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Author Topic: To retcon, or not to retcon?  (Read 1114 times)

Nmaro Makari

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To retcon, or not to retcon?
« on: 26 Nov 2012, 20:13 »

So, a problem that has been bugging me for a while.

N'maro was/is meant to be in the 40+ i.e. nearing middle age. However when reading Templar One i was hit with a big bag of obvious - People can live for 150+ years. Put in perspective, 40 seems less like near-middle age and more freshman year.

So, I could just make some alterations and move N'maro's birthday back perhaps 20 years, making him 63. The questions though, is this to big a gap to bridge? Also, I now have 20+ years to fill, but with what?

Opinions appreciated
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Ollie

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Re: To retcon, or not to retcon?
« Reply #1 on: 26 Nov 2012, 20:28 »

Don't retcon. There's more to 'middle-aged' than numbers alone and to be honest I never got the sense that N'maro was middle-aged, more like a late twenties/early thirties deal. Also, stretching it to 60yrs old would make you like Baxter and this game isn't really big enough for 2 crotchety old men in the same corp. That'd make it like 'The Odd Couple Online'. Think of the humanity, Nemo, the humanity!  :eek:
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Ghost Hunter

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Re: To retcon, or not to retcon?
« Reply #2 on: 26 Nov 2012, 21:18 »

Actual age is only so relevant. Ghost himself is quite old but both appearance and mannerism are those of someone vastly younger, so most would assume him to be of a young/mature age.

The question to entertain is, what does the age mean for your character? What will it mean for others who interact with him?
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Vieve

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Re: To retcon, or not to retcon?
« Reply #3 on: 26 Nov 2012, 22:03 »

Don't recon.  If you've been comfortable playing Nmaro at 40ish, keep playing him at that age.  He could just be mentally/emotionally mature for his age, or immature, depending on how you're playing him.

(Or he could be just right for the culture he was reared in:  I imagine not everyone in the cluster has a shot at a 150+ life expectancy, so definitions of "middle age" may vary even from one planet to another.)
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Ava Starfire

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Re: To retcon, or not to retcon?
« Reply #4 on: 27 Nov 2012, 06:30 »

Dont worry about them books. Ava is 36, same age as me IRL, and Ava reacts and feels just like I do IRL. Makes it easier.

Not everyone will live that long; I cannot see most Minmatar, for example, having a lifespan much longer than ours now, due to their lack of access to healthcare or even clean water by most accounts. Folks in Ava's clan tend to make it to their 60s or 70s; someone who is 80 is truly old, due to their extremely demanding and rather primitive lifestyle.

If his story makes sense, his age makes sense. More to being "middle aged" than just years. Ava is 36, and in a lot of ways, she is inexperienced and a bit immature. Dosent mean she didnt get some of the good points of growing a bit older either!

Ava
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Jev North

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Re: To retcon, or not to retcon?
« Reply #5 on: 27 Nov 2012, 07:18 »

No need for a retcon, as far as I can see. Unless psychological development would have been slowed down as well as aging, maturity does not depend on total life span. Whether you live to 50 or 150, after fourty years of life you will have gained a certain amount of experience and perspective that likely doesn't vary very much from what would be "middle age" today.
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Alain Colcer

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Re: To retcon, or not to retcon?
« Reply #6 on: 27 Nov 2012, 08:52 »

Is not that everyone lives and stays "active" until such old age, Amarr in particular show that trait with augmentations and that partly explains their portraits on the character selector...

But to the extent of a free interpreation of on the school descriptions, it appears that earning a degree can be done in tandem with acquiring capsuleer training.

Therefore, perfectly possible to have a middle age woman/man as capsuleer
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Rin Kaelestria

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Re: To retcon, or not to retcon?
« Reply #7 on: 27 Nov 2012, 14:08 »

A line that I heard recently in a game is this, "Wisdom comes from experience, not from age." Just because your character isn't exactly 'middle aged' in terms of the EVE universe age wise doesn't mean he can't act like it at his current age of 40. Perhaps what he's experienced and endured during his 40 some years of life has given him wisdom and maturity beyond his years. The stresses from his life experiences could also be why he looks middle aged, too.

So, in other words, no, I don't think you should retcon his age. Should just play as is.
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Nmaro Makari

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Re: To retcon, or not to retcon?
« Reply #8 on: 27 Nov 2012, 14:57 »

Backstage, I beleive has spoken :P

So after considering, I'm gonna leave things as they are :)

Thanks for the responses
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