Empire Blogging: Revelation
At some point, the Empire Wiki goes live. Its still a work in progress. I had written more blog entries but I think the wiki may make some of this redundant. So I am putting them on my LJ for my own interest. They are about the three foundation pillars of our LRP religion with no overt deity presence, which were:
Religion Design Principles
- Revelation -
Crudely speaking, there are three types of Revelation that underpin religions and religious belief systems. They are:
The last one, Received Wisdom, is usually a description, explanation and/or interpretation of the former two, such as writings about the sun’s metaphysical role in the heavens, or a prophet telling others of hearing the words of their god.
LRPers are reliably unpredictable when it comes to Received Wisdom. Sometimes authoritative IC texts or figures are regarded dismissively or with suspicion, scepticism or even hostility. Other times, what is intended as an IC perspective has been embraced whole-heartedly and taken as unshakeable fact, even Out-Of-Character. The reasons for this are varied and would likely fill a speculative blog post in their own right.
There will be Received Wisdom in Empire; passed down from the wise, the holy and the learned. It is, and will remain, IC knowledge based on the understanding of those historical figures who will have had access to much the same resources as Player Characters.
This brings us to Observable Phenomena and Personal Experience. Whilst we are considering a number of different forms of these, for the purposes of this blog, I am focussing on the primary one, which can crudely be summed up as:
Drugs and Archaeology
Before the Empire was formed, one of the pre-Imperial nations will have uncovered a substance which - when prepared properly - produces visions of another time and place. Subsequent research by religious scholars has found forensic, historical and archaeological evidence that supports the fact that these visions are of genuine events that have taken place.
Those are, broadly speaking, the facts of the matter; a repeatable phenomenon that can be documented and evidenced, much like the change of the seasons.
Within the lifetime of the Empire, this phenomenon has fuelled a reincarnation theology. Essentially, that the visions received by the visionary are held to be of their past lives and that each person is born, lives, dies and is reborn.
Furthermore, additional research and experimentation has led to the conclusion that how one lives one’s current life affects how swiftly, and how well, a person reincarnates. From this comes the belief in living virtuously - specifically living by the Seven Imperial Virtues - as important to the state of one’s immortal spirit.
It is worth stating that, at the start of the game, this is the Orthodox view of the Imperial Religion. It is supported by documented visions, recovered relics, and Received Wisdom. However, even within the Empire there are some fifteen-plus alternate Un-Orthodox schools of thought, and that is just at the current drafting, and before including the Barbarians and Foreigners who still follow “gods” and “spirits”. Debating theology and even changing the official doctrines and creeds of the faith are all within the scope of the game.
It is, perhaps, an indication of the design process and our intention that we ensured there were credible and compelling, yet conflicting, interpretations and IC debates around the phenomenon before discussing actual underlying metaphysics.
Saying that, early on in Empire’s development, it was suggested that reincarnation - and related phenomena - may prove fertile ground for a religion game. It has been exploited for its plot potential in novels, such as those by Katherine Kerr, and in RPGs like Exalted. Outside of religion development, the ability to have visions from the past also represents a built-in way to flesh out and develop the history of the gameworld, and throw out plot hooks from the past, without needing a “Type 40 Time Travel Capsule” and a loose approach to paradoxes.
We envisage opportunities where, for example, a vision may reveal the location of a person’s lost tomb from a previous life which in turn could prompt adventurous archaeologists to go in search of their ancient treasures. I believe that Doctor Jones and Lady Croft can attest that such expeditions always go smoothly and well for those involved.
So to summarise:
Is the means to access insight into other times and places a proof of the existence of a supreme supernatural being or beings?
That is a question for the In-Character theologians to discuss.
Nevertheless, part of the power and authority of the Imperial Religion is that it, specifically the Synod, possesses the means to help people access their past lives. Furthermore, the Imperial Religion also holds the key to facilitating, or hindering, each person’s individual journey through death and rebirth.
One of our test reviewers described the Imperial Religion as “Fascist Buddhism” and this is why:
Live according to the Imperial Virtues and you will reincarnate swiftly and well.
Live a wicked life and be trapped between lives for generations.
In this way, the Imperial Religion is a key player in the field of metaphysical - and IC historical - Revelation.
- Revelation
- Moral Authority
- Power
Religion Design Principles
- Revelation -
Crudely speaking, there are three types of Revelation that underpin religions and religious belief systems. They are:
- Observable phenomena, such as the change of seasons and natural laws
- Personal experiences, such as dreams, visions and spiritual sensations
- Received wisdom, such as scripture and the words of prophets and teachers
The last one, Received Wisdom, is usually a description, explanation and/or interpretation of the former two, such as writings about the sun’s metaphysical role in the heavens, or a prophet telling others of hearing the words of their god.
LRPers are reliably unpredictable when it comes to Received Wisdom. Sometimes authoritative IC texts or figures are regarded dismissively or with suspicion, scepticism or even hostility. Other times, what is intended as an IC perspective has been embraced whole-heartedly and taken as unshakeable fact, even Out-Of-Character. The reasons for this are varied and would likely fill a speculative blog post in their own right.
There will be Received Wisdom in Empire; passed down from the wise, the holy and the learned. It is, and will remain, IC knowledge based on the understanding of those historical figures who will have had access to much the same resources as Player Characters.
This brings us to Observable Phenomena and Personal Experience. Whilst we are considering a number of different forms of these, for the purposes of this blog, I am focussing on the primary one, which can crudely be summed up as:
Drugs and Archaeology
Before the Empire was formed, one of the pre-Imperial nations will have uncovered a substance which - when prepared properly - produces visions of another time and place. Subsequent research by religious scholars has found forensic, historical and archaeological evidence that supports the fact that these visions are of genuine events that have taken place.
Those are, broadly speaking, the facts of the matter; a repeatable phenomenon that can be documented and evidenced, much like the change of the seasons.
Within the lifetime of the Empire, this phenomenon has fuelled a reincarnation theology. Essentially, that the visions received by the visionary are held to be of their past lives and that each person is born, lives, dies and is reborn.
Furthermore, additional research and experimentation has led to the conclusion that how one lives one’s current life affects how swiftly, and how well, a person reincarnates. From this comes the belief in living virtuously - specifically living by the Seven Imperial Virtues - as important to the state of one’s immortal spirit.
It is worth stating that, at the start of the game, this is the Orthodox view of the Imperial Religion. It is supported by documented visions, recovered relics, and Received Wisdom. However, even within the Empire there are some fifteen-plus alternate Un-Orthodox schools of thought, and that is just at the current drafting, and before including the Barbarians and Foreigners who still follow “gods” and “spirits”. Debating theology and even changing the official doctrines and creeds of the faith are all within the scope of the game.
It is, perhaps, an indication of the design process and our intention that we ensured there were credible and compelling, yet conflicting, interpretations and IC debates around the phenomenon before discussing actual underlying metaphysics.
Saying that, early on in Empire’s development, it was suggested that reincarnation - and related phenomena - may prove fertile ground for a religion game. It has been exploited for its plot potential in novels, such as those by Katherine Kerr, and in RPGs like Exalted. Outside of religion development, the ability to have visions from the past also represents a built-in way to flesh out and develop the history of the gameworld, and throw out plot hooks from the past, without needing a “Type 40 Time Travel Capsule” and a loose approach to paradoxes.
We envisage opportunities where, for example, a vision may reveal the location of a person’s lost tomb from a previous life which in turn could prompt adventurous archaeologists to go in search of their ancient treasures. I believe that Doctor Jones and Lady Croft can attest that such expeditions always go smoothly and well for those involved.
So to summarise:
- Our Personal Experiences are those of visions that are received by individuals of another time and place
- Our Observable Phenomenon is archaeological evidence that supports the reality of these visions
- Our Received Wisdom are documenting, reporting and teaching around the above two
Is the means to access insight into other times and places a proof of the existence of a supreme supernatural being or beings?
That is a question for the In-Character theologians to discuss.
Nevertheless, part of the power and authority of the Imperial Religion is that it, specifically the Synod, possesses the means to help people access their past lives. Furthermore, the Imperial Religion also holds the key to facilitating, or hindering, each person’s individual journey through death and rebirth.
One of our test reviewers described the Imperial Religion as “Fascist Buddhism” and this is why:
Live according to the Imperial Virtues and you will reincarnate swiftly and well.
Live a wicked life and be trapped between lives for generations.
In this way, the Imperial Religion is a key player in the field of metaphysical - and IC historical - Revelation.