Solipsist is a game about people who have the power to change reality. If you missed my Solipsist Review or my article on Creating Your Solipsist's Vision, you might want to take a quick read through those as background for this article.

So you've created a Vision for your Solipsist character, to give them a reason to want to change the world. Now you have to distill out of that Vision the Obsessions that will be your character's primary means of changing reality.

I've seen a number of newcomers to the game create characters, and some people immediately "get it", and some people don't. If you're struggling with creating Obsessions for a Solipsist character, here are some tips.

Obsessions Are Not Skills

A common problem I've seen with people who have role played in other systems before is that they tend to treat Obsessions as skills. For example, someone whose vision is of being a superhero might have an Obsession of, "I can fly", and another of, "I can shoot flames from my hands", etc.

While you can play like that, that gives a limited view of Obsessions. An Obsession is a statement of fact about the world of your character's Vision. The Obsession is not a statement about your character's capabilities in the world of the Vision.

As an example, a Solipsist who thought she was a superhero might use an Obsession like, "I am the lost child of Argon, gaining my powers from the lighter gravity of Earth." This is a statement of fact about the Vision world. It can be used to justify any number of powers for the character, and those powers might be very flexible (in true comic book fashion).

Obsessions Can Be About The Character

An Obsession can also be a statement about the character's attitudes, in that they reinforce the world of their Vision.

For example, a super hero character might have an Obsession, "I must protect the innocent". They would then be able to use the strength of that Obsession in any change that involved protecting the innocent. That same text could also be used as a Limitation, possibly within the same character!

Creative Use Of Obsessions Is Key

One of the keys to the game is the creative use of Obsessions. By using Obsessions that are limited, you limit your ability to creatively use them.

For example, by using an Obsession of, "I can shoot flames from my hands", you limit your character to doing just that. But if you'd used an Obsession of, "Flames are my friend, they will do anything for me and would never harm me", then you've opened up the possibilities for your character greatly. She could cause flames to encircle a foe, she could listen in on conversations conducted near a flame, etc.

Try to widen out your Obsessions to give you as much freedom during the game as possible.

Creating those first few Solipsist characters can be difficult, but once you get the hang of it, the game is terrific fun!