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.
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