Role Play Ideas & Conflict

Man vs. Man

• The man versus man conflict is the most quintessential external conflict. In terms of story, the man versus man conflict pits the central character, or characters, against other men in some challenge that must be overcome. This form of conflict might create a physical struggle for the characters involved, but could also create a challenge that must be overcome by strength of will and wit. Man versus man story hooks and ideas involve role play between player characters and non-player character rivals.

Man vs. Self

• The man versus self struggle is an internal struggle where man overcomes internal conflict. These issues are personal to the character and, unlike literature, players must determine what internal problems are appropriate to their character. This is the only self-determined conflict available in a role playing setting, where most problems are devised and controlled exclusively by the game master. Internal man versus self conflicts will involve character morality and choices. Man versus self story hooks involve the game master evoking the character's internal self-conflict in some meaningful way.

Man vs. Society

• Another archetypal conflict, the man versus society story arc, is a form of external conflict where characters struggle against society's practices, customs and ideals. This form of conflict forces characters to adapt to, and struggle against, societal expectations. This form of conflict helps to set the parameters for other issues and acts as a framework problem for introducing both man versus man and man versus self conflicts. Story hooks and ideas for this form of conflict involve interactions between player characters and their society, or representations thereof.

Man vs. Circumstances

• The man versus circumstances is an external conflict similar to man versus society. These two conflict types differ in that man versus circumstances involves the character's struggle against fate and life's incidents, rather than against society. Fate pushes characters toward their destiny, whether they like it or not, and players should decide how the character feels about the conflict presented to them. Story hooks and ideas involving man versus circumstance will pit a character, or characters, against a fate larger than themselves.