Mutant Morality
One of the reasons I love roleplaying games is the ability to get into different headspaces. Forget different races, different cultures are more interesting, different forms of morality that underpin the actions of a character.
This is one of the reasons why I like the Sabbat in Vampire: the Masquerade. They don't bother pretending to be human anymore, so they adopt new methods to transcend their humanity and the beast that gnaws at their soul.
For this reason I'm thinking of including a crude morality system in the mutant game "Other Strangeness", something that mechanically makes players think in a non-human way. These characters aren't human, and many players I've encountered in conventions (and ongoing LARP chronicles) over the years don't really understand the way to get into an inhuman mindset...but mechanical prompts help a bit. Such mechanical prompts may seem a bit forced at times, but they do their job.
I've been trying to think of good methodologies to base morality forms on.
One group might base their morality on the notion that they bear the legacy of ancient Egyptian deities, perhaps desiring to lead cults of human followers.
Another group might follow tenets of 'transhumanism', constantly pushing the envelope of mutation and evolution.
One might consider themselves guardian angels of humanity, eternally separate but fated to help when they can.
Mutant insects might have a hive mentality that rewards working for the common good, but makes independent choices difficult.
How do these forms of morality affect the characters? How do characters with different morality forms interact with one another?
I'm thinking back to the 'pack dynamic' in the Sabbat, where clans give powers, paths define morality, and packs have a quasi-mystical bond. The difference being that in this game, the mutant animal type gives the powers, and this undefined criteria defines morality.
It's just a fragment of an idea at this stage, but maybe something that could be further developed.
This is one of the reasons why I like the Sabbat in Vampire: the Masquerade. They don't bother pretending to be human anymore, so they adopt new methods to transcend their humanity and the beast that gnaws at their soul.
For this reason I'm thinking of including a crude morality system in the mutant game "Other Strangeness", something that mechanically makes players think in a non-human way. These characters aren't human, and many players I've encountered in conventions (and ongoing LARP chronicles) over the years don't really understand the way to get into an inhuman mindset...but mechanical prompts help a bit. Such mechanical prompts may seem a bit forced at times, but they do their job.
I've been trying to think of good methodologies to base morality forms on.
One group might base their morality on the notion that they bear the legacy of ancient Egyptian deities, perhaps desiring to lead cults of human followers.
Another group might follow tenets of 'transhumanism', constantly pushing the envelope of mutation and evolution.
One might consider themselves guardian angels of humanity, eternally separate but fated to help when they can.
Mutant insects might have a hive mentality that rewards working for the common good, but makes independent choices difficult.
How do these forms of morality affect the characters? How do characters with different morality forms interact with one another?
I'm thinking back to the 'pack dynamic' in the Sabbat, where clans give powers, paths define morality, and packs have a quasi-mystical bond. The difference being that in this game, the mutant animal type gives the powers, and this undefined criteria defines morality.
It's just a fragment of an idea at this stage, but maybe something that could be further developed.
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