Archetype of the Week: The Boy Scout

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

 

The boy scout is the classic white-hat-wearing Good Guy. He believes that everyone should get along and follow the rules, and does his best to help people in need. The boy scout’s strong values, incorruptible ethics, and idealistic beliefs can at times border on hokey. In other words, your classic Lawful Good Paladin from D&D.


Likely Stories
While the boy scout can appear in any type of story, he thrives in genres where Good and Evil are so clearly defined that they’re spelled with capital letters. You’ll find him most often in high fantasy stories, space operas, old-style Westerns, and super-hero comics.

The Name Game
Because boy scouts often inhabit stylistic worlds where a person’s name says a lot about him, most boy scouts will have names that sound heroic or at least clean-cut. Names that suggest strength and purity are common, as are all-American sounding names.

The Numbers
The boy scout’s strong sense of right and wrong is often reflected with a high Nerve Number and many boy scouts are square-jawed men of action, which means a high Body score is helpful. Those who exist in a world with shades of gray may have a Brain Number on the low side to reflect their naivete.

Suggested Jobs:
By-the-book Cop, Community Organizer, Cowboy, District Attorney, G-Man, Knight, Entertainer, Farmboy, Monster Hunter, Mountie, Politician, Preacher, Starship Captain, Science Hero, Soldier, Super-hero, Teacher, Texas Ranger, U.S. Marshall

Suggested Gimmicks:
Clue Magnet, Cool Head, Crack Shot, Danger Sense, Friends in High Places, Hide In Plain Sight, Human Lie Detector, Incorruptible, Local Hero, Lucky, Photographic Memory, Prepared, Reputation, Sheer Determination, Square-Jawed Man of Action

Suggested Weaknesses: Ammo Clip Has A Sense of Drama, Code of Honor, Curiosity, Getting Too Old For This Shit, Glass Jaw, Good Samaritan, Gullible, Red Tape, Risk Aversive, Strange Vehicle Magnet, Whipping Boy, Wrong Place/Wrong Time

Suggested Skills: Animal Handling, Baseball, Blind Football, Community Service, Crime Scene Investigation, Criminal Psychology, Crowd Control, Direct Traffic, Early Riser, Expert Witness, First Aid, Fishing, Forensics, Gardening, History, Horseback Riding, Interview Techniques, Law, Office Politics, Outdoorsman, Paperwork, Public Relations, Religion, Rules and Regulations, Self Defense, Singing, Social Work, Stamp Collector, Surveillance, Taser

WWPHITM? Dan Ackroyd, Brad Beyer, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner, Tyne Daly, Johnny Depp, Robert Duvall, Brenden Frasier, Danny Glover, Andy Griffith, John Goodman, Paul Guilfoyle, Tom Hanks, Holly Hunter, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Tommy Lee Jones, Matt Kesslar, Ray Liotta, Ron Livingston, Gerald McRaney, Harry Morgan, Timothy Olyphant, Ryan Phillipe, Tom Selleck, Sonny Shroyer, J.K. Simmons, Robert Stack, Sylvester Stallone, Robert Vaughn, Mark Wahlberg, Denzel Washington, Patrick Warburton, Sam Waterston, Jack Webb

Tag Line: “Captain Kangaroo, like Jesus Christ, was someone you could really believe in. With those guys it wasn’t about the bells and whistles and the rickety rackety, it was all about the work. Especially Jesus.”–Sheldon Mopes, Death To Smoochy

Tools of the Trade
The tools of the boy scout’s trade depends on his job, but they will always be clean and properly maintained.

Where You’ll Find Him
When he’s not a church, at work, or spending quality time with his family, you’ll find him helping people. He coaches little league, volunteers at the homeless shelters, leads boy scout troops, and donates blood regularly.

Social Circle
The boy scout wants to be friends with everyone he meets. Because he’s so active in the community, that’s a lot of people.

Sample Character
Michael Holt aka Mr. Terrific
Body: 15
Brain: 17
Nerve: 14
Job: Super-Hero (13); Scientist (14)
Gimmick: Polymath (14); Cool Toy (T-Spheres, Mask) (13)
Weakness: Code of Honor (Fair Play) (13); Victim of the Past (11)
Skills: Martial Arts +3; Medicine +2; Law +1
WWPHITM? Chiwetel Ejiofor
Dumb Fact:
World’s third smartest man.
Tag Line: “Everyone has a talent. Mine is learning”
HP:
15
YY: 4

Inspirational Materials
Books & Comics
Captain America
Captain Marvel
DragonLance
series (Sturm Brightblade)
Lobo (Gold Star)
Superman
To Kill A Mockingbird
(Atticus Finch)
Tom Strong

TV & Movies
The Andy Griffith Show (Sheriff Andy Taylor)
Death To Smoochy (Sheldon Mopes)
Dragnet (Joe Friday)
Hot Shots! (“Dead Meat” Thompson)
Jericho (Stanley Richmond)
The Lone Gunmen (Jimmy Bond)
The Lone Ranger
The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show
(Dudley Do-Right)
The Untouchables (Elliott Ness)