Post-Colonial Design Part One
When I talk about The Twilight Throne as a political intrigue game, one of the first things people assume is that it’s a game of player characters backstabbing each other. “Political intrigue” is synonymous with “player versus player” for a lot of folks.
I understand why this is the case! I correct them and say that The Twilight Throne is a game that is built to embody aspects of post-colonial political intrigue, which is very different from the Western concepts.
I go into some detail in the BETA (coming soon!), but people are often struck by the concept of post-colonial politics and how that can be present in a game. So I’m starting a blog series that takes a look at different ways The Twilight Throne is built on my personal understanding of post-colonial politics. (While also making it fun to play because…I make games to have fun! We can have both post-colonial commentary that pushes against white supremacy while having a good time telling cool stories about fantasy politics!)
In this blog post I’ll focus on two ideas:
Post-Colonial politics Are relationships
Backstabbing PVP isn’t fun
Post-Colonial politics are relationships
In Western media we often see the tale of power is a solitary one: power is taken by the hungry who destroy everyone in their way. Perhaps this makes sense to cultures that prize individuality and personal freedoms/desires over most other things. In the Philippines (and arguably many Asian countries) our social connections are more important than anything else. Family, intimate relationships, social groups, these are the building blocks of society and the social power we wield.
The Philippines was colonized by more than one nation, but of note is the Spanish colonial rule that lasted for more than three centuries. Many Filipino families that were chosen by the Spanish elite, essentially becoming the Filipino elite, were granted some form of power from their colonial masters. Almost every single person in power today, be in commerce or politics, have familial roots that lead back to one of those granted power by the Spanish. This is power that has been cultivated and protected for generations, granted land and resources on a scale that those outside of these power structures can never achieve.
The Twilight Throne reflects this in that the Playbooks are not focused on the characters you play. Instead, the Playbooks are one of seven Houses of power. When a House is chosen, a player chooses from evocative pick lists to create three members of the House. A few essential mechanics, which grant more narrative power, has the PCs connect meaningfully to these family members.
In general, a powerful person who seeks out genuine relationships and nurtures them is one who stays in power. Sure, the Philippine politics still has its share of betrayals, but if it happens too often they’re quietly taken off the board. So to me, backstabbing doesn’t feel natural or helpful. But there’s also the fact that…
Backstabbing PVP isn’t fun in games
At least for me, it isn’t! YMMV of course. I’m also eerily good at games that feature a traitor (especially if I get the unlucky draw of having to betray everyone) and I really just hate the feeling!
This point is a simple one: I have yet to play a TTRPG where backstabbing was encouraged that I enjoyed. If I ever come across one, I’ll change my mind. The best experience I’ve had is Free League’s Alien, where a secret agenda can have you work at odds with the other PCs. This works well because of several factors, but of note is that the cinematic version of the game (which is when I enjoy the game the most) only lasts for 1-2 sessions! Regularly PVP that takes place in a campaign of 4+ sessions sounds exhausting to me.
After playing TTRPGs for many years, I know that I love the collaborative nature of the hobby. I do enjoy when emotional tensions arise and relationships get complicated, and The Twilight Throne naturally has these moments. But prolongedPVP always makes me feel unhappy and uncomfortable.
I do want to take the moment to highlight a game I haven’t had the chance to play, but shifts the paradigm of PVP in a lovely way. The Flower Court by jay dragon has truly mesmerizing mechanics and flow (and is played in a single session and works well remotely!) If you know of any other PVP games that you enjoy, do let me know!
EDIT: I have removed the comments feature from this blog post because a handful of people cannot stop themselves from “educating” me and “defending” the West. I enjoy talking to people but I will not be talked down to in my own space.
