Mages guild suggestions From: Todd Woods <woods@cs.uiowa.edu> Date: Wed, 27 Dec 1995 00:00:00 +0000 This is basically about some ideas I had for the mages guild. It's part of something else I wrote to someone, so it starts out a little rough. As always I would like comments/suggestions. *********************************************************************** As a final note, if Morin gets the Enchant an Item skill, and gets it to lvl 1, and actually successfully researches something, I'd like to be able to use the mages battery for storing MP/KP to create the item. There's currently no restriction on doing this, the only problem would be how to allow this in such a way that it doesn't increase amount of work that you have to keep track of. I might talk with Hugh, see if we can develop some easy way to "partition" the storage device. Maybe if you donate MP/KP using the default settings (i.e. person, device, and MP/KP) you'll donate to the "main" mages guild partition. If there were another setting (say the "Partition") added at the end you could donate to an individual members partition. Each mages guild member would have a partition (maybe have the partition number = player ID number?). Then each turn a mages guild member would get a read out of how many MP/KP they have stored in the storage device. If a guild member wanted to use the MP/KP they would have to stay in guild to use the MP/KP (after all individual members couldn't take the storage device on adventures) but they could still use it for research and magic item creation. Maybe this could be used to allow individual members to create their own items. If each new member were given the ability to enchant an item at trained, and a partition of the storage device, they create whatever items they wanted as long as they had the MP/KP to do so. Might want to lower the MP donations that each member would have to give each turn by 1 or 2. Then the leaders of the guilds wouldn't have to stay in the guild to create items for other mages guild members, and the guilds MP's could be used solely for research, individual members would be in charge of creating their own devices. If something like this could be implemented I think it would increase peoples interest in becoming a mages guild member (i.e. more prospective recruits). It would also give recruits a reason to join, they would be taught the enchant an item skill and would be given space in the storage device. Then it's up to them to create items for themselves. Thus they feel like they're immediately getting something back for joining the mages guild (enchant an item skill and space on storage device) plus if they have the resources they can research and create whatever items they want. Could probably make joining the mages guild a special action, which would create a partition on the storage device for new recruits. Since we don't want non-members using this action the leader of the mages guild (i.e. the one with the storage device) would use this action to create a partition for a new member once he has recieved the required donations. The special action would be something like "Create Partition (Item ID, Player ID)". All of this would make the job of running the mages guild easier (no need to make items for people, keep track of who to make an item for next, how much MP to use for research/creation, etc). The only extra thing needed would be to use a special action to create a partition for a new guild member. Somebody would have to teach the new recruits the enchant an item skill, but since Morin is in the guild fairly often anyway I wouldn't mind taking over that responsibility. This would require some programming on Hugh's part. First the special action of donating MP/KP would have to be given another (optional) parameter for the partition. Since a player ID is already unique in AG, this could be used as the key for a partition. Since non-player characters wouldn't be members of the mages guild we could have the "main" partition of the mages guild storage device be number 1. If a partition weren't specified then 1 would be used as the default. Second the special action Create Partition would have to coded. It would only be useable by the person with the storage device. I see no problem with using Item ID and Partition ID (i.e. Player ID) as the parameters. If the player ID weren't used as the Partition ID then there would be 3 parameters, Item ID, Partition ID, and Player ID. I think it would be easier just to use the player ID as the partition number. Finally there would have to be some programming to create the data structure for a partition and tie it to a character. This would probably be part of the Create Partition action, but would need to be displayed on a characters sheet every turn. As an aside, I don't know how to use MPs/KP in a storage device (whataction does it take? a special action or extra action?) but this would have to be modified also to allow the partition to be used, with the default as the mages guild partition. This might require some work, but I don't think it would be a major undertaking. It would require a slight modification of an existing action, and the creation of a new action. But the benefits would be great. It would immediately reward characters for becoming a mages guild member and could also be used as a means of allowing ANY character to eventually be able to research and enchant an item. The mages guild would still have their own "guild" research projects which the members "tithe" would be used to fund. Therefore individual members don't HAVE to do anything beyond tithe to help in the creation of new items and/or spells. Any items/spells created by the guild would be useable/createable by Mages Guild members. Also it would give members the opportunity to research their own spells and items if they desired. The hope is that this will become widespread enough that at least one mage in every adv. group would want to join the mages guild so that other members of the group can help fund their mage to create the items they want for their own members. I think this ability would enhance the game overall, allowing individual members the ability to add to the game in their own creative way. Overall the amount of changes required to the game would be minimal and the potential benefits to AG and the pleasure people have running characters in AG would increase. Plus people would feel like they're having an impact on AG, like they have some control over the direction the game is going, that they're adding to the game. This additional creative input from players would increase the variety and originality of the game. How about it? Comments and suggestions always welcomed (particularly if Hugh is listening ;-). Later, Todd Up