Fantasy Friday: Some Thoughts on Domain Management...

Good Afternoon, All:

For today's Fantasy Friday post, I wanted to take a few minutes to collect some thoughts on domain management. I've recently been reading An Echo Resounding by Sine Nomine Publishing, and that sparked a thought in me to return to the concept of players involved in the original "end game" pursuit of developing lands and acting on a regional scale. I like a lot of the basic approach behind An Echo Resounding. Given that I'm an itinerant rules tinker, and that I'm currently playing Savage Worlds, I can't help but consider how I would approach such an issue. That has sent me in a mad scurry to read other domain management systems, such as Birthright and Kingmaker. Below are some of my initial thoughts:

First, I want a system that's fast and easy to use, particularly for the players. If it's easy for me, too, then that's even better. This pretty much means a system with one action per round (or multiple actions if you are willing to take a penalty to your efforts, in standard Savage Worlds fare.)

Second, I want something that mimics the general way that combat works, or at least how mass combat works, so that it is easy for the players to pick up. The more concept in common with existing rules mechanics, the better.

Third, I want something reasonably generic, so I don't have to generate a list of parts to buy, and add to it every time a player gets a wild idea. If they want a holding or asset that helps with trade, for example, they describe it and then we assign a category (such as Trade) and a rating (such as Medium) to determine how it integrates with the basic framework.

Fourth, I want enough options to provide flavor, but not so many that I drown in them. Too many options leads to Option Paralysis, which stalls the game. That's not good.

Fifth, I want a way that adventuring can integrate into the rules, so that I can replace a specific action with the results of an adventure, if the players decide they want to play something out. Everyone likes to see that their efforts impact the outcome, and that opportunity should be supported by the system I'm creating.

As you can probably guess, I've already got the majority of a system outlined, but not yet formalized. When it is ready, I'll post it here for your thoughts. Still, I thought I'd at least give you some insight into what's recently been bouncing around in my head.

Enjoy Your Weekend,
Flynn