Mute Characters

[ghost-angel]

This isn't just Champions oriented, but I'm putting it here because it seemed to fit less in the General Discusion...

 

Has anyone played, or attempted to play, a mute character?

 

How well did it work, or how much of a disaster was it?

 

Did you pantomime all the characters actions or take a more "narrative" approach, or a combination?

 

I'm considering trying to play a mute character as a challenge to myself Roleplaying wise.. I've played a lot of other physical and mental disadvantages out, but not talking at all "in character" during a game intrigues me a bit.

[pinecone]

Re: Mute Characters

 

I've never done this one , but strangly its been recomended to me several times....

[BigJackBrass]

Re: Mute Characters

 

I've played two, the first a DC Heroes android called Silkworm and the second a Spacemaster character, whose name escapes me.

 

Silkworm was only in a convention game (Coppercon 1988) and so I had little chance to explore the idea, but he ended up being a bit like the typical native American "sidekick" style of character, a bit like Mani in "Brotherhood of the Wolf." Without resorting to charades for every action he would tend to listen to the group's plan and then disappear to take care of his part.

 

The Spacemaster character was more interesting. Since the technology existed to get around the "disability" there was actually a reason why he remained mute, although the entire party was wiped out before anyone bothered to ask about it (and I'm sorry to say that fifteen years later I can't remember either!). This character did tend to mime and signal - quite effectively, actually - and it was an intriguing addition to play, but it all ended badly. Overcome with greed when one of the party managed to hack the access code to the enemy armoury everyone raced off to load up on firepower, and I can still remember the unthinking command called back to me as they did:

 

"You stand guard and shout if there's any trouble."

[Edsel]

Re: Mute Characters

 

I have nothing to say about this.

 

Sorry, I guess if I have nothing constructive to say I should keep quiet.

[MitchellS]

Re: Mute Characters

 

I played a mute character once. I found it difficult. The GM required me to write things down and pass them around rather then saying them. It takes a lot more time to write down everything you want to say and slowed the game somewhat. I doubt I'd do it again.

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Mute Characters

 

...

[teh bunneh]

Re: Mute Characters

 

I played a mute character in a D&D game. I could whistle, click, snap, clap, make faces, and pantomime, I could describe my actions ("Leisha walks over and picks up the torch"), and I could write things down on a whiteboard. The other players got really good at understanding what I was trying to tell them. It was a fun and challenging roleplaying experiment, and it lasted nearly a year.

 

The character wasn't deaf, BTW. She was mute because of a throat injury. I think playing a deaf-mute character would be quite different and very difficult.

 

Bill.

[Cancer]

Re: Mute Characters

 

I have a L5R bushi (Kuni Bakayaro) whose back-story is the loss of his voice. He can form words and whisper, but his vocal cord appartus is not functional. On the battlefield to attract attention when needed, he has a horn that he blows. It's an interesting limitation, though in this campaign it actually is a borderline advantage. When a hefty part of the background is trying to resist the back-handed taunts of Cranes and Scorpions, having a good in-game and roleplaying reason to maintain silence can be quite handy.

[Onyxclaw]

Re: Mute Characters

 

I have never done it but I have seen it done and very well actually.

 

(large body gaurd type character with a big sense of humour. The player had very epressive facial features, body language, and gestures wich made his character fun for him to play and fun for the other players to deal with.)

 

If you're up to the task of broadcasting body language and getting frustrated with the other players when they get things wrong, then go ahead. I have a few mute NPCs I want to try out, most wich I find utterly amusing.

[Zed-F]

Re: Mute Characters

 

I have made a couple of mute characters, but haven't had a chance to play them as PCs (yet.) Although I should get a chance at one of them soon.

 

The first was a tragic monster type -- a homeless man exposed to toxic waste, who turns into a hideous freak and comes to live in a garbage dump. Never played him.

 

The second is a character I'm currently constructing for a Galactic Champions PBEM at Hero Central. It's a member of a strange alien species of shapeshifters -- something like the Founders from DS9, except made of a collection of mineral compounds, and not so militaristic. They are also mute, and thus so is my character. However they are quite capable of communicating via emitting light and via radio, so I don't expect this to be a substantial barrier most of the time.

[Roy_The_Ruthles]

Re: Mute Characters

 

i've heard stories of, but not seen a character roleplay a hunter (From WW) who had his throut mangled by a werewolf, and so comunicated by cellphone text messaging. It was apparently a great success

[transmetahuman]

Re: Mute Characters

 

Interesting. Given the limitation that the player can only verbalize character actions, and has to use his own pantomime/body language to communicate with the other PCs (and NPCs! What if the GM isn't good at charades?), I would expect the player to sooner or later get frustrated when trying and failing to express subtle nuance himself, and try something like "I put an expression of cautious agreement on my face".

 

On the one hand, a mute character should be better at expressing himself than the player who runs him; he's had more practice. And the human face is capable of communicating a lot of nuance; it's just more open to interpretation. On the other hand, where do you draw the line? Use something like a Pantomime/Gestures skill, and if the player makes the roll he can phrase his actions so as to communicate his intent?

 

Hopefully, the player will enjoy the challenge of using his own body, and limit verbalizations to straightforward actions - but I could see it getting frustrating, especially if the GM isn't good at picking up on what the player is trying to express. And if the disad came about from events in play, or for some other reason wasn't the player's choice, I'd be a lot more lenient.

[transmetahuman]

Re: Mute Characters

 

Re-thinking, I guess that (nuance) wouldn't come up often enough to be a problem - 90% of the time when nuance is important, there'd be an opportunity for the character to express it in writing.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Mute Characters

 

I once had another player in a game with a mute character. She (the PC) communicated through sign language.

 

Mute characters really only work if there's a way to bypass, such as sign language, telepathy, or a vocalizing device. I've thought occasionally about playing a character in the third category, but never had the occasion.

[Fox1]

Re: Mute Characters

 

Did you pantomime all the characters actions or take a more "narrative" approach, or a combination?

 

We had one character that was mute, basically a dwarf/fey who was also hyperactive. We went with the pantomime approach and it worked really well.

 

I think however that it would get old rather quickly. It was fun because it was funny (and suitable to the character), but being limited to the same 'joke' over and over again can get old.

 

Of course that character lack knowledge of sign language or even writing. The typical mute likely wouldn't- thus we'd run it normally assuming that the conversation was being handled in game by other methods, with some narrative and pantomime overlay for characterization.

[Lethosos]

Re: Mute Characters

 

If you think playing a mute character is hard... try being a moderately to severely deaf PC. Trust me, I know it's more difficult than it sounds, since I am that way in RL. It's the nusiances that you're supposed to miss out on, and even hearing aids don't do it for you.

[JmOz]

Re: Mute Characters

 

I did and did not do this once. The character was mute (Inability to speak) but was a Telepath, so it was not a major hinderance to the character (he would just Mind Link to people to talk to them)

[transmetahuman]

Re: Mute Characters

 

If you think playing a mute character is hard... try being a moderately to severely deaf PC. Trust me' date=' I [b']know[/b] it's more difficult than it sounds, since I am that way in RL. It's the nusiances that you're supposed to miss out on, and even hearing aids don't do it for you.

Yeah, I have three hearing-impaired friends here in Philly (each of whom loves live punk music, and, no, the impairments were not caused by this). I sometimes think that a fully deaf person might almost have fewer social problems than the friend who is almost completely deaf - because he can hear somewhat, and lip read, people expect him to pick up on subtleties of inflection that they would express in a different way if he were completely unable to hear.

[Onyxclaw]

Re: Mute Characters

 

it's a lot like not knowing the language everyone else speaks....though more severe. I did play a character with no common languages and a huge society barrier (an not use/does not understand tech) it worked out alright due to the two universal translaters and a very poor mindlink. Although she misunderstood a whole lot of body language and words. It's fun to play a character who doesn't understand things but is still very intelligent.

 

Things worked out even better after she learned a semi common language...ebonics. Which the NPC thugs taught her since the GM was sick of waiting for the PCs to try to teach her standard.

[Roy_The_Ruthles]

Re: Mute Characters

 

it's really fun if cultural traditions don't mean the same things. One person's hug might be another's attack. And it's always good to have 20PD/ED armor when conducting pot-and-pan negotiations

[Ura-Maru]

Re: Mute Characters

 

The only game I was in with a mute character was, oddly, another samurai-esqe game. There were only two characters, a mute ninja, and a badly scarred ronin, who was illiterate. (This is what happens when you make chracters without talking to each other)

 

Pretty much the entire campaign:

Ninja: "I scan the inn. Is there anyone there who looks suspicious?"

GM: "No one" -Checks character sheets- "Though there as a one-eyed ronin in the back, coughing up blood."

-break until everyone else can keep a straight face-

Ninja: "I go over."

-pause-

Ronin: "Yes . . . ?"

-pause- -gesture-

Ronin: "Is there something I can help you with?"

-gesture gesture wild gesture-

Ronin: (to GM) "Does this look like some kind of attack?"

GM: "Ah, no."

-gesture- -gesture- -slaps table- -starts laughing-

Ronin: "I'm going to go stand over here for a while."

[Lord Zod]

Re: Mute Characters

 

It takes alot of cooperation from the other players and the GM. Still, I think that playing characters who have communications issues, whether it be because they are mute, don't share a common language, or just have a complete cultural disconnect, can be very rewarding. I wouldn't do it more than once or twice with one group myself, the other players would get tired of it. But for that one campaign, I'd have a really memorable character.

 

I GM the campaign Onyxclaw mentioned above, and her character's culture shock has become one of the driving forces in the campaign. I insisted on her eventually learning to talk to the other characters only because there were 10 PCs and it was starting to get time consuming. In a smaller group I don't see any reason why you couldn't keep a mute PC around indefinately.

[Roy_The_Ruthles]

Re: Mute Characters

 

mute characters can be a problem to deal with, but with a group of people dedicated to roleplaying it can also be a valuable addition, and lead to lots of fun

[Onyxclaw]

Re: Mute Characters

 

It takes alot of cooperation from the other players and the GM. Still, I think that playing characters who have communications issues, whether it be because they are mute, don't share a common language, or just have a complete cultural disconnect, can be very rewarding. I wouldn't do it more than once or twice with one group myself, the other players would get tired of it. But for that one campaign, I'd have a really memorable character.

 

I GM the campaign Onyxclaw mentioned above, and her character's culture shock has become one of the driving forces in the campaign. I insisted on her eventually learning to talk to the other characters only because there were 10 PCs and it was starting to get time consuming. In a smaller group I don't see any reason why you couldn't keep a mute PC around indefinately.

 

which I appreciated! (plus it was way funny ) cause it's really hard for her to get anything in as far as imput goes since she didn't understand most of what other people were saying. like he said, no problem now. I learned ebonic esparanto and then finally simple Galactic Standard. Now we just have all the culture shock! heh

(have I told you how much I love my character and your game recently zod? well I do!)

 

It is really rewarding to play a character like this. Especially when breakthroughs occur. But it definately requires time and GM assistance.

 

And yes Roy (Baby Joe) it's best not to wake up the sleeping dragon when she's afraid of people. That armour saved your life, not to mention made her wary of you (I mean...4d6 killing attack! and nothing!). But now they're friends and are in the band together so's all good. ^^

 

And thanx for putting up with my trying to play my childhood culture zod. I really apreciate it.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Mute Characters

 

Thanks for all the input.

 

The core group I play with is small enough and good enough that playing someone with an inability to communicate verbally won't be impossible. It sounds like enough of a challenge I'm going to try it at the first opportunity.

 

The character will just have an inability to talk, so no cultural or linguistic barriers will need to be crossed. And since we almost always get a mentalist I'm sure someone will think to Telepathize fairly quickly.

 

Of course, I'm hoping this will provide both a challenge to roleplay (because I believe that we should challenge ourselves on occasion) and maybe break me of my occasional need to add non-sequitors into the sessions...