Wizards of the Coast has been in the news frequently over the last few months, thanks to several PR nightmares. (It's possible that WotC sees all press as good press, but the issues have certainly hurt them some financially - most clearly thorough canceled subscriptions.) The first of which, an attempt to change their long-standing open license rules for Dungeons and Dragons, had us wondering what it even means to own a game. The latest debacle has seen them sending the Pinkerton organization after a single gamer and fellow content creator. Could Never Say Dice be next on their list? We may want to tread lightly when mentioning the Wizards, lest we garner their attention! This did get us thinking about how detective agencies, and law enforcement in general, could appear in our tabletop games. How can those concepts be included and should they? - A
A: There are many ways to incorporate detectives or law enforcement into your games. In fact, you’re probably doing it already. Spaceships have security, castles tend to have guards, even evil guys have henchmen looking out for their property and personages. Would it even be a stretch to call these henchfolk "private security?" Even outside the standard expectations of setting and plot, there are other, less obvious ways to include the concept - having the team of PCs, or even a single member of the group, act as hired investigators isn’t unheard of. While players might not consider themselves noir-style detectives, they are often performing investigations, just the same. The noir style isn’t out of the question though, and I’ve seen it done well within games, and there are even fantasy books such as Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files novels based on that very premise. So it would seem that including security, law enforcement, or detectives isn’t too far from what we normally do. Are there other ways to work them in, though?
Unless your group is down to do all the detective work themselves, and if they are, perhaps you should be using a system based around the concept like Gumshoe, you’re going to be leaning on NPCs for the hands-on stuff. Again, you’re probably already doing this with general guards and security, but we can bring this into the detective realm as well. In most campaigns, and even a lot of singleton adventures or short-shots, your players' characters are going to get around. They’re going to garner the kind of attention we’re trying to avoid from WotC and their hired goons. Their names are going to be known by people neutral, good, and evil. While we rarely get to see it, should it really be surprising for a powerful NPC to hire someone to investigate the characters? When will the characters catch on... or even will they? What will the PI do with the information they find out about the characters? What will the players do if they catch on? Adding this side narrative to your game can certainly open up a lot of questions and roleplaying potential.
Speaking of roleplaying, though, your players' characters can’t be everywhere. There are likely other adventuring groups and allies out there, so why couldn't they enlist their own investigative help? Information sources such as this can be very helpful in guiding players and their characters through tougher spots in the plot or when in-game clues have completely flown over their heads. The cost of these sources could even lead to favors that become their own side-quests. If you’re incorporating this as a feature, though, you’ll need to make sure that players don’t become too dependent on it. If the cost is too low, or information too easy to get through outsourcing, why would the players adventure after it on their own?
This becomes a different issue in games and settings where the PCs themselves are chartered with enforcing laws the players know to be wrong, whether or not their characters do, as well. While this can be the source for dark comedy (as with Paranoia), it can also lead to deep, and even painful, moral questions about correct and effective action. This is mostly something seen in narrative-focused games that bring moral quandaries to the forefront - so it's probably a topic we'll explore in more detail in a later post.
A:This does leave us to ponder if these various versions of adding the law to your game should be there at all. Obviously, we’ve already been including them in our games in some ways, even if they are a bit benign. While we've talked a bit about how incorporating law enforcement might change your gameplay, and what to be cautious of in that regard, we haven’t yet talked about players' own experiences with real-life authorities. At this point, everyone should be aware that these interactions aren’t necessarily going to be positive or even neutral. If you become aware of a less than amicable experience a player has had, it may be wise to tone back or remove some of these aspects, or at least check in with them before proceeding if this is going to be an integral part of your gaming sessions. You might change the role authority figures are playing in the story, or how they engage in their enforcement, depending on what the player feels comfortable with. Until next week, enjoy your tables - get out there and break some dice.
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