Greetings Submissions Gurus,
Cool issue, and I am not just saying that because I got stuff in this one. <giggle> For my next trick, I will stay away from sappy/morose poetry (as I have already bothered you with such <smile>) and perhaps share my method of judging Humanity/Golconda in games that I storytell. I ran one game for over 3 real time years, and no one yet achieved Golconda in any of them, so I think I was being relatively reserved while still utilizing believable notions of Humanity/Golconda. My methods were as follows, and are not *necessarily* an endorsement of any particular religion or philosophy, nor am I trying to spread any unwanted visions, as hardly any players ever really care about it anyway. <grin>
It is rather simple, really, and some may already use this method. Also, this system makes it possible to achieve Golconda without having a 10 humanity, as it says you can have a 7 in the book. (Possible, but not easy <smile>).
Certain segments of the population will find it all very familiar…. :)
I base humanity in games I Storytell on the Seven Deadly Sins and the seven opposing Heavenly Virtues, leaving out but not ruling out the ‘God’ aspects. The Deadly Sins work well with the humanity checks in the VtM book, and I make a humanity check when a ‘deadly sin’ is committed, and if the character has a high enough humanity to warrant it. If someone does a great act pertaining to a Heavenly Virtue, I might give them a humanity point, or an appropriate virtue point (conscience, self-control, or courage). This kind of award is rare nigh to non-existent in my games. Call me a harsh father (mother?) confessor. <evil grin> Here is just a little personal guide gleaned from internet sources:
Pride / Humility – Seeing ourselves as we are and not comparing ourselves to others is humility. Pride and vanity are competitive. If someone else’s pride really bothers you, you have a lot of pride.
Avarice or Greed / Generosity – This is about more than money. Generosity means letting others get the credit or praise. It is giving without having expectations of the other person. Greed wants to get its "fair share" or a bit more.
Envy / Love – "Love is patient, love is kind…" Love actively seeks the good of others for their sake. Envy resents the good others receive or even might receive. Envy is almost indistinguishable from pride at times.
Wrath or Anger / Kindness – Kindness means taking the tender approach, with patience and compassion. Anger is often our first reaction to the problems of others. Impatience with the faults of others is related to this.
Lust / Self-control – Self control and self mastery prevent pleasure from killing the soul by suffocation. Legitimate pleasures are controlled in the same way an athlete’s muscles are: for maximum efficiency without damage. Lust is the self-destructive drive for pleasure out of proportion to its worth. Sex, power, or image can be used well, but they tend to go out of control.
Gluttony / Faith and Temperance – Faith trusts in others and oneself, and does not hoard against the more needy. This does not pertain only to food, but to entertainment and other legitimate goods, and even the company of others.
Sloth / Zeal – Zeal is the energetic response of the heart. The other sins work together to deaden the spiritual senses so we first become slow to respond and then drift completely into the sleep of complacency.
There is a pretty deadly sin page <grin> at : http://www.deadlysins.com/ Ah.. cool domain name. <sigh>
Are we totally overwhelmed yet? Heh. That is roughly what I used for humanity/virtue judgments. Of course, I use much intuitive thought, exceptions and judgment calls, but I find this template to be comprehensible to myself as well as to others if they are trying to understand The Way. <sly smile>
Now… for Golconda. I found…. (and it is hard to say… for it sounds too lofty…) a lovely template for Golconda. Ya, I know, I know, sounds cheesy, and even I have not achieved the Golconda that I set aside for players, and they would practically have to achieve it in Real Life before they could comprehend it well enough to play it, and then they would have to enlighten me. <grin> But, my definition of Golconda is Nirvana… or Zen. It seems indeed to be perfection, and oneness, and even a Vampire could live with themselves if they were able to see the way. I am sure many know them, but here are the Four Noble Truth, as laid out by the Buddha:
Life is suffering.
The origin of suffering is egoistic craving and attachment.
There is a way to the cessation of suffering.
This Way is the Eightfold Path:
Right Understanding;
Right Thinking;
Right Speech;
Right Attitude;
Right Livelihood;
Right Effort;
Right Mindfulness;
Right Concentration.
These words make many angry, of course. Take them as you will. :) Here is a web page with a more detailed explanation: http://www.buddhanet.net/4noble.htm
So, enlightenment (Golconda) can be had with less than a 10 humanity, but not likely. Of course, Golconda is merely a legend in any chronicle I run. :)
Well, I hope that some may find this worth while. It is hard, with all of the action and in your face suffering in the WoD, to focus on Personal Horror and the like, but I needed a template to keep my perspective on what Sin and Salvation could be in Vampire.