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View Full Version : Original System Fantasy Medieval City - game mechanisms and advancement



Leewei
2016-03-11, 12:02 PM
Hi, everyone.

I'm looking at making a game where each player is a powerful wizard who controls a city.

Each city will have features, such as a market, a library, and so on. Each feature will grant anyone in the city some form of benefit.

Merchant Hall: Aids any attempt to make gold in this city, or enables recruitment of a Merchant.

Great Library: Aids in research attempts, or enables recruitment of Sage.

Adventurers Guild: Aids in recruiting Adventurers, or allows an additional Adventurer to be recruited.

Wizard's Tower: Required for some advanced spells.



I'm looking for ideas for more city features and related traits. If anyone is aware of a similar open system that I can look over for ideas, I'd welcome it as well.

Also, what makes sense for adding new city features?

Lacco
2016-03-15, 04:45 AM
Hey there!

Interesting idea!

I don't know if there are similar systems, but I'll try to put some ideas there - most of them half-baked. Feel free to remove these if you want. At first some questions:

Is this supposed to be a pvp thing? Where the cities/city archmages compete? Some kind of RPG tower defence? Or just Sim City Magical? What is the scope - will the mage go adventuring if he runs out of money, or should the city be self-supporting? Or will the player just take the adventurers,sages,wizards from the city to go dungeon delving?
Also, will the wizard build the city with his magic or will he just give money/resources to people who build these?
Should this be a GM-less game or with a GM?

Ideas:
- building tiers - e.g. a small tower gives you level 1 mage. Large tower gives you level 3 mage.
- synergies - e.g. city with mages guild will increase the level of its mages by 1 each. Magic school provides another 1, university increases effect of each by 1.
- city leaders other than mages? A fighter will increase militia stats and will draw in more fighters. Mage will have cheaper magic buildings. Thief will be able to run thieves guild, getting more money from the city.

Buildings:
- tavern/inn/brothel - provides random adventurers of lower quality; also inns set the maximum number of adventurers in the city,
- militia training place/barracks/small fort/fortress - provides militia for the city; each X rounds gives you a fighter,
- pawn shop - increases revenue from dungeon delving
- magic shop - attracts more magic users
- shrine/church/cathedral - provides clerics for the city; each X rounds gives you a cleric; also - free healing
- monastery - the same for monks
- blacksmith - attracts more fighters (e.g. increases the probability a fighter will come randomly to the city via tavern; or increases his level)
- book merchant/library/great library - provides additional spells, provides dungeons (you have to research or scout for them)
- adventuring guild - also provides info on dungeons
- seedy tavern/hideout/thieves guild - provides thieves, also some money as "tax"; thief leader gets doubled income from this
- park/nature reserve - provides elves?; also increases income from seedy tavern (thieves know where to go get money)
- plaza/high-class tavern/bard college - provides bards
- shops - any kind (e.g. candlemaker, leatherworker, stables) will provide income to the city.

Also you could create some wards/districts with specific benefits and drawbacks - e.g. dock ward will provide you with income from docks, but there may be some trouble with thugs there - however, seedy taverns are at half price there. Castle ward/high class wards will give you more money on taxes, but will require that there are no seedy taverns, at least one church, militia and some shops. Commercial districts require X shops and provides them with bonuses.
Each ward however needs people... and I have no idea how to work this in. Maybe a price to build the ward/district? The people move in...

Other idea: random events/encounters. Once per time period (game round? year?) an event happens in each ward (e.g. rats in the docks, disease spreading through a city, necromancer summoning undead at the cementery... the question is - will the city leader work on the task or will he assemble a group from the adventurers in the city?

Ok, enough for now. Let me know what you think.

Leewei
2016-03-15, 09:16 AM
Thank you, Lacco!


Is this supposed to be a pvp thing? Where the cities/city archmages compete?

This sums it up fairly well. One city per player. City development is something that is a bit more general than the rest of the game, so I started a separate thread to discuss existing systems and ideas.

I like several of the building ideas you listed. I may well use some of those.

The random encounter idea is pretty neat as well. From a player's perspective, I want it to be difficult, but not impossible, to determine whether something is a random event, or GM-inflicted.

Final Hyena
2016-03-15, 09:56 AM
You really should give us more to go on for instance;
How long is a game supposed to last?
How many players?
Do you want players to be able to interact with each other and if so to what extent?
Is the game supposed to be more towards tactics or RNG?
Should eliminated players be able to impact the game and if so to what extent?

Leewei
2016-03-15, 10:43 AM
Thank you, Final Hyena. I'll reply within your quote in blue.


You really should give us more to go on for instance;
How long is a game supposed to last?
I'm thinking of around 3 real life months with 3 turns per week. That makes it about 40 turns.

How many players?
3-4; potentially more in future runs

Do you want players to be able to interact with each other and if so to what extent?
The game will start with no communication. During a Concillium (every 5th turn), and later, as they develop means to communicate, this will change to "Yes."

Is the game supposed to be more towards tactics or RNG?
The game will involve a RNG, however good tactics will strongly influence or even eliminate the random element.

Should eliminated players be able to impact the game and if so to what extent?
Players will only be eliminated if they drop out of the game. Cities might be degraded, but not conquered or removed.

Jormengand
2016-03-15, 10:58 AM
Try Fields of Blood: The Book of War, especially if 3.5 is your thing (The conversion if it isn't is fairly minor even though it looks like it shouldn't be).

Leewei
2016-03-15, 11:07 AM
Try Fields of Blood: The Book of War, especially if 3.5 is your thing (The conversion if it isn't is fairly minor even though it looks like it shouldn't be).

Will do. Thanks!

Edit: Seems to have some good reviews on Amazon. :smallsmile: