Power and Agency in Tyranny

Zugai
Zugai
Jul 21, 2017 · 7 min read

Warning: Article contains spoilers for the game Tyranny.

Let me tell you why I joined the Nazi party. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

The game Tyranny establishes you as an underling of the supreme leader who has already conquered the world. The game plays with the dynamic of personal choice and the impact that choice has within the sphere of a game where there are no good choices, only pragmatic ones. It’s main strength is that it asks the player character, what kind of evil are you most comfortable with? The ongoing divergence between good and evil in games is a well trodden path with very few exceptions. Most games never ask if you wish to be good, they assume it. The player is presented with the kind of good one pursues, whether a type of good that follows the path of group idealism or individual independence. A few games do allow the player to choose whether one decides to pursue a destiny dedicated to service and selflessness or exploitative crushing ambition. Tyranny asks a different question: if you didn’t have a choice, what kind of evil do you prefer? What I’m going to suggest, is that you, like most of the people you know, prefer boring established evil, rather than exciting and interesting evil.

Consider the act of theft in the context of the D&D alignment schema. A lawful evil character would use a combination of financial and legal skulduggery to deprive a person of their property as they feel they are worthier of it than the current owner. A chaotic character would take the property would simply take the most direct route to taking his property without any regard for society in general as his own desires are far more important . And here is where Tyranny shines. It doesn’t simply ask you to enter an alignment, it asks a series of choices at the start of the game to see how you perceive the world in order to ensure that you are invested not only in your avatar, but also in the world that they inhabit*. The game gives you two choices of parties to align with. The Disfavoured, an elitist and xenophobic but well disciplined force of fighters whose policy with regards to the inhabitants of where they are fighting is exterminatus in extremis, and the Scarlet Chorus whose chaotic structure means the strongest, rather than best, leaders rule their gangs. They do however, believe that the local populace is allowed to retain their rights to corporeal existence provided they join the chorus. But why are you even here? Well, because neither of these two parties can agree on how the war should be prosecuted and are gearing up to start open hostilities with each other. You are there to provide impetus to finish the job, and quickly. Also, because this is a fantasy game, someone intends to betray The Overlord and your second job is to find out who while putting down the rebellion. This is where the game really starts.

People like answers. We’re not as fond of questions, unless they’re interesting like “Would you like a cup of tea?” Given the choice between a near certain gain, or a possible loss, we tend to go with the certainty each time. We like to have things planned out as much as we can, even when it’s not a great plan. As the Joker said, “Nobody panics when things go according to plan. Even when the plan is horrifying. If I told the press that a gang banger will be shot, or a truck-load of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it’s all part of the plan.” As humans we deal with the crushing weight of our existential dread and wonder largely by ignoring it. We create hierarchies, both real and unreal to organise ourselves and the universe around us. In this regard, human nature and morality has a lot to answer for. In his examination of the psychology of morality, Haidt, in his book, The Righteous Mind, argues that our morality comes down to a series of pillars these being , care, fairness, loyalty, authority and sanctity. Part of his arguments as to how we make decisions regarding right or wrong would come down to the impact we believe it would have on those around us, not just for ourselves. Our desire to be part of society, to be approved of and considered virtuous is important to us and indeed can be used to manipulate us into one action or another. As humans, we like to believe that there is an order to the universe, a plan or at least a place in society or a sub-society we fit into. But how does the desire for societal acceptance relate to the morality of conflict such as that in Tyranny?

If we look at the conflict as a counter-insurgency military operation it makes a great deal of sense why working with morally questionable or completely bankrupt forces is the norm, especially in the light of U.S. operations in the Middle East. In Accidental Guerilla, Kilcullen argues that terrorists (or any covert violent organisation) require the consent and support of the local populace in order to be effective. Insurgency is a game where whoever controls the territory of the hearts and minds comes out ahead. How do you win? By showing that you have the strength to either protect or destroy. It is argued in Essentials of Terrorism: Concepts and Controversies by Martin (2007) that because of a series of operations using overwhelming military force, Gaddafi was cowed into compliance by the American military in the 1980’s. Otherwise a state (or non-state) actor must find allies who will bring their stakeholders into your fold by showing you are either stronger or more legitimate. Tyranny allows this by granting the player a certain level of agency, as well as the opportunity to increase their power. The player character answers to the embodiment of law (as distinct from justice) and uses their position to legitimise their decisions regarding groups of insurgents, whether they chose to destroy or co-opt. A character with sufficient diplomacy skills can use these skills to avoid fights and focus on preserving and reforging order. This also has parallels in the US occupation of Afghanistan where the US has expended resources (again, according to Killcullen) to work with regional leaders (sometimes warlords, though this could also include certain religious leaders or other influential figures in certain communities). So far, so good right? Not completely. Up until this point, the game allows you to betray them. To turf them off and start your own faction. I never did this. I stuck to my guns as I completely believed that I could influence policy in this region to something far more humane and not only lawful, but also just.

It was when I had to commit genocide I had to re-evaluate what I considered acceptable.

Terms of engagement can have varying levels, depending on the context and situation in which they are used. In a crowded market place, it is generally considered poor form to open up indiscriminately if you are part of a force that is trying to legitimise its authority on the basis of law and order. Most counter insurgent operations understand and respect this (think the troubles in Ireland: it was largely a police operation with a degree of military intervention rather than a military intervention with the intention of nation development post-conflict) and when done well it leads to a faster and better resolution for both parties which allows relations to be better developed between the two (again, Ireland and the UK now actually get along). Or, if you are helping the Disfavoured, you can simply wipe them out. As Stalin said, “Man is the problem. No man, no problem.” Tyranny pushed me into a situation where I wanted to try and negotiate a treaty with a race of beastmen and the Disfavoured. Now, what I didn’t know at the time was that these creatures were considered abominations by the Overlord and that the Disfavoured were quite happy to liquidate them wholesale. So, imagine my surprise when my character discovers he has no chance at talking them into a peaceful solution. None. not even a “We’ll stop killing you.” solution. So what happened? I killed (beast)women and children. In my defence they attacked me first. Does that justify my actions? You could argue they committed suicide by wizard at that point. That was when I was ready to betray the Disfavoured. It helped that they were about to use the magical version of a nuke against a town that would utterly destroy a region and leave it polluted and desolate for centuries. I wanted to stop them. That’s when Tyranny shut it’s wonderful steel jaws on my legs and made me watch.

I couldn’t stop them.

I had given the Nazi’s the bomb. The one that stopped the war as it made it too horrible. I empowered the worst people I could find and gave them the most potent engine of destruction that world had seen. I had grown in power, but lost all my agency. As far as world politics goes, this is actually quite common. The Cold War was an example where one man making one innocuous decision after the other could lead to complete obliteration for our world. Kennedy and Kruschev discovered this during the Cuban missile crisis. Yes, both men were the occupied the supreme executive power of their respective countries. But neither man had true control over all the power we would assume their position holds.

At the end of Tyranny, I became the Overlord of the region. I brought in good just laws. I replaced the head of the Disfavoured and became their general. I saved towns from destruction by wielding just enough power to prevent the other Overlord from invading. I brought order out of chaos by working with the fantasy Nazis for whom I killed children and to who I gave the bomb.

At least now I can better understand the Nuremberg trials.

  • See also Firewatch, which has a similar beginning.

Did you enjoy reading this? I also co-host the 2Brothers Talk Games Podcast, https://2brotherstalkgames.podiant.co/. Come along and check it out. You will at least be amused.

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Zugai

Written by

Zugai

Husband. Dad. Somewhat educated, somewhat thoughtful, slightly opinionated. Loves gaming in all forms.

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