Interest Check/ Dev Diaries; Broke_Games

[iisbroke]

Hello I'm a GM on this forum thread. I'm making this thread to figure out what sort of games my usual audience would want next once my current one is completed. They may not like it but I will need to end Factions of Abrana by the beginning of August or even July (if I get an internship I signed up for, where I'll be living on campus as a tutor for a month). I won't stop GMing but a game as complex as Abrana, isn't something I'm confident in running during those times.

I am torn between two games I've been developing on and off. The first is a more serious game and an attempt to create a new forum game type. The other is one I've joked about frequently on IRC with fellow GMs. Below you will have two spoiler tabs with notes and work I have completed for both those games. After that is a straw poll for people to take. Whichever one wins by the end of the week, will become the game worked on in this thread. With irregular status updates on it.

Spoiler: BATTLEGROUND

Genre:
Sci-Fi- players are skilled aliens, mercenaries, soldiers, and the like. Power is pyschic abilities
Fantasy- players are demi gods seeking to gain enough power in a divine war to ascend to divinity. Power is supernatural


1 turn = 1 week in game

Players sign up and are divided into teams.

Teams attempt to take key positions and reource nodes on a map. This helps the army they are with push into gaining an upper hand.

Players have stats, traits, and items.

Stats: Strength, Dexterity, Willpower, Awarness, Stealth, etcetera <-- look more in-depth on these

Traits: they make a series of traits and I determine what it does and roll for which ones they get.

Items: item slots are Torso, Legs, Arms, Large weapon, small weapon, and 2 other.

Example

Name; will
Stats; Strenght(9), Dexterity(12), Willpower(3). . .
Traits; clumsy (-3 to stealth rolls)
Items: Small(pistol, +3dmg light armor), Large(bazooka, +50 dmg machine), Torso (kevlar vest, +4 armor class), other(binoculars, +1 awareness)

Constitution - health

Armor - like an extra health bar

Agility - determines how fast a player moves over certain terrain

Strength - melee damage

Precision - range damage

Stealth - ability to remain unseen

Equipment: Main Hand/ Off Hand or Two hand weapon, Head Gear, Torso, Legs, Arms, 2 Utility items (grenades, cloaking device), Extra (a backpack to carry more goods, a knife, spare gun, or ammunition).

Map is on a hex grid, different terrain offers different pros and cons?

Existing Stat sheet

Spoiler: GM META GAME

I thought this one would simply be funny. I draw a lot of information off of an old thread I attempted before my three month hiatus from the forums. Shop Talk where there are GMs and players discussing aspects of forum game creation.

<image>​

Enter now into a seedy world of intrigue and cut-throat competition. Here you watch brave heroes type their glory, and watch them laid low by trolls. Where the IC is undermined by OOC ambitions. Gaze in humorous horror as witch hunts are performed daily and innocents are hung for suspect lycanthropy. All the while moderators turn a blind eye to such suffering. A sub-thread of a sub-thread, where your posts do not count — in your profile stats. Welcome to the OT forum games, master. . .

Character Sheet

Game Specialty - only 1
Traits - 3
Game Bio -

Game Specialties:
Werewolf/cardgames - games based off popular card games. Tehre are some differences bu the core mechanics remain the same.
Resistance/board games - games based off classic and contemporary boards games. Their mechanics don't always parrallel those of of the parent medium, yet spring off of it easily enough.
WiR style/nation games - games with complex stats that simulate playing nations in various worlds including our own.
RP games - games centered around creating interesting stories through IC posts, rather than mechanics.
Casual iAARS/ Ineractive games - these are games are rare but often take away qualities of interactvie AARs but are either for games not published by Paradox or simply presented in a less strict and rule heavy fashion than those that are.


Traits:
Work in Progress. Will most likely be rolled for players and they'll be presented three combinations to pick from.

VOTE HERE <-- Poll closed as of June 13, 2016

 

[iisbroke]

Huh so as of this post it's a vote of 8:0 in Battleground's favor. I'll keep the vote open for a little while still. After all this thread was made today.

Still I think it's safe to assume the majority are looking toward Battleground, from the votes and what people have told me on my IRC channel. I'm going to leave an open ended question that I hope people will answer.

What genre/setting do you want?

Normally I do mechnics first but for the item lists and maps I need to have a genre and setting.

 

[barkardes]

I would love to see a fantasy setting.

 

[Rovsea]

Honestly I would prefer something in the Sci-Fi sector for Battleground.

 

[Gorganslayer]

I would prefer Sci-fi like Rovsea says

 

[iisbroke]

Thing is I could attempt to combine the two, I mean they are in the same section in libraries, but I'm not sure how to do that.

 

[Rovsea]

Thing is I could attempt to combine the two, I mean they are in the same section in libraries, but I'm not sure how to do that.

It's pretty simple. Act like it's starwars, but not just jedi and sith have the force/magic.

 

[iisbroke]

It's pretty simple. Act like it's starwars, but not just jedi and sith have the force/magic.

If I did it, the game setting would draw on Deicide to some extent in order to be a full on spiritual successor. That game was funish but rushed filler *not lying about that*. I will work on some intro posts to all three possibilities. Nothing fancy just something to set the atmosphere and get a feel for it.

 

[Rovsea]

If I did it, the game setting would draw on Deicide to some extent in order to be a full on spiritual successor. That game was funish but rushed filler *not lying about that*. I will work on some intro posts to all three possibilities. Nothing fancy just something to set the atmosphere and get a feel for it.

Cyberpunk magic crossover. Do it. No ascension of gods.

 

[iisbroke]

Fantasy:

War has come. Every manner of creature crawls to the fields of Kharfal; all will die. As great hordes and armies clash for the throne of the known world heroes are made. Those with the drive and power to achieve greatness strike upon the fields. It matters little whose side they fight on only the glory, the wealth, the power. With each victory their mastery of magic swells, along with their legend.

Mixed:

Magic is real, who would have thought. All the centuries spent proving it wrong, and all we did was prove our own superstitious expectations to be false. Magic comes from gods and they have children. Demigods, if you prefer to be Greek about it, Nephilim if Jewish. Point is that is real. . . It was a shock but not as much a shock as when the Isie invaded. Aliens was one thing, but aliens casting magic in the name of a mad god is entirely different. In response a new generation of beings with divine heritage sprung up. Now they fight in the name of their gods against the each other, and the Isie. It all depends on what side they think will gain them the most power. See there is a way for them to reach a higher plane of existence, even a pseudo godhood. They simply need to gain power, through great feats. They've all flocked now to the Lambda section on P-0XV where the latest battle against an alien force has commenced.

Sci-Fi:

"You know father said it happened when word came of some war. One back in Sol. I was too young to care for the politics, but everyone else wasn't. Ended up getting into some such arguments. Finger pointin, accusations, acts of aggression, cryin. There was a lot of cryin when people mentioned it, like someone died. In a few years we all split, a colony meant to show unity. Is that ironic? Oh well point is they all call themselves by their own little names now. We're still fightin, to see who rules this tiny little rock, just like they did back home. There's the Eagles and Lions together, fightin against the Bears and Dragons. You'll have to fight one day too sport. I just wish I could have told you all this before I died." The video transmission ends.



((I'm sure I can also combine more of the fantasy or sci-fi elements into the Mixed one depending on which are more popular.))
Poll

 

[Rovsea]

Oooooh. I take it back. Give me the Sci-Fi one. It sounds so interesting.

 

[iisbroke]

Cyberpunk magic crossover. Do it. No ascension of gods.

Doesn't cyberpunk deal more with the dregs of society in a sci-fi universe and less with large scale fighting? I don't feel like that's the best fit for this type of game. Perhaps you could elaborate more on it?

 

[iisbroke]

Oooooh. I take it back. Give me the Sci-Fi one. It sounds so interesting.

lol okay XD

 

[iisbroke]

((New mechanics made and tweaked))

Map is on a hex grid, different terrain offers different pros and cons?

Strength = Melee Damage
Precision = Ranged Damage
Armor = Absorbs Damage
Consitution = Health
Agility = Movement Speed
Stealth = ability to remain concealed
Power = abilities

Combat:
Opposing teams will be fighting each other. How combat works is crude but simple. Melee weapons are very powerful in terms of raw damage, ranged weapons give precsision for ranged damage. Both need to take out an opponent's armor.

Until death or unless a player reaches a defense hub neither their armor nor health will recooperate unless through some ability. Like I said, crude but simple. A basic math number game. An opponent as 10 armor and 5 health. You deal 12 damage, the opponent now has 0 Armor and 3 health.

You could stack armor true to make yourself more likely to live, though that means it'll take much longer for you to move about the map. Each Ranged wepon provides atleast 1 hex of range. Meaning a high agility ranged player could wittle down your armor and then health. Yet, because melee wepons do so much damage, once you catch them you'll most likely win.

That was one example. There are a number of combinations you can customize for your character to fight with. You could have stealthy sharpshooter, a walking tank, paper tiger/glass cannon, a pure agility character that scouts exclusively, or a character that specializes in gaing a lot of power for abilities.

Weapon ranges:
Short range = melee, on same hex
Medium range = can attack from 1 hex or on same hex.
Long range = can attack from 2 hexs away, but not on same hex.

Objectives:
These are key points on the map that assist your team in winning. Mechanically speaking there are some classification of objectives to meet.
<img>Resource - resources are very important to the army your fighting with. Should an army run out of resources it will be much harder to obtain new items for players, and weaken your reinforcements.
<img>Ability - some nodes on the map provide your team with a certain ability or buff. These can vary considerably but do give an advantage you do not want the enemy team to have.
<img>Reinforce - every team's starting hub is a reinforcement objective. These provide basic soldiers (cannon fodders). They also help cover map space for your team, but are extremely weak to players.
<img>Defense - there are a few positions on the map that are especially hard to take. Think of it as a modified ability objective. These are strategic points that act as new respawn hubs for players. Players also recieve additional armor bonuses wihtin these zones, should it be their team owning it.

 

[Rovsea]

Would it be possible to create a highly agile melee character with abilities to move things and deflect incoming damage?

 

[iisbroke]

Would it be possible to create a highly agile melee character with abilities to move things and deflect incoming damage?

yes. I just haven't fleshed out the item list nor abilities because their names and all revolve around the setting.

 

[Rovsea]

yes. I just haven't fleshed out the item list nor abilities because their names and all revolve around the setting.

You didn't get what I was referencing. That's a shame.

 

[iisbroke]

Hot damn the poll's still open but the Fantasy and Sci-Fi one are neck in neck. Personally I 'd like to do Sci-Fi, take a break from fantasy. If fantasy does win I'm fine I'll just do the sci-fi one in the next Battleground.

I still feel that if we could somehow combine both settings everyone would be, not happy but, okay with it. Though I'm not surprised everyone has their own prefered style an most of my current game audience are used to me doing fantasy games. Currently Rovsea is the only one commenting in this thread, but I see plenty of people who view it. Please any input into the setting, or mechanics would be immensely appreciated. Make the post 5k words if you want, I'll read it all and comment. Just like when I was making Landfallen 2 and now Abrana I value your inputs.

 

[iisbroke]

News:
Okay so it looks like a 49:50 split in the poll between the fantasy setting and sci-fi setting. That poll allowed multiple voting to see what people liked best out of their options. This is the final poll before I start developing item lists and the like. The final showdown between which setting the first battleground game will have. Fantasy or Sci-Fi. Poll

I will close the poll on Monday.

 

[iisbroke]

I have to say it was very close poll. I mean 12 for fantasy and 9 for Sci-fi. Hopefully our lovely sci-fi voters will find something they like in battleground's fantasy setting. If not the second battleground will be that sci-fi setting, and will be updated to fix any issues that were common in this one. New game type for me remember? Without further stalling I present a draft of the overall setting. With optional mood music.

Spoiler: music

Battleground: Zurdoz

​

It is time. . . war rages across the world of Nonus. Campaigns and battles rage across the landscape. In the lands of Kharfeil a battle rages near the orcish town of Zurdoz. Human forces of the Kingdom of Notha got into a skirmish and have become bogged down as more of the orcish forces rush in. Mortal armies rush blindly to their deaths, destroying all in their path, while heroes rise from the ashes to lead these forces to glory. From this glory they gain power and from power, victory.

Kingdom of Notha
Leader: King Arius Huml
Commander: General Tristan Caeldun
The Kingdom Notha has counter invaded the Clanships of Duak. Are kingdom was one of peace before these orcs started raiding us unjustly. They are a vile and disgusting group of beasts that must be put down. For eight generations we have tried to hold off these creatures, safeguarding the civilized world. After the last orcish invasion was stopped it is time for my people to end this threat once and for all. We shall show the orcs what it is like to live in fear of massacre. It is their farms that shall be razed, their lives stripped away, their women raped, and children butchered. Out host has become entangled at the settlement of Zurdoz. All those loyal to Notha or its allies come and fight with us. Join our campaign to end these beasts.
[Will give more description if players want]

Clanships of Duak
Leader: Tyrant Thamok Blackeye
Commander: Warlord Gromok Rockskull
Rahahahhaha!. . . these puny humans invade us? They got lucky at the battle of Torton, where our great raid broke. We will rally the rest the rest of the clans and slaughter this ironed pigs. These lands belong to the clanship, as does all of Notha. For eight generations we have tried to reclaim our ancestral lands from the unwitting usurpers. These men must not be allowed to succeed in pressing any deeper into our home. Come for glory and survival, come and strike down these curs.
[Will give more description if players want]

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++​

Let me know what you all think of this. Also yes you can be any race on any side if you want. You could be an orc with the humans, a giant, or a crazy werewolf or something. This is basically mega-high-fantasy. Players can do ICs and stuff when game is going on if they want too, I won't encourage it like I have in other games. Also though I clearly draw from the Warcraft universe (orcs vs humans, with mood music from Warcraft II, and the Warcraft: Old Hatreds novel cover for picture) it isn't a Warcraft game Just had to point that out ahead of time XD