being an anarchist in eberron [Archive] - Wizards Community

being an anarchist in eberron [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
thought_riot
07-29-05, 02:27 PM I have not played Eberron yet but we are going to start an Eberron campaign in August, with me DMing. One of my players wants to be an anarchist. Is this a plausible idea in the world of Eberron?
DragonWatcher
07-29-05, 03:06 PM Two things here:

1. Yes it's possible to be an anarchist anywhere that there is an established seat of power. How an anarchist would be treated wholly depends on the kingdom where he is espousing his ideals. In Karnath, I could see him being summarily executed without a trial, while in Breland he would likely be banished or imprisoned unless he behaved violently.

2. Why in the 12 moons would you even consider letting anyone play such a character??? While it might be fun for the one player, I can see this quickly becomming a terrible distraction from the rest of the players and your stories in general. Such a character would be constantly endangering anyone that associated with him (removing most of the motivation for team play in a party) and unless the entire party were anarchists I wouldn't imagine that anyone would be willing to travel with him for long. Also, what kind of effect will such a character have on the stories that you are trying to tell. Unless you are running a campaign based around unseating one of the kings, or bringing down the power structure in a kingdom he will have to FORCE his agenda into your stories, likely ruining the experience for everyone in the process.

This is one of those cases where I have to say that just because it can be done, doesn't mean that it should be done. I would explain to the player that the concept might fit into the setting, but not in the form of a player character, who I expect to be heroic, or at least fit in with the rest of the group. That's just me, however, and if you want to let him play this type of character, good luck to you. :)
Streamweaver
07-29-05, 03:07 PM I have not played Eberron yet but we are going to start an Eberron campaign in August, with me DMing. One of my players wants to be an anarchist. Is this a plausible idea in the world of Eberron?

People are anarchists now, I'm not sure what about it would seem not plausible in Eberron. An anarchist could be from anywhere really but there are several regions in Eberron particularly suited for that mindset. Eldeen Reaches, Talentia Plains, Shadow Marches or any of the monsterous kingdoms, even the Lhazzaar Principalities. There are others, they can come pretty much from anywhere.
thought_riot
07-29-05, 03:21 PM People are anarchists now, I'm not sure what about it would seem not plausible in Eberron. An anarchist could be from anywhere really but there are several regions in Eberron particularly suited for that mindset. Eldeen Reaches, Talentia Plains, Shadow Marches or any of the monsterous kingdoms, even the Lhazzaar Principalities. There are others, they can come pretty much from anywhere.

I know it's possible to be an anarchist anywhere, I was just wondering what effect this would have in Eberron, and if it would be suitable for a PC party, and I'm leaning towards no
DragonWatcher
07-29-05, 03:50 PM I know it's possible to be an anarchist anywhere, I was just wondering what effect this would have in Eberron, and if it would be suitable for a PC party, and I'm leaning towards no

IMO, the only way that being an anarchist would be acceptable in Eberron is if two things were both true:

1. You want to run a story centered around overthrowing one of the governments (or some other powerful establishment).

2. The entire party shared that goal.

If either of these are not true, then I wouldn't recommend it.
TheShark(tm)
07-29-05, 03:56 PM I'd be more worried about your Anarchist fitting in with the rest of the group than fitting in with the world itself.

My advice, give the person whose idea it was the book and have them read it. Push the burden of making the character fit onto them.

Also, make dang sure that the rest of your players both know about it and prepare for it. A little party tension is a GREAT thing, but having diametrically opposed characters who want nothing more than to kill each other can bog down even the best game. :gah:
makeshiftwings
07-29-05, 04:17 PM Anarchy as a political ideology is sort of a modern concept; I don't think it fits in that well in a world that hasn't yet had capitalism, corrupt democracies, or failed marxism. Is this guy an actual anarchist/student of politics in real life, or is he just envisioning the "blow up governments" style of play? I would think most political activists in Eberron would still be in the age of fighting for free trade and democracy, since it's too early in their history to see that it could end up horribly corrupt. Unless they've got some powerful divination spells, I guess.

But depending on your concept of anarchy, it's arguable that the communal groups in the Eldeen reaches ARE anarcho-primitivists. Though the idea of anarchy and primitivism sort of loses its political thrust when you're already living in a world that's pretty primitive and hasn't been overwhelmingly taken over by a corporate state. Jorasco and Cannith are pretty capitalist and all, but they don't have anything on Phillip Morris and GM.
Charles Phipps
07-29-05, 04:33 PM Eberron is an exception I believe. I believe anarchists might actually be possible to be understanding the concept of a 'return to medievalism' style rule with the large corporations and more removed kingship being major incidents in corruption in the world of Eberron.

A modern anarchist philosophy in Eberron might advocate the destruction of the pan-kingdom institutions of the Guilds and the existing 12 nations. Instead, this anarchist would desire independent townships and farmsteads.
thought_riot
07-29-05, 04:55 PM Anarchy as a political ideology is sort of a modern concept; I don't think it fits in that well in a world that hasn't yet had capitalism, corrupt democracies, or failed marxism. Is this guy an actual anarchist/student of politics in real life, or is he just envisioning the "blow up governments" style of play? I would think most political activists in Eberron would still be in the age of fighting for free trade and democracy, since it's too early in their history to see that it could end up horribly corrupt. Unless they've got some powerful divination spells, I guess.

But depending on your concept of anarchy, it's arguable that the communal groups in the Eldeen reaches ARE anarcho-primitivists. Though the idea of anarchy and primitivism sort of loses its political thrust when you're already living in a world that's pretty primitive and hasn't been overwhelmingly taken over by a corporate state. Jorasco and Cannith are pretty capitalist and all, but they don't have anything on Phillip Morris and GM.

In real life, he does advocate anarchism, anarcho-syndicalism to be more specific.

Thanks for the input everyone!
a_psh
07-29-05, 08:48 PM I'd take a look at the Swords of Liberty if you have Five Nations. They're fanatics fighting for democracy, but there is a similar thread of violence and radicalism there (if we're talking about a politically inactive anarchist, then there are really few problems:.Eberron has plenty of independent-minded folk who largely disregard rules, especially among adventurers... then it's basically down to an alignment issue).

If the character just wants to antagonize everyone in any position of power, he's probably screwed. However, there is a certain beauty to playing a slightly more discerning kind of anarchist in Eberron: there are a lot of manipulators, tricksters, and conspirators behind the scenes, ruling the world from the shadows and usurping free will. The Aurum, the Chamber, the Lords of Dust, the Inspired, the Cabinet of Faces, the Trust, criminal guilds, the Royal Eyes, the Citadel, ancient psionic vampires, and countless others all exert a lot of influence and can be honestly said to cause a lot of harm. An anarchist who realises that open conflict and blind resistance is futile when there is really a much, much greater puppetmaster hidden behind the throne could probably be made into a very interesting and relatively problem-free character. Sure, he has to watch his step and be amazingly cunning and tricky, but such a character can nicely fit into a typical party and add his own dimension of intrigue and struggle to the game at the same time.

I'm kind of imagining a slightly more patient capital-A Anarchist (from Planescape) here: someone who knows that's everything is unjust, unreasonable, and a terrible sham that only perpetuates itself while putting everyone down, but isn't dumb enough to go out and try to solve his problems in the street with a sword (though the Planescape Anarchists often are). A master infiltrator and deciever, someone who worms his way into various clandestine power groups and tries to bring them down, or at least keeps his eyes peeled for their activities and tries to foil them at every turn.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
thought_riot 07-29-05, 02:27 PM	I have not played Eberron yet but we are going to start an Eberron campaign in August, with me DMing. One of my players wants to be an anarchist. Is this a plausible idea in the world of Eberron?
DragonWatcher 07-29-05, 03:06 PM	Two things here: 1. Yes it's possible to be an anarchist anywhere that there is an established seat of power. How an anarchist would be treated wholly depends on the kingdom where he is espousing his ideals. In Karnath, I could see him being summarily executed without a trial, while in Breland he would likely be banished or imprisoned unless he behaved violently. 2. Why in the 12 moons would you even consider letting anyone play such a character??? While it might be fun for the one player, I can see this quickly becomming a terrible distraction from the rest of the players and your stories in general. Such a character would be constantly endangering anyone that associated with him (removing most of the motivation for team play in a party) and unless the entire party were anarchists I wouldn't imagine that anyone would be willing to travel with him for long. Also, what kind of effect will such a character have on the stories that you are trying to tell. Unless you are running a campaign based around unseating one of the kings, or bringing down the power structure in a kingdom he will have to FORCE his agenda into your stories, likely ruining the experience for everyone in the process. This is one of those cases where I have to say that just because it can be done, doesn't mean that it should be done. I would explain to the player that the concept might fit into the setting, but not in the form of a player character, who I expect to be heroic, or at least fit in with the rest of the group. That's just me, however, and if you want to let him play this type of character, good luck to you. :)
Streamweaver 07-29-05, 03:07 PM	I have not played Eberron yet but we are going to start an Eberron campaign in August, with me DMing. One of my players wants to be an anarchist. Is this a plausible idea in the world of Eberron? People are anarchists now, I'm not sure what about it would seem not plausible in Eberron. An anarchist could be from anywhere really but there are several regions in Eberron particularly suited for that mindset. Eldeen Reaches, Talentia Plains, Shadow Marches or any of the monsterous kingdoms, even the Lhazzaar Principalities. There are others, they can come pretty much from anywhere.
thought_riot 07-29-05, 03:21 PM	People are anarchists now, I'm not sure what about it would seem not plausible in Eberron. An anarchist could be from anywhere really but there are several regions in Eberron particularly suited for that mindset. Eldeen Reaches, Talentia Plains, Shadow Marches or any of the monsterous kingdoms, even the Lhazzaar Principalities. There are others, they can come pretty much from anywhere. I know it's possible to be an anarchist anywhere, I was just wondering what effect this would have in Eberron, and if it would be suitable for a PC party, and I'm leaning towards no
DragonWatcher 07-29-05, 03:50 PM	I know it's possible to be an anarchist anywhere, I was just wondering what effect this would have in Eberron, and if it would be suitable for a PC party, and I'm leaning towards no IMO, the only way that being an anarchist would be acceptable in Eberron is if two things were both true: 1. You want to run a story centered around overthrowing one of the governments (or some other powerful establishment). 2. The entire party shared that goal. If either of these are not true, then I wouldn't recommend it.
TheShark(tm) 07-29-05, 03:56 PM	I'd be more worried about your Anarchist fitting in with the rest of the group than fitting in with the world itself. My advice, give the person whose idea it was the book and have them read it. Push the burden of making the character fit onto them. Also, make dang sure that the rest of your players both know about it and prepare for it. A little party tension is a GREAT thing, but having diametrically opposed characters who want nothing more than to kill each other can bog down even the best game. :gah:
makeshiftwings 07-29-05, 04:17 PM	Anarchy as a political ideology is sort of a modern concept; I don't think it fits in that well in a world that hasn't yet had capitalism, corrupt democracies, or failed marxism. Is this guy an actual anarchist/student of politics in real life, or is he just envisioning the "blow up governments" style of play? I would think most political activists in Eberron would still be in the age of fighting for free trade and democracy, since it's too early in their history to see that it could end up horribly corrupt. Unless they've got some powerful divination spells, I guess. But depending on your concept of anarchy, it's arguable that the communal groups in the Eldeen reaches ARE anarcho-primitivists. Though the idea of anarchy and primitivism sort of loses its political thrust when you're already living in a world that's pretty primitive and hasn't been overwhelmingly taken over by a corporate state. Jorasco and Cannith are pretty capitalist and all, but they don't have anything on Phillip Morris and GM.
Charles Phipps 07-29-05, 04:33 PM	Eberron is an exception I believe. I believe anarchists might actually be possible to be understanding the concept of a 'return to medievalism' style rule with the large corporations and more removed kingship being major incidents in corruption in the world of Eberron. A modern anarchist philosophy in Eberron might advocate the destruction of the pan-kingdom institutions of the Guilds and the existing 12 nations. Instead, this anarchist would desire independent townships and farmsteads.
thought_riot 07-29-05, 04:55 PM	Anarchy as a political ideology is sort of a modern concept; I don't think it fits in that well in a world that hasn't yet had capitalism, corrupt democracies, or failed marxism. Is this guy an actual anarchist/student of politics in real life, or is he just envisioning the "blow up governments" style of play? I would think most political activists in Eberron would still be in the age of fighting for free trade and democracy, since it's too early in their history to see that it could end up horribly corrupt. Unless they've got some powerful divination spells, I guess. But depending on your concept of anarchy, it's arguable that the communal groups in the Eldeen reaches ARE anarcho-primitivists. Though the idea of anarchy and primitivism sort of loses its political thrust when you're already living in a world that's pretty primitive and hasn't been overwhelmingly taken over by a corporate state. Jorasco and Cannith are pretty capitalist and all, but they don't have anything on Phillip Morris and GM. In real life, he does advocate anarchism, anarcho-syndicalism to be more specific. Thanks for the input everyone!
a_psh 07-29-05, 08:48 PM	I'd take a look at the Swords of Liberty if you have Five Nations. They're fanatics fighting for democracy, but there is a similar thread of violence and radicalism there (if we're talking about a politically inactive anarchist, then there are really few problems:.Eberron has plenty of independent-minded folk who largely disregard rules, especially among adventurers... then it's basically down to an alignment issue). If the character just wants to antagonize everyone in any position of power, he's probably screwed. However, there is a certain beauty to playing a slightly more discerning kind of anarchist in Eberron: there are a lot of manipulators, tricksters, and conspirators behind the scenes, ruling the world from the shadows and usurping free will. The Aurum, the Chamber, the Lords of Dust, the Inspired, the Cabinet of Faces, the Trust, criminal guilds, the Royal Eyes, the Citadel, ancient psionic vampires, and countless others all exert a lot of influence and can be honestly said to cause a lot of harm. An anarchist who realises that open conflict and blind resistance is futile when there is really a much, much greater puppetmaster hidden behind the throne could probably be made into a very interesting and relatively problem-free character. Sure, he has to watch his step and be amazingly cunning and tricky, but such a character can nicely fit into a typical party and add his own dimension of intrigue and struggle to the game at the same time. I'm kind of imagining a slightly more patient capital-A Anarchist (from Planescape) here: someone who knows that's everything is unjust, unreasonable, and a terrible sham that only perpetuates itself while putting everyone down, but isn't dumb enough to go out and try to solve his problems in the street with a sword (though the Planescape Anarchists often are). A master infiltrator and deciever, someone who worms his way into various clandestine power groups and tries to bring them down, or at least keeps his eyes peeled for their activities and tries to foil them at every turn.