1.8 Assignment 1: A Protagonist in Four Parts

(Due: Sep 5 Status: Not Completed)

Goal:

The purpose of this assignment is to aid you in developing your protagonist in particular and characters in general, using personality “seeds” from a variety of traditional systems of thought.

Instructions:

1. Choose, for your protagonist, which personality archetype would suit them best from each of the four following systems: the four humors, the Western Zodiac, the Eastern (Chinese) Zodiac, and the Japanese system of personality by blood type. You do not have to stick with what your character’s signs “should” be based on the birth date and blood type on their fact sheet.

2. For each system, write your choice on a line by itself, then write a 1-2 paragraphs (200-400 words) on why you chose that type, as well as whether it was difficult to make a choice (and why), and what ideas for further developing the character it has given you. Those ideas can be about the character’s personality, but they can also be about other characters they will interact with, or anything else that reflects on the character, such as their home, grooming habits or even the look and “feel” of the world they live in.

3. Your grade will be based on how well you explain your choices, and what you are able to come up with based on the seeds you’ve chosen. You will not be graded on which personality types / archetypes you choose (that’s purely your decision).

4. In addition to the “four parts” described above, fill out and turn in a GURPS character sheet for your protagonist. Just do your best with this part of the assignment: I know that some of you may have no experience with GURPS or any other roleplaying or character design system. You will not be graded on your GURPS character sheet, but it will be considered as part of your professionalization: not doing one, or making only a minimal effort, will cost you GPS points. If you haven’t already, download GURPS Lite from:

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/

The character sheet isn't an editable file, but you can print it out, fill it in and scan it, or just enter the important information into a Word file. There is also a website you can use to help you fill out your GURPS character sheet. If you use it, be sure to "save as an image:"

http://lapse.nerdvana.org.au/code/gurps/