We All Want To Be Somebody
No one is exactly the same as anyone else. If I compare myself to everyone I know, I will not find any one single person with whom I am an exact match. No one has all of my ideals, my beliefs, my dreams, my habits, my likes, my dislikes. No one else has had exactly the same experiences as me or the same reactions to similar experiences. Sure there are those out there who have some overlapping combination of them, who have had similar things happen to them, who believe some of the same things I do. But no one has that exact same mixture that I have. Not even a clone would be exactly my match in life. If they did, life would be boring. Every conversation would end the same way – “Yes, that’s exactly what I think.” Or “I know exactly what you mean” and for a change it would be true.
We are all unique.
The problem is that in gaming, no one wants to settle for unique. They all want to be special.
What’s the difference you ask?
Well, let me give you an example. In a fantasy campaign my friend ran years ago, I could have written a character who was a bard, traveling the land, in search of a master to train him fully. He could have come from humble beginnings. He could have had to leave home and to earn a living because his parents had too many children to feed on their little farm. He might have had a broken heart from a woman who promised everything but the moons to him and then ran off with the first rogue who came along. He would be unique somehow in his actions, experiences, goals, etc.
Instead, my character was a “Tomorrow Person” based on the British television show. He had psionic powers – not magic. He had been abandoned as a child, raised in abusive foster homes, ran away and lived in the French Quarter, working as a pickpocket and a fortune teller, found by the other “Tomorrow People” when she teleported for the first time during a robbery attempt, and married another of his kind, who looked remarkably like Renée O’Connor. How he ended up in the game was a short story. He had been chased by the government and upon teleporting to escape, ended up in the fantasy world – separated from his wife, friends, and world. The other characters were all fantasy characters – all unique and developed in their own way, but fitting the game world. Jonesy was special indeed.
We all want to be somebody. We want to stand out from the crowd in a big way – like being a 7-foot-tall Barbarian living in a Halfling village. We want to be more than unique. We want to be heroes. We want to be “The Chosen One”, destined to save the world from a horrible fate. We want to be the answer to the prophecy. We all want to be James Bond, Indiana Jones, and Bruce Lee. We want to be that extraordinary individual who stands apart from everything else. We want to be special.
(Maybe we want to be special in real life too. Possibly that is why our desire to be special in games is so strong. I can’t begin to answer that – I only got a B in my Psychology elective in College. I’m not qualified to make that judgment – no matter how much Oprah I watch. Not that I watch Oprah.)
But I do know that being special in games can cause a problem.
Who wants just one person in the game who is more special than the rest? Presumably, the person who is special. But how fun is it for the rest of the party if there is only one Slayer? (Like Buffy) They just get to sit back and watch the fight or they get to wait to get rescued or they get to die from unimportance. Who wants to play in a Star Wars game with one character as powerful as Obi-wan, when all you have is a low-level primitive who can only fire arrows at Stormtroopers? Who really wants to spend every game as the sidekick? Sidekicks and backup don’t get the glory. They don’t become the heroes that everyone heralds. They don’t have songs written about them, they aren’t given vast treasures beyond their imaginations.
Quick Quiz – Which would you rather be:
1. The Lone Ranger or Tonto?
2. Xena or Gabrielle?
3. Hercules or Iolas?
4. Speed Racer or Trixie?
5. Buffy or Xander?
See a trend? The heroes get to name the television show?
But what if there is no Slayer? Or what if everyone is a low-level primitive with bows and arrows, fighting off the onslaught of the Empire? Now we are talking. Things are about to get interesting. Everyone is unique but as a group, they are special; they have the potential to be heroes. The plot does not rely on any one person. Anyone can take that last, victorious action that saves the day. If Buffy is sick with the flu, then Sunnydale still stands a chance.
So what if the whole party is special? Can everyone in an adventuring party be “The Chosen One”? Can everyone in an adventuring party be destined to save the world?
Yes. But then they aren’t special, are they? They are all the same. As a party they are special, but within the party, each one is unique, each one has something to contribute that makes them the heroes, that makes the party special.
But, you say, you want to be the hero; heroes are special. Yes, some of them are. Look at Neo in The Matrix. He was special, but only because he learned to overcome his boundaries. The other characters could have done it, if they had truly tried. Conan was special. Was he? Couldn’t any other smart-warrior type have pulled off the stuff he did? Luke Skywalker was special. No one else could have done what he was destined to do. Yes, that’s true, but he isn’t a hero alone. He needed Han Solo, Princess Leia, Lando, the droids, Chewy, and a really big armada to help him pull off his victory. He could never have truly won without the others. Sure, he would have killed the Emperor, but what about the rest of the Empire? Who would have done the grunt work? They were all heroes. As an adventuring party, they were special, though they were each unique in their own way.
The real heroes work together to a common goal. The A-Team. Battlestar Galactica. Mission Impossible. And when everyone works together, everyone is participating. And isn’t that why everyone comes to the game? To play the game? To participate? Otherwise, where is the fun?
Next time you create a character, rather that worrying about how to make your character the all-powerful, perfect hero, consider this: How do I make this character unique so that he/she contributes something to the party to make the party special?
And remember, we are all here to have fun. If it’s not fun, then it’s not worth it.
Impressive. I am commenting a second time in two days! My husband and I fight about exactly this topic all the time, because he is into this whole “hero” thing, and I really, really am not.
I’m not sure if “special” is exactly how I’d phrase it. I would say “powerful”.
Let’s take Buffy. Because, why wouldn’t I, if you’ve already mentioned it? I’m an unapologetic Joss Whedon fangirl. Do most of the people you’re talking about REALLY want to be Buffy? Really? Do they want to be a character who is obligated to save the world but can’t ever use her power for the things she wants? Do they want to be a character who can’t save her own mother (this was the for the slow people in the audience, really guys, Buffy feels totally powerless storyline), and who almost gets raped* (and clearly feels very violated by that incident)? Do they want to play a character who can’t even successfully make it onto the stupid cheerleading squad when that’s what she wants? My feeling (from people I’ve known who want to play “heroic” characters) is that the answer is no. My less than flattering impression is that a lot of gamers are really just interested in indulging in power fantasies.
*Maybe some people want to play the almost gets raped character, but that’s an entirely different issue.
Awesome comment, Darla (also nice to hear from a fellow Whedonite). I agree with the power trip impression.
Brian,
This is my first post on your site, but of course i only just stumbled across it today. I have to say though while i agree with some of your points, such as “The problem is that in gaming, no one wants to settle for unique. They all want to be special.” and “Everyone is unique but as a group, they are special; they have the potential to be heroes. The plot does not rely on any one person. Anyone can take that last, victorious action that saves the day.” but i find myself struggling with the idea that if they are all special, then none of them you.
As a DM, i would say more than 75% of players that ran in my campaigns wanted exactly that. They want to be the hero or the villain. With a number that high, at least in my experience, it seems the only option for a DM is to find that magical way that makes everyone special. And i don’t see why that should be too much to ask.
To make everyone in the group special (or all those that want to be because there are those players that would rather observe and be kept in the shadows- i usually ask them to do small stuff like track initiative, or keep equipment logs and/or campaign journals. it makes them feel involved and doesn’t require them to break their comfort zone if they don’t desire to) all the DM has to do is make every one of them essential to the plot. The plot doesn’t revolve around one of them for any real length of time. Rather, it should twist and turn and involve all of them that want to be “special.”
By doing this, and crafting adventures that allow the character(s) the plot is currently revolving around shine, you make every character happy. There are 1000 ways to please a character. And if you can classify which archtype(s) the player fits into it’s even easier, because they all have their areas of gameplay the enjoy more. Finally, if the storyline(s) is written to involve more than a single player at most given moments, your players will have less time out of the spotlight.
And while i know their will always be those who strive to constantly take/steal the spotlight- i have also noticed those people are much more hesistant to do such if they find themselves affecting/offending players’ characters beyond themselves. This works because “typically” in the groups i’ve run, they players know at least a few of the other players and are often friends with them. All that has to be done is a little tweaking using Out of Character knowledge (ie. these two are friends) and placing them both under the limelight to curtail the necessity for hogging the floor. Or you can let them have the spotlight but if/when their actions become detrimental to the other PCs, don’t stop (do control though) them from exacting their punishment. That works too, and keeps you from being the bad guy all the time.
Finally, if it is established and agreed upon early (like before every session begins and before the initial session)that it is a group game first and foremost, and that second, the DM ultimately has control and final say about everything,(DMs just need to not be stupid- which isn’t always as easy as it might sound)things tend to run smoothly. Then i allow any of my characters who have the desire, to take me aside during a non-critical moment or at the end of a session and relay anything i may have judged wrong during the game or whatever might have upset them as players, vs. as characters, and i make amends. i don’t allow anyone to do this in front of the group though because that is the fastest way to lose control of a group, and above just about everything else, the DM has to maintain control (or so i feel).
Finally, i encourage my players to participate and i’ve actually created a reward system if they do things i like, or suggest good ideas, even if they fail or aren’t used, or stay true to their character in the hard decisions. I have 4 colors of glass counters i use for this. If they do something i find noteworthy, i pass out these counters. They have values based on their colors. The first i use is clear (colors don’t really matter, but it makes it easier to explain if i keep consistency) and it’s worth 25exp that can be cashed in whenever i dole out Exp. The next is clear blue, 50, then cloudy white, 100, or dull green, 250 (only given for achievement of sidequests, or during really really good things, usually involving the entire group and i give them to everyone)
But that isn’t all they are used for. For 50exp they can buy an additional action point if they desire. I have other rewards too, but i’m sure you get the jist of what i’m going at. AND i’ve noticed they pay more attention and play in character more when their are tangible rewards on the line. (but i give rewards to the quieter people too, like i said, can be for anything. But everyone should get something, so they feel “special.” Finally, when i dole out exp, they cash in their counters, action points are lost if not used, etc. and then i begin again the next session.
Sorry this was so long and rambling. i just wanted to get my opinion out there. And forgive the commas please. i was cursed by an evil witch as a child with the rather common comma plague. It is unfortunate. I find it easier if i just accept that my comma use is extensive and move on.
~Necu
Thank you for the insightful and in-depth comment, Necu. I like the idea of your rewards system (and may steal that nugget of goodness) quite abit Goodness knows I have enough of them left over from the early days of M:TG!
Most definitely Brian. I have only recently stumbled across your slice of virtuality, but i expect to troll around beneath the bridges for a spell, so perhaps we will speak again.
~Necu
I hesitated to respond to this, because I thought my comment might come off as rude or condescending, so, uh, I hope it doesn’t.
Anyway, it seems to me like you are conflating the player and the character. I think that probably in D&D this is a reasonable thing to do in this context (but I really, really don’t know, because I’ve played D&D all of maybe five times in the last 10 years). My point is though, players can be special and contribute to the story, even if their characters are not special in the game world. The question is whether you are interested in telling stories about people who are not extremely powerful, and if you are, whether players can meaningfully affect the story in ways other than using extreme power to kill things (or whatever). There are games where it is plausible to have weak, powerless characters (relative to others in the game world) play central roles in the story. My only successful experience with this in a mainstream game was a street-level WoD campaign run by a phenomenally talented GM, but there are plenty of indie games which make this kind of thing a lot easier.
Point being, I wouldn’t mind playing Xander to someone else’s Buffy, especially in the seasons where Xander gets serious story time (even though he is still just some average dude in the game world). But as a player I still need to contribute meaningfully to the game/story.
Not rude or condescending at all, Darla.