Three of the four TerraDrive Live color factions have leaders, now.
The Bleeding Hearts, who are the self-appointed law-bringers of the universe, still need effective leadership to regulate the other factions. Law enforcement requires resources, and letting the PAX system be carved up by corporations and criminals doesn't help your cause. If you want to continue to bring justice to all worlds, you need the kind of ships and equipment that smuggling seizures just can't finance.
If you'd like to learn more about the Bleeding Hearts, click this link. Color faction leaders need to be able to manage intelligence and espionage-gathering, coordinate faction operations, organize raids to take our rival faction leaders, and provide protection of its own faction leaders. Being able to recruit good people is also important.
If you have these skills, send a private message to me, contact me on my TerraDrive Universe talk page, or send me an email at ceo AT technomancer-press.com.
Since this thread is (I assume) mainly for the discussion of TDL and for announcements, it might be a good idea for each of the Color Faction leaders to set up a recruitment thread in this forum. Not only would it help with getting out your faction's message, but we'd have dedicated places to get more people to join both the game and our factions.
You know, help with the structure a little bit.
--Jack Kieser
JackKieser on
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Moe FwackyRight Here, Right NowDrives a BuickModeratormod
edited July 2007
Actually, Jack, this thread is here for all things TDL. That is, discussion, announcements, faction recruitment, etc (that's why it has a sticky). Adding more threads for each Color Faction will just add confusion to the mix, as TDL players will have to find those threads, and may end up starting new ones if they can't find the one they're looking for. Also, it adds confusion to PAX-goers who are not playing TDL, and particularly to people who have just started browsing the forum. People interested in joining a faction can browse this thread here (it's not that long or very hard to pick through), and/or look through the Terra Drive Wiki.
[RL: Don't worry, we'll keep it fun. This was actually Tony's idea.]
Actually, it wasn't...but when I heard it (from a fan) I got pretty stoked and told a couple people. Its like Intergalactic West Side Story. We've got the turf carved out, now we just need a Crossbones Exchange merc to fall in love with a Corper. If that happens, Technomancer Press would like to option the movie rights.
Hey everyone, I'd like to know your opinion on a ruleset we're nailing down right now.
It involves Faction Leader combat. The Faction Leader card allows a Faction Leader the ability to tap other people to fight for him/her. We thought that in a single engagement (one battle at a given moment, such as a raid/ambush), someone tapped to fight for their Faction Leader is out for the duration of the battle after they lose a match. Otherwise, you'd have to beat on every bodyguard until they were out of lifetokens.
That part of the rules works well. What we're considering is the following:
Model A : Everything happens in match rounds/Faction Leader on front line. This means that if a Faction Leader has two bodyguards with him, and is jumped by 3 attackers, there will be one fighting each bodyguard, and one fighting the faction leader. The Faction Leader beats the guy he fought, and one bodyguard wins, and one attacker wins. The Faction Leader then assigns the winning bodyguard to fight the winning attacker.
Model B : Everything happens in match rounds/Faction Leader in the rear. This means that all combat is resolved with the Faction Leader waiting. If all bodyguards are killed, the Faction Leader has to fight the remaining attackers, one by one until beaten or victorious against them all.
Model C : Everything happens in real time/Faction Leader on front line. Example: Faction Leader and 4 bodyguards are raided by 8 attackers. Bodyguards are paired off against attackers, Faction Leader fights an attacker, and 3 attackers wait. Instead of resolving the first set of matches and seeing who is left, fights occur in real time, so a bodyguard may quickly dispatch two attackers while the Faction Leader is still on his first match.
Model D : Everything happens in real time/Faction leader in the rear. Basically, like Model C, but the Faction Leader again waits to see if any attackers are alive to fight him.
Another rule we're kicking around is the idea of Faction Leaders being able to flee. We thought either 1) No fleeing, or 2) May flee if not directly challenged. This means if a Faction Leader and 2 bodyguards are jumped by 2 attackers, the Faction Leader can tap the bodyguards to fight the attackers, then bolt. If we use #2, we shouldn't use the "Faction leader in the rear" rule, or no faction leader will ever die, as he/she will run when the tide starts to turn...unless factions start getting really smart and sending in a main force and have a second force flanking to catch a fleeing faction leader.
Okay gang, chew this up and tell us what you think!
While we're on the rules subject, how are the powerups/life tokens goning to be handed out. Everyone gets one in their bag, but if you lose your first battle its over? You have to buy more? Or are you expecting people to get them from their non-merc friends. It also mentions on the website that there'll be quests to get free powerups. Is that still happnin?
Also, If I get jumped by say, four guys while I'm by myself, and he first guy beats me, do I still have to play the other three? If you lose a battle can you get some sort of "dead time"? Say 5 minutes. (If you want it, of course)
Aioua on
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Personally, I like the idea of real time fighting. As in the one where if your fight takes longer, other fights can continue. It's more fluid, more dynamic. I don't think we should be able to run, though. It's way too exploitable. As long as we keep a good guard around us, we shouldn't need to worry too much.
About the dead time, I think it's a good idea, especially for the Faction Leaders, though if we have to reclaim our faction leader card, it shouldn't be too hard to do.
While we're on the rules subject, how are the powerups/life tokens goning to be handed out. Everyone gets one in their bag, but if you lose your first battle its over? You have to buy more? Or are you expecting people to get them from their non-merc friends. It also mentions on the website that there'll be quests to get free powerups. Is that still happnin?
Good questions. Everyone gets a life token in their bag, like you mentioned. Some people won't play. Ask them for their tokens. I'll be handing out a bunch of free ones to people in line on Friday. If you recognize me and call me by name, you'll most assuredly get one out of me. If you can beat me in play, I'll give you double the amount wagered. Faction leaders will have life tokens to hand out to their crew. And there will be quests available, so the only reason you will need to buy life tokens is if you have no friends, your faction won't hook you up, you've done the quests and already lost the tokens, and you're on my shit list and I won't give you any. If ANY of what I just mentioned is NOT true, you should be able to get more than the one in your bag. I expect the people that buy them are going to be people that need a couple RIGHT NOW for some reason.
Oh, and people will also be getting life tokens for making purchases from the Technomancer Press booth, so if you're going to pick up a T-shirt or a shotglass, or some cool anime art, you'll get life tokens along with it.
Also, If I get jumped by say, four guys while I'm by myself, and he first guy beats me, do I still have to play the other three? If you lose a battle can you get some sort of "dead time"? Say 5 minutes. (If you want it, of course)
You're a faction leader, so the rules are a little different for you. I'll cover it for both regular mercs and faction leaders. If you're a regular merc, and 4 guys come for you, you can fight one, or none, or all, or whatever. Mercs can refuse combat at will. So if you want to fight the first guy, go for it, but you don't have to. Faction leaders, on the other hand, cannot refuse combat. So you need to fight that first guy if you don't have any bodyguards present (the Faction Leader "special power" is getting someone else in your faction to fight for you). If he beats you, you have to give him your faction leader card, which he has 30 minutes to take to a kill station for a Documented Assassination. Once you've surrendered the card, you're not bound to fight anyone until you get it back. You should go to a Kill Station and report that you've surrendered your card. If it isn't turned in 30 minutes from when you report losing it, we'll give you a new one and your assassin will forfeit his/her Documented Assassination.
Now, if you beat that first guy, you'll have to fight the second, and the third, and the fourth, if you keep winning, so it pays to travel with an armed escort.
Ah... I didn't know they got your faction leader card just for beating you once... I thought they had to take all your life tokens or something.
Are we going to permit breaks at all? I guess that makes it too easy for a faction leader too wriggle out of a challenge.
BTW, I'm liking option D.
Aioua on
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
There we go, option D. I couldn't see the labels while I was posting and I was too lazy to go back and check. That one would work as long as the faction leader is bound to stay until all fights are resolved.
Not to mention, that way the faction leader could also micromanage the fights in real time, too; say you are a leader with 5 guards and 7 people come to jump you, you could direct who fought whom from the back lines both at the beginning and as fights finish. That would also make large scale conflicts work well, too, especially if two faction leaders and their armed escorts met somehow.
I think I like option D best. Real-time seems much more intuitive, and there'll be less to keep track of. Also, allowing the faction leader to be in the back, directing the battle also seems like that should be allowed.
Then there's the option of running. Here's my thoughts on that issue. I think that the faction leader should be able to run, only if there aren't any pending challengers. So, if I've got 4 bodyguards, and 3 attackers come at me, I can choose 3 of them to tap in against the attackers, then, while they're occupied, I can retreat (and even take my remaining bodyguard). On the other hand, if 10 attackers come with my 4 bodyguards, I can tap four of them into battle, then 6 remain. While the other 6 remain, I'm unable to leave (because if I leave, I'll be attacked).
On a similar note as running, I've got work to do while I'm at PAX. Yeah, I'm there to play games, but I've also got a lot that I need to do. If I'm in a panel, can I be challenged there? Wouldn't that mean I either miss the panel or the panel is distrupted? I'm not a fan of either option. What if I'm at a console playing a game or something, if I get challenged, I won't be able to pause the game holding up the line while I participate in the duel. (Note that I still think challenges while in line for an activity should definitely be allowed.) Can challenges be issued in restricted acces areas of the con, like the BYOC area, or press area? What about offsite? (Like Phaze steps across the street to McDonald's for lunch? Can my team assault him there?)
I'm just trying to figure out what the rules of engagement are. Can
Note that while I've got free time, I'm likely to be out issuing challenges myself. Also, for at least some of the time, I'll be a high-profile target because I'll be dressed in a suit, filling the role as CEO of the Corpers.
Challenges outside the PAX system are allowed, but only during the day. (So they can get you while you're out at lunch, but not when you're dragging your sorry ass home at 2 am.)
Mercs occupied in non-interupable activity (watching panel, playing in tourney) cannot be challenged. Gawking in the exibit hall doesn't count. If it's a short-term activity (like playing a DS game against someone) the challenger can wait around untill the merc is free. No starting a new game untill you face your challenge.
Challenges are restricted to public areas of PAX. What are the rules for the BYOC area? I've never done it, so I don't know how to handle that. I'm guessing only BYOC people are let in... I guess it wouldn't be too hard to camp the entrace waiting for a faction leader that's hiding out in there.
Of course, challenges in hallways, lines, &c., are go. If you're running late for some important appointment... to bad. Don't be late next time :P
Also:
What are the rules for begging civs for life tokens going to be? Personally, I think it's okay to ask people you know for their tokens, but no asking strangers/people you met once in kindergarden/some guy you're just pretending to know. Can we have the Enforcers confisacte all of a players life tokens of they catch them begging? Though they probally have enough on their plate. Is their a way we can police that ourselves?
Aioua on
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Challenges are restricted to public areas of PAX. What are the rules for the BYOC area? I've never done it, so I don't know how to handle that. I'm guessing only BYOC people are let in... I guess it wouldn't be too hard to camp the entrace waiting for a faction leader that's hiding out in there.
Only BYOC attendees are let into the room.
No camping outside the entrance either. If I see loitering larpers ill sick Jaiden (Security) on j00 :P
Challenges are restricted to public areas of PAX. What are the rules for the BYOC area? I've never done it, so I don't know how to handle that. I'm guessing only BYOC people are let in... I guess it wouldn't be too hard to camp the entrace waiting for a faction leader that's hiding out in there.
Only BYOC attendees are let into the room.
No camping outside the entrance either. If I see loitering larpers ill sick Jaiden (Security) on j00 :P
:winky:
Jaiden on
[15:51] <+Snickers> Dur, I R CUM
[10:24] * @BigRed-Worky cums the water
[12:32] <+prox> lawl you kickbanned me so hard my client crashed
Hmm... how are we gonna handle that, then? Can we say no BYOC faction leaders? Or is that too much?
Aioua on
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Are we going to permit breaks at all? I guess that makes it too easy for a faction leader too wriggle out of a challenge.
No breaks. Note: the game ends Saturday at midnight (at least thats when the Kill Stations close permanently), so you don't have to worry about Sunday.
Then there's the option of running. Here's my thoughts on that issue. I think that the faction leader should be able to run, only if there aren't any pending challengers. So, if I've got 4 bodyguards, and 3 attackers come at me, I can choose 3 of them to tap in against the attackers, then, while they're occupied, I can retreat (and even take my remaining bodyguard). On the other hand, if 10 attackers come with my 4 bodyguards, I can tap four of them into battle, then 6 remain. While the other 6 remain, I'm unable to leave (because if I leave, I'll be attacked).
Under current rules, that's how it works anyway. If you're challenged, you can't leave. If there are more attackers then you have bodyguards, then you're challenged. The question is, should a faction leader who isn't directly challenged have to wait around for combat to resolve? And I think we'll have a consensus pretty soon.
On a similar note as running, I've got work to do while I'm at PAX. Yeah, I'm there to play games, but I've also got a lot that I need to do. If I'm in a panel, can I be challenged there? Wouldn't that mean I either miss the panel or the panel is distrupted? I'm not a fan of either option. What if I'm at a console playing a game or something, if I get challenged, I won't be able to pause the game holding up the line while I participate in the duel. (Note that I still think challenges while in line for an activity should definitely be allowed.) Can challenges be issued in restricted acces areas of the con, like the BYOC area, or press area? What about offsite? (Like Phaze steps across the street to McDonald's for lunch? Can my team assault him there?)
I'm just trying to figure out what the rules of engagement are.
Great question. I think most people are reasonable, and if you're obviously engaged in something, and you tell your challenger "Dude, see this microphone/controller/urinal flush handle in my hand? I'll be happy to answer your challenge at my next free moment, but right now, I can't. I'm not refusing you, this is just a really bad time. Can I catch you in 5/10/15/30 minutes?" that they'll understand. If we get a protest lodged because a faction leader was in a panel and refused combat, we won't take it too seriously. If we get 6 protests, and they are all for combat refusal, and they all come at different times, I'm probably going to pull the faction leader aside and ask them to transfer control of the faction to someone else. If one has a very limited amount of time to play, one shouldn't run a faction.
I will also make announcements to this effect when I train people to play. To answer your next question:
OFFSITE IS FAIR GAME. Yes, you can jump Phaze at McDonald's, and I encourage you to do so. This requires serious intelligence gathering capabilities. Maybe Phaze will TELL people he's going to McDonalds and go to the Cheesecake Factory instead. And then maybe he'll accidentally discover that the Bleeding Hearts were holding a faction-wide strategy session there and they'll kick his ass. That would be a good story.
Challenges outside the PAX system are allowed, but only during the day. (So they can get you while you're out at lunch, but not when you're dragging your sorry ass home at 2 am.)
Mercs occupied in non-interupable activity (watching panel, playing in tourney) cannot be challenged. Gawking in the exibit hall doesn't count. If it's a short-term activity (like playing a DS game against someone) the challenger can wait around untill the merc is free. No starting a new game untill you face your challenge.
Challenges are restricted to public areas of PAX. What are the rules for the BYOC area? I've never done it, so I don't know how to handle that. I'm guessing only BYOC people are let in... I guess it wouldn't be too hard to camp the entrace waiting for a faction leader that's hiding out in there.
Of course, challenges in hallways, lines, &c., are go. If you're running late for some important appointment... to bad. Don't be late next time :P
Couple things with this: 1) The more rules there are, the more resources are required to enforce them. This game is community policed, meaning that if players see a problem, they inform appropriate staff (if its a player problem, you lodge a protest. A game problem, you find a Technomancer Press staffer. A major problem or a con problem, find an Enforcer). If we lay down times and boundaries, we'll have people agreeing to play after the time or out of bounds, and others protesting. We'll also have someone challenging someone else, and the second person protesting. All those protests have to get lodged at a Kill Station, which means my staff has to process them. 2) ANYONE CAN REFUSE COMBAT AT ANY TIME (except Faction Leaders), so if you don't want to play at 2am, don't play. If you're a Faction Leader and don't want to play at 2am, you better throw a coat over your head or sprint.
I'm leaving it up to individuals to decide when and where they want to play. In places like BYOC / LAN room, PAX admin may decide that TDL play is a distraction or problem, and if that happens, they'll post a sign and tell their Enforcers to Enforce, and then there won't be a problem, because PAXgoers are pretty respectful people. BigRed mentioned that non-BYOC people aren't let into the BYOC room, but they'll need to decide what to do about BYOC folks that are playing TDL. Technomancer Press will support all PAX operations and help the con run well to the best of our ability (BigRed, if you need us to announce any security issues related to TDL when we're training the line to play on Friday, you just let us know).
However, you bring up an interesting point, regarding the idea of hiding in a no-play area. I think if a Faction Leader spent all their time in the BYOC room so they stay safe, its a problem, but I don't have much of a solution except to say that we'll all know that Faction Leader is a wuss. I will ask faction leader applicants if they plan on spending time in the BYOC room, and if any are, will express my concern and tell them that maybe someone else would be a better leader for their faction. However, I will not refuse anyone outright.
Also:
What are the rules for begging civs for life tokens going to be? Personally, I think it's okay to ask people you know for their tokens, but no asking strangers/people you met once in kindergarden/some guy you're just pretending to know. Can we have the Enforcers confisacte all of a players life tokens of they catch them begging? Though they probally have enough on their plate. Is their a way we can police that ourselves?
I don't think so. We can't stop people from being assholes, because the assholes will do it anyway even if we tell them not to. Most of that asking will die off pretty fast. I can tell you that Enforcers will NOT be enforcing TDL game rules. They simply have too much other stuff to do, and over 50 other exhibitors to work with. Technomancer Press is just one company at PAX.
On a similar note as running, I've got work to do while I'm at PAX. Yeah, I'm there to play games, but I've also got a lot that I need to do. If I'm in a panel, can I be challenged there? Wouldn't that mean I either miss the panel or the panel is distrupted? I'm not a fan of either option. What if I'm at a console playing a game or something, if I get challenged, I won't be able to pause the game holding up the line while I participate in the duel. (Note that I still think challenges while in line for an activity should definitely be allowed.) Can challenges be issued in restricted acces areas of the con, like the BYOC area, or press area? What about offsite? (Like Phaze steps across the street to McDonald's for lunch? Can my team assault him there?)
I'm just trying to figure out what the rules of engagement are.
OFFSITE IS FAIR GAME. Yes, you can jump Phaze at McDonald's, and I encourage you to do so. This requires serious intelligence gathering capabilities. Maybe Phaze will TELL people he's going to McDonalds and go to the Cheesecake Factory instead. And then maybe he'll accidentally discover that the Bleeding Hearts were holding a faction-wide strategy session there and they'll kick his ass. That would be a good story.
...
--Tony
Oh, hells yeah. See, I'm totally up for that. That sounds like a load of fun. Although... I'm totally gonna be one kicking ass. Sorry about that, guys.
On the subject of battles, though: I didn't really think about the ability to flee under McKay's circumstances until I read his post, but that seems pretty valid to me; I say it should be the leader's choice to stay or not if his guard isn't outnumbered. After all, that seems like a pretty possible thing, and it will force a little more information gathering and such into the game.
--Jack Kieser
PS: Oh, and I just thought of this, but I'm guessing that the limit of TDL ends at the general seattle con center area, right? I ask because I re-read the stuff about having to run and hide if I didn't want to fight at 2 in the morning, and I thought, "Wow, a lot of digipen students live at my apartments in Bellevue. I might be in trouble." The prospect of having 10 guys in suits at my apartment door, while making for a good after-the-fact story, is kind of creepy.
I'll be doing some coordination with faction leaders later, by the way, because while you may have a few dozen active members prior to PAX, on Friday I'm planning on camping with the campers and then signing people up for factions/teaching them how to play as they come into line, so you may have a THOUSAND people in your faction by the time the doors open. We'll set up rally points and you'll need to think about how you want to organize a reporting structure.
But I'm getting ahead of myself...that all will come later. I just wanted to give you a heads up now.
JackKieser, though it seems unlikely that you'll be acossted at your own apartment, I wouldn't look down on you for refusing them.
Aioua on
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
PS: Oh, and I just thought of this, but I'm guessing that the limit of TDL ends at the general seattle con center area, right? I ask because I re-read the stuff about having to run and hide if I didn't want to fight at 2 in the morning, and I thought, "Wow, a lot of digipen students live at my apartments in Bellevue. I might be in trouble." The prospect of having 10 guys in suits at my apartment door, while making for a good after-the-fact story, is kind of creepy.
LOL. It IS kind of creepy.
But still a good story, and one I'd like to hear, so I'd say step lively, kiddo!
JackKieser, though it seems unlikely that you'll be acossted at your own apartment, I wouldn't look down on you for refusing them.
Of course, if you did fight off 10 soulless corpers in the middle of the night, all by your lonesome... you'd be a hero. A legend.
Question:
Now if a faction leader loses a fight, they lose their faction card, and its over for them. But a normal merc is only going to lose the tokens they wagered on the battle. If I have, say, three bodyguards and I'm jumped by three guys, and everybody has 10 tokens, how does it play out if they don't wager all their tokens at once? Do they just keep fighing, over and over untill one side gets down to one or two tokens and gives up?
Aioua on
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
I'm leaving it up to individuals to decide when and where they want to play. In places like BYOC / LAN room, PAX admin may decide that TDL play is a distraction or problem, and if that happens, they'll post a sign and tell their Enforcers to Enforce, and then there won't be a problem, because PAXgoers are pretty respectful people. BigRed mentioned that non-BYOC people aren't let into the BYOC room, but they'll need to decide what to do about BYOC folks that are playing TDL. Technomancer Press will support all PAX operations and help the con run well to the best of our ability (BigRed, if you need us to announce any security issues related to TDL when we're training the line to play on Friday, you just let us know).
However, you bring up an interesting point, regarding the idea of hiding in a no-play area. I think if a Faction Leader spent all their time in the BYOC room so they stay safe, its a problem, but I don't have much of a solution except to say that we'll all know that Faction Leader is a wuss. I will ask faction leader applicants if they plan on spending time in the BYOC room, and if any are, will express my concern and tell them that maybe someone else would be a better leader for their faction. However, I will not refuse anyone outright.
--Tony
Im not sure how this will be delt with in regards to BYOC/PC Freeplay.
BYOC is restricted space to only BYOC attendees, enforcers, special guests, and limited press.
PC freeplay is restricted space in a sense that you cant just go in and wander, you need to checkin for playtime. You also cant wander into the the tournament space or into BYOC from the freeplay area.
Deeming the PC room a no-play area is a good idea, and just monitor the amount of time leaders spend in the room? Im not sure how the game works, just saying that its a limited-access area and that would probably conflict.
Few people spend all of pax time in BYOC, its mostly used as something to do between events and such.
What you said at the end of the quote sounds like a good idea.
JackKieser, though it seems unlikely that you'll be acossted at your own apartment, I wouldn't look down on you for refusing them.
Of course, if you did fight off 10 soulless corpers in the middle of the night, all by your lonesome... you'd be a hero. A legend.
Question:
Now if a faction leader loses a fight, they lose their faction card, and its over for them. But a normal merc is only going to lose the tokens they wagered on the battle. If I have, say, three bodyguards and I'm jumped by three guys, and everybody has 10 tokens, how does it play out if they don't wager all their tokens at once? Do they just keep fighing, over and over untill one side gets down to one or two tokens and gives up?
I would guess that regardless how many tokens were wagered, once someone loses in a mass fight, they are 'out' until all fights are resolved.
JackKieser, though it seems unlikely that you'll be acossted at your own apartment, I wouldn't look down on you for refusing them.
Of course, if you did fight off 10 soulless corpers in the middle of the night, all by your lonesome... you'd be a hero. A legend.
Question:
Now if a faction leader loses a fight, they lose their faction card, and its over for them. But a normal merc is only going to lose the tokens they wagered on the battle. If I have, say, three bodyguards and I'm jumped by three guys, and everybody has 10 tokens, how does it play out if they don't wager all their tokens at once? Do they just keep fighing, over and over untill one side gets down to one or two tokens and gives up?
I would guess that regardless how many tokens were wagered, once someone loses in a mass fight, they are 'out' until all fights are resolved.
Sounds logical to me.
--Jack Kieser
You are correct. If you're after a faction leader (or defending one) and you lose, you're out for the engagement.
Question:
Now if a faction leader loses a fight, they lose their faction card, and its over for them. But a normal merc is only going to lose the tokens they wagered on the battle. If I have, say, three bodyguards and I'm jumped by three guys, and everybody has 10 tokens, how does it play out if they don't wager all their tokens at once? Do they just keep fighing, over and over untill one side gets down to one or two tokens and gives up?
I would guess that regardless how many tokens were wagered, once someone loses in a mass fight, they are 'out' until all fights are resolved.
Sounds logical to me.
--Jack Kieser
You are correct. If you're after a faction leader (or defending one) and you lose, you're out for the engagement.
--Tony
So if its 3 on 3 +a faction leader, and the bodyguards sucessfully defend their leader, but the attackers still have life tokens left, can they start another attack, or do they have to leave? And if they have to leave, how long untill they attack again? I guess it'd work best if they can attack again right away. So then you have several waves of battle, untill the attackers give up, or the faction leader is defeated. Sound good?
Aioua on
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Question:
Now if a faction leader loses a fight, they lose their faction card, and its over for them. But a normal merc is only going to lose the tokens they wagered on the battle. If I have, say, three bodyguards and I'm jumped by three guys, and everybody has 10 tokens, how does it play out if they don't wager all their tokens at once? Do they just keep fighing, over and over untill one side gets down to one or two tokens and gives up?
I would guess that regardless how many tokens were wagered, once someone loses in a mass fight, they are 'out' until all fights are resolved.
Sounds logical to me.
--Jack Kieser
You are correct. If you're after a faction leader (or defending one) and you lose, you're out for the engagement.
--Tony
So if its 3 on 3 +a faction leader, and the bodyguards sucessfully defend their leader, but the attackers still have life tokens left, can they start another attack, or do they have to leave? And if they have to leave, how long untill they attack again? I guess it'd work best if they can attack again right away. So then you have several waves of battle, untill the attackers give up, or the faction leader is defeated. Sound good?
Well, if we play it that faction leaders can flee, that makes it really simple. If the faction leader doesn't want to go another round, he takes off. If everyone on one side dies, the engagement is ended, but if the faction leader is still standing there, they can start another one immediately.
I'm thinking since everyone liked Model D, we'll go with Model D. Or model if you're Moe.
(It's only for the sexy and the coooool... enforcers of justice and peace! If the PAX Enforcers make a faction, it should 100% be allied with the Bleeding Hearts. ;-) )
There is no choice with the Bleeding Hearts, their numbers are the subservient result of equal parts propaganda and martial law. Soon they will invade our homes, demanding service to fuel the barrage of their war machine.
They claim to serve the people, upholding the ideal of righteousness while simultaneously maintaining their stranglehold over the populace's minds.
All that lies with the Bleeding Hearts is the smoldering remains of free thought.
Posts
The Bleeding Hearts, who are the self-appointed law-bringers of the universe, still need effective leadership to regulate the other factions. Law enforcement requires resources, and letting the PAX system be carved up by corporations and criminals doesn't help your cause. If you want to continue to bring justice to all worlds, you need the kind of ships and equipment that smuggling seizures just can't finance.
If you'd like to learn more about the Bleeding Hearts, click this link. Color faction leaders need to be able to manage intelligence and espionage-gathering, coordinate faction operations, organize raids to take our rival faction leaders, and provide protection of its own faction leaders. Being able to recruit good people is also important.
If you have these skills, send a private message to me, contact me on my TerraDrive Universe talk page, or send me an email at ceo AT technomancer-press.com.
--Tony
CEO, Technomancer Press
http://www.technomancer-press.com
Check out TerraDrive Live...its happening at PAX, and everyone's playing
You know, help with the structure a little bit.
--Jack Kieser
Actually, it wasn't...but when I heard it (from a fan) I got pretty stoked and told a couple people. Its like Intergalactic West Side Story. We've got the turf carved out, now we just need a Crossbones Exchange merc to fall in love with a Corper. If that happens, Technomancer Press would like to option the movie rights.
--Tony
CEO, Technomancer Press
http://www.technomancer-press.com
Check out TerraDrive Live...its happening at PAX, and everyone's playing
It involves Faction Leader combat. The Faction Leader card allows a Faction Leader the ability to tap other people to fight for him/her. We thought that in a single engagement (one battle at a given moment, such as a raid/ambush), someone tapped to fight for their Faction Leader is out for the duration of the battle after they lose a match. Otherwise, you'd have to beat on every bodyguard until they were out of lifetokens.
That part of the rules works well. What we're considering is the following:
Model A : Everything happens in match rounds/Faction Leader on front line. This means that if a Faction Leader has two bodyguards with him, and is jumped by 3 attackers, there will be one fighting each bodyguard, and one fighting the faction leader. The Faction Leader beats the guy he fought, and one bodyguard wins, and one attacker wins. The Faction Leader then assigns the winning bodyguard to fight the winning attacker.
Model B : Everything happens in match rounds/Faction Leader in the rear. This means that all combat is resolved with the Faction Leader waiting. If all bodyguards are killed, the Faction Leader has to fight the remaining attackers, one by one until beaten or victorious against them all.
Model C : Everything happens in real time/Faction Leader on front line. Example: Faction Leader and 4 bodyguards are raided by 8 attackers. Bodyguards are paired off against attackers, Faction Leader fights an attacker, and 3 attackers wait. Instead of resolving the first set of matches and seeing who is left, fights occur in real time, so a bodyguard may quickly dispatch two attackers while the Faction Leader is still on his first match.
Model D : Everything happens in real time/Faction leader in the rear. Basically, like Model C, but the Faction Leader again waits to see if any attackers are alive to fight him.
Another rule we're kicking around is the idea of Faction Leaders being able to flee. We thought either 1) No fleeing, or 2) May flee if not directly challenged. This means if a Faction Leader and 2 bodyguards are jumped by 2 attackers, the Faction Leader can tap the bodyguards to fight the attackers, then bolt. If we use #2, we shouldn't use the "Faction leader in the rear" rule, or no faction leader will ever die, as he/she will run when the tide starts to turn...unless factions start getting really smart and sending in a main force and have a second force flanking to catch a fleeing faction leader.
Okay gang, chew this up and tell us what you think!
--Tony
CEO, Technomancer Press
http://www.technomancer-press.com
Check out TerraDrive Live...its happening at PAX, and everyone's playing
edit: although it does appear to be the most attractive prospect.
--Tony
CEO, Technomancer Press
http://www.technomancer-press.com
Check out TerraDrive Live...its happening at PAX, and everyone's playing
Also, If I get jumped by say, four guys while I'm by myself, and he first guy beats me, do I still have to play the other three? If you lose a battle can you get some sort of "dead time"? Say 5 minutes. (If you want it, of course)
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
About the dead time, I think it's a good idea, especially for the Faction Leaders, though if we have to reclaim our faction leader card, it shouldn't be too hard to do.
--Jack Kieser
Good questions. Everyone gets a life token in their bag, like you mentioned. Some people won't play. Ask them for their tokens. I'll be handing out a bunch of free ones to people in line on Friday. If you recognize me and call me by name, you'll most assuredly get one out of me. If you can beat me in play, I'll give you double the amount wagered. Faction leaders will have life tokens to hand out to their crew. And there will be quests available, so the only reason you will need to buy life tokens is if you have no friends, your faction won't hook you up, you've done the quests and already lost the tokens, and you're on my shit list and I won't give you any. If ANY of what I just mentioned is NOT true, you should be able to get more than the one in your bag. I expect the people that buy them are going to be people that need a couple RIGHT NOW for some reason.
Oh, and people will also be getting life tokens for making purchases from the Technomancer Press booth, so if you're going to pick up a T-shirt or a shotglass, or some cool anime art, you'll get life tokens along with it.
You're a faction leader, so the rules are a little different for you. I'll cover it for both regular mercs and faction leaders. If you're a regular merc, and 4 guys come for you, you can fight one, or none, or all, or whatever. Mercs can refuse combat at will. So if you want to fight the first guy, go for it, but you don't have to. Faction leaders, on the other hand, cannot refuse combat. So you need to fight that first guy if you don't have any bodyguards present (the Faction Leader "special power" is getting someone else in your faction to fight for you). If he beats you, you have to give him your faction leader card, which he has 30 minutes to take to a kill station for a Documented Assassination. Once you've surrendered the card, you're not bound to fight anyone until you get it back. You should go to a Kill Station and report that you've surrendered your card. If it isn't turned in 30 minutes from when you report losing it, we'll give you a new one and your assassin will forfeit his/her Documented Assassination.
Now, if you beat that first guy, you'll have to fight the second, and the third, and the fourth, if you keep winning, so it pays to travel with an armed escort.
--Tony
CEO, Technomancer Press
http://www.technomancer-press.com
Check out TerraDrive Live...its happening at PAX, and everyone's playing
Are we going to permit breaks at all? I guess that makes it too easy for a faction leader too wriggle out of a challenge.
BTW, I'm liking option D.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Not to mention, that way the faction leader could also micromanage the fights in real time, too; say you are a leader with 5 guards and 7 people come to jump you, you could direct who fought whom from the back lines both at the beginning and as fights finish. That would also make large scale conflicts work well, too, especially if two faction leaders and their armed escorts met somehow.
--Jack Kieser
Then there's the option of running. Here's my thoughts on that issue. I think that the faction leader should be able to run, only if there aren't any pending challengers. So, if I've got 4 bodyguards, and 3 attackers come at me, I can choose 3 of them to tap in against the attackers, then, while they're occupied, I can retreat (and even take my remaining bodyguard). On the other hand, if 10 attackers come with my 4 bodyguards, I can tap four of them into battle, then 6 remain. While the other 6 remain, I'm unable to leave (because if I leave, I'll be attacked).
Well, that's my two bits on the subject.
I'm just trying to figure out what the rules of engagement are. Can
Note that while I've got free time, I'm likely to be out issuing challenges myself. Also, for at least some of the time, I'll be a high-profile target because I'll be dressed in a suit, filling the role as CEO of the Corpers.
(Yeah, you're going down Jack!)
Challenges outside the PAX system are allowed, but only during the day. (So they can get you while you're out at lunch, but not when you're dragging your sorry ass home at 2 am.)
Mercs occupied in non-interupable activity (watching panel, playing in tourney) cannot be challenged. Gawking in the exibit hall doesn't count. If it's a short-term activity (like playing a DS game against someone) the challenger can wait around untill the merc is free. No starting a new game untill you face your challenge.
Challenges are restricted to public areas of PAX. What are the rules for the BYOC area? I've never done it, so I don't know how to handle that. I'm guessing only BYOC people are let in... I guess it wouldn't be too hard to camp the entrace waiting for a faction leader that's hiding out in there.
Of course, challenges in hallways, lines, &c., are go. If you're running late for some important appointment... to bad. Don't be late next time :P
Also:
What are the rules for begging civs for life tokens going to be? Personally, I think it's okay to ask people you know for their tokens, but no asking strangers/people you met once in kindergarden/some guy you're just pretending to know. Can we have the Enforcers confisacte all of a players life tokens of they catch them begging? Though they probally have enough on their plate. Is their a way we can police that ourselves?
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Only BYOC attendees are let into the room.
No camping outside the entrance either. If I see loitering larpers ill sick Jaiden (Security) on j00 :P
:winky:
[10:24] * @BigRed-Worky cums the water
[12:32] <+prox> lawl you kickbanned me so hard my client crashed
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
No breaks. Note: the game ends Saturday at midnight (at least thats when the Kill Stations close permanently), so you don't have to worry about Sunday.
Under current rules, that's how it works anyway. If you're challenged, you can't leave. If there are more attackers then you have bodyguards, then you're challenged. The question is, should a faction leader who isn't directly challenged have to wait around for combat to resolve? And I think we'll have a consensus pretty soon.
Great question. I think most people are reasonable, and if you're obviously engaged in something, and you tell your challenger "Dude, see this microphone/controller/urinal flush handle in my hand? I'll be happy to answer your challenge at my next free moment, but right now, I can't. I'm not refusing you, this is just a really bad time. Can I catch you in 5/10/15/30 minutes?" that they'll understand. If we get a protest lodged because a faction leader was in a panel and refused combat, we won't take it too seriously. If we get 6 protests, and they are all for combat refusal, and they all come at different times, I'm probably going to pull the faction leader aside and ask them to transfer control of the faction to someone else. If one has a very limited amount of time to play, one shouldn't run a faction.
I will also make announcements to this effect when I train people to play. To answer your next question:
OFFSITE IS FAIR GAME. Yes, you can jump Phaze at McDonald's, and I encourage you to do so. This requires serious intelligence gathering capabilities. Maybe Phaze will TELL people he's going to McDonalds and go to the Cheesecake Factory instead. And then maybe he'll accidentally discover that the Bleeding Hearts were holding a faction-wide strategy session there and they'll kick his ass. That would be a good story.
Couple things with this: 1) The more rules there are, the more resources are required to enforce them. This game is community policed, meaning that if players see a problem, they inform appropriate staff (if its a player problem, you lodge a protest. A game problem, you find a Technomancer Press staffer. A major problem or a con problem, find an Enforcer). If we lay down times and boundaries, we'll have people agreeing to play after the time or out of bounds, and others protesting. We'll also have someone challenging someone else, and the second person protesting. All those protests have to get lodged at a Kill Station, which means my staff has to process them. 2) ANYONE CAN REFUSE COMBAT AT ANY TIME (except Faction Leaders), so if you don't want to play at 2am, don't play. If you're a Faction Leader and don't want to play at 2am, you better throw a coat over your head or sprint.
I'm leaving it up to individuals to decide when and where they want to play. In places like BYOC / LAN room, PAX admin may decide that TDL play is a distraction or problem, and if that happens, they'll post a sign and tell their Enforcers to Enforce, and then there won't be a problem, because PAXgoers are pretty respectful people. BigRed mentioned that non-BYOC people aren't let into the BYOC room, but they'll need to decide what to do about BYOC folks that are playing TDL. Technomancer Press will support all PAX operations and help the con run well to the best of our ability (BigRed, if you need us to announce any security issues related to TDL when we're training the line to play on Friday, you just let us know).
However, you bring up an interesting point, regarding the idea of hiding in a no-play area. I think if a Faction Leader spent all their time in the BYOC room so they stay safe, its a problem, but I don't have much of a solution except to say that we'll all know that Faction Leader is a wuss. I will ask faction leader applicants if they plan on spending time in the BYOC room, and if any are, will express my concern and tell them that maybe someone else would be a better leader for their faction. However, I will not refuse anyone outright.
I don't think so. We can't stop people from being assholes, because the assholes will do it anyway even if we tell them not to. Most of that asking will die off pretty fast. I can tell you that Enforcers will NOT be enforcing TDL game rules. They simply have too much other stuff to do, and over 50 other exhibitors to work with. Technomancer Press is just one company at PAX.
--Tony
CEO, Technomancer Press
http://www.technomancer-press.com
Check out TerraDrive Live...its happening at PAX, and everyone's playing
Oh, hells yeah. See, I'm totally up for that. That sounds like a load of fun. Although... I'm totally gonna be one kicking ass. Sorry about that, guys.
On the subject of battles, though: I didn't really think about the ability to flee under McKay's circumstances until I read his post, but that seems pretty valid to me; I say it should be the leader's choice to stay or not if his guard isn't outnumbered. After all, that seems like a pretty possible thing, and it will force a little more information gathering and such into the game.
--Jack Kieser
PS: Oh, and I just thought of this, but I'm guessing that the limit of TDL ends at the general seattle con center area, right? I ask because I re-read the stuff about having to run and hide if I didn't want to fight at 2 in the morning, and I thought, "Wow, a lot of digipen students live at my apartments in Bellevue. I might be in trouble." The prospect of having 10 guys in suits at my apartment door, while making for a good after-the-fact story, is kind of creepy.
But I'm getting ahead of myself...that all will come later. I just wanted to give you a heads up now.
--Tony
CEO, Technomancer Press
http://www.technomancer-press.com
Check out TerraDrive Live...its happening at PAX, and everyone's playing
JackKieser, though it seems unlikely that you'll be acossted at your own apartment, I wouldn't look down on you for refusing them.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
LOL. It IS kind of creepy.
But still a good story, and one I'd like to hear, so I'd say step lively, kiddo!
--Tony
CEO, Technomancer Press
http://www.technomancer-press.com
Check out TerraDrive Live...its happening at PAX, and everyone's playing
... *gulp*
--Jack Kieser
Of course, if you did fight off 10 soulless corpers in the middle of the night, all by your lonesome... you'd be a hero. A legend.
Question:
Now if a faction leader loses a fight, they lose their faction card, and its over for them. But a normal merc is only going to lose the tokens they wagered on the battle. If I have, say, three bodyguards and I'm jumped by three guys, and everybody has 10 tokens, how does it play out if they don't wager all their tokens at once? Do they just keep fighing, over and over untill one side gets down to one or two tokens and gives up?
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Im not sure how this will be delt with in regards to BYOC/PC Freeplay.
BYOC is restricted space to only BYOC attendees, enforcers, special guests, and limited press.
PC freeplay is restricted space in a sense that you cant just go in and wander, you need to checkin for playtime. You also cant wander into the the tournament space or into BYOC from the freeplay area.
Deeming the PC room a no-play area is a good idea, and just monitor the amount of time leaders spend in the room? Im not sure how the game works, just saying that its a limited-access area and that would probably conflict.
Few people spend all of pax time in BYOC, its mostly used as something to do between events and such.
What you said at the end of the quote sounds like a good idea.
I would guess that regardless how many tokens were wagered, once someone loses in a mass fight, they are 'out' until all fights are resolved.
Sounds logical to me.
--Jack Kieser
You are correct. If you're after a faction leader (or defending one) and you lose, you're out for the engagement.
--Tony
CEO, Technomancer Press
http://www.technomancer-press.com
Check out TerraDrive Live...its happening at PAX, and everyone's playing
So if its 3 on 3 +a faction leader, and the bodyguards sucessfully defend their leader, but the attackers still have life tokens left, can they start another attack, or do they have to leave? And if they have to leave, how long untill they attack again? I guess it'd work best if they can attack again right away. So then you have several waves of battle, untill the attackers give up, or the faction leader is defeated. Sound good?
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Well, if we play it that faction leaders can flee, that makes it really simple. If the faction leader doesn't want to go another round, he takes off. If everyone on one side dies, the engagement is ended, but if the faction leader is still standing there, they can start another one immediately.
I'm thinking since everyone liked Model D, we'll go with Model D. Or model
--Tony
CEO, Technomancer Press
http://www.technomancer-press.com
Check out TerraDrive Live...its happening at PAX, and everyone's playing
(It's only for the sexy and the coooool... enforcers of justice and peace! If the PAX Enforcers make a faction, it should 100% be allied with the Bleeding Hearts. ;-) )
~Buraisu
Well.... everyone else should join the Bleeding Hearts!!!
--Jack Kieser
--Tony
CEO, Technomancer Press
http://www.technomancer-press.com
Check out TerraDrive Live...its happening at PAX, and everyone's playing
O_oUm, I clicked this link and was rewarded with the following picture and text:
*bum bum buuum*
What does this mean?!
--Jack Kieser