**Previous Chapter: [[1c. Characters]]** <hr> When disputed stakes arise, it's common for two or more characters to share preferred outcomes in common. If two or more characters agree about their preferred outcome, we call them **allies.** If two characters disagree about the outcome, we call them **adversaries** (or **enemies**). In a TTRPG, two or more **players** generally work together to achieve stakes that they share in common. While working together in this way, the players' characters are allies. The players might find additional allies in the Dungeon Master's world, as well as numerous adversaries, including monsters, villains, and inanimate "characters" like walls, diseases, and storms. As discussed in [[1b. Stakes]], a **game** is a character's efforts to win their preferred stakes. As such, each time the players seek to win a particular set of stakes (e.g., "The players found a way around the wall that blocked the path forward."), they must play a game against any adversaries that oppose them or stand in their way. <hr> **Next Chapter: [[1e. Minigames]]**