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Recommend me some good political adventures
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<blockquote data-quote="BiggusGeekus" data-source="post: 3504206" data-attributes="member: 1014"><p>Dood,</p><p></p><p>What exactly were you thinking of? I've run a few (as in two or three) with mixed success. What I find works best is a regular adventure that has political repercussions. </p><p></p><p>Example: Orcs have established a base in the nearby caves! The party has to get them out! But....</p><p></p><p>Faction A: wants the orc chieftain dead and his head on a pike on public display on their gates. This will reinforce their image that they are the penultimate military force in the area.</p><p></p><p>Faction B: wants the orc chieftain captured and put on trial. This is part of their image as one committed to law over tyranny.</p><p></p><p>Faction C: Wants the orcs working for them and commissioned as a kind of mercenary/privateer force against the hobgoblins. Why put human lives at stake.</p><p></p><p>... so now we have three factions all with goals that are at odds with each other. The PCs can simply ally with one faction and ignore what the other two say about it. If they do that, you have a big signal right there that your group isn't quite yet inclined to get deep into a very complex plot (which is fine, this is just a game that we are playing for fun and relaxation). However, if they try to negotiate a compromise they will find....</p><p></p><p>Faction A: is overstretched and while their military looks great on paper they can't quickly move their troops and they certainly can't do it in strength without leaving territory undefended. Additionally, one powerful member of Faction A has romantic intentions with a member of Faction B and will not be happy if she ends up looking bad as a consequence of the PCs actions.</p><p></p><p>Faction B: only wants their law and order image played up because they are tied to criminal elements and need to be able to dismiss charges of corruption. Additionally, one powerful member of Faction B, has a financial stake in the ventures of Faction C and will not be happy if he loses money as a consequence of the PCs actions.</p><p></p><p>Faction C: is making a bid for control of a large military force, but they are trying to be subtle about it so as not to arouse suspicion or have their efforts undermined. Additionally, one powerful member of Faction C is trying to recruit a commander from Faction A, and he does not want that commander's reputation besmirched as he also needs the loyalty of the troops he commands.</p><p></p><p>So let's review what we're doing here.</p><p></p><p>1) We start with a regular adventure.</p><p></p><p>2) We assign conflicting "victory" conditions for your political groups.</p><p></p><p>3) <em>Assuming the players are into this kind of game</em> we...</p><p>3a) give each political group a reason to compromise</p><p>3b) give one member of each political group a tie to one of the other groups</p><p></p><p>A final word of advice: these games are more fun when the NPCs do not plan to backstab the PCs or are secretly evil or are all lying. Because if you do that then the PCs will simply assume all the NPCs are bad guys and then the political nature of the game falls apart.</p><p></p><p>Hope that helps!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BiggusGeekus, post: 3504206, member: 1014"] Dood, What exactly were you thinking of? I've run a few (as in two or three) with mixed success. What I find works best is a regular adventure that has political repercussions. Example: Orcs have established a base in the nearby caves! The party has to get them out! But.... Faction A: wants the orc chieftain dead and his head on a pike on public display on their gates. This will reinforce their image that they are the penultimate military force in the area. Faction B: wants the orc chieftain captured and put on trial. This is part of their image as one committed to law over tyranny. Faction C: Wants the orcs working for them and commissioned as a kind of mercenary/privateer force against the hobgoblins. Why put human lives at stake. ... so now we have three factions all with goals that are at odds with each other. The PCs can simply ally with one faction and ignore what the other two say about it. If they do that, you have a big signal right there that your group isn't quite yet inclined to get deep into a very complex plot (which is fine, this is just a game that we are playing for fun and relaxation). However, if they try to negotiate a compromise they will find.... Faction A: is overstretched and while their military looks great on paper they can't quickly move their troops and they certainly can't do it in strength without leaving territory undefended. Additionally, one powerful member of Faction A has romantic intentions with a member of Faction B and will not be happy if she ends up looking bad as a consequence of the PCs actions. Faction B: only wants their law and order image played up because they are tied to criminal elements and need to be able to dismiss charges of corruption. Additionally, one powerful member of Faction B, has a financial stake in the ventures of Faction C and will not be happy if he loses money as a consequence of the PCs actions. Faction C: is making a bid for control of a large military force, but they are trying to be subtle about it so as not to arouse suspicion or have their efforts undermined. Additionally, one powerful member of Faction C is trying to recruit a commander from Faction A, and he does not want that commander's reputation besmirched as he also needs the loyalty of the troops he commands. So let's review what we're doing here. 1) We start with a regular adventure. 2) We assign conflicting "victory" conditions for your political groups. 3) [i]Assuming the players are into this kind of game[/i] we... 3a) give each political group a reason to compromise 3b) give one member of each political group a tie to one of the other groups A final word of advice: these games are more fun when the NPCs do not plan to backstab the PCs or are secretly evil or are all lying. Because if you do that then the PCs will simply assume all the NPCs are bad guys and then the political nature of the game falls apart. Hope that helps! [/QUOTE]
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