[HPFGU-OTChatter] re: DST / Shaun's shields of arms / talking dirty with Geoff

[Shaun Hately]

On 31 Mar 2007 at 20:14, Catlady (Rita Prince Winston) wrote:

> Shaun wrote in
> <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/31817>:
> 
> << The teaser page for my Harry Potter game to be run at Conquest
> 2007
> in Melbourne, Australia, can now be seen at:
> <http://home.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/HarryPotterAndTheDescentOfTh
> eDarklord.html>
> Just in case anybody finds such things interesting. >>
> 
> Cornelius Fudge a Ravenclaw! Hugin and Munin will peck your eyes
> out!
> If he's not a Slytherin, he's a Hufflepuff -- go along to get
> along.
> Myrtle is the Slytherin.

Ah... but you see, the reason, Fudge isn't a Slytherin is because he is too ambitious for that - 
he wants to be Minister of Magic, and careful research indicated to him that people just don't 
like voting for Slytherins. It would also have put him in the shadow of that very charismatic 
Tom Riddle, and Fudge doesn't want to be in anybody's shadow...

Basically my vision of Fudge's sorting involves: "NO, not Slytherin. Not Slytherin. The punters 
won't trust a Slytherin. And not Gryffindor - no politician wants to have to take the courageous 
choices*. Hufflepuff, if you must, honest toil, he's a grafter. But Ravenclaw would be best - 
they like people who seem to think on the issues.")

(*Fudge has the same understanding of 'courage' in political terms as Jim Hacker and Sir 
Humphrey Appleby).

As for Myrtle - I just can't see any reason to stick her in Slytherin, and it seems to be almost 
disrespectful to do so.

Fudge - yes, he could well be a Slytherin, but narratively speaking, for my game, it's better 
that he isn't.

http://www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/HPCHARDESC2007.zip contains a PDF of the more 
detailed character descriptions that will be given out to the players in my game. In the unlikely 
event that anybody who will be playing Harry Potter and the Descent of the Dark Lord next 
weekend is on this group, PLEASE don't download and read these sheets. They will just risk 
spoiling your enjoyment of the game if you read the sheets of the other characters.

But other people might find them interesting. They may not display properly if you don't have 
the same fonts installed as I do, but they should still be readable. If anybody does read them 
and notices any errors, please let me know - at one stage Cornelius Fudge turned into Barty 
Crouch halfway through the page and though I noticed that one and fixed it, it can be hard to 
proof read your own work. I'll be getting the sheet laminated in a couple of days, and after 
that making changes becomes expensive.
 
> It looks like the plot line is interesting.
> 
> I personally prefer the other shields of arms, but I wish I could
> opt
> to remove the scrolls with the names, to see just the shields. The
> version you prefer do have helms, crests, and mantling, giving me
> to
> wonder whether wizards would have helms or pointy hats for their
> crests to balance on.

A lot of my preference for these Coats of Arms comes down to the purpose I am using them 
for. I actually do like the other shields in general terms. But part of what makes or breaks a 
roleplaying game is the ability to create the right atmosphere to make the game seem real. At 
Conquest I have the advantage by sheer luck that the Convention is held in a reasonably old, 
rather impressive High School that looks as much like a Castle as anything we have in 
Melbourne. That makes it much easier to set atmosphere for a Harry Potter game.

The coat of arms I use for the games are very similar to those used by most of the traditional 
schools that are still in Melbourne on their uniforms, etc (mainly because they are Coats of 
Arms that follow the rules of Heradry), so they are also familiar to quite a few people and it 
helps to enhance the image I'm trying to create.

(Incidentally, and perhaps somewhat ironically, the major Melbourne school with the shield 
design closest to the non-Coat of Arms shields with names on them is the school that I, in 
fact, attended. I was always somewhat annoyed that, alone of the Six Great Schools, mine 
didn't have a proper heraldic achievement on its uniform, and perhaps that annoyance 
translates to the choices I make for my games!).

The fact of the Wizarding World following the Muggle rules of Heraldry also gives me a link 
between the two worlds - for my games, the links tend to be important. The Wizarding World 
being part of the Muggle World, a hidden part.

Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately | www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       | drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200 
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one
thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the 
facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be 
uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that 
need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who: The Face of Evil
Where am I: Frankston, Victoria, Australia