tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post1416560942412923259..comments2024-03-23T04:06:43.528-04:00Comments on The Retired Adventurer: Your Landholding PCs Should Not Have a Good Idea of How Much Land They OwnJohn Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17318244888477546773noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post-33990296365610323262012-02-08T02:27:30.870-05:002012-02-08T02:27:30.870-05:00I'm not familiar with Crusader Kings II. I'...I'm not familiar with Crusader Kings II. I'll check it out. Thanks!John Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17318244888477546773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post-87601147528897235692012-02-07T15:11:08.164-05:002012-02-07T15:11:08.164-05:00This is great. A completely non-metaphorical inter...This is great. A completely non-metaphorical interrogation of the map/territory relation. And of course the refocus on people over rules/laws/contracts mirrors the problems of game designs that treat people as computer processors rather than actors in a complex sociocultural context (not to mention the general modern culture of economic/"rational" systems overpowering human relations).<br /><br />Are you familiar with Crusader Kings (II)? It's a video game premised almost exactly on the mechanics you describe.circadianwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13863959331740613989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post-50467075260550157562012-02-07T10:50:51.566-05:002012-02-07T10:50:51.566-05:00Thus the idea to draw one up that is about the feu...Thus the idea to draw one up that is about the feudal obligations owed, and leave the "I love the Baron" stuff for a separate relationship map that the PCs don't see. These types of obligations were typically drawn up in contracts and charters, and possess a legal force outside of either party's attitudes.John Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17318244888477546773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post-3054120616149469062012-02-07T07:15:49.838-05:002012-02-07T07:15:49.838-05:00I worked as a surveyor's assistant over 20 yea...I worked as a surveyor's assistant over 20 years ago and believe me not many people in the U.S. during the late 20th century had a good idea of how much land they owned or their true property borders. Property marked by where a tree stood, a stone wall turned, or a post once was isn't the best way to keep track of things. Surveying a neighborhood can reveal a host of property transgressions and i can imagine if all those neighbors had a society that supported force of arms as a legitimate part of private dispute (at least some of the time) would be a jumping place.<br /><br />A problem with a relation map is it's going to look different depending on the viewpoint it's drafted from. Relations between people and political factions seldom reflect an accurate representation of how parties truly feel about each other. A ref can get a lot of use out of one but to be really useful drafting one for how each major faction actually believes the relationship landscape functions would be of merit.JDJarvishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07691101939920824546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post-25851573237301375542012-02-07T01:20:55.748-05:002012-02-07T01:20:55.748-05:00A game-world defined at least as much by its relat...A game-world defined at least as much by its relationship map as its physical one pretty much describes how I run <a href="http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/le-ballet-de-l-acier" rel="nofollow">my <i>Flashing Blades</i> campaign</a>. I've used the analogy that the various npcs are like the rooms of a dungeon, and the web of connections between them are the corridors. Some rooms contain hazards, some contain treasure; some of those corridors are secret.<br /><br />What's interesting to me is the way the involvement of the player characters adds to and changes that map, as they form new connections between previously unconnected spaces.Black Vulmeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com