Philosophers have said that the common man are used as little more than pawns by the Lords and Kings of men in the conflicts that rage across the world. Few have guessed that those Kings too are the pawns of yet greater forces in the cosmos.
Gods, demons and titans alike are no strangers to the concept of war, and the battles they've fought have at times wiped creation of nearly all that is. Most such creatures tire of reforming the cosmos into a comfortable balance of order and chaos again and again, so they've struck an accord. Instead of obliterating entire worlds in petty feuds and fits of boredom, the powers now use mortals as game-pieces to decide the outcomes of greater conflicts and battle for divine resources. The Great Game, as it has so been dubbed is deeply successful in resolving conflicts and entertaining the fickle Immortal creatures that rule creation, and so has become what seems to be a permanant fixture of the laws of the universe.
You are a new player in the great game, barely even a figure of the complex politics of divinity. You are no stranger to risk and reward however, and see the potential in using the game to further your own ends, to gain resources and power. You are just barely eligible to even compete however, and losing a Great Game always has consequences...
Character
You must choose a name and basic background. You may also vote on gender, species, history and physical attributes as desired.
A few example backgrounds are as follows.
-Demigod: The progeny of some union between divine and mortal, though true godhood is still out of your grasp you bear some of the grace and power of your divine parent.
-Ascended Pawn: You've already been part of many Great Games, though never before as player. Rather you've been a highly sought after pawn in the machinations of higher beings. Being chosen as a pawn grants a mortal just a little bit more agency, a little bit more importance and power in the cosmos. If a pawn plays in enough games then maybe, just maybe they might become a player...
-Demon Lord: Through manipulation, judicious use of force and the acquisition of mortal souls you have risen high enough in the ranks of Hell to be granted a seat at the players table.
-Eldritch Horror from Beyond: You are a creature that defies the classification of mortal ken, and even the gods of mortals find themselves uneasy with the existence of you and your ilk. The Great Game is considered unimportant to most of your kind, and you are playing mostly as a representative. A token acknowledgement of those even greater and more unfathomable than yourself.
Basic Rules
This suggestion game occurs on two levels, both on a roleplaying level outside the great game, and a basic card game within it. The Great Game itself has very simple basic rules, but grows more and more complicated based on who is playing it and at what level. All the more important to consider is that no one plays the game fair, and using higher power to stack the deck or effect the game in some way outside the rules is commonplace, and important strategy at the higher levels of play.
At it's most basic level The Great Game is about players setting mortals against eachother in the pursuit of specific goals on the mortal plane. One player might seek to replace a tyrannical government, another might simply be seeking a great treasure for one of their pawns. The pawns of either player move against eachother in opposition of one another's goals, and the player may provide assistance to the pawn in a variety of ways. The actual results of these conflicts on the mortal plane tend to be inconsequential to the players however, to these beings the wagers being made are the only outcomes of real importance to the Great Game.
Each player has their own deck, and the type of power that deck holds is dependant on the suits within it. The New Player begins with a standard deck of playing cards with each of the traditional suits; each symbolic of a specific concept. Clubs(power, or physical danger), Hearts(love or righteousness), Spades(intellect or status) and Diamonds (wealth or risk). All cards can be interpreted and played a great number of ways, they may be used to put additional pawns in plays, grant boons or to hinder an opponent's pawn and force challenges upon them. As players of the Great Game find success, they may alter their deck, crafting suits of their own devising, adding cards without suits or stacking their deck for their own designs.
All Great Games occur in the mortal world, and are thus subject to the "board", the location the game is set in. Players begin play with five cards, and may draw one additional card for every round of play. Players may play as many cards in a turn as they like.
Pawns
Pawns are a players most vital method of effecting a game, the Player begins play with at least one Pawn, and if at any point they have no living pawns remaining then they have lost the game, regardless of whether their opponent has reached their goal or not, or whether they have other ways of effecting the outcome. Before the first round of play begins a Player has five cards in their hand, they must use these cards to create at least one pawn before play begins. The Pawn may be any card, and their traits and abilities are based upon the chosen card. Face cards are leaders of a particular type, and may begin play with cohorts. "Low" (2-4) Pawns are characters who are defined in very large part by their lack of the chosen trait, for example, a two of diamonds may be an old beggar or a street urchin. "Aces" are lone wolf characters with great skill, but who for one reason or another do not work well with others. Also during "character creation", a Pawn may be further enhanced by the application of a second "background" card, which can give the Pawn additional abilities. A background card can *only* be applied to a pawn on the playing of that pawn however, and not after. Pawns can be created at any point in the game, though they may only act on the turn following their creation. It's worth noting that while a player has a great deal of influence on their pawns, mortals still posses free will.
Organizations
Putting an organization in play is functionally identical to that of a Pawn, however, organizations are much more fickle and difficult to control. Organizations can not be influenced by the Player without the assistance of a Pawn, however if the Pawn leading an organization dies it will still remain in play, but will act without input from the Player. Some types of organizations may be difficult for some kinds of pawns to control. However, a organization can be more powerful and adaptable than a pawn of the same level.
Boons
Any card in your hand may be played at any time to provide a pawn with a boon. The boon in question will depend on the level and type of card provided, and the context it is provided in. A boon can be anything from healing a severely wounded adventurer with a heart card, providing an animal companion with a club card or providing a book of magic with a spade card.
Challenges
An important mechanic is the ability to provide your opponent with challenges to slow them from completing their goal, to wound or hinder their pawns without the need to endanger your own, or even providing them with an antagonist that will chase them to the ends of the earth
Note for the Future
This is an experiment, and though currently the format is a suggestion game if it is well liked and i have time in the future i could make it a multiplayer game as well.
Author
Topic: When Gods Play(SG) (Read 6563 times)