Objective: Save the World.
Concept: Orcs and Elves have been at war for 80 years. This continuous conflict, using powerful magic and dangerous weapons, has put both races on the brink of extinction.
I. Strategy: Find out Who, What, When, Why, Where and How. End the war. Establish peaceful coexistence. Create a synergistic society. Restore the environment.
-I. Who
A. Who has authority of each race?
1. King/Queen
a. Elf Queen
b. Orc King
2. Military Leaders
a. Elven High Command
b. Orcish Warlords
3. Elders
a. Elven Council
b. Orcish Ancestors (spirits/ghosts)
4. Political Figures
a. Elven Magi Primus
b. Orcish National Speaker
5. Rogue Characters
a. Elf - Rebel leader
b. Orc - Blind Sage
B. Who knows what is happening?
1. All of the above?
C. Who knows how to fix things?
1. Elders
2. Rogue Characters
D. Who needs to be convinced to fix things?
(in order)
1. Military Leaders
2. Political Leaders
3. King/Queen
-II & -III. What and When
1. What has been tried? When was it tried?
A. Both races use a calendar based on Winters since the war began. The current year is War Winter 81. Many peace talks have been held over the past 80 years. In year 2, the military commanders of both races agreed to a cease fire. Small groups of people from both races still fought, but no armies invaded for several days. Then, according to the Elves, the Orcs started moving into WindBurr Province along the South East coast of Coarse Sand Bay. The Orcs claim that they already had people living there and the Elves moved in to drive them out. To this day, both races claim they have sole ownership of that coastal region.
B. 6 years later (ww08), the Elves gave up a portion of the Western DiZhou Plains as a sign of good faith toward ending the conflict. The Elves say they surrendered the entire Mordai Forest. The Orcs say that the Mordai Forest is a swamp, not a forest, and the Orcs should have been given the Asplac Woods just to the North instead. The Asplac Woods is smaller than the Mordai Forest, but it has fruit trees that both races want. Battles still rage there, with fire being the primary weapon of choice. Burning the trees helps neither Elf nor Orc.
Many areas of the world are in conflict like this, including the Cool Breeze Islands, Overlook Plateau, Snowy City, Deep Water Cove, and Sparse Forest. Both Elves and Orcs claim the land, and neither is willing to compromise.
C. Most recently, (ww76), the Orcs agreed to give the Northern border of the Orc Central Nation to the Elves, with no conditions. The Elves graciously accepted, then built a wall around their newly acquired region. The Elves felt that the gesture protected them from Orc assaults. The Orcs considered it an insult. North Border is one of the most dangerous and war torn regions.
2. What is needed?
A. First and foremost, the races need to stop killing each other. The world is in ruins in many places because both races burn forests, poison bodies of water, and decimate the soil to cause injury to their enemy. Both races need to agree to stop developing new Magic of Destruction and Weapons of War. Both races need to agree on specific land boundaries.
B. Both races need to learn to live together in peace.
C. Ideally, the races need to learn to work together to restore the health of the planet, and help their population to grow and thrive. The races need to do more than just co-exist. They need to embrace.
3. Why are the races at war?
A. Land. Both races claim ownership of the same lands. Boundaries are blurred, and neither race wants to give up it's territory.
B. Retaliation. Who shot who, and who fired first. Both races claim they are "defending" themselves and their honor by eliminating the other race.
C. Limited resources. 80 years ago, there was plenty of food, trees, and animals. The populations of both races were growing quickly and they each tried to expand their range of influence. Though the populations have decreased significantly in the past 80 years, so have the resources. The races have burned entire forests, poisoned entire lakes, and contaminated the soils of huge tracts of land. This has harmed themselves as much as their enemies. Food is hard to find outside specific regions, clean water is rare, and even the air is deadly in certain locales.
-IV. How they have been battling?
Fire is the weapon of choice. Entire cities and forests have been burned to the ground, and the ash from magical fire poisons the air and dirt.
Explosive magic is common to both races, and fireballs are not uncommon in any large city.
In smaller towns and villages, poisoning is common, especially poisoned water and air.
The races also make threats, kidnapping is prevalent, and assassination of powerful and important people happens frequently. Many people are afraid to travel alone, even in their homelands. Very few will risk travel at night. Strangers are often unwelcome.
-V. How close to total annihalation are the races?
Scholars for both races estimate that the races will be completely extinct in another 80 years. At the current rate, there will be no safe, livable region at all in another 10 years. Major changes have to be made in the next two years. That is where you come in...
Mission: The PeaceMaker
II. Tactics:
1. Open a dialog with people of authority in both races.
2. Explain the crisis of the current situation, and insure an understanding of the magnitude.
3. Establish an acceptible and lasting "Peace Treaty" between the races through distince border development, which allows for equal distribution of resources and economic commerce between races.
4. Develop (in conjunction with both races) a plan for restoring the health of the environment, by reforestation, soil fertilization, and air/water filtration, using limited/beneficial magic.
5. Bond the two races in friendship by establishing dual-race communities, open borders between cities, and embassies in both capital cities.
III. Gameplay
You are a peacemaker, mutually agreed upon by both races, in an effort to end the 80 Winters War. You are Ambassador to your race and are partnered with a Diplomatic Ambassador of the other race. In single-player mode, the Diplomat is an NPC at a static location who will share information with the player. In two player mode, one will be the Orc Diplomat and the other the Elven.
Both races understand that there is a need for peace, but neither wants to "lose" the war. Both leaders know that the situation is grim, but neither fully understands how close the world is to being totally unlivable. Each leader has an inner circle of statesmen who want total genocide of the opposing race. The Orc King and the Elf Queen are reasonable people, but they are being given informatin by their councils that is sometimes distorted, and sometimes outright lies. It is your responsibility to share your information with your partner, find the facts, and share this with the leaders of both races.
This is a non-combat game. You can attack, and be attacked, however the consequences are great. Every act of violence makes your job more difficult. When you engage in combat, your status changes immediately from Favored to Conflicted. Fewer people will talk with you, and the information you do get becomes more and more vague. Supplies and equipment becomes more expensive, and your own supplies become devalued to merchants. Healers are less likely to assist you. Defensive items and protective magic can be used without penalty.
1. If you attack a character of the opposing race (without killing them), you are penalized two quests. You must then complete two quests, without reward, for the opposing race to reach Favored status. If you attack one of your own race (without killing them), you are penalized three quests. You must complete three quests for you own race, without reward, to return to Favored status.
2. If a member of either race attacks you, you may use defensive (non-combat) methods to protect yourself. However if you use an attack (without killing), you are still penalized quests.
3. If you kill a member of the opposing race (even if they attacked first), you are penalized the two quests for the attack, plus an additional five quests for the death of the character. You must immediately journey to the Capital City of the opposing race and report the death to the lead Politician (either Magi Primus or National Speaker), and you must forfeit all gold, weapons and combat magic to the Politician. If you kill a member of your own race (even if they attacked first), you are penalized the three quests for the attack, plus an additional six quests for the death of the character. You must immediately journey to the Capital City of your race and report the death to the lead Politician (either Magi Primus or National Speaker), and you must forfeit -everything- that you have to the Politician.
Considering that each quest can takes several days to complete, the penalty for violence can seriously impede the fun-factor. It's not worth it. Although combat weapons and damage magic is available, it's safest to not even have it. Accidently killing someone holds the same consequences as willful murder. The races are too limited in population for either race to accept the loss of a member.
IV. Quests
A quest is simply a chance to do something, usually for a reward of some kind. A quest could be as simple as "I'll give you a coin for a fresh picked daisy" or "Tell Vladimir the Elven Guard to patrol the eastern WatchTower". Or a quest can be multifaceted and as complex as "Seek out the mythical unicorn, pluck a hair from it's mane, and take it to Willholla the Mage in Sensibar Province so she can make a potion of longevity, then bring the potion to me". The penalties for violence result in quests that don't directly affect the peace process. For example, "The town of Ashmael needs thirty empty barrels delivered by noon on Friday" or "Show Lady Elaine how to get to the Ferry at Martin's Crossing".
Quests are what makes the game interesting and fun. The major quest of the game is to bring peace to the races. Minor quests will lead to the accomplishment of the major quest.
More to come...