Randomizing Your Game Play
So, I came across some pages the other day that discussed "Randomizing Your Game." I was quite intrigued. I mean who needs a bunch of perfect horses and staff members who never have any problems? What kind of interesting storylines is that going to create? Based on what I read here's my plan and the system I will be using. All you need is a die and random.org
Fleshing Out Your Horse:
This is based on what I found on www.horsepersonality.com.au and Parelli's Horsenality. Roll the die to determine your horse's personality - the good, the bad and the slackard who just won't go. I won't go into details of each personality type here, but this is what I assign. (Detailed information on each can be found online.)
1. TRUE BLUE or Right Brain Extrovert
2. RED HOT or Right Brain Introvert
3. Roll Again
4. PURPLE PAIN or Left Brain Introvert
5. YELLOW BELLY or Left Brain Extrovert
6. Roll Again
Then I have some 'Quirky Traits' - Favorite Treat - Type of Ride/Temperament - Confidence/Spookiness. When I roll the die to determine these, I make sure they match up with the horse's personality traits. True Blues tend to be mouthy, Yellow Belly isn't going to be bombproof, so if I rolled a 1 I would probably pick 4 which is the closest to 1 but still in line with the horse's personality.
Fleshing Out Your Horse:
This is based on what I found on www.horsepersonality.com.au and Parelli's Horsenality. Roll the die to determine your horse's personality - the good, the bad and the slackard who just won't go. I won't go into details of each personality type here, but this is what I assign. (Detailed information on each can be found online.)
1. TRUE BLUE or Right Brain Extrovert
2. RED HOT or Right Brain Introvert
3. Roll Again
4. PURPLE PAIN or Left Brain Introvert
5. YELLOW BELLY or Left Brain Extrovert
6. Roll Again
Then I have some 'Quirky Traits' - Favorite Treat - Type of Ride/Temperament - Confidence/Spookiness. When I roll the die to determine these, I make sure they match up with the horse's personality traits. True Blues tend to be mouthy, Yellow Belly isn't going to be bombproof, so if I rolled a 1 I would probably pick 4 which is the closest to 1 but still in line with the horse's personality.
Quirks
1 Likes to Lick 2 Bites or Kicks 3 Stomps / Paws 4 Head bumps 5 Vocal / Loud 6 Follows around |
Favorite Treats
1 Apples 2 Candy or Sweets 3 Oranges 4 People Food 5 Banana 6 Soda |
Type of Ride
1 Lazy 2 Calm > Lazy 3 Calm > Forward 4 Forward 5 Hot 6 Wild | Barely Controllable |
Confidence | Spookiness
1 Bombproof 2 Mostly bombproof 3 Rarely Spooks 4 Mildly Skittish 5 Very Skittish 6 Unpredictable |
I also rolled for Herd Rank and Health Profile. For Herd Rank I used Sex (Stallions>Geldings|Mares) - Personality Type - and the # roll to determine ranking in the herd. The Health Profile - 1 Roll Again 2 Healthy as a Horse (Never Sick or Injured) 3 Rarely Sick or Injured 4 Generally Healthy 5 Often Sick or Injured +1 6 Always Sick or Injured +2
Now, of course, an "Always Sick or Injured" horse doesn't have to be on his death bed all the time. Maybe this one always gets hurt in the field. Maybe this one is the one who might seem a little under the weather this week. For my 'True Blue' mare who got this designation, I used the fact that she was always pushing herself to do more and the fact that this often lead to injuries.
You might notice that 5 and 6 have a +1 and a +2. This goes with the "Event" rolls.
Each time the horses participate in an event on Equus-Sims I will roll the die to determine whether they were injured or not.
1 2 3 4 = Uninjured | Unharmed 5 Slight Injury 6 Injured
So for my mare, If I roll a 3 I'll add 2 - so I end up with a Slight Injury after participating in the event. Maybe she's got a leg with some swelling, maybe she's a little lame; it's all up to your imagination at that point and how you want to spin the storyline.
When I eventually start breeding I will roll to determine, Did the pregnancy take? Miscarriage? Health of foal? Health of mare after birth?
Life and Death -
Each game year - (4 months RT) - I will go to Random.org and get a random number from 1-100 for each horse to determine how their health will be for the next year...
1-75 = Healthy
76-88 = Injured (Their storyline will include some sort of injury in the next year. Roll again for severity)
89-99 = Illness (Storyline will include some sort of illness in the next year. Roll again for severity.)
100 = Death
Severity -
0-70 - Minor - A few days to a week off.
71-90 - Moderate - A month or two off
91-99 - Severe - 3+ 'months' off or retirement
100 - Ends in Death
Can you see the possible plot twists and possibilities? Now, at the end of the day - it's just a roll of the dice, if you don't like it - roll again.
I like the idea of the realism and the fact that I'm not making all the choices. The storylines might not be all roses and champagne.
For births I will roll for the Foals health and the mare's health. Once horse's reach 17 the percentages will change so that as they age they are more likely to be ill/injured/or pass away.
Characters and Staff
So, of course then, I start thinking about my staff and characters?
I could roll for their personalities - their health for the year - will romance develop between Sam and Jenny? Who will quit and leave me short a rider after everything I've done to help her get where she is today? Who will develop some bad work habits and will they be severe enough to prompt dismissal?
I can't wait to see what the year holds for us here at Lost Hill Farm!
Now, of course, an "Always Sick or Injured" horse doesn't have to be on his death bed all the time. Maybe this one always gets hurt in the field. Maybe this one is the one who might seem a little under the weather this week. For my 'True Blue' mare who got this designation, I used the fact that she was always pushing herself to do more and the fact that this often lead to injuries.
You might notice that 5 and 6 have a +1 and a +2. This goes with the "Event" rolls.
Each time the horses participate in an event on Equus-Sims I will roll the die to determine whether they were injured or not.
1 2 3 4 = Uninjured | Unharmed 5 Slight Injury 6 Injured
So for my mare, If I roll a 3 I'll add 2 - so I end up with a Slight Injury after participating in the event. Maybe she's got a leg with some swelling, maybe she's a little lame; it's all up to your imagination at that point and how you want to spin the storyline.
When I eventually start breeding I will roll to determine, Did the pregnancy take? Miscarriage? Health of foal? Health of mare after birth?
Life and Death -
Each game year - (4 months RT) - I will go to Random.org and get a random number from 1-100 for each horse to determine how their health will be for the next year...
1-75 = Healthy
76-88 = Injured (Their storyline will include some sort of injury in the next year. Roll again for severity)
89-99 = Illness (Storyline will include some sort of illness in the next year. Roll again for severity.)
100 = Death
Severity -
0-70 - Minor - A few days to a week off.
71-90 - Moderate - A month or two off
91-99 - Severe - 3+ 'months' off or retirement
100 - Ends in Death
Can you see the possible plot twists and possibilities? Now, at the end of the day - it's just a roll of the dice, if you don't like it - roll again.
I like the idea of the realism and the fact that I'm not making all the choices. The storylines might not be all roses and champagne.
For births I will roll for the Foals health and the mare's health. Once horse's reach 17 the percentages will change so that as they age they are more likely to be ill/injured/or pass away.
Characters and Staff
So, of course then, I start thinking about my staff and characters?
I could roll for their personalities - their health for the year - will romance develop between Sam and Jenny? Who will quit and leave me short a rider after everything I've done to help her get where she is today? Who will develop some bad work habits and will they be severe enough to prompt dismissal?
I can't wait to see what the year holds for us here at Lost Hill Farm!