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I have a reasonably well-stocked costume closet, including everything from an impressive wizard's outfit through quasi-military khakis, a white lab coat, 17th-century cavalier's garb, frock coat, topper & sword cane suitable for a 19th-century boulevardier, and an authentically styled Roman senatorial toga.
My S.O. is an accomplished costumer and not averse to outfitting me elaborately for a good role.
The pattern in most of the characters I have played best and enjoyed most is that they are all types who get their leverage from intelligence and puzzle-solving ability -- high-level scientist or sorcerer types. One of them, `The Brain', made me the runner-up for the `Best Player' award in the first Ace Of Spades game at Balticon (and achieved all his character goals in his second appearance at the Floating Vagabond). Another (Dr. John Myriad) saved the planet Earth twice -- once in Rekon-1B (my first game) and again in Rekon+10, a decade later.
In the last couple of years, however, I have been doing more in the way of pure dramatic roleplaying. My Cyrano de Bergerac in King's Musketeers II barely met a single one of his goals, but was much praised during and after the game for sheer melodramatic intensity (not to mention being showered with style points by the Cruel Hoax referees, not an easy crowd to impress).
My preference is to play a `Good' or `Neutral' character, but I would play a villain if necessary to get a stronger part. Usually I'd rather play an independent than a faction follower or even leader. When intriguing, I do a lot of win-win negotiating and often find myself in a pivot or power-broker position between several factions (I do have some `schemer' tendencies, though I usually prefer not to play pure schemer characters). My playing style is also marked by the fact that I almost never lie to anyone, preferring to find ways to make the truth serve my ends (by misdirection, if necessary).
Many game forms oppose `character acting' against `strategic success'. For me, the two aren't separable. All my `winning' characters have been intensely character-acted; conversely, when I've been handed a character that I couldn't method-act my way into I've generally crashed and burned. Give me a character that fits and a little rope and I'll generate as much drama as you could ask for.
I have a lot of experience at table gaming (military simulations, combinatorial games, etc.) and play them with some skill.
I have good public-speaking skills and can hold an audience.
I am a fairly able poet and can extemporize in any one of several genres at short notice, including but not limited to: ballad, limerick, haiku, and alliterative heroic meter.
I am very good at word puzzles (incomplete word recognition, crosswords, cryptograms, anagrams, that sort of thing).
I play flute, guitar, and hand drums.
I hold the rank of Black Belt Candidate in Tae Kwon Do, and accordingly have some skill in hand-to-hand and weapons techniques, including sword and nunchaku. While the skills are not directly relevant in-game, the background does make me more convincing at playing warrior-type characters.
I am an expert computer programmer and Internet technologist.
| Back to Eric's Home Page | Up to Site Map | $Date: 1998/12/22 07:14:26 $ |