Decent Plot Hook

Author	Topic: Decent Plot Hook
Guardian of Eternity Warrior Member # 1250	written Monday, August 2 2004 17:06 Profile #0 Unlike my last few posts, this one is more storyline/scenario stuff than code. In the Avernum storyline of which I know, Valorim was the last "uncivilized" continent, and it has been "tamed" by now. Plus, A3 was set there, so I can't really put my scenario there. I want to set my scenario in a desert which is being colonized. I want your ideas about a) why the Empire *wouldn't* colonize this desert area, and b) why they would *start* to colonize this desert. I can think this stuff up for myself, (in fact I have some ideas already) but I thought I could poll some people, too. So... have at it, already. Posts: 93 | Registered: Saturday, June 1 2002 07:00
Kelandon Off With Their Heads Member # 4045	written Monday, August 2 2004 17:13 Profile Homepage #1 You could do something based off the Arabian desert, basically that they couldn't colonize this area before because it was impassable to anyone but natives, but now they've enlisted the help of the natives somehow. Deserts (depending on location) can be incredibly harsh environments. Water is hard to find, and unless you know exactly where to look, you can die within a couple of days. That's why locals have a huge advantage over explorers: they know where the oasises... oases... whatever... are. Towns would, of course, be built near the larger oases. It'd be pretty neat to do some things to indicate this water shortage somehow, like requiring the party to carry a custom item (water flasks or something) in the outdoors and reducing it by a certain amount every x number of turns to simulate drinking. -------------------- Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens. Smoo: Get ready to face the walls! Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr. Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Garrison Agent Member # 2820	written Monday, August 2 2004 17:18 Profile #2 The belief that every continent has been completely taken over by the Empire and civilized is just a gimic. General things a monarch would want you to believe, but make no mistake, the Empire is supreme in the other continents. Valorim is a huge place and there should definitely be room to place a storyline in there before everything gets controlled by Empirelings and Avernites. If you want a simple workaround, think of it this way: an island doesn't have to be part of a continent, and continents must be discovered before pedants can declare it one. The Empire probably doesn't want desert territory anyway. Too dry, horses don't survive too well, extreme difficulty in paving roads, dervishes are discontented there, seemed like a wasteland, and perhaps the desert in question lacks things like man-eating cacti and will be too boring to even conduct magical research there. But, again, just because they haven't found a man-eating cacti doesn't mean you can't have one! In leau of what I said, magical research is possibly the most likely, though most unoriginal, plot there is. Similar to this would be experimenting far away from most people to maintain secrecy and to protect more valuable assets. Maybe the settlers took the desert over and the Empire can't stand not having its foot in every little cubbyhole. You should accentuate the lack of water and the need for it in the scenario. Whether it would be more interesting to be on the Empire's side in this situation you will have to decide for yourself. EDIT: Misspelled 'gimmick'. How about that. EDIT: Uh, the water idea is probably exactly what Kel is talking about. [ Monday, August 02, 2004 17:22: Message edited by: Keep ] -------------------- Thuryl: I mean, most of us don't go around consuming our own bodily fluids, no matter how delicious they are. ==== Alorael: War and violence would end if we all had each other's babies! ==== Drakefyre: Those are hideous mangos. Posts: 1415 | Registered: Thursday, March 27 2003 08:00
The Creator BoE Posse Member # 112	written Monday, August 2 2004 17:48 Profile #3 Why not go? It's desert. Why go now? They've found gold. Or there's a war, and this bit of desert has strategic signifigance. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00
The Fish-Throwing Sadist Apprentice Member # 4809	written Tuesday, August 3 2004 05:36 Profile #4 a) Deserts generally aren't the most hospitable places to live. They probably didn't think it was really worth the bother of colonising. b) Obviously, something has now caused them to change their minds. It could be that someone has discovered a valuable resource hidden in the desert (i.e. gold) or something that would be of interest to the mages (strange magical creatures, ruins of ancient civilisations, etc.). Maybe the Empire just really can't stand the fact that there's still a piece of land which isn't theirs. :P There's no shortage of reasons you could use, so it's basically a matter of choice. As for where to put your desert, well I guess there's still plenty of space left in Valorim (the Empire perhaps aren't quite as all-powerful as they like people to think they are). You could probably also get away with sticking a desert in the middle of Vahntanas (sp?) since the middle of the continent is pretty much a wilderness and only the coasts are inhabited by the Empire. (Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.) Failing that, you could always come up with a random desert island. I like the idea of the desert setting because there's a lot of interesting features you could fit into it, such as the water flask idea that Kelandon came up with. If you're looking for any further ideas then here's a few: mirages, sandstorms, hidden tombs, giant sandworms (think Shai' Halud (sp?) from Dune) and scorpions and other nasty beasties, tribes of wandering nomads, etc. Hopefully my inane ramblings might be of some help to you. :) -------------------- Watch this space. Posts: 4 | Registered: Monday, August 2 2004 07:00
Guardian of Eternity Warrior Member # 1250	written Tuesday, August 3 2004 08:51 Profile #5 All right... looks like some of the big-hitters of this forum category have chimed in... which, by the way, I appreciate. You guys seem like real pros, and I'm probably going to need plenty more help once I really fire up with making my scenario. Now, to wrap up all the replies I've gotten, so far... I'll end up setting this on a "conquered" continent, pretty much postulating that the Empire passed over this region for some as yet (for me) undiscovered reason. I had not thought of the "natives" idea... that's not a bad one, not at all. I may have to steal it. I did some thinking of my own about this, and I came up with the "gold rush" kind of idea, myself. I have a really wacky idea... I'm not sure if I want to post it, here. You guys have mentioned magical research... but what if said magical research was on such a large *scale* that it changed the desert in some way. Not really "Geneforge 2" of terraforming, but just lowering the temperature... Icy dungeons in a desert just sound intriguing to me. Anyhow... In general, the "gold rush" thing does jive with my current subtheme of my prospective scenario... Wild West, sort of. If you think about it, plenty of the traditional Avernum stuff fits just fine. Horses, rats, wolves, rope (item), hitching posts and wooden walls (terrain)... the list goes on. [ Tuesday, August 03, 2004 08:53: Message edited by: Guardian of Eternity ] Posts: 93 | Registered: Saturday, June 1 2002 07:00
wz. As Infiltrator Member # 3040	written Tuesday, August 3 2004 09:11 Profile #6 You could also take advantage of the day/night cycle in that deserts are freezing cold at night. I'm pretty sure Drakefyre has described somewhere how to utilize the ticks for that, and you could have a whole system set up of different wandering monsters at day and night, different kinds of restrictions on your party, and a whole slew of interesting challenges. -------------------- 5.0.1.0.0.0.0.1.0... Posts: 508 | Registered: Thursday, May 29 2003 07:00
Kelandon Off With Their Heads Member # 4045	written Tuesday, August 3 2004 10:23 Profile Homepage #7 Another thing to keep in mind is that a desert is, strictly speaking, just a place with very little rainfall. Los Angeles is built in a desert. Aqueduct technology made this possible (and desalinization plants, once technology gets developed enough), so you may wish to think carefully about how much technology and water control the civilization in your scenario will have. As a more extreme example, Riyadh (in Saudi Arabia) is built in one of the least hospitable deserts on Earth. There happens to be an oasis there, but no outsiders could get there except for Arab nomads who spent all their lives in the desert, at least until planes in the early twentieth century. Actually, all around the Middle East, the land is pretty inhospitable except near the major rivers, where farmland is actually quite good (hence Mesopotamia). Rivers and oases in a desert are incredibly significant geographical features. Additionally, related to your "ice dungeons in a desert" idea, Antarctica is technically a frozen desert. There is very little rainfall (or snowfall, for that matter), but there is also very little heat, which results in the place being permanently encased in ice and snow. Depending on latitude, you may have much the same thing in some areas. And, of course, high elevations are often snowy regardless of rainfall. -------------------- Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens. Smoo: Get ready to face the walls! Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr. Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
I'll Steal Your Toast Agent Member # 2210	written Wednesday, August 4 2004 07:33 Profile #8 If the continent is conquered most of the non-humans, rebels, and outlaws would have been driven into the deserts and inhospitable places. Where the empire cannot go they will have to go. This should toughen them up being the survivors of imperial "killing fields". I can imagine a combination of paranoia and heavy armament. Sliths would especially do well in deserts. They are heat resistant and very hardy. I can imagine a kind of desert slith different from the swamp sliths. The surviving non-humans would try very hard to keep the empire out hiding their resources well. In addition there would be the local nomads. The nomads would already have known about the empire from the non-humans creating a strong sense of hostility. There would have to be a very strong reason to go into the deserts for the empire. The resources which stand out in the deserts of Africa-- gold and diamonds, Australia-- opals, Arabia-- oil possibly for Greek fire, dry land plants-- myrrh, cinnamon, spices and potion ingredients. Salt flats near where the desert meets the sea. -------------------- Wasting your time and mine looking for a good laugh. Star Bright, Star Light, Oh I Wish I May, I Wish Might, Wish For One Star Tonight. Posts: 1084 | Registered: Thursday, November 7 2002 08:00
Guardian of Eternity Warrior Member # 1250	written Wednesday, August 4 2004 10:14 Profile #9 See... I had the slith idea, too!! Hah, if only I could figure out a way for some vahnatai to be hiding out there. Maybe some caves would work. Anyhow... since this has turned into a great sounding board for these ideas, and since you mentioned lots of non-humans, I thought about having some of the regular, Empire-imported residents being non-humans, i.e. some kind of work-release (more work and less release) from Empire research centers, et cetera. I'm sure that if the Empire was hard up for regular settlers, and wanted some... beings who would be able to survive well in the deserts, keeping an eye on things... They might send in some non-humans. Is this a good idea, or not? I don't intend for *everybody* to be non-human, but perhaps more of a non-human showing than in typical Empire lands. Posts: 93 | Registered: Saturday, June 1 2002 07:00
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Wednesday, August 4 2004 21:23 Profile Homepage #10 It's not a bad idea. After all, you have to account for the possibility of the player taking in a non-human party. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00