Randel
2010-01-07, 07:54 PM
I've been thinking of starting a freeform game where the players are Mad Scientists who are trying to take over the world (or save the world... or both) using armies of robots. Think Doctor Wily or Doctor Robotnik.
However, I'm not really sure how such a game would go or how much the level of fluff vs crunch it should have. Also, the idea of having 'heros' or Robot Generals controlled by players sounds interesting but not sure how to implement it.
The idea is that it takes place Twenty Minutes into the Future and there are various Mad Scientists more or less working independantly toward their own plans to take over the world for various reasons. They've done alot of their research already and built up their resources in preparation for the day when they would make their bids for World Domination.
One might strike first and catch the World by surprise, the others would then know that there are others out there like them and start competing or forging alliances or maybe join the Government to help combat the first mad scientists. Or they could just lay low and try to work in secret until such a time where they can catch everyone else by surprise.
Who will take over the world? Or will they all fail? And are their heroes who will stop them?
Here is my rough idea on how each turn plays out:
1). Communicate with other players
2). Researching technologies
3). Activate Superweapons
4). Command Units
5). Combat
6). Finish Constructions
It would be more or less played on a Risk-style map (either the whole world or maybe just the US) and the various governments can put up a fight as well... but a mad scientist with a hive mind of robots under their control has certain advantages over a regular military (logistics, handling wounded, morale and stuff like that).
Examples of Units:
Robots - A variety of robots under the Mad Scientists command, can range from types used for combat or construction or may be highly versatile general robots.
Factories - Factories that manufacture the various robots, robot parts, or other things needed for the robot empire. More specialized factories can make things faster than generalized ones.
Power Plants - These produce the energy needed by the robots and factories, either sending it into the power grid, or creating fuel or 'power cells' for the robots to use. They function more like the population cap of the Empire. (though energy can be stored up or aquired by other means).
Control Nodes - Wireless command nodes that coordinates the robots in an area. You need your robots to be inside a controlled area for you to command them and if someone takes out the control node (or hacks it) then you lose control of the area and the robots within. They can still operate independently (with penalties) but there is the risk that someone might hack them and take control of them. Some robots called Robot Masters can be equipped with better AI to let them function as mobile Control Nodes to command lesser robots. A wide variety of Control Nodes can be designed and protecting them is vital.
Superweapons - A wide variety of high-tech devices you create to help in your world domination plan. These can range from nukes, teleporters, powerful force fields, or mind control devices. They are expensive investments and generally use up alot of power and are stationary (you can equip a mobile robot with a Superweapon, but its more expensive to do so... although the mobility makes it easier to defend the investment). Use these to help assist you in your plans, they can be improved with research and development so its probably best to stick with one or two types of Superweapon and innovate it to increase it effects in the field.
Theoretically you could just use your superweapon to try and hold the world hostage or something... but then again it always helps to have some muscle in case the army decides to attack you or at the very least some troops to hold onto land once you conquer them.
Research Labs - These labs help you invent things, they could be ones you yourself work in or automated systems that test out your theories in remote locations. By making more of these and improving them (possibly adding an Inventing Machine (http://ezinearticles.com/?Man-Builds-Inventing-Machine&id=324378) to the mix)
The basic goal is to take over the world, and doing that involves conquering and area through force or some other way, then set up the Control Nodes that let you control all your robots in that area (and by extension all the people living under the robotic rule), then get all the power plants and factories and such set up.
Freeing an area from robotic control involves accessing the Control Node (or Nodes) and either shutting it down (which disrupts communications and means the Mad Scientist in charge can't give orders to the robots in that area) or hacking it and using it to take all the robots for your own. Various security features could be set up to prevent those sorts of things. Or one could just destroy the factories in that area and all the robots as well.
I'm not really sure on how combat would work, but the various robots would be able to be built with various weapon types or modes of movement each of which changes their cost, upkeep, and effectiveness.
Superweapons would probably be the biggest things, they can cause all sorts of changes in the tactics or the environment to make the robot army more effective. Weather control can increase the effectivness of solar powered robots, cold weather or bad winds keep airplanes from being able to safely fly, teleporters let your robots bypass large distances and get behind enemy lines... these effects would be smaller with the first model of the superweapon but with more advanced versions then they provide much greater tactical advantages... plus on average the Superweapons are so powerful that even if the Scientist origionally made them to... say end world hunger or protect against atomic bombs (by creating huge forcefields that could deflect nukes or maybe causing all fissionable material in an area to instantly decay into lead) then the second the propose such an idea than people would want to limit its use to keep the existing powers in place.
Thus, some of the Mad Scientists genuinely want to make the world a better place, they just don't see much other choice (and heck, a few of them are welcome to help the governments protect against actual dangerous types).
Anyway, any thoughts or ideas?
However, I'm not really sure how such a game would go or how much the level of fluff vs crunch it should have. Also, the idea of having 'heros' or Robot Generals controlled by players sounds interesting but not sure how to implement it.
The idea is that it takes place Twenty Minutes into the Future and there are various Mad Scientists more or less working independantly toward their own plans to take over the world for various reasons. They've done alot of their research already and built up their resources in preparation for the day when they would make their bids for World Domination.
One might strike first and catch the World by surprise, the others would then know that there are others out there like them and start competing or forging alliances or maybe join the Government to help combat the first mad scientists. Or they could just lay low and try to work in secret until such a time where they can catch everyone else by surprise.
Who will take over the world? Or will they all fail? And are their heroes who will stop them?
Here is my rough idea on how each turn plays out:
1). Communicate with other players
2). Researching technologies
3). Activate Superweapons
4). Command Units
5). Combat
6). Finish Constructions
It would be more or less played on a Risk-style map (either the whole world or maybe just the US) and the various governments can put up a fight as well... but a mad scientist with a hive mind of robots under their control has certain advantages over a regular military (logistics, handling wounded, morale and stuff like that).
Examples of Units:
Robots - A variety of robots under the Mad Scientists command, can range from types used for combat or construction or may be highly versatile general robots.
Factories - Factories that manufacture the various robots, robot parts, or other things needed for the robot empire. More specialized factories can make things faster than generalized ones.
Power Plants - These produce the energy needed by the robots and factories, either sending it into the power grid, or creating fuel or 'power cells' for the robots to use. They function more like the population cap of the Empire. (though energy can be stored up or aquired by other means).
Control Nodes - Wireless command nodes that coordinates the robots in an area. You need your robots to be inside a controlled area for you to command them and if someone takes out the control node (or hacks it) then you lose control of the area and the robots within. They can still operate independently (with penalties) but there is the risk that someone might hack them and take control of them. Some robots called Robot Masters can be equipped with better AI to let them function as mobile Control Nodes to command lesser robots. A wide variety of Control Nodes can be designed and protecting them is vital.
Superweapons - A wide variety of high-tech devices you create to help in your world domination plan. These can range from nukes, teleporters, powerful force fields, or mind control devices. They are expensive investments and generally use up alot of power and are stationary (you can equip a mobile robot with a Superweapon, but its more expensive to do so... although the mobility makes it easier to defend the investment). Use these to help assist you in your plans, they can be improved with research and development so its probably best to stick with one or two types of Superweapon and innovate it to increase it effects in the field.
Theoretically you could just use your superweapon to try and hold the world hostage or something... but then again it always helps to have some muscle in case the army decides to attack you or at the very least some troops to hold onto land once you conquer them.
Research Labs - These labs help you invent things, they could be ones you yourself work in or automated systems that test out your theories in remote locations. By making more of these and improving them (possibly adding an Inventing Machine (http://ezinearticles.com/?Man-Builds-Inventing-Machine&id=324378) to the mix)
The basic goal is to take over the world, and doing that involves conquering and area through force or some other way, then set up the Control Nodes that let you control all your robots in that area (and by extension all the people living under the robotic rule), then get all the power plants and factories and such set up.
Freeing an area from robotic control involves accessing the Control Node (or Nodes) and either shutting it down (which disrupts communications and means the Mad Scientist in charge can't give orders to the robots in that area) or hacking it and using it to take all the robots for your own. Various security features could be set up to prevent those sorts of things. Or one could just destroy the factories in that area and all the robots as well.
I'm not really sure on how combat would work, but the various robots would be able to be built with various weapon types or modes of movement each of which changes their cost, upkeep, and effectiveness.
Superweapons would probably be the biggest things, they can cause all sorts of changes in the tactics or the environment to make the robot army more effective. Weather control can increase the effectivness of solar powered robots, cold weather or bad winds keep airplanes from being able to safely fly, teleporters let your robots bypass large distances and get behind enemy lines... these effects would be smaller with the first model of the superweapon but with more advanced versions then they provide much greater tactical advantages... plus on average the Superweapons are so powerful that even if the Scientist origionally made them to... say end world hunger or protect against atomic bombs (by creating huge forcefields that could deflect nukes or maybe causing all fissionable material in an area to instantly decay into lead) then the second the propose such an idea than people would want to limit its use to keep the existing powers in place.
Thus, some of the Mad Scientists genuinely want to make the world a better place, they just don't see much other choice (and heck, a few of them are welcome to help the governments protect against actual dangerous types).
Anyway, any thoughts or ideas?