Persian/Arabian Nights MP campaign story west of Wesnoth

[Coffee]

First I should say that I have the intention to create a 2 player UMC multiplayer campaign with elements from "Persian"/Arabian Nights mythology. Think magic lamps with genies/efreet, basalisk, rocs (giant bird enemies in many games), carpet riders, summoners, different types of ghoul (take form of person they eat and could be called something else), dancers/amazon, snake charmers, and the typical animals you'd want to ride in a desert (elephants/camels/horses).

Most of the art content and ideas I have already (majority based on existing work by others), but I feel I'd like to flush them out here before embarking on actually making the campaign. I already have made a MP campaign (The Great Quest), so I know how to do this as well as how to introduce replayability into a campaign by semi-randomizing the maps.

Lastly before I begin, I have created a fully working test era with semi-complete art (mostly animated/sounds/descriptions/etc., lots of the good stuff based on art by inferno8 EoM Summoners era who seems to be okay with me using it so far) with balance considerations taken against default factions. However, considering the unit lines may change drastically to fit the story and they are a secondary consideration, I want to leave this side of it until I am happy with the general outline of the campaign. Note that some of the art and units will only end up in the campaign, not in the era.

Geography:
During the main time where Wesnoth people live on the great continent (see map), drakes are said to live on volcanic islands to the west in the great ocean. They migrate to the east landmass due to various pressures leading them to colonize the northern mountains. This new arabian faction could be on a smaller continent to the west, hence providing another avenue for drakes to get into a campaign (something sorely needed) and neatly sidestepping the issue of Khalifate (I think they are in the far east).
If they are in the slightly southern west then they are in line with the sandy wastes, being credible on a longitudinal basis (tropical/non-tropical).

Alignment:
I would think that most would be liminal (it being too hot in the desert at day and cold at night to venture out much), some chaotic, and genies neutral.

Main story line:
- actually a series of short stories with a frame story (giving the nod to Arabian Nights and Sinbad, similar mythology tales of ancient arabic origin)
- built around the concept of choice, as follows:
player 1 can choose an option
player 2 chooses to agree or another choice
if disagree, player 1 is given the option of changin to player 2's choice or another choice
if disagree, player 2 then can change to player 1's choice or elect to have it chosen randomly.
- you would get to choose which story or adventure you'd like to play out, some longer than others and some overlapping in some ways, with an indication of the various lengths before they are attempted
- each story would give you different main characters and variety in straight battles/puzzles
- because of the frame story it would be possible to have battles against desert elves (in a different time period)
- each story would be at most 3 scenarios long (because this is the maximum time from experience a MP campaign can last in one sitting without getting boring or too long)

So good so far, but this is where I could do with some assistance in getting details.

Possible story about magic lamp (3 scenarios):
- decidedly not like Aladdin, but with elements from the fisherman and the djinn, etc.
- travelling sage and companion comes across provincial head and unwillingly end up on a quest to bring him a magic lamp, the whereabouts are only generally known (seems like a fool's errand)
- set upon by danger in desert taking refuge in cave
- cave is home of thieves or other dwellers
- end up going further into the cave and getting trapped (small band at this point)
- discovers 2 magic lamps
- rubs one and an eil djinn comes out, maybe making undear appear
- once defeated trick djinn back into lamp saying they can't believe he can fit in there
- rubs other lamp and escapes due to power of (good) ancient genie (older they are, possibly the more powerful they are), perhaps after playing some sort of puzzle game with him (maybe take in turns checkers or similar) only leaves a magic carpet that show the way out
- possible complication in plot: lamp stolen by some sort of thief/wannabe sorceror who observes from a distance on way back, etc. (arabia may have dark sorcerers as well or could have been dirven there by something)

Story about the Roc (maybe one scenario):
- Giant birds (or Rocs) menaces the people in a location of this western continent and warriors and sages are sent to find out or destroy them.
- Travelling up mountains/etc. they eventually discover the main home of the Roc and battle a number of Roc, taking some eggs back and thus domesticating the Roc for human use over time
- Alternatively they discover that there are smaller Rocs that look just like Hawks and that the accounts of the "Rocs" as seen by ordinary folk were vastly exagerrated, and in fact Rocs are just really big Hawks. They battle and that is it.

Battle with drakes (any number of scenarios):
- Natural forces cause drakes to move off the islands, with some of them coming west in search of a new home. They invade and it is a typical battle campaign.

Summoners/Persian ghouls/Basalisk (3 scenarios):
- starting small with unlikely heroes going from town A to town B they are set upon by what appear to be humans but are in fact flesh eating ghouls (may need name change) that devour a 3rd comrade and take this person's form (maybe a dancer)
- battle bandits forcing encounter
- battle summoners of sand/fire beasts on the way next, final boss is a basalisk
- make it to town B

Return trip:
- a reason for returning to town A is found if there are too few scenarios

Story about the Amazon (could do with a name change, maybe 1-2 scenarios)
- a play on that the Iranians sometimes claim the term derives from ha-mazon (or warrior) and they were largely in ancient Greece thought of as fierce women warriors living on wherever the edge of the known world happened to be at the time. This gives a reason for interaction with regular Wesnoth folk without breaking history already written.
- players would take the role of Wesnothians on a great voyage to the unknown and their encounter with the Amazon warriors (maybe who they name as such) and other wonderful creatures.

Story about encounter with Desert Elves (1-3 scenarios):
- classic battle campaign between desert elves and humans of the western continent
- maybe they battle trolls as side scenario in cave
- maybe a battle with dwarves

So that's it (~11-15 scenarios +1 frame scenario, but I can always finish early by chopping out some stories). At the moment I'm calling them Humans of Arabia, but they really need another name.

I haven't really done a campaign with much story element to it before, so please tell me if I have I missed something out? Would it make sense to rethink something? Is this a concept you might play? I'm interested on what other people may think of this.

[lipk]

I like the idea. A few things:
- I don't think that you need a that sophisticated way to choose the next story. Just let the first player decide - they can still discuss it through the chat.
- I wouldn't worry too much about the canon either. Who cares if it complies, especially in mp?
- A rescue-the-princess tale is a must have for any storybook

[Coffee]

Thanks for replying lipk. The strong idea for puzzles interspersed in one or 2 of the stories I think may have been influenced by your great campaign The Devil's Flute.

I don't think that you need a that sophisticated way to choose the next story. Just let the first player decide - they can still discuss it through the chat.

Perhaps I hadn't elaborated much. I think this approach here would be better in 2 ways:
1.) because you can't currently chat when selecting an option (and you don't always know you are going to need to select an option in advance)
2.) it would be quicker than chatting

A more explained way it would happen is like so:
-player 1 can choose an option
- turn is automatically ended and player 2 is automatically brought a menu screen
-player 2 chooses to agree or another choice
- turn is automatically ended and player 1 is automatically brought a menu screen
-if disagree, player 1 is given the option of changin to player 2's choice or another choice
- turn is automatically ended and player 2 is automatically brought a menu screen
-if disagree, player 2 then can change to player 1's choice or elect to have it chosen randomly.
- turn is automatically ended and turns are brought back to the appropriate number and time of day

All this would be done by a macro and you could choose to play from the frame story (ending back at said frame story) or the individual stories directly.

A rescue-the-princess tale is a must have for any storybook

Somehow this reminds me of one the arabian nights tales where the princess is a sorceress and turns into a series of creatures to have a mega battle with an efreet, where they both turn to ashes But, yes this is a lacking element. Fortunately, this could be tacked on as another story once the others get finished.

[lipk]

Perhaps I hadn't elaborated much. I think this approach here would be better in 2 ways: [...]

I don't know how exactly you're planning to implement the frame scenario. Somehow I assumed that it would be just a themed selection screen; that way, the decision method could be coded without selection messages so that players can use the chat to communicate. If there's to be some linear plot for the frame as well, it might not be that straightforward though.

[8680]

I, for one, like your selection system.

[Coffee]

I, for one, like your selection system.

Thanks.

I don't know how exactly you're planning to implement the frame scenario. Somehow I assumed that it would be just a themed selection screen; that way, the decision method could be coded without selection messages so that players can use the chat to communicate. If there's to be some linear plot for the frame as well, it might not be that straightforward though.

I don't really know that either as of yet. That's why I am fleshing out my ideas here. I figure that I am less likely to come up with a stupid storyline if I post what I am thinking here

What I am aiming for is a story within a story, but where you can also select to host individual stories as well to skip the frame story if desired.

I think I ought to start making stuff, even though I don't have it all properly named and such. Then I can rename Humans of Arabia to whatever they will be at the end. I am also thinking that the main characters would just have the names of the players who play them rather than think up hero names for all the stories.

Some elaboration on the magic lamp story (subject to change if better story comes up):
intro:
- traveller bumps unknowingly into a thief before entering a beautiful desert city (I am going to aim for really nice castle with stairs and towers and golden adornments on top covering many hexes similar in a way to what is in the archaic resouces pack, sand wall and basic market). The thief places some stolen coins in his pocket in an attempt to throw off the chase after him.
- traveller is brought before the king/sultan of the city as a suspected thief and protests he cannot be the thief as he just arrived, but it looks bad as he has some stolen coins on him.
- sultan says half-jokingly that he has not heard a good story in a while and if the traveller can explain why he should not be executed he should speak or face the consequences
- traveller, being a learned fellow, tells the story of the magic lamp with a genie that can give you what you wish for. When the sultan/king says he knows the story and is not amused, the traveller says desparately that he knows that the lamp is real and where it can be found.
- the sultan/king being a greedy person sends him with some guards, a camel or 2, and desert fighter recruits on a journey to bring back the lamp.
Players get to choose whether they will take the traveller or guard as main leader.

*note: traveller is a knowledgeable guy and uses alchemy to produce explosions form the mixture of volatile substances (no melee attack)

scenario 1 - desert to cave
- fog on and shroud for most of map (not near start city)
- minor exploring leads to discovering a small group of bandits who you defeat and one or 2 run off to a cave
- guards get testy and the traveller makes the motion that the lamp is in the cave (perhaps figuring that the thieves might have stolen something he can make fit the description).
- maybe some scorpions as well and other nuisances in the desert

scenario 2 - cave
- once in the cave the group discovers a variety of treasures stolen by the theives in a back area after some (minor) searching
- larger group of more experienced bandits come and block the way out forcing a battle and to move further into the cave
- locked in the traveller notes a different type of rock in the cave (say limestone) and proceeds to use his explosive misture underground to break through (feeling that there might be another hidden chamber on the other side).
- this opens the new path but a cave-in blocks the exit way.
- the group (smaller due to battel with bandits) now goes past terracotta army and other strange sights along a passage to find 2 lamps.
- here they rub the efreet lamp first and as stated in the earlier plot, they battle undead and maybe some of the terracotta warriors before tricking the efreet back into the lamp.
- with not much else to do they rub the second lamp and after some mini-game type challenge end up with a magic carpet that allows them to travel over an unwalkable area to safety, taking both lamps with them.

Scenario 3 - back to desert city
- on the way out the thief from the start overhears them talking about why they took both lamps and the events that befell them
- whilst sleeping the thief steals both lamps and creates havoc with a difficult final battle, after which the genie goes back into the lamp.
- after the battle they accidentally mix up the lamps and can't tell which lamp is which.
- The guards testify that there is great evil in one of the lamps to the sultan and the ability gain wishes from the other, although both are not entirely reliable. The traveller is released and the lamps are put in a vault awaiting perhaps a further story.