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[Solifuge]

[♫] Let's Play Master of Mana:
A total conversion mod based on Sid Meier's Civilization IV, and Derek Paxton's Fall From Heaven 2



Genre: Turn-Based Strategy/Empire-Builder
Platform: PC
Released: 2007
Developer: Firaxis Games
Mod Information: http://www.masterofmana.com/
Mod Version: Patch 1.41 (2012)
CONTINUED FROM THIS THREAD

Updates:
Part 0: Election Day (2/2/2012)

Master of Mana is set in the high fantasy world of Erebus, a failed prototype of creation torn apart by the wars of mortals and gods. Abandoned by an ashamed overgod and cut off from Heaven, prophecy foretells that Erebus will fall into oblivion, unless its people can find a way to save it. Some tribes of Erebus hope to unify the world through diplomacy or military conquest, while others delve into ancient magics or turn to the gods and demons of Erebus for their salvation. Only time will tell if any can succeed.

Gameplay Concepts:

Spoiler: Cities and Growth (click to show/hide)

Cities are the heart of each civilization. They produce units, research new technology, expand cultural borders, and provide homes and work for their citizens. Cities work plots to power your economy; they can work 1 plot per happy population, within a 2-plot radius. Working plots with improvements such as Mines or Farms may reveal unique resources like Silver or Rice, which provide additional benefits. Unprotected cities can be captured by rival military units.

Commerce - Produced by worked plots, and improved by Villages and Tradeposts. Divided to produce wealth, culture, technology research, and spell research.
Food - Produced by worked plots, and improved by Farms and Camps. Used to sustain and increase population in cities.
Production - Produced by worked plots, and improved by Workshops and Quarries. Used to create units and build improvements in cities.

Population - Increases as extra food is stored in each city. Cities can work 1 plot per population level.
Happiness - Produced by improvements and luxury resources. 1 consumed per population level. Unhappy citizens don't work plots.
Health - Produced by improvements and food resources. 2 consumed per population level. Unhealthy citizens consume additional food.

Spoiler: Resources and Economics (click to show/hide)

These resources are generated by improvements and worked plots around each city, and are used by your entire Civilization. Each have different effects and uses, and are consumed or spent in different ways.

Mana - Produced by Mana Nodes. Used to cast spells, power rituals, and create magical gear. Stored mana is consumed by summoned units.
Faith - Produced by Religions and Shrines. Used to call down miracles, and curse/bless equipment. Stored faith passively reveals new miracles.

Culture - Produced by Commerce. Expands territorial borders, and determines maximum number of improvements around each city. Can peacefully convert nearby rival cities.
Wealth - Produced by Commerce. Used to purchase equipment and unit upgrades, and hurry production of units. Can be given and received as a part of trade.
Tech. Research - Produced by Commerce. Used to discover new military, religious, and economic technologies.
Spell Research - Produced by Commerce. Used to discover new spells, aura effects, and arcane technologies.

Metal - Produced by Mines. Used to outfit units with heavy weapons and armor.
Wood - Produced by Lumbermills. Used to outfit units with bows and spears.
Leather - Produced by Camps. Used to outfit units with light armor.
Herbs - Produced by Plantations. Used to outfit units with potions and poisons.
Stone - Produced by Quarries. Used to hurry production of buildings.

Spoiler: Units and Experience (click to show/hide)

Units make up your civilization's soldiers, traders, workers, and explorers. Units gain experience by performing tasks such as combat, spell-casting, exploring ruins and lairs, and so on. Each experience level allows them to take a promotion that improves their abilities. At certain levels, units can pick specializations: at level 4 they pick a Discipline which unlocks new promotions and grants new abilities, and at levels 8 and 15 they pick Prestige Classes within their Discipline which grants them more special abilities.

Unit Types:
Melee - Offensive units. They can specialize in many different areas, and form the backbone of most armies.
Ranged - Defensive support units. They can specialize in firing volleys at nearby stacks, and defensive strikes on units that attack their stack.
Mounted - Mobile offensive units. They can specialize in increased mobility, and withdrawing from battle.
Recon - Mobile skirmisher units. They can specialize in scouting terrain, taming animals, and prioritizing weak/support units for assassination.

Naval - Sailing units. They can specialize in acting as transports, blockading rival ports, attacking at range, and increased mobility.
Siege - Offensive support units. They can specialize in destroying city defenses, attacking at range, and causing collateral damage.

Arcane - Ranged support caster units. They cast arcane spells, generate spell effect auras, and create mana nodes.
Disciple - Melee support caster units. They can call down divine miracles, heal units, and spread religion.
Specialist - Non-combatant support units. They have a variety of economic and military special abilities.

Disciplines:
Ambush Discipline - Equips Martial and Exotic Weapons. +20% Hill/Forest Strength and double speed in hills/forests. Leather grants higher Quality Equipment bonuses.
Vengeance Discipline - Equips Martial Weapons. Attacks weakest unit in a stack. Leather grants higher Quality Equipment bonuses.

Archery Discipline - Equips Martial and Exotic Weapons. +1 Ranged Strength. Wood grants higher Quality Equipment bonuses.
Skirmish Discipline - Equips Martial Weapons and Heavy Armor. +20% Withdrawal Chance. Wood grants higher Quality Equipment bonuses.

Offensive Discipline - Equips Martial Weapons and Heavy Armor. +10% Strength. +10% City Attack. Metal grants higher Quality Equipment bonuses.
Defensive Discipline - Equips Heavy Armor and Exotic Armor. +20% Defensive Strength. Metal grants higher Quality Equipment bonuses.
Divine Discipline - Equips Heavy Armor. +20% chance to convert defeated living units. Metal grants higher Quality Equipment bonuses.

Known Civilizations:
The Grigori

Spoiler: We Godless Heroes (click to show/hide)

Agnostic:
• You may not build religious temples, or adopt a state religion.
• Reduced chance for religion to spread to owned cities.

Unique Units:
Adventurer - A unique Great Person, which has a knack for avoiding death, and can be upgraded into any available military unit.
Dragon Slayer - A variant Champion, which is strong against dragon units, is immune to fear, and heals more quickly.
Medic - A unique Melee unit, which can heal wounds and cure diseases.
Luonnotar - A unique Disciple unit, which is strong against other Disciples, immune to magic, and can remove religion from a city.

Must discover other civilizations!

[Solifuge]

Part 0 - Election Day:
Yes, tribes can have Prime Ministers too.



In the tribal village of Midgar, somewhere in Erebus, Cassiel the fallen angel and leader of the Grigori Tribe, addresses his people...

It is good to see thee, friends, allies, and councilors. As it is our privilege and duty, as free peoples of Erebus, to lead ourselves independently of those who once called themselves our gods, so too has the hour come when I must bequeath leadership of this, our fledgling Grigori nation, unto thee.

Mulcarn, god of Winter, is dead; slain at the hands of Archmage Kylorin and the reforged Godslayer. The Age of Ice has lost its hold on Erebus, and as our tribe works to rebuild that which was lost in this Age of Rebirth, I find myself called elsewhere. Those other tribes who survived the long winter still strain under the yoke of false gods whom, despite The Compact which forbids them from interfering in Erebus directly, would drive their disciples to continue the Godswar in their stead. If we are to truly free ourselves from this divine tyranny, I fear I needs must seek out distant peoples wronged by the gods, and spread our message among them.

It is to this end that I have summoned thee here today. Each of thee have proven theirselves worthy and capable of leadership, and today one of thee will step into my place as leader of the Grigori. Rather than simply appointing the leader of our tribe myself, I thought it only fitting that the choice be thine.

Prime Minister Candidates:
Esirce

Spoiler: Absent-minded master of diplomacy (click to show/hide)

Creative:
• +2 per City.
• Faster construction of cultural buildings.
Emergent:
• Can gain additional traits based on decisions and actions.
Tolerant:
• Captured cities still build their former civilization's units and buildings
• Does not allow them to build another civilization's heroes

Goodreau

Spoiler: Worldly wise, hard-assed merchant (click to show/hide)

Financial:
• +1 on plots with 2 or more.
• Faster construction of financial buildings.
Emergent:
• Can gain additional traits based on decisions and actions.
Diverse:
• Units start with a random race.

Menec

Spoiler: Renowned adventurer and scoundrel (click to show/hide)

Charismatic:
• +1 per City.
• 25% less XP needed for Unit Promotions.
Emergent:
• Can gain additional traits based on decisions and actions.
Diverse:
• Units start with a random race.

Outhe

Spoiler: Progressive, tactically-minded historian (click to show/hide)

Defender:
• Faster construction of defensive buildings.
• Free Homeland promotion for units.
Scientific:
• +3 per City.
• +2 with University.
• Faster construction of research buildings.
Emergent:
• Can gain additional traits based on decisions and actions.
Diverse:
• Units start with a random race.

Zodalore

Spoiler: Composed scholar and spymaster (click to show/hide)

Philosophical:
• Double production of Great People and Adventurers.
• Faster construction of research buildings.
Emergent:
• Can gain additional traits based on decisions and actions.
Diverse:
• Units start with a random race.

[Bluerobin]

Haven't read it yet, but holy cow that first picture is taken right out of Magic the Gathering.

Edit: hmm I just realized a lot of the pictures are probably taken from various fantasy things.

[Darvi]

Absent-minded sounds like somebody I can try to empathise with.

[Bluerobin]

Haha agreed. Esirce or Menec for my vote.

[Solifuge]

I'mma cast my vote for Outhe, the badass pipe-smoking librarian.

Haven't read it yet, but holy cow that first picture is taken right out of Magic the Gathering.

Edit: hmm I just realized a lot of the pictures are probably taken from various fantasy things.

Yeah, welcome to fan-made games without professional art teams behind them. Most of the leader portraits for base FFH2 are lifted from Icewind Dale... though the characters and writing are all original works by Mr. Paxton. Apparently it's based on the lore from his homebrew D&D campaign world.

[Bluerobin]

Ah, I thought some of them looked familiar, but I never got far enough into Icewind Dale for any of them to still be memorable I guess.

I was going to ask about the "random race" thing, but it was mostly just to ask about what was possible and the bonuses that each get and I'm sure we'll find out if/once we get some of them. Arg... now I want to play this, but I have so many other games calling.

[Delta Foxtrot]

Esirce. I'm drawn by his tolerance of others. What are we all, if not a brotherhood of Men?

[Darvi]

Several miserable piles of secrets?

[Delta Foxtrot]

Rotten flesh ready to be devoured by the carrion birds of oblivion.

Nay, I say. With Esirce we can rise above our sad bestial nature. With him we can rise from the shallow graves we've dug for ourselves. With him... we can be free.

[UltraValican]

Goodreu.

[Frumple]

My vote goes for not!Esirce. Diverse sounds amusing to me.

[majikero]

My vote is for Esirce. Unite all against the Gods as equals!

[sonerohi]

No one else wants Outhe? She is totally the best!

[Solifuge]

I was going to ask about the "random race" thing, but it was mostly just to ask about what was possible and the bonuses that each get and I'm sure we'll find out if/once we get some of them.

If you guys have questions about mechanics ever, don't hesitate to ask. I'm considering writing a manual of sorts for the game, since it lacks one so far. The more questions I can answer now, the less will be left to write later!

Anyway, I'm not entirely sure what you're asking here, but I'm going to attempt to answer anyway! Units start with a racial promotion that is usually set by the race of their Civilization. Since the Grigori are made up of refugees and rebels, leaders with the Diverse trait build units that start with various racial promotions. These usually grant unique terrain bonuses, elemental resistances and weaknesses, affect worker work speed, and allow certain promotions to be taken at lower level. Elves, for instance, move more quickly in wooded areas, can learn to tame animals and fight in wooded areas, and can build improvements in wooded plots without removing trees. Dwarves can repair vehicles and constructs with magic, build improvements faster, equip heavy armor, and are resistant to poison. Orcs strongly resist fire damage, Lizardmen are magic resistant, and Goblins have a chance to withdraw from combat. Etc.