I just listened to this episode, not sure if I am months behind or current. But anyway I listen to the boot because it reminds me of my gaming group from 20 years ago and Dan is my friend Arthur.
Arthur would be the sort of player who would have pages of backstory for his one shot game character. The player who invested so much in their character that they carried a chunk of their backstory into every moment because they were playing a character! Which caused a little bit of friction because their backstory would have a certain amount of inertia that would prevent their character from turning in step with the other (shallower) players reacted to events in the game. The longer games usually balanced out as by the final chapters all the players had characters and their personalities worked out. But in the middle of the game (or throughout a short two-three hour one off) the group would face a lot of turbulence.
Arthur would always defend his actions by saying ‘it’s what my character would do.’ To be fair to him, sure. But to be critical of him, why is your character four pages of backstory for a one off game? You were told to make a character that would make sense to be in the vanguard of a Roman legion in late stage Roman Empire Germany, working for the Romans. So we have a German tribal merc who is actually the heir to the clan that used to live here? How is that going to play with a group trying to fight off a lovecraftian horror from a crypt opened up for some easy loot as the army retreated?

Anyway, the person made the character with some inheritance from their backstory, that inertia that came from what they identified with. World of Darkness was close enough to the real world that using ones own beliefs as a scaffold to build up on, to shortcut some of their own characters backstory to become inertia. Both as a resistance to moving as well as a resistance to stop going or changing direction.

Dan strikes me as the sort who always builds up their characters backstory to have that inertia in it. I am not surprised that it has lead to conflict and ruptured journeys with others. Arthur has a number of games torpedoed because of his holding onto character over best for the group.

Greetings,

Been awhile! I love that you guys are still going! WoD is near and dear to my heart, but I have seen this a bit as well, as too many people cannot separate fantasy the closer it is to reality at least in the feelings realm. Its designed to confront the monster within and it hit hot button issues all over the place. Its what always drew me to the game. Apparently its too much for some, which is fine… we have finite free time and so why spend it on something that isnt making you happy? I dig the esoteric and uncomfortable nature of the topics and questions the themes in WoD tends towards.

At any rate, I could go on for hours, but just wanted to stop by, say hi and glad to see you guys still rock it.

Keep up the good work!

Chad V.

This seems to be a bit of an American problem. Here in Sweden we don’t have that many actual religious people and our politics aren’t as polarized.