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(AP) Editorial on Crafting by Morthoron By Morthoron Published: May 30, 2006  Print If I had a Hammer, it'd be a Lore Appropriate One So, I've been ruminating over the LOTRO Crafting System as revealed by Lead System Designer Nik Davidson. I must say that Mr. Davidson is very well-written and humorous, and it was a pleasure to read his Dev Diary; nevertheless, his witty banter, however disarming, did not mask some serious issues about the proposed system. Overall, I am pleased with the revelations, but there are some sticking points that caused a sensation much like licking a light socket. Of course, my rocky association with Turbine is quintessentially analogous to a bad personal relationship: I love the idea of being in love with a Middle-earth game, but I am often miserable with whom I am partnered with; therefore, I shall try as much as possible to refrain from vitriol and hyperbole, and stick with basic assumptions. First, I like the idea of triumviral professions being bundled into single vocations, and each vocation requiring interrelationships with other vocational specialties for success. This interdependency is a good start at building a thriving community. Total self-sufficiency builds a disparate group of curmudgeonly cenobites and haggling hermits, lending itself at one end to market stagnation, and an inflationary spiral at the other. It is logical as well to have professions split into gathering and production designations, although I personally would prefer those hierarchies to be separate in vocational classes as well. Rarely does an artisan go out and quarry his own marble, gather his own pigments or mine for his own gems or ore. That type of grunt work is usually not in an artist's lexicon.
In the same vein (ore pun intended), I do find Mithril Miser's allusion to the scholar profession to be of keen interest: "As to questions about the Scholar - the Scholar is my favorite profession right now, and we're not done giving him things to do. One of his most important roles is in supporting other crafters - many optional ingredients in other professions are crafted by the Scholar. He's got several other tricks, but I'll elaborate on those later." It indicates, perhaps, the inclusion of material from the lengthy Loremaster discussion I promulgated and many added to in the Elder Days of Turbine/Vivendi MEO (I would offer a link to the discussion; unfortunately, the LOTRO team has decided to eradicate its past). The aforementioned reference by MM seems to go hand in mail glove with Mr. Davidson's remarks concerning optional/additional materials: "Optional ingredients, special additions to a recipe that are not necessarily always physical materials (research into Second Age forging techniques, for example) are a player's way to alter the odds of a critical success in their favor." At this point you are probably wondering where my divergence of opinion occurs with Turbine. If you are considering now to be a good place to start, then proudly pin a Star of Elendil on your chest. Ummm…research into Second Age forging techniques? Forgive me for snickering. I don't believe that type of information is readily available anywhere outside of Imladris. The Dwarves have lost it, and certainly the Men of Eriador would no longer have such arcane information. Even among the Gondorions, such lore has been lost, though they were highly conservative. One only has to hear in the quotes of important dwarves like Thorin, Gloin and Gimli (who certainly would know) that the Dwarves have lost whatever innate crafting mastery they had; seeing as they sigh with sentiments such as, "for it passes our skill in these days" or "the likes of which is not to be found in the world now-a-days." I know what you're thinking: 'There's Morth again, being reactionary towards lore misappropriation!' But far be it from me to rain on Turbine's lore parade. That a preeminent crafter , by some ungodly stroke of luck, might be allowed to apprentice with those remaining few of the Gwaith-i-Mirdain who survived the sack of Ost-in-Edhil and chose to remain with Elrond into the late 3 rd Age, is remotely possible (certainly, one of the Gwaith reforged Anduril from Narsil). Yet, I still find it irksome that a horde of Hobbits, a mob of Men, or a dwarrow of Dwarves could just traipse into Imladris and take night extension classes in Innate Elvish Forge Mastery 101. I won't even get into the concept of innate abilities, as it will obviously be lost on those that need to comprehend it most. Yet, let it not be said that I am unwilling to compromise. *snickers* I am willing to forego such lore-warping as uncovering 2nd Age smithing techniques (although I would blow a gasket if any mention of 1 st Age abilities slipped in surreptitiously to the game). No, I would prefer to discuss the concept of lineage. In regards to lineage, Mr. Davidson had this to say:
Okay, I understand what Nik is saying; although I don't necessarily agree with his definition. I would say rather that the sword was a superlatively crafted masterpiece, but lineage refers to the line of heroes that wielded it, not to the sword itself having lineage (although it would have a history). The sword retained the innate abilities the master-craftsman imbued in the blade (in this case, Telchar of Nogrod, who, in the early 1 st Age, also made the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin and the sword Angrist); however, it does not gain attributes as it ages. As an example, the sword Anglachel retains the malice of its original master, Eol. Turin renaming it Gurthang does not change its evil attributes, the sword remains consistent even though the wielders change (like Sting with Bilbo and then Frodo). What I am saying is that it is daft to imbue lineage onto a newly made sword. That's just rather addled. Those who wield the sword give the blade its history and lineage; therefore, I would suggest a different equation in giving a blade its reputation. The crafter grows in reputation with every sword he makes (keeping in mind LOTRO's idea of Proficiency versus Mastery, as a dual-level advancement path). The number of critical successes a crafter gets increases his reputation via a point system: Reputation Points = # of critical successes. The sword, however, gains a legacy through the success of the wielder(s): Legacy Points = length of time a player(s) uses the sword / amount of success with blade. Therefore, Reputation Points + Legacy Points = Lineage, or something along that line. I never claimed to be a developer; on the contrary, I prefer things to make sense. But, as with all information seemingly wrenched forcibly from the stingy claws of ol' Ebenezer Turbine, we shall have to wait for full details sometime in the future (perhaps before release, if you wouldn't mind). The system seems very interesting and even innovative, but the dearth of verifiable data always leaves a lingering hint of distaste, as one mulls over the somewhat sordid implications. Nevertheless, I look forward to hearing a more detailed piece on this haute nouveau cuisine, rather than wretchedly chewing on the tin foil of ambiguity. Discuss this article in the Forum! |
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