Load Out/ Background

[tbeaz161]

Hello there! I am really enjoying the game and wanted to throw in an idea. I’ve perused the suggestions a bit and haven’t seen this exact Idea, so hopefully I am not repeating anyone!

I think it would be nice to introduce a load out/Background option when making a new game. Like the starting positions in various pioneer games like Dwarf fortress. Here are some random examples, not of loadouts I want in the game necessarily but to demonstrate what I mean.

Rural: You and your companions start out as friends in your local village before starting your mercenary career. Everyone would generally be young and strong with pretty balanced traits but poor equipment and little experience. Neutral with all the other kingdoms. Being former villagers you are quite poor.

Deserter: You start of with pretty balanced troops in this background as well, possibly with slightly more variation. However your equipment would be much better and you would have a bit more experience. On the other hand you start out on the run from whoever you deserted with them being hostile. You would probably have little money in this start.

Battle Brothers!: This is like how the game currently starts off. Your companions are all soldiers who have fought with you until they saved up and started their own company. You would have decent equipment but it would be a little beat up and not quite as good as the pristine equipment the deserters absconded with. These men would be much more experienced, but also older, more haggard, and more prone to traits such as being drunks or gamblers. You would have a bit more money in this start.

The hardcore start: The mandatory hardcore start. You have no money, no experience, your equipment is terrible, and your men not much better.

You get the idea. I think this would give a lot more flavour and personality to your company.

In stead of having a single start you could go with more of a tiered system maybe based on points:

Where did your company begin?
This section could effect your “health stats” like fatigue, hp, resolve, +misc based on specific choice
Sons of lords -10 points – strong with better relations.
Farmers 0 points neutral
Beggers and thieves +5 points – weak and disliked

Experience Level?
This could effect your “army stats” like melee/ranged hit/dodge +misc based on specific choice
Intense training/army service -5 points – Better stats
Rudimentary training 0 points – normal stats
These men can’t even hold a stick! +10 points – detriment to stats

Starting position contract
What your company is doing at the outset
Caravan -10 points – you are about to complete a high paying caravan contract
Army battle -5 points – you are engaged in a contract aiding the army, low danger, and large amount to be gained
Bandit Den 0 points – average rewards, average danger
Orc Assault +5 points – Orcs assaulting a poor village, not much pay, people are going to die
Werewolf ambush +10 points – While traveling you are attacked by creatures of night, you’re probably going to die.

I think you get the idea.

There could be choices for the amount of money you start out with, your equipment level, completely miscellaneous stuff like “you are cursed +5” “your company feels oddly lucky -20” stuff like that. It also doesn’t have to be a series of questions you answer in sequence. It could be a big pool of traits like some RPG character creations, with maybe some parts being mandatory (you must choose some kind of origin and current contract)

Just wanted to highlight what I was talking about with the two choices and give some examples for how you could do it :)

[tbeaz161]

I also do not like the current system of having this faceless,nameless, and personality-less commander as some people have pointed out already. I would like that you could customize one or all of your brothers at the start. Then have them or whoever you selected start out as the commander who represents your party on the world map/quests/events.

Obviously you would not want their death to be game over. Instead you could choose who the successor be, or have them elected from your brothers based on: who’s been around the longest, the brother with most experience, traits, or some combination of all them.

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