From: "Jason Heavensrun" Subject: Re: [GRIT] [META] In Japan Date: Tuesday, 17 April 2001 2:27 PM >>>I've been holding off writing anything until the next post / batch of posts >>>from the 'old guard' since my last attempt to get involved was brushed >over. >>>Pity, I want to try planting a couple of Sledgehammer missiles in P-Word's >>>face... that would be fun. Nice big explosions, ooh goody... >> >> ... o.o >> >> Uhhh... I mean this nicely, dude, but have some perspective. >> >> Right now, you could conveniently launch six full nuclear warheads at >> P-Word and, if he bothered to let them hit him, it's quite possible he >> could walk away from it. "Possible"? ^^; >Ouch. (nukes repeatedly in a frantic fashion) pooh, didn't work. >> >> You could turn the combined force of Jo, Blade, Mist, Yuri, Ryuu, >> Midgar and Gaeld against P-Word and he could _dismiss_ it. And that's Okay, now -this- is an exaggeration. P-word is -technically- only nine times more powerful then Jo, Blade, et al, which means their attacks -would- have an effect. Just not a significant one. Placed together, though, they could cause some serious injury to him if luck was on their side. >> enough force to, if not destroy the moon, at least knock it out of >> Earth's orbit. >> >Gotcha. Ah well, one can but try... that's just another example of my >absolutely *festering* timing. I finally write me a character just as the >only bad guys left in the present thread/s are Mega powered. >(repeatedly bangs head on table) Are bad guys ever -not-? ;p See, the trick of participating in combat in GRIT is you have to create a character with some sort of evolving battle style. They have to start off relatively weak and work their way up to usefulness by learning things along the way. This is why a generic martial artist will always work well in GRIT, even if it's unoriginal. Because eventually, the RL will come up with some kind of an angle, or hook, to make the character himself unique. Things like Combat Taxi Drivers are undeniably humorous ideas, but ultimately if that's all he is, your character will automatically be held back by his own limitations. After all, how will you put him in a scene if nobody there needs a taxi? How will he deal with people in personal situations? What sort of past makes someone into a combat taxi driver? How can a combat taxi driver evolve as a character? This isn't to say it's a bad idea, just that you need to keep in mind ways to expand and develop him as a character, if you want other people to write him and enjoy writing him. This applies to non-combat as well as combat. Remember, the point of GRIT is to be unique and original, BUT you have to still keep in mind that your character, if you want to be successful, is going to have to interact with other characters and is going to have to be capable of learning and maturing over time. Jo as a character (not an RLaspect, which is what Jo evoved -out- of...) Was basically an insecure, idealistic young martial artist full of self-doubt and a poigniant fear of inadequacy. But over time He's matured. Into a she, no less. Jo's a lot more mature, a lot more confident, and has evolved into a fairly capable leader. Another good example: Steve started out as a goofy young martial artist with an extremely silly attitude towards just about everything, and evolved into...Um...Nevermind, bad example. ;p (just kidding, steve) Scott's learned a little self-temperance in dealing with people, Jei's learned some discipline over the years, Jacen's learning to become his own person... Basically, the way to view a character in GRIT is as an ocean of possibilities. Think about how you want them to start out, and the sort of person you'd like them to become over time, and gradually work your way towards that. Some people, I won't say names, have a tendency to create "static" characters, who never really seem to change their worldview no matter what's presented to them. And while that's all well and good for awhile, after a time, the character becomes stale. Hence my recent development of J2, who previously had been a very static, unchanging character. So, how's -that- for turning a noise thread into a lecture? ;p But seriously, Anybody else have any thoughts on this, or advice for our new crop of developing young Neo-GRITters? Remember, newbies! You are the Veterans of the future! >Anyone got any spare faceless minions I can blow up? Uhm... Uhm: Oh, no, NO! You are -not- offering me up for sacrifice. Bad enough I've got to clean the toilets at Zunis... Remove the "missary" from "commisary" to e-mail http://www.wizard.net/~deva/check/ Jason Heavensrun AKA the Intermittent Admin... Founder and current Nantan of the Global Ranma Insanity Thread... "Verfluchen Sie jene schlechten Kraken..."