#RPGaDay2025 - 22 Ally

 

In a roleplaying context, an ally is usually a supporting character who helps the main characters in the story with certain tasks they aren’t fully capable of handling on their own. In a context outside the game, I figure that an ally is much the same. An ally is basically a person who is able to help people complete tasks that might struggle with on their own, it might be navigating bureaucracy, helping with chores, creating a welcoming social environment, or even just surviving. An ally just makes it easier.

It’s not a perfect description, nothing in the world is perfect…but like when it comes to being an ally, I figure the aim is to try.

I’ve been trying to experiment with the idea of allies in games based on my experiences with allies in the real world. One of my issues working through this concept at the moment is the fact that in the real word everyone is a person, everyone is a protagonist with agency in their own story, while they exists as supporting roles in other people’s stories. I’m temporarily ignoring the idea that a hero in one story might be an antagonist in another story (we get to “nemesis” later in the RPGaDay prompts). It’s the interwoven tapestry of stories that makes the world and cultures in which we live.

Whenever I include an ally in my stories, and when I’ve tried developing allies as a concept in many of the games I’ve written, I try to ensure they have the 4 key storytelling devices that I apply to all characters. A strength (something they’re notably good at), a weakness (something they’re notably bad at), a goal (something they’re working toward), and an obstacle (something that’s currently preventing them reaching their goal). Allies have their own stories, and the player characters might be able them accomplish goals, quid pro quo.