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[Iituem]

The old King is dead, and his heir is a young, noble, naive and easily manipulated fool who will follow whatever advice his councillors give him.  A shame, then, that you are only one amongst many.

Vizier functions as a card game, in which players are randomly assigned Resource Cards.  They use these to solve various Crises that befall the kingdom (of varying severity) in order to gain favour with their king and appointments to various Ministries.

Spoiler: Rules (click to show/hide)

Resources

Each player has a hand of up to three Resource Cards containing random resources (Gold, Guile, Might, Piety, Knowledge and/or Etiquette).  When cards are spent, they immediately draw new cards until their hand is at three again.

The exception to the three card hand rule is if extra cards are granted by the King as a favour.  New cards may not be drawn until the hand is below three cards, and then only up to three.


Crises

Each round, Crises will assail the kingdom.  Players can combine their resources to resolve these crises.  To do this, one or more players must select a Proposer from amongst them to head the resolution (obviously, a single player must select himself).  The players each contribute one (and only one) Resource Card to the proposition, which is then brought before the king.  If the king accepts it, the Crisis card is turned over and the number and type of Resources required to resolve it is revealed.

If enough Resources were put into the proposal, the Crisis is resolved; the Proposer gains a Favour from the king, and the Ministry associated with the card gains strength.

If insufficient Resources were in the proposal, the Crisis is not resolved and the Ministry associated with the card loses strength.

Whether or not the king accepts the proposal, or whether or not it fails, any Resources put into a proposal are used up and any new Resource Cards may be drawn by their respective owners.

The one exception to the 'One Resource Card' rule for submitting proposals is that any player who is also a Minister may submit the strength of one of their Ministries to the proposal.  This contributes an additional number of resources of the Ministry's type equal to its strength.

Multiple proposals may be made in a round (although a player can only Propose once per turn), provided contributors add new Resource Cards and (if applicable) submit the strength of different Ministries.

If multiple proposals are made regarding the same Crisis, the king will support the proposal that has the most supporters.  If they are evenly matched, he will pick whichever has the most Ministries attached.  If this is still a tie, he will simply refuse to implement it until one side can out-support the other.


Ministries

The kingdom has six Ministries of government.  To start with, all are held by the king.  As a result of favours granted, Ministries are given to players.  Each Ministry has a degree of strength associated with it that corresponds to a different resource (see above).  This strength will rise or fall depending on whether Crises are resolved or failed.

Foreign Ministry (Chancellor) - Etiquette
Treasury (Treasurer) - Gold
Ministry of Defence (Marshal) - Might
Ministry of the Interior (Spymaster) - Guile
Royal Library (Royal Librarian) - Knowledge
Ministry of the Faith (Court Chaplain) - Piety

At the start of play, all Ministries are at 2 Strength.


Favours

If your Proposal to resolve a Crisis is accepted and successful, the king will grant you a Favour.  There are three Favours you can ask.

Grant/Revoke a Ministry: If the king has free Ministries, he can grant them to you.  If another player has Ministries, the king can revoke that ministry, returning it to the king's possession.  You cannot get the king to grant someone else's Ministry to you directly - it must pass through the king.

The King's Ear: You can ask the king to favour your next proposal above any others.  Only one player can have the King's Ear, and it is only good for one proposal.  If you submit a proposal while you have the King's Ear, the king will follow your proposal regardless of any competing proposals.

Grant Resources: You can ask the king for resources from the Crown.  If you pick this option, the king will grant you 2 additional random Resource cards on top of your existing total.

If multiple players ask for contradictory favours in a round, the king will simply ignore them and ask them to request different favours.


Worsening Crises

One crisis per Round (randomly selected) will automatically Worsen at the end of the Round (before new Crises are introduced).  This will increase the severity from Slight to Moderate or from Moderate to Major.  If a Major Crisis worsens, it automatically fails with associated penalties to any Ministries.


Victory

The default Victory condition is that a player gains control of all six Ministries.  If this happens, they can declare themselves First Minister and are de facto rulers of the kingdom.  There are other, secret Victory conditions.  Each player receives one.

Joining

Simply submit a character sheet with your character's name, description and how they came to court.  Play will begin once I have at least four players, with a maximum of six.

[Iituem]

Reserved

Also, a tip:  At the start, you will never have enough resources on your own to resolve a Crisis.  You must make alliances.

[kj1225]

Sounds cool. Give me a sec.

Name:  Kyle Johnson

Description:  This guy makes you think of an unstoppable machine. He has narrow gray eyes that are like two pools of mercury. His silky, wavy, alabaster hair is short and is worn in a precise, simple style. He is very tall and has a broad-shouldered build. His skin is cream-colored. He has a small nose and a wide chin. His wardrobe is plain, and is completely violet and green.

How he got to court:  Kyle was one of the first to arrive when the previous king established a foreign guard for the castle. He proved himself competent at leading and set himself up as the commander of the guard. Unlike his kinsmen he is quite interested in the complexities of these foreign politics. At the king's death he established himself as a chancellor in return for ensuring the continued assistance of the foreign guard under a new head.

[scapheap]

Name: Harriet Bradley

Description: Long brown hair, blue eyes, about 6 foot tall. Slight chest. Often labeled tomboy.

How they came to court: Nepotism. Her uncle was rather sweet on her and got the king to offer a trial period to her as agree on the uncle's death. Then the king died a few weeks later. As only the king knew, she now got to firmly entrench herself before any pointed questions are tossed her way.

[Lukeinator]

Name: Wolfgang Arnoldsson

Description: A large very muscular man, with a pointed nose, an unkempt gray beard and a full head of black hair.

How he came to court: Wolfgang came to court at a point when the king was afraid of assassinations, he was hired as a guardsmen. Whence the king realized his natural talent at administration he was promoted to a councilor.

[Grek]

Name: Mehlenna Blusterant
Description: An paunchy woman who is both incredibly elderly and incredibly boring. Wears large glasses, a white beehive and prefers mauve dresses.
How she came to the court: Mehlenna is a long time civil servant, having started out as a lowly scribe. She got to her current position out of pure seniority, being the oldest and most foggiest in the entire bureaucracy.

[Iituem]

The King is Dead!  Long Live the King!

It is a cloudy day in late July as the sun rises on the coronation of the new king of Elbreth.  The old King Eric was laid to rest alongside his wife not twelve hours ago, and the young King Dale is barely half-way through his teens.  Uncertain of rule, the new king looks to his advisors to guide him.  With the pomp and ceremony of the state over, the king gathers his most trusted councillors - you - and asks for your assistance in dealing with the troubles of the day.

Spoiler: Crises (click to show/hide)

Retrieve the Gospel of St Corbett
The Royal Library was host to the original copy of the Gospel of St Corbett, taken down by his disciple Simeon.  During the shifts in security caused by the old king's illness, heretics broke into the Library and stole the Gospel.  They have fled into Weyland, where they are under the protection of the local Jarls.  The Gospel must be retrieved, or the reputation of the Library - and of Elbreth - will be ruined!

Major Crisis
Royal Library Affected
Requires Might & Piety
Quest: The Lost Gospel


The Sleeping Sickness
Shortly before the king became ill, dozens of the royal guard were struck with the same sleeping sickness that killed the king.  The sickness has killed few so far, but over half the guard are afflicted by it and it may only be a matter of time.  The source of the sickness must be found, and enough healers raised to save those struck by the plague.

Major Crisis
Ministry of Defence Affected
Requires Knowledge & Piety
Quest: The Sleeping Sickness


Embezzlement!
There are deficits in the palace accounts.  Perhaps somebody in the Treasury has sticky fingers?

Slight Crisis
Treasury Affected
Requires Guile & Etiquette
Quest: Embezzlement


Exodus of Spies
The old king kept his business close to his chest, but it is known that he had a vast network of spies, most of whom answered to and were paid by him directly.  With his death, those spies have no master, and more importantly no paymaster.  If our spies cannot be tracked down and given sufficient incentive to remain within the fold, our kingdom's secrets could be freely available to our rivals!

Major Crisis
Ministry of the Interior Affected
Requires Gold & Guile
Quest: Scattered Spies


Missing Diplomats
Someone has been picking off our diplomats and their staff.  Only a handful have gone missing, but this trend cannot be attributed to chance any longer.  Taking care of this nuisance would be a boon to foreign and internal relations.

Slight Crisis
Foreign Ministry Affected
Requires Guile & Might
Quest: Diplomatic Troubles

NB: The more severe a Crisis is, the more resources it will take to resolve successfully.

Spoiler: Government (click to show/hide)

Chancellor (2) - Held by the King.
Treasurer (2) - Held by the King.
Marshal (2) - Held by the King.
Spymaster (2) - Held by the King.
Royal Librarian (2) - Held by the King.
Court Chaplain (2) - Held by the King.

[micelus]

If it ain't too late:

Name: Cinad the Savage
Description: An old man always covered in a thick ragged robe who looks like as if he would fall over at the slightest touch. His face is hidden by a copper mask shaped into a permanent smile.
How did he come to Court?: the last king needed a cure for his dying wife; Cinad provided a tribal remedy and has been a permanent fixture ever since.

[kj1225]

((Could you explain what exactly we should be doing right now? Maybe describe where we are a little?))

[Iituem]

After the court steward reads out the various issues troubling the kingdom, King Dale himself retires from the council chambers to undertake his horse riding and swordsmanship lessons, as befits any young noble, especially a king.  He is expected to return later in the afternoon to hear proposals from his councillors, but in the meantime you are left alone.

The palace is small, at least compared to the grand villas of the Storm Coast.  More of a castle than a palace, the structure sports a mead hall, armoury and smithy, barracks, stables and various rooms for guests.  A later addition was the chapel to the Father of Suul, and a much later addition was the Royal Library, the old queen's pride and joy.

Here, in the council chambers, the councillors may discuss publicly what is to be done to resolve these crises, and what resources they might be able to bring to the table.  There are several hours before the king arrives, and many other rooms in the castle, so councillors may also speak privately amongst themselves, if they wish to do deals.


OOC: At this point, your goal is to forge alliances with other players.  Your win conditions all require you to acquire at least one Ministry, and you cannot do that without a favour from the king, which you get by solving one of the kingdom's problems.  You cannot solve the kingdom's problems without resources, and no player at this stage has enough resources to solve any of the problems on their own.

Players should form coalitions to contribute Resource Cards (you may contribute one per Crisis) to solving one or more Crises.  One player should be named Proposer - if the Crisis is solved, this person will be granted a Favour by the king.

Once someone has Proposed a solution, they should name themselves and which Crisis they are trying to solve, then which Resource Card they are playing.  It is up to their allies to then support the proposal by chipping in cards themselves.

You may discuss plans here, or via PM, although via PM I would appreciate a CC just to keep track of things.

Alice: We should stop the headless horseman at once!

Bob: I agree.  I am in full support of you.

Cecil: As am I.

Alice:  Good, we'll need everyone's help to do this.

Alice:  I propose a solution to the Headless Horseman crisis.  My Holy Knight [2 Might, 1 Piety] will lead the charge to destroy this fiend!

Bob:  I support this proposal, sending my Angry Cleric [2 Piety, 1 Might] to provide moral support and exorcise the spirit.  As Court Chaplain I add the support of my Ministry's strength [2 = 2 Piety].

Cecil: ...

Alice:  Cecil?  Chip in your Pit Fighter, come on.

Cecil: I do nothing.

Bob: Wait, what?

GM: You marshal your forces and head out to defeat the headless horseman.  *card flip*  The Horseman required 4 Might and 3 Piety to defeat.  You only supplied 3 Might and 5 Piety.  The headless horseman kills your duo and wreaks havoc across the land.  The Ministry of Faith loses strength as people lose faith.  Its strength is now 1.

Alice: Noooo!

Bob: CECIIIIILLLL!!!

Cecil: Muahahahahaaa!

[kj1225]

The foreign guard frowns.
"Hm... we need to do something to get this holy book back. If we do not it will make a mockery of the guards. And the library would be down a national treasure."

[micelus]

((I just realised what the setting was. Niceeeee one Iituem.))

The tribesman adjusted his mask and spoke with his sing-song accent of long vowels and curious tones."To be sure, to be sure, but I do be thinking that this disease running amok the guardsmen would be more urgent. Those guardsmen of yours Arnoldsson are the one ensuring our beloved king survives, after all."

[kj1225]

Kyle looks bored.
"The disease is important for sure. That's why I think that you should deal with it. If I only have some support in tracking down those hooligans I can try and assist in curing our soldiers."

[micelus]

"Oh, leaving an old man to deal with this problem by himself? Ah, to be young again..." Cinad chuckled.

"I do think this holy book can wait; surely the lives of loyal kingsmen are of more importance than this book?

[kj1225]

"Ah, but I can still offer my support to you if you try. And if we do not solve this our great nation will most likely have more problems if any rapscallion thinks they can wander in and take from the kings own library."