Ok, to give you an idea about what we are looking forward to, I'm going to share some of my design decisions with you. Feel free to comment and offer suggestions - I might even listen
![Roll Eyes ::)](https://twilightpeaks.net/forum/Smileys/default/rolleyes.gif)
. Seriously - if you're eventually going to play in this game, it is in your own best interest to help make the game a good one.
Note: This is a design document, so things might well change...that's the whole point...!!!DM Team - I'm not doing this game alone. No way. So I'm relying on having AT LEAST one other person to help me. And that person is Jon (ex- OIT, ya all know him). He knows both the setting and the rules, and he's a clever and dedicated fellow. AND he won't let his old affiliation with the OIT get in the way of good DMing (that doesn't mean won't be giving you a hard time though!).
- I may consider trying to get one other person to join the team. It needs to be an old RoE player that would rather DM than play...AND can work with both me and Jon. It's tempting...but three's a crowd...and it might not work out. So I haven't decided yet.
- Even will not DM, but he considers joining as a player. He will probably not be allowed to play Diemed - he's my brother, he knows the rules too well, and Diemed is the single most powerful PC domain...
New game - This is a NEW game, and NOT simply a continuation of RoE. RoE will provide the FOUNDATION (history etc.) for the new campaign...imagine what has gone before as background material. Roughly the same tings will have happened, but there will be a lot less detail and therefore more room for interpretation.The difference might seem subtle but it is VERY important.
- It has not been decided yet if old players returning should be allowed to resume playing their old domains. There are pros and cons. The main pro is that some players really INVESTED in the game and identifies strongly with the regent/domain. The main con is that this is a NEW game, and that distinction will suffer if older players try to pick up where they left.
- Anyway, old players WILL be given preference when applying for domains.
Location - The game will take place in much the same area as RoE did. This allows me to re-use a lot of material. Moreover Anuire is a very "playable" area that most players can easily identify with. Mieres and the lands beyond the Straits of Aerele are most likely cut from the game, but Rohrmarch might be in.
- We're going to focus on realms first, and then domains that interact well with realms. Not only that, but once a "domain type" start getting players, we need several players to make it interesting (one wizard is boring, five can be fun). Which means that guilds and wizards are rather low on my "needs to be filled" list. But exceptions do exist of course...
- Another important issue for me is compacting players...it is better to cover a smaller area with more players than allow them to spread around. Just as similar domain types interact more, so do those that are physically close.
Date - Well move the game forward to Turn 61 (we'll even call it Turn 61 to avoid any confusion with turns from the old game). RoE II will start in the Spring of 1535 HC...a full 15 years after the start of RoE! This obviously means moving 2 years (8 turns) into the "future", skipping everything in between.
Difficulty - Easy is not fun, so RoE II will be as challenging as RoE ever was. So if you think you can conquer the world in a year, find another game. Actually, if you're one of those players who can't stand bad things happening to your domain/character, this is not the game for you.
- I'm not a cruel DM, nor out to "get" players. It's just that I strongly believe the NPCs can and should, be just as good as any PC - and that applies to domains as well. Not all my NPCs will be omniscient super-regents...but most will be pretty smart (unless their personalities and agendas indicate otherwise) AND they are player by someone who KNOWS the rules...and I use those rules (but I don't cheat or meta - not a lot anyway).
- So PLEASE, if you're one of those boardgamers who are out to gather power and provinces, stay away. You and me will both have a better time if you do.
Focus/Plotline - There will be plotlines (one major and several smaller ones, just as with RoE) of course. But the game is about the players and their actions, and not about what the NPCs does. So I hope to make this game as "player-driven" as possible.
Mentors - We'll likely see some new players as well (I certainly hope so!). And RoE isn't an easy game to learn...both the setting and the rules are...rich with detail
![Wink ;)](https://twilightpeaks.net/forum/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
So if some of the old hand want to take a newbie under his wing, that would be great.
Grace period - Not many remember this, but when we started RoE there was a 4 turn "grace period". Players (and NPCs) were banned from starting any major wars or generally doing something monumental. This allowed everyone a smooth start...even players who took a turn or two to get going.
Old Domain Orders - Will not be made available. Period. There will be an update of the campaign timeline and background info for all domains, but that's it.
Regent Guide - I'm going to "finish" the Regent Guide before we start play. I probably never will be properly finished like a published book...it is essentially a one-man piece work...the ramblings and house rules of one semi-mad gamer.
Scion's Handbook - Probably won't do any real work here, except update the character creation document.
Domain Descriptions - Will be updated - focus on agendas and background material leading up to the present day. Things that will actually be USED in the game.
- Players that take the time to edit and/or add to their domain descriptions will be given some small in-game bonuses (in proportion to the effort invested).
- There won't be any major changes when it comes to regents, not counting the ones that got changed after turn 50 that is
. For example, William Moergen is still Duke of Osoerde and Gerladine el-Mesir is the mistress of Ilien and the PCE. - Characters STATS will have changed though. Most regents drop in level and ability. We're cutting down on "hero" and increasing "king"...
Provinces & Holdings - Will be updated with new province levels and holdings as I SEE FIT to create an interesting game. Once again it is a NEW game, so I'm not above making some changes that certainly wouldn't have happened had we played through turn 60. That said most things should be recognizable. Also, I'm removing some smaller regents. While they look great on paper and add some flavor, they never really played any part in the game. So we'll just assume that those smaller domains now are abstracted as part of the various holdings.
- Province Growth - Will be abstracted in RoE II. I.e. no numbers will show beneath province level. This means that province levels will go up/down as DMs see fit (not very often that is). That doesn't mean that Rule Province, events or raising the levy won't affect growth...just that you can't see the numbers.