I'm getting feedback from other sources as well. A bit exhausted after hashing this over and over and dealing with design of the organization for the data, but I think I may have something more substantial in a few days.
Here's a cut and paste of another exchange I am having about this.
An old friend from Vives asked....
- Could you provide two scenarios, one with unique creatures and one without, to show the difference between the two and the purpose of having this system in place?
Lets try it this way. A Monk PC has discovered that the NPC Master (unique NPC) of their monastery was using other monks irresponsibly to further a cause that the PC opposes. So the player tells a DM that they want to take over control of the monastery. The DM helps facilitate a player driven event in which the PC defeats the NPC master. Due to the conflict a number of the rank and file (generics of a type) leave and a number stay (based on the PC monk's reputation in the monastery), but the PC is now in control of the monastery. The PC now has some of the rank and file to draw upon should they be needed, and the former master has been removed as a member of the monastery. If the former master NPC survives it could remain a member of the other nefarious group it was a member of. Perhaps this other group now has a population of rank and file monks as well that DMs can use to harass the now PC run monastery.
Granted I don't have the ability to enable such to happen yet. But this system of data tracking is critical in implementing it. While the DM would be needed to help the transfer of leadership. Once the PC is in control, they would have the monastery's resources at their command, and not need a DM to exercise this power. The DM could move on to other things, and let the module track reputation, and such at the monastery perhaps periodically adjusting how many loyal rank and file NPCs remain, and providing other feedback to the PC to indicate their success or lack thereof in running it.
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To those in the know, this should look a little like what Border Kingdoms was doing, but the intention is not to rely on DMs for everything and thereby, hopefully, limit DM burnout. I would think that anyone following my project closely would have realized that I have been aiming for something similar as well - as my background system puts PCs into different groups that are in conflict with one another (the world has a civilized versus wild conflict for example).
Well now that Border Kingdoms is gone, rather than keeping my module private for session based play, I am trying to get my module ready to fill the same niche. And I learned a bit from playing on that server and seeing how their henchman system worked. I am borrowing that and seeking to apply it here with this population management and unique NPC management. In case anyone is wondering how I intend to use all of this.
Might as well let the cat out of the bag even though I am far from being able to release this. After all this talk I am excited by what I am finally seeing as possible.
And with that said... I need a break. Been a long day and my head hurts.
Modifié par henesua, 07 novembre 2012 - 05:34 .
