Griffin Sword Saga/saved posts
Topic: The Griffon Sword Saga
Message #: 7369
Author: GS3-VORAVIEL
Date: 4/15/2003 2:37:41 PM
Subject: Re: Invasion suggestion
Ah, the ever-elusive "real invasion" mechanics.
Currently, critters aren't at the level of customability where you can tell them to *stay* in a specific range of rooms. They'll wander everywhere they can, and there's only a few hard limits to where they can't go. Unfortunately, this does not do well when you want to simulate real warfare automatically.
Otherwise, when manually running invasions, I try to bring a more realistic feel to it. I tend to stress guarding choke-points, mainly because things like bridges, etc, objects you can actually GO/CLIMB through, are one of the things critters don't normally go through unless you flag it as critter-crossable. However, this is not perfect since I can't see every person and every group of people and how their progress is and adjust things accordingly.
I eventually want to try making a system wherein everything is automatically taken into account - group bonuses, player numbers vs. critter numbers - if players are guarding a pass, then the critters can't just go past them unless a significant amount of them are dead or incapicitated in some way. If players smash a significant portion of the critters numbers, then they'll retreat for a while only to come back at a specified starting point (and have to fight back to their 'goal' which can also be set). However, right now, telling a critter go on a path is pretty hard since there's a hell of a lot of things to take into account.
I do have ideas on how to accomplish these things, tho, but we'll see if they're feasible and approved in the future. But, I doubt we'll see it in time for this invasion. That's alright, tho, since this incursion is just the appetizer for what's to come.
~ V, insert evil laughter.
Topic: The Griffon Sword Saga
Message #: 7604
Author: HATESHI
Date: 4/20/2003 6:39:26 AM
Subject: Re: The Ominous Meanwhile [spoiler]
Congratulations, Maimara. Player of Maimara, I hope that the mandatory barrage of OOC threats, insults, demands, and other such nonsense does not detract from your own enjoyment of your character's find.
For those interested, here's what I remember of the timeline of the events in this chapter:
Beginning late November/early Decemberish: - Ulstram senses that the third shard is east! People go east. How far east is determined roughly after the quillions are found--somewhere at least at the line of the Dragonspone or beyond it. - Morvule tells the DA supporters that the shard is somewhere near Ta'Illistim.
- Battle at Shadowguard. So much for the Illistim army.. - Harith claims Ta'Illistim for her own. People laugh. Heads explode. (Or is it "Heads explode. People laugh."?) - The elven armies are pitted continually against the Alliance's army. Slowly, the elves push the Alliance back. Nice distraction!
- An Illistim soldier POW is recovered, carrying information about Harith's safehold. The Resistance gets the information and the DA supporters do not--despite some scattered attempts to do so. Instead, they kill him after he repeatedly attacks one of their own ranks. So much for any more info from him. - The Hawks successfully kill Harith despite the DA supporters' attempts to finish securing an escape route for her. Judging from a few posts, I don't think that even the GMs anticipated this.
- Harith is revived as a banshee.
- Shrines are destroyed. Apparently not all of them. (Hey V, is the place that is frequented pretty much daily by the DA supporters the shrine that was missed? Or is there some shrine that wasn't searched out?)
- Morvule reaffirms what was told months prior--that the shard is either within the walls of Ta'Illistim or very near by. Apparently it had fallen deep within the Dragonspine, melting through the rock with its high speed. Dwarves then mined it out of the mountains. Believing it to be an interesting stone (remember--the pommel is comprised of many, not just one stone), the dwarves send it on a caravan to Ta'Illistim for sale. After all, elves like pretty and interesting things and have silvers. The caravan is attacked by V'tullians, killing most. Elves come to their aid too late. The shard is either left behind after the scuffle or taken by someone present without realizing what it is. The upcoming siege would pose a distraction so that a search could be mounted for the shard unhindered. - Judging what my character was told--directly and indirectly in-game--by Resistance members, they knew something similar. Or at least that the shard had been recovered, then lost, but was somewhere near Ta'Illistim and that (most likely) a person carried it unknowingly.
- The anticipated distraction comes and Ta'Illistim is besieged. - Morvule tells DA members that further information was relayed by the V'tullian scouts. One of the elven soldiers who attempted to aid the dwarvan caravan found the shard and kept it as an interesting bauble. Disillusioned by the war, he deserted. He was known (or expected) to be within the Illistim walls, in hiding and now a begger. A further distraction is planned to draw him out so that he--and the shard--can be searched for and found. - Interestingly enough, my character is told a very similar account by a Resistance member. The shard is hed by someone after it was mined from the Dragonspine. That someone does not realize he has it. He might be taking it to Ta'Vaalor soon to sell. - My character is told by a Resistance member of some monster called a Miscere'Golab expected to appear the following evening, and of shadows that will fall over the city. Reservations are expressed about the real implications of the beast's appearance, as well as whether or not the Resistance will be able to best it. If that is all that is thrown at them. - Maimara cries wolf, claiming that she has found the shard. Really, she just paid an Illistim elf to pretend that he lost it to her.
- The fateful day(night) comes. Morvule instructs the DA supporters to prepare for a search; all travel alone in the city and begin to comb it strategically even before the distraction is produced. (Just as they have been searching the city and its environs for the past few months.) - Mister Glob comes to say hi and oozes on things. - Ulstram instructs the Resistance to combat it. He seems painfully oblivious to a number of obvious aspects of the beast's apperance, many of which are raised and summarily dismissed by him. Oh well--he IS blind. - The DA supporters continue to search, running around the city like chickens with their heads cut off. - About twenty five minutes into the 'Glob's apperance, Maimara alerts her comrades that she has found the elf in the catacombs. Three rush to her side, where she is already deep in conversation with the squatter and proposing a trade so he can purchase a ticket out of the city. - The elf agrees to a deal, takes the offered half and then does not offer his end of the bargain. He is then killed for being a lying bastard by Maimara, and the bag he holds is retrieved by another present. - DA supporters go into sanctuary to confirm that it is in fact the shard and not just a peculiar rock. After Naamit sings to it, some concerns are alleviated. - A few DA supporters go Ulstram hunting. Some of them drop blatant hints to him and those gathered about the shard--but the elf does not sense it, so focused on what his vision told him. - Mister Glob dies. The Resistance rejoice. - Morvule confirms that the shard is real.
Interesting progression, at least to me. And, looking back, while the DA did get the shard in the end, they suffered many setbacks along the way--and have paid a great price to obtain it. Perhaps more will be revealed soon in game.
- EK