Post by paropues on Nov 28, 2014 0:39:34 GMT
Hi there, I recently discovered lone wolf and this is my first post ever in a forum, yay for me!
Anyway, I am writing this in an effort to find some opinions on something that I have been thinking in regards to the gamebooks.
First of all I just finished book 2 and it has been a profoundly evocative experience, the books are just marvelous an Mr. Dever is an excellent storyteller. With that out of my mind, I just want to make clear that whatever I am proposing here is within the experience scope of the mechanics of those two books.
In my fascination for the series I have done some research about it, namely tv troopes, the Magnamund companion and some of the Q&A letters; and so I have found some things that have been bugging me.
Secondly, as much as I am in love with the world of Magnamund, I am a type of person who likes to be rewarded when I have done something right, but also likes to be punished when I have done done something wrong.
The world of Magnamund offers such mechanic, the fate of Sommerlund is in Lone Wolf hands, that is why I feel he should be rewarded for taking the right choices and for his bravery in battle, but also should be punished for his poor choices and incompetence. The main two reasons for this responds to the need to add much more to the inmersion and to avoid cheating.
Thirdly, The option of cheating is so omnipresent and Lone Wolf is so criticized as an all mighty macho, That I have the need to create a system that allows me to feel that accompanying Lone Wolf in his journey was worthwhile.
If we accept that we as readers Lone Wolf have everything in our powers to accomplish all of the missions by just rerolling or just starting over after dying with no consequences, translates to me that Lone wolf has everything everywhere to succeed, but still choices to be a dumbass. That does not sit well with me.
Likewise, the world of Magnamund is a fearsome place and the dark lords show no mercy to Sommerlund, each turn could lead to an early grave. The fact that, in spite of all that, Lone Wolf proves that his powers are not just for show and manages to foil the nefarious schemes of the dark lords and all he gets from book to book is to keep some items and a new Kai discipline does not sit well with me as well.
Fortly, all of this supposes the good faith of no cheating, but what do I win by no cheating?, is there a meaning for Lone wolf to endure all this?.
The life of a Kai lord is a life of self sacrifice and the everlasting quest of perfection. This is doubly true for Lone wolf, all of that effort in battle and wits needs to be refelcted somewhere in his persona.
With this reasoning in mind I plan to introduce a system to try to balance all of this.
The basic premise boils to, depending of your choices and succes in battle, you get rewarded or punished in accordance.
some things that I have been working around:
. bad choice that leads to your death equals to a permanent loss of an item. The items lost depends on the severity and stupidity of the death, minimum one maximum three.
.death in combat means a permanent reduction of endurance, the dice chooses the reduction.
.there is a counter measuring the good and bad choices. at the end of each book you get to keep items according to a percentage. EX: 50% good choices equals 50% items and so on, anything below 50% good choices means 0% items kept.
.if you lose the Sommerswerd via the dice, then the sword is locked for the rest of the book, meaning no bonuses, no possibilities for choosing it for choices and no combat with it. if you loose it thrice in the same series( Kai, magnakai, grand master) you loose it for ever; I am thinking to expand this to all special weapons.
. if you pass from the Kai to the magnakai with a perfect combat score, you can dual wield from now on.
. if you pass a book with a perfect combat score( always won every battle battle) you a get a permanent increase to endurance, the dice chooses the increment.
. every beginning of the books counts a save spot.
. if you decide to redo a book, you are forced to redo your choices and lose every item you were carrying, your previous choices are locked. if you redo the book more than twice you have to redo the series.
. if you decide to redo a series, you receive a penance of 50% effectiveness to your combat Kai disciplines fo that series, you are forced to redo every battle and every choice to count new scores. if you redo a series more than twice Magnamund is lost, you have to start over from book one, but this time with permanent penance of 50% to your combat Kai capabilities. you also have to redo every choice and every battle for a new score.
. you can only redo your current book or the series, no in betweens.
. at the end of the Kai you carry over your items according to the percentage of the whole Kai series choice score.
.if you pass from the Kai to the magnakai series with a perfect choice score you can carry over all of your items.
. if you pass from the Kai to the magnakai series with both perfect scores you receive a permanent increase of 50% to your combat Kai disciplines.
That is basically what I have in mind right now, I am sorry for the huge wall of text but I really wanted to share this. I would really appreciate any constructive opinions and suggestions, thank you for your time!
Anyway, I am writing this in an effort to find some opinions on something that I have been thinking in regards to the gamebooks.
First of all I just finished book 2 and it has been a profoundly evocative experience, the books are just marvelous an Mr. Dever is an excellent storyteller. With that out of my mind, I just want to make clear that whatever I am proposing here is within the experience scope of the mechanics of those two books.
In my fascination for the series I have done some research about it, namely tv troopes, the Magnamund companion and some of the Q&A letters; and so I have found some things that have been bugging me.
Secondly, as much as I am in love with the world of Magnamund, I am a type of person who likes to be rewarded when I have done something right, but also likes to be punished when I have done done something wrong.
The world of Magnamund offers such mechanic, the fate of Sommerlund is in Lone Wolf hands, that is why I feel he should be rewarded for taking the right choices and for his bravery in battle, but also should be punished for his poor choices and incompetence. The main two reasons for this responds to the need to add much more to the inmersion and to avoid cheating.
Thirdly, The option of cheating is so omnipresent and Lone Wolf is so criticized as an all mighty macho, That I have the need to create a system that allows me to feel that accompanying Lone Wolf in his journey was worthwhile.
If we accept that we as readers Lone Wolf have everything in our powers to accomplish all of the missions by just rerolling or just starting over after dying with no consequences, translates to me that Lone wolf has everything everywhere to succeed, but still choices to be a dumbass. That does not sit well with me.
Likewise, the world of Magnamund is a fearsome place and the dark lords show no mercy to Sommerlund, each turn could lead to an early grave. The fact that, in spite of all that, Lone Wolf proves that his powers are not just for show and manages to foil the nefarious schemes of the dark lords and all he gets from book to book is to keep some items and a new Kai discipline does not sit well with me as well.
Fortly, all of this supposes the good faith of no cheating, but what do I win by no cheating?, is there a meaning for Lone wolf to endure all this?.
The life of a Kai lord is a life of self sacrifice and the everlasting quest of perfection. This is doubly true for Lone wolf, all of that effort in battle and wits needs to be refelcted somewhere in his persona.
With this reasoning in mind I plan to introduce a system to try to balance all of this.
The basic premise boils to, depending of your choices and succes in battle, you get rewarded or punished in accordance.
some things that I have been working around:
. bad choice that leads to your death equals to a permanent loss of an item. The items lost depends on the severity and stupidity of the death, minimum one maximum three.
.death in combat means a permanent reduction of endurance, the dice chooses the reduction.
.there is a counter measuring the good and bad choices. at the end of each book you get to keep items according to a percentage. EX: 50% good choices equals 50% items and so on, anything below 50% good choices means 0% items kept.
.if you lose the Sommerswerd via the dice, then the sword is locked for the rest of the book, meaning no bonuses, no possibilities for choosing it for choices and no combat with it. if you loose it thrice in the same series( Kai, magnakai, grand master) you loose it for ever; I am thinking to expand this to all special weapons.
. if you pass from the Kai to the magnakai with a perfect combat score, you can dual wield from now on.
. if you pass a book with a perfect combat score( always won every battle battle) you a get a permanent increase to endurance, the dice chooses the increment.
. every beginning of the books counts a save spot.
. if you decide to redo a book, you are forced to redo your choices and lose every item you were carrying, your previous choices are locked. if you redo the book more than twice you have to redo the series.
. if you decide to redo a series, you receive a penance of 50% effectiveness to your combat Kai disciplines fo that series, you are forced to redo every battle and every choice to count new scores. if you redo a series more than twice Magnamund is lost, you have to start over from book one, but this time with permanent penance of 50% to your combat Kai capabilities. you also have to redo every choice and every battle for a new score.
. you can only redo your current book or the series, no in betweens.
. at the end of the Kai you carry over your items according to the percentage of the whole Kai series choice score.
.if you pass from the Kai to the magnakai series with a perfect choice score you can carry over all of your items.
. if you pass from the Kai to the magnakai series with both perfect scores you receive a permanent increase of 50% to your combat Kai disciplines.
That is basically what I have in mind right now, I am sorry for the huge wall of text but I really wanted to share this. I would really appreciate any constructive opinions and suggestions, thank you for your time!
