Big J Money
Regular
Okay, we still don't know how much storyline and other RPG materials are going to make their way into the game, but I'd like to propose what could be done with the starting classes or professions to make them more interesting. I think each character comes from a different place in the world, thus giving you a little bit of a scenario to play out before you gain control of your character and arrive near Zendar.
Squire
The Squire starts out as the Squire of a Swadian Knight who is irascible and hard to live with. One day, his company's camp is attacked by Vaegirs. He and the other knights go into battle while the squires and caravan escape. Later, the squires are hunted down by a light Vaegir raiding party. The game puts the player and several other squires on one team, with some extremely lightly armed Vaegirs on horses on the other side with 2 to 1 odds favoring the player. Regardless of whether the player wins or loses, the story then takes him back to the camp where there are bodies littered everywhere, which have been stripped of all possessions. The player's Knight is there with only a few gold coins on the body (which the player can take). Maybe a couple chipped weapons are also lying around, givng the player a selection. The story then tells you that you bury the bodies and must move on to find a new life.
Priest
The priest lives in a small community across the river from Zendar. One day, his flock is attacked by a group of dread pirates who have just discovered this continent know as the "Sea Raiders". A child escapes to find the priest and get his help. By the time the priest arrives to the village, he is too late. A few bodies of men lie on the ground, and there are sea raiders standing everywhere. When spoken too, they tell the priest to "get lost" etc, etc. Inside one of the buildings is the leader of the gang. When the priest goes inside, he flies into a rage and attacks him with a blunt weapon (or fists). If the priest wins, the sea raiders ridicule their sergeant for being beaten by the priest and then tie the priest up and leave him there. If the priest is knocked out, they just leave him there. It is now the priests desire to go and seek justice for the evil that is done against the helpless.
Nun
The nun is a missionary in a distant land. There are many poor people who have very little, but they make their livelihood promarily from breeding animals like pigs and goats. These poor people are oppressed by their leaders and are never given a chance to improve their lives. Many of their children die of starvation. Now, raiders have swept through the land, razing, burning and pillaging everything. They mainly steal from and kill the rich leaders, but they have no love for the poor either and trample all who get in their way. In one case, both rich and poor rise up to fight against a band of these raiders. One man offers her weapons and tells her that her beloved poor will die - they will all die if she does not take up arms. After the battle, whether she wins or not, the people she was watching over are scattered and destroyed by these raiders, and she must travel far away to escape harm herself and warn others of these invaders who currently plan to target new lands for pillage.
Hunter
A group of hunters hunt together in the woods when they come apon some forest bandits who demand all their goods. Being outnumbered and not having much combat experience, the hunters decide to hand everything over. Not being content with the goods, however, the bandits also decide it would be fun to maim and cripple all the hunters' horses. They leave the scene laughing and celebrating about their successful day. One hunter who becomes incensed at the injustice and cruelty gathers all the others and concocts a plan. At night, they surround the forest bandits and ambush them around their campfire. If the player wins this fight, he sells the remaining bandits into slavery and decides there is better business out there than hunting and being prey to bandits. If the player loses, the bandits mistake him for dead in the night and leave his unconcious form there. All the other hunters are killed. [Note, in this battle, the bandits should be scripted to not attack the players (hold this position; no ranged weapons) for a good 10-20 seconds to simulate their shock and surprise. All the hunters should be armed with hunting bows and knives.]
Well, that's enough to give an idea. What do you guys think? All of this can be done without any coding changes, I think. The overarching theme here seems to be "War is hell" or "War demands a new way of life".
=$= Big J Money =$=
Squire
The Squire starts out as the Squire of a Swadian Knight who is irascible and hard to live with. One day, his company's camp is attacked by Vaegirs. He and the other knights go into battle while the squires and caravan escape. Later, the squires are hunted down by a light Vaegir raiding party. The game puts the player and several other squires on one team, with some extremely lightly armed Vaegirs on horses on the other side with 2 to 1 odds favoring the player. Regardless of whether the player wins or loses, the story then takes him back to the camp where there are bodies littered everywhere, which have been stripped of all possessions. The player's Knight is there with only a few gold coins on the body (which the player can take). Maybe a couple chipped weapons are also lying around, givng the player a selection. The story then tells you that you bury the bodies and must move on to find a new life.
Priest
The priest lives in a small community across the river from Zendar. One day, his flock is attacked by a group of dread pirates who have just discovered this continent know as the "Sea Raiders". A child escapes to find the priest and get his help. By the time the priest arrives to the village, he is too late. A few bodies of men lie on the ground, and there are sea raiders standing everywhere. When spoken too, they tell the priest to "get lost" etc, etc. Inside one of the buildings is the leader of the gang. When the priest goes inside, he flies into a rage and attacks him with a blunt weapon (or fists). If the priest wins, the sea raiders ridicule their sergeant for being beaten by the priest and then tie the priest up and leave him there. If the priest is knocked out, they just leave him there. It is now the priests desire to go and seek justice for the evil that is done against the helpless.
Nun
The nun is a missionary in a distant land. There are many poor people who have very little, but they make their livelihood promarily from breeding animals like pigs and goats. These poor people are oppressed by their leaders and are never given a chance to improve their lives. Many of their children die of starvation. Now, raiders have swept through the land, razing, burning and pillaging everything. They mainly steal from and kill the rich leaders, but they have no love for the poor either and trample all who get in their way. In one case, both rich and poor rise up to fight against a band of these raiders. One man offers her weapons and tells her that her beloved poor will die - they will all die if she does not take up arms. After the battle, whether she wins or not, the people she was watching over are scattered and destroyed by these raiders, and she must travel far away to escape harm herself and warn others of these invaders who currently plan to target new lands for pillage.
Hunter
A group of hunters hunt together in the woods when they come apon some forest bandits who demand all their goods. Being outnumbered and not having much combat experience, the hunters decide to hand everything over. Not being content with the goods, however, the bandits also decide it would be fun to maim and cripple all the hunters' horses. They leave the scene laughing and celebrating about their successful day. One hunter who becomes incensed at the injustice and cruelty gathers all the others and concocts a plan. At night, they surround the forest bandits and ambush them around their campfire. If the player wins this fight, he sells the remaining bandits into slavery and decides there is better business out there than hunting and being prey to bandits. If the player loses, the bandits mistake him for dead in the night and leave his unconcious form there. All the other hunters are killed. [Note, in this battle, the bandits should be scripted to not attack the players (hold this position; no ranged weapons) for a good 10-20 seconds to simulate their shock and surprise. All the hunters should be armed with hunting bows and knives.]
Well, that's enough to give an idea. What do you guys think? All of this can be done without any coding changes, I think. The overarching theme here seems to be "War is hell" or "War demands a new way of life".
=$= Big J Money =$=
