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Director of First Edition
By MidnightLich (Charlie Plaine)
 - Director of First Edition
 -  
Prophet
#451981
Yarnek just barely won out over Abraham Lincoln in the previous vote, so we're going to be making a giant rock person for our personnel entry! To check out the previous steps and see all the discussion that led us here, you can check out the master article with links to all the previous discussion threads. In the mean time, the community's design marches on.

Image

Yarnek was the Excalbian who set the stage for the Good vs Evil conflict. He offered regular commentary on the "match" as it went, like a silicon-based Jim Ross. He felt his people's staging of the conflict was justified in the name of exploration, just as Kirk and co's five-year mission sought to do.

Before we can start working on Yarnek's skills, attributes, icons, and lore, we need to decide a) if he's going to have a special ability and/or a special download and b) what that ability will be. Game text space is as much as a premium on personnel as it was on missions, so the more space we use on a special ability or special download, the less there will be for regular skills. Of course, the decision to include special abilities - or not - is the next step. In this step, it's up to you to write special game text and submit it for consideration.

Here are a few suggestions:

1) The simpler the better. One-time triggers are easiest; static abilities are second. Special skills that are single use or always on tend to take up fewer words that ones that have complex conditions and triggers. You're almost always better to say "Once per game, do X" instead of "If you do X, then Y, get a cookie."

2) Keep the effect local. Personnel are rarely face up, so you don't want to make too many personnel with effects that span the whole game that are hidden. The scope of your effect should almost always be "present" - you can stretch it to "here" or "at this location" if it's a really flavorful ability.

3) Story mode is key. In First Edition, the special ability of your personnel has to help sell the story of the personnel to the player. A good special ability connects the personnel's skills, attributes, icons, and lore together into flavorful package. If you haven't watched "The Savage Curtain" recently, it's worth an hour of time to do so before you mull over nominations too hard.

For special downloads, finding existing cards or groups of cards that make sense is always a great idea. If you feel there isn't such a card, then you can make your nomination a special download of a broken link - a card that doesn't exist yet. Make sure to pick a flavorful name for the download, and a very small note about what you think the card will do in general terms only. You aren't designing new cards, but you can put a bug in a future designer's here to help sell your idea.

As a reminder, a nomination will only be considered once. If someone beats you to your idea, feel free to riff on it and mix it up - that would be different enough, in this case. However, please note that similar ideas may be curated and combined before moving to voting.

Each of you may nominate up to two (2) suggestions for a special skill or special download for Yarnek. Please try and follow the rules outline above, and keep in mind the longer your special skill, the less room in the box for skills. Long special skills may push the personnel onto a three-line skill box, which cuts a line of lore from the personnel.

Nominations are open through 9 PM Pacific time on Sunday, February 10th. Shortly after that, I will go through and curate the nominations to provide a list of up to fourteen (14) choices, and voting will begin on Monday. Remember, the option to have "no special skill or download" will automatically be included, so you don't have to nominate it. Of course, I'll only curate the list if I have to.

So, in summary:

- You may nominate up two (2) special skills or downloads by replying to this thread.
- Popularity isn't a factor in nominations, so repeating a previous nomination as-is won't help.
- From the list of nominations, a maximum of fourteen (14) options will be offered for a vote.
- The option to not have a special skill or download will automatically be included.

Once you've nominated requirements, don't forget to head over the mission thread and suggest requirements for Excalbia, the mission we're making!

-crp
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By nobthehobbit (Daniel Pareja)
 - The Center of the Galaxy
 -  
Moderator
#451984
[DL] Any personnel with Honor x2 or Treachery x2 (to hand)

EDIT: Added the stipulation that this special download goes to hand, so at least you have to play the personnel, given ML's comments about Preserver Obelisk. But maybe this requires breaking new rules ground so...
Last edited by nobthehobbit on Sun Feb 10, 2019 3:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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By Armus (Brian Sykes)
 - The Center of the Galaxy
 -  
Regent
Community Contributor
#451985
[DL] Any Excalbian

[SD] Once per game may download an Excalbian here

I see the [DL] version was nominated below. This version means you can't bring somebody in mid-attempt, which you have to be careful with. Making it a regular action strikes me as more balanced.

[DL] Stone Knives and Bearskins
 
 - Delta Quadrant
 -  
Community Contributor
#452005
Option 1:

[DL] The Savage Curtain.

The Savage Curtain would be an Objective or Incident that plays on a planet mission, turning it into a battle of good versus evil (perhaps by restricting you to Honour or Treachery personnel, but receiving a bonus in the end.)

Option 2:

[SD] Once per game may nullify any "Prepare..." objective.

Based on the way Yarnek basically stopped Kirk and Spock's preparations by preventing their equipment from beaming down, and stopping the U.S.S. Enterprise crew from helping. Also borrowing from Dr. McCoy in that this card makes any objectives with "Prepare..." at the start a card group, like his "I'm a Doctor Not A..." download. For the record, there's currently three Prepare Objectives. Prepare Landing Party , Prepare Assault Teams and Prepare the Prisoner
.

All the Best,

Mattgomery Scott.
 
 - Beta Quadrant
 -  
#452104
Two special skills suggestions:

[SD] Away Teams on planet where present may ignore affiliation battle restrictions.

The intent here is that any away team on his planet, whether yours or an opponents, would be allowed to start personnel battles without worrying about affiliation battle restrictions. They would still need a leader, as in the episode the two sides fought, but had plenty of leadership present on both sides. I restricted the ability to working only on a planet mission both for Trek Sense (he only had the Good v Evil fight on the planet, not in space), but also so that your opponent would have options to hide from the ability, like staying in ships or facilities.

[SD] Excluded from personnel battles.

He was watching the sides compete, but was not part of it himself.
 
By jrch5618
 - Delta Quadrant
 -  
#452106
[DL] Any other personnel with "Excalbia" in lore

For he basically 'summoned' the six actors that played a role in the fight. (And basically lured Kirk and Spock to beam down too).

[SD] Once per game, may "stop" any ship here.

He managed to lock down the Starship Enterprise at will. (I hope the timing of this would allow you to use it offensively during someone else's turn, but not sure how the rules are about such things.) Once per game is for balance.
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Director of First Edition
By MidnightLich (Charlie Plaine)
 - Director of First Edition
 -  
Prophet
#452109
Here's something to consider when nominating special downloads of personnel: such skills are essentially giving you an extra personnel when using Preserver Obelisk. Since we known Yarnek will name Excalbia in his lore, he can be fetched very early in the game into play. If he's given a special download, that's providing an extra personnel at instant/suspend play speed. We had to remove at least one such ability from a "native" in Project Delenn due to the power of the special skill.

This isn't me telling you that you can't pitch personnel as a special download, but it's a warning that it's far more powerful than it might be on a different personnel card. Also, please remember that these cards will ultimately have to survive playtesting. (But don't worry, if something has to change, you will be involved in the process.)

-crp
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By Armus (Brian Sykes)
 - The Center of the Galaxy
 -  
Regent
Community Contributor
#452110
MidnightLich wrote:Here's something to consider when nominating special downloads of personnel: such skills are essentially giving you an extra personnel when using Preserver Obelisk. Since we known Yarnek will name Excalbia in his lore, he can be fetched very early in the game into play. If he's given a special download, that's providing an extra personnel at instant/suspend play speed. We had to remove at least one such ability from a "native" in Project Delenn due to the power of the special skill.

This isn't me telling you that you can't pitch personnel as a special download, but it's a warning that it's far more powerful than it might be on a different personnel card. Also, please remember that these cards will ultimately have to survive playtesting. (But don't worry, if something has to change, you will be involved in the process.)

-crp
What about my edit above to do it at order speed instead of [DL] ?
 
 - Delta Quadrant
 -  
Community Contributor
#452114
MidnightLich wrote:
Takket wrote: [DL] Any Excalbian
Are there other Excalbian species personnel we could make? A quick search didn't turn up any.
One fan theory is Abe and Co were Excalbians shapeshifted to look like humans, vulcans etc.

All the best,

Mattgomery Scott.
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