On The Shoulders Of Dwarves

Since Uri had several GMs ask him how to create a realistic political landscape in a fantasy setting. However, we are not experts in political relations. So we brought in a professional! Haggai Elkayam Shalem - a political psychologist. ## Intro to Politics (02:20) What is politics? ## How to build a realistic political landscape (04:25) Start with conflicting desires and then move to these basics: - Avoid clear “Good” and “Bad” - Refrain from monoliths and break them into sub-sections (what are monoliths? Good question!) - The internal conflict of politics: ideology vs. self-interest - Grant clear psychological aspect to the political players A good mechanic to represent political issues: Fronts (19:00) ## The main themes for a political game (21:30) - Paranoia (not the game!) - The constant tension between ideology and pragmatism. ## What can players do to support this playstyle? (27:05) Players can help by selecting ideologies for their charac