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My wife and I had a conversation about death recently. More specifically, we talked about what we wanted to be done with our bodies when we died. A morbid conversation, maybe, but one that got me thinking about the same issue in role playing games.
I’m not a simulationist gamer, but I do like to add little touches and flourishes to my game/game world to make things feel more real. One of these things (if I remember to think bout it) is the set funerary that a given country or culture has in the world. In my campaign world (still a work in progress), one of the cultures greatly revere the dead and hold long processions from the city down to the public mausoleums and graves that the whole city uses. The poorest people may have their procession done only by the public guild assigned to the task, while the richest may have most of the city turn out for their procession.
In Freeport, the pirate setting that I am currently using, ground space is limited, so every dead body is taken to a massive crematorium. Funerals are more like memorial services, as there are too many bodies that need to be incinerated on a daily basis to keep track of the ashes of any given individual.
All of these considerations lead to a lot of flavor for your game world. In addition, there are plot hooks galore that can be gleaned from thinking about the ritualized side of death. From thinking about how a given culture handles death you can extrapolate how they feel about undeath, as well as the types of undead that are likely to be found in a given area. In the part of my campaign world that I described, undead are hated with a passion, necromancers are persecuted, hunted and the graveyards are routinely swept for the walking dead. In Freeport, you might come across fiery versions of your typical undead, or maybe even an ash elemental made from the combined cremains of a group of criminals.
Like any one aspect of a given culture, focusing on how different countries deal with death can be very revealing and can really help you flesh out your game in terms of both content and plot. Next time you’re stuck for ideas, just turn your thoughts lightly to the valley of the shadow of death and see what shambles out towards you.
[tags]rpg, rpgs, role playing games, camaign design, world design[/tags]