Aesca Sneak Peak

[faraday]

@Derp said in Aesca Sneak Peak:

But also I am seriously trying to figure out how to put a 'number of open jobs' thing in Ares for players to see, so that they know how much workload the staff actually has.

Should be easy enough, but also kind of misleading IMHO. Some games use jobs to track things internally, so you could have "227 open jobs" but 219 of them are just future plots, musings, things that maybe you'll build eventually, etc. And you might only have 2 open jobs but staff is really swamped doing plots/questions/RP that aren't tied to specific jobs. There's not necessarily any correlation there.

And honestly, if staff is too overworked to get to apps in a timely fashion, you're going to lose players no matter what.

@mietze said in Aesca Sneak Peak:

I do not think that an automated cg that spits a ton of people out onto the grid quickly solves the problem and may in fact exacerbate it especially on an original themed game where there may need to be some front in quality control.

You can have automated (not fully automatic) and still have quality control, especially if you build some of the quality control into the system itself. On BSGU for instance all of the limits, requirements, etc. were baked into the system. The only thing I had to review was whether the background made sense and the skills fit the background. That allows pretty quick throughput. Not all systems will work that way, of course, but if you can make it work for your system, you can alleviate the chargen backlog greatly.

[Bananerz]

@WildBaboons

TL;DR I haven't decided yet, but will be listening here.

Why I’d limit to March Elves at the beginning:
I’d say yes at the beginning so people can be comfortable with the theme and the world of Aesca. Then, those with Vision will be able to start perceiving and later on opening portals (however they can’t use those portals) so that those with Power affinity can use portals. The goal here is it takes trust and collaboration to do great things instead of just one side or person being able to do everything. Once those with Vision recognize what is there, and those with Power choose to go through portals to step into Gaia, then that gives a great opportunity to introduce Gaia’s humans.

Why I can see humans from the beginning:
Gaia is its own world, and that world is experiencing events very similar to Stranger Things as humanity would struggle to understand just what magic and Aesca are. The humans there are more going to be like the technocracy. Running those types of scenes as portals are starting to open, abominations spilling into the streets and needing to be dealt with could really be a lot of fun. And then when portals are more permanently opened and the humans perhaps decide to explore into those portals, I can see some fun naturally happening.

[Bananerz]

Today I've been working inside the Domain system, specifically around player armies and the battle mechanics for wars, how leaders interface and how PC heroes also can impact on grand scale battles involving potentially thousands of units.

• Raising and Maintaining Mechanic.
• Movement: Daily and weekly short and long-distances, impact of terrain modifiers.
• Supply: creating supply chains, breaking supply chains, impacts on battle and army.
• Pre-Combat: Reconnaissance, counter-intelligence, movement and maneuver.
• Combat: Rolls, sequence of events, PC heroic influence, completion of battle.

[Bananerz]

It's been a busy time in the land of Aesca building. A few updates that have happened:

Domain System: I’ve been working on the specific mechanics around the Great Legions of the March Elves. While the Winter Court does deal with the direction and management of the Great Legions, every domain leader does have their own armies, militia, troops too as it ties back to being able to protect your own stronghold from others. This is tied into the larger your domain and vassals then the larger your ability to raise an army and support them. Worked out the time required, how conscripting peasants works and potential mercenary companies or local militia. The randomness component that will create uncertainty such as betrayals by officers, morale, costs, etc. Worked on siege mechanics. I have the unit types and costs. And of course, how PC’s can impact armies and army battles if they choose to do so.

Exploration: Have been working on this, and the map below I think is most likely how things are going to roll out. Each quarter, exploration/adventuring parties/companies/domains can submit a request in where they’d like to go. It costs resources and time, and the further away you go the higher risk rating it has where the expedition might not come back. However if they do, you can immediately see a section of the map revealed. As you explore, domains can be claimed and made with strongholds built and successfully defended too although the dangers of being further away from the main overlord’s power could mean you end up in a similar situation like Roanoke Colony, the American Colonies separating, or enlarging successfully your domain and court power. Exploration can also be done on already revealed areas to search for hidden spots (caves, etc) leading to other adventures. For exploration in already revealed locations, it's a higher probability you'll find a hidden spot successfully. For exploration that requires ships, ships are extremely rare due to the rarity of wood to be used. That could change though in the future, depending on portals to Gaia!

[Pyrephox]

@Bananerz The exploration system seems really cool!

[Bananerz]

@Pyrephox It'd be great to get you onboard to help on the resources/exploration section. You know, in your copious free time.

[Derp]

I'll admit, this game sounds really fun, and I look forward to seeing what you do with it.

[Snackness]

This post is deleted!

[Bananerz]

By the way, a few people have asked: I don't care if someone wants to use all or parts of the Aesca game for a game idea they have. I'm pretty slow to respond on DM's but I'm more quick on Discord.

You should send me an invite to play on your game though!

[Bananerz]

Sorry I've been not active on Aesca, I've been dealing with one of my properties being affected by stupid fires. Thankfully no loss to life, but it's gone and the workload for dealing with that has taken up all play time.

I'll get back to Aesca though as I want to see it bloom.

[Bananerz]

Affinity
I’ve been working on a few things with Aesca, specifically around two affinities which the Aescan elves theorize to be linked to ancient mythological powerful creatures. It splits the elves so no one can do everything, and requires teamwork if great things are to be accomplished.

***Affinity Foo***

click to show

Affinity is an inherent trait that exists within the elves of Aecsa, passed down always on the maternal side. This means if a mother has vision, then her child will also have that trait. All elven characters must select an affinity, even if they’re not a member of one of the four elven magical schools (White Tower, Red Blade, Green Mother, Black Moon). Affinity is broken into two lineages, phoenix and draconic, which open up vision and power, respectively. Those with vision are able to perceive and open portals connecting Aesca to Earth, but they’re unable to use those portals themselves. Those with power are able to use portals connecting Aesca to Earth, but they’re unable to open and maintain those gates themselves. After every Chapter completed by the players, they each have an opportunity to make a roll to see if their vision/power level increases or decreases, but it can’t go lower than level 1. There are four levels, with increased power. Affinity also unlocks specific traits for phoenix or draconic progeny (currently two each) that offer players some interesting opportunities to spice their RP and let them take challenges to stretch themselves and increase risk.

The Chapter and Story Progress System (CSPS)
The CSPS is designed with the following in mind:

• Players are in control of pacing.
• Players are responsible for creating and impacting the game.

***CSPS foo***

click to show

A chapter covers a significant span of time (minimum 6 months) of which there are four episodes. In order to complete the chapter, players must earn an amount of Adventure Points (AP) before the game can progress to a new chapter with new episodes. The four episodes will cover Combat, Domain, Politics and Religion, and each episode component is worth 25 AP. Player-generated Role Play adventures can span a range of Challenge Ratings, with higher risks equating to higher chances of rewards and higher AP. Each episode will have a general area to deal with, and require that any any one component of Combat, Domain, Politics or Religion being at max 30% of the total to that episode AP value. All PRP logs are publicly available so that it becomes general player information.There's also affinity quirks to give a little more flavor to characters.

[Ominous]

You live! I'm so happy.

Your silly avatar of an overly cheery banana always makes me smile.

Also, your Affinity idea is a good way of ensuring people need others to get shit done rather than being an army of one.

I'm not sure what I think of CSPS. I need time to cogitate on it.