[MUD-Dev] New Bartle article

[Travis Casey]

Monday, March 12, 2001, 4:05:12 AM, Vincent Archer <archer at nevrax.com> wrote:

> According to Brian Hook:

>> If you were to define your basic types of characters, irrespective
>> of the names or the specific abilities, you would often end up with
>> a list like:
 
>>   - melee combatant: monks, warriors, brawlers
>>   - non-melee combatant: archers, snipers, magic users
>>   - healer/non-combatant: shaman (optional)
>>   - stealth (optional)

> There's also one archetype you haven't represented there, but which,
> sadly, is also rarely seen in combat games, and which is what I'd
> call "the general". The guy who does not participate in any form in
> the combat proper, but who manages it, find out data beforehand,
> look at what happens and redirect attention to critical points,
> calls for the retreat if necessary, and so on.

> But there's rarely a "general" archetype, because most of a good
> general's abilities are player abilities, not character skills.

Niven and Barnes' _Dream Park_ had a general/leader type -- the
Loremaster.  Loremasters were experienced players who would research
games, recruit teams of players, and then lead the team in the game.

_Dream Park_ also has a couple of other interesting "non-standard"
archetypes that have a semi-military feel: scouts and engineers.
Scouts were a lot like traditional RPG thieves, but with more of an
outdoor emphasis, and focussing more on the information-gathering
aspects.  Engineers were basically field engineers -- they were
skilled in things like making rope bridges across rivers or chasms,
making firebreaks, digging and reinforcing shafts, etc.  These two
archetypes could be very useful for a game focused more on exploration
and less on combat.

--
       |\      _,,,---,,_    Travis S. Casey  <efindel at earthlink.net>
 ZZzz  /,`.-'`'    -.  ;-;;,_   No one agrees with me.  Not even me.
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