Turf Wars Spec - 1st Draft

[Sparkles]

First off, Knights and Reeves already have difficult jobs managing investigations. This system gives them even more chores. I don't like that.

Next, I think there's already plenty of ways on game for lawfulness and piety to be affected and for them to be themes in RP. So having this system focus on those metrics feels redundant.

I'll provide my only counter to these. People judge a lot of the "success" of the Order/Reeves on their ability to manage those investigations/efforts against PCs which encourages "small world" thinking. So yes there are other ways for Piety and Lawfulness to play out, but I feel like having some ways for that to involve actions against the wider world and not always so directly against other PCs might spread things out a bit.

Likewise if antagonists have ways to take actions that aren't always actively against other PCs it might help in the same way.

[Kinaed]

Here is my current update to the Turf Wars spec:

Code: Select all

OVERVIEW
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turf Wars allows players to spend influence points to 'control' an area or a set
of rooms. When players own an area or set of rooms, they get special advantages
in areas where they've expended influence. The top influencers in an area get
even more benefits.
@
This system should require renewal, but not so often as to be annoying. It
should be an ongoing struggle between parties with a rock-paper-scissors kind of 
setup rather than an accumulative setup so that the values used for calculations 
do not explode.
@
It should link into a new security system that affects (along with City Metrics)
how an area reports to the law or Order.
@
Besides the math, the system should be flexible to allow individual players to 
decide HOW they're influencing an area or a set of rooms. 
@
Considerations:
	- City Metrics
	- Individual Control
	- Group Control
	- Cycling system versus Cumulative Systems
	- Access for new players and old/various group participation
	- Impact of rewards on game economy
	- Ability for staff to block ownership of certain rooms or ensure ownership
	- Change how Guild reporting works so that it focuses on areas guilds are influencing rather than being a general thing that happens
	- Room Security system & interplay with it
@
Turf Benefits
	- Additional weekly money earned for both individual and guild
	- Ability to increase or decrease an area's security in relation to city
	metrics
	- Ability to set turf moods that people with lesser influence cannot erase
	- Ability to summon or disperse crowds/NPC backup/NPCs
	- Set a skill bonus
	- Free messengers
	- Free couriers
	- Boost prestige
	- Influence Owners get an extra city metric vote?
	- Special access to Turf Rumors
	- Special access to room flag information
	- Ability to adjust a room's crowdsize
@
COMMANDS
@
Syntax: Turf Influence #
        Turf Show
        Turf Score
        Turf List
        Turf Mood
        Turf Redeem
        Turf Hail <NPC>
        Turf Dismiss <NPC>
@
                       Turf Influence Preparation
@
Owner        : <default to the player in question>
Influence    : <default to current influence + 1 or number input>
Rumor        : <rumor about how the player is influencing an area>
@
Type "influence" to spend influence to control this area or "cancel" to abort.
@
iSyntax: Turf History
@
INPUTS
@
A player walks into a room and uses the "turf show" command to see what the
influence situation is like in an given locale and area. Based on their city
Lore skill, they will get more or less area information.
@
They can then decide to use "turf influence" to put their own influence points on the line to influence a room. Whomever has the highest influence in a room
Controls that room. Room control wraps up to the area control score.
@
ROOM SECURITY
By default, a room's security is equal to an area's security. A staff member can
set a room's security in OLC to override the general area security. If the staff
Member flags the room a security_locked, no city metric or influence action will
affect the room's security value.    
@

0 - Lawless
1 - Insecure
2 - Secure
3 - Safe

CROWD SIZE
@
By default, a room's crowd size is 0, meaning no one is in the room. In OLC, a 
Staff member can set peak crowd size as follows:
@
0 - deserted
1 - quiet
2 - uncongested
3 - busy
4 - packed
@
Peak crowd sizes are automatically adjusted by time of day as follows: 10am-6pm = peak, 6pm-10pm = peak -1, 10pm-6am = peak -2, 6am-10am = peak -1. If a staff
member flags a room as 'nightlife', then the times reverses with the 10pm-6am being the peak.
@
Crowd size can affect automatic reporting as well as making pickpocketing harder
to spot.
@

[Geras]

I hope there's some build-in protections from having stupid results like Cityguard HQ getting taken over by the Brotherhood, or the Southside taken over by the Reeves, or the Charalin camp (which will be unable to fend for itself due to the lack of IP for barbarians) getting taken over by Vavardi jackanapes.

[mystry]

It seems like an interesting idea, but I kind of doubt that the number of brotherhood and mages willing to potentially expose themselves to use it is high enough. Seems to me like it'll just end up with every area being 100% piety and 100% lawfulness all the time.

I could be wrong though.