What is Victory?

Dec 17

What is victory in Dungeons and Dragons? For some, it’s when the last monster or villain is felled. Others, it’s the rescue and release of a village captured by slavers. There are even a few who never seem to experience victory. But, what does it mean to a group of adventurers seeking to delve into damp dark dungeons risking life and limb?

For some, the obvious answer is treasure, the comfort of being taken care of for your entire life. Others seek prestige and glory. Wishing to be recognized by all who they encounter. Or could it be something else beyond these classical definitions? Is it something a bit less defined? It’s obvious to most that there is no single answer. This is why at the end of an encounter in D&D some characters and their players come away unsure if it was a win or loss.

In the greatest stories in books, movies and theater have already realized that victory in the best stories often comes with a heavy toll. A great example is in Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back. In the end, we find Luke Skywalker is at death’s door and Ha Solo is frozen in carbonite to be delivered to Jabba the Hutt. But, the Rebels managed to limp on. A victory, but one that had a steep cost.

In our roleplaying games, we find that victory is often more straightforward. With the exception of the most adept Dungeon Masters, most stories that tend to find their selves in this bittersweet victory tend to be by pure chance. I love moral ambiguity, and for me, I strive for this sort of behavior. Sometimes I hit the mark, sometimes I don’t.

A few years ago I ran a game with a focus on the burning of an elven forest. The elves were unable to control a rift that had opened to the Elemental Plane of Fire. This forced them to escape to nearby human settlements. There were two warring political factions arguing about how to handle the massive influx of new people. One half wanted to shelter and aid the fleeing elven population, the other want to force them out. They insisted the massive increase in population wasn’t sustainable and they would all starve into the winter. The player characters were forced to take sides and help one side win over another. What I hadn’t anticipated was the characters splitting into different factions. They all didn’t agree at all about what should be done. A couple joining the faction of taking in the elven refugees and promoting the rise of a noble house for city mayor. Another opted to join those who wanted to keep them out due to resource concerns. Though the person they followed didn’t have a particular love for elves and their tree-hugging ways. Last, two players created their own faction, looking for a middle ground. To say the least, it was crazy.

The political journey, assassination plots, and a variety of other tactics led to an outcome I didn’t expect. The middle ground faction ended up earning the favor of the population for a number of reasons and ended up as mayor. A lot of this was based on die rolls, utilization of backgrounds, and of course roleplay. A small civil war broke out and led to many deaths in the area. In the end, the aggressive survival faction players and their characters walked away feeling like their assassinations and espionage were a failure. The middle ground faction players felt like they just won a glorious victory, and the refugee support player and characters were devastated by the loss of life, but felt that “well, it could be worse”. So, while the players had a variety of different ideas on what victory was in this story, in the end, I see it as a complete victory. The party, while not all on the same side, was able to build new relations, expand their roleplay and develop new skills during this journey.

The idea of victory at a cost isn’t new, but for some reason, when listening to D&D shows or watching others play, I feel it tends to be missing. Often coming down to the bad guy slain, we win. Or, innocents rescued, we win. I believe we as Dungeon Masters and players should strive for a roleplaying game experience where there is space for more interesting outcomes.

What are your thoughts on this situation? Do you have any victory-at-a-cost stories you want to share? Email us at critacademy@gmail.com. When was a time the cost of your character’s victory was bittersweet?

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