Generation Legacy: Part Three

[Shalimar]

I like the off-scene panels.

 

[Samnell]

That actually a problem? I'd like to continue the tradition of making the game comic book-like. What do you think?

I liked off-screen vignettes. They're especially good as codas to close a story, open a new one, or pass some downtime.

 

[Samnell]

Agamon, I'm definitely doing the shadow guy if it helps you prepare any. Still struggling with the details of his concept and which powers will be involved. Some thinking in draft form below.

[sblock]
Male Australian, 15 or 16. No present psychological issues related to his powers. I'll probably give him an alliterative name again. Currently thinking fist name is Jared, shortened to Jerry.

He spent his early years in Dad's surf shop. Mom has been out of the picture since birth and may or may not still be alive. The shop was about 75% hangout for Dad and the local surfers and 25% business. It made enough to stay open and keep them in food, but not a lot else. They lived in an apartment above the shop.

Dad's not a monster, but he never had much interest in parenting either. He drinks a fair bit and smokes pot regularly, often in front of the kid, but he's not especially violent or cruelly neglectful. The kid more or less is left to fend for himself. If he comes home fairly regularly for meals and doesn't show any bodily harm, Dad doesn't care enough to ask questions.

So the kid grows up fairly wild, living on the beach and running with friends. Someone taught him how to swim and surf and that's what his life was all about. He loves the sun, sand, and especially the water. It's not a therapeutic thing like Mark's hook was. It might have a spiritual tinge to it. He feels like he's one with the universe when he's immersed, or the ocean and beach are his personal metaphor for life.

This is kind of where I lose the plot. Such a kid would definitely have issues with authority being imposed on him and crave attention, complicating discipline. Punishing him gives him all the attention Dad never had and the more you restrict him the more he'll rebel and feel validated. Sending him back home puts him with Bad Influence Dad and his Bad Influence Friends, where he's the coolest kid on the beach because even if he cut class for a week his Dad just told him not to do it again and said no more.

I've been kicking around having him bounce through a few foster homes before he lands with somebody that figures out a combination of praise for performance and no attention at all for transgressions might work with him. This becomes a longer-term thing since the kid seems to be improving a little, but now he's socially isolated (all his friends are on the beach) and going to a different school. He's allowed to go to a beach, but not the same beach, so something has to fill that void or it becomes a new source of problems.

I'm not exactly sure where to go from there. He really, really craves attention and he needs some kind of physical and social outlet. He can already swim and my research says it's hugely popular in Australia, so maybe he can be hooked up with a coach or trainer and a social setting that isn't all about how cool it is that he had a life as a total bum and got away with it for a while. But I don't want him perfectly fixed into a shiny happy person either because that would get boring to play. He needs some inner conflict and angst.

I'm not sure exactly where the powers come in yet. I'd prefer to not have them be the direct source of any angst, because I'd like to subvert the common connection between dark powers and dark moods. He's not fretting "oh no, is my power sentient evil and where does it come from?" At the same time I don't want to revisit the implied sexual abuse and drugs issues Mark had. That's kind of taking the damaged aspect to eleven. It's ok with me if it's a bit like Mark but I don't want him to be Mark exactly.

I'm open to suggestions on what comes next and what would make a good angst-fuel. [/sblock]

As for powers:
[sblock]I'm thinking (without crunching the points) a combination of a little bit of Protection and Regeneration as the basic effect of his new physiology. The regeneration would probably improve over time, the protection not so much. Maybe a couple of stray immunities. These are partly flavor. His blood is this weird internal shadowstuff so it makes intuitive sense that his body workings are a bit superhuman and different.

The marquee powers would be TK and/or Teleport. Both are relatively cheap as base powers (2pp/rank). His protection and regeneration have basic survival in combat covered, so these are options should things come to a fight. Since light fuels his inner shadow, I'd avoid the obvious teleportation only through shadows limit. It doesn't make sense for his paradoxical shadowstuff nature.[/sblock]

 

[Agamon]

Like Shal said, don't worry too much about fitting your powers to your personality. I'd rather it be more of a random thing, anyway. Dealing with a power that doesn't really fit you can make for good story. Just stay away from polarization (like say, an impervious, immovable 70 lbs shy girl), which is probably better suited to a comedy game.

And that's a decent backstory. If you're stuck, you can always add to it later. And like Mimic said, angst follows teens around like a lost puppy, I wouldn't worry about that too much either.

As for the powers, not only to you not want to limit teleportation to shadows, maybe it's even limited to well lit areas. Maybe the shadowstuff kinda clings to any darkness around it, slowly diffusing into it or something. Just a thought, anyway.

Or maybe you don't want to limit it too badly, you probably don't want a dark room to be your kryptonite.

It's cool that the two PCs so far have an international bent. I noticed during Toki's game that, other than Anika (who spent most of her first 12 years in N. America), and Olivia early in the game and Clover later in the game, everyone was American. Of course, speaking English is useful...

 

[Samnell]

Like Shal said, don't worry too much about fitting your powers to your personality. I'd rather it be more of a random thing, anyway.

Ok. Are there any commonalities to the powers-getting events? I know you said trauma isn't necessarily, but is some form of it typical? The origin story is something I'd like to hammer down even if I don't get the rest figured out. Even if it needn't be all durm und strang, he's been through a very major physical change. "Say mate, didn't your hair used to be colored? And your skin too?"

As for the powers, not only to you not want to limit teleportation to shadows, maybe it's even limited to well lit areas. Maybe the shadowstuff kinda clings to any darkness around it, slowly diffusing into it or something. Just a thought, anyway.

Or maybe you don't want to limit it too badly, you probably don't want a dark room to be your kryptonite.

I'm not sure exactly how darkness "feels" to him yet. I think he probably has some synaesthesia relating to it, but it's not the polar opposite of sunlight. He's on some kind of a wavelength with it. Completely aside that it would be very weird if the guy with the shadow powers is blocked by shadows.

It's cool that the two PCs so far have an international bent. I noticed during Toki's game that, other than Anika (who spent most of her first 12 years in N. America), and Olivia early in the game and Clover later in the game, everyone was American. Of course, speaking English is useful...

I'm not sure how convincing an Australian he'll be. I really kicked around making him Asian for a while (still might) but he'd be a Japanese Australian or something. I did some spot research and discovered that most Japanese people in Australia presently immigrated post-1980, but that's nearly 30 years ago (and the year I was born...I feel old) and will be 32 years gone by in 2012. I picture his father as pushing forty but the timeline could be managed. He immigrated with his family as a kid in the early 80s, giving him time to reproduce sometime in the mid-90s. Or I could make him ethnically Chinese and buy another decade or so. Maybe his foster parents were well-meaning sorts that urged him to discover his heritage. I kind of like that angle.

 

[Agamon]

Ok. Are there any commonalities to the powers-getting events? I know you said trauma isn't necessarily, but is some form of it typical? The origin story is something I'd like to hammer down even if I don't get the rest figured out. Even if it needn't be all durm und strang, he's been through a very major physical change. "Say mate, didn't your hair used to be colored? And your skin too?"

How about the tendency to show up when it's most needed? So, not necessarily a traumatic event, but one that could possibly preclude a traumatic event. Having it pop up while you're sitting watching TV would be silly (unless you lost the remote and suddenly found out you could control electronic devices...nah, still silly).

I'm not sure exactly how darkness "feels" to him yet. I think he probably has some synaesthesia relating to it, but it's not the polar opposite of sunlight. He's on some kind of a wavelength with it. Completely aside that it would be very weird if the guy with the shadow powers is blocked by shadows.

Cool, looking forward to see how you develop that...

I'm not sure how convincing an Australian he'll be. I really kicked around making him Asian for a while (still might) but he'd be a Japanese Australian or something. I did some spot research and discovered that most Japanese people in Australia presently immigrated post-1980, but that's nearly 30 years ago (and the year I was born...I feel old) and will be 32 years gone by in 2012. I picture his father as pushing forty but the timeline could be managed. He immigrated with his family as a kid in the early 80s, giving him time to reproduce sometime in the mid-90s. Or I could make him ethnically Chinese and buy another decade or so. Maybe his foster parents were well-meaning sorts that urged him to discover his heritage. I kind of like that angle.

The key word there is "most". I'm sure there was a Japanese or three in Australia before 1980 (damn, I was starting school, I feel really old). But yeah, immigrated is good. I wasn't sure how good of a Swede Anika would make, so I made her Swedish/Canadian/American/German.

 

[Samnell]

How about the tendency to show up when it's most needed? So, not necessarily a traumatic event, but one that could possibly preclude a traumatic event. Having it pop up while you're sitting watching TV would be silly (unless you lost the remote and suddenly found out you could control electronic devices...nah, still silly).

That works well. I can think of lots of excuses for somebody to teleport or manifest TK.

The key word there is "most". I'm sure there was a Japanese or three in Australia before 1980 (damn, I was starting school, I feel really old).

Yeah, but I don't want to pile exception on exception too much.

But yeah, immigrated is good. I wasn't sure how good of a Swede Anika would make, so I made her Swedish/Canadian/American/German.

It's a good compromise. If he's a first-generation or second-generation Australian it explains well why he doesn't have a big extended family (or just a concerned aunt or grandparent) that might have stepped in or compensated for Dad's neglect, which in turn explains why he has so few cultural references to back home (Dad didn't care) and might paper over a few errors or omissions in my Australian characterization.

But, yeah, it'll still be a lily-white guy from the Midwest with very limited cultural experiences outside his own (two weeks in Europe ten years ago...with a school group) writing all the posts.

 

[KaintheSeeker]

If I was to do Cassie (still hashing her and a few other ideas out), she'd be a 'good ole girl from Nawlins.'. Deadly, certainly,.. but not the memoryless girl from a possible future.

 

[Agamon]

If I was to do Cassie (still hashing her and a few other ideas out), she'd be a 'good ole girl from Nawlins.'. Deadly, certainly,.. but not the memoryless girl from a possible future.

Cool. Gotta have at least one American.

 

[KaintheSeeker]

Cool. Gotta have at least one American.

Well there is another character idea or so.. a Ms. Fantastic type.. or a speedster.. still working though