I am starting a low-fantasy, human-only Torchbearer campaign. I really like the idea of Nature, but it seems a little flat with only one race.
(1) Has anyone played Torchbearer with only humans?
(2) If so, how did you change Nature, if at all?
One strategy I am considering is to redefine the Nature descriptors based on class, while perhaps leaving one descriptor up to the player (because, as we know, the same class can be played in many different ways). For example, the Thief might have Nature descriptors Stealing and Avoiding Guards by default, whereas the Paladin might have Defending the Weak and Rooting Out Evil. The Thief player might then choose Sneaking or something not related to his class at all (Boasting or Demanding, for example), and likewise for the Paladin player.
(3) What, if any, are your thoughts on this strategy? What do you like about it? How can it go wrong?
(4) Do you have any suggestions for different strategies? How about an argument for dropping Nature altogether in my game (much sadness)?
Nature has more to do with your roots than your choice in profession. It says where you come from and also has a lot to say about what kind of person would leave that society to become an adventurer. For that reason, choosing cultures as the basis for Nature makes a lot more sense. For example in a Game of Thrones world the Wildlings might have Feuding, Raiding, Climbing because a Wildling adventurer probably comes from one of many tribes and has likely climbed the wall for a life of raiding and adventure. If their nature goes too low they’ve become civilized and find a southerner wife to marry and make babies with, if their nature goes too high they return north of the wall to their homeland with the loot they’ve acquired from all their raiding, they might be back, but probably to raid, not to adventure with a bunch of kneelers.
Dropping Nature entirely would break a bunch of stuff. Using class-based descriptors would likely tend to overlap with skills to a problematic degree. I think jovialbard has the right idea, if you’re going to tweak it.
But a lack of variety isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Note that in Mouse Guard, all the PCs always have the exact same Nature descriptors, since they’re always mice - and that’s the game that Nature originally comes from.
JovialBard’s recommendation is the way to go. In the Middarmark, different “tribes” have different Natures. Some are very similar, some are very different. For instance, the Bjornings have Boasting, Demanding and Sailing, and the closely related Gotts have Boasting, Demanding and Riding. Other descriptors like Feuding, Herding and Enslaving will also make an appearance.