GF2-I: The Life of a Journeyman

[Val Ritz]

I love the addition of the "young, scrappy, and hungry" Shapers, specifically Thrackerzod and his triad in Mutagen, plus Zensital in Infestation. It bridges what has been an (up until now) kinda sparse step in the evolutionary cycle of a Shaper: that awkward, gawky, undergraduate period between being a wide-eyed apprentice and an overworked and undersupervised research fellow trying to design a new configuration for thahd glutes.

 

Thrackerzod and Zensital in particular give us as players two great examples of how Shapers keep getting roped into shady situations. Thrackerzod is the classic legacy. Got through the Academy on a scholarship, father was the captain of the pyroroamerball team. Now he's trying to make a name for himself, not by any means necessary, but by any means flashy and daring enough for him to consider it "worthy" of him. Zensital is the undeclared major of Shapers. He's pleasant, eager to please, decently bright... but without any real ambition, he's kind of aimless. At least, he's aimless enough to ask a literal apprentice for a purpose in life. And bless us, we immediately make him fall in with the wrong crowd.

 

The main thing I'm wondering is what this phase of training is like for Guardians and Agents. We know Thrackerzod brought one each along with him to Sucia Island, but his goals there are his own, his companions have their own business. The desire to find something with a 'wow' factor is something that really only a Shaper Shaper would have. We know Barzahl was a Guardian-in-training when he and Zakary went there, but he seems very much the exception, not a rule. He was able to comprehend the concepts, recognize their potential, and act on them, all without (presumably) the laboratory background a full Shaper would have.

 

Do journeyman Guardians hold out hope for a sergeant posting in some fortress somewhere, and failing that turn to knight-errantry? Are Agents brought up shooting to be the rookie on an SCIS squad, only to wind up as dangerously bored secret agents in search of a good conspiracy?

[earanhart]

I mean, we meet Alwan, a Guardian-in-training and Greta, a failed Agent apprentice, in GF3. And both of them go on to be as influential as at least 4 of the PCs. Heck, Alwan sits on the Council, that's about as high as a Shaper can go.

Admittedly, Alwan has the personality of a Thahd when we meet him.

[alhoon]

52 minutes ago, Val Ritz said:

that awkward, gawky, undergraduate period between being a wide-eyed apprentice and an overworked and undersupervised research

That's not an undergrad; that's a post-grad student you are describing.

You are an undergrad as a wide-eyed apprentice that knows very little aside of what he needs to start Shaping, undergoing his thesis defense under Shanti. It just so happens that your "Thesis Defense" means you have to literally defend your stance, with a bunch of Tier-4 creations. The "Opponent" isn't asking questions, it's three to four different armies going against you. 

[Slariton]

In G2 you're definitely a graduate.  You're just still dealing with a practicum before you can get full licensure 😛  The G1 and G3 PCs are at earlier points in their training.

[Val Ritz]

Exactly! And to contrast, it feels like Zensital is maybe a year ahead of where you are in G2. He's got the ornk-in-the-headlights vibe of someone whose life is no longer on degree program rails, but who hasn't been picked up to be part of a research team.

[alhoon]

6 hours ago, Slawbug said:

In G2 you're definitely a graduate.  You're just still dealing with a practicum before you can get full licensure 😛  The G1 and G3 PCs are at earlier points in their training.

 

Ah, I see. For us, you don't graduate until you finish the Practicum and defend the thesis you write about it. We call it "Diploma Thesis" but it is not just the thesis, you also have to do a few months of work (similar to an intern) while supervised and guided by a Supervisor. That's before you can graduate and it feels very much what the PC is going through. GF2 PC is also called "Apprentice" by everyone that knows, which to me seems like "under-grad"

GF1 PC had finished his or her studies and was on his way to start the practical work of his thesis. For my Diploma thesis, back when I was an undergrad, I was went to a small remote island to gather some data with a GPS (back before they were on phones etc) so I could use that data to geolocate aerial photos (back before the drones). 

GF3 PC is at his senior year IIRC. Not yet ready.

 

 

5 hours ago, Val Ritz said:

Exactly! And to contrast, it feels like Zensital is maybe a year ahead of where you are in G2. He's got the ornk-in-the-headlights vibe of someone whose life is no longer on degree program rails, but who hasn't been picked up to be part of a research team.

 

Considering he is out of his apprentiship and you would theoretically be out of yours in a few months, I would say probably 6 months to a year ahead of you.

I would say he is even before the "hasn't been picked up" part and more in the immediate-after-graduation dilemma of "Where do I apply for a job or M.Sc?" And from our students, I can tell you that this may take several months. 

[Slariton]

Most of the practicums I'm familiar with are part of graduate programs -- it happens in undergrad but it's a lot less common.

 

I suspect this conversation may be the result of differences between countries where undergrad is professionally focused on one subject, versus countries where a lot of undergrad is general or elective, and most professional programs are in grad school.