Comments on: Isle of the Mighty http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/ Your Source for Gaming on the Net. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:16:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: M J Young http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/comment-page-1/#comment-407 M J Young Sun, 02 Sep 2007 17:42:42 +0000 http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/#comment-407 <i>Actually, the Samurai had <b>rifles</b>; it was the ninja who had the pistols, hand-crafted so they could steal and use the bullets that were produced for the samurai rifles.  However, it's been a while, so it's not surprising that you would have forgotten that.  The idea was to force the ninja characters to engage in close quarters, where their rapid repeat factors and agility overcame their other disadvantages, while the samurai are superior in the open, having a significant range advantage and mobility.  It was an important feature to the design; I probably should make that clearer in the text. Thanks, by the way, for your feedback on it.</i> --M. J. Young Actually, the Samurai had rifles; it was the ninja who had the pistols, hand-crafted so they could steal and use the bullets that were produced for the samurai rifles.  However, it’s been a while, so it’s not surprising that you would have forgotten that.  The idea was to force the ninja characters to engage in close quarters, where their rapid repeat factors and agility overcame their other disadvantages, while the samurai are superior in the open, having a significant range advantage and mobility.  It was an important feature to the design; I probably should make that clearer in the text.

Thanks, by the way, for your feedback on it.

–M. J. Young

]]> By: Tadeusz http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/comment-page-1/#comment-181 Tadeusz Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:37:21 +0000 http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/#comment-181 I thought there was too little data actually in Dark Honor Beta. The problem was, in part my not paying attention, and in part, the idea of samurai on trycycles with handcrafted pistols went so much against convention that it slipped my mind. So it was going against convention that made it harder. But I think thats a good thing. Other than that, I probably agree. I'll have to look at this more. I thought there was too little data actually in Dark Honor Beta. The problem was, in part my not paying attention, and in part, the idea of samurai on trycycles with handcrafted pistols went so much against convention that it slipped my mind.

So it was going against convention that made it harder. But I think thats a good thing.

Other than that, I probably agree. I’ll have to look at this more.

]]> By: M J Young http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/comment-page-1/#comment-136 M J Young Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:00:11 +0000 http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/#comment-136 Part of what makes it difficult for you to assess is that they're all <i>your ideas</i>. I note that when you ran <i>Dark Honor Empire Beta</i>, you completely forgot the tricycle vehicles of the samurai, and you had the ninja using bows which are completely non-existent in the scenario--it should be pistols. The problem isn't that you did it "wrong"; the problem is that the details escaped you because there was too much of it for you easily to absorb. And from a design perspective, those details were important not merely to the feeling but to the strategies and balance within the milieu. That is, it doesn't matter whether you call my Orientals daimyo, samurai, bushi, ninja, and soryo, or if you call them general, commander, soldier, bandit, and priest, but it does matter if you alter their combat capabilities sufficiently that the sides become mismatched. In your scenario, it's certainly going to be the case that different groups of people will use different measurement systems, sometimes with the same names for different quantities, but the referee is going to have trouble keeping track of which measurement is what. In fact, I think you'd probably need to include a chart that gave a list of all the journeys a character might make (this castle to that town, that town to this lake, this remote adventure location to that informative hermit), and what those distances are in each of the various measurement systems. Otherwise, your referee is going to have to scramble each time a player character asks how far it is to such-and-such place, trying to figure out which measurement system this character (or even which measurement systems these characters) will use, and then calculate how far it is in those systems, and then throw in variation for inaccurate estimations where necessary. I would say give all distances in standard units, make the alternate measuring system optional, and provide quick and easy conversions to move from one system to another. I can see some opportunity for nonsense in the midst of it--"He told you it was five miles? What, was he a merchant? Those merchants don't know a mile from a millstone. It's a lot farther than that, a lot nearer ten miles." However, I'm not certain most referees would be able to keep it all straight, let alone actually play mindgames with it. In my opinion, of course. It is always easier to run the details of the world you created than those of the world someone handed you, and you have to consider that when you put the thing to paper. --M. J. Young Part of what makes it difficult for you to assess is that they’re all your ideas. I note that when you ran Dark Honor Empire Beta, you completely forgot the tricycle vehicles of the samurai, and you had the ninja using bows which are completely non-existent in the scenario–it should be pistols. The problem isn’t that you did it “wrong”; the problem is that the details escaped you because there was too much of it for you easily to absorb. And from a design perspective, those details were important not merely to the feeling but to the strategies and balance within the milieu. That is, it doesn’t matter whether you call my Orientals daimyo, samurai, bushi, ninja, and soryo, or if you call them general, commander, soldier, bandit, and priest, but it does matter if you alter their combat capabilities sufficiently that the sides become mismatched. In your scenario, it’s certainly going to be the case that different groups of people will use different measurement systems, sometimes with the same names for different quantities, but the referee is going to have trouble keeping track of which measurement is what. In fact, I think you’d probably need to include a chart that gave a list of all the journeys a character might make (this castle to that town, that town to this lake, this remote adventure location to that informative hermit), and what those distances are in each of the various measurement systems. Otherwise, your referee is going to have to scramble each time a player character asks how far it is to such-and-such place, trying to figure out which measurement system this character (or even which measurement systems these characters) will use, and then calculate how far it is in those systems, and then throw in variation for inaccurate estimations where necessary.

I would say give all distances in standard units, make the alternate measuring system optional, and provide quick and easy conversions to move from one system to another. I can see some opportunity for nonsense in the midst of it–”He told you it was five miles? What, was he a merchant? Those merchants don’t know a mile from a millstone. It’s a lot farther than that, a lot nearer ten miles.” However, I’m not certain most referees would be able to keep it all straight, let alone actually play mindgames with it.

In my opinion, of course. It is always easier to run the details of the world you created than those of the world someone handed you, and you have to consider that when you put the thing to paper.

–M. J. Young

]]> By: Tadeusz http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/comment-page-1/#comment-99 Tadeusz Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:37:52 +0000 http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/#comment-99 That is a good point. Hmmm. Well, I've always wanted to create a more realistic feeling which the miles do, and also some of it may well be lifted and used in another world. It does make me think. Suppose I had one guy in Northgate, another in Symbiont Academy, a third in Starsong, a fourth in Doom of the Mech Empire, and a fifth in The Odd Case of Miss Charity Lanton.....thats quite a data load to have to handle. All of those worlds are complex, with great internal variety, and a 'feel' to them that is different from each to each, and great variety between them. Superheroes, Alien High School, Posthuman Supertech, Bronze Age Aliens, and Moonshiners in the 20's.... I'm impressed if I do say so myself. I can't say if thats too much for someone to handle or not. I like the greater detail because it helps you get into the mind of the world, but on the other hand, I sent a piece to another guy a couple days ago, and he told me something similar. The multiple systems of measurement is realistic as I said, and its one of those things that no GM is going to come up with. Of course, that may mean its extraneous. Gold pieces, silver pieces, and copper pieces served tens of thousands of d&D players very well. Well, I think I want to describe the basic castles, and some of the monsters. After that, its on to the Hero's Path, recent history, and then the verser arriving....which leads us into his training, the epic quest, and then the establishment of the round table...err council of magi, and then wodium;s unravewlling. That is a good point. Hmmm. Well, I’ve always wanted to create a more realistic feeling which the miles do, and also some of it may well be lifted and used in another world.

It does make me think. Suppose I had one guy in Northgate, another in Symbiont Academy, a third in Starsong, a fourth in Doom of the Mech Empire, and a fifth in The Odd Case of Miss Charity Lanton…..thats quite a data load to have to handle. All of those worlds are complex, with great internal variety, and a ‘feel’ to them that is different from each to each, and great variety between them. Superheroes, Alien High School, Posthuman Supertech, Bronze Age Aliens, and Moonshiners in the 20′s….

I’m impressed if I do say so myself.

I can’t say if thats too much for someone to handle or not.

I like the greater detail because it helps you get into the mind of the world, but on the other hand, I sent a piece to another guy a couple days ago, and he told me something similar.

The multiple systems of measurement is realistic as I said, and its one of those things that no GM is going to come up with. Of course, that may mean its extraneous. Gold pieces, silver pieces, and copper pieces served tens of thousands of d&D players very well.

Well, I think I want to describe the basic castles, and some of the monsters. After that, its on to the Hero’s Path, recent history, and then the verser arriving….which leads us into his training, the epic quest, and then the establishment of the round table…err council of magi, and then wodium;s unravewlling.

]]> By: M J Young http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/comment-page-1/#comment-94 M J Young Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:47:17 +0000 http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/#comment-94 It's an interestingly complex bit of work; I'm wondering how much is too much here. This has been envisioned as a solo world, and that means the referee will be running perhaps as many as five other worlds simultaneously; does he need to learn all this? More to the point, how much of it really does set the scene? I like parts of it, though, and there is some realism in such things as multiple systems of measurement and such. --M. J. Young It’s an interestingly complex bit of work; I’m wondering how much is too much here. This has been envisioned as a solo world, and that means the referee will be running perhaps as many as five other worlds simultaneously; does he need to learn all this? More to the point, how much of it really does set the scene?

I like parts of it, though, and there is some realism in such things as multiple systems of measurement and such.

–M. J. Young

]]> By: Tadeusz http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/comment-page-1/#comment-81 Tadeusz Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:40:23 +0000 http://gamingoutpost.com/article/isle-of-the-mighty/#comment-81 The raiders the Marchsea protects against are Dernaki raiders. The village priest answers to an elder who answers to one of the Wise who answer to each other in Council. So its three layers total, not three layers between the village priest and the Wise in Council. Eric The raiders the Marchsea protects against are Dernaki raiders.

The village priest answers to an elder who answers to one of the Wise who answer to each other in Council. So its three layers total, not three layers between the village priest and the Wise in Council.

Eric

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