Gnosticism - So What?

Good morning, folks!  Here's where my lack of a philosophy degree, and my complete rejection of meaningless gobbledygook, will come in handy:  Playing the Devil's Advocate.

Recently, your GM threw out some ideas about Gnosticism, and its role in the fantasy worlds of games.  I will be the first to admit that the idea of a game where the protagonists have acquired an ability to tear through the illusion of the world and enter into the "real world" sounds really interesting.  I think we all have the desire to see "through" what can sometimes be a turd of an existence we've been dealt, to see the "real" world, because this one just sucks too hard sometimes to be all we've got.

There's the rub, though.  In the real world, the Gnostics would never be able to truly see Reality.  They would spend what little time they have on this planet rejecting what is around them plainly out of fear, while questing madly and convincing other innocent beings to join their hunt for the Better Reality.  I think we all know what happens when we spend our entire lives looking for Something Better.  (Hint: You don't generally find it)

Enter the fantasy realm, then.  Sure, it would be neat to have a Matrix-type game (with more a fantasy element than the technological element, if I may be so humble as to make a request).  But while there would be battle sequences against whatever embodiment The Archons take in that setting, most of your game would be focused around trying to get other people to join you.  The Preaching Game.

I can see it now:
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Player1: I roll to convince the Tavern Wench that I have seen The Truth and she should come with me tonight so she may see it, too.

GM: Hm.  All right, what's your Proselytize score?  Make a check.

Player1: I have a 7 in it.  And I rolled a 12, so 19.   Good enough?

Player2: Don't forget, he's been drinking, so he's going to have a Reputation penalty.

GM:  *snorts* Oh, yeah, and this is the same wench from the night before when you tried to convince her that the ale was all a sham, so she might as well give it to you for free.  Yeah, sorry, not good enough.  The wench rolls her eyes and mutters something about alerting the local parishioners about your heresy and poor taste in pickup lines.
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The battles would be inconsequential except to keep living.  Unless you set it up in such a fashion that you battle the Archons and eventually the False Creator and manage to make the whole world fall apart around the innocents who had no idea they were being lied to.

...And then what?  Do you think they're going to be happy?  You'll have to run for your frickin' lives because you will have ultimately created a mob scene and ruined millions of livelihoods with your "help."  And I find that truly hilarious, so maybe it should be looked into, after all.

All things considered, you're going to find that the Gnostics were kind of a wacky fringe-cult of Christianity for a reason:  Most people are pretty content accepting what's in front of them.  Sure, they may want a better job, more money, a hotter wife, etc., but very few people are so paranoid and upset with how things are that they would be willing to drop everything and seek out the Really Real Reality with you.  And even if you could prove that the RRR was true and the False Reality was what everyone in the world was experiencing, I would wager that the majority of people would tell you, "That's all well and good, but I've already got my life figured out in this reality and would rather not start over in the new one."

That's my 2cp.

~The Wife~