Something to think about, especially as a game is drawing toward its end, is whether your characters have undergone development. Are they the same person and concept that the player brought to you at level 1, but now with better bonuses? Or have they changed course, gone in unexpected directions, and gained understanding of the world, of their role in it, and of themselves?
Joseph Campbell's 'The Hero's Journey' talks to us of mythological cycles in storytelling, following roughly the same meta-concepts: Heeding the call to adventure, overcoming thresholds, surpassing revelations to transform or atone, and then returning to their life. While this 'monomyth' doesn't strike true for all cultures (or even most cultures outside of Western male-centric storytelling), some of the concepts can be valuable in considering how and whether to develop characters. To break down a pop culture reference, let's look at how, say, Starlord from the Guardians of the Galaxy develops over his 2-and-a-bit movies [minor Marvel movies spoilers]: - In the first movie, Starlord begins as a selfish loner, desperate for respect, who comes to realize that he needs to take actions to save the galaxy because he's one of the idiots that lives in it. His earnestness and honesty mean that his warning to the Nova Corps is heeded, and they're able to overcome Ronan, and rewarded with some respect and repairs to his ship. He has also come to make a family with his crew of outcasts. - By the start of the second movie, he is struggling for respect again, this time with and because of his new family. He argues with them, fracturing the group, and follows his father, who promises respect and power. But when he realizes that his father's actions have led to his mother's death, he reunites with his family, and with the man who raised him, to defeat his father and save the galaxy again. He sees that Yondu has won respect in death from the people who cast him out, and realizes how much he loved him. - Infinity War/Endgame is a weird development because it involves being dead for a while, but let's continue- Starlord finds Thor, nearly dead at Thanos' hands and finds a challenge to his masculinity and leadership. The family fractures again to pursue different goals, and Starlord has to question his own devotion to the woman he has come to love, eventually and unwillingly losing her to Thanos. His professionalism is called into question, leading him the tragic mistake of attacking when he could have co-operated with his friends, and costing them the battle. Thanos' victory leads to his death during the Snap, and restoration toward the end of Endgame, just in time to return for the climactic battle. The Starlord we see is one who now works with others, who accepts his role as a true Guardian of the Galaxy, and who emerges victorious, but not without cost. He has lost the woman he loves, and now faces sharing his leadership with another. He will hopefully face new challenges in the next movies, but you can see development through challenges, overcoming thresholds, and revelations that triggered transformations before a return to status quo. I know it can sometimes be hard to motivate growth when people come with very defined concepts, especially if those concepts follow an established character from another property, and the player would like their character to follow that journey. In this instance, it may be useful to recommend that while their character might be inspired by that existing character, they're not that exact version, they're a version in your storytelling, so ask if perhaps they can allow that concept to change rather than being rigidly unchangeable. So although your character is gaining new powers and gear, question whether they're actually developing- where have they come from, what things have changed them (scarring them, or inspiring them?), and how have they tranformed or changed because of those experiences? I hope this post at least plants a seed of growth for you to think about, and maybe your players, too! Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 5 December 2020. Comments are closed.
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AuthorI'm Luke. He/him pronouns. Archives
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