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Gilthanas Solostaran: I think Gilthanas
is the most misunderstood character in Krynn. Oh,
stop yelling, Jeff, Dalamar is perfectly
understood, he *is* a jerk, and he likes it that
way. According to the authors, Gilthanas was
originally created to be a red herring on the
traitor plotline, but I was never fooled for a
moment. Personally I think he was created so that
he could move the plot along with regular injuries.
In his first appearance in the Chronicles trilogy
he manages to get about two short sentances out
before he is whacked upside the head by a draconian
and so on it goes. His arrogant and surly behavior
is uncharacteristic of the elflord, as is pointed
out by Tanis' rememberences of him, and wouldn't
you be a bit surly if you were getting smacked
around every ten chapters or so? I've always liked
elves, but I have to admit, one of the reasons I
like Gilthanas so much is because he is so unelven.
He has no patience, he is hardly aloof and
dispassionate, and even his prejudice is shattered
by the end of the trilogy. (See TROF's exclusive
interview with Steve
Miller for some insights on Gilthanas and the
Reader's Companion The Odyssey of Gilthanas.)
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Tasslehoff Burrfoot: Tas is a kender, and
they are a race you love to hate, but Tas is one
you have to love. Okay, I wouldn't want him in the
same room with me, but I love reading stories about
him. More than just comic relief, the heroic
handler manages to bring a fresh perspective to
every situation, and was more of a central
character to the narrative of Chronicles for me
than Tanis, with whom I never clicked.
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Tika Waylan Majere: Let's hear it for
girl power! Tika is the approachable hero, the
female character we can all identify with. Not as
pretty or as talented as the others, she still
manages to do her part with pluck and courage. I
myself would probably resort to shield bashing if
facing a draconian, and if I had her blind luck and
sheer panic, the second of which I am sure I could
manage in that situation, I'd maybe give her a run
for her money.
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Dalamar the Dark: My all time favorite
bad guy, Dalamar isn't truly evil, he's just
ambitious, and evil happens to be the fastest way
to get ahead. I've always been a fan of the true
chaotics, and Dalamar does what has to be done in
the most expedient way without sacrificing style in
any way. He is willing to compromise anything
except his ends, and if you don't respect that,
well, to the Abyss with you. I've never seen anyone
who can be as charming as he while delivering a
dire insult.
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Vixa Kanan: This Qualinesti princess is
not exactly as pristine as you would expect of
elven royalty, but then again, she's a lot more fun
that way. When faced with disaster, imprisonment,
war, and the deaths of her companions, she just
keeps on going. This tomboy manages to win some
hearts, too, even if she could outshoot them
blindfolded.
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While neither of the two main channels I play in
is Krynn exclusive, Dragonlance is popular and many
of the characters show up eventually, as well as
original characters from that homeworld. Because
Dragonlance is first a series of novels, although
based on AD&D, and only secondly a gaming
system, it lends itself well to the transfer to
FFRP. You know how they talk, act, and live from
the books, it's just a matter of continuing to
write the stories.
If you are going to play an established
character, the only key point is to know the
character well enough that you won't insult
everyone else who has read and loved that character
and has to watch you play.
By far the most often poorly played characters
are Tasslehoff and Raistlin. Tas is a kender, and
using the excuse that kender are supposed to be
annoying is no excuse for destroying the character
by playing him with no understanding or talent.
That is you being annoying, not the character.
Raistlin is most often misplayed by those who are
commonly called Munchkins, ie, they want a very
powerful character who can do anything and never
suffers consequences, but this is a grave
disservice to Raistlin, who while powerful, was
also complex. Please don't abuse him just so you
can have your character pop into channel and say
something like "Hi everyone! I just killed a god or
two and thought I'd get a drink to celebrate!" It
is a surefire way to get ignored by everyone else
and that will hardly help in your efforts to
compensate for whatever insecurity makes you do
that sort of thing in the first place.
Original characters are always the most desired
in FFRP, but if you play an established character
true to the way they are written and creatively,
you will earn the respect of the other players.
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