This game sucks! Part 2: What To Do When Nothing Changes.

Written by Paul von Meerscheidt on 2010/09/01 – 00:01 -

Yesterday I discussed how to talk to your GM about problems with their game. If you followed my advice you probably pulled them aside and had a meaningful conversation about your concerns. Assuming you presented your case well and made it clear that you were serious, your GM probably seemed receptive to your problems. You discussed what made their game good and what you wanted or were willing to participate in. Then you waited, showing up to each session, looking for the change you had discussed. You didn’t push the issue, allowing them space to rap up current loose ends or work in the story elements you were looking for. Then….

Nothing happened.

Despite your conversation and your GM’s promises to make some changes, nothing changed. They continued forcing your face character through endless trials of blood, or persisted in plumbing the depths of depravity and darkness in their plotting. Maybe it even got worse, if their idea of solving the problem to bring everything to a dragged out conclusive ending.

Why are they doing this to me?

  • Your GM wants to wrap up story threads or plots, and it is taking longer than they expected. They planned to have everything onto the new track within a few sessions but the actions of other characters or in game diversions are dragging it out longer than expected.
  • Your GM is misguided, and thought that when you asked for things to change you meant “eventually” or “sometime this year”. What I mean by this is that they did not understand how much the problems were bothering you and took your one-on-one with them as game mastering advice, not a request for immediate change.
  • Your GM tried to address your concerns, but after a short period of time fell back into bad habits.
  • The other players really like the direction the story is headed or the rules changes.
  • You are the odd man out and the GM does not really want to change the game in the way you desire.
  • While they listened to you and pretended to agree to your proposals, your GM has no intention of changing their ways. They hope the whole thing will blow over if they just keep on doing what they were doing or that they will force you to leave (Unlikely but possible).

So, what now?

Regardless of how you feel, your GM has probably tried to address the problem. Pay attention and take note of positive changes. If a few sessions have passed and the problem remains, your only option is to talk to them again. Take note of the changes they have made and be prepared to explain why they are not sufficient. Once you are ready, pull your GM aside and explain that there is still a problem. Make it clear that you have seen the changes they have made and you appreciate them, but that there is still further to go. At this point your next actions are determined entirely by how they respond. They will either agree to work with you further, or make it clear that they will be inflexible. If the latter is the case, your only options are to suck it up or walk away. If they agree to work with you, try to set a time by which the changes will have been made. This will give them some room to work, but still hold them accountable.

And when that doesn’t work?

The first thing to do is talk to the other players. Do they share your concerns, or are you the only one with a problem? If so, you may want to consider finding or starting a different game. As I mentioned yesterday, sometimes your desires and those of your group will be so wildly different that this is the only option. If you choose to leave the game for a while, do it gracefully. Most people will understand and respect your decision if your reasons are clearly defined. Remember that this is everyone’s game, not just yours.

But the other players don’t like it either.

In this case an intervention may be required. If none of the players like the direction of the game it probably won’t be long until it falls apart. The best thing to do is discuss as a group what your problems are and what solution you would like to see. The problem with this approach is that when an entire group tells their GM they don’t like his game, feelings will be hurt. You run a strong risk of loosing them as a GM, and only a marginally smaller risk of loosing them as a friend.

Try to figure out a way to break it to them gently, and accentuate the positive. In most cases the problem will either be the story or the execution, not both. Try to focus on one or the other when you confront them. Make sure they understand that your problem is not with them but with the game, and that you still want to have them run a game, just not this game, or not this way. With any luck they will accept your concerns in a mature manner, and everyone’s experience will improve.

Have you had a situation where your GM was doing things you weren’t comfortable with? How did you deal with it?


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This game sucks! (How to talk to your GM) Part 1

Written by Paul von Meerscheidt on 2010/08/31 – 00:01 -

Unless you have been lucky or haven’t been playing very long, you’ve probably experienced it. Your GM is taking the game in directions you don’t like or aren’t comfortable with, or perhaps is just not running the style of game you want to play; perhaps they have implemented house rules or “interpretations” that you disagree with or that are patently wrong. You want to stay with the group and are interested in continuing in the same game, but want to see some changes, thematic or otherwise. When this happens, the typical gamer (myself included) will respond in one of several destructive ways:

  • Quietly stew for months, not really enjoying the game but feeling obligated to stay until you finally drop out of the game, typically starting with bad attendance (so you are less involved and feel less obligated) and culminating in no call no show.
  • Same as above but ending with a catastrophic shouting match centered around your issue or something completely unrelated.
  • Sabotage the game through violence against other PCs, NPC’s or by ignoring the plot and or trying to waste entire sessions on diversions.
  • Snippy comments and obvious passive aggressive behavior which make your DM feel stupid or inadequate.

Why shouldn’t I act this way?

This behavior is not only immature, it is pointless. Most GMs are either blazing egotists who cannot understand how the players are not enjoying what they are doing, or they lack self esteem and are in constant need of positive reinforcement. Or both. In either case, the above approaches do nothing but exacerbate the problem. The GM will see your behavior as offensive or disappointing, and will most likely see it as a personal attack, not a reasonable request for change.

What should I do instead?

Dealing with situations like these can be very difficult. We get together to have fun and play a game, not spend endless time arguing or being unpleasant to each other. Nothing tears a group up like player vs GM conflict. Even still, addressing the problem can be simplified by following a short set of rules:

  • Try to head problems off early; a few words in private can be very effective. If you bring the problem to your GM’s attention early, it can typically be easily remedied.
  • Don’t make it a performance. Your GM probably doesn’t need an intervention.  Calling them out in front of all the players will put them on the defensive, lowering your chances of getting a fair hearing.
  • Don’t be angry, yell, scream, or be insulting.
  • Stress the positive. Tell your GM what parts of the game you really enjoy.

Instead, explain what your problem is, and why it is a problem. If your argument is rules based, present evidence to support it. Reference similar rules or systems as support. If your GM decides to rule against you in regards to a certain ability, see if they will let you swap it for something else.

If the problem is based around what you want from the game or what your personal boundaries are for campaign content, explain what you want and clearly delineate where you are willing to have the campaign go. Most GMs know when they are pushing the envelope and will be willing to dial it back for the comfort of their players.

So my GM is running Star Wars Saga Edition, but I want to play Fuzzy Bunny Armada!

Sometimes the problem is not campaign elements that make you uncomfortable, or simple dissatisfaction with the game, but a desire to do something completely different. In these situations a different approach is required. If what you want is drastically different from the game your GM is trying to run, the time to raise objections is at the start of the campaign, not six months in. At that point, the chances that the GM will be willing to just drop all his intricate plotting and planning are very slim. If you really want something different, consider starting your own game on a different night, and with yourself as GM  This way, the story will contain the elements you want. In addition, every GM I have ever known has wanted to be a player but been unable to do so because “they are the GM”. Invite your GM and other players to your game and start telling your own stories.

Continued tomorrow in Part 2: What to do When Nothing Changes.


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The Best Gaming Dice: GameScience Dice

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2010/08/19 – 00:00 -

We’ve all spent hours looking at dice in our local game store.  We’ve carefully chosen those that call to us, usually based on looks.  Eventually, long after we’ve paid for them and come home, we cast them back into the Bag of Shame because they fail us constantly with a slew of terrible rolls.  Or, perhaps we find that one d20 that never fails us, even though we hate the color.

Apparently, most of our dice are nowhere near as random as we imagine them to be, and it isn’t our imagination.   Mr. Zocchi, who created the original set of polyhedrals that have become iconic to our hobby, is currently the man behind GameScience, and his dice are intended to be precise pieces of engineering.    Let’s let the man make his point for himself, though:

I already intend to replace my dice with these.  You can buy them online from GameStation.net. I should also point out that Chessex does sell a small selection of the GameScience dice.  They’re the translucent jewel-colored dice with the sharp edges that don’t have their numbers painted.

Now, if only someone would start making machined casino quality polyhedrals.


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Metagaming: Help or Hindrance?

Written by Tyson J. Hayes on 2010/07/27 – 00:00 -

Metagaming is a fact of life. As roleplayers we can’t help but metagame, as much as we may try not to. It’s almost impossible for us to keep everything entirely to character knowledge. I mean one gelatinous cube looks like the rest, right? Some GMs get mighty fussy when it comes to metagaming, trying to clamp down on it with an iron fist. Others encourage it, and even some games just down right force it, but honestly does it really help or hinder?

Modifies Encounters

Let’s face it; this is the main gripe of the GM that’s against metagaming. They don’t like how their players can outthink them by thinking outside their character’s predefined box. GM’s, myself included, tend to try to predict how their players are going to react when building an encounter. Most of the time they only have their limited experience with the players and the characters they outlined to guide them. So the build the encounters in a pre-defined box in order to suit their needs, and honestly they should! The only baseline they have to go off of is what the information they have in front of them, their down fall is they fail to modify it before/during/after the encounter. Learning from your mistakes, and foreseeing possible changes are vital to a great GM experience. Metagaming or not GMs need to be adaptable, besides your players are smarter then you, it’s a time tested fact.

Effects the Speed of Play

So the perfect encounter aside speed of play is the biggest reasons I see players tending towards the metagame. Sometimes it’s to help play go faster by making suggestions, other times it’s to slow play down and analyze the problem. New players need to metagame; ask questions, analyze decisions and communicate with other players. It’s a part of learning the game, and frankly makes a more supportive environment for having a good time. For me the downside of the metgagame comes in when experienced players sit and over analyze the battle like a strategic chess match. This is especially true in D&D 3.0/3.5, your options are going to be, hit it, use that feat you’ve been looking for the right time to use, cast a spell at it, or hit it harder. Your choices are not complicated. So if you are going to play it like a chess match, use the speed chess rules; plan your move during everyone else’s turn.

Changes the Roleplaying Experience

The core of the metagaming problem is simply the changes in play style. A #savageworlds irc chatter was saying that his play style changes depending on if the group was metagaming. He pointed out that when he plays with a group that metagames he becomes more combat focused, and loses his perspective on the roleplaying aspects of the game. All the focus is around getting in the hits just right instead of focusing on the reasons they were facing off with Satan himself in the first place.

Is metagaming a help? It is if you’re a new player, your GM is more combat focused and is great at modifying encounters. Honestly though, I generally consider it more of a hindrance.

So where do you stand on metagaming? Do you allow it at your table or is there a strict no metagaming rule?


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How to Make Your Wizard More Magical with Skill Trappings

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2010/07/22 – 00:00 -

Unlike their D&D counterparts, Savage Worlds Wizards don’t have a plethora of spells littering their character sheet. Also, there isn’t a described cantrip mechanism that lets them do little magical things all day. But that’s a problem that a little imagination can fix without altering the rules at all using skill trappings.

What are Skill Trappings?

Skills are just a mechanic to differentiate characters who are good at something from those who are not. The Healing skill doesn’t go into detail as to how to stitch a wound or apply a bandage. All it cares about is success for failure at healing someone. How is left up to description and the trappings of the setting. For example, in a fantasy game, Healing would include the use of herbs and prayer. In a futuristic setting, it would include dermal regenerators or bacta tanks. The result is the same, but the trappings differ.

Applying that to Magic (aka, The Harry Potter Effect)

A wizard knows magic, so there really is no reason that he wouldn’t employ it to assist him in using skills. Instead of using brute force and nimble hands to repair something, he’ll apply heat and telekinetic forces to do the same thing. This doesn’t mean he gets any sort of bonus for using magic. Instead, the trappings of the skill change for him.

Let’s look at an extreme example: Harry Potter. The characters in Harry Potter use magic for everything from dominating friends and family to folding laundry. In fact, if you took a wizard’s wand away he couldn’t operate a toaster.

So, let’s pretend that you wanted to play a Savage Harry Potter game. You wouldn’t go through and pull out every little spell they used. Instead, you’d just make all those little spells trappings for normal skills, then give extra bennies to players who are good at roleplaying their skills (i.e. having a eidetic memory for made-up Latin).

Mechanical Effects

There are time, occasionally, where a specific trapping should have a mechanical effect. These are more rare than it often seems, as trappings are powerful and extra mechanics should be avoided, but sometimes it happens.

For example, in Harry Potter, if you take a wizards wand away, he should get a -2 penalty to all skill rolls because he lacks the proper equipment. If the party is being tracked by a magic-sniffing wolf pack, the wizard will draw their attention when using a little levitation to help him climb a tree (+2 to their notice rolls). Alternatively, if the party is in a mana-rich environment, such as at the crossing of two lay-lines or in a mana pool, the wizard might get a +1 bonus to all skill rolls. These are small, incidental mechanics that can probably be adjudicated on the fly, but should be considered.

What We’d Like From You

The idea of magical skill trappings seems sound, but we need more examples if people are going to be convinced. We’d like you to come up with some and leave them in the comments for other readers to be inspired.


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How to Have “The Talk” with a Bad GM

Written by Tyson J. Hayes on 2010/07/21 – 00:00 -

We’ve been in it, or we’ve had a friend that’s been in it. The relationship has gone sour, you’ve drifted apart for a while, and quite frankly you’re just more interested in seeing other people. It’s time to grit your teeth and have that talk you’ve been dreading. It’s time to break up with your GM.

I’m not ready for this type of game right now

Is your issue with the GM or is it with the type of game they are running? Maybe you want more Scooby Doo then political intrigue. Do the other players feel the same? How long is left in the current arc? All of these things should be taken into consideration before cutting the cord. Whatever the issue is sit down and outline it out, focus on things you could do to make it better. Come at it with the approach that you both have some work to do in the relationship. After all gaming is a two way street right? Step away from the problem; come at it with suggestions of improvement instead of demands. Be polite and civil. Remember Wil Wheaton says “Don’t be a dick.”

It’s not you it’s me

So you’ve come up with some solutions, and are getting ready to present. Are you going to cause a rift in the group? Could you stomach one more week? Maybe, just maybe, you could get someone else to fix the problem? No, you’ve come this far it’s time to pull yourself together and put it all out on the line. You’ve rehearsed it for a month now; it’s time to hack it out. Even if the entire group is behind you, approach the GM one on one. This will prevent a dear in the headlights response and a cornered animal reaction. Remember, the wild GM is an untamed beast and is best approached with caution; your character is on the line here. Please refrain from jumping out from behind and screaming, I’m still nursing a limp from the last time I made that mistake. If the matter is broached appropriately your concerns should come across as suggestions to make the game better.

I think we’re just meant to be friends

When begging, pleading and bargaining have failed it’s probably time to pull out the trump card; your graceful exit from the stage. While it’s a hard card to play if you really feel that your time is through it’s probably time to make your exit. You don’t want to be known as the ex-player that tried to passive aggressively destroys the game or the one that slowly stole all the dice from the table until no one had any to play with. I mean maybe the game would get better if we didn’t use dice? It’s better to exit gracefully then bring down everyone else’s fun along with you. Try to be honest with the GM as to why you’re leaving and try to work with them to gracefully exit the game. Besides, maybe an epic end to your character is exactly what’s needed to get your GM out of the funk.

We’ve all had to have variations of the talk with our GM’s how was yours? Any tips to share with the rest of us?


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Character Wheel: Relationships

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2010/07/08 – 00:00 -

It has taken a some time, considerable thought, and a little bit of effort, but here is the final entry in the Character Wheel series. As promised, in the coming weeks I will compile all these various posts, edit and refine them, and put them out as a PDF so you can make better use of them.

By now, your character has a complex set of Attitudes and Motivations. You can describe him down to the mole on his left shoulder, and you know how he celebrated his sixth birthday. But do you know who was there?

A character doesn’t grow in a vacuum. He’s influenced by the people around him. As such, you need to take some time to think about his important relationships.

Apathy Games – Character Wheel Sheet

6 Page PDF

This Character Sheet includes sections for every part of the Character Wheel.  It is system agnostic, so feel free to use it with any character for any game.

It’s Who You Know

Relationships are complex things, and people have a lot of them. A hugely tremendous number, really. In part, they define us. In a game, a character’s relationships are powerful motivations, tinged with deep-rooted attitudes. Each has it’s own history. To a certain level, every relationship a character has is practically a character biography in and of itself.

It would be ridiculous to keep track of all, or even a significant fraction of it, so I’ve designed the relationships section to expand gracefully.

Significant Details

Every character should have a few people in their lives that will dramatically effect the game and create subplots. Perhaps your character has a serious conflict with another party member that will have to be resolved. Maybe he’s earned himself a powerful enemy. Or, it could be that he simply has dependents that he has to provide for, always draining into his personal wealth.

Write these details down and share them with your Game Master so that he may use them against you. Appropriately, that is.

Contacts & NPCs

Contacts are people who can provide some service for the character. Some games have a specific mechanism for earning valuable contacts. Others develop these organically. When starting a character, you’ll want to talk to the Game Master about any contacts you want to start with.

As the game progresses, your character will meet a variety of NPCs. Any that seem useful of significant to you should be noted down, along with their usual Location, and any other useful notes. I’ve provided check-boxes on the sheet, as well, to designate if they are an Enemy or an Ally.

Significant Locations

While these aren’t relationships, it’s convenient to track significant locations in the same space as you track NPCs, since the two are often related.

Party Members

The other members of your party are your most immediate relationships, and the ones that deserve the most thought.

Fill in the character’s name, and where you might find them when they aren’t adventuring with you. Also note down a quick description of the character. Lastly, determine the type of relationship your character has with them, and what opinions he holds.

You should talk with the other players when developing these relationships, so you can all work together to make party interactions the most fulfilling. You don’t have to, of course, and you should never feel that you have to build your character’s attitudes according to the whims of other players. Still, a little discussion as to the nature of various party member relationships and how they might progress can be valuable.

Filling out this sheet can also be a valuable tool to separate player from character. We, as players, have relationships with each of the other players at the table and opinions about them as well. If we don’t think about it, we’ll often let those relationships and opinions cross over into the game as is. There isn’t anything wrong with that, most of the time, but it’s a missed opportunity for roleplaying. Plus, some players get frustrated when they develop a new and distinct character, but all the players treat him exactly the same as all his other characters.

Family & Other Relationships

There really is no end to how many relationships a character can have. It’s certainly worth taking some time to come up with a family for your character. Is it a traditional family, or is something strange or broken about it? Is your character married? Divorced or widowed? Maybe he has children who have grown up, or who are young and have been left with a crazy aunt. And, of course, he probably has siblings. Siblings make great NPCs for a variety of purposes.

After considering your character’s family, consider giving him a few friends, teachers, distant family members, or rivals. Anything to spice things up.

Like everything on the wheel, don’t develop this all at once, but feel free to add people as time goes by. These relationships make a character far more interesting.

Wrapping Up

That’s it for the entire Character Wheel. The next step is to start over again and keep going around forever, or until the character dies, you die, or you stop playing.

The Character Wheel has been a fun intellectual effort for me, building upon and organizing ideas I’ve used for a very long time. I certainly hope it’s useful for you. If you have any feedback, I really want to hear it. Maybe it’s just too much, and you want something simpler. Maybe it’s not enough and you think I’ve missed something. Maybe it’s just perfect how it is, and you want to award me the Nobel prize for game design. Whatever it is, I want to hear it. Enjoy.


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Hindrances: Best Writing Prompt Ever

Written by Tyson J. Hayes on 2010/06/30 – 00:00 -

I have a fear of deep water. The idea of swimming in the open ocean where I can’t touch the ground freaks me out. Swimming pools give me a bit of the chills when walking by. Free Willy freaked me the hell out, and it wasn’t just the creepy whale. The ironic thing is I used to be a pretty decent swimmer.

So What Happened?

I’ve been afraid of deep water since I was young; my mother tells me it probably started when I was first taking swimming lessons. As some of you may know when your first teaching a child to swim there are two different schools of thought. The first involves basically swimming with the child letting them acclimated, blowing bubbles, and generally mucking about while they got used to the water. The other involves throwing them in and letting them figure it out. Guess which school I attended? In my mother’s defense she only threw me in after much prompting from my swim instructor. I kept going to swimming lessons for years after that, but never liked doing it. After a certain age I asked to stop because I didn’t want to go anywhere near the diving board and it was pretty much all that was left for my instructions. I haven’t really swum much since, and am quite weary of swimming pools ever since.

Oh, I think I know where you’re going with this.

During character creation take careful consideration of hindrances. Each hindrance should have a brief backstory explaining why the character has the hindrance. Was the character born blind? How did they lose their leg? Was it during the war? When did they realize they were an ace pilot? Think of every hindrance and edge as a writing prompt. Each selection should have a story that comes with it that will give character history and insights into your characters behavior.

Great, any other parting words of wisdom?

Yeah voice in my head, when did you show up? I don’t remember taking the insanity hindrance. Anyway, using hindrances as a writing prompt should allow you to quickly sketch out some background information on character generation as well as putting some insightful thought into your character’s history. This will also help you fill out our Character Wheel sheet with even more background information (as if six pages weren’t enough). Which if you haven’t yet you may want to pick up and fill out, your GM will love you for it.

So what is the story behind your hindrance? Why’d you choose it and how does it affect your character?


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My Favorite Job: The Holy Man

Written by Tyson J. Hayes on 2010/06/29 – 00:00 -

I love playing Clerics; Paladins; anything with a bent towards the higher calling. For me it’s always added depth to characters. It gives them a more rounded depth that I can’t find in other archetypes. My rogues tend to be motivated by greed; fighters the lust for battle; wizards the collection of more power. Any Godsent archetype can be motivated to do any of these things; the only difference is they do it on behalf of someone else.

The Motivations

While I’m sure it’s different for every player I have a hard time not crafting selfish, greedy, characters. I think it’s come from my years of playing Rogues. If I don’t have a shit eating grin on my face with one hand in the party treasure and the other on the dagger hidden up my sleeve I’m just not playing the right kind of rogue. So I’ve run the opposite end of the spectrum, basing them off of Paladin’s I’ve enjoyed reading about. The key for me is to not play them overly rabid but strong simple people who believe strongly in their faith and act accordingly.

Personal Struggle

The fascination of holy men, for me is around the personal struggle with their faith. Even the strongest members of the faith have their doubts, and all of them are challenged by it. The strongest warrior is always worried about the man who will defeat him in battle; a cleric is worried about how they will fall from their faith. Even if these worries are deep rooted and something that would likely never come out into the open, everyone has a deep worry. Clerics just can have theirs openly challenged and battled, roleplaying out this deep struggle has led to some rewarding character developments.

Depth of Material

Almost any setting that has gods in them has lengths of the book describing them. Take the much touted Iron Kingdoms (a personal favorite) they have an entire chapters describing the faith and the ramifications of believing. Not just crunch either, they weave flavor text and story into the reasons, prompting character prospects and GM hooks. For me there is no other section of an RPG book that could be more interesting and more telling about the world then this section. Cultures rituals can be more telling than any history or any oral stories. Consider the act of Christian communion the small act of eating bread and wine can speak volumes about a person’s beliefs as well as indicate more about the faith the person believes in. Understanding how the gods interact with the people of the world can give you a truer insight into the author’s mind that is writing the setting.

Why is the Cleirc/Holy Man/Paladin/Chosen One your favorite class to play? What is the story of your characters calling?


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Character Wheel: Attitudes

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2010/06/23 – 02:30 -

If Motivations describe what your character does, Attitudes describe what he says when he does it. Attitudes are the core of roleplaying, and are deeply tied to motivations.

This is where a character gets spunk, and where it becomes interesting at the table.  Other players don’t care as much about your character’s Background or Motivations as you do, but they will certainly respond to a well crafted attitude.

Apathy Games – Character Wheel Sheet

6 Page PDF

This Character Sheet includes sections for every part of the Character Wheel.  It is system agnostic, so feel free to use it with any character for any game.

I’ve Had Just About Enough Lip Out Of You

People don’t behave in just one way all the time. They react to things. Your character shouldn’t either. He should have a variety of opinions and reactions to various situations, and behave differently when experiencing various emotions.

Significant Details

As far as Attitudes go, the significant ones are those that are likely to land your character in trouble. “I get excited around fuzzy animals” isn’t a significant detail unless you’re addicted to fuzzy animals and also allergic. Instead, focus on things like, “I can’t help but spit in the face of authority figures.” That one will affect the story.

Simple Details

For Attitudes, I’ve included a seven axis alignment chart. This chart has been very successful in the past because it really only takes minute to fill out, but forces you to think about the character in several dimensions.

The various axis are as follows:

Introverted ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Extroverted

Selfish ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Charitable

Individualist ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Collectivist

Emotional ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Rational

Gentle ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Abrasive

Leader ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Follower

Libertarian ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Authoritarian

A note about the difference between the Individualist/Collectivist axis and the Libertarian/Authoritarian axis. While they are very similar, the former is aimed at how your character behaves, whereas the latter is more about how he believes society should be structured. It’s entirely possible to have someone who works only for others but believes that no man should have control over others, or to have a man who works only for himself and believes that all men should be controlled.

Situational Personalities

People behave differently in various situations. These are called personas, but I’ve chosen the more obvious Situation Personalities to describe them.

The most common persona is the one used around the Party Members, as this will be the one played ninety percent of the time. Take some time to consider how you want to play this, and then revisit it after you’ve played a few sessions. If you wish it to, this entry can help prevent you from always playing the same character.

Personas also change when your character is surrounded by various social situations, including Family, Close Friends, Lovers, Large Groups, or when he is Alone. He may also act differently when in Dangerous Situations than he does when in Professional or Unfamiliar Situations.

Handling Emotions

Emotions are complicated things, and they can have a wide effect on different people. Here is where you decide how you handle each of them. You’ll notice that each emotion here lines up with an Emotional Trigger under the Motivations section. Use this for your convenience.

Take some time to consider how your character reacts to Anger, Depression, Envy, Fear, Joy, and Lust. Make them interesting. Include any vices or rituals he may engage in.

Lastly, decide upon the character’s Pervasive Emotional State. Is he usually angry or afraid? Maybe he does casual meditation to keep calm.

Handling Life

Similar to handling emotions, some people have difficulty handling Stress, Loss, or Guilt. With your game likely being combat centric, these situations will occur regularly and might trigger the emotions listed above.

Personal Quote

This is where you can try to sum up your character’s general attitude in a single quote. Your elevator pitch, so to speak. Try to have fun with is.


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Categories: Character Wheel, Players |
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