I write areas for an online text-base game (mud- multi user dungeon in the medieval period). I have hit a brick wall with an area I am in the beginning stages of. I am quite a poor writer but am trying to improve. Perhaps I can get some help here with the plot and objectives, etc. Basically, the game revolves around you building a character from 7 different classes (mage, thief, warrior, navigator, etc) and each has several subclasses (mage: sorcerer, enchanter, elementalist). You group up with players in these “epic” areas where it takes a group of players to complete a very difficult goal, and you obtain very hard-to-get items.
The new area will be called Carbon Ridge, which is probably a small mining town. The town is located on an inland along the ridge of a mountain. The area is rich with a special type of carbon that can be used to make a powerful weapon. I want to use either an elementalist or troll as the boss. The island is plagued with disasters, mostly weather related, (typhoons, earthquakes, microburst, cyclone, even firestorm) and are all probably caused by the mage or troll. I can use more than one boss (no limit), and one of them could be a mini boss. I want the plot to consist of having to collect certain items to destroy the boss instead of just fighting them. There will probably be three different stages: first and second stage is collecting the items and fighting enemies to gain access to the tower or castle. The third is working your way through the tower/castle and finally destroying the boss. The stages are kind of “bookmarks” where if/when your team dies and has to try again, then can return where you left off like a game save.
There are several caves throughout the mountain your team can enter, and certain objects can worsen or destroy each disaster. One of the tasks of the goal requires the players to work together and build a massive cannon and mortars. They have to collect metals, sulfurs, lumber, and grey dust (similar to black powder). They can build several different types of cannon shot: pyro, acidic, grapeshot, hotshot, plasma and a few others. It requires all 5 players to move the cannon from room to room, but if they players build mortars they can carry them 1 each and move about. The players must use the cannon and/or mortars to siege the castle because of the massive strength of the carbon/diamond walls. Some of the items they will need to collect are elemental items along the way for the different types of shot and then forge them into useable material. Pyrodite → Pyrodium, Petrasite → Petranium, Anemite → Anemodium, Nyromite –> Nyrodium. Then they combine them with other minerals or elements at the forge for fire, earth, air, or water types of cannon/mortar shot. Depending on which destructive force is active will determine which element they need to be using.
If the troll was the boss, I wanted for the troll to start out miniature or just a rock. When the rock or troll comes into contact with carbon and maybe another mineral it is destroyed, then is reborn as a large size with more hit points and takes on the characteristic of what it has ingested. The carbon serves as the growth force. Each time the players destroy the boss it comes back harder and stronger and causes more difficult disasters to overcome.
My biggest issue is the actual plot. I cannot come up with a workable storyline that explains why the boss enemy has taken control of the town/city that is completely unique. I don't want a simple “boss has taken over castle because they want to control the rare object and you have to kill them to save the town folk” type of storyline but it might end up going that way anyway. I put this idea on the shelf a year ago hoping some time off from it would lead to more ideas but I am stuck in the same spot. How can I tie in the four or five elements (fire, earch, air, water) with the troll boss. The players will end up destroying the boss multiple times, perhaps up to 30 or 50 times depending on what they do. There will be quite a bit of randomness, since players need to complete the area several times. There are 5 different ranks leading to different ranked rewarding pieces of equipment: rank 1 is like 25 runs, rank 2 50, rank 3 70, rank 4 90, rank 5 130+ runs. After 130 runs of the area the player has a “chance” of getting the best pieces of gear in the area but they will have to run it many more times because it is based on dice roll. The randomness will help the players keep from getting completely burned out from playing the same thing over and over.
What else can I do to expand this idea and come up with an interesting story line? The troll needs to have some reason for controlling the ridge or the carbon in the ground. Perhaps it is needed to bring back their race or some reason to make them a 'hero'. The troll would be the villain of the story but seen as a hero in their own eyes. Sorry about the long read and that my sentence structure is so poor.
Thanks for your help,
Trepid
The new area will be called Carbon Ridge, which is probably a small mining town. The town is located on an inland along the ridge of a mountain. The area is rich with a special type of carbon that can be used to make a powerful weapon. I want to use either an elementalist or troll as the boss. The island is plagued with disasters, mostly weather related, (typhoons, earthquakes, microburst, cyclone, even firestorm) and are all probably caused by the mage or troll. I can use more than one boss (no limit), and one of them could be a mini boss. I want the plot to consist of having to collect certain items to destroy the boss instead of just fighting them. There will probably be three different stages: first and second stage is collecting the items and fighting enemies to gain access to the tower or castle. The third is working your way through the tower/castle and finally destroying the boss. The stages are kind of “bookmarks” where if/when your team dies and has to try again, then can return where you left off like a game save.
There are several caves throughout the mountain your team can enter, and certain objects can worsen or destroy each disaster. One of the tasks of the goal requires the players to work together and build a massive cannon and mortars. They have to collect metals, sulfurs, lumber, and grey dust (similar to black powder). They can build several different types of cannon shot: pyro, acidic, grapeshot, hotshot, plasma and a few others. It requires all 5 players to move the cannon from room to room, but if they players build mortars they can carry them 1 each and move about. The players must use the cannon and/or mortars to siege the castle because of the massive strength of the carbon/diamond walls. Some of the items they will need to collect are elemental items along the way for the different types of shot and then forge them into useable material. Pyrodite → Pyrodium, Petrasite → Petranium, Anemite → Anemodium, Nyromite –> Nyrodium. Then they combine them with other minerals or elements at the forge for fire, earth, air, or water types of cannon/mortar shot. Depending on which destructive force is active will determine which element they need to be using.
If the troll was the boss, I wanted for the troll to start out miniature or just a rock. When the rock or troll comes into contact with carbon and maybe another mineral it is destroyed, then is reborn as a large size with more hit points and takes on the characteristic of what it has ingested. The carbon serves as the growth force. Each time the players destroy the boss it comes back harder and stronger and causes more difficult disasters to overcome.
My biggest issue is the actual plot. I cannot come up with a workable storyline that explains why the boss enemy has taken control of the town/city that is completely unique. I don't want a simple “boss has taken over castle because they want to control the rare object and you have to kill them to save the town folk” type of storyline but it might end up going that way anyway. I put this idea on the shelf a year ago hoping some time off from it would lead to more ideas but I am stuck in the same spot. How can I tie in the four or five elements (fire, earch, air, water) with the troll boss. The players will end up destroying the boss multiple times, perhaps up to 30 or 50 times depending on what they do. There will be quite a bit of randomness, since players need to complete the area several times. There are 5 different ranks leading to different ranked rewarding pieces of equipment: rank 1 is like 25 runs, rank 2 50, rank 3 70, rank 4 90, rank 5 130+ runs. After 130 runs of the area the player has a “chance” of getting the best pieces of gear in the area but they will have to run it many more times because it is based on dice roll. The randomness will help the players keep from getting completely burned out from playing the same thing over and over.
What else can I do to expand this idea and come up with an interesting story line? The troll needs to have some reason for controlling the ridge or the carbon in the ground. Perhaps it is needed to bring back their race or some reason to make them a 'hero'. The troll would be the villain of the story but seen as a hero in their own eyes. Sorry about the long read and that my sentence structure is so poor.
Thanks for your help,
Trepid