Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 5520597" data-attributes="member: 42582">Good post. And Traveller certainly makes sense there.On the power-ups-and-themes issue, and the restriction to "power themes". I'm not sure how broad or narrow your notion of "power themes" is, so I'm not sure if the answer is "yes" or "no".Just from my own experience, I think the themes need to be ones where gaining in power - character growth manifested in this visceral sort of way in the gameworld - makes sense as part of what is involved in engaging or resolving the thematic issue. But this can include (to give a few examples from my actual play experience):*Winning and then choosing whether and how to keep the love of a dragon (will she even notice a mere mortal? what about one who is now almost a peer with the gods? - surely she's bound to me now whatever I do!); *Choosing whether to accept the racist rules of a wizard's guild, or to try and challenge and change them even at great personal cost (if I become a stronger wizard, maybe I can try and take control of the guild); *Should I submit to heaven's judgment or fight to remain free of it? (if I become more powerful, maybe the fight will be easier - or maybe I can even persuade them that it was fitting that I remain free, given what I've become) *Will I sacrifice myself to save my god from suffering through an eternal struggle with the forces of chaos? (this choice only becomes a meaningful one if I'm powerful enough to offer to take my god's place); *or even the more prosaic, How far will I depart from my principles in order to get a cushy job from my friend's evil wizard mentor (I can always persuade myself that once I get a bit more powerful, I won't need the money and security that comes from the cushy job anymore, and will able to be right the wrongs I did and perhaps even take on the evil wizard).I don't think these are just power themes in any narrow sense. And as someone who teaches in a law faculty, the last one cuts rather close to the personal bone (thinking about myself and also about what I'm preparing my students to do/be).</blockquote>

Verification