SoW2 Dev Diary: The Priority List concept

As we get closer to more robust builds, I'm going to post on key aspects of the game.  The Priority List concept seems just as good a place to start as any!

So, first, what the hell is it?  The Priority List is a list of high profile female Dominion females compiled by the Central Committee, ostensibly for pacification purposes-- but really, just a Christmas list of Minion women that have achieved status because of various reasons and, as such, have become most desired by the leaders of the Revolution.  They truly are the "spoils of war" most coveted by the Player's party.  

In SoW2 you can capture female minions and use them as resources to build structures or pass regulations but the "PL" ladies are distinct and must be collected/acquired on an individual basis.  The PL girls represent the intersection between struggle and victory and personify the Player's battlefield triumphs in the bedrooms of the victors.

There are about 25 or so PL girls, each falling into one of for categories: A List (Royal family), B List (political leaders), C List (athletes) and D List (media, entertainment, etc).  To acquire them, a Player will have to set up the list and identify them (policies).  Once you've discovered them (they are scattered in various locations throughout each province), you can, depending on your level of control, acquire them via a kidnapping mission (if you have a SpecOps unit in the province) or capture (if you militarily occupy a location) or arrest them (if you have set up your secret police force).  Once acquired, the PL girl is sent to a holding pool where she will remain until the Player decides what to do with her.  The Player may keep her and assign her to the Presidential Seraglio, where possessing her will add to the Player's Power Rating.  The Player may give her to a minister or provincial governor to increase that supporter's Loyalty.  The Player may decide to Display the girl in a publicly humiliating fashion which will increase the Player's Approval Rating amongst the Prime people.  The {layer may choose to Ransom the PLister, which will generate Cash.  Finally, the Player may choose to publicly execute the PLister, which will reduce the Provincial Resistance of any defiant occupied Minions.  The impact of any of these actions will varying depending on the Value Rating of the P Lister-- so anything you do with the Queen will have a lot more impact than some model.  There will also be some back stories which means the Player will unlock some bonuses if they mix and match P Listers with certain ministers and game opportunities that come up.  P Listers will also offer bonus 'easter egg' content depending if the Player has met certain requirements (this is where lots of the art that's been developed will show up in game).  The intent is to serve up content in game about the P Listers, so as the Player learns about them and their pre-war lives, they will become even more desirable once they have been acquired-- the cherry on top of a hard fought campaign of conquest.

Hannah Claydon is a D Lister and, in addition to offering in game media commentary, is also subject to acquisition and subject to the Player's decisions per above.  If this aspect of the game proves popular, the plan would be to include more fully articulated P Listers via video/custom photography as DLC to drop into the game.

I hope this makes sense-- feel free to ask any questions or suggest any ideas on the Priority List!