The town of Requiem and the settlements of the Fold are said to be “balanced on the edge of a razor” (there’s a reason we have one in our logo). We’ve talked before about the Families of Requiem and the Treaty of the Fold, but the setting we design only matters if the players know how to engage with it. Requiem offers a distinct perspective on politics and powers, with a tremendous gulf between what is said and what is done. When playing in Requiem, remember that the setting favors “Realpolitik” versus the “Rule of Law.”
Forget the Rule of Law
Some people stop at stop signs when no one is looking. They don’t rip tags off of the mattresses. They follow the law. Further, when we’re playing a game with rules, we expect people to follow them - when you’re playing Dystopia Rising, we trust you to spend mind when you use a skill and rip up the item card when you drink a brew. However, when it comes to setting… the rule of law breaks down. Just as in the real world, the powerful people of Requiem say one thing and do another. This is because the people of Requiem… particularly the powerful… are corrupt.
There’s a difference between our local mechanics (which are rules the players must follow) and the local setting documents, such as the Treaty of the Fold (which our NPCs… and Leading Characters… sometimes ignore). So while you still have to follow the game rules, you can kind of forget about the rule of law in Requiem: it’s more “what can I get away with?”
Realpolitik
Instead of the Rule of Law, realpolitik is the norm in Requiem. Realpolitick emphasizes amoral pragmatism over principles or ideals - think Machiavelli. What matters in Requiem isn’t so much the “law,” it’s the people who enforce it. And while they say their rules are absolute, the truth is much less clear-cut.
The best example of this is Anton Anastasia, the High Lord Executioner. Tom, who plays him, does an excellent job of presenting someone confident of his absolute power. However, as you interact with the NPC, you realize that he’s balancing his relationship with the family heads, and needs to make a number of deals and concessions to maintain his position. For example, the Treaty of the Fold changes over time - and those changes aren’t always announced. If you and your character remember there being different rules in regards to Honor’s Fall, you’re not wrong: they were changed as part of a back-room deal.
So What?
So what does this mean if you’re a Requiem player? It means that in-character institutions such as the Treaty of the Fold or the office of the High Lord Executioner are not absolute - they change over time, and respond to the pressure your characters put on them. If you want things to change, you can interact directly with the NPCs - Anton, the family heads - and other players to make things happen. What’s important is leverage - what can you do to pressure these NPCs to get them to do what you want.
This month at Requiem, you’ll begin to see some consequences of player characters applying this leverage. Anton has made some questionable decisions in the past year, and people have noticed. Don’t like the current political system in Requiem? The next few months will give you the power to change it. Just be careful what you wish for.