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June 04, 2005
Thoughts on RetConning, from a player point of view
There've been a lot of discussions about RetConning of late, both on 20 x 20 Room and in a Lunchtime Poll, where Li asks us to describe the most memorable bit of ret-conning. I'm not exactly answering that question, because I can't really REMEMBER ret-conning before. As best I can, I try to stay within what has been said or done, even if it's inconvienent. Though, to be fair, there probably have been little bits here and there, things that I've screwed up as GM or player because of the faulty memory chip called the brain in my head. It happens sometimes. But none of them are overly memorable.
What truly brought all of this to mind today, however, is the fact that I'm playing a character that once belonged to someone else and trying, desperately, to stay as true to that character's background as I can. I'm not worrying completely about staying 100% true to their personality - he had major head trauma, and that could change things around a bit, though I will admit I'm trying to stick with the major things. But the background - as much as can be possible, I'm trying to keep the background cannon.
Why? Because I see myself as an actress taking over a part in this case, rather than a creatress making it up as I go along. It's makes it easier for the other people that have dealt with my character before to know what to expect and not have conflicting memories. The character may be mine from this point forward, but his beginnings were someone else's.
It does make it a lot harder for me sometimes - I'm not always good at remembering what I read, particularly if I only read things once, but I am better at remembering, even as an inkling, things that I've "lived through", which is what writing is for me. So, particularly for this game, there's a lot more going back to the GM or trying to wade through someone's previous posts or even checking with other players who've dealt with him to see if I can keep parts of his background steady. But to keep a cohesive story, it's worth it to me.
Posted by amber at June 4, 2005 07:39 AM
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Comments
I've got players like that. The key is to stop focusing on the external details and figure out what makes the character tick. The rest will come naturally. The players I know who keep focusing on capturing the externals are the ones who are still floundering a long time later; the players who think "this is what the character is about" are the ones who shine.
PS: Your Typekey signin isn't working.
Posted by: Ginger Stampley at June 4, 2005 09:39 AM
You could also ask other players for a "two most important things about" the PC you are playing. This would give you a 'map' of expectations that you knew to keep solid canon.
Posted by: Arref at June 6, 2005 09:17 AM