[Hierarchy] New Endgame

[Troy_Costisick]

Heya,

The 24 version of Hierarchy is here are the 1km1kt site.  Have a gander if you're not that familiar with my game.

The first re-write of Hierarchy is finished.  One of the major changes I made was to redo the endgame.  Previously the game ended when one player-character who was the Emperor had more Victory Points than any other character had Honor.  It was anti-climactic and not really the theme I was going for in Hierarchy. 

Thanks to Ron's suggestion back in this Thread, I made the endgame more event driven.  Here's how it works:

1. At the beginning of the first session the Emperor makes a Grand Quest.  This quest is the over-arching situation facing the Empire.  It could be something like a plague, a flood, a klatch of dragons attacking, whatever.  Just something big.

2.  Completing the Grand Quest requires the completion of five Great Quests.  Just as with the Grand Quest, the first Great Quest is created by the Emperor.  Great quests are major stepping stones in the overall story.  For instance, one of the Great Quests might be to capture a cult member who is part of an organization suspected of unleashing the plague.  Or it might be to destroy the eggs of a dragon near the royal palace.  Whatever it is, the Great Quest must relate somehow to the Grand Quest.  A Great Quest is started when an any player-character has more Victory Points than any other player has Honor.  That PC then immediately becomes the Emperor (he trades places with the current Emp) and starts the Great Quest- even if his not the one who created the quest in the beginning.  After the Great quest is over, you call it a night and pick up again the next time everyone gets together.  At the beginning of the next session, whoever is Emperor will make the Great Quest for that night, and then play begins.

3.  Each Great Quest is made up of any number of Immediate Quests.  These quests are small in nature and can really be about anything.  In addition to the Grand Quest and the first Great Quest, the first Emperor has the responsibility for creating the initial Immediate Quest that everyone will be participating in.

So, if I wrote it like an equation, it might look like this:

[Grand Quest]=5x[Great Quest x (N x Immediate Quests)]

Make sense?  Oh, and when I say Quest, I'm not saying that the Emperor marks how the PCs will go from point A to point B discover clue C and fight monster D.  What he does is just create the situation and then the Daimyo explores it and solves the problem according to his priorities. 

Okay, here's my question.  It's a lot of work, I think, for the first Emperor to have to map up 3 Situations right up front.  Is it too much?  Part of the fun is getting to make up the quests.  I'm just curious how tedious it might be for one player to have to do so much at the beginning of play.  Do you guys feel it's too much or will it add incentive to being the Emperor (which is what I want).

Peace,

-Troy

[Arturo G.]

Hi Troy!

After the Great quest is over, you call it a night and pick up again the next time everyone gets together.  At the beginning of the next session, whoever is Emperor will make the Great Quest for that night, and then play begins.

I'm worried about one thing: Hierarchy is a game for "a lot of people" (many more than the typical role-playing group). With a group of more than 10 people I can foresee a lot of difficulties to get the same people to continue the game for several sessions.

Said that, I think that, even if assisted by the rest of the group, it will be too much for the first Emperor to choose the main motive of so many playing sessions for such a long group of people. It may be an incentive to become the first Emperor, but also something which may help other players to feel they have less opportunities to invest, reduce their interest, and discourage them to come back to the next session.

I think the game will work better if you don't try to begin stating the long over-arching Grand-Quest, but if you let the players develop it during play.

And it will be good to look for a system to "substitute" lost players for a session.

Perhaps the positions should be determined by a kind of poll or auction at the beginning of each session. The first Emperor of each session proposing the Great Quest of the day. This may promote some small tactics of preparation for the next session, which I think will also encourage people to create continuity.

Does it make any sense?
Arturo

[Troy_Costisick]

Heya,

I'm worried about one thing: Hierarchy is a game for "a lot of people" (many more than the typical role-playing group). With a group of more than 10 people I can foresee a lot of difficulties to get the same people to continue the game for several sessions.

-This makes great sense, Arturo!  Thank you for reminding me what this game was origonally about.  You are 100% correct on that, and now I have a very clear picture of what I need to do.  Bingo.  I totally appreciate your feedback.

Peace,

-Troy