By now, if you've stuck around my web site for any length of time,
or perhaps one of the other sites that mine is linked to, you should know
what the Vampire Court is, so we'll skip that little nugget of information
in this paper. However, the problem that I mean to address with this little
note is within the "walls" of the Vampire Court, so those of you who
frequent it should find this document to be interesting.Since my character himself is one who has been branded as a "power-
character", my stance on this topic will most definitely be pro-power.
After all, it wouldn't make much sense to defend something that I myself
did not believe in. But then, our judicial system seems to be notorious
for that. But that's another story completely. The spark that started this flame was struck on the morning of
January 23 at around 1:30 am CST. This argument had been presented several
times in the past, but never was it centered around me. So this time, of
course, I had to take a special interest in it. As the discussion
dragged lethargically onward, I began to feel the workings of an essay
coming into focus on that big mental word processor in my head. Of course,
I had to react to these most primal instincts and carry through with
my envisioned defense.
As it would appear, some of the weaker characters of the Court have
been getting a bit antsy lately. Perhaps it is because of the DiMera
Ordeal. Whatever the cause, they are combing everything for something to
complain about. If they see anything as a potential threat, they deem it
to be in violation with the guidelines for the game as set forth by
White Wolf.
So I wonder, are these people just so bored that they have to create
things to annoy people about, or are they just jealous and frightened that
their characters will be taken advantage of.
In order to add some content to this paper, I've decided to expound
on both of these theories in the hope that you will continue reading just
to get my worthless opinions, and also in an attempt to discover just what
is causing the unrest as of late.
The power-characters, god characters, BS characters, as they are
so lovingly referred to as of late, are those characters who have attained
some degree of power through either fair or unscrupulous means. However,
there should be noted that there is a distinct line between those
characters that are referred to as power-characters, and those that are
referred to as god characters. It seems that this distinction needs to be
made known, as I was accused of being both simultaneously.
God characters, as some or all of you may have come to realize,
are those characters who claim that they simply cannot be killed by any
means whatsoever. There is nothing more annoying than skillfully removing
someone's head via a complex post of networked rules and action tokens
only to be responded to with a statement such as "I pick the head back
up and place it back where it belongs."
These characters should be recieving most of the attention, but
are they? No, of course not. These characters are simply put on ignore.
Another example, one of my favorites, are those characters who can only
be killed by a certain person, usually a beloved family member. What is
the likelihood of this ever happening? Slim, which is exactly why most of
these people create characters like this.
The second type of character would be the power-character, into
which my character would dutifully fit. This is the type of character that,
though created and played completely by the corresponding system, is
simply too powerful for average game play.
Alright, for the most part, I do agree with the agressions that may
rise in light of this conflict. There are those who would simply throw
something together and claim legitimacy. I have never been guilty of this,
in complete entirety, nor do I plan to start any time in the near future.
On the character sheet that I have posted on my web site, I have clearly
stated that some parts of the character have been adjusted to fit his
place in the Vampire Court.
This brings me to another point, a point which will be hotly debated
by those who are new to the Court or who have never had much of an active
part in the internal workings of it.
The Court is based entirely on the different clans that visit it.
The Court is not a city, province, estate, or any other such nonsense,
therefore, it cannot be ruled by a prince in the true meaning of the word.
So, we have need for leaders and advisors. Who but the most powerful of the characters are going to claim this position? Who is going to keep the
clans in line?
Therefore, we have the need for leaders, most commonly referred to as elders. These elders are usually those characters who have remained in
the Court for quite some time. It follows the guidelines of seniority. Given
the scenario that you go to work at a new factory. A couple of months later,
there are two people up for promotion. The first is a young man who has
been under employ for but a few months, let's say eight. The second man has
been with the company for over thirty years. Who do you think is going to
get the position?
The Vampire Court follows the same set of principles. It is
extremely rare that newer characters rise to any position of power very
quickly in the Court unless they are closely affiliated with some who
is. It is simply a fact of life.
So, we have elders. The elders are those who have resided in the
Court for quite some time, are well known and respected by most of the
Court, and who possess some degree of power.
Most of the older kindred have a degree of advantage over the
not-so-older kindred. When the Vampire Court was first created, its social
and political leaders were more or less chosen. Over time, many of these
people left the Court. However, there are those who have chosen to stay.
These characters make up the largest portion of the elders of the Court.
Which brings us to the power base. When is enough too much? Where
are the lines drawn that say how powerful a character can and cannot be?
Well, the rules governing this aspect of the Court are vague, but they are
existent. Again, it goes back to seniority.
Those characters who have resided in the Court for quite some time
tend to be powerful, quite a bit powerful than the others there. Is this not their right? Most of them are real life (table top) characters who have been
specially adjusted so as to fit their positions in the Court. Does this make
the characters any less legal?
On the opposite end of the power continuum, you have these new
characters that show up claiming to have great power and influence. These
are the characters that are normally attacked, mostly by those who have
earned their titles and their power. Those in power have been accepted as
such by the majority of the Court, and will remain as such until it is
decided otherwise.
Leaders of the Vampire Court are there for a purpose. The characters
have been developed over a long period of time, and therefore deserve some
degree of respect from those who have not been there quite as long. It
eludes me why this concept is so difficult to grasp?
Another interesting point that was brought up in our debate that
caught my attention was the allusion that I had no love or faith for the
game because I played a one of the "power-characters". This reasoning
completely and totally evades my sense of logic.
Where is the purpose in insulting someone's role-playing talents
simply because you do not believe that the character should be as powerful
as s/he is? What sense of pathetic pleasure does this bring? I myself was
accused of raping, perverting, and warping the rules and fun of game play.
Perhaps those with which I was debating slipped some tidbit of arument
destroying evidence that proved all conclusively that I bear little
intellect and much arrogance. True, I can be a bit self-centered at times,
but we all have our problems.
In closing, I would like to pose the question "What is the point?"
Where will bickering and arguing over who should have how much power going
to get any of us? It is my recommendation that we leave well enough alone.
When these power-characters begin to interfere with the fun, that's when
things have gone too far. But until then, why do anything less than
accept the things that we cannot change?
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