If Only For A Knight: Romantic Subplots In cRPGs in the Light of Courtly Love Trope

1. Joanna Kucharska (UJ), Magdalena Bednorz (UŚ)

2.  Modern scholarly term referring to ‘Fin Amour’
 Code of behaviour that gave rise to modern ideas of
chivalrous romance
 A knight of noble blood would adore and worship a
woman from afar, seeking to protect her honour
and win her favour by valorous deeds
 The woman chastely or scornfully refuses him in
public while encouraging the love in private
 Associations of nobility (peasants cannot engage in
‘fine love’), secrecy, adultery and (paradoxically)
with chastity, since the passion could never be
consummated due to social circumstances – ‘higher
love’, unsullied by selfish carnal desires

3.  Fantasy influences
 Arthuriana connections
 Disassociation from adultery
 Disassociation from chastity
 Semblance of equality

4.  Bioware games:
a) Continuous presence of romance storylines in Bioware games (focus of
storytelling and promotion)
b) One of the most visible companies on Western cRPG scene over recent
years
c) Allows for character customisation as male and female
 Fantasy setting
 Female character-oriented romances (clearest examples of trope, most
popular in terms of engagement)

6.  Present in almost all romances and in relationships
with non-romanced companions
 Romance-only quests
 Anomen: Order of the Radiant Heart, father, sister’s
death
 Alistair: the entire game is his personal quest:
regaining the birthright, sister, Redcliffe, Wardens
 Cullen: Lyrium addiction, Samson storyline
 In subsequent romances the quests become more
personal but less character shaping

7.  Gifts as a part of personal
quest: Anomen, Alistair,
Cullen
 Dragon Age 2 – romanced
characters change armors
after romance is
‘consummated’
 In case of Anders, change of
attire is not related to the
romance, but relies on
completion of his personal
storyline

8.  Nobility: genre trappings (‘my lady’ address), player
character can be of noble origin (necessary for ‘the
happiest’ Alistair ending), PC comes or arrives at a
position of political power
 (Josephine – her nobility drives all of her personal
quests and romance)
 Humble knight origins (self-imposed for Sebastian),
work their way trough the ranks of their respective
orders
 All are warrior or fighters classes
 Moral code: neutral or good alignments
 Willingness to follow your moral compass
 But similar alignment necessary for romance path
 Religious beliefs and connection: cleric, ex-Templars
 Cullen praying: religion highlighted in a scene turning
into a romantic one
 Sebastian’s religion and chastity vows

9.  Conversations about chastity (Cullen,
Sebastian), virginity (Alistair) or purity
(Anomen) – usually they have little or
no experience
 Breaking the trope by the possibility of
the PC having significant sexual
experience
 Alistair and adultery: arranged
marriages, mistresses (Warden,
Leliana, Anora)
 The game mechanics usually prevent
adultery (as in multiple romances, if
not subsequent)
 Josephine and prevention of adultery
accusations during her arranged
engagement

10.  Dueling: Landsmeet, Josephine
 Arthuriana: Alistair/Morrigan
 Secrecy: Anora, Josephine,
Cassandra
 Bastard prince/exiled prince:
Alistair, Sebastian
 Kidnapping/knight in distress:
Anomen, DA2 love interests

11.  Blackwall (antithesis)
 Cassandra (meta)
 Josephine (gender reversal or
played straight)

12.  Agency on the player’s side
 Final decisions
 Political agency, (Cousland’s
proposal/proclamation), player
character’s decisions shape characters
 Cosmetic trappings of power relations:
‘my lady’ address, ballroom dancing,
dialogue
 Cullen has the most agency since he is
not player controlled at any time –
player character becomes an interloper
in his storyline

13.  Interposing the
personal/domestic into the
courtly love
 Mods removing gates on
romances
 Parody

17.  Arranged marriages alternate universes
 Alistair/Cousland/lover AUs
 Ser Gilmore mod
 Royal wedding mod

22.  Expanding the study towards non-fantasy games
 Expanding the study towards non-Bioware games
 Study of non-female player character-oriented romances
 Expanding the study of players’ engagement within non-fandom communities
 Deeper research of the relationship between the trope and video game
mechanics

23.  Joanna Kucharska, Uniwersytet
Jagielloński
(joanne.kucharska@gmail.com,
@joannekucharska)
 Magdalena Bednorz, Uniwersytet
Śląski
(magda.bednorz@gmail.com,
@charismacheck)