Bite-sized thoughts 8

-Childhood XP

One thing I wanted to do for the Spectrum RP was have a section where the players- as children- go to a carnival. They meet each other there, become friends, yadda yadda.

Of course it would be a series of mini-quests. Dunk the clown. Win at the claw machine. Don't flinch in the haunted house, etc. It would be the makings of a good childhood memory, in gameplay format.

Then I realized something. Our childhood years are very formitive- more than teenage years, and certainly more than adult years. What we do then shapes who we are in our futures... just like in an RPG. This explains why people with more major events in their lives tend to be more mature at a younger age, etc. They have more encounters in their life, and have more XP as a result.

As people "develop-" spend XP on levels- they become more defined (unless if they evenly distribute, to be average at everything). So, the gameplay of RPGs very, very closely resembles that of real life. Hostility encourages growth. This is why someone only gets, say, ten levels in their childhood- and several dozen of the course of their harrowing adventure.

At some point, I will do this in an RPG. I'm a huge fan of Fallout 3's backstory (Sorry New Vegas, but the Lone Wanderer actually has history, and some characterization). It was immersive, informative, and fun. It would be much harder to do with multiple people, so I don't plan on copying the formula exactly... but I will try to get the same effect. Find who's strong, who's smart, who's quick... all the essentials of being a teenager.

-Paladins vs Clerics

I loved DnD. Still do, to an extent. But one thing that always baffled me was the difference between a cleric and a paladin. Where is the line? And is a Druid just a nature cleric?

They both come from the same principle- a person is tasked (by themselves, the church, or the deity itself) to be a deity's presence in the world. For good gods, this means feeding orphans, turning undead, and keeping your prayers strong. For evil gods, it usually means starving the orphans, raising the dead, and spreading the vile sacrament of your god on the quivering minds of those below you.

"Paladin" conjures images of helmeted crusaders, mulching through bodies with holy symbols brazed onto their equipment. It's obviously someone strong, someone driven- almost like a Fighter, but they give praise before and after battle.

"Cleric" seems more laid back. Perhaps a temple priest, or a ritual herbalist. Obviously nothing dangerous here... until that large, iron-bound book comes out, to be greeted with the wails of "Rez Plz" by fallen comrades.

As an interesting dynamic, paladins usually get access to low-level healing and buffs, while clerics can cast high-damage spells occasionally. So, they are united in purpose- representation of gods. The difference is how much testosterone they put into their "worship."