Re: [HoE] [HOE] Templar Ideals

["Steve Crow" <crow_steve@hotmail.com>]

> > (*whew*)
> > Any suggstions?
>
>Yep.
>
>We must remember that a Templar's code is a very personal ideal.  There is
>no universal code of worthiness, nor do the Templars maintain their own
>"commandments", as such.  Certainly, there are guidelines established, but
>there are exceptions, as well.  Who exactly qualifies as an exception is up
>to the individual Templar.
>

It is?  I thought it was ultimately up to folks like Simon and Joan.  
There's nothing in any of the source material I've ever seen (which includes 
non-narrative examples in the Templar Sourcebook) that suggests such 
"exceptions" exist.  In fact, the Templar Sourcebook goes to great lengths 
to detail what happens to folks who make such exceptions.  They're called 
"Anti-Templars."  Or, alternately, "Dead."  Take your pick.  :)

>Second, and perhaps more importantly: if a village is deemed unworthy, does
>that mean all of it's people are?  Certainly the local barflies who beat
>the Templar up (while he was disguised as a mutie, natch), aren't worth the
>trouble.  But what of the young girl who helps the Templar to the doc's?
>What of the doc who helps a mutant who obviously cannot pay in any currency
>except gratitude?  Certainly they are worth saving.
>

So...what?  The Templar defends the one or two folks he finds worthy of 
saving, but not the rest?  In Ryan's "Rest of the party is going to help for 
payment or just because they're heroic" example, I don't see how that's 
going to make a substantial difference.

Or are you suggesting that because the village has a minority of good folks 
(and which one doesn't?), the Templar should defend the whole village.  
Because without all the unworthy types around, the worthy ones'll get killed 
off next week anyway when the Templar leaves?

That _could_ work as a justification.  Although again, going from both 
narrative and non-narrative examples in the source material, that's not the 
impression I get...

>Finally: yes, sometimes the Templar must turn his back.  It's a hard thing,
>to watch people die.  What will the Templar's friends think? A marshal who
>ignores the dramatic possibilities here is missing out on some powerful
>opportunities for role-playing.
>

As I noted earlier, there are certainly dramatic possibilities here.  The 
problem is that the only apparent resolutions available to those 
possibilities are the Templar either A) being kicked out of the player group 
and forcing the player to create a new character (and the subsequent, "If it 
was going to be that non-flexible, why did you and Pinnacle let me have such 
a character, and why did you let me waste my time playing it" outcry), or 
having the Templar do unworthy things, violate his oath and (assuming the 
Marshall requires the oath to have any meaning) get blackballed and/or 
become an Anti-Templar.

As I noted earlier, me, I'm sympathetic towards the Anti-Templars.  Not sure 
which way Pinnacle is going with the whole "Simon's Fate"/Templar thing, but 
I'm trying to build up a cadre of Anti-Templars who refuse to draw upon 
their...extra powers, shall we say?

In fact, one almost gets the impression that within the source material 
itself, the Templar's code may cause them to self-destruct anyway, as more 
and more break off to become Anti-Templars (plus Simon's successor 
problems).  The issue then is, do the individual Marshals portray this 
break-off group as evil (as the Templar Sourcebook does both narratively and 
non-narratively), or as a potential force for good?

If the Anti-Templars can be portrayed as "good," and if your PC Templars 
aren't of the hard-core Templar variety (although considering Pinnacle sets 
Joan, such a hard-core, up as a role model of sorts, that's not very 
likely), _then_ you have dramatic possibilities.  The PC Templars have an 
out that lets them fight alongside their party members, they have a constant 
temptation that they must resist (more role-playing possibilities), all 
they're losing is access to the Martyrs (and our party's Templar/Greenie is 
realizing that may not be much of a loss - he's got Stern and York vying 
over him), and he's picked up some cool enemies.

That would really be my suggestion.  However, it requires that A) the 
Marshall go the "Anti-Templars as a force for good" approach, one that seems 
to be at odds with Pinnacle, and B) that the player play along.  Believe it 
or not, some players will actually take a character who is unviable in a 
group-player setting (particularly if the setting provides them with a 
character that is unviable, as Templars potentially are) and play it out 
even though it might get their PC kicked out and piss off the other players. 
  Strange but true...

>B.D. "story marshal" Flory
>
>
>To unsubscribe, send a message to esquire@gamerz.net with
>	unsubscribe hoe
>as the BODY of the message.  The SUBJECT is ignored.
>


---

Steve Crow

"Worm Can Opener Extraordinare"

Check out my website at:  http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/4991/


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com