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Message: <blockquote data-quote="chaochou" data-source="post: 7635948" data-attributes="member: 99817">You want each player to have created for their character a number of clearly defined relationships, beliefs, allegiances, dependencies and responsibilities. The creation of these should, of itself, create the arena for the game's action. The 'world' is a backdrop, the crucible in which the players' creations spark into life.Then you set the character's individual drives in opposition to each other, such that it's not possible to maintain or improve one element without cost or harm to another. You can also take each character's relationships, attitudes, allegiances, dependencies and responsibilities and set them in fractured alignment or semi-opposition of those of the other characters, to create a shifting, fluid situation of alliances and betrayals, ugly compromises, faustian pacts and devil's bargains.Mechanically, the game has to support challenges which require clear, evident and binding stakes, the loss of which (by definition) force a reappraisal of relationships, attitudes, allegiances, dependencies or responsibilities in the event of failure. Values for these things, or points of their own humanity, bits of their soul, closeness to their ancestors - all these are very useful as currency for challenges. They act as a focus, and a catalyst for the creativity of the player to reappraise the character. And they allow other players to recognise, appreciate and enjoy the development of characters which are not their own.Finally, I think a genuine challenge to the character is completely seperate from one which challenges the player. That's a red herring, a totally false equivalence. Ideally, the player is comfortable, relaxed and relishing the process of authoring the character as it burns, and the creativity it affords them.</blockquote>

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