Daeglan wrote:Nekira Sudacne wrote:Galroth wrote:Akashic Soldier wrote:Daeglan wrote:No it does not have the best story opportunities. Yes it has story opportunities but whether they are the best ones or not is subjective. And really Killing Tolkeen actually limits a WHOLE bunch of potential good stories. Killing Tolkeen opens one set of stories and kills another set of stories. Leaving the Canon back at 105 leaves both sets of stories as viable. Moving the time line forward makes one set of stories easier and the other set of stories more difficult and more work to run. I would rather Game companies show potential stories. And by showing potential stories i mean showing both sides of a conflict. IE show what would happen if Tolkeen won as well as if Tolkeen lost. That is FAR more useful to a GM as it allows them to more easily pick the option that fits their story. But really game companies should not be picking winners or losers in the game. That is what Novelists do.
*Reevaluates his opinion*
*Flips through two of the SoT books on his desk*
Nope. This war gives me more story hooks; story hooks I can run during the war and story hooks that I can run following the war. Besides, essentially Tolkeen is redundant. Any "Tolkeen" story I can either tell before or during the SoT.
Afterwhich I am left with a lot of potential Tolkeen revenge stories or those involving the refugees impact on Lazlo... or the CS trying to tame the magical city! Heck, on top of that, I can either use the Federation or Magic or Lazlo if I want to run "questionable magic empire" or "peace-loving magic empire" stories.
I do not agree with your assessment of the situation at all.
You don't think there are just as many stories to be told about the CS getting their face smashed in, then picking themselves back up? Or a new tech state with a different out look rising from the ashes?
You could, but those stories wouldn't make any sense with the setting as presented, sinse there's no way a tiny nation like tolkeen could put up the fight it did. honestly, with crap like the TW Iron Juggernauts and all the other gear palladium pulled out of nowhere to give to tolkeen, as well as new spells to make them able to resist artillery/nuclear bombardment, the only reason that tolkeen put up as much fight as it did was writers fiat.
Seriously, to anyone who says the only reason the CS won was because it was protected by Writers Fiat, I challange them to show a way for tolkeen to win without all of the new spells/equipment/TW gear that was printed in the SoT books...that only exist because of writers fiat.
Bear in mind, find a way for them to win when the opening attempt was a nuclear strike.
Without the Swollowing Rift spell, that came into exsitance ONLY to give Tolkeen plot immunity from nuclear strikes, they lose right away.
How Tolkeen could win...
The Vampire Intelligences start pushing the wild vampires north giving the Coalition solid prof of the vampire problem. A big enough push and this becomes a extremely serious problem. Enough of one that the Coalition would start shifting their focus. A strong strike during this shift in stance can have a major effect.
That division that went through Xiticicks territory getting eaten like they would have would also have a big effect.
The Splugorth step up their slaving striking deeper inland hitting a few coalition towns.
The Federation of Magic, Lazlo reinforcing Tolkeen. Most likely The Federation attacking while the Coalition is moving troops to attack Tolkeen. And Lazlo flanking the Coalition. This is one of the problems with the Siege of Tolkeen. Why did none of their allies help?
Thank you for proving my point. The only way for Tolkeen to win is for someone else to win for them, by distracting the CS.
But honestly, it's irrelevent. the power levels of everything is writers fiat.
The CS is as strong/weak as it is because of writers fiat.
Tolkeen is as strong/weak as it is due to writers fiat.
The Federation of Magic is as strong/weak as it is due to writers fiat.
Free Qubec is as strong/weak as it is because of writers fiat.
The Mantisique Imperium is as strong/weak as it is because of writers fiat.
Atlantis is as strong/weak as it is because of writers fiat.
It's all writers fiat.
One winning/losing to another is all writers fiat because kevin alone chooses how strong/weak ANY faction is.
So to say one side has "plot protection" is silly. Unless he wants to claim every nation on earth is exactly equal in power, by that logic, making any faction weaker than another is "plot protection" for the stronger factions. If only he didn't make it so weak, it could beat the others!