is group based voodoo something to explore or not

[Maha]

i ´ve read in the forum about the desire to develop nations, ports and the noble class. we´ve discussed buildings etc. i have been sitting on an idea for a while. it´s not fully developed and maybe never will. but before i put too much time in it, i like to share my thinking. maybe others grab the idea and share the dream to see more group based gameplay. i could suggest individual ideas one at the time, but i think it is better to discuss the overal idea first.

In general, after playing for a few months, I am fairly happy with the voodoo system as it is, I like the cards we currently have and
don't really see the need for additional cards or abilities. But I certainly will add ideas to discussion If I have them.

i also find the voodoo availability pretty good.
until that fabulous addition is proposed and we all go `how could we do without it!´

the kind of voodoo i miss is voodoo that targets groups like guild, ports or nations. (like conspiracy or fertile lands) Voodoo that is not aimed at specific players, fleets or ships, but at nations, ports and guilds. Voodoo that grant these groups trade benefits, attack benefits or defense benefits, just like the individual voodoo. it should not be mere copies of the existing voodoo, that would not add enough value to the game.
voodoo like ´national holiday´or ´strike´ (whatever these cards are supposed to do) should produce something in 1 port to 1 guild or 1 nation.


just brainstorming
say that a x% of a ports income is transferred into voodoo points 1000gc= 1 point. 1000, 3000 and 10,000 points can be transferred into special port voodoo of common, uncommon and rare value. (numbers are more for illustration, no idea how long it takes to get so many points. the idea is that it takes time to get a few of these cards) the governor manages these cards.
these cards could give guild or nations +1 or -1 buy rates for a period of time. or give guilds or nation extra danger upon entering. Or grands other positives or negatives. a rare card could be double danger drop or no danger upon entering. always of course for a specific guild or nation.

once a week, guild masters, and kings get a random port voodoo card. the more members they have the higher the chance to get better cards. (small guild or nation chance ratio common 60%, uncommon 35% and rare 5%) these cards can be traded on the auction, but only by kings, dukes, governors, guild masters and guild members with 99 power.

litting up one guild or nation in one specific port all at once or denying the use call levi or disfavor on a nation or guild in one specific port will change the game.

all very powerful and harmful. but group based voodoo is something i am contemplating.

i put this thread here to see whether others think group based voodoo is something to explore or not.
i hope that you not only use the poll but also add a line or 2 . i think it has potential, maybe i am blind to some obvious downsides. maybe you see possibilities.

[Meliva]

This is definitely something that would make things much more interesting. I think with some work this would be a great addition. i do rather like the idea of more voodoo that affects multiple targets, so long as the voodoo wont be OP or make things unbalanced. Which makes it more important to really discuss the effects of these voodoo.

[Vane]

Based solely on the description above, this is another "suggestion" that remains heavily unbalanced as there becomes no positive for pirates but greatly increases protection for non pirates.

"Not won over at all yet."

If you've thought of a solution to the balancing problem let me know.

[Meliva]

Based solely on the description above, this is another "suggestion" that remains heavily unbalanced as there becomes no positive for pirates but greatly increases protection for non pirates.

"Not won over at all yet."

If you've thought of a solution to the balancing problem let me know.

which is why before adding something like this it will take some serious discussion. I am not won over yet either, but I believe with discussion it can be a great addition. I think the best way to keep it balanced is for there to be a nice mix of group voodoo that would be beneficial for pirates only, some for merchants, and some that can go either way. there will also be the issue of whether it should be like conspiracy and black death and be anonymous, or be able to see who cast. I prefer the latter in most cases, but in some I can see the former would be preferable.

[Haron]

I would consider each separate card suggestion individually. Cards affecting groups can be strong, but doesn't have to be. I suggested one myself, "Pirate's Bay" which was so strong I suggested it as a "Legendary" card.

It's more difficult if it's something cast BY a group. However, a card that would benefit from cooperation can be possible. A simple example would be a card with one limit one how many a player can cast, and another, higher limit on how many can affect a target at a time. So in order to reach the full potential, several players would need to cast the card on the target.

[Maha]

I would consider each separate card suggestion individually. Cards affecting groups can be strong, but doesn't have to be. I suggested one myself, "Pirate's Bay" which was so strong I suggested it as a "Legendary" card.

it goes without saying that each card should be discussed, that´s not the issue.
i am interested whether there is a shared interest to develop group vs group voodoo and thus more group vs group gameplay

It's more difficult if it's something cast BY a group. However, a card that would benefit from cooperation can be possible. A simple example would be a card with one limit one how many a player can cast, and another, higher limit on how many can affect a target at a time. So in order to reach the full potential, several players would need to cast the card on the target.

from what you write i understand a form of ´few players vs 1 player´ voodoo; a form of game play that is already done. i am thinking a whole new level of game play.
in the end it is someone with responsibility (duke, king, guild master) for a larger group that casts the group voodoo. since it is clearly group voodoo the whole group is held responsible.

these cards are managed by, but don´t belong to these players. it should not be that a guild breaks up, forms 14 guilds for a period of time and then reforms the original guild bringing home the group voodoo; that voodoo should stay where it belongs, in the guild of origin or auctioned for group voodoo points which are also non transferable.

[Stan Rogers]

Worth exploring and discussion however, guilds need some sort of management system for GC/credits and of course voodoo if it ever come to fruition.
I am going to cry again that guilds need a form of bank to avoid the inability for guild to work in unison and not be a financial drain on any one player or guild leader. Guild finances could also include voodoo storage/generation as well as GC

[Dejanira]

I like the idea of this new game mechanic.

[Maha]

Worth exploring and discussion however, guilds need some sort of management system for GC/credits and of course voodoo if it ever come to fruition.

i realized this. that´s why i came up with `points´. Not a very original name, but hopefully something that prohibits exploitation by those who have acces to these cards. if these groupcards could be transferred into gc or credits it would become a players tool, not a group asset.

i do see value in some form a guild treasury, please bump that thread so that it does not compete with group based voodoo in the same thread.

[Haron]

Something like this may work for guilds, but the way nations work today, I think it will be very hard to make it work in a meaningful way for nations.