I'm working on an RPG that features players playing actors on the set of film or TV. I'm stuck trying to figure out various traits that might apply to the acting profession. With my setup, I've got 3 categories of traits. Traits in my game are described as "various details we can use to add color and substance to our characters, some good, some bad, some having potentially no obvious impact whatsoever."
Positive traits: Traits which provide a positive effect for the character.
Negative traits: Traits which provide a negative effect which applies 'against' the character in some way.
Neutral traits: Traits which do not have any actual effect, good or bad, with respect to gameplay.
An example of a positive trait
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Special Skill: The character has some sort of special skill, ability, or job, which may grant them an overall bonus when it comes to their acting performance. The player must describe what this special skill is.
[NOTE: This trait grants a +1 bonus to task rolls when that special skill applies to the task. For instance, if the character is an olympic-class swimmer, and the scene calls for the character to do some swimming, the special skill probably fits.]
An example of a negative trait
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Stage Fright: The character has a nagging fear of the spotlight, which can affect their roles in various unpleasant ways.
[NOTE: This trait causes the character to suffer a -1 penalty to task rolls when the character is aware of cameras or an audience focused on them.]
An example of a neutral trait
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Production Staff: The character is part of the behind-the-scenes staff, and generally do not appear on-camera. If circumstances are really bad, though, staff may be pressed to perform certain on-camera roles, and will function as extras.
[NOTE: The character's actual production staff job is placed in parentheses [(/)] alongside the trait, such as "Production Staff (Makeup & Effects)".]
Any assistance on determining traits would be appreciated. I'm going with a skill-less system here, where basically any skill or ability or other detail that isn't a character attribute is treated as a trait.
Hmm...
Positive Traits
Handsome/Beautiful
Can Sing
Can Play a Musical Instrument
Can Dance
Convincing Scream
Excellent Comic Timing
Appealing/Memorable Speaking Voice
Can Handle Physically Demanding Roles
Interviews Well
Negative Traits
Arrogant
Sheltered Upbringing (Few Real World Skills)
Typecast
Health Problems
Drug/Alcohol Addiction
Rageoholic
Started Career in Porn
Neutral Traits
Started Career in Soap Operas
Started Career in Reality TV
Started Career in Commercials
Promiscuous
Social Activist
Paul
This may go without saying, but tvtropes.org is a pretty good place for lists of character flaws and personality traits. Just look up their Characters page, you'll link to stuff for days.
Thanks for this. Yeah, I've been checking TVTropes already. Just wanted to know if someone might have some additional angles.
I like Paul's list. If you're willing to rope in the rest of the actor's life outside of acting (even if it's just to impact their acting), then I'd expand that to include things like being a diva, demanding creative control, being overpaid, being underpaid, having a crappy agent, having a hotshot agent, having corporate sponsors, refusing to do product placement, falling for co-stars, etc.
I think it would be really fun to have my actor try to shoot a scene right after a big fight over his contract or something.
Well, there will be situations (both long-standing and current) that can come into play during a scene in the game, which can affect the character's abilities or performance. I like this idea, too.
I'll probably be posting some rules up for a playtest soon.
While you may be taking your game in a vastly different direction, I would point to the original Hong Kong Action Theater as an example of a game that did this very thing. You may gain some inspiration from it. Good luck.
SoupViking
Depending on how specific you wish to get with it, acting styles and specific training in certain skills (stage combat, vocal training, singing coach) would have an impact as well. If you worked with/are someone with an interest in the field, you could end up with something akin to a fencing school in other games in which a character's background prepares them better for some scenes than others.
Some traits worth exploring might also be renown and awards won, as an actor with a big name or who just won an award will get offered bigger roles but will also be judged more harshly.
This game could end up in an interesting place: just as many games are judged for their gunplay or investigative procedure not being "the way it is in real life", this might be the first time a theatre guy like myself would be examining a game for how it handles dramatic/professional situations. I'm interested in what you put together.
Is the game more about the lives of the performers or are the sessions the actual shooting of their programs/features?