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[RedKing]

I love strategy games, annd I absolutely love strategy games where there are multiple factions, each with their own win conditions. To me, this adds an entire metalayer to the game, full of Xanatos Gambits.

The best non-computer examples I can think of are the Dune board game from Avalon Hill, and the Steve Jackson Illuminati card game/CCG. For example, in the Dune board game, the Bene Gesserit, before the start of the game, write down another faction and a turn number. If that player wins on that turn, then they reveal this info and they win instead. Which is sheer awesome.

Or in the Illuminati card game, where everyone's actual faction identity (and thus, win condition) is secret. Which leads to fiendishly convoluted strategies, such as imitating the Gnomes of Zurich by accumulating high-income cards, which your opponents feverishly work to kill off, only to finally reveal that all the time you were the Servants of Cthulhu (who win the game by having a certain number of cards destroyed).

Seems to be a very popular mechanic in board games and card games, but rarely implemented in computer games. The Civilization games sort of have that in that one player could be going for a conquest victory, another for a cultural victory, another for a spaceship victory, etc. but it's not quite the same because the victory condition is still up to the player rather than dictated or enabled by the choice of civ.

Anybody else know some computer games with this sort of play mechanic in them?

[monk12]

What's that? TvTropes is here to save the day?

Hooray!

Although that page needs some love. I have personally only played Secret Mission Risk and the Civilization series, from that list.

[Aklyon]

Ugh, Secret Mission Risk. That game does not work unless everyone knows how its supposed to actually work, unlike normal RISK. People here just claim an agent and keep using that agent the whole time, completely wrecking the rules.

[LordBucket]

I'll second the vote for the Dune boardgame. I had a lot of fun playing that.

Also, while it doesn't help you at all, I actually made a boardgame of this sort. There were a dozen "win condition" cards, and each player would draw three at the beginning of the game, and had to complete any two of them to win. Was a good game. Needed at least three players and was best with four. The board was constructed out of an assortment of tiles that pieced together, simlar to spacehulk, resulting in a unique board every game. My girlfriend at the time and I spent days cutting out all the cards and tiles, which we made by printing them out then glueing them to medium thickness paper plates to get a cardstock effect.

So...again, I realize it doesn't help you at all, but it was nice to reminisce. For games you can go out and buy, again, I'd second the vote for the Dune boardgame. Or if you have a weekend and a girlfriend you can con into cutting out pieces with you, you could always make your own game like I did.

[Kay12]

Civilization IV (and III too I think) had a mod called the Rhye's and Falls of Civilizations or something like that. It attempts to simulate actual history, and your goals depend on which nation you play (unlike the core game where you'd always win by achieving one of the victory conditions that are common to everyone).

I think the stuff gets even more interesting if two players who oppose each other may have plenty of common subgoals which makes allying a useful strategy.

[kcwong]

Alpha Centauri and Alien Crossfire. You can win with a pack brother/sister, or when UN vote results in a world leader, you can choose to obey or fight on the side you voted.

The alien factions in Crossfire have their own special victory conditions. The original human factions can all pursue all victory conditions: diplomacy, conquest, economic and science (next step of evolution).

[Kay12]

Actually everyone in Alpha Centauri had the same victory options with a few exceptions... the Progenitors couldn't win diplomatic victory, the humans couldn't win the Progenitor victory and the Manifold Caretakers couldn't perform the... what was that called again... Transcendence (aka *the* victory)? Mostly the victory conditions were the same for everybody.

[Akura]

Ascendancy. I'm sure every race can win just by conquering their enemies' capital systems, but I know each has a secret win objectives. The only one I can remember though is those pink goddess thing's objective of controlling 2/3rds of the planets in the galaxy.

[Wravburn]

http://www.crypticcomet.com/games/SI/Solium_Infernum.html

Solium Infernum is exactly what you are looking for. Except that you predefine it yourself, but I think it should tick your boxes. It should be played multiplayer, the AI is 'good enough', but reading your post, you need more. Multiplayer is done by saving the game, sending the save to the host, which compiles the turn and sends it back. PBEM-material, which is quite doable with dropbox and a chat client.

With that out of the way: It's a turn-based strategy game looking like a board game, but too complicated to actually be a board game. It's about intrige, backstabbing and diplomacy. You are a Lord of the Underworld vying with other Lords to become the biggest of them all. The goal of the game is to end the game with the highest prestige(victory points) when the last turn token is drawn. There are multiple ways to get it: holding certain buildings on the map, using artifacts, bullying other people, magic, winning single combat. Your Avatar has stats and perks, which in turn decide your strength in army warfare, deceit, information gathering, destructive magic and resource gathering. You can buy armies, champions, artifacts and equipment through a bidding system. Physical warfare is merely one aspect. You have a really limited amount of actions per turn, which makes it impossible to focus on everything.

To stop this information overload, I'll come to the specific point you asked for. There are 2 perks to be picked at avatar creation which can change the outcome:

Power Behind the Throne:
For every clenched fist there is an open mouth that speaks. If you are the Blood Vassal to a Blood Lord who wins the game then you win instead.

King Maker:
Some were born courtiers, some were born kings. At the beginning of the game you chose an opponent. If that opponent wins the game by Prestige, you win instead.

(Yes, 'wins by prestige'. You can also win by destroying all others or conquering Pandaemonium, the seat of hell)


Demo available via link.

[RedKing]

Ascendancy. I'm sure every race can win just by conquering their enemies' capital systems, but I know each has a secret win objectives. The only one I can remember though is those pink goddess thing's objective of controlling 2/3rds of the planets in the galaxy.

Really? I very much liked Ascendancy, despite the rock-stupid AI. I remembered each race having its own special power, but didn't remember win conditions. I'll have to dig up my copy and find some of the patches. (Incidentally, Logic Factory recently released an updated version for the iPad)

[GlyphGryph]

If you want more board games, my favorite of this sort is "Bang!"

One Sheriff (Defeat Bandits)
One Deputy (Help Sheriff defeat bandits)
Three Bandits (Kill Sheriff)
One Renegade (Kill EVERYONE)

(For smaller games, you can do Sheriff/Deputy/2Bandits)

All roles are secret, until the player dies, except for the Sheriff, who must proudly display his Sheriff Star (home brew rules require him to also wear a cowboy hat), but who gets better stats than anyone else.

In ADDITION, each player gets a public "Character" card that gives them special abilities, making each players optimal play style (even with the same role) very different as well.

[Cheese]

Would Mafia count as one? You have villagers and mafia, mafia kill one person per night and the villagers choose one person per day to lynch. In Epic Mafia, which is a browser based Mafia game, there's a large variety of classes with different win conditions. For example, the village idiot wins if it is lynched so it can attempt to convince the villagers that it's a mafia.

[mr. macduggan]

Wow, that's seriously epic. I don't know how I would ever learn how to do basic gameplay of that, let alone higher strategy.

[Kay12]

Ascendancy. I'm sure every race can win just by conquering their enemies' capital systems, but I know each has a secret win objectives. The only one I can remember though is those pink goddess thing's objective of controlling 2/3rds of the planets in the galaxy.

Really? I very much liked Ascendancy, despite the rock-stupid AI. I remembered each race having its own special power, but didn't remember win conditions. I'll have to dig up my copy and find some of the patches. (Incidentally, Logic Factory recently released an updated version for the iPad)

Same here. There are too many races to ensure an unique victory condition for each by my guess.