Given my own research interests, and related pursuits these past months, I've had some questions, percolating slowly, about IG religion. My questions are mostly from a narrative, storyteller perspective, but I'd be interested to hear from players as well.
I'm interested in religion for a variety of reasons. Firstly, a well-crafted, IG religion can make a world feel richer. Moreover, it's a good way to get players invested in a game in a purposeful way. However, it certainly has its problems. There are all sorts of taboos surrounding religions, IG or otherwise, that can make fictitious faith hard to implement, even in a fantasy setting. Also, in a fantasy setting, it can be really hard to avoid longstanding fantasy-faith cliches. So, some questions...
Firstly, as a staff member/world developer, how do you create a fictional religion? What sort of components do you make sure you include (and why)? What sort of rituals, documents, and/or relics do you make available to the gameworld?
Secondly, as a staffer, how do you implement religions into your gameworld? How do you interact with players to make a faith seem meaningful and "real"? How do you allow players to participate in a fantasy religion structure?
Finally, for players, how do you interact with IG religions? What meaning do they have for your PC? Do you enjoy them? Avoid them? How do you choose what faith to play?
(Also, I've been a bit slow to respond/update this lately, but I wanted to thank readers for their responses to the costuming. Everyone had great advice/ideas for developing wardrobes/makeup.)
I'm interested in religion for a variety of reasons. Firstly, a well-crafted, IG religion can make a world feel richer. Moreover, it's a good way to get players invested in a game in a purposeful way. However, it certainly has its problems. There are all sorts of taboos surrounding religions, IG or otherwise, that can make fictitious faith hard to implement, even in a fantasy setting. Also, in a fantasy setting, it can be really hard to avoid longstanding fantasy-faith cliches. So, some questions...
Firstly, as a staff member/world developer, how do you create a fictional religion? What sort of components do you make sure you include (and why)? What sort of rituals, documents, and/or relics do you make available to the gameworld?
Secondly, as a staffer, how do you implement religions into your gameworld? How do you interact with players to make a faith seem meaningful and "real"? How do you allow players to participate in a fantasy religion structure?
Finally, for players, how do you interact with IG religions? What meaning do they have for your PC? Do you enjoy them? Avoid them? How do you choose what faith to play?
(Also, I've been a bit slow to respond/update this lately, but I wanted to thank readers for their responses to the costuming. Everyone had great advice/ideas for developing wardrobes/makeup.)
As a player, I've frequently seen issues when game designers forget that religion means culture, not just metaphysics.
ReplyDeleteAt character creation, I want to know what life is like as a worshipper of the different religions--not just that I can worship Burny the Fire God or Leafy the Tree God. Are Burny-worshippers exuberant mystics, intense penitents, or airy theologians? Are most Leafy-worshippers born into the faith, or converted after realizing that trees are really great? (And don't handwave with "it depends").
I'm particularly frustrated when game designers try and pull a mid-game "reveal" of the metaphysics that contradicts the old religions. Typically, my PC has believed something from birth, and every trustworthy person he knows believes the same things. His religion is a culture that is deeply ingrained. He's not going to change his mind just because a powerful NPC says "here's the *real* way the world works," even if accompanied by a flashy demonstration.
"I've frequently seen issues when game designers forget that religion means culture, not just metaphysics."
DeleteYes this.
This is actually one of my larger problems with world design in general. As a player, I hate coming into game, saying "I'm a life-long resident of Country X," and then, when a big NPC comes in, I can't tell them the major export of that country, or even give them a rough idea of current politics. Lack of in-depth world information, I feel, isolates new players. (It's also why I think so many players initially use the concept, "I'm from the backwoods of the most backwoodsiest.") For that reason, I really appreciate when staff, and other players, turn a blind-eye to players figuring out IG religions. In a game where religion is essential to plot, it takes a while to find a faith that is a) fun, and b) appropriate to your character. Two of my best friends and I started Madrigal together, or roughly around the same time-- all three of us have had wild jumps in the Madrigal religions. All three of us have settled on an IG religion that works really well for our original character concepts, but it's taken some exploration (if only to find out, "Oh! So that's what Aradachians actually do.") Staff, and key players associated with various religions, have been very cool about our leaps of faith, so to speak.
When I write plot, I tend to provide *way too much information.* (I think this is especially important in regards to short-run games.) It's not because I expect potential players to memorize it-- instead, I hope that potential, say, A'Kadrans in Invictus will have tons of material form which to make interesting characters. I think my small novels masquerading as write-ups can be a little off-putting, but I assume there are probably other players, like me, who really want to know the nitty-gritty.
Well said, Jason! In a fantasy game where the PCs are likely to be butting heads and mucking around with the fabric of reality (as they so often tend to), I imagine it's very easy for the people writing the IG religions to focus heavily on the cosmology and metaphysics of the world... or in other words, not the actual "religion" at all (if we think of a religion as an institution of worshipers with a shared belief system).
DeleteNot apropos of anything, but felt I should share. Many years ago, my father developed his own fantasy religion (it’s the sort of thing that he does in order to pass the time). When I got him to attend The Isles as a PC, he realized that the campaign basically allowed people to make up their own religions, and he had one ready to go. He played as a follower of that religion and had fun. It wasn’t a big part of his character, but it was interesting background.
ReplyDeleteWhen Isles 2 was announced, he decided to be a member of that religion again, only this time it was going to be a big deal to him (think Order of the Stick’s Durkon with a bow instead of a hammer). This led to a conversation with me that went kinda like this:
Dad: I am having trouble squaring my religion’s attitudes towards violence and weaponry with playing a more combat active character.
Me: Dad, it’s your religion! You made it up. You have complete control over all aspects of it. Just change a few bits around so you can stab people.
Dad: Religion doesn’t work that way.
My problem with in-game religions (and maybe it isn't really a problem at all) is that there is no actual faith, role-played or otherwise, when dealing with in game religions. When I play my PC at Madrigal, I cast spells granted to me by my deity, I watch my deity directly interact with the world around me, I've even spoken to saints and angels of my deity. That's not faith, that's just fact. It's not hard to believe in something that pokes you in the chest and says "I'm right here, dummy". I love playing a character who follows the gods of the realm because if I had that kind of direct divine intervention I would too.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the community aspect of religion goes, I don't think it needs to be stressed quite so much in a LARP setting. The characters of LARP are special people with special goals and special organizations. They can be part of big teams with big goals, they don't need church suppers and bingo night. They don't need the church to provide community for them, they have community in the other characters and the subgroups therein. If you are writing plot for a specific religion, that's one thing (and those interested will for a community around that plot) but I don't think trying to create community around the religion is very important. If the players want to interact on that level, they will anyway.
That's my naive inexperienced view at least!
I agree that games often have their players be "too close" to the divine, with the ability to directly contact gods or saints, etc. My problem isn't that it makes the existence of deities obvious, though. "Faith that deities exist" is only one possible theme for a religious character to explore, and it's not the one I'm personally interested in. My problem is that it often robs players of the need to interpret a deities wishes and intentions for themselves, because it becomes possible to seek clarification. If two members of the same religion can't have an intense disagreement about how to interpret and apply their religion's teachings, because one of them spoke with their deity last week, then you have a problem.
DeleteI don't think the point of stressing religion in games is to form communities (although having players be part of multiple independent allegiances - team, nation, religion - is very helpful in terms of fostering varied interaction) . What I want out of religion in games is the opportunity to play someone who's mindset is very different from my own. And to do that I need some information in place - I need to know not just the metaphysics of the religion but its values and culture, and that culture needs to be different enough from our own that it's worth exploring.
When a setting has interesting religions, I like to play religious characters, whether they're actual priests or just devout. I find plot for religious characters often gets into the cosmology of a setting, which can be very interesting, but I like it best when there's a lot of cultural development, too. Things like daily rituals, prayers, holidays, ways in which the community interacts. For example, if a traveling member of a religion came to town, would other members be sure to offer hospitality? That kind of stuff makes good fodder for roleplaying.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I really dislike is when the religion is a thinly-veiled version of Christianity (often, it's specifically Catholicism) with a coat of fantasy paint on top, and it's used as a source of generic bad guys- corrupt clerics, or bigoted zealots. It's overused and uninteresting. I avoid those as much as I can.
zoe's questions, in order...
ReplyDelete1. How do you create a religion - what components/documents/rituals/relics/etc?
Game religions, like other factions, should have at least one
-visual means of recognizing them - ie colors, symbol, weapon style
-if this is a group that PCs can join, they should have access to some historical documents or cool looking prop which gives them a sense of identity.
-social customs - like a certain kind of bow, greeting, holiday, etc.
As you can tell, I think larp experience starts with the body
2. How do you make a religion seem real?
It always bugs me out when religions know they're evil. Even the mua-ha-ha evil characters should have have sound reasoning explaining why their heinous acts are justified. Think about the sith - they're not evil for evil's sake, they just have this crazy philosophy that explains the world in a different way.
That being said, you can actually undermine cool dramatic conflict by humanizing the antagonists too much.
If you have to deliver the sense or a religion, fast, a pinch of association is worth a pound of exposition. You only need a few recognizable associations. For example, a few egyptian icons (eye of horus, hieroglyphs, animal headed people) buys you the feel of the whole culture.
3. How do I interact with religions?
At Madrigal, I play a member of the laity. My concept is that my character goes to church but isn't personally very religious. I do enjoy how religion is handled in that game, but I prefer exploring the setting from a very pedestrian everyman point of view. When something like an angel shows up, I'm more like "HOLY CRAP" than "SUP BRO".
It's escapism from playing an addled cultist in real life.