the state of being in someone's power or having great power over someone.
That's the name of the game. This is a large group free for all multiplayer format that i'm trying to develop. It follows all basic multiplayer format rulings, with these additions. Anything marked in blue is something i'm looking for further advice and opinion on, but any comments are helpful.
Basic Rules
All players begin as an Emperor. If any player loses the game, that player becomes a Thrall. Their land count resets to the turn count(maybe land count of the player with the lowest?) If they have more than that amount of land. Otherwise it is left alone. Their hand, graveyard, exile and field besides the lands are shuffled back into the deck, and they draw a new hand of 7 cards. The Thrall is treated as if he/she does not exist until their next turn starts. When they die for the second time, it happens again, except with 5 life. 3 deaths and you're out for good.
In this Thrall state, they are under the 'control' of whoever was responsible for their death. on the death of a Thrall, Emperors can begin a bidding war. Starting with the player who killed the Thrall, and proceeding in turn order, Emperors can bid any amount of life, until no other Emperor bids any life. Once the bidding is over, the Emperor who bid the most life loses that life, and gains control of the Thrall. The two of them are on the same team. The two can work together to achieve victory. The Thrall can not attack the emperor, but the emperor can attack the Thrall. Once the Emperor attacks the Thrall, the Thrall is allowed to attack the emperor. The Thrall can cast spells targeting Permanents of the emperor, but can not target the emperor.
If the Emperor commands it, the Thrall must block for the Emperor if legal, or cast any spell, with the Emperor making all choices for that spell. The Emperor can only make this command once per turn.
If the Emperor in charge of a Thrall dies, and becomes the Thrall of another Emperor, then the original Thrall follows the Emperor. So basically, If you kill an Emperor with any number of Thralls, you gain control of all Thralls they controlled, in addition to the newly made Thrall emperor.
If a Thrall kills another Thrall, the Thrall that was killed returns to the game under his/her emperor's control still. However, if a Thrall kills an Emperor, the Thrall can become an Emperor again, with the player they knocked out under their control, and all Thralls that player controlled, as stated in the above ruling.
If a player is knocked out of the game by gamestate, such as trying to draw when no cards are in their library, or something along the lines of a final fortune, then they are reanimated as an Emperor with ten life, instead of a Thrall under someone's control.
Regaining Status as an Emperor
A Thrall can usually not win the game, but there are many ways a Thrall can regain status as an Emperor. Some were mentioned above, but i'll leave them all here.
1. If a Thrall is responsible for the death of an Emperor.
2. If a Thrall wins the game. (Note that a Thrall winning the game returns them to Emperor status, so they are no longer under the control of their Emperor, but they do not Win.)
3. If a Thrall gets themselves to 20 or more life.
4. Buying their freedom. Once per Emperor, a Thrall can issue a bidding war with their Emperor. The Thrall bids an amount of life, and then the Emperor can Match that bid, or bid a higher amount. The highest bid wins. If the Emperor wins the bet, then the Emperor loses life equal to their bid, and the Thrall gains life equal to the Emperor's bid, but the Thrall stays under the control of the Emperor. If the Thrall wins the bid, then the Thrall loses life equal to the bid, and the Emperor gains life equal to the bid, but the Thrall becomes an Emperor.
5. ?????
To win the game
Win condition is simple. Be the last Emperor alive. If you have every player in the game under your control as a Thrall, and no more Emperors remain, you are the winner of the game. Effects that state a player "wins the game" do not apply, and instead turn a Thrall to an Emperor, and give an Emperor one extra death token to be revived at 5 life, if they die after already once being revived at 5 life.
That's the name of the game. This is a large group free for all multiplayer format that i'm trying to develop. It follows all basic multiplayer format rulings, with these additions. Anything marked in blue is something i'm looking for further advice and opinion on, but any comments are helpful.
All players begin as an Emperor. If any player loses the game, that player becomes a Thrall. Their land count resets to the turn count(maybe land count of the player with the lowest?) If they have more than that amount of land. Otherwise it is left alone. Their hand, graveyard, exile and field besides the lands are shuffled back into the deck, and they draw a new hand of 7 cards. The Thrall is treated as if he/she does not exist until their next turn starts. When they die for the second time, it happens again, except with 5 life. 3 deaths and you're out for good.
In this Thrall state, they are under the 'control' of whoever was responsible for their death. on the death of a Thrall, Emperors can begin a bidding war. Starting with the player who killed the Thrall, and proceeding in turn order, Emperors can bid any amount of life, until no other Emperor bids any life. Once the bidding is over, the Emperor who bid the most life loses that life, and gains control of the Thrall. The two of them are on the same team. The two can work together to achieve victory. The Thrall can not attack the emperor, but the emperor can attack the Thrall. Once the Emperor attacks the Thrall, the Thrall is allowed to attack the emperor. The Thrall can cast spells targeting Permanents of the emperor, but can not target the emperor.
If the Emperor commands it, the Thrall must block for the Emperor if legal, or cast any spell, with the Emperor making all choices for that spell. The Emperor can only make this command once per turn.
If the Emperor in charge of a Thrall dies, and becomes the Thrall of another Emperor, then the original Thrall follows the Emperor. So basically, If you kill an Emperor with any number of Thralls, you gain control of all Thralls they controlled, in addition to the newly made Thrall emperor.
If a Thrall kills another Thrall, the Thrall that was killed returns to the game under his/her emperor's control still. However, if a Thrall kills an Emperor, the Thrall can become an Emperor again, with the player they knocked out under their control, and all Thralls that player controlled, as stated in the above ruling.
If a player is knocked out of the game by gamestate, such as trying to draw when no cards are in their library, or something along the lines of a final fortune, then they are reanimated as an Emperor with ten life, instead of a Thrall under someone's control.
A Thrall can usually not win the game, but there are many ways a Thrall can regain status as an Emperor. Some were mentioned above, but i'll leave them all here.
1. If a Thrall is responsible for the death of an Emperor.
2. If a Thrall wins the game. (Note that a Thrall winning the game returns them to Emperor status, so they are no longer under the control of their Emperor, but they do not Win.)
3. If a Thrall gets themselves to 20 or more life.
4. Buying their freedom. Once per Emperor, a Thrall can issue a bidding war with their Emperor. The Thrall bids an amount of life, and then the Emperor can Match that bid, or bid a higher amount. The highest bid wins. If the Emperor wins the bet, then the Emperor loses life equal to their bid, and the Thrall gains life equal to the Emperor's bid, but the Thrall stays under the control of the Emperor. If the Thrall wins the bid, then the Thrall loses life equal to the bid, and the Emperor gains life equal to the bid, but the Thrall becomes an Emperor.
5. ?????
Win condition is simple. Be the last Emperor alive. If you have every player in the game under your control as a Thrall, and no more Emperors remain, you are the winner of the game. Effects that state a player "wins the game" do not apply, and instead turn a Thrall to an Emperor, and give an Emperor one extra death token to be revived at 5 life, if they die after already once being revived at 5 life.
If the game would be restarted, instead it is not restarted, and the player controlling the effect is never allowed to play magic ever again.
I would love to hear more ideas, so please help me out on this one.