Fully Detailed Marginalia...?

It would be nice if the characters could explore incidental places and if each character had a bit more depth; that is, if they had seperate conversations (which could each be set into categories, such as Romantic, Friendly, Neutral, Plot-Oriented, Hostile, etc.) and if your character could have a marriage and domestic situation, a job, etc. Professions and domestic affairs -- even friendships -- would not necessarily detract from the adventure, visa viz Fallout or Ultima, but rather it could immerse the character more actively within the gaming world.

Also, it would be splendid if a train, a ship, or a aerio vessel had a body to it, places to explore or hang around inside, and a character trained in a specific vehicle skill could manage to direct it. That way, hours and hours of gameplay could be spent just playing around with a train or ship at sea, or soaring over the land... Imagine the air encounters! A dragon, a flock of man-eating pigeons, or even air pollution... (poison damage! ) Anyone remember the pleasure of Sid Meier's Pirates! game when it was first released? Yow, that was wonderful. Sailing across the seas, wives at every port (well... barmaids).

Also, something very important: economics should play a role in the game. Merchants might deliver their goods between cities, and robbing them would be possible, but the more robberies that took place, the greater resistance to these robberies would become. Certain trade routes could be assigned green, yellow, and red, and if an outlaw became known, they *might* be recognized (or might not be). A green danger trade route would be easily robbed (with only perfunctory guards). A yellow danger trade route (used to dealing with highwaymen or median range monsters) would be guarded with military cavalry. A red danger trade route would be traversed only by military attempting to clear out the danger, and supplied by armed vehicles.

Nobility might also play a part in the game: characters could be knighted or something. The Royal Game of intrigue and courtly affairs could be a wonderful sidequest with pleasant trists along the way.

The conflict between magic and technology could take several routes: magic could be impressively focused with deific powers taking their stance on one end, while technology could be focused into eliminating magic use in specific areas with the intentional irradiation of areas (say, with radio waves or ... maybe even low levels of radium? An interesting plot twist.). Also, particular experimenters might be forging ahead in an attempt to wed techne and thaumaturgia, magic and science, together.

I noticed that communicating with dead spirits wasn't too effective in the first game; perhaps it might have a larger parcel within the play of this upcoming game. Also, perhaps magical practitioners might be able to open inlets into the land of the dead. A person might try to make a movie about her explorations in the land of the dead, which could lead to some interesting situations...

Pastimes besides gambling might be detailed: a popular sport, bardic contests, magical gardens, strategic games like wei-chi or a version of chess might be suitable (perhaps even a little war game ), as would zoos, country fairs, and masquerade balls.

Also, if there were a war going on, the character could gain military rank and eventually give strategic orders.

If there is an actual orcish nation as suggested, there could readily be a diplomatic situation too.