Maelstrom Rules - Downtime: Planned Updates

Planned Improvements
This is a short summary of updates that we are planning to make to the downtime system as part of a program of continuous improvement. They are listed here so that players can have some warning of what changes we intend to make and to allow for discussion of those planned changes where players wish to do so.

It takes a great deal of time to implement changes to the downtime system. The changes described below are changes we feel are needed or important, not changes that are neccessarily imminent. We will implement improvements to the system as and when we can in the order that we feel is most vital at the time. We make no promises of any kind when these changes will be implemented and it is entirely possible that other improvements not listed here may be introduced before these changes.

Retainers leading armies and fleets
At present it is possible for retainers to lead armies and fleets. Leading armies into battle, engaging in acts of piracy and warfare are actions for PCs to lead, not retainers. At some point in the future this ability will be removed.

Ships Simplified
Shipping remains one of the most complicated areas of the game. We are looking at ways to improve the system to give the same options that currently exist but to make them simpler and easier to use. An example of the changes being considered is removing the need for characters to embark or disembark from a ship to use it.

Cooperative Actions Simplified
At the end of every downtime we have to inspect every single cooperative action that has not been accepted or declined and make a decision on the players behalf. This costs valuable time and has a high potential for mistakes. The fact that many actions are not accepted or declined suggests that players find this aspect of the system unintuitive and difficult to use.

We plan to extend the permission system so that actions that currently require another player to agree or decline cannot be submitted unless you have permission to use the building, ship or land. If you do have permission then the action will be automatically "accepted". We hope this improvement will also make the system easier to use for people submitting their downtimes.

Armies and Fleets
The current options for issuing orders to armies and fleets are highly limited. This leads to potential problems where we are unsure who players genuinely wish to attack or defend against. We are looking to develop this system to allow players to submit much more carefully which forces they would like to attack and which forces they would like to defend against. We are also keen to introduce the ability to raze settlements, enslave populations and capture ships in naval actions. Currently these things are handled by email to PD where they are possible.

And so it began......

Dawn breaks, war looms, the evil Lord is gathering his armies to wage a campaign of destruction upon the free peoples of the world. It is up to I, Sir Maximilan Pegasus to stop him, with my trusted band of adventurers we must gather the enchanted sword of Tek, the Shield of Way-Lem and the amulet of Subsidence and together we shall slay this abomination! “TIME FREEZE” And bam, the fantasy world fades away, the enchanted sword of Tek in my hand is a rubber sword smothered in coloured ribbons with a laminated card cable tied to the hilt, I look down and I’m wearing plastic armour and unflattering heropants, and the magical world of my imagination washes away to reveal a field in Wigan, but you know what? It’s larp and I’m a larper, it’s what I do.
I started larping when I was 17, I’d never role-played before, I’d never played D&D or Warhammer, never played WoW or any form of online game, I’d never even read Lord of the Rings, I feel somewhat privileged that I hadn’t done any of those things, I think it gave me an untainted attitude towards what larp could be, I had no preconceptions about saving the maiden fair, slaying the dragon or smiting the liche, to me it was just a new thing to try.
It was cold, really cold, 10am on a September morning, the rain was battering down and I’d been given a faux fur tunic, a mouldy old sword and been pointed towards a man and told, “You’re monstering, there’s the ref he’ll tell you what to do.” I obeyed, I played wave after wave of zombies, orcs and various line monsters and to be honest, was cold, bored and hungry. That is, until lunchtime, the teams switched sides, I got into the kit I’d scrounged up, as with most first timers, a black trenchcoat. I took the mouldy old sword, stood with my fellow adventurers and it hit me, I’m a god damn hero!
Pow, there it was, a new larper was born.