diku. - The Board Game

[schild]

PATCH DAY!

Already have a system for it ^_^

[Viin]

What is the server's goal? To defeat the clients?

[schild]

What is the server's goal? To defeat the clients?

What? People can win in a diku game?

The server exists to control the world and flow. Not to "beat" anyone. There's no winning at diku.

[Viin]

If the server is just the GM, that's cool.

I was just thinking it'd be pretty fun for the server to get to play too .. basically, a 1 vs 2 (or however many clients there are) MtG game. The server gets to play modifier cards on the mobs and quests, throwing curve balls at the clients.

For example, if you know Mage1 is speccing for fire, you might try to play an ice shield modifier card on the next mob/boss they hit.

The question would be "to what end?"

[schild]

I really don't want the server to have any abilities outside of minor, minor control over random behavior. I want to build in enough that the server is a caretaker, much like a real game.

Some mobs will have special abilities tied to them.

[Lantyssa]

Two Classes you really need:

Tank Mage
Holy Trinity

[schild]

Holy Trinity isn't a class. I could easily make it a boss mob where you have to kill 3 different HP pools though, and each one has the proper special ability.

Edit: I should just flat out say the classes are done.

[schild]

The classes are done.

[Rasix]

Am I reading this wrong, or does the monk just get a better version of backstab that's usable every 3 rounds instead of 5?

[schild]

Heh, yea, that needs to be fixed. Though, maybe, not really. The Monk is going to have higher innate defense. I'll figure something out once I get to playtesting.

[K9]

Some sort of event card perhaps:

KEYLOGGER

You have clicked on a keylogger and your account has been stolen.

Miss three turns until a GM restores your character. Additionally, if you are the party leader you must make a saving throw each turn to prevent the account thief from disbanding the guild.

I also like Tarami's suggestion. Maybe spin it out into buffs/nerfs with each patch and have a secondary goal to have the most OP class at the end of the game, by tactically whining for nerfs to other classes. You have to ensure you keep other classes sufficiently viable to complete content though.

[schild]

Heh. While that "sounds fun." It's a meaningless affair if only 2 people are playing. Part of the design issues with a board game is it has to scale correctly. Having things like "lose 3 turns" means nothing if turns aren't limited. Also, simplicity in complexity is a beautiful thing.

[Viin]

I really don't want the server to have any abilities outside of minor, minor control over random behavior. I want to build in enough that the server is a caretaker, much like a real game.

Some mobs will have special abilities tied to them.

Thinking about this more while at the gym (I get bored), I think you are missing a great dynamic here.

The server isn't just the DIKU engine, it's the development team trying to keep the players from reaching the level cap. The game's job is to prevent the players from reaching the cap, while the players are trying to get to the level cap first.

Besides, who just wants to play what is essentially just "the bank"?

[schild]

The server isn't just the DIKU engine, it's the development team trying to keep the players from reaching the level cap.

While I'm a huge fan of commentary through non-traditional means, I'd really rather make something fun for the players than straight up mimic one of the crappier problems with the industry.

When all the base rules are down on paper and posted, we can further define the Servers role in the game.

Besides, who just wants to play what is essentially just "the bank"?

From what I remember? Every single kid in America did.

[Ingmar]

Most games of this style these days include a 'win condition' for the non-team player (for example in Descent the "DM" is actually trying to kill you rather than tell a story, same for Sauron in the co-op LotR, etc) so there should probably be some kind of incentive for the Server player.

[tazelbain]

That's only because Monopoly was such a boring ass game.

[schild]

Most games of this style these days include a 'win condition' for the non-team player (for example in Descent the "DM" is actually trying to kill you rather than tell a story, same for Sauron in the co-op LotR, etc) so there should probably be some kind of incentive for the Server player.

My "patch day" system will be notably mean to both players and the servers alike. That said, there will be other decisions the server can make behind the scenes. But like I said, once the initial stuff is on paper, I have NO problem putting everything up for discussion.

[K9]

That's only because Monopoly was such a boring ass game.

Playing figure-of-eight monopoly with two boards overlapping and adding drinking into the mix makes for a fun game.

[schild]

That's only because Monopoly was such a boring ass game.

You sound like you were a fun kid!

[Slyfeind]

You differentiated between Thieves and Rogues? Nobody does that anymore! I HEART YOU 4EVER!!!

No "tank" ability? I thought DIKU expressly needed someone to take damage away from everybody else.

[schild]

No "tank" ability? I thought DIKU expressly needed someone to take damage away from everybody else.

Classes will have innate attack and defense that will further define that stuff. A tank ability would just be boring in action, imo.

[ezrast]

You differentiated between Thieves and Rogues? Nobody does that anymore! I HEART YOU 4EVER!!!

Now if you'd only realize that ranger != archer we'd be just about perfect. 

[Slyfeind]

Now if you'd only realize that ranger != archer we'd be just about perfect. 

Yeah, that.

[stu]

The only mobs I can think of at the moment are Deranged Hobo and Back Alley Abortionist.

[Xilren's Twin]

Jack-off-all-trades/Hybrid Warrior (avg Def and melee Dam, some utility spells)

 

yes, that was intentional

[Salamok]

Classes:
Meatshield (high D, lower melee Dam)

That should be under equipment and look like a giant fucking tbone strapped to your arm.

[schild]

Some of you should look further down.

[Azazel]

Can there be a rat for every level range?
Rat

Rat God

This is excellent.

The same should be done for Bat, Spider and Skeleton.

Buffbot and Healbot should actually be loot cards, not player classes.

[stu]

Classes:
Meatshield (high D, lower melee Dam)

That should be under equipment and look like a giant fucking tbone strapped to your arm.

Isn't Meatsmithing a trade in Kingdom of Loathing?

[Amarr HM]

Need artwork? might be able to help out.

[DLRiley]

Each character now starts with rags. It's a card that imparts 1 armor, because armor is based off of a scale starting at 1. You can't sell them. You just discard them once you get something better.

This would be an INCREDIBLE web game. >_<

I see what you did there.

It wasn't a joke. This would be far better than most MMOGs. But that's neither here nor there. Making a board game. If someone wants to make it a web game, they can pay me and buy the idea.

This will be a flash game in 1 month.

[Slyfeind]

Diku: The Board Game: The PC Game! I'll bet it'd do really well, especially if you used the Warcraft IP!

[Bzalthek]

You can't personalize a card like you can a video game character and it's easier for players to get into "Edmund, Lord of the Night" than "Level 3 assassin".

Bosses will be personalized more, but lets worry about that later. Not like bosses in MMOGs are personalized to any meaningful degree anyway. Onyxia was BIG BLACK DRAGON. I mean who cares. You're practically larping if you really buy into that crap. Just saying.

Can there be a rat for every level range?
Rat
Dire Rat
Plague Rat
Rat King
Swamp Rat
Rat Zombie
Wererat
Giant Rat
Abyss Rat
Rat God

This is excellent.

On this vein is "rat" one card with various subtypes to pick from for level range or are each of these subtypes an individual card?

Anyways, if you're looking for generic monsters, you can always rely on old archetypes.

Starting with the mundane:
Critters: Rats, Bats, Toads
Bugs: Centipedes, Beetles, Antlions, Insect Swarms, Arachnids
Animals: Boars, Badgers, Wolves, Bears, Great Cats, Apes,
Beasts: Basilisk, Chimera, Cockatrice
Humanoid: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes (Lizard Men?)  
Goblinioid: Kobold, Goblin, Orc, Hobgoblin, Bugbear, Gnoll
Giantkin: Ogre, Troll, Ettin, Giant, Minotaur
Flyers: Wyvern, Griffon, Gargoyles, Harpies
Golems: Bone, Stone, Clay, Brass, Iron, etc.
Elementals: Earth, Air, Fire, Water (Or you can go deeper with combinants like Steam, Magma, Ooze or even Blood, Shadow)
Dragons: Chromatic is probably the most generic, though metallic is also old school.
Sylvan: Centaurs, Dryads, Nymphs, Faeries, Satyr
Undead: Skeletons, Zombies, Ghouls, Wights, Wraiths, Vampires, Ghosts, Mummy, Lich
Miscellaneous: Imps, Demons, Alien types that don't fit in an archetype (think Beholder)
Edit: And Lycanthropes!  

Edit more:
Plants: Treant, Carnivorous Plants
Hydra in Dragon archetype?

[Prospero]

There probably isn't a way to get around the copyright infringement, but I have fond memories of smashing up Smurf village when I was mudding.

[nurtsi]

There probably isn't a way to get around the copyright infringement, but I have fond memories of smashing up Smurf village when I was mudding.

Ah, slaying smurfette in front of other smurfs, feeding her soul to my chaos blade and then making leather pants out of her corpse...Those were the days.