Sunday 24 April 2011

Easter egg hunts across the polycosmos

More propluristemic content. It's Easter eggs today, not so surprisingly, but the software kind.

Propluristemic content is content intended to be used in many game systems or setting, with enough rules given to guide adaptation.


Easter eggs

The fabrics of the polycosmos are complex and shaped also by the actions of a great number of supracosmic beings, actions which include the manipulations of the true grid and migrations of cortical hornets, and much still stranger.

Some of the sentient creators do like their jokes and many have been known to place glaring inconsistencies, startling absences of cohesion and jarring points of crossover in the most unusual of locations. Discovery of such phenomena brings revelations that may change the course of lives, worlds or even whole planes of existence.

At the beginning of the game each player secretly records one condition for the revelation of an Easter egg. Easter eggs may be revealed in one of the following ways:

  • entry to a specific location accessible on this occasion
  • discovery of a particular object or fact available on this occasion
  • performance of a specific standard in-game action, possible on this occasion
  • the removal from play of a particular entity, present on this occasion
  • the roll of a particular number on a die which will be used on this occasion

When the condition is met, the player controlling the entity discovering the Easter egg is assumed to have achieved an additional 50% of the victory conditions.

Definitions of entity, location and an additional 50% of the victory conditions.

An entity is any individual, such as a trooper, character or monster, or any machine, such as a robot or vehicle, but may also be a unit if preferred.

A location is a distinct physical space, perhaps a terrain piece or a room.

An additional 50% of the victory conditions is understood to mean that a) if one condition needs to be fulfilled, the player is halfway to it if unfulfilled or halfway past it if fulfilled, b) if a number of conditions need to be fulfilled, the player is assumed to have met an additional half of them, e.g. if five conditions in total, and the player would usually fulfil one, the player in fact fulfils three and a half, c) if a certain number of points needs to be scored, the player scores an additional half of that number, d) if the number of points scored by an opponent needs to be exceeded, the player scores an additional half of that number, or e) if there are no conditions, the benefits of playing the game are 50% higher, measured in the most abstract means available, e.g. experience gained.
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4 comments:

The Happy Whisk said...

Hope you're having a nice weekend and eating non-vomity tasting foods.

I'm feeling much better. Playing in the kitchen now, while doing laundry and soon, I'll take a nappy nap. Or, maybe I'll try and stay awake the whole day.

Anyway, just popped by to say hello and happy new day :-)

Porky said...

I most certainly am on both counts. Good to hear. As for the tiredness, too much jigging maybe? I could go a nap right now. Must. Press. On. Happy new day to you too, even if it's getting on a bit now.

The Happy Whisk said...

I resisted the urge to take a nappy nap. Got another load of laundry in and later we have to drop the van off at the shop. Needs fixed. Other than that, not too much going on.

Porky said...

Sounds like plenty. Here I'm trying to tie up loose ends on the various projects. I just got back up to date with the A to Z, which is something, even if a fairly basic something.