Jonah Patel
Dungeons & Dragons campaigns centred on political intrigue can be a fun twist on traditional adventures. They offer a plethora of new roleplaying options, such as backroom deals and secret assassinations, but also present new challenges for GMs due to their open-ended nature. Political campaigns require careful preparation, including defining the type of politics featured, the factions involved, and the world in which the campaign is set. GMs must also ensure that players are central to the story, even if politics take centre stage, and that the game remains enjoyable by providing breaks from the complex political divides and potential player-versus-player conflicts.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of factions | 2 or 3 per city |
| Nature of conflict | Intrigue, cold war, proxy war, open warfare |
| Nature of factions | Mages, commerce, entertainers, etc. |
| Nature of politics | Control, knowledge, money |
| Nature of characters | Complicated motivations and stories |
| Nature of players | Active, central to the story |
| Nature of plot | Simple, slow start, complex plots trickling in gradually |
| Nature of world-building | Real-life events, official D&D factions |
| Nature of sessions | Session zero to discuss politics, occasional breaks from intrigue |
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What You'll Learn
Creating factions and conflict
When creating factions and conflicts for a political campaign in Dungeons & Dragons, it is important to keep in mind the motivations of the people involved. Usually, these motivations revolve around maximising power and ensuring self-preservation. With that in mind, you can start thinking about how these factions go about achieving their goals, and how that brings them into conflict with each other.
For example, in a city with six neighbourhoods, each controlled by a different faction (mages, commerce, entertainers, etc.), there could be a power struggle between two or more of these factions. Perhaps the mages are trying to gain a monopoly on magical knowledge, threatening the balance of power in the city. This could lead to other factions forming alliances or employing underhanded tactics to gain an advantage, such as hiring PCs to steal a powerful artifact from the mages.
Another way to create conflict is to introduce a wrench into the works. For instance, you could have two factions go to war, either openly or through a cold war centred on spycraft and political manoeuvring. Alternatively, you could physically divide a city between two factions, with one faction controlling the territory and borders, while the other's half exists as an island within a hostile environment. This will create natural intrigue and conflict as both factions vie for information and influence.
It is also important to remember that the players should feel central to the story. Even if politics and intrigue are the main focus, there should still be opportunities for more active pursuits, such as finding a lost treasure or hunting monsters. These traditional adventures can have intriguing motives behind them, such as a treasure being contested between two political families, both trying to hire the party to retrieve it.
Additionally, when creating factions and conflicts, it is helpful to take inspiration from official Dungeons & Dragons factions or real-life events. This can provide a good foundation for understanding the complexities of political interactions and the impact of wars on societies.
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Using inspiration
When it comes to creating a political campaign, it is always okay to take inspiration. This can be very helpful when it comes to organisations that have direct involvement in the world's politics. You may create your own factions, but it can also be useful to look at the factions on the official Dungeons & Dragons website and use them in your world.
If your campaign is set during a war, take inspiration from real-life events and their political impact to get ideas for the sorts of things that could happen in your campaign. For example, the conflict between Britain and the Soviet Union over control of Afghanistan was a huge part of the Cold War and the basis for a lot of real-life "James Bond" activity. You can also take inspiration from fantasy worlds, such as the politics in Lord of the Rings, Beowulf, or Conan.
You can also take inspiration from the news, and set up three factions in each city. For example, in one city, the General could head one faction, the Cultist another, and a merchant from another city who has prospered and is a hero to the people could head the third. You can also draw inspiration from your players' backstories and incorporate elements of their personal stories into the political landscape of the campaign.
Additionally, you can use your players as a source of inspiration. Before the campaign, hold a session zero to discuss the kinds of politics to be focused on in the game and what topics should be avoided. This will ensure that everyone is comfortable and having fun. During the campaign, allow your players to be active and shape the world. For example, instead of just finding a lost artifact, the players might discover a treasure that has been contested between two political families, both of whom wish to hire the party to seek it and deliver it to them.
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Character motivations
Firstly, understand the archiving motivations of the NPCs involved. Typically, these revolve around maximising power and protecting themselves. For example, in a city with multiple factions, each faction leader might strive to increase their influence and secure their position, leading to conflicts with other factions. This sets the stage for political intrigue and provides opportunities for the player characters (PCs) to get involved.
When creating NPCs, give them complicated motivations and backgrounds. Perhaps one NPC is driven by a desire for revenge against a rival family, or another is motivated by a vision for radical social reform. These motivations can drive the narrative and create opportunities for PCs to ally with or oppose certain factions.
Keep in mind that the PCs should also have interesting and nuanced motivations. Discuss with your players to understand their characters' goals, ideals, and personal connections to the world. For example, a PC might be driven by a desire to overthrow an oppressive regime or to restore their family's honour. These motivations can guide their decisions and interactions with NPCs, creating a more immersive experience.
Additionally, consider how the PCs' motivations can be challenged or conflicted. For instance, they might find themselves torn between loyalty to a faction and their personal morals, or they may need to choose between pursuing their goals and protecting innocent lives. These dilemmas add depth to the campaign and encourage role-playing.
Finally, remember to keep things manageable. While complex motivations are engaging, avoid making them overly intricate, as this can become confusing. Start with a clear understanding of the core motivations of the key players, and allow the complexities to unfold gradually as the campaign progresses. This will help you and your players stay focused and engaged without becoming overwhelmed.
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Player involvement
It is important to carefully consider the type of politics that will be featured in the campaign. This includes discussing with players what topics they are interested in and what they would find enjoyable. For instance, if the campaign involves a slave revolution, it is essential to ensure that players are comfortable with this sensitive subject matter and that it aligns with their interests.
Additionally, it is crucial to keep in mind the motivations of the people involved, which often revolve around maximizing power and self-preservation. These motivations can drive conflict between factions and draw players into the political intrigue. The DM can also introduce a wrench into the works by creating reasons for factions to go to war or engage in cold war-style spycraft and political maneuvering.
To enhance player involvement, it is recommended to build up the intrigue gradually. This allows players to become familiar with the world and its politics before they start shaping its destiny. Running a prequel campaign or starting the main campaign slowly can help players develop powerful opinions on how the world should be run, making them more invested in the political aspects of the game.
Furthermore, while political intrigue often involves fewer direct threats, it is important to provide players with opportunities for more active engagement. This could include sending assassins to perform dark deeds or having players adventuring together, dealing with inter-party conflict, and opposing each other's goals in non-combative ways. However, it is crucial to ensure that any political player-versus-player (PVP) interactions remain non-violent, as intrigue works well as a forum for social PVP without escalating to attempts on each other's lives.
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Managing complexity
To keep the game engaging, it is also important to ensure that the players feel central to the story. Even if politics is the focus, it is fine to have the players do something more active, such as finding a lost treasure or hunting monsters. You can add intrigue by giving these traditional adventures political motives. For example, instead of simply finding a lost artifact, the players might be tasked with recovering a treasure that has been contested between two political families, each of whom wants to hire the party to seek it and deliver it to them.
It is also important to keep things simple. If you focus too much on making characters have grandiose and complex plots and stories, you will likely get confused and overwhelmed. It is okay to start the campaign off slowly and gradually introduce intrigue. You can do this by giving players a chance to get to know the world before they start shaping its destiny. If possible, run a prequel campaign to get the players invested in your world and its politics.
Finally, remember that dealing with complex political divides can be tiring for players. To prevent burnout, it is important to give them breaks by planning sessions that deal with more straightforward problems. These pauses in the intrigue should be tailored to each group but should always give players a chance to recharge.
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Frequently asked questions
Political intrigue in a D&D campaign can be created by setting up multiple factions with conflicting interests and motivations. For example, you could have two rival cities with different political ideologies, or three factions in each city, each headed by a powerful figure. These factions can be inspired by real-life political events and organisations, such as the Cold War or the factions on the official Dungeons & Dragons website.
It's important to remember that the players must feel central to the story, even if politics and intrigue are the focus. This can be achieved by giving them active roles, such as finding a lost treasure or hunting monsters, with intriguing motives behind them. For example, instead of just finding a lost artifact, the players might be hired by two political families to seek a treasure that has been contested between them.
It's important to give players a chance to get to know the world and its politics before throwing them into complex political divides. This can be done through a prequel campaign or by slowly introducing political elements into the main campaign. Additionally, it's crucial to provide breaks from political intrigue with sessions that focus on more straightforward problems or action sequences to give players a chance to recharge.
