need issue idea

[stefoid]

Hi , just had a pilot episode of a 'firefly-like' series called  'Haven' (because thats what the spaceship appears to be to the characters that live on it).

It was pretty damn good!

One players character had an issue which I had a bit of trouble getting a handle on. She referred to it as 'superirity complex'.  (I think she was going for a character based on Avon from Blakes-7).

But we couldnt really make that work well.  To me it sounds more likea symptom of the characters real issue, rather than the issue itself. 

Can anyone come up with some example isses that would result in someone being a superior-acting arsehole with 'not really a people-person' behaviour?  I suggested 'Needs a hug', but it doesnt really fit with the gritty theme of the show.

thanks in advance,

[Matt Wilson]

I think you're right. Why does the character feel compelled to act superior? Most of the time people do it because they actually feel just the opposite. Maybe it was parents like Simon Tam's who expected her to be perfect but always found flaws and told her all about them, so she's trying to drown out their voices.

Another option is maybe once she let someone walk all over her and the superiority complex is kind of like barbed wire.

Hope that helps.

[stefoid]

Hi Matt.  In the rulebook there is a small list of example issues.  Have you got a longer one?   That list was really useful for new players to get the idea of waht an issue could be,

[Danny_K]

1) Insecurity -- rather than engage people and risk exposing their flaws, the character remains aloof and superior.
2) Snobbishness - the character was raised with a sense of superiority, and feels demeaned by being around the other PC's. 
3) Narcicissism--the character thinks they're special, entitled to special treatment.  They may be right, but they don't have to rub people's noses in it.

Simon Tam in Firefly is a mixture of all three.
Cordelia in Buffy is a mixture of #2 and #3. 
Magneto in the X-Men movies is mostly #3. 
Leia Organa in the first Star Wars movie is mostly #2 and a little #3.

I can't think of a pop culture hero who's mostly insecure, but I know there are a lot of them.

[stefoid]

I ended up suggesting "fear of intimacy" as in, if you let your guard down, it makes you vunerable.  I suppose thats 1)