New NESes, ideas, development, etc

My game, Heroes of Ardania, is 99% COMPLETE.

there's only one issue: parts of the ruleset contains tables, which are not displayed correctly on CFC. I can't find a website to post those documents with both text and tables except Scribd. I separated the tables and their explanations so that i can post them separately and just put a link in the ruleset (the ruleset will not look longer than this post, but it's actually 40 Pages long) .
Does everyone agree to Scribd? Do you know any better websites?

Thankee!

EDIT: NEVERMIND, I FOUND DROPBOX.

You can create tables here, you know.

I think its possible to use the table command and they look fine as long as you are lifting your tables from excel or spreadsheet or something. i've done it lots.

Lord_Iggy said:

You|Can|Make
Tables|On|Civfanatics

Click to expand...

Plus, one of those cells contains a whole page of text.
Do you really want to see that.
Do you.

ur not using tables correctly if its got a whole page of text in it.

To be fair, if it limits the viewer to only needing to using one file in order to get an overview, it's superior to a lot of other solutions. Imo.

Just an example of one of the tables.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tvxwlj0ic3dkotp/Battle of the Plains.doc
NOW YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I MEAN????


@Immaculate, I said a cell contains a truckload of text. Well of course it's that big if it contains all the text. It NEEDS to contain all the text.Capiche?

sorry for doubleposting.... but it's ready.
Seriously.


Background


=====================================

For those into RP.... here's a complete history of Ardania.

To join, you’ll pick two heroes; you’ll pick the race and the hero class of each hero. Choose names for them, or leave them like that and I'll give them names for you from the original Majesty game.
Races: (affect quests taken, available locations and available items).


Pick The hero classes from Tier 1.
Tier 1)Warrior- Ranger-Rogue-Wizard-Monk-Healer-Priest-Cultist-Barbarian-Solarus-Adept - Craftsman
Tier 2 & 3, used later in the game. Irrelevant for now.


There are limitations on which races can be which classes;
-Humans can be anything, but their Builders cannot upgrade to Engineers.
-Elves cannot be Wizards, Monks, Cultists, or Builders.
-Dwarves cannot be Ranger, Rogues or Barbarians
-Gnomes cannot be Solarus or Adept . Also, their melee heroes cannot wield Longswords. Classes that can only use Longswords will instead use Gnomish versions of normal Longswords.
========

Info about each Hero class, and a review of what each stat does. https://www.dropbox.com/s/cfvl9jud6pgj7gr/Classes and Stats.doc
==================================

Each player can chose two heroes as their starting party. Note that rivalries between classes apply, so no Priest + Healer. Each player will gain a new hero every few turns for a maximum of 6. Each hero has it’s own stats and levels up independently. They each have different equipment.
All equipment slots: (shared by all classes)



Battles




Hero parties will be randomly spread between the three major cities of the Ardanian Kingdom, Valmorgen, Mayhew and Tholaria.
You can have your heroes grouped or split into multiple groups, or even send them alone on different tasks ( a good strategy for fetch quests that need ingredients from multiple locations.)



Map:

Map locations description, with visitable sublocations: https://www.dropbox.com/s/u27nlkccyo992nh/Heroes of Ardania - locations.doc

USEFUL INFO AND LINKS.



IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, ASK AWAY.
for chat about game, live planning and live results for your actions, check http://www.heroesofardaniagame.chatango.com/

These are dark times in Wessway.

The days of the Vikings are coming to a close. Once, a longship would set out for a voyage and return laden with booty, thralls, plunder and women - now, more often than not it does not return at all. The children of the green lands have rallied around their kings and their castles, and fight the Vikings every step of the way for their churches.

Once, a man seeking to prove his bravery would not need to look far for a quest or a foul monster to slay - dragons, ogres, and foul beasts prowled the land, crying out for a brave man to prove his mettle against them. Toki Drake-slayer, Bjorn Stronginthearm, Ingvar Ogretooth - all these great heroes of the Sagas were once but callow youths who rose to prominence after saving their villages from such creatures. But now, such monsters are scarce to be found. It has been 100 years since the last time a dragon was seen in the world, and some say that these beasts are lost forever. Others claim they remain skulking in the Great Spine, awaiting some brave hero to discover them.

Once, the True Gods of the North reigned supreme across all of Skandze, driving the Vikings onwards to glory. Disputes were settled by holmgang, the duel, or by agreement at a Folkmeet. The groves of Wotan were full of worshippers on the Holy Days, and Wotan, Donar, Freija, Loki, and the others smiled down upon Wessway. Now, the faith of the south is creeping into the land. Already Olav Firehands, King of Jutemark, has converted and pledged his realm to the Lord of the Flames. The Fireworshippers are already creeping into Wessway, teaching the rigidity of the Law and the 616 Commandments of the Lord of the Flames. Even more so, some believe the High Flamespeaker of Rum, the leader of the Fireworshipper religion, is preparing a great crusade against the unbelievers of Skandze. Soon, thousands of armoured knights of the Southlands may storm into Wessway. The way of life of the Wessmen is under threat.

And now, Ingvar Teethgnasher, High King of Wessway, is dead. A great king, who reunited Wessway at its darkest hour and drove out the Geatlander invasion. A mighty warrior, the paragon of male righteousness and strength and wisdom. But now he feasts with his ancestors in Walhalla. A new High King must be decided at the Kingsmeet in Helmsreach, but the field is poor. Invar's first son, Vigge Spear-Breaker, Jarl of Bloodtooth, is a mighty warrior, but a fool and lacks wisdom. On the advice of his drinking partners, he marshalls his host and marches for Helmsreach. Ingvar's second son, Svein Forktongue, Jarl of Frosthold, is a wily and cunning man, but is unmanly and a craven, preffering words to deeds and guile to battle. Worse still, he is rumoured to be a Seithmann, a man who practices sorcery and magic - an accusation which would make him worse than a criminal in the eyes of the Wessmen. Nonetheless, he has raised his host from his hall in Frosthold near the Spine, and marches for Helmsreach.

The third candidate is perhaps the most hated of all: Toki Snorrison, Jarl of Stormpeak, and a follower of the Lord of the Flames. He would seek to plunge Wessway into strict following of the 616 Commandments, and an end to raiding of the Wessmen. However, perhaps this is preferrable to the foolishness of Vigge Spear-Breaker or the unmanfullness of Svein Forktongue. Even more so, perhaps it is preferrable to civil war.

In this time of chaos, only one thing is certain - Wessway will never be the same again.

~*~*~*~​

As you may have possibly been able to guess, this is the introduction to a StoryNES I am planning to run soon, set in the fictional Kingdom of Wessway. The setting is heavily inspired by the Vikings, and thats the general air and themes that I am going for - the end of the Viking Age, unrestricted freedom giving way to the rule of law, and the last gasp of a culture as it slides towards civilisation. Which isn't to say that any of that is inevitable - just the themes that surround the collaborative story that we're all trying to write.

You don't necessarily have to play as a Viking, but the story will strictly take place in Wessway and the immediate vicinity. Magic will most likely play some part if players wish it: the wonderful thing about StoryNESes is that everything is done in cooperation with other players so you can't be 'overpowered' unless everybody else involved is OK with it in stories. The various mythical creatures of myth and legend as alluded to in the second paragraph may or may not be around, as the players wish.

So far I'm working on writing up the setting and the OP. I also need a map for referrence, so if anybody wants to help me out that would be greatly appreciated because I'm awful when it comes to map-making. I'm going for something like Southern Norway, with the sea to the West and possibly the South. To the east is a chain of mountains called the Spine which forms Wessway's eastern border. At the foot of the Spines is a town called Frosthold. The 'capital', for want of a better word, is called Helmsreach and should probably be on the sea. There should be two other cities called Bloodtooth and Stormpeak somewhere (Stormpeak should probably be on the coast, but it doesn't really matter). Thats it. If anybody wants to make that feel free to do so, and it would be greatly appreciated.

Pretty interesting idea, man. I like it.

Really interesting.

The Kingdom of Wessway was once a collection of petty jarldoms and fiefdoms, ruled by various brave and strong men. Due to overcrowding and the lack of good farmland, the warriors of Wessway frequently went aviking across much of the North and the rest of the continent. The warriors of Wessway become renowned as fierce fighters and savage raiders, striking without warning from their longships and seizing all that could be plundered. The Wessmen are rugged individualists who prize bravery and manliness among all else from their warriors.

However, during the year 918 AM (After Manu, according to the calendar of the Fireworshippers), a dispute between the Jarl of Helmsreach, Ulfrik the Brave, and the Jarl of Seamourne, Ejnar Hairybritches, broke out. Ulfrik had eyes upon Sigurd Anjasdottir, the only child of the Jarl of Frosthold. Ulfrik travelled to Frosthold to beg the hand of Sigurd from the Jarl, and was granted on account of his bravery. However, Ejnar Hairybritches also desired Sigurd, and in the dead of night with his men crept into Frosthold and kidnapped Sigurd. Incensed, the young Ulfrik gathered his men and went to war with the men of Seamourne, and smote Ejnar in battle, thus taking Frosthold for himself. However, by taking Seamourne and inheriting the seat of Frosthold, Ulfrik was now the most powerful Jarl in Wessway. The other Jarls grew threatened, and made war upon Ulfrik, but he drove them off with great bravery and might, and was thus dubbed Ulfrik the Brave. Ulfrik made all the Jarls of Wessway swear fealty to him, and thus was made High King of Wessway. Ulfrik reigned as King for 46 years.

Ulfrik and Sigurd had no children, and thus there was noone to succeed him. Ulfrik's closest advisors called for the Kingsmeet, where the chiefs and Jarls of Wessway would elect their leader. It came close, and blood was almost spilled, but in the end, Adi, cousin of Ulfrik, was crowned King. Adi was wise, and was thus dubbed 'Wiseaxe', and during his time Wessway had prosperity. Much gold came to the land through raiding and farming, though some Jarls grew incensed. After Adi's death, the Jarls of Frosthold and Bloodtooth rebelled against his son, Ingvar, after they failed to win votes at the Kingsmeet. Ingvar smote them (gaining the epithet Teeth-gnasher for his behaviour during the battle at Bloodtooth) and gave their lands to his infant sons - Bloodtooth to his eldest Vigge and Frosthold to his youngest, Svein, before turning around and driving out the Geats after they attempted an invasion. Vigge and Svein grew as different as night and day - whereas Vigge was brave and wrothfull, though foolish, Svein was cunning, calculating, and perhaps craven, which only grew in the cold halls of Frosthold.

Ingvar Teeth-Gnasher was a mighty king, but during his reign many disasters happened. The men of the nations preyed upon by the Wessmen and their Juti and Geatish countrymen organised against them, with more Knights appearing on the shores than before. Gold from plunder grew thin, and more and more longships failed to return. The faith of the Fireworshippers, the Word of Manu, began to percolate into the North. Ingvar did his best to stop the faith from pervading into his realm, but many still converted, and worse still during his reign Olav Firehands, King of Jutemark to the south, abandoned Wotan and converted to the Word of the Lord of the Flames.

For the most part, the Wessmen follow the faith of their forefathers, which those to the south call Asatru. The Wessmen revere a pantheon of deities who live above them in the Realm of Valhalla, where they gather the souls of the dead for an eternity of feasting, drinking, fighting and lovemaking, in preparation for the Great Battle at the End of the World against their sworn enemies, the Giants. The Asatru do their worship in sacred groves, where they practice their prayers and sacrifices to their deities. The priests, known as Gothi, lead others in prayer and in supplication to the their gods, as well as carrying out their sacrifices. Some particularly skilled Gothi have learned the ways of Sithr, or magic, and can cast powerful illusions, sway the minds of men, and divine the future. However, for the followers of Asatru for a man to use Seithr it is considered a grave tabboo, for Sithr is considered unmanful and cowardly. Women who have knowledge of Sithr are well respected, but the men who practice it are considered womanly and bring great shame upon themselves. Some believe that Svein Forktongue is a practitioner of Seithr, due to his vast charisma and cunning, but those who whisper so are careful not to do it in his hearing save for his brother.*

*OOC: the Asatru faith is pretty much identical to the historical Norse one - I'm not renaming Wotan, Tor, and Tiwaz for you all.

Kingship of Wessway follows from the election at the Kingsmeet, where all the Jarls and important men of the Kingdom travel to the King's hall in Helmsreach. There, each man and his retainers vote for their King - he who gains a full half of the vote for himself becomes the King. At the Kingsmeet, each man has a right to speak and be heard, no matter how lowly. There have only been two Kingsmeets thus far, and one ended in civil war and violence. This one may end the same way. The Kingsmeets are merely larger scale versions of the traditional monthly meetings that happen among every village, the Folkmeets. At the Folkmeet people lay grievances against their peers for judgement. Any man or woman, no matter their station, may speak, be heard, and lay grievances. Grievances and disputes are settled either by holmgang, the duel, or put before the judgement of the Jarl and the jury (which is composed of the entire rest of the Folkmeet - usually whoever happens to be passing by that day). The Jury may overrule the local Jarl if he chooses to lay a judgement, but for the most part he remains silent and only passes judgement on minor matters too small to put before a Jury.

The Wessmen, like their Northern cousins, go into battle lightly armoured, wearing chainmail surcoats below boiled leather, leather or rarely metal greaves, and iron helms. They wield axes, swords, and great warhammers, as well as spears. Wessmen fight individuallistically, overwhelming their unprepared enemies with surprise attacks by screaming Viking warriors, before withdrawing to their longships and striking again later. Cavalry is almost unknown to the Wessmen.




Lieing south of the narrow sea from Wessway, the Kingdom of Jutemark dates from the same time as their brothers. The Jutes conquered their surrounding neighbours on the peninsula, before their Jarl declared himself High King of Juteland. The Jutes were known for their ferocious raids, but also had some trade with the peoples of the South. The King of the Jutes, Olav Firehands, has recently been converted to the faith of the Fireworshippers, declaring that he will uphold the 616 Commandments and smite the unbelievers. Some suspect that Olav is preparing to go on crusade against the Asatru in Wessway and Geatland, while others claim that Olav is merely gathering forces to put down the rest of the Asatru in his domain. Either way, the instability in Wessway can only be good for the smaller kingdom to the South.

A great many Juti have been converted to the faith of the Fireworshippers, as they are known in Wessway. The name 'Fireworshipper' is technically incorrect, as they do not actually worship fire, though they do consider it sacred. The followers of this religion, or Manuites, as they are named, follow the teachings of the Prophet Manu, He Who Walked Unburned, as the Voice of the Lord of the Flames. In a far off land known as Samarita, a man named Manu lived and saw great injustice. In his travels, he took note of this injustice and was reckoned as righteous by the One True God, the Lord of the Flames, who spoke to Manu. The Lord told Manu that the Earth was but a battlefield of the neverending struggle between the Lord of the Flames and his archenemy, the Prince of the Abyss. Those who died and were righteous were reconciled into the bosom of the Lord of the Flames, but those who were unrighteous went to the Abyss and became tortured half crazed warriors of the Prince. To save the people of the Earth from eternal torment, the Lord of the Flames gave Manu the 616 Commandments that must be followed to the letter, lest a man find himself unrighteous and consigned to eternal suffering. The king of Samarita found Manu's preachings to be a threat to his power, so he attempted to have Manu burned at the stake, but Manu was unburned and turned the flames against the king. Thus, the Manuites take the Holy Flame to be their symbol, and adorne their temples and their jewellry with the stylised image of a fire. Manuisim took flight, and now much of the Southlands are followers of the now dead Prophet.

The True Believers of Manuism are strict and try to be as obedient to the 616 Commandments as they can, lest they be cast into eternal suffering to fuel the Prince of the Abyss' war. The Manuites follow a strict hierearchy of priesthood, with the central authority behind the faith being the High Flamespeaker in the city of Rum. At the lowest level, are the Firewalkers, who are either tied to tend to a village or wander heathen lands attempting to convert them to the faith of Manu. One such Firewalker, Jorne Lebrane, converted King Olav Firehands himself, and now is the court Firewalker to the King. Another such Firewalker converted Toki Snorrison, who know makes his bid for the Kingship in Wessway. Some of the stronger and wiser Firewalkers are capable, through years of study and meditation, of bending the flames to their will using sorcery - such Firewalkers can send fireballs from their bodies, walk through fire and heat unharmed, and melt metal with merely their will.

The Manuites find Asatru almost abhorrent, and believe that their belief in the Final Battle that they go to when they die is analagous to the Prince of the Abyss gathering his servants. Thus, to the followers of the Lord of the Flames, the Asatru have been duped into willingly fighting for the Prince, and thus must be converted as soon as possible - whatever it takes. The Manuites have no business with Folkmeets and courts - all judgement is done by the Word of the 616 Commandments.




The Geats live on the other side of the Spine, where they have a large and powerful kingdom. Like the Wessmen, the Geats follow the Asatru faith, and take part in raids across the continent. Geats fight much the same way as the Wessmen and the Juti, favouring longships, fast raids, and lightly armoured infantry.

Despite the protection offered by the Spine, the Geats and the Wessmen have come to blows. In the latest time, High King Hrothgar Spear-Breaker crossed the Spine during the rebellion of Bloodtooth and Frosthold, seeking to conquer Wessway. He was slain by Ingvar Tooth-Gnasher, but his son was enraged and some claim he has pledged venegance. The Geats have some trade with the savage Fennlings to the east, and through them the Horselords of the Steppe, and thus have some more knowledge of cavalry than the Wessman.


Due West of Wessway, across the Norrsea, lies the Kingdom of Sax, populated by the Saxings. Once close cousins of the Wessmen, the Saxings conquered the tribes of the Island of Sax many hundred years ago, and became settled and more like the peoples of the Continent. Since then, the Saxings have been the chief recipinets of raids from the Northlands, making them militarised and defiant. Their conversion to the Word of the Lord of the Flames has only hastened this, with some warriors of Sax taking up holy vows to smite down the Heathen whereever they see them - the fabled Paladins of Manu.

The Saxings fight with medium mail armour and strong iron helms. In battle, they band together to form the Shieldwall, and allow their enemies to break themselves upon it. They usually wield long spears and round, wooden shields during this shieldwall. This makes them hard to move or break, but also makes their formations cumbersome and slow. Saxing warriors are a sight to behold, especially those that take the Holy Vows and becoming Paladins of Manu, but there are few of them, as Sax is not greatly peopled.


Slightly to the west of the Island of Sax lies the Island of Gael. Slightly smaller than Sax, it is inhabited by the Gaels, who were also the original inhabitants of Sax before the Saxings came. Now reduced to merely Gael, they fight to defend their ancient ways of life. The Gaels are not followers of Manu, instead worshipping their own gods who they believe live in trees. Their sacred trees are the home of their worship, with every Gael town having a small grove outside where they do worship.

The Gaels were also recipients of a great many Northern raids, as well as frequent wars with the Saxings. They fight lightly armoured, with many of them even fighting naked, clad only in blue warpaint, with spears, one handed swords, and light wooden shields. Many Gaels fight aboard chariots, each pulled by two horses. The charges of Gael chariots are a sight to behold, with them running down enemies left right and centre.


South of the Kingdom of Jutemark lies the Empire of Aquilea. Ruled by Emperor Carl Magnus, the Empire has been instrumental in spreading the Word of Manu across the continent. Closely aligned with the Flamespeaker in Rum, Emperor Carl is zealous and dedicated to converting the heathen. It is known that should the Crusade come to Wessway, the Knights of Aquilea shall be the largest component and the Emperor shall be at their head. The Empire of Aquilea stretches from Jutemark in the North to Rum in the South, from the Norrsea in the West to the Steppe in the East, and rules over the greatest Empire known to man.

The backbone of the Aquilean Army are the Knights of Aquilea. Heavily armoured in platemail and wielding great two-handed blades, they stand firm against any army that threatens them. Each Knight is said to be a Paragon of Virtue, the stern upholder of the 616 Commandments, and the most righteous defender of the Faith. They fight both on horseback and on foot, whichever needs be, and it is rumoured that the Emperor can boast tens of thousands of them. They are the sternest warriors of the Lord of the Flames, and they shall know no fear.

I am HIGHLY interested in this

wil lrelease an improved version of heroes of Ardania on NES soon.

RandNES has entered the Bronze Age! If you want to join in a more advanced setting, come on and join!

Most recent update for Pre-Bronze Age, read this!

opinions on this map, please
http://postimg.org/image/h50p5wlal/full/

EDIT: NEW VERSION OF THE MAP, HERE: http://postimg.org/image/glixg46nt/full/

ChesterBannington said:

opinions on this map, please
http://postimg.org/image/h50p5wlal/full/

Click to expand...

It's very very cool. I like Ardania.

A very bad map of Wessway. I am bad at making maps from scratch.



Also I should probably get a fontpack with runic fonts in it.

The trick is to do it like fractals. Draw a big pattern. Zoom in, new layer, overlay detailed patterns. Zoom in, new layer, overlay even more detailed patterns. etc.