Game about going from a mortal to a God

[darthfodder]

Okay so my idea is a game about going from a mortal to a god and once godhood is achieved, keeping a faith and influencing the world in the way you choose. Characters kill things and possibly do favors for other gods, gain power, and eventually become gods themselves. At this point the game would drastically change, since these gods are very powerful but still not omnipotent(thus there is still a game to be played). As gods, characters would attract a faith and use them; along with awesome godly powers, to influence the world. Players would choose what kind of gods their characters become by their actions and how they spend divinity points(my jargon for XP), When their characters become gods, players would choose how their gods would influence the world as well as create their own "heavens"( an extra-worldly area that a god gets to create). As most people try to recognize I tried my best to answer the big three here. I was just wondering a couple of things. Number one, has anyone ever seen a game like this and if so can you show me where it's at so I can out do it? And secondly;I know this is really generic but since this idea is still in the early thinking stages all I can really ask is generic, do you think it's a good idea?

[jag]

There is always the old D&D Immortal Set, which actually had a lot of interesting ideas (imo).

I'm guessing there will be a host of more modern and indie games that people will post soon.

[Seth M. Drebitko]

has anyone ever seen a game like this and if so can you show me where it's at so I can out do it?

http://www.white-wolf.com/scion/index.php

Scion from white wolf takes the character from, legendary hero, demi god, up to godhood through the course of the core book and two expansions. I have not gotten to play yet but I know they use a legend attribute that works on a sliding scale to determine when you can ascend.

The 3.0 deities and demigods book for d&d had a section on heroes, their interaction with gods, and their potential ascension as well I believe.

do you think it's a good idea?

  Certainly has the potential to be an awesome game, as it twangs at the heartstrings of ever gamer deep down, ultimate power. I would have to say the spin you put on it, and the feeling that’s created through play is going to very much determine the quality.

Regards, Seth

[Spooky Fanboy]

You might want to take a look at New Gods of Mankind, which covers the second half of your game. May give you ideas on how to take your project.

[Xerxes]

Quick question which I've fallen over in my own game design: what will the players and the characters DO in-game?  While having them become gods and run their own realm is all very nice-sounding, what will the players do that makes them come together to play the game as opposed to sitting and dreaming up planescapes unlimited by a rules set?  Why should any deity work with any other; if they're all competing to become gods, then anyone who gets closer than them is a threat and should probably be eradicated.  Is this it he kind of game you want?  How do you see the dynamics of the game working?

Basically, think about what you want to happen in a single session of the game.  Does your setting make such a session viable?

[Ron Edwards]

Hi there,

Xerxes has asked all the right questions, and I hope we can see some answers or possibilities that you have in mind.

My recommendation for you is Nine Worlds from Chimera Creative; see also the Chimera Creative forum here at the Forge.

Best, Ron

[darthfodder]

Okay, I think I've solved my major problem( or at least have made progress towards solving it.) Ultimately, unless happenstance( or very meticulous, deceitful, and prolonged GM planning...) makes it make sense to be allied, at some point, the player characters are going to be fighting one another. One of the GM's jobs; then, would be to find ways to keep them from each others' throats until they get to a point in power where they would be highly unlikely to wipe the other out in a single blow.(which means probably until they have any army and quite possibly a nation behind them). Another problem that arises if I decide to take design in this direction is sort of the same one: facilitating simultaneous play. The idea I have to overcome this is have a lot of the game be storytelling. Basically, unless the players are in direct conflict or alliance( at the very least present in the same area) most of the game would be storytelling. I could do this, or I could make all play( not just conflicts) turn based, or I could do all of the above. I think it will work out though because the less powerful you are, the more you need someone to watch your back, and the more powerful you are, the more likely you are to come into conflict with others with power. The player characters will be the only Godtouched in the world( though there will be non-god immortals as well as demigods, but none with as much ability to gain powers, and even just plain immortals will be few and far between.), so they will have a distinct advantage over others that would be of similar power in the world( an average PC will have powers that are almost, just as,or slightly above the usefulness of their army if they have one). Having all this figured out, I'm kind of realizing that there are going to be quite a few stages between simple, low-level noble godtouched and god, both in power and gameplay. Does this sound like it could work?

[Ron Edwards]

I have a couple of questions.

First, what do you mean by "storytelling"? What does that look like in play, in your experience?

Second, why is it undesirable for the player-characters to be opposed to one another?

Regarding the second question, if the only reason is the one you state, that player-characters might be killed "with a single blow," then the obvious solution is to build the system such that a single blow cannot kill a player-character.

Best, Ron