Discussion of Dead Monarchs

[Ymbert Montgomery]

So, people now know what the King plot was leading up to.

Lots of questions here.

Firstly, obviously they're rare, but do people actually like this kind of world changing event? (I think Liminal is the only game to have actually killed the King?)

The possible rewards next month are high, but it's obviously a unique event.

The other big thing is this is about as far as I'd got! If people want to put on their alt history hats and suggest possiblities for where this could go next in terms of the rules (Gaston and the Cardinal not getting on etc.) I'd welcome player involvement.

[Ymbert Montgomery]

This incidentally arose from: "Deaths, Births and Marriages in the Royal family will occure on a 12 (2d6). This will be checked once at the end of each month" then I gave them all equal chance of it being them. So it was statistically very unlikely.

[Jacques Bougiedure]

I am not liking this kind of world changing event. It will needlessly complicate the GMs job keeping the game's timeline in addition to everything else.

The only reason to deviate from history like this is if a player could ascend to the Monarchy which wasn't part of the original EG! gameplay though it was alluded to in the Flashing Blades RPG (which drew a lot of inspiration from EG!).

The advantage of keeping history intact is that we have a ready made timeline for RP questions. We know the date of the birth of Louis XIV. We know the date of the beheading of Charles I. We know the dates of events in the thirty years war. Knowing this information doesn't provide an advantage to players but adds to the flavor of the game.

The GM is very busy IRL and I am reluctant to make the management of the game overly complex.

HOWEVER, if the GM is willing to take it on and it doesn't impact the two-week cycle, I am willing to roll with it

[Ymbert Montgomery]

There's two separate issues there I think.

People may hate the idea of deviating from the timeline because of what started as a random roll. That's fair and if there's majority opinion against it this is one situation I wouldn't actually mind retconning; that's one of the reasons it was the first thing I posted about. (Press later). This was an odd one; normally I'd have discussed it with people ahead of time but that would have made it pointless even if people liked it.

So that one's valid and one of the reasons for the discussion.

GM workload, I'm not really worried about. A new rule put in is a new rule, whether it's alt history or historical. Apart from the immediate effects, this isn't likely to change stuff dramatically mechanically and any changes can be eased in. (It's already the case I ignore history entirely when it comes to questions like who France is at war with etc.)

[Yves Eau]

None of it bothers me, so long as Gaston does not start lopping off heads left and right.

I occasionally look up some historical facts for RP, but mostly I bounce off the other PCs.

According to what I read today, Gaston's wife from Lorraine was not Louisa (of Dragoons fame), but Marguerite. Best not to sweat the facts, I reckon.

[Monique Adelina De'Ath]

It's fine with me, especially if that Duc d'Orleans post is going!

[gaston]

Although killing off Louis isn't something I'd have contemplated myself (in Fontainebleau, Gaston has just fled to Lorraine after locking horns with the Cardinal and losing ) I think the important thing is to get things back to normal asap. That means that as well as the new King (Gaston) we need a new Queen (Louisa) and a new Crown Prince (Henri, Prince of Condé, or César de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme).

[Plyen De Mande]

Damn you guys know your history! I am too new to have a real sense of disruption over this. Basically it seems fine. I do think we need a few new junior players, as the current population is becoming top-heavy SL-wise

[vinlander]

There are some other considerations. What becomes of Anne of Austria? A dowager queen is not unusual, but she is usually the mother of the king, not his sister-in-law. Anne could be a huge political problem or a source of support for Gaston. If we are sticking to history, she is young enough to have a child (30) and that child would create difficulties simply by being born. If she stays in France, she might become a focus for discontent. She can, of course, always leave for Austria where she grew up.

On top of that, you have nobles who are not going to be happy about favor because Louis liked them and now Gaston does not. The Fronde rebellion started in 1648, but the causes were largely there a generation earlier. Civil strife is a definite possibility.

The Cardinal is clearly an issue. Gaston would do well to keep him, but kings and others don't always do what is wise. The Cardinal is not necessarily the Church, so is there another candidate Rome would accept as first minister to the crown?

Finally, who whacked Louis (to use a Tony Soprano term)? A foreign power means war (and a counter assassination attempt). If French, a good purge. Natural causes, well who believes that?

[Yves Eau]

Was the King tested for Covid-19? Perhaps he tarried too long in close proximity to a 5G mast.

[Jacques Bougiedure]

I think it would be Covid-31....1631

[champ]

Or perhaps -29/30 given the transit speed of the days.

I do not think it will have a major impact om the game as such (The original EG had an UK-style nobility and a mature CP old enough to go carousing with and worth toadying to) and none at all for CC

Perhaps a few windfalls like a coronation bonus or burial and a ball, but there is - AFAIK - no Mistress to the CP now getting to be Mistress to the King (I can not see the position being an heirloom.... This is not the Soviet Union, where time in rank would be an asset)

[Monique Adelina De'Ath]

Is that Duc d'Orleans post still going.......?!