While drafting up some ideas for my upcoming Ghost Punchers RPG adventure, I’m thinking about who the characters will be, and keep coming back to the idea that I love a good loser.
Oh sure, super-competent experts are fun too, but if that area of expertise is too broad (“I’m the best there is at KNOWING THINGS.”), there’s not much challenge to the character, or room for dynamic problem-solving. If your hammer is big enough, every problem really IS a nail. As an RPG player, I find that part of the fun of the game is finding a way to overcome the adventure’s challenges despite not being equipped with the “proper” skills and abilities. (Find me at a con and I’ll tell you tales of my peasant PC who survived the brutal Warhammer Fantasy world just by hiding and bluffing.)
What’s more, losers have something to prove. “I’ll show them!” is the loser’s battle cry, and can be enough to drive characters into adventures that more… um… winninger? characters would be likely to avoid. It’s a built-in motivation.
Finally, losers are sympathetic. We’ve all been losers at one point or another. And I think being able to take that “loser” character and turn it into a winner feels better than taking a winner from one victory to another.
When creating your next RPG character, consider making him or her a “loser.” You might be glad you did.
