Disagreement of the Titans - Recruiting

[Karadan]

There you were, browsing the forums of your favorite webcomic about a turn based strategy game ever, when suddenly you're truck with blinding pain. The world around you whites out as the white hot pain seems to fill your very vision. Then, just as suddenly, the pain is gone, though your vision takes several moments to come into focus. You hear Heartbreak Hotel playing over a radio. You know it is a radio because of the faint static distorting the sound. As your vision continues to clear you realize that you're in some kind of car. The passenger seat. It's a fancy car of some kind, but older. A Cadillac, you think. And from what you can see of the hood, it is bright pink. You're riding along on a stretch of desert road, no other cars or landmarks as far as the eye can see.

Finally you look over next to you at the driver. It's Elvis Presley! But... not in his prime. He's kinda fat, filling up his trademark white suit, glistening with gems in the bright sunlight coming in the front windshield. As you look closer though, you aren't so sure it's really The King himself. Something seems a bit off about him. His hair doesn't look quite right, almost a fake quality to it. And his face doesn't quite match the image you recall. And when he opens his mouth to speak to you, it doesn't quite seem like the same voice you hear filtering in over the radio.

“I,” he says “am a Titan of Erf, creator of Erfworld. Or, one of its creators at least.” The name tugs at your memory. You're sure you've heard the name before. In fact, this whole experience is giving you a weird sense of deja vu. But you just can't make any connections, and the Titan of Erf doesn't give you much time to think of it as he continues on. “I know that doesn't mean anything to you, but the important thing now, is that the other Titans and I have a situation. You see, there has been a bit of a disagreement between us, and we've decided to settle it in a fight. Well, a war really. But not between us. That would destroy everything. It would never end. And so the war will be fought by our champions. You. I have chosen you to be my champion. You will lead an army to victory over the champions of the other Titans, and show them that I'm the best.”

He speaks in a slow, smooth manner, and you should be able to interrupt him to ask questions, but you can't bring yourself to do it, the words get stuck in your throat any time you try and cut him off. “Now, before you can go off and lead an army to victory, you'll need that army. And a side to support it. And of course you to rule it. So to get all that set up, I'm going to ask you some question. Yes, yes, I know it's silly, since I already know what you'll answer, but the other Titans, well...” he leans in closer, one hand still on the steering wheel “they aren't quite as... you know....” he gives you a conspirator wink and leans back to his half of the car. “So they want it spelled out for them. Now, just answer to make them happy, and you'll find yourself head of a thriving side in no time, ready to fight (and die) to prove me right. So, lets get started with the questions:
((The Titan of Erf refuses to expound on any of the questions, and answers any of your own that you might try asking with “Thank you very much for that question, but now is not the time for your questions.” He doesn't do anything to press you for questions, but you find yourself answering them quickly, going with the first response that pops into your head.))
Quality or Quantity?
Sword or Arrow?
Might or Magic?
Attack or Defend?
Fight or Flight?
Earth, Water, Fire, or Air?
Earth, Water, Fire, or Air ((the one chose removed))?
Deal or No Deal?
Truth or Lies?
Rich or Poor?
Night or Day?
Kind or Cruel?
Life or Death?
Fast or Strong?
Low or High?
Name (of your side)?
Title?
Music?
Number?
Color?
Country?
Food?
Item?
Comments?
Are you ready?”

---------------------------------------------------------

So, for those who haven't figured it out, I'm setting up for a game of Erfish World. Which is to say it'll be based on Erfworld, but obviously can't use their exact rules. The above questions will be used to craft your side, and yes, all of the answers will actually be used to adjust various aspects of your side. There are no wrong answers, and no answer is better, they simply will provide different focuses.

You're free to post your responses in the thread, or PM them to me if you want to be all secretive, but do at least post your interest here. Please put DotT in the subject so I can keep track of my Pms.

How will this be played? What rules will we be using? Well, for the second one I can tell you it'll be my own rules that I've been working on, which I've tried to base on Erfworld. A few things will be different for the sake of sanity, but you won't get to know all the rules. Like our hero Parson, you'll have to tease them out of the world as you go. Unlike Parson however, you won't be starting on the losing end of a war. I don't currently have any set limit to the number of people who can join.

How will it be played? There will be two phases. The Orders Phase, and the Resolution Phase. For the Orders Phase I will declare the start of turn, and everyone will have 48 hours to PM their actions for the turn (Subject to change based on will of the players. It might speed up if everyone seems up for it, or it might slow down if people are having too much trouble keeping up). Feel free to include subjective orders in your turn actions, such as “If I find a mine, stop there instead of continuing to explore, and start building it up.”. When time is up or everyone has sent in their orders (whichever comes first), we'll transition into the Resolution Phase, which is when I'll start processing what happens. Eventually I'll send out results, and the next turn will start.

For the first few turns, my Titan class Predictamancy says there won't be any major interactions between sides, and so the possibility for a more direct back and forth will exist for those who want it (I'd even be willing to IM or something like that if you'd like).

Alright, think I have everything covered. Feel free to ask any questions you might have here if you'd like.

[ETheBoyce]

I have nothing to hide!

Quality or Quantity? Quality, that and a chokepoint is all you need
Sword or Arrow? Arrow, why even give em a chance?
Might or Magic? Magic, there are no limits when you can change the rules
Attack or Defend? Attack, they can't hurt you if they're dead
Fight or Flight? Fight, you'll have to do it eventually, might as well not be tired when you do
Earth, Water, Fire, or Air? Earth, Strong, dependable, capable of destroying large buildings in a single quake
Water, Fire, or Air? Air, can't hear you, too busy flying!
Deal or No Deal? No Deal, you gotta know when to walk away
Truth or Lies? Truth, but not the whole truth, always keep a piece or two to yourself
Rich or Poor? Rich, money is nice; it lets you buys things
Night or Day? Night, the Sun, it buuuuuurnsssss
Kind or Cruel? Both, it is sometimes necessary to be cruel to be kind
Life or Death? Life, death is just so boring!
Fast or Strong? Strong, I have the POWER
Low or High? High, the high ground give you some lovely bonuses
Name (of your side)? Boyceland
Title? Dr. [insert name here] Esq. Phd. XIII
Music? Metal, specifically Acapella Metal
Number? XIII, clearly
Color? Silver, it also kills werewolves
Country? AMURICA, BOOP YEAH!
Food? Delicious, particularly poultry
Item? Glasses, vision is lovely
Comments? Questions? Concerns? Foreign Expletives?
Are you ready? Does it matter?

[Karadan]

After seeing LTDave get 6 people in a day I was hoping to do something similar, but maybe late Friday night wasn't the best timing in hopes of quick responses

Still, we'll give it some more time and see who else pops in. If you've read this and don't want to join, I'd love to hear from you about why you don't want to join, particularly if it is anything with my setup as opposed to simply being too busy.

Also, the main reason I'm making this post is an announcement that the Titans have put the finishing touches on the DotT battleground. It is an island with a diameter of about 100 hexes. Thats nearly 8000 land hexes to explore, with roughly 100 cities to build and/or conquer. The terrain includes vast mountain ranges, deep forests, wandering streams, harsh deserts, and tranquil lakes, not including the surrounding ocean which will be a viable means of transport. There are even hidden Easter eggs here and there for those with the right combination of abilities, tenacity, and dumb luck to find.

Does that sound ambitious? Yes, I suppose so. Will it be epic? I certainly hope so. Will you crush your opponents beneath your heel? Well, that's for you to decide!

If the lack of rules scares you, don't let it. You'll learn more about them when it's too late.... I mean once you've formed your side.

ETheBoyce, you should be getting a PM soon continuing your portion of the story.

[LTDave]

Quality
Sword
Might
Attack
Flight
Earth
Fire
Deal
Truth
Rich
Day
Kind
Death
Fast
Low
Name (of your side)?

Molluscia

Title?

Duke

Music?

Dvorak - New World Symphony

Number?

16

Color?

Do you mean Colour? Then Grey.

Country?

Grand Duchy of the Mollusc

Food?

Pivka - it's a saltry rye cake

Item?

The Arkenspoon

Comments?

You, you, and you! You are now a bridge. Lie down in that ditch so we can march across with dry feet.

Are you ready?

Are you?

[HerbieRai]

Quality or Quantity? Quantity, Fill the map with units
Sword or Arrow? Arrow, our arrows will blot out the sun
Might or Magic? Might, Magic is for sissys
Attack or Defend? Attack! The best defense is a good offense
Fight or Flight? Fight! Fight until there is no one left in the battlespace!
Earth, Water, Fire, or Air? Fire, Burn the enemy to the ground!
Earth, Water, Fire, or Air ((the one chose removed))? Earth
Deal or No Deal? No Deal, except the end of a sword
Truth or Lies? Truth, Lies are too complicated
Rich or Poor? Rich (why would someone choose poor?)
Night or Day? Night, That way the horde has a chance at supprising the enemy
Kind or Cruel? Cruel, comes with a short life expectancy
Life or Death? Death. A 1 for 1 kill ratio is acceptable
Fast or Strong? Strong, but i'd choose quantity again if I could
Low or High? Warhammer player, so high is always better. Except for leadership, but I'm going horde so leadership is moot
Name (of your side)? Lemmings
Title? Marshal
Music? Disturbed, Land of Confusion
Number? 42, I win
Color? Black
Country? Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
Food? Potatoe Chips
Item? Whip, better to push the lemmings onward
Comments?
Again, why would someone choose poor, and I see future conflict with Amurica.

[BLANDCorporatio]

Been busy these past couple of weeks, will be busy the next, and the one after that's a holiday away from civilization. But heck, this sounds interesting so why not fill in a questionnaire-

Quality or Quantity? Quantity. It worked for Iran.
Sword or Arrow? Half brick in a sock. Deadly at melee, also has range capabilities.
Might or Magic? 7. What a rip-off that was when

Spoiler: show

SPACE ALIENS

Attack or Defend? I take offense at this question.
Fight or Flight? Death comes from above.
Earth, Water, Fire, or Air? I'm taking the piss, so water.
Earth, Water, Fire, or Air ((the one chose removed))? You must be in a fiery mood right now so guess which.
Deal or No Deal? Potatoes.
Truth or Lies? Dare.
Rich or Poor? Poor. Just because HerbieRai issued a challenge.
Night or Day? Knight fever.
Kind or Cruel? It's kind to be cruel, mwhahahaha.
Life or Death? Without parole.
Fast or Strong? Whimsical.
Low or High? Drugs are baaad, mmkay.
Name (of your side)? Boopboopistan
Title? can't remember but it was really good.
Music? Justin Bieber, listening to Rebecca Black, in the dungeon. With a pick-axe.
Number? What an odd thing to ask.
Color? I prefer the term ethnically different.
Country? Boopboopistan
Food? whatever can be found in the freezer and doesn't yet have eyes.
Item? No, but if you ask nicely we may be.
Comments? are to be left in the margins, they are wide enough.
Are you ready? To rumble.

[LTDave]

O Bland, you are so predictable.

Predictably amusing, that is...

[The Colonel]

Quantity? "Quantity has a form of quality all of it's own"
Arrow "FIRE AT WILL!"
Magic
Attack
Fight
Air
Fire
No Deal
Truth
Rich
Day
Kind
Life
Strong
High
Name: Brittania
Title? HUH?
Music? LIVING HERE IN JERSEY FIGHTING ALIENS FROM AFAR!
Number 7
Color Blue
Country Malaysia
Food Roti Canai
Item A SHRUBBERY!
Comments GERONIMO!
Are you ready?”

[HerbieRai]

Rich or Poor? Poor. Just because HerbieRai issued a challenge.

Then my bluff check has succeded. Muhahahahahahaha

[Karadan]

Rich or poor was a character test that everyone except The Colonel and bland failed!

No, I'm just kidding. But there are advantages to answering poor.

Alright, I'll be spending the day compiling the answers into what I need to get you guys started, and I should pick up again you at some point today as well E. Been a bit... well, more distracted than busy.

P.S. I'm almost certain I haven't set things up for there to be a cold war between HerbieRai and ETheBoyce in which both sides stockpile huge armies and stacks of high powered shockamancy scrolls, each waiting for the other to make the first move so they can perform a devastating counterattack.

[ETheBoyce]

Well if our answers are indicative of our sides philosophies, then Herbie will have little in the way of magic (since it's for sissies) and thus I will be able to strike with greater assurance in my power!

[BLANDCorporatio]

Maybe. Who knows how Erf works?

Funnily enough, one can make a case that the USSR were more "Might" oriented, whereas the USA were more "Magic". Soviet tech is stereotypically portrayed as rugged, lumbering, massive. USA tech was nimble, weird and flimsy.

In part, this was because someone high up in the Communist Party decided that cybernetics/informatics was a burgeois psuedo-science, which delayed microelectronics development in Warsaw pact countries. I'm not saying prevented, merely delayed, but it was enough to give a flavour. You could tell that a guidance system for a missile was Russian because it used no integrated circuits and spanned several pages of schematics. The lag in microelectronics, funnily enough, was accompanied by a comparative boost in good ol' fashioned electro-technics, the stuff that builds coils and such, which is why Russian made coils are at the heart of cutting edge particle accelerators today.

On the other hand, as soon as they invented the Laser, the Americans were fond of sticking lasers everywhere. If it's American built, there has to be a laser in there somewhere.

[Karadan]

Huzza, first PM sent out to everyone. Reply back when you get a chance. Odds are we'll be doing the first 5-10 turns or so as back and forths as quickly as we reply before we start doing group turns in which I'll need to wait for everyone to send in orders.

That said, there is certainly still time for more people to join. I have at least 3 good starting spots left.

Also, for those curious, I am using Battle for Wesnoth to do the maps. Aren't they pretty?

I'll go ahead and let you know that the following terrain types currently exist:
Grassland, hills, mountain, high mountain, forest, heavy forest, desert, oasis, dunes, beach, river, water.
River is an almost greyish colored water, while water is a deep blue color. And no, I mean color you limey auzzy

You will also see ruined looking cities, which are city sites. And of course there are capital and non-capital cities.

What do these different terrain types mean and do? Well, that's for you to find out. Good luck with that.

Fun Fact: 3 out of the 5 courtiers have the first name Smar.

And yes Boyce, your answers have alot to do with your side's philosophies, including things such as unit stats, income, starting location, loot, diplomatic interactions, natural allies, unit types, upkeep, available specials, and spawn rates just to name a few. Bland may end up with the most.... interesting side. Or the most dull. I'm not 100% sure yet, as I'm still working on statting out everyone's side.

[BLANDCorporatio]

Bland may end up with the most.... interesting side. Or the most dull. I'm not 100% sure yet, as I'm still working on statting out everyone's side.

Good to know things are swiftly approaching definition.

Well as long as the physics is reasonably flexible, I'm sure I can work in some weirdness either way.

[LTDave]

Also, for those curious, I am using Battle for Wesnoth to do the maps. Aren't they pretty?

Very pretty.

[Exate]

That said, there is certainly still time for more people to join. I have at least 3 good starting spots left.

Well, then. Things fell apart slightly at the end with the "first thing that pops into your head" directions but looking at others' responses that does not seem to be a difficulty.

Quality
Arrow
Magic
Attack
Flight
Fire
Air
No Deal
Truth
Poor
Night
Cruel
Life
Fast
High
Name (of your side)? Uh...
Title? Title of what?
Music? Yes, please.
Number? #1!
Color? No, "colour". With a U in it.
Country? City's better.
Food? I should probably eat at some point. Later.
Item? Is this one of those "fight/item/run" decisions? I only choose Item when I need Phoenix Downs!
Comments? Credits.
Are you ready? Closer to ambivalently curious.

[Karadan]

Alright, I'll add you to the map and send you a starting PM shortly.

[BLANDCorporatio]

A quick heads-up, I'm gone for the next seven or so days, starting today. Merry Easter where appropriate, and be seeing you then.

[Karadan]

Happy Egg Day to you too BLAND. We'll see about catching you up when you get back.

Now, I've been having fun the back and forth so far, and believe it or not, some of the things will be influencing your sides in various matters. Some of you have discovered more in various areas than others. Some of you are broke, and some of you have huge stashes of shmuckers.

Anyway, there are some things that everyone has figured out, or should have figured out, or will figure out, or should have figured out if I was properly consistent with you guys, along with a couple little sneak peeks for important things that I want to make sure is conveyed. So, a peek at some of the rules.

First, the 'voice in your head' mechanic can only tell you things about the current state of your side: Treasury, unit locations, city stats, unit stats, unit production options, etc. Or things that your side know: explored hexes, found enemy units, etc. It can also give you basics on mechanics. It will for example tell you that the #/#/#/#/#-# convention means combat, strength, defense, hits, move-upkeep, but it won't tell you what any of them specifically do. This is natural thinkamancy (Yes, you're all natural thinkamancers, aren't you awesome? ) which provides you instinctive information about your side. It does not however know any better than you what happens if you order a unit to jump from the top of your highest tower.

Second, what some of the conventions are. As stated, the units are stated out with Combat/Strength/Defense/Hits/Movement - Upkeep. How exactly they impact your units is up to you to try and figure out. After the upkeep some units will have specials. Like the other stats, what exactly these mean will be up to you to discover. You can get a general idea from the units themselves, but for the most part you won't get much more than what should be obvious by the name of the special (Mountaineer units are good in the mountains). Cities similarly have the convention of production/economy/air defense/ground defense, and a city's level is derived from these stats.

Units with the scout special have natural thinkamancy that allows them to send back information on scouted terrain. Other units will have to contrive some other way to get the information back to you. A scout's natural thinkamancy also allows you to give it orders in the field (though only orders to that unit, not others that might be with it). Other units will need other means of receiving orders. Unled scouts will not engage enemy units (unless ordered to) automatically. OTHER UNLED UNITS WILL. I'd considered making this a fun surprise for you guys to figure out on your own, but I figure your advisors would have warned you.

Since someone finally asked, Warlords have all ? for stats, because they are uniquely generated each time one is popped, and you have no control over what you get (Well, not much, directly). You can expect them to have roughly 200 upkeep, though some people will have a higher or lower average. Also, warlords have a chance to pop as casters of a weighted random type. Speaking of casters, some of you may be wondering about the much loved Magic Kingdom. Yes, it does exist. Yes, you will gain access to it. The requirement is for you to discover. What will you be able to do there? Well, once again, mostly for you to discover. Mercenary casters might be available, as might scrolls or magic items. Your casters can also hang out there if you want, which has various potential effects of a largely random and generally beneficial nature.

Oh yes, and for those who might be wondering about turn order mechanics, they go thusly:
1. refresh - corpses depop, units are healed to full hits, rations are supplied, etc
2. Income - income is generated from all sources and added to your treasury.
3. Popping - Units are popped, or progress is made towards popping them.
4. General - Orders are given and carried out, the meat of a turn. Improvements made to a city happen immediately, though economy and production won't really change much until next turn ie. you do not gain retroactive income from upgrading a city's economy.
5. Upkeep - Upkeep is paid out from the treasury. If upkeep for any unit cannot be paid, it is disbanded. Units with lowest upkeep are disbanded first, with those farthest from the capital being disbanded first. Basically highest upkeep is paid first, starting with units closest to the capital, then moving out before going to next lowest upkeep and repeating. Ruler may designate certain units in particular to be disbanded first or last or adjust the order, etc.


Alright, I think that covers everything I wanted to for the moment. Keep up the good work, and remember, your Titan is counting on you!

[A.B.C.]

I lurked around the games section of the forums for a while and when I came back, I discovered this little gem and wanted to try my hand at an Erf game for the first time!

That said, there is certainly still time for more people to join. I have at least 3 good starting spots left.

I hope this still applies! If so:

Quantity
Sword (You know where you are, with swords.)
Magic
Defend
Flight (When in doubt, run.)
Water (I live by the coast, brah. Waves are always nice in SoCal.)
Earth (Coast has sand, too.)
(Seal! Anybody? Impossible Quiz? No? ...OK.) Deal
Truth (You know where you are, with truth.)
Poor (I am rich in CHARACTER.)
Day
Kind
Life (Death's a bit too far on the squishy side, no thanks.)
Fast (Strong helps when you decide to fight. Fast always helps.)
Low
Name (of your side)? The Wondrous Traveling Empire of Traveling Wonders
Title? Honorable Chairman
Music? Hans Zimmer is nice.
Number? 8
Color? Ultraviolet!
Country? China
Food? Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it.
Item? Empty Bottle.
Comments? Not available.
Are you ready? Uh...