Elves Question

[Manicrack]

Ok, i have a special question about grief.

It's clear to me whenever an elf is exposed to the bads of the world, he has to make a grief test, that counts as either routine, difficult or challenging to raising the grief later on.
What I don't get is how the result of the test is. What happens when I fail it?
What happens when I pass it?

Or am I just totally missing the point?

Thanks for the help in advance.

-Crack

[luke]

Pass or fail doesn't matter in this case. The player can choose how to deal with it himself.

The important thing is that the character has participated in some tragedy and now has their Grief nudged up closer to 10.

Each test/circumstance counts toward advancing Grief.

That's the consequence of being involved in the situation.

-L

[Manicrack]

ok, thanks for the quick reply.

-Crack

[Manicrack]

another elf question.
Today i presented some aspects of BW to a friend to make him interested.
He seemed to like a lot of the game, but he asked also on e question.

"Why can't elves just be indifferent about the wordl? Why do they have to grief?"

I know that they can't, but I couldn't give a good response why.
Besides that the rule say so.
Help please.

-Crack

[Kublai]

Well, Abzu's main inspiration for Elves as they are comes from the Silmarilion I believe. If you've ever had the fortitude to enjoy this book, you will discover that Elves are the most passionate and emotional race in Middle Earth. They are almost extreme in their emotional swings, shifting from joy to rage and sorrow to jealousy. It's seems very difficult for them to keep any sort of emotional distance and indifference to the world around them.

Perhaps Abzu can elaborate further than I?

[Blackberry]

another elf question.
Today i presented some aspects of BW to a friend to make him interested.
He seemed to like a lot of the game, but he asked also on e question.

"Why can't elves just be indifferent about the wordl? Why do they have to grief?" [...]

Elves can certainly seem indifferent, at least as far as I interpret it. Here's my basic ruling: An elf makes a Grief test. If she passes, she is able to weep and sorrow, work it out, but the shadow over her heart still grows. If she fails, she isn't able to deal with it; she stares coldly and distantly, doesn't speak or act for a time as she rages inside, and the shadow over her heart still grows.

So just play an elf who rages inside at the grief of the world.

[luke]

Well, Abzu's main inspiration for Elves as they are comes from the Silmarilion I believe. If you've ever had the fortitude to enjoy this book, you will discover that Elves are the most passionate and emotional race in Middle Earth. They are almost extreme in their emotional swings, shifting from joy to rage and sorrow to jealousy. It's seems very difficult for them to keep any sort of emotional distance and indifference to the world around them.

Perhaps Abzu can elaborate further than I?

The Grief stems from Elves' immortal nature. (You'll note that you're not technically supposed to open grief for your character unless he starts older than 225 years.)

Tolkien was very explicit in his view of the immortal life in the mortal world -- you see so much evil and tragedy that it begins to weigh on the soul. Grief is the manifestation of that weight.

In no way is it meant to present Elves as a "sad" people. But Grief does acknowledge the tempestuous emotions that must exist in such a bizarre creature. To live for ever is to know endless tragedy. We tend to think of immortality as a blessing, because our lives are so short. Elves, I think, see their immortality in Middle Earth as something of a curse.

Imagine being a D-Day/Omaha Beach survivor. Imagine fighting your way to Western Germany and discovering the horror of the concentration camps. Now imagine living that life 5, 10, even 15 times. I think the profound sadness that such crimes are committed in endless cycle might crush me under its weight.

Also, I think Tolkien's had his Elves grow colder as they aged for a reason. Such detachment is utterly necessary in order to stave off that crushing Grief.

As Pete said, these Elves are far from indifferent. In fact, it is that they care so much that makes them interesting.

-L

[Manicrack]

i started reading the simarilion, i managed about 10 pages, then I gave up.
I planned on reading it through some other time but i never came to it.

Anyway thanks, that really helps interpretatiing elves.

-Crack

[luke]

i started reading the simarilion, i managed about 10 pages, then I gave up.
I planned on reading it through some other time but i never came to it.


It took me four attempts to get through the Silmarillion. I kept getting stuck in the same place every time. Eventually, I just skipped that part and read the rest.

So I recommend picking up with the Valaquenta. The previous chapter, Ainulindale, you can come back and read after you've finished the rest.

I absolutely love the Silmarillion. It's depth and beauty have ensconced it as my favorite of all of Tolkien's works.

-L

[eruditus]

Also, keep in mind that although BW does not have a setting, per se, these races and lifepaths are a template for your own and future settings. I think Grief adds a great dimension to elves (and reminds me of great games like Earthdawn and Gemini). But I have always viewed Greif, Hatred and Gifted as a template of how to handle things in BW. These make great inspirations for further traits/attributes and how to approach thier design.

[Yagathai]

I must confess, Luke, that I was very disappointed when I realized that no Elven Lifepath came with the "surf-down-an-Oliphaunt's-trunk-after-you've-killed-it" skill -- or even the "precision-fire-while-surfing-down-a-staircase-on-a-shield" skill! If you ask me, that's just inexcusably sloppy adherance to the source material.

Shame. Shame!

[luke]

::hangs head in shame::

:oops:

[Manicrack]

how about the
keep-track-of-how-many-orcs-you-killed-by-kicking-over-a-ladder-full-of-orcs-skill??

that should deffinetly be in

-Crack


PS: whoa, i am a harem lsave now,
i don't think anyone would want me in their harem