I Swing the Vorpal Spork of Irony like some Hyperborean Usurper through the Hordes of the Unwashed.



Monday, November 29, 2010

Problem Solving with Kirk and Spock


     You don’t have to be a Dungeon Master or Psychologist for very long to realize that no two people solve problems in the same way. As a matter of fact, we count on that very fact for our entertainment. It’s makes Role-playing Games so much damn fun.  For the benefit of my geekly audience I have split problem-solvers into two camps and assigned two iconic protagonists to be their Mascots.
     The first group is the Kirks: Members of the Kirk faction solve their problems with derring-do and panache. Why shouldn’t we split the party when we can do it while looking great and get the hot green girl at the same time. Kirks rarely have a plan, rely on implausible plot improvisations and fantastic MacGuffins.
     The Second group is the Spocks: If you are a Spock you’re probably really good at math. Every problem has a logical solution that can be arrived at with a pencil and a piece of scrap of paper. Everybody has a role and must perform it perfectly for the plan to work.
     The Big Question is which one is better? Neither! In fact, Spock needs Kirk and vice versa. Each of these groups is represented around your gaming table. If you’re really lucky, you’ll have a Montgomery Scott (MacGuffin Builder and Polarity Reverser) and a Leonard McCoy (Wise-ass Cleric type)thrown into the mix. Which type of Role-Player are you?



2 comments:

  1. I think in real life I'm a Kirk but in RPG's I'm a Spock. Probably because there's the opportunity to look at everything from the outside and analyse it more. It's probably been said before but Kirk and Spock seem to represent the two sides or the brain, the creative and the measured, the subconscious and the conscious.

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  2. I think I'm probably a Kirk, though I'm rather ashamed to admit it. :)

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