 |
|
|
I am a role player. My quests are for the alien character, and for
the heroic. Both quests started with dissatisfaction with my first
group of characters. These were all male, brash, courageous, and too
much alike. I needed a trick to make my characters not me. I find
playing female characters helps.
Thus the quest to be different, to be alien and yet human, to be courageous and yet afraid, to be strong and yet believable. And yes, to be different from Nak the dwarf, with his armor of can't hurt me, near infinite hit points, and flaming sword. Courage had to be something more than the ability to walk into trouble and remain standing.
Here then are glimpses of some of my favorite characters...
Ivutar Blackheart was the first, the ruler of my Dungeons and Dragons world. I fear she didn't do much writing. All I have left of her is the painting shown above.
Dragon Friend: Lady Talora Elefayin was a wind elemental in a fantasy super hero campaign. Dragon Friend is an attempt to educate a young heroine into the complexities of a Glenn Blacow political universe.
Grievance: I played another version of Talora in a Babylon Five campaign. The Talora of Dragon Friend was defined as a Master Politician, able to work massive changes upon cultures. On the third week of Harlock's Gibraltar sim, she decided she had to take over the colony. This version of Talora fell victim to the B5 convention that all politicians are scum, while most military types are heroic. An attempt to play a heroic politician was thus futile. The Fascist themes and ethics underlying Babylon Five may not seem significant, but they dominate when you attempt to play an honest politician.
D.S. al Coda: Coda is another super hero character, with the ability to see into the immediate future. She is also my most alien creation. Her visions of the future appear as memories of what is about to happen. She has so many memories, she cannot remember them all. She thus suffers from perpetual amnesia.
An Android's Tale: The Joys are still active. They are Star Trek androids based on the "I Mudd" original series episode, with Azimov's Laws of Robotics wired to an emotion chip. As on line games produce much written material, An Android's tale dwarfs the others.
Tay! A little girl with wings, living on a starship. After years running Joy in Star Trek gaming, I finally started a second character.
Letters to Minuvial: Aerlinn Malthiniel is a minstrel in a Middle Earth role playing game. These are her letters to a friend back in the Tower Hills.
