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Post by EricaOdd on Jul 5, 2018 4:20:03 GMT -8
probablyok and others... a topic that came to me today...
Ok, so in Demigods anything enough people believe in can create a pantheon, right? That's how there's a Science pantheon and so forth.
In today's increasingly corporate world, would that even extend to corporations? Could there be a Corporate pantheon where each of the major brands has an associated "god" that can create demigods? Assuming yes, suppose the boards of directors of these corporations learn about the pantheon. What would be the implications? Would they try to assert "ownership" of the deity and all associated demigods as part of their brand? What consequences could that have for a Corporate demigod? The corporation owns the brand, the god IS the brand, and the demigod is a creation of the brand. Or would they instead look to the deity for direction, effectively turning into a corporate religion?
I'm not really expecting anyone to have answers to all these questions, just to spark an interesting discussion.
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Post by uncommonman on Jul 5, 2018 5:21:51 GMT -8
I think corporate entities would be Gods and have some power but at the same time they wouldn't have any physical powers like lightning or super strength.
I think they would be influencing politic and the economy.
I would limit ALL gods powers to what the believers give them.
The progeny of a (corporate) god wouldn't be limited to any power set and that makes them special and important for the "real gods" to use to affect the world.
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Post by EricaOdd on Jul 5, 2018 10:21:53 GMT -8
Another interesting thing to explore is the idea of National pantheons. The demigods of which embody the "spirits" of nations.
This could get into ugly political or historical topics, so let's tread lightly on this one.
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Post by uncommonman on Jul 5, 2018 12:43:03 GMT -8
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tappy
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Post by tappy on Jul 5, 2018 13:04:15 GMT -8
Another interesting thing to explore is the idea of National pantheons. The demigods of which embody the "spirits" of nations. This could get into ugly political or historical topics, so let's tread lightly on this one. Well, she's the spirit of the 20th century, but you get the idea.
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Post by EricaOdd on Jul 5, 2018 13:18:42 GMT -8
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Post by EricaOdd on Jul 5, 2018 13:22:30 GMT -8
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Post by uncommonman on Jul 5, 2018 13:37:17 GMT -8
I think our personification would kick yours butt, I mean The uncle isn't even armed ;-)
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Post by EricaOdd on Jul 5, 2018 16:06:47 GMT -8
He's so badass he doesn't need weapons... lol
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Post by ayslyn on Jul 5, 2018 16:23:14 GMT -8
Darn Tootin'!
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Post by Linus on Jul 5, 2018 18:00:59 GMT -8
Going back to corporations specifically, I don't think you need to worry too much about specific corporate power sets. The playbooks dictate what the demigod can do, and the rest is just flavour. If pressed, you could always argue "because magic". That being said, I guess brand recognition is a possible measurement of their respective importance in a corporate pantheon, but perhaps even more crucial, the brands that start to appear as their own entities in our everyday parlance, and attributed with an actual agenda, are those that manifest into deities. Public opinion may even assign them as good or evil! For instance, EA are infamous for their marketing decisions and tendency to acquire developers and run them into the ground. (They've been voted worst company in America twice, an impressive feat for an entertainment company.) It could manifest as a predator and kineater, a god of acquisition and assimilation. Those are potent themes to flavour moves around. An important distinction is that this divine entity probably ought to be separated from the actual corporation. Much like maths and biology, this is the fruit of our collective beliefs, rather than mathematicians or biologists who understand and exercise their science disciplines. As such, the board of directors, and anyone else with a thorough understanding on how the company operates would probably never believe or be beholden to the sway of the deity. However, this makes the board essentially a neverending Council of Nicaea, continuously reimagining the particular deity in the eyes of the public, ie. the believers. Any self-respecting deity would probably want to exert their will in such a council as much as possible, if only to hold control over their own self. Since gods warp reality with their mere presence, they'd be forced to act fairly subtly. A mere mortal exposed to the celestial may end up a spindle(?) and then you may have a bunch of other gods' demigods all up in your biz, literally speaking. It may be safer to influence the existing board through oracular dreams or fortuitous circumstance. A child to be your paladin and rise to the top of power and claim ownership on behalf of you is also safer. ...if only demigods tended to obey their parents, that is. But the idea of corporations as religion is tasty! The dragons of Shadowrun could probably be solid inspiration for this, as are the "cultier" megacorps of the setting. (Cyberpunk overall handle the themes of all-encompassing corporate fiefdom great. Steal everything that isn't nailed down Be inspired!) Gated communities that cater to employees of specific (subsets of) corporations are another "fun" thing to pilfer for your pantheon. What better way to lose touch with reality if you can eat, sleep & get your poison of choice within the safe confines of suburban paradise, shared with your fellow co-workers and their spouses - a heavenly gated community!
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Post by tappy on Jul 5, 2018 19:07:19 GMT -8
What does the Disney Pantheon look like?
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Post by uncommonman on Jul 5, 2018 22:32:30 GMT -8
What does the Disney Pantheon look like?
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Post by EricaOdd on Jul 6, 2018 1:20:05 GMT -8
Your mileage may vary, but to me there wouldn't be a Disney Pantheon. "Disney Co" would be a god in the Corporate Pantheon.
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Post by akavidar on Jul 6, 2018 3:44:59 GMT -8
I don't have Masks, but didn't CADave play a Corporate super hero? (Mr. Clean, Mr. Clean) How did Masks handle that?
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