Characterizing the ideal minion

[CodeMaster]

There is a lot of discussion (and even guidelines) that describe how to play a good leader.  But a fantastic leader is never going to reach her full potential without effective minions to lead.

From a storyline perspective, I think it's as simple as playing a realistic character with some mix of flaw and ambition.  But what else (maybe even from a coded, OOC perspective) characterizes the ideal minion?  What kind of follower makes it entertaining but also easy and unfrustrating for you to lead?  Here's my tongue-in-cheek stab at it:

• Survivability
• A plot magnet - somehow has always made connections that are leading somewhere (new enemies, new allies..)
• Moderate combat prowess, but esp. defense and the guard and rescue skills
• An easy to type name like "Jak" or something
• High strength and an aptitude for logistical support.  Always has a tent, an extra set of sunslits, smelling salts, cures, extra waterskins and rations, spare mount tickets.
• Predictable playtimes and a OOC transparency about those playtimes
• Tells a good anecdote; knows a few word games to pass a night on a dune with
• Ability to serve as an auxiliary leader in your absence (patient with newbies, knows the world map "well enough")
• Mud-asexual
• A distinguishing height and/or accent

But surely there's a better list -- and better examples you can come up with.

So tell me your story, leaders, about that one follower who was one of a kind.

[valeria]

• Reports in regularly.
• Reports in regularly.
• Reports in regularly.

.... that's about all I have.

[Barzalene]

Someone who plays with you, but can play even when you're not there.
Someone who is having fun. And having fun even when you're not there.
Someone who is having fun and includes you when you are there.
Someone who wants to be included in your fun.
Someone who doesn't need to be the center of attention all the time.
Someone who views both your character and theirs as people, not toons
Someone who is realistic and honest about when you can count on them being there.

[LauraMars]

• CONNIVING AS FUCK
• loyal only to me

That's living the dream.

[Jihelu]

List of things of the best minion:

Follows me into the great death I deserve

That is all.

[RogueGunslinger]

NPC guard.

[Chettaman]

[WithSprinkles]

(in a squeaky voice)

The OVERLORD!

[Clearsighted]

There is a lot of discussion (and even guidelines) that describe how to play a good leader.  But a fantastic leader is never going to reach her full potential without effective minions to lead.

From a storyline perspective, I think it's as simple as playing a realistic character with some mix of flaw and ambition.  But what else (maybe even from a coded, OOC perspective) characterizes the ideal minion?  What kind of follower makes it entertaining but also easy and unfrustrating for you to lead?  Here's my tongue-in-cheek stab at it:

• Survivability
• A plot magnet - somehow has always made connections that are leading somewhere (new enemies, new allies..)
• Moderate combat prowess, but esp. defense and the guard and rescue skills
• An easy to type name like "Jak" or something
• High strength and an aptitude for logistical support.  Always has a tent, an extra set of sunslits, smelling salts, cures, extra waterskins and rations, spare mount tickets.
• Predictable playtimes and a OOC transparency about those playtimes
• Tells a good anecdote; knows a few word games to pass a night on a dune with
• Ability to serve as an auxiliary leader in your absence (patient with newbies, knows the world map "well enough")
• Mud-asexual
• A distinguishing height and/or accent

But surely there's a better list -- and better examples you can come up with.

So tell me your story, leaders, about that one follower who was one of a kind.

This reads like one of those cosmo articles about the perfect boyfriend.

But it's also utterly true.

In my experience, finding someone with even 2/3rds of those qualities is a home run.

[MeTekillot]

I liike my minions to like mudsex, because it makes them less likely to store and leave all the e-poon they've cultivated behind.

[FantasyWriter]

[Harmless]

I liike my minions to like mudsex, because it makes them less likely to store and leave all the e-poon they've cultivated behind.

rule34?

[TheWanderer]

i laughed

[Lizzie]

A good crafting minion will keep me informed when we're running low on any particular supplies. And when we're running low on space for any new supplies - and which supplies we have so much of that it's creating a space problem. A good crafting minion will do this before he can no longer drop a feather in the room, and before there is only one chunk of obsidian left in the entire compound.

A good crafting minion will put the arrow supplies in the arrow supplies box, the raw hides in the raw hide bin, the tanned hides in the tanned hides bin, and the polished stones in the polished stones satchel. A good hunting minion will let me know if the gizhat herd has been overhunted and aren't maturing quick enough to kill more than one every three weeks, so that I can tell the customer that the wickedly-sharpened gizhat-handled dinner spoon might take another month to custom-create for him.

A good aide minion will attempt to get in touch with me every week at least a couple of times during the window of time he knows I play in, so that I'm not always the one finding his mind to ask if there's any news. A good aide minion will also want to know who are the House enemies vs. who are my personal enemies, who I'm hobnobbing with lately, and who the House is trying to court. A good aide will be inquisitive about these details, but discrete. They won't be asking me in the middle of Red's why I was mean to Lord Lackwit yesterday. Instead they'll either way me with the question, or ask to speak with me privately. A good aide will know the difference between being discrete and being obtuse.

A good secret minion will know the difference between being discrete and being obtuse, and will make a concerted effort to learn what kinds of secrets I want to know about, above and beyond any other kinds of secrets. And of course a good secret minion (spy, assassin, burglar, thief, sneaky type in general) will know what my personal tastes are so he knows which item to bring me as a present on my birthday

[Jengal]

• an ass that won't quit

[Desertman]

This guy apparently since he was picked to play the right hand man of BOTH Achilles and Leonidas. What more could you want?

[Aruven]

This guy is a perfect minion

Even when he just like... takes a beating from achilles

[Malken]

A good minion should be a character that totally should have gotten the sponsored role I got instead of them but didn't have the karma and/or my awesome charisma to get it and now they're playing that role via a minion and do all the work required while I sip wine at the bar and waste my free weekly 'sids on whores and trinkets.

[BadSkeelz]

A good minion should be equally capable of having fun with you or on their own. Either way it helps relieve the pressure of leaders for having to "provide" fun to the minions.

Also good if they don't torpedo your own plans or anything but betraying you for the poontang.

[Reiloth]

My ideal minion is jstorrie.

If I can't get that and I have to read resumes (ugh), then I am looking for someone who I have some playtime overlap with, but not 100%. I like an Aide that's around when i'm not, to cover as many bases as possible. My Leaders tend to empower my minions, because if they're an idiot and overextend themselves, they get hung out to dry. If they can operate with an inch of my power, then they get rewarded.

I like self starters, and I like people that are communicative OOCly -- What I mean is, people who let me know a day or two before they can't make an RPT I scheduled a month in advance. That sort of thing.

Otherwise, minions can be scoundrels, secret magickers, or dildos for all I care.

[James de Monet]

I have started and lost a response to this thread like six times.

I hope any aspiring minions take it as a list of nice-to-haves, and not a list of must-haves.  Any minion is better than no minion (almost), and one can play a rocking minion by a different set of rules than these.

That being said, I really appreciate a minion who:

• Has their own story, preferably one they are comfortable letting you chose your own level of (active) involvement in.
• Knows your bidding, and can get a 70% solution on it in response to an event, even if you aren't around.
• Is excited about leveraging your authority.  It's half the reason to take the job.  Use it!
• Is a force of MCB in their own right, and/or a master at playing angel-when-you're-here, devil-when-you're-gone.
• Runs interference on the common rabble. There aren't enough people to really flesh out the levels between the haves (of power) and the have nots.  Having someone else remind people is far more effective.
• Is intimately familiar with the axioms about the golden goose and the hand that feeds you, and knows when to heed them (and when not!)

The last thing I would say is that there is nothing novel or exciting, as a leader, about having a minion who openly questions your authority as if their opinion held equal weight to yours (especially if they don't intend to back it up physically).  We have all seen that a thousand times.  I think it is better on every single level if players of minions either choose to play by the docs and believe that leader is somehow better than their PC (if the leader is blooded), or get smart about it and plot the leader's downfall in secret (instead of seemingly counting on the OOC fact that the leader won't kill them for running their mouth, because only 3 of the leader's 50 IC minions happen to be PCs instead of vNPCs).

I hope that doesn't come across as too harsh, it just gets old very quickly.  (Quickly enough that some of those leaders absolutely will kill a PC for doing that.)


Edited for pronoun weirdness.

[Clearsighted]

The last thing I would say is that there is nothing novel or exciting, as a leader, about having a minion who openly questions your authority as if their opinion held equal weight to yours (especially if they don't intend to back it up physically).  We have all seen that a thousand times.  I think it is better on every single level if players of minions either choose to play by the docs and believe that leader is somehow better than their PC (if the leader is blooded), or get smart about it and plot the leader's downfall in secret (instead of seemingly counting on the OOC fact that the leader won't kill them for running their mouth, because only 3 of the leader's 50 IC minions happen to be PCs instead of vNPCs).

I hope that doesn't come across as too harsh, it just gets old very quickly.  (Quickly enough that some of those leaders absolutely will kill a PC for doing that.)

Edited for pronoun weirdness.

A great minion notices the jackoff minion running his mouth all the time and shit-talking the boss, and makes sure to accidentally kill him in training practice, or drops a hammer on his head while he sleeps in a tent on patrol.

[James de Monet]

A great minion notices the jackoff minion running his mouth all the time and shit-talking the boss, and makes sure to accidentally kill him in training practice, or drops a hammer on his head while he sleeps in a tent on patrol.

Hahaha, true!  Though that is a minion that is also great ICly, not just OOCly.  You can play 'em bad, just do it good well!

[AdamBlue]

That feeling when I see this list and I realize I'm playing the perfect minion.

[Tetra]

I'm shocked by this list.

What I believe an ideal minion brings;

• Is able to network effectively and obtain important information that will drive clan projects and plots
• Reliably distinguish what is relevant from their sources, and what is a 'dud' or red herring
• Has a compelling, well-developed character concept -- without overshadowing their patron(at least in their presence, let's face it, noble does not always equal interesting).
• Effective communicator, and has demonstrated sincerity and trustworthiness through their actions to see the patron's goals succeed.(this one is easy to take for granted)

There are a bunch more, but I'm on my break right now.