Dungeon Dilettante
Posts: 1
Joined: Tuesday, 27th August 2013, 22:04
Mountain Dwarfs - Revisited
Reasoning: Stone Soup is a game largely based on Randomness, Tactical Combat, and Strategic Dungeoneering, amidst all of this it is easy to forget that at it's roots, it is a Role Playing Game, in which the player assumes the role of a character and leads them through an adventure while guiding their development. In the Philosophy Section of the Manual itself there is reference to an emphasis on design decisions which allow a player to develop a familiar rapport with their character, and the fact of the matter is that many players *like* playing dwarves, not the Deep Dwarves, with all their eccentricity, but the image of dwarves we have come to appreciate from Fantasy Staples like Tolkien and RPG staples like D&D, that of short, stout, broad-shouldered bearded men waddling through combat in full plate-mail with an axe in hand, and possibly an ale in the other. If playing a "Mountain Dwarf", the stereotypical, puckish dwarf we know and love, allows players to enjoy the game more, then I see no reason they should be designed that character decision. Secondarily, it is the case that Stone Soup is a *game*, and as those of us who play games know (at least, this is my stance) the point is to have *fun*, many players enjoyed playing Mountain Dwarves, they thought they were fun, therefore, having Mountain Dwarves in the game made it more fun for some players; removing Mountain Dwarves from the game had no impact on actual gameplay other than to prevent those who *did* like to play them from playing them, it didn't make the game more fun for anyone else, just less fun for the dwarf-philes. But I'm bordering dangerously on entering into diatribe, and I know the dev's are not impressed by reasoning such as this, so allow me to propose an alternative to the standard issue Tolkien-Dwarf.
The Asgard Dwarf (Dvergar, in their own tongue), or the "Mountain Dwarf", so known for the conclaves they build on high mountaintops:
The Dvergar is similar in appearance to a short, stout man, with broad shoulders, square features, thick limbs, and long beards of mostly dark-colored hair. They have strong melee proficiencies (especially with Axes and Hammers), prefer to enter battle wearing heavy armors, and are relatively skilled with destructive Conjurations, and Air magic, owing to the proximity of their cities to the clouds. They are also well known for their proficiencies, and strong Evocation abilites, however, they make otherwise poor spellcasters. They do not sneak or stab well and, due to their hatred for the gods, eschew invocations to the point of almost complete exclusion. The Dvergars' loathing of the gods stems from an ancient conflict in which the most powerful Dvergar city states banded together and fought a war against the gods, they lost, their own dwarven deity was slain, and most of their cities were dashed from the mountaintops into complete oblivion.
Ideas to give the Dvergar distinguishing racial characteristics beyond simple proficiencies:
-Minor Poison/Lightning resistances
-Minor Penalty to AUT to move
-Level-Based Buffs for being Atheist:
-3/7/13'th-style-progression,
-Magic Resistance Buffs which increase slightly per level,
-Abjuration as an Ability,
-Bonuses to Damage versus "Outsiders" - Demons/Angels/Undead
-Deep-Dwarf style Item Recharging?
-Smithing - able to sacrifice items Nemelex-style to build up points to "craft" an item once a level/every couple of levels, as a scroll of Acquirment (available item categories would be limited, possibly based on the items sacrificed); results would be dependent on character level, and possibly the relevant item skill. (This is just a crazy idea)
Things the Dvergar/Asgard-/Mountain-Dwarf could fix that got the MD removed from the game in the first place:
-The Mountain Dwarf was a generic Fantasy Standby, based mostly on Tolkien and derivative works, the Dvergar goes further back, hopping over Tolkien and drawing from old Nordic roots, which gives it a mythological basis similar the Minotaur (based on Greek myth), as well as being distinctive in it's own right.
-Distinctive Character Option - The Demigod already does the Atheist thing, and can do virtually anything in the game with great proficiencies/stats, a Dvergar would provide the *option* to be Atheistic, and provide some positive feedback for that decision, but would fit into one or a few gameplay niches rather than being unilaterally competent.
-As a fighty-style race, the Dvergar would still be similar to the Minotaur, Hill Orc, or honestly any other race that does Punchy combat well, it's hard to make large distinctions in this area in respects that don't involve specific weapon proficiencies, but a race with a particular penchant for Axes (with 0.12.0's changes making Axes more distinctive weapons in general, this would be especially appealing) and to a lesser extent, blunt weapons, but low aptitudes in blades, and even penalties in Polearms (it's really hard for short dudes to wield pole-weapons) and bows, would be a suitably distinct sort of fighter from the Minotaur, who is essentially competent across the board, but not exceptional in any one respect (with mostly +2 proficiencies in all combat skills), while not imbalancing, due to restrictions in playstyle and equipment options. Additionally, proficiency in Conjuration/Air would give them a leg up on the Minotaur, and a focused casting niche to enjoy which is not dissimilar from the one possessed by Hill Orcs, but entirely based in Conjuration/Air, and so distinct enough to provide a reason to play both races (Kenku have a similar combination of the Air/Conuration aptitudes, but are generally competent [if not skilled] at most forms of spellcasting, which a Dvergar would not be). Lastly, the emphasis on Evocation combined with the penalty to Invocation provide this otherwise poor caster (in most respects) to overcome adversity in some specific situations with proper strategic accumulation and usage of resources, and is, again, distinct from the Hill Orc, who is quite skilled at Invocation, and mildly skilled at Evocation.
Final Words: I am not particularly *good* at Stone Soup, though I enjoy it a great deal, I cannot claim to have ever beaten it, nor do I suspect I shall at any point in the future (though that shall not stop me from playing, a lot), and so a great deal of this game is still a mystery to me. I am also not terribly skilled with the numbers of the game, the equations and many of the specifics of various effects/creatures/features still elude me, however, I do feel I have a solid grasp of the core of the game, and most importantly, I find it very *fun*, I think it would be *more* fun for many a player were there a suitably "Dwarven" race of dwarves (I myself played several Mountain Dwarf Crossbowman which I enjoyed a great deal), and having one in the game does not make it any *less* fun for any player which does not wish to play one (as they can simply refrain from playing them). Any help with this budding idea, constructive criticism, advice, or support is strongly welcomed, so thank you for reading.