Topic: RPGs
The first session of my Savage Worlds homebrew setting, This Empire Earth, is just two weeks away. Five of my six players have confirmed their attendance. I've been busy getting things ready for it taking in to consideration what my players had mentioned in our Sandbox Brainstorming Sessions. It wasn't until James sent me a note a week or so ago asking about character generation that I had really considered making character creation part of game night.
Rolling-up characters can be a long process. So normally, I manage that stuff in email. Yet I'm going for a different feel for This Empire Earth. I'd like for the characters to come into the game with integrated backstories and in keeping with the Savage Worlds system, the game will be both fast and furious. Even a bit pulpy.
Pulp?
Y'know, Spirit of the Century has a TERRIFFIC character generation process designed to link characters to each other... Hrmm...
In the grand tradition of stealing only from the best, here's how character generation will roll on game night*:
- STAGE ALPHA - Players generate character concepts. A few 'types' are encouraged
1. At least one player needs ground vehicle skills
2. Two players need atmospheric piloting skills
3. It is recommended that one player have electronic/technical skills
- STAGE BETA - The players develop their characters' background addressing their years prior to entering the Ranger Corps.
- STAGE GAMMA - There is a great tradition of western, pulp novels. As the players will be playing Rangers in the final frontier, SOTC's novel approach to character generation is awfully organic. STAGE GAMMA, then, involves the character's first pulp novel, starring him or her! Each player comes up with a title for the novel starring his character, in a fashion reminiscent of the pulps. The general pattern is:
Character Name (vs./in.../and) Adventurous Thing!
An example might be Sgt Skullison and the ManCake Massacre!
Then, each player writes up a brief story to go with his title. The story doesn't need to have a lot of detail - in fact, it should be no more detailed than the blurb on the back of the paperback.
Player Rules...
1. Write down the title and back cover blurb (a couple sentences at most) for your character's pulp novel. Don't nail down all of the details of it yet (you'll find out why below).
2. Write down two skills or attributes or combination thereof that are in some way tied into the events of the novel.
- STAGE DELTA - At the beginning of STAGE DELTA, the book titles are logged on individual index cards. The GM shuffles the stack and hands them out. If a player gets his own novel, he should trade index cards with the person to his right until everyone has a title that isn't theirs. The title of the book a player is now holding is a book that his character had a supporting role in. For each index card, the involved players - the player whose book it is, and the player who has just received that book's index card - should discuss the story, and add one or two sentences to the description of the novel to reflect the supporting character's role.
Player Rules
1. Add a sentence or two to the description of the pulp novel you're supporting cast in.
2. Write down two skills or attributes or combination thereof that are in some way tied into the events of the novel.
- STAGE EPSILON - EPSILON is identical to DELTA, with the sole caveat that no character can costar in the same book twice.
Player Rules
1. Add a sentence or two to the description of the pulp novel you're supporting cast in.
2. Write down two skills or attributes or combination thereof that are in some way tied into the events of the novel.
- STAGE ZETA - In this final stage of character creation, the players roll up their characters according to Savage Worlds system mechanics with a few nuances. Skills or attributes used (and logged) in the "novels" receive bonuses.
The guys at the Bear Swarm podcast did a whole episode this week on developing backstory for the group. Really, I think Fate/Spirit of the Century have a great mechanic for it. Thus, stolen.
I'm thinking this will take two or three hours, still leaving enough time for a brief forray into the game. Enough to whet appetities, eh?
Can't wait for game night.
Aron Head
www.EvilBastard.net
Twitter + AronHead
www.EvilBastard.net
Twitter + AronHead
P.S. Big announcement this week... stay tuned...
(*) Stolen liberally from Fate 3.0
Posted by Aron Head
at 4:02 PM CST
