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All The PCs Have Amnesia (A Scenario For RP)

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God_of_Awesome Since: Jan, 2001
#1: Feb 26th 2012 at 6:10:27 PM

In any system, any setting, what are the interesting things a GM could do with the basic premise that all his players do not have a back story, they all woke up together with amnesia and no memory of their live before then?

What interesting things could it lead to? What interesting extra could be added to that premise? What about things specific to a particular setting?

Defaulted Since: Dec, 2011
#2: Feb 26th 2012 at 9:59:08 PM

Presumably whatever robs them of their memories, robs them of their experience. So memories are power.

Now, ask yourself; why would a bunch of people have their memories forcibly wiped, along with all the experience and ergo power they've accumulated over their journeys? What kind of group would be powerful enough that they'd force someone to go to those measures? What were they doing with that power, more importantly, that pissed someone off enough to resort to memory wipes instead of the much more direct murder option.

I mean, you'd have to have at least a couple dozen very powerful friends, both in and out of the Astral Plane, to make it so that robbing you of your memories is the only option.

Newbie incoming!
unhappyyak :( from Minneapolis Since: Apr, 2009
:(
#3: Feb 27th 2012 at 9:16:36 AM

Along with the "memories are power" concept, character advancement could be the characters remembering their old abilities rather than gaining new ones. This could be especially interesting if the GM develops a backstory (and therefore set abilities) for each character which they then have to go discover. The players would have to be okay with not having as much control over their characters, though.

First key to interpreting a work: Things mean things.
lordGacek Since: Jan, 2001
#4: Mar 3rd 2012 at 2:31:56 PM

To build up on the above:

So. Who they were. Did they know each other before — as relatives, workmates, friends? Did they have a common employer, belonged to the same group, shared a worldview? Or perhaps they don't know each other simply because they meet for the first time?

Then - there is a question if they had any acquaintances. These people may seek them. Perhaps a PC will be recognised by someone who, in turn, won't be recognised by the PC. There is a whole range - from lovers, to enemies. An amnesiac like the PC may be happy to fink a link with past - but whether or not it indeed is a friend depends solely on that person's words. What if someone exploits the condition of the PC, for some illegal or nefarious reasons? Perhaps it's crazy ex-partner catching the opportunity to get the PC back?

And - how much do they remember. Anything but their past and skills? Perhaps there are cultural differences between whatever they remember or expect, and the world they're in?

Then there is the matter of who or what could have done that to the chcaracters, and why. It could have been a natural phenomenon. Perhaps an enemy. Perhaps they did it to themselves, by mistake or - Philip K. Dick bows to you - on purpose.

And a final thing I'd suggest: the assumption is that the PCs were powerful before. What if they were random unfortunate folks? Imagine the moment when players learn the good-with-numbers character was not a professional hacker, a military cipher breaker, or at the very least university professor of mathematics, but an accountant, and the one with instinctive knowledge of guns, a dabbling hunter. cool

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