Playing The Stranger
The Time Machine written by H.G. Wells uses a literary technique called a frame narrative - it's a story within a story. The main protagonist of The Time Machine is a character from modern times (Mr. Wells published it in 1895) who uses a machine he invents to travel backwards and forward through time - hence the title. Much of the action takes place in a future time where things are very different from Victorian England where the story begins. The time traveler is very much a stranger in a strange land.
In A Princess of Mars, author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1912) describes the other-worldly career of a 19th Century American soldier, John Carter, who is transported to planet Mars where romance and adventures await. The success of Mr. Burroughs John Carter novels inspires many authors to this day and the idea of someone from our time and place being "transported" to a totally strange time and place where they experience many exciting adventures continues to fascinate readers of sword & sorcery and sword & planet fiction.
Enter role-playing as a game and hobby - one that is inspired by, and often based on, literary sources, including such other-worldly adventure stories involving heroes transplanted from another world. One of my favorite methods to introduce players new to either the hobby or just to my setting is through the vehicle of the time traveler from earth. It has the advantage of familiarity and strangeness and allows the player to discover something totally unique while drawing upon knowledge of the familiar world in which we all live.
It has been many decades since I was introduced to the game Empire of the Petal Throne written by M.A.R. Barker and published by TSR (1975), but I recall it uses a similar premise. Starting characters are assumed to be barbarians fresh off the boat who are hoping to make their fortune in the strange and alien Empire. Relegated to the foreigner's quarter, new characters must seek employment from Imperial citizens who may perhaps ultimately sponsor the character when they stand for citizenship. It is a handy method for introducing players into the unique flavor that is Tekumel.
Borrowing from such sources of inspiration I will have players generate characters from a familiar period of earth's history - usually Victorian or Edwardian. Involve them in some "magical" event which transports them to the fantasy setting where the campaign then unfolds. The character can be anything the player wishes, a noble, a famous person from history or whatever they wish - it matters little because they will soon enter unknown territory where their knowledge, influence and wealth matters not. The skills they possess in their previous life becomes their "background" and they may apprentice to become an adventurer - assuming a fantasy character class such as fighter, cleric or magic user.
The "out-of-towner" status helps explain away a lot of questions including, "Why wouldn't my character know this?" It also gives the player and referee a chance to make each character something special and unique in the setting. Years of experience using this technique has occasionally led to some "less than satisfactory" results however, especially when play takes a turn towards something closer to Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Artur's Court (1889) - an approach that while humorous as a novel, I have found works less well as fodder for role-play and will often devolve into campaign ending silliness. As with any concept in role-playing, player buy-in is essential to success and expectations should be discussed.
No comments:
Post a Comment