D&D General Modules with a political message?

[GMforPowergamers]

I think the notion of failed empire built upon failed empire is at least as common. Dark Fantasy is a huge subgenre.

I had a game, 5-8 years ago with a good but low wits king telling the players something and (like anyone could expect) they mouthed off... but what they said made all of us (even the speaker do a double take) "Who died and left you incharge"
I cant' even remeber who but someone real low almost under there breath said "um his dad and mom... thats how kings and queens work"

 

[Charlaquin]

Can't this just be a case of someone not wishing to add a political message or revealing their political position/loyalty?

Certainly. Doesn’t mean they aren’t communicating a political message or revealing something about their political position in the process of trying not to do so though.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

And correct.

someday I would love someone one to do a deep dive into all the settings and what is and isn't poltical... but here isn't the right place and now is not the right time

 

[Charlaquin]

Not interested in politics in D&D adventures. It's not done well and usually assumes one stance or view is correct.

Now, social commentary, or presenting moral or ethical situations where the players can be faced with difficult social decisions is great. Present them with situations they can decide for themselves. i.e. Do they help the poor? Do they free the oppressed?
What about if the oppressors are a minority? Or an oppressed demographic in our world?

Do they kill the dragon and take it's treasure so that the settlers are safe? Or do they negotiate peace between them? Or perhaps help protect the forest from urban encroachment?

All of that is political…

 

[Charlaquin]

someday I would love someone one to do a deep dive into all the settings and what is and isn't poltical... but here isn't the right place and now is not the right time

I mean, just going through and labeling everything as “political” or “not political” would be easy because everything is political. Unpacking what political messaging is contained in those materials, especially the ones that didn’t set out with the explicit intention of communicating a specific political message would be much more involved, and fascinating.

 

[Azzy]

I've never gone out of my way to be political with D&D but I suppose being inclusive and having bad guys that profit from the harm of others, that are oppressors, or terrorists is intrinsically political.

Now, Cyberpunk, on the other hand.... let slip the dogs of war, so to speak, and bring on that social and political commentary.

 

[HammerMan]

Certainly. Doesn’t mean they aren’t communicating a political message or revealing something about their political position in the process of trying not to do so though.

Do you think it’s possible for a someone (not you just someone maybe a profiler) to read just our discussions on orcs Thac0 edition wars and the like and make a good guess as to how we vote? If so how good do you think they would have to be to get it right more then 66% of the time?

 

[HammerMan]

Now, Cyberpunk, on the other hand.... let slip the dogs of war, so to speak, and bring on that social and political commentary.

I promise no one could play shadow run or vampire the masquerade with me for more then a week or two and NOT know who I was voteing for.

 

[Shiroiken]

And if those adventures don't exist, should they? Do you want your games to have a political slant?

Ugh. I feel too many people keep trying to bring real world politics into D&D enough as it is. Obviously if there's a market for it, the product should exist, but it's definitely not for me. The only kind of politics I care about in D&D are those that make sense in-world.

 

[Charlaquin]

Do you think it’s possible for a someone (not you just someone maybe a profiler) to read just our discussions on orcs Thac0 edition wars and the like and make a good guess as to how we vote? If so how good do you think they would have to be to get it right more then 66% of the time?

I doubt that anyone could do that with any reasonable degree of accuracy. Maybe if you narrow it down to a very specific policy issue, but in general I think it’s too complex a subject to be able to accurately predict based on opinions about pretend elf games.