by jongjungbu » Feb 22, 2004 @ 9:54pm
Introduction
Medieval Blacksmith combines the crafting of authentic medieval arms with a fictitious world of characters and places and a task-based system of jobs and quests to provide a unique gaming experience. You begin your profession as a lowly apprentice. Not even a member of the Blacksmith Guild yet, you must work your way up through skill and promotion. Your final goal is to become a Legendary Blacksmith with perhaps the greatest wealth in all the land.
What to do first?
Your first task is to find a master blacksmith to apprentice under. There are four to choose from in the village of Thynbarr: Adonis, Weary, Blake, and Zed. Each have their own preferences and tendencies but that is up to you to discover. Once you have chosen a master, you will remain under his supervision until you have reached journeyman level. He will provide you with your first set of tools, which you need to craft any weapons or armor. These tools are not indestructible though and will wear with each use. Since you start out with little money, you will need to begin some work for cash. You have three types of tasks that you may acquire: quests, consignments, or jobs. There is a game limit of 10 tasks at once, regardless of type.
Quests
A quest is a task given by a citizen that usually involves the delivery or retrieval of some item. The pay is good early on, they're easy, and any number up to the task limit may be taken at once. They can supplement your cash flow when crafting failures are hurting your wallet. However, they do not help you gain any smithing skill. A smith of any guild rank may take upon himself a quest, although the cash may not be quite as significant for highly skilled smiths. There are some one-time quests that may be found as well that will provide you with unique items or upgrades to make your life easier. Some may not be available until you have been promoted a few times, others your guildmaster will tell you about.
Consignments
A consignment is a task given by a master smith to his apprentice that is at an appropriate skill level for the apprentice. An apprentice may take only one consignment at a time from the start, but promotions will allow additional consignments simultaneously. A consignment involves the apprentice forging some particular item and delivering it to the customer. A significant portion of the payment will automatically be taken by the master smith. One thing to note about forging as an apprentice is that one may only use the forge of his master. The good news is the crafting required to create the particular item may improve your blacksmithing skill.
Jobs
A job is a task acquired from the job postings in the guild hall. Only a journeyman or higher may sign for a job posting and the maximum number that may be taken at once is limited by your guild rank as well. Job postings fluctuate in pricing and complexity on their own or due to random events and without regard to your skill level. Thusly, you may find jobs too difficult or too easy at times, but it is up to you whether or not to accept them.
Promotions
In order to be promoted by the Guildmaster, one needs to achieve 50 points of skill. Every 50 skill points, you may receive another promotion by speaking to the Guildmaster. Promotions allow you to acquire multiple forging tasks at once as well as let you continue improving your skill. Recipes will become easier and faster as you rise in your profession.
Gaining Skill
Gaining skill can only be achieved by forging items. Whether it is by consignment, job, or just because you want to, crafting items will help improve your skill. Only a successful forging will improve your talents, and even then it may still not rise depending on the difficulty. Complex recipes with a higher chance of failure have a higher chance of increasing your skill. And reversely, an easy recipe may always succeed but may rarely improve your smithing skills. Failing to craft an item only results in the loss of materials and the pennies invested in it, but no loss of skill will occur. Cancelling a task is the only means by which one can lose blacksmithing skill.
Crafting Items
To craft an item, you will require the necessary tools and materials. The materials are listed in the crafting menu and are purchasable from various merchants in the village. However, the tools depend on the type of material. Metalworking requires a hammer. Clothworking requires a bristle. Woodworking requires an adze. Leatherworking requires an awl. Most crafting recipes will require multiple tools at once. You will start with a full set of tools from your master smith, but each use will wear them down. Eventually, you will need to purchase new tools. These can be found on various merchants in the bazaar. Once you have all the necessary items, you may begin crafting at a forge. It may take a little time, depending on how complex the item is and how difficult it is for you to make. If successful, an item will be created in your inventory with an appropriate quality level. The quality of an item will affect the amount of money the customer will pay.
Apprentice Blacksmiths
An apprentice blacksmith works under a master and receives his crafting tasks from this master. The master takes a nice chunk of pennies out of the payments made for your work at his forge, but this is done automatically. An apprentice may find it useful to perform quests for the citizens of the village, for a small tax-free fee. The primary advantages for an apprentice are that his first set of tools are provided free of charge, and that the master smith always has tasks available at the proper skill level.
Journeyman Blacksmiths
Once you have achieved journeyman level, you are no longer bound to a master blacksmith. As well, you will no longer receive consignments as you are considered skilled enough to manage yourself. A journeyman blacksmith may take upon himself job postings in the guild hall. These are much more profitable than consignments. However, they are not necessarily fitted to your skill level as a consignment is. In addition, you do not own your own smithy yet and must pay rent for the usage of other masters' forges. To do so, speak to a master smith you wish to pay rent to and the payment will automatically be taken from any fees you are paid by customers from that point forward. You may change the forge which you are renting at any time by speaking to another master blacksmith. The primary advantages of a journeyman are that the fee for using another master's forge is proportionally less than that paid by an apprentice, and the more profitable job postings in the guild hall may be taken by choice.
Master Blacksmiths
Once you have achieved master level, the guild will allow you to setup shop in town at the empty lot. There is a rental fee which will be deducted automatically for this. Failure to pay will result in loss of ownership until the balance has been paid along with an additional fee. The benefit of owning one's own smithy is there is no deduction for using your own forge. Although there is rent, it is significantly less in proportion to a master's income versus the rental fees for working under other masters. As well, rent does not occur with each completed task, but rather has a fixed amount deducted at regularly spaced intervals. One's own smithy also opens options for additional upgrades not available to journeymen or apprentices to help speed along the already slow path of skill gaining at the master level. The primary advantages of a master are the ability to obtain new upgrades, and the lack of any deductions from payments made by customers.
