I've got an idea. Have you played Sid Meier's Pirates! (that one from 1987, I didn't played new version)? I'd liked the system of ending the game. You choose right time - at beginning (when you're poor) - you became beggar, when you are wealthy - baron, king advisor or even prince etc (there was a lot of availabilities), there was also a romance and seek out relative. In rpg game of course it could be more complicated on dependencies if you're good or bad, if you've got stronghold or not, romance, money, quests. Maybe you lived in good health and died at age 100, or you lived only a couple years after events - because some bounty hunter stabbed you in dark alley. That would be something more interesting and different then traditional movie on the end.