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[ShunterAlhena]

Hi all,

I've been puzzled by the attitude of my dwarves. They toil and sweat to build a fortress, then a noble (Dungeon Master) strolls in and starts making demands. And they tolerate. On what basis? Who IS he? Wouldn't it be fairer to appoint nobles out of my core colonists, who suffered through the first winter when there was no palatial dining room, no overflowing food stockpile and no indoor water reservoir?

[BurnedToast]

The civilization you left (presumably peaceably and legally) sends them to help run the fortress that they sponsored you to found. Right now, most of them don't do much, but I imagine sooner or later all the nobles will be useful like the manager/broker/etc are right now.

As for who they are, they are nobility sent from the mountainhomes. Presumably only the king has the power to elevate dwarves to the nobility, so that's why you can't appoint your own. They tolerate them because that's the way dwarven society works. If you want to rebel and establish your own kingdom with your own nobles.. well maybe eventually you will be able to but keep in mind that nations typically don't like it when they have rebellions and you might end up with the angry dwarves outside who want your head on a pike.

[CautionToTheWind]

Killing the Nobles and more sieges? Sounds all good to me.

[ShunterAlhena]

Oh. Viewed from this feudal viewpoint it seems rather normal. Thanks for the explanation, I think I am simply spoiled by living in a Western-style democracy.  
Related question: who am I in the game? I'm not the expedition leader, or mayor, or king, we have characters for that. I'm not a god either, we have a separate pantheon coming up, recently commissioned by Toady. So what is my role? Guiding spirit? Common will?

Sorry for all these silly questions, I need such background information to be able to savor and enjoy a roleplaying game in its entirety.  

[ January 07, 2008: Message edited by: ShunterAlhena ]

[Karlito]

In many bloodline games players choose to RP as one dwarf who is managing the fortress and that works just fine.  Otherwise think of yourself as the common will or collective consciousness.
When I play I short of think of myself as a storyteller telling the story of the fortress as it plays out.  its kind of fun actually.

[Shadowlord]

There are, of course, two problems with killing nobles:
1. Replacements show up very quickly!
2. Non-noble immigration slows and then stops due to the deaths.

Personally, I try to meet their mandates/demands, but in the event that one can't be met, nobody gets punished because I have no captain of the guard and no fortress guard. The nobles get a bit annoyed by the lack of punishment, though.

[ January 07, 2008: Message edited by: Shadowlord ]

[BurnedToast]

quote:Originally posted by ShunterAlhena:
<STRONG>
Related question: who am I in the game? I'm not the expedition leader, or mayor, or king, we have characters for that. I'm not a god either, we have a separate pantheon coming up, recently commissioned by Toady. So what is my role? Guiding spirit? Common will?</STRONG>

I guess common will is the closest thing. I always imagined that the things I did were the sum of the decisions made by everyone in charge.

[Railick Stonemane]

I kind of figured it was just like adventure mode, as it describes your controlled players as being driven by some unseen will. I figured myself as kind of a Dwarven spirit willing the dwarves with an unseen hand.

[Forumsdwarf]

quote:I've been puzzled by the attitude of my dwarves. They toil and sweat to build a fortress, then a noble (Dungeon Master) strolls in and starts making demands. And they tolerate. On what basis?

Why do you tolerate high taxes, burdensome regulations, a parasitic welfare state, and rent seeking in all strata of society from art endowments to farm subsidies to corporate welfare?
Because on some level you believe in the system despite its flaws.  That doesn't mean we won't insulate ourselves from excessive government intrusion from time to time ... just as a patriotic dwarf might nonetheless lock a particularly burdensome noble in the root cellar.

(Edit: Oh, another great question!)

quote:Who am I?

I always assumed that the "Leader" was you, like the King in Chess, and that if you lost him/you the game was over.  If all that happens is you assign a new leader I guess that would make you someone else.

[ January 07, 2008: Message edited by: Forumsdwarf ]

[Fenrir]

quote:Originally posted by ShunterAlhena:
<STRONG>Related question: who am I in the game? I'm not the expedition leader, or mayor, or king, we have characters for that. I'm not a god either, we have a separate pantheon coming up, recently commissioned by Toady. So what is my role? Guiding spirit? Common will?</STRONG>

Fate.

[ShunterAlhena]

Thanks for all of your very insightful replies.

About the Nobles, I'm yet to see anyone truly noble, but I think this will be an operation like that of the Japanese Emperor during the Tokugawa shogunate (or for a better example, today's English monarchy) - the nobles are getting a palatial room, I'll roleplay the reverence of my dwarves to those heirs of ancient families, and actual work like managing or bookkeeping is going to be done by ye olde 'Cattie', heiress to the original expedition leader and surviving member of the Original Seven.

I think that RPing a particular dwarf is closest to the way I tend to enjoy games, but that one is a bit spoilt right now (the original Leader died during the first winter and Cattie a woman [I'm male], and the mayors keep changing, so this makes it a bit complicated to choose an alter-ego  ), but I'll settle being hivemind for now. Next fortress I'm going iron man and if my designated alterego dies, the fortress is abandoned.