Dissonance & Discord: Non-Traditional Conflict in Worldbuilding
This week, Haly is dissecting sources of struggle that are not related to war. From sports and games to ambition vs. ethics, we'll explore crafting conflict without destruction.
Manic Monday: Crafting Conflict in Your World
One of the most common struggles among new worldbuilders is creating conflict within their fictional world. It seems so counter-intuitive, right? I mean, we’re storytellers, and more, we’re human. We know that conflict is what drives the story, what makes it interesting. We identify with the struggles of our heroes, we cheer when they succeed, we cry when they fail, and we see ourselves reflected in both cases.
Then why is it so damn hard to make awful situations for our darling little heroes?
I’m not even kidding. Every week, I’m having at least two conversations that, when boiled down to their basic core, are about how to add conflict in ways that support the stories you want to tell. More, why am I sitting here struggling to actually dive into the rebellion that I have so carefully crafted over years?
Escape the Ordinary, Literally
This week, we’re going to focus on conflict without violence. No war, no murder or assassination, not even full-contact sports. Instead, we’ll talk about the quieter forms of conflict and how they can carry a more personal, even intimate emotional resonance for our audience.
1. Passion-Fueled Conflict
Board games are excellent examples of passion-fueled conflict; video games and TTRPGs as well, come to think of it. Especially if there’s a prize on the line, though with the right character the satisfaction of winning (or of defeating a particular someone) can be enough. And if you think that knitters aren’t a saucy and competitive bunch, then think again.
It’s not about having a vehicle for “me vs. you” like a game or sport provides, it’s about how your hero’s passion drives them to be the best they can be at something that other people might consider “just for fun.”
2. Self-Fueled Conflict
Jenny has been studying dance since she could walk, and the big recital is coming up. Her dance teacher told her that there would be someone watching from a prestigious dance troupe that Jenny’s always dreamed of being invited to join. Now, Jenny has to compete with herself, and the demands of her life, to prepare for this opportunity.
No one is making Jenny do this, it is a self-fueled conflict. Jenny is competing against herself, against her own performance and her own expectations. Especially if Jenny fails to get in, then the self-fueled conflict takes a turn and the stakes are driven even higher. Now, it’s not just about the dance troupe, now it’s about whether or not Jenny continues dance.
It’s a conflict that features the hero on both sides, and the stakes only matter to the hero, and the hero’s internal world.
3. Environmental-Fueled Conflict
Nature is scary. There’s weather, earthquakes, venomous snakes, toxic plants, and insects that can kill you just by looking at you! OK, maybe not that last one, that we know of, yet…but the Amazon is a dense place. Admit it, you’re not even surprised to learn that there’s a beetle that squirts rocket fuel out of its ass.
The struggle to survive and thrive in a hostile natural environment is one of the oldest and most visceral conflicts in human history. Before we could share the harrowing stories of our survival against great odds, we had to first survive the cold winter night!
Who can be worried about fighting with each other when there’s a people-eating tiger on the loose in the village or a plague of beetles eating all of the fruit blossoms?
Far Beyond War
Spotlight an area of your world — a city or town, a region, a nation — and explore them for areas where you can push at these conflict stressors. What local trophies are there to be won? Is there a prize at the village fair for the prettiest cake? Are there any opportunities for your characters to be measured against themselves? Is the world around your hero doing enough to make their life difficult?
These are the sorts of questions that will lead you into a deeper, more thorough exploration and understanding of your world, its tensions, and the stories that can be told because of them!
Coming This Week:
Twisted Tuesday: Ambush and Betrayal
#WorldbuildingWednesday: Send me your questions for this week’s edition of Ask the Bard… DM me, tag me in a note, leave a comment, reply to an email, hit me up on Bluesky!