Is patriotism a disadvantage?

[Mentor]

Re: Is patriotism a disadvantage?

 

I disagree.

 

Certainly, if the disad is ever going to be a significant inconvenience for the character, the GM has to arrange that circumstance. But the player has a responsibility to roleplay the PsychLims they take for their character. This is one of the ways the disad is worth points. Disads like Dislikes Short People would otherwise be nearly worthless. (I mean, how often is someone going to be attacked by a horde of midgets? Hmmm...)

 

Anyway, my point is that the player has as much responsibility to earn the points as the GM does to screw with him/her.

 

So with characters like Cap, who is a Patriot who loves his country enough to disagree with its government from time to time. He gets points because sometimes he's willing to stand up to the government (risky business, especially these days) to uphold his country's ideals. By contrast a SuperPatriot who believes in his country, right or wrong, is getting the points because sometimes he will choose to do things that will be unpopular because he believes they're right.

 

Both are getting points for the consequences of their beliefs, which consequences would never occur if the player doesn't roleplay them.

I agree to a point that the PC must play his Disads, but unless the GM creates situations in which the Disads are relevant and moves the plot line along with the PC use of their Disads, the roleplay can come off as contrived. They both need to play off each other.

[st barbara]

Re: Is patriotism a disadvantage?

 

I tend to agree that it is the degee of patriotism that is involved. A patriot will defend his nation and his nations people when they are attacked. A superpatriot or extreme nationalist might attack other nations or characters because he perceives them as threats to his nation or way of life or just because they disagree with his nations policies. Have a look at the famous "My country right or wrong"speech by an early U S patriot (I can't remember which one it was now) A superpatriot stops at the first line of the speech; a patriot goes on to finish the speech !

[arcady]

Re: Is patriotism a disadvantage?

 

Its a disadvantage if:

 

1) it drives the character to take personal risks for their nation

2) the character's patriotism is challenged by in-game events (role playing!)

3) it allows the GM to maneuver the character into the plot

I would change this list to:

 

1. If it entails the character acting differently than the normal assumptions of the genre. Thus in a four color game I would give zero points for a code v killing, and give some level of points for varying degrees of willingness to kill. In the 70s it would not be the X-Men who got the disad points, but Wolverine for being the odd-man out.
   
2. It limits the options of the character in play, on a level of frequency matching that which was assigned for it. The player is responsible for ensuring this in how they play the character.
   
3. The player is able to revolve both GM inspired and player inspired sub plots, plot hooks, and plot lines around it.

Its up to the game master' date=' not the player, to create situations where a disadvantage is worth the points the character received for it.[/quote']I would flip this. It is up to the player to bring their disadvantages into active play and justify their purchase through the actions they take and the personality the portray.