An Idea [benlehman]

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The Dragon King's most elite soldiers are the Princess Guard, hand-picked from lives of luxury and trained to become the world's powerful fighting force.

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There are 9 comments on this entry. (Reply.)

Is there context to this, or just a snippet of a cool idea from somewhere?

("Who rescues foolish princes who go off and get themselves captured in caves of ogres?")

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There's a context, but it's ... long.

Why not?

So the big problem with 1000 Kings is that people can't / won't / don't often engage with the world in the way that I want them to, to the point where it's quite disheartening to me. The goal of the game is that the Land of a Thousand Kings is an exciting place to go.

A reaction to this has been to want "story," by which is meant an enactment of the imperialist fantasy where misguided / ignorant / helpless / oppressed locals are informed / liberated / rescued by an outsider who possesses superior intelligence, technology, courage, and moral character.

I don't particularly blame the players for this: it's a natural thing given that it's being played by white Americans, it's about going to a new land, and I haven't let there be room for anything else. But, given that I'm trying to make a game which draws on my own experiences traveling, it's pretty damned disheartening.

Anyway, today I was like "I need to come up with things which are excellent things which clearly are not in need of informing, liberating, or rescuing." Hence, in a bit of irony, the Princess Guard.

The bit that I couldn't work into the blurb is that they are all fiercely in love with the Dragon King, and help the King kill and eat their would-be rescuers.

yrs--
--Ben

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Huh. That makes a lot of sense. The way I read 1000 Kings, even from the 1st draft, was that this was a wonderous, but not safe place- like dreams, like the subconscious, like fairytales. (whether that's your intent or not, that's what I got from it).

Probably the other context, specific to your situation with the game right now? The Forge diaspora community is pretty heavily influenced by Dogs in the Vineyard and it's child, the Princes' Kingdom. They read the play as being about "We go fix/rescue stuff". I think the question in your game isn't "What do you do?" (which is more your ninja game) as "Who are you?"

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A reaction to this has been to want "story," by which is meant an enactment of the imperialist fantasy where misguided / ignorant / helpless / oppressed locals are informed / liberated / rescued by an outsider who possesses superior intelligence, technology, courage, and moral character.

Having not played your game, but just going on what you've mentioned here, it sounds like maybe the issue is a lack of purpose for the characters?

"Story" in a travel-to-exotic lands genre, doesn't necessarily mean a save-the-ignorant-locals-from-themselves scenario, does it? But if the characters don't have a purpose for their travel, and don't have anything to contribute to their new environment, then travel becomes kind of self-indulgent, right? I don't think a hero narrative is necessarily imperialist fantasy, though it certainly can be, so, just on the basis of what you've written, it sounds a little like you're throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

I'm not totally clear on how hte game mechanic works, so maybe this is impossible, but finding a way for people to have heroic purpose in their journeys while also realizing that travel is not just about teaching, but also learning?

Or perhaps I'm missing your point entirely

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Hi Jyn!

So, despite some quibbles, you've hit my present design puzzle on the head: finding a way for people to have heroic purpose in their journeys while also realizing that travel is not just about teaching, but also learning?

Right. Yes. That. Just trying to figure out how to do that.

yrs--
--Ben

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Bleh. Long post was looong: this is more manageable.

What if the people invited the newcomers to participate in their customs rituals? When the players ask why, the response is along the lines of: "Well, if a Princess of the Guard slays a dragon, then they grow so beautiful that their love cannot help but notice. Sarah, I know you have your eye on Keenan..."

(They don't bother to mention that the given meaning of "beautiful" is "You have a magical aura of confidence" until Sarah complains that she's still fairly plain. Cue Keenan stage right to go "...whoa. Hot chick.")

What do you think of this tack?

--Elliott (l_the_fangirl)

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That said, this idea moves into other games.

I'm thinking about a TSOY-powered game, maybe, where the characters are Princess Guards and are sent out on missions of treasure reclamation, dragonish espionage, and peace-keeping.

yrs--
--Ben

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I would try a DRYH-hack, where instead of going mad because they have to scoop up their friends from the ground, they go into hysterics because they have to go into mud to fight giant-bat bandits. This eventually cultimates in the princesses going grunge and not being let back into the castle because they have dread-locks. The tag-line would be:

"A dragon's might."
"A noble-woman's destiny."
"... Its really dirty out there, though."

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the imperialist fantasy where misguided / ignorant / helpless / oppressed locals are informed / liberated / rescued by an outsider who possesses superior intelligence, technology, courage, and moral character.

Such an excellent and dense analysis!

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benlehman

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