So, for those who don't know (and how could you, since this is the first time I mention it), I play Magic: the Gathering when I'm not playing EL. Recently, M:tG released its Khans of Tarkir block, and more specifically, the Temur Frontier.



Now, the above images got me thinking: what would a logical inclusion to this already great game be? The answer; a faction that actually benefits from the Dark Season/Winters.



So far, I only have a very basic idea of a barbaric faction (though I am open to any idea) that suffer a mild penalty during the summer seasons, and then, when the Dark Season sweeps over Auriga, instead of suffering Winter penalties like all the other in-game factions (loss of unit movement, loss of FIDSI , etc), this Factions becomes buffed by it instead, with increased FIDSI, moves, whatever.



Basically, the idea is that the faction struggles during the early game, until the game reaches the turning point when the Winters become longer than the Summers, with the challenge of the faction during early gameplay being to survive long enough for your biggest strength to come into play. Sort of reminiscent of Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards, if not quite as extreme.



Basically, I'm looking to make a faction that looks at this and goes "You call that cold? Man up already!"



Any further ideas that anyone wishes to contribute to this idea, please fell free to leave a reply



Edit: some flavor text I came up with. Not my best work, but then, I've never been good with prose.



"Winter comes. Words that make the peoples of Auriga huddle together, for fear of the coming darkness. But not us. We are strong! We embrace the Winter! The darkness covers us, the ice protects us, the cutting wind slays our enemies! Make no mistake; the final Winter approaches! And it will sweep the World Clean of the weak and the cowardly, leaving only the strong behind. Leaving us to rule Auriga... unopposed."

MANoob wrote:

• Ice fortresses(age 1) +3 industry on district and +100 fortification on city during winter (improvement)
  
  

Racial traits:

• Children of frost - Immune to winter economy penalties
• Enemies of light - -20% attack and defense in summer unless defending a city
• Vanguards of darkness - +20% attack and defense during winter
  
  

These aside, which I think fits in rather well with the Winter faction theme, this second faction seems a little too similar to the Ardent Mages. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I still think that the first faction you posted works better.

myrec wrote:
Kidding, right ? Cause We already have mages. We don't need any more mage spell slinging faction. They are like "dark mages" so arden, but darker...



Ok, no after calm down. Spells cast with science is great. So they will be underdeveloped in science, but they will have more food and dust in winter. And they can get bigger science bonuses in winter, so if they choose to not get food and dust, they will get more science. Good. That absolute Winter Immunity will make them target for fast kill. Even bigger target than Cultists.



Some good ideas. Have to build more on it. That +science on that hero is better than cultists science hero. That's too OP.

Well, the idea was actually to thematically oppose two other existing factions: Wild Walkers and Ardent mages (Wild walker being a summer & growth faction and Ardent Mages being a fire mage faction opposed by the Winterspawn's decay and ice). Winter economy immunity is imo not that strong actually since it can be replaced by just having high level governors with corresponding trait. Winter movement penalty immunity is more potent. In terms of hero - maybe the last perk is too good at early levels. At high levels (say level 20, which is quite hard to reach) its +300 science max, so not that OP. Anyway, I've put that faction up really fast while having only a basic idea, so the numbers are pretty much pulled out of thin air. I wanted smth other than +15/30/45% science though since 2 heroes already have that. Suggestions are welcome.

Buzzkillington1990 wrote:
These aside, which I think fits in rather well with the Winter faction theme, this second faction seems a little too similar to the Ardent Mages. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I still think that the first faction you posted works better.

Imo you've made a focus on the wrong traits, maybe because the faction doesn't work like I intended it to, feedback is welcome.



My main gameplay idea for the faction was the following:

• Can not expand and plays defensively during summer (Frostborn and Enemies of Light)
• Can predict winters exactly to plan its winter campaigns (Advanced Forecast)
• Can shorten the summer (which helps them and hinders most other races) (Stormsong)
• Focuses on science production and can use extra on spells. As you can see most of the spells focus on hindering other empires rather than buffing yourself, which I think none of the other empires currently does.
  
  

Most of the summer time should be spent teching and defending, while winter focuses on aggressive play backed up by magic.



In terms of similarity to Ardent Mages: Does the ability to cast spells make you think so? I think magic is fun because it offers much better variety than some passive boosts. I've tried to make it both mechanically and thematically different from the mages (Spells debuff enemy empires rather than buffing yours, mostly ice themed spells). Maybe combat spells can be cast by introducing some "prisoner" mechanic which means that you gain prisoner points by defeating enemies in combat and can later "sacrifice" them to use combat spells. This would make it even darker and even more different from mages spellcasting. Being able to use it only in winter seems restricting enough to me though.



Anyway, I will post one last faction idea for completeness.

MANoob wrote:
Well, the idea was actually to thematically oppose two other existing factions: Wild Walkers and Ardent mages (Wild walker being a summer & growth faction and Ardent Mages being a fire mage faction opposed by the Winterspawn's decay and ice). Winter economy immunity is imo not that strong actually since it can be replaced by just having high level governors with corresponding trait. Winter movement penalty immunity is more potent. In terms of hero - maybe the last perk is too good at early levels. At high levels (say level 20, which is quite hard to reach) its +300 science max, so not that OP. Anyway, I've put that faction up really fast while having only a basic idea, so the numbers are pretty much pulled out of thin air. I wanted smth other than +15/30/45% science though since 2 heroes already have that. Suggestions are welcome.







Imo you've made a focus on the wrong traits, maybe because the faction doesn't work like I intended it to, feedback is welcome.



My main gameplay idea for the faction was the following:

• Can not expand and plays defensively during summer (Frostborn and Enemies of Light)
• Can predict winters exactly to plan its winter campaigns (Advanced Forecast)
• Can shorten the summer (which helps them and hinders most other races) (Stormsong)
• Focuses on science production and can use extra on spells. As you can see most of the spells focus on hindering other empires rather than buffing yourself, which I think none of the other empires currently does.
  
  

Most of the summer time should be spent teching and defending, while winter focuses on aggressive play backed up by magic.



In terms of similarity to Ardent Mages: Does the ability to cast spells make you think so? I think magic is fun because it offers much better variety than some passive boosts. I've tried to make it both mechanically and thematically different from the mages (Spells debuff enemy empires rather than buffing yours, mostly ice themed spells). Maybe combat spells can be cast by introducing some "prisoner" mechanic which means that you gain prisoner points by defeating enemies in combat and can later "sacrifice" them to use combat spells. This would make it even darker and even more different from mages spellcasting. Being able to use it only in winter seems restricting enough to me though.



Anyway, I will post one last faction idea for completeness.

Looking forward to it



As for this faction, I think I might be a bit enamored with the "barbarian survivalist" schtick that I originally envisioned, and the Science focus of the Unseelie kind of clashed with that in my mind. Still, there's some really solid ideas to be found here

The last faction I wanted to post is a bit more humorous an can be considered a hybrid of EL Silics and Terry Pratchett's trolls.



Basic idea is that their silicon brains work badly at high temperatures but very well at low temperatures. Would be fun if racial quests where branched, this would allow them to decide whether it is better to be dumb or smart at some point . I will not consider branching and will go with the smart option though.



The Awakened (basically a subgroup of Silics that developed a stronger consciousness. Alternative version would be some mechanical creatures left by the endless that can reproduce)



//Will write some background here when in the mood and when the overall outlook is decided



Affinity: Living rocks. Base food production from terrain is equalized with industry production regardless of original value. +6 food on strategic resource tiles. No industry and food penalties during winter. (food & industry techs stay the same however).



Racial tech:

• Growing crystals(age 1) - +10 fortification point loss recovery and +6 industry (improvement)
• Metallized districts(age 1, improvement technologies at ages 3 and 4) - Can build "special" districts using strategic resources. Districts can be later rebuilt in a different type if needed.
• Stonesingers(age 4) - +0.1 strategic resource from district made of this resource
  
  

Racial quest tech:

• Combat synchronization - both adjacent units and units at range 2 are considered for morale calculation. Works only in winter.
• Collective consciousness - +1% science on city per citizen. Works only in winter.
• Global brain - +200% science on trade routes between your cities. Works only in winter. (final tech)
  
  

Racial traits:

• Semiconductor brains - -2 science on worker and -1 on terrain during summer but +4/+2 during winter.
• Tectonic scan - see all strategic resource deposits at the start of the game
• Awakening - gain a free tech at the start of each dark season
• Alchemist's furnace
• Mill Foundry
• Titanium legacy
• Glasssteel legacy
  
  

Units:

• Prism guard(ranged, attacks with beams) - average hp, high damage, range 3, average ini, average attack/defense. Abilities: Reflection - Can use units with "Reflector" ability to extend its range. (When having a unit with reflector ability in 3 tile range a prism guard can attack anyone in a 3 tile range of that unit)
• Juggernaut(infantry) - high hp, high damage, low ini, high attack, average defense. Abilities: slow 1, Reflector, Beam
• Elder(support) - high hp, average damage, low ini, low attack, high defense. Abilities: slow 1, Reflector, Energize (buff, +2 speed and heal equal to damage), Earthquake (20% chance to stun all surrounding enemies when attacking)
  
  

No good idea for a hero atm.



Special districts cost extra 15 titanium/glasssteel/adamantium/palladium/mithrite/hyperium respectively but significally less industry and provide an extra flat bonus to science/dust/food/industry/approval/influence on district in winter.

Buzzkillington1990, you mentioned Khans block, but I'd look at Innistrad here.



Werewolves. Play up transformation and duality, rhythm, shepherd/flock and wolf/pack imagery, etc. Some of these mechanics have been mentioned already, but I'll tie them to themes.



Affinity - Units transform, functionally and visually, during winter. Human version would be slower, more defensive, get "prey" penalties from being surrounded, etc. Wolf version would be faster, better attack or damage, get "predator" bonuses like more morale from adjacent friendly units, multiple attacks, life steal, better vision, etc.



Other Traits or Techs

Sacrificial lamb - Can shorten summer or extend winter by sacrificing 1 pop.

Remorseful - When it's summer, a temporary penalty for winning a battle outside their territory. Happiness, FIDSI, whatever.

Generic things that make winter less painful.



Hero Mayor or religious figure. Support. Governor bonuses during summer, General bonuses during winter.



Units No cavalry, to emphasize the speed difference between summer and winter.

Citizen - Starting unit, infantry. Even jankier than Drakkenlings while it's summer, berserker in winter.

Shepherd - Support. Buffs in summer, debuffs in winter.

Huntsman - Ranged. During summer, 3 range. During winter, 2 range with a snare/slow/stun.

MANoob wrote:
*snip*

This actually seems like a really funny idea, and Terry Pratchett makes almost Everything better

MANoob wrote:
Special districts cost extra 15 titanium/glasssteel/adamantium/palladium/mithrite/hyperium respectively but significally less industry and provide an extra flat bonus to science/dust/food/industry/approval/influence on district in winter.

... not sure how crippling this ability would be. If you're really unlucky and start the game in a region with no Titanium or Glassteel, you'll have to wait until Era 2 before you can build any districts. Ouch.

TheWhetherMan wrote:
Buzzkillington1990, you mentioned Khans block, but I'd look at Innistrad here.



Werewolves. Play up transformation and duality, rhythm, shepherd/flock and wolf/pack imagery, etc. Some of these mechanics have been mentioned already, but I'll tie them to themes.



Affinity - Units transform, functionally and visually, during winter. Human version would be slower, more defensive, get "prey" penalties from being surrounded, etc. Wolf version would be faster, better attack or damage, get "predator" bonuses like more morale from adjacent friendly units, multiple attacks, life steal, better vision, etc.



Other Traits or Techs

Sacrificial lamb - Can shorten summer or extend winter by sacrificing 1 pop.

Remorseful - When it's summer, a temporary penalty for winning a battle outside their territory. Happiness, FIDSI, whatever.

Generic things that make winter less painful.



Hero Mayor or religious figure. Support. Governor bonuses during summer, General bonuses during winter.



Units No cavalry, to emphasize the speed difference between summer and winter.

Citizen - Starting unit, infantry. Even jankier than Drakkenlings while it's summer, berserker in winter.

Shepherd - Support. Buffs in summer, debuffs in winter.

Huntsman - Ranged. During summer, 3 range. During winter, 2 range with a snare/slow/stun.

Again, seems like a very fun idea, although I'm unsure of how we'd implement the transformation thing into the game. And I'm not entirely sure about the "Gothic Horror" vibe that Innistrad implies, since that's a niche is already kind of filled by the Broken Lords, and the Geldirus/Ice Wargs and Jotus are already doing the wolf thing.



Still, if we can come up with a more original take on them than just werewolves (and suggesting that they walk around shirtless and modeled after teen heartthrobs will earn you a flogging ), then I can totally see this as a faction.

As for the idea about using strategic resources to make Burroughs cost less industry, how about you get a guaranteed deposit in your starting territory? Or maybe you can substitute a large amount of production for each lacking strategic resource? And as for making this creature stand out more, how about Ice Elemental type creatures? They could look a bit like the harmony but with ice instead of crystals.

Buzzkillington1990 wrote:


... not sure how crippling this ability would be. If you're really unlucky and start the game in a region with no Titanium or Glassteel, you'll have to wait until Era 2 before you can build any districts. Ouch.

The idea was that you can still build normal districts, special ones are just built faster and give additional bonuses to certain FIDSI or approval. This way you can customize what your city produces more. Also districts can be rebuilt into a different type if needed (for a cost of course). Visually I imagined that as districts composed of differently colored crystal buildings (color corresponds to the material).

Adventurer_Blitz wrote:
As for the idea about using strategic resources to make Burroughs cost less industry, how about you get a guaranteed deposit in your starting territory? Or maybe you can substitute a large amount of production for each lacking strategic resource? And as for making this creature stand out more, how about Ice Elemental type creatures? They could look a bit like the harmony but with ice instead of crystals.

The first part I answered above (at least that is my original vision). About Ice Elementals - the main idea of the race is that conductivity of their brain affects their thinking and thus temperature affects it as well (just like overheating affects computer performance). So I'm not sure how well Ice elementals would work here since their brains are maid of... ice ? In general though Ice elemental faction sounds like another possible idea for a winter faction.

TheWhetherMan wrote:
Buzzkillington1990, you mentioned Khans block, but I'd look at Innistrad here.



Werewolves. Play up transformation and duality, rhythm, shepherd/flock and wolf/pack imagery, etc. Some of these mechanics have been mentioned already, but I'll tie them to themes.



Affinity - Units transform, functionally and visually, during winter. Human version would be slower, more defensive, get "prey" penalties from being surrounded, etc. Wolf version would be faster, better attack or damage, get "predator" bonuses like more morale from adjacent friendly units, multiple attacks, life steal, better vision, etc.



Other Traits or Techs

Sacrificial lamb - Can shorten summer or extend winter by sacrificing 1 pop.

Remorseful - When it's summer, a temporary penalty for winning a battle outside their territory. Happiness, FIDSI, whatever.

Generic things that make winter less painful.



Hero Mayor or religious figure. Support. Governor bonuses during summer, General bonuses during winter.



Units No cavalry, to emphasize the speed difference between summer and winter.

Citizen - Starting unit, infantry. Even jankier than Drakkenlings while it's summer, berserker in winter.

Shepherd - Support. Buffs in summer, debuffs in winter.

Huntsman - Ranged. During summer, 3 range. During winter, 2 range with a snare/slow/stun.

Sounds like a fun idea, I think it can be made more extreme however. Along the lines of a "split personality" race where you get completely different bonuses during summer and winter.

For example, a food production bonus in summer and a food production malus in winter, but food bonus for killing armies an killing cities (hunting) as werevolves don't seem to be the best farmers. (And maybe several more traits like that along the line)

Buzzkillington1990 wrote:
Again, seems like a very fun idea, although I'm unsure of how we'd implement the transformation thing into the game. And I'm not entirely sure about the "Gothic Horror" vibe that Innistrad implies, since that's a niche is already kind of filled by the Broken Lords, and the Geldirus/Ice Wargs and Jotus are already doing the wolf thing.



Still, if we can come up with a more original take on them than just werewolves (and suggesting that they walk around shirtless and modeled after teen heartthrobs will earn you a flogging ), then I can totally see this as a faction.

What aren't you sure about? They'd change with the seasons. The Broken Lords have an almost Persian (?) look and the Vaulters have a metallic, semi-futuristic look. There's plenty of room for a pastoral empire of stone, wood and wool, with a European flavour.



Also, why avoid werewolves when they're perfect for an affinity tied to winter? Junk pop culture? Who cares? Sometimes the obvious answer is the best answer. Amplitude is good at putting small twists on familiar tropes, that's all they'd need to do.

MANoob wrote:
Sounds like a fun idea, I think it can be made more extreme however. Along the lines of a "split personality" race where you get completely different bonuses during summer and winter.

For example, a food production bonus in summer and a food production malus in winter, but food bonus for killing armies an killing cities (hunting) as werevolves don't seem to be the best farmers. (And maybe several more traits like that along the line)

You could make it more extreme than what I typed out, sure. There's already a food penalty in winter and buildings that boost food in summer. The Necrophages already get food stockpiles from killing units, the Cultists already get industry and science stockpiles from razing cities.



You'd make a werewolf empire distinct by playing up its dual nature. In summer, the sheep graze. In winter, the wolves hunt. I've done that without stepping on too many toes, although I'm sure it could be expanded and improved.

Why would you choose werewolves when you can choose mythological creatures typically associated with winter? How about Yetis, or Jotun, or maybe just perhaps werebears? Werewolves are partially human by definition, (and the Ettin look like a typical werewolf already) Why would you want to choose something boring, when there are so many other creatures out there that would be more unique and interesting than the typical fantasy stereotypes.

Because there are two seasons in Endless Legend and werewolves transform between two forms. Werebears also have two forms, but the sheep/wolf imagery is more resonant. I don't think werewolves are boring. I don't believe unique necessarily means good. Looks like we disagree on that.