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 Web of Succession https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMaD3S6UheM The Tsar Alexey Romanov joins his wife in the grave. You make emotional proclamations of grief. Your tears glisten on well edited videos. It is utterly convincing. Only those close to you know your real thoughts. He was old, senile and weak. He allowed the flames of dissent to find purchase in a number of cities. It was high time he vacated the throne. You will do better. You know how to rule. It is your right! The only problem is your loving bastard siblings. The Game You are all sons\daughters of the late Tsar, all angling for the throne. You can’t, of course, simply stab your way to the top. There are other actors here; insolent oligarchs with no respect for blue blood, foreign powers keen to pounce on signs of weakness, generals with far too much ambition for their station and the uppity commoners taking arms. Expect intrigue, battles with the rebels, nights at the opera and sword duels. You all hate each other and there is only one throne. Yet today's enemy is tomorrow's ally, and you must all tread lightly if you want there to remain a throne to sit on. The rebellion won't fight itself. The World and Tech Level The game takes place on an alternate Earth. Geography and history are different, but there are similarities. Your nation, as you might expect, is a future version of Imperial not-Russia. The League of Nations exists and is slightly more influential than the real-world UN. For tech, think scramjets and railguns, basic space exploration but no colonies yet. WMDs are banned by international treaties; full nuclear disarmament had been accomplished, though it is assumed that some satellites secretly possess kinetic strike capability. Future and past are quite mashed up. Old style monarchies coexist with corporate states, swords and duelling remain popular, and dress resembles old styles. Because that’s cool. Character Creation You are all part of House Romanov. Your dynasty has ruled for the past three generations, having deposed and wiped out the last one. Assume that you are competent if unexceptional in all relevant matters; your flaws are those of character and temper, not skill. As young people of noble birth who have lived a life of extreme privilege, luxury and power, you are all terrible people. Traits: In total, it’ll be +8, -8. +4 will result from your rank and title (+2 for head of agency, +2 for provincial governor),-2 must be a character flaw and -2 must be a vice, so in effect you get +4 and -4 to freely assign. They can be the usual skills or physical characteristics, but consider various entanglements such as groups that support\oppose you, favours and debts and so on. Character flaws and vices are levers NPCs and other players can use against you to force a non-optimal course of action. A character flaw is deep and strong. Perhaps you are hot-tempered and cannot abide an insult, perhaps you are incredibly vain and will do much to avoid negative coverage, or perhaps you have made the mistake of falling in love. A vice is similar, but used more to entice than threaten. It is something you crave and indulge in beyond the reasonable, and the dangling of an exquisite example can make you very agreeable indeed. It can be the usual alcohol, drugs, sex, but it can also be things like art, music, murder etc. In addition, once final selection has taken place, every player will assign 2 other players a piece of kompromat each. You govern a province. Name and describe it. Leverage Using character flaws, vices and kompromat for flavour has no mechanical effects. To have a mechanical effects, the action of leverage must be declared on a target. To affect a PC, you must use leverage, rather than normal character traits. Leveraging a character flaw, vice or kompromat can be risky. Use of them has the potential to backfire. You can stack them, but that increases the stakes of failure. Once an attempt at leverage has been declared, I will roll for both the aggressor and target. A character flaw, vice and each piece of kompromat gives -2 for the target. Higher roll wins. If two players co-ordinate leverage against a single target, the target suffers another -1. If three or more players co-ordinate to leverage a single target, the target suffers -2 instead. Should the target's roll succeed, the negative effects apply to all aggressors. If the aggressor wins, the target chooses which of the factors convinced them. This is relevant because vices and flaws may work in opposite ways – a short tempered character might be so insulted by your offer that they will do the exact opposite of what you enticed them to do. Of course, you could structure the pressure in such a way that you’ll end up ahead no matter what. If the target wins, the attempt backfires. If a character flaw was used, the target can trigger an automatic failure of aggressor’s character flaw once, at any time, even if they are not in the scene. If the target resists a vice, they become immune to that particular object/service offered. To use that character’s vice again, the aggressor needs to acquire some other example to offer up. The original can still be used to influence NPCs. The use of kompromat is dangerous. If revealed, it has the expected negative effect on the target, but also increases dissent in the populace. If the target resists a threat of kompromat, it can no longer be used as leverage against them, however still has the negative effects if revealed. The aggressor can choose whether to follow up on the threat or back down. If they back down, the target gains a free trigger of the aggressor’s character flaw as above. Knowledge of kompromat can be shared, but only one person can hold the evidence at the same time. This can be traded. New kompromat can be created as the game progresses. The Nation  The Empire of Sibir is a fairly large country with below average wealth, but disproportionately powerful military and larger than average industrial capacity. The people are largely placated by cheap luxuries, but discontent has been rising. Protests in support of civil liberties, in condemnation of specific events and of the monarchic system are an increasingly common sight. Several insurrectionist groups have been identified and have proven difficult to suppress quietly. The general level of discontent among the populace makes for a dangerous breeding ground of militants. A map will be created once all the players are chosen, based on provinces described. Discord It wouldn't be much of a politics game without secret discussions and covert actions. https://discord.gg/VBRwCAG Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Sep 4, 2017 |
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Sep 3, 2017 16:10
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Reserved
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Sep 3, 2017 16:20
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Interest post!
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Sep 3, 2017 16:35
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 Interest post. Gotta think on what murderous gently caress to make.
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Sep 4, 2017 02:00
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Interest post. How religiously tolerant is our setting? I want to make a sort of cultist who believes destiny is written in the stars by great and terrible entities, and I need to know how open I can be about it.
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Sep 4, 2017 14:39
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LupusAter posted:Interest post. How religiously tolerant is our setting? I want to make a sort of cultist who believes destiny is written in the stars by great and terrible entities, and I need to know how open I can be about it. Go for it! It definitely wouldn't be a mainstream view, but being royalty has a way of shielding you from criticism. You might want to stop short of public TV preaching, unless you specifically are looking to foster the growth of a cult, in which case, go hog wild.
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Sep 4, 2017 16:42
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Interest marker.
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Sep 19, 2017 01:27
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Interest post
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Sep 19, 2017 05:17
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(incomplete) Security File for Maxim Alexeyevich Romanov Grand Marshall of the Military Police & Head of Intelligence; Governor of Staro-Surkovo  Nicknamed Koshka as a child. Maxim tells people it's after the historic leader of Siber. It's really because his siblings were cruel-- the byname being an implication that the small, quiet boy was still lapping up milk rather than preparing to be a man. Fifth born and often forgotten or ignored by his father in favor of louder and more boisterous children, Maxim has spent a lifetime collecting father figures. Often men of power and stereotypical masculinity. Often men who have been happy to tutor Maxim in hopes of increasing their own station. Often men of impressive beards and strong chins. Of significance, one Boris Borzilov. Also known as the Bear. Also known as Boris Maximilovich (though never to his face). A gruff, powerfully mustached former policeman whom Maxim met shortly after being Strengths Protected (+4). Maxim's greatest quality is his blood. To other people, that is. His blood and his crippling lack of self-confidence. His desire for approval makes him easily manipulated by the ambitious that surround him. Everyone knows, though, that the Venn diagram for the ambitious and the dangerous in Siber is practically a circle.The men and women who benefit from Maxim's place in the world are not the kind to sit idly by as their meal ticket is threatened. Virtues They are few. Vices Playwrighting (-2). In another life, Maxim would have been artist. In this one, he pretends to be 'Ruchka Ruchkavich.' He spends most of his free time-- and much of his work time, as well-- penning plays for the stage. Never films, though. He finds them low-class. His writings are dissident and decadent (because all good art is at least slightly antagonistic, no?) and riles a great many feathers amongst the elites. He would have, undoubtedly, arrested himself for what he's written were he someone else. It's an open secret within the agency that he is 'Rucha Ruchkavich.' The worst part of it, though, is that he's actually quite good. Flaws Self-Doubt (-2). Maxim needs constant, positive affirmation. Often is he ferried to crime scenes and places of arrest so that he can put on a uniform and be photographed. He maintains a folder of every positive mention he's ever received. He keeps a second, secret folder with clippings and reviews from his plays. He kept a small hope that one day his father would ask for what he's done well and he'd be able to triumphantly present a list with proof. OOC Concept A weak-willed, emotional hand-wringer of a man desperate for the approval of a father who can now never give it. Utterly ambivalent towards atrocities and corruption unless it directly affects him. Easily influenced by those around him. Extremely "small picture." Hilariously in charge of the not-at-all-secret secret police/KGB. Province of Staro-Surkovo (work in progress) Tyrannosaurus fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Sep 19, 2017 |
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Sep 19, 2017 20:33
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