Prometheus
2009-01-04, 12:49 AM
This just seems like an unconventional way to run a game, but I think you could run a game spanning over inordinately large spans of in-game time (say, thousands of years). Of course, the PCs would all have to be "immortals" (in the sense that they nearly never die of old age) and likely immortals of the same type. Since this sense of time-scale couldn't occur if the PCs were constantly running around solving everyone's problems, there has to be a reason the PCs don't always intervene and part of the central part of the game would be to decide when to intervene. Of course, when the PCs do intervene, they probably do it on an epic enough scale that the consequences are powerful, so they have to consider overshooting as well as undershooting. The main motivation is to add an interesting dynamic to the decision making that goes into selecting quests (whether any quest at all should be selected) and give the PCs a sense of living that they really never will experience. Done correctly, it also brings the feeling of "Playing God" to the traditional sandbox game (sandbox games are ones in which the PCs direct the plot and the DM reacts). Here are a couple of scenarios in which this could occur:
-Angel-Demon Spy Games: To succeed at the game of Go (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(game)), is to play only the number of moves you need to succeed, and focusing yourself elsewhere when you are confident in that. Naturally, this means that when you play in a place, you provoke your opponent to play near there, and when an opponent plays somewhere, it provokes you to respond. Essentially, this is the mechanism for the Balance between Good and Evil (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil). There are just too many universes to be everywhere at once, and Good and Evil are long-lived to play their hand short. Therefore, they play this game of entering only when the other enters, initiated by someone who sees an opportunity that they believe they need the initiative on.
-The Secret Weapon: The PCs are some kind of fey or spirit that exists in the world primarily as a legend (presumably, this would be a low-magic setting, or a setting in which things like the PCs are a rarity). They understand the most influential events are dictated by careful calculations of the balance of power (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance_of_power_in_international_relations) in conflicting nations, and therefore intervene when they can catch people by surprise and tip the scales (essentially by being the Median Voter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_voter_theorem)). However, they have to appear only rarely less people find out the secret of their society - not only ruining their source of influence, but potentially destroying them altogether.
-The Sands of Time: Time just slips out of your fingers doesn't it? You have no idea. The PCs are some sort of giant, beast, dragon, elemental, or spirit which goes through great periods of rest, before waking and unleashing their mighty power (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/tarrasque.htm). Whereas this kind of game could work with a fixed rest period and limited time to be spent while waking, I think it would be better if they had some small awareness of the outsider world, even through a distorted lense.
-When Kings go to war: The PCs are nobility in a long-living race (probably dwarfs or elves, with exaggerated lifespans if necessary) and therefore have great power at their disposal. However, they know that when they intervene, they speak for the entire nation - and therefore must act not only so that they keep themselves alive, but so that their nation isn't held responsible for any toes they step on. As a long-living race with a low-birth rate, they should be much more heavily concerned about opportunity than ability.
-I smell Flesh: For a somewhat gruesome (and oddly enough, short lived in RL) campaign, the players are all terrible beasts or undead that live very isolated from their food sources (Negative energy plane, the tundra, and the desert come to mind). No matter, they can subsist on nearly nothing. But when prey does come, it is time to spring into action. Their meals-on-wheels comes in different forms and presents different challenges, but ultimately the PCs have to relish in chasing down screaming innocents to truly appreciate this kind of game. There is, of course, RP challenges in the form of competition with other gangs of their species, and bizarre evolutions resulting from their sporadic meals. In truth, the sense of time here is mostly just to reinforce the theme of necessary survival, rather than having an in-game effect.
-Cost Benefit Analysis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_benefit_analysis) Thieves: Thieves can't take every job they see, or else they will get caught and subsequently raided by the police. There is a great deal of risk and a great deal of planning that goes into every crime. In some cases, however, there is a great deal of competition as well. Therefore, you have to pick and chose, as well as gauge the time you wait, very carefully. Of course this type of game is compatible with a very long-living species of thieves, but there is no reason it actually has to be over larger spans of time than say, months or years (for the entire campaign).
So, I have some questions for you:
-In general, what do you think about this idea?
-If you were going to organize a setting around this concept, how would you do it?
-Which of my ideas do you like, and which do you definitely not like?
EDIT: By "immortal", I mean never dying of old age rather than unable to be killed. But some of these formats do work with characters the don't die.
-Angel-Demon Spy Games: To succeed at the game of Go (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(game)), is to play only the number of moves you need to succeed, and focusing yourself elsewhere when you are confident in that. Naturally, this means that when you play in a place, you provoke your opponent to play near there, and when an opponent plays somewhere, it provokes you to respond. Essentially, this is the mechanism for the Balance between Good and Evil (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil). There are just too many universes to be everywhere at once, and Good and Evil are long-lived to play their hand short. Therefore, they play this game of entering only when the other enters, initiated by someone who sees an opportunity that they believe they need the initiative on.
-The Secret Weapon: The PCs are some kind of fey or spirit that exists in the world primarily as a legend (presumably, this would be a low-magic setting, or a setting in which things like the PCs are a rarity). They understand the most influential events are dictated by careful calculations of the balance of power (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance_of_power_in_international_relations) in conflicting nations, and therefore intervene when they can catch people by surprise and tip the scales (essentially by being the Median Voter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_voter_theorem)). However, they have to appear only rarely less people find out the secret of their society - not only ruining their source of influence, but potentially destroying them altogether.
-The Sands of Time: Time just slips out of your fingers doesn't it? You have no idea. The PCs are some sort of giant, beast, dragon, elemental, or spirit which goes through great periods of rest, before waking and unleashing their mighty power (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/tarrasque.htm). Whereas this kind of game could work with a fixed rest period and limited time to be spent while waking, I think it would be better if they had some small awareness of the outsider world, even through a distorted lense.
-When Kings go to war: The PCs are nobility in a long-living race (probably dwarfs or elves, with exaggerated lifespans if necessary) and therefore have great power at their disposal. However, they know that when they intervene, they speak for the entire nation - and therefore must act not only so that they keep themselves alive, but so that their nation isn't held responsible for any toes they step on. As a long-living race with a low-birth rate, they should be much more heavily concerned about opportunity than ability.
-I smell Flesh: For a somewhat gruesome (and oddly enough, short lived in RL) campaign, the players are all terrible beasts or undead that live very isolated from their food sources (Negative energy plane, the tundra, and the desert come to mind). No matter, they can subsist on nearly nothing. But when prey does come, it is time to spring into action. Their meals-on-wheels comes in different forms and presents different challenges, but ultimately the PCs have to relish in chasing down screaming innocents to truly appreciate this kind of game. There is, of course, RP challenges in the form of competition with other gangs of their species, and bizarre evolutions resulting from their sporadic meals. In truth, the sense of time here is mostly just to reinforce the theme of necessary survival, rather than having an in-game effect.
-Cost Benefit Analysis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_benefit_analysis) Thieves: Thieves can't take every job they see, or else they will get caught and subsequently raided by the police. There is a great deal of risk and a great deal of planning that goes into every crime. In some cases, however, there is a great deal of competition as well. Therefore, you have to pick and chose, as well as gauge the time you wait, very carefully. Of course this type of game is compatible with a very long-living species of thieves, but there is no reason it actually has to be over larger spans of time than say, months or years (for the entire campaign).
So, I have some questions for you:
-In general, what do you think about this idea?
-If you were going to organize a setting around this concept, how would you do it?
-Which of my ideas do you like, and which do you definitely not like?
EDIT: By "immortal", I mean never dying of old age rather than unable to be killed. But some of these formats do work with characters the don't die.