Most RPG systems treat non-lethal conflict as combat's poor cousin. You roleplay a bit, someone rolls Charisma or Persuasion, the GM decides what it means, and everyone moves on. But what if social confrontations, debates, chases, and power struggles had the same mechanical depth, dramatic stakes, and genuine uncertainty as a sword fight, without anyone having to die for the story to matter?
This talk discusses and showcases ways to design and run conflict that are as tense as any physical confrontation, using a system that is not built around a single conflict model. We'll look at what genuine multi-modal conflict design looks like, what stories it unlocks at the table, and how Phoenix RPS (my homebrew system) approaches the problem with parallel mechanics for physical, social, and intellectual conflict. There will be a live demo.