Gameworld always different (majorly different)

AJ · 2004-04-30T10:52:27

Imagine an empire in an RPG made up of different fuedal clans that believe in rule through strength and ritualized chaos. What the laws are, how safe you are, what counts as illegal items, and what your social standing is all depends on the clan that's currently on top. The empire itself would be optional to travel in. But going in, especially as a foreigner, would depend on having either lots of firepower, good alliances, or a fast tongue. Rogues and robbers in this realm would be nearly non-existent (why take the risk of commiting crime when tomorrow the crime might be legal?). However, safe routes might suddenly become toll / extortion routes. Safe harbors might change hands to those who were your blood enemy. The change would occur at least once every couple of months, but could be major (national laws different, items banned) or minor (road closed, local laws different). As a merchant, you might make a killing if you could snap up former contraband items and sell them, or hide your supplies while they temporarily go illegal. There would be many assassination and destabelization missions for the privateer. And anyone good in sneaking around would be highly prized. An information network gives players a heads up on the upcoming changes well in advance so that they can either shift their loyalties, take critical missions to try to disrupt the process, or go to ground. If this place of shifting rules existed, would you even interact with it, or would you stay in more stable territory? The race this time is the Kovaunn, for those interested. They're essentially short lizards, a matriarchy, with the females having wings. The women rule by covert competition and specialize in assassination, bribery, politics and intrigue. Dynasties of sisterhoods ritually war for control in order to secure resources, power, and a supply of docilized males (only a fraction of which can, due to a genetic disaster, further the bloodlines). The Kovaun doctrine states that "Only the weak are betrayed." Strength in their society comes more from political alliances and cunning than overt domination, though they're not opposed to the iron fist (they simply think it lacks beauty, which is a core principle that guides their dominant religions). Players play a female character that gains prestige by acquiring either skilled males (through stats of beauty and strength) and special trophies from rival females (like teeth, an eye, or sacred jewelry) or through a reputation of conquest and expansion. Beauty and strength are modified by genetic engineering, by incorporating material from rivals or by artful scarring, rather than by powdering one's nose. Players are loaned a ship by a clan, and that clan acts as their patron, helping them upgrade the ship, and occassionally requiring them to take missions. As a Kovaunn Executrix (Captain), the player must hire other Sisters (females) to help run the ship. Sisters come with their own harem of skilled males, but players may find themselves competing with their own officers for sway over the crew (and even their own harem, through a conversation option of wooing other males). A Kovaunn crew might be much more volatile than a human crew, depending on the ratio of player strength to NPC strength. Players can manage the chaos, though, by calling them out rivals to ritual combat (where trophies are gained) or humiliating them using ritual word-play. Showing weakness, indecisiveness or vulnerability can lead to assassination or ousting if the player drops their guard. The same mechanisms listed in other posts of morale and loyalty still apply, but the consequences are more conflict and violence oriented. So if players play humans in the Kovaunn empire, they face outward instability. But if they play an Executrix, they deal with both inner world and outer world volatility. -------------------- Just waiting for the mothership... [edited by - wavinator on April 27, 2004 7:50:11 PM]

Game Design and Theory Game Design

Started by Wavinator April 27, 2004 06:39 PM

9 comments, last by Wavinator 20 years, 9 months ago

Jamaludin

151

April 30, 2004 10:52 AM

Hey Wav, im glad that my post was bit usefull after all.

I think rogues would indeed be in higher quantitys, since the world is so harsh, even the bestest fairest people get corrupted after the long run. ? And do thread lightely on steroetypes if you would use it to much, characters dont come out well I think.

Gameworld always different (majorly different)

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Gameworld always different (majorly different)

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