Brooding
Fun fact about brooding lone-wolfishness: That was originally supposed to be Gunslinger’s role. Back when I wrote “Loner” in 2016, I’d imagined Gunslinger as as a grizzled Clint Eastwood type. I thought it would be a funny gag to have this hard-bitten drifter crying a single tear of loneliness, too aloof to attract a party and completely miserable about it. Fortunately for us all, I forgot that I’d approved Laurel’s sketch of a round-faced little halfling in a poncho a few weeks before. That’s why we got Handbook-World’s LFG cutie pie instead. And that means glooming it up in the corner falls to our resident himbo. (Thank you for your service, Warlock!)
Anyhow, I still maintain that this “The Loniest Wolf” article from the now-defunct TPK blog remains an excellent primer on the subject. But rather than poo-poo the characters lining up to brood in the brooding corner, I thought it might be fun to brainstorm some alternate ways to show off that kind of personality.
- Dramatic Hints: You have a tragic past. That’s a given. But what if you drop cryptic hints rather than playing it close to the chest? Staring into the middle distance whenever you talk also helps.
- Internal Monologue: Even if your dude doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, you can still let the other players know what’s going on. Consider pulling a Deckard and narrating your internal monologue.
- Your Reputation Precedes You: Work with your GM to create the right vibe. How should NPCs react to a badass with a badass reputation? If other characters in the world have heard of your exploits, it goes a long way to making the dark sunglasses and black trench coat vibe believable.
- Go Lawful: If you don’t care about nothing and nobody, it’s easy to mistake your PC for a plank of wood. A personal code, on the other hand, gives you something to work with. Just ask Mando about his adoption policy.
- More Gloom: Use thaumaturgy to make your shadowy corner shadowier. Apply darkness / deeper darkness as necessary.
Some of these suggestions are more serious than others. But the point I’m trying to make is that a close-mouthed Geralt of Rivia type is viable. You should be able to make that character work at the table. What’s not cool is using that archetype as an excuse to forego roleplaying. So for today’s discussion, what do you say we come up with alternatives for lone wolf PCs? How do you project personality without betraying your air of unapproachable mystery? Sound off with your own lone wolf strats down in the comments!
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Just, please god, DON’T try and play “Lone Wolf” with the DM. We are not mind readers, TELL US what you’re doing!
And yes, I’ve had a few of these in my years of DMing and all except one drove me up a wall.
Once played in a campaign where one of the other players had made a typical Lone Wolf character, while my concept was basically just Elf Wizard (I regularly make pretty basic characters and then flesh them out during the early stages of play).
As soon as I understood what sort off character he was playing, I decided to go full obnoxiously friendly and social and became the Dandelion to his Geralt. Plonking down at his table while talking about how exciting adventure was, and insisting to everyone that we were a dynamic duo. Really helped making the lone wolf interact with the party, if only to escape from my character.
My main experience with the problems of the trope has been a Githyanki Arcane Trickster, who ironically was actually kind of the exact opposite of a lone wolf.
The main gag of her character is that she could absolutely pull off the look of a brooding, edgy loner…but her actual backstory and personality are closer to that of a plucky, Chaotic Good Folk Hero. She was a doorstep baby, presumably because someone at her crèche or a higher-up visiting it decided to say “fuck this” to the generational trauma trashfire that is Tun’arath, and grew up in a loving home with two adoptive blacksmith parents. She decided to train as a rogue because as a tween she was most dazzled by the rogue of a traveling adventuring party that visited her village one time, maybe learning from an elderly retired adventurer in her hometown. She got her scar saving her mountain village home from a mountain lion that was attacking. She is both bubbly and curious about the world, with a vaguely Appalachian accent.
And she thinks that brooding in a corner (ideally one just well-lit enough to draw attention for any passing adventuring groups) is how you sell that you’re a Serious Adventuring Thief who will competently do Adventuring Thief Things, which will get money, aid, and stories back home and possibly answers as to what she is. Sure, maybe later on she’d get an arc about confronting her bio family/immediate relatives and/or learning for herself that yes, Mind Flayers really are that bad, but that would come later.
I still ended up getting kicked after my first game with her—the DM couldn’t handle 5 players, and I was the one who jelled with the party the least. It turns out that even if you’re just miming a lone wolf, you’re still going to run into problems when you don’t build up rapport with everyone. The second time I tried her, this time downplaying the “seemingly edgy” aspects, the DM disbanded the server and ghosted us after one game—which I don’t think was related to her. At that point I decided to branch out the concepts I applied for pickup games with.
If I try her again, it’s likely I’ll still downplay the “seemingly edgy” aspects. It turns out that there were other aspects of the character I enjoy more (constant telekinesis with Mage Hand), and the “plucky, surprisingly naive hero Rogue with iffy bio family she doesn’t know about” part likely lasts longer anyway.
That being said, I have run characters who are more broody or introverted before successfully. Inner monologues work REALLY well for online games, since text is a great format for showing them off without interrupting the action. One used the “go lawful” trick (she was part of a religious group), while my current active player character (a Reflection Magus in PF2e) is actively avoiding being a loner—safety in numbers, after all—but is still a bit broody, secretive, and a tad selfish. (Everyone at the table also knows the gist of her secret—that she’s a Simulacrum who ran away from her creator—out of game.)
I have a similar character lol. He’s a vampire werewolf rogue with two sets of absent parents and yet isn’t edgy. Sure he has a bit of a violent streak in combat but that’s mostly him being a protective dad, his vibes are generally more “classy motherfucker”
side notes in the interest of clarity, in order: the vampire werewolf is balanced as being dhampir from longtooth shifter; the two sets of absent parents being his birth parents (never knew them), and his adoptive father and vampiric sire (died to adventurers); while he doesn’t officially have kids it’s kind of an accepted vibe that he’s the party dad alongside the paladin being the party mom
My view is that you’re welcome to be a lone-wolf… provided you have an acceptable reason for putting it to one side to reluctantly cooperate with the rest of the party. Fine, your character doesn’t like working with others — but they’re going to have to do it, happily or not… and roleplaying that unhappiness is a lot more interesting than just sitting quietly in the corner as a non-participant.
Brooding and secretive is fine… but consider distinguishing PC from player. The rest of the party might not understand what’s motivating you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be more open about it to the other players. We’ve got a couple of them in my current game… I know (broadly, at least) what’s driving them, but my character only knows the little that the other characters have chosen to reveal.
He’s actually not alone in the corner there. It’s date night with Ninja who just rolled really high on his stealth roll.
I tried to have my LE Githyanki Psi Warrior interact with the citizenry through nonverbal fear and menace. “I glower angrily at the barmaid while holding my empty mug.” My dice had other plans. My inability to roll intimidation in casual circumstances led to me having to be a functional member of society. I can still roll intimidation in actual hostile circumstances though.
“What’s not cool is using that archetype as an excuse to forego roleplaying.”
Worse, I think, is when a player uses that archetype as a means to make themselves the center of attention, as the other players labor to understand what they need to do in order for the player and the character to integrate into the group. In my experience, most people who play “loniest wolves” actually do have triggers and whatnot in mind. It’s just that they refuse to negotiate with the rest of the players, because they’re so deeply in love with the idea that someone will spontaneously figure it out, and then the “loniest wolf’s” player will get to have their glorious roleplay moment. I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve heard people complain that their lone wolf character was never brought in from the cold because the other players were too dense to pick up on all the super obvious hints the lone wolf player was dropping about what they were supposed to do next. When asked why they didn’t simply talk to the other players about their headcanon for the game, it usually turns out that they simply never even thought about it, or felt that it would have been too “artificial.”
In general it’s important to get one simple point across to the Lone Wolf player: it is their job to buy into the group. I’ve dealt with players who want to do the whole tragic loner character that try to make it either the dm or the other players’ job to convince their character to go along, and that’s the most frustrating thing to have at the table. They need to spend the effort to figure out why they are in the group, and then we can give a quick rp of that to “convince” them to join.
Also, side note, I still don’t understand why people like Geralt or the Witcher in general. I could never get into it.
Geralt of Rivia* is generally a competent bad-ass, like Wolverine*, but also has his ‘softie’ side, so I can see why a lot of people are into that.
Also, like Wolverine, Geralt really isn’t a ‘lone wolf’. He’s stuck traveling alone because of his chosen profession, not many could survive doing what he does, aside from other Witchers, and there simply aren’t that many around anymore.
Inversely, Wolverine usually has a team he works with, the few times he ‘goes solo’ is because he himself becomes danger to others (PTSD/animalistic berserker). While he might talk the talk of being a lone wolf, at teh end of the day he does work with his group… which is something most Players trying to play Lone Wolves need to learn.
An RPG group’s story isn’t written by singular author who can cheat and write the party in such a way as to draw out the lone wolf, the LW needs to find their own way in most times.
* I know Geralt and Wolverine are often hailed as the quintessential Lone Wolves, but they really aren’t. Geralt is forced to work alone, but often mopes about feeling lonely because there is just no one he can team up with safely. Oppositely, Wolverine usually has a team and mopes about in fear he’ll lose his control and hurt the people around him.
Neither //want// to be alone. And I think that’s the secret a lot of Lone Wolf Players miss, they make someone who “wants to be alone” and then have no reason to stick with a group.
Yeah, Wolverine isn’t a lone wolf… he’s just a grumpy bastard who thrives on company despite his protestations to the contrary. Is there any notable hero — or villain — in the Marvel universe whom he hasn’t teamed up with on some occasion?
Aside from a chose your own adventure series, I’ve never played Lone Wolf. I just don’t like it.
I will play the “Has to do some things alone” character, either because they’re a scout, or they’re not allowed in this town, or the rest of the party or ill-tempered ill-spoken kek-heads and I’m the Diplomancer… but otherwise I always play Characters who try to be part of the group.
As a GM I’m fine with Lone Wolves as long as they are expressive out-of-character and the group is enjoying them being part of it.
“I’ve never played Lone Wolf”
Wait, this is wrong. I’ve played Lone Wolves in LARPs, but LARPs are a different kinda beast than ttrpgs. In most LARPs there is a deliberate premise as to “why are you all gathered here”, so my LW gets forced to be in a group, and the drama comes from the friction of trying to get out, or work out how a group of vicious solo predators will work together for the common good (V-LARP).
I also played one in a conspiracy LARP once, super fun, had a blast… the GMs of the game were cool about it… but I did monoploize a lot one GMs time during the game running off solving things on my own, trying for the prize alone. Only to be gunned down in the end and having the McGuffin stolen from my Character’s unconscious body by the other Lone Wolf who’d formed a pack (a vampire and his bound minions)… but in my defense I was handed the paranoid-conspiracy-nut/Mythos-summoning-cultist, so, “I was just playing my Character” when I steadfastly refused to team up early on when everyone was splitting into Openers and Closers (whole premise was two groups who were fighting to either Open the gates to the outer planes and usher in the new age, or keep them Closed).
I did try playing one in a Boffer LARP once, but it was very unfun, Boffer LARP has a lot more of the TTRPG feel to it, as usually there’s a strong group element to the game, most are basically “D&D, but outside with exercise”.
I think the best way of making a lone wolf character work is by:
A: Talking with your GM and party. Basically make sure they know what sort of character you are playing, so that you can work together on bringing him into the party.
B: Remember that being a lone wolf doesn´t mean being totally anti-social. A big part of the Witcher books is the fact that Geralt is actually desperate for companionship and is willing to go incredibly far for his loved ones. Hell, he is willing to go incredibly far for people he just met, because he is at heart a big softie who uses the image of a lone wolf as a defense mechanism.
Basically, flesh out your character beyond lone wolf. Give them reasons to engage with the party. Perhaps they want the same thing, and know they can´t do it alone. Perhaps they have a softness for the smaller folk, like halflings or gnomes (Ala Boromir) or perhaps they have a family back home that they care about deeply, if in an awkward dad sorta way.
To sum up, just listen to the old maxim of “making a character who wants to adventure”.
Personally I think the best lone wolves are the ones played by people who aren´t taking them too serious. As you can have a lot of fun with it. See the many, many times people joke around with Batman being all stoic and dramatic, even in absurd situations. Or the best scene in the Witcher books, where Geralt goes off to brood and his friends keep razzing him and asks him to peel the potatoes if he is just going to sit there anyways.
All of this is of course based on a party based system, where the players are supposed to be on the same side and work together (At least most of the time). In a system where this is less needed, like Vampire the Masquerade, it is important to make sure the Lone Wolf have interests that coincide with the other players and the plot. That way they can run around being a lone wolf most of the time, while still being pulled into the plot. The recluse forced into action to protect their home (Be it a forest or old apartment complex) is a trope I have seen around, and is a good motivator. Important to remember that just because you are a lone wolf, you still have interests.
My favorite way to play a Lone Wolf is to be like Strider in LotR, or like Sparhawk in the beginning of The Crystal Throne. My character works best alone, yes; they hate working with others. But it’s so clearly in their best interest to work with the party, and all of their optimal tactics just happen to align with the party’s interests and progressing *everyone else’s* personal quests, so they grit their teeth and work with the party kicking and screaming about it the whole way through. Even if I have to twist things around as a player to justify doing so, it’s so much more fun (and healthy for the group) to be a team player mechanically even as the character is personally against such things. Plus, it’s way better to complain in-character about having to rely on things like “friendship” and “helping others” when you’re intentionally doing those things ooc (and setting it up so that your character is actively pursuing those things in-character because they are unfortunately the most optimal choice at the moment).
One tactic I’ve seen is to go half an alignment step below the rest of the party while still working with them, as it keeps you part of the team while also being that bit more dark and edgy. This tactic also allows you to alter your unapproachability from situation to situation; if your good party is trying to figure out how to get a noble to talk, and you offer to torture him in your darkest and edgiest voice, that’ll get shut down fast*, but if you start off with all the terrible things that will happen if you don’t get this information, then pivot to trading one person’s pain for a hundred lives, then you’ve started an intriguing alignment debate. Providing a different, but valid approach to the rest of the party can do wonders for setting yourself both apart from and part of the group, though it doesn’t work for every character or every party.
*YMMV depending what the group is comfortable with and where the party alignment average falls. Vessyra inc. does not accept responsibility for:
-Glares from the paladin
-Instantaneous loss of light upon occupation of any corner
-Discovering the party is shockingly comfortable with acts of dubious morality, and in your progressive attempts to keep yourself half a step away from the rest of the party, you’ve found yourself pouring oil on a puppy orphanage while your friendly party continues to cheer you on. As you prepare to light the match, you spot a single doggo, sleeping peacefully. What do you do?
The best Lone Wolf archtype I’ve had at one of my tables was one I knew was coming, because this player makes nothing else, and gave me a backstory in a Big Eyes, Small Mouth game based off of Tenchi Muyo of ‘Basically ryoko clone grown in a lab and trained/tortured until she escaped’.
So I gave her the most infuriating rival a too-cool-for-people Space Pirate could have: A tired, slightly clutzy, mostly normal-guy scientist.
…of course, this idea came after our Session 0 ended with three botched rolls to hit someone with no combat abilities, letting him escape despite explosive destruction raining around him.
This guy went on to do the whole ‘reputation precedes you’ bit for our main character: Rumors flew before her of how she’d ripped apart military compounds with her bare hands, robbed merchants blind, set wild nation-wide fires in acts of rampant arson, and kicked a ship into the universes largest puppy-rehab-and-orphanage ON PURPOSE.
She could not brood in a corner without someone recognizing her with a mixture of horror, greed for her bounty, and loathing. It meant that when the plot kicked off, she was willing to work with ANYONE to find this guy and put a stop to him.
His name was Greg. He WAS an intern, but as the only survivor, he was now the foremost expert on rampant energy-blasting space pirates, and he was promoted WAY beyond his station. Dude was a nervous wreck, and he motivated a broody character/player to all SORTS of shenanigans while running for his life!
If you want to play the loner character in a group, there are in my opinion two extremely important things to keep in mind:
1) It is your responsibility to buy into the campaign. By all means, work with the GM to line up motivations, but ultimately the onus is on the player.
2) In a story about a group, the lone wolf is a supporting cast member. He can’t ever be the center of the story, at least not until later when he has opened up to everyone else and they’ve learned his motivations.
That second point is why I think lone wolf characters have such a bad reputation, because they’re often played by characters that want more time in the spotlight than their chosen role allows.