One of the more innovative and engrossing additions to the RPG video game genre is the War Table in Dragon Age: Inquisition. In short, your war council of advisors helps identify, lead and complete missions using markers on a sprawling world map.
The war table adds a strategic, higher level RPG element to the classic first-person RPG missions you take on with your character and small party of adventurers. Which member of your council leads a specific effort matters as far as results and rewards, as they have different personalities, methods and contacts.
Some efforts are brief and simple (e.g. gathering raw materials), while others are complex and lengthy, involving political alliances, underground contacts or long investigations of people or locales. The War Table adds more stories to your story, in short, as you coordinate the efforts of others across the world.
Having just completed this tremendous game, the richness of the War Table reminds us to make sure “the world turns” while the PC party goes on its own adventures – or as they participate in or even lead their own war. There are always more missions, more quests, and more stakes – connected to and beyond the PCs’ desires and reach. And, through the War Table, a reminder that you have close friends and allies who will help you pursue greater, even global interests.
And having just caught up on the latest season of Vikings, here’s to your inner circles being less like those and more like Dragon Age!
Kilsek
Hey there bud – for some reason my thoughts turned to Forumotion today and I went in search to see how some of my old friends are doing (I hope this is the right Kilsek). Seems time has done you well, love the blog and its awesome that you have co-authored a book dealing with DnD. Hope everything is going well! – Drag