Real Religion in Adventure Design

[LongTimeLurker]

In the case of designing adventures, religion will often come up in parts of lore and background. Usually, these religions are either spin-offs of existing religions or entirely new religions with a host of different deities within the pantheon.

But I wonder...what about real, practiced religions being accessible in a TTRPG?

My interest is because real religions have such a rich and diverse set of traditions and cultures with iconic stories and memorable moments that define the beautiful aspects of the various regions they originate from. Having the party meet the Judeo-Christian Messiah or the Shinto Goddess of Sun Amaterasu or the Hindu Deity of Destruction Shiva would make for excellent encounters and events that not only show the lore of the fictional world but also gives context to real life religious figures and how they operate.

So, do you think these implementations of explicit religion can be done tactfully within an adventure, even one meant to be published for profit?

No. Too many people would get all twisted up when PCs started swinging swords at Jesus.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I think it is fine. If religious figures can appear in cinema, books, and comics even, I think that same creative freedom needs to be extend to RPGs. Not everyone is going to like what you do with their deities of course. But I am glad people can make movies like Jesus Christ Superstar is permissible, where Last Temptation of Christ is Permissible, A Chinese Odyssey is permissible, etc. Certainly I think games can benefit from a wide range of tones and viewpoints on religious figures in the same way

 

[Ulfgeir]

No. Too many people would get all twisted up when PCs started swinging swords at Jesus.

There was an adventure for 1st edition Kult (I think it was a convention-scenario), where the player characters were supposed to kill a reincarnated Jesus in order to stop him from starting armageddon.

 

[Eltab]

... but having the players experience the story of David and Goliath in an almost beat-to-beat representation may be less prone to outrage ...

As a matter of fact, I have done something very like that.
My son's fifth-grade class went to a church camp for a weekend, I was a chaperone, and put together an indoor activity "in case it rained": using the 3.x supplement Testament I created some L1 PCs and set the scene for "beat up Goliath". Including a King James Version -sounding introductory paragraph. The kids won in the end, and one remembered the event fondly to me when I visited his highschool graduation party.

 

[Jd Smith1]

So, do you think these implementations of explicit religion can be done tactfully within an adventure, even one meant to be published for profit?

Nope. Back in the 70s it was common, and never went well. Trying to mix sacred beliefs with entertainment is a bad, bad idea.

 

[aco175]

It might be fraught with peril if people were genuine believers.

Are genuine believers the target audience, or do they even play the game? I knew a few believers growing up that were not allowed to play at all, even as a paladin battling devils. It was the 80s though so things may have changed.

As for the main topic, I have looked at some parts of religion to use in my games. There may be a sect or secret group or structure. I created a holy city with a pope-like figure in a homebrew. I also loosely had a hierarchy based on real-life church structure. It was not close to actual and only had a few levels to make it more seem like a structure than try to create a real-life structure. Actual church historians would laugh at my poor copy, but it worked for my game and the players that only needed so much.

I have done the same with the political structure of the kingdom. I have no idea if the duke is worth more than a count or knight. I do not know if one needs more land or connections or how real world advisors come into the politics. I have a loose idea that I ran with and it works enough for my game. I would think that if I had a more political campaign, I would research more.

 

[pemerton]

I think it is fine. If religious figures can appear in cinema, books, and comics even, I think that same creative freedom needs to be extend to RPGs. Not everyone is going to like what you do with their deities of course. But I am glad people can make movies like Jesus Christ Superstar is permissible, where Last Temptation of Christ is Permissible, A Chinese Odyssey is permissible, etc. Certainly I think games can benefit from a wide range of tones and viewpoints on religious figures in the same way

I had also thought of other film examples like Ben Hur, King of Kings, etc.

The idea that RPGs must be uniquely quarantined from such an important part of human culture and heritage seems strange.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I had also thought of other film examples like Ben Hur, King of Kings, etc.

The idea that RPGs must be uniquely quarantined from such an important part of human culture and heritage seems strange.

Definitely. I love Ben Hur. I think coming at it from all kinds of angles is what makes the topic interesting. I probably should have included Jesus of Nazareth 1977 in my list of examples as well

 

[Bedrockgames]

Are genuine believers the target audience, or do they even play the game?

Everyone is going to be different here but this is why I think a variety of approaches and viewpoints is what you ultimately want in the medium (just like you have in movies, books, etc). When I first started playing D&D, I was very religious and would not have minded having a setting based around the cosmology of my religion. At the same time, as I got older, I experimented with other ideas and philosophies and wouldn't have minded alternative points of view on my religion. I think the point here is we allow this exploration in other media, so shouldn't it also be allowed in RPGs? (not saying it is something D&D ought to do, as they are going for a broad audience, and that might limit their ability to appeal to a broad audience). But having smaller publishers put out this kind of content, I think, is a good thing overall (even if there are individual takes I may disagree with).

 

[Alzrius]

A couple RPGs where real world religion/theological stuff is central to the RPG.

Kult maltheism, God, angels, demons, "mortals", enlightened mortals, pagan gods.

In Nomine, Angels and Demons, War in heaven, God, pagan gods.

Heaven & Earth Old Testament God, the Devil, and Jesus as three separate factions (at least my memory of past editions).

Testament Mythical Biblical Ancient Israel.

Don't forget DragonRaid.