Ideas Are Easy

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by RyanW

Alternately, there could be an effort to postpone the transfer of power until the preferred heir is eligible, or the preferred regent is appointed.

Well, yes, that its the sane and boring thing to do... I have much better idea of how to turn outright hiding the event into an adventure. Such an action is probably the result of desperation, suggesting that the normal course of action is unlikely to succeed.

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The seven nations are separated by deserts, seas, mountains, and barbarians, but they are connected by their seven sky-lords. The skylords command the heavens, ensuring regular rain, bountiful harvests, and temperate weather. Though separated by great distances and barriers, they have a system between them, a complex series of rules to ensure that the actions of one skylord don't bring drought or disaster upon the citizens of a different nation's skylord. They even have a communication method using wind patterns over places they care little about.

At least they did. One of the sky-lords disappeared in a recent civil war, and his replacement has only just started working the weather again. This new sky lord has either lost the delicate protocols that bind the sky-lords, or he is intentionally ignoring them. Either way, if he must be taught to protocols and convinced to use them. The PC's are the messengers sent to do this. They must journey to a foreign land recently torn by war, establish they truly represent the other six sky-lords, and convince one of the top leaders of a ruthless faction to obey by the old laws of his predecessor.

If they fail, the result will be drought, famine, and war.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Well, yes, that its the sane and boring thing to do... I have much better idea of how to turn outright hiding the event into an adventure. Such an action is probably the result of desperation, suggesting that the normal course of action is unlikely to succeed.

Just to be clear, I was saying it could be beneficial to conceal the death of the prior holder until the succession/regency questions are dealt with to your satisfaction, in other circumstances.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by RyanW

Just to be clear, I was saying it could be beneficial to conceal the death of the prior holder until the succession/regency questions are dealt with to your satisfaction, in other circumstances.

Oh I see. Arrange the will to your satisfaction, as it were. Yeah, that gives you some wiggle room, but also makes you do more work. Good idea.

[ericthered]

The world may be inhabited by humans, but the sky is ruled by dwarves. The trading clans fly all over the world in their skyships, providing high quality alloys, complex manufactured goods, enchanted tools, and mystical minerals to various kingdoms. Different clans work and fight hard to maintain their trade secrets and regional trading monopolies.

Your clan has lost its last war. The home hold is gone, as are all the regional monopolies. You have control of one of the few remaining skyships. Can you make it on your own? can you slip past the other clans? Or will you have to swallow your pride and become a surface exile or join one of your hated rivals?

[RyanW]

Noises in the Dark (GURPS XCom but with supernatural foes instead of aliens, detailed here) made me think of doing something similar, but with XCom 2, where the aliens (or, in my case, the Seelie Court*) have successfully become the benevolent advisors/evil puppet masters of humanity.

* Or so they claim.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by RyanW

* Or so they claim.

Its the Fae. They might even think they're being benevolent.

[RyanW]

This one is a very bare bones idea that needs a lot of fleshing out, and exists primarily to bear a name that caught my fancy:

Re: Arecibo
In 2044, we detect a strange radio emission from the region near Zeta Herculis. It is soon recognized as a signal, consisting of 1679 binary digits. Someone got the Arecibo message, and replied. Soon, more messages arrive, slowly building up a bit of a simple language. In the end, one young member of the science team sums up the full message as follows: Planet dying. Need a place to crash. See you soon.

[ericthered]

The Utopia Wars


In the far future, mankind lives a pampered life in artificial structures. Air is controlled, indoor gardens predicted to appeal to them are constructed as they walk through their living spaces, delicious food is cooked, and each human lives in a home bigger than they can properly explore. Their tastes and desires are provided for, and they have no need for work or war. Medical care has all but ended death. All this is made possible by AI and robots.

Who are about to come to blows over the best way to pamper their humans. No harm can come to the humans in this conflict, but the heretics making inferior goods must be punished, rooted out, and reprogrammed. The good of all mankind is at stake. The PC's are war bots sent to heretical factories and estates to reprogram and eliminate heresy. And deal with their opposite numbers.

All hail Pepsi.

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I'm not sure if I can get players to treat the humans quite carefully enough, but the humorous nature of the conflict may help, as may limiting the number of actual targets. And it doesn't have to be a soft-drink war, but it was useful for getting the silly "brand-oriented" nature of the stakes across.

[WaterAndWindSpirit]

The Pepsi Empire:

Due to an odd trade deal with the USSR that landed them 17 submarines, a cruiser, a frigate, and a destroyer, Pepsi briefly became the 6th most powerful navy in the world... Until they sold their navy to be scrapped. Or at least, that's the official story...

What if Pepsi had a history of such shady deals, and this was just the one time they got caught? What if they accumulated an arsenal over the years, and hired PMCs for personnel to invade 3rd world nations? And while the nations of the world would easily crush them on the battlefield, all it would take is one military defeat, and you would be forever known as the nation with the military that suffered a military defeat at the hands of a soda company, and your country will never live that incident down... No one wants to be the country that will forever be known that way... And we do fear ridicule more than we fear death, so a long protracted cold war of black ops sabotage and spying by deniable assets has just begun...

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by WaterAndWindSpirit

. . . you would be forever known as the nation with the military that suffered a military defeat at the hands of a soda company, and your country will never live that incident down.

The problem is that Pepsi needs to be a legal, unobjectionable, company, to make money. The nations of the world, if they know it's operating a significant military force for its own purposes, will simply confiscate its operations in their territory. You might claim this is politically impossible in the USA, but that is certainly not the case in many other countries.