports of monsters empowered by magic crossing over the northern borders piqued the interest of scholars. They selflessly set up camp in the tundra, dissecting and analyzing the cadavers of the soldiers delivered to them.
Once they concluded that the monsters were indeed empowered by a magical source much more potent than anything in the lands of the Republic, a much less academic interest was aroused in young men and women seeking power.
These individuals would leave their comfortable, opulent lives in the Capital and headed into the frozen wastes. Many were unprepared for the frigid temperatures. Others were eaten alive by the monsters, or ate each other to survive. The few that returned, however, were changed. They spread stories of untold riches and empowering magic, but it was only partially true.
Far beyond the borders of the Republic, the air became permetaed with raw, wild magic. An unearthly white haze obscured vision, and could not be blown away even by howling winds and sudden snowstorms. The fearless ones who penetrated this barrier found something on the other side... or someone. They do not speak of it, but we now know that they concluded a trade. Immortality and power, in exchange for depravity. From there on, they would live forever, so long as they drank the blood of a mortal for every year of existence. If they did not, their bodies would crumble to dust beneath them.
This cruel bargain changed them. Where before they would vow to protect their families, they now saw them as easy sacrifices. Instead of outmaneuvering their rivals, they would be found murdered and drained of blood. Wealth began to accumulate in their coffers, and their influence grew as rivals dropped dead or fled in terror. They built impressive castles and lavish mansions, and held news-worthy feasts for their guests. Some moved back into the North and founded the Northern Kingdoms to launder ill-gotten money or prey on the constant stream of adventurers heading out to acquire fame and prosperity of their own.
Some Vampires had not completely lost their humanity, and tried to settle and take care of families of their own and their friends'. What they did not know was that Vampires spread sickness through their very presence. The Curse of the North, it was called. Those they tried to protect led short lives and withered into ghoul-like forms. Their corpses did not rot, sometimes bursting to life in a ravenous frenzy. Having killed all in sight, they would revert to their immobile, but undying state. Believing it was a disease, the Vampires sought help from doctors and medical practicioners from the Republic, but their masters held on to them, or chose not to leave their profitable practice in the Capital for the frozen wastes of the North.
The Vampires who failed to protect their people thus entered a deep despair, and abandoned their humanity like the rest. The Northern Kingdoms fell, the frozen corpses of its population advancing day by day, sporadically, towards the warm-blooded cities of the South.
In the Capital, the Vampires felt that the time was ready to perform a coup. A hundred years had passed since the first expeditions, and the original Vampires were still youthful and healthy. They had gathered enough influence, vampiric troops and had infiltrated the highest positions of power. The Red Night, it is known as. A simultaneous attack by the Republic's wealthiest and most powerful on the ruling class. Their personal guards overpowered the soldiers stationed in the city, and long-time friends stabbed and cut politicians down. The streets ran red with blood, and vampires did not hesitate to drink it openly in front of terrified denizens.
Decapitated, weakened by corruption and internal strife, and under constant attack by the Ashra in the East and the Undead in the North, the Republic collapsed.
Its people fled to the mountains of central Europe, burrowed into them and hid. They starved for generations, often resorting to cannibalism, and led a life no better than the Undead they hid from. Eventually, they turned their mountain burrows into stone fortresses, and went out into the light once more to reclaim their lands. Today, they are the Stone Empire.
Others heard the news of the approaching doom, and braved the seas infested with Nautilid forces, and crossed the Inner Sea. On sandy shores, they staked a new existence, and became the Free Realms.
The remnants of the Republic's majestic cities and fabulous architecture are now the Black Kingdoms. Each Kingdom revolves around a Vampire King, centuries old and an epicenter of magical power. The Undead hordes scramble to reach this power, and fall under the control of a Vampire King. Many of them still remember the suicidal expeditions into the frozen wastes that had granted them immortality.
Today, they prey on the Stone Kingdom.
Time and time again, they gather their forces and assault the stone walls meant to keep them out. When they succeed, they abduct a portion of the population and put them into a deep sleep. Some awake and are eaten by the Undead on their way north. Those that do not are revived in front of a gathering of Vampires, and only have time for a shrill shriek before they are perforated by dozens of fangs.
The Vampiric Armies:
The Undead units all suffer a -5 malus to speed. Without functioning muscles and their flesh falling apart after centuries of decay, the Undead units cannot achieve the same mobility as the warm-blooded races they hunt. However, they all gain the Undead skill for free. It is locked, but does count towards the skill limit (2 for units, 3 for heroes).
Undead (Free)(Locked): If killed, 25% chance of reviving with 50% hitpoints.
What does this mean for a primarily Undead army?
To minimize the impact of the speed malus (a negative speed is reduced to 0), and to maximize the benefit from the free Undead skill, players are encouraged to design units that are very cheap in terms of points, and organized into well-populated regiments.
The fact that the Undead skill counts towards the skill limit means that it is difficult to create effective 'mid-tier' units with special abilities. This makes 'super-units' more attractive instead, as the cost of the extra skill and the speed malus is absorbed into the high total cost.
Instead, the player could go for 100-point Heroes to lead their regiments with regiment-level skills.
Example units:
Ghoul
1 Attack
1 Defense
1 Hitpoints
1 Speed (-5) = 0
Equipment: None
Skills: Undead (Free)(Locked)
This unit costs only 4 points, but gets 4 'free' points from the speed rounding up to zero, providing an Undead army with massive benefits if employed in large numbers.
Skeleton Horse Archer
10 Attack
1 Defense
4 Hitpoints
20 Speed (-5) = 15
Equipment: Missile Weapon (5)
Skills: Undead (Free)(Locked)
This unit costs 40 points, so it costs as much as 10 Ghouls. By saving on Defense and Hitpoints, it can be placed inside a regiment full of slower Undead units and die last due to the speed-ranked damage distribution. It also provides slow regiments a ranged attack that increases its reach while it is moving around the battlefield.
Vampire King
1 Attack
7 Defense
50 Hitpoints
6 Speed (-5) = 1
Equipment: Mail Armor (5)
Skills: Undead (Free)(Locked), Dispel (25)(+5)
This adds up the necessary 100 points. When placed inside a regiment of 0 speed units, it will be damaged last, so an investment of 6 speed points is necessary. Mail armor protects against Blunt and Missile weapons (0.8x damage taken). The extreme number of hitpoints and the Mail Armor help it survive being shot down while it tries to escape archers with only 1 speed available. The Dispel skill costs 25 points, at it gives the unit a 50% chance to cancel a player spell entirely. As these are limited to only a handful per battle, Dispel skill are extremely useful despite their cost, and the high hitpoints, once again, keep the Vampire King alive to Dispel spells again and again. Player spells can be very lethal to Undead armies, as something like Earthquake from a Stone Empire player deals 1 hitpoint of damage to all units in a certain area, bypassing defense. Against Ghouls, this would cause disproportionate losses.
Rules mentioned:
The second skill costs 5 points more, and the third skill costs 10 points more.
The second equipment costs 5 points more.
Heroes must have a total of 100 points, and can have a third skill.
Mail armor costs 5 points, Plate armos costs 7 points. No armor equipped gives the unit Hide armor. Hide takes 20% more damage from Missile Weapons. Mail takes 20% more damage from Pierce weapons, and 20% less damage from Blunt and Missile Weapons. Plate takes 20% more damage from Blunt weapons, and 20% less damage from Pierce and Missile Weapons.
Each unit must have a minimum of 1 points in each of Attack, Defense, Hitpoints and Speed, for a minimum unit of 4 points.
Regular units can have up to 2 equipment and 2 skills. Heroes can have 3 skills but must be 100 points in total.
Speed-ranked damage: Unless affected by skills, damage is distributed from the slowest to fastest units.
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
-
matterbeam
- Youngling
- Posts: 80
- Joined: 2016-04-04 08:52pm
Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
Another faction: The Ashra
Lore:
Long ago, a race of explorers and proud warriors was spawned by the MetaSeed in India. They grew to form a sophisticated civilization that accepted other cultures and sought trade with others. Their settlements reached as far North as the Himalayas and as far South as the coasts of Africa. This ended with the first event ever recorded in writing by the early human tribes. Many believe human writing was re-invented due to this event. Scholars call it the Sundering, Ashra call it the Revelation.
A divine light pierced the heavens and leveled mountains, triggering earthquakes and volcanoes that covered the world in dust for an entire year. The Ashra civilization was mostly untouched, but its people changed drastically. The Sorcerors' Cabal, a faction of practitioners of dark magic, quickly rose to power and implemented their religion through the creation of the Centaur King. This magical creature could channel tremendous power towards the Cabal's incantations, and secured their position as leaders.
The minorities sheltered by the Ashra were immediately slaughtered or sacrificed to the new King, and the entire population picked up their belongings and demolished their own cities. Some call it a collective madness, others call it the first of the self-fulfilling prophecies uttered by the Centaur King.
The Ashra now call their historical homeland Hell, and the rest of the world Heaven. Their existence revolves around fulfilling the Prophecies announced by the Centaur King through the mouths of the Sorcerors. For the past thousand years, this has meant that the Ashra hordes crash against humanity's walls and rip through its towns and villages with unerring regularity. Year after year, their their forces rush West-ward and lay waste to the populations of Eastern Europe. Their armies pillage and burn, then retreat in the winter months, leaving families with nothing but graves to dig.
This scourge has plagued mankind since the times of the Republic and were a major factor in its fall. Today, they pose no less of a threat.
From afar, veiled in the dust kicked up by their mounts, they could be mistaken for horse-back archers flying foreign flags. As they approach their prey, the differences become apparent. Under their armor, the Ashra are red and orange skinned. They are shorter than a man, but make up for it with wiry muscles and claw-tipped limbs. Their short jaw is filled with razor-sharp fangs, constantly in motion chewing on dried meat or uttering litanies and battle-cries. They are nothing short of demonic to their victims, and their practices reinforce this image.
A raid is announced by a Shadow, a magical construct borne of the sacrifice of a young woman, sliding a dagger into the heart of the camp's leader or general. Often, a family would wake up and find the cold corpse of their loved one lying next to them. The shrieks and alarms that follow are quickly drowned out by the beating of eight-legged Sharabha, hoofed creatures larger and more ferocious than a horse. Arrows darken the sky, and warriors tear through the settlement, burning and cutting down anyone in their path. They are aided by the spells of a Sorceror, casting from the rear but swinging a sword for their share of the slaughter. Behind the Sorceror is the army's General, an elite warrior that is nothing but the Sorceror's puppet-ruler outside of the battlefield.
The Ashra warrior fights fearlessly, and heads on suicidal charges without complaint. This is their Aadar, or Warrior's Honor. Death is meaningless to the Ashra, as they consider their presence on the battlefield to actually be Heaven.
When not fighting, the Ashra are a nomadic race. They roam Asian plains, moving and stopping according to a cosmic schedule. Their livestock is a breed of cattle, and goats. Wherever they stop, their tents flatten the fields and their animals strip the soil bare. The next day, they disappear and may not return for a decade. Although led by a General, they are controlled by the horde's Sorceror. Each Sorceror is a master in dark arts unknown even to the Vampire Kings. They communicate with each other and form the Cabal, meaning that they cannot be removed until very Sorceror is dead. For centuries, these men and women, shrouded in mystery, have guided the Ashra from the shadows, and we cannot be sure whether they truly do try to fulfill divide prophecies, or whether they have uprooted the civilization and thrown in into conflict for their own designs.
The Ashra men and women born with very unequal strength, so the Sorcerors have directed sons to be taught to ride the eight-legged Sharabha as war-mounts and how to fight with a bow, while the women are taught how to use magic and daggers. Daughters most sensitive to magic are offered to the Cabal to be sacrificed as Shadows or to become Sorcerors themselves. The Cabal is majoritarily women. Generation after generation, the young Ashra throw away persuits other than war, and become increasingly fanatical in following the warrior's code provided to them by the Cabal: the Aadar, roughly translated as the honor that comes from fulfilling a Prophecy.
The Ashra Horde:
All Ashra units gain a +5 bonus to speed, but suffer from having to buy equipment, with equipment costing 5 points more than the nominal cost. This reflects their nomadic lifestyle, where every man, woman and child is trained with the use of a weapon, but does not have the production facilities or skills required to make the equipment cheaply available.
What does this mean for an Ashra army?
Units are much faster than those of other races with only a minimal point investment in Speed. This means they often go first, and can cross long distances during the movement phase. However, on the first turn, they are unlikely to actually reach enemy melee range, so combined with the burden of purchasing equipment, it is a good idea to use a Missile Weapon. This allows them to exploit their move-first-shoot-first ability, and means they can pepper the opponent with arrows while staying at range.
However, this also means that the smallest Ashra unit costs 13 points. The Horde has no place for weaklings! With each unit loss meaning a greater percentage of the horde lost, it is wise to invest in ways to keep the units alive. Also, 'super-units' or Heroes are less interesting to an Ashra player.
Example units:
Ashra Horseback archer.
6 Attack
1 Defense
3 Hitpoints
5 Speed +5 =10
Equipment: Missile Weapons (5+5) = 10
Skill: Parthian Shot (Ashra)(10): All units in a regiment must have this skill. At the beginning of the movement phase, the player can choose to activate the skill. Movement Range is halved. After a shooting phase, the regiment can move a second time.
Total: 35 points
This unit is best used in small regiments that allow it to utilize its high Attack and Speed to make devastating hit-and-runs. Even with its movement range halved, the unit can enter shooting range, unleash a lethal hail of arrows, then run away from slower regiments thanks to the Parthian Shot skill.
Elite Ashra Warrior
5 Attack
10 Defense
3 Hitpoints
1 Speed (+5) = 6
Equipment: Blunt Weapon (2+5) = 7
Skill: The Hunt (10): If this unit's regiment performs a Melee attack, at the end of the Damage phase, the defending Regiment loses 5 Speed per unit with this skill.
Total: 36
Another expensive unit, but with an interesting skill. Investing only 1 point in Speed, it benefits the most from the racial bonus. If placed in large units, the Defense value adds up and can soak up a lot of damage. The combination of 'The Hunt' and a Blunt weapon allows for an interesting effect: For an Ashra army, a loss is quickly assured if the 'skirmisher' units relying on speed are caught up with or bogged down by a spell. Regiments composed of Ashra Horseback Archers, for example, has nearly no defense and would suffer great losses against an opponent that gets them into melee range. The Elite Ashra Unit is the solution. The Hunt skill is specifically designed to slow down regiments that can catch up with the Horseback archers by reducing their Speed. Since speed is not a sum total, but a minimum value of all units, having 2 to three Elite Ashra Warrior is enough to reduce the Speed value of the target Regiment to zero. This opens it up to attack by flanking regiments for massive attack bonuses. The Blunt weapon is the cheapest piece of equipment, and provides a counter to the free Plate armor equipment of Stone Empire forces.
Rules Mentioned:
Blunt Weapons cost 2 points, Pierce weapons cost 3 points and Missile weapons cost 5 points.
Skills can have several requirements. Some are faction-specific. Other have to be used in regiments where all units must possess that skill. There can also be activation requirements.
Rules discussion:
I'm considering adding further restrictions and rules on the units the player can create. Would this stifle creativity and flexibility, one of the major selling points of MetaSeed, or would assist in better defining the roles and form of each race's armies? Examples of such rules are a maximum expensive-to-cheap unit ratio in Undead armies, or a definition for 'mounted', 'flying' or 'on-foot' troops and other such categories.
Lore:
Long ago, a race of explorers and proud warriors was spawned by the MetaSeed in India. They grew to form a sophisticated civilization that accepted other cultures and sought trade with others. Their settlements reached as far North as the Himalayas and as far South as the coasts of Africa. This ended with the first event ever recorded in writing by the early human tribes. Many believe human writing was re-invented due to this event. Scholars call it the Sundering, Ashra call it the Revelation.
A divine light pierced the heavens and leveled mountains, triggering earthquakes and volcanoes that covered the world in dust for an entire year. The Ashra civilization was mostly untouched, but its people changed drastically. The Sorcerors' Cabal, a faction of practitioners of dark magic, quickly rose to power and implemented their religion through the creation of the Centaur King. This magical creature could channel tremendous power towards the Cabal's incantations, and secured their position as leaders.
The minorities sheltered by the Ashra were immediately slaughtered or sacrificed to the new King, and the entire population picked up their belongings and demolished their own cities. Some call it a collective madness, others call it the first of the self-fulfilling prophecies uttered by the Centaur King.
The Ashra now call their historical homeland Hell, and the rest of the world Heaven. Their existence revolves around fulfilling the Prophecies announced by the Centaur King through the mouths of the Sorcerors. For the past thousand years, this has meant that the Ashra hordes crash against humanity's walls and rip through its towns and villages with unerring regularity. Year after year, their their forces rush West-ward and lay waste to the populations of Eastern Europe. Their armies pillage and burn, then retreat in the winter months, leaving families with nothing but graves to dig.
This scourge has plagued mankind since the times of the Republic and were a major factor in its fall. Today, they pose no less of a threat.
From afar, veiled in the dust kicked up by their mounts, they could be mistaken for horse-back archers flying foreign flags. As they approach their prey, the differences become apparent. Under their armor, the Ashra are red and orange skinned. They are shorter than a man, but make up for it with wiry muscles and claw-tipped limbs. Their short jaw is filled with razor-sharp fangs, constantly in motion chewing on dried meat or uttering litanies and battle-cries. They are nothing short of demonic to their victims, and their practices reinforce this image.
A raid is announced by a Shadow, a magical construct borne of the sacrifice of a young woman, sliding a dagger into the heart of the camp's leader or general. Often, a family would wake up and find the cold corpse of their loved one lying next to them. The shrieks and alarms that follow are quickly drowned out by the beating of eight-legged Sharabha, hoofed creatures larger and more ferocious than a horse. Arrows darken the sky, and warriors tear through the settlement, burning and cutting down anyone in their path. They are aided by the spells of a Sorceror, casting from the rear but swinging a sword for their share of the slaughter. Behind the Sorceror is the army's General, an elite warrior that is nothing but the Sorceror's puppet-ruler outside of the battlefield.
The Ashra warrior fights fearlessly, and heads on suicidal charges without complaint. This is their Aadar, or Warrior's Honor. Death is meaningless to the Ashra, as they consider their presence on the battlefield to actually be Heaven.
When not fighting, the Ashra are a nomadic race. They roam Asian plains, moving and stopping according to a cosmic schedule. Their livestock is a breed of cattle, and goats. Wherever they stop, their tents flatten the fields and their animals strip the soil bare. The next day, they disappear and may not return for a decade. Although led by a General, they are controlled by the horde's Sorceror. Each Sorceror is a master in dark arts unknown even to the Vampire Kings. They communicate with each other and form the Cabal, meaning that they cannot be removed until very Sorceror is dead. For centuries, these men and women, shrouded in mystery, have guided the Ashra from the shadows, and we cannot be sure whether they truly do try to fulfill divide prophecies, or whether they have uprooted the civilization and thrown in into conflict for their own designs.
The Ashra men and women born with very unequal strength, so the Sorcerors have directed sons to be taught to ride the eight-legged Sharabha as war-mounts and how to fight with a bow, while the women are taught how to use magic and daggers. Daughters most sensitive to magic are offered to the Cabal to be sacrificed as Shadows or to become Sorcerors themselves. The Cabal is majoritarily women. Generation after generation, the young Ashra throw away persuits other than war, and become increasingly fanatical in following the warrior's code provided to them by the Cabal: the Aadar, roughly translated as the honor that comes from fulfilling a Prophecy.
The Ashra Horde:
All Ashra units gain a +5 bonus to speed, but suffer from having to buy equipment, with equipment costing 5 points more than the nominal cost. This reflects their nomadic lifestyle, where every man, woman and child is trained with the use of a weapon, but does not have the production facilities or skills required to make the equipment cheaply available.
What does this mean for an Ashra army?
Units are much faster than those of other races with only a minimal point investment in Speed. This means they often go first, and can cross long distances during the movement phase. However, on the first turn, they are unlikely to actually reach enemy melee range, so combined with the burden of purchasing equipment, it is a good idea to use a Missile Weapon. This allows them to exploit their move-first-shoot-first ability, and means they can pepper the opponent with arrows while staying at range.
However, this also means that the smallest Ashra unit costs 13 points. The Horde has no place for weaklings! With each unit loss meaning a greater percentage of the horde lost, it is wise to invest in ways to keep the units alive. Also, 'super-units' or Heroes are less interesting to an Ashra player.
Example units:
Ashra Horseback archer.
6 Attack
1 Defense
3 Hitpoints
5 Speed +5 =10
Equipment: Missile Weapons (5+5) = 10
Skill: Parthian Shot (Ashra)(10): All units in a regiment must have this skill. At the beginning of the movement phase, the player can choose to activate the skill. Movement Range is halved. After a shooting phase, the regiment can move a second time.
Total: 35 points
This unit is best used in small regiments that allow it to utilize its high Attack and Speed to make devastating hit-and-runs. Even with its movement range halved, the unit can enter shooting range, unleash a lethal hail of arrows, then run away from slower regiments thanks to the Parthian Shot skill.
Elite Ashra Warrior
5 Attack
10 Defense
3 Hitpoints
1 Speed (+5) = 6
Equipment: Blunt Weapon (2+5) = 7
Skill: The Hunt (10): If this unit's regiment performs a Melee attack, at the end of the Damage phase, the defending Regiment loses 5 Speed per unit with this skill.
Total: 36
Another expensive unit, but with an interesting skill. Investing only 1 point in Speed, it benefits the most from the racial bonus. If placed in large units, the Defense value adds up and can soak up a lot of damage. The combination of 'The Hunt' and a Blunt weapon allows for an interesting effect: For an Ashra army, a loss is quickly assured if the 'skirmisher' units relying on speed are caught up with or bogged down by a spell. Regiments composed of Ashra Horseback Archers, for example, has nearly no defense and would suffer great losses against an opponent that gets them into melee range. The Elite Ashra Unit is the solution. The Hunt skill is specifically designed to slow down regiments that can catch up with the Horseback archers by reducing their Speed. Since speed is not a sum total, but a minimum value of all units, having 2 to three Elite Ashra Warrior is enough to reduce the Speed value of the target Regiment to zero. This opens it up to attack by flanking regiments for massive attack bonuses. The Blunt weapon is the cheapest piece of equipment, and provides a counter to the free Plate armor equipment of Stone Empire forces.
Rules Mentioned:
Blunt Weapons cost 2 points, Pierce weapons cost 3 points and Missile weapons cost 5 points.
Skills can have several requirements. Some are faction-specific. Other have to be used in regiments where all units must possess that skill. There can also be activation requirements.
Rules discussion:
I'm considering adding further restrictions and rules on the units the player can create. Would this stifle creativity and flexibility, one of the major selling points of MetaSeed, or would assist in better defining the roles and form of each race's armies? Examples of such rules are a maximum expensive-to-cheap unit ratio in Undead armies, or a definition for 'mounted', 'flying' or 'on-foot' troops and other such categories.
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
-
matterbeam
- Youngling
- Posts: 80
- Joined: 2016-04-04 08:52pm
Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
After some playtesting, I've found that the player has too many options as to how units can be designed. New players would take over 1 hour to create a 1000 point army, while the game is supposed to support multiples of that. The worst part is that even after having done so, as there would be no 'metagame' to design for or against, all player creations would be done in a vacuum with no idea as to how they would perform.
Rules changes
I went ahead and implemented changes that would guide players in their design of units.
-Removed the Equipment option. This was deemed unnecessary and resonated directly with the 'new game, no precedents' issue mentioned above. A rock-paper-scissors balance does not work when you don't know what to expect.
-Creates Unit Type rules. This partially absorbs the Equipment rules, but mainly works to categorize the player creations that previously had to be imagined. Ironically, stimulating player creativity is best served by narrowing the available options. Categories now include movement type (Foot, Mounted, Flying) and unit form (Warrior, Ranger, Monster, Structure).
-From now on, at least in the rules, all mention of races is to be replaced by 'factions'. The terminology is more consistent as a result, and provides for multi-racial alliances.
-On the wording on skills, I use the template from Yu-Gi-Oh.
-Skills are similarly categorized. There are now generic skills that can be added to any unit, and faction skills that can only be used by certain units. They can be divided into Regiment, Unit and Group (all units of the regiment must have it) types for internal balancing purposes. Skill now have levels: 1, 2 and 3, with appropriate point costs and degree of influence they can exerce.
-Stat points are now placed on a scale of 1 to 10. This prevents frankly ridiculous 485 point units that were previously possible. Skill-less units can reach 40 points, maximal-point units reach 75 points,and heroes with can fit neatly within 100 points.
-Movement range has been established. 1 speed corresponds to 10cm, 10 speed to 1m. The movement can be broken into segments with rotation, to allow for flanking manoeuvers.
Unit template:
Title
Can be obtained by combining category descriptives and faction if the player lacks inspiration.
Faction: Black Kingdoms/Nautilid/Saurian/Stone Empire/Free Realm/Ashra/Vroz
Each faction now integrates the unit categories below into the list of its modifiers. They now also include a short ruleset that adds lore-based flavor.
Unit Movement Category: Foot/Mounted/Flying
Each has its own advantages, disadvantages and in the case of Flying, locked skill. They also have regiment rules for mixes of the three movement types.
Unit Type: Warrior/Archer/Monster/Structure
Again, more rules defining each. You can have Flying Structures and Mounted Monsters, so the freedom of options is still great. Faction rules refer to these specifically.
Skills: 0-2 for regular units, 0-3 for heroes.
The incremental increasing cost applies, with a special case for different levels. For heroes to stick to the 100 point rule, they must use all three skills, except if they are Flying category.
Stat Points: Attack/Defense/Hitpoints/Speed
Between 1 and 10 in each.
Rules draft for changes:
Faction rules:
Using the Black Kingdoms as an example, I'd use named faction rules, in the same vein as Warhammer. For example, there'd be faction-wide effects like [Shambling Undead: The Undead have not been well preserved in un-life. They are not as nimble their warm-blooded prey]: -5 Speed and [Undeath: Mystical forces motivate the limbs of the Undead. Struck down, they may rise again.] : Undeath (Locked Skill)(Free), in addition to specific rules that shape or balance the army. An example would be [Rotten Sight: The eye sockets of the skeletal hordes have long since decayed or been picked clean by scavengers. It is very difficult for an archer to hit its target.]: -2 attack to Undead Archers. This prevents BK armies from completely bypassing the Shambling Undead effect by composing their armies with predominantly ranged units.
Unit Movement Category:
This rules help differentiate units without restricting choices too much. Foot units suffer -1 to speed by gain +1 in defense against other foot units. This simulates the organized marches of regiments. Mounted units gain +1 attack against foot units to simulate their ability to charge. Flying units are more complicated. They gain the skill Flying (Locked)(Free): If this unit's regiment is composed only of Flying units: During the Movement Phase, the regiment can double its Movement Range. If this regiment attacks, its Movement Range is halved in the next turn. This simulates the great speed at which Flying units can traverse the battlefield, but also how having to circle the target for shooting, or landing for melee, would reduce their flight speed and gives ground regiments a way to engage them.
On the Regiment level, there can be mixtures of Foot, Mounted and Flying units. If there is at least 1 non-Hero Foot unit in the Regiment, they Regiment follows Foot rules. Flying units lose their Flying skill if placed in a mixed-movement Regiment.
Unit Type:
Like the Movement Category, bonuses and maluses are in the +1/-1 range to provide some effect, but not until they become restrictive. A Warrior, for example, adds +1 Attack during an Attack Phase, while an Archer gains Ranged attacks and -1 Defense, simulating their inability to carry a shield or restrictive armor. Monsters gain +1 hitpoints, while Structures gain +1 Defense.
Skills:
Level 1 skills cost 5 points, level 2 costs 10 points and level 3 costs 20 points. Additionally, the second skill costs 5 points more, the third skill 10 points more, while a duplicate skill costs 5 points less. This allows for several combinations. A regular unit with a level 1 and level 2 skill has to pay 20 points, while two level 3 skills cost 45 points. A Hero with three copies of a level 1 skill pays 25 points, while a level 2 and a level 3 cost 35 points...
An example of a level 1 skill is Counter (Level 1): If this unit receives damage, deal half that amount to the attacking regiment. Taking two of this skill reflects 100% of the damage. A skill such as Blood God's Sacrifice (Saurian)(Monster)(Level 3): If this unit is not destroyed at the end of a Damage Phase, Hitpoints are restored to maximum, costs more, and is generally faction or even unit type-specific, but has a powerful effect.
I hope you find these changes interesting!
Rules changes
I went ahead and implemented changes that would guide players in their design of units.
-Removed the Equipment option. This was deemed unnecessary and resonated directly with the 'new game, no precedents' issue mentioned above. A rock-paper-scissors balance does not work when you don't know what to expect.
-Creates Unit Type rules. This partially absorbs the Equipment rules, but mainly works to categorize the player creations that previously had to be imagined. Ironically, stimulating player creativity is best served by narrowing the available options. Categories now include movement type (Foot, Mounted, Flying) and unit form (Warrior, Ranger, Monster, Structure).
-From now on, at least in the rules, all mention of races is to be replaced by 'factions'. The terminology is more consistent as a result, and provides for multi-racial alliances.
-On the wording on skills, I use the template from Yu-Gi-Oh.
-Skills are similarly categorized. There are now generic skills that can be added to any unit, and faction skills that can only be used by certain units. They can be divided into Regiment, Unit and Group (all units of the regiment must have it) types for internal balancing purposes. Skill now have levels: 1, 2 and 3, with appropriate point costs and degree of influence they can exerce.
-Stat points are now placed on a scale of 1 to 10. This prevents frankly ridiculous 485 point units that were previously possible. Skill-less units can reach 40 points, maximal-point units reach 75 points,and heroes with can fit neatly within 100 points.
-Movement range has been established. 1 speed corresponds to 10cm, 10 speed to 1m. The movement can be broken into segments with rotation, to allow for flanking manoeuvers.
Unit template:
Title
Can be obtained by combining category descriptives and faction if the player lacks inspiration.
Faction: Black Kingdoms/Nautilid/Saurian/Stone Empire/Free Realm/Ashra/Vroz
Each faction now integrates the unit categories below into the list of its modifiers. They now also include a short ruleset that adds lore-based flavor.
Unit Movement Category: Foot/Mounted/Flying
Each has its own advantages, disadvantages and in the case of Flying, locked skill. They also have regiment rules for mixes of the three movement types.
Unit Type: Warrior/Archer/Monster/Structure
Again, more rules defining each. You can have Flying Structures and Mounted Monsters, so the freedom of options is still great. Faction rules refer to these specifically.
Skills: 0-2 for regular units, 0-3 for heroes.
The incremental increasing cost applies, with a special case for different levels. For heroes to stick to the 100 point rule, they must use all three skills, except if they are Flying category.
Stat Points: Attack/Defense/Hitpoints/Speed
Between 1 and 10 in each.
Rules draft for changes:
Faction rules:
Using the Black Kingdoms as an example, I'd use named faction rules, in the same vein as Warhammer. For example, there'd be faction-wide effects like [Shambling Undead: The Undead have not been well preserved in un-life. They are not as nimble their warm-blooded prey]: -5 Speed and [Undeath: Mystical forces motivate the limbs of the Undead. Struck down, they may rise again.] : Undeath (Locked Skill)(Free), in addition to specific rules that shape or balance the army. An example would be [Rotten Sight: The eye sockets of the skeletal hordes have long since decayed or been picked clean by scavengers. It is very difficult for an archer to hit its target.]: -2 attack to Undead Archers. This prevents BK armies from completely bypassing the Shambling Undead effect by composing their armies with predominantly ranged units.
Unit Movement Category:
This rules help differentiate units without restricting choices too much. Foot units suffer -1 to speed by gain +1 in defense against other foot units. This simulates the organized marches of regiments. Mounted units gain +1 attack against foot units to simulate their ability to charge. Flying units are more complicated. They gain the skill Flying (Locked)(Free): If this unit's regiment is composed only of Flying units: During the Movement Phase, the regiment can double its Movement Range. If this regiment attacks, its Movement Range is halved in the next turn. This simulates the great speed at which Flying units can traverse the battlefield, but also how having to circle the target for shooting, or landing for melee, would reduce their flight speed and gives ground regiments a way to engage them.
On the Regiment level, there can be mixtures of Foot, Mounted and Flying units. If there is at least 1 non-Hero Foot unit in the Regiment, they Regiment follows Foot rules. Flying units lose their Flying skill if placed in a mixed-movement Regiment.
Unit Type:
Like the Movement Category, bonuses and maluses are in the +1/-1 range to provide some effect, but not until they become restrictive. A Warrior, for example, adds +1 Attack during an Attack Phase, while an Archer gains Ranged attacks and -1 Defense, simulating their inability to carry a shield or restrictive armor. Monsters gain +1 hitpoints, while Structures gain +1 Defense.
Skills:
Level 1 skills cost 5 points, level 2 costs 10 points and level 3 costs 20 points. Additionally, the second skill costs 5 points more, the third skill 10 points more, while a duplicate skill costs 5 points less. This allows for several combinations. A regular unit with a level 1 and level 2 skill has to pay 20 points, while two level 3 skills cost 45 points. A Hero with three copies of a level 1 skill pays 25 points, while a level 2 and a level 3 cost 35 points...
An example of a level 1 skill is Counter (Level 1): If this unit receives damage, deal half that amount to the attacking regiment. Taking two of this skill reflects 100% of the damage. A skill such as Blood God's Sacrifice (Saurian)(Monster)(Level 3): If this unit is not destroyed at the end of a Damage Phase, Hitpoints are restored to maximum, costs more, and is generally faction or even unit type-specific, but has a powerful effect.
I hope you find these changes interesting!
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
-
matterbeam
- Youngling
- Posts: 80
- Joined: 2016-04-04 08:52pm
Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
Now moving onto another faction: Saurians!
Lore:
Ask someone on the street what they know of the Saurians, and they'll describe the monsters from the tales told by their mother. Ask someone on the outskirts of a forest, and they'll glance nervously into the trees. All know of the Saurians, but few see them other as monsters that haunt the deep forests of Europe and the jugles of South America.
The Saurians are a reptilian race. They were spawned by the MetaSeed centuries before the first humans appeared, and by many, considered as the natural predators of Man. They have established themselves on all the continents, and have complete domain over the Americas.
In truth, the Saurians are a diverse mix of more or less humanoid creatures with crocodilian or amphibian features. The crocodilians resemble crocodiles with elongated limbs and a slightly upright posture. Vicious and long-lived, they form savage tribes that attack each other in cannabalistic raids, or wage war against their amphibian betheren. The latter are more-human-like in their posture, shape and abilities. They are more intelligent, mastering language and magic. Through cunning and deceit, they gather the crocodilians into their employ as powerful but untrustworthy allies.
If you added together the populations in Europe, Africa and the Americas, the Saurian civilization is much larger than that of any other race. However, they are fractured by internal strife and hatred between Saurians of crocodilian and amphibian descent. What unites them is their shared goal.
The Saurians consider themselves the guardians of the forests, nature and representatives of the Howling God. To this end, they antagonize the humans who approach the outskirts of their forests to hunt or cut down trees for timber. In revenge, Saurians launch punitive expeditions against human settlements. These do not reach the cities and fortresses of civilized races, so they are often dismissed as peasant tales. Most gruesome are the rumors that the lizard-like warriors capture the young and powerful, and leave the elderly to mourn the loss of their families and to spread the word. If soldiers arrive to defend against this threat, the Saurians redouble their efforts to rid the vicinity of humans. Although they do not use fire, the Saurians always leave their victim's territory laced with poison and infested with vines and thorns.
Deep in the forests, the Saurians build elaborate shrines to the Howling God, their deity. These constructs are built from colored stones, decorated with gold, gems and the remains of their victims. Each contains an altar to the Howling God and attended by Blood priests. When a raid is successful, warriors return with nets laden with captives. Every one of them undergoes a lengthy preparation for sacrifice, involving cuts, incisions and hallucinogens. Their screams echo throughout the forest for many nights. When all falls silent, the Howling God answers the priests' prayer with a strong wind that blasts through the trees.
For following their God's decree, the blood of the sacrifices turns into mana, a clear liquid infused with magical energy. This liquid is jealously kept by the Blood priests, and distributed to the mightiest warriors before battle. Most inter-tribal warfare revolves around capturing these reserves.
Fighting against Saurian force, when crocodilians and amphibians are united in their greater hatred of other factions, is a terrifying prospect. They are masters of stealth, able to lie in wait for days on end to prepare for an ambush. In their own element, they might as well be invisible. The crocodilian warriors are massive and powerful, able to use simple weapons and protected by their natural armor. When infused with mana, they become unstoppable beasts, fearless and able to regenerate wounds in minutes. Behind them, amphibian rangers flank their enemy either as troops mounted on the dumber crocodilians, or as archers shooting poisoned ammunition. At the rear, Blood priests invoke the Howling God to empower them and cast ancient spells.
The Saurian Tribes:
As with the rules revision, here are the rules governing the Saurian army:
Faction rules:
[Ancient Saurians: These creatures lead exceptionally long lives and can grow into massive monsters of unparalleled strength.]: +5 Hitpoints.
[Primitive: A hatred of fire and a lack of advanced technology mean that armor is of the most basic type.]: -5 Defense.
Unit rules:
Movement:
[Nimble footing: Learning to move through the thick undergrowth of forests has granted Saurians an instinctive ability to master difficult terrain]: No movement penalty on Difficult Terrain for Foot units.
[Dangerous Mounts: Amphibians often have to trick their mounts into serving them. This doesn't always end well for the rider]: 10% chance of 1 Damage dealt to each Mounted Unit during the Movement Phase.
[Canopy Fliers: Maneuvering between trees has made the Saurian's flying beasts very agile both in the sky and on the ground, but their wings are shorter.]: +1 Speed. Remove Flying skill. Add [Forest Wings](Locked)(Free) During the Movement Phase, increase the Movement Range by 50%.
Type:
[Reptilian Warriors: Warriors can use natural weaponry in addition to their blades.]: +1 Attack to Warriors.
[Masters of Stealth: Rangers are incredibly good at camouflage and become hard to hit.]: -10% Damage taken during an enemy's Shooting Phase to Rangers.
[Titanic Beasts: Long-lived crocodilians grow to incredible sizes and become unstoppable forces.]: +1 Hitpoints to Monsters.
[Primitive Structures: Building is a religious affair, and Saurians do not rely on weapons of war.]: +10 point cost to Structures.
Regiment rules:
[Tribal Warfare: The tribes are not accustomed to working together. Some may want to settle disputes on the battlefield]: Regiments may only contain one unit type (Warriors, Rangers, Monsters, Structures)
Sample Faction Skills:
[Poison Blades] (Level 2)(Saurian)(Warrior): Damage dealt by this unit to an enemy Regiment is dealt again during the enemy Regiment's next Movement Phase.
[Poison Arrows] (Level 3)(Saurian)(Ranger): Damage dealt by this unit to an enemy Regiment is dealt again during the enemy Regiment's next Movement Phase.
[Reptilian Regeneration] (Level 2)(Saurian)(Monster): If this unit is not killed at the end of a Damage Phase, restore all hitpoints.
[Stealth] (Level 1)(Saurian): Reduce damage taken from an enemy Regiment during a Shooting Phase by 25%.
[Cold Blood] (Level 1)(Saurian): If this unit's Regiment skips a Movement phase, then gain 1 Hitpoint and lose 1 Attack.
[Sacred Cannibalism] (Level 3)(Saurian)(Monster): If another unit in this unit's Regiment dies after a Damage Phase, there is a 50% chance of adding one of the dead unit's hitpoints to the hitpoint total of this unit. The turn player choose which dead unit is targeted for this effect. Only one Sacred Cannibalism can be used per Regiment per turn.
Sample player spells:
Howling God's Revenge: Target 1 enemy Regiment that has attacked one of your Regiments this turn in Melee and dealt Damage. Deal Damage to the targeted Regiment equal to the Damage taken by your Regiment in the Damage Phase that resulted.
Sudden Undergrowth: Target an area of the battlefield. Apply Dense Forest terrain to a circle 10cm in diameter.
Howling God's Mercy. Target 1 of your Regiments that has lost units following Melee combat with an enemy Regiment this turn. Revive those units.
What do these mean for the Saurian army?
The army in general can absorb a great many hits before losing units. Even the smallest units have access to an incredible 6 hitpoints, and it gets better from there. Monsters gain another 1 hitpoint for a total of 7 hitpoints on 1 point invested. However, the Primitive rule means that they have very poor defense. The hitpoints will melt away under a coordinated attack.
There are three ways to counter this. The first is to create units with very high attack and speed, in essence, shock troops. These will move first to concentrate on one enemy regiment at a time, destroying them outright before they are in a position to counter-attack. The second is to create 'inflitrators' using one of the several, cheap faction skills such as Stealth and Poison. These units use high speed to attack an enemy regiment and poison the troops, dealing disproportionate levels of damage on the the next turn. The third solution is to concentrate on Monsters. With additional hitpoints and access to Regeneration skills, these super-units can tie up entire regiments while your other troops flank them.
The Dangerous Mounts rule is problematic, as several movement phases in a row can lead to random losses. The best option is to add a lot of speed points to reduce the number of Movement phases. The alternative is to using Flying troops. Although they do not have the ability to escape enemy air troops, they do not suffer a movement penalty after attacking, allowing them to engage and escape elsewhere without being bogged down in combat.
The large point penalty on structures means that we cannot hope to compensate for the defense malus, but having a magical structure might be useful due to the powerful spells available to the player after a few turns of combat. The Tribal Warfare rule is also tricky to handle. Uni-type regiments are overall weaker than multi-type regiments, as they cannot compensate for the weaknesses of each type. This means that Warriors and Rangers cannot share the hitpoint pool of Monsters, and Warriors cannot protect Ramngers during a Melee Phase. This requires you to coordinate several regiments together...
Rules mentioned:
Structure rules: The most complicated unit type. Structures are of two types - ballistic or magic. A Ballistic structure has double the shooting range and double the damage dealt of a Ranger unit, but can only shoot every other turn. A Magic Structure allows you to play a second player spell of the structure's faction every other turn.
Damage: This refers to the difference between Attack and Defense, and not the sum of Attack points used in combat. Damage is distributed between units during the Damage phase. So, for example, the Stealth skill does not affect the Attack point sum of the enemy's Regiment.
Terrain: Players can choose to make a battlefield more interesting by creating terrain. Terrain is part of the battlefield subject to special rules that impact movement or combat between Regiments in that terrain. For example, the Dense Forest created by the Sudden Undergrowth player spell reduced movement speed for Foot and Mounted troops to a maximum of 10cm (or the equivalent of 1 speed), reduces the Attack point value used in Melee by 10% and reduces the attack point value used in Shooting by 25%. Very useful for Saurian players!
Lore:
Ask someone on the street what they know of the Saurians, and they'll describe the monsters from the tales told by their mother. Ask someone on the outskirts of a forest, and they'll glance nervously into the trees. All know of the Saurians, but few see them other as monsters that haunt the deep forests of Europe and the jugles of South America.
The Saurians are a reptilian race. They were spawned by the MetaSeed centuries before the first humans appeared, and by many, considered as the natural predators of Man. They have established themselves on all the continents, and have complete domain over the Americas.
In truth, the Saurians are a diverse mix of more or less humanoid creatures with crocodilian or amphibian features. The crocodilians resemble crocodiles with elongated limbs and a slightly upright posture. Vicious and long-lived, they form savage tribes that attack each other in cannabalistic raids, or wage war against their amphibian betheren. The latter are more-human-like in their posture, shape and abilities. They are more intelligent, mastering language and magic. Through cunning and deceit, they gather the crocodilians into their employ as powerful but untrustworthy allies.
If you added together the populations in Europe, Africa and the Americas, the Saurian civilization is much larger than that of any other race. However, they are fractured by internal strife and hatred between Saurians of crocodilian and amphibian descent. What unites them is their shared goal.
The Saurians consider themselves the guardians of the forests, nature and representatives of the Howling God. To this end, they antagonize the humans who approach the outskirts of their forests to hunt or cut down trees for timber. In revenge, Saurians launch punitive expeditions against human settlements. These do not reach the cities and fortresses of civilized races, so they are often dismissed as peasant tales. Most gruesome are the rumors that the lizard-like warriors capture the young and powerful, and leave the elderly to mourn the loss of their families and to spread the word. If soldiers arrive to defend against this threat, the Saurians redouble their efforts to rid the vicinity of humans. Although they do not use fire, the Saurians always leave their victim's territory laced with poison and infested with vines and thorns.
Deep in the forests, the Saurians build elaborate shrines to the Howling God, their deity. These constructs are built from colored stones, decorated with gold, gems and the remains of their victims. Each contains an altar to the Howling God and attended by Blood priests. When a raid is successful, warriors return with nets laden with captives. Every one of them undergoes a lengthy preparation for sacrifice, involving cuts, incisions and hallucinogens. Their screams echo throughout the forest for many nights. When all falls silent, the Howling God answers the priests' prayer with a strong wind that blasts through the trees.
For following their God's decree, the blood of the sacrifices turns into mana, a clear liquid infused with magical energy. This liquid is jealously kept by the Blood priests, and distributed to the mightiest warriors before battle. Most inter-tribal warfare revolves around capturing these reserves.
Fighting against Saurian force, when crocodilians and amphibians are united in their greater hatred of other factions, is a terrifying prospect. They are masters of stealth, able to lie in wait for days on end to prepare for an ambush. In their own element, they might as well be invisible. The crocodilian warriors are massive and powerful, able to use simple weapons and protected by their natural armor. When infused with mana, they become unstoppable beasts, fearless and able to regenerate wounds in minutes. Behind them, amphibian rangers flank their enemy either as troops mounted on the dumber crocodilians, or as archers shooting poisoned ammunition. At the rear, Blood priests invoke the Howling God to empower them and cast ancient spells.
The Saurian Tribes:
As with the rules revision, here are the rules governing the Saurian army:
Faction rules:
[Ancient Saurians: These creatures lead exceptionally long lives and can grow into massive monsters of unparalleled strength.]: +5 Hitpoints.
[Primitive: A hatred of fire and a lack of advanced technology mean that armor is of the most basic type.]: -5 Defense.
Unit rules:
Movement:
[Nimble footing: Learning to move through the thick undergrowth of forests has granted Saurians an instinctive ability to master difficult terrain]: No movement penalty on Difficult Terrain for Foot units.
[Dangerous Mounts: Amphibians often have to trick their mounts into serving them. This doesn't always end well for the rider]: 10% chance of 1 Damage dealt to each Mounted Unit during the Movement Phase.
[Canopy Fliers: Maneuvering between trees has made the Saurian's flying beasts very agile both in the sky and on the ground, but their wings are shorter.]: +1 Speed. Remove Flying skill. Add [Forest Wings](Locked)(Free) During the Movement Phase, increase the Movement Range by 50%.
Type:
[Reptilian Warriors: Warriors can use natural weaponry in addition to their blades.]: +1 Attack to Warriors.
[Masters of Stealth: Rangers are incredibly good at camouflage and become hard to hit.]: -10% Damage taken during an enemy's Shooting Phase to Rangers.
[Titanic Beasts: Long-lived crocodilians grow to incredible sizes and become unstoppable forces.]: +1 Hitpoints to Monsters.
[Primitive Structures: Building is a religious affair, and Saurians do not rely on weapons of war.]: +10 point cost to Structures.
Regiment rules:
[Tribal Warfare: The tribes are not accustomed to working together. Some may want to settle disputes on the battlefield]: Regiments may only contain one unit type (Warriors, Rangers, Monsters, Structures)
Sample Faction Skills:
[Poison Blades] (Level 2)(Saurian)(Warrior): Damage dealt by this unit to an enemy Regiment is dealt again during the enemy Regiment's next Movement Phase.
[Poison Arrows] (Level 3)(Saurian)(Ranger): Damage dealt by this unit to an enemy Regiment is dealt again during the enemy Regiment's next Movement Phase.
[Reptilian Regeneration] (Level 2)(Saurian)(Monster): If this unit is not killed at the end of a Damage Phase, restore all hitpoints.
[Stealth] (Level 1)(Saurian): Reduce damage taken from an enemy Regiment during a Shooting Phase by 25%.
[Cold Blood] (Level 1)(Saurian): If this unit's Regiment skips a Movement phase, then gain 1 Hitpoint and lose 1 Attack.
[Sacred Cannibalism] (Level 3)(Saurian)(Monster): If another unit in this unit's Regiment dies after a Damage Phase, there is a 50% chance of adding one of the dead unit's hitpoints to the hitpoint total of this unit. The turn player choose which dead unit is targeted for this effect. Only one Sacred Cannibalism can be used per Regiment per turn.
Sample player spells:
Howling God's Revenge: Target 1 enemy Regiment that has attacked one of your Regiments this turn in Melee and dealt Damage. Deal Damage to the targeted Regiment equal to the Damage taken by your Regiment in the Damage Phase that resulted.
Sudden Undergrowth: Target an area of the battlefield. Apply Dense Forest terrain to a circle 10cm in diameter.
Howling God's Mercy. Target 1 of your Regiments that has lost units following Melee combat with an enemy Regiment this turn. Revive those units.
What do these mean for the Saurian army?
The army in general can absorb a great many hits before losing units. Even the smallest units have access to an incredible 6 hitpoints, and it gets better from there. Monsters gain another 1 hitpoint for a total of 7 hitpoints on 1 point invested. However, the Primitive rule means that they have very poor defense. The hitpoints will melt away under a coordinated attack.
There are three ways to counter this. The first is to create units with very high attack and speed, in essence, shock troops. These will move first to concentrate on one enemy regiment at a time, destroying them outright before they are in a position to counter-attack. The second is to create 'inflitrators' using one of the several, cheap faction skills such as Stealth and Poison. These units use high speed to attack an enemy regiment and poison the troops, dealing disproportionate levels of damage on the the next turn. The third solution is to concentrate on Monsters. With additional hitpoints and access to Regeneration skills, these super-units can tie up entire regiments while your other troops flank them.
The Dangerous Mounts rule is problematic, as several movement phases in a row can lead to random losses. The best option is to add a lot of speed points to reduce the number of Movement phases. The alternative is to using Flying troops. Although they do not have the ability to escape enemy air troops, they do not suffer a movement penalty after attacking, allowing them to engage and escape elsewhere without being bogged down in combat.
The large point penalty on structures means that we cannot hope to compensate for the defense malus, but having a magical structure might be useful due to the powerful spells available to the player after a few turns of combat. The Tribal Warfare rule is also tricky to handle. Uni-type regiments are overall weaker than multi-type regiments, as they cannot compensate for the weaknesses of each type. This means that Warriors and Rangers cannot share the hitpoint pool of Monsters, and Warriors cannot protect Ramngers during a Melee Phase. This requires you to coordinate several regiments together...
Rules mentioned:
Structure rules: The most complicated unit type. Structures are of two types - ballistic or magic. A Ballistic structure has double the shooting range and double the damage dealt of a Ranger unit, but can only shoot every other turn. A Magic Structure allows you to play a second player spell of the structure's faction every other turn.
Damage: This refers to the difference between Attack and Defense, and not the sum of Attack points used in combat. Damage is distributed between units during the Damage phase. So, for example, the Stealth skill does not affect the Attack point sum of the enemy's Regiment.
Terrain: Players can choose to make a battlefield more interesting by creating terrain. Terrain is part of the battlefield subject to special rules that impact movement or combat between Regiments in that terrain. For example, the Dense Forest created by the Sudden Undergrowth player spell reduced movement speed for Foot and Mounted troops to a maximum of 10cm (or the equivalent of 1 speed), reduces the Attack point value used in Melee by 10% and reduces the attack point value used in Shooting by 25%. Very useful for Saurian players!
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
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MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
-
Elheru Aran
- Emperor's Hand
- Posts: 13073
- Joined: 2004-03-04 01:15am
- Location: Georgia
Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
No offense... but why does this go here rather than in Games and Computing? Because I'm not seeing a whole lot of, like, actual writing with characters and a plot and all that? Certainly you seem to have put some thought into this, but the whole "this is for a game" and then info-dumping stats and such kind of makes it come off as you're trying to publish a rulebook rather than an actual story. If you want to eventually post a story in this game-world that you've created, by all means post it here. You would get more constructive feedback on the gaming side of this thing in G&C rather than in this forum. Just my thoughts.
It's a strange world. Let's keep it that way.
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matterbeam
- Youngling
- Posts: 80
- Joined: 2016-04-04 08:52pm
Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
Sorry, I'm new to this forum. Should I get it moved by a moderator?Elheru Aran wrote:No offense... but why does this go here rather than in Games and Computing? Because I'm not seeing a whole lot of, like, actual writing with characters and a plot and all that? Certainly you seem to have put some thought into this, but the whole "this is for a game" and then info-dumping stats and such kind of makes it come off as you're trying to publish a rulebook rather than an actual story. If you want to eventually post a story in this game-world that you've created, by all means post it here. You would get more constructive feedback on the gaming side of this thing in G&C rather than in this forum. Just my thoughts.
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
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matterbeam
- Youngling
- Posts: 80
- Joined: 2016-04-04 08:52pm
Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
Before we go on any further, an over-view of the Armies will be useful:
Stone Empire:
Overall advantage: Defense. +3. Structures, Mounted Warriors
Overall disadvantage: Hitpoints. -3. Troop Warriors. Monsters and Flying.
Combat focus: Melee charges with ballistic support.
Special units: Armored knight. Ballista.
Playstyle reward: Skills that stun the enemy, Charge skill allows immediate engagement within movement range for all Mounted troops. Holy Mother Spells improve defense, charges and creates walls to protect regiments.
Black Kingdoms:
Overall advantage: Revival skill for all units. Foot Warriors.
Overall disadvantage: Speed -3. Rangers.
Combat focus: Melee engagement with Mounted support.
Special units: Vampiric Lord on horseback. Regenerating Ghouls.
Playstyle reward: Skills that ensnare opponent and increase movement range after consuming opponents. Black Spells that revive, empower or ensnare opponents.
Nautilids:
Overall advantage: Attack +3. Monsters.
Overall disadvantage: Drying Out Skill to all units. Defense penalty until end of opponent’s turn if they move. No flying.
Combat focus: Monsters supported by Troops.
Special units: Sea Monsters. Shark spearmen.
Playstyle reward: Skills to reflect the variety of sea creatures – shells, tentacles, poison or electroshock. Deep Spells negate Drying Out, deal direct damage and knockback, or change terrain into the sea tiles.
Free Realms:
Overall advantage: -3 point cost to all units. Rangers.
Overall disadvantage: -3 Defense. Monsters.
Combat focus: Massed Archers with mounted flankers.
Special units: Desert Raider. Light Archers.
Playstyle reward: Skills that increase flanking damage bonus and increase shooting proficiency. Desert Spells that limit enemy movement range, enemy shooting range and allow for second movement and shooting phases.
Saurians:
Overall advantage: +3 hitpoints. Monsters.
Overall disadvantage: -2 Defense, -1 Speed. Structures. Dangerous Mount skill, Tribal Warfare for Regiments.
Combat focus: Melee Monsters with Foot support
Special units: Regenerating Saurians. Poison infiltrators.
Playstyle reward: Skills that increase endurance of large monster units - Regeneration, Cannibalism, Magic protection. Howling God Spells that reward monster kills, revive monsters with kills, grant immunity to enemy shooting or spells for a turn.
Ashra:
Overall advantage: +3 Speed. Mounted Rangers.
Overall disadvantage: +3 point cost for all units. Structures.
Combat focus: Massed mounted archers with Foot Melee support.
Special units: Mounted Archer. Berserker Warrior.
Playstyle reward: Skills that prevent melee engagements (Parthian Shot) and restrict enemy Speed. Sorceror Cabal Spells that increase movement range, add Berzerk skills and kill specific units.
Vroz:
Overall advantage: Forced Evolution skill. Structures. Flying.
Overall disadvantage: Rangers.
Combat focus: Massed Foot Warriors with Structure support.
Special units: Swarmling. Energy Lance.
Playstyle reward: Skills that allow Forced Evolution to trigger more often, skills that increase Attack in Melee phase. Orbital Support Spells that allow Regiments to teleport, that deal direct damage to an area.
That's the tentative army balance for now. Next few posts will concentrate on the lore, with short stories prepared for each faction.
Stone Empire:
Overall advantage: Defense. +3. Structures, Mounted Warriors
Overall disadvantage: Hitpoints. -3. Troop Warriors. Monsters and Flying.
Combat focus: Melee charges with ballistic support.
Special units: Armored knight. Ballista.
Playstyle reward: Skills that stun the enemy, Charge skill allows immediate engagement within movement range for all Mounted troops. Holy Mother Spells improve defense, charges and creates walls to protect regiments.
Black Kingdoms:
Overall advantage: Revival skill for all units. Foot Warriors.
Overall disadvantage: Speed -3. Rangers.
Combat focus: Melee engagement with Mounted support.
Special units: Vampiric Lord on horseback. Regenerating Ghouls.
Playstyle reward: Skills that ensnare opponent and increase movement range after consuming opponents. Black Spells that revive, empower or ensnare opponents.
Nautilids:
Overall advantage: Attack +3. Monsters.
Overall disadvantage: Drying Out Skill to all units. Defense penalty until end of opponent’s turn if they move. No flying.
Combat focus: Monsters supported by Troops.
Special units: Sea Monsters. Shark spearmen.
Playstyle reward: Skills to reflect the variety of sea creatures – shells, tentacles, poison or electroshock. Deep Spells negate Drying Out, deal direct damage and knockback, or change terrain into the sea tiles.
Free Realms:
Overall advantage: -3 point cost to all units. Rangers.
Overall disadvantage: -3 Defense. Monsters.
Combat focus: Massed Archers with mounted flankers.
Special units: Desert Raider. Light Archers.
Playstyle reward: Skills that increase flanking damage bonus and increase shooting proficiency. Desert Spells that limit enemy movement range, enemy shooting range and allow for second movement and shooting phases.
Saurians:
Overall advantage: +3 hitpoints. Monsters.
Overall disadvantage: -2 Defense, -1 Speed. Structures. Dangerous Mount skill, Tribal Warfare for Regiments.
Combat focus: Melee Monsters with Foot support
Special units: Regenerating Saurians. Poison infiltrators.
Playstyle reward: Skills that increase endurance of large monster units - Regeneration, Cannibalism, Magic protection. Howling God Spells that reward monster kills, revive monsters with kills, grant immunity to enemy shooting or spells for a turn.
Ashra:
Overall advantage: +3 Speed. Mounted Rangers.
Overall disadvantage: +3 point cost for all units. Structures.
Combat focus: Massed mounted archers with Foot Melee support.
Special units: Mounted Archer. Berserker Warrior.
Playstyle reward: Skills that prevent melee engagements (Parthian Shot) and restrict enemy Speed. Sorceror Cabal Spells that increase movement range, add Berzerk skills and kill specific units.
Vroz:
Overall advantage: Forced Evolution skill. Structures. Flying.
Overall disadvantage: Rangers.
Combat focus: Massed Foot Warriors with Structure support.
Special units: Swarmling. Energy Lance.
Playstyle reward: Skills that allow Forced Evolution to trigger more often, skills that increase Attack in Melee phase. Orbital Support Spells that allow Regiments to teleport, that deal direct damage to an area.
That's the tentative army balance for now. Next few posts will concentrate on the lore, with short stories prepared for each faction.
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
Moved upon request.
Whoever says "education does not matter" can try ignorance
------------
A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient, to look the other way. Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what'? A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult! - Chief Judge Haywood
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My LPs
------------
A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient, to look the other way. Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what'? A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult! - Chief Judge Haywood
------------
My LPs
-
matterbeam
- Youngling
- Posts: 80
- Joined: 2016-04-04 08:52pm
Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
Thanks.Thanas wrote:Moved upon request.
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
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matterbeam
- Youngling
- Posts: 80
- Joined: 2016-04-04 08:52pm
Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
An introduction to all factions:
Nautilids:
Masters of the Sea. Spawned on the coasts of America, they multiplied and moved deeper into the oceans. They are divided into clans, each led by a Fertile Queen. From her are born myriad hybrids of sharks, eels, octupii and various other humanoid nightmares. They enslaved the ocean's largest and most fearesome predators and used them as military forces to guarantee their power above and below the waves. However, their reign has been cut short. An even more ancient force has awakened in the darkest depths of the ocean, and it terrifies them. Today, they recklessly raid the Empire's shores and the Saurian's river banks, hoping to establish a foothold on land. Pushed forward by their Queen, they drive deeper and deeper into the land, trying to carve out a new domain for themselves...
Saurians:
The oldest and most powerful faction. Crocodilian, amphibian and other lizards that walk upright roam the forests and jungles of the world. They are self-proclaimed guardians of nature, and do not take well to human incursions. They retaliate with frequent raids, each time abducting victims to sacrifice in elaborate rituals to the Howling God. Retaliation is met with overwhelming force, and the battlefields are left poisoned and devoid of all warm-blooded life. If it were not for the generations of inter-tribal warfare, they could conquer the world in short order.
Ashra:
The scourge of the plains. These nomadic hordes lay waste to the Asian plains and the African Savannah. Their skin is red and orange, and their short stature is marred by demonic features. They used to belong to a sophisticated civilization in India, rich in culture, open to trade and thirsty for knowledge... until they were driven mad by their discoveries. The Ashra's ancestors demolished their own cities, burned their works of art and rode out onto the plains, now led by a Cabal of Sorcerors and a Centaur King. Each generation is raised to become fanatical warriors and silent assassins, with children willingly given up at the Sorcerors' request. Each year, the young as sent off on suicidal raids, but the lands they invade are burn down only to be abandoned in an uncomprehensible quest for destruction.
Black Kingdoms:
Long ago, Man's greatest achievement was the Republic, that spanned the entirety of Europe. It grew decadent over time, and young nobles ventured into the Northern wastelands in search of magical power. In the snow, they found what they were looking for. Immortality! But the cost was their humanity. Every year of their life from there-on would be at the cost of an innocent's blood. When they returned to the Republic, they grew rich and powerful, and infiltrated the highest spheres of power. In one night, they decapitated the Republic and revealed themselves as the Vampires. Today, the Black Kingdoms occupy the magnificent capital of the Republic. Each is centered on a Vampire King, centuries old, and is populated by hordes of undead ghouls.
Stone Empire:
Following the collapse of the Republic, men fled to the mountains in Western Europe. They burrowed inside, and starved in hiding for decades. When they re-emerged, they were changed. Harder, colder and united by the Holy Goddess. The rulers murdered each other over the newly acquired land and soon, an Emperor emerged. He rules the population with an iron fist, and kept in power by a totalitarian, theological state with frequent purges, public hangings and religious inquisitions. Paranoid and determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past, every farm has a wall, every road has a watchtower and every mountain is defended by a fortress, lending the name of 'Stone Empire'.
Free Realms:
Few men dared brave the seas and deserts to escape southwards from the Vampires and the Ashra. Today, their children form the Free Realms, an amalgam of republics, nation-states, tribes and clans that ring the Inner Sea. They have been joined since then by Stone Empire refugees and sometimes even non-humans... Although all enjoy freedom and can avoid persecution of their home state, the Free Realms does have some dark corners. Some, pushed by greed, turn to piracy, others, seeking power, dabble in the dark arts...
Vroz:
Long ago, a predatory alien race detected the explosion of energy released by the wars of the first humans. They sent an expeditionary force, intent on subjugating this new world and add it to the list of their countless victims. However, the interstellar voyage took its toll. Radiation sickness, malfunctions and in-breeding has left the Vroz as only a shadow of their former selves. With their objective in sight, they are only able to send off small portions of their number down to Earth. These creatures blindly obey their extraterrestrial masters, and try to pave the way for a full invasion. Despite their failings, the Vroz can still field unfathomable technologies and power enough to wipe out all life on Earth. Only by uniting human and non-human can they be beaten, but that is the least likely of outcomes...
Nautilids:
Masters of the Sea. Spawned on the coasts of America, they multiplied and moved deeper into the oceans. They are divided into clans, each led by a Fertile Queen. From her are born myriad hybrids of sharks, eels, octupii and various other humanoid nightmares. They enslaved the ocean's largest and most fearesome predators and used them as military forces to guarantee their power above and below the waves. However, their reign has been cut short. An even more ancient force has awakened in the darkest depths of the ocean, and it terrifies them. Today, they recklessly raid the Empire's shores and the Saurian's river banks, hoping to establish a foothold on land. Pushed forward by their Queen, they drive deeper and deeper into the land, trying to carve out a new domain for themselves...
Saurians:
The oldest and most powerful faction. Crocodilian, amphibian and other lizards that walk upright roam the forests and jungles of the world. They are self-proclaimed guardians of nature, and do not take well to human incursions. They retaliate with frequent raids, each time abducting victims to sacrifice in elaborate rituals to the Howling God. Retaliation is met with overwhelming force, and the battlefields are left poisoned and devoid of all warm-blooded life. If it were not for the generations of inter-tribal warfare, they could conquer the world in short order.
Ashra:
The scourge of the plains. These nomadic hordes lay waste to the Asian plains and the African Savannah. Their skin is red and orange, and their short stature is marred by demonic features. They used to belong to a sophisticated civilization in India, rich in culture, open to trade and thirsty for knowledge... until they were driven mad by their discoveries. The Ashra's ancestors demolished their own cities, burned their works of art and rode out onto the plains, now led by a Cabal of Sorcerors and a Centaur King. Each generation is raised to become fanatical warriors and silent assassins, with children willingly given up at the Sorcerors' request. Each year, the young as sent off on suicidal raids, but the lands they invade are burn down only to be abandoned in an uncomprehensible quest for destruction.
Black Kingdoms:
Long ago, Man's greatest achievement was the Republic, that spanned the entirety of Europe. It grew decadent over time, and young nobles ventured into the Northern wastelands in search of magical power. In the snow, they found what they were looking for. Immortality! But the cost was their humanity. Every year of their life from there-on would be at the cost of an innocent's blood. When they returned to the Republic, they grew rich and powerful, and infiltrated the highest spheres of power. In one night, they decapitated the Republic and revealed themselves as the Vampires. Today, the Black Kingdoms occupy the magnificent capital of the Republic. Each is centered on a Vampire King, centuries old, and is populated by hordes of undead ghouls.
Stone Empire:
Following the collapse of the Republic, men fled to the mountains in Western Europe. They burrowed inside, and starved in hiding for decades. When they re-emerged, they were changed. Harder, colder and united by the Holy Goddess. The rulers murdered each other over the newly acquired land and soon, an Emperor emerged. He rules the population with an iron fist, and kept in power by a totalitarian, theological state with frequent purges, public hangings and religious inquisitions. Paranoid and determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past, every farm has a wall, every road has a watchtower and every mountain is defended by a fortress, lending the name of 'Stone Empire'.
Free Realms:
Few men dared brave the seas and deserts to escape southwards from the Vampires and the Ashra. Today, their children form the Free Realms, an amalgam of republics, nation-states, tribes and clans that ring the Inner Sea. They have been joined since then by Stone Empire refugees and sometimes even non-humans... Although all enjoy freedom and can avoid persecution of their home state, the Free Realms does have some dark corners. Some, pushed by greed, turn to piracy, others, seeking power, dabble in the dark arts...
Vroz:
Long ago, a predatory alien race detected the explosion of energy released by the wars of the first humans. They sent an expeditionary force, intent on subjugating this new world and add it to the list of their countless victims. However, the interstellar voyage took its toll. Radiation sickness, malfunctions and in-breeding has left the Vroz as only a shadow of their former selves. With their objective in sight, they are only able to send off small portions of their number down to Earth. These creatures blindly obey their extraterrestrial masters, and try to pave the way for a full invasion. Despite their failings, the Vroz can still field unfathomable technologies and power enough to wipe out all life on Earth. Only by uniting human and non-human can they be beaten, but that is the least likely of outcomes...
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
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matterbeam
- Youngling
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Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
I am reading all of these. I just don't have much to add.
"Aid, trade, green technology and peace." - Hans Rosling.
"Welcome to SDN, where we can't see the forest because walking into trees repeatedly feels good, bro." - Mr Coffee
"Welcome to SDN, where we can't see the forest because walking into trees repeatedly feels good, bro." - Mr Coffee
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matterbeam
- Youngling
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Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
Thank you very much.madd0ct0r wrote:I am reading all of these. I just don't have much to add.
After the map, my current project is to write up 'Army Books' blatantly ripped off from the Warhammer format.
General Book
-Introduction to the setting
-Unit Design
-List of generic skills and spells
-Army assembly
-Combat
Faction Book
-Brief introduction to the faction
-Focus on the territory owned and bordering factions
-Some fluff - short stories, major characters
-Faction - specific rules
-List of faction skills
-List of faction spells
-Hints and tips
-Example of a faction army
-A battle report showcasing an army built to the faction's strengths
I hope that if I put such documents in an easy-to-read PDF with lots of illustrations in the background, they'd gain some readership.
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
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Elheru Aran
- Emperor's Hand
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Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
Are you considering any kind of profit creation with this, or is your intent for it to be entirely open source? Because publishing it here essentially makes it open-source to a certain degree, far enough that most game publishers won't touch it with a ten-foot pole if you try to sell it to them.
It's a strange world. Let's keep it that way.
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matterbeam
- Youngling
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Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
No intention of generating profit from this. This is my first complete game and I have no illusions as to its worth on a crowded market.Elheru Aran wrote:Are you considering any kind of profit creation with this, or is your intent for it to be entirely open source? Because publishing it here essentially makes it open-source to a certain degree, far enough that most game publishers won't touch it with a ten-foot pole if you try to sell it to them.
To be honest, this was a second-best choice. My original vision was a tactical wargame iOS/Android application that would fit the unit customization, combat damage tracking and calculation perfectly, and would add an exciting layer of player progress. The production would be similar to Heartstone on a map - just UI, cards and more UI, instead of, say, 3D models, animations and the hundreds of hous of work put into something like Summers' War ect. Then I looked into the amount of work required to realize that dream, and I realized that it is entirely out of my reach.
So, tabletop game it is.
With no miniatures, because I've never been able to afford them and I don't expect others to do so.
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
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Elheru Aran
- Emperor's Hand
- Posts: 13073
- Joined: 2004-03-04 01:15am
- Location: Georgia
Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
So, this is basically just a hobby project for you?
*thumbs up* Good luck, have fun. Just don't get *too* invested in it, yeah?
*thumbs up* Good luck, have fun. Just don't get *too* invested in it, yeah?
It's a strange world. Let's keep it that way.
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matterbeam
- Youngling
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Re: MetaSeed - worldbuilding and game design
Finally put together a version 1 of the core rulebook.
Will add pictures, art, flavor text and accompanying Army Book as soon as possible:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9dru0s91zd0sb ... d.pdf?dl=0
Will add pictures, art, flavor text and accompanying Army Book as soon as possible:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9dru0s91zd0sb ... d.pdf?dl=0
Google + : matterbeamTSF
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion
Hard SF blog: ToughSF
MetaSeed: Worldbuilding and Game Design discussion