Bleys is to me one of the characters I've been most variable about how I've run them as a parent.
How do you usually present Bleys the Dad?
RPGPundit
Bleys seems so well-rounded as an amberite that I usually run him as a very supportive guy. Manipulative? Well, yes, but who isn't? ;)
I have a soft spot for him I guess :) Despite him being a righteous bastard, he likes for his kids to like him and hold him in high regard. I try to reflect that in his parenting.
I don't think any of the Redheads are particularly emotionally mature, and Bleys is no exception, even though he seems to be the most normal of the three (the other two having clearly been the nerd and the art geek; while Bleys was the cool guy, who was cool just because he was, without actually being the football captain or anything like that, he was just the one every one KNEW was popular).
I think that what that means in terms of his kids is that Bleys will be very loyal and supportive to any kids of his that buy into the whole "redheads uber alles" idea, and that demonstrate the appropriate awe and hero worship toward him. He'll turn quickly on someone who rebels against those ideas in any serious way.
RPGPundit
In my current campaign, the guy who won rank 1 in strength and 2 in both warfare and endurance is Bleys' son. We decided, in discussing their relationship, that poor Bernard has always suffered living in his father's shadow -- always trying to get his father's approval, always trying to get dad's attention. Bleys remains aloof and dashing and bigger than life and sweeps in, makes a few suggestions on what Bernard could have done better, tossles his hair with a "good effort, though, son."
Slowly, ever so slowly, Bernard is going to start resenting it. The player wants to slowly turn his character from a Good Stuff guy to a Bad Stuff character who will do anything -- even of Brand-level proportions -- just to get his father to acknowledge him.
So far it's going well.
I don't think, and I may have forgotten someone here, that I've ever made Bleys the father of a PC.
I see him as very much the over exuberant and irresponsible uncle. He's the guy who takes his neices and nephews out for the day and returns them to their parents tanked up on sweets and fizzy drinks. If an Amberite is raising a child in ignorance of it's true heritage, Bleys is he guy who plays a game of dropping hints whenever he visits. As the child grows up, Bleys is likely to be responsible for the first time they get drunk, and so on. I suppose that most of those would work with Bleys-as-father too, he'd just make life difficult for the other parent.
Other than that, I agree with Pundits view of Bleys' redhead centric outlook on Amber, and suggest that Bleys would always have a soft spot for the children of Fiona, and possible Brand.
Quote from: TrevelyanI don't think, and I may have forgotten someone here, that I've ever made Bleys the father of a PC.
I see him as very much the over exuberant and irresponsible uncle. He's the guy who takes his neices and nephews out for the day and returns them to their parents tanked up on sweets and fizzy drinks. If an Amberite is raising a child in ignorance of it's true heritage, Bleys is he guy who plays a game of dropping hints whenever he visits. As the child grows up, Bleys is likely to be responsible for the first time they get drunk, and so on. I suppose that most of those would work with Bleys-as-father too, he'd just make life difficult for the other parent.
Other than that, I agree with Pundits view of Bleys' redhead centric outlook on Amber, and suggest that Bleys would always have a soft spot for the children of Fiona, and possible Brand.
I've often made Bleys the "cool uncle", that everyone loves at first, but who ends up disappointing them all because he's basically that uncle that seems really cool when you're young, but as time goes on you realize that what made you think he was cool was really the fact that he's a superannuated adolescent with no sense of responsibility whatsoever; and sure he does cool things, but in the end you can never really RELY on him when things get tough.
I've also done this sort of thing when he was also a PC's parent; where he was far better at being an Uncle than a Dad, and his child-PC always ended up resenting it for him, since everyone else liked him so much but he'd utterly failed to be a responsible parent at all.
RPGPundit
Sounds like we're all pretty much on the same page. It's a testament to Zelazny's writing ability that he was capable of creating such a well-drawn and defined character in just a couple of chapters.
Quote from: RPGPunditI've often made Bleys the "cool uncle", that everyone loves at first, but who ends up disappointing them all because he's basically that uncle that seems really cool when you're young, but as time goes on you realize that what made you think he was cool was really the fact that he's a superannuated adolescent with no sense of responsibility whatsoever; and sure he does cool things, but in the end you can never really RELY on him when things get tough.
That's pretty much my view exactly. It helps that I have an uncle myself who is very much like this. ;)
Quote from: TrevelyanThat's pretty much my view exactly. It helps that I have an uncle myself who is very much like this. ;)
I think that one of the things that makes Amber so universal in its appeal is that EVERYONE has a family like this, or close friends. Everyone knows the irresponsible uncle, the spoiled baby of the family, the slutty sister, the bratty know-it-all, the repressed social retard, the smiling bastard, the brothers who hate each other, the manipulative abusive dad, that sister that dropped out of the family entirely... sometimes you have to replace sister or brother for cousin or uncle or aunt, or parent, or whatever. But Amber is fundamentally a story about dysfunctional families. And everyone's family is kind of dysfunctional.
RPGPundit
Quote from: RPGPunditAnd everyone's family is kind of dysfunctional.
Makes you wonder if we should redefine what we consider to be a functional family. :D
They used to call it Pleasantville ;)
Anyways, this thread has inspired me (that's why I like this forum a lot :D ) and Bleys will be the father of a PC whose heritage I hadn't decided on.
Fun stuff! :)