Delving With Protection

The Ways and Means crowdfunding campaign continues apace, so it’s time to sit around the fire and talk some more about the content you can look forward to. Following on from our previous post where we spoke about the Artist calling, today we’re looking at the Protector.

Let’s hear what Chris has to say about his new calling.

Chris Taylor: I am a creature of habit. There’s always a protector type in games I have a hand in. Sometimes it’s subtle or mildly occluded – like the Midwives in Spire – but Ways and Means gave me an opportunity to be brash with this classic archetype. I love the image of the heroic defender standing against impossible odds and with the core ability Defiant (which lets you double your protections against an attack once per session) you can now add that trope to any class. Though the joy of doubling down on it and having a Vermissian Knight with a massive shield in the art scratches some primal itch in the back of my head.

This being Heart however nothing is ever as simple as all that. The protector/martyr trope works so well because it is always a choice. The hero stands alone and saves the day and doesn’t flee when things get difficult, and they are paragons of virtue and selflessness. Nobody is a paragon of selflessness. The beats look into the humanity of the trope and try to understand its failings.

We get to see the sad side of being a protector, (Build a memorial to someone you failed to protect.) the violent side, (Use excessive force.) and the very human side of them (Save an item of sentimental value from destruction.). While this tough figure weathers the storm, Beat choice can lead you down some darker and more interesting paths.

Callings are much shorter than a Class, with less moving parts, but I always find them much harder to write. You’ve basically got 30 lines to promote multiple possible story arcs that still feel coherent for the concept. This is all summed up by the Zenith Beats. They can be cruel and difficult but that’s OK because it is not like the PC is going to be around to deal with all the fallout after they activate their Zenith anyway. So you are left with two options. Either you slay some great threat or everything you swore to protect is destroyed and you utterly fail. I love that we put that choice in the player’s hands. 

For more updates, make sure to follow the campaign if you haven’t, and come back next time when we’ll rally the masses around the third calling – the Demagogue!

– Elaine & The RRD Team