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Author Topic: Actual Results - Playing as someone else's subordinate isn't that fun  (Read 2055 times)

oggsmash

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Re: Actual Results - Playing as someone else's subordinate isn't that fun
« Reply #15 on: September 12, 2021, 07:18:48 AM »
  I have a long running campaign where one of the characters is of much higher social standing than the others (he is a landed noble now, and before was noble with no large holdings) as well as independent income from his family holdings.   I agree that in the middle ages social standing mattered a lot, just as it did in Imperial Rome.  However, human nature and reality also lead to people being friends and to a degree ignoring these differences when removed from societal surroundings (adventuring for example).    The noble is more or less the "leader" and he tends to let his people do what they do, the others do not show flagrant disrespect for him around others, especially nobles, and they largely benefit from "working" for him (gear, supplies, etc).   I think the players matter for this sort of arrangement though, and I could not see a scenario where strangers who played together could make that work without a few ground rules.

   The arrangement has led to some very interesting situations and role playing as well.  Cimmerian Barbarians are often a bit willful and strike out on their own when the mood hits and the noble is entertaining gentry at banquets. 

   I am considering a campaign where the characters are part of a rogue trader crew (WH40K setting), but in that scenario, I do not know that I would be as comfortable allowing one of the players to actually be the captain, maybe a cousin or son of the captain who "must prove himself", but a rogue trader captain in many cases has as much or more power than a literal king of a powerful nation, and I do not know that my players would be ready for that sort of game right out of the box.   I might have some very loose chain of command, but more similar to a junior officer learning his business from senior enlisted types, rather than a captain and crew.

Svenhelgrim

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Re: Actual Results - Playing as someone else's subordinate isn't that fun
« Reply #16 on: September 13, 2021, 12:44:03 PM »
I played in a military sci-fi campaign where every player controlled at least three characters.  One character was the command group if the ship: CO, XO, Chief Engineer, Security Officer, Ops, etc, one char was a marine, and one was part of the crew.  It worked out really well where everyone got to get to be in charge for a bit. 

Perhaps this playstyle could work with Lion & Dragon as well where every player creates one noble character (you would have to make that automatic instead of rolling for it) and the other characters would be freemen and serfs.  The rules actually suggest that you create several characters anyhow.  Not sure about playing them all at once however.

Blankman

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Re: Actual Results - Playing as someone else's subordinate isn't that fun
« Reply #17 on: September 14, 2021, 04:59:39 AM »
Being part of a hierarchy can be fun. Gleeful misinterpretation of orders is fun. Sitting there watching those in charge flailing about is fun. After all, it's not your fault things are going to shit. It's the PC in charge. Then there's that time when they ask you to pull their ass out of the fire. 'Me sir? Oh, I couldn't possibly give sir advice on what to do?'

There is also the blast of playing in a definite chain of command. As SHARK pointed out, when you have your outfit, you follow orders and respect the specialists then it becomes frightening how far above your weight class you hit.

Then there's the fun of climbing the hierarchy. Rags to riches is much more fun when the odds are stacked against you...

The old game Space 1889 (not the newer Savage Worlds version, I know nothing about that one except it made some setting changes for no seeming reason) had characters be Victorian brits by default and would give characters with a high Social Class a servant, while giving characters with low social class and a servant career an upper-class twit boss who they could bamboozle into funding their various misadventures.

Omega

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Re: Actual Results - Playing as someone else's subordinate isn't that fun
« Reply #18 on: September 14, 2021, 09:39:02 AM »
This was a similar problem for the old Fantasy Wargaming RPG. Similar idea as Lion & Dragon would take decades later. Except wanted to be a low to no-fantasy RPG. Or so it claimed. But then added gods, demons, and monsters from the old books. While spitting on and demeaning everyone else. REALLY hated the writing and the designers.

But same set-up really. Higher standing PCs held the lives of the lower standing PCs in their hands practically.

As others have commented.

These sorts of campaigns for any era where there is a command hierarchy are completely dependent in the players being on board for this. Otherwise it can and very often will be very not fun for one or more of the lower echelon players.

On the flip side I've had players literally group designate one player to be the leader and call the shots. Usually whomever was either good at tacticals and managing a group, or was good at diplomacy and negotiations.

But any RPG where the players are bound into chains of command is going to make or break by how on board the players are for this. And some are just going to either relegate the upper echalons to NPCs. Or toss chain of command out the window ASAP.