[freeroleplay] Re: Stereotypes
- From: James Jensen <cheeb2002@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: freeroleplay@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 19:53:11 -0500
Samuel Penn wrote:
> Something I think would be a good idea for an easy to introduce
> vanilla world, is some concept of stereotypes.
>
> Whenever I've run a game with a flexible rules system, such as
> GURPS or my own Yags, I've always run into the problem of players
> asking 'What sort of character can I play?'.
>
> The answer of 'anything' doesn't help. They want to know what the
> sensible choices are - what the background of the world expects,
> and what sort of thing fits into the game.
>
> D&D has its class system, but that is quite restrictive. Many
> other games have templates of some kind which give roleplaying
> hints and tips on the sort of characters possible.
>
<snip>
> These don't have to have any game mechanics effect, but they
> give a quick and easy introduction to the world. A player
> can sit down, look at the options, and choose something which
> seems interesting.
>
> In a fantasy game, these stereotypes can be based on gods,
> noble houses, secret societies or guilds. It requires some
> detailing, but they give both instant characters, and instant
> adventure possibilities, making it easy for both the players
> and GM to start using the world.
>
> What do others think? Would it be a good idea to plug hooks
> like this into Zaenar from the start?
>
This happened to cross my mind today. I definitely don't want to push a
rigid class system view of the world, but there needs to be some
archetypes for the reasons you mentioned above, as well as for the sake
of fully fleshing out the world. After all, anyone not unfortunately
impaired can sing (more or less), but not everyone is called "Singer".
To tmost people of any truly human world, certain professions, stations,
allegiances, etc. will cause a person to be viewed as something other
than just another person. At his core, Elvis Presley was just another
person, but most people remember him as the King of Rock'n'Roll.
Statements such as "(s)he's an executive in marketing at CorpCo, Inc."
or "I'm a singer/songwriter" are commonly used to summarize certain
aspects about people (and it's used to summarize more than one might
expect, I suspect).
So, yes, there is a need for archetypes, from both a gaming stand-point
as well as a realism one, and I definately plan to write up a section
about the more common ones (Bard, Wizard, etc.).
--
-J. Jensen
The above information has been deemed highly sensitive, especially to
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