What if ... Zoot Lives!

Conversations with a new friend -- Llys, who just joined KTDARPG -- started me thinking about some what-if scenarios. Kinda interesting...

What if the writers or producers or whoever had NOT killed off Zoot early in Season-1 of "The Tribe"? How fundamentally would that have changed the shape of Tribeworld?

I don't know if it's true or not that the violence and threats the survivors endured in Season-1 actually shaped them for the rest of the series, but it's something to think about. If Zoot hadn't died...well, he had just met his daughter. Fatherhood changes a man, and the man who was Martin still had a very big heart. He also still loved Trudy.

If Zoot hadn't died...if he and Trudy had got back together and made a family...well, there would have been no Chosen, no Supreme Mother, no kids taken away to who knew where. Carry that a bit farther and you have Dal wouldn't have died, Patsy wouldn't have disappeared, or Ryan.

So much bad would have been avoided. Wouldn't it?

There's always the other possibility, that Zoot was so dedicated to the post-Virus future he saw in his mind that nothing would have changed him. Zoot could have taken Brady from Trudy and given her to Ebony to raise. (Ok, that thought made me a little sick here.) He could have continued with the violence and carnage, setting up the world for his daughter to rule as its queen.

Hm...that also means it would've been Zoot ruling the city when the Technos showed up. Somehow I don't think they'd have had as easy a time trying to take over. That would have been something to see!

Anyway, what-ifs are fun. What if Zandra had lived? What if Lex & Ebony had hooked up? What if Amber had stayed with the Ecos and Pride?

Consider the possibilities.

-Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

Takin' Care of Business

As so often happens, I'm finding our rp "Keep the Dream Alive" reflects what "The Tribe" reflected through 5 years of shows.

Right now our game is in a bit of a slump. The "big moments" are waiting for other things to finish up, so most of our characters are left to the smaller tasks. Finding food, cleaning up, waiting for friends to show up, sleeping away the night...killing time until the new day arrives and the action can pick up again.

That lull is hard for a lot of players to deal with. Mostly they don't want to deal with the business of a character just living life. Having a meal, washing clothes, taking a bath, even being a little bored. But when you picture the character you've created as a whole person, it's really not so hard. If you see your character as a living, breathing human...with thoughts and needs, reacting to the environment they find themselves in...the business of living becomes a lot easier to move through. It also helps define your character and make them "live" in very real ways.

"The Tribe" was at it's realest when it was showing scenes like dividing up chores, a kitchen full of rats because they didn't keep their places clean, Salene threatening the younger ones with "either we can go collect herbs for Taisan or clean the toilets. You choose." Hehe...I think you can guess what they chose. Even scenes like Ruby cleaning up her bar added to the feel of life in Tribeworld. It's the same with our game. Those small moments add a lot to life in Fort River, giving a reader the actual feel of living after devastation on that scale.

But I guess it's not for everybody.

-Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"