Mercenaries of Mundus-Opinions Needed-Come take a look!

[Shorticus]

A couple questions on races again:

Do we choose one race when making our army? If not, how many races?

Certain races (like half-elves and orcs) to be outright better than others (half-orcs got the shaft). Is that intentional? I assume total balance is NOT intended (which is a good thing).

So, there are KOS races. Do you have an idea of which realms don't make them KOS yet? And can a mercenary band of monsters earn its way to NOT being KOS in certain kingdoms?

Unrelated to races:

It looks like dungeon exploration is as valid a route to success as mercenary work. Is that correct?

How is experience gained? By kill, by damage? By surviving?

Finally, could you talk a bit when you get the chance about how battle lines work? If my opponent and I both have 20 militia and our armies are set up like so...

My army:
10 by 2

00000 00000
00000 00000

Their army:
5 by 4

00000
00000
00000
00000

How does this work? Does the army with more rows (5 by 4) get surrounded and flanked? Do they just punch through the main line? Again, we're assuming identical forces.

[Polybius]

A couple questions on races again:

1. Do we choose one race when making our army? If not, how many races?
2. Certain races (like half-elves and orcs) to be outright better than others (half-orcs got the shaft). Is that intentional? I assume total balance is NOT intended (which is a good thing).
3. So, there are KOS races. Do you have an idea of which realms don't make them KOS yet? And can a mercenary band of monsters earn its way to NOT being KOS in certain kingdoms?
4. It looks like dungeon exploration is as valid a route to success as mercenary work. Is that correct?
5. Finally, could you talk a bit when you get the chance about how battle lines work? If my opponent and I both have 20 militia and our armies are set up like so...How does this work? Does the army with more rows (5 by 4) get surrounded and flanked? Do they just punch through the main line? Again, we're assuming identical forces.
6. How is experience gained? By kill, by damage? By surviving?

@Shorticus

1.You choose your initial starting mercenaries race, class & feats. You buy them equipment. Probably start with a group of 5 & a couple hundred gold to purchase equipment with.
2.Those numbers will almost certainly change when the game is officially started. Don't expect total balance-real life just isn't like that. And since all of the information will be available for anyone to see, I don't think it's necessarily unfair.
3. Now that's interesting. If your reputation is high enough, I don't see why a King or Lord wouldn't hire a band of Orcs to bolster his ranks.
4. The rewards may be different and the risk greater. All I'm saying right now.
5. Very good points. I've only barely begun to work out combat. The Battle-Line mechanic is something I'm really interested in fleshing out. At first I was thinking of using some sort of 'formation' counter 'formation' thing ala ROTK IX but I wanted to keep a theme of small scale-skirmish lines. These aren't armies your controlling, they are mercenary companies that guard caravans, hunt down bandits and kill monsters. Rarely will companies have 20 men to line up. When we get to that point in game, I'm going to change the rules and have a set limit of mercs in each company office. However, in the example you gave, The lines would meet like this: (note that dashes are dead mercs after resolving damage)

example

1.
00000 00000
00000 00000

00000
00000
00000
00000
2.
00000
-0--- 00000
-00-000000
00000
00000
00000
Units would then attack the closest available enemy unit. This is assuming none of these troops are ranged attackers. Basically battles happen on a grid with each unit attacking the closest enemy possible. I hope this makes sense.

6. Experience is gained after successfully completing a contract. Each surviving merc will receive a portion of the total XP.

[Shorticus]

Very nice responses! I'll hold back on asking too much about battle stuff for now then. Looking forward to more info on this roleplay.

[Mardox]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L7rhW2gyJSU

[Shorticus]

Another bunch of questions!

1. So, there's PvP. But will players be able to cooperate on certain missions? Say that Elfwood Company just lost all their melee fighters, and Dwarfhills Company has a horrible track record fighting bandits in the woods. There's a contract available for someone to deal with bandits in the woods. Can Elfwood Company supply the archers and mages for the fight while Dwarfhills Company gets their dwarves to fight in the front lines, and the two of them split the reward? Can mercenary companies go investigate dungeons together?

2. Can we negotiate on contract terms with our employers, or is that what Silver Tongue is meant to represent?

3. Should players tell you what they're looking to make before the roleplay starts so you can think about feats you might make?

4. Will there be different kinds of magic? I.E. Druidic magic to do things like entangle enemies or summon treants, pyromancy to blow bad guys up dead-like, etc?

5. Will there be stranger, hidden benefits to doing certain contracts or making certain factions like you or clearing certain dungeons? I.E. might you rescue a powerful priestess from a Lich's castle, or might archers be cheaper for you to hire in the Elfwood because the Elf King loves you so much, or might a necromancy related feat be available to you after you help necromancers kill the knights that are pursuing them? Demons be available for recruitment after you earn the admiration of certain bad guys? Your troops gain a Werewolf feat after you lose and retreat from a battle with some werewolves?

---

Also, I'd like to go ahead and just explain what sort of group I'm looking to try making. I've given them some thought.

I want to play a goblin warband that has good relations with goblins, REALLY bad relations with orcs, and possibly good relations with human bandits or with a druidic sect (or both). The idea is they're the remnants of a tribe of goblins that was destroyed by orcs, and only the combatants really remain. They do jobs for other goblin tribes, for bandits, and potentially for shady circles of mages, all because that's what their options are limited to right now.

As for a name, I've been thinking about calling them the Nightlurk Warband.

---

One more thing... If you want something better than MS Paint, there IS a free option that's turned out to be pretty good for me.

So, look into the program called Paint . Net (putting spaces so you don't get a bad link). It's a free program that works pretty well for mapmaking. You can make separate layers for terrain, for political colors, for cities and names... Etc. I highly recommend it over MS Paint, though it does take some practice to get used to.

This is an example of what I was able to do with the program. NOTE: I did not draw the map itself, but just colored in the area my nation in a roleplay claimed. You'll notice there's a certain degree of transparency for the yellow as it sits over the map itself, so you can make out the parts of the terrain which are jungly, etc.



If you want to take a peek at the program, I think getpaint.net is the place to go.

[Wade Wilson]

One more thing... If you want something better than MS Paint, there IS a free option that's turned out to be pretty good for me.

So, look into the program called Paint . Net (putting spaces so you don't get a bad link). It's a free program that works pretty well for mapmaking. You can make separate layers for terrain, for political colors, for cities and names... Etc. I highly recommend it over MS Paint, though it does take some practice to get used to.

This is an example of what I was able to do with the program. NOTE: I did not draw the map itself, but just colored in the area my nation in a roleplay claimed. You'll notice there's a certain degree of transparency for the yellow as it sits over the map itself, so you can make out the parts of the terrain which are jungly, etc.



If you want to take a peek at the program, I think getpaint.net is the place to go.

@Shorticus

Ah, Paint . NET! It's been a loooong time since I used that. I did have it on my desktop computer, and it's what I used to use for graphics, but when I moved house a couple months ago I lost the power lead, and thus I got stuck with my laptop. If you want a really good graphics software for free, use GIMP. It's completely free, and the power of it is just amazing. It does save in an .xcf format, but you can save in other formats by using File > Export as...

Just putting that out there. I kinda go crazy when people talk about graphics XD

[Polybius]

Questions are good. They make me think about the setting & system more dynamically. Part of the reason I posted my Work In Progress. Thanks Shorticus, your insights have been extremely helpful! Let me try and answer these..

Another bunch of questions!

1. So, there's PvP. But will players be able to cooperate on certain missions? Say that Elfwood Company just lost all their melee fighters, and Dwarfhills Company has a horrible track record fighting bandits in the woods. There's a contract available for someone to deal with bandits in the woods. Can Elfwood Company supply the archers and mages for the fight while Dwarfhills Company gets their dwarves to fight in the front lines, and the two of them split the reward? Can mercenary companies go investigate dungeons together?

2. Can we negotiate on contract terms with our employers, or is that what Silver Tongue is meant to represent?

3. Should players tell you what they're looking to make before the roleplay starts so you can think about feats you might make?

4. Will there be different kinds of magic? I.E. Druidic magic to do things like entangle enemies or summon treants, pyromancy to blow bad guys up dead-like, etc?

5. Will there be stranger, hidden benefits to doing certain contracts or making certain factions like you or clearing certain dungeons? I.E. might you rescue a powerful priestess from a Lich's castle, or might archers be cheaper for you to hire in the Elfwood because the Elf King loves you so much, or might a necromancy related feat be available to you after you help necromancers kill the knights that are pursuing them? Demons be available for recruitment after you earn the admiration of certain bad guys? Your troops gain a Werewolf feat after you lose and retreat from a battle with some werewolves?

@Shorticus

1. Cooperation is fine. Companies can split the rewards if they agree on it beforehand. Some missions may require more than one company to be involved (like a war or something..)

2. Silver Tongue Archetype covers this. Trying to make this in-depth as possible but it is a 'simulation', and a home-grown one at that.
3. Not a bad idea. Custom feats might be a thing too. We'll see.
4. For combat purposes, magic is treated like ranged attacks. Trying to think of interesting feats to customize your sorcerers.
5. I have an idea for a temporary bonus applied to your entire company called Boons that last for a turn or more. This can cover anything from a Lord's favor to a sickness your men contracted fighting zombies in Rot-Gut Barrow.

Thanks for the tips on map making. I've used gimp and paint before. I actually have Photoshop on a computer but it's in storage.

---

What sort of companies are people thinking of making? If anyone else has questions while I get this thing together, go ahead and ask them.

[Lexicon]

Actually, I'm thinking of making a company comprised of several different races that's only interested in making coin and expanding their influence. A stereotypical mercenary company. However, at some point in the game, some things will change and the company's priorities will shift. I'm all for war games and strategy, but story and characters are king in my opinion. I won't be RPing to 'win', if such a thing is even possible, but to create an awesome story within the parameters you give us. Not too specific, I know, but that's my take on this.

[rush99999]

What sort of companies are people thinking of making?

@Polybius

Well if you hadn't noticed my 1st draft, I plan on making a brigand extermination company.

[Shorticus]

I'll go ahead and quote what I said already and add a little more info.

I want to play a goblin warband that has good relations with goblins, REALLY bad relations with orcs, and possibly good relations with human bandits or with a druidic sect (or both). The idea is they're the remnants of a tribe of goblins that was destroyed by orcs, and only the combatants really remain. They do jobs for other goblin tribes, for bandits, and potentially for shady circles of mages, all because that's what their options are limited to right now.

As for a name, I've been thinking about calling them the Nightlurk Warband.

Shorticus

So, the Nightlurk Warband isn't going to be "evil evil evil," nor will they be "goodie two shoes" necessarily. If I had to give them a D&D alignment, I'd probably say "True Neutral" or "Chaotic Neutral." They're putting the survival of the warband (and the possible rebirth of the tribe) first. If that means working for bandits and attacking a lord's caravan or helping dark wizards, so be it. They'd rather not have to harm innocents (like villagers), having had their own village get slaughtered by marauding orcs. If they had to choose between doing something distasteful and being destroyed, however... Well, chances are they'd rather stay alive.

As far as goals for this warband, my thoughts are...

Short-term: Survive. Become famous enough to work for the kingdoms. Make strong allies.
Long-term: Destroy the orcs that slaughtered the Nightlurk Tribe.

[Shorticus]

So, a few more questions come to mind. Since you like 'em, I'll post 'em.

1. Can your company office be attacked by NPCs? By players? Would you rather that not be an issue?
2. Can a company procure temporary Boons purposely? Example: donating to a temple before going to fight undead, asking a friendly faction for help against an enemy. Would these Boons be listed, or would that be something someone would need to ask you about when attempting to get a Boon?
3. Will player actions shape the world? Could they potentially destroy cities or see the creation of new ones?
4. Can players earn more permanent favors from their benefactors, such as being knighted by King Arthur of Camelot or whatever? And given land? (An Office without upkeep?)
5. Will some specialists be combat units? Example: war dogs, magical creatures?

EDIT: Something just came to mind. I have an idea for a Warrior feat.

Polearm Training - You can strike an opponent with a single tile's distance between you, and you strike first in melee combat.

[Gunther]

@Polybius, I am very much interested in your idea. I would prefer a traditional company of swordsmen with a few support specialists to provide them a combined arms advantage. I would love to know how many employees our mercenary companies will be allowed to start with. Will that be a randomly generated number or will it be determined by the amount of money we start with for hiring purposes?

[Lexicon]

I think five is the starting number.

[Polybius]

@Polybius, I am very much interested in your idea. I would prefer a traditional company of swordsmen with a few support specialists to provide them a combined arms advantage. I would love to know how many employees our mercenary companies will be allowed to start with. Will that be a randomly generated number or will it be determined by the amount of money we start with for hiring purposes?

@Gunther

Hello Gunther, Everyone will start with the same amount of mercs. You get to choose race, class and a set amount of gold to spend on equipment. Specialists (at this point in building the game system) are acquired through raising reputation. Thanks for your interest! Stick around.

[Polybius]

So, a few more questions come to mind. Since you like 'em, I'll post 'em.

1. Can your company office be attacked by NPCs? By players? Would you rather that not be an issue?
2. Can a company procure temporary Boons purposely? Example: donating to a temple before going to fight undead, asking a friendly faction for help against an enemy. Would these Boons be listed, or would that be something someone would need to ask you about when attempting to get a Boon?
3. Will player actions shape the world? Could they potentially destroy cities or see the creation of new ones?
4. Can players earn more permanent favors from their benefactors, such as being knighted by King Arthur of Camelot or whatever? And given land? (An Office without upkeep?)
5. Will some specialists be combat units? Example: war dogs, magical creatures?
EDIT: Something just came to mind. I have an idea for a Warrior feat.
Polearm Training - You can strike an opponent with a single tile's distance between you, and you strike first in melee combat.

@Shorticus

1. Nah. But the Thief & Assassin Specialists can steal gold/reduce HP respectively.
2. Don't know yet.
3. Yes. Founding cities however is not something I'm really into. This is a much smaller scale than I think your imagining.
4. Contemplating Office/Company upgrades. (Maybe dabble in trade or industry?)
5. Specialists will be exclusively non-combatants for now.
6(EDIT): Considered.

[Shorticus]

3. Yes. Founding cities however is not something I'm really into. This is a much smaller scale than I think your imagining.

Ah, not quite what I meant. I didn't mean "Does the player found cities?" but rather "Might the player's defense of villagers/settlers/etc. lead to the creation of new towns/cities in the wilderness?"

Basically, I was poking around trying to determine what sort of effect a player's actions have on the world. A better example could be about supporting a rebellion, or siding with invaders from another kingdom, etc.

I don't have any more big questions I really want answered, so I'll leave you with time to work on adding to the WIP information. I'll ask questions again if more questions come to mind.

[Cuddle Pot]

Still interested just waiting till things get more fleshed out. If you need a company draft however I'll be happy to oblige.

[Gunther]

This idea you have is one I've tossed around for many years; on so many levels. You appear to desire a small number of people in the company. I've toyed with a company of ~100 or more; a battalion of 500 - 800 or even a Brigade sized organization of a few thousand. Starting with just a handful might make it simpler, to at least create and learn a system. I applaud your efforts and would be willing to assist you in the creation process if needed. How much detail do you want to put into the world? I can help with world creation if you like. I see 6 nations, listed below and their cities.

1. Kingdom of Raxas

* Raxas Castle
* Arcot
* Seton
* Windhir
* Hargrove
* Reford
* Eaton

2. Kingdom of Karnoras

3. Republic of Praeda

4. Kingdom of Lotheloni

5. Kingdom of Bapha

6. Dominion of Malaph Kar

Innish Sea
Sea of Omens

I am willing to help you build this world. If you employ the aid of those willing to participate in the creation of the world, encompassed within your vision of course, you create a sense of ownership amongst the participants. They are less likely to jump ship due to any investment they make into the design of the world itself. But this should be on a volunteer basis. I would not want to impose any additional responsibility upon someone who may not desire or be capable.

[Polybius]

<Snipped quote>
I didn't mean "Does the player found cities?" but rather "Might the player's defense of villagers/settlers/etc. lead to the creation of new towns/cities in the wilderness?"
Basically, I was poking around trying to determine what sort of effect a player's actions have on the world. A better example could be about supporting a rebellion, or siding with invaders from another kingdom, etc.

@Shorticus

I can't accurately predict how drastic the players will change the world, however throwing your weight in support of larger movements will certainly change some things. The extent to which things change is no certain at this point.

Still interested just waiting till things get more fleshed out. If you need a company draft however I'll be happy to oblige.

@Cuddle Pot

The most helpful thing would be if you give me an idea of what you hope to get out of the RP.

This idea you have is one I've tossed around for many years; on so many levels. You appear to desire a small number of people in the company. I've toyed with a company of ~100 or more; a battalion of 500 - 800 or even a Brigade sized organization of a few thousand. Starting with just a handful might make it simpler, to at least create and learn a system. I applaud your efforts and would be willing to assist you in the creation process if needed. How much detail do you want to put into the world? I can help with world creation if you like.

I am willing to help you build this world. If you employ the aid of those willing to participate in the creation of the world, encompassed within your vision of course, you create a sense of ownership amongst the participants. They are less likely to jump ship due to any investment they make into the design of the world itself. But this should be on a volunteer basis. I would not want to impose any additional responsibility upon someone who may not desire or be capable.

@Gunther

Thanks for your input Gunther. I'm trying to build a game system that fits the setting, sure. I also want to have a basic system that can be easily modified for use in other settings as well-(Aztec Empire? Feudal Japan? Italian Renaissance?) The world in this game however will be as detailed as naming some Kingdoms, some major cities, forts,castles, ports, rivers, mountains etc. The races will be briefly detailed. All of this is basically done, I just need to put it to paper-er text.

As for player contribution, as long as it doesn't seriously undermine the game system or go outside of the medieval fantasy setting you can make up whatever you want. My plan is to make this game a toy for everyone to understand and use within a (hopefully clever) construct of rules.

[Shorticus]

All of this is basically done, I just need to put it to paper-er text.

Looking forward to it! I'll wait to see what the information is like before I offer to contribute anything. I assume you've done a crapton of work on this already and I won't have to make much besides whatever directly pertains to my company.

I can't accurately predict how drastic the players will change the world, however throwing your weight in support of larger movements will certainly change some things. The extent to which things change is no certain at this point.

Totally understandable. Thanks for the answer.