COMMONWEALTH
A downloadable game
In the Campaign Season, the devious Hastur spends a favor to force Ultran's regiment to deploy to the front. Ultran chooses to act with Reckless Bravery, but misses their survival roll by 1 and is dismembered, losing an arm. For their bravery, Ultran is awarded the Order of the Heptagonal Barque!
During the war, Hastur acquired the Obsidian Manteion as their new household. But such a magnificent fortress is useless in the hands of a civilian! Ultran raises a militia and sets out to harass the Obsidian Manteion. Ultran succeeds at their roll and takes the fortress, along with Hastur's possessions.
Hastur is driven from his household. He tears at his hair and beats his breast. Ultran has captured his token and his doll! His unflinching companion, his poppet, absolutely silent, perfect in every way, with hair of black glass and dainty hands of porcelain. He plots revenge, and may get it in the Rust Garden by challenging Ultran to monomachy...
This is Commonwealth, a far-future social climbing simulation inspired by En Garde!, The Book of the New Sun, and Barry Lyndon. In this game you play a rapacious parvenu who will...
- Gamble and flirt at debauched pleasure houses, accruing status and station
- Throw luxurious parties to romance rich and beautiful paramours
- Humiliate your hated rivals in single combat or in affairs of the heart
- Campaign with the Autarch's armies in distant fields of battle to take home plunder or die horribly in the attempt
- Wield influence, trade favors, claim powerful titles, and engage in self-dealing and cronyism
- Lose an arm and replace it with an expensive and deadly robot arm
Commonwealth features:
- A 44-page letter-sized PDF
- Play with one or one hundred players, no referee or GM required
- Supports in-person games and play-by-post
- An online random generator for creating characters and holdings.
Commonwealth was created by Michael Hansen.
Layout and graphic design by Nic Tringali.
Cover art and interior spot art by Amanda Lee Franck.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $15 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Hi, Michael! Thanks for the game. We're doing a PbP with 8 players and it's been great. We just hit Campaign Season, so a relevant question:
The rules for Promotions say we only roll for Promotion if we are under the Station limit for the regiment. We've had multiple S4 folks deploy with the Uhlans (Max S4). The rules say clearly we won't roll for promotion -- but the example of play on p.42 has Ultran rolling for promotion with the Hastarii (Max S3) despite being S3 at the time. What's your intended rule?
While I'm asking, another question, this time about Trusts. The text is a little ambiguous about what happens when a trust is given to or taken by someone other than its creator.
If an S1 person makes a trust and passes it to an S3 person, does it automatically become size 3, for example? And similarly, if you're S4 and steal an S7 NPC's H7 trust, does it downgrade to S4?
We are facing a situation where a player is paying lower station players to make trusts for him.
I will answer both questions here. For the first question, you are right that the rules state that “If the character is below the maximum station for their regiment, they may roll for promotion.”
Based on the example, I do think the intent is that you can be promoted OUT of a regiment - and that feels better to me. I think if you managed to deploy with the regiment (and they survive and are not found out as a coward) then you should be eligible for promotion. (The promotion target limit for training and garrison assignments is still in effect though.)
I think it’s more important that you come to a consensus. I don’t think going from S4 to S5 matters too much unless you’ve added some win condition where you’re racing to S8. If you do let them get promoted, then they won’t lose regimental membership until the next Station Phase. Anything could happen, they might even dip back into S4.
For the second question, a trust’s size is always equal to its owner’s station. So yes, when an S1 player transfers a trust to an S3 person, it immediately becomes H3. It’s great that a high station player is paying lower station players to make trusts. I think this kind of naked corruption is what Commonwealth is all about. If this is a problem, I think the best way to deal with it would be to harass them with a militia, concoct grounds for monomachy, or use a salamander.
On page 21, the example has a S7 character write the Militias action. The table on page 15 limits Militias to S3 through S6. Can S7s and S8s still write Militias if they have a militia raised from before promoting?
Ah you are correct that’s a typo, based on the actions of the real Gauthier who did this (and was S5). The invocation of S7 in the example is for narrative effect. I was trying to get across that there is a a level of station where pleasure houses are below you but you can host your own party.
The rules on page 26 take precedence over the examples: S7 and S8 cannot write Militias. Better find a low station toady to do your dirty work!
Quick rules question I can't find. What happens to a token (especially an enemy token) that's held by someone who dies at campaign or in a duel?
I think it’s removed from the game, since it’s effect as a status symbol stems from the humiliating insult of stealing it from someone. If someone’s token has become a Big Deal in your story, though, you could put it in the market at a high price you decide.
Been really enjoying this game as of late, but Ive found one thing to be missing. Would you have any advice or maybe basic mechanics for playing through multiple generations? Things like the inheritance of office, skill, and relationships, I think, would elevate the stories this game generates greatly.
Sure, I would just suggest that you can designate any NPC to be your heir as part of the Finance action. When you die, your trusts are dissolved for chrisos (as per the Finance rules), and your heir receives half of your chrisos and half of your holdings (determined randomly). They can immediately attempt to “Claim a title” as per the Influence action on all titles you hold.
Extremely good game, in a nice solid 44 pages. No filler, all killer, fun procedures, tasty drips of setting sprinkled throughout. Worth the purchase, going to have fun trying this solo.
Just started reading this and I can already tell this one's going to be special.