Why should I care?

[Diamond Spear]

Re: Why should I care?

 

I have to disagree slightly. My characters have a little philosophical bent. It has more to do with WHY a character is a hero not IS a character a hero. I like exploring the different reasons why a sane person would risk a horrible painful death or worse every day of their life.

 

In the real world we call these people police officers, fireman and soldiers/sailors/marines. I’m sure some of our players who are also members of these professions could be persuaded to add their thoughts here.

[TygerLily]

Re: Why should I care?

 

There are rewards beyond gold pieces.

 

Player 1: I don't know. I mean If I am not gaining anything from doing something about it I am start walking the other way.

 

GM: OK. You walk the other way. In the distance you can still see the glow of the fire. Great guy, I can tell why your friend likes you so much.

 

Player 2: Well I start running towards the fire and take flight into the air.

 

GM: Great. You transform into Heroman and soon spot that the new Double Aces hotel/casino is in flames. People are streaming out below, some are dangling from windows. In the distance you start to hear sirens, but there's no way they're going to get there in time.

 

Player 3: I don't think I should get involved, since I am a reformed demon I don't see why I should go.

 

GM: But only reformed so far, eh? OK, you sit around and listen to the screams of desperate souls. Player 1 and Player 3, now could be a good time to go get a drink or something if you want. Player 2's going to be involved with the story, so I'm going to focus on him, the rescues and the combat for awhile. Shouldn't take too terribly long though, since only one player involved.

 

Later....

 

GM: Heroman saves the day! The crowd starts a 'He-ro-MAN He-ro-MAN' chant as he's getting interviewed by the lovely reporter from News 3. Heroman gets 3XP.

 

Player 2: Woot! Awesome. Great fight - battling it out in the burning hotel was fantastic. Hey, after the cameras stop I'll see if the reporter would like a date...

 

Player 1 and Player 3: XP? What about us?

 

GM: Sorry, no XP for getting pizza or sitting around on porch steps humming.

 

*********************************************************.

 

The GM's time and attention and experience are very precious things. Make it clear that they are both given in much greater amounts to those who act heroically and in genre. The players should understand that they're not playing Sims HERO, they're playing CHAMPIONS.

 

I agree with this take on the situation!

[Alverant]

Re: Why should I care?

 

In the real world we call these people police officers' date=' fireman and soldiers/sailors/marines.[/quote']

 

Absolutely and I know the vast majority of these people have honorable motivations. But we're talking a make-believe world that's more akin to plays and sagas of ancient times than flesh-and-blood people doing real things. In fiction ordinary people are often thrust into extraordinary circumstances and they thrive. In real life that doesn't happen as often. Since superpowers are often given to ordinary people without the motivations of the police, firemen, soldiers we have more leeway to examine the question, "What is a hero?"

[Kenn]

Re: Why should I care?

 

I'd ask why are these the people you game with?

 

If you have common enough interests that they're as interested in playing super-heroes as you are in running them, you shouldn't have this problem.

 

If you have common enough interests that you're as interested in running self-interested people with powers as they're as interested in playing them, you shouldn't have this problem.

 

If you game together because you all love roll-playing games, a genre everyone likes needs to be found.

 

If you game together because they're your buds, so they're playing to be nice to you, who's interested in it you should either a) not game with them (not abuse their kindness) or ask them to play what you want to run and that not playing would be preferable to doing a half-assed job (expect something from their kindness).

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Why should I care?

 

I actually like games where the campaign parameters aren't announced.

 

This is pretty much a recipe for getting at least one square peg in the game's round hole, in my experience. You'll wind up with at least one character whose leanings, regardless of which way they go, are contrary to everybody else. You know ... one Punisher, four Captains America, or one Captain America and four Punishers. In the end, the one oddball character will likely have to be retired because he simply can't function in a team dynamic.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Why should I care?

 

By contrast my friend Mike insisted that "we could open a cheese shop in Bora-Bora if we wanted too" and he'd work it into the game. He was lying, Hugh has the right of it. If your PC isn't going to play nice with the other PCs, I will let you roleplay by yourself, in a corner, without plot, as long as you like.

 

"Okay! I'm in the Tea Shop, what's going on in here?!"

"Eh... *scribbles*... it's a tea shop. People wander in and out. Most of them buy tea, scones, or the odd item off the shelf."

"Are there are any cute girls?"

"Yes, there's a disproportionate number of hippie-esque chicks who move in small groups."

"I hit on them!"

"They ignore you. Okay, you guys, with the plot who are doing stuff, as I was saying before, the ceiling has begun to collapse, and the three goblin squads are now rushing at your position full tilt, both to get out of the tunnel and, seemingly, to do their best to kick your ass. What do you do?"

"HEY! I said I hit on them!"

"And they keep ignoring you. I'll get back to you in a minute."

 

"You got 5 minutes in the tea shop. The other four players are entitled to their 5 minutes each. They are all together, so that's 20 minutes for them. Be a good chap and stay out of the way and we'll get back to you in 20 minutes."

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: Why should I care?

 

This happened so much with one particular player that there was a word for it: "Hobbitting." It was for the player who dug her heels in, whined about having to leave her safe, warm little home, and complained the whole way. Once the adventure was over, back she went, and, if the characters didn't wheedle her back out, in she stayed.

 

In one D&D game, she played a werewolf who hated cities, and had to be coaxed into them so the rest of us could gather supplies, track the bad guy's latest movements and machinations, and discover a cool shortcut. Half the plot seeds happened in cities, and most of us were cool with that, except the one player who'd made it a core of her character.

 

Not that I'm picking on anyone in particular . . .

 

I was so wary of running into that type of player that I made it a requirement for my FH game that all characters MUST have heroic motivations, and at least one PsychLim supporting that.

[Lord Fyre]

Re: Why should I care?

 

Player 3: I don't think I should get involved' date=' since I am a reformed demon I don't see why I should go. (oh my god hand me a gun please)[/quote']

 

It is kind of interresting that a "Reformed Demon" would not be more highly motivated to "Do Good"? He/She clearly is not quite as reformed as the character thought.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Why should I care?

 

This happened so much with one particular player that there was a word for it: "Hobbitting." It was for the player who dug her heels in, whined about having to leave her safe, warm little home, and complained the whole way. Once the adventure was over, back she went, and, if the characters didn't wheedle her back out, in she stayed.

 

In one D&D game, she played a werewolf who hated cities, and had to be coaxed into them so the rest of us could gather supplies, track the bad guy's latest movements and machinations, and discover a cool shortcut. Half the plot seeds happened in cities, and most of us were cool with that, except the one player who'd made it a core of her character.

 

Not that I'm picking on anyone in particular . . .

 

I was so wary of running into that type of player that I made it a requirement for my FH game that all characters MUST have heroic motivations, and at least one PsychLim supporting that.

 

This is one reason why I started banning Druids in D&D ... people kept 'overplaying' them.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: Why should I care?

 

I think one CAN play a game that avoids cities and takes place just out in the woods, but it's extremely limiting.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Why should I care?

 

I think one CAN play a game that avoids cities and takes place just out in the woods' date=' but it's extremely limiting.[/quote']

 

Agreed.

 

I'd rather play a game that takes place in a city and rarely ventures into the wildnerness, myself.

[wrestlinggeek]

Re: Why should I care?

 

This thread reminds me of a game I ran a few years ago. It was pretty much a standard superhero game, and had been going a few sessions. Setting was in a Texas city on the Gulf Coast. I told the players that a category 5 hurricane was heading for their town (this was well before Katrina). I asked them what they were doing, and got discreptions of their plans for the hurricane party they were gonna have in one of the PC's basement. I gave them a blank look for almost a minute and then said something along the lines of "Would Superman sit in somebody's basement during a hurricane? Would the Avengers? Would freaking 'I have no real superpowers' Batman? " They kind of got the hint and went out heroin'.

[Querysphinx]

Re: Why should I care?

 

This reminds me of a time when my wonderful heroic PCs in a fantasy game decided to steal some horses from a caravan. By way of distraction they set fire to the market square...

 

The town hired the villains to hunt down the "heroes"

[Querysphinx]

Re: Why should I care?

 

Agreed.

 

I'd rather play a game that takes place in a city and rarely ventures into the wildnerness, myself.

 

 

When I run fantasy the heroes tend to do a lot of traveling, so wilderness encounters are common, but I stick to my old adage: There is no such thing as a "random" encounter.

 

I have had to deal with a player whose self-described alignment was "neutral greedy."

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Why should I care?

 

As a sidenote, I can understand the concept of the reluctant hero. The guy who isn't sure of himself, isn't quite sure why he's doing the hero thing. I can get that; the thing is, he's still doing the hero thing, not erecting a Not My Problem Field.

[Certified]

Re: Why should I care?

 

They kind of got the hint and went out heroin'.

 

Forgive me the following reply comes from me reading this sentience as "went out and got heroin'." Please don't ask where the "and got" came from but I digress.

 

Maybe that's what happened? are you're players on the drugs? I mean really what kind of drug is heroin for a hero anyway? Superdyne now there's a drug for today's super hero who just wants to be left under a bridge.

[SSgt Baloo]

Re: Why should I care?

 

As a sidenote' date=' I can understand the concept of the reluctant hero. The guy who isn't sure of himself, isn't quite sure why he's doing the hero thing. I can get that; the thing is, he's still doing the hero thing, not erecting a [u']Not My Problem Field[/u].

 

Emphasis added above. I've been too rep-happy the last 24 hours. Someone rep the nice doggie for me, 'kay?

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: Why should I care?

 

As a sidenote' date=' I can understand the concept of the reluctant hero. The guy who isn't sure of himself, isn't quite sure why he's doing the hero thing. I can get that; the thing is, he's still doing the hero thing, not erecting a Not My Problem Field.[/quote']

Precisely. I'm fairly fond of such characters, but I keep the "who am I?" angst for when there isn't imminent danger to all I hold dear. I've never needed to be prodded in the direction of the plot hook (though if my Teen Champions GM keeps turning the plot hook into a railroady trap, I just might . . .), and I've played a lot of "What's my motivation?" characters. In fact, my Teen Champions character is a half-demon who isn't sure this Doing Right thing feels quite right, but does it, anyway, figuring she'll sort it out eventually. (She makes up for it in snark and one-liners, mostly. And occasionally creeping out party members.)

 

Emphasis added above. I've been too rep-happy the last 24 hours. Someone rep the nice doggie for me' date=' 'kay?[/quote']

Got 'im. ^ v ^

[pinecone]

Re: Why should I care?

 

As a sidenote' date=' I can understand the concept of the reluctant hero. The guy who isn't sure of himself, isn't quite sure why he's doing the hero thing. I can get that; the thing is, he's still doing the hero thing, not erecting a Not My Problem Field.[/quote']

 

Yeah, I'd insist that the rest of the players be onboard...after all it's going to be their problem to provide motivation for agoriaphobic persons exploits.....

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: Why should I care?

 

This is off-topic, but I tried to give rep to Tiger Lilly and got the 'I must spread rep around' box. At first I thought I must have given her some earlier and forgot, but as she hasn't got any rep at all.... Would someone else try giving her (or him) a point, just to make sure there's not some kind of problem?

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Why should I care?

 

This is off-topic' date=' but I tried to give rep to Tiger Lilly and got the 'I must spread rep around' box. At first I thought I must have given her some earlier and forgot, but as she hasn't got any rep at all.... Would someone else try giving her (or him) a point, just to make sure there's not some kind of problem?[/quote']

 

Unless the target of your repping has 50 or more posts (outside the Non-Gaming Discussion forum), none of it registers. That's probably it.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: Why should I care?

 

Ah. Thanks for 'splainin'!

[KA.]

Re: Why should I care?

 

Here are links to pair of brilliant posts on crafting scenarios and involving Players and NPC's alike in them.

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=921878&postcount=30

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=925023&postcount=32

 

And here is a link to a post dealing with new campaigns and 'loner' characters.

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=562514&postcount=10

 

All I can say is the guy who posted that stuff sounds like someone I would like to have for a GM.

 

KA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What?

[assault]

Re: Why should I care?

 

I think one CAN play a game that avoids cities and takes place just out in the woods' date=' but it's extremely limiting.[/quote']

 

I don't think that's necessarily the case.

 

The thing to remember is that people live in the countryside, too. There can be villages, farms and so on in "the woods".

 

In fact, if you were keen, you could probably take a city map, divide it into bite-sized chunks, and distribute it around a wilderness map, with each little chunk being a village! You might have to vary the proportions of stuff, but all the interesting things would be there:

castles/villas/manor houses (nobles, warriors)

wizards' towers

monasteries, village temples, hermits

bandit gangs

wandering monsters

inns

beggars

 

One of the best DnD games I played in was set in a dinky little village and its environs.

 

I like city settings, but rural settings work fine too.

 

If you want something even more wilderness-y, reduce the number of villages, and have more farms, hermits and non-humans. Think Grimm's Fairy Tales and Arthurian romances.

[Karmakaze]

Re: Why should I care?

 

One of the GM's in my circle of players has a list of questions players have to answer for their PCs

1. Why is your character a hero?
2. What are your character's feelings about killing? (you don't need to have a CvK, just have a clear answer)
3. Why would your character join a team?

If you don't have an answer to all three, then take some time to work on your concept until you do. (We later added "4. Why would a team want you on it", thanks to a particular player, who kept getting his PC's kicked off teams.)

 

The questions get varied a bit depending on genres, but it's usually a good first step towards weeding out problem concepts.