I agree that if the current Sovereign dies it should be game over or at least one of the game ending options. Always having to play as some immortal guy seems a bit limiting to me and having heirs could add a lot of depth.  

I dug up one of my old posts about this topic. Granted with the new data available some alterations would need to be made but the general idea remains sound. 

It was specifically mentioned the the sovereign does NOT die of old age.

So, if family members die of old age...and family members can be turned into hereos..is it safe to assume that all heroes die of old age? What about units? Do they die of old age as well?

Remember things CHANGE throughout the process of developing a game. Thus, this is probably one that has changed with the advent of children and aging. Thus if the channeler dies his offspring can take over for him and the game continues on an on an on until you take out the whole race, all it's cities and castles and everything. Or from what has been most RECENTLY mentioned by Brad: Doing other things to establish a victory vs having to clear the map. Like Casting "The Spell Of Mastery" which I asked for several posts and threads back around May or June.

Where he can really put the game over the top with this is like a lot of other developers are doing now and giving the PLAYERS the OPTIONS of how they want the victory conditions to be. The Civilization series has been doing this for years now. Either you can win by conqest (my favorite) or you can win by political (being voted king sovereign of all) or you could win by total influence (we've seen that in Civilization and Galactic Civilization series) or of course in Civilization being the first to launch for Alpha Centauri. In Alpha Centauri it was the first to mind warp to another plane of existance. GalCiv 2 had some technological victory as well. MOM had the Spell of Mastery spell. Main thing give us lots of options and most especially with the channeler whether the game ends when/if he/she dies etc. etc.

Not likely. If you've played the Total War or Crusader Kings series you would know that aging doesn't effect the troups like the leaders and sovereigns and their families. Except for maybe RTW in which there might have been a modification that the whole stack of soldiers lost value over time and had to be replaced or replenished by new troups every 60 or so years or their combat values would go down. Been so long since I played that sorry game I forgot.

The varied victory conditions have always been there.  Including the "spell of Making"

Oh really? Influence? Being chosen King of the Lands? Stairway to the Gods? all that's already in the game?

I guess this means Men and Fallen can interbreed, possibly producing mutant children?

No, that didn't change.  The article clearly states that while the soveriegn is immortal, his children aren't.  Soveriegn death = game over.

The same article that mentioned children mentioned that the childeren age and die UNLIKE the sovereign who is immortal.

Neither did it say "game over" either puke breath. Also being immortal then they can't die so there can't be any death period. lol So without death there can be no game over. He could be DISPLACED into one of his children or be teleported back to safe area at any time all the time.

In fact the article said nothing at all about the death of the sovereign. It actually  said : ETERNAL SOVERIEGN!

So, there will be no game over because the ETERNAL SOVERIEGN cannot die.

Just be carefull... If you make the game simple enough that even a 10 year old will love it, you might make the game so simple that ONLY a 10 year old will love it...

thats a cool mechanic, sounds like it will be fun, but lets hope that they are able to perfect the system for that. it would make the game alot of fun.

Was MOM so simple that ONLY a 10 year old loved it?

All they have to do for the most part is pattern after MOM. Simple yet detailed. Lots of toys to discover and fight over. Lots of Crypts, Dungeons, Caves and Towers to explore and find kewl things in. An AGGRESSIVE AI that knows how to use at least most spells and of course the more powerful ones. An AI that will build and construct the buildings necessary for survival and power. An AI that will use SETTLERS or whatever is used to gain more territory or ground in the game unlike AOW Pioneers that the AI could never quite get the git of how to use them. Keep combat simple and not tedious. Eliminate that dam 25 turn run around the map to survice feature though. That was the most annoying thing I ever saw and the AI never used it so why should the human have such an advantage and exploit like that? Have tons of researched AND discoverable spells. Don't have ALL the spells in the research book/lab either. In fact the MOST POWERFUL spells should have to be discovered in the game in those crypts and dungeons and towers and caves. Also over time these crypts, towers, dungeons and caves should replenish so that just because one player got there first doesn't mean that player is the only plalyer ever to discover that spell. Keep industry simple just like MOM. A few clicks and everything is for production or growth and have a separate research and mana pool just like MOM did. And most of all don't try to BALANCE the dam thing. One of the best things about MOM and I can't say it enough is it wasn't balanced and I loved it. It was one of the few games where I got to snub my nose at the multiplayer crowd that was in the beginnings of taking over everything.

Nice game mechanic, but personally i wouldn't mind if it wasn't there. Unless diplomacy and politics is going to play a huge role in the game. Else, having offsprings would be just like getting free heroes.  But definitely having offsprings do add to the sense of a living breathing world.

I'd like to steal my worst enemies wife and add her to my "harrem"...hehe. Hell give me his daughters too...why not?

Did I mention I LOVE BEING EVIL!!!!

If that's your pic Raven X I believe the Post Office is looking for you.

Sssshhhh, they don't know where to find me

ATTENTION!!! Have you seen this man? He is wanted in 12 countries for raping, pillaging, and laughing at the lamentations of the women!!! If seen please do not approach him as he is considered magically armed and dangerous!!!

LoL....j/k

That is indeed me, my friend. My wife and I went to Medieval Times here in Florida for part of our honeymoon. That's me sitting in a throne.

You see boys & girls I have a FRIEND.....choke on it! hahahah

Am I the only one getting a little comfused? The way I interpret the lore, the Sovereign is immortal, as in "does not die of old age". But the Sovereign is not invincible, as in "cannot be killed". I think there's an important distinction to be made.

ON TOPIC: I would really like the option of having sovereign death = end of game vs. dynastic empires (ie. the game continues as long as the royal family exists) to be implementet as a Game Condition of some sort. Personally I would play with the Dynastic Empires, because that somehow makes the world come more to life! Deciding whether or not to send the Scion of the CoffeeMonkian Empire to war against the enemy would have a much more personal attachment than just having to protect the Sovereign at all costs.

I think I remember seeing somewhere that the Sovereign would be able to grant other characters (including children I assume) a part of his essence. So even if your Sovereign took a meteor to his face, you could still be in the game, with the Scion (also a powerful channeler on his own right) seeking to avenge his father and rebuild the Empire... Or some such.

Yes that's the way I see it also CoffeeMonkey because the artical didn't say Immortal it said ETERNAL thus meaning forever an ever. So, as long as there is a part of his essence in some or one of his offspring then yes he continues on an on an on until his entire kingdom is destroyed or the game reaches that critical mass % ownage of the map that's going to be part of the game or the one most powerful spell being cast like Master of Magic. To me the soveriegn can only be displaced he cannot be killed outright. Much like the game of SACRIFICE you have this immortal being so to speak that can't be killed outright. You have to destroy his ALTAR and only then can he be sent to another plane of existance.  As long as he knocks out one thing trying to destroy his altar the other player(s) have to start all over to try to knock it out. Very fun game and definitely the way it should be as just displacing the soveriegn shouldn't end the game.

I liked how in MoM if you had Wizard towers in two cities, and your main Wizard got killed/defeated in one of them, he would warp to the other one, still alive.

@psychoravin: oops, did I say friend? I meant to say FIEND lol j/k

Lol they hate me on this board, so be careful who you call friend or they will turn on YOU and tell you that you are crazy, insane, delusional les see what else did I forget? Oh lots of really bad names. lol

Given your attitude, you shouldn't be surprised

Problem is, the devs have flatly stated and never changed their minds on the fact that channeler death = game over.  Until that changes, all the reading you want to do between lines doesn't change a thing.

Oh well it's a stupid move on their part if they implement that stupid rule like AOW did. If you notice there's no AOW III.