| From: | Frank Pelletier <jeanpell@****.IVIC.QC.CA> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Brutality in Shadowrun (was: Re: Healing a wound the ma |
| Date: | Sat, 21 Feb 1998 12:00:53 +0000 |
(snipped)
> Moreality has its place in SR, however twissted it may be. Every runner has
> a line he ( or she ) won't cross,
Oh yeah? I didn't know that.
> and while it may be far less restrictive
> than those of a member of a far less violent, and far more legal profession,
> it's something. At the moment, only one character I'm playing is what I'd
> consider to be a runner, and defining Wylde's moral code has been fun,
> second only to dealing with his insanity. One example springs to mind.
(snipped)
Ashlocke <woneal@*******.NET> once wrote,
(snipped)
Good point. A lot of players go for mindless violence. They treat a
roleplaying game like it was some sort of video game. Those players are
missing the point of roleplaying.
(snipped)
Now, now... I posted something on power levels a while back, and got an
overwhelming "you can't judge the way people play" response. It seems
this doesn't apply here. As one of the aforementioned "ultra-violent"
players, I have found that a gritty, dark, violent atmosphere can be had
in a game, and it can still have good roleplaying as well.
I think most people mistake violence with the stereotypical "Sammie with
Heavy Milspec, Panther, Missile launcher, Rigger with a Banshee, Mage
walking around like an Astral Xmas tree, blowing up everything in sight,
including cops.". That's true munchkin territory. But there's more
subtle, effective way to play a violent campaign. Take "Blade Runner" for
example. Very dark, very violent (Hey... that thumbs in the eyes part was
cool :) ). But still, it's a terrific piece of art, with very good
acting. That's the way I try to play. Violence for violence' sakes is
dull, unless it's done with style.
Another thing. I've found that beeing in a group tends to limit or curb
your tendencies for free-for-all violence. That creates tensions between
the players who wish to "put him out of his misery" so to speak, and the
gentler players. Makes for good roleplaying, IMHO.
But, put a character in a solo role, and you get both extremes. Extreme
pacifists, who will take objection to mass killings even if they are not
involved, and Extreme brutes, who'll take jobs that might mean the death
of dozens of civilians. We're having this discussion right now on
ShadowTK's sister list, PlotD, concerning the level of violence on the
list. I gotta admit, it's getting pretty hairy... even I surprise myself
sometimes. :)
Trinity
------------------------------------------------------
Frank Pelletier
Trinity@********.com, jeanpell@****.qc.ca
This message was brought to you by Massive Attack - "Blue Lines"
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