Fields of Challenge · Legacy archive
Summer Quest Thought
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Summer Quest Thought
#1Just sort of a random thought and this will probably turn into a submission later today as I seem to be in the mood.
I have been looking through Christopher Vogler's "The Writer's Journey" and Joseph Campbell's "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" and figured it was time to crack my knuckles and try writing something. I am also a bit of a fan of the more structured quests as well as when there are specific rules it seems easier to get ideas. Not sure how that works either but, whatever.
So how about a "Create a Mentor" Quest.
“Mentors provide heroes with motivation, inspiration, guidance, training, and gifts for the journey. Every hero is guided by something, and a story without some acknowledgement of this energy is incomplete. Whether expressed as an actual character or as an internalized code of behavior...”
-Vogler
A Mentor basically serves two important functions:
Teaching/Guiding - Professors, drill instructors, sword masters, sages, grumpy old men or anybody that can help the hero progress in skill, knowledge or motivation. Examples: Yoda, Patches in Dodgeball, Chubbs in Happy Gilmore, Micky in Rocky.
Gift-Giving - one who will temporarily give aid to the hero with an item of power, something they need, save their life but whatever it is, it needs to be earned. Q in Bond, Whistler in Blade, Lady Galadriel in LOTR.
Mentor Types as described by Vogler
Dark Mentor
Mislead or lure the hero into danger or serve as a complete opposite of the hero and represents all the hero is not. Does not really help the hero but all advice and actions tend to be an obstacle. May teach the "dark side" or try and lure the hero to commit wrongful acts for selfish reasons. Mostly out to exploit the hero for their own gain.
Fallen Mentor
Current heroes that haven't finished there own journey for reasons of injury, lack of faith/motivation or other reasons that kept them from their final goal. They could be injured warrior, elders that never finished their quest or mages that got burnt out. Sometimes bitter about their own failing yet they still have knowledge and skills of value but they have to overcome their own demons in order to fulfill their role as mentor.
Continuing Mentor
A contact, boss, butler or any character you can think of that would be in continual contact with the hero. Basically they would be able to continue to give guidance or assignments as needed to keep the hero employed or moving forward in their story or towards their goal.
Mentor as a Shaman
Often a healer that can help the hero by offering them a vision to point them on their way to the next segment of the quest. When they seem to be lost this can be a spiritual infusion of motivation through an actual vision or enlightenment.
I skipped multiple mentors and comic mentors just cause but here they are:
Comic Mentor
Usually a friend or acquaintance that seems to have knowledge but only has poor or ignorant advice that leads the hero down the wrong road and causes more hardship however, at the end through a difficult road, somehow all turns right.
Multiple Mentors
When one mentor just isn't enough. Basically numerous mentors all of which teach a different skill often fitting into many of the categories above which is why, for our purposes, I thought it unneeded.
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Re: Summer Quest Thought
#2Sounds like a fun quest, and it's been a while since we've had a more structured one so it'll make for a refreshing change of pace. 8) -
Re: Summer Quest Thought
#3I've had two ideas for quests that I've been holding in for months now. They are also more "structured" quests:
1. Genre-Bender: take an existing sub on the site and rewrite it to fit another genre. For example, rewrite Davy Jones' Lockdown by Silveressa to fit a fantasy or steam-punk setting. Got the idea from her comment on my comment, actually.
2. Campaign starters. Since the Citadel focusses on usability, why not dedicate a whole quest to designing a resource for GMs? The idea is to look at a list of campaign starter ideas or stubs, and turn them into full-fleshed dungeons or plots that a GM could just grab and go with. We have at least two such lists on the site already: http://strolen.com/viewing/Character_Hooks, and http://strolen.com/viewing/30_Campaign_Starters. It would be really cool to see these expanded. -
Re: Summer Quest Thought
#4I like the Genre bending quest, and the Campaign Starter quest ideas -
Re: Summer Quest Thought
#5Ooooh! Genre bender sounds fun indeed, Dossta!!! (That is motivating enough for even my lazy butt!!)
Mentor one is rather interesting as well, I must say. And different.
Structure! Give me structure or give me death! -
Re: Summer Quest Thought
#6Any more thought on when we can expect a summer quest to start? -
Re: Summer Quest Thought
#7September 23rd -
Re: Summer Quest Thought
#8
Any more thought on when we can expect a summer quest to start?
Hopefully soon after the 4th. -
Re: Summer Quest Thought
#9Did I miss us deciding on something? Or do I invoke the Blind Pick of Master Trolland and select anything....which will be mine if I have to create the quest. :)
My second would be the Campaign Starter. When it comes to it, I am fully immersed in fantasy and have genre bending issues. -
Re: Summer Quest Thought
#10Of the three, campaign starting is my favorite but I'm also totally open to the Mentor idea. Do we do a poll or something to decide? -
Re: Summer Quest Thought
#11Sil, didn't we have an idea for a religion themed quest of some sort that we were discussing in chat about a month back? -
Re: Summer Quest Thought
#12Aye religions and kults, it would make for an interesting quest! :up: -
Re: Summer Quest Thought
#13I'd like to suggest another quest topic:
Greys, Space Vixens and Bug-Eyed Things - alien cultures and species to populate the universe -
Re: Summer Quest Thought
#14"Space Vixens" ??
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Re: Summer Quest Thought
#15Vixen can be either literal, for example an anthropomorphic fox, or metaphorical, describing any foxy lady. Space needs charming ladies for Cpt. Kirk wannabes to woo, seduce and bed.