LogFAQs > #973308867

andylt posted...

A random question but it's one I've been thinking about. The plots of RPGs often involve challenging corrupt and unaccountable authority on behalf of the commonfolk- it's become a gag that you wind up killing god, the ultimate authority figure, at the end of so many stories. I'm fond of the genre, but I find that for some reason medieval JRPGs in particular seem beholden to pro-monarchy angles, despite monarchy at its core representing the same inequality and injustice the parties usually wind up fighting against.

Whether it's a secret princess, a young prince learning what it means to lead his country, and/or helping the rightful heir reclaim their throne from an evil usurper, the same beats are hit again and again. Maybe it's simply part of the set dressing of the era, obviously these tropes extends far beyond RPGs and video games as a whole, but does anyone have examples of solid gaming stories that involve monarchies without having a 'good' one to place on the throne and save the day? It doesn't have to be JRPGs but that seems to be the genre that features monarchies most prominently.

It's very uncommon and I think part of it has to be because most RPGs by design emphasize exceptionalism. You usually have a small band of "chosen people" that are the only ones that can affect the fate of the world. Many of them have literal god given divine powers that puts them above 99% of humanity who would be lost and powerless without the benevolence of the player party. Introducing anti-monarchism in an innately pro-exceptionalist world becomes complicated and contradictory unless its fairly low fantasy or it's an intentional deconstruction or something.