Line #8 Main/RolePlayingEndgame


1	Ever since the original ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', [[TabletopRPG pen-and-paper role-playing games]] have distinguished themselves from most other game formats by not having a clear condition for "winning" them. You could, technically, ''lose'' them if your PlayerCharacter [[DeathAsGameMechanic died]], but then you just [[HonestRollsCharacter rolled up]] a new one and continued playing. A campaign could last for as long as the PlayerParty and the GameMaster cared about it, with no [[GameMechanics mechanics/rules]] provided by the GameSystem for when and how to wrap it up.
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3	This began to change as early as TheEighties, but after the TurnOfTheMillennium, indie designers (like those affiliated with Creator/TheForge) started challenging the established tabletop role-playing paradigms, including the "indefinite play unless you die" one, resulting in the invention of the "endgame mechanics", which formalize how parts of or even the entire narrative are to be wrapped up. These generally come in two varieties:
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5	* '''Campaign endgame''' provides specific rules on when and how to wrap up the entire campaign, including all of the player character's arcs, which must be resolved in one way or another soon after the endgame is triggered by anyone. This variation is usually found in games geared towards very specific genres with a more or less rigid StoryArc.
6	* '''Character endgame''' provides rules on how to gracefully but permanently retire individual player characters from the narrative, usually by turning them into an {{NPC}}, as well as on how to treat these ex-[=PCs=] later in the campaign. This variant is suited for more free-form narratives and usually serves to gracefully remove characters from play who have either become too [[CharacterLevel high-level]][[note]]in more action-oriented games[[/note]] or exhausted their dramatic potential[[note]]in more narrative games[[/note]].
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8	Note that the term "[[MediaNotes/RolePlayingGameTerms endgame]]" is used differently in [[MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame MMORPGs]], where it refers to all the content that is restricted to players who have reached the LevelCap.
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11	!!Examples of campaign endgame mechanics:
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13	%% This section has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct place. Thanks!
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15	* The BodyHorror RPG ''Abnormal'' has [[MultipleEndings one of three endgames]] for a session. If the investigation goes badly and they end up with too many shards in play, the Witness (player character) is Utterly Consumed by the horrors plaguing their life; if the Witness ends up with enough shards on the "Normalize" stage, they stave off the worst of it but must learn to live Permanently Entwined with the horror; if the Witness manages to reclaim four or more shards, they drive off the horror completely and get to live a Life Reclaimed.
16	* ''TabletopGame/BandOfBlades'' ends when winter falls and the remnants of the Legion reach Skydagger Keep, an abandoned fortress in the mountains, and make their last stand against the Cinder King's lieutenants and their undead hordes.
17	* ''Cerebos: The Crystal City'' is about the player characters' journey via train from the nameless City by the Sea to the eponymous Cerebos in search of their lost memories. Along the way the players deal with various dangers at Stops and Events, and establish which character is [[TheProtagonist the Seeker]] (who learns their secret goal, and whose story the campaign will focus on) and which are Saints (who try to help the Seeker complete their secret goal, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor which isn't always a good thing]]) and Demons (who try to convince the Seeker to let go of their past, [[KnowWhenToFoldEm which isn't always a bad thing]]). Eventually, the players reach Cerebos and deal with one last Danger, after which each surviving player takes an epilogue roll to see how their adventures played out.
18	* ''TabletopGame/{{DIE}}'', like the comic it's based on, tells stories about characters from a mundane modern world (Personas) trapped in TheGameComeToLife, where they're heroic Paragons in the eponymous fantasy world, which is fuelled by their flaws and conflicts. To leave, and end the campaign, all surviving Paragons simply need to assemble in one place and unanimously agree to leave. The catch is that at least one will be an adversary, the Master who initially trapped them in the world of DIE. And the game will actively try to persuade more of them to stay. The key word is ''surviving'', though - anyone who's dead or undead ('Fallen') doesn't get a vote.
19	* ''TabletopGame/{{Heroine}}'' has Campaign Endgame rules for the Heroine's return from the magical land (usually after saving it from the Villain and growing up as a human being), which structure the epilogue narration also detailing the fates of her Companions and the magical land itself.
20	* In ''TabletopGame/MorkBorg'', every in-game day the GM rolls a die, and on a roll of 1, one of the Miseries from the Prophecies of Nechrubel happens, changing the game world in sometimes drastic ways. You plan the length of your campaign by choosing a die size (a d100 will likely give you a very long campaign, a d6 a very short one), and after every Misery you drop a die size. When you roll your seventh Misery, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the world ends]]. You can start a new game, or do as the book tells you to and burn it.
21	* ''TabletopGame/MyLifeWithMaster'' has one of the best-known Campaign Endgame rules, which says that as soon as any one of the playable [[TheIgor minions]] successfully defies the Master's orders, they ''must'' attack and kill the Master, ending the campaign. Since it usually takes a bit of time, other players have time to get in on the action or simply to hash up their stats, which determine their character's ultimate fates in the epilogue, which occurs as soon as the Master perishes.
22	* ''TabletopGame/{{Mythender}}'' isn't mainly meant for longer campaigns, but there is an optional rule whereby a setting starts with six Greater Myths for the players to End. If the number drops to zero, Mythic Norden itself has been Ended and is [[TheMagicGoesAway replaced by a mundane world where humans are free from gods and monsters forever.]] If, on the other hand, the number ever rises to twelve (which it can, since every Mythender who [[HeWhoFightsMonsters suffers apotheosis becomes a new Greater Myth]]) then [[DownerEnding Mythic Norden has become so powerful that it can suppress the creation of Mythenders and will thus endure forever.]]
23	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pendragon}}'' naturally ends with the Battle of Camlann, in which Myth/KingArthur dies alongside all but one of the player characters. The rule explicitly state that [[FissionMailed the fighting continues until the second-to-last PC drops.]] Arthur then [[DyingWish tasks the last survivor]] with returning {{Excalibur}} to Myth/TheLadyOfTheLake, and after he's done so, the campaign is over.
24	* ''TabletopGame/{{Scion}}: Ragnarok'' has... well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Ragnarok]], the final battle that ends the world in Norse myth. It's highly assumed that almost every NPC - and most of the player characters - will not live to see its end, but [[HeroicSacrifice you can damn sure go out fighting]].
25	* ''TabletopGame/ScumAndVillainy'', unlike ''Blades in the Dark'' (which it is based on, see below), has both character and campaign endgame rules, recommending that the GM retires the crew after they reach a [[AllianceMeter +3 status]] with one of the major factions and do a major, multiple session-spanning, setting-changing score for them.
26	* ''TabletopGame/SIGMATAThisSignalKillsFascists'': The Resistance getting close to victory triggers the Great Betrayal -- one of the four Resistance factions destroys one of the others and joins with the remains of the Regime in the hopes of [[FullCircleRevolution setting up a new dictatorship with themselves in charge.]] The remaining two factions band together and there is a final battle over the fate of America.
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30	%% This section has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct place. Thanks!
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32	!!Examples of character endgame mechanics:
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34	* ''TabletopGame/BladesInTheDark'' forces the Scoundrels into retirement after they accrue four Traumas. After retiring, they become regular [=NPCs=], although their quality of life depends largely on how much coin they have managed to hoard during their criminal days.
35	* In the ''TabletopGame/ChroniclesOfDarkness'':
36	** ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'':
37	*** The core game suggests [[TheArchmage Archmastery]] as an endgame, whereupon the Mage surpasses the normal limits of magic and goes into seclusion as an AllPowerfulBystander -- and joins the multiverse-spanning cold war against even more powerful entities.
38	*** With ''Imperial Mysteries'' making archmages playable, they too can do this by [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascending]] to the Supernal Realms permanently. The book includes a diceless sytem for one possible Ascension strategy where the archmage transcends the physical world by [[RealityWarper rewriting reality]] to suit their will in a series of great quests.
39	** In ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'', this is the BadEnding: Changelings who reach the highest level of Wyrd are in danger of losing their minds, forsaking their humanity, and returning to [[LandOfFaerie Arcadia]] to [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie transform into soulless True Fae]].
40	** ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'' describes the mythical state of Golconda, where vampires become {{Ascended Demon}}s and free themselves from their physical and spiritual weaknesses. Since it's set in a vicious CrapsackWorld, it also suggests subverting the trope by asking AndThenWhat and letting players struggle to maintain this state.
41	** ''TabletopGame/PrometheanTheCreated'' has rules for the {{Golem}}-like Prometheans to complete their Pilgrimage, gain souls, and [[BecomeARealBoy achieve true humanity]]. It also points out that this leaves the ex-Promethean in the World of Darkness with selective amnesia and none of their powers, and observes just how sadistically this trope could be subverted. This has given the game an undeserved bad rep as "the game where you win by losing all your cool powers" among those who haven't read it.
42	** In ''TabletopGame/BeastThePrimordial'', Beasts who want to leave their vestigial humanity behind forever in favour of their [[PowersViaPossession symbiotic Horror]] can work towards an Inheritance:
43	*** If they raise their Satiety stat to the {{Cap}} and then die, their Horror becomes an "Unfettered" spirit, free to roam the [[SpiritWorld Primordial Dream]]. At most, it inherits remnants of the Beast's memories and personality.
44	*** If they [[FusionDance physically merge]] with the Horror, they become "Rampant", a mindless creature of pure hunger that's unleashed upon the physical world.
45	*** If they become powerful enough and succeed in a quest to prove their dominance, they become a "Beast Incarnate", a [[MergerOfSouls perfect symbiosis of mortal and Horror]]. Although they're still technically playable, the game suggests that they're better as plot devices than as {{Player Character}}s or straightforward antagonists, as their new powers are beyond the scope of the game.
46	* The premise for ''TabletopGame/DeadInside'' is that each player character has somehow lost their soul and needs to either regain it, get a new one, or assemble one from bits and pieces of magical energy. If they succeed, they become a sort of enlightened being called a Sensitive. They can continue playing if they can think of further goals for themselves (for instance, a Sensitive can become an even more powerful creature called a Magi, and a Magi can aspire to gaining True Immortality), but the default conflict of the game is over.
47	* Zig-zagged in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', where some editions allow for [[TabletopGame/EpicLevelHandbook indefinite high-level play]] and others provide endgame scenarios for top-level characters.
48	** [[TabletopGame/OriginalDungeonsAndDragons Original D&D]] generally does this recursively: characters can level up to demigodhood, whereupon they can rest on their laurels or voluntarily DePower themselves and live another mortal life. If they ascend again, they AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence and vanish into realms unknown.
49	** [[TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragons1stEdition AD&D 1st Edition]] supplement ''Deities and Demigods Cyclopedia'' (1980). When [=PCs=] reach high level, raise their ability scores to divine levels and gain a body of worshipers, they can [[DeityOfHumanOrigin ascend to godhood]]. They immediately become {{NPC}}s under the Dungeon Master's control.
50	** [[TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragons2ndEdition AD&D 2nd Edition]]: The basic game books only provide support for [=PCs=] to reach 20th level. The ''Dungeon Master Guide'' suggests that [=PCs=] who reach that level retire to "[[DemotedToExtra semi-NPC]]" status where they leave active play and devote their time to non-adventuring duties but remain present in the game world. TSR later caved in and released the ''High-Level Campaigns'' book in 1996 for levels up to 30 again.
51	** TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons, in particular the BECMI version, allowed characters to reach 36th level, and allowed for characters to have a shot at becoming Immortals, the god-like beings that watch over the world of {{TabletopGame/Mystara}} and possibly other worlds too.
52	** In the original tabletop version of ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonlance}}'', characters are limited to 18th level -- the gods send any characters who exceed this to another world, presumably to prevent very powerful characters from attempting to kill a god and to take their place as Raistlin attempted (he was 18th level at the time).
53	** [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsThirdEdition 3rd Edition]]: The PrestigeClass "Risen Martyr" from the ''Book of Exalted Deeds'' allows a [[HeroicSacrifice martyred]] character to return to life as a [[PurposeDrivenImmortality Deathless]]. In exchange each new CharacterLevel they gain must be in Risen Martyr, and when there are no more levels of the class left to take, they're [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence recalled to the Heavens for good]].
54	** [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsFourthEdition 4th Edition]] provides Epic Destinies that govern the top ten character levels, each of which has an endgame for a character who reaches [[{{Cap}} level 30]] and achieves their Destiny. Demigods [[DeityOfHumanOrigin ascend to godhood]], Archmages merge with magic itself, tricksters [[ShroudedInMyth fade into legend]], and so on.
55	* ''TabletopGame/HeartTheCityBeneath'': Each class has several Zenith abilities which significantly affect the local area and then remove the character from the game. Typically, two are some sort of retirement (often one broadly positive, the other a darker path) whereas the third is triggered by a character death.
56	* ''TabletopGame/HELLASWorldsOfSunAndStone'': Max out your Glory and it's only a matter of time before you leave the material universe behind to join your patron god. Max out your Fate and it's only a matter of time before your foretold doom catches up with you. Either way, it's time to pass the torch to your child or protégé.
57	* ''TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}}'': In addition to the street gangs, it's possible to play as law enforcement as a squad of Arbites. They have much better gear and huge cyber-mastiffs, but they hit a level cap at which point the character is removed to serve as a VeteranInstructor elsewhere.
58	* ''TabletopGame/TheOneRing'': If a player character retires, [[KarmaMeter falls to the Shadow]], or [[DeathAsGameMechanic dies]], the player's next character is assumed to have been mentored by the old one and starts with bonus [[ExperiencePoints XP]] proportional to the old one's. Voluntary retirement and HeroicSacrifice provide the greatest XP boost.
59	* Most MediaNotes/PoweredByTheApocalypse games include Character Endgame mechanics:
60	** The original ''TabletopGame/ApocalypseWorld'' allows players to retire their characters to safety as a special Advanced Upgrade. A retired PC becomes an NPC, but unlike almost all others, the GameMaster is explicitly forbidden from messing with their lives (i.e. they get PlotArmor for their trouble). The game encourages players to retire long-lived characters with the debility mechanic, which imposes permanent penalties on their stats every time they're critically injured, -- accruing too many of them makes characters largely unplayable.
61	** ''TabletopGame/MonsterOfTheWeek'' encourages character retirement with the luck mechanics: every Hunter has seven [[LuckManipulationMechanic points of luck to spend]] and only a few can ever get one back. When your luck eventually runs out, the GameMaster is legally allowed to screw your character over at any time without warning, quickly resulting in a messy death unless you retire them first.
62	** ''TabletopGame/FlyingCircus'' provides two separate ways for a character to leave the game - the first option is to take on a Destiny after fulfilling exceptional requirements (e.g. proving oneself worthy of leading a community), whilst the other is retiring, which costs a maximum of 15 Thaler, reduced by several factors (e.g. getting an addiction under control or adjusting to losing a comrade)
63	* ''TabletopGame/RedMarkets'' has the player characters trying to save a bit of their profits from each job towards a "retirement plan" that usually means bribing your way across the border wall from the zombie-infested Loss to the zombie-free but totalitarian Recession, though there's other possibilities suggested like establishing your own Enclave in the Loss.
64	* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'' has a version specific to the Chaos Champion [[PrestigeClass career line]]: once they earn enough rewards from the Dark Gods for their distinguished service, they have a chance to be [[DemonOfHumanOrigin transformed into a Daemon Prince]] to serve eternally. The fledgling Daemon is usually called away to the Realms of Chaos, leaving the player to roll up a new character with a hefty starting bonus.

Context Main / RolePlayingEndgame