High School Harem Comedy (Game System, PEACH)

[Amaril]

Hey, is this thing still on? *taps mic*

So I was thinking back to the big game of this that I was in a few years ago, and how even though it was a blast, the one thing that kind of bugged me about the system was its lack of a blue shell-type feature--how some characters, whether due to better mechanical optimization or just luck, were able to pull into a lead early on and leave others in the dust with little hope of catching up. I started thinking about how I might solve that problem, and came up with this. I have no idea if it would work, or if someone's already tried it, but I'd be curious to hear what y'all think.

Spoiler: HSHC Alternate Rule: Queen of the Heart

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The default scoring system of High School Harem Comedy can produce some undesirable outcomes. Because point totals are tracked continuously throughout the game, characters who are more mechanically optimized or simply lucky from the outset can quickly pull ahead and establish a nigh-untouchable lead, which the rules offer little way of challenging. One could say the game lacks a "blue shell" feature, a way for characters who have lagged behind to get back into the running. This alternate rule is meant to address that problem.

Queen of the Heart

Rather than accumulating Victory Points continuously throughout the game, the PCs instead compete to "capture Protagonist-kun's heart" and hold onto it until the series ends. At the beginning of the first episode, each character has 0 VP, as normal. The episode proceeds as normal, with the PCs competing to earn the most Victory Points. Then, at the end of the last normal scene, whichever PC has the most VP gets a special, one-on-one scene with Protagonist-kun (if this rule is in play, PCs may not make rolls or earn VP in one-on-one scenes besides these ones). Instead of the GM setting this scene, the player does so; they can frame it however they want, narrating any situation they like for their character and Protagonist-kun to find themselves in, as long as it follows reasonably from the events of the episode so far. Then, based on how the player sets the scene, the GM will assign them one final unopposed roll. If the PC wins this roll, they've captured Protagonist-kun's heart, and become his favorite. Then, the episode ends.

At the beginning of each episode after the first, all PCs' victory point totals reset to 0. Then, they play out the episode the same way as the first one, attempting to earn the most VP. At the end of the episode, whoever has the most VP unlocks another one-on-one scene with Protagonist-kun, and has a chance to capture his heart if they don't already have it. Only one PC can be Protagonist-kun's favorite at a time; if someone new captures his heart, they take it from whoever had it previously. If the winner of the episode already has Protagonist-kun's heart when they unlock their one-on-one scene, they don't have to make another roll to keep it; they can just frame the scene as they like and roleplay it out, no risk.

Last Chance

Once the game is near its conclusion, the GM will declare that the episode after the next one will be the series finale. The episode before the finale is the Last Chance. If the winner of the Last Chance episode was already Protagonist-kun's favorite when it started, they've won the game: Protagonist-kun's heart belongs to them. The finale is then devoted to wrapping things up, giving everyone the chance to play out any scenes they'd like and tie up loose ends for their characters, but with the final outcome of who ends up with Protagonist-kun already established.

However, if someone else wins the Last Chance episode and successfully captures Protagonist-kun's heart then, they have a choice to make. They can't win Protagonist-kun over completely--it's too late for that now. If they accept that, they can simply forfeit, letting him stay with whoever last held his heart before they took it. Alternatively, if the entire group unanimously agrees out of character that it’s okay, they can do one of two other things.

The Tenchi Solution

First, they can attempt the Tenchi Solution. During the finale, they and the previous favorite compete one-on-one to earn the most Victory Points, while the other PCs play out the finale normally. If the old favorite wins, their victory is complete, and Protagonist-kun is theirs alone. If the new challenger wins, however, they manage to convince Protagonist-kun that he needs to be with both of them in order to be happy. The two competitors can either agree to share him in a polyamorous relationship, or both walk away, leaving no one the winner.

Unleash Hell

Alternatively, the winner of the Last Chance episode can Unleash Hell. If they can't have Protagonist-kun, no one can.

During the finale, the challenger competes against all other PCs for the most Victory Points. This competition is no-holds-barred, with all PCs free to use whatever tactics they want against each other, up to and including deadly violence. If the challenger defeats all the other PCs, they win completely: Protagonist-kun is all theirs (and almost certainly traumatized for life). However, if any other PC earns more Victory Points, the challenger has failed; the previous favorite wins (if they're still alive), while the challenger gets nothing, and will probably be spending some time in jail or a psychiatric facility.