Added discussion thread for Goblinworks Blog: Designing Thornkeep.
Goblinworks Executive Founder
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If you control the castle, you can call yourself the Baron, and you get to rule Thornkeep until the next adventurer, gang leader, or bandit prince ousts you and takes your place.
The implications of that sentence are probably the most interesting things I have ever considered regarding a MMO.
Goblin Squad Member
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Very awesome, I love the idea of the town being likely to have it's leadership taken over at some point. Sounds like it is set up to have a long history and story for every town that will eventually lead up to a very epic storytelling.
Also the factions sounds very nice, I would love it if they had organizations that players could work with to gain things for barbarians, thieves, paladin orders etc... that do not necessarally interfere with being a part of a chartered company or kingdom.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I'm intrigued, but I thought that players would start in one of three towns: Thornkeep, or the city of the Hellknights, or the Paladins of Iomedae?
I always saw Thornkeep as a lawless area, where those who are of the bandit mindset, could still have the services of a city, but would not be able to roam the streets of a well protected town. That way, new players don't have to worry about being shanked in the streets. And why would the Baron care of some wet behind the ears fighter got killed? He would have no reason to lift a finger. I'm honestly a bit confused at this point.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I am sure they will figure out reason enough for people to be able to survive there at low levels. Might be having to join up with a faction for protection. It can be done without messing up the Lawless feel of the city.
I had the same idea, he mentioned a thieves guild that was "offering protection" (I think the exact word was extorting). Would be interesting to pay for protection.
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Goblin Squad Member
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We knew that this would be the place where rogues, rangers, barbarians, and other such characters would like to begin in Pathfinder Online. We also realized that the story should be about the PCs who come to Thornkeep, rather than any strong narrative based on the story of the NPCs living in Thornkeep.
Like the sound of this area being more prescriptive to certain, suitable types.
Also the choices of dungeons is very extensive list. I'd pick for the record:
Jason Bulmahn's level: Lord of Webs
James Jacobs' level: The Enigma Vaults
Erik Mona's level: The Grand Estate of Marquis Dorvenium Thallan (In Exile)
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Goblin Squad Member
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I take it that the dungeon levels being described in the source book will not be statically implemented in the MMO. It's nice to put hooks like "giant ants in the apple orchards" in the book, but it's the kind of static content I hoped PFO would avoid.
I'm not a big fan of static content either, but if GW made it challenging and difficult to enter I would be ok with it. How to make a static dungeon not so static?
In order to enter the Thornkeep dungeon you need to collect the seven stars (keys) to enter. Each of the seven keys needed to enter the dungeon are obtained from different locations.
The seven Star Keys:
Red - Found in the heart of the Zog encampment to the south, battle through the encampment and locate the star.
Blue - Known to be held by a chaotic giant ogre to the north
Green - Once dropped by a thief before his death in the forest to the east, the key is believed to be buried under brush and debris.
Yellow - Thought to be hidden in a stone chest deep inside a cave, this caves location is unknown at this time.
Purple - The key is located in the swamp lands surrounded by poison gasses, needing to equip yourself with potions to cure poison would be the only way to make it out alive.
Orange - Many years ago a Mad street performer thought it would be funny to build a giant puzzle box and put the key inside, this puzzle box is thought to be impossible to figure out how to open it.
Silver - Swallowed by a Giant Silver Serpent, the location of this beast is unknown.
The dungeon could be static but the journey to get in wouldn't.
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Goblin Squad Member
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It's crazy-exciting to see all these level ideas. I want 'em alllll! :throws tantrum:
Ahem. Anyway, I've got my choices narrowed down to two concepts per developer, but I need more time and careful nerdly deliberation to go beyond that.
Jason Bulmahn - "The Statuary" or "Forgotten Laboratory"
James Jacobs - "Enigma Vaults" or "Shrouded Chambers"
Erik Mona - "Halls of Refuse" or "Grand Estate"
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Goblin Squad Member
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If you control the castle, you can call yourself the Baron, and you get to rule Thornkeep until the next adventurer, gang leader, or bandit prince ousts you and takes your place.The implications of that sentence are probably the most interesting things I have ever considered regarding a MMO.
I read this as "you" general, not "You" specifically the player of the game. In practical terms, I expect this means they can swap out the leadership of Thornkeep at a narrative whim, where as it might be more laborious to engineer the same with Fort Riverwatch. Also, could mean that a change of leadership at Thornkeep might have a much more dramatic swing in actual quests and such, not just trading one faction for another. Just brainstorming on it really...
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Goblin Squad Member
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First Thoughts
I'd like the Thornkeep dungeons to hang together as a whole. While it's fun to imagine three independent dungeons stacked one atop the other, I'd like to see the levels work as something more organic.
In particular, I think Jason's "Watery Grave" idea sounds cool, but I don't want to see a flooded level, and then two dry levels below it. For one thing, it kind of limits the opportunity for chutes or trapdoors to send characters down to a level they weren't expecting to encounter.
Also, I'd be wary of James' "Clockwork Crux", with its critters from the darklands, unless Erik's "Dust of the Darklands" lies underneath. (Or maybe "Halls of Refuse"; the darklands critters come up into the dungeons, but then something happens to block their way back.)
So, my choices given this perspective would be:
Jason: Forgotten Laboratory
James: The Enigma Vaults
Erik: Halls of Refuse or Sanctum of a Lost Age
Second Thoughts
I was thinking of dungeon levels as being floors of an underground building. That's certainly not necessary. They could be widely separated by depth or not even underneath one another.
My choices, given a setting with levels that are less dependent upon one another, would be:
Jason: Lord of Webs (I would have liked Haunted Crypts, too, but it's too similar to...)
James: Caverns of the Blind God
Erik: either Sanctum of a Lost Age, or Final Exam