Golden Perch Discussion Thread

[blantyr]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

If everything goes smoothly, the story doesn't sound neither right nor realistic. It gets Mary-Sue-ish. But conflict is harder to write, in my opinion. And it can be part of character to try to avoid conflict.

Entirely up to you, blantyr. I'm just sayin'.

I'm just realizing Goldie was created for entirely different sort of game. Her home AQ game is a fellowship game, with a bunch of warriors attempting to protect Breeland and beyond, dealing with ruffians coming up the Greenway. I wanted to create a young and far less powerful version of Tolkien's Great Ladies, and could do so without fear that there would be no conflict. There is conflict in sufficient abundance in the AQ game, such that one character seeking grace and lack of conflict creates a conflict with the more aggressive and direct male PCs.

Are we seeking attrition or an end to the conflict? Should an elf be meddling in conflict between human groups? Is this just a skirmish for power between humans, or is a Shadow present that must be dealt with? Is there a nobler path than to simply to use one's sword? When there is clearly a Shadow on the land, how can one do nothing? How does one pinpoint the center of the Shadow's influence such that one need not use any more violence than necessary?

When Goldie left her wandering company to walk among mortals she had resolved not to impose elven standards on non-elves, not to reshape them to the standards she holds for herself, and not to judge. She must quietly adapt to local culture if she can do so in good conscience. If she cannot adapt in good conscience, she doesn't belong and should leave.

The Golden Pearch is clearly an entirely different game asking entirely different questions, exploring Tolkien's world from an entirely different perspective. At some point I may create a hobbit with the correct hair, skin and eye colors, sufficient character flaws and enough stubbornness to bounce merrily off Al.

But that's not Goldie. I find Tolkien's major female characters too good to be true, and created Goldie in the same spirit. Heck, if a Mary Sue character is too idealized, lacks flaws, and embodies a wish fulfillment by the author, should we talk about Arwen, Galadriel and Goldberry? Sure, Goldie might go too far to avoid conflict unless she absolutely has to. That is perhaps a problem in this game. It's a feature in her original game.

Anyway, she's not running or hiding. Any who wants to follow and talk to her could. If anyone would speak her name she would stop and converse. Any who wishes to follow the music in the night could. At this point, though, she isn't going to push herself on anyone.

Bob