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Message no. 1
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: New players and elves (was Re: tournaments help)
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 12:20:04 +0200
According to Tim Burke, at 7:48 on 17 Sep 98, the word on the street was...

> Generally I usually say when I get the characters out "I have a street sam,
> a rigger, a phys adept, a shaman and a burned out mage. Who wants
> what?" . 9 times out of ten the team will usually sort this out amongst
> themselves. Also 9 times out of ten the first reply you'll get is
> "I want the street sam!".

Not related to cons, but does anyone else experience the situation where
they can predict at least half the choices new players make when designing
their first character? Elf, good combat skills, elf, sword, elf, magic
user, elf, high "necessary" attributes, elf... Even people with RPG
experience seem to do this a lot :/

I've got a bunch of ready-made characters in the folder with my players'
characters, which I use for a quick start when someone new joins the game.
I attempt to make them a bit different than what they would create, just
to try and get rid of the attitude before they get a chance to express it.
(Changes are allowed, but not changes to elf "just because.")

Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against elven PCs, but I do have
something against playing elves and nothing else.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Yeah, I left with nothing but the thought you'd be there too.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
PE Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 2
From: Lady Jestyr <jestyr@*******.COM.AU>
Subject: Re: New players and elves (was Re: tournaments help)
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 00:12:29 +1000
>Not related to cons, but does anyone else experience the situation where
>they can predict at least half the choices new players make when designing
>their first character? Elf, good combat skills, elf, sword, elf, magic
>user, elf, high "necessary" attributes, elf... Even people with RPG
>experience seem to do this a lot :/

Heh. Human mage for me - I was forced into it by the GM though, and hated
the character. First one I actually was allowed to create for myself was
the infamous Minx, human rigger and walking psychosis extra-ordinaire ;)

Lady Jestyr

- Eagles may soar, but turkeys don't get sucked into jet engines. -
jestyr@*******.com.au URL: http://www.geocities.com/~jestyr
Message no. 3
From: Jett <zmjett@*********.COM>
Subject: Re: New players and elves (was Re: tournaments help)
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 16:28:04 -0400
Gurth wrote:

> Not related to cons, but does anyone else experience the situation where
> they can predict at least half the choices new players make when designing
> their first character? Elf, good combat skills, elf, sword, elf, magic
> user, elf, high "necessary" attributes, elf... Even people with RPG
> experience seem to do this a lot :/
>


Hmm, let's see...

Jett- human...ah, I'll get back to you later. She started out a samurai,
though.
Faedra- Human Badger shaman
Scrape- Human phys ad
Cinder-human sorcery adept
General Jim- human samurai
Snookums- Troll rigger
Mr. Bigg- Dwarf coyote shaman
Scythe- Elf Phys-ad
Reit- centaur phys-ad (physical adepts are very common among centaurs)

Generally, I prefer humans, although I like playing dwarves and trolls
can be fun, too. Elves, I generally only use once in a while, for no
particular reason. I don't have a problem with the metahuman variants
from SRC, but then the only ones I've seen used are a couple of Night
Ones and a satyr rocker.
As for archetype, I rather like magical PCs, with sams running second.

--Jett

<*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>


"I'll make this clear, that I'm just here for backup. And to offer the
occasional advice or insult."
--Jett, on being an NPC

Behold the mighty sonic scream of the Jett!

http://www.scifi-fantasy.com/~zmjett/shadow.htm
Message no. 4
From: "Ratinac, Rand (NSW)" <RRatinac@*****.REDCROSS.ORG.AU>
Subject: Re: New players and elves (was Re: tournaments help)
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 09:38:58 +1000
> >Not related to cons, but does anyone else experience the situation
> where
> >they can predict at least half the choices new players make when
> designing
> >their first character? Elf, good combat skills, elf, sword, elf,
> magic
> >user, elf, high "necessary" attributes, elf... Even people with RPG
> >experience seem to do this a lot :/
>
Guys,

I almost always play elves, but that's merely because I really like
them, not because they make good conjurers or anything like that. No
munchkin reason (I could munchkinise any race if I wanted and if I
really wanted a pumped up mage I'd go for a dwarf, as I concentrate on
spellcasting mostly when playing magicians). The REAL reason that I like
elves so much (if I had to give just one) is the age thing. I know
someone mentioned immortal elves, but that's not exactly what I'm
talking about. I mean, I don't like most of the IEs in Shadowrun -
they're so far up themselves that they...well, let's not go there, but
you know what I mean. I DO however, like the idea of a character who can
be going strong long after I'd have passed away. I don't know - maybe
I'm phobic about aging. But elves are in no way inherently more
munchkinisable (new words! Yay!) than any of the other races - they're
just more FUN in my mind.

Is that a good enough reason to play an elf?

Doc'
Message no. 5
From: Christopher King <cking@********.COM>
Subject: Re: New players and elves (was Re: tournaments help)
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 05:44:46 GMT
On Thu, 17 Sep 1998 12:20:04 +0200, Gurth wrote:
>Not related to cons, but does anyone else experience the situation where
>they can predict at least half the choices new players make when =
designing
>their first character? Elf, good combat skills, elf, sword, elf, magic
>user, elf, high "necessary" attributes, elf... Even people with RPG
>experience seem to do this a lot :/
>

The first SR game I played in (SR1 days) was 4 humans, and an orc with
one magically active character (most of the other players were also
new to SR)

The next group started with 4 humans, 2 elves, and an orc (2 magically
active characters); when the group was finally retired it consisted of
4 elves, 3 humans, and a troll (6 magically active characters).

[House rules enacted at this point to encourage characters to play
non-mages]

The third group was 5 elves, 2 ogres, and 2 human npc's with 2
magically active characters.

The group I'm currently GM'ing is 4 humans, a Wakayambi(Elf), an Ogre,
and a Were-Tiger with 4 magically active characters (counting the
Were). In this game we used the point build system from the SRC and
gave bonuses to human characters. I also wouldn't allow a
preponderance of elves because it wouldn't make sense for the 'job' I
started the players off in.

All the groups came from the same pool of 7 to 10 of relatively
experienced RPG players.

--
cking@********.com - http://www.searchiv.com/cking/shadows
= It's all fun and games until someone looses an eye,
= then it's all fun and games, but without depth perception.
Message no. 6
From: Anjo Verde <Chant_Obscur@*******.FR>
Subject: Re: New players and elves (was Re: tournaments help)
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 12:49:19 +0200
-----Message d'origine-----
De : Ratinac, Rand (NSW) <RRatinac@*****.REDCROSS.ORG.AU>
Date : vendredi 18 septembre 1998 03:03
Objet : Re: New players and elves

>Guys,
>I almost always play elves, but that's merely because I really like
>them, not because they make good conjurers or anything like that. No
>munchkin reason (I could munchkinise any race if I wanted and if I
>really wanted a pumped up mage I'd go for a dwarf, as I concentrate on
>spellcasting mostly when playing magicians).
<Snip>

Of course, but then most people around this list usually are experienced
gamers, who therefore can easily munchkinize their characters,
but would rather roleplay them. What I meant is that new players will
go for whatever edge they can get and munchkins go for the glamour.
Not to say that it's wrong to play elves (hell, I play an elf and I'm having
the time of my life), just pointing at why many people want to play them.
A dwarf character won't age much either but with it being a hairy
midget, who cares? As I said, there is kind of a prestige in being one,
which is why they end up a munchkin favorite even though there
is nothing inherently munchkinisable (I like new words) about them.

>Is that a good enough reason to play an elf?

Doc, your game is nobody else's concern. You could run an all-metavariant
campaign where you play the part of a minotaur drag queen: as long as
you're having fun, it's reason enough.

I guess now that makes it 4 cents,

Anjo Verde
Message no. 7
From: K in the Shadows <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: New players and elves (was Re: tournaments help)
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 23:36:26 EDT
In a message dated 9/18/1998 5:42:50 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
Chant_Obscur@*******.FR writes:

>
> Doc, your game is nobody else's concern. You could run an all-metavariant
> campaign where you play the part of a minotaur drag queen: as long as
> you're having fun, it's reason enough.

Hey now, watch those pointers. I happen to get a kick out of my "Troll
Transvestite Decker" and his "Male Ork Dominance Friend" and their nearby
apartments in Tenochtitlan Aztlan. (NPC's, I assure you :P) Makes everyone
kind of enter the "oh boysths" mentality for just a few and loosen the mood a
bit, ya know...

And btw, you *really* should try on some pink sometimes, your are justh so
*drab* with all that green and gray garb of yours. What do you think this is
anyway, an reserved world of culture and color??? A Flatvid Rambone Flik???
("Hated IT!") BLEND!!!

(Z-Snap)

"Over -IT!!!" (done in the voices of said Troll Transvetite and Male Ork
Dominance type in stereo ... ;)

-K (who is sorry, but he's trying to stay awake just long enough to go get his
roommate from work)
Message no. 8
From: Duncan McNeill-Burton <dmcneill@************.EDU>
Subject: Re: New players and elves (was Re: tournaments help)
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 03:42:23 -0400
K didst sayeth:

>In a message dated 9/18/1998 5:42:50 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
>Chant_Obscur@*******.FR writes:
>> Doc, your game is nobody else's concern. You could run an
all-metavariant
>> campaign where you play the part of a minotaur drag queen: as long as
>> you're having fun, it's reason enough.
>
>Hey now, watch those pointers. I happen to get a kick out of my "Troll
>Transvestite Decker" and his "Male Ork Dominance Friend" and their
nearby
>apartments in Tenochtitlan Aztlan. (NPC's, I assure you :P) Makes
everyone
>kind of enter the "oh boysths" mentality for just a few and loosen the mood
a
>bit, ya know...


I wouldn't say that their introductions loosened things up any. Meeting
them was certainly amusing, but I think the locale diluted the experience.
Given the time to actually get to know them, t could have been a riot,
everyone was quite stressed out and Goose was a bit...distracted.

Then came the fire and the mana storm, and a bunch of other stuff I'm
probably forgetting....

Later-

Duncan McNeill-Burton
-Tech Priest in Training
-Violent Felon for Hire
-Pipe-wielding Sociopath for Fun
http://attila.stevens-tech.edu/~dmcneill
"Your eyes shiver and you grit your teeth,
You've sold you soul now cold blood's how you get relief."
-Ice-T, The Syndicate

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