Here we are! The first entry for 2024's Otaku-inspired 31 Day Character Challenge and what game is more quintessentially Japanese Pop Culture themed than MAID? Well...hmmm. This might require some explaining.
When MAID hit the American TRPG market in 2008 it became the first such game of Japanese origin to be translated into English. More of a curiosity that a smash hit, the game focused on a premise we don't see in mainstream Western fiction all that often but one which is prevalent in Japanese Manga, Anime, Light Novels, Computer/Video Games, and even live action Soap Operas (to a lesser extent). This is the Harem genre.
First coming into its own in the 1970s, a Harem story is one in which a number of female characters are all romantically interested in the same male character. Traditionally, the male character is one of the series' protagonists which one or two of the female characters share the spotlight. That is to say, while the premise sets up the possibility that the main guy and any one of his female admirers might get together, the story points heavily towards it being one girl in particular.
Over the decades we've seen some very interesting and exciting takes on this genre. We have the Reverse Harem with a group of men all interested in the same woman, the Yaoi or 'Boy Love' Harem and other LGBTQ+ variations, and stories that change some of the key tropes and focuses. MAID itself could be considered a twist on the classic Harem stories as we see it from the girls point of view, with the male center of amorous attention really a background character. The games are about the Maids not the 'Master' of the house, as he is usually merely a plot device or catalyst for their adventures.
It is also fairly common to see the genre crossed with other genres such as Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Regardless, the predominant approach for Harem stories is Romantic Comedy. Some of the most popular Harem Anime to have come out include classics like Ah! My Goddess, Ranma 1/2, and Tenchi Muyo to more modern titles like Date A Live, High School of the Dead, and Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?.
As with many aspects of Japanese culture, or any culture foreign to yours for that matter, if you get it you get it and if you don't that's not that surprising. It's a genre that has been around and extremely popular in Japan for roughly 50 years but it could be completely unfamiliar to you if you aren't a native of Japan or a fan of their entertainment.
If you haven't been exposed to it I could definitely see it being 'cringe' or just too weird as the subject of a Role Playing Game for most Westerners. I'm not certain I could or would want to run it as a campaign but as a fan of some of Harem Anime and Manga of the 1980s, I can tell you it was a blast to run as one-shots for those who likewise enjoyed such shows.
On to our character...
Character: Ai Washinda (Ai is pronounced like 'Eye' or 'I')
AKA: NA
Player: Melissa (I believe. We're talking a Convention One-Shot fifteen years ago.)
System: MAID, The Roleplaying Game
Nature: Convention One-Shot: The Master of Halloween
Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein
Circa: 2009. I think. Pretty sure.
Origins: I forget where this took place but I believe it was a medium sized Anime Convention in New England. A fellow I knew on the convention staff had asked if I would be interested in running two sessions of MAID at the event. I said sure and created two different scenarios, one Sci-Fi and one Horror (both Humorous of course). I couldn't decide which I liked better so I brought both.
The first session went over quite well so I was pretty jazzed to run it again. My first group was all guys and I used the Sci-Fi scenario. My second group was all gals. Huh. Turned out a few of them were the girlfriends of the fellas in my first group and their boyfriends had told them all about the game and how fun it was. They convinced some of their friends to join in and signed up for session two. I felt I had to give them their own story, their own unique experience, so I went with the Horror scenario and it went better than the first and much better than I could have hoped for.
Characters were pre-generated without names or much backstory. The players were encouraged to make all that up themselves (something I do often in these kinds of situations). This cool young lady with a 'goth' look about her chose this character and named her Ai Washinda (see Notes below). I only got part of the pun at the time.
Backstory: The player had Ai recall bits of her backstory as the game progressed. Sometimes things got a bit dark but Melissa never made it excessive or explicit.
Ai was a Zombie who had been...um...living challenged... for about 16 years. She has only vague memories of her life before waking up in a ditch in the woods. Her main concern upon doing so was to not be late for her first day of work at a new job she really needed. She thought she'd applied for a janitor position but it was actually for a maid at the home of this really old, really rich, really eccentric fella who turned out to be surprisingly cool.
She wondered if he liked Roller Derby? Wait...did she like Roller Derby? She did. A lot. Did she used to play? Whoah. Hard to remember clearly when you're dead.
Sadly, the old man passed recently - and permanently it seemed, unlike herself - and now there's going to be a new boss. Huh? It's his nephew? Wow is that him? Not that I think he's cute or anything. Hmm. Maybe he likes Roller Derby.
Overview: Gerhard Graves, the eccentric and rich Master of Graves Manor passed away at the spry old age of 100 and in his will left everything to his great-grand nephew Garrett. There were some stipulations of course.
Garrett had to live in the house and keep on the butler, chef, and most especially the maid staff. Gerhard promised them they'd always have a home at Graves Manor. It was also noted that they would take care of whoever was the Master of Graves Manor but in turn the Master had to take care of them. Hmm. Oh yes, one more thing - each year on October 31st Master and Staff must participate in a local tradition to become 'The Master of Halloween'! Wait...he's arrived on the 30th! They only had a day to prepare!
As Garrett entered the estate he met the staff and wasn't at all ready for the peculiar situation he'd inherited. The Butler was bandaged head-to-toe as he was otherwise invisible! The chef was a hunchbacked fellow with wild eyes. The maids...the head maid was a Vampire, the groundskeeper a Merfolk, the maintenance and repair woman a six foot plus Werewolf, the housekeeping maid a Ghost, and then there was Ai. Her job seemed to be assisting any of the others but the Butler implied she was also security.
After some getting-to-know-each-other antics, with under and overtones of romance and slapstick, the PCs got ready for The Master of Halloween annual event in which local rich folk compete to create the spookiest haunted house experiences for children in the area. The winner, voted by the kids as most frightfully fun, wins the coveted title of 'Master of Halloween' and gets visited by a Demon/Succubus* who will grant the Master of the House one wish.
This particular year one of the neighbors, Crowley Crookwell, went a little overboard and summoned some demons of his own with Black Magic and Occult Relics. The demons got out of control and the Graves Manor Maids had to send them back where they came from. It was a tough one, especially since they kept trying to serve the kids and their parents snacks and drinks and remain well mannered at the same time. Well, except Ai, who preferred action over etiquette.
The children all thought the Monsters vs. Demons battle was part of the show and loved it, unanimously voting for Graves Manor! When the very attractive devil woman showed up and offered Garrett his wish, he turned to his staff and asked if anyone wanted to be Human again. Ai (Melissa) almost started to cry but punched Garrett in the shoulder instead with a rousing, "Not on your life!" Everyone starred at her and burst out laughing. Instead, he asked if the succubus wanted to be free from this annual and eternal obligation (she'd been doing in for hundreds of years already). Completely taken aback she said yes and Garrett wished for her freedom. Everyone cheered!
Cut to Christmas time and the front door bell ringing. Ai, the Ghost, and the Werewolf race to answer the door only to find the Butler already there. He opens it to reveal the Succubus in a posh and sexy outfit with bags of wrapped gifts. Garrett shows up with the Vampire, both holding trays of hot cocoa for everyone (except the Werewolf - she's allergic and gets cider).
-Fin-
The Highlights:
Ai's dialogue was one part tough-talking delinquent and one part flustered school girl and it was hilarious. She was a real ball-busting brawler but when any other character showed her any kindness she went pale(r) and said something like, "What? Cute? M-Me? Shut up! Get out of my face with that...that crap. Geez!" The player perfectly emulated a very particular Anime girl character type/trope and made it sound so normal and nature.
Ai and the Vampire established that they were frenemies, really rubbing each other the wrong way. Polar opposites. An odd couple. This made for an amazing scene wherein the two of them teamed up to battle one of Crookwell's Demon Maids who was patterned on the sin of Wrath. The cold, calculated, unflappable Vampire wouldn't get angry while the always angry Ai was having so much fun it just frustrated the hell (heheh) out of the Wrath girl. She and Ai also had this awesome Martial Arts Anime staff-vs-sword fight with Ai using her Broom and the Demon Maid using a Fireplace Poker. Over the top, kinetic, and crazy cool.
On a serious note, Garrett gives Ai a lily to put in her hair when one of the ones she wears is destroyed. The player saw an opportunity to role-play here and took it. Ai says she only wears the lilies to hide the smell of her being dead. She tears up but tries to hide it. Garrett says all he noticed was that they look nice on her and he leaves the flower in her hands. As Garrett steps away, Ai looks at it for a moment and then ties it in place with a look of grim determination.
Game Info:
A few houserule additions:
Under 'Maid Roots' she has Debt. Debt in this case is more that she remembers being broke and desperate to find a good job as opposed to the rules-as-written 'her family owes money to the mob' or whathaveyou.
Her version of Rampage is a kind of 'Berserker Rage', an unfocused whirlwind of hitting things. In the rules it seems directed at damaging the Mansion. Ai's more interested in hitting people.
Notes:
Ai's name - Ai Washinda - translates to 'Love is dead', which would more properly be written Ai wa shinda. The player's Japanese was pretty good I recall.
The other Maid PCs were:
The Head Maid was a Cool Vampire who ran the day-to-day of the manor and its staff.
The Strong Werewolf had muscle mommy vibes. She did physical repairs and maintenance.
Our Sweet/Innocent Merfolk girl tended the garden, house plants, and koi pond.
The Heroine Ghost covered traditional housework: laundry, making beds, etc. Paladin type.
The Butler combined Batman's Alfred with The Invisible Man and the Chef was Igor as played by Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein.
The wish granting Demon/Succubus was revealed to have been charged with this task to atone for things she'd done in the past. As we learn that this is the 200th Master of Halloween event, we all kinda figured she'd payed her dues and didn't seem like a bad person.
The girls didn't really vie for Gerhard's affections directly but did sort of friendly flirt with him from time to time. More accurately they had little intimate moments with him where an audience could say, "Wait, do I see a spark there?" This felt perfect for what could have easily been the first episode of a Harem Anime series.
The enemy Demon Maids were themed on the Seven Deadly Sins:
Envy who wanted to win because Crookwell was tired of losing every year.
Gluttony who tried to steal and eat all the snacks.
Greed who sought to steal valuable items from the manor.
Lust who sought to seduce Gerhard. I believe she hit on the Butler and Werewolf too.
Pride who just wouldn't stop telling everyone else how awesome she was.
Sloth who was lazy and couldn't be bothered to join the fray.
Wrath who just wanted to fight the other maids.
Legacy:
I haven't run MAID since these two sessions so...yeah...it's been a while. Thinking on it now, that's a shame. It really is a wacky and fun game. It's also, as noted above, pretty uniquely Japanese.
Next we take a lap at full throttle as we enter the high-octane, heavy caliber thrill ride of Mobile Racer Championship and meet Mecha Driver AKI RUSH!
Barking Alien
