How Do You Make [Character X] with Your Game?
This is one of the most common, and frankly, frustrating, questions game designers get, and we get it a lot. It goes something like this:
"Your game seems clearly set up to do Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So how would I create, like Buffy Summers with your game?"
I cannot, and will not, give you the answer to that question, and when I talk around it or refuse, it's not be being rude to you or dismissive, and it's not that I don't think it can be done or that my system is weak. I'm here to tell you that I could stat out just about any character from that show, or most other urban fantasy, horror, and supernatural TV series and movies (and books and comics) with the Night Shift: VSW rules. I just won't do it for you. Again, it's not because I'm dismissive of you or I don't appreciate your fandom. Not in the least. It has to do with several complicated reasons.
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Keeping Things Equal
First, if I stat out a character for you, everyone is going to want me to do it. Before I know it I'll have statted up everyone in Buffy, followed by the whole cast of Wynonna Earp, Lost Girl, Charmed, and Van Helsing. And all that time I've spent playing with those characters, I haven't been spending on creating new original content for the game. It's a matter of equity. If I do it for one fan, I have to do it for all the fans, and then it eventually becomes a deluge.
That, however, is a very minor reason.
Keeping Things Legal
Legality is another big reason why I never do this. It might seem stupid, but the truth is, I don't own the rights to any of the characters or shows I referenced above. There's a very thin line between fair use, fan use, and professional use, and once you start publishing on a professional level, you step over that line. Now, are the owners of Buffy likely to come after me for posting stats for her here? No, they're not. But all it takes is once.
Further, while nobody right now has the license to the property for an RPG, what if someone does in the future? They might decide they don't like someone else posting those stats for a professional system as it interferes with their sales. Then I'm in lawsuit territory both with the Buffy owners and with another game company.
The gaming industry is small (D&D aside) and we tend to interact with each other a lot. Stuff like that is a fast track to making enemies. It's very much a factor of "CYA." You have to be a lot more careful when you're running a company than you do when you're just a fan, or even a freelancer. Everything I do or say reflects upon Elf Lair Games, and can put my company at risk. ELG is by no means a money maker; if I ever got sued, I don't have the cash to pay the suit, and the company would simply end. That would be it.
It's Your Game, Not Mine
Sure, I wrote and designed the game (In conjunction with Tim Brannan), but once it's in your hand, it's your game. More often than not, when someone asks me how I'd build character X, my answer is, "The real question is, how would YOU do it?" The reason is, any "official" answer I give isn't really "official," because see above. I also don't know how you run. I don't know your style as a GM or player. I don't know the feel of your campaign, and no matter how often we talk online, I can't know it without being a part of it. What really matters is what Buffy looks like in your game, with your rules and house rules.
Tim recently posted blogs covering most of the characters from Bram Stoker's Dracula using Night Shift: VSW rules. With at least half of them, I had wildly different interpretations than him, but both were 100% valid.
My stats for Buffy don't matter. Yours do.
In the end, the first and third ones are why I rarely even do public domain characters (like the ones from Dracula). They're time consuming, and it's not my game, it's yours.
Just a bit of "behind the curtain," and why your favorite game designers and publishers may not always be so willing to offer their thoughts on licensed properties. I can't speak for everyone, obviously, but I suspect other publishers and designers have similar reasons.
If you haven't checked out Night Shift: VSW, what are you waiting for? It's capable of doing all the characters and shows I talked about here, and many others, all tweaked to your preferences and gaming style, from cinematic to bloody and gritty and deadly. Check it out, and grab your copy today!
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