Hi folks,
The 3091 incarnation of FGC was intended to be a big reboot, a time to get away from the tangled plot threads of the 3062 campaign and get back to where we were much earlier in the game where the setting was fresh and accessible. For a lot of reasons, that didn't happen; I'm not pointing any fingers because there isn't any one person who's responsible for things turning out the way they did. I myself bear a measure of blame for leaving the game when I did and not seeing things through during my watch.
Since my return to the game, Daemonknight and I have refocused the game on telling stories designed to wrap up a lot of the unresolved plot threads of the previous campaign. What happened to The Master? Where did the Society go? What is the fate of the Grand Council and the Star League? These and dozens of smaller plot points were to be resolved over the next four turns, culminating in a catastrophic serious of events that would rock the Inner Sphere to its core and set the stage for a fresh story free from the drag of the old plot lines.
Unfortunately, its come to my attention today that for a few reasons we aren't going to be able to stick to the original plan of telling this story as part of a "normal" turn progression. I recently learned that the GM workload is going to be dramatically increasing soon, far beyond anything that I and DK can sustain. Put simply, the game's staffing situation has moved beyond what is sustainable by the current game structure.
Before I go any further, let me say: it is not my intention to end the game. I learned my lesson with Flashpoint, and I regret not giving that game more of a chance. We lost some good players before of shuttering that campaign, and I don't want to see a repeat of that. What I am coming to say is that the next few turns are going to have to be run differently to keep the game going. A lot of that is going to be streamlining GM vs. GM conflict. The LC/Star Adder war? We're not going to be able to play out all of those battles. There are a number of other situations too that will have to be done in a more abstract way.
This is also going to impact the way the rules have been progressing. We will no longer be doing the rolling rules updates and record sheets updates. Notably, we will not be going to the 0.55 sheet next turn. The GM team will continue updating the rules, but these will be saved for a single big update in a few months. We will probably go directly to the planned 1.0 record sheet instead of advancing through each of the scheduled modular updates.
How this will affect the active player factions is something the GM team is currently discussing. What we are leaning towards right now is the following:
1. For the next few turns, you will still submit orders sheets, but these will be primarily for tracking your military's FP and your other statistics.
2. Player vs. Player combat will work normally, but Player vs. GM combat (as well as high-priority GM vs. GM) will work differently. We will be posting "turning point" scenarios each turn that reflect key battles of larger campaigns. The goal will for these to be megamekked to the greatest extent possible, and the outcome of these fights will have major plot outcomes and/or multiple hexes changing hands.
3. Turn length will not neccessarily follow the normal time scale. Essentially, you will be playing through the highlights of a short time jump.
At the end of this process, all factions will be rebalanced by the GMs. I do not, BTW mean "re-broken." The purpose of this plan is to restructure the factions so that at the resumption of normal game play, the factions are on roughly even footing (obviously, relative to size to an extent). Doom stack formations and grossly overpowered navies will be going away for the most part, but they will be done away with in an even-handed process that will ensure no one faction gains preeminence. To some extent, technology access will be rebalanced as well, for example to address the excessive proliferation of some hardware and to redress the lack of access to other gear.
At the same time, some factions will be modified, consolidated, or expanded. Which ones will become more clear in the next few turns as the plot progress is accelerated to meet this goal. One that I can disclose now is that we will likely be setting up the Federated Suns as a dedicated "new player training faction" that will operate with a simplified version of the rules in order to teach the game to new members, after which they can "graduate" to other factions.
I want to be clear about the goals of the GM team here: our sole objectives are for the game to continue with stability and balance and for the players to experience a fun and challenging story. I have not ignored some of the criticisms have have been leveled about how the GM team has handled some of the recent plot events, and we are committed to improve the quality of service we provide to the community.
OK, I know that's a lot I just laid out for you. Please feel free to comment; if you hate this plan, I can't guarantee I can take a 180 on it, but I'm open to suggestions if you think there's a better way to handle any of the points I've discussed above.
