Fire Emblem (Interest Check)

Started by Latooni Subota, November 13, 2011, 11:51:57 PM

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Kunoichi

That seems like it might be trying to accomplish too much at once, to me. ^^; Maybe if taking back the estate is just the first goal on the map, and we have different sets of character introductions occur at different objectives...

Sabre

#251
Yes, the first chapter will end with the retaking of Cecilia's manor.  Actual recruitment and introductions aren't required unless the character starts as an enemy unit like Ashton (Maribelle may work best as an inactive unit sitting in a town entrance blocked off by an enemy soldier keeping her 'hostage.'  Thus, when that specific enemy is defeated, Maribelle will be free to act and join the party unofficially (proper introductions can be handled after the fight).

I'd like to hear what Mysterica and Silk decide for Valerie and Ysena, though, so I can best incorporate them as painlessly as possible from the start.  Everyone else seems set on being Cecilia's follower I believe.

Edit: Oh, and Latooni - are you dead set on starting out as a princess?  How would you feel about being a countess or duchess instead?  Or a Marquess like Lyndis and the princelings in FE7?  Basically, it keeps the scope of the prologue a little smaller than a whole kingdom.  Think of it like a fight within one house in the Lycian League.

Of course, with some plotting, it's not impossible that she'll become a princess at some point in the game...

Latooni Subota

*Shrug* it was the first thing that pops into my mind. We could do a non-monarchy country/plot/whatever too. Let's listen to what everyone else thinks first though.
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Mysterica

I was thinking of having my character be on her own through the first map, perhaps unknowingly walking in on the battle a few turns after it starts and probably acting on her own until after the first 'map' or at least until no one is attacking her (as she will obviously not be wearing the standard of the 'red team') and perhaps getting the chance to join once the battle is over and she gets the opportunity to hear the whole story of what's going on.  After all, she is looking for a worthy cause to pledge her sword to, though not with a binding loyalty pledge (she is no samurai, just a wandering sword), though ahe will likely get rather attached to the group.

evangel

I'm down with the monarchy thing. The princess/countess/whatever thing I'm fine with too, as it lets us expand beyond the first chapter if it turns out to be a success. I think it can work either way. If Latooni is a princess, then she has her own obligations as a future ruler of the country to depose the current one so as to return justice to the kingdom. Even if she isn't, the party can still rally others to at least just depose the current king and seek out an alternative.

ZameRagues

I have no objections here, I like it all.
Pure Impulse Plays
Discord - Zame Ragues#8888
Dice Bot - 18627
O/Os

Revelation

I like the idea currently being presented. Having Ashton dissent in the first mission, not even having to be talked to to be recruited, moreso just seeing whats being done to 'keep the peace' and being disgusted with it, thus moving to aid Cecilias allies as soon as they're in sight and he can safely begin doing such. Or even offering himself in surrender. I would merely hope theres a solid amount of RP between fights/maps.

Silk

NPC's shouldn't be too difficult to incorperate Sabre, after all its why I took the Reinforce skill so if things are looking bad I can "call on my boys" to help with the fighting and give us 3 NPC's to fight on our side. It just seemed like an ability that would best sit with Ysena.

Story wise, I don't mind so much how Ysena is introduced with the party, even if I wait until the next map or so for when the rebellions attack is in swing to get hired. Or alternatively, when the attack started happening, Cecilia sent out a messenger to search for aid and found the mercenaries. (Pay would have to be discussed later >:)) Hell Maribelle could've took wind of the attack, secretly hired the mercenaries. Then when Ysena comes to get her pay, they effectively free her from her captivity.

These are not the only options or ones I'd prefer to go with, its just me throwing out a few idea's as to why it could happen.

Sabre

I've been busy.


You're looking at a combat calculator spreadsheet to streamline all battle calculations.  Blank spaces are filled in under the Attacker's/Defender's Stats and both Weapon Stats section, and everything else is filled in.  Bonuses from skills and supports will have to be manually added to the final numbers in the Results section.  There's a separate tab for each player character along with basic necessary information on the far right to be copy-pasted into the appropriate categories on the left in either Attacker's (Player Phase) or Defender's (Enemy Phase) Stats.

It mostly follows the Player's Handbook provided some pages back with some slight alterations: experience is gained according to the formula [21+(Defender level - Attacker level)]/2.  A level 1 promoted class is treated as level 21 in this instance.  For kills, the difference in levels is added to the previous formula along with +20, and a boss kill adds a further +30 experience.  The critical success rate has also been changed to incorporate the defender's luck (so a lucky character should be safer from criticals than an unlucky one when facing the same unit).

Here's a link to the current build for both testing and for your own convenience if you want to crunch numbers in the future when the game starts.
http://www.mediafire.com/?n2vkyjs99j3fm5x

Mysterica

Ah, it's deffinately interesting, and I would go for it, but I doubt it would work, or at least not very well on my phone, and that's all I've got right now.

Kunoichi

Quote from: Silk on November 20, 2011, 05:19:02 AM
Story wise, I don't mind so much how Ysena is introduced with the party, even if I wait until the next map or so for when the rebellions attack is in swing to get hired. Or alternatively, when the attack started happening, Cecilia sent out a messenger to search for aid and found the mercenaries. (Pay would have to be discussed later >:)) Hell Maribelle could've took wind of the attack, secretly hired the mercenaries. Then when Ysena comes to get her pay, they effectively free her from her captivity.

Hmm.  Maybe, while Cecilia is retaking her estate, you and your band of mercenaries get hired by a nearby town to drive out the oppressive government army stationed around there?  That gives an in for Maribelle, Ysena, and even any other traveling characters like Valerie, and we can have everybody join up at the end of the chapter when Cecilia's forces head to the town, wondering why enemy reinforcements haven't arrived, only to find that said reinforcements were already taken out by Ysena's men.

That seems to me like it would be a good way to run the opening chapter. ^^;

Latooni Subota

That calculator is pretty cool . . but I personally like doing my own math. It's just one of my quirks XD
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Revelation

On the other since im depressingly bad at math, a calculator like that wouldn't hurt i'd feel.

evangel

Likewise, I'll be doing my own math due to my own preference. I do like the idea of an excel spreadsheet, and I do think it'll work quite well.

Sabre

Alright everyone, we're just about ready to actually start this thing.  I'll be preparing the first chapter which could take me between 1-3 days (due to time restraints now that the weekend is over).  The standard procedure for battle will be as follows:  First turn is the player phase, and each player can perform their one action with as much or as little extra fluff as they want.  Talking is a free action.  In fact, one could post several times in one round to carry one or several conversations.  Role play discretion is up to you.  But for everyone's benefit, especially mine, when you do decide on your one action this turn please specify this one time and one time only in the relevant post with an easily noticeable rubric.  Example:

[Claire moves to E7]

or

[Ashton moves to F10, attacks enemy ____ at G10, and ends turn on E10]

or

[Seth attacks enemy at B5]

or

[Ysena declares ____ skill and _____]

And so on and so forth.

It'll also help me greatly if you guys also keep track of your health, weapon durability, and experience to speed things along.  Now then, there's three ways feedback can be handled:
1) everyone makes their moves, and all battle outcomes and heath/exp changes are presented at the end by me at the end of the player phase (everyone has posted).
2) After each individual move, I present the battle outcome.
3) When a player makes a move, he or she rolls his own 1d100 die and sends the results to me using Elliquiy's own die rolling tool.  Then, using the result, he or she makes her own damage calculations within the same post (so [Edmund attacks myrmidon at C3, attacks twice and deals 12 damage and takes 3]).

I like option 3 the best not only because it eases my workload per turn, but it's an instant feedback loop that changes the battlefield with every action taken.  Option 2 is slower in that it relies on me replying to each individual action, so if someone else wanted to do something that depends heavily on the outcome of another player's action and battle outcome (say Valerie wants to move to E8, but only if Claire actually kills the enemy soldier standing there), then they'd be waiting in limbo until I post.  With option 3, Claire can both attack and resolve any damages or kills in one action alloying other player characters to then post with freedom.  Option 1 is the slowest, and very limiting for the players.  If the Elliqiuy dice system is too unwieldy or unavailable, we may simply allow the players to roll their own 1d100 and decide for themselves, and we'll trust each other not to cheat or fudge some rolls (too much...).  We're here to have fun in the end, right?

As GM, if we go with option 3, I can focus on the Enemy Phase which will be described in a single post.  Afterward a new player phase starts, and everyone can both post their reactions to what occurred in the enemy phase and their new action for the current turn.  Character level up will also be handled by me.  At the start of the chapter I'll post objectives and a table of relevant enemy stats (HP, AS, Defense, Might, etc), and an update to enemy HP at the start of each new turn.

To facilitate my job as GM, I'll have Aurich's personal involvement in the storyline be minor or nonexistent, and he'll play the part of the party's quartermaster to organize the inventory, like a caravan.

Thoughts?

Mysterica

Sounds great!  I'll totally am up to running my own calculations!  I don't think it would be quite the same otherwise.

Kunoichi

It sounds good to me, though if you don't mind I'd like to use Invisible Castle for my dice rolls.

Latooni Subota

#267
Allow me to pop in what we do in the first Fire Emblem test game, as an example, to see how you do it.

------------------------------------------

Generally, the battle starts with an info/map/etc post from the GM. The fluff of what's going on, the map with everything on it goes up, followed immediately by the mini-stat-blocks for all the enemies on the map. Like so!

Merek, LV 10 Bandit, 36/36 HP
             Rng  Atk Hit Eva Crt AS Ql  Def  Res  Luc
Swordreaver   1    23  88  24  10  9 20    6    3    6

Axeman, LV 7 Fighter, 30/30 HP
          Rng  Atk Hit Eva Crt AS Ql  Def  Res  Luc
Steel Axe  1    22  78   7   3  3 30   5    1    1

Bandit, LV 7 Brigand, 28/28 HP
          Rng  Atk Hit Eva Crt AS Ql  Def  Res  Luc
Iron Axe   1    18  87  19   3  9 45   4    1    1

Tough, LV 7 Mercenary, 27/27 HP
             Rng  Atk Hit Eva Crt AS Ql  Def  Res  Luc
Iron Sword    1    13 117  25   6 11 45   6    2    3



Clearly, it's a roughly level-seven group of enemies and a level 10 boss. This way we know all the necessary stats for stuff.

--------------------------------------

Players do their own posts, and post a statblock and summary at the end of their post that says all the necessary stuff. I personally prefer to have it specifically spelled out what i'm doing to who and where, a statblock, and any skills that are active/passive and apply. Like so!

Equip Steel Blade
Move Four East, One North
Chivalry: If Cordelia is within 3 spaces of female Allied Units, +2 DEF/RES. (Solene)
Gender Rivalry: If Cordelia is within 3 spaces of male Enemy Units, +10 to HIT/EVA.
Inspiration: Allies get +5 Hit and Evasion while within 3 spaces of the character, while the character gets +1.5 Evasion for each ally near them, rounded down. (3 Allies)

Cordelia, Lv 7 Mercenary
  Name            Rng  Atk Hit Eva Crt AS Ql
-Steel Blade      1   26  76  17   5  7  30
Total Hit: 86, Total Evasion: 31
Total DEF: 12, Total RES: 5


01:42, Today: Cordelia rolled 39 using 1d100. Attacking Blahblah to the East.


Assuming the enemy I'm attacking doesn't have some HUGE Evasion, that's clearly a hit. Of course, with your system we'd also add-in the results damage-wise of the attack. Normally the GM would edit those in to take care of XP and counterattacks and stuff, so how would you go about dealing with Counterattacks since you can't edit the bottom of our posts to show whether or not we accidently kill ourselves via counterattacks? :x
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Sabre

#268
That will depend on what sort of GM is required of me; either I'm the eponymous game master who controls all die rolls or I'm the guy who drives the story in a vague direction while taking care of the enemy AI.  I think immediacy is my number one priority for this game, since unlike other systems the combat in Fire Emblem is fairly quick and usually produces a victor in 1 or 3 rounds to facilitate multiple rounds of battle between several PCs and NPCs.  There's a good chance, speaking theoretically and from past experience with other Fire Emblem RP attempts, that the game can stall or simply die in the time sink that battles over 7 or 8 turns can produce, especially when the maps get larger and more populated.  For that reason I think there should be a rethinking of how the game mechanic is viewed by both players and the GM.

Specifically, who is in control of what.  Obviously the GM's power can encroach in all directions, but perhaps it's better to imagine the battle system as each player acting as GM for their own attacking phase rather than just their character.  Basically during each player phase, the player not only has total control over their character in what action is taken but also the enemy they attack.  So rather than roll 1d100 for their action, the player should roll 2d100.  The first result is to be used for their character's hit/critical and the second should be used for the enemy.  So the player posts the result of the entire exchange - all attacks and counterattacks and all damage sustained between both their character and the enemy. 

The downside to this is obviously the increased workload on each player, though this shouldn't be much if relevant information for the enemy is provided.  The combat calculator I provided or a personal tool/method should easily suffice since FE combat is fairly simplistic if understood as HP, AS, Eva, Def/Res, etc.  But the advantage - and a massive advantage at that - is that there is absolutely no waiting on either other players or the GM at all.  Each player is free to act as they see fit (guidance and leadership can be role played).  Even experience points gained can be automatically gained according to the combat calculator, and I couldn't very well argue with simple math.

As GM, my jurisdiction works the same way - over individual battles and attacks - with the major difference being my total control of the Enemy Phase.  I roll for both the players and the enemies in this phase and handle all experience and health exchanges therein.  I imagine this as our game being played on a single GBA.  Each of us passes the GBA around making a move for their chosen character and the last ends the turn.  Then the GBA automatically goes to me and I play the part of the AI attacking and doing whatever until the player phase starts.  Whoever holds the GBA at that moment has full control, and is equally subservient to the RNG combat system.  They control the outcome of both the attacker and defender, with the difference being a player controls just one exchange between their character and an enemy unit during the player phase while I control all exchanges in the Enemy Phase.  That and all level up stat gains will likely be my domain as well.

Latooni Subota

That works for me, boss. Probably best way to go about it, in the end.
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evangel

Sounds mighty fine to me. Will you need us to write basic profiles/background information for our characters before you can start? Maybe a paragraph or so?

Latooni Subota

Before we start, I would like some more basic information. Even if it's just continent name, our little country's name, etc. Just something so I can actually build a passable background.
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evangel

Also, maybe we should do a test round of combat or so? Also, maybe we should bold our skills/change the text's color if they involve affecting another character's stats within spaces, for easier reference.

Mysterica

That is a good idea for us to roll everything that happens to our character during our turn.  It would be totally different if we were all sitting around a table but fact is...  We aren't...  And just to add to the rest of what was just asked, I too would like just a little knowledge of the map so i can decide where I am from and get some back story going.  I've made a sheet already, but without a story to go with it, to me it's just not a real character...

Sabre

#274
The prologue will be mostly centered in the Duchy of Silesia.  It is officially leaderless at the present, the old duke having passed away recently and the capital's citadel being held by a benign but powerless regency council of minor officials.  They merely await word from each province and city on who they wish to succeed the late duke.  But already there is a self-proclaimed Duke and Duchess, Cecilia's half brother and sister, beginning to make their claim of the throne and both are extremely anxious and suspicious of their siblings.  Including Cecilia, regardless of how she really feels about it, and in their quest to undermine each other they act cruelly towards the towns and villagers who are undecided on who to support.  The duke is elected by popular vote as is tradition in Silesia and in all other dukedoms and counties in the Kingdom of Galatia, so there is little to no interference from the neighboring rulers just yet.  At least, not officially.

Would that suffice?  If you wish your character's background to mention some other land or kingdom, go right ahead.  In fact, I encourage it, even including random details of what sort of place it is.  It'll be interesting and gives each of us some input on the sort of world we'd like to see.  I'm more than flexible and can write my way through it.  I believe we should use the map I posted before, so have a go and get creative with your personal background.