Phantasmos: Themes

An Introduction

Usually when I pitch a setting for tabletop gaming, I break it down into three points: Description, Theme, Suggested Systems. The latter is more so about the game than the world obviously, and the former is a straightforward account of the setting; scifi/fantasy, species or monsters, environments, special powers, etc. My Big Picture post is more so a description.

Themes are the ideas that the world, the characters, or the plot are intended to explore. I think tabletop is in a unique position to explore themes, in that the consumer of the art is also a participant in it, and in that game mechanics can be utilized to evoke specific themes. There are certainly some RPGs where theme, world, and game are inextricably linked. This is not the case with Phantasmos.

While there are a few specific themes that have been intentionally written into the world, I have tried to make Phantasmos broad and open enough that potentially any themes could be explored. Adventure Time was a big inspiration to Phantasmos, both for its post-post-apocalyptic weird science fantasy trappings, but also for how it explores themes. The themes of Adventure Time include the appreciation of genuine child-like wonder, overcoming fears, maturing, dealing with loss, moral ambiguity / complexity, relationships, nostalgia, and so much more. Some of these themes are incidental to the setting, but I do think that the Land of Ooo is leveraged to uniquely address at least some of these themes. 

I remember so badly wanting to learn all of the secrets that had been hinted at within Ooo, only to realize after so many of them were exposed, that I could never look at Ooo the same way again. No longer can I see the Candy Kingdom with child-like wonder, all I can think of is its dark history.

Phantasmos: Themes

Weird and Wonderful are obviously themes of Phantasmos, but also Wisdom, Weariness, Whimsy, and Wistfulness. I love worldbuilding and always have, but it can be difficult to determine how much of a world to reveal, and how much should be left open to imagination. In designing Phantasmos and dealing with that frustrating balance, I wanted to embed that idea into the world. I want the players to want to learn more about the world, but I also want them to regret that knowledge, although not necessarily in some Lovecraftian, Cosmic/Existential Horror sense (although that is a viable option). It should feel like growing up and learning that not everyone loves you like your parents do, or realizing you don't dream anymore. Gaining that Wisdom should come with a loss of Wonder and Whimsy and a burden of Weariness. 

Another theme that has been heavily written into the setting is anxiety. I don't want to reveal all of the intentional symbolism within the setting, but there are certain recurring aesthetics or concepts which are allusions to feelings of anxiety, or the kind of depression that is co-morbid with it. I do think this theme can also tie into the former- the Weariness of Wisdom and the feeling of loss of Wonder and Whimsy which goes along with it.

As a counterpoint, there is also a theme of novelty-seeking (Weird), thrill-seeking, and the addictiveness of these things. It probably goes without saying that I'm an anxious person, and I'm definitely not a thrill-seeker, but I am definitely a novelty-seeker. This theme is less developed, mainly because it's one that I don't understand in the world or in myself as well, but that's exactly why I thought it was important to include, and serves as a counterpoint to the theme of anxiety. At what point does novelty-seeking become unhealthy, in its own right?

If there's one final theme, I guess it's about subverting expectation and not being limited by conventions. As much as I love Tolkien and traditional fantasy, there are already so many books, movies, TV shows, tabletop RPGs, videogames, etc., that have explored the genre to death. I think, at this point, traditional fantasy has lost most of its fantastical-ness. Despite the number of sci-fi like ideas in the setting, I consider Phantasmos to be Fantasy, because its about discovery, the unknown, and the feeling that anything could be possible. As the sum of its parts, Phantasmos should not fit comfortably into the players' prior expectations of fantasy. In an ideal world, they should come out of the game feeling like they did when they read Lord of the Rings or saw Star Wars for the first time. Tall order, but that's the hope, anyway.

So there you have it. Themes! Let me know what themes you like to explore in your games or write into your worlds!