11-07-2013, 10:12 PM
Submitting a Legends setup is a complex task, fraught with strategic implications. Why? Because there are so many layers to this game. As previously stated, there is a duality between "characters" and populations/forces. (The setup itself actually seems to focus solely on characters.) But there are so many things a character can DO. The two main pursuits, it seems, are to "lead" and to "undertake adventures" that further your position. Characters can choose from an array of starting skills toward these ends. The official recommendations suggest that each person specialize in one thing, but that is belied by the fact that you can only spend so many points on any one attribute of a character, AND by the fact that certain combinations of skills work well for certain purposes.
There are mages (with a variety of specialties to choose from), priests from 10 different religions, races, and conventional skills (like "swordmaster" and "merchant".) Then there are personal attributes like strength, personal combat, and "influence". These skills/abilities/attributes are then used to undertake an array of possible missions, and usually multiple missions:
- leading forces
- "lair bashing" to find valuable relics and booty
- scouting/scrying/espionage/covert ops
- trade
- diplomacy and influence
- production, supply, and infrastructure
- magical and priestly research
- "adventures" available for different roles/races/etc
- various intermediate goals, such as winning tourneys for prestige
A new player has a pretty small chance of catching all the possibilities, and so will make choices that are less optimal for getting you through the early game. I am but one lowly baron, but am luckily assigned to an array of teammates who have played before! There are two other barons, an assortment of individuals (who run powerful character teams in lieu of towns), and a duke to lead our faction to victory. They gave me an excellent early-game walkthrough written for new players, and followed up with a detailed critique of my setup.
For every one of the "missions" (my term) I outlined above, there are specific strategies to achieve them, all with multiple dependencies. As a baron, I have 8 characters to start with -- 2 of them moderately capable, and 6 less-so. (Had I played a "citizen", I would start with 2-3 more powerful conan-types.) So it was quite a task to set up a team to flesh out my position and get me up and running quickly.
My main leader is now an Enchanter (type of mage), with the addition of high influence (with which to win over some of the many non-player characters.) I have 2 "generals" whose job will be to lead military troops in battle, and I tried to mix up their skills so they could teach each other on turn one. One is a Warlock (another type of mage, specializing in battle), while the other is a classical knight -- both have Tactics maxed out for leading soldiers. Next I have a Ranger/Summoner as sort of a lead lair-basher. This one will be able to share skills, summon a familiar, help gather raw materials through summoning magic, and form up a Ranger guild -- obviously a key figure in my court. He'll be accompanied by a Wizard/Swordmaster for basic battle. I have an Administrator who will run my home town and help form up defenses. Then there's my thief/spy type, who is of the flight-capable Vultura race (everyone else is a Dark Elf.) He will be both spy and courier. Finally I have a priest/bard, who will run the Deathwalker church in my home town. The Deathwalkers are one of the religions, with specific capabilities for adherents, and churches are a form of guild.
Getting to this point involved extensive reading of the rules and recommendations, and following the extensive advice and example of my teammates. And this is all before the game even starts.
The rules cover in minute detail every aspect of fantasy empire-building/heroic-adventure you can imagine. Production economies, espionage, magery, fortifications, troop training and tactics, religion, factional war, individual glory, team victory, etc. It's all here, and I hope to cover it all in detail as this gamelog progresses.
And I haven't even downloaded the player software tool, yet!
There are mages (with a variety of specialties to choose from), priests from 10 different religions, races, and conventional skills (like "swordmaster" and "merchant".) Then there are personal attributes like strength, personal combat, and "influence". These skills/abilities/attributes are then used to undertake an array of possible missions, and usually multiple missions:
- leading forces
- "lair bashing" to find valuable relics and booty
- scouting/scrying/espionage/covert ops
- trade
- diplomacy and influence
- production, supply, and infrastructure
- magical and priestly research
- "adventures" available for different roles/races/etc
- various intermediate goals, such as winning tourneys for prestige
A new player has a pretty small chance of catching all the possibilities, and so will make choices that are less optimal for getting you through the early game. I am but one lowly baron, but am luckily assigned to an array of teammates who have played before! There are two other barons, an assortment of individuals (who run powerful character teams in lieu of towns), and a duke to lead our faction to victory. They gave me an excellent early-game walkthrough written for new players, and followed up with a detailed critique of my setup.
For every one of the "missions" (my term) I outlined above, there are specific strategies to achieve them, all with multiple dependencies. As a baron, I have 8 characters to start with -- 2 of them moderately capable, and 6 less-so. (Had I played a "citizen", I would start with 2-3 more powerful conan-types.) So it was quite a task to set up a team to flesh out my position and get me up and running quickly.
My main leader is now an Enchanter (type of mage), with the addition of high influence (with which to win over some of the many non-player characters.) I have 2 "generals" whose job will be to lead military troops in battle, and I tried to mix up their skills so they could teach each other on turn one. One is a Warlock (another type of mage, specializing in battle), while the other is a classical knight -- both have Tactics maxed out for leading soldiers. Next I have a Ranger/Summoner as sort of a lead lair-basher. This one will be able to share skills, summon a familiar, help gather raw materials through summoning magic, and form up a Ranger guild -- obviously a key figure in my court. He'll be accompanied by a Wizard/Swordmaster for basic battle. I have an Administrator who will run my home town and help form up defenses. Then there's my thief/spy type, who is of the flight-capable Vultura race (everyone else is a Dark Elf.) He will be both spy and courier. Finally I have a priest/bard, who will run the Deathwalker church in my home town. The Deathwalkers are one of the religions, with specific capabilities for adherents, and churches are a form of guild.
Getting to this point involved extensive reading of the rules and recommendations, and following the extensive advice and example of my teammates. And this is all before the game even starts.
The rules cover in minute detail every aspect of fantasy empire-building/heroic-adventure you can imagine. Production economies, espionage, magery, fortifications, troop training and tactics, religion, factional war, individual glory, team victory, etc. It's all here, and I hope to cover it all in detail as this gamelog progresses.
And I haven't even downloaded the player software tool, yet!