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Scrawled on muddy parchment, delivered by a very bedraggled carrier pigeon: Most Desplendent Majesty, As the people working your lands spread further into the nearby forests in search of game and timber, might I suggest the formation of a Foresters' Guild to help guide this development? The standards of the maps and footpaths in the forests are really rather poor, and the provision of a cadre of experts in woodcraft would doubtless provide many benefits all around, not least of which would be helping lost travelers to find their way. I would also like to ask you to lay to rest the rumours that the monsters which inhabit certain landmarks of your realm periodically roam the lands in search of prey. Whilst I am sure that this is merely baseless fearmongering and gossip, I feel it would be a relief to a great many people if you were to confirm this as untrue. With all most sincerity, Ingelbrecht Fjalarrsen, Forest of Dervgursheim, Somewhere in the vicinity of Goldwash.
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Mar 7, 2014 18:30
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I joined the kickstarter for Worlds of Magic, which is making a MoM clone-like game. They use d20 combat mechanics, and the spell schools are rather interesting. There are 12 spell schools in total: 6 "elemental" schools (4 basic elements, and life and death), and 6 effect school (like protection, destruction, summoning). You can have multiple levels in each. For example, Fireball is a lvl 3 fire/destruction spell. To be able to cast it, you either need 3 "books" of fire, or 3 of destruction, or 1 fire/2 destruction, or 2 fire/1 destruction. I'm not following the development that actively, so we'll see how it turns out.
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Mar 7, 2014 20:42
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OperaMouse posted:I joined the kickstarter for Worlds of Magic, which is making a MoM clone-like game.
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Mar 7, 2014 21:26
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NewMars posted:Fair enough. If we miss any due to them not spawning or being exterminated by the AI before we meet them, could you do a post or something at the end of the LP about what you might have done with them? Seconding this. I was so disappointed that you didn't go into the intricacies of Space Bear and Space Griffin culture.
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Mar 7, 2014 22:51
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Dear Queenie, A bunch of your little dwarf soldier guys tramped through my backyard in the middle of the forest about a week ago and told me that you'd set up shop just north of my house. Now I may be as Human as the next guy, but I'm not racist or anything. I'd be happy to have you folks as neighbors, just so long as you stop stepping all over my azaleas all the time. I did want to mention the fact that I have been having some issues with the local monster population though; seems some wayward critters decided to set up shop in some pagan ruins and temples up and down the countryside in the past few years. I've tried cleaning them out from time to time when they start chewing on the local wildlife but the damned things keep coming back. I wouldn't mind lending your boys a hand if you decided to clear out the ruins a bit. Regards, John Carter, woodsman
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Mar 7, 2014 23:53
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It may be worth noting that Men are not native to Myrror, so having a Man on Dvergursheim seems... improbable. (On the other hand, you DID say 'John Carter', so I suppose he might be a former Virginian cavalry officer transferred through space by a mysterious event.)
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Mar 8, 2014 00:07
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It's a hell of a lot nicer here than Mars, let me tell you.
Albu-quirky Guy fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Mar 8, 2014 |
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Mar 8, 2014 00:23
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Most noble queen, Atli Thorsson here. Of "Atli's Golden Confectionaries?" "Tastes like gold, so get the lead out and buy some?" Fact is, I'm a dab hand at concoctions of all sorts, and I wouldn't mind sponsoring a guild to gather together those of us with a talent for mixing and matching materials. Got a secret project or two I've been dying to try out. But that's for the future. I'm writing today to beg you to get more of a military going. I hear all sorts of rumors from my salesdwarves about monsters and even the walking dead out there in the countryside, lurking in ruins and lairs. And now I hear that the Engineer's Guild has gone and worked out a way to put down paved roads that magically convey those who walk on them. All well and good for my business, once they're complete, but what's to stop some zombie horde or rampaging beast from getting on one of them roads and whizzing its way to the city outskirts faster than you can braid a beard? I'm no military expert. Maybe you need some kinda academy to train soldiers, or an armory to supply them with weapons. My son Kali swings a mighty mean hammer. 'Course, he's in the construction trade right now. Anyway, that's all I got to say for now. Respect'n your worshipfulness, Atil Thorsson P.S. My missus says to write that she's been having dreams about dark winged figures flying above a green landscape. She swears she comes from a line gifted with prophetic powers. Me, I figure she's just been getting into my sample cases again. But I have to live with her. So passing this along.
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Mar 8, 2014 00:56
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It doesn't seem like we've got a whole lot of extra units unlocked yet. How much of that do we need to do to start raiding resource nodes?
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Mar 8, 2014 03:01
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As Queen, I believe that the pacification of the monsters haunting the ruins of Dvergursheim would require professional dwarves-at-arms armed and equipped for heavy battle. Although our volunteers have provided noble service, I would be reluctant to put them in the path of the dangers of our land. To muster professionals of sufficient caliber I believe we shall need both a program to manufacture the arms they need, in quantity, and training programs suitable to instilling specialized skills in those recruited into the army. With several companies of such professionals and support from artillery, I would feel more confident in sending forces to clear out the ruins of Dvergursheim.
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Mar 8, 2014 06:51
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Obviously, I was unable to put out an update today. Next update should come out on Sunday, but I should be available to answer some questions as long as I don't need to consult my save file before then.
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Mar 8, 2014 06:52
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Glazius posted:It doesn't seem like we've got a whole lot of extra units unlocked yet. How much of that do we need to do to start raiding resource nodes? It depends on which resource nodes you mean. The ruins and such holding various forms of lesser undead or war bears are well within our means at the moment, provided we buff up some units with heroism and the like; actual nodes of magic or a tower with unicorns will not be feasible for a while yet, on the other hand. Actually making an effort to clear out the weaker ruins/caves is also not necessarily a good action, despite our capability to do so. We would lose production time that could be used for the creation of settlers and such, and the units we create would result in a prohibitively expensive maintenance, particularly in food (stunting the growth of our two cities) and mana (spent on the buffs to actually make our forces effectual).
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Mar 8, 2014 06:55
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Pierzak posted:...do I see correctly that they made 2 separate kickstarters for the same game? I think they needed more money after the first one. I only joined the second.
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Mar 8, 2014 08:16
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Hang on, we've got artillery support in the form of 'Steam Cannons' but no gunpowder. Presumably this means they launch projectiles with some sort of high pressure system instead. (More realisticly using a steam powered launch rail ala aircraft carriers than just high pressure blasting things out.) I've never played MoM so I don't know if they're depicted as actual cannons or as more of a catapult design but I somehow doubt a world without gunpowder would invent the term artillery (or even cannon, possibly). Great siege weapons sure, steam catapults, steam driven rock launchers, etc. I have no idea what to call them instead, perhaps siege weapons instead of artillery. I'm by no means taking serious issue with this, just the word choice struck me as out of place. Very much enjoying your LP. (And your previous too!)
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Mar 8, 2014 22:33
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Teledahn posted:somehow doubt a world without gunpowder would invent the term artillery Well, the word "artillery" predates gunpowder, so it's probably fine here.
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Mar 8, 2014 23:51
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Glimpse posted:Well, the word "artillery" predates gunpowder, so it's probably fine here. Plus it's not like they'd be speaking English anyhow.
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Mar 9, 2014 00:03
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Dictionary.com seems to indicate the word 'artillery' dates to 1350, referring to ballistic engines in general, so I'm not sure it's too anachronistic here? On the subject of steam cannon, it looks like both Archimedes and Leonardo designed steam cannon; the theory was to have a metal barrel that could be superheated, with a place behind the cannonball to inject water. Once the water was injected, its contact with the heated barrel would immediately vaporize it, and the expansion would drive a projectile (with admittedly poor accuracy). On Leonardo's steam cannon, which is approximately how I think ours would be designed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architonnerre nweismuller fucked around with this message at 00:34 on Mar 9, 2014 |
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Mar 9, 2014 00:28
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Glimpse posted:Well, the word "artillery" predates gunpowder, so it's probably fine here. nweismuller posted:Dictionary.com seems to indicate the word 'artillery' dates to 1350, referring to ballistic engines in general, so I'm not sure it's too anachronistic here? Ah, I was unaware of this. My apologies.
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Mar 9, 2014 00:49
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Rabidredneck posted:Life magic doesn't have much offensive value save against undead, but all the buffs your dwarves and their cities are going to have is going to be insane. Life magic doesn't have many direct damage spells, but it excels in unit buffs. With just common-level spells you can give a unit +2 defense, +1 to hit, and +1 movement, and make them instantly elite (or ultra-elite with the warlord trait). And keep in mind that's on a per figure basis. My favorite game breaking setup is warlord, myrran, and 6 life books, with dark elves as my race. All dark elf units get a ranged magic attack, so you can tear poo poo up with just a bunch of basic spearmen.
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Mar 9, 2014 01:53
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My preferred game-breaking setup was myrrran with all the blue books I could get, taking the dragons as my race. There were so many ruins I cleared by throwing unending waves of phantasmal soldiers at them while a flying dude just sat there all "if I actually fight I will get murdered".
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Mar 9, 2014 07:03
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thsgrn posted:My preferred game-breaking setup was myrrran with all the blue books I could get, taking the dragons as my race. There were so many ruins I cleared by throwing unending waves of phantasmal soldiers at them while a flying dude just sat there all "if I actually fight I will get murdered". Dragons are the best. Who wouldn't want firebreathing infantry?
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Mar 9, 2014 09:47
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A fun gimmick strategy is to go for Trolls, combined with enough Death magic to cast Black Channels. Black Channels turns whatever unit it's applied to permanently undead, which means that they get no XP and never heal, but also do not cost anything in food or upkeep anymore. It also gives all the bonuses of being undead, which would be Poison Immunity, Cold Immunity, Death Immunity and Illusions Immunity, as well as immunity to any spells that affect only Normal units. It also gives an extra buff to their stats so long as you pay upkeep for the enchantment. The other benefits are permanent even if you run out of mana or get them dispelled. Normally, the no-healing and no-XP properties give it niche use at best, but Trolls inherently have the regeneration property - any battle they survive ends with them getting healed to full, they heal one hit point per combat round and they rise from the dead if you win the battle. So, for the cost of potentially only one single book pick, you get to have an army that is 1) free in terms of food and upkeep 2) immune to a whole bunch of poo poo 3) even stronger than usual 4) harder to permanently get rid of than a swarm of cockroaches The combination is so powerful that you can base a whole game on it and nothing else - which is good, because Trolls basically suck balls in every sense that isn't combat.
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Mar 9, 2014 16:18
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Trolls are quite fun to plough into fights but don't really have the economy to make the game interesting - you can really see all there is to see just by taking one Troll city and buying enough buildings to make War Trolls. My favourite gimmick run is to start with High Elves and 11 books of Life magic: This lets you start the game able to cast the Incarnation spell and summon the most broken hero in the game. With a few levels he can take on pretty much the whole world single-handedly.
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Mar 9, 2014 17:36
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Cardiovorax posted:A fun gimmick strategy If we're talking gimmicks, my favorite was always tons of blue magic and three words Flying. Invisible. Warships..
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Mar 9, 2014 19:10
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I've been fond of taking Artificer, 5 Life, 4 Sorcery (or was it the other way around? It's been a while) and then hoarding mana (IIRC, 1450) until I can make a "Bird of the Planes," a misc slot artifact (I always chose the little bird shaped pin/amulet thing) with Flight, Planar Travel, Invisibility, +4 movement and then cheesing the hell out of scouting/encounters with a hero with ranged abilities (often the Dervish because Noble and I'm killing myself to get mana). To be super cheap, you can fight wars of attrition on ruins/nodes by taking out one unit and and just passing turns until combat auto-ends, then repeating next turn. Hero won't get experience for any kills but the last combat, but you still reap the rewards of the site. Once every hero has a Bird, I move on to armor with Invulnerability, a bunch of defense, Magic Immunity if necessary and any other gravy customized for the hero. Two or especially three of these twinks will level quickly and then steamroll pretty much anything (watch out for pesky Nature wizards, of course...)
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Mar 9, 2014 19:33
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Well... there's the Artificer and Rune Master picks taken together, if you really want to break the game. But you shouldn't.
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Mar 9, 2014 19:38
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I'm back home after the weekend, but recently sprained my ankle and will want a few hours to rest. You should still expect an update later today.
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Mar 9, 2014 21:37
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The Fortress Town of Stonehome As 1404 opened, Stonegate saw the completion of a food market, slaughterhouses, and breweries, while the irrigated land near the town began to see a program of improved cultivation and manuring. With this development, the town was better-fed and supplied by the settlers in its outlying district, and it began to prosper further.  By Thirdmonth, settlers began establishing homesteads and mining camps in the Blackwater Valley and its surrounding regions. The slow process of taming the region had begun. To ease travel across the Blackwater, some engineers amongst the settlers span the river with a bridge framework of iron supporting a walkable surface of long wooden planks. New settlements begin as 'Outposts', which have no effective economic output for you, and population measured in tenths of a population unit. Each turn, the population has a chance to grow or shrink, dependent on the surrounding conditions in the land. If the population reaches 10 full tenths of a unit, the settlement grows into a full-fledged hamlet which begins to act as a town. If the population shrinks to 0, this attempt at settling the region fails.  The Golden Company's continued drills were translating into increased readiness for the little band of mercenaries. Harald Gjafvaldursson noted the growing accuracy of his dwarves even as the engineers finally completed the road across the Red Desert linking Goldwash and Stonegate. The team of engineers were able to return to Goldwash in a single day, and begin to extend the road southward towards the Blackwater Valley. Shortly after the road was completed, Queen Dagmaer sponsored a program to copy the books in the library of Goldwash to a new library in Stonegate, while working to make copies of the books in Stonegate so they could be collected into the library of Goldwash.   As the year wore on, Goldwash continued to prosper further, with its outlying timber camps expanding and more hunters combing the forests about the town. With the expansion of timbering operations, a number of investors began to deliberately plant fast-growth trees in areas previously clear-cut, planning to reap a continuing harvest of timber in the years to come. Learning and culture likewise thrived, with many savants gathering for learned debate and correspondence in Stonegate. Queen Dagmaer began a pattern that would be characteristic of her reign, inviting local savants to maintain regular correspondence with her and visit her for discussions in the palace on various subjects. Theology, astronomy, astrology, history, geography, alchemy, engineering, mathematics, and the lore of plant and beast were all subjects for discussion in the town and in the palace, and the learned savants of the town improved the defects in their lore while testing their own knowledge in debate.  Half a year after the initial settlement of the Blackwater Valley, the little town of Ironbridge, built on the banks of the river next to that first bridge of iron and wood, had grown to a point that it was able to effectively serve as a focal point for the surrounding district, allowing mining of Whiteshoulders to begin in earnest with a town to supply it.  As the year wore on, Queen Dagmaer began to attend to the chore of building up her strength of arms, in such time as she could spare from her studies and her debates. Skilled weaponsmiths and armorsmiths were sought out and commissioned by the crown to supply gear of war for a royal armory, which would allow professional dwarves at arms to be outfitted with heavy arms and armor at the crown's expense. With a force of well-equipped professionals in place of the prior volunteer companies, Dvergursheim might be able to overcome more formidable foes.     While the work of building continued on Dvergursheim, the Queen's puppet-spirit continued to explore the new land for its master. The tumbled ruins of a lost town were plundered for such treasures as remained, which were transported magically to the vaults of the Royal Palace. Another node of Sorcery was scouted and skirted around, and, in Eleventhmonth, another surviving town was located. A little town of a thousand tradesdwarves in limestone houses huddled in a foul bog, surrounded by a great reach of cultivated land worked by many farmers. The town itself was poor and grim compared to Dvergursheim, focused around a central stone fortress that housed a great host of dwarves-at-arms equipped with suits of mail rings, steel helmets, and pole-axes, the servants of a harsh king, Reinar Reinarsson, who laid heavy taxes on the burghers and farmers under his rule. Although there is discontent and grumbling at his taxes, the patrols of his dwarves-at-arms effectively keep order in his kingdom. Neutral cities get to 'cheat' a bit on food support for their troops. Although they don't actually have tax mechanics, I am reasonably sure, I can at least estimate the sort of taxes the town would 'really' need to support an army of that size and the unrest that it would cause. The garrison in place would be sufficient to quash the unrest with the taxes this town would need, which would be three times the taxes we are running. The Kingdom of Dvergursheim in Twelfthmonth 1404   The royal town of Goldwash continues to grow in wealth and magnificence. Glassmakers, lens-grinders, bookbinders, and copyists work a brisker trade, as the activities of the savants of Goldwash have increased. More wood and charcoal reaches the town, fuel for its fires and forges. Traffic along the coast and over the road to Stonegate helps profit the town further. You can get a full breakdown of sources of any of the outputs of a town by clicking on the output icons, as well as getting a breakdown of expenses by clicking on the coins set aside for expenses on the left of the gold display. Trade with other towns can bolster a town's income through 'road/river/coast' bonuses, which are 10% for a coastal town, 20% for a town on a river, 30% for a town on a river mouth, plus road bonuses, which are one-half percent for every population unit of the same race or one percent for every population unit of a different race linked by road to the town. Road/river/coast bonuses are capped by the total size of a town, to 3% per population unit in the town. Goldwash currently has a 12% road/river/coast bonus (10% for being a coastal town, and 2% for being linked to a size 4 town), and could currently take advantage of a bonus of up to 24% for its population of 8 units.  Stonegate is a quieter town than Goldwash, but its well-ordered farmland, its fisheries, and its commerce have left it far more secure and prosperous than when it was first found by the dwarves of Goldwash. Settlers from Stonegate prepare to make their way south to the shadow of the Gray Mountains, there to mine and farm the area about the mountains. Although maintaining its hold over Stonegate is still a net expense for the crown, the food and learning that now comes from the Red Desert begins to offer some compensations for the cost.  Ironbridge is a little place, serving as a place where the hunters of the forests and the gold miners of Whiteshoulders can trade for tools and supplies, and such artisans as the region supports ply their wares. Still, the rich revenues of the gold mines of Whiteshoulders help bring wealth to the region and fill the coffers of the crown. As the town grows, masons and builders begin to have a market for more permanent structures and the improvement of the town.   The growing road over Dvergursheim promises to link the whole of the land together. The kingdom's treasury is well-stocked and its revenues rich, giving it much ability to fund any future royal projects.   The discovery of gold, coal, more mithril deposits, and the fertile valley of a great river promise great opportunity to settlers in the new land. The westernmost reaches of the explored land is dominated by Stonehome and its outlying districts, a patchwork of good farmland, the occasional quarry in the places where the plains are broken by stone outcroppings, and sodden bog dredged by the dwarves of the region for bog iron and peat. Stonehome itself lurks in the defense of a gloomy bog, armed and arrayed for brutal warfare against any monsters that might violate the town.  The savants of Goldwash estimate that Stonehome must be on nearly the opposite side of the world. Queen Dagmaer's puppet-spirit has travelled far, perhaps halfway around Myrror. While the sun burns like a silver lantern in the dim sky in Goldwash, the black night is lit by the many stars in Stonehome. 1405 approaches, with the kingdom of Dvergursheim having grown and prospered over last year. Much might be done with the wealth of the crown in Stonegate or in Ironbridge, and Goldwash might soon be able to muster a professional army to pacify the land. That said, were the muster delayed, it might be possible to better-equip its soldiers, using alchemy to refine new ingots for the smiths and providing greater supply of magical power to the Queen. Might the prosperity of 1404 continue into the future!
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Mar 10, 2014 01:45
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Your Majesty, If we are to muster a great host, then I would prefer them to be Well armed, with the finest weapons alchemy can create. Remember gentlemen, such weapons would require the soldiers to be trained with them, something that they would not have the time for if on active duty that is, once a regiment is raised, it would be impossible upgrade the quality of it's weapons through any means. Or at least that is what the smiths guild says. Incidentally, I take back what I said about the towns of the world being less well defended, that host is formidable if not downright terrifying! -Ragnar Lodbrok, dutifully landbound, resident of Ironbridge, aspiring entrepreneur, looking to make a great breakthrough in the mithril ore market. NewMars fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Mar 10, 2014 |
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Mar 10, 2014 07:16
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nweismuller posted:Neutral cities get to 'cheat' a bit on food support for their troops. Although they don't actually have tax mechanics, I am reasonably sure, I can at least estimate the sort of taxes the town would 'really' need to support an army of that size and the unrest that it would cause. The garrison in place would be sufficient to quash the unrest with the taxes this town would need, which would be three times the taxes we are running. Neutral cities essentially don't follow the same rules that are followed either by human or AI players' cities, in a nutshell. Below, in spoiler tags, I'll dump the mechanical details for map generation (of which neutral city parameters are a part); those who aren't interested or don't want to be spoiled on the inner game mechanics can safely ignore it. Both planes have a map that is 60 squares wide and 40 squares high. The amount of this area that is walkable land is determined by the landmass size setting at game start; it is 15% for Small, 20% for Medium and 30% for Large. The map generator places a maximum of 10 rivers, 8 major deserts, and 8 major swamps on each plane; tundra can only be placed within 7 squares of either the top or bottom of the map. Once the base map is generated, terrain features are then placed. Each square of the map containing some terrain other than grassland or tundra has a given chance of having a special feature; this chance is 1/17 for Arcanus, and 1/10 for Myrror. When a resource is placed, in Arcanian desert, it has a 2/3 chance of being gems and a 1/3 chance of being quark crystals; in Myrran desert, it has a 1/5 chance of being gems, a 3/5 chance of being quark crystals, and a 1/5 chance of being crysx crystals; in Arcanian hills, it has a 6/18 chance of being iron, a 3/18 chance of being coal, a 4/18 chance of being either silver or gold (each), and a 1/18 chance of being mithril; in Myrran hills, it has a 1/10 chance of being either iron, coal, silver, or adamantium, a 4/10 chance of being gold, and a 2/10 chance of being mithril; in Arcanian mountains, it has a 4/18 chance of being iron, a 5/18 chance of being coal, or a 3/18 chance of being either silver, gold, or mythril; and in Myrran mountains, it has a 1/10 chance of being either iron, coal, or silver, a 2/10 chance of being either gold or adamantium, and a 3/10 chance of being mithril. Resources placed in forests are always deer, and resources placed in swamps are always nightshade. Apparently the game can also try to place a resource on grassland; when it does this, it's always coal on Arcanus, and always gold on Myrror. (This can be observed next to Goldwash.) The game then places exactly 6 Towers of Wizardry on each plane, which will share identical X/Y coordinates on each plane. If this places a tower on water (it often does), the square will be converted to grass - this is why you often see towers on 1x1 islands. It tries to place them at least 10 squares apart from each other whenever possible, and always places them at least 4 squares away from any node. Next, the game places 16 nodes on Arcanus and 14 on Myrror, the type of which is determined by the surrounding terrain. (Because of this, Sorcery nodes are more common than the other two types.) The game tries to limit this by capping the number of Sorcery nodes at 9 on Arcanus and, I believe, 8 on Myrror (the official guide claims 4, but this is demonstrably wrong). Each node on Arcanus has 5-10 aura squares; on Myrror, they have 10-20 aura squares. Each aura square grants Power to the controlling wizard; the amount granted is either 0.5, 1 or 1.5 based on the setting for magic strength at game start (weak/normal/powerful). Next, the game places each player's starting city. Starting cities are always placed at least 2 squares away from the top or bottom edge of the map. The game attempts to place them at least 16 squares apart from each other when possible, but will settle for as little as 10 squares apart (they cannot be closer than 10 squares). It also tries to place them at least 8 squares away from any node and 4 squares away from any Tower of Wizardry, but neither of these are enforced strictly. Neutral cities are placed by the game next. The game generates a number of neutral cities (I don't know the precise amount, and different sources claim different numbers; at least one source claims it varies based on landmass size, which makes sense.) It also assigns a random race to each contiguous land mass on the map - every neutral city placed within a given land mass has a 75% chance to be a city of the land mass' race. Finally, the starting population of the city is determined by a die roll based on the game's difficulty setting: 1d4 for Intro or Easy, 1d4+1 for Normal. On Hard or Impossible, the starting population has a 4/5 chance of being 1d4+1 and a 1/5 chance of being 1d10+1. Each neutral city's initial buildings are cumulatively determined by the city's starting population as follows: 1 = no buildings, 2 = barracks, 3 = smithy, 4 = builder's hall, 5 = armory, 7 = granary, 8 = stables, 10 = city walls. Neutral city population grows at half the standard rate, and the population of any neutral city is capped at an amount based on the game difficulty and its initial population; for intro/easy/normal/hard/impossible difficulty, the cap is the initial population plus 2/4/6/8/10, respectively. (They also still obey the standard population caps based on resources and terrain, although the initial placement does not obey these caps.) I believe that neutral cities only ever produce units, except when they grow enough to add a new building listed above. A neutral city may never possess more military units than it has 1000s of population; if the limit is exceeded, the oldest unit is automatically disbanded. (Cities that originally belonged to an AI player but have become neutral will not destroy buildings, but they will obey this garrison cap, disbanding 1 unit per turn until the cap is obeyed.) Finally, the game places exactly 25 "normal" and 32 "weak" lairs, scattered across both planes. Reiska fucked around with this message at 08:02 on Mar 10, 2014 |
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Mar 10, 2014 07:50
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HRH Dagmaer Flodmarsdottir, Queen of United Dvergursheim, Protectress of the Red Desert, Dame Grand Cross of the Golden Company; Archduchess of the Blackwater and sovereign of the South Wild, &c We have recieved, with great relief, word from the expeditionary force to the Blackwater that the outpost of Ironbridge has thrived these past seasons and taken root as a proper colony of our growing Queendom. It has come to my attention that a number of appropriations proposals for the present surplus of the royal treasury are to be heard at the coming moot; I hope, as such, to impress upon the Council the great opportunity to be had in the new southern territories. Owing to the nascence of the settlement at Ironbridge, and to its strategic position as a hub of trade across the length of the Blackwater, investment in the town's basic infrastructure such as Sawmills and Builder's Halls promises a quite rapid return on comparatively small investments. I hope as such the council will also see fit to invest in the swift development of this extremely lucrative region at its next meeting.
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Mar 10, 2014 13:12
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On a much-scraped scroll, clearly reused from previous messages: To Hróðvaldur Bjarnþórsson, Guild of Sages, Goldwash, Permit me once again to greet you and apologise for my delayed response to your previous missive; having had the luxury of a brief sabbatical from the demanding life of the scholar I felt it would be appropriate to conduct a small study of botany in the forests near Goldwash, which regrettably took more of my time than anticipated. I do, however, regret to have to inform you that I will not be able to take up your most engenerous offer to join the Sages of Goldwash, having instead ascertained another situation to which I should be committed. I can only impress my apologies for being a disappointment to you, but anticipate nonetheless your congratulations for my new role. The Mayor and Council of Stonegate are exceptionally far-sighted individuals who greatly appreciate true scholarship, and I have high hopes that our classes in reading and writing will make our dwarves the most literal in the land. With fraternal regardlesses, Ingelbrecht Fjalarrsen, Chief of Tutelage and Head Libellarian, Royal Library of Stonegate. PS: You will be delighted to hear that the great task of duplicitating your collections of texts proceeds apace, though many of the books contain errors of spelling and grammaticality which I am taking great pains to correct. Indeed, I plan to proposition the Queen to increase our funding to the point where we can rival your own Sages' Guild!
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Mar 10, 2014 19:49
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Ingelbrecht, I regret to inform you that as of now you are relieved of your duties in the library of Stonegate and further barred from any further royal employment not directly under the supervision of Hróðvaldur Bjarnþórsson of Goldwash. Further vandalisation of the texts in the library of Stonegate will not be tolerated. The garrison commander in Stonegate has been informed of your loss of employment. Dagmaer, by grace of the people Queen of Dvergursheim. Solban, I regret the irregularities that allowed that fool Ingelbrecht to take charge of the library in Stonegate and thereby set back the advancement of learning in the realm. It is my sincere desire that you will accept the posting as the head of the library of Stonegate that the damage inflicted by him may be mended by your efforts. With warmest regards, Dagmaer, by grace of the people Queen of Dvergursheim.
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Mar 10, 2014 21:38
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To Ingelbrecht Fjalarrsen, somewhere outside the library, Stonegate, It did indeed As always, I remain, Hróðvaldur Bjarnþórsson, Sage, Librarian, Engraver, Scribe and Chronicler. Your Most Gracious Majesty, Work at the Sages Guild continues apace, and despite the delays caused by the Stonegate Library 'Incident' and subsequent need to send fresh copies, I dare say matters are proceeding here as you would wish them to. If I may offer counsel, I believe an Alchemists Guild to be a necessary addition before we begin outfitting our soldiery to secure our land and neighbouring lands. Whilst our sages have some wonderful theoretical ideas to assist in their protection and preparation, we do need the practical application of properly-formulated alchemy to ensure that we can put that theory into good use. As per your continued requests, I have attempted to contact Ingelbrecht once more. I remain your loyal subject and faithful servant, Hróðvaldur Bjarnþórsson, Sage, Librarian, Engraver, Scribe and Chronicler.
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Mar 10, 2014 23:40
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My dear Hróðvaldur, Given Ingelbrecht's regrettable charlatanism as displayed in Stonegate, I leave the precise nature of any employment he takes under you to your discretion. I fully understand if you determine he is unsuitable as a pupil after trying his capabilities, but I trust that your supervision shall at least ensure that he is not acting directly contrary to the advance of the learning of the kingdom. Perhaps you are in need of a boot-black or floor-sweeper? That said, I must warmly commend your work as a savant and continue to await your work on the reign of Geir Geirsson, father of Gjafvaldur Geirsson, over the dwarves of Goldwash. My correspondence with you to share your learning and wisdom has been a delight unto me. With warmest regards, Dagmaer, by grace of the people Queen of Dvergursheim. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 00:25 on Mar 11, 2014 |
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Mar 11, 2014 00:18
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The Royal Army  Over the first seven months of 1405, time passed in Dvergursheim marked only by the continuation of dwarven labor and learning. Ironbridge came to host builders, masons, and architects, and the Blackwater Valley saw agricultural improvements that helped to more efficiently grow, store, and process more of the bounty of the rich land about the river. Windmills and granaries began to dot such land about Ironbridge as had been put under cultivation. Meanwhile, in Goldwash, great alchemical workshops smelted ingots of alchemical steel, a faintly magical material with greater hardness and keenness of edge than earlier steel, and a cadre of training-masters were assembled for the Royal Army in preparation for the levying on true professional troops.  In Eighthmonth, however, the routine of building was broken by the arrival of settlers in the land about the Gray Mountains. The tiny village of Stony Peak, nestled in the northern foothills of the Gray Mountains, served as a point from which homesteaders set off to tame the surrounding land.    By Tenthmonth, Queen Dagmaer wrote of her having discovered how to call upon the power of the Sagacious Counsellor to permit people to see the true nature of things, penetrating illusion, invisibility, and deceit. The month following that, Ironbridge saw the opening of a major sawmill processing timber felled in the surrounding forests while Goldwash finished the muster and training for the first company of the professional Royal Army. These professional dwarves-at-arms have been equipped for open battle, with gleaming breastplate, backplate, helmet, skirts, pauldrons, and gauntlets of steel plate over a coat of mail links. Their primary weapon is a steel-hafted hammer designed for use in two hands, one face of its head a flat hammerhead meant to crush armor and bone, the opposite face a tapered spike designed to punch through mail and tough hides like a mining pick. They also bear short, heavy-bladed hewing-swords, made to inflict terrible wounds on unarmored flesh. With such formidable dwarves-at-arms, the Royal Army might be capable of facing some fearsome foes with confidence.    The Queen's puppet-spirit spent the year roaming over further lands, first southwest over a channel from the lands of Stonehome and then north over the sea to the lands about a great river. Like the other lands of Myrror, these lands bear the scars of the collapse of the Confederation of Wizards, and terrible creatures lurk in the ruins of the old world. The Kingdom of Dvergursheim in Twelfthmonth 1405  Goldwash bustles with activity, supporting every trade known to dwarvenkind. Recruitment is underway for the Royal Army, strong young dwarves of firm courage being sought to take up armor, hammer, and sword to bear arms against the terrors of the land. The Queen has published a proclamation that two more companies of dwarves-at-arms are currently being recruited, along with a number of dwarves cunning and swift with mathematics and the operation of steam boilers. At population 9, Goldwash is now a 'Town', with a correspondingly more impressive icon on the map.  Stonegate has shrunk, as a number of its folk have left the harsh environs of the Red Desert to seek their fortunes in the shadow of the Gray Mountains. Still, the town is pleasant enough. It has just finished mustering a new company of volunteers to protect the town to replace those who have moved to take up homesteads in Stony Peak.  The rich lands of the Blackwater Valley have supported a swiftly growing populace, and Ironbridge is booming. With growing cultivation, better access to lumber, and swift road access to the markets of Goldwash, the folk of the town have access to much that they need. Skilled smiths are starting to move in and take up apprentices, so that the town might soon be able to forge tools and metal goods locally it previously would have needed to import. Vigny and her scouts are currently stationed in Ironbridge, but may swiftly be recalled as they are needed.  Stony Peak is still little more than a tiny village and cluster of homesteads in the foothills of the Gray Mountains. A company of volunteer swordsdwarves from Stonegate was granted first option on homesteads in the region, serving as the protection for the tiny settlement.   The great road spanning Dvergursheim stretches from the Red Desert to the North to the southern edge of the Blackwater Valley in the south, and new settlement has started to tame the wilds between Goldwash and Stonegate. The expense of building up the Royal Army and the reduced tax revenue from Stonegate have made their mark on the royal revenues, although royal finances are still quite healthy. With the supply of materials from the alchemists of Goldwash, the Queen has been able to accelerate her work somewhat.  Southwest of Stonehome there lies a large island with rugged and mountainous terrain. Immense and terrible creatures haunt its eastern shores, while deposits of silver and of adamantine, a dark purple metal, nearly black, can be found in its highlands. Old lore holds that adamantine is stronger than any other substance, but that its great strength makes it incredibly difficult to work or shape.  Somewhat north of this island, there lies another land, watered by a great and rushing river that flows on a fertile plain between high hills on either side. Queen Dagmaer's puppet-spirit even now explores this land.  The work of the puppet-spirit continues to push at the edges of the knowledge of the dwarves, but much of the map of Myrror still lies blank. With the strength being mustered in Goldwash, Dvergursheim may soon be able to defeat the creatures left to threaten its peace, while the other towns of the kingdom work to build themselves up. 1405 wanes and 1406 approaches. May the people continue to prosper in happiness and peace! nweismuller fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Mar 11, 2014 |
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Mar 11, 2014 04:30
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So it takes several turns before a new outpost is ready to produce units?
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Mar 11, 2014 05:14
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Until an outpost grows to a full-fledged settlement, it has no economic output. Its population increases or decreases over time until it becomes a settlement of size 1 or until it is abandoned. The chance of increase or decrease in size is influenced by surrounding territory and the race of the outpost. In general, good, fertile land with plenty of hope for successful farmsteads has the best chances of growing per turn. As you can see, Stony Peak started at 3/10 of a population unit, and has grown to 6/10 of a population unit. Ironbridge, in a very fertile river valley, took six months to grow into a full-fledged settlement.
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Mar 11, 2014 05:31
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So are there other races to encounter at some point, or is it just dwarves all the way down?
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Mar 11, 2014 05:55
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:So are there other races to encounter at some point, or is it just dwarves all the way down? There will certainly be other races out there, and honestly it's a little unusual that neither of the other towns we've found hasn't been of another race. We'll see who turns up as time goes on.
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Mar 11, 2014 05:58
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