[HoE] Roving Templars, etc.

[Abdullah Oblongota <toadpooka@usa.net>]

With the recent discussion of whether or not a Templar can have a base of
operations, and the one a while ago on what Simon's standards are, I see many
people falling into a common mental trap in gaming.  I call it Vampire Disorder,
because that's where I saw it most prevalently.  It's the assumption that a
character's behavior is dependent on "what" they are.
Just because the book says that Templars roam the wastes without a permanent
home, and that it saysd they'd judge town A worthy and town B not, doesn't mean
that every individual Templar is going to do the same thing.  Not everyone
follows the party line.  Simon may be a fanatic, but he's hardly got the time to
run around breathing down all the Templars' necks about them staying too long in
a settlement or saying they're defending an unworthy place.  And he's not gonna
blackball (or kill, since some people don't know of any way short of death to
punish someone) Ritter for living in one place, because he's still upholding the
code for the most part.
This is why I'm bothered when someone starts off a description of their
character with "He's a Templar (or Doomsayer, Junker, Law Dog)."  It says
immediately that the player considers his "class" before he considers what the
character would do.
So, if you read about ONE Templar who lives in a town or helps folks out even if
they don't like muties, let it slide.  People are people, whether they wear
white tabards, purplr or green robes, or bandoliers full of bullets.

-- 
From Whom It May Concern,
Richard Ranallo, The Man They Couldn't Hang

Your money talks, but my genius walks
Morticians wait with a shovel and a fork
As detectives trace my hands with chalk
Your money talks but my genius walks.
--They Might Be Giants, "You'll Miss Me"