Personal Turn (PT) Discussion

[Ilium]

pt discussion

[sunspawn]

So, what are the stuff we (the players) can do during turns?

[Schwerpunkt]

We are nowhere near this point. But:

- Travel.
- Monster Hunts and Propositions.
- Craft.
- Train for "XP! XP! XP!" and JP.
- Train for BraveXP or FaithXP.
- Probably Patrol for the chance at random events.
- Possibly tutor and be tutored, depending on how we break down that kind of thing.
- Possibly actions to gather resources, depending on how we approach crafting.

Work on PTs can really only begin once we know about everything tangentially related to them. That means they're going to be some of the last things we tackle.

[Mordred]

Well, since crafting has come up in the other thread, it's maybe time to start thinking about noncombat roles that players can take on...

Besides the flavors of crafter, I came up with 2 kinds of civilian role for party members:

1) The Rumor Monger. This party role means that the character spends a lot of time in bars and stuff, picking up tips on upcoming Monster Hunts and other news, even Propositions. Having a good Rumormonger in the party gives your party a better chance of finding the monsters you're looking for in Hunts. It also gives members of your party a higher chance of getting into Props that the Rumormonger has investigated.

2) The Military Liaison. This character cultivates his contacts in the knightly orders, to the end of keeping your party on the list of "contractors" the orders call in when they have wetwork needs doing. A good Military Liaison allows his party to fight on battlefields more often, meaning they get military pay and immunity from prosecution for killing stuff, instead of just the loot they would normally get (and potential murder charges).

[Schwerpunkt]

Well, I don't see why we can't discuss it. I just think it's early.

That said, I do like the Rumor Monger. There would have to be a few actions directly related to do that (mainly revolving around sinking AP into a tavern somewhere). Maybe cost a trivial amount of gil.

Military Liaison I'm iffy about. Of the nine or so joinable factions in the game, four are basically conventional armies. Of the remaining factions, one's a paramilitary faction specializing in irregular warfare and one has a military arm. And then there's the rebel faction. Of all the joinable factions in the game, only two -- Besrudio's Braves (which will spend a lot of time spelunking and killing cave monsters) and Baert Trading Company (monster hunts galore) -- won't have clear military aims.

I expect most players to join one of the seven factions that deal heavily with fighting. I don't see Military Liaison having much of a point in that context, especially since the other two factions will almost certainly have clear intents.

[Mordred]

Is a game like this one in which traditional faction membership is really the right way to go about having players participate in the story? It seems to me that if players go around in posses of like-minded fellow players, the fundamental unit of storytelling will end up being the party rather than the faction.

That would kind of put factions towards the back burner as being quest givers and sources of story elements that the PCs then are responsible for driving forward. But I guess that's a different conversation, one which I'm trying to stay out of until we've figured out more of the fundamentals of battle mechanics.

[Ilium]

The fundamental unit of storytelling is the party, yes. Whatever goal these parties fight for, is obviously up to them. That's pretty much the direction we are going. All of the factions will be GMNPC ran, with the emphasis of strategy and politics put in the hands of the players to develop. There will be specific plot arcs that will occur regardless of player action, especially in the beta, but most of the player's time will be spent on missions or what not, be it as a journeyman hitching up with different parties in different towns, or as long standing comrades.

[Mordred]

Idea:

We all like Chemist, Squire, Bard, Dancer, Calculator, Scholar, Mime, etc. They're Classic Coke. However, they suck as classes; everything good about them has already been stolen and slapped onto another, better class. But that doesn't mean we can't use them.

Say "Hello" to Civilian Jobs. Everyone gets one, and it represents their profession outside of combat. When multiple characters with different Civilian Jobs get together, they can make more money plying their trade than they could alone. Imagine a Knight, who moonlights as a Bard. He will make more money if he partners up with a Dancer. Then, let's say the pair of them hire a Calculator to manage their finances - they'll all make even more money thanks to the Calculator's financial wizardry. Then, add a Squire to the mix: his social connections will help this little troupe get gigs at better venues with richer audiences, meaning even more money for all involved. Stacking more Dancers and the like will also increase cash flow, but the more of one Civvy Job you stack in a company, the less effective each one will be.

Companies can build appropriate headquarters buildings to help them improve their businesses - the company above, for instance, would build a Theater or a Bawdyhouse, depending on whether they were looking to appeal to nobles or commoners. A different company, led by a Sailor, might instead build a Trade Company in a coastal city, where they would warehouse trade goods. A company with a Calculator in charge might construct a Chartered Accountancy Firm. A Squire CEO might lead to a Military Academy. A Chemist? A Pharmacy. A Scholar? A Bookstore.

eh?

[kablizzy]

Brilliant. Simply, unfetteredly brilliant. I'm so hot for this, I can't even hold myself down.

Also, doing this would make me 1000% more apt to adopt a Primary / Secondary system, especially if some small (And I do mean small) concept of their combat class. Nothing big, but something, perhaps.

But, dude.

[Ilium]

Some concepts to pick around with:

Scrounge

Raise/Lower Brave/Faith

Craft: Needs overhaul due to our reworking of the system.

Personal Training

Write/Visit NPC

Rest

Heal

Move

Patrol: Raise city security, chance of random event

Tutor: we'll have to delve into this deeper and see if it is something we want to move forward with.

Fabricate: Craft Robes, Hats and Clothes

Smelt: Craft Swords, Spears, Armor, Daggers, Helmets

Gather: Fetch organic supplies for crafting items.

Mine: Fetch minerals for crafting items.