|
This month Im going to address the subject of building good conflicts into your world and your game. Life is full of conflicts. Just look at the news. People simply cant get along. If their countries arent fighting over a piece of land or whose religion is right or whatnot, then individual people are fighting over things as trivial as a childs sporting event.
Role playing games often take the easy path for conflicts . . . The tried and true battle against good and evil! You have your bad races and good races, good gods and evil gods, and the villains are undoubtedly evil, sacrificing virgins, assassinating good kings, etc. This can be nice. When life is full of tough decisions and moral dilemmas, its relaxing to get into character and take the paladin way out . . . Ah ha! Evil! Lets smite it!
However, sometimes you or your players might want more . . . Theres only so much black and white, good vs. evil that you can take. Its time for some thinking, deliberating, and genuine choosing of sides. And thus you build conflicts into your world. So, lets take a look at some natural conflict types:
Religious- This is the biggie, of course. People always believe their religion is right . . . After all, if they didnt, they wouldnt be a part of it. If you went the D&D method and had one pantheon that encompasses all races across the world and has straight forward good and evil gods, well, this isnt much of a dilemma. However, if you went for a realistic approach and built a myriad of possible religions into your world, then youre ready for some big conflicts! While some religions may peacefully coexist, particularly zealous ones will be trying to convert or wipe out those who arent like them. In a game with a cleric or paladin in the party, this is a good conflict to throw in, as the religious character will have to decide whether or not to drag his party into the conflict.
Racial- Living in a world where people get insulted and abused simply because of skin color, it can be nice to escape into a fantasy world where everyone gets along. However, if youre aiming for a realistic game, theres going to be racism. In a high-fantasy setting, theres going to be much bigger differences than skin color, and people will always fear/hate that which is different from them. That isnt to say that entire races should be xenophobic, but many races will contain hate groups who either hate everyone whos different, or who target a specific race. It doesnt have to be as ugly and obvious as hate, either. In my most developed world, there is one truly naïve race that the surrounding people take advantage of, not out of hate, but of greed.
Political- The monarchies fear the onslaught of democracy. The communists and capitalists cant stop fighting. The republican candidate called the democratic candidate a potato head. Dont politics bring out the best in people??? Whether its two (or more) political parties in one country having their little spats, or two countries conflicting because they dont agree with the others way of ruling, politics will always be a source of fighting.
Border battles- People always want more, and this includes land. Whether they have some claim to the land or they just want to expand. History is full of people taking over other peoples countries, and fantasy worlds are no different. Of course, unless both countries have some claim to the land in question, this falls pretty close to a good vs. evil conflict, as nice people dont take what isnt there.
Old conflicts- Way back when, the king of Ardoner turned down an invitation to the christening of the king of Linars first son. The two countries have been at war ever since. Long-brewing conflicts fuel many fantasy stories, and its a wide-open territory to explore. Often, the people fighting the battle might not even know why theyre fighting, theyve just always grown up hearing how evil the other guys are.
Differing societies- The characters have to choose . . . Do they help the king of the neighboring country, even though women are horribly oppressed there? People have a hard time supporting countries or organizations who do even one thing they disagree with. Have you ever spoken to someone who votes for a candidate based solely on their opinion on abortion or gun control? Even if you really like someone, it can be hard aiding them when they support something youre morally opposed to. You can also do the reverse, one of my favorite things . . . Bad guys with shining redeeming qualities. Give those characters some moral dilemmas!
In short, games need conflicts. Fighting monsters isnt enough, and a world where everyone gets along is just too far-fetched.
|