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I'll go first, I'll lead the way
With some careful planning we'll make them pay
There's an incessant ticking off to the side
Don't take too long, you cannot hide
I see others standing tall
I'm just as strong even though I'm small
If I should fall onto my face
I know another will take my place
Our goal is in sight, I can see the crown
A little more time and we'll knock it down
I made it this far and you stuck with me
The reward for long life is royalty

What am I and what is happening?

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You are

a chess pawn.

I'll go first, I'll lead the way

The pawn usually moves first in the game.

With some careful planning we'll make them pay

Chess is a game of strategy.

There's an incessant ticking off to the side
Don't take too long, you cannot hide

The chess clock is constantly going, and will run down if you spend too long on your moves. "You cannot hide" might refer to the fact that all moves are visible to both players.

I see others standing tall
I'm just as strong even though I'm small

The pawn is the smallest piece on the board, but it can still capture other pieces, even a queen.

If I should fall onto my face
I know another will take my place

There are plenty of pawns.

Our goal is in sight, I can see the crown
A little more time and we'll knock it down
I made it this far and you stuck with me
The reward for long life is royalty

If a pawn reaches its goal at the end of the board, it could gain a crown and become a queen.

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    $\begingroup$ I think that "you cannot hide" refers to the whole situation being visible to everyone involved at all times (Don't know how to spoiler tag in comments so I just used roundabout language) $\endgroup$
    – htmlcoderexe
    Commented Mar 24, 2017 at 23:37
  • $\begingroup$ The "I'm just as strong" is a reference on its own, because everyone involved is equally capable of killing anyone else, even though some are perceived as being stronger than others. $\endgroup$
    – aroth
    Commented Mar 25, 2017 at 11:50
  • $\begingroup$ You are correct oh great puzzling master $\endgroup$
    – ovaltein
    Commented Mar 26, 2017 at 15:08

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