Well, the other night, I actually had the opportunity to talk a little RPG in person with the guy playing Hrothgar, the party dwarf of Misery's Company (thanks to the group's DM, I now have a catchy name for the party). So, we get to hear from another Jason, the one playing the dwarf. Don't mix them up.
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Let's talk about Hrothgar the Dwarf. In a nutshell, who is this guy?
In a nutshell, he's a dwarven character who is concerned with the degradation of this place; it's part of an empire which is nearing the verge of collapse, from his perspective. He's a traditionalist in dwarven matters; your atypical dwarf (as far as D&D goes). Not very fond of elves, looks at humans and takes them as he sees them, he's never met a halfling, and hasn't met too many other races. He's very stubborn, holds to his oaths, doesn't give his word lightly, and is currently forced to work with people he's not sure about. He's obsessively dedicated to his family.
Seeing as he's a dwarf, what's fun about playing one?
I get to irritate people. They take a person like that at face value, and don't take a look at who they are on the inside. Most people go "Oh, he's just a dwarf" and don't try to see past that. His character does tend to be a bit standoffish with some of the other characters and their ideologies, and like the mountains he doesn't move; he respects the ability of others, and he respects those who try to see him for who he really is, despite his hardened exterior.
What's one of Hrothgar's favorite things to do?
He likes to play the flute, and he makes jewelry for his children. He likes to use woodworking within his jewelry instead of actual metals. He does use some semi-precious gemstones, and each of his pieces ofjewelry, he puts a lot of love into them.
What does Hrothgar think of the other party members?
Well, he knows Zephyr, and kinda thinks of Zephyr almost as a really close friend. He doesn't trust Jorin all that much, but he's trying to give Jorin the benefit of the doubt, because he's proved himself. He thinks of Aer more like a daughter. He's not sure what to think about Hestia.
Are there any particular moments that stand out in Hrothgar's history?
When he killed a Beholder, and took its eyestalk, and was basically waving it at the General when he rescued a bunch of guys (and saving a bunch of hurt party members), although he got in trouble for doing so.
One night, the party had bedded down for the night, and as Hrothgar was getting ready to go to bed, Hrothgar had gotten out his flute to play, and was playing a very haunting tune. Then, he was basically dearmored and disrobed, and he had nightmares. He was woken up by a piercing scream from two of the party members, both female. He immediately grabbed a hammer and ran out, not realizing that not only was he not wearing his armor, but also most of his clothing was missing--meaning, all of it. He took five arrows, three to the chest, one in the arm, one in the backside, was near death on several occasions, and he still killed people.
If I recall correctly, you've been around this roleplaying thing a while. What's your roleplaying history?
First time I played was when I was twelve years old, that was when 2nd Edition was new. I also played a multitude of other roleplaying games, tabletop wargames, and also worked with Games Workshop for about a year and a half. I'm rather fond of the fantasy games. I'm rather fond of creating my own minis, modeling and painting them.
You mentioned you'd played a lot of these games...what have you played?
D&D 2nd Edition, Warhammer 40K, Warhammer Fantasy, Heroquest, Inferno: Battles of the Abyss, Planescape, Space Hulk, Necromunda, Battlefleet Gothic, Star Trek: The Roleplaying Game, Warhammer Ancients, etc., etc.
What's the one big piece of advice that you would give to new roleplayers?
Have fun, don't worry about the rules as much: use them more as a guideline than as a rule, and don't be a frickin' rules lawyer. The game is designed for fun, and if you don't have fun, you shouldn't be playing.
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