LogFAQs > #973320975

Yeah GoT is a strange one, it's very aware of the problems with monarchies and is very critical of the feudal system, but ultimately seems to advocate for minor reforms over anything else. I suspect the books are planned to end in broadly similar strokes to the show, but would probably frame the finale (particularly the amoral all-seeing CCTV king) in a more negative light.

GoT/ASOIAF also has the same issue that's been mentioned with several games- the vast majority of characters whose eyes we see the world through are members of the nobility themselves, so they're naturally viewed in a more sympathetic light by the viewer/reader. The common folk are treated with sympathy too, but from a much greater distance and are largely removed from the main emotional narrative.

BlackMageJawa posted...

Another thought- RPGs tend to be in fantasy worlds where magic and gods are provably real, so outdated concepts like the divine right of kings and 'the king is the land' - that is, that a good ruler has the blessing of a higher power and their kingdom will prosper through divine providence as long as they're on the throne- can actually be true. Democracy doesn't have that kind of mythology attached to it, which puts it at a disadvantage in a mythological setting.

This is a good point, but at the same time these games seem to have no problem dispatching the divine beings themselves. I guess maybe the enemies could be viewed as false gods and the 'true' divine power is with the heroes, but I still find it strange that within such fantastical magical realms filled with creativity, many of these storytellers seem unable to imagine a society removed from the confines of monarchy.