A curse: "May you get what you want."

From: Mike Dawson <mdawson_at_...>
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 14:00:24 -0000


First off, I'll admit that I LOVE to let players have pretty much whatever they want, give them some necessary warnings about the problems they'll have, and then show them in game exactly how much trouble they are in.

"You want to play a trickster? Well, that means this, but OK!"

And then I think of what the Big, long term problem that trickster faces.

This is an example of a player dynamic that I've seen several times, which I've codified as the PC Family Law: "If you want to curse a generation of a family, make all the PCs brothers and sisters with no other restrictions on their character."

"You want to be a dragonewt who rejects the Eternal Unchanging Path to Draconic
Enlightenment, yet still aspires to draconic status? Well, all dragonewts everywhere will hate or pity you, but OK!"

Only as the hero begins to achieve some success in that goal does he actually discover that he's heading down a path toward becoming a magisaur, or a hydra, or some other krajlk.

To cast your player's wishes into a different setting, it seems to me he's saying "I want to use the powers of the Dark Side, but I don't want to be evil."

Well, good luck with that, I'd say. When he stands at the Internal Gate of Transformation, Realization and Power, will he be Aware enough to pick the correct one for the goal he wants?

Those who've played or heard about my Jonatelan "Embarrassment of Riches" scenario will notice the same philosophy at work there.

Mike Dawson
http://herowars.onestop.net/

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