Notes on the New Player Disposition (Patreon)
Content
House of Hellish Harlots v0.014 is doing away with Player Mindset. That means you'll no longer be asked to mess about with the mindset grid before entering each harlot's room.
The reason for this is because the mechanic is a bit too much needless faffing around considering it only really matters for about a 3rd of the harlots.
There will still be some form of player mindset, but it is now player disposition and consists of attributes set at the start and then fixed for the run (similar to the player physical attributes such as Strength and Willpower).
I'll cover some notes on current implementation and then go into the stats and what they (roughly) mean.
I've removed the Neutral middle state, so players will either be one or the other. This will make some of the existing harlot scenarios a little more dangerous, but I will try to balance it so there aren't too many harlot scenarios that are essentially 50:50 on survival depending on which disposition the player has.
Disposition is fixed at the start. Currently this is done randomly. Once I get around to writing the full introduction, there will be an opportunity for players to set these directly themselves. The advantage with this is players can tailor the House slightly to their own likes and dislikes as the harlots will respond differently depending on disposition.
While fixing disposition at the start does remove some interactivity (and make some encounters unwinnable), this is only temporary. The next NPC (The Doctoress) will sell the player potions to temporarily alter their stats. This will also include the disposition stats as well as the physical stats. This will allow the player to get that temporary Strength boost they need to avoid being crushed in Anna Boa's coils, or that temporary shot of courage so that Arana doesn't see them as prey. I think this will provide a more focused interactivity and be more fun than setting values before each room visit that may or may not be relevant.
The disposition pairs are largely the same as before:
SUBMISSIVE <-> DOMINANT
SUBMISSIVE
Not just a sub in the BDSM sense. This disposition likes the girl to take the more active role, one that most succubi are very willing to do.
DOMINANT
Again, not a dom in the BDSM sense. Because of the nature of the House and the succubi/monster girls in it, male-dom isn't going to happen. Players aren't going to be able to Rance their way through the House. This is a disposition that likes to take a more active role. Some succubi/monster girls will be receptive to it because being seductively submissive is how they like to lure their prey. And some of the more dominating types might relish the additional challenge.
CAUTIOUS <-> IMPULSIVE
I found the old cautious <-> bold was having too much overlap with submissive <-> dominant, so I tweaked it. Removing the neutral state also meant altering some text in existing scenarios. Bold is now DOMINANT + IMPULSIVE, which fits for those scenarios. I think combining base dispositions will work for other future personality checks as well.
CAUTIOUS
Likes to think things through before making a decision. Doesn't rush in without giving the situation careful consideration. Can be slow to react. Might be able to avoid some of the stickier situations in the House.
IMPULSIVE
Likes to live in the moment. The type that rushes to the party. Is fast to react. Will get on better with some of the succubi and monster girls that like seeing that in a man.
SLUTTY <-> ROMANTIC
SLUTTY
Likes sex. Likes being rude and crude. Is more about the fuck than wooing. Will be liked by succubi and monster girls that like to get right to the fucking.
ROMANTIC
Likes the lovey-dovey stuff. Likes to be classy. Appreciates the arts of seduction. Has a better chance of surviving the succubi and monster girls that like to 'play' with their food.
SERIOUS <-> HUMOROUS
SERIOUS
Is fully aware of the gravity of the situation. The stoic protagonist of an action movie. Appreciated by succubi and monster girls that think matters of sex and death should be afforded the proper respect.
HUMOROUS
A joker. Has a good sense of humour. The wise-cracking protagonist of an action movie. Some succubi and monster girls have a soft spot for humans that amuse them and this disposition is more likely to survive an encounter with them.
UNDECIDED 5th DISPOSITION
This one is open for now. In the original mindset grid it was represented by shy <-> outgoing and wasn't used anywhere. I think it overlaps too much with cautious <-> impulsive and I'm trying to remove overlaps where a check could just as easily be done against another stat.
The current forerunner to fill this slot is blunt <-> tactful. Barbarian fighty monster girl types will likely care about this (either respecting bluntness or being vulnerable to silver-tongued flattery). Exotic courtesan type succubi/monster girls might also be interested in this (either finding blunt honesty refreshing or naive depending on the girl).
Let me know what you think.