Konstrukcja etyczna uniwersów w polskich narracyjnych grach fabularnych III generacji

Abstrakt

This article investigates the ethical construction of narrative universes in selected Polish tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) of the third generation, combining cultural studies with philosophical analysis. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach, the study explores how ethics is embedded in the world-building of these games and how moral structures are offered to players not merely as background but as mechanisms of narrative agency and interpretative responsibility. The article is structured into four main sections. First, it outlines the theoretical framework, discussing the relevance of narrative games as cultural texts and their potential for ethical inquiry. Second, it presents detailed case studies of six Polish RPGs (Wolsung, Diadem, Władcy losu, Ścieżka, Trójca, and Dzicz i potwory), focusing on three key aspects: the ontological and aesthetic features of the fictional world, the embedded moral norms and their systemic consequences, and the axiological offers presented to the players. Third, the article provides a comparative synthesis, highlighting how these ethical models differ both from earlier Polish games (of the first and second generations) and from international narrative systems such as Vampire: The Masquerade, Fate Core, and Blades in the Dark. Finally, the study reflects on the cultural significance of ethical narratives in contemporary RPGs and outlines future research directions, including empirical studies of player experience and comparative work with digital narrative games