Many moons ago, a great and wonderful text file crossed my desktop; it was entitled "21 Types of Players," and in general made the gaming world ever so much clearer, explaining as it did how only a very few types of players existed--the Munchkin, the Loony, and so forth-- endlessly repeating, endlessly changeless. I can only hope to vapulate the gaming world so. Contributions from the alt.games.whitewolf list have been dutifully attributed, though real names are at a premium on the Internet.

Theslin Wanders-Through-Bramble, 9/19/96

Spotty Logic/Jacob Williamson, 2003

ARCHETYPES

Player natures and demeanors for the World of Darkness.

Not characters. Players.

Anachronism

From: kemowery@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Kevin Mowery)

You've played some other system all your life--likely the one with the short guys who look an awful lot like Hobbits but aren't. Maybe you're playing the Storyteller system because all your friends started, or you wanted to play a monster--it's not important why. You're having trouble thinking in terms of the Storyteller setting: you loot dead bodies constantly, you carry fifty feet of rope (just in case), you spend all your starting points on cyberware (sometimes you're even playing something that would have cyberware). Sometimes you stock up on equipment from the right time period but not very appropriate to the character: your Pooka street mime owns five guns of varying sizes, several bladed weapons, and a headset radio to communicate with other members of the party--even though none of them have headset radios. You carry everything at all times. You often call the group a "party".

Your greatest strength is your Preparedness. Regain a Willpower when the party really does need the iron spikes you've been carrying around for months or when you've collected enough money off of corpses to buy something the party really needs, like a house or an airplane. Your greatest weakness is your Shortsightedness. Frequently you forget that you're in the 20th Century rather than the 9th and get foiled by villains who communicate via telephone and cops who can identify you via the videotapes of you killing someone and can hunt you down with helicopters, radios, and wiretaps.

Artist

Creation and innovation are your greatest joys. The rulebooks are constraining; who wants to play a Toreador or Gangrel when you can write your own bloodline? Every character you create must be unique and experimental, even if this means writing six pages of background text to describe the must basic aspects of your new Tribe/Tradition/Kith. Your strength is in your endless Creativity. Regain Willpower if your Storyteller actually screams when you hand her a ream of paper. Your Achilles' heel is in your Artistic Temperament. If one of your creations is rejected it is absolutely obligatory for you to suffer a three-day depression.

The Artist II

From: richa902@harrier.csrv.uidaho.edu (Stephen Richards)

The Artist believes that the character is all. That the point of roleplaying is to breathe life into his or her character, her Creation. The story is merely a vehicle to express the character. The plot merely builds the character's current history.

Much like the Creator, the Artist focuses on creating the character he or she is striving for with an admirable, and sometimes frightening passion. Everything has to be just right, and the Artist will often pull every trick to get the character on paper to match the "concept". Unlike the Creator, however, the Artist builds new and often bizarrely new characters that rarely mimic any television or comic book personna.

But the Artist's true love is in roleplaying that character. As such, the Artist's characters are usually full and intricate. The down side is that the Artist is rarely willing to give where the "concept" of the character is concerned. He or she will not have the character act against the personality created for that character, no matter how convenient it might be for the story. He or she will fight ferociously to be allowed that "crucial" merit. And any change to the character caused by the story that "damages" the "concept" rather than "progressing" it will be cause to abandon the character for a totally new one.

Get a willpower point any time the Storyteller allows you to play the character you really want to play. Get a willpower point every time you engage in roleplaying that allows you to explore a new depth or intricacy in your character and builds the concept. Loose a willpower whenever something "crucial" to that character is lost. This includes loosing a willpower when the chronical that your creation to life ends.

The Creator

From: thanatos@psycfrnd.interaccess.com (Timothy Toner)

Moreso than playing, the fun of gaming is in the process of creating an entirely new persona. Books must be scoured through to get just the right disciplines, merits and flaws to perfectly emulate the "feel" of the character. Often these characters are drawn from a television show you recently watched or a book you read. However, your slavish devotion to the act of creation is an awe inspiring thing, as you seldom create a half-baked character.

Gain a point of willpower whenever someone ooo's at your innovative mix of stats, even if it means taking that One-eyed Quadriplegic to emulate a Columbo-Ironsides clone. Also, all this work leaves you with quite a stable of characters. Gain a point of willpower whenever the ST needs to use one of yours for an NPC, or puts it in the hands of a newbie (god help them).

Lose a point when your character hits its "shelf life." These concepts seldom hold your interest for long, and oftentimes you're rolling dice on the next one before the ink has dried on the first. The ST has become increasingly resistant to these sudden changes in characters to suit your whims, so you've taken to installing time bombs, flaws that can be activated to kill off your character whenever it's convenient, so you can move onto the next.

Emigre'

Like the Newbie, your current gaming troupe is a fresh experience. Unlike the Newbie, you are already exposed to, perhaps even jaded by, the gaming environment. You can always fall back on your previous gaming experience in a crisis: Got a problem? There's an answer in your old TSR supplement, or perhaps your previous storyteller always solved it this way.

Your strength, if it can be called that, lies in your wide Frame of Reference. Regain Willpower if a statement beginning with "Well, in my old campaign" yields positive results. Your weakness lies in your Confusion. Jumping between worlds plays havoc with the psyche, and the issue of "What happened when and with whom," central to your style, can physically wound you (or your Storyteller could...)

The Forever Man

From: thanatos@psycfrnd.interaccess.com (Timothy Toner)

You created one great character. You loved your tenth generation Ravnos with Dominate. Then the dice rolled, and *sniff* he was taken from you. You sat in stunned silence for an hour, and then it happened. The epiphany. You knew no one could take away a character if you didn't want it to happen, so you reached for the books, but only pretended to look at them. THe next session, you introduced your next character, a ninth generation Ravnos with Dominate and a driving goal to avenge the death of the previous character. People were wondering for a time whether or not you were playing the exact same character, but to you, it didn't matter. Months later, Mark II passed on, and the ST issued his fiat against Ravnos' with Dominate. The bastard. You agreed, and diablerized the first Ventrue you met, to speed your transition. Many shells later, the ST has grown increasingly savvy at your attempts at recreation. He shudders when you pull out a female Tremere who just so happens to be 1/16th Rom. You hear the group will try out Mage, and you're always smiling.

You're always moving toward that point when the characters blur into that ubercharacter. Gain a point of willpower whenever the players actually forget you're playing a new character.

You can't forgive those bastards who would kill your precious, your PRECIOUS! Every character your create is linked ever tenuously to your previous character, so that your characters will always be linked by acts of vengeance.

Frankenstein

Like the Artist, you see the arbitrary and ossified character concepts as terribly incomplete. However, this is not due to a lack of creativity on the part of White Wolf--far from it!--but is due instead to a strange reluctance to fully exploit the possibilities of the gaming system. Your Embraced Mokole' Unseelie master of Do stands as a monument to this fundamental truth.

Your Unique Style is your strong suit. You regain Willpower whenever your Storyteller has to look at your character sheet to figure out what the hell you're talking about. Your frailty lies in Game Balance. So few understand the majesty of your creations. They obviously just aren't ready yet.

Helper

From: count@io.com (Guardian)

Like the Lawyer, you have an iron-clad grasp of the rules and game mechanics. This rivals the Storyteller and especially the poor players who are subject to the Storyteller's machinations. It is your bounden duty to help the players any time they are in trouble. After all, that Brujah with 4 points in Potence either might not know how to handle the Lasombra coming at it or maybe the player's obvious limited knowledge of exactly how combat works will be an obvious hinderance.

Your strength is your Compassion. Regain Willpower when the person you are helping does what you tell them to do, even though they were planning to do it anyway. Your weakness comes in two forms 1. Limited Life Span--When the player you are helping has to put up with your help one more time, she will go postal on you. 2. Temperament--If the player or Storyteller rejects your help, you must pout for the rest of the gaming session.

HIT Mark

You are the heir to the Munchkin. However, while your predecessors overcame their opposition using the technique of overwhelming force and basic "twinking," the World of Darkness is more complex, and you must specialize. The Uktena Lupus Theurge (Gnosis 9) was one of yours; so was the Brujah deathmonger (physical stats all five, ungodly levels of Celerity) and the Sidhe duchess (Title 4, Sovereign 5, Appearance 7), but your best character was the Technocratic mummy--some times the old ways are the best.

Your greatest strength and your greatest weakness is your Specialization. You gain Willpower when your character absolutely obliterates a challenge through his godlike mastery of the situation. However, while you may have a Charisma + Manipulation dice pool exceeding 12 (with difficulty modifiers adding up to -7) you really, really suck at those pesky "perception" rolls.

The ICE COOL vengence seeker

From: GEN4BDR@leeds.ac.uk (B.D. Redmond)

A player who loves to fight, but can't stand to loose control. The characters created by this player nearly always have some sort of driving goal, vengence or true love... a force that drives them on in their quest. they always are nearly all combat based (usually gangrel or Assamite in Vampire) so that they can fulfil their goal with pain causing pleasure. self control is a priority - at least 5 on a starting charater. a tough character that is constantly running towards a goal They will regain will power if they can beat someone up without frenzying or taking more than 3 health levels of damage, or if they get the chance to beat up someone even slightly related to their goal. their downfall is that people think of them as either "combat wombles" (british term) or forever men and never really take their character as seriously as it deserves.

Jabberjaw

From: kemowery@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Kevin Mowery)

Gaming is a social activity for you. Maybe the only time you see your friends is over the gaming table, or maybe you just lack focus, but you start woefully off-topic conversations and cannot take subtle hints (like the Storyteller wandering off to watch his tapes of Kindred: the Embraced) that Warcraft II or Dale Brown novels aren't what everyone came to hear about. Your greatest strength is Stalling. In a tense situation, you regain a Willpower when you can start a side conversation which gives everyone plenty of time to think about their next action. Your greatest weakness is your Inertia. Sometimes you stall the game so badly that the Storyteller packs up his books and leaves.

Lawyer

With an iron-clad grasp of the rules and game mechanics, you understand that the greatest challenge of the World of Darkness lies in its interpretation. While creativity and enthusiasm have their places, true power goes to the manipulator. You know when to speak, when to keep silent, and when to make it up. Obviously, your strength lies in your Knowledge of Mechanics. You regain Willpower whenever your character achieves through your godlike understanding of the rules. Your flaw is Inflexibility. Sudden and unannounced changes upset your equilibrium, and an unexpected "house rule" can seriously cramp your style.

Librarian

You are the keeper of lore, the holder of the sacred tomes, the learned scholar. Your selection of archaic and arcane game supplements is unrivaled; perhaps you actually own every single book White Wolf has published, or perhaps you keep a more specialized collection of gaming resources--whichever; food and lodging are secondary concerns when you could make your friends really jealous with the latest Mage supplement.

Your strength is in your Resources; You gain Willpower whenever your Storyteller asks to borrow your books. Inevitably, you will be confronted by Information Overload. A superabundance of knowledge is a stumbling block as well as an asset; what will you do when all five major rulebooks disagree on a common point?

Lone Gunman

From: kemowery@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Kevin Mowery)

Your character concept is perfect--so what if you're a Red Talon and everyone else is a Wraith? For whatever reason, you consistently create characters who can't work with the group. Often these characters are from different Storyteller games (you have to play your Inquisitor even though every one else is a Changeling), but not always. Sometimes you go out of your way to make your character incompatible--you like a roleplaying challenge, and you'll give everyone else a challenge if they want to play with you.

Your greatest strength is your Self-reliance. Regain a Willpower when some people from your group can't make it, but you get to play anyway, because your character wasn't doing anything with them anyway. Your greatest weakness is that you're an Outsider. After weeks of running from other player-characters and saying "I don't know them, so why should I help them?" you shouldn't be surprised when you get in a tight spot and the other player-characters ignore you.

Malkavian

Perverse antics are your lifeblood. Wackiness is just as applicable as sound logic, and often yields better results--didn't you think of using a filet mignon as a semiconductor in a fusion reactor? And didn't it work? Mostly. And as long as the other players think it's a riot, the Storyteller will go along with the joke. Won't she? Sure she will. Your strength is in your Extreme Originality. Regain Willpower whenever you use fish, hamsters or dairy products to enhance or completely derail the plot. Your weakness, and inevitable downfall, comes in the form of Crossing Limits. You can't help it, and some day will step way over the line and into something unpleasant.

Mouse

"Silence is golden." You often sit through an entire session without uttering a word. Evidently your silence is meaningful, because no-one would doubt that you participated! Strangely, you are the best-beloved of the group, unless you are playing against a Thespian. If a good conversationalist is one who does not speak, a team player is one who does not act...much.

You are graced with Goodwill. Everybody thinks only the best of you--Regain Willpower whenever somebody assumes you are in some advantageous situation, even though you haven't said a word. However, when you do speak, it sometimes falls on Deaf Ears. The Troupe may be so used to your silences that your words go unheard...

Mundane

While you have a very good grasp of the fundamentals of gaming, many of the subtleties elude you. It's possible that your character sheets were left blank down near the part about "physical description;" Perhaps you suffered writer's block in the area around "History," or maybe you were just too enthusiastic to flesh out your new Sidhe duke--regardless, there's an awful lot of "white space" in your character creation.

Your strongest point, if it can be called that, lies in your Ambiguity. Regain Willpower whenever you can utter the phrase "Oh, he's just your basic Son of Ether." Your weakness lies in your Lack of Foresight. In all probability, you didn't fill in your equipment list.

Newbie

The gaming environment is a strange and confusing place for you. Perhaps you are a recent convert to role-playing, recently saved from a life of mundanity. Perhaps you finally made the transition from an older, simpler rule system, and have to go through a period of adjustment to regain your bearings. OR maybe you really are a mundane, dragged into a frightening and chaotic swirl of dice by your best friend.

Whatever your background, your friends are charmed by your Naivete. Your simple questions and hopeful silences lead people to your aid. Regain Willpower whenever someone spends an hour or more clarifying the rules for you. Every Newbie has a limited term of existence. Eventually you will discover your Half-life, and realize that you must grow up and find a new identity.

Nightbird

They obviously call it the World of Darkness for a reason. Your last three characters were a Spectre, a Black Spiral Dancer and a Celestial Chorus Barrabi. You love to express your inner dark by playing characters which reflect the pain and hypocrisy of the world around you--like your Childling Pooka Dauntain.

Your strength is inn your Grasp of Entropy. Regain Willpower whenever your Storyteller lets you play a Dauntain, Spectre, Barrrabi, etc. in an otherwise normal campaign (you do it so well!) Your weakness is in your Fatalism. Your characters will never learn to live if they are doomed to die.

The Non-Roleplayer

From: Carrie A Schutrick

Despite the name, you really do want to play the game. The problem is that "I can't act." This leads to a creative solution. Sort of.

You play yourself, and always yourself. Your character reacts like you, talks like you, dresses like you, and is of course of the same gender as you are. There's a very high correlation between the Clan, Tribe, or Tradition you say you would belong to and that your character is in. If challenged, you say that of course it can't be you; you can't fly/cast spells/turn into a wolf/regenerate/whatever.

Your strength is your Surety. Since the character is you, you always know exactly how s/he will react in any situation. Regain a Willpower when a fellow player calls you by your character's name or vice versa. Your weakness is your Predictability. Besides the fact that your friends can predict your character's actions based on your own, after a while they'll want to see something different. Eventually you must try something new.

Obsessive

You know what you like, and that is, essentially, all that you will deal with. You wanted to play a Kindred (or a Garou, or mage) in the Changeling game--when that failed, you tried to create a ghoul-sluagh (or a Kinfolk wolf-pooka, or a Hermetic boggan...) Nine tenths of your character concepts are at least distantly related to your object of obsession, and the other players are all well aware of your discriminating palette. One of the more exotic branches off the Obsessive family tree is the "Gender-Bender." Don't let them fool you.

Your strongest point is your Persistence. Gain a point of Willpower whenever your Storyteller works the object of your obsession into a completely unrelated plotline. Unfortunately, you are best-known for your Predictability. It is extremely difficult to surprise your troupe when all of your inspiration revolves around, say, gargoyles.

Pooka

From: kemowery@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Kevin Mowery)

While the Jabberjaw has trouble keeping his mouth shut out of character, you can't keep your mouth shut in character. You are perpetually making puns, coming up with stupid suggestions for how to proceed (which sometimes you think are very good suggestions), and making smart-ass comments to Storyteller characters, and finding ways to do hilarious (to you) things in character.

Your greatest strength is your Humor. Regain a Willpower when everyone (or at least you) leaves the table having had a helluva good time. Frequently your jaws hurt from laughing so much, even if no-one else got the joke. Your weakness is your Lack of Common Sense. Often you end up getting the party into worse trouble than they would have been before with ill-timed remarks, and more serious players frequently chake their heads in disgust when your gun is loaded with a BANG flag rather than bullets.

The Realist

From: gbrent@rsc.anu.edu.au

Gaming is fun, but it irks you when people do things that couldn't possibly happen in real life. You're willing to suspend disbelief and allow vampires and werewolves, that's no problem. It's a game, after all. But when people get things wrong because they don't know any better, that spoils the game.

Your strength is in your Refusal to accept Imperfection. Regain Willpower any time your insistence on "getting it right" holds up the game, especially if you can totally invalidate the plot so far. Wait until the final scene of a chronicle, where the Storyteller has planned a cataclysmic showdown in the subways of New Orleans, and then remind him that New Orleans doesn't _have_ subways. Your weakness lies in your Pettiness. If the Storyteller chooses to ignore your corrections for the sake of plot advancement, you will not enjoy the game any more

Solipsist

You exist to bridge the gap between "troupe play" and the "one-on-one session." If this means the other players remain silent throughout a two-hour session, that's okay--as long as you get a chance to really finish off all those niggling little details. Life isn't necessarily about the small things, but about that sense of satisfaction of a completed task, self-assigned or otherwise, no matter the cost in hours. Thoroughness is your strength. Gain Willpower every time the party gains some significant benefit from the three hours you just spent on a plot thread involving only your character. Your greatest shortcoming is your Limited Life Span. Some day, they -will- kill you.

The Storm Trooper

Life, don't tell me about life! That's why I'm into FRPs! The game is the one place where you can really cut loose and beat a few heads, NPC or PC. All of your characters are foul-tempered, abusive, intolerant or otherwise physically or mentally threatening. But since you, yourself, are not, it's justifiable as role-playing... Your strength (?) is your Reputation. If anybody needs some heads beaten, they'll call on your character--whichever character you're playing! Your weakness is the Power Scale. It is extremely difficult to beat in the head of your pack elder or the local Antideluvian, or that of Great Cthulhu.

Time Lord

Undisputed master of the ret-con, your journal of campaign events is THE source for plotline history--which makes your eraser the second most powerful shaper of the World of Darkness (an extremely close second to the Storyteller herself.) It's not so much that you're grasping or manipulative, but nobody else takes notes, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There is, however, a strange discrepancy between your ironclad grasp of Episode One and your rather fuzzy recollection of the previous three scenes.

Your strength lies in Detailwork. You alone remember the names of the minor NPC of the previous week--Regain Willpower whenever you have a better recollection of events than your Storyteller, particularly if these events did not actually occur. You will, unfortunately, be driven insane by the other player's Dependance on your information. Such is life.

Thespian

The darkness of your Storyteller's living room is your stage; when you open your mouth, the others hush to hear you perform. You may even go so far as to dress as your character, to better bring you to understand your persona. You sometimes feel that your life revolve around Gaming...it's the only time you can really be yourself (whoever -that- is!)

Your greatest strength is your Performance. You are strengthened and affirmed every time you receive a standing ovation. If you have a weakness, it is your Rapport with your persona. The accidental death or dismemberment of your character is a cause for major histrionics.

Warmonger

From: Jay Mehaffey <"Jay Mehaffey"@1usa.com>

Your greatest reason for likeing the storyteller system is not the rules that enforce role playing or the simple and quick mechanics but rather that the rules are so vague that you can argue about anything. In truth your just in it for the argument, the factual basis of it is irrevelent, nor is consistancy. This week you'll argue that ghouls that lose too much health can obviously heal themselves, but when an NPC ghoul does it next week you'll argue against it. Your power is your ability to get other to back down. Regain Willpower if anybody goes along with what your saying just to avoid an argument. If what your arguing is clearly a rule violation you gain double Willpower. The problem you suffer from is that you are so primed to argue that you will argue of anything. Anytime anything happens that you dislike or is the least bit questionable in the rules you must start an argument.

The Writer

From: richa902@harrier.csrv.uidaho.edu (Stephen Richards)

The writer believes that story is everything. The purpose of roleplaying is to tell a story. Anything that hampers that story, or distracts from it, is bad. The writer will virtually ask the storyteller to create the character for him or her. He or she will want to know as much about the chronicle as possible, what everyone else is playing and exactly what would work best both in the party and for the story. The writer is the first to the obvious plot hook in order to "get the story rolling" and shows aggitation at players who participate in roleplaying not central to the plot that takes up more than minimal time. Gain a willpower point any time your actions help get the story flowing again. Lose a willpower whenever others cause the story to take an unnecessary detour.

Storyteller Natures and Demeanors

Sometimes, but not always, a breed unto themselves, the Storyteller is in the unique position of controlling the world. It shows...

The Adolescent

A phenomenon strongly tied to male gamers, particularly those in their teenage years. You take a perverse delight in, well, the perverse, and judge a plot's success by how quickly it veers away from a wholesome 'PG' rating. While the "Adolescent" phase seems to be a fundamental stage of development for the male game master, some few never manage to outgrow it.

Your strength, maybe, is in bonding. No innuendo intended, your game, much as it appeals to the prurient interest, can often help a cadre of similerly-aged individuals through those painful high-school and junior high years. Your weakness is your bad rep. No "mature" gamer will respect you, though they may look backwards with a bit of warped nostalgia...

The Architect

Close kin to the Conspirator, your greatest pleasure is in world-building. You claim Tolkien, the totem spirit of fantasists everywhere, as your own. He made a language, then made a world to speak it, and *then* worked in a plot. You're not quite that extreme--who's got the time to write their own language?

Detail is your greatest weapon. Sure, the PCs can try to excape to Ecuador to flee your plot. Little do they know what you have planned in Ecuador...Momentum is your weakness. Someday, you will have to deal with the crucial problem that, no matter how well-stocked your world is, if there's no reason for the PCs to be in Truth or Consequences, Arizona, nothing will happen there--even if you know *exactly* where all the Garou caerns in a 300-mile radius are located..

The Cameo God

In your life as a player, you had a favorite character. In your new and wonderful career as Storyteller, you'll be damned if that character fades away. He or she "guest stars" in almost every gaming session, and occasionally takes a larger role than the players.

Your strength, possibly, is your devotion. Gain a point of Willpower whenever you find a new and interesting method of intergrating your beloved character into the plot. Your weakness is your extreme predictability. There is at least a 60% chance that *any* mysterious figure is your personal gaming avatar. But since you enjoy playing your precious so much, you've never let it worry you...

The Conspirator

Wheels within Wheels! Your campaign notebook fills your backpack, you've got the stats on every major government agency and several that only exist in the heat-fumes of your fevered imagination. The PCs don't feel safe even in their homes. After all, everybody knows that the common telephone can be accessed with a simple electromagnetic pulse. Plots span *years,* although the players may never find the heart of the tangled web you wove from the very day one of the poor, deluded dupes said, "Can I play an FBI agent?"

Paranoia is your strong suit. Regain Willpower if a PC is paralyzed with existential terror and seems afraid to leave the bathroom, but equally afraid to flush. The stasis that sometimes results is your stumbling block. "What is your character doing today?" "Going shopping! Just...shopping! For a television set!"

The Fifth Horseman

There's Death, Famine, and then there's you. Your players--well, their characters, at least, are ultimately doomed. Compared to other storytellers your body count isn't particularly large, but the PCs don't have a pedestrian's chance in a deep fog of getting to the end of the Chronicle without horrible psychological scars at the very *least.* And you have a habit of telling them this...

Your strength is your Aura of Doom. Regain Willpower every time anyone utters a phrase similer to "Oh, god, just open the door, we're all gonna die anyhow, what's the worst it can be, a HIT Mark?" Your weakness is Duration. You can only maintain a menacing aura for so long. Eventually you'll have to lighten up or call in your player's chips...

The Linear Man

There's a certain degree of...shall we say, consistancy in your plots. Each has a beginning, middle and a very specific end, rather like a piece of fettucini, and only death will keep a character from getting to the end of the story. Your greatest strength is your reliability. Your players have a sense of security in your gaming circle. There's always an adventure, even if it's maybe a touch predictable! Gain a point of Willpower when you come through with a plot in the middle of a blizzard, with only five minutes of prep time, or after you run out of Bouncy Bubbly Beverage. Your weakness is your predictability. It's not so much a quest if you'll always get there in the end...

Monty Haul

One constant, across all of gaming, is that if a player character lives long enough he or she will acquire power. In your campaign, they tend to acquire *lots* of power. And guns. And weird, esoteric Gifts and Disciplines. And, in extreme cases, godhood. No harm in that, just make the bad guys badder and there'll still be story balance...right? Right. And won't the players love the cool new treats they can get when they defeat the new baddies. Did you know that "Horizon" has rules for Rank 6 Sphere Magick?

Rewards are your strongest suit. You can get a clutch of dedicated players real quickly. There's always someone who wants to play a Garou Elder with Cantrip Magic. Power is fun! Regain a point of Willpower when your rep gets you a new player. Balance is a definate weak point in your game. Everything tends to spiral out of control. Shrug.

The Mystic

When you're not gaming, you're a poet, or possibly in advertising. Your art is heavy with symbolism and meaning, and you find it at least a little bit stressful when a player can't seem to make your connections. Unfortunately, the better your work, the more complicated the tapestry becomes...

The act of composition feeds and sustains you. Regain a point of Willpower whenever you completely wrap a plot in deeper meaning--and the characters get it! Your weakness, though only a small flaw, is the inevitable player that just doesn't get it. You suffer a mild intolerance for the simpler sorts of players, the newbies and the poor souls freshly imported from AD&D.;

The Plaigerist

You know, if you give Van Helsing a modern haircut and jazz Vlad up a bit, you could bring "Dracula" into the modern world with almost no plot revision whatsoever! Neat!

Your art is in adaptation. With a well-stocked library and a quick mind for game conversions, you have a ready-made plot for any occasion. Your tragic flaw is your transparency. One highly literate player--or a player that has seen all the same movies as yourself--can bring your entire world crumbling down.

The Python

Perversely common in the World of Darkness circles, the Python is a possible counter-movement to the gloom 'n doom that attracts "Fifth Horseman" types. You can hold a serious mood for at the most a single gaming session, then it breaks down into accordians, fish-fights and bagpipe-wielding scotsmen, fish-fights, masochistic monks and Red-Hot Wolf-Nipple Chips.

Your Sense of Humor is a great asset. You can reduce your entire gaming troupe to helpless hysteria. One problem--you're a little too fond of doing so. You can keep a flock of Loonie-types around for a while, but soon the deep-seated desire for "Serious Role-Playing" that draws people to Storyteller systems will manifest, and you'll have to either change your style or lose your cult. Ennuie is your weakest point. The ludicrous loses its charm...

Written and/or Collected and/or Adapted by

Theslin Wanders-Through-Bramble/Spotty Logic

Artist/Nightbird, occasionally Artist/Librarian

Note: This is a Work-In-Progress. If you'd like to play, let me know if I can tuck your contributions and E-mail address into this file's future editions. Try to follow the above format for my own personal sanity.

Additional note: Since I released this file in 1996, I managed to alienate my entire troupe of gamers. All of them looked up at me with huge, hurt eyes and said, "Which one am I?" or worse, "I'm the 'mouse,' aren't I, Theslin?" Sigh...ah, these are the perils of the Artist...