23-06-2004 04:15									#1
	Acts of Fate - Discussion Thread Get a bigger avatar today!

So as to keep all the Acts of Fate as a cohesive whole, please post any comments and discussion about them here. If it would be helpful to illustrate a point, feel free to copy and paste relevant text here for discussion too!

-=Vel=-

	23-06-2004 18:27									#2
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Having read some of that last night, I must say, an excellent read. What I'm particularly glad to see, that the in-game cards also have a game-world relevant quote to them. The SMAC tech blurps were one of my favorite parts... ahh, Zak's quotes... any chance you'll have voicovers in Candle'Bre ?

I must applaud the imagination of the team for drawing up all these cards, though. By the time a player has seen all of these, he'll forget half, so replay value seems great indeed.

	24-06-2004 00:44									#3
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quote: Name: Military Intelligence Category: Military Effect: The geniuses over in supply are at it again, and orders are getting crossed right and left! The end result is that no transfers are possible among any of your armies (all armies locked this turn) and (random, 4-7) armies cannot move this turn! Other Instructions: Event resolves when received. Flavor Text: “Stupid is as stupid does .”

	24-06-2004 02:53									#4
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whooohoooo!!! Thanks guys!

And yes, the "flavor text" for each event is, in some ways, the most important bit....I mean, sure, the events themselves are cool, and allow for in-game options not normally available, but it's the sense of cohesion lent by the presence of the historical blurbs and quotes that really begins to tie everything together. Makes you feel like you're a part of an ongoing thing rather than just playing in a vaccuum. I like that. I like that a lot....

As to voiceovers....I would LOVE it!

We experimented a while back with some voiceovers, but didn't generate quite enough interest in that piece of it initially to attract enough "voices" to the chorus....nonetheless, it's a fantabulous idea, and one that I hope to revisit as we get closer (we'll need LOTS of different voices too, so that'd be a GREAT way for folks who want to participate in some way to make their mark on the game world!)

Working on the Provincial Events now, and should have them hammered out by tomorrow for review!

-=Vel=-

	24-06-2004 03:13									#5
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Well, if you had a mad Russian scientist like Zakharov in this game, my accent would be good for it .

	24-06-2004 03:28									#6
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That can most definitely be arranged!

-=Vel=-

	24-06-2004 04:07									#7
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For Solver: Proposed new quote to go in one of the "research grant" events in the thread:

The substructure of the Universe, regresses infinitely toward....hey?! How'd I get here?
~ Provost Zacharov, Master-Solver of the University of MistHaven



-=Vel=-

	24-06-2004 04:40									#8
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Feel free to include that anytime .

	24-06-2004 04:40									#9
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I'm about to post the provincial events here, and please note that I've intentionally left flavor texts off of some of these, to see if any of the creative minds here wanna give a go at helping to write some of Candle'Bre's history....feel free!

(if not, I'll go back and fill the blanks in later, it just struck me as a great opportunity to solicit involvement!)

-=Vel=-

	24-06-2004 04:43									#10
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I've written (and even published) short stories, but you know, judging by their content, you wouldn't want me anywhere near Candle'Bre texts .

	24-06-2004 04:52									#11
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not to worry...The Basin has many voices, so if you're feeling creative, give it a whirl!

And for those who DO feel like trying it on for size....just make up a name for somebody (or use one of the already used names) and give them something to say that relates in some way to the event. Helpful, but not absolutely required, if you read the fiction that we've got up, both here and on the pyromaniaks board....might help a bit with inspiration...

-=Vel=-

	24-06-2004 23:13									#12
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I have a question regarding the "story events" fate cards that weren't listed here because you wanted to maintain secrecy. You mentioned that these events are always on and in every game. But do they change at all from game to game, reflecting the player's actions changing the direction of the plot? Or will the plot be the same in each game? Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding that category of fate cards.

	25-06-2004 02:55									#13
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A very good question!

The story events are 'always on' if you choose the historical game option, and they are always the same, 'tis true, however....

The event set is ~20 events per faction, and all are interlinked and interrelated, such that the outcomes and divergent OF those story paths are somewhat dependent on choices made by the other factions in *their* story events.

Plus, the events are on a "cumulative % per turn timer" meaning that they'll not always appear when you think they might.

That, added to the fact that the events have multiple choices listed should equate to quite a lot of replay value just in that sub-event pool....

-=Vel=-

	25-06-2004 03:15									#14
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Vel, can you elaborate on that "historical game" mode, unless it's a secret? Does that mean that some things are fixed, unlike in a normal game, like certain military alliances, or does it affect the path your research can take, or what?

	25-06-2004 04:49									#15
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Best way to elaborate on it is to show you an example, so I shall go do some digging and pull up one of the earlier versions of the story events for the fury family so you'll see what I mean...

-=Vel=-

	25-06-2004 04:59									#16
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Here are the first eight (8) of the Fury Family Historical Events, posted to answer some questions raised by Solver.

As you can see, the natural bent and flow of the alliance structure is presented, but it is done in such a way that the player is not forced to accept historical alliance patterns.

The rest of the events in this chain were left off intentionally, so as to preserve some of the in-game surprises, but I wanted to post enough so you could see the general story-boarding and style....

****

Fury Family Events (partial listing)

Name: Proudhome (tag Fury1)

Category: Fury Family Events

Effect: Do you wish to privately fund the effort to find the King's killer?

--> Yes! The rogues responsible must be brought to justice, no matter what the cost! (-100g--50 from military, and 50 from civilian), -5g in every Fury province you control when this event occurs (effect lasts till the event "Vengeance of the King¨). No honor drift for your faction (till the event "Vengeance of the King¨), +5 Honor, +5 Influence, and a +2% per turn loyalty recovery rate (till the event "Vengeance of the King¨). Sir Kenna Fury appointed to head the investigation.

-->No! The family's resources are better put to use winning the war first. We shall deal with enemy armies first, and those directly responsible later. (+100g (divided between military and civilian pool), -5 Honor)

Other Instructions: This Act of Fate must be dealt with immediately, and is only available to Fury players. Event only occurs once per game. A "Yes¨ response here is the trigger for the event called "Treachery and the Assassination of Sir Kenna¨ Either answer will trigger the next event in the series, "The Ride¨

* A "yes¨ response here gives a 2% (non-cumulative) chance per turn of triggering the event called "Treachery and the Assassination of Sir Kenna¨ (fury3)

* Either response gives an 8% (non-cumulative) chance per turn of triggering "The Ride¨ (fury2)

Flavor Text: ¨The assassination that sparked the succession wars was a terrible blow to the Fury family, who stood as faithful servants at the right hand of the King. Many of the members of that house vowed that they would use their personal fortunes to uncover the plot and find the King's killers.¨


Name:The Ride (tag - Fury2)

Category: Fury Family Events

Effect: The FreeFolk of "The Ride¨ (northern Trentare) offer their service or their lands to your cause:

--> We accept their service (gain +1 cavalry per turn in your capitol - until the end of the current game)

--> We accept their lands (gain land and title in Trentare (x2)) (Gain 20% of that province's income, per turn--until the end of the current game)

Other Instructions: This Act of Fate must be dealt with immediately, and is available only to Fury players. Only appears once per game. Note that if the Fury family already controls Trentare, then choosing "their lands¨ will provide no additional income effect, as the family is already getting the full measure of the province's income.

Flavor Text: "The folk of Trentare have long had good ties with the Fury Family, and in the dark days that followed the assassination of Candle'Bre's King, the Trentans further strengthened their ties with their northern neighbors. To that end, the northern Free Folk, in a region known as "The Ride¨ pledged their service or their lands to the Fury cause.¨

* Either response here triggers a 10% (non-cumulative) per turn chance of seeing the event called "The Brom Dilemma¨ (fury5)

*Either response here triggers a 2% (cumulative) per turn chance of seeing the event called "The Borderman Alliance¨ (fury6)


Name: Treachery and the Assassination of Sir Kenna (tag - fury3)

Category: Fury Family Events

Effect: Sir Kenna is removed from the game

Other Instructions: This act of Fate must be dealt with immediately, only appears for Fury players, and only once per game.

Flavor Text: ¨Whomever was behind the assassination of the King has gotten wind of Fury inquiries, and snuffed out the life of the famed General leading the investigation. His loss is a terrible blow to the forces of justice in the realm.¨

* This event triggers a 5% (cumulative) chance per turn of seeing the event called "The Ghost Company¨ (fury4)


Name: The Ghost Company (tag - fury4)

Category: Fury Family Events

Effect: 2% chance each time a battle is fought between a leaderless army you control and any other faction (neutrals do not count) that the spirit of Sir Kenna will visit the battlefield (Leader - Sir Kenna, and 10 additional cavalry units, added to your side at the start of battle)

Other Instructions: This act of fate must be dealt with immediately, only occurs for the Fury player, and is activated only once per game (though, per above, there is no limit besides game duration to the number of times the "Ghost Company¨ may appear)

Flavor Text: ¨Soldiers will have their superstitions, and of late, rumors have been circulating among the ranks of the fallen Sir Kenna, riding to the unexpected rescue of Fury troops, leading a column of proud Fury horse troops.¨

Name: The Brom Dilemma (tag - fury5)

Category: Fury Family Event

Effect: The Lord of Brom sends word that he is under attack from Nilroggi raiders! As a staunchly loyal supporter of the King before the assassination, he begs assistance from the right hand of the King.

--> It is our duty to support those loyal to our fallen King, dispatch aid immediately! (lose 6 cavalry from your ranks (randomly taken from your forces. If you lack a sufficient number of cavalry, lose what you have, and make the difference up with gold lost from your military treasury) Gain +5 Honor. Double this value if Brom is currently non-neutral, and not controlled by your house.

--> We must keep our attention focused on defeating our immediate enemies. Brom's troubles will have to wait....as will the Nilroggi. Lose -5 honor and -1 influence per turn for 10 turns as the Church looks disdainfully on you turning a blind eye to the Nilroggi threat.

Other Instructions: This Act of Fate must be dealt with immediately, appears only for the Fury player, and only appears once per game.

* If not currently active, a "yes" response to this event triggers the "Nilroggi¨ event series for the Fury player

Flavor Text: ¨During the succession wars, the tiny province of Brom was attacked unexpectedly by fierce bands of Nilroggi raiders from the northern tunnel systems, adding to the chaos swirling through the Kingdom at that time. As Brom had historically close ties to the Fury family, they were the first called when assistance was needed.¨


Name: The Borderman Alliance (tag - fury6)

Category: Fury Family Events

Effect: Given the war, and concerned with their status as an independent state inside Candle‘¦Bre, the leadership of Trentare offers closer ties with your family.

--> Accept lands and title in Trentare (Gain land and title in Trentare (x3) (30% of that province‘¦s income) and +4 Skirmishers in your capitol this turn))

--> Turn the lands and title over to the Church (+1 Influence per turn for the remainder of the game) (if the Fury family owns Trentare, and this option is selected, then the Fury family loses 30% of Trentare‘¦s income to the Church for the remainder of the game)

Other Instructions: This event must be dealt with immediately, appears only for the Fury player, and only once per game. If the Fury family already controls Trentare, this event will still "occur¨ but the only effect will be the +4 Skirmishers, as the Furies will already be getting the full measure of the Province's income. An "Accept lands and title¨ response here triggers the event "Trentan Inheritance¨ (fury7). There is a 4% cumulative chance per turn of seeing the "Trentan Inheritance¨ event after this one occurs.

Flavor Text: ¨As the war dragged on, and Trentare's future as an independent state became increasingly uncertain, their leadership sought closer ties to their long-time Fury friends, offering Fury nobles estates in their Kingdom, and providing additional military assistance to the war effort.¨


Name: The Trentan Inheritance (tag - fury7)

Category: Fury Family Events

Effect: The nobles of Trentare wish to come under Fury protection and be added to your realm!

--> We gladly welcome our FreeFolk cousins into Fury holdings (-150g, Trentare is added to your realm)

--> Turn the Trentan nobles away‘K.we regretfully cannot accept their petition (-5 Honor. If Trentare is controlled by another faction, gain +75 relations with that faction and lose all lands and titles you previously gained, fully relinquishing all claim to the territory).

Other Instructions: This act of fate must be dealt with immediately, only appears for Fury players, and will only appear once per game. If the Furies already own Trentare when this event occurs, it still "happens¨ but there is no popup box informing the player, nor any effect.

* This event is the trigger for the "Alliance with Castillar¨ event (fury8) (15% non-cumulative chance per turn)

Flavor Text: "Trentare's history as a semi-independent nation came to an end during the succession wars....with their future uncertain, and Candle'Bre in chaos, the leadership in Trentare felt it necessary to ensure their survival by binding themselves fully with Clan Fury. A proud, free People to the last, their remarkable nation met its end here.¨


Name:Alliance with Castillar (tag - fury8)

Category: Fury Family Events

Effect: Court Heralds between the houses of Fury and Castillar have been busy creating closer ties and laying the foundations for a formal alliance, and the fruits of those labors are now ready to be harvested.

--> Accept the overtures of Castillar‘¦s representative (+75 relations with House Castillar) +1 Influence per turn for 20 turns. - 50 relations with Mourngrym and the Wizards

--> Send the Castillari representative away, we will show no particular favoritism here! (-75 relations with House Castillar, but +20 relations with Mourngrym and the Wizards) -1 Influence for 10 turns for spurning Castillar, whose family has extremely close ties with the Church.

Other Instructions: This act of fate must be dealt with immediately, appears only to Fury players, and will appear only once per game. This is the event trigger for "Vengeance of the King¨ (fury9) (15% chance per turn of seeing "Vengeance of the King¨ after this event occurs (non-cumulative)

Flavor Text: ¨House Castillar had been fighting tooth and nail with Mourngrym and his Wizard allies for the bulk of the war, and the battles had taken their toll. Castillari armies were in retreat all across the Basin. The promise of Fury aid was key to keeping the House in the fight, and though it was not in time to save the Castillari garrison in Ouestron from defeat, Fury forces were instrumental in turning the tide of battle almost everywhere else.¨

Last edited by Velociryx on 25-06-2004 at 05:09

	25-06-2004 05:20									#17
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That explains it, thanks . A good concept, too.

	25-06-2004 05:22									#18
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-=Vel=-

	29-06-2004 03:34									#19
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I haven't yet read all the fate cards, but the impression I've got so far is that the flavor texts, well, lack flavour. They are incredibly boring (not all of them, but most). In the leadership category for example you have rather bland descriptions written by fictious historians, but no quotes by the actual persons themselves... come on, if I should get the impression that baron Von Helmswhatshisname is "orthodox and unpredictable", the worst way to convey this is to just say:

"The Baron is one of the most flamboyant, unorthodox leaders in the whole of the Basin."

YAWN

Why not an excerpt from Baron's owns works, something like this:

"The next morning I instructed a few of my most trusted soldiers to crawl in the hidden compartments of the wooden horse, while the rest of my army feigned retreat. As I had suspected, the accepted our gift and pulled the horse inside their gates. There's nothing like a good plan coming into fruition; thus I personally stayed up the following night, waiting for a signal from my elite that they have opened the city gates.

But alas, the fates were not with us that night. Instead of the signal all I saw was a menacing pillar of smoke rising from the city square. I lost many good men that night, but all things considered, it was worth a try."
- Baron Von Helmsdenvoor, Into the Fire

Or something. I'm hardly a writer myself, but you get the idea: more personal flavour, quotes from the heroes of Candle'Bre and the songs and poems that tell the tales of their adventures. The flavour text should not shy away from being edgy and even biased, because we already have the generic description to explain the gameplay effects and what's "really" going on.

	29-06-2004 04:51									#20
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Leland, I like it!

And quite right...one of the drawbacks of attempting to do the whole thing at one shot (all the technical stuffs and the flavor texts right afterwards) is that, with my brain firmly wrapped around the mechanical aspects, the flavor texts have, for the most part, been added in as a bit of an afterthought (if at all...see the most recent round of events that lack them entire).

To that end, as soon as I finish GETTING the events all posted here, I'll give myself a bit of a break, and then go back and revisit the flavor texts as a whole...and in the meantime, if you and others have some ideas on that (rockin' example, btw, from the good Baron ), jump right in!

-=Vel=-

	30-06-2004 03:02									#21
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Just made a fairly massive update to the Acts of Fate thread....getting closer!

-=Vel=-

	30-06-2004 18:21									#22
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Bezzamarra:

"What can I say looking back at the past years? I can say they've shown me the truth about fighting. All those fighters controlled by nobles who pay a fortune for their training, the elite forces that spend five years in the academy prior to their appearace on the battlefield - that is a rather foolish creation of our society.

The Council Forces hired Mercenaries to sack my tower in Maldev. A cunning attack that was, but I shall forever be grateful to those who planned it, for it opened my eyes. The mercenaries received very good pay for their attack on my tower, but never did they complete all the tiresome and prolonged training. And then it dawned on me - I could do just as well. So I found people I could trust, and led them into battle personally. They remained faithful to me, although I was, perhaps, never too kind with them, but, not being trained myself, I could teach my soldiers no more - so I just led them into the battle. How glad I was to witness my faithful troops slaughter the enemy and emerge victorious! They were inspired. Inspiration is power. Inspiration is victory."

-General Bezzamarra, "Battles of the Sword and the Purse"

	30-06-2004 19:55									#23
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This game is looking very interesting. Good luck to all involved. But, while I was scanning through the acts of fate thread, my "grammar pet peeve" event triggered on this text:

quote: The Church has promoted you to head it’s Order of the Holy Fire

it's = contraction for "it is".
its = possessive.

	30-06-2004 19:57									#24
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I would then appreciate it if you looked through the text I posted above, as I am far from being a native English speaker .

	30-06-2004 22:26									#25
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Solver - I don't think you've broken any rules of grammar. Unless you're trying for an archaic sound, though, phrases like "A cunning attack that was" or "never did they complete" sound awkward. More standard English style would be "That was a cunning attack" and "They never completed". A couple of sentences might sound better if they were broken into two shorter sentences (e.g. "They remained faithful to me, although I was never kind with them. Not being trained myself, I could teach my soldiers no more - so I just led them into the battle.").

	30-06-2004 22:36									#26
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Ahh, well, that strange was order was put there exactly with the intention of giving it a more unusual sounding - I figure that's rather suitable in a fantasy environment such as this.

As for long sentences, people who've read my stories and articles always notice that I love them - I often go as far as to have setnences with around 80 words in them, so that's hardly long for me .

	01-07-2004 02:51									#27
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Hiya Solver, and yep! That's a keeper!

Dave - Good catch....that's sadly one of the dangers of writing event after event till it feels like my eyes are gonna pop right outta my skull....sometimes it's the little things I miss....

-=Vel=-

	01-07-2004 02:57									#28
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quote: Hiya Solver, and yep! That's a keeper!

I know what to do now if I have inspiration and a few spare minutes .

	01-07-2004 03:25									#29
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By all means, bud! Keep 'em coming!

-=Vel=-

	01-07-2004 23:19									#30
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Reading through some more events...

You seem to be using "reduce loyalty cap" inconsistently.

The first two options of Plague #2 and #3 are exactly the same.

On "A Regional Powder Keg", if the governor succeeds in fair negotiation, you said it has the same effect as if you had chosen that option. Does this include the -100g?

Oh, and what is the "Kudzu" spell?

In "Something Wicked This Way Comes", loyalty in impacted provinces drop 25%. It already did this in "A Regional Powder Keg". Is it your intention to have a cumulative loyalty drop of 50%?

"Choosing Sides" should only occur to someone not the Council of Five or Castillar, obviously, but also it should only happen if the two are, in fact, at war. The Wizard option also sounds a little weak, given the bonus to combat rolls offered for choosing the Church.

There should be counterparts (not direct though, just general) to the "Consolidation of Church Powers" for the other factions. As it is, it looks very dangerous for Castillar. Oh, and this would be a good candidate for turning into a "story" event or at least one of a sequence.

Who or what is Ollux?

Gold should always be convertable into influence, and "Money Talks" should only make the exchange rate better.

Regarding "Preaching the Work Ethic", what use is half of a CP? I thought they didn't stockpile

In "The Church Washes its hands of the Great Nobles", why do you lose 40 influence in the first option?

"Unholy Alliance": Huh?

I'd like to see a LOT more events like "A Regional Powder Keg" (and the other events in the chain) - sequences of events with somewhat complicated choices in them.