From:	Paul Jonathan Adam <Paul@********.DEMON.CO.UK>
Subject:	Re: Character Quirks
Date:	Tue, 12 Sep 1995 23:13:45 GMT

> On Mon, 11 Sep 1995, Stephen M. Bugge wrote:
> > Another thing I like to do with my characters is give them a past that is
> > always trying to catch up with them.

Marc A Renouf replied:
> Often times, you don't even need to do this in the characters'
> backgrounds. My players are notorious for not cleaning up loose ends,
> which only leads to a past that's trying to throttle you. Stuff like
> this can be developed during game play (but yes, its even more fun when
> you start out screwed...)

Oh, boy... From a throwaway "and she spent two weeks locked in a motel
room going cold turkey", my wife's PC ended up being the catalyst for a
series of adventures that ended with the players overthrowing the High
Prince of Tir Taingire and placing their chosen pretender on the throne...

The whole thing grew out of the "Elven Fire" adventure, and the films
"Total Recall" and "Jacob's Ladder". Loose ends in a PC's background
are
one of the most powerful weapons a GM has. Grab them and pull... but you
have to be willing to accept the consequences :)

--
"When you have shot and killed a man, you have defined your attitude towards
him. You have offered a definite answer to a definite problem. For better
or for worse, you have acted decisively.
In fact, the next move is up to him." <R.A. Lafferty>

Paul J. Adam paul@********.demon.co.uk