Ideas needed: Common Events

[JustinianVII]

"It's too crowded!"
(requires: unimproved tile, city of at least size 5)
Some citizens of (city) are complaining about the overcrowding and unhealthy conditions. They desire to strike out into the wilderness to found their own settlement, but have not the means to go about it alone.

-They'll get nothing from our hard-earned treasury.
-Build them a small settlement. Should be a modest expenditure. (-30 , -1 population in city, new Cottage on tile)
-If it alleviates these problems, give them as large a settlement as they require. (-75 , -2 population in city, +1 temporary , new Hamlet on tile)
-Give them the best training and supplies possible, these adventurous people shall expand our territory. (-150 , -1 population in city, Settler is created in city)

 

[Grey Fox]

A settler only cost 100 (and I guess -1 pop) with the other event which gives a choice between various sort of units depending on techs and gold available.

 

[Reignier]

Military wedding Requires a military unit within a city.
One of your city defenders wishes to marry one of the townsfolk.
-Allow wedding- temporary +1
-Give unit a 5 turn leave- temporary +2 , unit is unusable for 5 turns, after 5 turns it gains a 20% city defense bonus.
-Pay for wedding-req good- gain a temp +2 , lose unit, -51 gold, gain a cottage. (possibly some chance to have the newly weds have a child. either a unit or a 'person' every so often.)
-Banish the unit to the dungeon-req evil- temp -2 , lose unit, +x production(based on unit str/3)

Child starts fire
-Force child to repay debt- cottage downgrades 1 level, gain +1 production for 20 turns.
-Train him in the ways of fire- cottage downgrades 1 level, gain an adept with fire magic, -x gold
-Kill the bastard child-req evil- cottage downgrades 1 level, temp -1 and +1 production
-train city if fire saftey-req good- cottage downgrades 1 level, units in city(within range of cottage) gain defence from fire, -75 gold.

 

[JustinianVII]

Soldier
(requires: wounded unit, your nearest city)

One of our soldiers, wounded in combat, was found to have journeyed many miles back to his hometown, without permission of his commanding officer. When later detained and questioned, he says that he had panicked after receiving his injury, and desired to make the near-fatal journey to be with his beloved again, especially since they had been married only a short time before he was sent off to duty. Moved by his passion but disgusted by his desertion, the local commander is unsure how to handle the incident.

-Let the commander handle it how he will, I have bigger things to worry about.
-We do not tolerate desertion, no matter the circumstances. Imprison him and seize all of his assets. (Lose soldier, +20-50 , +1 in city)
-Let him be with his beloved, their life journey together should not be cut short by the ravages of war. (Lose soldier, +1 in city)
-What strength and fortitude! Such dedication is invaluable on the front lines, as long as he gets his priorities straight. (+1 in city, soldier gains Strong promotion)

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

That kind of day – Requires only one city, undefended with barbarian unit adjacent. This event is designed to counteract those really unfortunate starts where a strong barbarian gets spawned right away.
“The barbarian hordes are at our gates! Our armies have failed us! We’re doomed!”
>Conscript the populace. Even there are massive casualties, our empire must survive – the barbarian unit is removed, population reduced to 1.
>Announce our surrender, give them whatever they want – the barbarian unit is removed, lose all food and production in the city, and all your gold
>”Sir? Where are you Sir? Our leader has abandoned us in our time of need! We are undone!” – take control of the lowest ranked AI civilization (requires Evil)
>Get me my sword, I will challenge their leader to single combat – the barbarian unit is removed (Requires Aggressive)
>Send emissaries to regale them with tales of our glorious empire, and offer them citizenship – the barbarian unit is removed, gain 1 population (requires Kuriotates or Elohim)

I really like this.

 

[Grey Fox]

Seconded. The last option would be extra cool if it actually added barbarian culture to the city.

 

[Switchblock]

Thirded!

---

The Pact Renegotiated
Req. Pact of Nilhorn and no Hill Giant units

Sire, a Hill Giant speaks of Nilhorn and is outside of the Palace.
- Don't let him in! (Barbarian Hill Giant spawns outside of city)
-Let him in, he is a griend!

50%
Sire, it seems that the Hill Giants have been angered by our loss of their fellow giants, they are angered and will attack our city!
-Damn, that sucks (Barbarian Hill Giant spawns outside of city)
-Give them whatever they want, I remember something about "shinies" (Req. 100 gold, lose 100 gold)
-I think they can forget their countrymen for what I offer them (Req. 200 gold, lose 200 gold, recieve promoted Hill Giant)

50%
The Hill Giants have not forgotten their Pact, they have seen their fellow giants fall in battles and do not wish to be outdone!
-Great! (Recieve one un-promoted Hill Giant)

 

[far_wanderer]

I really like this.

Thank you. I came up with the idea after about the fourth time the first dungeon I explored spawned an Azer.

I also liked the thematic elements of Grey Fox's suggestion for barbarian culture, but would it actually do anything? Barbarians are not known for providing a cultural threat. Maybe it would be possible to give units built in the city a chance to start with Orcish instead.

 

[Etc]

I apologize if something like this has been suggested before; I didn't see anything resembling it when I skimmed through the previous pages, and I like this idea enough that I've decided to stop lurking long enough to suggest it.

Event idea (I couldn't think of a clever title):
(Requires an improved Ivory resource within the city radius)
Hunters in [city name] are claiming that the tusks of the elephants they hunt can be used in the creation of a potent aphrodisiac. There is a growing demand for ivory in the city as a result.
- "How ingenious! Tell them to hunt down all the elephants they can find, create as much of the stuff as possible, and sell it throughout the empire. Be sure to bring me a sample.": Gain a large amount of money and a large temporary happiness bonus in the city, but with a very high probability (say, 90%) that the Ivory resource is immediately lost (with a message letting you know that over-hunting has doomed the local elephant population).
- "True or not, this could be good for commerce. Encourage increased hunting, but in moderation.": A much reduced chance to lose the resource; assuming it survives, +1 commerce and +1 happiness from the tile.
- "Aphrodisiacs from elephant parts? Some people will believe anything. Oh well, let them do as they wish.": A very slight chance to lose the resource, but no other effects.
- "Haven't those elephants got enough problems? Make them leave the poor creatures alone.": +1 temporary unhappiness in the city, but no chance to lose the resource. (Possibly a slight chance of a friendly elephant unit spawning on the tile out of gratitude? I suspect that might be overpowered, though.)

Note that I am being deliberately vague regarding numbers and percentages here for the most part, since I am not exactly sure what would be balanced. Also note that I think this concept of over-hunting/over-farming a resource - making the player decide whether a large temporary bonus is worth risking the loss of a lesser, more permanent bonus - could be applied to things other than Ivory with only minor modifications, so consider this just one example of an event of this type.

 

[WarKirby]

Req: Farm on a tile with Corn, wheat, or rice

Sire, our Diviners send word hat they can sense arcane power emanating from a farm near (city name). They request your permission to excavate the area and see what's there.

Options:

-Alright then, allow them to dig up the area. (Lose resource, 80% chance of Raw mana node appearing in tile instead)

-That is rich farmland, we will not waste it on these foolish experiments (nothing happens)

 

[WarKirby]

Req: Good or neutral civ
Req: Ashen veil has been founded somewhere

Sire, we have reports of strange gatherings of people in (city name) sacrificing animals late at night. What should we do ?

-Our people can believe what they please. As long as they're not harming anyone, leave them alone. (+1 happiness in city, Ashen Veil spreads to city)

-This is unacceptable. Send in the inquisitors, purge the heretics! (50% chance of -1 population, all non-state religions removed from city)

 

[Marnok]

Req: Farm on a tile with Corn, wheat, or rice

Sire, our Diviners send word hat they can sense arcane power emanating from a farm near (city name). They request your permission to excavate the area and see what's there.

Options:

-Alright then, allow them to dig up the area. (Lose resource, 80% chance of Raw mana node appearing in tile instead)

-That is rich farmland, we will not waste it on these foolish experiments (nothing happens)

To make it interesting, the other 20% chance could be the release of some arcane monster!

 

[Marnok]

I apologize if something like this has been suggested before; I didn't see anything resembling it when I skimmed through the previous pages, and I like this idea enough that I've decided to stop lurking long enough to suggest it.

Event idea (I couldn't think of a clever title):
(Requires an improved Ivory resource within the city radius)
Hunters in [city name] are claiming that the tusks of the elephants they hunt can be used in the creation of a potent aphrodisiac. There is a growing demand for ivory in the city as a result.
- "How ingenious! Tell them to hunt down all the elephants they can find, create as much of the stuff as possible, and sell it throughout the empire. Be sure to bring me a sample.": Gain a large amount of money and a large temporary happiness bonus in the city, but with a very high probability (say, 90%) that the Ivory resource is immediately lost (with a message letting you know that over-hunting has doomed the local elephant population).
- "True or not, this could be good for commerce. Encourage increased hunting, but in moderation.": A much reduced chance to lose the resource; assuming it survives, +1 commerce and +1 happiness from the tile.
- "Aphrodisiacs from elephant parts? Some people will believe anything. Oh well, let them do as they wish.": A very slight chance to lose the resource, but no other effects.
- "Haven't those elephants got enough problems? Make them leave the poor creatures alone.": +1 temporary unhappiness in the city, but no chance to lose the resource. (Possibly a slight chance of a friendly elephant unit spawning on the tile out of gratitude? I suspect that might be overpowered, though.)

Note that I am being deliberately vague regarding numbers and percentages here for the most part, since I am not exactly sure what would be balanced. Also note that I think this concept of over-hunting/over-farming a resource - making the player decide whether a large temporary bonus is worth risking the loss of a lesser, more permanent bonus - could be applied to things other than Ivory with only minor modifications, so consider this just one example of an event of this type.

How about a chance that the aphrodisiac works, and you get +pop?
also is there a god/des of love in lore, to replace aphrodite?

 

[far_wanderer]

Some more very early game ideas. As before, their purpose is to fill in the very early turns when not much happens aside from moving that first scout around. Mostly for flavor, any significant benefits require an investment of time to reap the rewards.

Spoiler :

Dwarven survivors - requires Gems or Gold in city radius, Mining not yet discovered
"While working the nearby hills, some of our farmers discovered a small settlement of dwarves living in a hidden mine. They have been cut off since the beginning of the Age of Ice, and are glad to see friendly faces, but they do not yet trust us. How should we proceed?"
>Send one of the elders, to convince them that we are who we claim to be - receive a mine on the tile (requires Luchuirp or Khazad)
>Send a gift of precious gems and metals - receive a mine on the tile, lose 5 gold
>Send a gift of food - receive a mine on the tile, empty city food stores
>Treat them well, time will earn their trust - 50% chance to receive a mine
>They are right to distrust us, send in the troops and take over the mine - receive a mine, 10% chance to lose the resource (requires Evil)

Raised by wolves - requires a Scout with less than half health in a forest tile.
"The battered survivors of our scouting detail report that they appear to have been befriended by a pack of wolves. The pack has left rabbits for them on several occasions. How should they proceed?"
>Tell them to take as long as they need to recover and learn from this pack - the unit is unavailable for 3 turns, then is promoted to Animal Handling
>Rejoice in this lucky coincidence! - the unit is fully healed
>Tell them to blend in with the pack and develop a bond with the Alpha - receive a Wolf, both it and the scout are unavailable for 2 turns (requires Doviello

Marauding Eagle - requires a Scout outside cultural borders (based on my sudden realization that my events (and game itself) assume real-time communication even with units halfway across the world)
"Our last report from one of our scouting details reported a large eagle following the patrol. Since then, communication has been cut off, and we believe our carrier pigeons are being intercepted and eaten."
>Then use something stronger than a pigeon, send hawks (requires Hunting Lodge)
>The commander is cautious and wise, he will make camp and wait until we can get through - the unit is unavailable for one turn
>The commander is ambitious and insightful, he will proceed on his own initiative - the unit gains Enraged

A few slightly later-game events. These are intended for that time after you've made contact with a few other civilizations and maybe built a second city or two, but have not yet founded a religion, developed mana nodes, or done serious terrain improvement.

Spoiler :

Resistance fighters - requires good alignment, contact with an evil civilization with a higher score than you.
"Our emissaries to (evil civ) have been approached by a resistance group fighting for an end to the deplorable wickedness of their ruler. They are well trained, but have run out of supplies and are requesting that we join their fight"
>Extend my regrets, we cannot help them.
>A noble cause, the (evil civ) are not worthy to rule - declare war, receive a Warrior with Commando and Guerrilla 1
>We cannot risk war, but send covert emissaries to aid them as best we can - lose 50 gold, barbarian Axeman spawns in evil civ's borders.

Pearl divers - requires clam resource in city radius, trade route with Lanun (this event would require the addition of a building called Pearl Divers that provides Pearls)
"Sailors from a visiting Lanun ship were overheard in one of our bars talking about a way to harvest valuable gemstones from our clams. Do you wish to investigate?"
>No, leave the boastful tales of drunkards be.
>Secretly kidnap the sailors and interrogate them - lose the clams, receive a Pearl Divers, the building causes 2 unhappy faces, 50% chance for -2 relations with Lanun.
>Make inquiries with the Lanun ambassador, see if we can work out a deal - receive a Pearl Divers, the building produces -2 gold.
>Make inquiries with the Lanun ambassador, acquire a sample, then show them what our jewelers can do with it. Try to work out a trade - receive a Pearl Divers, Jeweler no longer produces Jewels (requires a Jeweler)

Red sky at morning - requires a Galley outside your borders
"Our sailors have sighted a massive storm rolling in on the horizon, what should they do?"
>Take no chances, have them make landfall and take shelter at once - unit is unavailable for 1 turn
>Announce a vigil in the town square, we will hold them in our hearts through the storm - the unit is promoted to Navigation 1 and takes between 40% and 80% damage

 

[Grey Fox]

How about a chance that the aphrodisiac works, and you get +pop?
also is there a god/des of love in lore, to replace aphrodite?

The closest I know is probably the Goddess of Fire (Passion) Bhaal, but she has fallen and is now Evil and Corrupted (Indifference?). That might be why we only know of one succesful marriage in the lore.

 

[Marnok]

The closest I know is probably the Goddess of Fire (Passion) Bhaal, but she has fallen and is now Evil and Corrupted (Indifference?). That might be why we only know of one succesful marriage in the lore.

No amount of internet spam could get me to take a Bhaaliac.

 

[Skitters]

Originally Posted by far_wanderer
That kind of day – Requires only one city, undefended with barbarian unit adjacent. This event is designed to counteract those really unfortunate starts where a strong barbarian gets spawned right away.
“The barbarian hordes are at our gates! Our armies have failed us! We’re doomed!”
>Conscript the populace. Even there are massive casualties, our empire must survive – the barbarian unit is removed, population reduced to 1.
>Announce our surrender, give them whatever they want – the barbarian unit is removed, lose all food and production in the city, and all your gold
>”Sir? Where are you Sir? Our leader has abandoned us in our time of need! We are undone!” – take control of the lowest ranked AI civilization (requires Evil)
>Get me my sword, I will challenge their leader to single combat – the barbarian unit is removed (Requires Aggressive)
>Send emissaries to regale them with tales of our glorious empire, and offer them citizenship – the barbarian unit is removed, gain 1 population (requires Kuriotates or Elohim)

I really like this.

Seconded. The last option would be extra cool if it actually added barbarian culture to the city.

ooh...with the last option, perhaps open it up to all civs, but they would gain the Barbarian trait as the Barb unit effectively usurps roles in the upper echelons of the heirarchy?

 

[Jabie]

Frog's Legs

Requires a Swamp.

Some of our citizens have found that frog's legs garnished in sauce tastes exactly like chicken.

* Well, it's not to my tastes, but if it keeps them happy. (Swamp Tile receives Toads resource)

 

[Err0l]

Gambling

A small troupe of gamblers appeared in the city of <capital name>. They appear to possess quite a fortune, but reqire you to gamble with them to get it.

- Gamblers? I have more important things to focus on.
- Try to acquire the money on... another way. (get 150 gold, +2 unhappy/unhealtyness for 20 turns - one of the gamblers laid a curse on the city)
- Alright, I bet a small sum of money. (reqs 100 gold, 50/50 to lose or gain 100 gold)
- Bet the whole treasury. (50/50 to double or empty your treasury)
- Bet - my life. (50% to get 500 gold and a great merchant, 50% to lose all traits, can regain traits if acquiring life mana)

 

[Etc]

How about a chance that the aphrodisiac works, and you get +pop?
also is there a god/des of love in lore, to replace aphrodite?

Not a bad idea, though I kind of figured that the effect of it on population would be minimal, unless a large number of people are using it; perhaps there could be a chance of that happening as a result of the "make as much of the stuff as possible" option?

Anyway, another idea that I had today:

Concerned Citizens
(Requires a city with a high crime rate and a Gambling House or similar crime-rate-raising building)
A growing number of citizens in [city name] are complaining about the effect the local Gambling House/Tavern/Inn/Public Baths is having on their city. They claim its presence attracts criminals and other undesirables, and that the activities going on there encourage immoral and illegal behavior even among law-abiding townsfolk. They are petitioning you to have it shut down.
- "Ignore the petitioners.": +1 temporary unhappiness in the city.
- "Give them some money as 'compensation' for their troubles. That should make them go away.": Pay 50 gold, no other effects.
- "Put the lead petitioner in charge of the place; he can make sure it is run in accordance with the law.": The building that caused the event no longer increases the crime rate or city maintenance, but its bonuses are reduced as well. The exact effect depends on the building:

Gambling House: No CR or maintenance increase, commerce bonus reduced to +2
Inn: No CR increase, trade route yield bonus reduced to +20%
Tavern: No CR or maintenance increase, trade route yield bonus reduced to +20%
Public Baths: No CR increase or unhealthiness, happiness bonus reduced to +2​

- "Comply with their wishes.": The building that caused the event is removed, and the city gets +1 temporary happiness; there's nothing to stop you from building it again, but there's also nothing to stop this event from occurring again.
- "Secretly sponsor additional criminal activities there to spite them. I despise meddlers.": Requires Council of Esus state religion; +1 temporary unhappiness in the city, and the bonuses and penalties of the building are both increased:

Gambling House: increases CR by 15, maintenance by 15%, commerce bonus is +4 (note that this is instead of the original bonuses and penalties, not in addition to them)
Inn: CR +10, trade route yield +30%
Tavern: CR +10, maintenance +15%, trade route yield +30%
Public Baths: CR +10, unhealthiness +2, happiness +4​

As usual, those numbers are just suggestions, and may need to be adjusted for balance. I'm not so sure about that Council of Esus requirement, but I wanted to make that response exclusive to leaders who might actually be willing to do something like that.