In last month's column, I turned from my usual discussion of weasel play in board games and the like to consider the issue of weasely roleplaying. I mentioned that the "me first," "dog eat dog," "winner-take-all" attitude necessary for winning at competitive board games just doesn't travel well to role-playing - at least in group sessions. And I gave a few good examples of the destructive results I have seen over the years.

But used in moderation and given the right group of players, a little bit of weasel in a player character or two (or even in some of the players themselves) can actually enhance a role- playing campaign, allowing the development of stories that wouldn't have happened otherwise. This month's installment begins a discussion of that idea, to be continued next month.

THE ALL TOO COMMON THIEF

Countless role-playing groups have at one time or another faced the predicament of dealing with thief PC who has stolen an item from a companion. (It is often spurred, at least in part, by the thief's desire to get even with the fighter characters who boast, "Stand aside, little one, and let a real man face this monster.")

Typically, when the theft is discovered, hard feelings arise: the player of the victim feels hurt and angry at this betrayal of confidence, yet the player of the thief argues that the action was simply a case of acting in character.

The solution, I think, lies in getting past the disjointedness of that conflict - in role-playing the situation at character level rather than arguing it at player level. The player of the victim has every right to feel distressed, and certainly the character should. But the thief character would hardly seek to justify his actions as keeping with his nature, as his player is doing. Rather, he would either be taking to his heels, leaving the adventure party forever; or he would be apologizing profusely, offering to make amends and promising never to do such a thing again - in hopes of salvaging his relation with the group. In either case, there should be no hard feelings remaining between players. If the thief leaves, his player loses further opportunity to play that character (at least in this group), a not inconsequential loss. And if he apologizes, it is a wonderful opportunity for character development and the making of inter-character ties.

The Example of Literature

It shouldn't be surprising that this sort of thief-versus-party friction arises fairly often in role- playing groups. After all, role-playing springs naturally from fantasy fiction - as a matter of fact, RPGs -typically explain themselves as an opportunity to play the sort of action found in novels, but with the ability to affect the course of the story, rather than passively "going along for the ride" - and fantasy fiction is rife with this sort of conflict among major characters.

Consider the example of Bilbo versus Thorin Oakenshield in Tolkien's The Hobbit. While visiting Smaug's lair for the second time, Bilbo finds the Arkenstone and decides - without consulting the Dwarves, who consider it their most sacred.artifact - that it shall serve as his share of the treasure rescued from the dragon.

When Thorin finds out what Bilbo has done, he threatens to kill him, and a great deal of the drama in the latter part of the novel involves the resulting schism between the two.

Nor are Leiber's prototypical thieves Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser strangers to this sort of conflict, having fallen out various times in their careers, only to resolve their differences and draw all the more closely together.

Tasselhoff Burrfoot from the Dragonlance series serves as another example for player characters to follow: "lifting" items from friend and foe alike, only to reveal his possession at a dramatic moment - with the lame excuse that he was only holding it in safe-keeping for the original owner, who "dropped" it.

An Example of Role Playing

While playing The Fantasy Trip RPG some years ago, I designed a small but clever thief character and a friend designed a large but rather thick-headed fighter. The GM introduced the two to each other by having the fighter set upon by alley-bashers in the thief's home town, knowing that the thief hated robbery by force.

Seeing the fighter outnumbered, the thief joined the fight, striking the thugs by surprise out of the darkness. With the odds thus changed, the thugs were defeated, though the fighter was seriously injured in the battle. The thief helped him to an inn and called a physicker, grandiosely paying for all the expense, but secretly lifting the fighter's purse by way of recompense, convinced that the dullard would not notice until he was long gone.

Unfortunately, my friend got lucky with a roll vs. the fighter's IQ, so his character noticed the theft even as my thief was cutting the purse strings. Suddenly, I was faced with the ticklish situation of having to deal with an offended friend at one level and an angry fighter on another. Rather than argue at player level, I asked to continue role-playing the situation.

It seemed to me, that with the fighter's iron grip on his wrist, my thief would be both humbled and impressed. Apparently, this stranger wasn't as dumb as he seemed. It was time for some hasty apologies, and some begging for forgiveness (i.e. mercy), coupled with offers to make reparations and then some. In the end, my character paid for the room and all medical expenses during the fighter's convalescence, and of course, a new purse.

More importantly, he gained a real respect for the fighter, and the two became fast friends from that day forth. A bond had been forged that would not have been as dramatic if the two characters had begun play as companions.

Of course, that happy resolution depended just as much on my friend's willingness to forgive as mine to back-pedal. He was able to view this as a role-playing situation, rather than a personal betrayal, and to act out his character's reaction to mine's rather panicked change of attitude. After all, the fighter also owed something to the thief for the aid in the fight, and for help in getting a room and medical attention, so obviously there were qualities to the thief that were worth admiring.

An Invitation

If you find the subject of weasel games interesting, drop me a line and say so. I would love to learn what you think is the most useful weasel tactic, or read about a particularly apt example or weasel play from your own experience.