vcczar Posted June 3, 2022 Share Posted June 3, 2022 Since it's more likely than not that the Shakespeare game will come next, I've decided to conduct this poll. Basically, players will control a playing company, the term used for a theatre business. You will be in charge of doing the following things: Hiring and casting actors. Hiring playwrights and determining to stage their plays or not. Purchasing and upkeeping your theatre Purchasing costumes and etc for plays Advertising your theatre Acquiring texts to inspire your playwrights Attracting celebrity audience members Trying to secure a performance at the royal court Scheduling your plays and setting the prices for your tickets. Going on tour Etc All of this will trying to avoid historical events like the plagues and puritans shutting down the theatres, etc. Competing against other theatre groups to dominate Shakespeare's London. I'm considering the length of the game. Here are the options: - 1585-1642 -- From when the theatre really took off until it was closed down until 1660 by Puritans? - 1588-1613 -- Shakespeare's active period - 1585-1625 -- Covering only the Elizabethan and Jacobean area, but not the Carolinian Era. Notes: Most people only know of the playwrights Shakespeare, Marlowe, and Jonson, if they know any other than Shakespeare. However, there are some big name people that cover the entire era that are known to people that like the literature from this time. I should also note that the more restrictive the timespan, the more likely the player with Shakespeare will win. Sorry for any typos. Typing in a hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeP47 Posted June 3, 2022 Share Posted June 3, 2022 Honestly, I don't know why, but when put like this, my interest suddenly shoots up quite a bit. I guess it didn't click with me until now this would be a lot more of a "management" style game, and I'm all about those. For the topic at hand, I'm someone who 99.9% of the time prefers the longest possible timespan (indeed, with AMPU I'm like probably never going to play any start date other than 1772 save for maybe a jump start on the era of the future once or twice just to see what that's all about). That said, whatever era is in the game is whatever era is in the game, so I can't very well pine after what doesn't exist, so I'd be good with any. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted June 4, 2022 Author Share Posted June 4, 2022 When I playtest this game, I'm just going to playtest 1590-1600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 These are the names of the 27 Theatres that will be constructable, rentable, buyable, sellable in the Shakespeare game. Which theatre would you pick based on the name? Each theatre will have the following stats: Era Location Type Cost Max Occupancy Clientele Royalty Clientele Nobles Clientele Wealthy Clientele Groundlings Clientele Dregs of Society Name Bell Savage Inn Blackfriars Boar's Head Inn Bull Inn Cockpit Cockpit-in-Court Cross Keys Inn George Inn Hart Inn Hope Inns of Court Newington Butts Palace of Whitehall Red Bull Salisbury Court St Paul's The Beargarden The Bell Inn The Bull Ring The Curtain The Fortune The Globe The Phoenix The Rose The Swan The Theatre Whitefriars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeP47 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 The first one right off the bat is a good one, though I can't really decide. I can see how Elder Scrolls took some inspiration from a few of the names though, now that I think about it, like the Boar's Head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 41 minutes ago, OrangeP47 said: Boar's Head. Boar's Head Inn is also famous for being the main hangout location for Falstaff, one of Shakespeare's most well-known characters. This connection probably inspired a lot of other things named Boar's Head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duritz78 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 I've gotta start with the Globe of course! Went to a production at the New Globe when in London in 2005. Great experience. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10centjimmy Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Red Bull gives you wings, but my heart is in the Beargarden 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortKing Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 I like St Paul' and the Rose, but I would probably choose Salisbury Court 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Largo833 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Going strictly by names, as a Minnesotan I feel like I'm obligated to go with St. Paul's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 10 minutes ago, 10centjimmy said: Red Bull gives you wings, but my heart is in the Beargarden Its a part-time theatre that does bear baiting the other half of the time. The cockpit does a similar thing with rooster fighting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ich_bin_Tyler Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 I would pick the Rose in honor of the Tudors whose symbol was combined roses of Houses York and Lancaster (trying to earn the patronage of the royal family haha) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthewyoung123 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Blackfriars! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 I think having a Theatre called The Theatre is great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloot911 Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 Bell Savage Inn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkansas Progressive Posted June 7, 2022 Share Posted June 7, 2022 Hope is a nice representation of a part of the theatre mystique. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted June 7, 2022 Author Share Posted June 7, 2022 Playwrights and actors will have a % chance of quality and a potential. So Shakespeare might start with 20% chance C-grade play, 30% B-grade and 50% A-grade. His potential will allow these numbers to be more favorable. Marlowe will start with better numbers but have no real potential, so he doesn’t develop. Most scholars didn’t sense improvement in Marlowe from play to play. He was just really good at a sustained level. While Shakespeare was really good and developed. Impressarios, which is the role players will play as, will have actions. Then number of actions depends on the impresario. One can play as Philip Henslowe, who will have the most actions. A player wanting a challenge can play as a less active one. Players can also play as themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post vcczar Posted June 11, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 11, 2022 Here are the various classes (see chart at the bottom) I came up with during the time my computer was in repair. Players will play as the Impresario. The impresario will determine if their theatre company will use a collaborative sharer system or a capitalist wage system. The impresario will either rent or own their theatre. They can also own other theatres and rent them to other companies. The impresario will have to tab a manager, generally one of the players (main actors) as a representative for the company. The manager will attempt to gain performances at the royal court, inns of court, city pageants, and will also aid in major purchases and legal matters. The manager must seek a patron to legally operate a theatre company. This patron will either be the monarch, another royal, or a noble. The impresario will hire their players. If in a sharer system, the sharers must have a say in the hiring process. The impresario will hire Minor Actors and Boy Actors (to play adolescence and women). The impresario will hire a single company playwright and/or work with freelance playwrights to create new plays. Playwright will occasionally collaborate. Playwrights also lead in casting the play as they write their play with specific actors in mind. The impresario will hire a tireman to keep track up, repair, amend, and purchase costumes. Will play bit roles in plays scenes requiring a lot of actors. Prompter will copy out all the lines from a play for each actor, and will also plot out the main plot of a play to guide the actors and apply directions. In a way, he operates as the director. He is aided by Scribes. Will play bit roles in plays. Scribes aid the prompter and likely help in creating the playbills. Stagekeeper sweeps the stage, cleans the theatre, makes note and identifies needed repairs, and hangs up the playbills. Will play bit roles in plays. Gatherers collect the money at the doors with a box. Will play bit roles in plays once everyone is seated. Only job that women held during this time, although most gatherers were men. Perhaps sold consumables--at least the women--who weren't allowed to act. Musicians, although not part of the company, were hired to aid the company. Loud musicians for amphitheaters and quiet instruments for indoor theatres. Various social classes will impact the prestige of a company -- monarch, royals, nobles, celebrities, wealthy, artisans, lower class, foreign diplomats, etc. Master of the Revels must approve companies, their theatres, and their plays. He is in charge of censuring plays and is the leading figure fining companies. Lord Mayor will throw pageants. Guilds will often wants plays staged. Booksellers will sell published plays and purchase published plays. Printers will buy unpublished plays and publish them Clothiers will sell costumes, although companies may attempt to get expensive clothing from the guilds or from their patron Carpenters will repair the theatres and create props Candlemakers are needed for the indoor theatres Taverns are used for recruitment and for listening to the outline of plays by freelance playwrights Churches are used to accept donations and such to appease the puritans who constantly want to shut down the theatres Impressario can invest in other forms of entertainment such as cockfighting, bearbaiting, brothels, or in industries or overseas investments I may end up adding some other things, but I'm hoping to provide a full and living experience of Shakespeare's London. I should note that companies can go on tour during plague seasons. Classes Impresario Sharers Theatre Owner Patron Manager (Representatives) Players (Main Actors) Minor Actors Boy Actors Playwrights Tireman (Wardrobe Keeper) Prompter (Bookkeeper) Scribes (Copyists) Stagekeeper Gatherer (Doorman) Musicians Monarch Royals Nobles Wealthy Artisans Lower Class Celebrities Master of the Revels Lord Mayor Foreign Diplomats Guilds Booksellers Printers Clothiers Carpenters Candlemakers Taverns Churches Bearbaiting Cockfighting Brothels Overseas Ventures 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted June 13, 2022 Author Share Posted June 13, 2022 Here are the theatre companies. I'll have some ahistorical companies too, but these are the historical ones: Company Admiral's Men Children of Paul's Children of Paul's (II) Children of the Blackfriars Children of the Chapel Children of the Queen's Revels Children of the Queen's Revels (II) Children of the Revels Children of the Whitefriars Company of the Revels Derby's Men Duke of York's Men King's Men King's Revels Children King's Revels Men Lady Elizabeth's Men Leicester's Men Lennox's Men Lord Chamberlain's Men Lord Strange's Men Oxford's Men Palsgrave's Men Pembroke's Men Prince Charles's Men Prince Charles's Men (II) Prince Henry's Men Queen Anne's Men Queen Elizabeth's Men Queen Henrietta's Men Queen of Bohemia's Men Sussex's Men The King and Queen's Young Company Worcester's Men Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeP47 Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 At first I thought "Company" was going to be one of the companies.... I think it might be time for bed... Quite the selection though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted June 16, 2022 Author Share Posted June 16, 2022 Three big changes with the Shakespeare game are: the game will be 1 or 2 players, instead of 4 or 5. players will not be a historical impresario, such as Philip Henslowe (the model for the game), but will play as themself. You'll select a district of London and a background for your character. The impresarios will be able to make money on the side through several investments. This money can then help with the theatre when it is struggling or can be used for personal purchases, such as a country estate and things like that. All of these investments and purchases will be based on the historical lives of impressarios and people attached to the theatre. As the character you create will not be historical to the time, I am able to creating a lot of events that can be used to add flavor for the time. This would have been harder had players all been selecting historical figures because there's only so much historical documentation for the personal lives. Each game's turns will take up a season -- Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Four turns a year. The impressario will schedule their plays, adjust the casting if necessary, send workers to do things for the theatre, etc. Once scheduled, each week will be simulated one week at a time through the season. Events and decisions might pop up during the simulation, which will pause the game as you make a decision. Perhaps the lead actor gets sick. A play that was to be staged is censored, a playwright doesn't finish a play on time, etc. Historical impressarios will also be active, so they'll be competition. The location of a theatre will be important to clientele, accessibility, nearby competition, etc. For instance, it might be a good idea to put a theatre in a district where an opponent has a theatre, if you think you can run them out of business and force them to relocate. There will be several ways to win the game: 1. Points 2. Having the most money 3. Dominating London theatre world 4. Having the highest personal prestige through accruing honors, estates, etc. 5. Having had the most hit plays, most successful actor, most successful playwright, etc. Other things as well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeP47 Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Overall I feel like those are some good changes, once I understood why you did it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted June 17, 2022 Author Share Posted June 17, 2022 This is the first draft of how a player will create their character in the Shakespeare game. A lot of the options below will be disabled based on what is selected in the previous parts. For instance, you can't be a farmer that went to Oxford University or a wealthy sailor. If your parents have a high social class profession, you can't have a lower class initial occupation. What you choose will determine your initial wealth, difficulty level, and weather you get any sort of bonus points in the course of the game. They'll also determine your events, how people might react to you, what traits you might have, etc. Player Setup: Start a new company or take over one of the two extant companies. Select a name (create generator of English names for optional use). Select an place of birth London Westminster Surrey Middlesex Canterbury Oxford Cambridge Stratford-Upon-Avon Ipswich Bristol Taunton York Newcastle Coventry Exeter Dover Kent Norwich Netherlands Wales Scotland Age 21 35 50 Religion Protestant (Anglican) Protestant (Calvinistic) Protestant (Secular) Protestant (Catholic Convert) Protestant (Jewish Convert) Crypto-Catholic Crypto-Atheist Crypto-Jewish Family Married without children Married with one son Married with one daughter Married with one son and one daughter Single Illicit relationships None Mistress with shared illegitimate son Mistress with shared illegitimate daughter Mistress with no shared children Same-sex relationship Select father’s profession Servant to Queen Elizabeth Servant to a nobleman London lawyer Landed Gentry Yeoman outside of London Merchant Artisan Scribe Farmer Fisherman Tavernkeeper Innkeeper Landlord Laborer Soldier Sailor Touring Actor Education None Common School Oxford Cambridge Inns of Court Select initial industry Farmer Scribe Lawyer Innkeeper Tavernkeeper Draper Clothier Dyer Haberdasher Goldsmith Touring Actor Acrobat Baker Candlemaker Minstrel Fishmonger Grocer Tailor Soldier Sailor Carpenter Mercer Blacksmith Miller Vintner Salter Cook Clerk Shoemaker Part of a livery? (req: an artisan job above) Yes No because I’m not an artisan No even though I’m an artisan Intent with Initial industry Maintain current job and work theatre interests on the side Quit job and commit fully to theatre Reason for engaging in the theatre Love the theatre Hate my current job. Family occupation left to my older sibling and I must find my own path to financial success Initial wealth (Difficulty level) Wealthy through inheritance Wealthy through my initial occupation Middle-income Lower Middle Income In debt through my initial occupation Poor Home neighborhood Southwark (Bankside) Charing Cross City of London (Blackfriars) City of London (Eastcheap) City of London (Aldgate) City of London (Cripplegate) City of London (Cornhill) City of London (St Paul’s) Clerkenwell Covent Garden (Drury Lane) Inns of Court St Giles-without-Cripplegate Salisbury Court Shoreditch Whitechapel Westminster Moor Fields Holborn Finsbury Field Middlesex (Islington) Surrey (Newington Butts) Current housing No permanent residence as I sleep in various Inns Rented room in the neighborhood Rented floor above a shop Live in rooms I rent above my place of initial occupation. Live in rooms I own above my place of initial occupation. Own property and land (req: outside of London) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeP47 Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 +1 excitement for the ability to be Welsh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted June 17, 2022 Author Share Posted June 17, 2022 2 hours ago, OrangeP47 said: +1 excitement for the ability to be Welsh I wish I could add Irish but they were treated similar to how Jacksonian Americans treated Native Americans. There was talk of genocide to remove the Irish. No gaelic Irish person born in Ireland would have been able to make business in London. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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