OCTOBER ROLE-PLAYING CONTEST: RULES (such as they are), GOALS, and So Forth
Post #1: Rules, Prize Categories, Goals
Post #2: Candidates for Emperor
Post #3: Proposed Changes to Imperial Law
Post #4: Proposed Changes to Imperial Law, part 2
Post #5: Proposals for Imperial Diet
Post #6: "The Deal"
•
The Rules: anything goes. (Consider the setting.…)
But seriously…: your job is to roleplay your way through a complex political situation in order to accomplish any (or many) of several Goals, given below. Prizes will be awarded for various categories, based on the following:
Point-Based categories: score the most points. Explained in Goals.
GM Judged categories: impress me with your political acumen, your deal-making abilities, and above all your Machiavellian scheming.
Guest Judge categories: impress the judges with… well, with whatever impresses them.
To the extent participation justifies, all the prizes below will be awarded—as well as perhaps a few others you don’t know about yet. If for some reason awarding a particular prize doesn’t seem justified (only one person qualifies, and that only by accident), the prize won’t be handed out… this time around. There’s always the possibility (likelihood) we’ll do this again.
Prizes:
Best Overall Role-Playing: Guest judge panel, based on their impressions of how well you do whatever it is you do. The judges will, however, take into account whether or not you achieved anything in the process: they’ll be apprised of the goal-based scores before casting their final votes. You don’t have to win any of the goal-based categories to win this; on the other hand, if you haven’t accomplished anything, odds are it won’t matter how well you did it.
Fairest-Spoken Courtier: You may be a noble, but you’re near the bottom of the heap. Let’s see how good you are at respecting your betters… without being a complete brown-nose. GM or panel judged.
Consensus Builder: Getting characters to agree with you—especially other PCs, who may not share your goals. GM judged.
Subtlest Diplomat: Manipulate characters who don’t agree with one another in such a way that they have to, based on agreements they make with you. GM judged.
Most Audacious Success: Point-based; goes to the player who achieves the highest single point-based goal. Bonus points if you have to put your neck on the line to do it.
Most Influential: Point-based; goes to the player whose cumulative point score is highest.
Broadest Success: Goes to the player who accomplishes the greatest number of individual goals, regardless of point value.
Greatest Panache: …and do it all with style. GM or panel judged.
In addition, prizes within the game may be awarded. Of course, you may experience considerable in-game advancement in the process of the contest, as well.
•
Goals:
There are several general goals; each player will be receiving a handful of specific ones as well, which will be similar but not identical. The following are general: where specific possibilities are required, they will appear in subsequent posts. The first—and biggest—goal is one you should have already guessed, if you’ve been following the news.…
Kingmaker: Influence the Electors to select your candidate as Emperor. A list of candidates will be provided, along with very brief descriptions of each. You will be sent a couple names that you are “expected” to support (because your overlord does, because it is your overlord, or whatever); you will also pick up to two other names of candidates you want to support and send them to me. Thus, you’ll have more than one opportunity to score here—you won’t be roped into supporting a single “impossible” candidate.
Legislator: Support and have passed a change in imperial law. A list of proposed changes will follow. Again, you will be sent a couple laws you ought to favor… but you can back any of them you choose. (A great way to trade your support in exchange for something you want more.…)
Promotion: Get a higher title or an office for yourself, or for a vassal or ally.
Ally: Create lasting alliances with other nobles, through influence-trading, marriage, or whatever other means suggest themselves.
Consensus: Convince two major powers or power blocs to agree on something, whatever it is—and however you pull it off.
Ambassador: Similar to Consensus, but here at least one must be from outside the empire; the overall result should contribute to greater harmony between the empire and the kingdom(s).
Cartographer: Get a border redrawn. Doesn’t have to be one of yours.
•
Points:
These will be on a scale of 1 (“This ought to be worth a free dinner from someone”) to 10 (“Power behind the throne”). The exact value of each goal will generally not be known—in part because there is a certain range of variability involved: convincing someone who already agrees with you to do something is worth less than convincing someone diametrically opposed to the goal to go along with it anyway. Here are some examples with approximate, unadjusted values:
1:
• Arrange a marriage between one of your vassals and someone else’s.
2:
• Arrange a marriage between one of your vassals and someone of higher rank.
• Get a vassal or ally named to a Viscounty office.
3:
• Forge a lasting alliance with other nobles of your rank.
• Get yourself named to a Viscounty office.
• Get a vassal or ally named to a County office.
4:
• Forge a lasting alliance with your overlord(s).
• Get yourself named to a County office.
• Get a vassal or ally named to a Ducal office.
• Convince two rivals to give up their vendetta. (The higher their rank, the more this is worth.)
5:
• Forge a lasting alliance with other higher nobles.
• Get yourself named to a Ducal office.
• Get a vassal or ally named to a Regional office.
• Have a change in imperial law that you favor adopted. (Actual value highly variable, depending on how unlikely the passage of the change is.)
6:
• Get yourself named to a deputy-level imperial office.
• Obtain additional title with lands.
7:
• Get yourself named to a Regional office.
• Obtain a higher title with lands.
8:
• A candidate you support is elected Emperor, and you contributed somehow or other.
9:
• A candidate you support is elected Emperor, and you swayed at least one Electoral vote.
• Obtain a capitulation of election from a (successful) imperial candidate. (That is, have him agree to something or other as a precondition to being elected.)
10:
• A candidate you support is elected Emperor, and you convinced at least one Elector to vote for someone he would never have considered voting for otherwise.
Where a possibility isn’t listed, it can probably be guessed at based on what is there. Getting a distinction for yourself is better than getting one for a vassal or ally. Higher ranks count for more than lower ones. Goals that face greater opposition count for more. Et cetera. Preventing something you oppose from happening is also worth points, generally (but not always) slightly less than achieving something you support. It isn’t possible to list all the items that might count for points—there are, for instance, military and religious offices to be aspired to as well—so be creative: you might end up hitting (or inventing!) a category that isn’t on the list. Additional items may get added from time to time.
Post #1: Rules, Prize Categories, Goals
Post #2: Candidates for Emperor
Post #3: Proposed Changes to Imperial Law
Post #4: Proposed Changes to Imperial Law, part 2
Post #5: Proposals for Imperial Diet
Post #6: "The Deal"
•
The Rules: anything goes. (Consider the setting.…)
But seriously…: your job is to roleplay your way through a complex political situation in order to accomplish any (or many) of several Goals, given below. Prizes will be awarded for various categories, based on the following:
Point-Based categories: score the most points. Explained in Goals.
GM Judged categories: impress me with your political acumen, your deal-making abilities, and above all your Machiavellian scheming.
Guest Judge categories: impress the judges with… well, with whatever impresses them.
To the extent participation justifies, all the prizes below will be awarded—as well as perhaps a few others you don’t know about yet. If for some reason awarding a particular prize doesn’t seem justified (only one person qualifies, and that only by accident), the prize won’t be handed out… this time around. There’s always the possibility (likelihood) we’ll do this again.
Prizes:
Best Overall Role-Playing: Guest judge panel, based on their impressions of how well you do whatever it is you do. The judges will, however, take into account whether or not you achieved anything in the process: they’ll be apprised of the goal-based scores before casting their final votes. You don’t have to win any of the goal-based categories to win this; on the other hand, if you haven’t accomplished anything, odds are it won’t matter how well you did it.
Fairest-Spoken Courtier: You may be a noble, but you’re near the bottom of the heap. Let’s see how good you are at respecting your betters… without being a complete brown-nose. GM or panel judged.
Consensus Builder: Getting characters to agree with you—especially other PCs, who may not share your goals. GM judged.
Subtlest Diplomat: Manipulate characters who don’t agree with one another in such a way that they have to, based on agreements they make with you. GM judged.
Most Audacious Success: Point-based; goes to the player who achieves the highest single point-based goal. Bonus points if you have to put your neck on the line to do it.
Most Influential: Point-based; goes to the player whose cumulative point score is highest.
Broadest Success: Goes to the player who accomplishes the greatest number of individual goals, regardless of point value.
Greatest Panache: …and do it all with style. GM or panel judged.
In addition, prizes within the game may be awarded. Of course, you may experience considerable in-game advancement in the process of the contest, as well.
•
Goals:
There are several general goals; each player will be receiving a handful of specific ones as well, which will be similar but not identical. The following are general: where specific possibilities are required, they will appear in subsequent posts. The first—and biggest—goal is one you should have already guessed, if you’ve been following the news.…
Kingmaker: Influence the Electors to select your candidate as Emperor. A list of candidates will be provided, along with very brief descriptions of each. You will be sent a couple names that you are “expected” to support (because your overlord does, because it is your overlord, or whatever); you will also pick up to two other names of candidates you want to support and send them to me. Thus, you’ll have more than one opportunity to score here—you won’t be roped into supporting a single “impossible” candidate.
Legislator: Support and have passed a change in imperial law. A list of proposed changes will follow. Again, you will be sent a couple laws you ought to favor… but you can back any of them you choose. (A great way to trade your support in exchange for something you want more.…)
Promotion: Get a higher title or an office for yourself, or for a vassal or ally.
Ally: Create lasting alliances with other nobles, through influence-trading, marriage, or whatever other means suggest themselves.
Consensus: Convince two major powers or power blocs to agree on something, whatever it is—and however you pull it off.
Ambassador: Similar to Consensus, but here at least one must be from outside the empire; the overall result should contribute to greater harmony between the empire and the kingdom(s).
Cartographer: Get a border redrawn. Doesn’t have to be one of yours.
•
Points:
These will be on a scale of 1 (“This ought to be worth a free dinner from someone”) to 10 (“Power behind the throne”). The exact value of each goal will generally not be known—in part because there is a certain range of variability involved: convincing someone who already agrees with you to do something is worth less than convincing someone diametrically opposed to the goal to go along with it anyway. Here are some examples with approximate, unadjusted values:
1:
• Arrange a marriage between one of your vassals and someone else’s.
2:
• Arrange a marriage between one of your vassals and someone of higher rank.
• Get a vassal or ally named to a Viscounty office.
3:
• Forge a lasting alliance with other nobles of your rank.
• Get yourself named to a Viscounty office.
• Get a vassal or ally named to a County office.
4:
• Forge a lasting alliance with your overlord(s).
• Get yourself named to a County office.
• Get a vassal or ally named to a Ducal office.
• Convince two rivals to give up their vendetta. (The higher their rank, the more this is worth.)
5:
• Forge a lasting alliance with other higher nobles.
• Get yourself named to a Ducal office.
• Get a vassal or ally named to a Regional office.
• Have a change in imperial law that you favor adopted. (Actual value highly variable, depending on how unlikely the passage of the change is.)
6:
• Get yourself named to a deputy-level imperial office.
• Obtain additional title with lands.
7:
• Get yourself named to a Regional office.
• Obtain a higher title with lands.
8:
• A candidate you support is elected Emperor, and you contributed somehow or other.
9:
• A candidate you support is elected Emperor, and you swayed at least one Electoral vote.
• Obtain a capitulation of election from a (successful) imperial candidate. (That is, have him agree to something or other as a precondition to being elected.)
10:
• A candidate you support is elected Emperor, and you convinced at least one Elector to vote for someone he would never have considered voting for otherwise.
Where a possibility isn’t listed, it can probably be guessed at based on what is there. Getting a distinction for yourself is better than getting one for a vassal or ally. Higher ranks count for more than lower ones. Goals that face greater opposition count for more. Et cetera. Preventing something you oppose from happening is also worth points, generally (but not always) slightly less than achieving something you support. It isn’t possible to list all the items that might count for points—there are, for instance, military and religious offices to be aspired to as well—so be creative: you might end up hitting (or inventing!) a category that isn’t on the list. Additional items may get added from time to time.
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