Need help Roleplaying an Idealistic yet Greedy Character

[Irish Wolf]

"Teldar Paper, Mr. Cromwell, Teldar Paper has 33 different vice presidents each earning over 200 thousand dollars a year. Now, I have spent the last two months analyzing what all these guys do, and I still can't figure it out. One thing I do know is that our paper company lost 110 million dollars last year, and I'll bet that half of that was spent in all the paperwork going back and forth between all these vice presidents. The new law of evolution in corporate America seems to be survival of the unfittest. Well, in my book you either do it right or you get eliminated. In the last seven deals that I've been involved with, there were 2.5 million stockholders who have made a pretax profit of 12 billion dollars. Thank you. I am not a destroyer of companies. I am a liberator of them! The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you very much."

-Gordon Gekko, in the 1987 movie Wall Street

[Rocket Man]

Originally Posted by trooper6

Maybe he believes that money = virtue. I've met many a person who believe that poverty is a manifestation of laziness and/or stupidity, and that people who are rich are better people. So maybe he is that way as well. He is a kind and nice and virtuous person, but the only way to prove that is to become rich.

Or for that matter, that money=winning .... he could care less about the cash, what's important is that it proves he's outperformed and outwitted everyone else.

"The money's just a way of keeping score. It's the game that's important."
--Silk, The Belgariad.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by hari

I'm afraid I have to disagree. Being afraid of poverty and being greedy are two totally different things, at least in my eyes. I would play him as greedy, but generous and not at all stingy. He has a big heart and a love of life.

"Of course I want to be rich, doesn't everybody? Who wouldn't love to build their dream house or dream ship?" "Yeah, I'm doing it for the money. I'm looking forward to buying a round for the entire bar when I get back." "It's great having money, I love the feeling of being able to help out my friends when they're in need." "Money is almost like some kind of life essence or something: if you don't have any, you can't live, and the more you have, the more you can live. I'm here to live." "Call me greedy, fine. That's not a bad thing. It's bad to be stingy. I'm not stingy, I'm generous."

Something along these lines is probably most appropriate.

When I read those lines of yours, for some reason I imagine him speaking in Gromozeka's voice, especially after 'big heart'. (No, I don't see any connection between the two characters.)

[hari]

I actually just watched that movie. Weird weird weird weird weird. I'll have to tell my step dad about it. He is a huge fan of weird old movies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEJ1cqfPaEI

Fell asleep a little towards the end. I suppose it must make a bit more sense if you understand Russian, but for some reason I hope not. That was strange. Made me feel like, in order to understand the movie, drugs would be more helpful than knowledge of Russian.

Gromozeka was cool. I'm sure you could find much worse cartoon characters to base an rpg character off of.

Glad I could help.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by hari

I actually just watched that movie. Weird weird weird weird weird. I'll have to tell my step dad about it. He is a huge fan of weird old movies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEJ1cqfPaEI

Fell asleep a little towards the end. I suppose it must make a bit more sense if you understand Russian, but for some reason I hope not. That was strange. Made me feel like, in order to understand the movie, drugs would be more helpful than knowledge of Russian.

Gromozeka was cool. I'm sure you could find much worse cartoon characters to base an rpg character off of.

Glad I could help.

The plot is primitive, but it wasn't meant to compete even with the worst episodes of Star Trek. The translation is awful.

Anyway, what I meant that the personalities have nothing in common.

Speaking of weird cartoons, you should check out Nekojiru Sou (Cat Soup).

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Irish Wolf

"
-Gordon Gekko, in the 1987 movie Wall Street

Of course Gekko wasn't generous or helpful and he actually did buy up companies in order to fire everyone and sell off the assets.

[Irish Wolf]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Of course Gekko wasn't generous or helpful and he actually did buy up companies in order to fire everyone and sell off the assets.

But in the process, according to his own viewpoint, he was helping the companies that hired him, by increasing the profit to their stockholders. His view of greed actually was kind of idealistic - it was a bonus, of course, that it satisfied his own greed at the same time. That it screwed over countless others meant nothing, in his worldview - after all, they weren't employing him...

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Greetings, all!

My character is a Void Master in WH40K Rogue Trader (officer of piloting, STL navigation, gunnery and boarding actions). Yes, the Lieutenant occupying a Michman post. Due to peculiarities of RT chargen, he ended up being rather idealistic - loyal to subordinates, goes out of his way to help fellow Humans, including total strangers, and tries to do the right thing no matter what (think BSG Helo) - but also greedy - his motivation is Fortune, so he likes rewards, especially material gain. The problem is, I appreciate the challenge and an trying my best, but I don't think I'm doing a good job combining there two traits. Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

That sounds like your classic Antiheroic Space Smuggler, like Hans Solo, or Beka Valentine, or Malcolm Reynolds.

[martin_rook]

Maybe he "stays bought." Or he is greedy enough to do things for money, but follows through on them with real fidelity.

(I'm thinking some of the intro of The Bad character from "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" where he is hired to track down and kill someone. The victim offers him money, but The Bad always follows through on his assignments and kills the guy -- but takes the money. He goes back to his boss, saying the job was done and the victim gave him some gold. "I think his idea was that I kill you. You know the pity is, once I'm paid... I always see the job through." And he kills his boss.)

[sir_pudding]

Honestly I don't see the contradiction at all; it's perfectly possible (even common) to seek personal wealth and still be compassionate and generous. Where do you think philanthropists come from? Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, that Face Book guy, all self made billionaires and all plan to give away most of their wealth in their lifetimes.