In RPG every team needs at least one, and in some cases only one, of the following five character types: Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby.
In smaller teams these functions can be doubled up, Fred-Velma,
Fred-Daphne, Daphne-Shaggy, Daphne-Scooby,Velma-Scooby and Shaggy-Scooby
are all viable examples. Fred-Shaggy, Fred-Scooby and Velma-Daphne are not
- they would be serving contradictory functions in the team. A team with
five or more characters should not have doubled functions.
Explanations follow, samples included. For clarity's sake, gender follows source material, but any gender works for any team function:
Fred Every team must have a Fred. He's the team "straight man", and is the foil for the rest of the team, who are somewhat screwball. It would be quite possible to have a team dominated of Freds, if no-one in the group is interested in role-playing. In practice this role is usually filled by the token newbie or power gamer, but can be played by a hard-core role-player looking for a challenge. He's usually the leader of the group, but makes a good second in command, too. He exemplifies the values of the team.
Daphne She can be skipped in an emergency, but is needed for long term playability. She's the team diplomat, the one everyone likes and respects,who can smooth things over when the rest of the group blows up at each other. A group dominated by Daphnes would be too 'sweet' for playibility, but
there can be more than one in a large group. She doesn't usually make a
good leader, but is an excellent second-in-command. Daphne shares the
values of the group, but may have her own agenda.
Velma Every team needs a Velma. She's the team watchdog. She can be (and often is) somewhat abrasive; her function is to keep the team on track, whipped into shape, eyes on target, and not side-tracked. A team dominated by Velmas would be ridiculously grim and intense. She can be a good leader or second-in-command, if Fred is not suitable. She shares the values of the group, sometimes to exclusion of all else.
Shaggy He can be skipped in an emergency, but is recommended for long term group survival. Shaggy is the team rebel. He is often a good-timer or a free-spirit. His function in the team is to shake everything up now and then, keep the team from getting into a rut. Multiple Shaggys can be exciting, but you need a really strong Fred and/or Velma to counteract
things. Shaggy as the leader would be team suicide. He usually has some
sympathy for the team values, but does not abide by them all the time.
Scooby Every team ends up with one, whether you want him there or not. He is another species (literally or figuratively) from the rest of the group. His function is to force the rest of the team to examine their position on things. Multiple Scoobys will kill a team. Can you imagine what would have happened if they had introduced a second... Uh, right. My point exactly. Scooby a leader?! Get real, he's a DOG! He has no clue what the team values are, even though he may try to.
* Insert tongue in cheek, and smilies all through post for the humor impaired.
All pictures and characters copyright Hanna Barbara. This role playing analysis copyright Lise Mendel, 1996, 1999, 2003
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Fred Every team must have a Fred. He's the team "straight man", and is the foil for the rest of the team, who are somewhat screwball. It would be quite possible to have a team dominated of Freds, if no-one in the group is interested in role-playing. In practice this role is usually filled by the token newbie or power gamer, but can be played by a hard-core role-player looking for a challenge. He's usually the leader of the group, but makes a good second in command, too. He exemplifies the values of the team.
Daphne She can be skipped in an emergency, but is needed for long term playability. She's the team diplomat, the one everyone likes and respects,who can smooth things over when the rest of the group blows up at each other. A group dominated by Daphnes would be too 'sweet' for playibility, but
there can be more than one in a large group. She doesn't usually make a
good leader, but is an excellent second-in-command. Daphne shares the
values of the group, but may have her own agenda.
Velma Every team needs a Velma. She's the team watchdog. She can be (and often is) somewhat abrasive; her function is to keep the team on track, whipped into shape, eyes on target, and not side-tracked. A team dominated by Velmas would be ridiculously grim and intense. She can be a good leader or second-in-command, if Fred is not suitable. She shares the values of the group, sometimes to exclusion of all else.
Shaggy He can be skipped in an emergency, but is recommended for long term group survival. Shaggy is the team rebel. He is often a good-timer or a free-spirit. His function in the team is to shake everything up now and then, keep the team from getting into a rut. Multiple Shaggys can be exciting, but you need a really strong Fred and/or Velma to counteract
things. Shaggy as the leader would be team suicide. He usually has some
sympathy for the team values, but does not abide by them all the time.
Scooby Every team ends up with one, whether you want him there or not. He is another species (literally or figuratively) from the rest of the group. His function is to force the rest of the team to examine their position on things. Multiple Scoobys will kill a team. Can you imagine what would have happened if they had introduced a second... Uh, right. My point exactly. Scooby a leader?! Get real, he's a DOG! He has no clue what the team values are, even though he may try to.