Buddy/Ignore List
The early comments on the potential changes in 4th cycle have been excellent. I actually have many of those ideas in slightly different form in my design notes.
I keep wrestling with what is practical to introduce into this intermediate step in 4th scenario, vs. what is best to leave for 3rd Cycle. Cipher is only available on a very limited basis and he does all the coding. He spends a lot of his time bailing Grasshopper out of difficult processing problems, so our development time has been slim. We still don't have all the 2nd Cycle changes in place, the rules updated, etc.
The point being, I'd like to get something new out, meaning 4th Scenario (new name will be coming, I'm leaning toward "Revelations" as it will have more emphasis on exploring and artifacts that we started toward with the change to Exploratory.)
My current summary list for 4th has 15 fairly significant topical changes. I think I need to cut that in half and leave the others for 3rd Cycle (also to have a new name) so we don't get stuck for too long.
So for example, instead of doing a comprehensive revision of spells and introducing lots of new ones, we can change the levels required and some effects. Some spells are rarely used because the level is too high (Heal comes to mind). Some don't have a big enough impact.
Speaking of which, I am hoping to change the combat spells to include "density". Currently, a P3 casting Firestrike does 700 x 3 = 2100 regardless of target group size. What I am considering is that would remain the effect against brigade sized groups, x2 vs. divisions, x3 vs armies, x4 vs. army groups. So it becomes 4x more powerful than present against army groups.
I do want to improve some artifacts like the wands and Plow and Alter, and perhaps the Palantirs. Also the weapon artifacts. Bring in a few more artifacts and characters at sightings. Move the rings and palantirs out of pc's.
Do want to change out the kingdoms, but I think as per above it may be too ambitious at present to make the two possibilities per kingdom. Likely we will eliminate 3 to get to 12, and then swap out about 3 for new kingdoms.
I'm leaning toward eliminating the RD, SO, and perhaps either GN or UN, and swapping out the GI, BL, and GN or UN, for something like the Paladins, Nomads, and Hobbits. I'm tempted to eliminate the DE and AN but they are such unique kingdoms and required a lot of work so it would hurt a bit to sideline them, but maybe its just for 4th Scenario and then they could be brought back. Hobbits I have a page of special orders for, so something like how the Underworld has major agent advantages, the Hobbits have major trade and market setting, can influence events, can hire certain mercenaries, characters are durable, good agents for recon and theft but at penalties for assassination and sabotage.
I keep wrestling with what is practical to introduce into this intermediate step in 4th scenario, vs. what is best to leave for 3rd Cycle. Cipher is only available on a very limited basis and he does all the coding. He spends a lot of his time bailing Grasshopper out of difficult processing problems, so our development time has been slim. We still don't have all the 2nd Cycle changes in place, the rules updated, etc.
The point being, I'd like to get something new out, meaning 4th Scenario (new name will be coming, I'm leaning toward "Revelations" as it will have more emphasis on exploring and artifacts that we started toward with the change to Exploratory.)
My current summary list for 4th has 15 fairly significant topical changes. I think I need to cut that in half and leave the others for 3rd Cycle (also to have a new name) so we don't get stuck for too long.
So for example, instead of doing a comprehensive revision of spells and introducing lots of new ones, we can change the levels required and some effects. Some spells are rarely used because the level is too high (Heal comes to mind). Some don't have a big enough impact.
Speaking of which, I am hoping to change the combat spells to include "density". Currently, a P3 casting Firestrike does 700 x 3 = 2100 regardless of target group size. What I am considering is that would remain the effect against brigade sized groups, x2 vs. divisions, x3 vs armies, x4 vs. army groups. So it becomes 4x more powerful than present against army groups.
I do want to improve some artifacts like the wands and Plow and Alter, and perhaps the Palantirs. Also the weapon artifacts. Bring in a few more artifacts and characters at sightings. Move the rings and palantirs out of pc's.
Do want to change out the kingdoms, but I think as per above it may be too ambitious at present to make the two possibilities per kingdom. Likely we will eliminate 3 to get to 12, and then swap out about 3 for new kingdoms.
I'm leaning toward eliminating the RD, SO, and perhaps either GN or UN, and swapping out the GI, BL, and GN or UN, for something like the Paladins, Nomads, and Hobbits. I'm tempted to eliminate the DE and AN but they are such unique kingdoms and required a lot of work so it would hurt a bit to sideline them, but maybe its just for 4th Scenario and then they could be brought back. Hobbits I have a page of special orders for, so something like how the Underworld has major agent advantages, the Hobbits have major trade and market setting, can influence events, can hire certain mercenaries, characters are durable, good agents for recon and theft but at penalties for assassination and sabotage.
