Maybe a story...

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So it starts.

For the past few months, I've been back in to BG2 after a long break. As is typical, I'm getting tired of it now, having been powergaming through Tactics/Ascension and the like, basically turning the game into a giant brawl. While this is all well and good, it won't hold my interest for much longer.

I've done a fair bit of roleplaying with my characters in the past but I've never made it really serious. More like pick my alignment and class and then let them guide my dialogs from time to time. In an attempt to let the game hold my interest a bit longer, I think I may take it for one more spin and actually keep a journal for my character in the Creativity Surge forum.

Now to be honest, there's no telling if this will entertain me long or not. I may give it up in a few days. But it's worth a shot, at least. I'm posting this here (and will create a story thread later) to add that little bit of motivation that stems from even a potential audience. So read my story, don't read my story -- I'll post it anyway. And let us hope there is fun for all involved!

Now on to my character: he will be a human, neutral good Jester for a number of reasons. The most striking quality about him is his stories. To him, the real value isn't in the quest itself (or the game I'm about to play) but the story told afterwards. His personality is largely modeled after such characters as Touchstone from "As You Like It" or (when it comes to story-telling), Ishmael from "Moby Dick." Like the fools in any good Elizabethan play, although his demeanor may seem frivolous and superficial at first, it is often his word that holds wisdom. Given that explanation, naturally a Jester is fitting.

I picked human because I don't want him to stand out in any way other than his stories. He's not a noble elf, a proud dwarf, or an amiable gnome. He's just a man placed in extraordinary circumstances who happens to have a thing or two to say about it.

His alignment, much like his race, is also rather simple -- at least on the surface. He's not your overbearing advocate of justice, order, or even goodness; however, he does believe in the importance of basic kindness and surely doesn't hold himself far enough above the rest of mankind to be selfish with their thoughts and opinions. He might make a stab or two against villians when he finds them but he won't go looking for evil. In a large sense, he's not really in control of his destiny and he doesn't want to be. He tells the tale, he doesn't make it. To meet this end, I've given no thought whatsoever to how he will handle various situations in the game; I'll just let him handle them as they come along. I also have not given any thought to the NPCs I will bring along with me. They will come (and possibly go) as they or I please.

And now, on a more practical note, I feel the need to reiterate the fact that this story may not see its conclusion but hopefully it will at least be entertaining along the way. During the week, updates may be few as I have quite a course load this semester but all doubts aside, this should be fun! I'll post a link to the actualy story when I start it.

The story has been started, Orlando the Fool is born.

[ January 21, 2006, 09:58: Message edited by: Aahz ]

 

I did the same thing with Quayle's Story, and rest assured it makes the game more fun. Don't be afraid to tweak the story how you see fit (Lord knows I have ), no matter if it fits with what happens in the game or not. In fact, I find that such departures are welcome surprises for the readers, or so I'm told. Welcome to the fold, good Aahz.

 

Thanks, Felinoid. Good to hear from another like-minded soul. I'll have to read Quayle's story -- it sounds quite interesting. Best of luck to us both.

 

That's a great way to play the game and I look forward to reading your story. With a game like this, you really do get out of it what you put into it.

 

@Aahz:
Take your time with it; Quayle's Story is about 170KB in Notepad, and I'm only half done. I started back in BG1 and am up to Brynnlaw in BG2 now (though I've played all of Chapter Four, I still need to write it). I can only hope that this keeps my attention until the end of ToB, because I've got some interesting thoughts for new epilogues.

 

I played/wrote for about two hours last night and got to my meeting with Bayle. In lieu of Orlando's philosophy, I'm writing it as I go along. Better on the memory regardless. It's quite entertaining so far.

 

Good read so far Aahz, there more coming soon?

 

There may be but it is hard to tell. School work is keeping me busy -- my schedule for the past week or so has literally consisted of only eating, sleeping, and school work. Quite a load this semester. But I will definitely try. Glad to hear you're enjoying it.