I am looking hard at the NeoExodus campaign setting for my next game. Intrigue, especially political intrigue, is a noticeable factor in the setting. However, the folks I like to game with do not enjoy immense subtly, complex motivations, and huge interconnected webs that make up a political landscape.
And I ain't got the time or inclination to read Game of Thrones, much less try my hand at it.
So, does anyone have an advise for including politics and intrigue into a game? I am especially interested in ways that don't treat the party as hapless pawns for the powers that be. My players like direct action, personal danger, and becoming important members of society. Oh, and more direct action.
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That is good advice.
I am thinking of doing a practice scenario, of sorts. Something to mess around with so I can get specific advice on what to include and what to leave out. So, I'm going to detail out three political groups and try to set up some interesting interactions.
In Capital City, the seat of power for Kingdom, there are many noble houses and several powerful merchant guilds. The governing body is a council made up of the eight most powerful families (called "The Eight"). Right now, the Eight are separated into three camps, each headed by one of the three most powerful of the Eight, with all the other houses falling in under on of the three.
The First House is the oldest, with its influence coming from more from its history than its current tangible clot. Its holds strongly to the Capitals military and city watch, though those forces have strength in numbers only. They have strong ties to the various churches, especially the older, more stagnant religious leadership. They have many spies and eyes-and-ears through the Nation. Ancient treaties and 'understandings' with many of the lesser houses (including many no in the Eight) make up the bulk of its political strength. The lands controlled by the First used to be wealth and fertile, but more and more mines are going empty, its fields are suffering from over farming, and its population is declining.
The First want to the keep status quo the status quo, while getting more power/stronger/richer.
The Middle House has strong connections with the merchant guilds, and wield considerable economic might. Almost all of its wealth is liquid, tied up in trade, and they lack any sort of base resources (the deal with skilled labor, 'processed goods' and such, not the raw materials). They have few military assets, depending on mercenaries for any direct action. Their information network is mostly other merchants and bribes, with have proven great with economic intel, but lacking everything else. They are making strong inroads into the churches, with hefty donations, but only with the younger clergy, and run into stone walls with attempting to buy influence the older heads of the churches. Middle has little actual land, and thus few fixed resources, but has a swelling population of the youth.
The Middle want to complete control over the Eight, and the population, and want to remove the 'old and withered' First. And more wealth.
The Last House is a newcomer, relying not one ancient ties or even money, but with guile and magic. Their military forces are split between two small groups; the criminal element and the mages. They were the first house to actually control the various underground guilds, and have bought heavily into the Nation's magical strength, granting them substantial influence on all parts of the Nation. Their lands are moderate in size, and modest in wealth, but the magical aid they use makes them very profitable. As a new and not rich house, they lack the connections of the First and the bribes of the Middle, but they use their 'new age' tools well, using both sides of their power coin for spying, blackmail, force, and negotiation.
The Last, secretly controlled by demons, want to tear out the Eight, and plunge the Nation into anarchy.
More later
Sounds like menzoberranzan. From the early Drizzt do urden books.
Sounds like menzoberranzan. From the early Drizzt do urden books.
Ugh. I grew to hate Menzoberranzan, even before I grew bored of Drizzt.
Okay, going with Ascalaphus's suggestions, each house will have what they want and why they can't get it listed, though his suggestion was meant for individuals.
* The First wants to stay in power, keeping status quo as is, and to reduce the influence of the younger houses. Basically, they are at the top of the food chain, and they have grown lazy.
They can't because the the younger two houses are too powerful to ignore. The Firsts laziness and slow response to action has allowed this to happen.
* The Middle see themselves as the future, and want take over now, removing the rotting corpse that is the First and replacing it with modern ideals.
They can't because the First is so deeply entrenched into the nation. The Middle is beginning to see (or at lest think) that a bloody revolution will be needed, and they are no equipped for that. Yet.
* The Last has two wants: the public want and the private want. The public want is to shift the Nation from aristocratic ruling to a Magocracy. They cannot because the other two Houses' efforts to stop them...and because the Last could care less if it actually happens.
The private want is for the Capital, and the Nation, to be thrown into anarchy, removing any organized threat and turning a once powerful nation into fertile fields for demons to harvest souls.
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Okay, that gets you moving on a very basic intrigue. Now I urge you to add some people to each of those houses, and ask the Big Questions again.
Organizations have a goal, but the individuals in them have their own, different goals. This is what really enables intrigues. It stops the Houses from being monolithic instutitions that can't be diverted from their optimal path.
While it might be in the best interests of the First House to just hold firm against the other houses, one of its key decisionmakers wants to marry a member of the Last House, so he's vulnerable to their attempts to get him to help them with projects.
However, one of the Last House's members is actually really uncomfortable with the Demon thing, and wants to do something about it. But he's scared, so he's being secretive about it and quietly looking for allies in the Middle House to hold an inquisition.
In the Middle House, two people both want the same nice corner office/promotion, and they're trying to undermine each other.
... and so on.
I'm playing kingmaker right now (as a character) and I think we are in the 3 rd or 4th book. Great stuff with politics and I can assume its only just starting to get big and complicated.
I don't know exactly what you want, but it's been an awesome campaign so far.