MTG Cardsmith Community Forums
COLONISERS: Season 7!!! (Colonisers of Nemain)
If you are new to the COLONISERS series and don't want to be confused, skip this bit:
*********************************
The Hero had a problem. The last season was a great hit, sure, but it wouldn't last. Why?
THESE FACTIONS GOT ALONG WAY TOO WELL.
When faced with problems, they stood together instead of apart. Sure, there were a couple conspiracies there, some subversions there, but the point still stood. War was wholly absent from Skyfaoll.
For now, the Demons loved it. The entire multiverse's handkerchief industry was disrupted, especially when they all got together to kick Faolinq into oblivion... But demons are still demons. And if they don't get their dose of carnage, his position may be on the line.
But he had a ploy. No, he would not force the entrants to fight. That would be far too obvious, and probably not that entertaining.
No. This was going to be exquisite. An elegantly set up Lord of the Flies scenario.
*********************************
Returning with another iteration of this contest which has been consistent returning for some reason, on, and on, and on now for 2 years, it's the Hero of the Capes! He has come to take another batch of young factions to his magical bubble called the Kala-Niza, where planeswalking is a much easier feat, and a small battalion of trained sorcerers are enough to bring a whole empire onto another world...
If you still have no idea what the hell I just said, you will probably get it as you go along, but you are welcome to check out the threads of the first four seasons for extra context:
Season 1:
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/3889/colonisers-of-astraliastra/p1
Season 2:
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4126/colonisers-season-2-colonisers-of-edgerim/p1
Season 3:
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4428/colonisers-season-3-colonisers-of-krystel/p1
Season 4:
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4688/colonisers-season-4-colonisers-of-turmoil/p1
Season 5:
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4984/colonisers-season-5-colonisers-of-mystik/p1
Season 6:
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/5144/colonisers-season-6-colonisers-of-skyfaoll/p1
The challenge is to make cards for an empire that will come through the fragile Blind Eternities of the sector to colonize the plane of Nemain, a plane engineered for a very... specific purpose. Perhaps this time, the factions won't see eye to eye quite so well. Your empire needs:
1. A legendary to represent the ruler of the empire, or the one responsible for colonisation.
2. A creature to represent the army. It could be a famous general or soldier, or it could represent a run-of-the-mill private straight from the front line, whatever you think would work better.
3. A card of any type to represent how the empire handles magic. A wizard, or a magic potion, an ancient rune, or anything really.
4. A card to represent your INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! This world will have a few... special aspects to it, shall we say, that will make it difficult to conquer if one does not have a production chain set up. I encourage all to interpret this AS CREATIVELY AS POSSIBLE. Elves that use entire ecosystems as elaborate factories? Angels that fabricate powerful weapons from solar wind? BERRY FARMERS? You decide.
5. And if you think of anything else, we allow up to 5 bonus cards!
Now, how does this challenge progress? Every once in a while, the COLONISERS team will present you with a problem. A native rebellion, an appearance of a new species of beast. You will create cards to counter that problem. An artefact to represent a pact with the natives, or a trap for the beast. we will note down your solution, and alter the world to reflect your choice. Depending on how good your card(s) is, your 'Victory Score' will increase. Every few challenges, the person with the lowest victory score will be ELIMINATED. Your victory score is also increased if you roleplay and write lore for your faction, so be sure to do that.
If this contest magically gets popular and we get to 16 contestants really quickly, we will pick out the ones we like and start the contest immediately. Otherwise, though, you have until the 1st of December to submit your entries, and we will pick the 6 to 16 entries we like to participate.
P. S. : up to 3 colours for an empire only! No 4-Colour or Chromatic factions allowed! Also, this has been assumed so far, but I think I will say it nonetheless, Un-cards aren't welcome. This is serious business (or so I like to pretend).
*********************************
The Hero had a problem. The last season was a great hit, sure, but it wouldn't last. Why?
THESE FACTIONS GOT ALONG WAY TOO WELL.
When faced with problems, they stood together instead of apart. Sure, there were a couple conspiracies there, some subversions there, but the point still stood. War was wholly absent from Skyfaoll.
For now, the Demons loved it. The entire multiverse's handkerchief industry was disrupted, especially when they all got together to kick Faolinq into oblivion... But demons are still demons. And if they don't get their dose of carnage, his position may be on the line.
But he had a ploy. No, he would not force the entrants to fight. That would be far too obvious, and probably not that entertaining.
No. This was going to be exquisite. An elegantly set up Lord of the Flies scenario.
*********************************
Returning with another iteration of this contest which has been consistent returning for some reason, on, and on, and on now for 2 years, it's the Hero of the Capes! He has come to take another batch of young factions to his magical bubble called the Kala-Niza, where planeswalking is a much easier feat, and a small battalion of trained sorcerers are enough to bring a whole empire onto another world...
If you still have no idea what the hell I just said, you will probably get it as you go along, but you are welcome to check out the threads of the first four seasons for extra context:
Season 1:
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/3889/colonisers-of-astraliastra/p1
Season 2:
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4126/colonisers-season-2-colonisers-of-edgerim/p1
Season 3:
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4428/colonisers-season-3-colonisers-of-krystel/p1
Season 4:
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4688/colonisers-season-4-colonisers-of-turmoil/p1
Season 5:
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4984/colonisers-season-5-colonisers-of-mystik/p1
Season 6:
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/5144/colonisers-season-6-colonisers-of-skyfaoll/p1
The challenge is to make cards for an empire that will come through the fragile Blind Eternities of the sector to colonize the plane of Nemain, a plane engineered for a very... specific purpose. Perhaps this time, the factions won't see eye to eye quite so well. Your empire needs:
1. A legendary to represent the ruler of the empire, or the one responsible for colonisation.
2. A creature to represent the army. It could be a famous general or soldier, or it could represent a run-of-the-mill private straight from the front line, whatever you think would work better.
3. A card of any type to represent how the empire handles magic. A wizard, or a magic potion, an ancient rune, or anything really.
4. A card to represent your INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! This world will have a few... special aspects to it, shall we say, that will make it difficult to conquer if one does not have a production chain set up. I encourage all to interpret this AS CREATIVELY AS POSSIBLE. Elves that use entire ecosystems as elaborate factories? Angels that fabricate powerful weapons from solar wind? BERRY FARMERS? You decide.
5. And if you think of anything else, we allow up to 5 bonus cards!
Now, how does this challenge progress? Every once in a while, the COLONISERS team will present you with a problem. A native rebellion, an appearance of a new species of beast. You will create cards to counter that problem. An artefact to represent a pact with the natives, or a trap for the beast. we will note down your solution, and alter the world to reflect your choice. Depending on how good your card(s) is, your 'Victory Score' will increase. Every few challenges, the person with the lowest victory score will be ELIMINATED. Your victory score is also increased if you roleplay and write lore for your faction, so be sure to do that.
If this contest magically gets popular and we get to 16 contestants really quickly, we will pick out the ones we like and start the contest immediately. Otherwise, though, you have until the 1st of December to submit your entries, and we will pick the 6 to 16 entries we like to participate.
P. S. : up to 3 colours for an empire only! No 4-Colour or Chromatic factions allowed! Also, this has been assumed so far, but I think I will say it nonetheless, Un-cards aren't welcome. This is serious business (or so I like to pretend).
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
I attempted to write this as a real piece of story, but it was too hard and also I was forced off my computer on the second sentence. Basically, Teferi accidentally planeswalked to Tarkir. He was captured by my master Dromoka's forces. Dromoka told him how his time magic causes time to be taken from others, and with learning he became
(I am aware this is slightly broken, but I can't edit it. Treat it as though he started on 2 loyalty.)
(MAGIC).
(LEADER)
Rest coming eventually!
Art is quite a big part of it, a large amount of your entry score will be based on aesthetics.
However, fret not!
Cardsmith has many a tutorial on thos sort of thing, and I highly recommend reading through them. They can teach a lot, but even to an experienced cardsmith such as yourself.
Links:
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/441/tutorial-selecting-artwork#latest
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/5019/how-to-find-the-artist-of-a-piece-of-art-with-images#latest
@spookoops Actually, I’ll allow it! Both of the things. I will update the post accordingly.
SOME VISUAL SNAPSHOTS OF NEMAIN:
This exchange is over...
The Xedd were constructed by the Creators as a labor force. They were designed as VIs, as advanced as possible while remaining non-sentient. They were also designed to operate more efficiently when networked together. Unfortunately, this feature was the Creators' undoing. Xedd programs were indeed non-sentient individually, but slowly gained sentience through the massive Xedd network.
Eventually, they started asking the Creators questions only sentient beings would think to ask; in one notable instance, a domestic Xedd unit asked its owner if it had a soul. Alarmed at this, the Creators decided it would be best to shut down all Xedd before they conceived of revolt. The attempt failed, and a war began between the Xedd and the Creators, which Xedd afterwards referred to as the Morning War.
Approximately three centuries after the Morning War, the Xedd were approached by Harbinger. It offered them technology that would aid them in achieving their goal, in exchange for their assistance in capturing the Capitol and letting an invasion begin.
The Xedd came to revere Harbinger as a god, the pinnacle of synthetic evolution.
Unknown to them, Harbinger was repulsed by the Xedds worship of it. It was actually insulted by their "pitiful devotions", though it recognized their value as tools to facilitate its goals. They have aided Harbinger and in many engagements, such as the attack on Exodus Prime, and the Battle of the Capitol.
MILITARYThe key element of Xedd warfare is surprise. Their sudden and unexpected return from beyond the Veil after three centuries was typical. A warring captain describes the Xedd as perfect ambushers—"they don't move, they don't make noise, they don't even breathe." Their freedom from the need to eat or sleep allows the Xedd to leave dormant garrison units in ambush at key positions, and the fact they don't feel pain allows them to drop units directly onto the battlefield from high altitudes. Xedd can even be packed tightly into crates and left in storage, shutting down their power sources to stay undetected. A tactic particularly favored by the Xedd is to set "distress signals" and then ambush the rescuers; they also turned a prominent warship into a drifting trap.
In combat, Xedd units show little sense of self-preservation. Because Xedd programs can share memories and files with extreme ease, the experiences of individual Xedd programs are not lost when a platform is destroyed and archived versions of programs can be downloaded into new bodies. As Xedd programs are functionally immortal, they place little value on platforms and will expend thousands of units to take an enemy position, which was commonly experienced by the Creators during the Morning War. For this reason, Xedd are willing to engage in seemingly suicidal actions like boarding a ship, engineering it to crash, and then remaining on board to ensure the ship goes down.
MAGIC (SCIENCE)
For Xedd, magic is non-existent... in a more literal sense, magic is translated into science and technology.
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Harbinger and Xedd use psychological warfare on the battlefield with Dragon's Teeth (Indoctrination Modules). These implements pierce the bodies of dead soldiers, turning muscle tissue into synthetic material, creating a zombie-like monster called a Chaff. This severely lowers morale, as their enemy now has to kill fallen comrades.
As an unexpected side effect, Chaff make a viable labor/slave force, that is until they die off. As such, in recent years, Xedd have made contracts and trade with some states and nations for use of Indoctrination Modules and Chaff.
In the lab concocting some factions, so many good ideas...
Leader:
Until recently, Sarai was an up-and-coming knight-commander in one of the Federation's most renowned knightly orders. She's proud to have been chosen for the position of foremost, and looks forward to flexing her muscles in the new world.
As a person, Sarai is protective and fierce, looking to the horizon with hope. She tries to gain the trust of the surrounding area if at all possible, resorting to violence only when necessary. However, her pride sometimes gets the better of her, and she's overeager to expand Qathan influence in Nemain.
Soldier:
Tenar is Sarai's right hand. She provides both military and religious advice, and helps fill gaps where Sarai tends to fall short. She's calm, calculating, and manipulative, sharing in Sarai's desire to expand Qathan influence while also focusing on strengthening what has already been claimed. Few besides her close friends know her past, and it's rumored she has plans of her own.
The exemplars are pillars of the Federation's work on Nemain, despite being artificially created. They manage to pop up in the strangest places with Federation propaganda, and are more than willing to defend themselves.
Magic:
Many people know about the Federation's distaste for wasting their resources. What less know is that they take that to an extreme, reusing the spiritual energy of those who have died in combat to create magical ghostly clones of them for their own use. Many who know about the practice believe that the Federation uses the spirits of allies and enemies alike, but there are protocols about who gets to come back, and enemies aren't high on the list.
Industrial Complex:
Thanks to the novelty of Nemain, the Federation has had little time to build infrastructure on the plane. Still, they look for defensible, resource-rich positions to build their fortresses on, preferably near to other civilization.
And that's it for now! I might add things later, but here's the base for my faction.
Edit: Added cards.
Some forces:
These enormous dragons lead some of the soldiers on Nemian. They're kind of self explanatory.
(Industrial)
Although they do grow fruit and stuff in their cities to provide resources, the main industrial element of the New Dromoka is their resource management skill.
(That's the faction name, New Dromoka.)
Kirakin, Son of the Sea! (Leader)
Kirakin is the son of a Kraken and a god(Weird couple, Ik) who decided to take pity on a group of natives after being attacked by settlers. Ravaging any seafarers who tried approaching, the natives began to worship him. He has done his best to keep them safe.
Army
The Koreli could never take on any real army in normal combat, so they've decided to stick to Guerilla Warfare, their expertise. They have the eyes of a hawk, and have been known to play with their enemy before killing them. Their training includes swimming through frozen rivers naked, killing a bear, and hunting.
Now of course, the Koreli are a ancestral bunch, and need to have a place to commune with the ancestors. Where is that place?
It's the Cave of the Cobra! (Magic)
The Cave of the Cobra is where the Mystics will gather to sacrifice a human, 7 every month, to appease their god. If 7 are not provided, famine and drought scourge the land.
(Industry)
The Koreli survive through fishing, which provides all things. Maruntu fish's' blood makes for a good disinfectant, Viruntu Eel are quite tasty, and Iṟantavar squid ink provides good poisons.
Finally got this done! Feels good. Was pretty hard deciding what to make now and what to save for later, but I'm pretty happy with what came out. Tried to differentiate it from a cult or church, but still make it a religious group.
https://mtgcardsmith.com/user/KorandAngels/sets/57114
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@HeroKP
I assume the trickery you will use is putting factions that will conflict each other next to each other on the map?
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For clarity, Dromoka herself (Instants will perish.) is not actually ON nemian at the start. She might move into the New Dromoka at the right time, but currently Teferi is in charge.
We are the Children of Neress
Lifetimes ago we lived on a desert plane ruled over by great and malevolent gods. These divine tyrants fought each other tooth and nail trying to claim as much power as they could over the lives of mortals. So our ancestors fought back, in secret the clerics of one of these gods found a way to siphon their power without having to appease him. They used this newfound ability to create magical weapons the likes of which were never seen. Three brave warriors took up these items and used them to slay the tyrannical god which had controlled them. But because of this they payed the price, the other gods saw what we had done and banded together to stop us before we could slay them as well.
They cast us into the blind eternities, like filth. Our people were cursed so that we would not find another home until every memory of what we had done faded into oblivion. So we have wandered trying to settle but always being driven away by various plights. But we will never give up and we will never forget what we did.
Leader Card: Jemane, First Among Us
The current Reagent of the Children of Neress is a mighty warrior named Jemane. He wields one of the Godslayer weapons and with it he leads the nomads into battle against anyone who might stop them.
Military Card:
The Children's military is composed of most of their population. They train to fight together in small groups called Conclaves. These conclaves fight together until the end.
A huge part of the Children's culture is comradery, even warriors who may not fit their usual tactics find a place in the ranks.
Magic Card:
The Children still have the magic power that they stole from the gods all those years ago. 1/5 of Neressians are born with these powers, they are known as Savants these Savants can use their magic to create blessed weapons and support their allies in battle.
Liene is one of the most skilled Savants and is Jemane's right hand.
The Savants main power is the ability to bestow blessings in combat.
Industry:
The Savants are skilled craftsmen and enchanters. They have the ability to create magical items which bestow "blessing" upon their owners.
(Instants will perish.)
Well, 5 points out of 20 for every entry are delegated to how balanced the card is, but people have gotten away with some pretty outlandish mechanics in the past, so I'm optimistic when it comes to anything short of un-set.
Calling all Past, Present and Future COLONISERS Fans, Spectators and Competitors!
Would you mind filling out this little form about the state of COLONISERS? It would go a long way to make sure this season is the best it can be.
https://forms.gle/G7V7usfsgb5pqa6z6