Quote from: flyingmice;530817Mostly short range stuff - flags, heliograph, kites. or lights. Carrier pigeons need fixed destinations, so they are out.

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Hm, so there is some permanent method of communication, even if  short - distance. Interesting. I dunno if I'd not go rather with trading caravans as only means of communication - but given the somewhat geo - political descriptors of the islands, I guess you are going for a bit more politically tied game, rather then just walking about discovering stuff? By which I mean - lack of communications is better when players are supposed to just wander around, discovering stuff, while some means of permanent communications are pretty much required for a political game . And yeah - nice idea with kites and stuff. Smoke signals?

PS - re - read the fluff, and discovered the mention about terracing. D'oh!

Quote from: Rincewind1;530820Hm, so there is some permanent method of communication, even if  short - distance. Interesting. I dunno if I'd not go rather with trading caravans as only means of communication - but given the somewhat geo - political descriptors of the islands, I guess you are going for a bit more politically tied game, rather then just walking about discovering stuff?

Not really - I don't like limiting what the group wants to do within the setting, so I'm putting enough political stuff in that a group could play a political-oriented game if they want. The base is exploring and discovery, but there are other ways you could take it if you want - political/diplomatic, shipboard trading a la Traveller, scouting, finding trade routes and partners a la the Poleisotechnic League, land or aerial warfare, finding alchemical ingredients, monster hunting... lots of options.

Like many of my games, the group - that is, the GM or GM+players or the players, however the group rolls - makes a company which determines what assets they have. If they want a political game, they should make a political company. If they want to explore, they should make an exploration company, etc.

QuoteBy which I mean - lack of communications is better when players are supposed to just wander around, discovering stuff, while some means of permanent communications are pretty much required for a political game . And yeah - nice idea with kites and stuff. Smoke signals?

They're really not long range enough to communicate between separated islands, unless they are unusually close. Smoke signals would work as well, but again, not long range.

QuotePS - re - read the fluff, and discovered the mention about terracing. D'oh!

Ah! Thought you saw it!

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Quote from: flyingmice;530831Not really - I don't like limiting what the group wants to do within the setting, so I'm putting enough political stuff in that a group could play a political-oriented game if they want. The base is exploring and discovery, but there are other ways you could take it if you want - political/diplomatic, shipboard trading a la Traveller, scouting, finding trade routes and partners a la the Poleisotechnic League, land or aerial warfare, finding alchemical ingredients, monster hunting... lots of options.

Like many of my games, the group - that is, the GM or GM+players or the players, however the group rolls - makes a company which determines what assets they have. If they want a political game, they should make a political company. If they want to explore, they should make an exploration company, etc.

-clash

Sounds good . I must say that this sounds like something I'm be tempted to pick up - even if I'd be unimpressed by the mechanics (I suffer from my rediscovered love for BRP recently), that system of easy but cool descriptors for nations/cities is great. Do you consider doing connecting that fluff to some mechanics, something to allow to manipulate/exercise those factors on a political - level of play?

This is going to be awesome.  Put me down for a pre-order.  

Quote from: Rincewind1;530832Sounds good . I must say that this sounds like something I'm be tempted to pick up - even if I'd be unimpressed by the mechanics (I suffer from my rediscovered love for BRP recently), that system of easy but cool descriptors for nations/cities is great.

You do know you can swap out mechanics, right? There's a drop in percentile mechanic you can use. There are currently seven mechanic choices, with more coming - scroll to the bottom of this page.

QuoteDo you consider doing connecting that fluff to some mechanics, something to allow to manipulate/exercise those factors on a political - level of play?

Traits can be used for governments as well as cultures and individuals, and they are a mechanic as well as a descriptor. You can also "Drill down" Traits to define sub-units of a culture. Conditions can be applied to cities as well as regions, and they become applicable as triggers for Edges - if one of the Conditions is, say, Forested, and a character has the Edge Wilderness, the GM will probably allow that Edge to be in play. I'm a big fan of "Descriptors as Mechanics", though less so of "Descriptors as Substitutes for Numbers".

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Quote from: flyingmice;530856You do know you can swap out mechanics, right? There's a drop in percentile mechanic you can use. There are currently seven mechanic choices, with more coming - scroll to the bottom of this page.

Will check it out sometime tomorrow, thanks .

QuoteTraits can be used for governments as well as cultures and individuals, and they are a mechanic as well as a descriptor. You can also "Drill down" Traits to define sub-units of a culture. Conditions can be applied to cities as well as regions, and they become applicable as triggers for Edges - if one of the Conditions is, say, Forested, and a character has the Edge Wilderness, the GM will probably allow that Edge to be in play. I'm a big fan of "Descriptors as Mechanics", though less so of "Descriptors as Substitutes for Numbers".

-clash

Ah, excellent, excellent. Throw us a tidbit or two of this setting sometime, eh?

Quote from: Rincewind1;530857Will check it out sometime tomorrow, thanks .



Ah, excellent, excellent. Throw us a tidbit or two of this setting sometime, eh?

Ha! I will!

-clash

Quote from: StormBringer;530847This is going to be awesome.  Put me down for a pre-order.  

Thanks, Stormy!

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