If
you're reading this and you're a GM/DM, welcome to my entropic cosm
of terror. Over the weeks to come, we're going to pierce the veil of
this illusion of benevolence and accommodation that's the current
trend in RPGs and put the MASTER back into Game Master. Being a GM is
akin to being a Greek God, the players being the mortals subject to
your whims and cruelty. If you are a player reading this blog, your
sanity is forfeit as you will learn that you are but mere puppets
dancing to the mad tune of your GM.
This
week I'd like to shine the light on the topic of player
responsibility in making their characters interesting for the game.
When you GM enough games, you'll run into players who want to skate
by with the nondescript loner orphan character with no ties to the
world and no personal relationships to any NPCs. That character is
BORING and will need to be re-done or subject to the not-so-tender
mercies of GM editing. The other end of the spectrum are the Mary
Sues (characters that are somehow tied into major events and NPCs
even though they're just starting level 1 scrubs). That player ego
masturbation background so ubiquitous it makes all gamers reflexively
cringe at anything that remotely sounds like, “Oh, gosh! Let me
tell you about my character!”
As
Masters, it is our job to crush both ends of the spectrum into the
conformity that will liberate their confused player hearts and minds.
While the actual mix and quantities vary slightly based on game style
and player count, I find a five element mix to work best. That is to
say that PC backgrounds need five usable elements to be considered
acceptable. Typically five is what the average player brain can
handle on a consistent basis so I recommend staying in that ballpark.
They will after all need some reserve in order to not go stark raving
mad in face of the Machiavellian psychological and emotional torment
engine that you plan to put them through.
So
what is the typical mix of these elements that byzantine mastermind
GMs should use? Years of testing on victims suggests that it works
best with two intrapersonal, two interpersonal and one aspirational.
That's a lot of terminology I know, but we must keep our methods of
player manipulation obfuscated in jargon after all. Intrapersonal
elements are those that are within the characters' minds such as
beliefs, values and personal codes of behaviour. Interpersonal
elements are their relationships or ties to other characters or
groups in the setting. Aspirational elements are characters driving
motivations and goals and are not necessarily always aligned with the
goals of an adventure. In fact, some of the finest moments of GMing
can be had when your players are soul crushingly wrenched by their
characters' plights as these elements both help and hinder their
adventures.
With
that, I must bring this installment to a close. Would you like to see this expanded
upon in future weeks? What other areas of Games Mastering would you
like tips on? Questions? Compliments? Non-sequitur megalomania? Leave
it in the comments below!
