That makes a *great* deal of sense. All of my major PCs were of the 'bad news' variety that instigated or elaborated on existing problems. In the less nicer game of DV, it makes sense that Jeremiah be executed as an actual resolution, since that was one of the few ways for him to stop being a problem.
I suppose what worries me is that I am in such a deep hole with Caulder that 'not being a problem' PC is becoming more of a vague hope than something achievable any time soon.
I suppose what worries me is that I am in such a deep hole with Caulder that 'not being a problem' PC is becoming more of a vague hope than something achievable any time soon.
This should be a very realistic concern for you, as from what I can tell, popular opinion (among the citizens of New Liberty) of Ross 2.0 Caulder is that he is still a problem, although maybe not in the exact same way that Ross was*. I suspect that it is still possible to pull Caulder out of that hole, but it will take some work on your part, and you are most likely going to have to deal with a lot of players who, being burnt out from the Rolend Palaris, Jeremiah, and Ross show, might not give you as fair break as they would someone who's character hasn't been in the Spotlight of DOOM for most of the game.
*although I'm sure this will change the first time a shadow hunter shows up looking for Caulder. ;)
Agreed. The carry-over perception between the two can only be changed by action directly attempting to NOT be a problem. Simply attempting to 'get along' isn't going to cut it. I do hope that one key difference is in how they approach the same problem.
"...although I'm sure this will change the first time a shadow hunter shows up looking for Caulder. ;)"
I did indeed! You are one of the few people that I know of who can go in alone with just packets and provide a significant challenge to the town. Now if you had claws...
Have you ever played a fluffy lightweight character? It's actually quite a bit of fun! So's playing the Straight Man (not necessarily heterosexual). Experimenting with the strange world of not experiencing or poking into horrible evil/angst can be refreshing!
But I have been to the moon! and the sun too, but we never got into that.
As for Caulder - well, my NPCs like him just fine, but yeah, trouble is hard to get rid off. Renaming "solves" some problems, and perhaps stopping the Blood Mage thing will help, but if you are really looking for a new experience, you may want to consider a new PC. I'm not saying you should though, because, well, I like Caulder just the way he is. However, I'm not you so I don't know how it feels playing him.
Those are valid points- I do have a penchant for being an angst muppet and there is certain eloquence in how you put Ross' actions. Part of my frustration is that I honestly think I have been taking concrete steps, but that may just be because I haven't looked up to see the number of steps worthy of a Tibetan mountain temple. Especially since I willingly tumbled down those steps in the first place. Do you mind elaborating on how to address these prevalent issues?
The only sure thing I can suggest is trying to develop a clear understanding of what other people's narratives are. Playing a spectator for a while isn't necessarily a bad idea - rather than playing with an eye towards how others might fit into your narrative, or even how you would fit into theirs. Both stances are going to resist your changing your character, even if it's the right thing to do.
More broadly, you can try the 12 steps, except replace 'alcohol' with 'melodrama' and 'God' with 'Game'. On a more humanistic level, what are your character's goals? Do they rely heavily on themes of self-immolation? On having others rescue you? Is your character building anything? Does he have any reason to help other people? What about your character tempers the personality? So that it's not driven solely towards a melodramatic end, with an aura of martyrdom. (Note, too, that you'd have to interpret that into the narrative - it's not really an oog exercise except in the abstract
( ... )
Being an 'observer' may be a difficult one for me since I typically run headfirst into plotlines/narratives, but it may be a good idea to try. The 12 step seems like an effective strategy...
The character questions provide some food for thought... On my character goals, self-immolation and martyrdom were actually not on my list although being rescue *was* pretty spot on. Typically, I base my storyline on several core character beliefs that are likely to combust when to staff touches it. That is what maneuvered Ross into the whole debacle. Perhaps taking a step back to assess the bigger picture and the advice for a 'big sacrifice' (hopefully minus the character death) can be applied to becoming an asset as opposed to a problem for the town. I don't doubt it'll take many sessions before that kind of trust is formed though.
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I suppose what worries me is that I am in such a deep hole with Caulder that 'not being a problem' PC is becoming more of a vague hope than something achievable any time soon.
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This should be a very realistic concern for you, as from what I can tell, popular opinion (among the citizens of New Liberty) of Ross 2.0 Caulder is that he is still a problem, although maybe not in the exact same way that Ross was*. I suspect that it is still possible to pull Caulder out of that hole, but it will take some work on your part, and you are most likely going to have to deal with a lot of players who, being burnt out from the Rolend Palaris, Jeremiah, and Ross show, might not give you as fair break as they would someone who's character hasn't been in the Spotlight of DOOM for most of the game.
*although I'm sure this will change the first time a shadow hunter shows up looking for Caulder. ;)
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"...although I'm sure this will change the first time a shadow hunter shows up looking for Caulder. ;)"
Oh God no.
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As for Caulder - well, my NPCs like him just fine, but yeah, trouble is hard to get rid off. Renaming "solves" some problems, and perhaps stopping the Blood Mage thing will help, but if you are really looking for a new experience, you may want to consider a new PC. I'm not saying you should though, because, well, I like Caulder just the way he is. However, I'm not you so I don't know how it feels playing him.
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More broadly, you can try the 12 steps, except replace 'alcohol' with 'melodrama' and 'God' with 'Game'. On a more humanistic level, what are your character's goals? Do they rely heavily on themes of self-immolation? On having others rescue you? Is your character building anything? Does he have any reason to help other people? What about your character tempers the personality? So that it's not driven solely towards a melodramatic end, with an aura of martyrdom. (Note, too, that you'd have to interpret that into the narrative - it's not really an oog exercise except in the abstract ( ... )
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Being an 'observer' may be a difficult one for me since I typically run headfirst into plotlines/narratives, but it may be a good idea to try. The 12 step seems like an effective strategy...
The character questions provide some food for thought... On my character goals, self-immolation and martyrdom were actually not on my list although being rescue *was* pretty spot on. Typically, I base my storyline on several core character beliefs that are likely to combust when to staff touches it. That is what maneuvered Ross into the whole debacle. Perhaps taking a step back to assess the bigger picture and the advice for a 'big sacrifice' (hopefully minus the character death) can be applied to becoming an asset as opposed to a problem for the town. I don't doubt it'll take many sessions before that kind of trust is formed though.
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