[ericthered]

I did a search for the term in my game notes and my comments on this forum, and I was surprised at how often the word appeared on a character sheet as opposed to when talking about theories.

My first gurps character had mind control, specializing in the slow and sure variant (where you add traits to your victim). Obsession was a really good trait to implant in someone's head: it was cheap, and it kept them focused where you wanted them.

I've seen obsession (revenge) a several times, both as a player and as a GM. Its useful to note that the character in question isn't trying to stop the evil plot, save lives, or prove himself, but to inflict harm on the enemy. Monster Hunters gives every champion the ability to pick a "motivating attribute". The characters all go on the adventure together, but they have slightly different goals.

Several players I've seen have had goals they're working on that are kind of abstract. "Become Greatest Swordsman". "Mystically discover the Pysche","Establish Trade routes". These can be derailing, but often they just provide color and complications for the group, and in a functional group, they work well. Usually they are tasks that require extra effort but not much travel beyond what the main group is doing. They also differ in importance depending on the strength of my premade story and the degree of "sandbox" in the game.

Fey I build usually have an obsession: an equivalent of food they need to survive or an emotion they get kicks and giggles from. This usually turns up in monster hunters, so I think something like 75% of the hits I got for obsession were Monster Hunters related. I've stuck it on other supernatural entities as well.

I've found myself limiting the amount of obsession a player can take to [-15]. One guy was taking a bunch of them. I told him they were capped at [-15].

Quirk level obsessions can be a lot of fun. The life doesn't revolve around them, but they do enjoy the activity a lot. I've seen hunting, painting, and learning new musical instruments.