The Future of FTK

[Liu Bei/Admin]

Through trial, error and genuine experience within several very different RP sites, I have learnt that cliche RTK sites which prove time consuming and unexciting at times due mainly to politics and the gathering of troops have never been able to pull through. So here I return, with this thought in mind, and I propose the creation of a completely new system, one that, instead of creating reason for boredom within the site cuts straight to the meat of RP sites like this: The Battles.

Correct, no more politics or fields, cities will be used for RP between organised and situational battles. In this way, storyline and character building can be greatly emphasised and the land's situation will change greatly within the span of even a week.

Though I have only a rough idea of how the system will turn out, I believe that this could very well be the proper path to take. I do, however require approval from anyone and everyone. Suggestions and propositions are more than welcome in this thread.

[Cao Cao]

To do this you would be erasing key political individuals and a period based around political goals, but if you are willing to drop that you would have to build the site from the ground up once again.

Find a way to make battles simple with dedicated mods who will be there to keep the battle going. But if this will be based solely on battle we lose a part of the RP element, which is political. Politics plays a large part in TK, for me anyway, you never fight for unity unless you have a political goal to accomplish.

You would have to work out how to create a new economic system, for how players and lieges earn their funds for purchasing wargear. Whether it's though tasks, writing etc.

The only thing i'm concerned about is that strategy will be overlooked and strength will carry the game.

[Liu Bei/Admin]

Yes, I was thinking that such things could be decided through roleplay. Perhaps tasks could be brought up triggered by events such as a peasant leader appearing at the court volunteering to join the army. A roleplay could take place whether to accept or to decline among other things.

A simple example but it gets the point around

[Zhang Liang/Simon]

So basically more focus around roleplay for stuff such as training and recruiting troops in writing, but as Sam has pointed out, there is the working out of wages,etc.....unless we keep some of the current ways to avoid that obstacle of finding a new way.

But I am sure whatever decision is made, we will make it work.

[Liu Feng]

It was done a few times back in the hayday But I'm not gonna patronise you all, so I'm instead gonna offer my two cents and suggestions.

A three kingdoms site doesn't work for these main reasons:

1) People too eager to get attention by bailing on sites and creating their own after only a few weeks of one opening.
2) As you say too much open roleplaying and not enough focus on the main parts.
3) A staff team lacking in experience/knowledge/activity/willingness to help.
4) Complicated rule systems, which take too long to understand and even longer to use it to get any sort of decent sized force.


Unique, focused and pre-determined

These are my favourite sorts of battles, basically you staff and rulers decide who'll fight where, with how many troops and what the circumstances around such an engagement are. It means you can manipulate the site to get activity and enjoyment, and no one really has to know outisde the circle of trust, if that's how you want to play it.

It's what me and some of the old'ens are planning on doing soon with our site whenever we all get online again together to discuss it, but its been done before so there's nothing there for me to hold back on you guys

eg. the three rulers decide behind the scenes that the next battle of jing will involve Wu betraying Shu, troops will be proportionate to the political circumstances and supply lines (all rp considered, so no need for complex formulas).


Maps, maps, maps

Maps for the battle are always a pet hate for me, especially when sites resort to the infamous ROTK city maps, I mean there are only so many ways you can besiege a city, and even if the opponents do sally forth, there are again only so many ways you can hold onto a bridge, make a fire attack and send volleys of arrows over >.>.

I can make you simple battle maps, much like the DW Warrior ones, albeit a lot less detailed, and having epic single-coloured terrain I had it on a Betrayal of the Three Kingdoms remake, and we plan on doing it on our site whenever it comes out (which'll be some time no doubt if at all) so I am also offering it for here, I can get you an example some time if you're interested in not conforming to the boring bog standard city maps.



All in all I am 100% behind a more focused battle site, so long as you can all get behind it properly and forget about the normal ROTK rp style/format

[Liu Bei/Admin]

Exactly, Adam has practically summed up my proposition for the new battle systems. Pre-determined battles have always seemed to be the most successful way to keep members interested. This and a good plot to the battle are what I believe to be the keys to a good battle. I believe that the site should revolve around these types of battles.

Now the RP-Politics system will not only serve as a solution to RP needs and Character development, but it will also serve as a basis for the final decision of troop numbers and force situations before a "pre-determined" battle occurs. I would indeed appreciate a sample of your "simple battle map" Adam

To top all of this off, I will make my attempt at creating an intriguing setting with a fantasy touch.

With these propositions in mind, what is everyone's response?

[Cao Cao]

I like the idea of organised battles, I've took part in a few of them in my days, and they are a less clumsy experience. I say shoot for that.

Maps, are always a problem, there is never any good ones lying around the 'net which makes you waste time making wasteful ones. Give us a looky Adam, try and change things.

I'd also say drop the RTK stats altogether, they're pointless unless we're going to be calculating stuff. I've only ever used them for guidelines and played the character I was how I wanted. Plus some are terribly inaccurate, Zhang Fei's for one.

This site has never had any Fantasy elements from what I've seen anyway, how and what do you plan to work into it?

[Zhang Liang/Simon]

I agree, this is Fantasy ROTK, so time to make this site unique. Let us know what ideas you have for your setting.

[Liu Bei/Admin]

Alright, I have a few ideas and key plot points...

PLOT POINTS

-Yes, Zhuge Liang will be a farking overrated reclusive wizard type image who will have some sort of supernatural relation to the chaos that is occurring within the land, a necromancer type if you must. We cannot allow him to fall into the wrong player's hands, however...

-Player characters will be "The Chosen." People chosen by the Heavens basically, I don't know exactly

-Chaos will be furthered emphasized with disasters occurring on a normal basis. Gloomy and darkish days are the natural weather, with bright and shining days only occurring very sporadically.

-He Jin, a once noble man gives way to greed and ambition after hearing prophecies of his sovereignty from witches usurps the throne after secretly murdering all of the possible heirs of the dead Emperor Ling. Certain aristocrats and officers within the kingdom rise in individual rebellion. War erupts, and a Seal of Heaven's Mandate said to have been granted to Liu Bang by the Gods is lost from the capital in the impending chaos.

-Open conflict continues for several years, Cao Cao, child of Cao Song, a minor subordinate to He Jin discovers the Seal of Heaven's Mandate whilst playing in the fields. His family falls apart soon after due to reasons unknown to him, he and his father separate from his mother and his adopted infant brother and move to the border of He Jin's territory.

-Cao Cao reaches the age of fifteen. Cao Song is murdered by officers of He Jin searching for the mandate, but Cao Cao escapes with the Seal, disappearing from the face of the Earth...

-Ten years later, the situation involves confrontations between Emperor He Jin, Yuan Shu in Xuzhou, Ma Teng in Liang, Gongsun Zan in Beiping, Zhang Jiao in Jinyang and the most powerful, Yuan Shao of Ji, boasting the might of the likes of Lu Bu among others. Cao Cao re-appears and conquers Chang'an with great military force obviously gathered over the years. He declares open war on He Jin, still trying to gain the trust of the other leaders. Natural disasters and illness are at their peak.

-Two more years pass, the Chinese population has decreased by over half of its' population thirty years ago, both Yuan Shao and He Jin begin to succumb to illness. At this point, Yuan Shu's kingdom has become subordinate to his half-brother, with he himself falling in battle against He Jin. Yuan Tan is named successor, leading the Yuan kingdom while his father lies on his deathbed. Cao Cao knocks at the doors of Luoyang.

-In the brink of the chaos, a man called Liu Bei rises declaring his claim to the throne. Sightings of Zhuge Liang have been reported.

-RPG begins at this point

Okay, that is an alpha phase outline of a proposed story, I repeat, this is in no way a final copy. So, that said, what does everyone want to change? Go ahead, mix and match, add your own touch to parts of the story, I am open to any and all suggestions.

[Zhang Liang/Simon]

The plot is great, as it covers the “Fantasy” with the changes and “ROTK” as the same sort of story is the same and not going off the main story too much. I like it

Only ones missing is Jiang Dong, Jing and Yi province, or are these the same?

[Cao Cao]

So are these 'chosen ones' going to be like Dynasty Warriors can we cut down a 1000 men in a combo of 100? Unleash a landslide by holding down L2 and pressing []?

Or is this going to turn into Journey to the West? Where demons conjure up sandstorms and typhoons to try and eat a Buddhist priest ;D

Is it going to be magic? Or just certain abilities or attributes?

[Liu Bei/Admin]

Jing, Yi and Wu are not exactly a central part of RTK until later on in the story when Liu Bei is pushed southwards, same case here, everyone wants to take control of the Central Plains, so I haven't quite decided what is going on in the South, maybe you could decide on that Simon

A bit of both, actually, Sam haha. The Chosen, if they choose to be warriors such as Guan Yu or Lu Bu will be blessed with the strength of the gods, but not so godly that they can take apart Cao Cao's Chibi army by themselves like in DW, but he will be able to hold his own by himself against a thousand generic soldiers at once and hack his way through a unit to get to the leader (who will not be as pushover as the soldiers.) Perhaps they can temporarily summon the powers of the elements to enchant themselves with fire damage or something

Now demons conjuring up sandstorms and typhoons, that is stuff for the "Chosen of the Chosen," Zhuge Liang and his godly like. Other warlords will not be quite as powerful but could maybe dedicate themselves to a single element and maybe summon lightning for a brief period of time to fall upon their enemies.

Oh, and I colored in a vague map here to give an idea of Central Plain territory...



Light Green- Ma Teng
Blue- Cao Cao
Black- He Jin
Yellow- Zhang Jiao and the Yellow Scarves
Grey- Gongsun Zan
Orange- Yuan Shao
Green- Liu Bei
Tan- Unknown

One more thing- We cannot expect enough members to fill out every force, and so I propose that we, as the staff should play the part of untaken characters as NPCs if the situation arises. Read the second post of this thread in Three Kingdoms XX, I got the idea from that.

Suggestions please

[Cao Cao]

Vague map... I made that map and it has served me and you well over the years Joe don't diss it's paintness

Can Yuan Shu summon an earthquake and form a pit big enough to stop invaders? ;D

I have no problem playing NPCs and necessary characters. I might do that instead of claiming a character, don't know yet though, things change.

[Zhang Liang/Simon]

So does that mean certain characters will be "Chosen". If so, will they be highlighted so people know who the "Chosen" are or will they be secret?

For staff playing NPCs, that is fine by me. I also need to decide whether to claim a character or just do NPCs like Sam.

Also where is the second thread in Three Kingdoms XX, cause all I see relating to this site is in the cbox?

[Liu Bei/Admin]

Sorry Simon, forgot to add the link >.>

thethreekingdomsxx.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=389
Yes, the second post of this thread is where I got the idea from.

And the Chosen are any characters that a player selects, anyone else is normal.

That map indeed has served us well <.<, but I will be moving on to a more in depth map this season haha. We must hang that map on the wall of fame

In the situation of Yuan Shu being selected by a player: Yes he will summon an earthquake and form a pit big enough to stop invaders if the player turns him into a warlord but the fissure will close up after maybe two turns, crushing everyone who has been sucked up and to prevent an impossibility of conquering a castle.

For anyone with spare time, I have a little project here

My in-depth map (by courtesy of kongming.net) is now free of the Wei, Shu and Wu forces, and I need someone to separate the land on this map using whatever method you wish to mirror image the force plan on the vague map: Optional of course.


i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg212/shuruler/map_rtk.jpg

EDIT: The map is zoomed out too much, you'll have to get it straight from Kongming.net should you choose to undertake the project.

I was also considering doing battles on the above map as it seems to be very in depth. Take ROTK 11 as an example. Feedback needed

Finally, I need suggestions for a replacement for City Threads. Adam is correct, they just cram up the board space.