We've had a lot of shitposting about this lately, but I'm a firm believer in everything having storytelling potential if backed by good writing. So let's try coming up with some good harem-centric plot hooks. I'll try to start things off with a few ideas and let's see if we can turn it into a quest or even an entire campaign.
>The sultan's marriage is entirely political in nature, his true love resides in his harem >The sultan loves (or has learned to love) his wife, his number 1 haremette jealously plots to get rid of her only competition for the sultan's affection >Traditionally the sultan's harem is selected by his nobles, who fill it with those loyal to their cause (especially effective if the sultan is easily influenced or underage) >The sultan is a strictly mongamous man of virtue who resents being forced to be surrounded by whores all day purely to follow tradition and maintain his status in front of the nobles
Let's see if we can get the ball rolling and turn lead into gold.
Has the -let suffix has become a generic signifier of contempt for someone lacking in a particular desirable trait?
Noah Reed
Just play MAID.
Not even joking.
Jace Roberts
>The sultan is a strictly mongamous man of virtue who resents being forced to be surrounded by whores all day purely to follow tradition and maintain his status in front of the nobles Well this is absurd. A recognized royal harem would be the product of a society that tolerates or approves of multiple wives for the powerful. As such the Sultan of such a culture would have no reason to adopt a strictly monogamous lifestyle. Even in the scenario he did then he wouldn't have to have sex with his Harem as the purpose of the institution was just as much for the pursuit of entertainment and discussion with pretty young women as it was sexual gratification.
But he's right. Those are all shit ideas. They lack reasons to invest a player in the conflict for an intrigue-based campaign and fail to provide enough violence for a more murderhobo styled one. And they're all centered around relationships between NPC which makes it scream magical realm.
Here's an idea I just shat out: >following a what was supposed to be a TPK the PCs wake up in a torture room, a surgeon doing some post-op cleaning up explains that the sultan has appreciated their prowess and made them his new eunuch harem guardians >however, the doctor's sister got fucked to death in the harem a while ago and he wants revenge, so he "forgot" to administer the magic obedience drug >they're already snipped so the PCs can either try and go out in a blaze of glory, or sell out the guy who cut their balls off and try their hand at harem politics
Owen Peterson
>So let's try coming up with some good harem-centric plot hooks NO
>>The sultan's marriage is entirely political in nature, his true love resides in his harem This one was actually pretty common historically, and could possibly lead to political shenanigans if the PCs have to protect said true love from a jealous wife without doing anything that would cause a scandle
Good tastes
Julian Bell
>Weekend at Sultan's edition: The Sultan has been assassinated but a few of concubines know magic and pool their powers to reanimate him as a husk (or create a controlled clone or what have you) to prevent collapse of the state and hunt down the assassin group >Gadafi edition: The Sultan wants PCs to train his concubines in the art of combat so they can serve as his bodyguards--but touching them is strictly off-limits >Les Diabolique edition: One of the new concubines wishes to supplant the influence of a more favored, older one for the sake of her son. The Sultan is a cruel master and the new concubine decides to work with the favored one to assassinate him, only to double cross the favored concubine at the last second, framing her for attempted murder. Optional plot twist: Favored concubine knew all along and told the Sultan her suspicions from the beginning >T. H White edition: The Sultan's greatest and most trusted general is having an affair with the Sultan's favored wife, a crime punishable by death. The Sultan knows about the affair, but he also knows he needs the general to continue his dream of uniting his lands and bringing peace and he's made it a point that no man in his kingdom is above the law. The wife loves both the Sultan and the general and is torn by guilt. The general loves the Sultan like a father and spent his whole life training to be in his service, but loves the wife with overwhelming passion. One of the other concubines, jealous by the favoritism reveals the affair to the public.
One of the threads was a "The Sultan has captured a Pirate Queen and incorporated him into his harem" shitpost.
How about we mix it with arabian nights? Pirate queen is captured, tells a shit ton of her high seas adventures to avoid having the marriage consummated, the Sultan is enthralled as hell, orders the creation of a fleet, and now it's a pirate fleet run by the Sultan, his former Pirate queen first mate, all the other harem girls who were totally psyched up and a bunch of eunuchs.
Charles Taylor
is this the power of white colonialism?
Brody Cooper
The cabin boy goes for a swim in a lagoon on an island and gets ambushed by mermaids.
Jason Adams
I'd watch that anime.
Carter Rodriguez
>Relationships between NPCs? That screams magical realm >Allow me to propose a less fetishistic alternative: gender reassignment surgery for the whole party
This plot's very similar to an Indian soap opera that was going on a few years back actually. It's not very uncommon if at all with harem-like stories in the historical fiction genre in such countries' shows/movies in general.
Evan Allen
That being said, due to what everyone else said here, it does make more sense in general from a tv show/movie perspective than a PnP campaign one, unless it's a small part of the campaign where the players either side with the jealous girl or the other person and how that decision affects some part of the general plot (akin to say...Dragon Age or something.)
Benjamin Bell
>Each new Sultan have to get a wife from different regions of his empire >he can't get them by force (except for the proud Amazon tribes) >he have to court them with their own tradition, leading him to use a variety of skills that will help him in his ruling >the next heir is not very charismatic, strong or skillful and it's up to the pc to train and guide him so he can later succesfully charms his futur wifes This doujin go from 10/10 to piss fetish really quickly I was quite disapointed
Easton Martinez
>every location has the PC trying to teach the young Sultan how to seduce the tribal princesses >all of them see through the charade and each take their turns riding the PC I'd read that doujin.
Aaron Scott
What doujin?
Jordan Thompson
The one I'm making up.
Sebastian Torres
I have a better idea, OP.
1 - take a toaster 2 - take it to the bathroom 3 - fill the bathtub with water 4 - plug the toaster in and turn it on 5 - stand in the tub full of water 6 - throw the toaster, while plugged in and turned on, into the bathtub 7- ??? 8 - profit
Justin Butler
It unironically came to my mind after thinking what porn comics/doujins I would create if I was good at drawing, with a sultan fucking all his wifes along with a tale about how he courted them.
Jordan Young
>Have a harem >But have a true love Why would you do this, you motherfucker?
