Since JonathanChance started his Diplomacy game, I was reminded of a game I played over the summer. It was more of a LARP, and played live in a really big house by around 30 people. I thought it might be fun to play here, with sessions alternating between private e-mails and a board thread. I would need to get permissions from three seperate entities, but I don’t anticipate that being a problem. But before I do so, I want to get a feel for how many people might be interested.
It’s set in a medieval fantasy world, with much more emphasis on “medieval” than on “fantasy.” In fact, there would be no fantastical elements at all. There will also be no elements of chance, such as die rolling (except for a random assignation of characters – yes I said assignation, not assassination!). Except for a few fun elements I might add during play, there will be no “secret” information at the outset. All secrets will be those that players choose to keep.
Also, there are basically no rules to learn. Just put yourself in character and start playing. Newbies are certainly welcome.
The scenario is basically this: The king, after a long and peaceful reign, has finally dropped dead. He did not name a clear successor. There are no fewer than 15 people who can claim the throne. Some of these claimants may also have the support of various earls, barons, sherriffs, and of course the church. Who supports whom? That’s up to you, as you would be playing any one of these people. It’s up to you to make backroom deals. All actions will be verbal and in character, and the Royal Guard will enforce a strict “no violence” policy. (In other words, you can’t say “I hit you with my longsword +20.”)
The time commitment from you is pretty much up to you. I figure that maybe 2 weeks is enough time to play, but we can figure that out later.
This is a great opportunity to (figuratively) stab your fellow dopers in the back, and get a feel for how real medieval politics may have worked. And I can attest, it’s loads of fun. I haven’t had so much fun since Sir Tarmas was unhorsed in the joust! Huzzah!
So, are you interested? We’ll need at least 30 players, 40 is better.