Foxiekins Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 The Character from the TV series MASH... What disadvantages would you assign to him...? Working on a character conversion, and I'd like something a bit more clear than just putting "Frank Burns" as the name of the Disadvantage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 Mindlessly patriotic, subject to orders, gullible, cowardly, and rivalry with other doctors, to start with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 Don't forget "Obsessed with Major Houlihan" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Baker Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 And "fish lips". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WistfulD Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 Realistically, he has a minor level of cowardice and paranoia, but mostly a penalty in social and observational skills. The gullibility and mindlessly patriotic bits really are part of a more general solipsism--he pays attention to a given situation and reacts (verbally and decisionwise) based on a very self interested interpretation. He thinks the Korean's puting pots in the ground are planting bombs because he happens to be focused on paranoia that week. Note, of course, that he's only the "bad guy" in that situation because he was wrong. He is very much a cartoon bad guy--having whatever flaw the writers needed that week. I wouldn't give him many penalty points except poor social skills, and probably 10 points total for the cowardice and paranoia. Most of his "flaws" aren't game book complications. He's really unlikable, but it really isn't a penalty to him to be a relatively selfish, self-interested, belittling-to-others, underhanded ferret-face, except that people react negatively to him. Frank, to me, is very much like his opposite--Sydney. He's not really a character, so much as a plot device. That's why I found Charles Emerson Winchester III an much more relatable and realistic foil, even though I preferred the earlier seasons of the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 Well it comes down to what happens to the character in the setting as a result of his personality. Being weasely and underhanded is pretty minor. Being paranoid and easily duped actually costs him - they are actually disadvantageous - and worth points, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WistfulD Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 Agreed. 5 points for paranoia (half the time he's not paranoid when he should be), 5 for gullible, and maybe 5 for inobservant to real situations that conflict with his internal psychosis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Distinctive Features: Ferret Face Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 Also, don't give him too many points in PS: Surgeon. One of the reasons Burns was disliked by the other surgeons was that he wasn't very good at his job. Wikipedia entry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 Let's not forget mild kleptomania here -- remember, he'd swiped a general's gun (and was perfectly willing to let Radar take the blame for it) in one of the episodes. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 OTOH, "Obssessed with Major Houlihan" ended up causing him all kinds of problems. He had a wife stateside, so he was committing adultery and trying to keep her from finding out. Eventually the wife heard about it, and Burns' efforts to placate her made Houlihan so angry she dumped him. He continued pursuing her, even after she started seeing someone else. This included behavior which could be considered "stalking." I'd probably rank it as a "Common/Strong" Psychological Complication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucius Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 Mindlessly patriotic, I might have said, reflexively deferential to authority. Lucius Alexander Obsessed with palindromedaries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 That might be closer, although he was portrayed as an idiotic flag waver in the show pretty consistently in a mockery of patriotism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 Then again, he was constantly trying to undermine Col. Blake or go over his head. He knew better than to try that with Col. Potter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WistfulD Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 Let's not forget mild kleptomania here -- remember, he'd swiped a general's gun (and was perfectly willing to let Radar take the blame for it) in one of the episodes. Major Tom 2009 Yes, but mental illnesses are based on patterns, and he didn't repeat that action. So he's more of a guy who stole something once, rather than a kleptomaniac. Either way, it feeds from a more generalized mental complication: an overall attempt to gain power, prestige, symbols of self aggrandizement, etc., but without the efforts or responsibilities (or competence) required to do so. During the Col. Blake years, he's basically Starscream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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