Playbook focus: The Brainer

Yeah, the example text in the book presents a Brainer that is more or less a normal person, with relationships and daily concerns. But the playbook text heavily emphasizes the mindfucker weirdness of the Brainer and it's too easy to make The Joker or something. Worth discussing for sure.

I think the super-nice and friendly brainer, who wants to help people but everyone knows not to actually fuck her off - that'd be a fun Brainer.

I think it is also too easy to just treat the Brainer like the Joker or something because people know they are a Brainer. If you have a super-nice and friendly Brainer, everyone is going to be twice as on guard, I would think.

It is rather telling how stereotypes of one playbook can lead to the entire world being against them regardless of how they are handled by the player.  Take a generalization of a Gunlugger, one man unstoppable death machine that solves most problems through violence.  Funny we do not see them ostracized in the way of the Brainer.  I guess people are more comfortable just being murdered outright than the thought of being weirdly manipulated?

Well, people can shoot back at a Gunlugger, but they cannot mindfuck back at a Brainer.

Good point.  So many guns, so little tinfoil.