“No one is more dangerous than someone fueled by righteousness.” While we were drafting New Ozymandias for Rooted in Crisis we were thinking about the type of person that does a lot of mental gymnastics to justify their means to their envisioned end. Throughout our drafting, we did a deep dive into the complexities of ambition, the seduction of power, and the peril of losing oneself to a cause. Through our own exploration, the story arc began to unfold. We wanted to remind players of a poignant lesson: never trust a figure with a cause who cannot see beyond their ambition. We wanted New Ozymandias to be a reflection on the human condition, a cautionary tale about the dangers of being blinded by one’s own righteousness.
Rooted in Crisis transcends the conventional boundaries of tabletop roleplaying games, morphing into a narrative journey that mirrors the complexities and nuances of ethical dilemmas around environment, sustainability, and conscience. As players immerse themselves into the murky waters of New Ozymandias, they are compelled to confront the essence of their characters’ motivations and the ramifications of their choices – will they save or doom their beloved city. The game blurs the line between right and wrong. Players are challenged to navigate a labyrinth of moral ambiguity where the path to salvation is as perilous as the darkness they seek to vanquish.
New Ozymandias, a city of grandeur and relentless ambition, stands as a testament to human will and hubris – a ceaseless grind of industry and innovation. Here, players find themselves working in the name of saving the city from an encroaching darkness known as the Penumbra. The game’s backdrop is a city that never sleeps, its skyline dominated by the towering figures of the City Fathers and illuminated by the relentless glow of phlogiston lamps. Yet, beyond this facade of power and light lies a creeping shadow that threatens to engulf everything. The Penumbra has already claimed entire metropoles, and now its hunger turns towards New Ozymandias. It is against this backdrop that players form a Commission, tasked by the city’s elite to investigate and combat this darkness. The journey is fraught with danger, moral dilemmas, and the haunting question of whether the ends really justify the means.
At the heart of New Ozymandias we wanted to develop a narrative that questions the very nature of ambition, personal conviction, and power that seems to be at the root of so many dilemmas surrounding the climate crisis. We wanted players to find themselves wrestling with decisions that teeter on the brink of ethical compromise, where each action taken for the ‘greater good’ also chips away at the soul’s integrity. The game compels players to confront the temptation of becoming a hero, even if it means adopting monstrous behaviours in the name of a cause. It highlights the irony of striving to be revered and remembered as a champion of the people, while potentially losing sight of the humanity one seeks to save.
New Ozymandias invites players to share an experience that requires them to grapple with their own selfishness as characters and, maybe, as the players themselves. Through the trials faced by their characters and the implications and consequences of the decisions they make, players engage in a collective exploration of themes such as sacrifice, redemption, and the perilous journey towards understanding one’s own moral compass. Through storytelling, players are faced with the haunting reminder that the most dangerous adversaries are often the ones who, blinded by their convictions, fail to see the harm their noble ends wreak upon the world. The game serves as a mirror, reflecting the often uncomfortable truth that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.