Hey folks, trying track down a gypsy playbook for either Dungeon world or new Monsters of the week…any suggestions? Building a ravenloft one shot and something similar in a modrern setting for MoTW
Hey folks, trying track down a gypsy playbook for either Dungeon world or new Monsters of the week…any suggestions?
Hey folks, trying track down a gypsy playbook for either Dungeon world or new Monsters of the week…any suggestions?
I don’t mean to call you a bigot or anything, but the term Gypsy is just an exonym for the Romani people (and kind of a derogatory one at that) so your pretty much asking for a playbook based on an ethnic group. It’s kind of like asking for a “Native American” class.
Could you maybe be a little more specific about what you want out of this playbook?
Doctor Starky
Then don’t.
The English and Americans call the Hollanders “Dutch”. Do you call them bigots too?
I for one, would love to see a Gypsy playbook. And a Dutch playbook. (One with wooden klompe, tulips and blue porcelain plates)
Universal Back lot 1930s Monster Movie Gypsies are the Ravenloft inspiration
See Mark Tygart for clarification I suppose
Yes, with all due respect to the real people these are largely the construct of folklore and scriptwriters. Not historical, but great gothic minions for the evil Vampire King. No respect to Dick Cheney intended…
I can’t find a gypsy, maybe combine a witch and a seer playbooks?
That’s where I was leaning…something along those lines
There’s a list of all the fan classes in excel somewhere on the Tavern…
I can see Dr. Starky’s point. It is a noble goal to pursue inclusivity, and learn to recognize when our language may be unintentionally offensive.
I’m not big on political correctness, per se, but i am against careless offense. When i’m rude, i like to know it and to mean it.
I bet lots of folks would react pretty badly if I submitted for public perusal The Jew based on a The Merchant of Venice, or The Nigger based on a Mark Twain (or worse) stereo type. Hell.. i seriously questioned typing that sentence for a moment, and wonder now how long it will take me to regret it.
We’re presumably looking at bombastic, colorfully dressed thieves that move from town to town, fleecing the villagers, possibly kidnapping children, casting hexes on the intolerant constable that drives them from the public thoroughfare.
That’s what comes to mind when i think about the sort of playbook requested for a Ravenloft setting, and it could be quite a colorful and fun playbook. but it is a stereotype identified by a term with which real people self-identify.
So why not give Gypsies a little break, and focus our language on what we want to explore in character, rather than use their cultural identity? The Vagabond? The Roamer? The Child-Taker? The Fortune Teller?
That said, i really want to see those playbooks, and i think i’ll start working up a playbook, or more. Based, as Mark Tygart suggested, on the Universal Back Lot 1930s Monster Movie portrayal of Gypsies. I’ll share what i develop, and would be curious to see what others find or develop, too.
I’m sorry if I came across as confrontational. I get that “Gypsies” are kind of a common archetype, I’m just not super comfortable with this archetype being associated with a heavily oppressed ethnic group.
I think there are some “Fortune Teller” and “Oracle” classes that might be worth checking out for “foreseeing” moves if you want to cover that stereotypical aspect.
Well the archetype in the 1930s horror films aren’t always evil, they serve Dracula but provide excellent werewolf killing advice.
So I made a Romani enfluenced character in Pathfinder and had a lot of fun with it. What you can do is pick a normal playbook, but RP up the lore and myth. Romani are generally a very tightly knit group especial if they actively travel. There are other types of “Gypsies” Scottish, Elnglish, Rusian, and Egyptian to name a few. My character believed in the superstition and was a very faithful character to his god, something I drew from real world Romani as they primarily identify with Catholicism. That being said I also peppered in language to sell the character concept.
Here is a link I used for language and names:
http://www2.arnes.si/~eusmith/Romany/
For playbooks If you are going for the fictional movie portrayal type there is a fortune teller (a few actually), Charlatan, Thief, Lemon Curdistan’s Shaman, Augur, Dream-catcher (dream powered support type, could play up as spirits), Prophet. From the Lore and Lords pack Trickster and Shaman. If any of these peak your interest let me know I have them all, but some of them maybe for sale products so I will check before releasing.
I did something Rom-inspired for a project I’ve got on the backburner. You can see it here (it’s The Traveller):
https://drive.google.com/drive/#folders/0B0lFq3ECDQDQX1R4bkVWdHlkeW8
It’s for a special-ops in a fantasy World War type game. Everyone picks a playbook (soldier, wizard, scoundrel, etc.) and an insert to reflect their background. The inserts are also meant to grant the character control over their world and homeland, or in this case, their home culture.
Maybe it’s got something you can find useful, Robert?
Haven’t gotten to look at it in-depth but Jeremy Strandberg’s stuff looks intriguing.
This is a concept I’ve been intrigued by in the past but haven’t really played with as such because of how sticky it gets. Even so, I think you have some worthwhile suggestions here.