I've been thinking about Dramatic Poles in Hillfolk, prompted by reading @LordGrimdark's latest.

For those not familiar, Dramatic Poles are two separate aspects of a character that you create, which are in tension with each other. It's a cool idea.

I've noticed Joe Abercrombie does something similar with his characters. You're not just a wastrel prince; you're a wastrel prince who wants to be strong and morally upright. You're not just a father and ex-soldier; you're an ex-soldier struggling with his violent instincts.

Abercrombie gives each character a dramatic pole for what they are, and another for what they're running from. Or one for what they are, and another for what they want to be. Often it's one for the character at their best, and one for them at their worst.

He then builds on this by giving each pole a representation in the story. This is often a character who pushes them to follow that pole. A parent-figure who wants them to stop being so damned foolhardy, or a lover who sees their heroic qualities.

Other times it's a little catchphrase that they say when that pole wins out. "You have to be realistic." "Somehow something always gets in the way."

Other times it's a role they occupy. They're the crown prince, so they can't just run off and be heroic. In these cases, the whole world constantly tells them what they should be and do, from all angles.

I feel like this way of doing things could massively amp up the power of dramatic poles in Hillfolk. The power of the way they're presented, and the fictional representative, makes them more immediate and compelling.

Anyway, I not-very-secretly want to write an RPG of @LordGrimdark's books. I could see a Hillfolk-like dramatic poles mechanic being a key mechanic in such a game.

By the way, the book is A Little Hatred, the first in the Age of Madness trilogy, and I recommend it.