[FATE] Holiday with the Smiths

[girlplay]

Game Name Holiday with the Smiths

Game System FATE

Theme Dysfunctional family drama

Flavour Heavy roleplaying and relationship issues

Plot Summary The storyline Bernice Smith, the matriarch of the family and the last of her generation, is dying. Diagnosed with a late-stage terminal disease, her time on this earth is almost up. She has one final wish before she leaves this world: to see her family reconcile and come together. This is no simple request, however. Her children and grandchildren have a dysfunctional and sorted history. They have wronged each other, knowingly or unintentionally. But the family is fractured and their relationships... difficult. This may be grandma's last Thanksgiving and she has invited all of her living relatives to visit her - but mostly to work out their differences and come to some level of understanding and acceptance. That's not all. The cunning old bird has made it a stipulation in her will that nobody inherits any of her rather significant wealth until she's satisfied that they truly have worked out their differences. Just pretending to get along is not going to be enough. She's demanding something more significant before she's satisfied that the wounds have been healed and her family is once again... a real family. The cast Welcome to the Smith family. Your character will be a member of this highly dysfunctional brood, either by birth or marriage. Bernice is the last of her generation but the characters may be her offspring, her grandchildren, or married to one of them. Each family member has a history with the others that includes issues, events, and deeds that somebody else in the family holds against them. You're not perfect people and not experts at relationships. Your actions and words have hurt people. There's misunderstandings and lingering issues that have created wounds that have yet to heal. Grandma may be a stubborn, self-righteous woman but her heart is in the right place. Family is what matters most and it has broken her heart repeatedly that her family does not get along. And let's fact it, she's loaded. Would you rather have a share of her estate when she passed on from this world? Or see it passed on to whatever charity the lawyers decide on? And deep down, don't you also wish that you had a more loving and understanding family? The rules and the game This games is obviously very heavily slanted towards pure roleplaying, however, if and when it comes to determining success and failure an RPG rule set is useful. For this game, we'll be using the Fate core rules. You could have your character know all the best social skills and just roll your way through this game. But I recommend that you concentrate on the characters, their issues, and telling the story rather than on game mechanics. Character applications I don't imagine that we'll have an overwhelming number of applications to this game, so most applicants will undoubtedly be accepted. I'm looking for 5 to 6 players ideally. The number of NPCs will be at least as many as the PCs, to round out the family and give players somebody to tell their story with. Some of the details will have to be worked out once we have our roster of players but I encourage you to put some time and effort into thinking about what kind of story you want to tell and what relationships and issues with those relationships you'll have with your family. Grandma has a huge house, so everyone gets to stay under one roof for the holiday season. I recommend that you include the following: Name: Obviously if you're a male offspring of Bernice, then your last name is Smith. Place in the family: What generation is the character - a direct descendent of Bernice? Second generation? A more distant relative? Are they a son, daughter-in-law? Niece? Grandson? High concept: Summed up in a few words, who is the character? Trouble: Your character's own personal flaws and issues. Aspect 1: Something that helps define who the character is or an unexpected trait. Career and hobbies: How do you earn a living and spend your time? Immediate family: Are you married? Do you have children? Possible issues: This is the core of your character application. You have issues and history with other family members. What are they? Which ones are known to your family and what secrets do you still have? This idea can be general until more exactly details can be worked out. **Note: Naturally, working together with other players is welcome and encouraged. ** Deadline The exact closing of applications will depend somewhat on how much interest the community shows for this game. Tentatively, I plan on closing applications on 11/27. If we get 6 players quickly, then the close may happen sooner. This game is not first-come, first-serve but realistically, the number of Fate players is small and since this isn't a traditional adventure game, I don't expect an overwhelming number of applications.

[Wynamoinen]

I was just going to ponder characters for a few days, then very likely apply. But the sight of an interesting game with a zero reply count is just too sad to bear. So, I am stating interest in order to hopefully prime the pump and boost the numbers.

[ihinka]

It's not like I don't have enough on my plate. But I find myself unable to turn down heavy roleplaying flavored systems or games. Too many one-liners in my 5e games -_-

So you have my interest.

[girlplay]

Thank you for your interest. I thought long and hard about what kind of game I wanted to run, and decided that it should be something other than the typical adventure or detective games. Before I ever started playing RPGs, I did some collaborative writing on various forums and liked it a lot. I wish RPGs were more like that. My hope is that it appeals to other writers and roleplayers who would enjoy sinking their metaphorical teeth into something more solid.

[ihinka]

I've been on a couple of pbp forums and it is my experience that the more roleplay-centric systems like Fate, Cypher, Powered by the Apocalypse are largely overlooked. I like D&D. But the roleplaying experience with dnd depends so much on the players. And especially with pbp. Some people are satisfied with writing one sentence to express their character's actions. And while it is true no one is obligated to write more, within a writing medium it is somewhat of a let down.

Which is why I couldn't pass this by. I've had a Numenera game fall through a while back, as well as a promising cyberpunk one powered by the Apocalypse system.

I actually already have some preliminary character ideas

[girlplay]

Originally Posted by ihinka

I actually already have some preliminary character ideas

Ready to share those ideas? It might help others to think about their own ideas and how they might relate to another character.

[ihinka]

Sure

I was thinking a granddaughter... She's one step away from being disowned by her stuck up, snobby, entitled family. She's gay, but that's not the reason. Her parents would have been perfectly content to marry her off to some high-society professional lesbian (a corporate lawyer or something) and write themselves off as progressive gay parents while their daughter lived the life of a socialite. But unfortunately for them, their unruly daughter didn't go for that type of woman.

And to top it off she decided to graduate archaeology or anthropology or something as equally useless in her parent's eyes. Fortunately for my character she started publishing content and was mildly successful in her field and so her parents shifted gears and used the eccentric academic to excuse their daughter's behavior.

The final nail in their coffin of patience was when she started taking interest in fringe theories and lines of study and research (Atlantis, Lemuria, Hollow earth, lost advanced prehistoric civilizations). So they issued an ultimatum. Either drop those lunacies and go back to her mainstream studies, or marry a woman they've selected for her to help repair the damage to the family image she'd inflicted with her crazy ideas.

I figure nana would be the only person my character has good relationship with. Maybe an in-law or two, depending on the characters. I imagine nana would also be the one to support her decision to go into the archaeological field and even when she went after the crazier ideas of her. Nana might have even tried to set her up a couple of times. And her taste in women was probably better and closer to that of my character, than any of the professional lesbians her parents tried to marry her off to.

That's the gist of it

[girlplay]

Ihinka: Anthropology is actually a very useful field of study and applicable to a wide variety of occupations. Archelogy would make more sense for the character background and it seems to me that you were describing that kind of occupation anyway. The character background seems like it could work quite well. And the "stuck up, snobby, entitled family" part could be partially just her interpretation of her parents' motives. They could easily see it as trying to look after their daughter and steer her towards what they thought would be better for her. Or not... they might just be snobs.

[ihinka]

There could most definitely be a miscommunication between my character and her parents that led to misunderstandings. Sure They might or might not be stuck up, snobby or entitled or any combination of those. The end result is that they've pushed her away and are at the verge of disowning her if she doesn't come back into the fold.

And yeah, I lean towards archaeology more than anthropology, which however useful it can be in actuality, the fact of the matter remains that some people see it as useless

I'm not even sure of the number of members in her family, not the extended family... is she an only child, does she have siblings? I don't know

Those were my preliminary ideas, which can be developed in conjunction with the ideas of the other players.

[Wynamoinen]

Bea R

Name: Beatrice "Honey Bea Hopebeam" Rabinowitz (née Smith) (answers to Bea, Bea R, BR, or Honey Bea)
Place in the family: Daughter of Bernice

High concept: Neo-hippie burnout gold-digger
Trouble: Can't settle on anything
Aspect 1: While she thinks of herself as an independent thinker, she has been a participant in all the major fad cultures sine the mid-1970s. By the late 1980s, she was indicted for possession of narcotics and did 6 years in federal prison.I've lived the times and done the time

Career and hobbies: There is not an herbal remedy or essential oil that is too obscure or over-hyped for her. She has worked at a number of jobs in retail and faddish service, but has not assembled anything resembling a career. She has usually tied herself to a man (three husbands, and two other fiancees, including her current betrothed, Jamison Weatherbee) who have amply provided for her needs and desires.
Immediate family: Thrice-divorced and currently-engaged, but childless.

Possible issues: Honey Bea was I figure this puts her birth year around 1965, putting her in her early 50s as of game-time.Bernice's first child, which means she was precociously coming of age in the heady time of disco. She rebelled early, hitting the club and exploring the more and less licit pleasures of the era. By the time disco was dead, Bea was still just a very young 19. She had fled from her family, and met the demons of addiction. She couldn't return to the bosom of her family. She met and married a series of refugees from the 60s, joined a commune, and look her hippie name. Her second husband has involved in some light narcotic smuggling. She left him by the late 1980s and returned to her family in tears. But addiction still held sway, as did federal drug laws. That left the family as prime targets to feed her habit. More than one member of the family (rightly) believed that she stole from them, and they felt vindicated when she was arrested and sent to prison for possession and trafficking of narcotics.

Beatrice had mellowed by the time of her release. She soon thereafter found her third husband, who was quite well-off, having founded a "Night-soil.com: it's the Pets.com of composting and organic matter!"first-wave tech boom website. She took up a number of social and environmental causes. She is an avid cryptozooligist, she claims to adhere to Wicca, and she has been an ambassador for a number of crackpot remedies, treatments and "systems" over the years. She is both passionate and credulous. She is frankly just a few Facebook clicks away from taking up Flat-Eartherism. She argues passionately and earnestly with her family members regularly, accusing them of such sins as "neoliberalism", "medical orthodoxy", "corporate fascism", and "ecological holocaust". They generally don't trust her with money, expensive possessions, or basic factual knowledge.

She is a somewhat dim, burned-out new-age pain in the ass.

The inheritance: If anyone were to ask her directly, she would list 10 different causes she'd donate to if she got her inheritance. In honesty, the inheritance would allow BR a modicum of independence that she has never really had. She's not convinced that a fourth marriage to Jamison is wise, but without any skills or savings to rely on, she feels that she needs to hitch herself to a wealthy partner. Her life would take perhaps its most radical change yet - self-reliance - if she could just get her hands on that money.

[Acathala]

Just for my own personal curiosity, how did Beatrice snare her Jamison?

[Skep]

Interested. Getting burnt out on D&D, need more character drama.

I should have something concrete later in the week. Currently considering a son, a small-town police officer who works long hours to support a sick wife and disabled daughter. Not enough money and too much pride sort of deal.

[girlplay]

Sounds interesting, Skep. I'll be curious to see what you come up with.

[Roekahs]

I should post and say that I am interested and watching this thread. I am currently drumming up ideas and gauging my available time.

[ihinka]

I've wanted to use this faceclame for a while now an I think she fits the character well

Name: Rowan Will be different if her mother married out of the Smith family.?Smith?
Place in the family: Unsure if on her mother's or father's side... Maybe on her mother's side and her father is independently (of the Smith money) wealthy. Lawyer, or banker or something other that can make you rich Granddaughter, I'd put her age around 37-ish.

High concept: An explorer driven to discover the mysteries of lost civilizations considered to be mythical
Trouble: Very dedicated to her work up to the point of absentmindedness, women often accuse her they can't compete with her mistress - archaeology
Aspect 1: Very open-minded and willing to give different perspectives the benefit of the doubt. Not to be confused with a pushover.

Career and hobbies: Ro's an archaeologist. What time she doesn't spend on digs or on research, is allotted equally among writing for archaeological media, restoring the house she recently acquired and, whenever she can swing it, her VtM gaming sessions with her close circle of friends.
Immediate family: Single, constantly searching for Miss Right

Possible issues: Ro's one step away from being disowned by her stuck up, snobby, entitled family. She's gay, but that's not the reason. Her parents would have been perfectly content to marry her off to some high-society professional lesbian (a corporate lawyer or something) and write themselves off as progressive gay parents while their daughter lived the life of a socialite. But unfortunately for them, their unruly daughter didn't go for that type of woman and had no interest of being arm candy to some hyped up courtroom warrior in a power suit (regardless of how hot they may look in said suits).

And to top it off Ro went and graduated archaeology. Something utterly useless in her parent's eyes. Fortunately for Rowan when she started publishing content and gained some success and recognition in her field of study her parents shifted gears and used the eccentric academic to excuse their daughter's behavior.

The final nail in their coffin of patience, however, was driven in when Ro started taking interest in fringe theories and lines of study and research like Atlantis, Lemuria, the Hollow earth theory, and all those crazy hypotheses about lost advanced prehistoric civilizations. So her parents issued an ultimatum. Either drop those lunacies and go back to her mainstream studies, or marry a woman they've selected for her to help repair the damage she'd inflicted on the family image with her crazy ideas.

Nana Berny, or Birdy as Ro is used to call her ever since she was little and was unable to pronounce her grandmother's name correctly, Could change with appealing player applications is the only relative Rowan has a good relationship with. (Maybe an in-law or two, depending on the characters.) Birdy was always supportive of Rowan's decision to go into the archaeological field and even when she went after her more out there ideas. Nana, like Ro's parents, also tried to set her up on a number of occasions with "promising young ladies" as Birdy liked to call them. But her taste in women was way better and closer to Rowan's, than any of the professional lesbians her parents try to marry her off to.

The Inheritance: Ultimately Rowan doesn't care much for the inheritance. She is more concerned with the prospect of losing her beloved grandmother, than gaining loads of cash. She's told Birdy on more than one occasion that if money could buy her compliance, she would have been already married off to some filthy rich corporate lawyer lady. However, out of love for her Nana, Ro will try to respect her last wishes and reconcile with her parents, but not at the expense of bending to their will. Internally Rowan is willing to admit that her parents are acting out of some form of love. But the way they go about showing it is so bent by the prism of their own worldview that Ro just doesn't know how to find a way to show them queue sad violins playing she's different and it's okay to love her just the way she is.