SCA Mod concept proposal

[Endoperez]

At first glance, the only problem I see besides actually completing this would be the map size. Even in a game with 17 nations, the map would be huge. If you want to downplay the effect of magic, giving everyone lots of time to research, site-search and construct mage-recruitment centers doesn't sound like a good idea.

I don't think it's possible to randomize equipment.

Conquest of Elysium had several units who were able to cast spells but weren't mages, like Orcish War Drums which had a fear effect on lots of enemies. You could replace many spells with summons able to use similar abilities.

With clever use of terrain, you could probably make swamp/mountain/forest survival a great bonus for nations in familiar terrain. Just make sure to include plain and farmland and border-mountain provinces as well, so that Florida nation isn't limited to poor-income swamps.

What would you do with pretenders? If magic is less powerful, they should probably be combatants, but somewhere between thug and SC levels (depending on items). Making all powerful pretenders magic beings, inanimate, demons or undead would work, if you included spells for countering each, while less powerful ones would just have good stats but no inherent counter.

Magic weapons and armor can be modded, with certain limits. You can change the name and cost of "Faithful", and you can change the actual weapon's stats from those of a sword to those of a pike, and include new weapon effects, but you can't add or remove the ability to grant luck. You can change it into a helmet or armor, though, if you'd rather have helmet that gives luck. You can't add in new icons, but you probably have to get rid of several items so that shouldn't be a problem.

[LordCalvert]

I'm certainly willing to go to a smaller map size but I think anything smaller than 300 land provinces simply would not work.

As for randomizing equipment, it was a nice idea but I was reasonably certain I wouldn't be able to implement it. I think it can be worked around but we've got to be careful about game balance and encourage a variety of unit types.

We have quite a few spells here that are not done by magic users, either priestly spells or spells special to the unit (like bards). I think it can be worked around.

As far as terrain, I was considering that some kingdoms would not have special units but all of their units would have a special ability. Trimaris (Florida) would have marshland survival, Atenveldt (Arizona) would have desert survival, Æthelmearc (WNY, WPA, WV) would have woodland survival, Outlands (CO, NM) would have mountain survival, Ealdormere (Ontario) and Northshield (MN, MB, WI, ND, SD) would have cold resistance, Ansteorra (TX, OK) would have heat resistance...etc. Certain kingdoms would also have natural heat/cold scales like Abysia and Jotunheim do. The larger sized groups in the SCA would be the high-income provinces and since D3 makes it far more advantageous to place fortresses in high-income/low-resource provinces than it was in D2, these provinces (baronies) would become the primary centers of recruitment as they are in real life.

Pretenders would usually be "super fighters" (all SCAdians have heard of powerful "super dukes") with some magical ability and they would be the only decent magic users a kingdom would have. They could also be "legendary peers" with some sort of special ability. Most would be relatively standard but some would be specific to the kingdom. The majority of the pretenders that are already in the game would have to be turned off.

[Endoperez]

300 provinces divided between 17 nations leaves a bit less than 18 provinces per player, similar to 5-6 nations on Aran. That's pretty average, not too tight and not too sparse. 500 would give everyone 29 provinces, on average. That's like Aran with three nations.

I just mention this because in multiplayer, I don't think many would care to play a huge map. It'd be a pity if your mod/scenario didn't get played after it was completed.

[LordCalvert]

One of the reasons why I envisioned such a big map was that I wanted to give each local group their own province. That may not be practical. There was also the need to have low-value territory in areas where there are few or no groups (such as the Yukon/NWT and other scattered "unclaimed" areas in Canada, the US and possibly Mexico).

Let me give you an example with my own kingdom
Æthelmearc (WNY/WPA/WV) has 27 local groups, not counting sub-groups:
Seven baronies (the largest groups and would be the high-income provinces): Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Scranton, Johnstown and Charleston
Twenty shires (smaller groups):
West Virginia: Huntington, Morgantown, Harper's Ferry.
Pennsylvania: Washington, Indiana, Sharon, Butler, Meadville, Erie, Williamsport, Clarion, State College.
New York: Jamestown, Olean, Wellsville, Ithaca, Utica, Cortland, Binghamton, Watertown.

And we're considered to be a medium-sized kingdom. The East Kingdom (New England, Québec, the Maritimes, ENY, EPA, NJ, DE) is one of the larger ones. They have seventeen barony-sized groups and 27 shire-sized groups (not including the sub-groups). The Midrealm (OH, MI, KY, IN, IL) has even more (19 baronies, 36 shires). Getting in every group requires a large map but the province count can't be so high that it becomes unplayable. Compromise has to happen somewhere.

[AlgaeNymph]

So, what's each nation's schitck?

[coolnathan01]

I am also in the SCA, Kingdom of Atlantia. Having a map too small kinda sucks. Not enough time to research much before you start getting attacked. But, our archers aren't that bad. If anything they are pretty good.

[LordCalvert]

We hadn't made any firm decision on what each kingdom's schtick would be. I like the ideas of certain survival skills dependent on kingdom and a relatively small selection of unique units. Calontir would obviously get their special war-shields. Caid might get some sort of sea-transport ability. The East would probably get better protection factors, Atlantia might get a special "Dark Knight" hero along with a horde of squires/men-at-arms (nope, not thinking of anyone in particular, not at all, nope, nope), Ansteorra might get special light units (with white scarves), etc.

As for archers, I probably would have the better quality archers be in independent provinces and have you recruit them externally, just as current nations which have poor or no archers have to do and have you build a fortress on the province if you feel that you really have to have lots of them. If a particular group is known for high caliber archers (as my own Barony of the Rhydderich Hael is), they might get their's specifically set in the province.

Ludicrous Bowmen (a very, very rare rank of archer in the SCA; one step above Grandmaster Bowman) would probably be a special hero and not a recruitable commander.