Social Commentary

[Mythtify]

Sorry, originaly posted a bad attempt at a joke, and thought better of it.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Child-Molesting priests from an ostensibly "Good" faith figured largely in our last campaign.

Yes, but did they secretly worship a giant spider, like the recent South Park episode? I never knew Lolth was behind the "one true church."

 

[Teflon Billy]

Yes, but did they secretly worship a giant spider, like the recent South Park episode? I never knew Lolth was behind the "one true church."

Nope, a God of Love and Peace...they were trotting out the "I Wouldn;t be able to do this if God didn't Will It" card.

The PC's (and the townsfolk who came to them) were unconvinced.

The PC's convinced an order of Paladins to aid them in running the Church out of the area.

Paladins in my campaign are far from being church-connected. They answer to their own leaders and their own Gods. Period. They also aren't particularly noted for their mercy.

Think "The Jedi Knights, if they were led by Stannis Baratheon from A song of Ice and Fire.

That's an order of Paladins in my game.

Well, that was a digression

 

[isirga eth]

PC's want to destroy the evil empire by killing its evil wizard ruler, or smashing the magical crystal that gives its soldiers their power or something. We want to blow up the Death Star, because its more exciting than starting a reasoned discourse, using the democratic process, or staging a boycott against the blacksmith. We conduct covert acts of destruction, because there's no way that our four PC's can stand up to the goblin king's large army of conventional forces. Trying to fight them openly on the field of battle is something only a lawful stupid paladin would do! But, its ok because we're the good guys.

My god, have you hit it on the head. Congratulations. I absolutely, completely agree.

That's the problem with the world: we always see the "others" as something out of the monster manual, created just to give points

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

Not really current events (more old ones), though maybe it has something to do with a strong Christian upbringing... but one of the central countries to my campaign setting is a theocracy which is guided by a church of good, but is waylaid by their own crusading natures, and do a lot of not-very-nice things. Most prominent of which is a devastating Inquisition, and a too-forgiving nature.

Kinda like the Holy Roman Empire, in the era of the witch trials, execution of suspected lycanthropes, Inquisitions, etc.

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Eh, I suppose I include various strands of social commentary worked through adventures, but it isn't something that I construct to beat my players over the head with. I generally make an effort at weaving through the campaign themes that are positive, cast against a backdrop of unspeakable evil and wickedness.

I have an evil empire that institutes--

(1) A set of universal rights for citizens, including equal rights for women;

(2) A massive, large-scale redistribution of wealth, (because they believe that wealthy merchants shouldn't be so wealthy;

(3) Free social welfare for the masses of poor Beastmen and Humans;

(4) Throughout the cities, non-military are not permitted to have weaponry without purchasing expensive licenses; Wizards and Sorcerers must have a license; (which is quite expensive)

(5) The Evil Theocratic Empire imposes high taxes on all citizens.

(6) The Evil Theocratic Empire accepts all races, but other religions are savagely persecuted. To enjoy the benefits of this powerful, evil empire, you must agree to convert to worship of the Dark Gods.

(7) Those who refuse to worship the Dark Gods are either killed and eaten, or they are enslaved by the millions!

(8) Decadance, Perversion, and rampant Hedonism are celebrated and unfettered by the imposition of laws.

(9) Certain groups within the realm have their children routinely taken away from them at a young age, in order to be raised on special government farms.

(10) Undead are allowed to roam freely, and Necromancy is a highly honoured and respected discipline.

(11) Cruelty and ruthless might are held to be absolute values. Torture is not only acceptable, it is encouraged as a matter of course.

(12) The evil emperor has absolute authority to kill, rape, slaughter, and torture anyone throughout the empire. His will is obeyed as if spoken from on high.

So, there are some of the evil themes that an evil empire in my campaign embrace. The players sometimes have to contend with these kinds of things, but it varies. The players are kept very busy.

Hey Teflon Billy! My friend, you remember what my paladins can be like, huh?

Your paladins sound beautiful Teflon!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Teflon Billy]

...Hey Teflon Billy! My friend, you remember what my paladins can be like, huh?

Your paladins sound beautiful Teflon!

Well, I'm glad you think so, You already know that my admiration for your Vallorean Empire campaign is high, but I'll say it again here.

I used to disallow Paladins in my Campaign, because I thought that they were, at best, rubes. Being hemmed in by their LG alignment made them fine for Dungeon Crawls, but in the day-to-day society of my camapign world they just didn't make sense. A bunch of "Dudley Do Rights" didn't have a place in the gritty, ruthless streets of my campaign world.

So I tried to make them fit.

The first hurdle was that I had done away with Alignment in my game. Alignment is a big part of Paladinhood in Core D&D.

So I kept their code of honour. They behave a certain way because they are "called" to by their Gods, and are kept to their vows by their Brethren and the Leaders of their order.

In Core D&D, I've always felt that Paladins cleave a little closer to "Good" than "Lawful". Not my guys.

They are clearly more Law than Good.

Their "Detect Evil" power is modified (what with there being no alignment) to something more akin to "Detect Malice". People working against the "Common Good" are detected. It is used on suspects and a positive reading is considered "Judge, Jury and Executioner" level condemnation in most situations.

They are as much figures of fear to the populace as they are figures of salvation or justice. The are not police or city watch. They intervene where they are needed.

They decide where they are needed.

Oft times, when they answer some kind of need in a community, they "clean up" extraneous issues they come across as well...often things that the locals weren't particularly up in arms about (Prostitution, Treasonous speech, poor child-rearing).

They enforce a "lawful alignment", but it's a law all their own. It doesn't answer to secular authorities and it doesn't apologize for stepping on toes. They have power's beyond those of normal men for a reason, and if they stop doing "right" (in their view) those powers go away. It's the only yardstick with which they measure their actions.

These are my Paladins. They are no one's Rubes.

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Hey Teflon Billy, any time you are down my way, you're quite welcome to hang out and play! We'd have a blast I'm sure!

I think it would be very cool if we could get together, you know? Have some good Bass Ale, some fine cigars, good gaming--imagine the stuff we could talk about together! Imagine what it would be like to play in the same campaign?

That's right Teflon--keep playing the paladins like ruthless, hard bastards!

It's good for your players to get that look on their faces when you mention that the paladins have arrived.

PS--Teflon Billy, sorry my friend--I'm not up to speed on the local colloqualisms up your way. What are "Rubes?"

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Teflon Billy]

...Hey Teflon Billy, any time you are down my way, you're quite welcome to hang out and play! We'd have a blast I'm sure!

I think it would be very cool if we could get together, you know? Have some good Bass Ale, some fine cigars, good gaming--imagine the stuff we could talk about together! Imagine what it would be like to play in the same campaign?...

Well, I don't drink beer (gives me crazy heartburn) but if it come to it I will bring a bottle of Canadian Whiskey with me.

Maybe I can convert you to it

The rest sounds great.

 

[Olive]

I include a large degree of racial tension in my campaign. It's loosely based on medieval spain, and i have a bit of religious/ethnic minority action goin on. My group is all postgrads bar one, and all fairly interested in it as a subplot...

it's based on jewish persecution in catholic spain, but its pretty different. allusions to real history, not real history...