Meaningful games, alignment and morality

 Although the word ‘meaningful’ can mean a lot of things and would differ for anyone you ask, I would like to open this blog with the topic ‘How can I get a meaningful game?’ as I’m looking at the games I DM and I seem to feel a need there to improve. When I DM I usually don’t feel that a game I came up with is meaningful or mattered to anyone, but if I continue this train of thought, I always have to say: ‘every game is community building and a social experience and therefor it is meaningful in some way’.

 

But what I’m aiming at, in my games, is a feeling and giving space for the characters to grow. Allowing growth to a character is quite difficult when you are in a West Marches campaign and there are around 150 players with characters that all change from game to game. I think that’s what makes me long for a game where the character growth is a bit more meaningful and feels more free.

The games that I played in had some growth of my character. At least some freedom to do whatever I felt like and what I felt like was often building my character. In Low Fantasy Gaming I played a Cultist who performed sermons to his goddess, after he had been exiled out of the city to a remote village. We used the village as a base, so I really tried to ‘settle’ there for a time and help the locals out with reading lessons and teachings.

In the 5e official campaigns that I played there was often not enough room for character development and I always felt like my character was just swept away by the adventure.

In the 5e West marches campaign where I am one of the DMs, my first character had some growth thanks to the friends he made in his first games. My acolyte Barbarian befriended paladins and clerics that served other gods, but still shared a bit of his ideal. We did missions together that really bettered the people from the campaign and there was never a question what we should do. We worked from our ideals and by sharing them we grew together. In the end my Barbarian even multiclassed into Paladin because of their friendships.

 

I think what is most important for growth for a character is the ideals and bonds systems you find in 5e, but also in other games. I would do away with alignment myself, in the next campaign I run. Instead, I want the players to write down 5 to 10 beliefs of which at least 2 contradictory believes to another, but that you are still able to believe in the same way.

Examples: ‘I’m hate war and would never want to see war again’ vs ‘I want a revolution to free the people from a mad king.’ The revolution would be bloody and war-like, so these are quite contradictory, but can still be believed in a same way.

Other example: ‘All cultists must be killed and exterminated’ vs ‘I hope we all can live in peace.’ Where the cultists are not taken into account that they could live in peace too, because cultists are notorious for murder and summoning ancient gods.

 

This would give me a morality and ideals to build upon as a DM. Character growth can come easier then. I think I’ll also say that they will serve the same faction and that this faction also has its beliefs and goals. That means there are no people that suddenly go on a killing spree (like I had before) or betray the faction.

 

I really want to organize a campaign that feels meaningful to players ánd DM. Where we all grow and benefit from. I’m currently in a brainstorming phase and these are some early thoughts.