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Propp's Theory in Kingdom Come: Deliverance [Spoilers for KCD]

What is Kingdom Come: Deliverance?

In 2018, Warhorse Studios released Kingdom Come: Deliverance, an action role-playing game co-published by Deep Silver. This game places a high value on historically authentic content, as it is set in the medieval kingdom of Bohemia, an Imperial State of the Holy Roman Empire. The game is well received, with a strong reputation in the RPG genre and multiple awards to its name. The company has released five DLC packs for the basic game, and a sequel is expected to be released in early 2025.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance stays faithful to its genre, with a rich tale that is heavily influenced by the choices players make during gameplay. The fundamental ideas of Propp's theory can still be applied to this game, despite the fact that various players have varied experiences that could alter the game's plots.

Characters - Propp's Theory

Vladimir Propp (1928) stated that characters may be characterized by their role they play in the story's growth. He developed this theory after an extensive and in-depth examination of 100 distinct folktales. Since Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a very unusual role-playing game with many twists and turns, it was quite challenging to tie the characterization of various character storylines together and fit them in because this is an extremely old and out-of-date notion. However, parts of Propp's character narratives are perfectly suited to the gaming ecosystem and may still be utilized to describe character archetypes that appear regularly in both modern fiction and nonfiction.

As discussed by Dogra (2017), Propp identified these characterizations as the hero, the villain, the princess, the dispatcher, the helper, the donor and the false hero.

Propp's Theory in Kingdom Come: Deliverance

A short look at Propp's Theory of Character Narratives reveals two sub-categories for the hero archetype: seeker and victim. Whereas the seeker sets out to rectify every terrible wrong done by the villain, the victim is an archetype who suffers directly at the behest of the antagonist.

Figure 1 (Henry of Skalitz, (Kingdom Come Deliverance Wiki, n.d.))

Henry of Skalitz fills the role of hero in KCD. Henry is an intriguing character, but he is not the most ideal hero; there are far better options in other games. However, given the context of KCD, I believe Henry makes an excellent realistic hero. He easily fits the mold of a hero archetype, frequently standing up for the poor and oppressed in addition to striving to build his own character through acting on what he believes is best for his friends, family, town, and king. While players can choose to be as good as the books or as crooked as they like, which can sometimes skew the player's narrative of his image throughout the game, Henry is undeniably a hero.

Figure 2 (Bianca, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, (Kingdom Come Deliverance Wiki, n.d.))

Bianca from Skalitz is a supporting character in KCD. She was a merchant who worked as an alehouse maid at her family's pub and was Henry's true love. Her character apparently plays the role of a princess at first, until she is slaughtered alongside the townsfolks by the Cumans, led by Sir Markvart von Aulitz. This required significant introspection, and after a lot of thought, I picked another NPC that plays the role of princess in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

Figure 3 (Theresa, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, (Kingdom Come Deliverance Wiki, n.d.))

Theresa is a key character in Kingdom Come: Deliverance and the protagonist of the DLC A Woman's Lot. The archetype does not necessarily allude to her as a regal character; rather, she is a commoner who works at her family's mill. While fleeing on horseback, the player has the option to save her from the Cumans attempting to sexually assault her by whistling, initially portraying her as a damsel in distress. She is a refreshing character because she frequently assists Henry throughout the plot and plays an active role. She is brave and provocative, and she knows more about love than Henry, who seems quite clueless. Being a devout Christian, as was required of a respectable woman in that era, she is also extraordinarily courageous, bright, and strong-willed, which makes her a dynamic, well-rounded character in the game.

Figure 4 (Sir Istvan Toth, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, (Kingdom Come Deliverance Wiki, n.d.))

Sir Istvan Toth appears as the major villain in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, posing a constant threat to Henry and his comrades, as well as the lord they serve. He was a Hungarian nobleman who resided in Sasau in 1403. Very little is known about his past, but we do know that King Sigismund of Luxembourg elevated him to the status of nobility and welcomed him to his court. During the quest The Die is Cast, Henry is imprisoned, and Istvan confesses that he and King Sigismund are conspiring to weaken the local lords and terrorize the citizens in order to bring the existing reign to an end. As Sigismund ascends to the throne of Bohemia, he will reward Istvan with all of Sasau in recognition of his faithfulness.

Figure 5 (Sir Radzig Kobyla, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, (Kingdom Come Deliverance Wiki, n.d.))

Sir Radzig Kobyla is an excellent fit for the role of dispatcher in KCD. He is the primary voice in directing Henry to his goals and rewarding him when necessary. He was the Lord of Skalitz and a devoted Hetman to King Wenceslas IV of Bohemia. A commanding, respected, and accomplished diplomat who can handle himself effectively in a fight but prefers to negotiate with his opponents, he takes a special interest in Henry when his parents are slaughtered in the aftermath of the Cuman invasion.

Figure 6 (Sir Hans Capon, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, (Kingdom Come Deliverance Wiki, n.d.))

Although Sir Hans Capon first irritates Henry in KCD, their relationship develops into something more than just a friendship later in the playthrough. Henry frequently saves him, and the two have some amusing banter. He plays the part of the helper in the later levels, helping Henry with various quests and frequently giving him useful information about enemy camps or advising him (more like teasing) on his proficiency with the bow. However, it is worth noting that there are numerous NPCs who assist our hero in some way during the game. This demonstrates that Propp's theory could potentially be adapted to emerging norms while maintaining the fundamental bases of character narratives.

Figure 7 (Captain Bernard, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, (Kingdom Come Deliverance Wiki, n.d.))

The donor in the KCD setting might be any number of food sellers, weapon and armor smiths, or stable boys that assist Henry in his arduous path of ascending through the ranks and defending his liege. However, conceptually speaking, there is one NPC in the game who meets the criteria. A recurrent figure in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Captain Bernard leads the Rattay city guard. He swears loyalty to Sir Hanush of Leipa. He plays the role of a donor, teaching Henry the principles of weapon warfare, as well as how to combo attacks and launch master strikes. He also treats Henry's health issues following sparring sessions. If Henry did not receive guidance from Captain Bernard, the plot of the game would not advance because weapon battle becomes a primary part of the game and Henry would not survive a single day without it. Bernard's assistance enables Henry to enhance his weapon combat skills and work on perilous quests and objectives assigned to him by his liege.

Eventually, we arrive at the archetype of the false hero. A false hero, outlined by Propp, is a character that looks to be good at first but later reveals themselves to be working against the hero's or other characters' best intentions. This looks to be one of the few instances in which I am unable to identify an NPC who serves as the fake hero. Sir Istvan Toth is first seen visiting Skalitz as a guest, accompanied by Sir Radzig Kobyla, who shows him about. Toth was later proven to have played a critical role in the Cuman forces' invasion of Skalitz and several nearby villages. Toth, Henry, and Radzig were never on cordial terms to begin with, therefore it is difficult to distinguish him as a false hero. I strongly believe that this is where Propp's theory falls short because Toth's betrayal was not a betrayal in the least because he was simply serving his liege and doing what he was told to do, and the majority of the NPCs in Kingdom Come: Deliverance are viewed as allies for either their monarch or the other.

Conclusion

When compared to contemporary norms, Propp's theory is incoherent; either it fails to provide fresh character narratives or it allows for more people to play the same narrative roles. It does, however, enable adaptation to modern audiences while offering the characters greater complexity, versatility, and depth when utilized as a guide rather than as a rule. When utilized with Kingdom Come: Deliverance, this theory works well for the majority of character archetypes and narratives that serve as the framework for a story, but it needs room to accommodate new character narratives that suit new archetypes.

REFERENCES

Propp, V., 1968. Morphology of the Folktale: Second Edition. University of Texas Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7560/783911 [Accessed 8 November 2024].

Dogra, S., 2017. The thirty-one functions in Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale: An outline and recent trends in the applicability of the Proppian taxonomic model. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 9(2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v9n2.41 [Accessed 8 November 2024].