It's a well-established fact in my gaming group that my autobiography is destined to be titled "Why I Hate Gaa-Kar" (well, it's actually supposed to be the guy's real name, but I'm protecting the innocent and the guilty alike). Don't get me wrong, I love him like a brother, or else I would never game with him, but he's aggravated me and the group more than most. How?Well, for me, it's the flushing. I hate getting flushed. Do not tell me you're going to be there, then flush me at the last moment. No flushing. Period. Gaa-Kar is the king of flushers. He's the guy who will beg you to set the second chapter of a game on a Saturday morning, and once everyone's there hungover, won't show up because he started ripping out carpets after forgetting he set the date. At least he's always had the good grace to ask me to "kill him off", which we did with relish. Usually, a tall cliff face was involved.*
If I call him Gaa-Kar here, it's because that's always the name he chooses for himself. Whatever the campaign, it's Gaa-Kar, and he's always a rogue, thief, criminal of some type. No matter what. He's the guy who can't be trusted, even within the group. I've never allowed so-called "evil" characters to mix into heroic player groups. It just doesn't fit the type of stories we're telling. But Gaa-Kar is as close as they come anyway. For players, he's an aggravation because he's as likely to kill the most useful NPC (what I would call the "guide") over some argument. Always trying to get the advantage over the other heroes. Always playing things close to the vest. Indeed, everyone always hoped he would get possessed so they could cut him down.**
It's hard to fault his role-playing though. He could play that personality to the hilt. But you can fault the personality. Especially when you're on the Nth iteration of "Gaa-Kar"...
*Thankfully, we were playing Dream Park at the time, which allows for dying and coming back next session.
**Again, Dream Park. But I'm not sure that would have stopped them in a longer-term campaign.
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