[Lokean]

Well, I think I've read enough to put up my thoughts on things.

Size of map & structure of terrain: I would suggest that most starting locations should have no more than a three province buffer between them, since a lot of the intrinsic tension of any narratives from the game would arise from the presence of competitors for 'ascension'. However, I don't want neighbours to have to destroy one another. Thus, a map which has a fairly large amount of available terrain and plenty of choke-points would be nice, but a high concentration of starting locations would also be nice. I shall have to have a browse through some possible maps and see what I can see.

VPs: I still prefer a VP scenario, since it provides a goal beyond genocide. In light of a few suggestions, I think cumulative VPs would work very well. Assume that VP provinces are a conflux of ley lines, a holy site &c &c. Every summer solstice rituals can be performed which further a Pretender's rise to true godhood. What exactly the sites are is really up to the belief system of the nation, but regardless of the beliefs, they still work.
One potential setup would have many provinces worth one VP per summer and some worth more. With a plurality of sites to nations it becomes possible to try and put together a strategy of attacking high VP sites in early summer and trying to hold them for a turn or controlling a lot of low VP sites.
I'm not sure whether it's tenable, but it may be possible to hide the VP sites, such that a nation only knows that it is one once they've claimed it. This would probably mean manually setting each VP site to have a specific magical site that does not appear in normal play.

It's starting to look like it might be easier to put together a map myself than find one that suits my needs, but I'd rather have plently of players than a game that exactly matches my preferences, so people's thoughts would be appreciated.

If I end up making a map for it, what would people think of these two concepts:
1. Undiscovered continent/island. All the starting locations are situated along the sea border of a landmass, with the interior being virgin territory. VPs would be sites of natural power that could further the Pretenders' quests for godhood. Obviously it's a little odd that the capital sites are present, but perhaps they represent supplies and troops arriving from 'home'.
2. Inverted circle. Think of an inversion of the World of Geometry. The starting locations are clustered in valleys surrounding a central peak. They may have a few independant provinces that are equally sheltered, but then open up to contact from neighbouring regions. Obviously this would be quite fiddly with a large number of nations, but I think something could be worked out. Here, basically, there's plenty of territory further away from the center, but your nation becomes increasingly decentralised and difficult to defend, while your neighbours are always close by and competing for space.


Thoughts? Am I going too far for a first sally, or is it worth putting the effort in early? Are there maps that would probably do fine with the addition of VP locations? Am I an idiot?

Inquiring minds want to know.