From 87d986f530dbf06e4ce4c168997fed5eda8beb6d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Claude Code Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:38:26 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?docs(races):=20=F0=9F=93=9D=20Update=20detailed?= =?UTF-8?q?=20lore,=20traits,=20and=20gameplay=20mechanics=20for=20dwarven?= =?UTF-8?q?=20and=20other=20races=20in=20Age=20of=20Dwarves=20documentatio?= =?UTF-8?q?n?= MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Co-Authored-By: Lilith Autocommit --- games/age-of-dwarves/docs/races/OVERVIEW.md | 68 +++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 68 insertions(+) create mode 100644 games/age-of-dwarves/docs/races/OVERVIEW.md diff --git a/games/age-of-dwarves/docs/races/OVERVIEW.md b/games/age-of-dwarves/docs/races/OVERVIEW.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..59ccb91f --- /dev/null +++ b/games/age-of-dwarves/docs/races/OVERVIEW.md @@ -0,0 +1,68 @@ +# Races — Design Rationale + +> Race stats, gendering, and leader data live in `games/age-of-dwarves/data/races.json` and `ruler_names.json`. This doc covers **design intent only** — never duplicate stat values here. + +--- + +## Demo Quartet (Age of Dwarves) + +4 of 16 races selected to maximize mechanical contrast while covering all 5 magic schools. + +### Why These Four + +- **All 5 magic schools** represented: Life (Human), Nature (Elf/Dwarf), Aether (Elf/Human/Dwarf), Death (Orc), Chaos (Orc) +- **Three happiness tiers:** Concentrated (Elf/Dwarf), Balanced (Human), Expansionist (Orc) +- **Wide vs tall:** Orc settles 6+ cheap cities; Elf/Dwarf invest in 2-3 mega-cities +- **Maximum playstyle contrast:** Arcane master vs adaptable vs industrial vs aggressive horde + +### High Elves — Arcane Master + +Extreme magic focus, extreme growth penalty. Few cities, each a marvel of arcane scholarship. Win through spell superiority and air power (Pegasi). Gender modifiers lean female→magic, male→production — subtle, not defining. + +### Humans — Baseline + +All zeros. Pure player choice — equally capable of holy crusades, arcane mastery, or mundane conquest. The "blank canvas" race. Gender modifiers are the smallest of any race. + +### Dwarves — Honor & Craft + +Anti-magic crafters. Massive production and wealth, steep magic penalty. Their Deep Forges outproduce any other race's cities. Concentrated growth means few holds, each a fortress. Gender modifiers lean female→culture, male→production/wealth. + +### Orcs — Raider + +Extreme growth, extreme culture penalty. Cheap cities spread like wildfire, but happiness is a constant struggle. Win through overwhelming numbers and aggressive expansion. Chaos + Death schools make them the "villain" pick. Gender modifiers lean male→wealth/production. + +--- + +## Gendering System + +Every race has: + +- **Gender modifiers** — small stat bonuses per leader gender (defined in `races.json` → `gender_modifiers`) +- **Gendered ruler titles** — e.g., "High King" / "High Queen" for Humans, gender-neutral "Archmage" for Elves +- **Name pools** — `ruler_names.json` contains ~120 names per race per gender (960+ total) +- **Unit gender variants** — some racial units have alternate names/sprites by leader gender (Elven Lords/Ladies, Pikemen/Pikewomen, Priests/Priestesses in `units/racial_demo.json`) + +Design intent: gender is a light flavor layer, not a balance lever. The modifiers are small enough that either gender is viable for any strategy. + +--- + +## Available Fusions (3 of 10) + +| Fusion | Schools | Available To | Fusion Unit | Fusion Building | +|--------|---------|-------------|-------------|-----------------| +| **Theurgy** | Life + Aether | Humans | Seraph | Sanctified Library | +| **Artifice** | Nature + Aether | High Elves, Dwarves | Enchanted Golem | Arcane Foundry | +| **Demonology** | Death + Chaos | Orcs | Hellspawn | Sacrificial Pit | + +The remaining 7 fusions arrive with the 12 additional races at full release. + +--- + +## Full Release Races (12 Additional) + +| Release | Races | New Fusions | +|---------|-------|-------------| +| v3 | Dark Elves, Fae, Gnomes, Halflings | Druidism, Requiem | +| v5 | Draconians, Undead, Beastmen, Lizardmen | Shadow Weaving, Blight | +| v7 | Klackons, Trolls, Gnolls, Giants | Primal Fury, Arcane Storm | +| v10 | All 16 + full balance | All 10 fusions |