Bonus Day: Swords of the Serpentine - Erika Santambrogio, matriarch

Yes, there is a bonus day - I felt the party needed their evil grandmother. Strictly speaking, I think she'd best be an NPC, and therefore would follow different rules. But hey, I like the idea of fleshing her out a bit. So, let's see how Erika Santambrogio, Matriarch of the Santambrogio family ticks.

When I picture her (making cutting remarks directed at Tri), she is Abrasive, Manipulative, and Demanding. Without a doubt, she is a Proud woman and has a mean, Cynical streak a mile wide. Not a pleasant person to be around, and I would recommend to her grandkids to keep as far away as possible. Best in Life in her opinion are:

• Getting what you want without having to tell anyone.
• Making your idiot grandchildren face reality.
• Honey-laced ice cream

As for the rest, since I stat her as a starting character I have to cut some things here and there. The sheet later will be the beginner PC status, I will, however, mention in [] brackets where I think she'd have higher stats if done as an NPC. Her Allies are the Ancient Nobility 1 [3], and the Church of Denari 1, [and the Sorcerous Cabals 1, as well as the Mercenaries 1. And a few favors.]. Her enemies are also the Ancient Nobility 1 [2, and Church of Denari 1, as well as Grudges. So many Grudges from so many factions.]. She is a headstrong woman, but physically old and frail, meaning 15 Morale, and 3 Health. Socially, she has Charm 1, Command 1 [3], Intimidation 2 [3], Liar's Tell 1 [2], Nobility 2, and Taunt 1 [2]. She also has Scurrilous Rumours 2 [5], Spot Frailty 1 [3], and Leechcraft 1 [3].

Her General Abilities are Bind Wounds 2 - she has experience in medicine from when she learned the fine art of poisoning people, at a young age. From that time stems her Stealth 3 as well. But it has been a while, and both of them are things she rarely does. Her Preparedness is 10, and her Sway 15. Don't mess with her, or she will send you home crying. Quite literally. As for Equipment, I think I'd go with:

• Elegant and expensive but simple sets of clothing that make subtle statements. Worn, but extremely well kept.
• Lots of relatives, and a few servants. None trusted.
• Useless grandchildren who need grandma to show them their place in the world.
• The indomitable will to drag the family where it belongs, to the top.
• The family manor, in desperate need of repair. And an airing. Maybe a fire.

Yeah, this is the kind of mean, emotionally abusive, unreasonable person I envisioned as 'Grandmother' to the other four characters. Best used both carefully and sparingly. And it would likely be a good idea to nudge her into comic relief territory by exaggerating some of her traits. Or, you know, not use her.

Here is the sheet.

And with that ends the Character Creation Challenge. I had a ton of fun, even though I ditched my plans a few times while doing it. Hope some people read this, and that those who did got to enjoy it. 

Day 31: Swords of the Serpentine - Ocaer 'Luca' Santambrogio, younger illicit sibling with some weird ... features

Originally I had planned to post some kind of background generation on this day, likely using Paved with Blood to make a cool city for some of my Urban Fantasy characters to roam in. But damn, I had another idea for yet another Santambrogio. This time a rather younger half-brother.

Ocaer 'Luca' Santambrogio is rarely seen outside the family mansion. They are a lot younger than the other three family members we have seen, I'd say the others are in their mid to late 20s, and Ocaer maybe ten years younger than Dri and Sti?  The four are related via the shared father, who has not been inside the mansion, or in contact, in years. Everyone in the family but Grandmother knows Ocaer as 'Luca' only. Ocaer is kind of a semi-secret the family has, living in an attic room they stay at home a lot. Besides Grandmother they most often talk with Tri, and if they leave the mansion, that is usually the family member they accompany. Ocaer's mother has never been seen by anyone in the family.

Only Grandmother knows why... actually only Grandmother knows that Ocaer is a sorcerer, for reasons that might become obvious when reading further. I think Ocaer is Secretive, Insecure, Insensitive, Aloof, and Childish. Yes, their behavior can be a bit unsteady, and it gets worth when they talk to several people at once. It stresses them out. If you'd ask Luca, they would say that the Best Things in Life are:

• Treats from Nonna
• Watching people without being seen
• Drifting in the night skies

Health will be 8 since they are a bit small and bookish, and Morale 10. Strictly speaking, I have screwed up by making the other three Siblings as if there would be three players total, meaning they all were made with one point too much in Investigative Abilities. But who cares? Let's assume we have a latecomer, and the others were made correctly. Luca has Liar's Tell 1, Nobility 1, Servility 2, and Trustworthy 1. They also have Corruption 4, Forgotten Lore 2, and Prophecy 2. Their Allies are Ancient Nobility 1 and the Sorcerous Cabals 1 - I assume that someone there has brought them to the family when found, and there is some contact left. Luca might not even know that; the arrangement was likely done by their grandmother. If so, the cabal who found them has a soft spot for this specific kid. Or maybe plans. Their Enemy is the Church of Denari - I assume there have been incidents where Luca was careless outside, and the Inquisitors are taking an interest. If they ever add some numbers up and conclude that Luca is a Santambrogio, things might heat up. A lot. For everyone.

General Abilities are Athletics and Burglary at 5 each, and both Stealth and Sorcery at 10. The Sorcery will serve to explain pretty much all the others, though. The Spheres are Decay/Entropy, Demonology, Air, and Secrets, and they harm Health. As for Equipment:

• A couple of rats and pigeons, ready to be ridden by minor demons. And for cuddles.
• A body with parts that sometimes become... unstable, absent. Nonna tells me not to, and usually, I am good.
• Lots of different clothing, low quality, always in some state of decay.
• A voice barely above a whisper, harsh, and weirdly inhuman.
• A small piece of one of my mother's horns. I miss her.

Interesting times are in store for the Santambrogios indeed. 

Find the sheet here.

Day 30: Swords of the Serpentine - Patricio 'Tri' Santambrogio, older brother and house captain

I might still have some other games on my to-do list, but I also want to make more Santambrogios - I feel like Dri and Sti need a big brother. Who is not as disappointing to his family, at least officially. Who might be a bit of a disappointment in reality. A warrior. Time for Patricio 'Tri' Santambrogio to make an appearance.

I think he is the pushover grandson that his grandmother never wanted. But there is a place for everyone, so he was sent to learn the fine art of bludgeoning people to death, missing many bad events happening at home. Currently, he is commanding the house guard. He fully believes the family line about his younger sisters being a disappointment, but also believes his grandmother when she asks him to keep an eye out for them. Just in case. They are family, after all. It helps that he is an honest, family-loving guy - he would look out for his sisters no matter what. But he is happy nonetheless that he does not have to break the family rules to do so and happy that even with the 'rift', grandma still has not abandoned Sti and Dri. Any machinations go right over his head.

I see him as an Honorable, Orderly, Quiet guy. The silent type, but in this case very Weak-willed and Passive, not someone to stand up to family. Very much the opposite of Sti, and I think they will have the kind of complicated relationship siblings sometimes have, with Dri usually playing the neutral part. I think grandma has made sure that as a commander, Tri does leave tasks like driving off unwanted guests to the actual guards - he is good with a weapon, but easily circumvented. The guards themselves will follow him, partially because he genuinely cares for them and is both a good guy and a pretty good commander, partially because they know what his grandmother will do to them if they do not. His favorite things are:

• Doing as Grandmother says.
• Someone trying to kill him in a contest of arms.
• Protecting his charges.

Simple pleasures for a straightforward man. He has 14 Health, and only 4 Morale - do not try to fight him, but embarrass him, and, well... he also has the equivalent of a full plate mail in Armor. More on that later.

Ability-wise I give him Command 2, Nobility 1, and Trustworthy 2. From the Warrior section, he gets Know Monstrosities 1 - for some reason sometimes there will be weird creatures in the mansion, and his grandmother has explained that this is due to an old curse. And not to tell anyone. He does not remember that happening when he was a child, but then again his family probably just protected him from the truth when he was a kid. That is the kind of loving people they are. He also has Spot Frailty 2, and Tactics of Death 4. In other words, he is kind of an unholy terror if anyone ever fights him toe to toe. Well, except if they start insulting or berating him. But who would be that unfair?

Transferring one point from Investigative Abilities to Allies, I give him Ancient Nobility (1), Mercenaries (1), for his work in commanding the house guard (which will be mercs), and Commoners (1) - twice a week he helps his little sister Dri feed the needy, and he generally will help those who have a worse lot than him in life. As much as he can get away with. Some Mercenaries do not like him (Enemies at 1), after all, he commonly fights them in the little skirmishes around the Nobility and probably has killed a few, and likely will have squabbles due to unpaid contracts, or judging specific mercs for their dishonest methods.

His General Abilities are pretty straightforward as well. Some Athletics (4), Bind Wounds (2, always good on a battlefield), Preparedness 8 (very conscientious and orderly), Sway 4 (he is a Commander after all), and Warfare 12. I repeat, do not face him in open combat.

And lastly some Gear:

• Armor and two-hander I inherited from my great-great-great-granddad Ennio
• A small, sparsely furnished room in the family mansion
• The family guards
• Two days a week when I help Dri feed the needy
• My family's love and respect

Done!

Day 29: Swords of the Serpentine - Cristina Santambrogio, 'Sti', enfant terrible

Yeah, yeah, this game is not leaving me alone. I have the feeling this will become a party, which might be a fitting end for the month. This time: The sister of Adrianna, Cristina. She is quite the opposite in character - couldn't care less about the Church, or the family matriarch (Grandmother), and her favorite place is as far away from commoners as possible. Yes, Cristina is a rather flamboyant member of the upper crust, a black sheep like her twin, but again there is more to that side of the coin. You see, the Santambrogio's do not really do 'severed relationships' when it comes to family. In contrast to her twin, Cristina wants to rebel, though. She does this by collecting sexual conquests, conquering opponents in duels, and pilfering family treasuries.

She has a flair for the Dramatic, is at times a bit Enigmatic, even False. Her tastes are always Extravagant, and when in good company she is quite Locquacious (if only to distract from her other motives). She does enjoy some quiet time with a book and a good glass of wine every once in a while, but would never admit that. She also likes overcoming the rich and powerful, taking what she wants. I could say that her proudest moment was when she killed her cousin-thrice-removed Vinnie in a duel after she was found in flagranti with Vinnie's wife, but in reality that was just last Tuesday. 

She is more healthy than her twin, with all the exercise. However, Adrianna is a bit more stable - surety when it comes to her place in life, something Cristina has not found yet. Her Investigative Abilities are Charm 2, Liar's Tell 1, Nobility 2, Taunt 2, Ridiculous Luck 2 (another ability to gain limited narrative control), Skulduggery 1, and Spot Frailty 2. The last one allows Cristina to spot weaknesses in items, structures, and people - both her rapier and her insults tend to hit home. Her Allies are Ancient Nobility (1) and the Thieves' Guild (1), but the Ancient Nobility is also her Enemy (1) - a string of broken and pierced hearts will do that.

In terms of General Abilities, she has Athletics 4, Burglary 4, Stealth 6, Sway 8, and Warfare 8. 

• Flamboyant Clothing.
• A sharp tongue and a sharper rapier.
• A gondola with a small compartment with refreshments, and a padded cabin.
• A small book with lists of names, both from amorous encounters and duels.
• The latest letter coming from grandmother, crumpled and still closed

I feel like the twins are a bit semi-covertly working for the family, though both obviously also have their own agendas. Cristina will groom and nurture conflict with other noble families, and I can see her sometimes do so when carefully steered by her sister. And then someone stops being a problem. I am sure Adrianna similarily could get her to steal a specific item during a ball, and I think that she will also be the dealer taking any hot items off her sister's hands. Sometimes to sell them off, sometimes to hand them over to grandmother. And thus the rebel is actually working for the family still.

The bottom line is that you can find her sheet here.

Now to come up with a third party member.

Day 28: Swords of the Serpentine - Adrianna Santambrogio, 'Dri', merchant

Man, I really like this game! Let's make another character! How about Adrianna Santambrogio? The name stems from a great SotS name generator found on a third-party site with tools. Stepping out of the game for a second - the name refers to the concept of sainthood. This gives me the idea of connecting Adrianna to the Church of Denari. Obviously, her family has some role in the hierarchy. Either Church or Ancient Nobility, which are the descendants of the people who made the deal with the goddess that allowed the creation of the city. There might very well be some such families that traditionally have some dealings with the church, right? Mmhh... how about she is officially a merchant of unknown origin, dealing in used (sometimes stolen) goods in the city. But in reality, she is the youngest member of an old, noble family, who spies for the Inquisitors. But she, of course, also shares her findings with her family. Beyond that, she keeps up an intense trade in rumors and secrets - bringing in money, favors, and lots and lots of information. Contacts are her lifeblood, and she has likely made some weird deals. 

Adrianna is Friendly, Patriotic, Secretive, and Religious. For her, the best things in life are:

• The song of money flowing through the city.
• My grandmother's approval.
• Toppling your family's enemies without them ever knowing you had a hand in it.

She isn't the most healthy of people, but she is headstrong (Health 6, Morale 12). For Investigative Abilities, she will have a point in Liar's Tell, Nobility, and Servility, two in Charm, two in City's Secrets, and four in Scurrilous Rumors. The latter makes her a nightmare on the battlefield of intrigue,  since it allows her to know but also effectively create and spread rumors...I have a thought that she will use her shop, and maybe some other places where she works in Denari's interest, and use the opportunities to farm but also spread rumors. She wields the rumor mill like a surgeon the scalpel to make life difficult for people she targets. I take the rest of the IA points over to Allies. Hers are the Church of Denari (2), Ancient Nobility (1, essentially her family), and the Thieves Guild (1). Her sole enemies are the Sorcerous Cabals (1), due to the aforementioned deals, but mainly since she probably made life difficult for them in the past. But I see her accumulating more enemies quickly once play starts. General Abilities are Athletics 4, Preparedness 8, Stealth 8, and Sway 10 - her tongue is really quite sharp when needed!

For Gear I decide on:

• A tent in the Temple Market, filled with strange, used items.
• Colorful but practical clothing, embroidered with swans.
• Shifty manners and ticks that drop away once she is out of her shop.
• A collection of small, handwritten books, in personal cypher, containing secrets.
• A lot of customers from all walks of life.
• A backroom in Sag Harbor, where she trades food to the poor for secrets.

(The last item sadly does not appear in the PDF, the generator has limits).

Fun character, very different from the previous ones. They all would hate each other as well, I think. 

You can find the sheet here.

Day 27: Tiny Deadlands - Nathaniel "White Beau" Beauford, Steamboat gambler

How about for today I re-make a character I play in a Savage Worlds Deadlands campaign in a Tiny D6 version? The twist is that there is no Tiny D6 Deadlands (to my knowledge), so I get to show how easy it is to clobber together something fun from Tiny D6 games. In general, the games share mechanics, with each genre adding some specialized tools for genre-specific situations. Tiny Pirates, for example, adds sailing ship combat. 

Deadlands, of course, is a game set in an alternate Wild West, where supernatural forces exist, and history is a bit twisted. It seems like a good idea to try to make White Beau on a scaffold of Tiny Gunslingers, the Wild West Tiny game. White Beau has a special feature, however - he is a Huckster, someone who has made a deal with a supernatural entity that gives him magical powers with a games-of-chance theme. In White Beau's case that are poker cards, as is common for Hucksters. 

To give a bit of a description, White Beau is a gentleman in his early thirties. He likes to dress a bit above his means, in white suits and hats, with red shirts and handkerchiefs, and a black cane with a silver knob on the top. He always has a few card games in his pockets and is often found playing with them when idle, or nervous. White Beau is a war veteran, and the war was where he began thinking about luck and games of chance in terms of magic, and where he made his deal; it has left him with a massive dislike for violence. He isn't a coward but will try to avoid physical violence if possible. His demeanor is usually soft, and his heart has an equally soft spot for the innocent. Loyalty is really important to him. Finally, he came back from the war with an ailment and has been suffering from coughing fits from time to time. His handkerchiefs sometimes have spots of blood on them. The life he chose for himself is that of a professional gambler on Mississippi steamboats. As a rather smart and observant man, he is very careful to fit into the right spot. He never cheats, never is the winner of the biggest pots, but tries to leave tables as the second-place winner, so to speak - it draws less attention, keeps him out of trouble, and steamboat captains don't see him as someone there to fleece innocent customers. And since Hucksters are not generally liked, what with making deals "with the devil" and so on, he keeps his powers only in reserve for emergencies.

Let's see what we can make of him in Tiny D6, shall we? Now Tiny Gunslingers does not use Archetypes or Heritages, and I think that fits Deadlands very well. All PCs are human, and while I could suggest different PC themes with Archetypes, I am not sure what that would add. The main issue as far as I can see would be to integrate Magic into TG, and I think that is easiest done by lifting magic from Tiny Dungeons 2nd Edition. This essentially means that any magic-user takes a Trait that signifies how their magic works. So, in White Beau's case, that would be 'Huckster', a rebranded version of TDs 'Spell-Reader'. Hucksters essentially learn spells, and Hoyle's Book of Games is a rather different book in this world than in ours. More on that trait later.

So, White Beau gets three Traits in basic TG. I like games where characters have Disadvantages, and his ailment comes from me thinking about Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday in the movie Tombstone. In Tiny games that would make a Drawback Trait, and allow me to add another positive trait as well. So, for White Beau:

• Huckster - magic
• Gambler - test with Advantage when playing games of chance
• Insightful - test with Advantage when trying to see if someone lies or not
• Perceptive - test with Advantage when finding out information on your surroundings

• Ailin' (Drawback Trait) - tests involving endurance are at a Disadvantage, and start with only 5 HP.

That should work well. Weapon Proficiencies I just keep from TG and select Light Ranged. White Beau has mastered the Derringer as well. Due to Ailin' he gets one HP less than a typical Gunslinger, i.e. 5. He has 10 Dinero, and a Traveller's Kit for equipment. I am sure the GM will agree to let me have a dozen or so card games stashed away in luggage and pockets. White Beau also needs a Drive, and I think 'The world is a harsh place, and the meek sometimes need someone to guide them.' works well for him. He also has a Grit of 3, which is a TG-specific feature. It can be used to re-roll failures and other such things. It is actually somewhat close to what Bennies do in Savage Worlds.

Finally, I want to expand a bit on the Huckster Trait. I would say we start White Beau with three spells, and I re-create Favourite Hand, Card Fiend, and Luck of the Draw, spells I had made for his SW incarnation. For Favourite Hand White Beau flings a spread of cards in front of him, which start glowing and sending out lightning bolts as the fly;  it is a magical attack, dealing one damage at range. Card Fiend summons a small creature looking like a Jack from just such a card to help in some situations. Luck of the Draw means that when cast cards start hovering around him; any non-magical attack by an enemy might get repelled by a card flying up to derail it. I'd say this means the attacker tests at a Disadvantage. 

Hucksters in Deadlands also get a feature called Deal with the Devil, where they engage their patron in a trade in the form of a mental card game to gain powers beyond their means. In the Savage World edition that is done with an actual poker game, modified by skill rolls. When successful they get to cast spells they haven't learned yet, at the risk of backfires. I want to keep that feature. Let's say wanting to do such a deal is a quick invocation (costs no time), but both player and GM draw cards. The PC rolls (a Gambler rolls at Advantage); success means they draw seven cards, failure only five cards to assemble the best poker hand they can. The GM draws five cards, though if the PC is asking for especially powerful effects they might draw more at the GM's discretion. If the PC wins they get to cast whatever effect they went for. If the GM wins they do not. If the GM wins, and the PC only has a pair or less, they suffer from a backlash using the same table as in Deadlands: Weird West, page 88 (Note: some effects in there would need to be modified). This means the spell might do the opposite from what was intended, or the PC loses consciousness or loses access to magic temporarily, and so on.

Ok, I think all of that works! Done! There is no sheet, so here is the summary:

Nathaniel "White Beau" Beauford III.

"The world is a harsh place, and the meek sometimes need someone to guide them."

HP 5, Grit 3

Traits: Huckster, Gambler, Insightful, Perceptive

Disadvantage: Ailin'

Spells: Favourite Hand, Card Fiend, Luck of the Draw.

Dinero: Five

Day 26: Dark Streets & Darker Secrets - Lisa Leipzig, Gifted Monsterhunter

DSDS is an Urban Fantasy game and is another one that I haven't really looked at before. I picked it up mostly since it is published (but not created) by Gallant Knight Games, who also make the excellent Tiny D6 games. Since then Hafwit has also presented characters for Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells, another game by the same author built around the same mechanics. The intro informs me that the author wrote the game for a game jam in less than a month. I assume there was a lot of polish later, by the looks of it. As most Urban Fantasy DSDS plays essentially on our current time, with a layer of hidden monsters and magic on top. 

Let's make a character. Since this one uses a roll-up system I will see who they are later in the process. First up four attributes, each one rolled with 2d6+3. I get Physique 6, Agility 11, Intellect 8, and Willpower 10. Then I get to choose an Archetype, and I choose The Gifted. Each of the four archetypes has two prime attributes, and my character has an unfortunate combination. I go with Gifted since it is the one archetype that lists Wil as prime, and they seem coolest - they have some magical gift. That means Lisa Leipzig has a Recovery Roll of 1d6 and several special abilities. One ("I Sense a Disturbance") is a sense for supernatural activity, another ("I Make My Own Reality") means I get to choose three powers later, and that Lisa can learn more later in-game with experience. The description of the third ("There is Power in Blood") informs me that such powers tax mind and body, and that I can increase that tax by sacrificing points of Physique or Agility to gain Willpower, and therefore more potency when rolling for them. Such points then need to be recovered over time, as seems to be the damage mechanic in the game. The final power ("Supernatural Heritage") lets me roll on a table to see what kind of supernatural ancestry Lisa has. She is the offspring of a Celestial and therefore exudes an aura of tranquility. Barista, clearly. 

I flip to the chapter on powers to choose three to start with. First decision - does Lisa use Psionics or Sorcery? For a Celestial both seem a bit weird, time to do some reading. Ah, Psionics is a catch-all for powers that haven't been learned. Yeah, that works. Oh, and mechanically Psionics and Sorcery work the same. The narrative is a different story, of course. Time to look at the long list of powers. Ok, how about Energy Shield, Energy Blade, and Flight? Seems fitting for the offspring of an angel, fighting dark forces when not brewing even darker coffee, or? Overall I have the impression that the power list contains a lot of rather cool but really powerful things. Subtle the magic here ain't, in large part.

A good character also needs a Complication, and that is the next step. I get to roll a 2d6. Lisa has an enemy, a local crime boss. Oohhh... how about Johnny Falcone, successful businessman in waste-management and construction by day, local clued-in mobster by night?

One thing left to do is to determine mundane equipment Lisa shlepps around. The good news is that I can choose whatever I think fits. And I get to roll for one Weird Item she owns. She owns a petrified bone. What it does is for her to find out during the game, this is a story hook. Personally, I think it might be something her ancestor left her. Lisa also has a large collection of colorful sneakers, t-shirts, and jeans. When off shift, and hunting evil critters in the dark, she dons a black motorcycle combo, helmet, and motorbike, with a sawed-off shotgun and combat knife for any mundane mobster trouble. She is still a bit of a blank, but I think this is the type of game where such gaps would be filled e in play. I find that to be true for me with most games that use rolling for generation; Lex Arcana from earlier this month is another example.

Anyway, I fill in a few derived stats, and Lisa is done and ready to hunt.

Day 25: Coriolis - Maisha Zogby, Priestess of the Icons

Well, I kind of liked the Twilight 2k generation yesterday and would like to see generation for another game that uses the same engine. For this purpose, I chose Coriolis, which is a distant future space opera game with a distinctly Middle Eastern-flavored theme. There are also some religious overtones, space itself, for example,  is seen as some kind of source of evil. Beyond that, I do not know a lot about the game, it was one of my many Bundle of Holding purchases. You can find the core book here.

Here, players are supposed to sit down and discuss what kind of group they'd like to play, an approach I am fond of. I am all militaried out, so to speak, and look at the suggestions in the book, choosing Pilgrims. Grabbing an item from the flavor text our little band is on their way to Mira's Icon City. Playing Pilgrims suggests a couple of typical roles, and I'd like to play the Preacher. Next, the group is supposed to create a ship. There is the option of choosing something premade, and I decide to take an Oryx-type Courier Ship. It can house up to 5 people, which sounds like a crew of PCs to me. Next, I get to choose a group talent, which is a shared feature that each player gets to use. I choose Mercy of the Icons, which means that players get to counteract the use of Darkness Points by the GM once per session. DPs seem to be a meta-currency the GM can use to mess with the players. Finally, our group is sponsored by the High Priestess Taminasah-Buri, a high-ranking member of the Church of the Icons. We also have a Nemesis, the heretical priest Serap Sleiman, who has tried to abolish the practice of pilgrimages. Our little group is one of several the two use as proxies in their internal struggle.

My PC will be Maisha Zogby, as mentioned she is the Preacher of the little group.  Maisha is in her 40s, part of the Zenithians. The space in Coriolis is an area settled in two waves, hundreds of years apart, with worlds connected by gates that another species built ages before humanity arrived. Zenithians are descendants of the second wave. Rolling on the Home System table Maisha is coming from Dabaran, a desert planet in a constant war between religious factions. Next, I choose her upbringing, and I think she grew up privileged. That also means she can't be a Humanite, which is an oppressed underclass of people that have been genetically adapted to specific environments. 

Time to choose a background, and I decide she is not only a Preacher but actually a Missionary. Her upbringing fixes her starting Reputation score (6) and adds one for being a Preacher. The background also determines how many points I get to distribute for Attributes and Skills. Which are the next steps. Attributes range from 1 to 5, and I can raise them up to 4, with a minimum of 2. For a Preacher, I can increase Empathy up to 5. Since Maisha grew up privileged she gets fewer points here, only 13. I go with Strength 2, Agility 2, Wits 4, and Empathy 5. This means Maisha has 4 HP and 9 Mind Points. 

Next, Skills. Here being privileged means more points to spend, a total of 12. Skills also range from 1 to 5, and there are 16 of them. Eight of them are so-called Advanced skills, which need special training to get. As a missionary, Maisha could have Culture, and the basic skills Manipulation, Dexterity, and Survival are recommended. I pick Dexterity 3, Observation 1, Survival 1, Manipulation 2, Command 1, and Culture 4. 

Then I roll for the Icon Maisha was born under. Icons are the gods or concepts in the setting, and they double as a kind of zodiac sign. A d66 yields 51, meaning she was born under the sign of the Messenger. The Messenger has a special rite called The Mission, a once-in-a-life journey to another star system to preach the faith. I think Maisha was not only born under this sign but is also on her Mission. As a Messenger-born she also has the Messenger's Talent, meaning once per session she can make someone obey a reasonable request without having to roll, at the cost of giving the GM one Darkness Point. Maisha will have one of three Talents Preachers get, and here I choose Faction Standing - the Church reputation means I can get a bonus to Manipulation when trying to scare or threaten someone. Preachers also have a list of personal problems to choose from, and I choose that Maisha might throw a fanatical fit when signs of Darkness appear near her. I skip the list of potential relationships to other PCs in lieu of such people. I do choose some gear, though. She also owns 5000 Birr, which is the currency in the setting - her background means she starts with quite a bit of money.

Now I have to choose what Maisha would do during space combat. Em. How about Captain? That looks like she'd need the least technical know-how. 

Done. What could possibly go wrong?

Day 24: Twilight 2k 4th edition - Milena Sawicka, Polish Ranger

The fourth edition of Twilight 2k has recently been released; it is an updated version of a game from the last century, using the Year Zero Engine. While I never played the old version, I always kind of liked the idea of playing in an alternative universe where PCs are trying to survive in a late 20th century Europe torn apart by WW3. Weird, I know. The basic premise is covered with that; the game comes with initial situations to choose from in either Sweden or Poland; the name of the game is for PCs to band together and choose their own goals. Are they soldiers trapped behind enemy lines, trying to make their way home? Do they want to establish their own safe harbor instead? Maybe they are actually locals? And so on, and so forth... Note as far as I can tell that the basic assumption is for a more military-based campaign, but not the theatre of war-type. Overall, I think this makes the game a retro-futurist, post-apocalypse sandbox survival game.

As far as I know, the new edition is far less crunchy than the old ones, which for me is excellent. Then again it is supposedly the most crunchy version of the MYZ engine to date. Notable I also haven't played any MYZ games so far. 

The game offers generation based on archetypes or using a lifepath. I choose the latter. Next, I decide my nationality and go with Polish, and name the character Milena Sawicka. She is 18 when we set out on her life path. The game has four attributes, ranked A to D, and she starts with a C in all of them. Then I roll 2D3 to see how many increases Milena gets. A 5, not bad! That means I will have Milena start out with Strength B, Agility B, Intelligence A, and Empathy B. Finally she has a Coolness Under Fire (CUF) of D, which can't be increased this way.

Then I roll on a table to see what kind of childhood Milena had. A 1 means that she was a street kid. From the skills available I choose Recon, which she then has at D instead of F. So, if I have to make a roll for Recon, I would grab a D12 (for her Intelligence) and a D6 (for Recon), and roll, with 6+ indicating success. Another roll (of 4) on the life path tables indicates she has gained a specialty of Infiltrator. This will add a +1 to a roll when appropriate. Milena seems to be pretty good at stealthy recon. Now I choose which kind of job Milena learned. Most jobs are limited by attribute requirements, but Milena is an ace I see none that would be blocked for her. Some are limited by needing previous experience or ranks in other lines of work, though. I kind of think that as a street kid she would most likely either have become a criminal or joined the military. Maybe, just maybe, later a career in intelligence. Let's say she joined the Military and went for basic training in the Combat Arms category, the Wojska Lądowe. She has a rank of Szeregowy (Private). I have to take the skill Ranged Combat and in addition choose Close Combat (for some reason named Melee on the sheet) for her second skill, both at D. Then I have to make a skill roll for one of them to see if I get promoted. Let's roll for Ranged Combat. One d10 for Dexterity B, and d6 for the skill, and I get a 10. She becomes a Starszy szeregowy (Private 1st  Class), and her CUF increases to C. I also get to roll for another Specialty - Machinegunner. Then I roll a d6 to see how many years that career step took. One year! Wow! Then a d8 to see if an attribute decreases. Which happens if I roll lower than the number of terms spent, which is not yet possible. Same to see if this is when the war breaks out - d8, and if the number is lower than the number of turns spent this was the year sh*t hit the fan. Since neither happens I get sent back to choose the next career term. 

In term 2 she gains Heavy Weapons D and Ranged Combat C, and another advancement. She is now a Kapral (Corporal), gains a Speciality in Launcher Crew (with a 4), and her CUF increases to B. This term took 3 years, and a 4 for attribute decrease and an 8 for war breaking out means she is still doing OK on both fronts.

For term 3 I look at intelligence service careers. She has no background in Education, meaning she can only join as a Paramilitary. That makes a lot of sense, but also looks boring. I decide she will go for Special Forces down the line and remain in the military for now. Ranged Combat B, Recon C, another promotion (Starszy kapral / Plutonowy, Sergeant) resulting in a specialty of Machinegunner, which since I have that already means free choice instead. I go with Combat Engineer. CUF maxes out at A. She ages six more years, attributes stay the same, and peace lasts.

In term 4 Milena fulfills the requirements for Wojska Specjalne (Special Operations) and joins up. Close Combat C, Survival D, promotion to Sierżant (Staff Sergeant), specialty Ranger, another 2 years of aging, no attribute loss (7) but war breaks out (1)! This means her career came to a rather violent end. For the character generation, this means I get to increase any two skills by one step. I go with raising both Mobility and Stamina to D - lots of running happened, after all. There is also a final roll for a last specialty - Rifleman. There was also some shooting.

Now I get to determine a few other stats. There is no group of PCs, so I skip unit morale, etc, though I will note that there'd better be a better leader around for that. Milena has a moral code - the military has been good for her, has indeed turned her life around, and she thinks it is her task to help those who are on the lowest rungs of society. The homeless, the shelterless. To give them the structure and support she received. I think her Big Dream, i.e. goal now will be to be part of something bigger again. If there were other PCs I would choose one as a buddy as well.

When war broke out Milena had spent 12 of her 30 years in the military. She is a buff, stern-looking woman with wrinkles around her eyes that indicate she did like to laugh only a short while ago. She dresses in military fatigues; if ever in other clothing she looks uncomfortable and out of place. She is rather small for a soldier, and her teeth still show signs of malnourishment when she was a child. She does not speak a lot. If needed, she can bark orders with the best of them but avoids command responsibility. She isn't shy but never got really comfortable with being responsible for others to that extent. She gets some equipment based on her last term, plus 2 days' worth of food, 3 of water, and 5 points worth of ammo which is used as currency. She starts the game with Rads of 1, as low as possible, so she was nowhere near a place where nuclear bombs rained down.

And with that Milena is all ready to go and change the world.

Day 23: Sigil and Shadow - Aden Mavren, student and warlock

And now for the darker side of Sigil and Shadow. Let's create a monster. I mean, a Shadowed character. For this one, I will let the rolls on the background help determine a few things. I think it might be fun to create the Warlock who made Kiyana's life difficult.

The four Shadowed castings are Afflicted (by some supernatural bane that negatively influences everyday people), Devoted (cultists, warlocks, and the like), Host (possessed, half-demons, and so on), or Ravenous (vampire, werewolves, etc.). Obviously, Aden Mavren will be a Devoted. This makes his Drive "Servitude", meaning he recovers a Bone any time he devotes a scene to serving his patron. He also gets to ask the patron for a geas, a task that when fulfilled also grants a Bone.

For his background I roll an 80, making him a student. The plot thickens. He does not get an oddity (57). As a student he is a member of the Working Class (not to be taken literally, we are talking second-lowest income level in the game), and as such can choose to get the skill education. There are no associated perks yet. Instead, I get to roll what he studies to become, and then get to choose a perk from that list. A 33 means he studies to be... Clergy. The dice love me today. This means perks to choose from now include Defender, and Resolved. I go with Resolved; Defender means he has an easier time protecting others, and that sounds just wrong. Resolved gives +5 to Will. This brings me to his abilities, I go with Strength 45, Dex. 55, Logic 50, and Willpower 60. I am also starting to think Arden played around with some obscure "prayers" he found in a very rarely-read ancient book at the back of the library and initially thought he was making a deal with an angel. By now he knows better, but it is also too late to turn back. And a big part of him doesn't want to anymore, anyway.

Again I spend one bone to get a third skill level, and he gets Education (Theology), Larceny, and Arcana (Umbra). The latter means that if I also give him the ability to cast shadow magic, he is actually good at it. Poor Kiyana. As a Shadowed, Aden gets two Manifestations and one Burden. For the Manifestations I choose Blink, which in his case means he can step through shadows at medium range to more-or-less teleport, and Channel (Umbra), which lets him actually work shadow magic. For his Burden I choose Strange Compulsion - in Aden's case, he refuses to ever step into direct light. If he would ever try to step out of the comforting shadows, he would have to pass a Willpower check at -20. Yikes. I do not have to choose spells - magic in this game is rather freeform, and when playing Aden I could describe an effect based on Shadow magic, and the game would spit out a difficulty.

Now Decriptors - Aden is easy to anger and gullible. But he has an infectious smile going for him and is cool under pressure. Finally, he owns an (old, battered) minivan, a sword, a pistol, a Surveillance pack, and an Occultist pack. 

Done!

Day 22: Sigil and Shadow - Kiyana Nenge, monster-hunting librarian

Sigil and Shadow is an Urban Fantasy game published by Osprey that uses the D00lite engine, so quite a bit should sound familiar from the Art of Wuxia entry. For this one, I will use a character sheet designed by R. E. Davis (thanks!).

The game divides PCs into two groups, the Illuminated, and the Shadowed. The former are essentially normal people that for some reason or another have been dragged into confronting the supernatural - priests, private eyes, elementary school teachers, or what have you that have seen too much and now cannot pretend otherwise. The Shadowed are former mortals who have touched the supernatural and have become something else. So, your vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and so on. Mechanically, each group is subdivided into four so-called Castings, but I will talk about that a bit later. I think to better understand the process I will make two characters. Today will be an Illuminated, tomorrow someone Shadowed.

But first a really quick overview of the cosmology. The reality here consists of the Nether (or Shadow, or Umbra), separated from our world by the Curtain, a metaphysical barrier that protects our world, the Extant, from the chaos of the Nether. There are places where the Extant stretches through the Curtain, into the so-called Echo, which is somewhere between these two places. These are dark places of supernatural influence with dream- or nightmare-like qualities. The supernatural in this game is not cuddly and nice. Everything else in the game derives from this basic principle. 

Now to make an Illuminated PC living in this world. How about we create Kiyana Nenge, librarian responsible for the theology sublibrary of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Kiyana is around 35 years old, and a short while ago she ran afoul of a small group of local Warlocks that use some more ... interesting... tomes in the library. They sent a demon after her, she was lucky enough that a member of the local motorcycle gang saw that and came in to help. Let's assume he is another PC, but one that we won't make. This event has convinced Kiyana that the supernatural is real, and needs to be fought.

The four Illuminated castings are distinguished by what drives them - Seekers, Hunters, Protectors, and Keepers. I assume the first three are clear, the last one is the kind of person that wants to keep the supernatural hidden to prevent it from spreading. I think Kiyana would be a Hunter - Seeker might fit a librarian, but she is in it to eliminate evil. So, Hunter it is. In mechanical terms, this means she has the Drive "Victory" and therefore will receive a Bone every time she manages to undermine a supernatural entity. As in Art f Wuxia, Bones are the meta-currency of the game, used to boost rolls and gain limited narrative control. 

Next, I am supposed to roll a d100 twice for Background and Oddities. I kind of determined the Background already, so I spend one of Kiyana's three bones. which means I get to choose it instead of having to roll it. This means the bone is permanently lost. I'd say Scholar fits best, meaning she has a Lower Middle-Class lifestyle, and I get to choose from the perks Encyclopaedic Mind or Well-to-Do, or add Skill Training in Education. I will choose later. Oddities are weird trinkets that a PC can have from the get-go. That only occurs when rolling a match on a D100; I get a 58, so nothing noteworthy.

Then I can either choose a panel of four pre-made rolls or distribute 50 points in packages of 5, with basic scores starting at 40. I like Strength 45, Dexterity 50, Logic 60, and Willpower 55. This will influence skill scores later, and also means she has no damage bonus in combat. As in other D00lite games, SnS has 10 skills, and I get to distribute levels to two. Here, each only gets one level. I also can get one more from my background, if I so choose, and spend a bone for a third skill. Untrained skills either cannot be used at all, or at -20 percent penalty. Basic scores are derived from the associated attribute, and each level adds +10%. I spend a bone to get three skills and choose Education, Investigation, and Social. Kiyana has spent some time in the library after all. 

For Education and Social I have to choose a focus; the bonus from the skill level applies only to the focus area, the other fields count as trained but do not get the bonus. So they are rolled at the flat score. Education is Theology, and Social is focussed on Academia. Then I choose to take the perk Encyclopedic Mind from my background list; this will allow me to roll Logic if I want Kiyana to recall a relevant detail she might have forgotten or overlooked initially. Since Kiyana does not have any special powers I skip that section, and then I get to choose descriptors, which might influence rolls when they come into play. The rules suggest at least one positive, and one negative one, so how about two each? Kiyana can't keep secrets and can't drive, but she is charismatic, and a font of trivia. 

As a final touch, I get to calculate some derived stats and buy equipment. Which as in other d00lite games comes as basic packs, plus weapons and vehicles. I get to choose five, and at least one has to be a pack. The game does not care too much about equipment - if it makes sense that something is well within the means of a PC of a certain lifestyle, they can buy it. Higher lifestyles mean that a PC is more easily recognized if something really obvious happens and that they might have additional social responsibilities. I choose the Medic, Investigator, and Survivalist Packs, a Revolver, and a Knife.

Done.

Day 21: Over the Edge 3rd ed. - John Mancy Cardigan, super athlete.

Over the Edge is an old favorite of mine, and a few years back a third edition was released. Imagine every b-movie concept you know plus a few dozen you do not, thrown into the same small subtropical island, add a whole lot of paranoia and weirdness, and you aren't far off. The first edition of the game was of importance to me since it was the first RPG book I read that explicitly recommended not caring about realism or pre-conceived dramatic plots, but to go with the flow and care about having fun first.

Anyway, the basic assumption of the game is that you play a character who comes from the outside world into the location the game plays in, which means I do not have to spoil anything. However, the character itself can within a few limitations be rather colorful. The main limitation is that plot-wrecking abilities like teleportation or perfect precognition are out. Let's see what I can come up with.

How about someone who was subject to chemical conditioning, genetic engineering, and conditioning to be the perfect servant for their government. He is someone with staying power, who could not be bribed, threatened, or otherwise deterred from his goal. A super athlete, created to win international competitions and Olympic games. Now the program has been shut down due to a potential leak, and John Mancy Cardigan has been cut loose. I like it!

There are a couple of requirements for the character concept that basically ensure that common problems that make characters not fun to play (with) do not apply, and none of these throw a red flag. Next is the Question Mark, a single-word trait that both describes the character, and due to the attached question mark hints at character development. I will go with 'Determined-?'.

Now to choose a Main and a Side Trait, that describe his abilities. The Main will be 'Designed Superathlete'. The Side Trait is supposed to broaden the character a bit, spin them a bit, and add some other abilities. How about 'Soap Opera Afficionado'? John has lived a life as a product in a less-than-nurturing environment, and Soap Operas give him a taste of social interactions he has been missing out on; of course, he also lacks the experience to judge them as less than perfect reproductions. There is a list of plot wreckers to avoid, and these Traits hit none of those. So, all good.

Now to determine ability scores from these. The game has levels, and the abilities are determined by the level and traits. I decide to go with the standard level, which is Expert, i.e. level 2. This means in his specialty John will be an expert, but not at the highest level in the mundane world. Which seems good to me. He would be the guy whose engineering allows him to compete at the international level, but he doesn't have the experience yet. Between that and his traits, he has Fight 2 (probably his core ability), Sway 1, and Weird 2. Fight is all physical stuff, Sway social ability, and Weird covers all things like magic, faith, weird science, and so on. John is the product of such, and in his case, it'll cover weird animal-derived features - part of his makeup is the re-use of animal DNA, think pulp weird science. 

Now for the Trouble, a short description of something that can tempt John to act in a non-rational way. Something colorful, that will come up in the game from time to time. It might sound weird, but I think his lifetime of pharmaceutical consumption for specific purposes has left him very comfortable with and very curious about the idea of recreational drug use. I am sure that'll work.

In an actual game there'd be a long discussion with the GM to work out details and fit the character into the group and setting and so on, but I will leave it here. As OtE characters go John is actually pretty tame, downright mundane. I like him.

John Mancy Cardigan

Determined-?

Designed Superathlete

Soap Opera Afficionado

Fight 2, Sway 1, Weird 2

Trouble: Morbidly curious about taking recreational drugs.

Day 20: Swords of the Serpentine - Imelda Minucci, city watch thief catcher with a secret

Time for an encore; Swords of the Serpentine has been on my mind quite a bit the last few weeks, so I decided to do a repeat. Mostly since I had a simple scene in my mind, one of a battered thief hunter, somewhere in a hidden chamber well below the city. A partially sun-lit chamber, floor covered with sand, and the hunter is in deep conversation with a giant scorpion. Boots of someone likely deceased are just jutting into the image. For some reason, it is obvious that the monster and the thief hunter are becoming friends of some sort.

Enter Imelda Minucci, said thief hunter. Since I have described how to make a SotS character already on Day 7, I will not repeat that part. Instead, I will talk a bit about Imelda. I picture her as someone quiet, usually mono-syllabic, but competent at her day job. She has hidden depths and has always looked for something ... different. I think while she likes people well enough, she has always been looking for someone to have deeper conversations with. Turns out she found it a while ago when chasing a heavy from the thieves guild deep into the hidden areas under the city. I am thinking all of this happened somewhere under Sag Harbor, a poor area where Imelda both works and lives. I think she shadowed the bad guy to Ropso's Fight Club (nomen est omen), and then further underground. At some point, she ran into a trap, and only made it out since the giant scorpion, hidden deep in the bowels of the city after escaping the FC as a youngling, decided to intervene. 

Imelda came back from time to time, largely to convince herself that she did not imagine that the scorpion had helped, and might even be friendly. After a time she tried to connect via scratches in the ground. Finally, she managed to hunt down a sorcerer who helped her strike a minor deal with a small god to get access to sorcery, in return for some help that should not be mentioned. I think the sorcerer probably learned her true name in the process, something she does not know about. This will allow him easier access to her with his magic. And if the GM wants she might still owe the god a favor.

So, what about the stats? Her Best Things in Life depict why she became a thief hunter - she loves 'Springing Traps on a Trapper', the thrill of outwitting someone who traps and hunts people for profit, like thieves, burglars, robbers. Killers. She enjoys challenging her own viewpoint - 'Deep conversation with someone from a wildly different world'. Learning to communicate via magic allowed her to contact more monstrosities, and she is slowly becoming an ally of sorts to them. At least the nicer ones. Finally, she has a soft spot for the outcast ('Protecting those outcast'), underlying both her watch activities and her unusual relationships.

Her other stats should mostly explain themselves; socially, she will usually try the more charming approach and tends to backstab more than threaten and attack (Charm 1, Liar's Tell 1, Servility 1, Trustworthy 1). She is a Sentinel and has the basic abilities her work requires (Felonious Intent 1, Laws & Traditions 1, Vigilance 1), but her unusual place in the watch, and her hobby, have led to some unusual additions. She has a better idea of the hidden nooks and crannies of Eversink than most coppers, and she has also learned basic magic (City's Secrets 1, Skulduggery 1, Corruption 1, Know Monstrosities 2). Her magic sphere is Monstrosities (Mental). It depicts the communication ability, but I assume that comes with some other capacities, and I think her non-human contacts might serve to explain rare occasions where this becomes useful towards humans. Imagine driving enemies away when some 'friends' of hers appear, which mechanically might very well be the use of her Sorcery. 

Her General Abilities are varied, she has Athletics 2 (from walking and running a lot), Burglary 2 (Thief-Catchers do weird things in the pursuit of criminals), Preparedness 8, Stealth 4, Sorcery 2, Sway 4, and Warfare 8.

Finally, equipment-wise she is subtle; she has chosen a place to live that allows easy access to the underground where her friends roam, and she has some items that describe her past. The trinkets that she has gathered from monstrosities serve as color for the Sorcery, and maybe some other abilities. She is a subtle character, with hidden depths. A team player who might pull out a colorful surprise at some point during a game.

Done.

Note: Now that I am done I realize that I could just make the same character without the Sorcery and Corruption; after all, the game does allow one to use any explanation for abilities, and GM willing I could just say she can talk to non-human Monsters and use Ally Monstrosities (maybe pushed to 2) as an excuse to add color to other abilities. But I like the idea that someone like Imelda went out and made a shady deal to learn sorcery, putting her on a new life path.

Edit: Generated an image using DallE.

Day 19: End Times (Pbta) - Lorraine Amanda Bescoe, as seen through apocalyptic eyes

Time to look at Lorraine again, this time in the PbtA version of End Times. Yesterday's link leads to both versions since they are part of the same package. This version starts with players and GM having a chat about which apocalypse to play. There are some suggestions, and mine isn't in there. We will still use it. Blight, PbtA-style. This would mean everyone takes turns describing a moment in an apocalypse montage, so to speak, but I feel we already have an idea of what happens. Now I go through the Playbooks and choose one. Mmhhh... I will go with Authority, someone who works for an organization that is/will become important and wants to rise through the ranks. From what I see the idea is for that to be part of a government, but I will just assume it'll fit somehow. I was tempted by Prepper, but this puts more of a focus on the militia/neighborhood help.

Then there are a bunch of questions that we have already answered, and the creation of the four formative experiences. See yesterday's post.

Now I have to come up with a "Pit" for Lorraine, something that might lead to a downward spiral. I think she has a tendency to live far too much for others, leading to a downward spiral of depression when she neglects her own needs. Next to go through the playbook. As an Authority, Lorraine as standard gets a move to Assert Authority and gets to choose two more. All Points Bulletin (making my org look for someone) and Name Recognition (she has a good reputation in her group, making it easier to deal with these people) seem like the most fitting choices. 

Then I choose her Stats from four pre-made selections and go with Flesh +2, Reason +0, Grit +0, Tools +1, People +1. Younger and older Lorraine are formed by choosing two words or phrases each to describe them from lists. Younger Lorraine will be Unafraid to Fight, and Judgemental. Older Lorraine Has Lost Faith in Humanity and Keeps the Peace. I could make up words of my own, but think these are fine.

For the first impression others have of present Lorraine I have to make my own and will go with Friendly Neighbourhood Watch member. For equipment, I choose a pistol, a toolbox, and a scooter. My three contacts are my mother, local teacher and one of the leaders of the neighborhood watch, the head of the local police department, and Linda, a local librarian who is rather close to my heart. For extraordinary possessions, I choose a kevlar vest and the bunker of a recently deceased prepper uncle. What remains is to have a chat with the other players about our relationships, but since they do not exist this will have to wait.

Done. Just as with the other version there is no easy way to post a character sheet, so see above.

In summary, I kind of like both approaches. The PbtA is a bit more restrictive, which is of course based on the more stringent approach to story-telling that is part of PbtA's strength. That said, I think the basic assumption is to make characters that are more in line with adventure stories than what I instinctively went for; none of the playbooks was a brilliant fit. I think if I were to run the game, I would go with the ORC version for that reason alone.

Day 18: End Times - Lorraine Amanda Bescoe, time-travelling mind

End Times is an interesting one. The game is one I backed on Kickstarter based on its premise, and from what I can see the developer made an excellent game. But as with so many games I have not been able to run, let alone play the game. There are two versions of the game, one using an engine called Organic Rule Components which I gather to be the developer's own system that has been used in several games, the other is Powered by the Apocalypse. I think it'd be weird to only talk about one, and I for one would not be sure which I prefer anyway. So I will make a character in each one; no guarantees it'll be the same one.

But I have completely omitted the reason I backed the game - in End Times you play a Survivor, a person who is living through an Apocalypse, but who also for unknown reasons has the ability to switch their mind with the versions of themselves from exactly ten years in the future, or ten years in the past. The game comes with ideas for different kinds of apocalypses, and based on the rulebook fiction supports the idea of each version of a Survivor having its own ideas, motives, and opinions. After all, while you are in the past or future to change things, your other self from that time has switched into your place. So your self from 10 years ago might have their own ideas on what to do in your present.  And the one from 10 years in the future might have their own idea on what to change in your time. As a further complication, preventing an apocalypse might ask you to do things you find unacceptable, leading to a real moral problem. Oh, and your meddling in the timelines might, of course, make things worse, or catastrophic in another, unforeseen way. It sounds really cool, but also like it might be really confusing pretty quickly.

Anyway, I will start making a character for the ORC version today, PbtA tomorrow. So I have something to go on, I will say that at some point before the PCs present time massive blights started consuming and degrading world agriculture. During the initial months, scientists found out that the different viruses seem to be man-made, but all countries seem to be equally affected. While famine struck around the world, old conflicts flared up and countries went to war, in some cases with themselves. The PCs live in WW3, with a few dozen sides, and a desperate lack of... anything, really, everywhere. Bleak enough, eh? 

My PC will be a woman called Lorraine Amanda Bescoe; at the time of play present, she is 22 years old. She grew up in Kansas City. When the Blight came, she was 20, and a student at University training to follow in her parents' footsteps. Her parents were both high school teachers. They early on realized what was happening, and managed to convince Lorraine to come home, and start preparing herself.

The US has fallen apart, but so far wars are a thing on the outside. There are conflicts in-country, and local order is often a big issue, but we are not yet at the stage of civil war. That is a matter of time, though. Lorraine and her mother (dad died in food riots three weeks ago) are part of a local private organization that tries to keep a semblance of order. The government is in the process of disintegrating and accepting such organizations - at least they aren't doing any harm directly. Mom still teaches kids when there is time, and Lorraine has become a teacher and off-and-on mechanic, helping to keep machines and mechanics working as much as possible. People who meet Lorraine see the quiet desperation so many people show in these times, but also a strength of moral conviction. She is a fierce believer in community, and in getting along. She is, however, a quiet person, and not a natural leader. All of this has been prompted by questions in the rulebook, it puts the concept front and center. Nice.

Time to think about four formative experiences, each one should be one, two sentences.

1) When Lorraine was 6 she confronted a kid named John that was bullying her. A few seconds later he ran home, crying. It made her self-confident.

2) When Lorraine was 15, she came out to my friends and parents. Most of them were supportive, making her more willing to trust others.

3) When Lorraine left University to come home she had to leave behind her girlfriend; she learned that family is more important to her than she realized, and it made her calm.

4) When her father died she was 22. She stepped up to help her mother with a lot of responsibilities, and it made her confident.

Before I do the rest I am told that I will buy things with points, but also have a meta point budget of 100 PP to buy additional points in the different categories with. I will note where I did that.

First, I distribute 100 pts across ten attributes, each one with a max of 20, and 10 as human average. I do that as follows. adding another 4 pts by spending 20 PP:

Agility 12     Awareness 12     Charm 10    Endurance 8     

Intelligence 15     Speed 8      Strength 10     Willpower 14    

Relationship With Younger Self 10     Relationship With Older Self 5

And Lorraine has 10 Hit Points.

Next, Skills. These are simply bought with the remaining PP, though I can keep some for having more starting money. Yeah, I will spend them here. There are 12 categories of skills, and skills in each one have a different cost. I will just enumerate the ones I have, which won't be many.

History 5 (costs 15 pts)     Research: Academic 3 (9 pts)     Science: Chemistry 3 (9 pts)

Running 3 and Sports 3 (each costs12 pts)    Pistol 2 (12 pts)  Basic Repairs 3 (9 pts).

The remaining 2 points mean I have $2000 to spend on equipment. I dislike equipment lists, and will therefore skip this step. From what I can see Lorraine will be able to afford basic stuff, but not some of the more involved things like a library.

Finally, I can get and spend PP on Advantages and Disadvantages. Cool list, and I take Enemy: Rival (John, the kid Lorraine kicked in elementary school has become a local police officer; he still hates her guts, though he would be hard-pressed to say why). This gives me 10 PP. Lorraine is attached to her mom, who is an older adult (14 PP Disadvantage). I spend those on Daredevil Kid (12 PP Advantage) which gives Lorraine and her younger self Skating 1, Bicycle 1, and Climbing 1. I will also spend 12 on Status: Government, giving Lorraine level one. It usually means she is an intern or similar, but I will interpret this as referring to the not-quite-official militia Lorraine belongs to.

Now, the current Lorraine is done. Let's make ten years younger Lorraine by subtracting 40 attribute points (note: points for Relationships to self do not count). I just take 5 off of each attribute. 

Agility 7     Awareness 7     Charm 5    Endurance 3     

Intelligence 10     Speed 3      Strength 5     Willpower 9    

Relationship With Younger Self 10     Relationship With Older Self 5

And younger Lorraine has 5 Hit Points.

I am asked to decide what they know about time travel and the coming apocalypse. The idea is that Lorraine has switched at least once before into each version of herself, so each one has been in the present. And old Lorraine would know more about what is happening anyway - I assume she has a rough idea about what happened, but since life was pretty hectic has never quite cared about the detail. Young Lorraine, however, thinks she dreamed and knows nothing so far.

Asked for what Young Lorraine is at her best and worst, I say 'Brave' and 'Whiny'. If she ever starts to actively oppose me, she will trust adults to help, and tell them about what is happening.

Now for older Lorraine. For now, she has the same attributes and skills as current Lorraine, though the book informs me that this will likely change during the game. For the moment the most crucial change would be the amount and kind of equipment she would lug around - only portable things, with a focus on survival. And then the note why she might oppose current Lorraine: For some reason future Lorraine has become pro-apocalypse, convinced the event is needed somehow. That should be fun.

Done. There is a pretty cool character sheet in the book. Alas, no form-fillable, separate one, so the text above will have to do.

Day 17: Tiny Taverns - Endre and Selina, friends at the top of the world

And now for the beautiful owners of this rather refined cheese-slinging place. I will make two at once, character generation in Tiny D6 is rather fast, after all. I think I want a proprietor, who doubles as greeter and barkeeper, and the manager, who also does massages. Sounds ok, right?

First, we go with Heritages, and once done I will give names. Let us make the owner a friendly pooka, daughter of Grett. Her name is Endre. Pooka are three, four foot tall, soft fur, long prehensile tails, and are lithe and willowy. Their eyes aren't the sharpest, meaning they often wear spectacles. Their sense of smell is great, though. They tend to like to read and learn and to tinker with gadgets. I get to choose some traits for Endre from the Pooka list. She has to be Spry, and I choose to make her Doozery as well, meaning she needs less sleep each day.

Next, let's make the manager and massage therapist a Panguri called Selina. When you think Panguri, think cat person. I think Selina and Endre are life-long friends and have come here from the big city. Endre has family in the warren, and Panguri suggested they make a life for themselves here. Selina has Feline Senses (read excellent smell and hearing), and also has Claws and Paws. Beyond that, I think she should be Empathic. She is an excellent listener, can tell when someone is lying, and literally smell someone else's emotional state. I want her to be some kind of quiet pool, the emotional center of the spa. And Endre might be the more excitable one, often a bit absent-minded, but friendly and upbeat. Yeah, I like that.

By the way, the book is very explicit on these Traits not having to be fixed; it is perfectly ok to decide your character does not fit the 'standard'; people are diverse, after all. That also goes for pookah and cat people.

Each one gets two Traits from the giant list in the book, that tell us a bit more about who they are. And I home in on Anamchara. These are soul friends, people who are tied together by Karma. They understand each other on a deep, personal level, and can communicate with looks and other nonverbal clues. I want that for both, they would make amazing Anamchara. Lovely! Endre also has Fast Friends, meaning she makes friends really quickly, though she does care about all of them. Not as much as for Selina, but there you go. Selina is Unflappable, which should be self-explanatory.

Now I choose either two Proficiencies or one Proficiency at Mastery level for each of them. These are areas of expertise and are essentially made up by the player. And this is easy - Endre has a Barkeeping and Hospitality, Selina Management and Massage Therapy. Nothing Martial here. Maybe an unknown third (or fourth, or fifth) player would deliver that. Then again this is a spa, not an arena. Oh, along the way I decided that Regell is a rival of Panguri, competing with her for the attention of any guests. Minka spies on Endre, mostly since she thinks that a Pooka who lived in the big city must have some cool stories and maybe even gadgets hidden somewhere.

Then I have to come up with the character Beliefs, one-sentence statements that summarize the core of their worldview. Selina believes that "Money is best in her pocket", and Endre that "Everyone has an important role in life". A match made in heaven.

Two things remain - determining belongings (kind of not needed, they get a basic kit and the rest is on the map), and answering three questions for them.

1. Which one of the other player characters is your closest friend? Why do you consider them to be your bestie? Obvious for both.
2. How did you end up working or living at the Tavern? What is your biggest responsibility there? Also done for both.
3. What always puts you in a Good Mood? What always ruins your day?

Selina always has a good mood when she made some great profit. It ruins her day when Endre feels bad. Endre has a good mood when she gets to spend some quality time with an Alpkees sandwich and a good tea. She has a bad mood if a customer is unreasonably rude.

Mechanically, these answers determine some relationships (already done with the Anamchara Trait), the second question is important in the narrative, and the game does care about moods to help drive the drama. I could determine more relationships, but I think that is better done in the game.

Since we do not have any spellcasters, we are done. Please find Endre here, and Selina here.

Day 16: Tiny Taverns - Cerulean Terrane Spa, a boutique spa for rich cheeselovers

Maybe let's do something a lot nicer now, the last few days have been a bit depressing. How about a game I have played, but not nearly enough - Tiny Taverns? It uses the Tiny D6 system that was introduced in previous posts (Day 2 and Day 3), but this one is rather different. Tiny Taverns is not really an adventure game, but about telling slice-of-life stories of people living and working together in a service establishment in a fantasy world. This can be a titular tavern, but also a school, or a massage parlor, or a dragon tuning shop, or... Anything with employees, premises and the potential for regular customers can work. The basic creation process will still look very familiar, but I will go one further, and create the setting with it as well. Tiny Taverns has you covered there, you see? And to have a bit of a more interesting situation, I will make the tavern, and two characters to go with it. Spread out over two days. Today: Tavern. Usually, this would be done by the whole group, but here I am by myself.

Now, pretty much all steps have some kind of random generation table for inspiration, and I will use it. First up is to decide on the type of business, which is one of the examples where the rolls only make general suggestions. So, 2d6, one table per die, and I get a 4 and a 1, so a "boutique" "spa/resort/ranch", with "boutique" as an adjective. Mmhh... I like the idea of a remote spa catering to the rich and powerful. It'll need some weird twist or two, but that can happen later. Next is location, with another two tables of D6 each. A 3 and a 6 suggest "crossroads" and that "something blessed by an ancient deity or spirit" is close by. Ok, I think I will go with an area where several airship transport routes meet, on top of a high mountain that is blessed by an ancient air spirit; the air here has remedial, stress-relieving powers. It isn't completely remote, there is a settlement here. I will think about more interesting things for the village later. For now, I name the mountain Terrane's Churchshall, after the Earth elemental that lives in it, and the air spirit Cerulea; the place is holy to both since they married here. Yes, I like that. And since I fired up the name generators, I will call the town Gottshain. 

Now our spa needs a unique feature, and I can roll two d6 vs. a d66 table. A 12 indicates a famous ingredient or dish, which sounds nearly too good to be true. The villagers make a really insanely rare cheese, made from the milk of animals called Cerulean Mallachi, blueish flying lizards that burrow in the looser soil here where air and earth mingle. They are connected to the two spirits/minor deities, though no one knows how. They have only ever been found on top of this mountain, and can't be reared elsewhere. If treated well they will share "milk" that runs out of their eyes. This is used to make a really rare cheese that only becomes edible after a few years of fermentation. The cheese is called 'Blarer Alpkees'. Yop, that should ensure a stream of special clients who come here.

Which raised the question for the typical guest, which also just happens to come next in the book. I will say very rich or powerful people looking for a special, rare kind of relaxation. And many have a soft spot for Blarer Alpkees, a rare, special, and expensive item that makes for a great conversation item once home. We do also offer far more affordable meals and rooms in a separate little tavern for the airship sailors and of course the locals. Which reminds me - I still do not know who the locals are. Well, I kind of have an idea... one of the provided heritages here are the Pooka, small, bookish people that are a bit clumsy but are also really good at fitting into small crevices and spaces. I like the idea of them living here, and also being most of our regulars. This also makes the town a warren, fitting the theme. But let's assume there is some above-ground space. It also makes sense for them to be the ones able to collect 'milk' from the Cerulean Mallachi, they can reach the small crevices the animals rest in.

Great timing, now I have to come up with regular clients. Or staff, if I prefer. The staff and owners will usually be PCs, but there is the acknowledgment that most places will need more than 3, 4 people running them, so coming up with some more workers is always an option. But let's start with Regulars. There is a table, well, three. A 5, a 6, a 4 - a pookah Bard/Storyteller/Performer, who is spying on some PC to be chosen later for some reason. Fits like a glove! So, I name her Minka, she is the local storyteller and gossip, daughter of the eldest in the village. I will come up with the reason for her spying when I come up with the two PCs. Let's add another. A 5, 2, and 1. Another pooka, the dice like the idea. This one is a trader, and family of one of the PCs. Let's make him a cheesemonger called Grett, who will be related to a PC later. He is not local but actually stops by often to buy more cheese to sell in the big city. When he is in town, eh, village, he stays at the spa. Two are in theory enough, but I want a third one, and then maybe one staff member. This time I get a 1, a 6, and a 5. A Furbolg (think frost giant) or a mandrake (half-dragons, a dying people). I like the idea of a mandrake, who, by the way, are also several times as tall as pookas. She is also another bard/storyteller/performer and is rich and eccentric. Let's call her Regell, she is old, wealthy, on permanent retreat in our spa, loves the mountains and the cheese, is a hopelessly romantic poet, and hits on anyone not evading her quickly enough, but generally not following through. She will fit right in but will need a friendly rivalry with a PC later. Finally, I want an employee. Nothing to roll here. For the sake of diversity let's make him a human, a cook and former (failed) alchemist called Gerald Ramstop. The one thing he hates about his job is that he has to cook with Alpkees; he prefers lighter dishes. And what a ghastly color!

So, time to name the place. Cerulean Wellspring? Na, boring. Earth, Wind, and Cheese? Yeah...no. Cerulean Terrane Spa? That'll do. 

So, now the PC creation would happen, and the party would come back afterward to create a map or blueprint of the place, leaving some space for later modifications in-game. During that step we would also come up with services and special rooms, but I will skip the map, and do the services now.

We have a sauna, two hot springs, a breathing room (for fresh mountain air), a contemplation area (encased room open to a spectacular view - and drop - on one side), a restaurant, a tea room/common area, a small tavern for the locals, an airship landing platform and anchorage, a Cerulean Mallachi petting garden, and we provide rental sleds. Beyond that we have spacious suits for up to eight guests - we are very exclusive, after all. Oh, and living spaces for the six people who work here. Including the owner. The tavern and all employees' living rooms except one are close to the airship platform. One employee is the night guard/server, who lives in the main spa building. 

And with that, our Tiny Tavern is ready. 

On an unrelated note, get Tiny Taverns. It is amazing.

Day 15: Hot War - John Nathaniel 'Nate' Kent, veteran of the secret war

Hot War shares a lot with Cold City. Same designer, same system, same universe. The year is now 1963; last year the Cuban Missile Crisis ended badly, and the Cold War went hot. The setting deliberately omits who fired the first shot. But nuclear weapons were used, and everyone joined in. Finally, some of the supernatural and weird tech discoveries the Nazis had made, and that the RPA procured in Cold City's Berlin, came into play as well. Nightmarish creatures and weapons were unleashed, holes to unholy places opened in the skies, and things went even further out of control than they already were. Hot War plays in London where the survivors are trying to somehow make it through the freezing winter a year later.

This time the PCs belong to the Special Situations Group (SSG), an organization where people from the military, the police, and civilians come together to ... hunt down monsters and their creators, but also to oppose the more mundane enemies of the severely reduced population of London. Similar to Cold City, characters come with hidden agendas - the country is close to collapse, and as always different factions fight for control over the scraps.  Infrastructure and most achievements of modern civilization have collapsed, or are about to, and people are fighting over the debris. If anything, the setting is even more dire than Cold City. The book notes a slightly different flavour in the setting, something more akin to 'cosy catastrophe' - a more homely feeling than in Cold City, but also with the addition of the impending final collapse. No roaming biker gangs, but the plush sofa and porcelain tea set (on cosies) in a house that is close to collapse - needs must, stiff upper lip, and all that. 

If I might be allowed a personal note, in the past I thought the idea that people would just ignore massive threats to their existence and get on with politics instead of pulling together to be an unrealistic assumption. But if I look at the world as is, I have come around to the idea that it might be more realistic than I thought. But enough of that.

Similar to Cold City, the game does have an initial phase of sitting down and discussing what the game should be. Like last time, I will skip it here. That does take away the option to refer to any antagonists created in that discussion, but I am sure I will come up with something. But I will note that I am a big fan of games that allow the players to create their environment, like these two or Kult. It is really cool, and a present to any GM who likes to work with a less sturdy foundation. 

For the character, I will make the assumption that Nate Kent somehow made it through the events of Cold City, and is back in England, fighting the good fight. In 1963, he should be maybe a bit more than 40 years old, so that works. Several missions in the leads he followed brought him to the KSK; acquiring it led to most of his team dying, and he was forced to let them. After acquiring the Nazi weapon and handing it off to the RAF, he was offered a promotion to a desk job that would get him out of Berlin. He is now a Sergeant First Class in the Royal Military Police, and until the mushroom clouds rose he worked in an RAF base close to London. Due to all the nasty events in 1950, and the resultant memories, he has developed a bit of an alcohol problem. He found himself forced back into action, where it quickly became clear that some of his nightmares had come back to haunt everyone.

His Attributes are Action 1 (booze has taken its toll), Influence 4, and Insight 3. The events of Cold City have left marks, most importantly that he feels the RPA was crucial to things becoming as bad as they are. He feels massively guilty, and that has made him driven. 

His traits are 'High-functioning alcoholic' and 'This is all my fault somehow' for the negatives, and 'Power of conviction', 'I know some rather unique people', and 'I fought evil things in back alleys and lived' as positives. The negatives should be clear, for the positives I took his feelings about his role in Berlin, but also the fact that he has been an on-and-off part of the secret world for a long time now.

As for his Hidden Agendas, the personal one will be 'Protect civilians from abuse by those who were given power in secret'. He is also tasked by the RAF to find out if a nuclear stockpile 30 km west of London is still active, and how to access it - the information was lost in the war, and it is believed a surviving soldier named Alice Walters is hiding somewhere in Lambeth. She should have access. As with Cold City, we would now have a conversation about trust...

Done. See the character at the end. As a final note, I really like what I see, and the games suddenly climbed onto my 'play sometime' list.

Attributes:

Action 1        Influence 4        Insight 3

Traits:

'High-functioning alcoholic' (-)

'This is all my fault somehow' (-)

'Power of conviction' (+)

'I know some rather unique people' (+)

'I fought evil things in back alleys and lived'  (+)

Hidden Agendas:

'Protect civilians from abuse by those who were given power in secret' (personal)

'Find Alice Walters, and acquire access codes to the nuclear stockpile from her' (RAF)

Day 14: Cold City - John Nathaniel Kent, Royal Military Police Sergeant turned monster hunter

Cold City plays in Berlin, 1950. The city is occupied by the forces of four countries who were fighting a shared enemy just five years earlier but are now preparing for when the newly forming Cold War might get hot. But there is still some cooperation, especially in one regard - Nazi occult and scientific experimentation has left behind hidden, unusual dangers. The PCs are representatives of the allied powers (typically with the PCs in a group each coming from a different one) who are part of a secret multi-national organization (the ‘Reserve Police Agency’, which even includes some Germans!) tasked with defusing these dangers. But the different forces behind the RPA also have their own agendas, and trust is often thin on the ground. After all, some of these remains might turn out to be useful in the starting Cold War. So on top is another layer of mistrust, infighting, backstabbing.

The game assumes an initial discussion on how to play that goes beyond most session 0 approaches - will the players know from the start what they are fighting, and make it up themselves? Will the game be bleak, noir, comedic, something else? What will PCs actually do? Hunt monsters? Ferret out dangerous technology? Find hidden Nazi personnel that is connected to dangerous technology? Who are the antagonists? All of these and more are questions the game suggests the group answers, not just the GM.

Now, let’s make a British soldier who works for the RPA. Let’s call him John Nathaniel Kent. I like the idea that he was a Royal Military Police Sergeant in the war. He was stationed as a member of the Provost Wing of the RMP (general policing) in Berlin once the war ended to help keep order among the stationed troops. He met the wrong people, people who would see value in him and recommend him as an RPA prospect, and has recently been recruited. Note: All of this is a result of the book asking questions that I answered.

Nate, as he likes to be called, would probably ‘leave the game’, i.e. quit his job and run from the RPA if he ever found them actively using any dangerous tech on people. He has formed clear opinions on the use of such technology, and any use outside of utter emergencies he witnesses would make him feel betrayed. While he isn’t a starry-eyed idealist, there are lines he would not cross and still think he was on the right side. This is a big one for him.
The game has three attributes which start at 1 each, and we can spend 5 points between them. The range is from 1 to 5. So, I go with Action 2 (Average), Influence 3 (Good), and Reason 3 (Good). He was good at his job because he could usually stop fights from happening, and was clever enough to know when to intervene. He is not, as is, an amazing fighter, but the kind of person that likes to prevent fights from happening. 

Next, I get to choose some Traits. These are not skills, but similar to approaches in other games (like Tiny D6) they are broad terms that are used to justify or explain boni and mali. John will get five, but two must be negative. I come up with ‘Stubborn as a mule’ for negative, ‘Cannot do subtle if his life depends on it’ for negative traits, and ‘Good guy to have a beer with’, ‘Built like a brick sh’*thouse’, and ‘Hidden depths’ for positive traits. 

Finally, he needs Agendas, secret goals of either his own, or orders by his superiors in his own country's government. In play, working in sync with these agendas makes rolls easier. An explicitly possible outcome is that PCs betray each other. John gets one personal agenda, and governmental ones can come up during the game. It isn’t clear if the GM is supposed to provide them, but I assume based on the approach mentioned above that this is up to group decision. I will go with a ‘made by me’ approach. The personal agenda will be ‘Find a way to discredit the German participants in the RPA, and get them out of the program’ - as far as Nate is concerned, the Germans do not deserve to participate. He has nothing against whoever joins forces with him personally, he just wants them out - Germany cannot be trusted. The government has told him to find and acquire a KSK, a Kraftstrahlkanone, a German prototype of an aircraft laser gun, and keep it secret from the non-Brits in the RPA. 

Finally, he speaks English and German. If this were the first step of an actual game, now I would have a discussion on how much each PC trusts each other PC and a short description of how Nate sees them. Done! There is no separate sheet this time, so here is a summary:

John Nathaniel 'Nate' Kent, RMP Sergeant

Action 2        Influence 3        Reason 3

Stubborn as a mule

Cannot do subtle if his life depends on it

Good guy to have a beer with

Built like a brick sh*thouse

Hidden depths

Get the German members of the RPA out of the organization

Find a KSK

Speaks English and German