PreSLNES I: Masters of Ethereal

Alright, that's fine, in which case I think that it sounds like a good idea in abstract, but I won't pretend that their presence affects me like it does the others so I don't feel like I should worry about the mechanics or act like I have a relevant opinion on their incorporation.
 
Personages may be interesting. Given the price tag you propose in your example, they better be extraordinarily powerful, however, which may be unbalancing. I mean, the example individual's cost is about the same as everyone's entire army upkeep, which is quite huge. Of course, nations will keep growing, but still. I guess I'm once again too concerned with figures and not guessing what the roi of personages may be.
 
I think they're supposed to come in as mid-to-late game figures.
 
Personages may be interesting. Given the price tag you propose in your example, they better be extraordinarily powerful, however, which may be unbalancing. I mean, the example individual's cost is about the same as everyone's entire army upkeep, which is quite huge. Of course, nations will keep growing, but still. I guess I'm once again too concerned with figures and not guessing what the roi of personages may be.

Your concerns are logical, LDi. I was figuring they wouldn't really come into play until a bit later in the game. Also, the price tag attached to them does not necessarily indicate how powerful they are. I mentioned in the blurb about them that some Personages have a big reputation - but sometimes this can be all bark, and just some bite. Whereas other Personages might be the opposite: cheap, not well-known, but amazing (they haven't proven their worth yet). That said, I won't go to extremes and rip you guys off and give you a really terrible Personage for an insane price, or give you a really awesome one for dirt cheap. I'm not talking in extremes here.

If a Personage is too expensive, you would simply choose to not hire that Personage, and search for one requesting a smaller fee. Given the fluidity of the rules backing them, I made them (or rather, that one example), a bit expensive. I wanted players to hire a Personage because they really want or need to. If I made them too cheap, people might just hire them left and right without really giving it a thought. But if you find a Personage who has quite a diverse set of skills, and you have something specific in mind to use that Personage for, it would be worth the price.

But mind, I haven't priced any as of yet - that was just an example. But as all players become kingdoms and grow their infrastructure, economies will also grow.

[ Ah, I did notice one thing... I had changed that example to Regional Renown, when before he was at Level 3 - I think I can reduce his price a little bit in the example to reflect such a change in renown. ]

EDIT: Also, I will have a 'Skill Level' on each Personage that will be kept private which will indicate their true usefulness and effectiveness, independent of their Renown. In addition to that, their actual goals/ulterior motives/etc. will also be kept private.
 
Here we go. I think this adds a nice element...

Skill Level & Effectiveness

How effective is a Personage? This statistic is kept private, but typically I am putting it on a scale from 1-10. The reason it is kept private is because you do not know specifically how effective your Personage is. He/she could have a ton of Renown, and a high reputation around all of Ethereal, but they might not actually be as amazing as you have been told. In addition, a Personage's effectiveness is not static. It can change depending on that Personage's past experiences, and it can change depending on what task the Personage is assigned to do. A Personage can grow and develop just like other characters. This is important to know because if you witnessed a Personage not being very effective in one realm, they could still have a chance to be quite extraordinary in your own realm. Remember once again that Skill Level is not directly related to Renown. They will never be too far from each other, except in rare cases, but Renown is not a good way to judge the actual effectiveness of a Personage. The rare case I speak of (for example) is one in which there is a loud-mouth general who has built up a reputation with his family's wealth, but when it comes to his actual skill he is a piss-poor commander.
 
Hey everyone:

Can you all give me the name of your kingdom officially?

I have:

thomas: Imperium of Peace
Terrance: Marburg Confederacy
nutranurse: Sul Empire?

Other than that, I don't know.
 
Thuggee
 
All works in progress...

Geography Map
Spoiler Geography Map :


Biomes
Spoiler Biomes Map :


Borders Only
Spoiler Borders Only Map :

(will be adjusted to include settlements and names)
 
I would prefer that expeeience be up front and public, with costs scaled to renown + experience. Id rather not buy a pumpkin.
 
To be clear:

Starlife said:
That said, I won't go to extremes and rip you guys off and give you a really terrible Personage for an insane price, or give you a really awesome one for dirt cheap. I'm not talking in extremes here.
 
I see it the same with spells. You can have a divine level spell for making a castle's walls disappear, or you can just use a refined spell to blow a hole in it, or shake it down. I would guess that their experience would be added to their description as they travel from one employer to another.

... Whispers tell of his great deeds in the far north, but no one ventures to verify it...
... Some talk of how he won the field against all expectations...
... Many people have now seen his grand castle, standing tall to the west. They are eager for the engineer to work his wonders closer to home...

(ect, the Local, Worldwide and Idol sections. Mythical would be almost like worshipping: Robert E. Lee is Mythical (in our continent/country), so is George Washington. Like that. Your local Valedictorian who went on to design an awesome new high school would be local, or even regional.)


EDIT: I need to write more stories and stop acting like I own half this NES. :p. Sorry, but I just had a bunch of extra time today and I am still waiting on Wise Elf's diplomacy.
 
I also said:

A Personage can grow and develop just like other characters. This is important to know because if you witnessed a Personage not being very effective in one realm, they could still have a chance to be quite extraordinary in your own realm.

I want them to develop based on what they do and not be static.

Also, how do your descriptions differ from Renown? What you describe is Reputation, and not hard, concrete effectiveness.

EDIT: Keep in mind effectiveness will be very close to Renown. What I am saying is that it won't always be completely equal, and in some *extremely* rare cases it can be thrown off entirely. I'd rather not just give all of you something advantageous - I'd rather there be some sort of catch, even if it is a really small one. Regardless, the price difference will be minimal and it's not like you'll actually lose anything.

EDIT 2: FURTHERMORE, it also depends on how you use the Personage, as well - what you do with that person in your orders. Effectiveness will also be fluid, and not static, in that way.
 
Oh, about the Biomes map. Let me know if you had something different in mind, but that is pretty much what I was thinking.

Pink/purple = Mediterranean-esque vegetation
Bright yellow = temperate steppe
Dark yellow = temperate grasslands
Green = temperate broadleaf forest / mixed forest
Brown = dry steppe
Blue = mountain forest

Ignore Silvercrane Coast. Should be dark yellow. Anyway, lots of work to do on that one.
 
Yes, in Silvercrane coast, the rules go out the window.
 
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