Roll for Diplomacy: Nonviolent Resolutions
Blog post description.
8/29/20262 min read
Give Peace a Chance: Choosing Nonviolent Resolutions
Let’s face it: most roleplaying games are pretty violent. There are a few I’ve seen that specifically specialize in nonviolent roleplaying, but most roleplaying games out there feature combat as a part of their rules, if not a major feature of the game. Considering that Dungeons & Dragons was inspired by wargames, it’s no surprise that its descendants tend towards action and combat. While combat scenes are definitely exciting, not every conflict should be decided by violent action.
I’m not trying to say that action doesn’t have its place in role-playing games, far from it! Some of the biggest moments in my gaming career occurred during a combat scene. After all, it’s hard to slay that dragon terrorizing your favorite village if, you know, you don’t slay it. But sometimes a scene can be just as memorable if your adventuring group attempts to talk it out first.
Debate and Negotiation
Debate, diplomacy, and negotiation can be an exciting part of a roleplaying session! Note that any character or player can contribute to these types of scenes, not just the most charismatic ones. While a charismatic Bard may be the logical choice to spearhead a tense debate between the two warring kingdoms, everyone should get a chance to talk, not just the characters with the highest persuasive skill!
Using the example of the two equally-matched warring kingdoms perched at the brink of conflict. A Fighter or Barbarian can add to the debate by demonstrating the pyrrhic futility of a massive conflict in a protracted conflict, or a pious Paladin could appeal to their better nature by expositing on the sheer loss of life. In this case, I would recommend allowing players to use alternative skills to prove their point, letting each player use their knowledge and experience to add to the scene.
While some players thoroughly enjoy a spirited debate, others may not, and it’s important as a Game Master to give everyone a chance to shine. Giving players a bonus to their roll if they make especially salient points or roleplay their character well is a good start, but even players who don’t like to speak up should be given other opportunities to shine. There can always be events occurring behind the scenes of a tense negotiation they can participate in, too!
Fun and Games with High-Stakes Diplomacy
Personally, I think Savage Worlds gamified diplomacy the best with their Social Conflict rules. While I won’t plagiarize the rules here, the essence is that players have three rounds to make their arguments, and they earn Influence Tokens based on their number of successes. In this system, the antagonists do not roll, which would negate a player’s good roleplaying and/or lucky dice roll. Their total number of Influence Tokens at the end of those three rounds determines how well their debate went.
I think this relatively simple system can be modified for almost any type of game, and the players get to see how well they did based on their number of successes. This makes what would otherwise have the potential to be a long and tedious scene turn into a tense, cinematic debate. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes!
In other news, I just signed up for my events at Gamehole Con in Madison! Already looking forward to the variety of events, and it looks like some of my friends will be at my game. :) There's still a few spots left, so hop in to "The Last Voyage of the Charon" if you're able!
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