Disads: the Second Best CP Deal in GURPS

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by DouglasCole

I got kicked out of a game once because my staid, solid character reported unusual activity up the military chain of command instead of haring off and investigating it myself. Was a Trail of Cthulhu campaign and my understanding of the game's expectations was not aligned with the GM's.

Indeed.

It seems to me, if players and GMs want to mimic many (I might even say most) fictional protagonists in media with even the slighest action-adventure-y bent, the characters ought to have reasons for behaviour that is, in the context of real reality, profoundly risky, stupid and against all reasonable regulations.

Staid, solid characters may work for a one-shot adventure where some contrivance places them in harm's way, but if they are meant to be center stage in a new madcap escapade every week, they'll need some careful thought as regards motivation and plausibility.

Frankly, I find solid and staid characters only work as adventuring protagonists when paired with one or more characters who made Self-Preservation and Rationality their dump stats, as well as strong reasons to follow their more adventure-prone allies into one folly after another.