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sunnyside
post Nov 6 2008, 07:27 AM
Post #1


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I think I blame many modern writers. I've recently started GMing for some younger Gamers (high schoolers) and they seem to default to angst/emo stuff for character depth.

Of course there are lots of other ways to add character depth. In Shadowrun a healthy relationship or good trait is odd enough to add some surprising depth. There are plenty of ways to be disfunctional and there is always the more hardboiled self loathing that you cope with using a stiff jaw and scotch. Or having something to be passionate about. Living style over substance. And so on.

The question is how to "sell" that to players and get them to do it well, especially "kids" who only know hardboiled as it pertains to eggs, haven't read anything cyberpunk yet, but have read some Drek called "Twighlight" .

(As a side note I think some also try to use being antisocial, a loner, or psychopathic for character depth, but really these are just standard 2D trenchcoater fare.)

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Posts in this topic
- sunnyside   Character Depth without the Angst/Emo   Nov 6 2008, 07:27 AM
- - Cain   That's probably due to the age of your players...   Nov 6 2008, 07:38 AM
- - sunnyside   For their age they aren't bad at roleplaying. ...   Nov 6 2008, 08:17 AM
- - Fuchs   Check some TV and anime series, and see if you fin...   Nov 6 2008, 09:05 AM
- - Wesley Street   Have them read William S. Burroughs or watch moder...   Nov 6 2008, 06:43 PM
- - TheOOB   The funny thing is that people often times use ang...   Nov 6 2008, 07:29 PM
- - Wounded Ronin   Make them make Golgo 13 ripoffs.   Nov 7 2008, 12:16 AM
- - Stahlseele   asshole characters. seriously, the way to go O.o ...   Nov 7 2008, 12:30 AM
|- - Mickle5125   QUOTE (Stahlseele @ Nov 6 2008, 08:30 PM)...   Nov 7 2008, 04:28 AM
|- - Rasumichin   QUOTE (Stahlseele @ Nov 7 2008, 01:30 AM)...   Nov 8 2008, 02:12 PM
- - WeaverMount   >or coming up with some generic story about los...   Nov 7 2008, 01:03 AM
- - Zombayz   I've never had this problem, but then again, m...   Nov 7 2008, 03:04 AM
- - TKDNinjaInBlack   Try telling them to model character's after a ...   Nov 7 2008, 04:09 AM
- - krayola red   Bah, back when I was that age, half of my characte...   Nov 7 2008, 04:19 AM
- - TheOOB   I actually usually run new players through a game ...   Nov 7 2008, 06:12 AM
- - crash2029   One of my favorite characters, Car, is a well-adju...   Nov 7 2008, 07:45 AM
- - TheOOB   It should be noted, that while overly angsty/emo c...   Nov 7 2008, 09:13 AM
- - Blade   Exactly. The problem with emo character is not tha...   Nov 7 2008, 09:30 AM
|- - sunnyside   QUOTE (Blade @ Nov 7 2008, 04:30 AM) My r...   Nov 7 2008, 12:43 PM
- - TKDNinjaInBlack   I always try to make my players give me (as GM) so...   Nov 7 2008, 01:53 PM
- - Aaron   Somebody should come up with a list of questions o...   Nov 7 2008, 03:51 PM
|- - sunnyside   QUOTE (Aaron @ Nov 7 2008, 10:51 AM) Some...   Nov 7 2008, 05:19 PM
|- - Aaron   QUOTE (sunnyside @ Nov 7 2008, 11:19 AM) ...   Nov 10 2008, 05:35 PM
|- - sunnyside   QUOTE (Aaron @ Nov 10 2008, 12:35 PM) Tha...   Nov 10 2008, 08:52 PM
|- - Aaron   QUOTE (sunnyside @ Nov 10 2008, 02:52 PM)...   Nov 10 2008, 09:13 PM
|- - Ryu   QUOTE (sunnyside @ Nov 10 2008, 09:52 PM)...   Nov 10 2008, 09:35 PM
|- - Aaron   QUOTE (Ryu @ Nov 10 2008, 03:35 PM) I fou...   Nov 10 2008, 11:49 PM
- - TheOOB   Besides, the questions don't in and of themsel...   Nov 7 2008, 07:03 PM
- - Heath Robinson   Direct them to media with better writing? It...   Nov 7 2008, 07:15 PM
- - Whipstitch   A couple of good superstitions and some religion c...   Nov 7 2008, 07:20 PM
- - Fortune   I don't really see the problem with letting a ...   Nov 7 2008, 10:07 PM
|- - MaxMahem   QUOTE (Fortune @ Nov 7 2008, 05:07 PM) I ...   Nov 12 2008, 07:11 AM
- - masterofm   The best answer is the question why? If they can...   Nov 7 2008, 11:16 PM
- - ElFenrir   Also keep in mind with the whole angst/emo thing, ...   Nov 8 2008, 12:18 AM
- - Whipstitch   It's also hard to have a 100% super happy life...   Nov 8 2008, 12:41 AM
- - ElFenrir   I think the key is balancing the angst/tragedy to ...   Nov 8 2008, 12:51 AM
- - shuya   while i agree that using angst as your only charac...   Nov 8 2008, 01:06 AM
- - sunnyside   Ya know I'm getting the feeling a lot of peopl...   Nov 8 2008, 07:09 AM
|- - TheOOB   QUOTE (sunnyside @ Nov 8 2008, 02:09 AM) ...   Nov 8 2008, 09:49 AM
- - WeaverMount   getting back to the OP. One thing you might do is ...   Nov 8 2008, 09:32 AM
- - Tachi   Emo is so ridiculous that I have just invented a n...   Nov 8 2008, 10:23 AM
|- - Wesley Street   QUOTE (Tachi @ Nov 8 2008, 05:23 AM) Emo ...   Nov 9 2008, 06:33 PM
- - Stahlseele   so would it be emo do to a facepalm and ask in a w...   Nov 8 2008, 01:12 PM
- - Tachi   Yes.   Nov 8 2008, 01:18 PM
- - It trolls!   I define Emo as the celebration of Weltschmerz. Co...   Nov 8 2008, 01:49 PM
- - Fortune   I'm sorry, but I really can't take 'Em...   Nov 8 2008, 02:02 PM
- - sunnyside   Since we're talking about emo the thing that r...   Nov 9 2008, 11:17 PM
- - Fortune   "As I sit in the grimy Puyallup laundromat, w...   Nov 10 2008, 12:07 AM
|- - Zombayz   QUOTE (Fortune @ Nov 9 2008, 04:07 PM) ...   Nov 10 2008, 12:37 AM
|- - sunnyside   QUOTE (Zombayz @ Nov 9 2008, 07:37 PM) I...   Nov 10 2008, 12:44 AM
- - Fuchs   To offer a counterpoint - imagine if you'd onl...   Nov 10 2008, 08:10 AM
- - Tachi   QUOTE (Wesley Street @ Nov 9 2008, 11:33 ...   Nov 10 2008, 08:45 AM
- - sunnyside   I got a new player today. (Don't mind the ...   Nov 10 2008, 02:25 PM
- - Sir_Psycho   I think the real problem is that because these kid...   Nov 10 2008, 05:05 PM
- - masterofm   I invented a new word for emo I call it angst...   Nov 10 2008, 09:48 PM
|- - TKDNinjaInBlack   QUOTE (masterofm @ Nov 10 2008, 03:48 PM)...   Nov 11 2008, 04:01 AM
|- - sunnyside   Heh. Mangst. QUOTE (masterofm @ Nov 10 200...   Nov 11 2008, 12:02 PM
|- - Rasumichin   QUOTE (sunnyside @ Nov 11 2008, 01:02 PM)...   Nov 11 2008, 01:09 PM
- - Wounded Ronin   Angst is okay if it's manly. Then it's ma...   Nov 11 2008, 12:46 AM
|- - Tachi   QUOTE (Wounded Ronin @ Nov 10 2008, 05:46...   Nov 11 2008, 12:53 PM
- - Platinum Dragon   QUOTE (Stahlseele @ Nov 9 2008, 12:12 AM)...   Nov 11 2008, 05:42 AM
- - masterofm   I think what everyone has gotten at, but has never...   Nov 11 2008, 11:56 AM
- - masterofm   I'm 25. However even though I was never reall...   Nov 11 2008, 12:20 PM
- - masterofm   Let me attempt to add some flavor to this characte...   Nov 11 2008, 12:50 PM
|- - WeaverMount   QUOTE (masterofm @ Nov 11 2008, 07:50 AM)...   Nov 11 2008, 08:42 PM
|- - sunnyside   QUOTE (WeaverMount @ Nov 11 2008, 03:42 P...   Nov 11 2008, 10:13 PM
- - sunnyside   @masterofm 90% good stuff 10% http://www.shamus...   Nov 11 2008, 03:14 PM
|- - Heath Robinson   QUOTE (sunnyside @ Nov 11 2008, 03:14 PM)...   Nov 11 2008, 09:15 PM
|- - sunnyside   QUOTE (Heath Robinson @ Nov 11 2008, 04:1...   Nov 11 2008, 10:12 PM
|- - Heath Robinson   QUOTE (sunnyside @ Nov 11 2008, 10:12 PM)...   Nov 11 2008, 11:29 PM
|- - sunnyside   QUOTE (Heath Robinson @ Nov 11 2008, 06:2...   Nov 11 2008, 11:42 PM
|- - Wounded Ronin   QUOTE (sunnyside @ Nov 11 2008, 07:42 PM)...   Nov 12 2008, 02:53 AM
- - masterofm   I didn't really take all that much time making...   Nov 11 2008, 06:46 PM
- - masterofm   I was going for a very common name. Didn't ev...   Nov 11 2008, 10:23 PM
- - Wounded Ronin   More on topic, here is Van Damme attempting to por...   Nov 12 2008, 03:15 AM
|- - sunnyside   QUOTE (Wounded Ronin @ Nov 11 2008, 10:15...   Nov 12 2008, 07:16 AM
- - Cthulhudreams   mangst == best call ever.   Nov 12 2008, 04:54 AM
- - masterofm   Or you could take their crummy 2d story and make i...   Nov 12 2008, 08:48 AM
- - Fuchs   I'd not say those backgrounds are lame or stup...   Nov 12 2008, 09:26 AM
- - masterofm   You know I am the only person who has offered cons...   Nov 12 2008, 02:51 PM
|- - sunnyside   QUOTE (masterofm @ Nov 12 2008, 09:51 AM)...   Nov 12 2008, 09:54 PM
- - Platinum Dragon   Nothing like blistering 45 degree days (Celcius, o...   Nov 13 2008, 01:33 AM
- - Wounded Ronin   Have her character break a nail whenever she opera...   Nov 13 2008, 03:54 AM
- - TKDNinjaInBlack   Well, to be honest, I couldn't care less about...   Nov 16 2008, 10:55 PM
|- - sunnyside   QUOTE (TKDNinjaInBlack @ Nov 16 2008, 05...   Nov 17 2008, 06:30 AM
- - Wounded Ronin   Heh, well, practically speaking, yeah.   Nov 17 2008, 02:04 AM
- - Stahlseele   *snickers* i imagine some barbie blondes trying t...   Nov 17 2008, 09:15 AM


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