GMs use real world cultures, mythology and historical periods all the time to flesh out places in their games.
What I"m interested in is not the cultures or the societies, but conflict, used in terms of a game. Real world events, unfortunate circumstances, political situations and dynamics.
This might not be really clear, and how I'm differentiating it from the other stuff (cultures and mythology), so here, let me give you some examples. But first:
DISCLAIMER: This is not a thread for politics. It's not a place for you to disagree with how someone has interpreted something from the real world. It's not a place to even discuss the effects beyond their game world implications. Use the example from Real Life, explain it, and then wax on about in terms of the game. Historical information is relevant, but be mindful of avoiding politics.
Examples
1) Post WW II Berlin and 19th Century Hong Kong. At the time, the Allies carved up Berlin into sections ruled by the different powers, along with the notorious Berlin wall between the US and USSR. This resulted in a lot of tension and espionage not only between the various powers holding the city, but also among the citizenry who not only were beaten in a war, but now are occupied by the enemies, with their city blocked off, splitting families and communities. A very similar case happened in China, as the West waged a small war on China and carved up sections of it between the Western powers.
The strife and tension among the citizens, along with the conflict between the various powers, is a really interesting setting for intrigue or investigation-based play. It may well ratchet things up if some of the groups are of different Races in addition to nationalities.
2) The Trail of Tears. In the 1800s, Andrew Jackson ordered the Indian tribes in southern states to be marched into Oklahoma. Many suffered from starvation, exposure, and disease.
In a campaign, this could be happening - a large powerful country ordering people from within its borders to move en masse, or it could be a powergroup doing it to something outside its borders. This would cause massive destabilization in the local areas. It might draw monsters that pick off the stragglers, it might draw entities attracted to the anguish, it might allow monsters (or treasure hunters, or bandits) to move into the vacated areas. It might offer options for PCs to assist in a resistance.
Or it could be a part of the history, with a visible impact on the place. The Trail might have left a supernatural impression; one of intense negative emotions, or the physical suffering and death. Thus it could be a stretch of haunted paths and wilderness (of those who died, or ancestral spirits who were lost while following their people), a place of bad rituals, it could be cursed by the people who were moved, or a hotspot that attracts Bad Things that revel in the bad vibes.
3) The Underground Railroad. In pre-Civil War US and current day North Korea, an organization of people hide runaways, getting them from one point to the next. These people hide the runaways in any place they can, sometimes creating secret tunnels or hidden compartments. The goal was to get them to a location they are fully safe from their pursuers.
In game terms, these people could be running for a multitude of reasons: slavery, escaping from a militarized state, race, religion, political group, using illegal (but harmless) magic, revolutionaries or political prisoners, etc. They are Escaping from somewhere they are Running From, moving through Dangerous Territory, to Safe Territory. People of sympathy are helping them out. The place they are Running From could employ Hunters to track them down, Assassins to kill Sympathizers along the Railroad, Agents could disguise themselves as runaways to document the locations. The Dangerous Territory is the in-between area that is either unsympathetic and neutral on the situation, or openly helping the place they are Runing From out of either agreement of policy or political assistance.
This one is rife with hooks for the party. Is one of their members on the lamb? Could they be members of the Railroad? Could they have come across, or know someone on the run? Maybe they're unknowningly part of the Hunters. Could they have stumbled across an Assassin in progress?
4) Afghanistan. Setting aside the issues of war and religion, there's also the local political situation. Afghanistan is ruled by warlords. The warlords are friends with the government. The people grow poppy (heroin) because 1) the warlords want the cash crop, and 2) it's the only way to make money in the area. But of course the influx of poppy is dangerous to the rest of the world, thus causing confliction; outsiders come to burn the poppy, which means the farmers don't pay their warlords or have any money for anything else.
In game terms, this is somewhat a sticky situation. The issue here is you have Warlords who either are independent, have the approval of, or are part of the rulers of an area. Then you have people who are caught between doing something because they are threatened, and because they get a benefit from it. They don't necessarily want to stop. It could be growing an equivalent drug, it could be using small levels of black magic, it could be giving blood to to their vampire masters. The point is, the situation is a real sticky one, and the best course of action might be to tackle the Warlords or the Government.
5) Using the KKK as a model for secret societies/underground organizations. (It's at CM because the Mods asked me to put it there instead).
Finally, this one is really hairy and a touchy political/religious touchstone, so I will hide it:
[sblock]6) Israel. There are two interesting things to play with here:
Land/sites considered holy/sacred to both sides, so you can turn it into a turf war where the motivation isn't just about resources, but of a more religious/cultural significance. It could be something as simple as a place where rituals are customarily conducted by both, and neither wants the other there, or as distinct and specific as the burial site of a hero or religious figure.
The second point is the political geographical circumstance of a place surrounded by preceived enemies, but the local powers are held in check. This might result in a walled state under Martial Law, a constant war, or simple paranoia. It not only raises how it would effect the people of the place in the middle, but also asks "What is keeping everyone in check"? Is it superior defenses, superior office, allies who are more powerful than the surrounded nation, and so on.[/sblock]
What I"m interested in is not the cultures or the societies, but conflict, used in terms of a game. Real world events, unfortunate circumstances, political situations and dynamics.
This might not be really clear, and how I'm differentiating it from the other stuff (cultures and mythology), so here, let me give you some examples. But first:
DISCLAIMER: This is not a thread for politics. It's not a place for you to disagree with how someone has interpreted something from the real world. It's not a place to even discuss the effects beyond their game world implications. Use the example from Real Life, explain it, and then wax on about in terms of the game. Historical information is relevant, but be mindful of avoiding politics.
Examples
1) Post WW II Berlin and 19th Century Hong Kong. At the time, the Allies carved up Berlin into sections ruled by the different powers, along with the notorious Berlin wall between the US and USSR. This resulted in a lot of tension and espionage not only between the various powers holding the city, but also among the citizenry who not only were beaten in a war, but now are occupied by the enemies, with their city blocked off, splitting families and communities. A very similar case happened in China, as the West waged a small war on China and carved up sections of it between the Western powers.
The strife and tension among the citizens, along with the conflict between the various powers, is a really interesting setting for intrigue or investigation-based play. It may well ratchet things up if some of the groups are of different Races in addition to nationalities.
2) The Trail of Tears. In the 1800s, Andrew Jackson ordered the Indian tribes in southern states to be marched into Oklahoma. Many suffered from starvation, exposure, and disease.
In a campaign, this could be happening - a large powerful country ordering people from within its borders to move en masse, or it could be a powergroup doing it to something outside its borders. This would cause massive destabilization in the local areas. It might draw monsters that pick off the stragglers, it might draw entities attracted to the anguish, it might allow monsters (or treasure hunters, or bandits) to move into the vacated areas. It might offer options for PCs to assist in a resistance.
Or it could be a part of the history, with a visible impact on the place. The Trail might have left a supernatural impression; one of intense negative emotions, or the physical suffering and death. Thus it could be a stretch of haunted paths and wilderness (of those who died, or ancestral spirits who were lost while following their people), a place of bad rituals, it could be cursed by the people who were moved, or a hotspot that attracts Bad Things that revel in the bad vibes.
3) The Underground Railroad. In pre-Civil War US and current day North Korea, an organization of people hide runaways, getting them from one point to the next. These people hide the runaways in any place they can, sometimes creating secret tunnels or hidden compartments. The goal was to get them to a location they are fully safe from their pursuers.
In game terms, these people could be running for a multitude of reasons: slavery, escaping from a militarized state, race, religion, political group, using illegal (but harmless) magic, revolutionaries or political prisoners, etc. They are Escaping from somewhere they are Running From, moving through Dangerous Territory, to Safe Territory. People of sympathy are helping them out. The place they are Running From could employ Hunters to track them down, Assassins to kill Sympathizers along the Railroad, Agents could disguise themselves as runaways to document the locations. The Dangerous Territory is the in-between area that is either unsympathetic and neutral on the situation, or openly helping the place they are Runing From out of either agreement of policy or political assistance.
This one is rife with hooks for the party. Is one of their members on the lamb? Could they be members of the Railroad? Could they have come across, or know someone on the run? Maybe they're unknowningly part of the Hunters. Could they have stumbled across an Assassin in progress?
4) Afghanistan. Setting aside the issues of war and religion, there's also the local political situation. Afghanistan is ruled by warlords. The warlords are friends with the government. The people grow poppy (heroin) because 1) the warlords want the cash crop, and 2) it's the only way to make money in the area. But of course the influx of poppy is dangerous to the rest of the world, thus causing confliction; outsiders come to burn the poppy, which means the farmers don't pay their warlords or have any money for anything else.
In game terms, this is somewhat a sticky situation. The issue here is you have Warlords who either are independent, have the approval of, or are part of the rulers of an area. Then you have people who are caught between doing something because they are threatened, and because they get a benefit from it. They don't necessarily want to stop. It could be growing an equivalent drug, it could be using small levels of black magic, it could be giving blood to to their vampire masters. The point is, the situation is a real sticky one, and the best course of action might be to tackle the Warlords or the Government.
5) Using the KKK as a model for secret societies/underground organizations. (It's at CM because the Mods asked me to put it there instead).
Finally, this one is really hairy and a touchy political/religious touchstone, so I will hide it:
[sblock]6) Israel. There are two interesting things to play with here:
Land/sites considered holy/sacred to both sides, so you can turn it into a turf war where the motivation isn't just about resources, but of a more religious/cultural significance. It could be something as simple as a place where rituals are customarily conducted by both, and neither wants the other there, or as distinct and specific as the burial site of a hero or religious figure.
The second point is the political geographical circumstance of a place surrounded by preceived enemies, but the local powers are held in check. This might result in a walled state under Martial Law, a constant war, or simple paranoia. It not only raises how it would effect the people of the place in the middle, but also asks "What is keeping everyone in check"? Is it superior defenses, superior office, allies who are more powerful than the surrounded nation, and so on.[/sblock]
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