tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post2287295639766879496..comments2024-03-29T07:35:51.362+00:00Comments on Fabled Lands: Laugh? My head fell offDave Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-88129151097324267822014-11-28T18:15:07.386+00:002014-11-28T18:15:07.386+00:00The interesting thing about revolutions is that th...The interesting thing about revolutions is that they kick up the chaotic elements of historical development to maximum. So you start off wanting fairer taxation, go through mass killings, get a military dictator, and then foreign powers occupy your country and reinstate the monarchy. In Russia today, 150 individuals control 35% of the wealth - and that's barely 100 years after a revolution that was supposed to redress the balance of the very unequal society that existed before that. So the PCs might well start something that they can't control. That is lots of fun in a role-playing campaign, mind you - who wants a predictable life?Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-22431623593164349682014-11-28T18:10:07.032+00:002014-11-28T18:10:07.032+00:00I think that's what Anon was saying, Asen :-)I think that's what Anon was saying, Asen :-)Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-38812863349738285962014-11-26T23:39:48.341+00:002014-11-26T23:39:48.341+00:00Hmm, this has me envisaging a cross between Papers...Hmm, this has me envisaging a cross between Papers Please and the oversensitive AI in the Hitman series where the smallest thing could result in your character's downfall.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-41817848828214201272014-11-25T01:23:56.257+00:002014-11-25T01:23:56.257+00:00No, revolutions can be successful and have been, b...No, revolutions can be successful and have been, but they've got a terrible success rate...<br />Still, gather foreign support and assassinate the leader. That's what PCs are best at, anyway. And prevent radicalisation, in order to avoid "inviting" the likes of ISIL, which is something PCs aren't often that good at doing.<br />Then we add possible consequences that wouldn't be possible in our world, on account of lacking fantasy elements. But Coils of Hate shows how to do it right, you just have to apply it for an RPG!AsenRGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17548696815567190696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-29791674990667061572014-11-25T01:10:58.364+00:002014-11-25T01:10:58.364+00:00Seriously, it's the other way around. Minoriti...Seriously, it's the other way around. Minorities can oppose majorities more easily now because AK-47/74 don't allow for massed troops anyway.AsenRGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17548696815567190696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-73555867355646874022014-11-12T12:32:30.885+00:002014-11-12T12:32:30.885+00:00It must be a lot easier for a minority to oppress ...It must be a lot easier for a minority to oppress a majority because of modern weapons. The Roman legionaries only had swords. If they had guns, probably they wouldn't have needed to hearts-and-minds the locals with Roman law, sanitation, etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-87770089929838072912014-11-12T12:04:55.057+00:002014-11-12T12:04:55.057+00:00I'm not rushing to dial my Tardis back to thos...I'm not rushing to dial my Tardis back to those periods, Alistair - though probably more for the lack of hygiene and medicine than anything else. Certainly there was ideologically-fuelled persecution (eg iconodulism in the Byzantine empire) and of course there was the post-Akhenaten purge, but worse than North Korea is saying a lot. That's the real Hunger Games, and one teenaged girl with a bow and arrow isn't going to fix it.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-77566045410952347242014-11-12T11:14:34.718+00:002014-11-12T11:14:34.718+00:00You may underrate ideology in ancient times. The g...You may underrate ideology in ancient times. The god-kings of Egypt and Mesopotamia had state ideologies which were (from time to time) as severe as North Korea's. Romanitas had its dark sides, tooAlistairnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-10051025446671121712014-11-12T00:13:53.066+00:002014-11-12T00:13:53.066+00:00While we're on the subject, I should mention M...While we're on the subject, I should mention Mark Smith's gamebook Coils of Hate. Some people complained to the publisher because the book dealt with antisemitism, which is as good an illustration of the barminess of ideology as anything in Orwell.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-70856968182143343612014-11-11T23:43:15.222+00:002014-11-11T23:43:15.222+00:00It's a bit nastier than a bit of red tape! But...It's a bit nastier than a bit of red tape! But yes, there was plenty of brutality in ancient & medieval times. Not so much from ideologies, perhaps... I was going to say that polytheistic societies don't tend to dehumanize their opponents quite so much, but look at the Mongols. A full month raping & slaughtering every man, woman and child in Baghdad. Of course, in a case like that you don't get as far as wondering how to live in such a society, as it's out to exterminate you.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-31201873103031571732014-11-11T21:12:10.516+00:002014-11-11T21:12:10.516+00:00That game is a good pick - one that I have not yet...That game is a good pick - one that I have not yet tried but keep hearing good things about... or, given the theme, should that be "keep hearing bad things about but in a good way"?<br /><br />Presumably red tape is easier to write and consume when set within a post-industrial frame, but can it be just as successful in an ancient historical setting? Jiminyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03928886405446170395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-78630046032300500212014-11-11T20:45:26.438+00:002014-11-11T20:45:26.438+00:00If you're looking for a good dystopian videoga...If you're looking for a good dystopian videogame with some real moral choices, try Lucas Pope's Papers, Please:<br /><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papers,_PleaseDave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-77293332894186901552014-11-11T20:40:20.861+00:002014-11-11T20:40:20.861+00:00What we need is more bureacracy. Life is dull with...What we need is more bureacracy. Life is dull without red tape.<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureaucracy_%28video_game%29Jiminyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03928886405446170395noreply@blogger.com