The Role of the Host
In order to play Allies of Majesty, someone must act as the Host. The Host is the storyteller. The Host’s role is to present a story that is fun and engaging for the other player’s enjoyment. The ultimate goal is fun, but most missions, by the very nature of the game world, will present some reason to ponder the spirit realm and how it impacts our own, material realm. Players will find plenty of stimulation to consider Elyon, his love for mankind, and his intentions for his creation.
While the aforementioned aspects of the game are constant, the manner in which each Host runs the game will not be. Some Hosts will focus more on telling the stories and spend most of their time in a narrative style of play. Other Hosts will focus more to the War aspects of the game. In this case, much of the story could be told in prologues and epilogues, setting up and recapping what effect the War actually achieved. It keeps the game most interesting when the Host can find a balance between story and War.
While the Host controls the evil characters, they are not against the Players. They control more than just the bad guys. They also control any spirits, friendly or oppositional, that are not controlled by a Player. They also control any humans involved in the story.
The Host also makes all final calls on measurements and rules enforcement. Their goal at all times should be to preserve the fun of the game and keep things moving along so that people do not become disengaged. Sometimes the Host will make a call that a Player will feel is not the correct one. They may feel that the Host is misjudging a Range or is not taking some factor into account. Ultimately, try your best not to let a measurement or a rule become a point of contention and ruin the fun. In a tabletop roleplaying game, rules and systems are intended to be tools to increase enjoyment of the game, not stumbling blocks to stifle it. The Host will make a final call when something is in question and the game will proceed.