Ensign Alden Hatton

[TimP]

Concept: Earnest young naval officer

Character Name: Ensign Alden Hatton

Alden Hatton is a young naval officer with a brilliant future ahead of him, if he doesn't get himself killed trying to be gallant.

Alden's father, Lord Hatton, is an esteemed admiral and a great man to all who know him, but he was a cold heartless brow-beating bastard to his children. Our hero has spent his entire life trying to impress his father and rejecting him at the same time. He is fiercely resentful of any hint or allegation that his position is due to nepotism-to the point that it has cost him legitimate opportunities.

Alden's only warm memories of home are of his long-dead mother and his sister Agnes, a seventeen year-old girl whose beauty is the talk of all London.

When Alden was eight he was shipped aboard the frigate Osprey, whose master was Post-Captain Beuford Tanner, an old friend of Lord Hatton. Tanner was a vicious commander, all too free with the whip. He also had a penchant for young boys.

Now, whenever he encounters the leering pox-faced Captain Tanner it is all he can do to keep from becoming violently ill. Or seeing red and finding his way to the gallows.

Despite the miserable conditions aboard the Osprey, Alden found that he had a deep love for the sea, the mathematics of navigation, the challenge of mother nature, and the din of battle. He found that he had that indefinable quality that allows one to lead men and earn the respect of the motley crews found aboard a ship of war.

Alden transferred off the Osprey some six years ago, the first opportunity he had. He has served on several vessels since then, and his newest post is to the sloop *.*, an exploratory and scouting vessel. He hopes to find the opportunity to advance his career and towards the ultimate goal of his own command.

Lifepaths: Born Noble, Officer's Mate, Navigator, First Mate

Age: 24

Stats:
Pe:b4
Wi:b6
Ag:b5
Sp:b4
Po:b4
Fo:b4

Attributes:
Re: b4
Ste: b6
He: b5
MW: b10
Hesitation: 4

PTGS: Su:b3 Li:b5 Mi:b7 Se:b8 Tr:b9 Mo:b10

Skills:
Sword b4
Firearms b4

Etiquette b3
Intimidate b3
Conspicuous b3
Command b3

Captain-wise b2
Current-wise b2
Sea-wise b3
Seaman-wise b2

Rigging b2
Cartography b2
Seamanship b3
Navigation b2

Gear: Smallsword (the long pointy dueling kind: Add 2, VA -, WS F, Long), Dirk, Pistol, Every-day uniform, Dress uniform, Patent leather shoes with silver buckles

Beliefs:
My old ship, the Osprey is an unhappy vessel and her master, Captain Tanner is the devil come to earth.

This ship is no man-o-war or dashing frigate, but I'll win my Lieutenancy here or be damned.

Instincts:
Never flinch in front of the men.

Always have a loaded pistol when danger is imminent.

Keep an eye on the sails when the weather's up.

Traits:
Mark of Privilege
Peg Boy
Cool-headed
Sea Legs

Circles: b3

Affiliations:
Royal Navy: 2d
English nobility: 1d

Relationships:
Lord Admiral Hatton, significant, father, strongly disliked
Agnes Hatton, minor, sister, protective relationship
Captain Beuford Tanner, significant, hated

Resources: b1 (Officer's pay)



This character is for a 'swashbuckling' campaign that my friend Matt is going to be running. This guy is very Aubrey-Maturin inspired (as if it's not obvious). I've reserved one belief for our group's character-creation session which is...tomorrow.

I was tempted to ignore the required 'Pegboy' trait, because I think it's a poor stereotype to say that every young officer aboard a ship has been buggered. That and the fact that Luke didn't have the balls to describe the trait in the book :twisted:

Then I bowed to the wisdom of putting screwed up things in the lifepaths: pegboy is a great source for dark secrets, conflict, and drama.

Tim

[Kudzu]

NOTE: I'll be playing in this same game, though I have yet to burn up my character. I'm waiting for the group session instead. I'll post him here this weekend, though.

Interesting character, but I think he can be twisted to squeeze a hell of a lot of fun out of running him. I'm all for keeping the Pegboy trait, as I think it could be central to the character. Without it, he's bone dry. With it, you've got all sorts of potential for conflict and thus STORY!

QUICK DISCLAIMER: I'm not arguing that homosexuality is dark and twisted or that homosexuals are all repressed freaks. I know a number of pleasant, well-adjusted homosexuals.

I think it would be interesting to make him homosexual --- closeted and repressed to be sure, especially considering his background and the time period. That would present ALL kinds of conflict issues considering his upbringing, his acquisition of that unfortunate trait, and especially relationships with his father and Captain Tanner (two sides of the same coin?). Hell, hot sister and dead mother, too! The guy's just a giant seething ball of Freudianisms!

Dark secrets are powerful motivators, as are hate and shame. Maybe he's thinking (or not, and it's all subconscious): "What if it was those urges that brought the abuse upon me? Was I being punished for those feelings? But, I still have those feelings. Did I secretly ENJOY what he did to me? Did I deserve it? Am I a monster? Am I evil? How can I possibly live up to my father's expectations?"

Maybe he avoids his sister because he's conflicted and ashamed that she'll see how he's failed and he could never bear Mommy's ... I mean SISTER'S disappointment.

I think he needs beliefs and instincts that are more keyed to that trait, too, things that will really go BANG! in play!

Unfortunately, I'm all out of suggestions at this late hour as to HOW to revise the BITs. :oops:

Hell, if you don't want to play this guy, *I* will! :twisted:

Steven

[TimP]

Damn, dude. I just want to swing on some ropes through a haze of blue powder smoke onto a burning ship or something. I have no idea what you're talking about. :wink:

Seriously though-your proposed character is a LOT more interesting than what I've come up with. I'll have to process it all tomorrow though, as I've reached brain-deadness tonight.

Tim

[TimP]

I couldn't help but think about this some more. Most of those conflicts you listed are internal things, especially considering the time period. I mean, he's not likely to have a heart to heart conversation about it in the captains wardroom after one too many pints of grog, is he?

So, my question is: how do you bring this stuff out without some sort of cheesy-ass internal monologue or soliloquy (sp?).

I suppose it's up to the GM to respond to the BITs (which would, of course, have to be changed to reflect this new tack on the character).

Thinking about possible scenarios to bring the repressed homosexuality into focus: he meets a dashing young lieutenant and they fall for each other. Or he keeps having these sordid encounters with prostitutes (male because of his repressed proclivity or female to further repress the tendancy).

I'm not sure I'm cosmopolitan enough to want to explore that sort of stuff. It's setting off my male redneck alarms. :?

[Leningrad]

I thought Pegboy meant he was in a moderately famous chicago-based punk rock outfit.

[Kudzu]

I couldn't help but think about this some more. Most of those conflicts you listed are internal things, especially considering the time period. I mean, he's not likely to have a heart to heart conversation about it in the captains wardroom after one too many pints of grog, is he?

So, my question is: how do you bring this stuff out without some sort of cheesy-ass internal monologue or soliloquy (sp?).

I suppose it's up to the GM to respond to the BITs (which would, of course, have to be changed to reflect this new tack on the character).

Right. And we've had similar discussions before about cool character concepts where all the coolness is very internal. The problem becomes how to externalize those internal conflicts. I think BW should be IDEAL for that sort of play because you've got this kickass mechanic of the BITs. It's all about the BITs.

Of course, being a "Spark" as Kublai (I think it was him) calls us, the big challenge is learning to really refine and hone those BITs to where they present concrete opportunities for the Players and the GM to riff off of, and that's where *I* get stuck. It's a new way of looking at characters and authorship and the game. I think this forum and the writing in the Revision really hammer this home where BW Classic didn't as much and many other games don't AT ALL.



Thinking about possible scenarios to bring the repressed homosexuality into focus: he meets a dashing young lieutenant and they fall for each other. Or he keeps having these sordid encounters with prostitutes (male because of his repressed proclivity or female to further repress the tendancy).

I don't think you have go that far. I think you could (and, still, if I could come up with some concrete examples, it would lend a lot of weight to my argument --- maybe after I've had my coffee!) create some Beliefs and Instincts that would reflect the turmoil of his conflicted inner nature. These conflicts might not be something he's capable of articulating, because he keeps them shoved down in the dark (where they fester!).

For example, he might be a little (or a lot) reckless when it comes to those "proving his manhood" situations. Maybe he's got a strange reaction to male authority figures; perhaps he usually follows orders to the letter but sometimes, almost inexplicably, he'll disobey at least the letter of the order if not the spirit. Or, taking the opposite argument: it makes him fanatical about following orders, about proving how good a sailor/officer he is and all that position implies in society.

Taking a character's internal conflict and externalizing it in a useful way for roleplaying games (as opposed to fiction) is a real challenge. I'm still trying to figure it out, too.

Steven

[luke]

First off, if you ain't comfortable with it, don't play it. It's cool. But if you're interested in exploring something like this with your character, I say go for it. It's hot.

I say play it casually with the other players.
GM: "You've got some downtime, what do you want to do."
OTher Players: "Practice, Practice, Practice."
TimP: "I pick out a pretty boy from the crew, take him to my quarters and fuck him."
Other Players: ::jaws hitting floor sounds::
GM: ::humbly hands over a point of Fate::

As far as the prevalence and acceptance of homosexuality in the period you're trying to reproduce... I have a hard time believing that a 60' x 30' tub full of drunk men, which had superstitions and sometimes outright proscriptions against women, didn't help each other out with a little happy ending now and again. Men are sexual animals (ok, ok, in my opinion). And sex is sex. It ain't deviancy if everyone is doing it, you know?

Of course, once you get ashore, you're dealing with the conservative mores of the age. But that's cool. Brings a little conflict into the game, no?

-L