I want to go further with character creation … but I’m not
sure how.
Returning to the question from yesterday’s post – what is
the difference between a Pit, Angelic themed sniper and a Exo-suited, high tech
themed Samus sniper. Weight class can
factor, a little. Moreover, I think “theme”
is a much better descriptor. In short,
Player Characters are built according to theme.
Mario “Jumpman” might oscilate between being a plumber,
carpenter, or Kingdom and Princess saver, but he is fundamentally a working
man. That’s what his ensemble says, and it’s
the attitude in the back of his handlers at Nintendo when he throws himself
into his work, whoop, whoo-hooing and yahooing all over the place like he loved
dying frequently.
Link is on theme a woodsy, fairy themed warrior. With a ... mechanical hookshot. Okay, some themes are stronger than
others. There is room for a theme to be
delivered weaker than others, but PCs should be building, at least, a ten year
old kid with a baseball bat coming to save the world, or matching parka
mountaineers with ice powers. It prompts
clichés, true, but also provides a framework to challenge those clichés, and
thus, the penalties for not following a theme (in attire, tools, power
selection, etc) should be relatively light, more like not getting a boost than
taking a penalty.
Enforcing this is going to be problematic. It has become a mechanic in Orbis
Terrarum, for instance, as métier. It
certainly hasn’t had a chance to ship yet – it was only just funded. But the gist of the mechanic appears to be
that it places full discretion into the DM’s hands to reward good roleplaying
(in their chosen character’s theme) with small bonuses. It seems reasonable, but I like to spread
responsibility around for a character dying.
A variant idea might poll the associate gamers at the table what they
think of the subject’s theme. Hmm… that
might have the opposite effect, and cause everyone to become rote and
uninteresting to appeal to the majority vote.
Maybe some guidelines can be written down, and then taken
into playtesting.
1) Themes
reflect upbringing, origins, and faiths.
a. Example:
Samus’ armor is Chozo. She automatically
inherits the conflicts the Chozo left behind (versus Metroids, Space
Pirates?) NPCs encountering her remember
her theme, and when they last encountered it (if ever, the Hatchling, was after
all, a hatchling!). Social interactions
are moved positively or negatively according to those previous interactions.
b. Example
II: Fox and Falco are clearly futuristic pilots. Their costumes invoke the sense of flight
suits. Their headgear doubles as
microphones, without compromising vision.
They act the part too, cocky and aggressive. They have something to prove.
2) Player
Characters should have at least three themes, and they are recommended not to
all agree or be compatible.
a. Luigi’s
themes include being an adventurer and ‘the scared one.’ Played effectively, he constantly pushes
against his natural fear to keep up with his brother, torn by fears of being
left behind, and of losing him. Mario’s
always too brash! (Oh, shoot, I need a
third, don’t I?) Um … okay… I guess he’s
got a troubling domestic taste, like for fine teas, soft fabrics and vacuuming. Like Mario he is a hard worker, he just
prefers safe, warm, housework is all! No
I swear that’s all, whatever you’ve heard of dresses!
b. None
of these themes have to come up in every situation, nor in most situations, but
they speak to the character, and the kinds of things he or she enjoys, likes,
and dislikes. They can and should form a
part of how the PCs react to danger and reward.
3) Player
characters are asked to defend their theme choices, but really only as an
exercise to determine how this makes sense for the character who is from this
world.
a. Recall
the Setting: Set in a town of game sprite characters mostly ripped from their
own worlds and jumbled together.
b. There
can be riotous disagreement with fellow characters in Nexus, but in their own
world everything makes sense and is logical; the creators more or less made
that be the truth.
c. Characters
should not be allowed to play cluelessly.
They are all connected, invested, in the city which took them in while
clueless. Nexus isn’t perfect, but it
should rest as a centerpiece of just about any characters fragile mind, either
to defend it or dominate it, or both.
PCs can and should make long term plans with Nexus at the center.
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