Quick Summary: (TLDR)
We used Microscope to chart some of the political career of the original leader and founder of the Hegemony within the Sci-fi games I run (It started with Scum & Villainy). I wasn't sure if it would work, but it was really cool and a ton of fun.
(Also, wanna make it clear from my side that this is the crafting of a villain lol. Someone who believes they know what's right "for the greater good" and will take any means necessary to get there.)
Detailed Summary:
A lot of the games I've been running have focused around a Sci-fi world over vast chunks of time, starting somewhere around a cyberpunk city, the eventual creation of mecha platforms, a push into galactic expansion, a brutal and long-lasting revolution, and the eventual crushing fist of a hegemonic power taking hold. Later, reigniting the conflict and it starting again; this time, with any luck, a hopeful end. (Can you guess some of my inspirations? lmao)
The core and beginning of the games we played began with Scum & Villainy, which predicates the outer rim of a world ruled by a vast Hegemony. So I knew this was something true, somewhere back in time a Hegemonic power rose out of the ashes of the revolution and crushed the world, bringing it into its "ideal form", ousting mecha platforms and hoarding the technologies to their own benefit (Since they weren't available, or focused on during said game). Of course, the Scum players eventually rebelled, bringing back the unique mechs that once pushed the galaxy's envelope at large and, in turn, began the Armour Astir games I'm running now.
During the latter game, a player brought in some ideas that he wanted me to run with. Thus the Septentrion came to being, and immediately we knew he was a traitor to the long-lost cause that rose to power within the Authority to take charge and lead them into a future shaped by his ideals.
But I wanted to see what that rise to power looked like, how did he take charge, how did he begin, what methods were employed, and what was the reception? I really wasn't sure what system to use or where to start. But I had the idea to use Microscope to focus on the political career and rise to power of the individual; I really wasn't sure if it would work. If the system would feel too vast or the subject too narrow. But to my surprise, it worked perfectly. I couldn't have been happier with the results and the feeling of creation during the games.
We played a couple of short games over a few nights, and each time both of us dug deeper in and came out happy each time. It was a ton of fun, and it's something I will surely remember for the future use of Microscope. I love expanding on these types of ideas, and I couldn't be happier with my friends pushing and interest in forwarding the same subject and ideas. Of course above is a mix of his ideas/answers and mine, but we played in the common ground pretty well.
(Below are the Palette, Legacies, and Focuses of the game. Again, we used Microscope by Ben Robbins and an online tool called Utgars-Chronicles. Side note, my favorite No I've made in a Microscope game has to be "No easy wins".)
