Please critique my one sheet
Roger:
I like this version of Humanity and would personally be happy to play in it. It's not entirely mainstream, but I think, depending on the con, you'll get sufficient players.
I know enough people who would move today to the planet Vulcan, if it were possible. I think that's the closest model out there in the generic geek mindset that covers what you're after, but I am paraphrasing you a bit with that, so I could be wrong. Some versions of Sherlock Holmes cover similar ground, but I think there's enough variation in interpretations there that it might just confuse the issue.
There's also some finite chance that you might be able to swing some Buddhists in. I mean, "All desire leads to suffering" fits right in to what you've set up here, it seems to me.
As a suggestion, there's a cliche that I usually hate to see come up in these things, but I think it would fit right in here: The Freemasons. Here's a bit of ritual from a random corner of the Web: "Geometry, the first and the noblest of sciences, is the basis on which the superstructure of Masonry is erected. By geometry, we may curiously trace Nature, through her various windings, to her most concealed recesses. By it we discover the power, the wisdom and the goodness of the Grand Artificer of the Universe, and view with delight the proportions which connect this vast machine." But you might not share my peculiar interest in them, so that's fine too.
I'm not sure I get a good feeling for Situation out of this one-sheet (which might be okay; I'm not sure if that's one of your goals.) A quick overview of a sample character, especially his Demon (and its Need) and his Kicker, would make me feel more confident that I knew what I was getting into, if you see what I mean.
Cheers,
Roger
Motipha:
Quote from: Eero Tuovinen on May 03, 2010, 02:04:57 AM
The nature of demons doesn't seem very antithetical to this Humanity, either.
This was the one thing that came to mind for me immediately as well. Suppression of emotion and sexuality versus the mechanization of life just doesn't seem like an either/or sort of things to me. Seeing humanity as "living up to Victorian principles" versus "efficiency above all" might work. Maybe "reserved but strongly principled morality" vs "vulgar utilitarianism?" I know I'm drifting off in to more romanticized ideas of what Victorian society was about, but I'm just throwing out ideas.
The Magus:
Dear all
Many thanks for all your helpful input so far. I think that Graham has captured what I'm trying to achieve although I really have gained an appreciation of how the game holds together and how important it is to really think this through. In retrospect I think some of my previous games of Sorcerer have been a bit blasé. I now get an appreciation of what Jesse Burneko was saying on the Canon Puncture podcast about how tight and constraining (and thereby intense) the game has the potential to be.
Ron - I'm keen to keep the humanity definition and would like to think that I want to have the players walking the tightrope of creating more brilliant inventions but in doing so descending into debauchery and overt expression of emotion
Eero - I think I was trying to use the influences as colour rather than a literal reference. However, I think what some of those things capture is an established order that the protagonist are either determined to change or forced into changing by various means. I'm actually think of keeping the first sentence in my definition and diminishing the second somewhat.
Ron again - I rather regret the use of steampunk now. I feel it is lazy on my part. I'm now thinking Kind Hearts and Coronets, transgression as a means of climbing the social order.
Roger - I am in agreement about creating a demon. I'm not going to here but feel that I should clarify Demons' needs. These will be demands of the Sorcerers to be overt in emotion, either constantly and subtley, or infrequently and violently. I could see a Sorcerer either speaking of their affections to persons who are the object of this or kissing/groping in public, bursting into tears, having tantrums. Would those around them put up with this if it yields technological progress? To the Demon this is just confirmaion of the utility and pathos of human existence. Their aim is to find a way of existence in the human world without the reliance on human (too wide and out of the remit of the game but I thought that having that 'drive' their might be helpful to hold in mind).
Motipha - I agree with you highlighting the nature of demons. I want to emphasis the suppression of emotion. The tech stuff is much less relevant.
This all shows what can happen when you rip your Humanity definition from Wikipedia.
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