The worst flaw in the world, And the winner is... Options

[The Jake]

Amnesia.

I hate it. I hate it with a passion.

The scenario I see it used as a GM, time and time again, is when a player can't be ARSED writing a character background. I award bonus points to players who go to the bother of writing a solid backstory. I also give points for people who actually draw a detailed character sketch. But there's always one lazy **nt who figures that he doesn't have to do a damn thing, and he can also collect the BPs for his own laziness. I ask what is his character's backstory. He raises his head from his sheet, with a smug little smirk on his face. "I don't have a past. I have AMNESIA!"

Well I have an answer to this smug little assholes. I read them the 'hidden' subtext for the Amnesia quality:

Amnesia:
By selecting this flaw, you have chosen to be lazy. In doing so, you are being awared the Build Points for compensation for the amount of shafting you are going to receive at the hands of the GM. What's more, you will keep on being shafted, until you pay off the flaw. Until you do, expect the GM to do all manner of things to your character. Expect anything from a past as a cross dresser, a rape victim, homosexual (for the homophobic PCs in my party), anything and everything you could possibly imagine as undesirable for your character's past - its probably going to happen.
By choosing Amnesia, you waiver all rights in having a say in your character's past history and acknowledge the GM has sole discretion to anything that your character has done (or had done to him) and his word is LAW.
Choose wisely. Do you REALLY need the Build Points?

The 25BP flaw is a joke. I don't know anyone that would take it to that extreme. But I'm tempted to award more points for the amount of shafting I give a PC with this flaw.

Discuss. Am I the only GM who feels the same way here?

- J.

PS: I'm not trying to be discriminatory above. I just know that a lot of my players find the above scenarios highly offensive to them as individuals, so I'll usually incorporate something they find offensive into their character if they pick this flaw. I'll apologise for any offense in advance, it wasn't intended.
PPS: If a PC actually had a solid reason/story but awarded the flaw as part of that story, I wouldn't really shaft them.

[Chrysalis]

GURPS had a similar flaw a -5 to -25 disadvantage which was a secret. The character holds a terrible secret. The GM could decide on the secret, which meant that the character could be shafted so many different ways since Sunday. Lube was nice, but not necessary.

[Cardul]

Sorry, what? I was making the PETA Prime Runner Team because the Amnesiac used to drown puppies in burlap sacks, and worked security in an Animal Research Center...Of course, that is nothing compared to WHY he has amnesia...Really, that Horizon Dawkins Group team is still looking for him!

[Blade]

GURPS had a similar flaw a -5 to -25 disadvantage which was a secret. The character holds a terrible secret. The GM could decide on the secret, which meant that the character could be shafted so many different ways since Sunday.

There's a similar flaw in the companion.

As for the amnesia, I think it can be cool if used correctly. Of course, it means that the character has a complicate past and that this past will come back to bother him. But there's just so much that can be done with that that I don't mind having to write the PC's background, provided the player gives me the character's personality and some elements (such as something special he has/wears, the way he woke up after his amnesia or things like that). I'm used to "fill the holes" or in some way mess with the PC's backgrounds anyway.

I've never had a player create an amnesiac character, but I've had one become amnesiac after an incident involving a cranial bomb. It was really fun to play.

[Critias]

My longest running, most successfull, Shadowrun character ever started with Amnesia. I wrote some short fiction (without unit designations or other details about the job he was on, who it was for, etc) that covered how and why he arrived in Seattle, a "bridge" piece of Shadowrun fiction that showed how he got his one or two contacts...and then I publically asked for anyone and everyone over on Shadowland.org to fuck with him.

I knew what I was getting into, and got into it willingly -- and he turned into a fantastic character. I had GMs giving me flashbacks during certain jobs and situations, I was spending money to contract side jobs in the middle of 'Runs to check databases for more information as he tried to find out his past, I had all sorts of entanglements once his past came to light (up to and including organizing a series of Shadowruns to go get his daughter back, who'd become a ward of the Tir state in his absence)...it was great stuff.

Amnesia, like most flaws, isn't in and of itself a bad thing. It all comes down to how the player and GM handle it.

[Chibu]

Jake: I definitely agree that, if used in the way that you mentioned, Amnesia is really lame. However, we on Dumpshock are cooler than your players (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

I, too, have played an character with Amnesia (mind you, my group thinks that flaws are stupid, and that you shouldn't get extra points for things that flesh out your character, so this was with no extra points). Alexander Cole, like all of my other characters, had plenty of back story, and a short story to accompany him. Sadly, we didn't end up playing that campaign long enough for his past to haunt him much.

More importantly though Jake, how do your players with this flaw ever find out about runs? How do they know their name? I think worse than actually screwing them over would be to let the other players pick a name for him (they would have to call him SOMETHING). Alex had a SIN (well, he had a fake SIN, so that's not actually his real name, he just thinks it is), and his credstick in his pocket which got him some details about his life. He was a lame decker as well, so he ended up looking up info about his fake self, never catching that it was a fake SIN.

But yeah, amnesia, used as a flaw for free points and extra laziness is really not cool. You could always say "Amnesia is off-limits unless you have at least a 3 page (MLA Format) story about your character's background to accompany it which much be in the Hands of the GM by the time the first session starts. Otherwise, expect the extra 25 point you have to come out of your skills and Attributes at the GM's Discression". Also, with the exception of cyberware, I would limit the amount of gear that a character with amnesia can have. It's kind of difficult to have posession of a Panther Assault Cannon, or even to maintain lifestyle, if you don't know where you live or where you keep your stuff. Nor should the character be allowed to start with contacts, as they don't remember who they are. Knowledge skills? pretty useless if you don't remember them.

A friend of mine had temporary amnesia once. It was pretty strange, very unreal. He fell down some icy stairs and hit his head. Luckily it was between where alot of people who knew him lived. We had to show him where he lived and he didn't know his name. He couldn't quote bad webcomics during that time either. It really IS a flaw worth 25 points when you take all of the other things into account, laziness aside.

[PatB]

Amnesia, like most flaws, isn't in and of itself a bad thing. It all comes down to how the player and GM handle it.

Here's a thought that just came in. Never tried it, but maybe some will find value or bring better ideas:

If the player chooses the Amnesia flaw, use the bonus BP as 'held abilities'. What I mean is, if the flaw gives 25BP, the player has to select 25BP worth of skills/contacts/deactivated cyberwares (must not have external access/visibility) and whatever makes sense and doesn't have access to it until he regains his memory.

Now, since this is suppose to be bonus BP and to 'regain' his memory, the player would need to pay back in karma, I would probably double the BP amount worth of 'forgotten' skills/contacts/etc. The player and GM could even agree to regain part of his memory, in chunks of 5 BP/karma for instance.

Let the player come up with a background story (should be mandatory IMO), let him pick the 'forgotten' points, have both the players and GM agree, and let the GM fill the holes (to keep some surprises). The GM now has to bring elements in the game to give the player hints that something sounds familiar.

Example: Jason Bourne in the Bourne movie trilogy. Perfect example where the character suddenly discovers skills and contacts.

[Machiavelli]

Like that.

[Falconer]

And here I thought it was "Borrowed Time".... (or as I like to call it, "Not long for this world") everytime I jokingly bring that one up the GM gets a deer in the headlights look of terror. It's almost as if he expects that the character will HAVE to be eliminated w/ extreme prejudice. (he's probably right)

[AWOL_Seraphim]

I know how you feel, Jake, because I've run into a lot of things like that in my past campaigns. Some people take a "dark secret", amnesia, or something I saw in many of my World of Darkness campaigns, a "Dark Fate" (somthing along the lines of "Borrowed Time", but horror-themed, à la "demons are gonna eat your soul!") for the bonus points, telling me they'll flesh it out "eventually", and then conveniently forgetting all about the flaw.

For the past several years, I've grown quite impatient with it. I'll tell the players something like: " If you think you need this flaw, you probably don't. If you know you need it, I need an explanation before the character is finished." No, I'm not even willing to wait until the start of the first session, because then they forget about it and come to the game a week later not even remembering about the flaw. There's no taking a flaw "just in case" any more, and the same for merits. I'm more lenient with minor qualities, mind you, and I don't expect a whole lot in terms of justification: even a brief one-or-two-sentences explanation will do, as long as I have something to work with. And of course, the less detail, the more room I have to mess with the character. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Even with low expectations, it works, if only because it forces people to think, even if just a little. My players are great apart from that, but sometimes, they need a soft little push to flesh out their characters. Don't give your players too much time to think about it. If they take any quality at all, it should be because the character obviously needs it. If they don't know why they take it, it was probably just for the bonus points. I know it may sound really harsh, but then my players don't often complain about, say, not getting their soul eaten by demons, regardless of the bonus points involved! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Stahlseele]

And here I thought it was "Borrowed Time".... (or as I like to call it, "Not long for this world") everytime I jokingly bring that one up the GM gets a deer in the headlights look of terror. It's almost as if he expects that the character will HAVE to be eliminated w/ extreme prejudice. (he's probably right)

Wanna see himsweat REALLY hard?
Borrowed Time with Amnesiac.
You are going to die. Spectaculously so.
And you don't know why. But you will.
And for the points you get cool stuff that will make sure it happens sooner or later. probably sooner ^^

[Draco18s]

Wanna see himsweat REALLY hard?
Borrowed Time with Amnesiac.
You are going to die. Spectaculously so.
And you don't know why. But you will.
And for the points you get cool stuff that will make sure it happens sooner or later. probably sooner ^^

You walk through the door of the building and get a flash of memory: you're not supposed to be here.

And then your head explodes.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Stahlseele]

If it's an Area Bomb combined with something biological or chemical, or maybe something nanotechnological, it's totally worth it ^^

[Draco18s]

If it's an Area Bomb combined with something biological or chemical, or maybe something nanotechnological, it's totally worth it ^^

And what, kill the rest of the party too?

[Screaming Eagle]

I'm quite sure no one who has had me for a GM leave much of the way of anything ill-defined in their backstory unless they want to live in interesting times. Sure they have to do more thinking and writing but at least they KNOW how I can screw with their characters.

Total amnisia... where to start -
You are actually a Fleshform insect spirit or shedim with notably impressive masking. Your hosts memories were shattered along with your own during the merge, your summoner (or queen) is looking for you as is a hit squad of magical threat hunters. In any case your fomer lover has become aware you are back from the dead and is trying to help you back into a "normal" life as a corperate wage slave.

The cortex bomb you think is in your head is covering a personality override chip - you were a deep cover operative for Aztecnology infultrating Denvers underground to get close to Ghostwalker. He became aware of your double nature, had your chiped personality wiped to blank memories and loyalty and tossed you to the street for the dogs. Your continued survival amuses him as it permits you to continue being tortured from afar: he will kill you later, once he bores of this. Who do you think had the cortex bomb put in. <EDIT> Aztecnology has relized "something" has gone wrong but does not have enough to risk acting directly yet, once it is clear you are no long on mission spec. a hit team of Jaguar warriors will be dispatched to "clean up loose ends". good luck with that.</EDIT>

You are not really a mage or are really a lousy one/ a burn out: you have entered into a power pact with a very powerful free blood spirit. To renew the pact once a year you must bring him a virgin sacrifise for him to drain the essence from. You amniesia was caused by a botched mind probe from someone looking for the real threat backing you. The spirit thinks you have betrayed it but is unsure for now. The sacrifice is in 4 months at which time you will start lossing magic at a rate on 1 per month. You are being followed by the mage who botched the mind probe.

I'm not sure what Amnisia does mechanically aside from the obvious but anyone that lets me run one of these plots can have the damn 25 points

[The Jake]

Look, to be fair, I don't hate the flaw entirely. What I do hate is the 90% of usage cases which demonstrate that it will be used by a lazy player.

I have one player now who has it. I don't put him in the 'lazy' category. He basically came up with a decent background but didn't have enough info.

[ Spoiler ]

He knew he was a former spy, working for Saeder-Krupp. He knew he was of Middle Eastern background. He also chose Mysterious Cyberware as a flaw. Given we were playing circa 2064, I cooked up a story that he was captured by Deus and treated as one of the Networked (it just so happened that his headware package was almost identical - minus the delta grade that is). Over time he's learned that his cyberware's true nature and had it disabled (and paying the associated karma cost of removing the debt).

Now because the player (somewhat consciously mind you) gave me a lot of stuff to work with - intentionally - I haven't decided to screw too much with him. I came up that he's part of a small, two-man team working as an arms dealer supplying Lofwyr's allies, helping to build up his influence in the region.

How he split from S-K and fell into the shadows is another story entirely.

As its played out, between the cyberware and his amnesia, he's starting to realise he's been a double agent (triple agent even), often for so many different parties he's having problems understanding what is going on. Until he pays off the Amnesia flaw, he will never know the truth.

- J.

[Screaming Eagle]

Actually I started agreeing with you that its lame and then started typing and found myself going down a different path by the end.

Ars Magica awards you for giving the GM story hooks: many of them are even advantages (heir to a title, fairy companion) that give you more points for your character - you are getting the points for making the GM's job easier. I really wish more games swung that way. I like my job easier.

<Edit>
By not defining their characters background I don't have to come up with a believable way to shoehorn in the crazy to their background, I have all the space in the world...

But I rather agree, as a shield for the lazy, lame!
</Edit>

[The Jake]

I know how you feel, Jake, because I've run into a lot of things like that in my past campaigns. Some people take a "dark secret", amnesia, or something I saw in many of my World of Darkness campaigns, a "Dark Fate" (somthing along the lines of "Borrowed Time", but horror-themed, à la "demons are gonna eat your soul!") for the bonus points, telling me they'll flesh it out "eventually", and then conveniently forgetting all about the flaw.

For the past several years, I've grown quite impatient with it. I'll tell the players something like: " If you think you need this flaw, you probably don't. If you know you need it, I need an explanation before the character is finished." No, I'm not even willing to wait until the start of the first session, because then they forget about it and come to the game a week later not even remembering about the flaw. There's no taking a flaw "just in case" any more, and the same for merits. I'm more lenient with minor qualities, mind you, and I don't expect a whole lot in terms of justification: even a brief one-or-two-sentences explanation will do, as long as I have something to work with. And of course, the less detail, the more room I have to mess with the character. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Even with low expectations, it works, if only because it forces people to think, even if just a little. My players are great apart from that, but sometimes, they need a soft little push to flesh out their characters. Don't give your players too much time to think about it. If they take any quality at all, it should be because the character obviously needs it. If they don't know why they take it, it was probably just for the bonus points. I know it may sound really harsh, but then my players don't often complain about, say, not getting their soul eaten by demons, regardless of the bonus points involved! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Generally speaking, the gentlemen's agreement of screwing their character into the next oblivion without a good background story has served me well.

The only time a player has taken it since I implemented the above rule was this ex-spy PC of mine and it was part of his character's history (and as you said he needed it).

- J.

[Chrysalis]

How about instead of Amnesia taking -25 BP for Amnesia (Tempo addiction)?

Anyways there are always lazy players. There are people who come to play for the beer and then there are those who seem to spend all week preparing for the game. Then you have the players who take amnesia because they don't know anything about the Shadowrun world and can be the Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court.

I need a new hobby, these pick-nits are getting on my tits.

[tsuyoshikentsu]

Wow, remind me never to game with any of you. Writing a background is in no way necessary for roleplaying, I prefer not to screw my players, and anyone who isn't interested in a backstory won't be particularly interested in any of this stuff you're giving them anyway.

[Zurai]

And here I thought it was "Borrowed Time".... (or as I like to call it, "Not long for this world") everytime I jokingly bring that one up the GM gets a deer in the headlights look of terror. It's almost as if he expects that the character will HAVE to be eliminated w/ extreme prejudice. (he's probably right)

I like Borrowed Time. I have a player in a campaign I'm just starting who's playing a Lovecraftian Tradition mage with the Borrowed Time negative quality. There are SO many delicious ways I can kill that character off...



As for Amnesia, NOTHING in the quality description states that the 10 BP version absolves the player from coming up with a character background. If you're letting people get away with that as a GM, that's YOUR fault.

[The Jake]

Wow, remind me never to game with any of you. Writing a background is in no way necessary for roleplaying, I prefer not to screw my players, and anyone who isn't interested in a backstory won't be particularly interested in any of this stuff you're giving them anyway.

Never underestimate the homophobic player. Anyone that disinterested wouldn't even bother playing.

- J.

[tsuyoshikentsu]

Yes. If you're a complete ass who directly confronts a player with something they're incredibly uncomfortable with as a petty act of vengeance, you'll get them to roleplay the exact opposite of the way the character is established in the universe.

Boy, everyone's a winner there.

[Octopiii]

Yes. If you're a complete ass who directly confronts a player with something they're incredibly uncomfortable with as a petty act of vengeance, you'll get them to roleplay the exact opposite of the way the character is established in the universe.

Boy, everyone's a winner there.

Agreed. Personally, I hate writing backgrounds. No matter how interesting they are, they are a constraint on your character's actions. I prefer to give characters personality and motives, perhaps a cursory background, and then set him loose. I find that some people use background as a short hand for the previous, and it is one way to flesh out a character, but not the only way. I, for one, like fleshing my character out in play, for the whole group to see, rather than write an essay that only myself and the GM will see.

Besides, I thought the worst flaw was Astral Hazing, which does nothing but give your sammy F-U power to every mage in existence.

[The Jake]

Yes. If you're a complete ass who directly confronts a player with something they're incredibly uncomfortable with as a petty act of vengeance, you'll get them to roleplay the exact opposite of the way the character is established in the universe.

Boy, everyone's a winner there.

Sure they are.

If I'm uncomfortable with a player picking Amnesia (when it is a lazy player per se) and I tell them as much, and they still pick it, there isn't much of an alternative.

I could ban the quality, but that would prevent its intended use - which is for a player to pick a quality in line with their backstory.

I don't see a need to ban a perfectly valid flaw. I do however see a need to shaft lazy players who use it to get out of a little effort in their character design.

- J.