[Dresden Files] It‘s not Zilch play, but what is it?
Frank Tarcikowski:
I played Dresden Files on a convention the other day. It was my first real FATE game. I did like it quite well, temporary aspects were nice and consequences are my favorite part of the rules. We had seven players plus GM at the table and one player fascinated me, because she seemed to play her own game with no mind as to whether she contributed in any meaningful way to the group‘s experience, and also, because (almost) everything she did seemed entirely pointless to me.
She wasn‘t inactive, though. She was quite enthusiastic and actively tried to get the attention of the GM and the other players. She played a Half-Japanese exchange student werecat. She explicitly wanted to turn into a small house cat when shapeshifting, even though the GM indicated that a large cat might be more useful in a fight.
First scene: All characters are meeting in a pub to discuss the trouble at hand (as it were, Wehrmacht soldiers from 1945 showing up in 2011 Berlin and acting as if the Russians were at the gates). So, the point of the scene is to talk. Werecat makes a point of stating that she is in cat form, thus she cannot talk.
Second scene: We are trying to get into an abandoned building in East Berlin guarded by a bunch of skinheads. For once little kitty’s inconspicuous form would be useful to sneak ahead. Instead, she auto-compells her aspect “afraid of heights” and, for one lousy FATE point, traps herself on a tree the entire scene (the player spent the rest of that scene literally meowing).
Third scene: We are fighting the boss monster, a Black Court Vampire though we don’t know yet. Kitty does something useful for the first time, transforming back to (stark naked) human form and trying to get the bad guy’s attention, even succeeding in placing a “distracted” aspect on him. As my emo kid wizard character takes a moderate consequence the same turn, I make it an “attracted to werecat”, trying to somehow build on that. But as soon as the bad guy has escaped and I am getting ready to portray some teenage awkwardness, she blocks it by turning back into cat form and speeding away.
So what’s up there? She was obviously into her character, but in every scene (there were other examples), she strictly blocked any attempt by GM or other players to get into any sort of meaningful interaction with her, or impose any sort of consequences on her character. I wonder, what would she find rewarding in the game? What would her expectation toward other players be? How would a group of players just like her work? What kind of game would they be playing? I find myself at something of a loss. I would suspect something messy but then, she seemed to be perfectly happy... it just seems weird to me. She’s not the first player of the sort whom I’ve met, either.
- Frank
Frank Tarcikowski:
P.S.: She also seemed to be a huge fan of the Dresden Files novel and enjoyed a little insider chat about Dresdenverse marginalia if she could get the chance.
stefoid:
Seems an aimless character to me, not interested in the goals of the party and having nothing better to do herself. Ask her to set a main goal for her character and get the GM to spotlight her when she actively pursues it.
Noclue:
What were her High Concept and Trouble?
Frank Tarcikowski:
Stefoid, I don't think she'd be interested in such a thing. At any rate, the scenario was a pretty bog-standard "villain of the week" scenario and with seven players at the table and a four hour slot, personal goals were not supposed to play any major role.
James, her High Concept was something like "Werecat Exchange Student" and her trouble was "Afraid of Heights", I think.
- Frank
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