@teawithcarina Ah, I see! This is all actually very helpful. I will definitely look at adding more options with the ‘it sucks that it has to be this way’ flavor. As a matter of fact a lot of the others think this as well, but they are old enough (usually) that actively railing against what they cannot change is something they don’t do, either because they’re tired or trying to figure out how to make it better or because they see their role (relative to PC) as listening and trying to be gentle with them about this sort of thing rather than being the one getting upset. (Which has its own implications, not all of them great, don’t get me wrong.) Clearly, more opportunities to get some conversation going around that would be a good idea. So thank you for that bit of feedback; it was really great for me to read.
And thanks for the note on the Hekate thing. I think I understand why that part is reading that way to you. I was being a little too clever and not aware enough of what people didn’t know that I knew and so on. Definitely not aimed at PC and not even in general at other people, heh. She’s making a reference to a handful of folks who think magic should be refined and delicate and arty (or at least productive) only, whereas Hekate has very literally had to fight for her life with nothing else at her disposal.
That said, neither the reader nor the PC has any way of knowing that, and I think she would be socially-sensitive enough to understand that putting it that way could legitimately disturb people with a more nonviolent mindset. So I’ll alter some of that scene.
(I do feel like I should toss in a warning here, though, because you mentioned trauma: there will be some violence in this game, especially in the next book, which involves a war, but also some in this one. PC doesn’t have to directly participate in anything I have planned in this book, and they certainly are never forced to like… kill anyone, but there will be depictions of people fighting and dying. Just so you know. Either next chapter or the one after it will in fact have a warning for this on the update post.)
In general, truly, thanks so much for offering your thoughts. When I say ‘critique’ I don’t mean that I thought you were being wholly or mostly negative, and I definitely don’t mean that I was offended by any of it! I think your comments are all phrased constructively and with kindness, and while I may not be able to take all of them on board, there is a lot that I can and will be happy to, and I think the game will be better for it, so I’m very appreciative!
@Leonard_Gondola Those are some of the implications at play here, too, yes. Certainly, playing a PC that can’t or doesn’t fight is both viable and completely valid. But the nature of some of the plot beats is that some people will sometimes have to use force, even if the PC isn’t one of them, and even if the force isn’t deadly.
I just have a feeling my MC won’t want too much responsibility for human lives, for fear that they’ll mess up somehow.
