[No System] + [No idiocy] + [Political intrigue] + [Court politics] + [High-stakes games] + [Passion] + [Struggle for supremacy]
Real political intrigue isn't about how powerful the protagonist is. It's about everyone being formidable. Even when the protagonist wins by a hair, not one person is a fool, not even the pawns.
There are no absolute heroes or absolute villains. Everyone is simply taking careful steps from their own position. The only reason an antagonist is called an antagonist is that they lost.
