High Level Play

Anyone running, or planning to run, some serious high-level play games? Meaning the PCs are gods and goddesses or close to it? Where they are the rulers of the lands, the premiere supers on the planet, the best agents in the world, etc.? Games where the NPCs don't straight-up outshine the PCs at every turn, where the PCs are the cream of the crop?

Asking -- literally -- for a friend, who has been looking for that style of game a loooooong time. I know they're out there, but they do seem rare.

Ideas?

A long time ago, a ran a game of Mythender as a one-off for my tabletop group. It's a fun power fantasy about fighting gods and stealing their power. Best of all, the rulebook is free!

I may be willing to run a game here if people are interested. :D

@Nezzeraj ran that on here a while back. It was a fun experiment, but the system is a bit too mechanical for me to play more than that test of it

Mythender is great fun but I feel it works better in person.

Genuinely curious what is the appeal of high level-play? Does your friend want to just run a kingdom or destroy enemies with 9th level spells? There's not much conflict inherent in the PCs being the most powerful forces in the land.

I did run 2 T4 campaigns. Very fun!

Something like Godbound maybe?

What is considered to be a high level game? I did put an idea out for a 9th level game but had no interest in discord really.

Soulbound has also a very similar style. I'd like to run a game once

Soulbound has also a very similar style. I'd like to run a game once

She might be!
Well, it wouldn't be for everyone, but some folks want to play the dragon sometimes, the queen, the archmagess, the giantess, the warrior princess, the best mecha pilot in the strongest mech in the west. In most games, you don't start there, you have to scrap for it. There are *loads* of games where you start as a badass, I maintain, but she's convinced people either don't run those or run them and still deflate the PCs by making them second-tier to their pet NPCs and villains and such. It's just a different way to play -- she's looking for an experience where she's running the kingdom / empire, she's the top of the pyramid without having to level or grind to get there.
Don't know what T4 campaigns are!
Higher than 9th, at least if there are loads of 15th and 20th level characters running around.

I've recommended Godbound before, Fate and PbtA spun the right way, and various supers games. She's right about one thing at least -- these games are few and far between.

Tier 4 games in 5e. From level 16+. They were very, very funny

Ah, my knowledge of 5e is... limited to say the least.

Depending on Lifepath choices, you can get a high-level character in Burning Wheel, Burning Empires, etc..., which might be a fun option.

As much as I admire Burning Wheel and so much about it... yeah, NOPE. Steering well clear of that for PbP play. :)

I am that friend.

I didn't know it was acceptable to just ask for game-things on GP, and Harrigan is probably tired of me bothering him. =p

Essentially, a "high-level character" is actually important in their setting. Not important in the nonsense redirection way that "destiny hinges on your actions," but rather, someone whose decisions matter without contrivance. In high-fantasy settings typical for D&D, that's a deity. In a more realistic fantasy game, that's a dragon, monarch, high priest of a large religion, etc. In Shadowrun, that's a Great Dragon. In Exalted, a high-Essence Celestial. In a superhero game, that's somebody on Superman's level, probably. Most superhero settings have characters of that magnitude.

Typical RPG settings are so buried in hierarchy and tiers of super-NPCs that these characters are often god-like or actually deities, though they don't necessarily have to be.
I would try it. I'm much more interested in play gods (or whatever high-tier entity) than killing them. But I would try it!
The appeal is having freedom and agency to both choose and undertake actions of one's own volition. Rather than merely being given quests. A high-level character might take quests, but instead of being the character that reacts to circumstances, they can act on the world to achieve ambitions and dreams greater than doing the bidding of others or being subject to the mercies of destiny. They can choose to do so and have at least a reasonable chance of succeeding.

It's also in the novelty of the experience. As I said to Harrigan yesterday:

The reason that standard roleplaying games just don't offer novelty is that the typical way of exploring new things in RPGs is to focus on weakness and inferiority. Halflings are short, tieflings have it hard because people are racist, etc. These have all been done to death and back. I've been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt, repeatedly, and no game I've ever been part of has progressed past the point of being a nobody who has to be afraid of every shadow. I want to explore new things that are new because they are strong and superior, e.g., the aforementioned giants or dragons. They're both very different from normal life and superior to normal people in meaningful ways. That's also why I think faeries, vampires, and other kinds of supernatural creatures could be interesting to play.

And considering the idea that there isn't much conflict if PCs are in the highest tier of characters of the setting: How can that be the case, when super-powerful NPCs have their own motives for acting and things they do? E.g., if two gods are fighting each other, why must a PC be a questing minion for them, rather than one of those gods? Conflict isn't just about the weaker struggling against the stronger. Even if that is the nature of the conflict, why must the PCs always be the weaker party? Why can it not be that outnumbered antagonists opposed the smaller number of PCs? Or just one PC.
I have a history with Godbound. People have offered to run it several times and then either not followed through or got mad at me and kicked me out because I had some objection or another to the system and tried to explain my position rather than just obeying the prospective GM. One I recall in particular got very upset with me because I did not like that there are ultra-uber-being NPCs who are better than any PC could ever be no matter what, and I would prefer that to just not be the case.
What's Soulbound?
Does this website have a Discord server?

Like Harrigan said, a high-level game is very dependent on context. 9th level characters aren't anybody worth caring about in the Forgotten Realms, for example, where the NPCs higher than level 20 fill multiple books and there's three layers of increasing powerful gods on top of them.
What are those games?

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For what it's worth, I'm fine being the only player.

I was in a game once where we were demigods trying to achieve full godhood. It was fun to have one aspect each that was beyond mortal abilities. Part of the game was against other demigods and having to figure out how to get around their unique aspects by setting or changing the situation and maximizing your own aspect. We each got to choose a companion or two who were high level or monsters. It made for some interesting scenarios and fights.

I would like to play in a high tier game again but it would depend on the system. I am unfamiliar with many of those mentioned but am up for learning.

Hmmm, I'm almost tempted to break out my BECMI Immortals rules and run something, but most of you kids wouldn't be familiar with the rules.

Indeed I am not familiar with that. If I could find the rules I would try.

It does. Here's an invite link: Link

Thanks! ^_^