Age of Intrigue
From Age of Intrigue Wiki
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Important Note: The Spring Season has now opened. All characters of gentry background are welcomed.
Age of Intrigue is a Play by Post RPG game and setting, that is played on the AoI boards. We have a group of around 25 dedicated writers. The game is designed and run by the Privy Council. It is a historical variant game using as setting the Court of Charles II in England, a period known as the Restoration. We use the AoI Game System. Examples of writing can be found in the Standing Ovations Thread on our boards.
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Premise
We have used the past history leading up to game's start in May 1675, including many historical figures as non-player characters, but we have thrown in a healthy dose of fictional characters and deviations from history. Freed from the shackles of actual history, anything can happen. The King could be assassinated. A fictional character could rise to Lord Chancellor.
The reign of Charles II was selected because it is a grand moment in history in which corruption was rampant and political and religious intrigues dominated the court. Much as Dumas gave life to a court in France, we give life to a time in English history where the monarch yearned for divine rule, a Parliament was trying to maintain some semblance of power, the arts and sciences were reborn, religious intolerance was barely contained, and the end of a tyrannical and Puritanical rule caused the most libertine period in English history. Virtue was replaced by hedonism. Loyalty gave way to scheming, while duty gave way to ambition.
No English history scholars will be at an advantage and we make no apologies for any aspect of the game that deviates from "actual history" both were it regards the historical order of things, or inventions and trends in existence. Age of Intrigue is a creative writing game. As writers we enjoy the chance to show colour and atmosphere, overlooking smaller mistakes both by moderators and by players, as well as sometimes stealing a plot device from a slight advance in years. As a rule though we try and stick to the Stuart period after the Civil War (1660-1714) to guide us. ThisFudge rule is part of our Rules of Realism. We urge you to accept the setting of Age of Intrigue as its own reality and be creative with the opportunities that offers. Historical accuracy is not our goal. It requires a suspense of disbelief.
Themes
See Also Is this game for me?
This game focuses more on politics, society and intrigue, but other themes like swashbuckling, arts, horror, mystery, romance and science are part of the whole. It is a game of subtlety, manoeuvre, rumormongering, manipulation, decadence, and adventure. There will be mysteries to solve, enemies to ruin, powerful persons to placate, and high society to conquer. It is a court rife with hedonism and ambition. You determine what role your character will play. Will you be the noble character who resists the wanton and corrupt ways of court? Or will you climb to the top ruthlessly? Are you a social butterfly? Or a dedicated scientist seeking advancement in the Royal Society?
What AoI is
See Also AoI Game System
Our game is about writing excitingly, so that everybody wants to check the site every day, sitting at the edge of their seat. It is about humour, about enjoying ourselves. About being the hero and overcoming obstacles in whatever way. We have chosen a historical game because we enjoy the setting, made great by many movies and novels.
What AoI is not
Please understand that choosing our themes means excluding others. This is not the game to play if any of our main themes bore you to death. This game contains action, but it does not have any military activities save in Recess. This game contains romance and even tasteful erotica, but it is not a harlequin novel. This game is about advancing in aristocratic society, in whatever circle, so there is no place for those of you who would like to explore ordinary lives in the 17th century. While not entirely historically accurate, there is no place for vampires and other fantasy creatures, safe perhaps in the minds of people. This game is not for Barbie dolls who only want to dress up and play with horses, but nonetheless social activities play a large role. This is not a place for fans of historical accuracy, but instead a creative writing role playing game using an alternate and quite fantasy history as its setting.
Our Player Expectations
See Also Goal Oriented Playing and Top Tips for the Middle Game
This is not a game for everyone. We prefer a small group of good dependable mature writers. You should be prepared to visit the board regularly and post regularly. Obviously, real life can require you to be unavailable from time to time, but a game like this depends upon writers who are responsible and can post at least every couple of days, once a week as a bare minimum. If you are not sure if this is the game for you, or that you have sufficient time to devote to it, then we would urge you to wait and observe the boards as a spectator until you can commit to the game and your fellow players.
We use both Storyboard Modding, in which your character is offered plot hooks based on his or her background, and Event orientated modding. This basically means players move from thread to thread as they move through our world, and what they do influences other storylines, sometimes across the entire game. Finally this results in the mix we call AoI style Modding
Creative Writing & Initiative
See also Creative Writing and Player initiative
This is a game of Creative Writing. Characters are expected to develop initiative and make this a group effort of writing stories. You should not lean back and wait for a moderator to come up with something, or expect your background to play a determining role, unless you bring this up yourself.
Humour is a big part of our game and the way we write. You are encouraged to allow your character to take the fall, put him in humorous situations and to allow things to happen that simply makes for a great situation. We adore clever turn of phrases, especially if they are tongue in cheek and you do not take your character too seriously. We advocate the belief that you the writer, are not the same as your character, separate IC and OOC and sometimes providing an overvoice in which to explain why your character does things while you yourself know better.
Your PC can pursue what plots that involve him or her in whatever fashion he or she wishes. That's your responsibility as a player. Plots in Age of Intrigue are living things that continue with or without player involvement, but they can be shifted, changed, adjusted, and even capitalized by a clever player character. If you're worried that your character is following content you don't want... then stop following it! If you are concerned your character is being rather inactive... go do something.
Mortality
See Also Character Death
Yes, player characters can die, and actually have. No doubt more shall follow. Moderators are not out to get you, but we apply the logics of the environment. If we can see it in the tealeaves in time we'll warn you by making the thread impassable and serve you a mortality notice, however death can occur at all times. If the scene warrants it, death will knock on your door.
Does it end there? For your character it does, but you care free to create another character, one with a bit more seniority. The Privy Council will work with you to find a new challenge. In general 2nd PC's and replacement PC's are treated with a bit more leniency.
Adult Content
See Also Adult Content
Age of Intrigue is for mature writers who are 18+. Our stories can be gritty or erotic at times, but above all they are realistic. We depend on our players to display a certain kind of responsibility in keeping with stories, being dependable writers. We do not shy away from themes, but while they may surface from time to time, this is not a single focus game.
Our Thanks
The designers of The Age of Intrigue would like to thank Cherveaux: Palace of Light and Tazlure for their assistance and permission for material and game method to be used in the creation of this game of Alternate History.
Recognition goes also to the vast resources of information at Wikipedia as well as historic writers of that age from which we have sourced information for our period; such as Samuel Pepys.
The Age of Intrigue site and material published upon it may not be used for anything other than personal viewing, including, but not limited to, further reproduction on any other website or in any other medium, without specific permission from the original creators and owner of such work. Please notice that we are using (part of) the Tazlure Game System or TGS, under their Creative Commons License.
