Building Intrugue Into a Game

[krayzdave]

hey all.

 

i have recently undertaken the responsibilities of GM (once again) and i'm needing a little help.

 

here's the scenario for the game.

 

I have a region of the world that has a festival for the crowning of the new Prince Regent, called simply Prince. when the heir of the thrown is 21, then the title of prince passes from the old prince to his son. (this explains why a prince waits as long as possible to have children, so his thrown is not stolen from him by his own.) at this time the other noble families are invited to the capital city for a week. now all these families are related to eachother and to the princes family. the group as a whole is called the Blood families (all their family names end with blood. the prince's family is called the Thornbloods, other families are the Moonbloods, Stonebloods, Halfbloods, Oldbloods, Venombloods, and Cherishbloods). now these blood families are all descendants of an emperor and his empire long gone, and they all want to have power, but it is the Thornbloods that have the best (to date) credentials for the thrown. and for the sake of peace the other bloods swear allegiance to him.

 

SO, now their is to be a new prince and the families have been called together to celebrate/swear fealty during a week long festival.

 

what i'm looking for is intruege to put in the game. what do these families want (beside just power for the sake of power)? what manipulations and backstabbing is going on behind the scenes? what interesting situations can i put the players in? how do these families go about getting what they want? when do they do it???

 

these are all things i need to get done before our game. a little help???

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

I try not to be a spelling nazi, but I can't resist....its THRONE not THROWN.

 

 

That aside, if you stick with the base human wants and work out from there you can't go wrong: Power, Sex, Wealth. Coupled with the basic needs of Food, Comforts (like Clothing, Homes, better stuff than the neighbors), Shelter, and throw in the classic vices of Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Stupidity, and Pride and you've got lots of grist for the mill.

[Savinien]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

This seems like the integral statement of your campaign situation:

 

now these blood families are all descendants of an emperor and his empire long gone, and they all want to have power, but it is the Thornbloods that have the best (to date) credentials for the thrown. and for the sake of peace the other bloods swear allegiance to him.

 

What are the credentials that the Thornbloods have? Can the other families refute any of these claims? Does the populace of this country follow the Thornbloods and agree with these credentials? Are there any other political powers than the Blood families?

 

What peace does the allegiance avail? Are there other countries nearby that are enemies? Do any of these other countries want the lands of this one?

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

Well, where do the PCs fall in this? Why should they care about whether the Moonbloods or the Oldbloods ascend to the throne?

 

You can have as convoluted a map as you can of families trying to off one another, hiring assassins and dueling for honor and "accidentally" stabbing one another through the heart, but if the PCs are just watching this from the sidelines, all your hard work is wasted.

[Shadowsoul]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

Coming up with court politics is straight-forward enough. You just need to ask yourself a few more questions. Because most noble families are just like real families, mostly concerned with births, deaths, marriages, property, the neighbours etc.

So, which family is the new prince descended from apart from his father's Thornblood's, (assuming dear Daddy didn't decide to 'keep it in the family' so to speak)? Are they going to be ascendant now that he's on the throne? What about the old Prince's relatives? Are they impressed by this shift in influences?

Is the new Prince engaged or married? Are families jockeying to present there eligible daughters and possibly sabotaging other candidates? Is love getting in the way of these bridal bed politics? Are there any particularly unorthodox potential brides such as a sorceress or an elf? Is there some kind of formal competition for the Prince's hand in marriage?

Have there been any major events since the families last got together? Any significant deaths such as a family patriarch/matriarch who has been replaced by a vulnerable heir or tempting heiress?

There must be a few grudges between the families and this is the ideal time to make rivals look foolish or gain the ear of the new monarch in order to have a court case or dispute settled in your favour e.g. a border dispute or differences of opinion as to who should inherit what.

What about the new Prince himself? Does he have any bastards in tow? How well would such illegitimate offspring be treated? Do they have any ambitions of their own? Could they be making curious alliances? Alternatively might he have trouble with getting an heir because of fertility problems or a preference for boys? Is he scandalous? Pious? Competent? An idiot? What opportunities do these things create for the other families?

Is there any foreign influence sniffing around? Trying to subvert families or kill/humiliate/subvert the new prince? Hoping to secure a marriage alliance? Or is the Prince himself a result of a foreign marriage? Does that upset the other families? Is it normal?

If you want a few more factions or wild cards then - a secretive and evil cult, a secret masonic style society, the church/s, a traitorous general with designs on the throne, the 'new men' (people from the middle classes and lower gentry who have gained power through royal service), the wizards, local non-humans.

As for the PC's if they are people of influence then they can be exposed to the blandishments of various factions.

Hopefully that should give you some ideas. If you are still having trouble then read some English or European medieval history.

[teh bunneh]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

I recommend you rent the movie "The Lion in Winter," about King Henry II and his three ambitious sons (John, Richard, and Geoffrey), plus his scheming wife (Elenor of Aquitaine) and the King of France. All the medieval intrigue you could ever hope for!

[matrix3]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

You gave a list of names, but not much about those families (Thornbloods, Moonbloods, Stonebloods, Halfbloods, Oldbloods, Venombloods, and Cherishbloods). I would write out a list ( or a sentence or two) that generally describes each family, what motivates them, what they find repugnant, and maybe a grudge or two, then use that to graph out how these families interact. Using the old fantasy standby of power in a name, here is an example:

 

Thornbloods: This makes me think of a thistle, so I would go with some historical Scottish royalty as inspirations. Intelligent, cunning, and stubborn. Never forgive or forget, but reward loyalty generously.

 

Moonbloods: Makes me think of druids, and also matriarchy (women classically being closely tied with the moon). I would say this family has a history of powerful women working behind the scenes(or maybe in the open). Perhaps close to the land, beloved of their tenant farmers, they would have popular support, and be comfortably positioned in the family tree, but perhaps lack some of the bloodthirsty drive necessary to reach the top of the political ladder.

 

Stonebloods: Sturdy, reliable, practical and unimaginative. Perhaps they come from a region with the best marble quarries in the nation, and have strong ties with the working class. Good workers, used by the other families, they don't have the political acumen to succeed in the game of families.

 

Halfbloods: Struggling to prove themselves and desperate to succeed, they might use the "half" to "relate with the people" and foment a popular uprising. Think Juan Peron or some of the other South American communist dictators that used "I'm one of you" to rise to power.

 

Oldbloods: Purest line of the old Empire, they are fading, suffering from inbreeding (physical deformities? Hemophilia? Dementia?) and struggling to hold on to their former glory. Some of the best old art, most powerful artifacts, perhaps? Look to certain periods in the royal families of Europe for examples.

 

Venombloods: Long ago they intermarried with a merchant family, and now they are (in)famous for benefiting from "accidents" that remove their rivals. Draw inspiration from the Borgias and the Medicis. Perhaps some members sell their services, for there are few assassins that can so easily get into the royal gatherings.

 

Cherishbloods: Known for their piety, many of this family are clerics and holy warriors. Though perhaps easily duped, they are also known for their righteous tempers when such treachery is discovered.

 

I hope this will help.

[krayzdave]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

You gave a list of names, but not much about those families (Thornbloods, Moonbloods, Stonebloods, Halfbloods, Oldbloods, Venombloods, and Cherishbloods). I would write out a list ( or a sentence or two) that generally describes each family, what motivates them, what they find repugnant, and maybe a grudge or two, then use that to graph out how these families interact. Using the old fantasy standby of power in a name, here is an example:

 

Thornbloods: This makes me think of a thistle, so I would go with some historical Scottish royalty as inspirations. Intelligent, cunning, and stubborn. Never forgive or forget, but reward loyalty generously.

 

Moonbloods: Makes me think of druids, and also matriarchy (women classically being closely tied with the moon). I would say this family has a history of powerful women working behind the scenes(or maybe in the open). Perhaps close to the land, beloved of their tenant farmers, they would have popular support, and be comfortably positioned in the family tree, but perhaps lack some of the bloodthirsty drive necessary to reach the top of the political ladder.

 

Stonebloods: Sturdy, reliable, practical and unimaginative. Perhaps they come from a region with the best marble quarries in the nation, and have strong ties with the working class. Good workers, used by the other families, they don't have the political acumen to succeed in the game of families.

 

Halfbloods: Struggling to prove themselves and desperate to succeed, they might use the "half" to "relate with the people" and foment a popular uprising. Think Juan Peron or some of the other South American communist dictators that used "I'm one of you" to rise to power.

 

Oldbloods: Purest line of the old Empire, they are fading, suffering from inbreeding (physical deformities? Hemophilia? Dementia?) and struggling to hold on to their former glory. Some of the best old art, most powerful artifacts, perhaps? Look to certain periods in the royal families of Europe for examples.

 

Venombloods: Long ago they intermarried with a merchant family, and now they are (in)famous for benefiting from "accidents" that remove their rivals. Draw inspiration from the Borgias and the Medicis. Perhaps some members sell their services, for there are few assassins that can so easily get into the royal gatherings.

 

Cherishbloods: Known for their piety, many of this family are clerics and holy warriors. Though perhaps easily duped, they are also known for their righteous tempers when such treachery is discovered.

 

I hope this will help.

 

 

this definately helps, as well as the others. thank you so much. please post any other ideas.

 

again, wow, and thanks!

[matrix3]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

You could also take a few important markets in your campaign and list the biggest family in that market, then think of how other families could try to disrupt that.

 

For example:

 

Politics: Thornbloods rule, but I would have them losing touch with the "common rabble", which the Halfbloods have taken advantage of.

 

Agriculture: Moonbloods, but the Oldbloods might still have title to vast tracts of fertile land.

 

Mining: Stonebloods. The family may also contain some of the most renowned stone masons and smiths.

 

Commerce: The Thornbloods can levy taxes, but the Venombloods are the true merchants. It's all well and good to have the best mines or most fertile land, but how do you get that into the cities? Teamsters, sailors, and merchants, that's how, and the Venombloods have their fingers in a lot of pies.

 

Religion: Thornbloods rule the temporal, but do you have a central church that also has a great deal of influence? There would be Cherishbloods all throughout it. Bishops, cardinals, templars or monks, this family would rule the spiritual. There may also be a few Oldbloods in important positions, who have just been around forever.

 

Magic: If you have magic, then the Oldbloods would be the most prominent family. I would use the Vatican library and vaults as inspiration for what is contained within the great, impregnable vaults of the Oldblood family. Their glory has faded, but I would still have original manuscripts of holy books, holy scepters, ancient tomes of magic, Holy Mace of Undead Splattering +12, any McGuffin I might need could be found in an Oldblood vault.

 

 

Also, I would form dichotomies, like the old four elements:

Oldbloods versus Halfbloods

Venombloods versus Cherishbloods

Moonbloods versus Stonebloods

 

At first I thought that Moonbloods and Stonebloods would get along, but then I thought how the Moonbloods are about sowing in the earth and harvesting the earth's bounty, while the Stonebloods are about tearing into the earth and ripping what they want from it. Definitely a contention there. So, we have the Thornbloods standing alone, without a "versus." Maybe that is part of the reason they came to be in charge, the other families were busy with their counterparts...

[Coyotecloudchas]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

I recommend you rent the movie "The Lion in Winter' date='" about King Henry II and his three ambitious sons (John, Richard, and Geoffrey), plus his scheming wife (Elenor of Aquitaine) and the King of France. All the medieval intrigue you could ever hope for! [/quote']

 

Good reference! One of the best movies/plays ever, and not that many people have seen it. As you say, there are so many political maneuvers in that movie that you are always trying to keep up.

[The Monster]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

Just what are the powers/rights/responsibilities of the Prince Regent, that the tradition/law came about that it passes when the heir is 21?

 

 

Anyway, some possiblities for the PCs to discover/guard against/commit (they could stumble into these situations, or be hired to take part):

 

--one of the key things a prince regent must do is gain military experience. So s/he's shipped out to the frontier soon as possible (age 13?), to do apprenticeship, training, and general growing-up. Usually, the duty is light, as the realm doesn't like to lose too many of its Regents-to-Be to stray arrows.

 

Sometimes, however, an aging PR just doesn't want to give it up yet, or wants to arrange for a younger heir:

--sends him/her to a hot zone, where the fighting is most dangerous;

--arranges for a "king David" trick, where the heir is sent to the front, then everyone around him is told to retreat, leaving the poor sod alone against the horde;

--arranges for a fragging, either in the thick of battle, in a "random" camp brawl, or an actual assassination on the way to/from the duty station

--plants evidence of treason and espionage, so that the heir can be judged unworthy and passed over

--gets the heir embroiled in a scandalous episode (blatant whoring, gambling, and/or drunkenness), especially right before/during a battle, so that charges of cowardice and dereliction stain the heir and make him/her unworthy of succession.

 

 

Besides directly intervening in the health and wellbeing of the undesirable heir, another trick would be to falsify records: somehow "prove" that the heir (or event he current PR!) is not actually of the proper bloodline, or at least raise enough doubt that s/he loses the support of the nobility.

 

Just a side thought: what happens when an heir goes into a place where time moves more quickly, or gets trapped by an aging curse, or whatever? His birth certificate might have been dated only 20 years ago, but he's a middle-aged man, either by magic or by living in another dimension. If this causes him to be disqualified somehow, there's some schemer who will put his to nefarious use. (Or, if there's anti-aging magic, what stops a PR from using it on himself and his children, to keep them from ever reaching majority?)

[Markdoc]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

Generally, to make an intrigue game fly you need a major thread for the players to unravel and nothing too complicated- everything else is colour, red herrings and subthreads. Unlike characters in a novel, players tend to have poor memories, develop bizarre theories and treat obvious clues with disdain. They're like crime-solving kittens: "OK, if we look at the body, we should be able to see ... ooh! pretty butterfly!"

 

That said (and just off the top of my head)

Lord Thornblood is in charge. He simply wants the succession go off smoothly. His younger brother, who has always played second string is planning to make a power play by revealing that Lord Thornblood's wife had an affair and that his "son" is in fact the son of Lord Oldblood. The evidence is letters exchanged by the lovers, obtained by the second Thornblood, which can be stolen to foil the plot: his agent has took them from Lady Thornblood's possessions and she is now very nervous because she doesn't know who else knows.

 

Lord Oldblood doesn't know one of the Thornbloods knows, but he sees the potential in having his son ascend to power. He is therefore seeding the town with agents to make sure nothing interrupts the succession.

 

The young Lord Cherishblood (who recently succeeded) is attempting to seduce the daughter of Lord Moonblood. He also has agents in the town, though they are mostly there to mask his movement. Several of them have masks and copies of his clothes, so they can provide alibis - but the players may find it strange that the the young Cherishblood seems to be in several places at once. He and his retainers will also be skulking about and trying to get into places at times they should not.

 

Major plot: Lord Stoneblood has had it up to here with Thornblood and his lackeys. He has made a deal with Naugrim the Black, biggest and baddest of the Dragons, to soar in and spray the reviewing stand at the coronation with caustic fire at the conclusion of the succession, killing the head of every major family - at which point he will step in to "restore order". To this end he is infiltrating the town with soldiers. He plans not to be on the stand, sacrificing his "beloved" brother to prove his own innocence. His excuse will be a faked duel with a minor noble, leaving him with a minor wound. Clue: he is a noted duelist and his opponent much less so. His opponent can confirm the fix (though he doesn't know the reason) if the players get to him before he suffers a "fatal accident". The players should not be tough enough to take on the dragon, but the plot can be foiled by simply revealing it - the great houses will take their own action, if they know. There are people in Lord Stoneblood's own house who know (or suspect) and not all of them are entirely in agreement. There is also the pact itself, sealed - as these things usually are - in blood, hidden safely among Lord Stoneblood's things.

 

The Venombloods have no plots going, but are simply going to be rude to everyone, and enjoy gambling on dogfighting, getting drunk, etc as they normally do at these get-togethers - everyone dislikes them because of their name and history anyway, so they are bound to attract player attention.

 

The Halfbloods, the weakest of the families are pursuing a feud with the Cherishbloods after the death of an heir in a duel, years past. Outright war is out, but they will seek to embarrass or annoy leading members of the Cherishbloods, hire commoners to pelt their carriages with mud and stones, bribe servants to drop the soup and (if possible) provoke a duel involving the new husband of one of the family. He's lowborn and raaather coarse, but an excellent swordsman. If he kills a prominent Cherishblood during a legal duel, honour is avenged and if he dies, well, it's no big loss - just another excuse for a grudge.

 

That should be enough to keep the players going.

 

cheers, Mark

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

Just a side thought: what happens when an heir goes into a place where time moves more quickly, or gets trapped by an aging curse, or whatever? His birth certificate might have been dated only 20 years ago, but he's a middle-aged man, either by magic or by living in another dimension. If this causes him to be disqualified somehow, there's some schemer who will put his to nefarious use. (Or, if there's anti-aging magic, what stops a PR from using it on himself and his children, to keep them from ever reaching majority?)

 

Someone born 21 years ago would be 21 years old, regardless of any rapid/slowed aging effects. The only way I could see this being an issue, assuming that passing the crown at 21 is the letter of the law, is if magic has kept the heir at such a young age (pre-pubescent most likely...even a 21 year old with a nominal age of 16 should fit the bill for regency) that he is unable to rule effectively...more interested in candy and toys than in boundaries and treaties.

[teh bunneh]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

Unlike characters in a novel' date=' players tend to have poor memories, develop bizarre theories and treat obvious clues with disdain. They're like crime-solving kittens: "OK, if we look at the body, we should be able to see ... ooh! pretty butterfly!"[/quote']

 

Crime-solving kittens!

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: Building Intrugue Into a Game

 

Crime-solving kittens!

That made me giggle, too, but I've repped him too recently.