Pre-NinNES III: Planning and World-Building Stage

[Nintz]

Countdown to Game Launch (Theoretically)
[TIMER=11/8/2014 12:00 AM PST; Pre-Planning, Rule Creation, and World Creation Over]Timer[/TIMER]

Hey guys. So I recently came back after roughly...8(?) months of inactivity. Right in time to see recent events regarding a somewhat mass Exodus of NES players to The Frontier. While I respect their decision, I will not follow. I for one plan to stay on CFC. And, given that many active moderators moved their games over there, there is a distressing lack of games at CFC, with the only active ones I see right now being Botwawki and StockNES. Perhaps a couple others in the process of updating, but still precious few. And while it is possible that NESing may not last long here anymore, I would rather it not be because we did not try to keep it alive. Therefore, this is a preplanning thread for a new NES.

Before going any farther I wish to establish a few things regarding the nature of this NES. First. I am not a reliable or consistent person when it comes to deadlines, at least with regards to (relatively) unimportant projects, which NESing certainly is. What this means is that while I will attempt to update this NES regularly, there WILL be more than one instance of the game lapsing for weeks at a time or being updated with very sub-par updates. I recognize this and expect all players to as well.

Second. If all goes according to plan, this game will simultaneously be both story-driven AND stat-driven. That is to say that I interpret stories as orders best I can, and will generally be quite generous to those that write stories in updates with regards to randomized events. However, should one choose to never write stories and purely play the game like EU, Civ, or something like that, I intend for it to be fully possible as well. The best players will hopefully do both stories and good ordersets, but of course, not everyone has time for this all the time.

Third. This NES will be of the players, by the players, for the players. As mod I merely seek to interpret your actions on an equal field and to resolve disputes. That is to purpose of this thread. I DON'T know what game mechanics I want to implement, because I don't know what YOU, as the player, wants to see. The lore, while I will write some, it is perfectly acceptable for you guys to write the lore as you want it. You think there should be magic in the game? Make it. You want to play were-unicorns? go for it. You would rather have the ability to create crazy and ingenious experiments for your people to use to their advantage? Be my guest. This game is a living experiment. If there is an action that does not have a game system supporting it effectively, I will make a system for it. All I ask is that you maintain consistency within the established system and lore. Do not try to contradict something already set. Should there be a conflict of interest, I will side with the original unless sufficient evidence can be brought forth for the new system/lore to be objectively better.

Fourth. I am a strong advocate for the NES-IOT merger personally, and as such I will be x-posting a version of this in IOT. I intend for this to be proof of a successful cross-community game, assuming it gets going. A proof of concept if you will. If you would rather not potentially play with IOTers, I advise that you refrain from joining this in the initial turns, or do not join until you are certain that will not be a problem for you. I do not know how many (if any) IOTers will choose to join. To be honest, I do not know how many NESers will try to join either.

Fifth. I reserve all mod power allocated to me by the CFC site rules. If you are being detrimental to the game for other players in any way, you will recieve an official warning from me. If you continue after this warning, you will be kicked. If you wish to appeal this, PM me. I legitimately hope to not ever kick someone.

If all of this is understood, we may begin creating a world for this NES to live within, and perhaps the rules upon which we will play the game itself. My only restriction is that we will be starting at the beginning of a world cycle. We must start somewhere between prehistoric to roughly bronze age in terms of technological advancements, though having more advanced tech that was lost is okay. This does not mean you can say "oh, my engineered super-soldiers that survived the apocalpyse managed to find a cache of guns. pew pew." Previous tech should not be available in significant quantity for the use by the early civilizations. The following post will contain a few random thoughts I had for a fantasy NES lore. It is not necessarily canon, but it perhaps may serve as a starting point on what we do/do not want to do with the lore.

I highly encourage everyone that reads this post to post their thoughts below. If you have any questions/comments/concerns regarding the structure and/or moderation of this NES, feel free to ask me straight out in the thread. I would rather address the questions you might have than simply not having you post at all. Activity = good, even if that activity is criticism.

 

[Nintz]

In the beginning, there was the creator, Tal-Nah. We do not know where he came from, or if his being is that of energy itself, but he created all we know of. However. He did not create Giokada. The world upon which we live was not populated by his steady hand, but with weak and flawed imitations by our precursors. Those he did create made us. We are not perfect, for we are not of THE perfect. Nor can we ever achieve such perfection.

We are varied to the extreme. Some of our number seek the unachievable, while others embrace their flawed nature. Not all of us are even of the same blood, a symptom of conflicting designs. Above all however, we share a common yet conflicting drive. We follow the individuals that created us. They themselves may be imperfect, but they were created by Tal-Nah and therefore are closer then we shall ever be.

It is for them our peoples have fought. It is because of them many of our number have died. And on the rare occasions that us mortals remind them of this fact, the repercussions unthinkable in their magnitude. There are stories still of beings that live free from the gaze of their gods, though the gods have always denied this and claimed their dominion was one of kindness. It is impossible to say.

That is where you come in friend. I know not who you are, nor how you came to be here. I know nothing of your goals, or even your people. Perhaps you are one of the precursors yourself. Or perhaps a meager creation of them. But my spirit's vision tells me your soul has importance within our lives.

 

[Nintz]

The timer is set for November 1st, which is the theoretical start date I have atm.

Once again, feedback of any sort is good.

 

[SouthernKing]

If we're doing fantasy, a godnes sort of thing would be cool.

 

[Nintz]

The NES is intended to be fantasy, yes. And I concur on that note, though question how the game would develop if the players were the gods. Sooner or later we would move away from gods to more nation-like situations.

 

[Terran Empress]

um subbing, but i might not be super active

 

[mrrandomplayer]

I'm pretty much chill with anything.

 

[Nintz]

um subbing, but i might not be super active

That's cool. Feel free to post whenever you do feel like saying something.

I'm pretty much chill with anything.

Do you have any thoughts on either to gameplay/lore, or are you fine with whatever on both fronts?

 

[mrrandomplayer]

Do you have any thoughts on either to gameplay/lore, or are you fine with whatever on both fronts?[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty much fine with anything on both fronts. The only preference I'd have is not to bog the players down with stats- some are useful, but having too many becomes a pain for both the player and the mod, as they slow down the game.

 

[Nintz]

Agreed. I don't want this to turn into a spreadsheet NES. As interesting as those are, they don't have good longetivity.

 

[Nintz]

One thing I have to ask is what kind of physical world we might want to use. In Civ, you can pick between Pangaea, Archipelago, Fractal, etc. While the exact map may or may not be revealed to everyone at the start, having some idea of terrain etc isn't a problem. If anyone has preferences go ahead and say so, cause that's one of the first things I'm going to do.

 

[mrrandomplayer]

If we're using Civ4 map settings, I think Terra would be the most interesting. Have everyone start on a slightly crowded Eurasia/Old World, and eventually, colonizing will be interesting.

 

[Nintz]

Certainly an interesting idea. Outside of historical NESes, I do not know of any NESes that have done that, though I am certain they must have existed.

 

[Ailedhoo]

I will like to mark my presence in this thread for my interest in it. The Black Fire would love to try this out.

 

[christos200]

Subbed.

 

[bonefang]

Definitely subbed

 

[Nintz]

Glad to see a few more people have interest in this.

If nobody posts any objections within the next few hours I'm probably going to go ahead with a Terra map, which is an old/new world map, with the old world being the obvious starting location.

Also of note is the lore here. If no one posts any lore ideas in the next 10-12 hours, I'll continue expanding upon the excerpt I threw out earlier. Which is to say that the only canon we would have is that there are gods underneath a creator god kinda deal. Names are easily changeable.

 

[Ailedhoo]

I have some questions as a consideration of ideas.

Will magic be a consideration in this world? Will magic be set to a single god, throughout the gods or in a different way from the gods such as a resource or some kind of lining? Magic be common, only common in weaker forms, rare or exotic beyond that? Will there be schools, types or set in one? Casting be natural consideration or will attempting to use magic cause some kind of random occurrences?

When it comes to the world will there be wondrous ruins throughout the land for exploration? Perhaps of a begone age of wonder ended by some force?

There are many roads of possibility.

 

[Blaze Injun]

Hey,

I can write something up if I know a few things. Are we playing player made races or the standard orcs, goblins, elves, werebears & such? What tech lvl are we starting at. Early ocean going craft? Is this a Fantasy based colonization game? I like the idea. Add a post apocalyptic tilt.

I assume we are using magic. How will we handle that. Will spells be player created or a standard D&D stuff. Are spells used by everyone or just special groups of your population. Maybe hero type units? Was writing this post when Ailedhoo posted.

I like the idea of one off future tech stuff for show. How about a Infrared Monacle. "I don't know how it works but I can see in the dark." Said the thief to the bar wench. "I guess one eye is better then none in the dark."

Kool with the multi godlings. Beware, He Who Walks Behind the Stalks. Blood for the Blood God!!!!

How about a race uses early balloons but never go higher then 150 feet because they don't want to draw thier gods attention. Large ballons would also draw unwanted attention. Maybe use magic to heat the air or if a post apocalyptic fantasy maybe a self contained unit. This would restrict the use of balloons or limit it at least because they can't be reproduced. This could be a unit or just for fluff in stories. Either way, if allowed would work.

Any basic rules? Will you have a standard set of builds for Buildings and basic military units?

Since you warned us I'll warn you. I ask alot of questions. And not always with one PM. Sorry about that upfront.


Blaze Injun

 

[Nintz]

I have some questions as a consideration of ideas.

Will magic be a consideration in this world? Will magic be set to a single god, throughout the gods or in a different way from the gods such as a resource or some kind of lining? Magic be common, only common in weaker forms, rare or exotic beyond that? Will there be schools, types or set in one? Casting be natural consideration or will attempting to use magic cause some kind of random occurrences?

I for one will advocate magic, though I do not know in what form it would be. I PERSONALLY like the idea of having magic be common, but having stronger magic increasingly rare. People with the ability to actually cast combat spells might be rare enough to be notable for example. Up for consideration however. As far as relation to gods/nature I have no idea.

When it comes to the world will there be wondrous ruins throughout the land for exploration? Perhaps of a begone age of wonder ended by some force?

I like that idea, but technically it is not set right now. If there is no opposition, then yes.

There are many roads of possibility.

Indeed. Which is why I'm allowing for a full month of planning if need be.

Hey,

I can write something up if I know a few things. Are we playing player made races or the standard orcs, goblins, elves, werebears & such?

Player-made, but standard races are acceptable if someone wants to bring them in.

What tech lvl are we starting at. Early ocean going craft? Is this a Fantasy based colonization game? I like the idea. Add a post apocalyptic tilt.

That sounds close, but if by "ocean going" you mean trans-ocean then no. More like simple galleys and the like. On Earth, think early Greco-Roman times at the latest. Maybe even pre-Roman entirely. That's what I'm aiming for on that note. I am uncertain as to the pace and how soon colonization itself would show up. Potentially not for quite a while depending how fast this goes. Assuming this stays alive however, it would play a significant role when it showed up.

I assume we are using magic.

Unless there is significant opposition otherwise.

How will we handle that. Will spells be player created or a standard D&D stuff. Are spells used by everyone or just special groups of your population. Maybe hero type units? Was writing this post when Ailedhoo posted.

This is a good question to consider. If we go with what I suggested above this, then magic would be somewhat readily available depending on the type of magic that is sought. Also we will use player spells, but like the races, blatantly ripping off D&D is allowed. It might allow a simple fireball using magic to be spammed, but a much more potent massive firestorm kinda ability to be usable only by a precious few number.

I like the idea of one off future tech stuff for show. How about a Infrared Monacle. "I don't know how it works but I can see in the dark." Said the thief to the bar wench. "I guess one eye is better then none in the dark."

It would certainly add an interesting element to the plot of the world. I for one approve.

Kool with the multi godlings. Beware, He Who Walks Behind the Stalks. Blood for the Blood God!!!!

How about a race uses early balloons but never go higher then 150 feet because they don't want to draw thier gods attention. Large ballons would also draw unwanted attention. Maybe use magic to heat the air or if a post apocalyptic fantasy maybe a self contained unit. This would restrict the use of balloons or limit it at least because they can't be reproduced. This could be a unit or just for fluff in stories. Either way, if allowed would work.

Everything is allowed. That's the driving premise of the game. Therefore, if you can justify to me how a balloon would be made in the times, this is a go-ahead. Just a quick note that the post-apocalyptic or cyberpunk elements should be relatively few and far between, but using them once in a while for something like balloons is acceptable.

Any basic rules? Will you have a standard set of builds for Buildings and basic military units?

I will have standardized templates, but the buildings and units themselves will for the most part be player-driven. I'm not going to reveal the stats of a granary until someone tries to build one for example. Once someone gives the order (or even just asks me in-thread) I'll add it into the template.

Since you warned us I'll warn you. I ask alot of questions. And not always with one PM. Sorry about that upfront.


Blaze Injun

That's a-okay. I would much rather have too many questions than not enough.