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Corruption of Champions II
CoC2 Questions & Answers
The Power Fantasy Problem
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<blockquote data-quote="TheShepard256" data-source="post: 347735" data-attributes="member: 31181"><p>I agree that "save the world" doesn't inherently include a power fantasy (CoC2 is proof of that), but I still think it easily lends itself to power fantasies (particularly in RPGs) because a lot of people (especially those who don't understand the nuances of conflict and resolving conflicts) would follow this chain of logic:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The villain(s) of a "save the world" scenario have enough power enough to threaten the world.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">In order to beat said force, the hero(es) must have even more power.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Because the hero(es) have more power than the villain(s), they therefore have more than enough power to threaten the world.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Because of 3., the hero(es) must therefore have enough power that nothing in the world could pose a successful threat to them.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Additionally, because the hero(es) are the world's saviour(s), they're due a lot of respect and rewards.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Because of 5., the hero(es) deserve to have their wants fulfilled, within reason (though what "within reason" means can vary wildly).</li> </ol><p>And when it comes to RPGs, the hero is usually meant to represent the player, so anything the player wants, the hero wants. The power fantasy comes in when people assume this chain of logic is correct, setting up the expectation that the hero is the hottest shit in the world.</p><p>The fact that more than a few RPGs wind up with the hero(es) defeating actual deities (or similarly over-/superpowered beings) also sets a precedent that unfortunately feeds into these expectations.</p><p></p><p>The truth is way more complicated than this logic would imply, so its conclusions don't necessarily hold true, which is why a power fantasy isn't inherent to a "save the world" plot. Then the people who hold such fantasies complain when the hero's power demonstrably doesn't match those expectations (e.g. Drider Queen/Byvernia keep beating them, Anno/Cait having sex with others).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TheShepard256, post: 347735, member: 31181"] I agree that "save the world" doesn't inherently include a power fantasy (CoC2 is proof of that), but I still think it easily lends itself to power fantasies (particularly in RPGs) because a lot of people (especially those who don't understand the nuances of conflict and resolving conflicts) would follow this chain of logic: [LIST=1] [*]The villain(s) of a "save the world" scenario have enough power enough to threaten the world. [*]In order to beat said force, the hero(es) must have even more power. [*]Because the hero(es) have more power than the villain(s), they therefore have more than enough power to threaten the world. [*]Because of 3., the hero(es) must therefore have enough power that nothing in the world could pose a successful threat to them. [*]Additionally, because the hero(es) are the world's saviour(s), they're due a lot of respect and rewards. [*]Because of 5., the hero(es) deserve to have their wants fulfilled, within reason (though what "within reason" means can vary wildly). [/LIST] And when it comes to RPGs, the hero is usually meant to represent the player, so anything the player wants, the hero wants. The power fantasy comes in when people assume this chain of logic is correct, setting up the expectation that the hero is the hottest shit in the world. The fact that more than a few RPGs wind up with the hero(es) defeating actual deities (or similarly over-/superpowered beings) also sets a precedent that unfortunately feeds into these expectations. The truth is way more complicated than this logic would imply, so its conclusions don't necessarily hold true, which is why a power fantasy isn't inherent to a "save the world" plot. Then the people who hold such fantasies complain when the hero's power demonstrably doesn't match those expectations (e.g. Drider Queen/Byvernia keep beating them, Anno/Cait having sex with others). [/QUOTE]
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