[Sindri]

Originally Posted by Lord Carnifex

Similar to TBC's idea, one system I've used before is that the monarch (in this case, the title used was 'Regent') keeps the name of his designated successor in a safe in the royal bedroom. When he dies, the Chancellor opens the safe - with many, many witnesses - and reveals the name.

The Regent is free to change his mind and prepare a new document naming a different successor at any time. He's free to privately or publicly reveal who it is. He's even free to lie.

Another system I've used is slightly more malign. The duchy was a traditional "oldest living son" with some fairly complicated rules if there is no legitimate heir. However, there was an entirely seperate priest class (the priesthood of the earthquake god, who is attributed with having made the natural harbor the duchy depends on) who, once a generation on the old Duke's death, would choose one member of the ducal family - including the heir apparent - to be buried alive. So they're empowered to weed out obviously unfit candidates and "trim" the family tree from time to time. Assassinate the popular old duke hoping to take his place? Better be paid up with the right people or they'll be digging a hole for you before you can move in to the ducal palace.

Interesting. Better hope that the first two eldest sons aren't obviously unfit though.

Originally Posted by ericthered

what that will cause is a series of very covert assassinations, bargaining, deception, rigging of the deck, and so forth. You will need to have some sort of way of guaranteeing the record can't be easily changed, read, or destroyed. Such a matter would naturally fall into the hands of the local priests. This would give the Priests a HUGE amount of power, but it would take time to build. The priests may be able to keep honest if percautions are made (such as sealing the record in a slab of concrete or something similar, but someone has to make the record, and will remember (unless you kill all of the scribes soon after marking the tattoos, and thats a bad idea). You can also try spreading the information out, but sufficient planning and plotting will get around that.

of course, if you want a game based on intrigue....

Well it could fall into the hands of the priests and indeed that's probably most likely given usual levels of priestly power but other groups could gain the power. Also the priests who select the next ruler may not be hierarchically related to the priests who are otherwise most influential.

And yeah intrigue is a Good Thing.

Originally Posted by Anthony

So you imprison all the military leaders? People who decide that they don't like the current succession and wish to impose their own are often totally unrelated to the existing succession.

Of course not. A coup that leads to a different succession is different than implementing a different system of succession and a military leader who isn't a claimant isn't a claimant.

Originally Posted by Anthony

Usually restructuring the succession isn't the way of doing this. Probably the most reliable method is having children relatively late, then going into retirement or semi-retirement once the heir is an adult.

Nonetheless assassination is one of the problems the Kafes system helps prevent.

Originally Posted by Arvernian

How's this then:

Assuming a level of technology suitable to the average cyberpunk game (TL 9ish in GURPS terms?) every heir to the throne is hooked up at birth to an incredibly complex VR computer simulation sort of like the Matrix. Each is put in a position as sole ruler of an empire within the simulation, and each of the empires has an historical rivalry with the others. Basically the heirs to the throne are tested by competing with each other in the ultimate war game while living a "real" life within a completely controlled environment.

If you want more of a medieval feel you could always use magic instead of tech.

The interesting question is whether you tell them it's a fake world beforehand. You could also ditch the wargames aspect and have each heir live in a (Obviously imperfect and diverging.) copy of the real realm.