Skara Brae — Project Plan # Skara Brae — Project Plan ## Status: Concept Phase ## Summary A fantasy-themed text-based MMORPG inspired by **Torn City**, with idle RPG elements from **Idle Fantasy**, a **RoleMaster-inspired critical hit system**, and the setting/structure of **The Bard's Tale I**. Named after the ancient neolithic settlement on Orkney. The game transplants Torn's proven crime-economy-guild mechanics into a dark fantasy setting with real-time features expected in 2026+. ### What Each Source Primarily Contributes | Source | Primary Contribution | |---|---| | **Bard's Tale I** | Setting (Skara Brae), Review Board (leveling/spells), party system, dungeon progression, Mangar antagonist, spell schools, bard songs | | **RoleMaster / MERP** | Combat engine (d100 open-ended, crit tables, armor cross-ref, body parts, resistance rolls), three magic realms, **elaborate skill category system + spell lists**, brutality | | **Idle Fantasy** | Offline sessions, hireable workers, pets, guild rank progression, blessings, slayer tasks, daily/cumulative quests | | **Torn City** | Crime→adventure loop, billions-scale stats, economy, factions→guilds, companies→clans, properties, education, casino→gambling, travel, seasonal events, **honours/awards→medals & honours** | --- ## Research Completed - Analyzed Torn City (torn.com): text-based crime MMORPG running since 2004, millions of users - Key Torn mechanics: crimes, PvP, factions, companies, properties, stock market, education, bounties, item market, casino, racing, travel, honours/awards - Torn evolution: Crimes 2.0 (2023), real-time features, mobile apps, rich REST API with community tools - Analyzed Idle Fantasy (github.com/tristinbaker/IdleFantasy): open-source idle RPG, 23 skills, offline sessions, guild rank progression, pets, inn workers, blessings, slayer tasks - Analyzed Bard's Tale I (1985): dungeon crawl RPG set in Skara Brae, 30×30 city map, Review Board, Garth's Shoppe, party of 6, spell schools (Magician/Conjurer/Sorcerer/Wizard → Archmage), Mangar the Dark, turn-based combat - Analyzed RoleMaster/MERP: d100 open-ended system, critical tables by weapon type, armor cross-reference, body part damage, resistance rolls, three realms of magic (Essence/Channeling/Mentalism), 10 stats, skill ranks & development points, maneuver difficulty, open/closed/base spell lists - Designed hybrid combat system: Torn-scale exponential stat growth + RoleMaster-inspired open-ended d100 crit tables with level-difference caps - Designed MERP/Rolemaster-inspired skill & magic system: 21 skill categories, practice+development rank hybrid, maneuver roll resolution, per-realm spell lists - Designed Torn City-inspired medals & honours system: tiered medals, rare honours, titles, Hall of Fame - Created comprehensive mechanics source mapping (BT1 + RM + IF + Torn → Skara Brae) --- ## Design Documents (Joplin Notes) | Note | ID | Content | |---|---|---| | [Game Concept Overview](joplin://fcd381c235694f29abf73665317a40f5) | `fcd381c235694f29abf73665317a40f5` | Core game loops, character system (6 races, 8 classes), crafting deep dive, inn deep dive, pets, guilds, blessings, slayer, API design, monetization, MVP scope | | [Mechanics Source Mapping](joplin://81ac5941f07d4cdcb41a4797c7ec1c99) | `81ac5941f07d4cdcb41a4797c7ec1c99` | **How BT1, RoleMaster, Idle Fantasy, and Torn City map to our mechanics.** Leveling, spells, combat, adventures, city nav, economy, guilds+clans, party system, races, classes, quests, world events. | | [Combat System & Stat Scaling Design](joplin://5ff1fed180fa4b39b4cdb925f34c1008) | `5ff1fed180fa4b39b4cdb925f34c1008` | Hybrid RoleMaster + Torn City combat: exponential BIGINT stats, open-ended d100 crit tables, crit caps by level difference, crit status effects, combat formula draft | | [Skill & Magic System (MERP/Rolemaster-Inspired)](joplin://8bee50c2a9194ec491612ace0bd40fe4) | `8bee50c2a9194ec491612ace0bd40fe4` | **21 skill categories, practice+development rank hybrid, maneuver roll resolution (Routine→Absurd), per-realm spell lists (open/closed/base), power points, spell acquisition at Review Board.** | | [Medals & Honours System (Torn City-Inspired)](joplin://e368348dd9c341f59fe55594a0fbca96) | `e368348dd9c341f59fe55594a0fbca96` | **Tiered medals (Copper→Dragon) by category, rare honours, titles, Hall of Fame leaderboards, bounded permanent bonuses, profile display.** | | [Idle Fantasy Inspirations](joplin://fea2d81f0414484fa4edf126f8ca17ed) | `fea2d81f0414484fa4edf126f8ca17ed` | Offline sessions, hireable NPC workers, pet buff system, guild rank progression, blessings/church, slayer tasks, quest diversity, 23-skill mapping | | [Lore & World Building](joplin://2c8e2a844da0497e8a93c820ec8901a1) | `2c8e2a844da0497e8a93c820ec8901a1` | 11 city districts + key locations, 11 key NPCs, 5-act storyline (BT1-inspired), travel destinations (offshore), day/night cycle, calendar & seasonal events with temporary locations | | [Tech Stack & Architecture](joplin://980c3eb587294e4383474b94988f2f88) | `980c3eb587294e4383474b94988f2f88` | Rust workspace (Axum, SQLx, Redis, JWT), Vue 3 frontend, multi-repo structure, database schema, crate dependencies | | [Project Plan](joplin://088737f31c514f1da21cc42c0ab6acc1) | `088737f31c514f1da21cc42c0ab6acc1` | This document — roadmap, MVP scope, repository structure | --- ## Character System Summary ### Races (6 — Conservative) Human, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Half-Orc, Half-Elf ### Classes (8 — Conservative) Warrior, Rogue, Mage, Bard, Cleric, Ranger, Paladin, Monk ### Spell Schools (Mage only, BT1-inspired) Magician → Conjurer → Sorcerer → Wizard. Switch at Review Board. Master all four = Archmage. ### Magic Realms (RoleMaster-inspired) Essence (mages), Channeling (clerics), Mentalism (bards/psionics) ### Skills (MERP/Rolemaster-inspired) 21 skill categories (Armor, Weapons, Athletic, Awareness, Body Dev, Combat Maneuvers, Craft, Gathering, Directed Spells, Influence, Lore, Magic Lore, Mental, Outdoor, Self Control, Special Attacks, Spells, Subterfuge, Technical/Trade, Urban). Practice ranks by use + development ranks by spend. Maneuver roll resolution (d100 open-ended vs. difficulty). ### Medals & Honours (Torn City-inspired) Tiered medals (Copper→Silver→Gold→Platinum→Dragon) across 10 categories, rare honours for exceptional feats, cosmetic titles, Hall of Fame leaderboards. Mostly cosmetic; small bounded permanent bonuses. --- ## Key Systems ### Navigation (Hybrid Model) - **City**: District-based navigation (click to move). Fast, mobile-friendly. - **Dungeons**: Room-by-room exploration with minimap. Immersive. - **Night travel**: Random encounter chance when moving between districts at night. - **Offshore travel**: Ship from Harbor, 1-4 hour real-time trips, risk of encounters. ### Party System - **Parties**: 2-4 players (not 6 characters per player like BT1). Front/back rank combat. - **LFG Board**: At Adventurers' Guild. Post/apply for dungeon groups. - **Mercenary NPCs**: Hire from inn to fill empty slots. Cost gold. Lower stats than players. - **Guild Raids**: 6-12 players. Instanced dungeons. Weekly lockout. Best loot. - **Group bonuses**: +10% XP per party member (up to +30% for party of 4). ### Guilds + Clans (Separate Systems) - **Guilds**: Power/territory organizations. Hierarchy, guild hall, wars, alliances, taxation. One guild per player. - **Clans**: Economic cooperatives. Types: Trading Company, Mercenary Band, Crafting Cooperative, Exploration Society. One clan per player. Stack with guild membership. ### Economy - Garth's Equipment Shoppe (NPC, basic gear, 40% buyback) - Player-driven bazaar + auction house - Bank (deposits, interest, loans) - Inn gambling (dice, cards, arm wrestling, shell game) - Player shops/stalls in Market Square - Merchant ventures (trading caravans, 24-hour returns) - Travel to offshore trade hubs (Free Ports) --- ## Tech Stack Decision | Layer | Technology | Rationale | |---|---|---| | Backend | **Rust** + Axum + Tokio | Performance, type safety, fearless concurrency for game tick engine | | Database | PostgreSQL + SQLx + Redis | ACID for game state, Redis for cache/sessions/leaderboards | | Real-time | WebSocket (tokio-tungstenite) | Live combat, chat, notifications | | Auth | JWT + Argon2 | Stateless auth, API-friendly | | Frontend | **Vue 3** + Vite + Pinia | Reactive UI, composable patterns for game state | | Mobile | PWA via Vite plugin | Single codebase, native-like experience | | Infra | Docker + Caddy | Simple deployment, automatic HTTPS | --- ## Repository Structure ### Decision: Multi-Repo with Common ``` github.com/{org}/ ├── skara-brae-server/ # Rust backend (Axum) │ ├── crates/ │ │ ├── sb-api/ # HTTP + WebSocket server │ │ ├── sb-core/ # Game engine (combat, crit tables, skills, spells, pets, crafting) │ │ ├── sb-db/ # Database layer (SQLx + PostgreSQL) │ │ ├── sb-auth/ # JWT + Argon2 authentication │ │ └── sb-shared/ # Server-internal shared types, errors, constants │ ├── migrations/ │ ├── Cargo.toml │ └── docker-compose.yml ├── skara-brae-client/ # Vue 3 frontend │ ├── src/ │ └── package.json └── skara-brae-common/ # Shared between client and server ├── game-data/ # Adventure templates, item defs, crit tables, spell lists, recipes, medal defs (JSON/TOML) ├── api-types/ # Shared API request/response type definitions └── constants/ # Game constants, formula parameters, stat caps ``` --- ## MVP Scope (Phase 1) 1. User registration, authentication, character creation (6 races, 8 classes) 2. Basic stat/skill system with training (BIGINT stats, 21 skill categories, practice+development ranks) 3. Adventure system (5-10 adventures across difficulty tiers) 4. Turn-based combat engine with RoleMaster-inspired crit tables 5. Basic economy: Garth's Shoppe (NPC), bazaar (player), bank 6. Guild creation and membership (basic hierarchy) 7. Party system (2-4 players + NPC mercenaries) 8. The Adventurers' Guild (Review Board — leveling, basic spell learning) 9. REST API + basic Vue.js frontend 10. Real-time notifications via WebSocket 11. Offline adventure rewards collection 12. Basic crafting (2-3 professions: blacksmithing, alchemy, cooking) 13. Medal tracking infrastructure (counters + a few combat/adventure medals) --- ## Roadmap - **Phase 2**: PvP arena, guild wars + territory, properties, education system, pets, blessings, clan system, **full skill category system + maneuver resolution**, **spell lists (per realm)**, **full medals + honours + titles** - **Phase 3**: Full 5-act storyline, dynamic world events, day/night cycle, inn workers, slayer tasks, offshore travel, **Hall of Fame leaderboards**, hidden medals, seasonal honours - **Phase 4**: Mobile app (Capacitor), merchant ventures, advanced crafting (all 12 professions), pet breeding, inn gambling, spell scrolls/wands/runes crafting - **Phase 5**: Community API, mod support, tournament system, guild raids (6-12 players) --- ## Open Questions - [ ] Art style / visual direction (text-only vs. illustrated UI elements) - [ ] Game clock speed (how many real hours per game day? currently 4hr) - [ ] Monetization specifics (patron tier pricing) - [ ] Hosting infrastructure (self-hosted vs. cloud) - [ ] Whether to use Nuxt (SSR) or plain Vue (SPA) - [ ] Offline session balance: how long should adventures continue while logged out? - [ ] Blessing tuning: duration ranges, effect scaling, cooldown between blessings - [ ] Worker pricing: gold-per-hour rates for hireable inn workers - [ ] Party size: 2-4 confirmed? Or allow up to 6? - [ ] Raid size: 6? 12? For guild raid content. - [ ] Travel time: 1-4 hours real time for offshore locations? - [ ] Spell school switching: cooldown? Cost? Or free at Review Board? - [ ] Archmage: cosmetic title only? Or gameplay bonus for mastering all schools? - [ ] **Stat bonus curve**: exact `stat_bonus()` log function shape for skill system - [ ] **Rank caps**: hard cap per skill or soft cap via DP scarcity? - [ ] **PP vs mana**: unify into power points or keep both? - [ ] **Medal tier count**: 5 (Copper→Dragon) or simplify to 4? - [ ] **Honour bonus cap**: confirm +10% per-effect-category collective cap? - [x] ~~Rebirth/prestige system~~ → **Deferred**: stats only go up for now - [x] ~~Monorepo vs multi-repo~~ → **Multi-repo**: server, client, common - [x] ~~Game data location~~ → **skara-brae-common repo** - [x] ~~Map system~~ → **Hybrid**: district nav for city, room-by-room for dungeons - [x] ~~Guilds vs clans~~ → **Both**: guilds (power/territory) + clans (economic), one of each per player - [x] ~~Skill system depth~~ → **MERP/Rolemaster-inspired**: 21 categories, practice+dev ranks, maneuver rolls - [x] ~~Magic system~~ → **Spell lists per realm** (open/closed/base), power points, ordered progression - [x] ~~Achievements~~ → **Torn-style medals & honours**: tiered medals, rare honours, titles, HOF id: 088737f31c514f1da21cc42c0ab6acc1 parent_id: d1892c7c531848f5a5a3ac5e1749f7cf created_time: 2026-06-11T13:40:16.157Z updated_time: 2026-06-13T08:39:16.644Z is_conflict: 0 latitude: 0.00000000 longitude: 0.00000000 altitude: 0.0000 author: source_url: is_todo: 0 todo_due: 0 todo_completed: 0 source: joplin-desktop source_application: net.cozic.joplin-desktop application_data: order: 1781185216157 user_created_time: 2026-06-11T13:40:16.157Z user_updated_time: 2026-06-13T08:39:16.644Z encryption_cipher_text: encryption_applied: 0 markup_language: 1 is_shared: 0 share_id: conflict_original_id: master_key_id: user_data: deleted_time: 0 type_: 1