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| Image by Lucija Rasonja from Pixabay |
I already have a fair premise and a clear idea of the most likely chain of events. But, of course, the plan is to let myself be surprised as often as possible.
I find one of the most important things to keep in mind when planning such a short campaign and in a system that your players are not familiar with, is that character generation is going to stretch out a very long time if you allow it. It can damage enthusiasm for the game as much as it can build it.
It's usually easier to just have some pre-generated characters available, with enough background to give some role-playing tips, and with a little world building done in character generation. I like to have two pre-generated characters per player if I can, that way there's plenty of choices. Often players will surprise you by deciding to go completely off of their usual pattern.
This is a horror game: it is going to be lethal. Having at least two PCs per player means you can kill a few off early without bringing your game to a halt. This actually puts a limit on which systems are appropriate for this kind of game: if the characters take too long to build the investment is not worth the payoff for the GM.
I have not played Mothership, and these will be the first characters I make for it, and so this will be the first test. Most horror games are played in a relatively short format campaign like this. If the characters are too time-consuming we would see a place where the mechanics would fail the game's aims.
On top of that, I'm going to want a handful of NPCs who will die horribly early or serve as sources of information. I will break the characters into three groups.
Yellow Shirts - The characters bespoke for my players. The ones that I will expect them to want to play because I know what they like. I will make four of these.
Blue Shirts - Offered as PC options, but built more to fill niches. If I have some friends ask to be included from outside my regular group, this is likely the pool from which they will pick. If a PC dies, this is their pool of replacement characters as well.
Red Shirts - These characters are the going to be made using the Mercenary rules. They are information sources, plot progress drivers, minor antagonists, and NPCs who will die horribly early on.
To give them a little depth, I am going to dig into Venger Satanis' sleazy Sci-Fi RPG Alpha Blue and his segment on the archetypal characters in a Sci-Fi scenario.
- The Asshole
- The Know-it-all
- The Likable Jerk
- Just Following Orders
- The Independent
- The Well-Meaning Git
- The Minor Authority
I will be stealing the three-point character design method from YumDM in D8 Monthly Issue #0, as well as just a little world building where I need it. This method describes a character in bullet points using appearance, personality, and wants.
I will also write up no more than a short paragraph per character. Some of this will be knowledge I will hide from my players... who do not read the 'blog.
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Bring Out Your Dead: the Red Shirts
Captain Dagny Tryggsen
Grey haired, steely eyes, fit. 🔹 Hardass, expects to not have to give orders, "tough love" without the love part. 🔹 Wants to own her ship.
Archetype: The Asshole
Dagny Tryggsen has been a spacer for 180 years actual and 35 years subjective. She's been in command of the Búrinn for eight of those years, and has spent a significant portion of her shares on buying into the ship, and now owns 50%. However she still Mas tens of millions to pay off. She is not willing to miss out on opportunities to make the mission profitable. She is a tough commander, and has a razor-sharp tongue, but is never unreasonable... But then, she has never been tested with the threat of total mission failure.
Use Capitan mercenary stats.
Haldemar "Hal" Austen, Coxwain
Archetype: The Minor Authority
Hal Austen is the representative of the Hreithmar Concern, the megacorporation that sponsors the Búrinn and its expedition to Tanngnjóstr. He is only looking out for the bottom line, and the company's PR. He otherwise is an empty suit who tries to ingratiate himself with feigned interest. The only thing he is authentically interested in are sports.
Skills: Command, Computers
Chief Warrant Officer Kayden Bryce
Box cut and cigar chomping 🔹 Sarcastic, Gruff, Private 🔹 Kill Captain Tryggsen
Archetype: the Independent
Thirty year veteran of the military, recently turned private security... And Assassin. He has been hired by the company's black operations to kill Captain Tryggsen before she can complete the buyout contract. He is looking for the best time to arrange her "accident." Under certain circumstances he might make a good ally to the PCs.
Use Military Grunt mercenary stats
Spaceman FC Harold Chau
Pockmarked complexion, grease-stained, obsolete implants 🔹 Passive, socially anxious, relates better to tech than people 🔹 Get home and live it up on a fat check.
Archetype: Just Following Orders
Harold Chau has been mining asteroids and dwarf planets for 200 years actual and nearly 43 years subjective. He has little ambition or interest in politics, philosophy, or corporate structure. He just wants to earn his money and hopefully retire after a couple of more missions to a long, comfortable life in luxury.
Use Asteroid Miner mercenary stats.
Yellow Shirts
Corporal Mathilde "Megadamage" Helming
Archetype: Well-meaning Git
Mathilde helming is fresh from the military and into corporate security. If handled by the GM, she will be a loud, brash, pain in the ass that thinks anything can be solved with a boot, blowtorch, or bomb.
Stats: Strength 27 🔹 Speed 37 🔹 Intellect 28 🔹 Combat 44
Saves: Sanity 25 🔹 Fear 30 🔹 Body 35 🔹 Armor 40
Panic: When Megadamage panics everyone around her must make a fear save.
Skills: Military Training [+10%], Heavy Machinery [+10%], Firearms [+15%]
Loadout (Extermination): SMG, Frag Grenades x6, Standard Battle-Dress (HUD, Short-Range Comm, Body Cam), Stimpaks x6, Electronics repair kit. 23 credits, copy of Moonshining with Gun Oil & Fuel, snake eyes dice jacket patch.
Yeoman Arthur "Arty FM" Pooley
The 80s called, they want their fashion back 🔹 Easily bored, blabbermouth, compulsive hacker, constantly pulling pranks 🔹 To be recognized for his brilliance.
Archetype: Likable Jerk
Full of Mischief, this computer technician can't resist a good prank, and with hooks into all of the Búrinn he can pull a hell of a lot of them. He isn't malicious, though. He is primarily interested in making friends and breaking the ice.
Stats: Strength 31 🔹 Speed 36 🔹 Intellect 55 🔹 Combat 24
Saves: Sanity 40 🔹 Fear 25 🔹 Body 25 🔹 Armor 30
Panic: When Arty FM panics everyone around him gains 1 stress.
Skills: Computer [+10%], Mathematics [+10%], Hacking [+15%], Mechanical Repair [+10%]
Loadout [Excavation, modified]: Crowbar, Hand Welder, Laser Cutter, Body Cam, Infrared Goggles, Electronics Toolkit, Lockpicks, Mag Boots, Rebreather, Standard Crew Attire, Heads-Up Display, Short-range Communicator, Flashlight, Field Recorder, Locator, Weathered Wanted Poster, DILLIGAF? jacket patch, 30 credits
Lieutennant Gregory Preston
Shabby sweaters, buzzed hair 🔹 Intellectual: doesn't like talking about trivial things, but enjoys heavy conversations about ethics and science 🔹 Wants to make sure humans don't mess up space like they did Earth
Archetype: Know-It-All
A Xenogeologist and Xenobiologist, Gregory Preston is an expert on matters of new planets and how to understand them in broad strokes. It's important work, but not appreciated as much as it ought to be, and not as profitable as he would like. He had to leave the Academy because of poor funding and mounting personal debts. He now works for the Hreithmar Concern as a planetary surveyor, which means explaining why it is okay for Hreithmar to strip-mine this planetoid. He does not like his job; because he fundamentally disagrees with the idea than other planetoids should be exploited... but his beliefs have failed to pay the bills.
Stats: Strength 26 🔹 Speed 29 🔹 Intellect 47 🔹 Combat 31
Saves: Sanity 40 🔹 Fear 25 🔹 Body 25 🔹 Armor 30
Panic: When Gregory panics everyone around him gains 1 stress.
Skills: Biology [+10%], Geology [+10%], Planetology [+15%], Archaeology [+10%]
Loadout [Exploration]: Vibrachete, Rigging Gun, Flare Gun, Vacc Suit (Body Cam, Long-range Comm, Oxygen tank, First aid kit, water filter, locator, rebreather, flashlight, binoculars, camping gear, MRE x7, Ushanka, "Do Your Job!" Jacket Patch
Warrant Officer Clarence Fong
African-patterned shirts, hand-drawn suit decorations 🔹 Everything is customized. All the robots have names. Big on AI rights talk 🔹 Wants to see an Asimovian future... And get laid agitating for it.
Archetype: The Well-meaning Git
The Ship's "Bot Smasher", he is a specialist in the programming, command, and maintenance of mining and repair drones. He believes that anything with a virtual or artificial intelligence ought to be treated with care. He is an AI rights slacktivist. Likes to tweak and adjust everything. Mostly, though, he just wants to get laid.
Stats: Strength 40 🔹 Speed 28 🔹 Intellect 36 🔹 Combat 34
Saves: Sanity 30 🔹 Fear 35 🔹 Body 30 🔹 Armor 35
Panic: Once per session, Clarence can re-roll a roll on the Panic effect table.
Skills: Zero-G[+10%], Mechanical Repair[+10%], Engineering [+15%], Piloting [+10%], Asteroid Mining [+15%]
Loadout [Excavation]: Crowbar, Hand Welder, Laser Cutter, Body Cam, Infrared Goggles, Electronics Toolkit, Lockpicks, Body Cam, Infrared Goggles, Lockpick set, Vacc Suit (short-range comms, mag boots, oxygen tank), Well-thumbed pictorial pornography, "Smooth Operator" back patch
Blue Shirts
Android Cherry 1187
Curly hair, too-perfect body, Violet eyes 🔹 Dry, sarcastic wit, low tolerance bullshit, too calm 🔹 Just wants everyone to act like a God-damned professional
Archetype: Just Following Orders
Re-purposed from a pleasure android, Cherry is just glad to have simple work under a captain who treats her better than a vending machine. She emulates the captain's no-nonsense attitude.
Class: Android🔹 Level: 0 🔹 Health: 58
Stats: Strength 29 🔹 Speed 36 🔹 Intellect 55 🔹 Combat 36
Saves: Sanity 20🔹 Fear 85 🔹 Body 30 🔹 Armor 25
Panic: When Gregory panics everyone around him gains 1 stress.
Skills: Biology [+10%], Chemistry [+10%], Computers [+10%], Piloting [+10%], Hydroponics [+10%]
Loadout [Excavation]: Crowbar, Hand Welder, Laser Cutter, Body Cam, Infrared Goggles, Electronics Toolkit, Lockpicks, Body Cam, Infrared Goggles, Lockpick set, Vacc Suit (short-range comms, mag boots, oxygen tank), necklace of shell fragments suspended in resin, mudflap girl jacket patch
Lieutenant William "Life-Form" Tanner
Skinny, bespectacled, weary-looking 🔹 Weary, seen-it-all, socially anxious 🔹 Investigate alien life to find intelligence
Archetype: The Independent
Former member of the Unity science core working on the SETI II project. He discovered the remains of an extinct stone-aged species on an exoplanet. He was so disappointed that he swore he would find another... And proof that humankind is doomed to exterminate itself.
Class: Scientist 🔹 Level: 0 🔹 Health: 70
Stats: Strength 35 🔹 Speed 28 🔹 Intellect 46 🔹 Combat 34
Saves: Sanity 40🔹 Fear 25 🔹 Body 25 🔹 Armor 30
Panic: When William panics everyone around him gains 1 stress.
Skills: Linguistics [+10%], Mathematics [+10%], First Aid [+10%], Pathology [+15%]
Loadout [Examination]: Scalpel, Tranq Pistol, Stun Baton, Hazard Suit, Med scanner x6, Pain pills x6, Stimpak x6, Cybernetic Scanner, "Do I Look Like an expert?" Jacket patch, Alien bone knife
Chief Warrant Officer John "Sugar" Bones
Dreadlocked space rasta 🔹 Relaxed, creatively lazy, forever strumming on his guitar, vlogs about space 🔹 Tell stories of his adventures and the wonders he has seen.
Archetype: The Likable Jerk
One of the first humans born and raised on a space colony, John Bones has used his historic status to build a following of people who listen to him talk about living and exploring in space. He has spent nearly 250 years actual and 39 years subjective living and working in space, and is a very competent pilot. He is prone to putting people on camera when they don't care to, and doesn't pay any attention to complaints or worries unless they affect his job.
Class: Teamster🔹 Level: 0 🔹 Health: 66
Stats: Strength 38 🔹 Speed 27 🔹 Intellect 31 🔹 Combat 26
Saves: Sanity 30 🔹 Fear 35 🔹 Body 30 🔹 Armor 35
Panic: Once per session, Sugar can re-roll a roll on the Panic effect table.
Skills: Zero-G[+10%], Mechanical Repair[+10%], Astrogation [+15%], Piloting [+10%], Gunnery [+15%]
Loadout [Excavation]: Crowbar, Hand Welder, Laser Cutter, Body Cam, Infrared Goggles, Electronics Toolkit, Lockpicks, Body Cam, Infrared Goggles, Lockpick set, Vacc Suit (short-range comms, mag boots, oxygen tank), guitar, Icarus jacket patch
Corporal Seraphine "Petit Bo" DeLonde
Built like a brick shithouse, greying, wrinkled, nicotine stained, tattooed 🔹 Loud, rough, hard-drinking, reminds people about how much experience she has had over them 🔹 Wants to build a legacy for her great-grandkids.
Archetype: Know-it-all
Experienced, but not particularly distinguished, Seraphine DeLonde is a long-term spacer. She's been working the spaceways for 267 actual and 53 subjective years. Her obsolete anti-aging treatments and time spent in early-model cryotubes is beginning to show, and she is going to need to retire soon. She's a notorious drinker and gets involved in brawls in almost every spaceport she visits. Few people knoe asteroid mining like she does, and she owns her own mining rig "Grand Bo" outright.
Class: Teamster🔹 Level: 0 🔹 Health: 58
Stats: Strength 29 🔹 Speed 34 🔹 Intellect 34 🔹 Combat 45
Saves: Sanity 30 🔹 Fear 35 🔹 Body 30 🔹 Armor 35
Panic: Once per session, Seraphine can re-roll a roll on the Panic effect table.
Skills: Zero-G [+10%], Mechanical Repair[+10%], Asteroid Mining [+15%], Piloting [+10%], Heavy Machinery [+10%], Rimwise [+10%]
Loadout [Excavation]: Crowbar, Hand Welder, Laser Cutter, Body Cam, Infrared Goggles, Electronics Toolkit, Lockpicks, Body Cam, Infrared Goggles, Lockpick set, Vacc Suit (short-range comms, mag boots, oxygen tank), Manual: "Survival: Eat Soup w/ a Knife" , BOHICA jacket patch
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This is definitely a fast and fun character generation system. Most of these characters took about 10 minutes to do, while dealing with the distractions of entertaining my sons and as I was learning the system. Not bad at all. It definitely serves the needs of the short-format horror campaign well in that regard.
I look forward to seeing it play out starting next Weekend. In the meantime I will continue to post on both planning and building a highly constrained micro-campaign.
To clarify: while not distracted, I can make a Mothership character now in about three minutes.
ReplyDeleteCool, hoss!
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