Religion in RP

[opusaug]

I've often thought one of the most undervalued tools in the gamer's arsenal of plot devices is religion. Maybe it's the era we live in, or the demographics of our gaming culture, or just the politically correct desire not to offend, but it seems most role-players - when they bother to mention religion at all - don't want to go much further than saying "Joe cleric worships a nondescript deity and carries a nondescript holy symbol". Even when GMs go the extra step and establish a pantheon, and develop the backstory for the mythology of their milieu, it seems the effort goes unappreciated, and very little time is spent engaging in religion-themed banter and religious plotlines.

I've been working with ideas for a home-grown campaign world for some time, and one of the things I'd eventually like to do with my creation is make a special effort in this area - not just for my part as a GM, but in finding and encouraging players willing to engage in a world where religion is front-and-center in the life some of the characters. Since I'm having a little bit of writer's block at the moment, I thought I'd toss this out to the community for discussion: Am I playing with fire, or simply wasting my time, or embarking on a potentially exciting challenge?

opusaug

[Malkavian_Andi]

First of all, I suppose it depends on the game setting. If you're playing a game set in our modern world, and some of your players have very strong religious beliefs (no matter which religion), you may end up offending them. But in a fantasy setting, it's harder to run into that kind of risk. After all, those are made-up religions, so none of your players will be worshippers of those deities in real life. But still, be careful not to create a deity that is (or may be perceived as) a parody of a real-life religion. Again, it all depends on how sensitive your players are about religious matters.

I think, making relgion more than "I worship this god, therefore I can heal you" can become an interesting part of storytelling and helps breathe life into your campaign world. In addition, when you know what worshippers of a certain deity are like, you can use that knowledge to create interesting adventure hooks.
For example, I mostly play Pathfinder and the groups I play in use the Pathfinder pantheon. In that setting, a follower of Pharasma wouldn't need much encouragement to go after an evil necromancer who creates undead (Sure, most non-evil characters should try to stop a necromancer, but a Pharasma worshipper would be first to charge in).

If you want to go a step further, try including signs of displeasure for each deity. That way you can build in subtle hints that things are going wrong in the world around the character. A character who knows a bit about religion should get nervous about such signs and begin investigating.

In general, player characters shouldn't worship differen deities that create two much conflict. While a friendly discussion about specific detail of daily life, based on different religious views, can lead to create roleplaying, plain hatred of the others way of life will not. But there's an easy way to prevent such conflict: Just tell your players not to pick any evil deity for their character. Good and neutral deities mostly play along quite well.

[JohnD]

I use religion in my antagonists.

Usually but not always it is either an in-your-face aspect of the "threat" players must face down, or it is an undercurrent, only noticed when it's too late (if players are somewhat inattentive) or something which conflicts naturally if you have PCs who by the very essence of their being are religious (Cleric, Paladin, Druid, etc...). Sometimes the brigands are just being brigands because they have no other choice, got run off their lands by the Lord when they couldn't pay taxes, etc....

If you have "good players" they should pick up on the significance of religion in the environemnt they are adventuring in.

You can be athiest as a PC... no problem right?

Does your party's Cleric heal you before another PC who observes his faith, or a compatible one?

If you need a curse removed or disease healed, does the local chapel make time for a heathen unbeliever (not just an unbeliever but someone who steadfastly has no belief system at all)... and if they do, what are they going to charge above/beyond the "standard price"?

If you either ignorantly or on purpose offend the locally worshiped deity, and a mad crowd comes after you with pitchforks, do your compatriots help you run away, or do they leave you to your fate (or worse still, do the locals get slaughtered and everyone is now a hunted band of maurading criminal murderers)?

Religion can underpin all of these kinds of situations. A good DM can put it in place, but you are somewhat constrained in how effective it is by how willing your players are to buy in to the setting you place them in.

In one of my games I had two PCs, a Cleric and Paladin, both worshiping Pelor. The Cleric recently was slain and the local clergy (different religion, not opposed in viewpoint) doesn't have the ability to try to raise him (or is simply claiming they don't have the ability... who knows the truth). Does the dead Cleric just drop off the Party Sheet or is something more made from the situation... a lot depends in this case on the Paladin's player... I'm sure these kinds of situations are there more often than we realize in play.

[Honken]

I have to agree with you that religion is something that can help flavor your campaign/game. I have tried using it in nWoD, GURPS (Banestorm) and offcourse any D&D/Pathfinder iteration. Most of my players like myself are non believers, and I have found that some of them take offense too.

I like to think that any power structure, including clergies would have personalities that are there for the power, maybe not for the beliefs.

But weather or not you play with fire, I guess you have to talk to your players and hear them out. That seem to always be a good move.

/H (not very active on this forum).

[Laconiclament]

I would approach this the same way I approach any ideas I have for a campaign I run. That being: It may add a lot more depth, flavor, immersion to the RPG...but chances are the better part of my efforts will go by unnoticed and unappreciated. Unless my efforts directly cross the players' paths (whether by their influence on the game or my own), in which case they may offer a small nod.

The fact that it is plot/story dealing with religion wouldn't make any difference to me. Will my efforts be a good investment, with a better than average chance of paying out/off? Can I/should I focus elsewhere (first)?

Personally, I think people taking offense to elements of fake religions in a RPG is just silly and would not be something I'd tiptoe around. Worst case, let them speak up calmly and with maturity. We're grown, we can work it out as needed...if needed. :)

[JohnD]

I simply create an environment that I would like to adventure in if I were a player.

If a player doesn't like it, that's fine - not everything is going to be a good fit and if the environment is that much of a problem, said player is welcome to go and find another person to DM for them. In this case, it can actually be a case of addition by subtraction.

People forget it is also important for the DM to enjoy him/her self while gaming as well.

[Iceman]

For a TRUE roleplayer Dungeons and Dragons IS their religion!

Actually the last five or six campaigns I have run are all based on the Arthurian Mythos which is centered around Christianity (the search for the Holy Grail and for those REALLY paying attention - the 13 Artifacts of Britannia)

So I represent Christianity in its historical context based upon the year in which we are playing. The growth of Christianity before, during and after the Arthurian years is quite interesting to both myself and my players. I think introducing geopolitical as well as theo-political frameworks into the overall campaign make for a much more interesting game than a simple hack and slash model.

So I say GO FOR IT and if your players dont like it just have a god damn them......
:D

[opusaug]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments. You're doing wonders for my writer's block. :)

But in a fantasy setting, it's harder to run into that kind of risk. After all, those are made-up religions, so none of your players will be worshippers of those deities in real life. But still, be careful not to create a deity that is (or may be perceived as) a parody of a real-life religion. Again, it all depends on how sensitive your players are about religious matters.
Of all the responses, this one was perhaps the most interesting to me. Because in fact it got to the heart of my plan to "engage in a world where religion is front-and-center", but in a way I hadn't considered. Truth is, I want to use elements of the pantheon not as parody, but as an allegory for "real-life religions". My idea - eggheaded as it may be - is that if RP inherits some of its storytelling components from bona fide literature, a literary tool like allegory should be fair game... Assuming the setting is well-executed and the players of a type suited to the notion that something more might be gleaned from an adventure beyond the phat lewt. (Not that I don't love me some Vorpal Sword on occasion...)

Comments? Anyone want to switch their vote over to "playing with fire" now?

BTW: As a Catholic myself, I found the idea that someone would caution me against making fun of my own religion kinda sweet. ;)

[Malkavian_Andi]

Truth is, I want to use elements of the pantheon not as parody, but as an allegory for "real-life religions". My idea - eggheaded as it may be - is that if RP inherits some of its storytelling components from bona fide literature, a literary tool like allegory should be fair game...
It's always a matter of perception. Things can be perceived as offensive by a person who's sensitive about that matter, although it isn't meant to be offensive at all.
I suppose as you are a catholic yourself, you will have a good sense about what is ok and what isn't. And most importantly, players will less likely think someone who is a catholic would make fun of catholicism ;)

And btw, allegory is a much used tool in roleplaying. Just think of the official Pathfinder campaign setting, Golarion. Every nation on that world is an allegory to something from the real world. (In fact, Golarion is Earth, just with a few minor changes.)
So don't be afraid to do as you planned. I once made up a pantheon, too, also including some very silly deities, and none of my players thought I was being offensive.
There will always be parts of a game some players like better and some don't like that much, but the game consists of more than one part, so every player will eventually find some part he likes about your campaign.


Anyone want to switch their vote over to "playing with fire" now?Sure, but then I could vote for "playing with fire" as soon as you're asking if you should run a campaign ;) Being a GM is always playing with fire, no matter what you do.

[Macgreine]

Being a GM is always playing with fire, no matter what you do.

Those are words of truth and wisdom.:)

[JohnD]

As someone who DMs almost exclusively, I say create the environment and situation(s) that you enjoy DMing. I say that because if DMing ever stops being fun, I will stop doing it; I'd imagine most reasonably well adjusted people would be the same.

If a player doesn't like your approach, then your game isn't a fit, and vice versa. Just like if you wanted to do hack/slash and a player wanted a game where RP and politics were 90% of the game.

[Mistindantacles]

I am in the "depends upon the environment" camp.

I have run campaigns in which Religion was a socieital core, and I have run campaigns in which social, government, and religious organizations have been basically toppled, left un-supported, and for all intents and purposes, non-existent.

Both have extremes, and everything inbetween, have their place in good RP. And in good hack-n-slash, as well.

Along with governmental organization, political intrigue, guilds, economics, weather, seasonal changes, and everything else - religion can be a tool to add depth to one's campaign/adventure.