In Suzerain, players control new elected president Anton Rayne, who rules the fictional country of Sordland, and while it may not be apparent at first, the early decisions made in Anton's youth during the prologue can have profound effects on the rest of the game. As a recently risen star of the United Sordland Party, players will have the chance to guide his career from his time as a boy well into his adulthood.

Developed by Berlin-based Torpor Games and published by Fellow Traveller, Suzerain recently won Best Expert Game at the German Game Awards and Players Choice at the Games for Change Awards. A political RPG, Suzerain is set in 1954 during the Cold War of an alternate timeline, in an emerging democracy trying to shake off the cobwebs of military authoritarian regimes while facing the consequences of rushed economic liberalism.

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Choices in the game involve funding the government, dealing with internal and external threats, and internal and external wants. Sordland is home to two large minority groups that live in the lands bordering two of Sordland's neighbors, each with their own interests. Cabinet ministers also have different opinions on what is good for Sordland, and leaders from across the region and the globe demand consideration. Yet before the player gets into any of this, Anton's youth, through decisions made in the prologue, can have an impact on everything that is to come.

Suzerain's Prologue Choices Affect The Future Of Anton Rayne And Sordland

First Decision in Suzerain - Socioeconomic Background.

It can be difficult to tell at first, but the choices the player makes early in Suzerain really do impact how the rest of the game will go. After a limited character customization screen, Suzerain begins by jumping into major points through the first forty-six years of Anton’s life, before the game proper begins. The prologue gets the player up to speed on Sordish political history and Anton Rayne’s personal biography, affecting relationships and personal abilities that ripple through the narrative.

The choices made in the first chapter help determine what politicians and common people will be expecting of Anton Rayne’s administration in a game that doesn't shy away from dealing with a political landscape. Coming from a low-income family in Deyr, for instance, helps opinion polls in Bergia, the surrounding rural region home to most of the Bludish minority. Coming from a rich family in the economic powerhouse of Lachaven makes it less likely people will like Rayne off the bat, but he will start with more personal wealth for major investment opportunities.

Personal income can also be used to bribe people important to political reforms in the Assembly and Supreme Court and to fund projects later on, like Women’s Rights groups or utilizing the youth political parties to organize for the reelection campaign. This causal chain gives way to a story that unfolds based on player choices. Starting middle class does not hurt public opinion the same way starting rich does, but also doesn't offer quite the same financial benefits.

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Rayne's educational background in economics, law, or history in have different effects on relationships with the oligarchs, Supreme Court, and foreign diplomats. What Rayne studies will directly affect how easily he can pass a Constitutional reform. Rayne can also choose to join the young leftist group (Red Youth), young rightist group (Young Sords), or stay out of it. This will directly affect his relationship to members of his own party and the opposition parties in the national assembly.

Rayne deciding whether to support Col. Soll or his challenger in Suzerain.

The player decides whether Rayne votes for the centrist autocrat in the first USP elections, and whether he support him against his challenger, Ewald Alphonso. Once Alphonso’s presidency flounders, Rayne can sabotage him, support him, or blame him on television for the country's problems. The ripple here affects how the politicians within the party and without think of Rayne. But these ripples aren't initially obvious, something the new Mass Effect could learn from.

The Suzerain prologue choices may seem like they are just flavor text, but almost all affect Anton Rayne’s relationships and Sordish politics. While some decisions are more obvious, they all have political and personal consequences. It can affect trade deals, the Rayne family dynamic, reelection chances, or brinksmanship. Even the pure flavor text can affect how players thinks about their avatar, the fourth President of Sordland.

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