Who Is Ellen - 75 - HD
Added 2022-12-22 04:00:01 +0000 UTCThe inevitable objection.
Commentary
I wanted a moment with Larry using feminine charms to persuade someone, and I wanted Rich to be too focused on an objective to remember to be weirded out.
I was having trouble sorting out how to go about this until I decided to make *my* problem *their* problem. Instead of "I need to figure out how Larry should go about this", it became "Larry needs to figure out how to go about this."
And now instead of Rich just being happy with an outcome, he's the one suggesting what to do, which I like a lot more.
I don't know how often "make your writing problem the character's problem" is a viable solution, but I think it worked out here.
Comments
I think the relevant alternative would be making it something that isn't a "problem" (in the sense of a something that's difficult to get past) for Larry because he immediately has a solution for it. It's the difference between "I am having trouble coming up with an idea here so I will work hard and come up with one and then show Larry immediately pursuing that idea" and "I am having trouble coming up with an idea here, and I think Larry would have similar difficulty so I will show him experiencing that difficulty."
Brooks Moses
2022-12-29 05:57:23 +0000 UTCYup. The thing is that when "it's what my character would do" is a legitimate explanation of the character frequently being obnoxious to the other players (and not just their characters), the root of the problem is "Why did you decide to play a character who would do that?" Actually, I think that generally applies. "It's what my character would do" is never an excuse for any sort of bad behavior; the culpability lies with the person who put that character into the game. It is also, IMO, more than acceptable to retcon a character's personality if it turns out that they would do obnoxious-to-the-players things that one didn't anticipate when creating them. Having fun is more important than sticking to consistency at all costs.
Brooks Moses
2022-12-29 05:50:33 +0000 UTCI think this particular writing issue can *only* be solved by making it one of the characters' problem like this. I mean, if you look at the desire you stated in the first paragraph, how could you make it happen without providing it as a problem to Larry? I don't know of another way to do it.
Some Ed
2022-12-22 23:12:08 +0000 UTCI think it's a bit less rare than you might think. However, the majority of people who have that ability tend to be considered choice picks by certain women, such that they tend to already be in relationships. This can present difficulties for women who want to snatch them up after they suddenly become available. Being considered a choice pick doesn't mean that one can't be involved in a breakup (one such individual I knew found out that his particular certain women was less his particular certain woman than she professed, and opted to handle the situation by suggesting she should be more devoted to the other guy, just as one example.) It also doesn't make the other person immortal. I am blanking on which particular individuals were involved, but I recall having several times been the friend a prospective relationship partner went to with her queries of what she was doing wrong. In most of these cases, the issue was "not being blatant about it", but being blatant about it to a confidant was sufficient - once the person had assurances there was actual interest, things went better.
Some Ed
2022-12-22 23:07:57 +0000 UTC@KC: at least, so long as your character wasn't an asshole who typically drug the party into something they normally wouldn't be comfortable doing. I'm reminded of a campaign where I started out as an observer. Then one of the players was unable or unwilling to attend for some reason, I can't remember the details. They'd sent a message to the GM, "Don't hold up the campaign on my account, just have Ed play my character or something." The player was an asshole who typically dragged the party into stuff they normally wouldn't be comfortable doing, so I played an asshole who typically drug the party into something they normally wouldn't be comfortable doing. But somehow, I did it wrong, because at the next gaming session, when the player was available again, most of the other players said they wanted me to keep playing the guy's character. lol
Some Ed
2022-12-22 22:58:38 +0000 UTCRich is on the money almost every time. A genre-savvy NPC would recognize the feminine wiles card being played, but that kind of NPC is rare in both fantasy and real life and totally inappropriate for a low level "first game". Not to be lost in the shuffle is that Rich has levelled ujp. Instead of shaming the genderbend he has gone with it, albeit in a very Rich-like way.
John Trauger
2022-12-22 19:13:42 +0000 UTC^This to the nth degree. Although I would add the caveat that "It's what my character would do" shouldn't be used as an excuse to be an asshole or to drag the party into something they normally wouldn't be comfortable doing
KC
2022-12-22 08:42:06 +0000 UTCStepping back and asking “what would the characters do?” Is a perfect way of resolving many writing issues. In fact, I think you do it a lot, especially with characters like Grace and Susan, who both have strong forces of will.
Thisguy
2022-12-22 05:29:40 +0000 UTCI get the feeling that Rich speaks from experience. From the cleric's POV, that is.
Stephen Gilberg
2022-12-22 04:03:58 +0000 UTC
