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Âî ÷òî èãðàåì?
Amaga: “I’M NOT A VAMPIRE, I’M A SUPERHERO WITH AN ALLERGY TO SUNLIGHT.” There are some players — not characters, but players — who do everything to downplay the fact that their character is a vampire, making him as human as possible and otherwise ignoring the facts of vampiric existence in favor of being a pale superhero. They breeze over slight inconveniences like having to feed on human blood and their lack of true emotion. They relegate these things to simple game mechanics and get back to focusing on the powers available to them. While it’s fun to have a vampire character in denial of his bestial side — some famous literary and television vampires come to mind — it’s quite another to have a player mechanically minimize every monstrous aspect of the Kindred experience. Remember, even the Ordo Dracul isn’t trying to become human, it’s simply trying to transcend ordinary Kindred limits to become better vampires. Don’t let players create a character who’s essentially completely human with a slightly different appetite and an allergy to sunlight. That’s not the point of the game. Rather, players should remember that this is a game about playing monsters. Sure, some are more in control of themselves, but even the most “noble” Kindred are still monsters with an unnatural thirst for the blood of the living. They’re forever a mere sliver of sunlight or lick of fl ame away from a horrifying burst of frenzied violence. If a player really wants to play a human with some of the powers of vampirism that badly, well, they can play a ghoul. Kindred characters have fantastic abilities, but everything they have comes with a price — and a steep, terrifying one at that. It’s rarely a good thing that a character was made into a vampire. Even if he’s secured a relatively nice position, he’s still given up much to do so, from family and loved ones to real emotions and the feel of the sun. Most Kindred don’t ask to be what they are — they just try to deal with it as best they can. If a player starts to just gloss over the more personal aspects of the game, talk to them about it. Politely ask why they are missing out on this part of playing their character. No one should be forced to play a part that makes him uncomfortable out of game, but at the same time, you can point out that that playing up a character’s faults often leads to some of the best roleplaying. If the problem persists, maybe that player isn’t quite suited to the mood of the game you intended.
Îòâåòîâ - 6
Fakov: +1 80% èãðîêîâ.
Amaga: Ñëåäóþùàÿ ñòàòüå îòíîñèòñÿ ê Ðåêâèåìó. Íî î÷åíü ïîäõîäèò è ê Ìàñêàðàäó “I CAN’T TAKE ALL THE BACKSTABBING IN THIS GAME!” Vampires are not nice. Most of them were not nice people even when they were alive, and even the best of them acquire savage predatory instincts and an eternal, unholy hunger upon the Embrace. Kindred society and the basic psychology of the Damned promotes a certain amount of paranoia and treachery in characters. Characters are encouraged to use politics and dirty deeds to survive in the harsh world of the undead. If treated with maturity on the part of all parties involved, these mature attitudes and tactics can actually be a large part of the fun of playing a Requiem game. That doesn’t mean that certain characters can’t seek out something better for themselves — or that honest loyalties between vampires can’t be established. But for the most part, players and Storytellers can be prepared for some knock-down, drag-out nastiness once the politics of a game get moving. For some people though, this treachery can be a source of frustration rather than roleplaying. While most of them can still enjoy the game by playing less politically minded characters, some of them grow frustrated upon fi nding themselves on the short end of the stick following one particularly nasty intrigue. Or it might be that they don’t feel comfortable exploring the nature of characters of questionable morals. Some players might not be able to easily distinguish the line between what the characters are doing and what the players intend, and start taking out-of-game offense at in-game plots and tricks. If your chronicle prominently features political and social scenarios that pit group against group, character against character, your players should be warned about the underlying social drama and cutthroat attitudes of the game. Players should be encouraged to have a healthy attitude toward this from the get go. Promote an attitude of more cheerful thoughts that separate character and player attitudes (“Good move — your character got mine this time, but she’ll be back!”) as opposed to more negative ones or attitudes that don’t draw any clear distinction between the two. While you might not be able to expect complete good will at all times, a clear line should always be drawn between what characters do, and what players’ feelings are. As long as players remember that distinction, they can have more fun and focus on building a great story as opposed to personal vendettas. If one or two players have problems with this aspect of the game later in the chronicle, talk to them about it. Maybe they have a legitimate reason to be concerned, like they feel an in-game incident was actually based on some out-of-game hard feelings and don’t know what to do about it. Or perhaps the majority of your players fi nd too much intrigue distasteful, and your game isn’t suiting their preferences overall and might need to change direction. Discuss such concerns with your players, and see if a compromise can be reached. It’s only a game after all, and it’s designed for the enjoyment of everyone involved. Chronicles that involve players who normally do not get to socialize often out of game are particularly prone to these kinds of feelings, simply because the players don’t know each other well enough to separate in-character behavior from out-of-character intentions. In such chronicles, it might be a worthy investment to arrange for occasional social gatherings or group activities outside of the game itself, so that the players can get to know one another. Even a troupe of friends can benefi t from this kind of “collective decompression” from time to time, as The Requiem can stir up some very fi erce, competitive feelings that might need to be bled off.
Amaga: THE PRINCE MUST DIE! WHY? WELL...” Some players generally dislike authority. For whatever reason, these players always seek to have their characters undermine the established power in a game setting. Even if that power is all that is holding back the savage hordes at the gates, certain players can’t overlook the chance to take down the establishment. It can be very diffi cult for players born and raised in free democratic societies founded on individual freedoms to get into the very neofeudal mindset of the Danse Macabre. Most players are not used to being given orders or expected to show deference to someone they don’t like, and it becomes even harder when the person playing the character giving orders is just another one of the gang out of game. While there are certainly rebellious and insubordinate characters, most of the time it’s relatively easy to tell the difference between when the character is rebelling against an unjust order and when it’s simply the player out to cause trouble. While many Princes and Kindred rulers are complete bastards, this is by no means the rule. And even if they are, often their best interests are tied into the best interests of those other vampires in their city. Given the choice, most Kindred would rather have a strong Prince who rules with a heavy hand but keeps the domain pacifi ed and the territories clearly defi ned, as opposed to a Prince who’s everybody’s friend if he cannot keep the peace or protect the borders. Therefore, keeping a strong Prince in power might require characters to swallow their pride from time to time or endure what they consider to be petty commands. Some players still might not see the wisdom in this. They will look toward political leaders as sources of antagonism. They do not understand that Kindred society is not the democracy that so many people enjoy. It is an Old World rule, where might makes right. This offends the sensibilities of some players who will use it as an excuse to challenge authority at every turn. Remember to inform your players that outright murder and open treachery in vampire society comes with a harsh punishment, especially if the accused is a known troublemaker and rabblerouser. Princes are in their positions because they earned them, usually by fi ghting off all other takers (one way or another). Point out to them that sometimes working within the system is much more productive for vampires than constantly moving upstream. The Prince has a target painted on his chest, so why not just let a Prince stand out there and take the bullets of public opinion and assassination attempts, while the disgruntled characters work in the shadows to complete their goal? After all, the Prince’s eyes can’t be everywhere at once. If a character makes himself a nuisance — or worse, loudly marks himself a threat — then that Prince’s attention will focus squarely upon him. It’s often better just to keep a low profi le in Kindred society. You don’t get the perks that come with offi ces, but you don’t attract the same attention, and you can often accomplish quite a bit that way. If players continue to insist on mindlessly attacking the establishment, then feel free to allow them to get what’s coming to them as the reward for their character’s rash actions. Although it has received relatively little attention so far, it should be noted that sometimes players whose characters mindlessly attack the establishment really do have a legitimate gripe. Namely that they feel some players are abusing their in-game powers to ruin other players’ fun. This is worth checking out, in the interest of fairness if nothing else. Remind everyone that while Kindred society is not designed to be fair, that doesn’t mean those players have free reign to take their power out of game and otherwise treat fellow players badly. It also doesn’t mean that a character should start taking actions just because the player feels another player needs to be taught a lesson. All actions taken in game should be based on roleplaying and a character’s goals and motivations.
Amaga: LOSING TOUCH: “I AM A VAMPIRE.” Some players can get so wrapped up in the romance of the undead nightlife they actually start lose themselves in the fantasy of it. They begin to identify a little too much with the character they are playing, and may begin to take the character’s setbacks as their own. While it is important to give some kind emotional investment into your character, there is also a need for a certain emotional distance from that character. Some players might develop too much of an attachment to their characters. Certain people are looking for something missing in their own lives and think they can fi nd it in a story involving mature themes. If there is an occurrence of this in your own game, or even a suspicion that some players might be getting a little too wrapped up in what’s going on, deal with it quietly but fi rmly, and preferably as soon as possible. Yet don’t go in with metaphorical guns blazing and assume the worst — drastic action is seldom necessary. It might be that a player didn’t realize he was making that kind of impression (particularly if it’s a new player who isn’t familiar to the rest of the group), or even just that a player needs to “tone it down a little.” If there is a problem, however, don’t hesitate to be fi rm with the players in question; humoring the fantasy even a little generally does more harm than good.
Blaze: äà....... ïðÿì áîëüíàÿ òåìà
Smile: Ïî ïîâîäó ïåðâîé ñòàòüè. Ìíå êàæåòñÿ, ÷òî êàê áû èãðîê íå èçâðàòèëñÿ (äàæå åñëè îí ñîçäàë ìàëêàâèàíà ñ íåäîñòàòêîì "æåðòâà ìàñêàðàäà" :)), âñ¸ ðàâíî ó ìàñòåðà åñòü ìíîãî ñïîñîáîâ ... óçðåòü çâåðèíóþ ñóùíîñòü âàìïèðà. Ðàññêàç÷èê ìîæåò óñòðîèòü ïåðñîíàë õîðîð êîìó óãîäíî.
ïîëíàÿ âåðñèÿ ñòðàíèöû