Erfgame 3 (CLOSED) - Rules and Discussion

[Metheglin]

Yeah, I've been following this for maybe a week or two now. Even got bored and decided to create my own side and mock up battles between it and a few of yours to see how it matches up. Maybe it's "Playing against myself is boring" syndrome, but the game tended towards turtling until you think you can take the other guy.

Of course, that was before I figured out how cities worked. And before I started adding in pretty basic random encounter rewards. It's still interesting, though, even if I'm messing up on occasion. I decided to rope a friend into helping me mess around with the rules, that might help a bit.

Of course, since we're forgoing the use of Titans, it means we're not gonna have a reason to use Lookamancy or Foolamancy outside of baffles and such. Ah, well.

[0beron]

Ah ok. Well I know us players would enjoy having you, and I imagine Kaed would appreciate the decreased workload. Because Monies' Barbarian side seems to have met Colonel, and Kaed has said he is immensely amused by messging with both Monies and myself, I imagine he'd want to keep managing those 3 sides, which means you'd probably Titan for Nihilia and Exate.

[Metheglin]

Hmm...if it wouldn't give your evil plans away to your foes, are you finding the simplemancy units to be acceptable pinch-hitters for casters? I'm kind of curious because it seems like 10-30 Juice wouldn't be nearly enough to work any of the useful spells.

[0beron]

Well none of us have much access to our Specials yet, and like I said there has been basically no combat yet besides Monies slaying wild units. But my opinion is that it depends on how you use them, you have to be smart. Obviously they're no replacement for a full caster, but mine for example have Simple Rhymeomancy, and as long as they have juice to spare, they can dance-fight. Or they can burn up juice for an even higher dance-fighting bonus. Perhaps as the game progresses we'll find that the juice limit is restrictive and maybe we'll have it increase very slightly as they level. Time will tell, but at the moment I'm inclined to think of choosing Simplemancy as a "High risk, high reward" special.

[Metheglin]

What really makes me curious is whether people are going to focus on elite units or masses of Infantry, like Jetstone did. All of the Leadership running around makes me suspect it'll be 7-stacks of infantry with a Knight-class calling the proverbial shots. I can see where that could be a problem for Monies - if another side can pop out 32 stabbers in a turn, his limited unit selection is going to suck. Unless he somehow buys his way into a Dirtamancer or Croakamancer - I didn't see any upkeep listed for golems.

[Koliup]

Actually, didn't Kaed say that he'd accept spell suggestions? Like you tell him what you want to do, and he prices it?
Simple mancy guys can be really useful for simple spells, and can also help you out a lot with the way spending raw juice works.
They can also shore up your air defenses. Really, it's like having a pocket caster that, while unable to cast more than one serious spell a day, is extremely useful.

[Lord of Monies]

With the amount of juice I imagine a tower can hold, a juice cap of 30 put into it won't cover much at all. I doubt any custom spell will be easy to do either due to such a low cap. Actual casters are probably the only ones who can easily make custom spells as they have much more juice to work with. My Healoamncer is lvl 3, for example, so he has a cap of 150 to work with......so maybe I should start thinking of some ideas. Hmmmm, healomancy, healomancy.

[0beron]

Yes Kaed did say he'd accept suggestions. The list of spells I provided is just a base-line, and even those are subject to changes as they get used.

As for Simplemancers filling towers, the Tower-Juice mechanic is one I wrote and intended only for true casters to be capable of, but that is something I suppose Kaed will have to make a ruling on when we get to that point.

[Koliup]

With the amount of juice I imagine a tower can hold, a juice cap of 30 put into it won't cover much at all. I doubt any custom spell will be easy to do either due to such a low cap. Actual casters are probably the only ones who can easily make custom spells as they have much more juice to work with. My Healoamncer is lvl 3, for example, so he has a cap of 150 to work with......so maybe I should start thinking of some ideas. Hmmmm, healomancy, healomancy.

But simple mancers cast as though they were a level 1 caster of the discipline. They have a cap of 50, don't they?
Also, is there so far a difference between Nice Things With a Special and a Magic Item?

[Metheglin]

As I recall, their juice cap is based on whether they're a Special A/B, a Special C, or a Special D. And this is one of the things I'd considered - one or two Simplemancers and a Warlord or Leader defending a city with two or three stacks. The enemy buzzes in to try and bypass the walls, and then a Simplemancer triggers the defenses. Ten turns of juicing the tower up is about 400 juice for a pair C-classes.

Or, as Wanda might say, 'Aggro'.

[0beron]

Also, is there so far a difference between Nice Things With a Special and a Magic Item?

No, a Nice Thing that has a special is a magic item, only Dollamancers can do that though.

As for Simplemancers and Tower Defenses, like I said, the Tower-juice mechanic is one I intended only true casters capable of doing, and I totally forgot Simplemancers in that. I feel allowing Simplemancers to do that would be OP (plus there is no basis for it in comic). But we may have to try it.

[Metheglin]

Well, we can try it and see how it goes. Would simplemancers be unable to fill AND trigger tower juice? Or would they be able to trigger it, but not fill it up? Or can anyone activate the juice in a tower?

And how does the way the Carpudlian Shockamancer 'spelled up' Carport's tower work? Would that be a shockamancy trap, or just air defenses, or...?

[0beron]

Both good questions, I had actually forgotten about the Carpauldian tower. I'll have to go back and read updates around that area and think about a way to do that.

[Metheglin]

Well, I suppose we could treat it as the city improvement 'trapped zone', we could treat it as another spell for Shockamancers, like the lightning trap spell or the Dirtamancer traps, or we could call it juice stored in the tower that anyone can trigger.

This having been said, something's been bugging me. A shockamancer can spend 10 Juice to cast a 15-hit bolt split up as he likes. Or he can use 10 juice and cast a 4-hit spell that's 8 hits against fliers. Anyone else seeing a problem here?

[The Colonel]

Monies, you already replied?

[Lord of Monies]

Yes, O patient Colonel. I always respond in good time with this game, so we are just waiting on Kaed. He does have a busy life after all.

[The Colonel]

Monies, I detect sarcasm.

[Lord of Monies]

Really? Wow, I'll keep that in mind then. I can ask you to check a post for me if I want a sarcasm sweep. That could be really useful.

[0beron]

A shockamancer can spend 10 Juice to cast a 15-hit bolt split up as he likes. Or he can use 10 juice and cast a 4-hit spell that's 8 hits against fliers. Anyone else seeing a problem here?

Yeah, it's OP because that old spell is inaccurate. Like I've said like multiple times, the list of actual "spells" is a guideline. So I should probably remove all the ones for Shockamancy and just leave that "we're better offensive casters than everyone else" bit.

[Metheglin]

I kind of like the trap spells, I'd just like clarification on their placement and how many you can have in a hex. I could see a Shockamancer with a small escort making life a living hell for low-move units, forcing them to go into a forest or get stuntrapped on roads.

And Titans help you if the side with a Shockamancer has a Hippiemancer, too.