Author: hero-fan (---.ou.edu)
Date: 04-21-2004 22:12
I love superhero RPGs for another reason : it's the only gaming genre in which I'm allowed to be a hero the way heroes are in the real world.
In the real world, I try to do "the right thing." My entire life, I've participated in active charities and political activities. I've marched for civil rights, but more importantly, I've been part of Habitat for Humanity and various food drives and recycling efforts. Several times, I've let impoverished friends stay at my apartment while I attend school, then head for work, and then spend time at home with them helping them fill out job applications and providing food and board for the months it takes them to get on their feet. And, yes, we also roleplay together.
But every fantasy game-master I know considers the fantasy gaming equivalent of my real life, the paladin, to be unbelievable and/or boring, telling me that only an absurd idealist would actually believe in other people enough to waste time in charities and political activities (while always adding the phrase "no offense intended to you" as an aside).
And every modern fiction game-master I know plays all his NPCs as untrustworthy, incorrigible, and immutably treacherous rogues out to fleece anyone who believes in doing "the right thing", running the game world such that good actions truly are futile actions within the reality of the game.
And need I state the obvious about World of Darkness games?
No, the only times my game-masters have ever tolerated idealism over cynicism and good faith over survivalism has been in superhero games.
So only in superhero RPGs am I allowed to play a good aligned player-character without signing on for gaming suicide.
hero-fan
|
|
