The Overlord System
A Description of the Living Nights Campaign Setting
The goal of Living Nights is create a rich, vibrant world that is assembled by a large group of people. It is a community project where the ideas of dozens of highly motivated members of the gaming community put their minds together and develop a spark that will create a world…
…but this level of participation will not end once the world has been created.
The Overlord System is a new style of campaign organization designed to carry the sense of community that created our world into its future. To explain, we shall start with a description of the planned release for our campaign setting.
Living Nights is planned for release in Summer 2005 as a “PDF boxed set”, a .zip file that will include a Player’s Guide, the Campaign Setting, character sheets, and a collection of maps. The Player’s Guide will offer a 24- or 32-page preview of our setting that will be player-friendly, presenting the basics of the world so that all who create a character for it will be able to learn the history and geography of their new home without stumbling across the inner workings of its leaders, the secret weaknesses of its foulest monsters, and other such devices that are best left to the GameMasters. The Campaign Setting will be the heart of the set and will contain all information needed for character creation and maintenance, full history and layout of all seven nations to be included with this initial release, as well as all the crunchy bits that we have come up with. The Campaign Setting will be for the GameMaster who present our world to his group.
Shortly after the setting’s release, seven Nation Guides will be made available simultaneously. Each Nation Guide will vary between 24- and 32-pages with extensive detail of the land, its government and central figures, and provide layouts of major fortresses, dungeons, and other locations. The Nation Guides will provide GameMasters with information far beyond that found in the Campaign Setting and allow them build an entire campaign within that nation. Each Nation Guide will be written by one particular author and this is where the Overlord System comes into play.
Each writer, tasked to the goal of designing a nation, will become its overlord: he/she will create a character that shall become the leader of their nation and they shall be charged with its care. It is the role of the overlord to watch over his nation and ensure its survival. All those who purchase a Nation Guide will be given free access to become a citizen of that Nation and have their campaigns affect to outcome of the land in which they play. As plots are hatched and developed, the overlord can be contacted and consulted for advice and additional plot twists for each adventure. If the players of a campaign joined to the Overlord System should eliminate a thieves’ guild, the overlord may choose to recognize their bravery with lordship and title in his lands or suddenly call out for their arrest and hanging if it should turn out that the overlord has been gaining added wealth from the thieves.
Each overlord is responsible for maintaining his nation. As changes occur throughout their nation, they will be responsible for keeping updates (by website or newsletter, as yet undetermined) available to their citizens. They are also granted final say on all activities that will occur in their nation: they may design as many sourcebooks, adventures, and any other supplements for their nations as will be approved by the publisher, Emerald Press. Should an overlord’s nation begin to slip in popularity, it is the overlord himself who must respond to the needs and wishes of his citizens. Two or more overlords may work together to barter deals between their nations and combine their talents to create joint supplements/adventures involving the land(s) in which they rule.
Should an overlord decide to step down and no longer become involved in Living Nights, a new overlord will be selected to resume position within that nation. Under the best circumstances, both the former and latest overlords will work together on determining the events leading to this change in power as a new ruler-character may be devised to take over the throne – this can then lead into a new adventure that involve the players of Living Nights. If another overlord wishes to conquer this vacant nation, a plot may be hatched for an invasion if that is so desired. In short, as the overlord changes, so too does the nation itself.
To ensure that all overlords are working in the same direction, an overlord moderator (originally designated as the publisher with the possibility of passing on this torch) will act as go-between for all overlords and make final decisions on new overlords.
Citizens who are registered for playing in Living Nights will be just as responsible for their nation’s well being. The goal of the Overlord System is to create an ever-changing world that reflects the actions of those who play this setting. As the characters travel across the world in their quests (for good or evil), their exploits will become part of legend for all others using Living Nights to share in. Published adventures for Living Nights will undoubtedly involve numerous GameMasters running simultaneously and it would be impossible to assume – unless designed into the adventure – that all characters will become involved in the same quest at the same time without sitting at the same table. While there will be some leeway, the goal of this system is to provide each group who plays the campaign to feel as if their actions can shape the course of this world. To do this, however, a certain level of acceptable restraint will have to be respected: a group that decides it is time to assassinate the overlord may be rejected unless the overlord agrees and makes such an effort a piece of the nation’s outcome.
All overlords will be compensated through the Nation Guides and assorted materials that they produce for the campaign. They will be compensated as per the standard Emerald Press contract (40% of all sales for writers) for each product that they produce. This leaves the profitability of each nation solely in the hands of its overlord. The price for these books has yet to be determined.
If you wish to participate in the Living Nights experience, step to our website. We are currently voting between eleven world themes in the sixth phase of development of our world.
If you are interested in becoming an overlord for Living Nights, please contact the Warden for a Writer's Trial Submission.
A Description of the Living Nights Campaign Setting
The goal of Living Nights is create a rich, vibrant world that is assembled by a large group of people. It is a community project where the ideas of dozens of highly motivated members of the gaming community put their minds together and develop a spark that will create a world…
…but this level of participation will not end once the world has been created.
The Overlord System is a new style of campaign organization designed to carry the sense of community that created our world into its future. To explain, we shall start with a description of the planned release for our campaign setting.
Living Nights is planned for release in Summer 2005 as a “PDF boxed set”, a .zip file that will include a Player’s Guide, the Campaign Setting, character sheets, and a collection of maps. The Player’s Guide will offer a 24- or 32-page preview of our setting that will be player-friendly, presenting the basics of the world so that all who create a character for it will be able to learn the history and geography of their new home without stumbling across the inner workings of its leaders, the secret weaknesses of its foulest monsters, and other such devices that are best left to the GameMasters. The Campaign Setting will be the heart of the set and will contain all information needed for character creation and maintenance, full history and layout of all seven nations to be included with this initial release, as well as all the crunchy bits that we have come up with. The Campaign Setting will be for the GameMaster who present our world to his group.
Shortly after the setting’s release, seven Nation Guides will be made available simultaneously. Each Nation Guide will vary between 24- and 32-pages with extensive detail of the land, its government and central figures, and provide layouts of major fortresses, dungeons, and other locations. The Nation Guides will provide GameMasters with information far beyond that found in the Campaign Setting and allow them build an entire campaign within that nation. Each Nation Guide will be written by one particular author and this is where the Overlord System comes into play.
Each writer, tasked to the goal of designing a nation, will become its overlord: he/she will create a character that shall become the leader of their nation and they shall be charged with its care. It is the role of the overlord to watch over his nation and ensure its survival. All those who purchase a Nation Guide will be given free access to become a citizen of that Nation and have their campaigns affect to outcome of the land in which they play. As plots are hatched and developed, the overlord can be contacted and consulted for advice and additional plot twists for each adventure. If the players of a campaign joined to the Overlord System should eliminate a thieves’ guild, the overlord may choose to recognize their bravery with lordship and title in his lands or suddenly call out for their arrest and hanging if it should turn out that the overlord has been gaining added wealth from the thieves.
Each overlord is responsible for maintaining his nation. As changes occur throughout their nation, they will be responsible for keeping updates (by website or newsletter, as yet undetermined) available to their citizens. They are also granted final say on all activities that will occur in their nation: they may design as many sourcebooks, adventures, and any other supplements for their nations as will be approved by the publisher, Emerald Press. Should an overlord’s nation begin to slip in popularity, it is the overlord himself who must respond to the needs and wishes of his citizens. Two or more overlords may work together to barter deals between their nations and combine their talents to create joint supplements/adventures involving the land(s) in which they rule.
Should an overlord decide to step down and no longer become involved in Living Nights, a new overlord will be selected to resume position within that nation. Under the best circumstances, both the former and latest overlords will work together on determining the events leading to this change in power as a new ruler-character may be devised to take over the throne – this can then lead into a new adventure that involve the players of Living Nights. If another overlord wishes to conquer this vacant nation, a plot may be hatched for an invasion if that is so desired. In short, as the overlord changes, so too does the nation itself.
To ensure that all overlords are working in the same direction, an overlord moderator (originally designated as the publisher with the possibility of passing on this torch) will act as go-between for all overlords and make final decisions on new overlords.
Citizens who are registered for playing in Living Nights will be just as responsible for their nation’s well being. The goal of the Overlord System is to create an ever-changing world that reflects the actions of those who play this setting. As the characters travel across the world in their quests (for good or evil), their exploits will become part of legend for all others using Living Nights to share in. Published adventures for Living Nights will undoubtedly involve numerous GameMasters running simultaneously and it would be impossible to assume – unless designed into the adventure – that all characters will become involved in the same quest at the same time without sitting at the same table. While there will be some leeway, the goal of this system is to provide each group who plays the campaign to feel as if their actions can shape the course of this world. To do this, however, a certain level of acceptable restraint will have to be respected: a group that decides it is time to assassinate the overlord may be rejected unless the overlord agrees and makes such an effort a piece of the nation’s outcome.
All overlords will be compensated through the Nation Guides and assorted materials that they produce for the campaign. They will be compensated as per the standard Emerald Press contract (40% of all sales for writers) for each product that they produce. This leaves the profitability of each nation solely in the hands of its overlord. The price for these books has yet to be determined.
If you wish to participate in the Living Nights experience, step to our website. We are currently voting between eleven world themes in the sixth phase of development of our world.
If you are interested in becoming an overlord for Living Nights, please contact the Warden for a Writer's Trial Submission.
