(no subject)

[robinbloke]

Post Fox for changeling I'm wondering about a new character, there are a couple of problems however;
I've already thought of and discarded at least half a dozen ideas and kiths (all non-pooka, as it's one of my policies to switch 'class' post character retirement) but I can't seem to find any that have any attraction at all yet, the problem is that Fox was a really fun character and so far, any other character idea seems positively mundane compared to playing him.
It's likely, as usual, I need a few months to 'cool down' and get him out of my system, so to speak. When you play a character a lot, especially an intense one, they tend to stick in your mind (at least for me) and become a part of you, MPD time such that you can almost become them - which is part of the escapism attraction in a way. But that means there needs to be a cooling off period for me where the persona drains away again... but what next...

Boggon? I quite wanted to try and create a strong Boggon character and bring the Kith up out of the eves a bit more, but I can't think of a concept thats compelling enough or not just a one trick pony.
Eshu? They've never really attracted, they're just... well, I don't know... maybe thats a reason to play one - because they don't seem to have anything about them.
Nocker? Theres enough good Nocker players out there that they don't need another one.
Pooka? No repeats. No repeats. No repeats...
Troll? Never struck as particularly interesting, although the whole Troll honour system could be good if taken further to Klingon/Troll (ala Earthdawn) extremes, but thumping things (the basic troll purpose) is not interesting to me at all.
Redcap? A good intense Kith, but I'm not sure their aggressive side is something I can do well.
Slaugh? The whispering would drive my throat to ruin, and I'd have to whisper properly or half the point of the kith is gone.
Sidhe? I've played umpteen holier-than-thou types already
Satyrs? No real attraction to the kith, their passionate nature and typecasting isn't something I think I can work well with.

So what?

Comments

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

Irrespective of kith, do you have any raw concepts you want to play with?

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

Not really, dry of ideas really (save discarded ones)... I normally can work either way, ie concept->class or class->concept but just nothing at the moment.

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

Then a bit of cooldown time is probably the best idea.

That said, since reading this post, and quazi-inspired by your recent community creation, the thought of Augustus C. Babacombe IV, Satyr Adventurer, and his assistant Patsy, has been rattling around in my brain, and doesn't want to die.

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

hehe, I like playing sidekicks, that would be a good boggon concept ;)

[kinkykay.livejournal.com]

There are strong boggan characters though! They won the duelling and the archery at the national - eep scary boggans!!

Your best bet is probably steer away from deciding on a kith and trying to work out the type of person you'd most enjoy playing, changeling is set in a world of dreams, fantasies and nightmares, you can be *anything*

Sorry Kay is still only half awake..

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

Indeed, the Boggan kith are mighty warriors!

[raggedyman.livejournal.com]

Boggon?

Butler-spy, always just being generally helpful inoffencive and thus in the right place to hear all the gossip. Think James Bond mixed with Jeeves.

Evil know it all. You know how to make everything best for everyone, even if they wont list or are stupid and call you mad.

Reported - hook up with the US ic newspaper and be a roving reporter for the UK. lots of being noisey and getting into trouble, all with the mystic power of a badge saying "Press".

Gangster - Look after everyone in your family...

Eshu?

Collector of stories?
Management Guru?
Romantic fool?
Jobless bum trying to justify their existance?


Nocker? Theres enough good Nocker players out there that they don't need another one.

possibly true, but we always have space for one me :-)

Troll?
but thumping things (the basic troll purpose) is not interesting to me at all.
Wrong!! They are the dream of protection and guardianship, NOT hitting things. Mule that one over and see if you can come up with something different in that vain.

Government offical
Computer security worker
School teacher for special needs kids

Redcap? A good intense Kith, but I'm not sure their aggressive side is something I can do well.

Try it and consider it challenge? Play a non-inureface cap, just be sure of your abilities etc. plus theirs background plot going for them in cambridge...

Library assistant (trust me, this works)
Car mechanic
grumpy old uncle (seelie)


just some thoughts - take any you like and leave any you dont. if you want to talk shop i am always available

[omentide.livejournal.com]

Um....

Don't play till there's something you really want to play.

Hate to lose you from Changeling, even briefly. But if there's no concept that wants you to play it, what's the point?

I know what you mean about 'no repeats'. I feel that way myself. But I sometimes wonder if it applies to Changeling the way it applies to most systems.

[omentide.livejournal.com]

And whispering doesn't hurt if you do it quietly. This leads to no one being able to hear what you're saying but that is all part of the fun.

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

Wrong!! They are the dream of protection and guardianship, NOT hitting things. Mule that one over and see if you can come up with something different in that vain.

I was thinking about this over the weekend.

Trolls are bound to being generally "honourable" with regard to oaths they swear. If they break an oath, and can't atone for it, they die. There is little difference between this state of affairs, and the Dreaming holding a gun to their head and saying "honour what you said you'd do, or I blow your fucking brains out".

This gives Trolls an extra quantity of resolve with regarding to fulfilling their oaths (perhaps represented by the bonus WP they get in the course of their duties). One has to ask, however, would they have that resolve if their life weren't on the line? Would they be "honourable" in this regard if the threat were not there to keep them in check?

A thinking Troll with enough self-doubt could be inclined to dwell on this, and one could wonder how they'd go about testing themselves with respect to it.

Perhaps a better question along the same lines would be what exists that would willingly make a Troll break his oath, in full knowledge of the repurcussions?

The ultimate phisosophical implications of their situation is something I'd very much like to see amongst the Troll kith.

[sesquipedality.livejournal.com]

Emily is to a large extent an attempt to look at some of these questions.

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

I figured as much :-)

[omentide.livejournal.com]

Sideways question...

I tend to think of ALL Fae as being bound by their words. Because their word is part of what they are. This is not connected to honour and not necessarily connected to oaths. I would not make an exception for Pooka.

Do you think the system allows for this? I'm really not sure. Some canon seems to go against my concept, but I can usually manage to twist it around.

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

/nod, aye I've played half-cast characters before and they've just never worked; I like to get into the part I'm playing but I'm stuck for ideas... ah well.

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

Still stuck on even that, no ideas at all at the mo...

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

Cheers for suggestions... still ruminating...

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

My PC lies. Lots.

My PC tells people things that are very untrue, sometimes for their own good, but more often than not because he deliberately wants them to possess information detrimental to their personally beneficial goals.

"Here. This is an invisible parachute. Take it and jump off the building."

"Sure. We gave you everything we found in the cave."

"No. I didn't take it. It was empty when I got here."

"Yes, if you injure yourself through your own stupidity in the execution of my elaborate plan, I will be there to help you."

He attaches minimal significance to what he actually says, and when passive-aggresively questioned about it at a later date, his response would be "do you have anything in writing?"

I would not consider him bound by his words in the least.

[omentide.livejournal.com]

Ah.

Being bound by your word and 'not lying' are two entirely different things. Otherwise how could anyone play a Pooka (under the constraints I lay upon myself).

Think about nearly every traditional fairy tale. Think about a lot of mythic stuff. These creatures are bound by their words. Their words don't have to mean what they seem to mean on the surface. It's about the magickal quality of the word, or the glamour bound up in the word.

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

I don't see that, at all, in Changeling. I'm afraid the significance just completely passes me by.

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

/agrees
One of my big initial problems with changeling was how it mangled it's world as opposed to traditional folklore views of the 'fae' folk, this is just one example of it. Names, oaths and even words to the traditional fae are very, very important.
Then again in WW's world the Changelings aren't 'proper' fae, they're semi-parasitic consciousnesses that hitch a ride in some hapless mortals body in order to survive and therefore their world and views are skewed by the frailties and shortcomings of humans - at least as I see it.

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

Less of a parasite, more of a combination of both mortal and fae sides, since both influence the distinct whole.

The whole names and oaths thing is reflected in the setting, but an important consideration to take into account is that on some level, all Changelings are still people.

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

It's something I still don't quite understand about the venue and haven't had a sufficent explaination for yet.
This is why I decided on a split persona for my first character as it got around that problem rather nicely.

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

One person, two souls.

The dichotomy of Bedlam and Banality roughly determine their balance. If your Fae soul is killed or put out of action, you can no longer perceive the Dreaming, and if you fall to Bedlam you become incapable of processing the Autumn World. Your mortal body is in essence the anchor that keeps your Fae soul in the Autumn world, and allows it to stay there without falling over and dying in the presence of Banality. If it dies, your Fae soul goes off for a while before coming back for another lifetime. Your mortal soul does whatever it would have done, and the two likely never meet again.

Think of it like the Trill in Star Trek. Your Fae soul moves from life to life, and the resulting entity is a combination of both halves. When one moves on, it may take some of the memories with it, as well as some ingrained personality aspects (like your Fae Legacies). However, you likely lived the first seven or so years of your life completely unaware of your Fae soul's existence, and as such your mortal half holds a fair amount of influence too.

I've thought about the various metaphysical repurcussions of this aspect of the game for quite a while, and I could go on and on about it, but I think I'll stop now, before I spiral out of control.

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

Thats where I got the parastitic idea from because essentially (at least from this) you're not born a fae, although you may be more likely to be one? Until this random wandering soul (in whatever form it takes... um?) zaps you into a crystalis?

The changeover is the hard conceptual point...

I am bob, I work in an office, suddenly as I gaze at my paperclip mound something wierd happens and a wandering boggan (Fred) "soul" zaps me, not I have two sets of memories? A merged set of memories? Which soul am I? Are they sort of merged, meaning that fae souls effectively around pillaging themselves into hapless mortals, is it because the human has some ancient wakka wakka spiffyness that has been waiting since they were born (which is a lot nicer than the former) can they distinguish between the two? Like the god types in stargate? Or am I effectively one hybrid merged conciousness from the both will all bobs exciting (ahem) memories and some vague shadey ones (depending on legacy I'm guessing) on the many life and times of Fred?
Or something?

[omentide.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I tend to see the Changeling way as being a soul which is part-fae part mortal. The fae bit is always there, but it tends to be 'asleep' until the crysalis.

It's only the Sidhe who are parasites.

I mean, that's my reading. Others clearly have different readings. That's half the fun of it for me - it's wonderfully ambiguous and canon contradicts itself all over the place.

Maybe if I played a different character I'd see the whole thing differently.

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

It's a bit of a problem for me though; I like to know how a character thinks or at least how their mind works in order to build up their world views.
Unless I just decide what it is like for their case at least...

[omentide.livejournal.com]

With me the world-view and belief system grows out of the character. Or vice versa. The two are really wound up in each other.

This is one of the problems I have with a lot of fantasy games (CF 'Why I don't play fantasy games'). I find it really difficult to role play a character whose belief system doesn't make any sense. In too many fantasy games the characters 'believe in' or 'worship' entity X because of the gooby powers they get. For me, belief is integral to the way a character acts.

Maybe this is why I play characters who are more prone to getting into philosophical debate than they are to getting into romantic type situations...

(looks round. hopes no one here knows too much about that racoon navigator... No romance there, nothing to see, please move on).