A move for a child character

  • 3 Replies
  • 3541 Views
A move for a child character
« on: December 11, 2013, 04:57:36 PM »
I'm just sharing this because I'm quite pleased with it. I expect it may have been done before. Comments are welcome.

An eleven-year-old Savvyhead NPC [1] in our game is about to become a PC, and we're writing up the character sheet. She's an orphan from the wastelands, formerly of a horrific group of brigands who she was rather glad to escape from. She is therefore wary and has trust issues.

Since she's eleven, it makes no sense for her to have a sex move. Here's what she has instead:

Savvyhead Junior Special
When another character takes care of you like a parent, and you let them, they automatically speak to you, as though they were a thing and you’d rolled a 10+, whether you have the move or not. The other player and the MC will answer your questions between them. Otherwise, that move never works on people, only things.

I figure this would work for orphaned/emancipated/independent prepubescent PCs of lots of character classes -- "when another character takes care of you like a parent, and you let them" is probably going to be about the same bar emotionally, the same emotional risk, the same intensity, and not entirely dissimilar downsides and upsides, as the way the sex move works for adult characters.

Presumably, the other character's sex move won't trigger. Though if the Maestro D' hooks the Savvyhead up with something, that might (or might not?) count as taking care of her like a parent...

-------------
[1] => I realize that no NPC is ever actually a Savvyhead; they may be *called* a Savvyhead, but they're not a Savvyhead like the PC Savvyhead. But there was no PC Savvyhead, and now she is one.



Re: A move for a child character
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2013, 05:28:10 PM »
That's an AWESOME solution! I've had players play kids and I always balk at how to handle this. Elegant, simple solution. You may even find moments in play where you say "I'd say that triggers your special, don't you think?"

*

Oldy

  • 18
Re: A move for a child character
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2013, 05:53:31 PM »
Need a "like" button

Re: A move for a child character
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2013, 11:17:41 PM »
That's a nice solution. I've had a couple child characters and it's always an awkward piece of the game system. I tried to make an if someone plays a game with you variant but that didn't go over well with the group.