Orcs Campaign: How, When , Why, What! [important]

[DragonDai]

One big thing ToME and DG have going for them right now is the love of a certain member of the Rock, Paper, Shotgun staff. And RPS loves them some Kickstarter. If DG decides to go with Kickstarter, I think it would be wise to try to get in touch with a Mr. Adam Smith over at RPS. I think that would help draw a LOT of outside excitement/interest over to a ToME-based Kickstarter.

[Canderel]

I'd love to play orc stuff and steampunk stuff. But what I'd love to see more focus on a successful android port. Even if it's a dulled down game, just the T-Engine working in concept, this would open up the T-Engine modules to stuff like android market games, which can have a huge reach (though probably won't get that much traction).

For instance getting the Orc module available on my phone/tablet.

[SageAcrin]

I voted 20-30k, mostly because it seemed a popular vote. It was my kneejerk as well.

I didn't vote on the first options(mostly because of the implication that I could actually pay money. I had a friend I got interested in the game pay for my Donator status, but I myself am pretty poor.).

However, I strongly recommend going the Kickstarter route-or at least, emulating their system of goals. And people in this thread have already said why I recommend this, though I don't think they knew it.

Also, this is happening anyway, right? It's different from Biskup's thing, where he wasn't going to work on it unless he was paid.

I'd love to play orc stuff and steampunk stuff. But what I'd love to see more focus on a successful android port. Even if it's a dulled down game, just the T-Engine working in concept, this would open up the T-Engine modules to stuff like android market games, which can have a huge reach (though probably won't get that much traction).

For instance getting the Orc module available on my phone/tablet.

As intriguing as the steamtech stuff sounds, I don't want to play an orc.

As intriguing as the orc stuff sounds, I don't want to play a steampunk.

The first point is valid-people at least think of this as something you've planned for ages, and as such the money would be more for encouragement/financial support while making it. This makes perfect sense, but people seem to be more willing to give when they have the encouragement of money giving them something they want, that they wouldn't otherwise get.

(I am taking the first quote out of context, because I think that giving people something closer to exactly what they want is more likely to get money than getting it faster. Also, DarkGod time is its own beast that cannot be tamed, I suspect. )

Stuff like an Android port and more race/class options would definitely be good incentives for stretch goals. I'm sure people will think of more, just by thinking of things they want to see.

[Amphouse]

Kickstarter could work well but would take a lot of work setting it up and making it look good, so keep that in mind. Your main advantage is that this isn't a half-built game looking to be finished; the base game is already quite substantial. I imagine pledging into the kickstarter would get you the current donator features and free access to this orc campaign when it's finished, right?

I'm also curious as to what this campaign will entail and if it will effect the base game in any way. Will we be seeing new classes? I'd love to see an orc lasher, whips are almost never used currently and it would be pretty thematic. Adding the Naga as a playable race would be a cool stretch goal too, and that would add even more exotic weapon love.

EDIT: Think there's an extra quote in your post, sage. Or you didn't comment on it, anyways.

[PureQuestion]

"I would gladly donate artifacts and uniques to an orc campaign"

;D

[SageAcrin]

EDIT: Think there's an extra quote in your post, sage. Or you didn't comment on it, anyways.

I did, that's what I was meaning when I noted the races/classes ideas.

People may want ways to play the campaign without being an Orc or with no steampunk involved with their character idea. That may take a lot of work(probably not in the latter case, probably will in the former), so...

[Amphouse]

Ah. Hrm. Perhaps a player could start in the normal campain, but then chose to side with the orc in the east and begin the orc campain at a latter point? So you could do the orc campain without being an orc that way. Maybe. You'd be overleveled, though. Hmmm.

[Darkmere]

That depends on how the orc campaign is played out. If it's an "our people are on the brink of extinction. We have to better our natures for our own survival, and maybe swallow some pride for our greater good" type thing, you could say something like:

"Rumors of desperation driving the orcs to unthinkable experiments to preserve their species have begun to reach a few sympathetic ears. Some enterprising adventurers have agreed to help the orcs rebuild their homeland in hopes of a more stable future..." etc.

But if the campaign is more about blood, thunder, and vengeance... this probably wouldn't work sensibly. And that seems more likely. Still... with the possible exception of Garkul, the orcs are portrayed as desperate, bloodthirsty and violent by and large, so the campaign needs to have SOME form of humanization (for lack of a better word) on their parts to make it compelling. I don't think having non-orcs working with them is that terrible from the other races' point of view (Celestials aside...), as the game already points out that non-yeek psionicists are rare but do happen. The orcs might disagree.

[Grey]

Still... with the possible exception of Garkul, the orcs are portrayed as desperate, bloodthirsty and violent by and large,

How is Garkul an exception?!

[Hunter]

Still... with the possible exception of Garkul, the orcs are portrayed as desperate, bloodthirsty and violent by and large,

How is Garkul an exception?!

Well, he's not desperate, at least.

[Darkmere]

Still... with the possible exception of Garkul, the orcs are portrayed as desperate, bloodthirsty and violent by and large,

How is Garkul an exception?!

Ah, I meant more that he had a tactical mind and could actually think beyond "whatever isn't my clan, orc or not, needs to die in a violent fashion."

I got the impression that, verge of extinction, desperation or not, all the prides in the east were still pretty much ready to try and kill each other the second it was feasible. I admit, I wouldn't care much about an orc campaign if it simplified to "kill things because we're orcs and they're not." Care was taken to portray at least some as being more than that, so I hope this new pride is more than Always Chaotic Evil.

EDIT: Actually, after thinking about it, I think having different sub-factions within the orcs could be very interesting. Some groups with higher thought processes (wyrmics, maybe? Eh...) could be agreeable to take back enough land to live ONLY, and perhaps work with outsiders, try and avoid as much open conflict, etc. Others like corruptors and necromancers could just be plain old battle-rage EVIL with their agenda... and adventurers could pick who to back. Some people just want to watch the world burn, after all.

[Aerach]

The summary (which is what i'm going off with this gut reaction) makes this sound a vile and unpleasant story i'd be disgusted to experience as a protagonist and feel kind of dirty to have a recurring donation towards, no matter the gameplay. :/

[Grey]

I admit, I wouldn't care much about an orc campaign if it simplified to "kill things because we're orcs and they're not." Care was taken to portray at least some as being more than that, so I hope this new pride is more than Always Chaotic Evil.

A large part of it will be about getting revenge after the actions of the Scourge of the West, who personally hunted down and killed all of their leaders, looted their precious artifacts, destroyed their centres of civilisation and genocided them through the murder of their children and mothers. The actions of such a heartless and bloodthirsty monster cannot be forgiven.

Of course if you'd rather play as a mindless, murderous Scourge then there's already a game for that ;)

[Darkmere]

Ah, good. Well as long as they're completely victimized for empowering the jerks who were going to topple reality, I suppose that's okay then. Oh, or the Age of Pyres. Why did the halflings make the orcs invade and kill them? I'm sure the orcs were soooooo peaceful before that.

That's kind of a shame, actually. I don't have much interest in playing it if it really is just playing the "bad guys' campaign."

There's ambiguity and depth to everyone else, why do the orcs have to be rank-and-file berserkers again?

[Grey]

Why did the halflings make the orcs invade and kill them? I'm sure the orcs were soooooo peaceful before that. :roll:

The halflings enslaved and persecuted them!

Besides, there's another enemy they're really facing - the Steam Giants. What else there might be besides them and the West remains to be seen...