More Changes! (AC/Endgame)

[ironwood]

(I am so sorry to keep filling up the OOC comm with these posts, we're trying to roll the changes out as they're coming up.)

ONE. Effective immediately, we are removing the double activity requirement for applying for a 4th character and changing it to "having passed the last two consecutive ACs with your full roster". This does not include passes gotten by hiatus or by new character exemption. The strike policy (one per character every six months) has not changed. If this goes well, we may consider expanding to larger rosters in the future.

EDITED TO ADD: If you are on hiatus but have passed the previous two ACs before the hiatus, you can still apply for a 4th character. For example, if you passed January and February's AC normally and were on hiatus for the month of March, you could still apply for a 4th character in April.

TWO. Later in June, the modteam will be reviewing the proposed endgame that was put into effect last year, to see whether it still fits with the plan of the game -- specifically, we will be looking at removing it if that seems feasible. As such, we'd like to invite all our players to express their opinions on that potential change in this post.

Thank you!

Comments

[peacefullywreathed]

Disclaimer: I've only skimmed most of these comments but I think I've got the gist.

As a new player, I have to admit the current speed and size was one of the draws. The fact that the game was going to be ending soon was the only thing that put me off at all. And endgames are fine! You can't let a plot get stale.

That said, I can't think of any game off the top of my head which has wrapped up the major plot and then continued on in a non slice-of-life basis, and I really like that idea. We have a war; then we'll have the aftermath.

Not gonna lie, the prospect of a satisfying end to the major plot and then the ability to play out the rebuilding of a nation really appeals, especially with how many various factions are now on the turtle. The opportunity should be about following up on the war and how it affected the turtle's cultural and political sphere, and I think a reboot (send PCs home, bring them back) would negate the satisfaction of being able to change the face of the setting.

A lot of games have done reboots. What Tushan has is a perfect set-up for a political/cultural clash of views and motivations in a played-out post-war era, with room for world-exploration. How often does that come around in a game?

[akito]

Pretty much in agreement with you in all aspects!

[wrathfulkhan]

Cannot +1 this hard enough.

[skybluejeep]

This is precisely what I had in mind with my suggestion. :D

[skeletonenigma]

Jumping onto the +1 wagon. o7

[slides in here a month later with starbucks]

[solo_patria]

I really like your points with the idea of playing out the reconstruction of the city. I've played in one other game where there was an end game goal of defeating a giant evil, but the mods and plot also allowed time for rebuilding (the late great White City, which was set during the events of Tolkien's Return of the King). This rebuilding tended to be a really good opportunity to let several characters grow and change, and allowed for those less suited to combat roles (healers, scholars, etc) to really have a say in exploring the world left open to a country after decades at war.

While there was an official game end, it happened after a good amount of time that had been spent actively dedicated to rebuilding, exploration, and the like. Given that we were dealing with a rather limited area in that game (I mean it was Minas Tirith which is a large city but STILL), and still managed to find roles for those who wanted them, and that the Turtle is relatively larger, with many areas left to explore and discover, and many areas that could potentially be dealing with the new effects of Malicant's defeat (have the countries we've met on missions had a different approach to it? What about countries we've not yet uncovered, or whom we have met during landfalls? Presumably Malicant's presence COULD have had an effect on them as well, and presumably they may wish for allies. What happens if one of these areas has a much different approach to all of this? How does this effect business between our traders and some of the cities and sectors in the regions where we travel? Are there more opportunities to bond together with those from other lands, or might they drift apart?) I can see a lot of opportunities to extend the game in this direction, really. I think that eventually this may result in us reaching a natural end game, but that there are plenty of other directions that can be taken and played out before that point in time.

I agree with those who have mentioned that Malicant returning/not being completely defeated would not really work out well. I would consider that kind of a cop out if that makes sense? It reminds me of Disney sequels which attempt to bring back an already defeated villain when there is so much room for other stories to be told. I also think we do need to defeat him as a player base or the entire thing is just a letdown.

But, yes, I really like the idea of getting rid of Malicant for good, and then playing out the reconstruction of the land and society for as long as we might be able to do so.

Granted, I think it only fair to consult our original mods to make certain that they are all right with the game continuing if this was a choice that we made.