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| Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind |
Today I'm going to talk about Origins. An Origin fulfill three major rolls, first it tells everyone where you're from. Second, it tells everyone what you used to do before you assumed the adventuring mantle and it gives an idea of what hidden talents you bring to the table. Lastly, your Origin determines which element you have forged the strongest connection.
You see in this world elemental forces are ingrained into the very landscape and in the fantastical locales that dominate the scenery. Those that take up residence near these places thrives and over time begin to share an affinity with their patron element. The children born there share characteristics with their patron element and over many generations they form a bond so strong that the element runs through their very veins altering their physiology, their temperament, and their spirits.
You're Origin encapsulates who you were and where you were from. It includes your background which in turn shows what areas you hold an edge or at the very least a fighting chance. Lastly it is a declaration of your patron and favored element, the fire that burns in your chest, the wind that rustles your hair, your eyes as blue as the ocean and your body as solid as oak.
When you take an Origin of Fire you are not merely saying that you have an affinity for fire. You are saying that you grew up in the land of fire where smoke fills the sky, brimstone assails the nose, volcano's rage creating new islands, geysers spew forth magma in the distance and the land underneath is is smooth, and holed with layers of pumice and ash broken up by streams of obsidian. You may be a blacksmith who plies his craft beneath the shadow of the molten mountain or perhaps a machinist from the land of cracked plains and smoke-top mountains. Perhaps instead you hail from another part of the world, you spent your youth transporting cargo among the docks in the endless stretch of Cities by the Sea. Perhaps instead it was a peaceful life for you as a shepherd or miller in the remote Vally of the Wind. Your Origin is where you decide to color your past to bolster your present and prepare you for the future.
Origins can give you, the player, a handle on the character - what they like or dislike, turns of phrase, etc. When first starting out, your character may feel a little two dimensional, but the Origin helps you to be different from all the other red shirts while you grow into your character.
ReplyDeleteVery true. I always encourage Origins for new players, even simple ones no longer than a phrase to flesh out an otherwise flat character.
DeleteThe red shirts cracked me up though, they never seem to have a Origin until they're dying or about to. Hah!
Origins really are important but are, in my experience, some of the last things decided upon in a player. Because of this, players faced in moral quandaries simply go with what they, as a player, would decide as opposed to what the character would decide.
ReplyDeleteI also heard that in the pulpy Spirit of the Century's character creation process, you pass around your sheet and each player gives input on something the character did before the campaign.
That's an imprompu litmus test for players too, the ones that make choices based on their character rather than themselves tend to excel at roleplaying. Although I admit for crpg's my actions are almost always what I would do rather than what the character would do (although there are a few exceptions, Tactics Ogre being one that comes to mind.)
DeleteI've heard good things about Spirit of the Century but that process sounds excellent. A game I played in once the DM had everyone draw cards and on each one was two other player characters and you were required to come up with a story for how you knew each other / got into arguments. It's a good idea especially if the players are already familiar with each other and used to being cooperative.
Hi fellow A to Z Challenger! just started my Labyrinth Lord campaign this past Saturday in my campaign setting Shatterworld. I think you'll like the priority I've given to the elements.
ReplyDeletehttp://shatterworldrpg.blogspot.com/
My A to Z challenge blog is mainstreetarts.blogspot.com
Thanks for stopping by. I'm always of the mind that more elemental interaction can be put into a campaign or game system. I don't think I'll be able to get to it today but I look forward to perusing your blog in the future!
DeleteWill you be talking about your campaign on this blog:
http://shatterworldrpg.blogspot.com/
or this one?
http://shatterworldbts.blogspot.com/
the ShatterworldRPG blog has an "in world" perspective. The shatterworldbts (behind the scenes) is where I talk about rules, game philosophy, and other meta-gaming stuff.
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