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Dev Diary #97: Pagan Pals - Warrior Lodges

Greetings!

This week we want to show you the work we have been doing on the new society type: Warrior Lodges!

(This is where you scroll down to play the sound clip found in this dev diary, for an insight into the background ambiance of the societies, and how the dev team sounds when we hang out)

It's a society perfect for the rowdy pagan or tribal ruler: the one who drinks, fights, and brags about it to your friends. Of course, underneath that rough surface, lies a heart that swells at the thought of camaraderie, and helping you defeat your enemies.

That said, joining isn't for everyone. You have to fight to prove yourself, and duels are not for the faint of heart.

Fleeing_initiation_duel.png


The ones that do make it into the Warrior Lodge can also insist that their children attempt the initiation!

Once a member, you can enjoy special events on the battlefield, and intimidating power. Going up against a member of a warrior lodge is a calculated risk, but only cowards back out of challenge. While you might lose a leg dueling your friend for sport, you could also end up founding a bloodline as a famous warrior hero, having your legacy stay with your dynasty through centuries.

Warrior Bloodline.png




Each playable pagan religion has its own version of a Warrior Lodge, with some unique touches to them. Art is of course one of them.

Society_Menu.png



Then we have things like Create Fetish, a Power exclusive to the African Warrior Lodge. It allows your ruler to order the forging of a special type of artifact, ranging from mere rain-sticks to scare off ghosts, to large totem masks infused with the energy of ancient spirits.


The mask artifacts come in many varieties and shapes, and as they can be equipped to a separate face slot in your Treasury they can appear on your character’s portrait whenever they are worn. Both their shape and effects will depend on investments made during their creation, as well as on the type of spirit you decide to infuse them with. Do you wish to channel the energy of a benevolent river god, or that of a trickster?

WLfetish.jpg



In addition to Powers, and the various missions you can choose to accept, you might also find yourself involved in side activities, such as feasting events and competitions. Make sure to always pick up the challenges from your fellow warriors, or you might lose influence within their circle, be it a drinking contest, an arm-wrestling match, or the Flyting game of patience, where you and your opponent will hurl all sorts of insults at each other, to see who loses his cool first. If that is you, do not fret: even if your character ends up horribly humiliated, nothing is stopping you from being a sore loser and challenging your opponent to real duel in the aftermath…

WLflyting.jpg


Duels are also no longer locked solely the War Focus, but all Warrior Lodge members can enjoy fighting all up close and personal. In general, duels are a large past time for members of these societies, and Personal Combat Rating has been revamped to fit the new system. Outcomes of the duels vary from mere bruises to severe injuries. There is naturally also the chance of one thing leading to another, and you might find yourself making friends (or lovers)...


Thank you for your time. :)
 

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The main idea with making them Pagan is that Pagans really have no society choices as it is. Christians have monastics and the hermetics. Most Pagans only have satanists and people can turn that off. Yeah, you could adapt them for certain Christians too, but the focus needs to be on Pagans.
 
dude this pagan lodge thing is good and I liked it but why muslim(expect shia) and mazdan characters dont have their own unique societies in reality both of these groups had many
sects and cults and they were influential even in politics I hope someday devs add societies to these religious groups too
 
So you won't implement the most important fighting schools in middle ages, german and Italian ones?
Are you referring to the German school of fencing and the Italian school of swordsmanship?
Those aren't societies, those are styles of medieval fencing. So how could you make them into a society? Doesn't really make sense.
imo, this would rather be a feature that could influence duels, maybe an event to learn the techniques and thus increasing your personal combat skill.
 
Are you referring to the German school of fencing and the Italian school of swordsmanship?
Those aren't societies, those are styles of medieval fencing. So how could you make them into a society? Doesn't really make sense.
imo, this would rather be a feature that could influence duels, maybe an event to learn the techniques and thus increasing your personal combat skill.

Not societies, warrior lodges ...
 
A warrior lodge is kinda like a society. Think all the fellows gathering around the mead hall, sharing stories, getting plastered, planning their next adventure.

So, exactly like Freemasons.

Contrast that with schools of swordsmanship. Don't need to be in any particular lodge or society to take advantage of German swordsmanship manuals. That can fall under the vague training that goes on in the War focus, say. From a gameplay perspective, I can also see the value in Pagans having their own special warrior lodges and benefits therein, to balance out the sheer glut of Christian holy orders and similar. Might gloss over some European equivalents, but gotta give the heathens a fighting chance.
 
Dude, he already answered lmfao.
But he didnt answer for the second time. Who knows what the answer will be.
I think that Prometheus tries to trick BlackNinja into hypnotic mantra. After some time BlackNinja will develop the awakening feeling of doubt and if he will meditate upon it for long enough, he will discover subtleties of time and space and learn how to bend time and company's resources in order to program faster and please every fan's request. An Australia dlc, Bunny Crusaders dlc, with fully fleshed bunny culture or spaghetti portrait packs and all the other stuff that everyone wants but nobody really hopes for - this kind of stuff can be only made possible through relentless stance of heroes such as Prometheus, so do not disturb his quest!
 
But he didnt answer for the second time. Who knows what the answer will be.

I think we need to ask thrice and for the devs to answer in kind. I think the devs are some sort of Sidhe lords.
 
I think we need to ask thrice and for the devs to answer in kind. I think the devs are some sort of Sidhe lords.

That would explain why the Favour system works the way it does, since the Sidhe love it when mortals make open-ended bargains. Of course, the inability to demand firstborn children is rather strange...
 
That would explain why the Favour system works the way it does, since the Sidhe love it when mortals make open-ended bargains. Of course, the inability to demand firstborn children is rather strange...
Can't you focre someone to tutor their child? That'd cover it :D