I'm geekier

Well, if Eric were a character in that game, he would be dead because Alex is playing him....

Ouch. That's another zing from Der Zingermeister!

Over the last while, I've thought of how a television character might translate as a role-playing character. Today, we look at Breaking Bad's main player, Mr. Walter White, the everyman's antihero.





I think Mr. White would have fairly average statistics except for his IQ, which I guesstimate is either 17 or 18. Seriously, this guy has something to say about everything related to the realms of academic and eruiditic knowledge, which suggests a high default for rolls involving IQ-related skills. I imagine he probably has high skill scores in science, chemistry, teaching, and a variety of other academic disciplines. For character development he is probably working to improve skills like intimidation, street wise, business administration, the guns small arms.

There is one odd thing about this character. As the show progresses, Mr. White acquires disadvantages to reflect the character's general slide down the path of crime in drug trafficking. At the show's beginning, Walter is a pretty normal guy. He starts off with greed, which is what gets him into methamphetamine production. He also has the Cancer disadvantage for a while. Along the way, he picks up bad temper (mild), compulsive spender, and pacifism that slowly downgrades to a mild form of bloodlust. I think you could get away with giving him split personality with Heisenberg if you wanted it.

Alpha Centauri wrote:...and pacifism that slowly downgrades to a mild form of bloodlust...

I've not seen much of the series, but I would probably disagree with you on that. In one of the first few episodes he kills a gangster (and tries to kill the second) with a chemical gas, and then wraps their bodies in garbage bags and duct tape. Hardly the script of a pacifist.

I've not seen much of the series, but I would probably disagree with you on that. In one of the first few episodes he kills a gangster (and tries to kill the second) with a chemical gas, and then wraps their bodies in garbage bags and duct tape. Hardly the script of a pacifist.

Yes, to be fair he did kill two guys in the first season. However, in both cases they tried to kill him first and so they could possibly count as self defense actions. In later seasons though, Walter does end up murdering people for reasons other than self defense.

Oh yes. Be sure to add compulsive lying to the list of acquired disadvantages.

Pacifism: Self Defense, then, I suppose. Character development is something very enjoyable if done correctly. I enjoyed Säule's eventual loss of the same disadvantage.

Pacifism: Self Defense, then, I suppose. Character development is something very enjoyable if done correctly. I enjoyed Säule's eventual loss of the same disadvantage.

Yeah, that's the thing about murder. I see it much like shooting down your first X-Wing within the safety of an Imperial turbo laser turret. A bit of your soul dies the first time, but it gets easier as time goes on. Soon you'll begin to wonder why the Empire is constantly referred to as being evil. I mean sure, they shoot to kill and might eliminate an sentient alien species in the process, but they do it in the name of maintaining order in a messy galaxy.

Well, there's also something to be said for NOT being on the side that's getting shot at with a weapon that blows up planets...

I'm very geeky on this wise. Just like Mr. Douglas Adams and in spite of our technological advances within the last few decades, I feel that digital watches are still a pretty good idea.

And now, because you probably weren't asking for it, I present to you now a poem written by Data the android from the next generation of Star Trek. This poem is called Ode to Spot, and I would rate this on a rung of excellence far higher than the songs sung by Uhura in the original series.


Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature,
An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature;
Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses
Contribute to your hunting skills and natural defenses.

I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
A singular development of cat communications
That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
For a rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection.

A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
You would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aid in locomotion,
It often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.

O Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display
Connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

It's actually not that bad. Feeling (to use Geordi's word, I think) is in the eye of the beholder. And Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is just that, a fun little piece meant for a small, light-hearted evening performance that's not meant to take itself too seriously.


But if you could find out what piece is played in the episode where Sarek weeps, I would be quite interested.

But if you could find out what piece is played in the episode where Sarek weeps, I would be quite interested.

Hey, yeah. I remember the episode you're talking about. That's the one where Sarek has something akin to Vulcan Alzheimer's, which sends the crew of the Enterprise into fits of trying to kill each other. If that's the case, I suppose it would be a good idea to put all of your old people in a "home" out of the way and isolated from the rest of society.

No, don't worry, Granddad. We're just going on a really long drive into the mountains for a picnic today.

Yeah. But seriously, if you could find that piece I'd be interested.

I think my post about memorizing the villainous raptor's speech qualifies me as a pretty geeky kind of guy.

On the same note, I suppose writing a fan fiction story about the Avengers and Chris Pratt is rather geeky too.

That's a double strike for acts of geekdom made right here on this very forum. In the present day. Not ten years ago where we can heave a sigh and think we'll never be anything like that ever again. No, friends. The insanity happens here in this very moment.

I stopped trying to outcompete you on this for a long time....

I stopped trying to outcompete you on this for a long time....

And still, I can't help posting crazy stuff on this thread. It's becoming an addiction for me, I think.

Oh yeah? Take this, bitch!


Check out those perforations, nice and clean! Can you say photogravure? Yeah!

The girl in that photograph kind of looks like your daughter, so I expect those edges to be ridged to the point where I can measure equal distances between each microgroove. That's the kind of perfection I expect.

I think it's time we blow this thread wide open into the great wide world.

Case in point. We all know that NASA scientists are a little geeky, but we have another reason to label them as such. Thanks to these guys, we now have an physical location in this universe called Mordor. Yep. You heard me right. Mordor is no longer just a realm for the imagination anymore. It actually exists on this physical plane of reality. And how did this happen?

This all came about due of the New Horizon's recent flyby of Pluto and its moon. On the first images of the moon, scientists found a location on the northern pole of Charon, which appeared dark and foreboding on the image. What name could we possible give it? Oh, I know...


THE SHADOW SHALL RISE ONCE MORE. Or even worse. Have scientists discovered Morgoth's prison?