{"id":44742,"date":"2023-04-04T00:00:14","date_gmt":"2023-04-03T14:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.campaignmastery.com\/blog\/?p=44742"},"modified":"2023-04-03T19:08:14","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T09:08:14","slug":"3-things-every-player-and-gm-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.campaignmastery.com\/blog\/3-things-every-player-and-gm-should-know\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Things Every Player and GM Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image<\/a> by joergweitz<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a>, cropped and resampled by Mike<\/p><\/div>\n

There are three facts about a character that can be considered definitive of what sort of person they are, diagnostic of what sort of mistakes they will make, and instrumental in defining what sorts of adventures will consume their attention.<\/p>\n

These are not the whole sum of the substance of the character or his personality, but they are a lot of what is on open display to others; mastering these facts and their implications goes a long way to mastering the playing of the character.<\/p>\n

That’s of equal importance to both players (for their PCs) and GMs (for NPCs, obviously).<\/p>\n

These three things are:
\n <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What quality or attribute their character prizes above all others?
    \n <\/li>\n
  2. What quality or attribute other than the opposite of 1 the character loathes more than any others?
    \n <\/li>\n
  3. What specific cause (outside of 1 in general) will the character most willingly sacrifice for?
    \n <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Answers should be as succinct as possible; don’t try to make formal sentences, keep everything as compact and declarative as possible.<\/p>\n

    Every player should know this about their character without having to look it up. Every GM should know it about every NPC who appears in the game.<\/p>\n

    The answers to these questions are neither good nor bad, honorable or ignoble, in and of themselves; such judgments are applicable only to the deeds that are performed as a consequence of these key motivations.<\/p>\n

    Let’s take a closer look at each of the three, to better understand why they are so important.<\/p>\n

    What quality or attribute their character prizes above all others?<\/h5>\n

    This speaks to what drives the character, what motivates them to get up in the morning, what they aspire to, and what qualities they seek to develop in themselves. But it also implies the opposite – what the character will oppose most strongly, what is anathema in their eyes, and the criteria by which they assess the value of others.<\/p>\n

    “Value” might not be quite the right term, depending on the answers – but it gets the point across.<\/p>\n

    For example, if the answer is “loyalty” then quite obviously “betrayal” and “treason” are the most heinous crimes imaginable. The results could describe anyone from a pious priest to a ruthless dictator, because qualifiers – loyalty to<\/em> something – is not considered a valid answer; the correct answer is the general one.<\/p>\n

    If the answer is “progress” then “stagnation” is repugnant. But the answer applies equally to the progressive politician as to the fevered anarchist, or the Loki-style mischief-maker who simply likes to shake up the status quo.<\/p>\n

    This answer, on it’s own, is not definitive; it’s part<\/em> of the definitive answer.<\/p>\n

    Which brings us to the second question.<\/p>\n

    What quality or attribute other than the opposite of 1 the character loathes more than any others?<\/h5>\n

    It’s the exclusion of the answer implied above that is most significant, because that means that this answer will illuminate aspects of the personality that the first question doesn’t touch on.<\/p>\n

    This is where the distinctions between Pious Priest and Ruthless Dictator, between Anarchist and Idealist are made.<\/p>\n

    It does require a little more thought than the first answer, because most people think of their characters in terms of what they support, not what they oppose; the first can imply multiple things to be opposed, but the second is more definitive.<\/p>\n

    The authoritarian might decry anarchy or independence; the zealot might oppose lax morality or corruption or secular priorities; the idealist might rail against greed or self-indulgence. For any given “approve of”, there are usually multiple alternatives of “oppose”, and each carries nuance.<\/p>\n

    Both this question and the preceding one are ‘big picture’ and ‘long-term’ in scope; they say nothing about the priorities of the character, about their immediate ambitions and objectives; which brings me to the third question.<\/p>\n

    What cause (outside of 1 in general) will the character most willingly sacrifice for?<\/h5>\n

    For there to be a cause, there has to be a movement (however small) that has goals that the character considers to be – at the very least – a step in the right direction. Quite often, they foresee a domino effect in which one key reform makes others, currently impossible, something that can be achieved.<\/p>\n

    This question is also relatively specific – choosing a general response tags the character as ‘a dreamer’ without practical goals or as a ‘drifter’, insufficiently motivated to do more than bob along the surface of life’s waves.<\/p>\n

    It concerns what aspect of (1) the character wants to prioritize, where he or she (or it) thinks they can make a difference. It can legitimately be about building personal wealth or prestige – in other words, gathering the tools and influence to make a difference.<\/p>\n

    The value to GMs<\/h3>\n

    Aside from defining the aspects of the personality that will define a character’s actions in a readily-codified form that makes reactions and responses to circumstance relatively easy to determine, in the case of NPCs, there’s a lot of value in the GM understanding the answers of a player about their PC.<\/p>\n

    These define and codify desired campaign direction, sought-after plot threads, and the plot hooks that will capture a PCs attention every time.<\/p>\n

    They define where characters will be operating at cross purposes, and where conflict with authorities might lie, and who will oppose the meaningful<\/em> actions of the PC. Some opposition is simply a matter of interpretation; there is always room for debate between those ‘of good conscience’. Characters have even been known to change their minds from time to time!<\/p>\n

    Enemies<\/h5>\n

    But there is some opposition which the character will take personally, implacable enemies not because of who they are but because their agendas oppose those of the character. The individualist in an authoritarian society, or the legislator in a libertarian society who seeks to curb the excesses of robber barons.<\/p>\n

    If the same answer to (1) can be either positive or negative, there will be those who will see the negative and oppose it. And there will be those who will see the positive, and oppose that because they are threatened by it. Whether or not these antipathies actually materialize into bitter opposition depends on the answers each makes to (3).<\/p>\n

    Strange Bedfellows<\/h5>\n

    The answers to (3) can also make room for allies of convenience. These strange bedfellow are headed for an eventual confrontation of colossal proportions, made all the more intense by the fact that in the short term, both want the same thing (undoubtedly for different reasons!)<\/p>\n

    Identity Examples<\/h3>\n

    So important are these personality attributes that you can often identify a character by the answers they give.<\/p>\n

    Don’t believe me? As one final pitch for the importance and value of this descriptive tool, let’s try a handful (or so) of examples. Yo9u may differ with my interpretations of character in some cases, but I think that it will still be clear who I’m talking about!<\/p>\n

    Mystery Character #1<\/h5>\n

    Who Am I?<\/p>\n

    Answers:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. What quality or attribute their character prizes above all others? – Personal Gratification \/ Liberty.<\/li>\n
    2. What quality or attribute other than the opposite of 1 the character loathes more than any others? – Theft of what assures (1)..<\/li>\n
    3. What cause (outside of 1 in general) will the character most willingly sacrifice for? – Proximity to, if not possession of, the one thing that he feels assures him of his independence from the great and powerful.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      So, who am I? Answers at the end of the article – if you need them.<\/p>\n

      Mystery Character #2<\/h5>\n

      Who am I, this time?<\/p>\n

      Answers:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. What quality or attribute their character prizes above all others? – Human Survival capability.<\/li>\n
      2. What quality or attribute other than the opposite of 1 the character loathes more than any others? – Intellect without conscience.<\/li>\n
      3. What cause (outside of 1 in general) will the character most willingly sacrifice for? – the safety of her family.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Who am I? Answers at the end of the article.<\/p>\n

        Mystery Character #3<\/h5>\n

        This is a fun game!<\/p>\n

        Who am I, now?<\/p>\n

        Answers:<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. What quality or attribute their character prizes above all others>? – their personal welfare.<\/li>\n
        2. What quality or attribute other than the opposite of 1 the character loathes more than any others? – intellectual inferiority in authority.<\/li>\n
        3. What cause (outside of 1 in general) will the character most willingly sacrifice for? – a way of getting back to Earth.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          What’s your answer? The answer awaits, if you need it.<\/p>\n

          Mystery Character #4<\/h5>\n

          Who Am I?<\/p>\n

          Answers:<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. What quality or attribute their character prizes above all others? – Personal Honor<\/li>\n
          2. What quality or attribute other than the opposite of 1 the character loathes more than any others? – a lack of self-discipline.<\/li>\n
          3. What cause (outside of 1 in general) will the character most willingly sacrifice for? – the safety of others, especially those in his care.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Okay, that’s a little more difficult; it could potentially be almost any square-jawed idealistic hero. When that happens, review your answers, looking for something more definitive. But in this case, the only alternative serious alternatives come in question 2 – there’s a reason it was tagged as the most definitive question!<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. What quality or attribute other than the opposite of 1 the character loathes more than any others? – a lack of professionalism.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              I’m not sure that’s much of an improvement. I’ll make one last try:<\/p>\n

                \n
              1. What quality or attribute other than the opposite of 1 the character loathes more than any others? – personal greed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                Nope. Maybe the character really is a cookie-cutter model. If I were to offer a different answer to (3), though, the identity should become clear:<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. What cause (outside of 1 in general) will the character most willingly sacrifice for? – the recapture of the vessel on which he serves.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  That’s a lot clearer, isn’t it? The problem was that the answer to question (3) was too broad, too general, not specific enough.<\/p>\n

                  But, for this to work, we need to take the previous answer to (3) and recast it as an answer to (2):<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. What quality or attribute other than the opposite of 1 the character loathes more than any others? – endangering others, especially innocents.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    You can get confirmation of the answer in the usual place.<\/p>\n

                    Mystery Character #5<\/h5>\n

                    Who Am I?<\/p>\n

                    Answers:<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    1. What quality or attribute their character prizes above all others? – Nobility.<\/li>\n
                    2. What quality or attribute other than the opposite of 1 the character loathes more than any others? – disunity.<\/li>\n
                    3. What cause (outside of 1 in general) will the character most willingly sacrifice for? – obtaining the Holy Grail<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      Go to the end of the article for the answer – if you need it. I don’t think you will.<\/p>\n

                      Mystery Character #6<\/h5>\n

                      Who Am I?<\/p>\n

                      Answers:<\/p>\n

                        \n
                      1. What quality or attribute their character prizes above all others? – Justice.<\/li>\n
                      2. What quality or attribute other than the opposite of 1 the character loathes more than any others? – Dishonor.<\/li>\n
                      3. What cause (outside of 1 in general) will the character most willingly sacrifice for? – redistribution of wealth that has been extorted illegally from the poor<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                        That should be fairly obvious to everyone, I would think, though the answer to (2) doesn’t feel quite right to me – but if you need help, you know where to look.<\/p>\n

                        One more:<\/p>\n

                        Mystery Character #7<\/h5>\n

                        Who Am I?<\/p>\n

                        Answers:<\/p>\n

                          \n
                        1. What quality or attribute their character prizes above all others? – Corporate Welfare.<\/li>\n
                        2. What quality or attribute other than the opposite of 1 the character loathes more than any others? – Disloyalty to the company. Sorry,.that won’t work, it’s the opposite of (1), which is forbidden. Okay, try: Valuing the individual over all else.<\/li>\n
                        3. What cause (outside of 1 in general) will the character most willingly sacrifice for? – Getting a symbiote to the company’s bio-weapons research unit.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                          So, who am I? Answers at the end of the article – but I don’t think you’ll need them.<\/p>\n

                          General Summary<\/h5>\n

                          (1) and (2) are descriptive of the type of person the character is. (3) is how that personality manifests, and hence is more definitive of specific identity.<\/p>\n

                          Character Generation<\/h3>\n

                          There may be a temptation to use the answers for the generation of characters, especially by GMs who should exploit any game=-prep shortcut open to them.<\/p>\n

                          Nevertheless, I do not recommend this approach. The reason is that without having defined the character already, you will tend to get cookie-cutter cardboard characters – remember the problems encountered in Example #4?<\/p>\n

                          Once a personality has been derived by one of the many other methods offered in Campaign Mastery over the years (be warned, it’s a long list [presented here in sequence of likely relevance]) –<\/p>\n