Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 12 Jul 2002 to 13 Jul 2002 (#2002-180) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 14/07/2002, 17:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 4 messages totalling 211 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Mystaran Almanac: AC1018 Events (a short review) (3) 2. Church of Karameikos ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2002 17:54:29 +1000 From: Alfred O'Meagher Subject: Re: Mystaran Almanac: AC1018 Events (a short review) What's NAYCE? It's not out of a TSR product is it? ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2002 20:42:46 +0200 From: Marco Fossati Subject: Church of Karameikos Dear Listmembers, I need to know what is the holy symbol of the Church of Karameikos, if it exists of course... Cheers, Marco Fossati ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2002 17:44:44 EDT From: Alex Benson Subject: Re: Mystaran Almanac: AC1018 Events (a short review) First off, I have only skimmed the Almanac. I have been very busy of late. Second, I was not on the Almanac Staff this year for a variety of reasons. Third, I am responding mainly since some of these topics did originate back when I was with the MA. Some were in fact my ideas. Therefore I can give some input. Fourth, since I have only skimmed please excuse any screw ups on my part. Fifth, I am not even mentioning the "T" word. LOL <> I really haven't read much on this so my input is limited. However, glad to see the Phylactory is still in the MA. I'll have to see if that plot still retains its original properties or if it has altered during my egress. Originally, it was intended as a display of powerful arcane lore. It also had the option of being a link between the MA and the M-Vamp project. Likewise, it was originally mistaken as the object a lich uses. In fact, it is far from that and that is where it's value rests; see Army of Darkness. But I'll let the MA deal with what it ultimately is. <> Terari's return to Nayce was one of my ideas. Originally, he was set as a defacto emperor of Nayce to give the confederacy a central power that all the member kingdoms could respect/fear/take seriously. Terari was used because of his canon presence as a teacher and diplomat, hence his former pupils were now in power. Consequencly, it was also seen as a way to give Tylion a second chance at rule and possibly be tied into his Path for Immortality. I haven't read enough to see if this adheres to this idea. <> You know I am going to address this one on pure principle (lol). I remember the constraints that Nayce was burdened with in skyship submersible development so any Glantri skyship explosion does worry me. Surely Glantri operates under a strained economy. Much of its economic revenue goes to the School (noted in canon sources) and is often criticized by the mundaner populace. Good point about the HK loss of warbirds. The loss of the warbirds was a major point in my own not pitching a complete fit about the constraints on Nayce skyships. <> Floating Alphatia is huge. There is also a rather sizable Nayce region. It is an anarchy of sorts and therefore a bastion of adventure material. I admit that some of the Alpher events dragged. IMO there was alot of text, too much text. That's one of the reasons I skimmed so much. I also got the impression that so much of the events were out of the grasp of the average PCs. Alot of adventure ideas seemed to propose the PCs just tag along and act out the event The Canal Threads utterly lost me. I admit that back when I was with the MA I did not like this idea, seeing no real need for it. Personally I saw it as "modernizing transport" while undermining the magical fantasy aspect of how the Alphers could travel across, above, or below neighboring domains (see DotE). I also did not see the need for it as the continent had plenty of riverways. <> I never wrote any of the Stonewall invasion events. Back then, we were looking for AFC kingdoms to wage war with. These border wars and rivalries were multifaceted. They were to demonstrate Alpher chaos, nationalism over imperialism, and age old rivalries. Plus there was a call from another MA Team for the Alphers to have some domestic troubles.This also extended to Nayce and resulted in the undead problems. Stonewall and its food problem seemed an easily justifiable antagonist. However, I am unsure how Arkan got so defensive and the war lasted this long and has developed as it has. You see, pre-Wrath Arkan was a split kingdom. The commoners lived on the ground while the aristocracy ruled from above. After Wrath, the aristocracy was marrooned topside. IMO the commers in HW would have been very receptive to Stonewall. I envisioned a short war with Stonewall and Arkan settling for an almost fuedal setup where Arkan farms and Stonewall protects. The biggest opposition would come from Stonewall and Arkan's neighbors who resent the arrogance of Stonewall and fear a mundaner power block. Randel and Stonewall have a complimentary military and social mindset. Hence, they are natural allies. Geography seperates any real direct assistance so that was a counter. Further counters were added by Randel being threatened to from its rival Bettellyn and its trying to protect another nieghboring ally in Eadrin. Alot of that was based upon Jeff and mine's Gazs for these kingdoms. Randel is recovering from Wrath. Most of its warmachine is dead or stranded topside. It has a long way to recovering its former self. However, its support is based off of intimidation. It can only fight defensively and offer token forces to allies. Arogansa's invasion was multifaceted. The monarch is given as a militarist, quite odd for the resort kingdom. Likewise, Arogansa was known for its beaches which had vanished after Wrath. The war was an attempt by Arogansa to reclaim its beaches by recreating them at Eadrin's expense. This was what sold the war to the ruling mages. It was also a means for the monarch to make her kingdom a military power. Arogansa's other neighbors have existing rivalries and fortified borders. In my events for last year, these existing rivalries were used. However, they are lacking this year. I would like to add: Torpin: I am a bit bewildered at how the craft was handled. Admitedly, the Torpin was and is my baby. So I am a bit defensive about it. The iceberg thing was a bit weak. I could see such a collision for a surface vessel, but not for a submersible. And the Titanic similarity is just too much. I think such an iceberg encounter was too soon from its launch. Plus, such iceberg flows would have been more northern based. An underwater collision, perhaps with some ruins, would have worked just as well. It would have aslo coincided with the Torpin's mission to explore the sunken continent and its ruins.The Torpin would not have been that far north so soon. I did not see the need for all the crew shake ups following the collision. In truth, alot of that caught me offguard. I actually had to look up the crew roster descripts in the last MA...and I wrote that thing. Power levels: I have noticed that the power of NPCs has seemed to decrease through the past couple of MAs. I think the MA has tried too hard to place events to generate adventures. However, in the process the NPCs come off as being ignorant and weak. And ultimately, the events and plots do not change. Events also drag out. Alot of these plots could be hastened by proper use of power and magic. They are not, instead placed into the PCs' hands and therefore dragged out. Offering adventure ideas is fine and I encourage it. However, I think that some events just need to go on without considering any PC involvement. Such involvement probably was not the intention, but merely an option. However, that is the impression I got. I hope that clears up some things. I appologize if it seems harsh. It wasn't intended to be. I do not want to make this a matter of "this is how I would have done it". It is more of a "this is what was planned" matter. There is a difference in my opinion. I left the MA and my running plots. What was done with them after my departure is out of my hands. I know that plots evolve from initial concepts and introductions. I was very well known for changing things up. That is one of the reasons I make reference to when I was with the MA. I don't know the changes that were discussed after my leaving. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2002 18:09:12 EDT From: Alex Benson Subject: Re: Mystaran Almanac: AC1018 Events (a short review) <> This question comes up every MA release. I am wondering if Herve has a pre-typed response ready to be pasted into a mail to respond. LOL. Actually the name stems from New Alphatian Empire as cited in the PWAs. It became New Alphatian Confederate Empire....N.A.C.E for short. A "Y" was later added to display Alphatian extravagance. Hence N.A.C.E. became Nayce. ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 12 Jul 2002 to 13 Jul 2002 (#2002-180) ****************************************************************