Character Death

Any ideas on how Agema/Richard deals with PC/NPC death? Is there a random chance each month/year of something happening, wondering more about from old age or random events?

For example Peter The Great died after jumping into the sea to save some sailors and caught a chill. Does that sort of random event play a part in a RNG scenario?

If historically someone died in 1706 I understand they may not die then in any given game but does that have an effect on a character's life span.

Partly wondering how soon Peter in G10 ought to plan for having grandchildren

Marshal Bombast wrote:Any ideas on how Agema/Richard deals with PC/NPC death?  Is there a random chance each month/year of something happening, wondering more about from old age or random events?

For example Peter The Great died after jumping into the sea to save some sailors and caught a chill.  Does that sort of random event play a part in a RNG scenario?  

If historically someone died in 1706 I understand they may not die then in any given game but does that have an effect on a character's life span.

Partly wondering how soon Peter in G10 ought to plan for having grandchildren

As a rough rule of thumb Agema does not seem to kill off actively played characters or ones who were killed in accidents.

Thus in G7 and in various other games William of Orange horse has not stepped in a mole hole in London.  In G7 William lived at least seven years after his historic end before the Jacobites cut his head off.

Also in G7 an actively involved James II lived longer than his historic date of death before being murdered by the Whigs.  Mind you the late deaths of William and James were sort of evened out by the murders of John Churchill Duke of Malborough and Prince Eugine of Savoy by the Jacobites decades before their historic deaths.

On the other hand elderly Anglican bishops do seem to be going to join their maker dead on time to James III can leave their posts empty and plunder Church revenue for the treasury.............have visions of English orders going in asking "Is he dead yet?  And what is the revenue of the bishopric of Chester, Salisbury etc, etc.

Probably more like your situation in Russia. In G7 Austria the Emperor Leopold also lived longer than his historic date of death but when the player changed he finally passed away due to old age.  Too be replaced by his first born son who had some how missed catching the small-pox the year before unlike the historic character. Meaning that Charles von Hapsburg did not have to be recalled from Spain to become Emperor.

Do wonder how Richard will treat Louis XIV who is now really ancient in various games but Czar Peter is probably good for quite a few years after his historic date of death unless he does something rash like jumping into water, leading battles from the front, etc, etc.  But if you leave the game after historic date of death and a new player takes over in Russia they will probably start with new character after Peter caught a chill.

Think in one game we now have a Czar Alexi who's head has not been bashed in by Peter in a temper.

I would however say that breeding in game is always good........only try and avoid doing what the G7 Hapsburgs have done which is have masses of girls.  Spanish and Austrian foreign policy now dominated by need to find really lots of really nice Catholic Princes and at least one Catholic Princess.  Note unlike some games G7 has standards and no fair flower of the Hapsburg tree is going to marry outside of the true faith!  

When your major priority is who marries who it makes it a rather different Glori rather different normal but perhaps not that un-historic.

Stuart Bailey wrote:

As a rough rule of thumb Agema does not seem to kill off actively played characters or ones who were killed in accidents.

...

When your major priority is who marries who it makes it a rather different Glori rather different normal but perhaps not that un-historic.

Well at least I shouldn't have to worry about future father in law dying of old age at his daughter's wedding.

If you read the newspaper you'll probably understand Russian priorities with respect to history.

2 separate questions here and I think the answer is 'differently', but beyond that there is some inconsistency both within each game and between games.

If a character is active it is rather unusual for them to die unless through the actions of another player, the exception being Carlos 2 of Spain to trigger the Spanish Succession - that happens seemingly at random times in different games, but the original player for Spain in 1700 usually has a few months to put something in place to give other players an idea of what will happen.

Otherwise it gets really complicated because nobody necessarily knows who is active and who is inactive; the death of any NPC might trigger a claim on another crown or be used as justification for war.  If a player character does die then I can't remember a time when he does not have an heir in place so that player can simply continue playing without penalty.  It is more usual for a ruler to die while the position is temporarily unplayed or when a new player comes in and decides he wants to play a different main character than the one on the throne, e.g. a first minister.  Or, of course, if a ruler makes a mess of it and his honour is at such dangerously low levels that he thinks he can restore it by changing character.  Some players seem surprised that after doing this (and continuing with the same stupid play which put them in trouble), their honour continues to fall after they have changed character.

Examples of where this can cause confusion: in real history King James 2nd died in 1701, but it was proved wrong to assume that he did in G7 as France did, deliberately waiting to declare war until he believed that event had happened.  England claimed that Louis had broken his word not to support KJ3 because KJ2 had not died in-game in 1701.  For over a year, France believed he was attempting to put KJ3 on the English throne, not KJ2, and it came as quite a surprise when he queried what he thought was a newspaper misprint.  In G7 KJ2 actually lived on until he was murdered in 1705(?), an event seemingly designed to perpetuate the war.  

If you are one of those types who accept that William3 (half of William&Mary) was a legitimate King of England and was on the throne until his historic death in 1702 (died after fall from a horse), then it will probably be a surprise that when he died in G7 in 1711 (I think), there appeared a William4 who is completely unhistoric.  William3 was a sodomite who had no heirs and in real life UDP entered a Stadtholderless period with the Stadtholder of Friesland (Prince John William Friso (Friso=Friesland) titular Prince of Orange (title disputed by Prussia) being seen as the head of the royalist faction (something played out quite effectively in G7, King James considering that he was more of a royal than W3 ever was). Prince Friso did produce a son who in 1711 eventually became William4 (hereditary Stadtholder).  I don't think there are many games where an actively played W3 dies in 1702 from a fall from a horse.

Further confusion can also arise in respect of other game characters (historical figures).  As a historical realist type player, I tend to assume previously unmentioned characters did die at their historic times and have their historic traits.  This can make it much more interesting when trying to pick which nobles are more suited to diplomatic missions and which to command.  So since all of the first 4 Dukes of Devonshire were named William Cavendish, I actually specify which one I am using and usually put their year of birth when recorded ... I did not have the 1st Duke as a character (died historically in 1707), but noted William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire (b.1673).  The 1st Duke was a Whig and traitor to the House of Stuart; the 2nd Duke was also a Whig (unfortunately), but was not as extreme as his father and thus was acceptable to Queen Anne (in real history); he probably had enough moral flexibility (and loyalty to the crown) to serve a Stuart king and in G7 has proved his loyalty and ability.  Character development can therefore be influenced in different ways. I have also been careful not to appoint to titled positions those which my character (KJ) would not have trusted, if they were historically appointed by Queen Anne for actions my character would not have approved of.

Succession planning is notoriously difficult in the game.  To give another example, the Hereditary Earl Marshall of England is the Duke of Norfolk (staunchly Catholic family, so rather useful to a Catholic King James).  Historically the 7th Duke Henry Howard (1655) died in 1701, having endured being captured during the war, marched across most of England in chains without rations before being released.  It is now Sept-1715 in G7 and he is still alive.  I have introduced his son, the 8th Duke Thomas (1683-1732) who plays in the Royal Cricket Team and his wife (who historically was a Jacobite), so at some point when Richard decides it is time for the 7th Duke to move on, I will have an Earl Marshall who is well trained and able to take on the duties. The 8th Duke being of a similar age to KJ would most likely have got on well with him and by marrying a Northumbrian Jacobite showed excellent taste, so is likely to have a fine career ahead of him when Richard allows it.

The general principle is that for personages of importance, it is best to either 'ask advisors' if they are still alive or wait for the announcement of their death in the newspaper.