Re: [HoE] (Side)Kicking an Idea Around

[Darrin Bright <darrin@neobright.net>]

Matthew Steflik wrote:
> 
> Hey Folks,
> 
> Had an interesting (well, at least we thought so) conversation start up
> at the other night's session, and I'm looking for input:  What if a
> player wanted to play another player's sidekick?  Would you deal with
> this as an edge / hindrance kind of mechanic or not?  I mean, if HAVING
> a sidekick is an edge, would BEING a sidekick be a hindrance?  

This is doable, but you wouldn't actually use the Sidekick edge. Here's
how to do it:

Create two characters as normal. Decide which one is going to be the
Sidekick, then give that character a 3-5 point Obligation hindrance. The
sidekick is obligated to follow the other guy around, do what he says,
lend him money, jump in front of bullets, and so forth. If done right,
it should create a little tension between what he wants to do and what
he's told to do... but at least he'll get chips if his partner orders
him into harm's way.

For the other character, give him a 1-3 point Obligation or Oath
(whichever seems appropriate) to protect the Sidekick. Actually, you may
want to make this optional... maybe the character doesn't want a
sidekick and can't seem to get rid of the one he's got... you know, that
whole "I owe you my life! I will never leave your side!" sort of thing.
But you'll need to work out some sort of background for how they met,
why the sidekick sticks around, etc.


> obligation hindrance as well.  If it is a hindrance, how many points
> would it be worth?  Would other Marshals out there even allow something
> like this to occur?  If so, how would YOU handle it?  Any and all input
> would be interesting and appreciated.

My first Deadlands character, Charlie Two-Horse, was an indian brave
sidekick to a bounty hunter, the somewhat-less-than-famous Jim
Vermillion. We just roleplayed it, didn't take any hindrances... I sort
of came up with this on-the-fly explanation why Charlie was around at
all, and it turned into a huge key to developing Charlie's personality.
I said Charlie had stolen Jim's horse at one point, and then lost it,
and Jim was keeping Charlie around until the indian worked up enough
money to pay off the loss of the horse. As the character developed,
Charlie had a long history of losing horses is bizarre ways, and it only
got worse as he travelled with Jim...