Game idea - canvassing opinion
I'm was wondering about starting a sort of GM/RP game, and whether people would be interested and - in terms of people more expert in modding - whether it's possible.
The idea is that the Pantokrator is preparing to leave the world, but has spread his seed across the continents and wishes to see his demigod children fight it out to determine who is worthiest to succeed him.
One player - probably the game admin - would be the Pantokrator. He'd have a separate "Mount Olympus", part of the map with no access except by teleport. The Pantokrator and his servants will have access by research and paths to all the spells/items in the game, and a vast stock of gems and gold.
Occasionally, the Pantokrator would put out messages. These might be just entertaining RP waffle. They could be metagame instructions - e.g. "All NAPs are cancelled with immediate effect". They could also be demands players do something - e.g. "Give me gold". Depending on how well the players responded to the last form they'd gain amounts of "Favour". Favour would be a points system, and players could spend those points buying activity from the Pantokrator: artefacts, gold, gems, attacks on enemy armies and provinces, pretty much anything the game mechanics would allow. Players with very bad favour might get occasional smites. Earning favour should be relative to national power to prevent already powerful nations simply having their power multiplied, and so as not to disadvantage nations with different play styles (for instance, with the above "Give me gold" edict, it could be the amount given proportional to income, not the absolute amount.)
This would add an extra level to gameplay because players may be able to access things they otherwise couldn't, particularly spells/items that they may neither have the research nor magic paths to get. Some players could ignore favour completely, others could use it as a tactic to access some strategies.
The GM Pantokrator would be entirely impartial. The Pantokrator should certainly not order anything obviously unfair such as "Attack nation X". If two nations ask him to cast Tidal Wave on each other, he shouldn't target one's capital and a random province of the other.
The game would end with normal sorts of victory conditions - VPs, everyone conquered and so on, with the additional one that anyone who kill the Pantokrator (permanently!) would instantly win.
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