My idea is that my character is young local farmboy who stows away on a local freighter to see the stars. Taking a shine to the boy, the spacers show him the ropes and the kid is a natural! When the Empire eventually suspects the freight company supports the Rebellion it seizes the freighters and shuts down the company, our hotheaded flyboy throws in with the Rebels.
Somewhere between, I think. Not that naive since he's been hanging out in spacer bars and with spacers but more like he's angy at his parents for grounding him, but doesn't realize that in this metaphor his parents are an evil Empire run by Sith Lord.
I might need to tweak this idea...
Edit: oh, and if a red button needs pushing... he's totally your guy
Sorry, but my holiday stuff is going to be unusually busy and I'm already slacking on my other games. I'm going to have to bow out, unless you guys really need me, then I'll try to stop being a lazy Nerf herder and do something here.
Okay, so Grunt's Ghosts isn't going to be able to join us, so that drops us to 4 players, which is still enough in my book. So, let's review where we are now.
High Concept:Spider Droid Pilot. The details of why there's a droid pilot instead of advanced software installed directly into the ship's computer can wait.
Trouble: It's Not Easy Being Gray. Said droid faces some discrimination, ranging from outright hostility and unequal treatment to wariness and discomfort. This may extend, to some extent, to members of the Rebellion.
High Concept:Big Gun Hunter. As with most Trandoshan, Slyssk is obsessed with acquiring Jagganath points. But unlike his brethren that focus on more... terrestrial concerns, Slyssk believes he has found the perfect combination: starfighter pilot for the Rebellion. Not only will Slyssk pit himself against some of the most powerful forces in the galaxy, he would more likely be killed than captured if anything went wrong. He can't lose!
Trouble:Young & Stupid Rash, Headstrong, Convinced of his own immortality, heedless of consequence.
Now, we can move on to the next step in character creation, which is called "The Phase Trio." It's where we add three defining characteristics to your characters, and also get them involved with each other. It is, because of that, a particularly cooperative portion of the game, and one of my favorite parts. (I've actually stolen this, back when the ruleset was Spirit of the Century, not Fate, and used it in several other games because it works so damn well.)
In the first phase, you need to, first, finalize your character's name. That way, we know what to call you in the other phases. Then, you're going to write a short blurb about something adventurous your character has done in the recent past. You don't want to get into too many details, because you need to leave room for elaboration and small changes a bit later on, so nothing more than a couple sentences or a paragraph. If we were playing a game focused around noir detectives, this phase would be your first major case file. If we were playing a game about intrepid treasure hunters, it would be your first major tomb. The goal is a quick synopsis of your character's first book, comic, episode, case, movie, whatever. For your characters, maybe it's a first live-fire mission against the Empire. Maybe it's the story of how you dodged Imperial entanglements to get to the Rebellion. It could focus on your dealings with the galaxy's criminal underbelly.
If you find yourself stuck, look to your character’s high concept and trouble. Find a dilemma that has a chance of throwing those ideas into focus. What problem do you get roped into because of your high concept or trouble? How does the other aspect help or complicate your life?
Once you've written your blurb, think about what it says about your character, how it affected or changed him (her / it), and pick a new aspect related to that adventure.
Then, in the next two phases, we'll swap those stories around, and the other players will add their character to your adventure, somehow complicating it and / or helping your character resolve some issue.
Because two other characters will be involved in the following phases, this adventure needs to be something that isn't so early in your character’s life that he hasn't met the other protagonists yet. Your best bet is to not make these adventures specific in time; you can figure out that part once you know who’s involved in your story.
So, let's have at it! Feel free to hash out ideas here; these stories also form a neat part of the world creation (e.g., did you mention an important rival? Congrats - he exists!).
Trouble: Loose Cannon. Hailing from a society built around aggression and violence, most sentients see Trandoshans in general as needlessly confrontational. Slyssk is no exception, often going out of his way to pick fights and take the most dangerous missions. He also has a nasty habit of playing fast and loose with the rules, especially if it means taking dangerous opponents.
I almost want to have the first phase be about the droid's operational flexibility with the aspect "There's An App For That", but then I'd have to punch myself in the face for using a line that got tired five years ago.
During construction, it was initially referred to as the Custom-Built Droid Pilot, which got shortened to CBDP, and then simply Cabbie, for ease of pronunciation. Captain Sligo, who had been against the project from the start, was unable to find any reason to stop Cabbie from entering training that would satisfy Major Dam Larress, who oversaw the corps. As a last resort, Sligo greeted Cabbie after three days of flying combat games, and helped it out of the cockpit -- with a tiny holdout stun prod in his hand. It had no effect, and Cabbie calmly informed him "I'm custom-designed, sir."
Aspect: "I'm Custom-Designed, Sir" -- Cabbie isn't quite the same, electromechanically, as any other droid. This comes in handy sometimes, but it also means that getting repairs can be awfully difficult, and a lot of things designed for droids to use require some creativity, not exactly one of its great skills. In addition, Cabbie's fighter cannot be flown by anyone else.
Okay, that's a good origin story, @Captain Carrot. Not a whole lot of action going on there, but that's not a bad thing, necessarily. Was there anything particularly impressive that Cabbie did, apart from flying well enough to not be immediately disqualified?
Also, for a more Star Wars-y feel, I'd change the holdout stun prod to a hold-out ion blaster (stun prods are good against organics; ion is good against droids) or perhaps a restraining bolt which would have allowed nefarious goings-on and which is a bit more droid-specific.
In addition, Cabbie's fighter cannot be flown by anyone else.
This seems more like an aspect of Cabbie's equipment, rather than Cabbie himself. And, rather than just blanket denial, I think an aspect more like Incredibly Eccentric Controls might make more sense; anyone can try to fly the fighter, but its set up in such a way as to make it easy for Cabbie to do so - things are moved about, there's weird wiring all over the place, common control interfaces are set-up to be done by scomplink instead of by switches, etc.
I didn't have anything in mind -- this was more intended to cover Cabbie's establishment as a pilot. Exceptionally interesting tricks fit better, character-wise, as a later aspect, I think.
Ah, yeah, that sounds better. I have a particular image of the normal seat being missing, and Cabbie having his own chassis grip fitted onto the frame of the cockpit, between the sockets for his computer interface.
Exceptionally interesting tricks also tend to shake out better as Stunts, I think, which are a bit more limited in scope than aspects.
I wasn't asking in relation to changing your aspect, which I think is awesome, but more like, "This is your character's big coming out moment. Would you like to do more?"
Snippets from the comm chatter during the exercises:
"Three hours and I still can't fucking get you, Cabbie. You're a goddamn machine! ...boy, none of you are gonna let me forget that, huh?"
"Shit, those guys are going all over the place. I guess jamming communications makes it kinda hard to synchronize maneuvers."
"Is it just me, or have they been fifty meters off every time they've shot? Cabbie, that you?"
The other cadets stagger into the mess hall, exhausted, sprawling on benches and groaning. Cabbie skitters up and into a chair, looking none the worse for wear. "I'd punch you for having any energy left, but I can't get up. And I'd just break my hand anyway."
Caleb Tanveer, 18 years old, was at the helm of the Ghtroc 720 transport. Only a few years ago he was getting whupped by his father on a regular basis for cutting out of his farm chores and hanging around the docks, or just looking up at the stars. Now? Now he's dodging the laser blasts of a pair of TIE fighters swarming all over him.
"Kid, two years you've been running with us. Two years working on this tub, mostly in engineering and the cargo bay. What makes you think you won't get us all killed by flying all crazy like this?" asked Larro, the navigator/co-pilot as he nervously checked the sensor screens again as the freighter dove towards the busy planets surface, weaving in and out of the busy interstellar traffic in orbit. The looming presence of an Imperial Customs Frigate getting closer and closer worried him. Larro was lucky he didn't see how close Caleb came to crashing into the flanks of that bulk freighter while spinning under that Action IV and banking around the yacht.
"Because, Larro, I'm really good at this. Cap'n said so herself. She also said that unless you're flying in a straight line you ain't worth kark-all at the helm. So, you know, shut up and keep those shields up!" Caleb replied. "Why are the Imperials after us anyway? We didn't do anything wrong!"
"Karked if I know! Her last orders were to lift off from Fondor as soon we were loaded up, and "not to stop, not for nothing, not even for me" she said, until we got to the buyer. Make roundabout jumps and stuff. Weird orders. What kind of trouble is she in, kid? What kind of crew flies off without her Cap'n? Whatever you do, just keep running and don't shoot nuthin'! The imps are just looking to force us down, not kill us. You start shooting back, then we're all dead, ya hear? Just lose them and get us back into hyperspace!"
"This oughta be fun then. Hold on to your lunch, Mr. Larro, I hear spinning is a good trick..."
(I was thinking our Captain/Owner was mixed up with the Rebels and the ship is loaded with stolen equipment from the Fondor yards destined for the Rebels. She was pinched, told her crew (us) to run for it and finish the job, and the Imps are chasing the evidence they need to shut the company down. But hey, wherever you guys take it is cool.)
Good start, @Steelhawk. So, his first real adventure was some smuggling for the Alliance. So, consider how it all turned out: was it a successful run, is this how you joined the Alliance?
Then, think about the text on the back of a novel - and that's about the level of punchiness you want. The example from the online SRD is a good one.
Lenny goes through Phase One. He looks at the story questions to help him figure out the events of the phase, and decides on the following:
The bad thing was that Landon kept getting into scrapes at his local tavern. He grew up with no sense of discipline or demeanor and constantly picked fights with people larger and stronger than him.
One thug Landon insulted at the tavern was connected to the Scar Triad, so some of the thug’s bandit buddies showed up and beat Landon to within an inch of his life.
His bleeding body was then found by a veteran soldier named Finn who healed Landon’s wounds and encouraged him to join the town militia where he could learn some discipline and fight with honor.
Now Lenny has to write down an aspect related to this story. He decides to take I Owe Old Finn Everything as his aspect, because he wants to keep the connection to Finn in his story and give Amanda a cool NPC to play.
So, here we have what is essentially an origin story, which also ties in to our two examples so far. But, eventually, you'll want to be able to boil it down:
Landon gets into a bar fight with some of the Scar Triad. He is robbed of his sword and beaten severely. His life is saved by a veteran soldier named Old Finn. Finn helps to heal Landon, clean him up, and enlist him in the town militia.
I Owe Old Finn Everything
You need a bit of resolution there, because you want the next person in line to be able to reference that:
Well, his first real adventure I suppose would be stowing away on a passing freighter and then convincing the crew to let he stay aboard, but the one that would thrust him into the game would be running from the Imps with a hold full of stolen supplies destined for the Rebel cell(s) in this sector.
If I were to continue my story from above, then it would be that Caleb and Larro eventually do escape from the Imperials, meet up with their buyer and learn that the Captain Lady (purposely left vague for another player or the GM to flesh out, I'm easy) was working for the Rebels (who is now captured/killed/double agent/spy/??). The Rebel liason guy would tell Caleb how impressed he is that a young untrained man could outfly Imperial Customs, the praise would go right to his head, and Caleb would join up immediately with the Rebels. That would link Caleb up with the Rebels and we could go from there?
So my aspect would be...Started from the Bottom?
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JohnnyCacheStarting DefensePlace at the tableRegistered Userregular
edited November 2013
I think, to clarify,
Kazar D'Zor is, first off, from an obscenely wealthy, obscenely xenophobic old money falleen family. He's a young rebel in maybe his 40s. He has had every advantage possible, from hypno-education in the womb, genetic optimizations, cutting edge bionics and bio-organic treatments, perfect and high-end medicine for every ailment or injury.
He's good looking, he's athletic, he's rich - but those are secondary. He's a masterful pilot, proficient in a couple martial arts, has a good head for math - but none of that really matters. Nice ground vehicles and a custom starlight? Pssh. Child's toys. What matters to him is that he's poised to be in the thick of things. In fact, he's nearly obligated to be - where would the rebellion be without him?
Characteristically, his decision to involve himself in wider society and the rebellion is anathema and he's been officially cut off from his sizable trust fund, his ridiculous allowance, etc.
However, he still has the investments he was given on his day of majority, tremendous sums won at high stakes sabbac, and a few small shipping combines he's started in his spare time to ingratiate himself with privateers and smugglers friendly to the rebel cause.
Psychologically, the thing you need to understand about Kazar D'Zor is he believes. Raised not in the lap of luxury, but in a shark tank social arena frosted with luxury, he is utterly without negative baggage or self fulfilling prophecy, and also rather low on morals and hesitation.
He has a quality of mono-maniacal confidence you normally only see in celebrity actors. It has literally never occurred to him that if he doesn't care for the empire that he should hesitate at all to dismantle it, or that he would ever be less than key and pre-eminent among those parties who seek to do so. He views the galatic political status quo as an irritating buzz distracting him from full actualization.
Luck? He makes his own. Danger? You charge, they'll never expect you to charge when outnumbered. You make a million credits? Those are tools for getting ten million - better to start over after a bad investment than to stop short. If you're going to sleep alone, sleep alone with a slap mark on your cheek.
You see, Kaz applies "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" to everything. He believes fortune favors the bold
By first real adventure I meant "his first book, the first time he shows up 'on-screen', etc." not the first time he did something cool. Sorry!
If I were to continue my story from above, then it would be that Caleb and Larro eventually do escape from the Imperials, meet up with their buyer and learn that the Captain Lady (purposely left vague for another player or the GM to flesh out, I'm easy) was working for the Rebels (who is now captured/killed/double agent/spy/??). The Rebel liason guy would tell Caleb how impressed he is that a young untrained man could outfly Imperial Customs, the praise would go right to his head, and Caleb would join up immediately with the Rebels. That would link Caleb up with the Rebels and we could go from there?
So my aspect would be...Started from the Bottom?
Awesome stuff. So, if you don't mind a bit of cut-and-paste, your first phase might look like:
Caleb and Larro are unwittingly smuggling important materiel to the Rebellion. Imperial forces attempt to capture them, but they escape thanks to Caleb's piloting skills. They learn that their Captain, who wasn't on the ship at the time, was working for the Rebels all along. The Rebel liaison told Caleb how impressed he was that a young untrained man could outfly Imperial Customs, and the praise went right to his head; Caleb joined up immediately with the Rebels.
Caleb, a farmboy who found a natural gift, Started from the Bottom.
How's that sound? Please tweak at will.
(Also, love the Ghtroc 720; great line of ships!)
I'll work on adding Larro to the interesting NPCs list.
Might be a group effort, since the corps' mechanics all rather liked the idea, particularly having a pilot who really appreciated them -- and the sooner Cabbie was done, the sooner Sligo would shut up about the project being a waste of their time, and the sooner they'd have validation.
OK, so I'm having trouble fabricating Slyssk from whole cloth, so I'm going to do a bit of setup that's just for me... Dresden File-style, because that was my intro to FATE and how I think FATEy thoughts.
Background: Slyssk was hatched off-world, on a tramp freighter halfway around the galaxy from Trandosha. Both his parents were bounty hunters that spent all their time racking up as many jagganath points as they could - even going so far as to install an incubator in their ship rather than having to head back to Trandosha to drop off the clutch. His parents took turns raising Slyssk and his clutch-mates, one tending to the children while the other scored a bounty. When they were old enough that education became mandatory, Slyssk's parents finally made the journey back home and dropped them off... then promptly left again.
(if we were doing background aspects, i'd probably tag this with something like "inherited itchy feet" or something).
Rising Conflict: Slyssk got into the bounty hunting business, just like mom and dad. But running hunts a little too close to the core worlds - combined with playing fast and loose with the rules - caused Slyssk to have a bit of an Imperial entanglement, leading to a temporary detainment while the Imperial Customs Agent ran Syssk's credentials. Though not formally arrested, the detainment lasted long enough for his quarry to escape... and be captured by a rival hunter. Shamed both culturally and professionally, Slyssk took this as an opportunity to reevaluate his choices instead of rushing headlong back into the game.
(this would need a second pass before i'd want to tag it, but it's just a brainstorming exercise so it's good enough. maybe something like "busted bounty hunter")
That's exactly what I needed, because it gives me enough to do...
Phase One: Slyssk's Adventure
When the Rebellion sends its newest batch of recruit pilots on a blue milk run, Slyssk jumps at the opportunity to prove himself. But when an Imperial Customs Corvette shows up and complicates the plan, Slyssk goes off script - and attacks the larger vessel! Phase Aspect Still Looking to Even the Score
Good idea using the Dresden Files method to help with getting the character straight in your head!
As far as your phase aspect goes, we already know that your're a Big Gun Hunter and a bit of a Loose Cannon, so how do you see that aspect playing out differently from, especially, your Trouble?
Do I need to end it? I thought we passed it around to finish the scene?
Not to finish the scene or story, but to add to it.
In the SRD example, for instance, the story is complete: Landon gets his butt kicked, gets rescued, and gets trained, thereby making something of himself. The next player adds to it - in this case, adding an additional scene in the middle where Cynere helps Landon regain the sword that the toughs stole from him when they kicked his butt. It's not specified - and it's not always important - when during Landon's story Cynere helped him out, but we know at the end that Landon makes something of himself.
The next players are going to explain how they complicated your original story, or helped solve some issue that moved the plot forward so that it could come to the resolution you described (or both!), but you get to pick the overall resolution.
I think I'll follow up on yours once you've done that, jdark.
Well, it's usually done randomly, so you're not sure whose story you get. But, with four players, there's only 1 story you won't be involved in, in some way.
Hm. Well the point is to show that even though Slyssk doesn't have the sort of hatred for the Empire that most Rebellion folk do, he does bare a grudge against Imperial Customs for his detainment and subsequent loss of jaggy points. It made a good story in my head, though it may be missing that sort of Aspect punch.
For the end of that story... I guess it depends on what we think Rebel Trainees would be flying. If it's something like a Z-95 (likely), Slyysk would eventually be forced to break off the foolish attack as he's not going to get anywhere with lasers. If, for some reason, they were flying X-Wings... I could see him expending all of the craft's proton torpedoes, and maybe getting it to withdraw.
From where I'm sitting, I just happen to see a lot of overlap between Still Looking to Even the Score and Loose Cannon, such that any time the one could be invoked / compelled, the other one could be, just as easily. But, if you really like it, keep it! Alternatively, finish writing your phase, and then hold off. Maybe the additions from someone else will spark something new.
As far as what you were flying, Z-95s (if it's a solo flight) or trainer Y-Wings (solo or if you've still got an instructor along for the ride) are pretty likely options. Feel free to pick something more eccentric if you want, though, if it's important or adds something neat!
Heh. @Elvenshae What do you think of this: Slyssk attacks the light corvette in a trainer Y-Wing, and in the ensuing firefight, takes a glancing hit from one of turbolasers. It blows his shields, and knocks out his engines for a few seconds... long enough that the corvette has a chance to move in for the kill. But one of the other trainees (or instructor, or whomever) swoops in, interrupting the line of fire and giving Slyssk a chance to recover and withdraw (or team up to fight off the light corvette, if we're feeling bullish).
Aspect: I Owe You One. While not quite enough to qualify for a life debt, Slyssk is still going to feel mighty indebted to this near-ghrakhowsk. The character could be a PC, an NPC, whatever you think would be the most interesting.
@jdarksun Well, if you want to tie an aspect strongly to a particular [non-player] character, that works fine - but then you should pick who it is, since it's pretty character-defining.
... Or ...
You could loop in your previous thoughts about Still Looking to Even the Score and mash it up with I Owe You One and get something like, I Always Repay My Debts.
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Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
Trouble: Young & Stupid
My idea is that my character is young local farmboy who stows away on a local freighter to see the stars. Taking a shine to the boy, the spacers show him the ropes and the kid is a natural! When the Empire eventually suspects the freight company supports the Rebellion it seizes the freighters and shuts down the company, our hotheaded flyboy throws in with the Rebels.
How do you see Young and Stupid playing out - more of a naivety and innocence about the galaxy, or more like "Boy, that red button sure is shiny"?
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
I might need to tweak this idea...
Edit: oh, and if a red button needs pushing... he's totally your guy
Just, uh, kender-characters tend to have short lifespans in my games. Just an FYI. You know. No reason ...
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
Does that work better?
Now, we can move on to the next step in character creation, which is called "The Phase Trio." It's where we add three defining characteristics to your characters, and also get them involved with each other. It is, because of that, a particularly cooperative portion of the game, and one of my favorite parts. (I've actually stolen this, back when the ruleset was Spirit of the Century, not Fate, and used it in several other games because it works so damn well.)
In the first phase, you need to, first, finalize your character's name.
If you find yourself stuck, look to your character’s high concept and trouble. Find a dilemma that has a chance of throwing those ideas into focus. What problem do you get roped into because of your high concept or trouble? How does the other aspect help or complicate your life?
Once you've written your blurb, think about what it says about your character, how it affected or changed him (her / it), and pick a new aspect related to that adventure.
Then, in the next two phases, we'll swap those stories around, and the other players will add their character to your adventure, somehow complicating it and / or helping your character resolve some issue.
Because two other characters will be involved in the following phases, this adventure needs to be something that isn't so early in your character’s life that he hasn't met the other protagonists yet. Your best bet is to not make these adventures specific in time; you can figure out that part once you know who’s involved in your story.
So, let's have at it! Feel free to hash out ideas here; these stories also form a neat part of the world creation (e.g., did you mention an important rival? Congrats - he exists!).
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Trouble: Loose Cannon. Hailing from a society built around aggression and violence, most sentients see Trandoshans in general as needlessly confrontational. Slyssk is no exception, often going out of his way to pick fights and take the most dangerous missions. He also has a nasty habit of playing fast and loose with the rules, especially if it means taking dangerous opponents.
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
Aspect: "I'm Custom-Designed, Sir" -- Cabbie isn't quite the same, electromechanically, as any other droid. This comes in handy sometimes, but it also means that getting repairs can be awfully difficult, and a lot of things designed for droids to use require some creativity, not exactly one of its great skills. In addition, Cabbie's fighter cannot be flown by anyone else.
Also, for a more Star Wars-y feel, I'd change the holdout stun prod to a hold-out ion blaster (stun prods are good against organics; ion is good against droids) or perhaps a restraining bolt which would have allowed nefarious goings-on and which is a bit more droid-specific.
This seems more like an aspect of Cabbie's equipment, rather than Cabbie himself. And, rather than just blanket denial, I think an aspect more like Incredibly Eccentric Controls might make more sense; anyone can try to fly the fighter, but its set up in such a way as to make it easy for Cabbie to do so - things are moved about, there's weird wiring all over the place, common control interfaces are set-up to be done by scomplink instead of by switches, etc.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Ah, yeah, that sounds better. I have a particular image of the normal seat being missing, and Cabbie having his own chassis grip fitted onto the frame of the cockpit, between the sockets for his computer interface.
I wasn't asking in relation to changing your aspect, which I think is awesome, but more like, "This is your character's big coming out moment. Would you like to do more?"
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
"Three hours and I still can't fucking get you, Cabbie. You're a goddamn machine! ...boy, none of you are gonna let me forget that, huh?"
"Shit, those guys are going all over the place. I guess jamming communications makes it kinda hard to synchronize maneuvers."
"Is it just me, or have they been fifty meters off every time they've shot? Cabbie, that you?"
The other cadets stagger into the mess hall, exhausted, sprawling on benches and groaning. Cabbie skitters up and into a chair, looking none the worse for wear. "I'd punch you for having any energy left, but I can't get up. And I'd just break my hand anyway."
"Kid, two years you've been running with us. Two years working on this tub, mostly in engineering and the cargo bay. What makes you think you won't get us all killed by flying all crazy like this?" asked Larro, the navigator/co-pilot as he nervously checked the sensor screens again as the freighter dove towards the busy planets surface, weaving in and out of the busy interstellar traffic in orbit. The looming presence of an Imperial Customs Frigate getting closer and closer worried him. Larro was lucky he didn't see how close Caleb came to crashing into the flanks of that bulk freighter while spinning under that Action IV and banking around the yacht.
"Because, Larro, I'm really good at this. Cap'n said so herself. She also said that unless you're flying in a straight line you ain't worth kark-all at the helm. So, you know, shut up and keep those shields up!" Caleb replied. "Why are the Imperials after us anyway? We didn't do anything wrong!"
"Karked if I know! Her last orders were to lift off from Fondor as soon we were loaded up, and "not to stop, not for nothing, not even for me" she said, until we got to the buyer. Make roundabout jumps and stuff. Weird orders. What kind of trouble is she in, kid? What kind of crew flies off without her Cap'n? Whatever you do, just keep running and don't shoot nuthin'! The imps are just looking to force us down, not kill us. You start shooting back, then we're all dead, ya hear? Just lose them and get us back into hyperspace!"
"This oughta be fun then. Hold on to your lunch, Mr. Larro, I hear spinning is a good trick..."
(I was thinking our Captain/Owner was mixed up with the Rebels and the ship is loaded with stolen equipment from the Fondor yards destined for the Rebels. She was pinched, told her crew (us) to run for it and finish the job, and the Imps are chasing the evidence they need to shut the company down. But hey, wherever you guys take it is cool.)
Then, think about the text on the back of a novel - and that's about the level of punchiness you want. The example from the online SRD is a good one.
The player comes up with the story:
So, here we have what is essentially an origin story, which also ties in to our two examples so far. But, eventually, you'll want to be able to boil it down:
You need a bit of resolution there, because you want the next person in line to be able to reference that:
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
If I were to continue my story from above, then it would be that Caleb and Larro eventually do escape from the Imperials, meet up with their buyer and learn that the Captain Lady (purposely left vague for another player or the GM to flesh out, I'm easy) was working for the Rebels (who is now captured/killed/double agent/spy/??). The Rebel liason guy would tell Caleb how impressed he is that a young untrained man could outfly Imperial Customs, the praise would go right to his head, and Caleb would join up immediately with the Rebels. That would link Caleb up with the Rebels and we could go from there?
So my aspect would be...Started from the Bottom?
Kazar D'Zor is, first off, from an obscenely wealthy, obscenely xenophobic old money falleen family. He's a young rebel in maybe his 40s. He has had every advantage possible, from hypno-education in the womb, genetic optimizations, cutting edge bionics and bio-organic treatments, perfect and high-end medicine for every ailment or injury.
He's good looking, he's athletic, he's rich - but those are secondary. He's a masterful pilot, proficient in a couple martial arts, has a good head for math - but none of that really matters. Nice ground vehicles and a custom starlight? Pssh. Child's toys. What matters to him is that he's poised to be in the thick of things. In fact, he's nearly obligated to be - where would the rebellion be without him?
Characteristically, his decision to involve himself in wider society and the rebellion is anathema and he's been officially cut off from his sizable trust fund, his ridiculous allowance, etc.
However, he still has the investments he was given on his day of majority, tremendous sums won at high stakes sabbac, and a few small shipping combines he's started in his spare time to ingratiate himself with privateers and smugglers friendly to the rebel cause.
Psychologically, the thing you need to understand about Kazar D'Zor is he believes. Raised not in the lap of luxury, but in a shark tank social arena frosted with luxury, he is utterly without negative baggage or self fulfilling prophecy, and also rather low on morals and hesitation.
He has a quality of mono-maniacal confidence you normally only see in celebrity actors. It has literally never occurred to him that if he doesn't care for the empire that he should hesitate at all to dismantle it, or that he would ever be less than key and pre-eminent among those parties who seek to do so. He views the galatic political status quo as an irritating buzz distracting him from full actualization.
Luck? He makes his own. Danger? You charge, they'll never expect you to charge when outnumbered. You make a million credits? Those are tools for getting ten million - better to start over after a bad investment than to stop short. If you're going to sleep alone, sleep alone with a slap mark on your cheek.
You see, Kaz applies "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" to everything. He believes fortune favors the bold
I host a podcast about movies.
By first real adventure I meant "his first book, the first time he shows up 'on-screen', etc." not the first time he did something cool.
Awesome stuff. So, if you don't mind a bit of cut-and-paste, your first phase might look like:
How's that sound? Please tweak at will.
(Also, love the Ghtroc 720; great line of ships!)
I'll work on adding Larro to the interesting NPCs list.
@JohnnyCache
Good background and characterization; it looks like you really know who Kazar is. So, what's the synopsis of his first graphic novel?
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
I like the idea of playing off Sligo vs. Laress. Any ideas on who the mechanic who built you was, or do you want me to fill that in?
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Background: Slyssk was hatched off-world, on a tramp freighter halfway around the galaxy from Trandosha. Both his parents were bounty hunters that spent all their time racking up as many jagganath points as they could - even going so far as to install an incubator in their ship rather than having to head back to Trandosha to drop off the clutch. His parents took turns raising Slyssk and his clutch-mates, one tending to the children while the other scored a bounty. When they were old enough that education became mandatory, Slyssk's parents finally made the journey back home and dropped them off... then promptly left again.
(if we were doing background aspects, i'd probably tag this with something like "inherited itchy feet" or something).
Rising Conflict: Slyssk got into the bounty hunting business, just like mom and dad. But running hunts a little too close to the core worlds - combined with playing fast and loose with the rules - caused Slyssk to have a bit of an Imperial entanglement, leading to a temporary detainment while the Imperial Customs Agent ran Syssk's credentials. Though not formally arrested, the detainment lasted long enough for his quarry to escape... and be captured by a rival hunter. Shamed both culturally and professionally, Slyssk took this as an opportunity to reevaluate his choices instead of rushing headlong back into the game.
(this would need a second pass before i'd want to tag it, but it's just a brainstorming exercise so it's good enough. maybe something like "busted bounty hunter")
That's exactly what I needed, because it gives me enough to do...
Phase One: Slyssk's Adventure
When the Rebellion sends its newest batch of recruit pilots on a blue milk run, Slyssk jumps at the opportunity to prove himself. But when an Imperial Customs Corvette shows up and complicates the plan, Slyssk goes off script - and attacks the larger vessel!
Phase Aspect Still Looking to Even the Score
@Elvenshae thoughts?
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
As far as your phase aspect goes, we already know that your're a Big Gun Hunter and a bit of a Loose Cannon, so how do you see that aspect playing out differently from, especially, your Trouble?
Also, how does your phase story end?
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Forgot that!
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
Not to finish the scene or story, but to add to it.
In the SRD example, for instance, the story is complete: Landon gets his butt kicked, gets rescued, and gets trained, thereby making something of himself. The next player adds to it - in this case, adding an additional scene in the middle where Cynere helps Landon regain the sword that the toughs stole from him when they kicked his butt. It's not specified - and it's not always important - when during Landon's story Cynere helped him out, but we know at the end that Landon makes something of himself.
The next players are going to explain how they complicated your original story, or helped solve some issue that moved the plot forward so that it could come to the resolution you described (or both!), but you get to pick the overall resolution.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Or, to put it another way, the other characters will be guest stars or cameos in your book.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Well, it's usually done randomly, so you're not sure whose story you get. But, with four players, there's only 1 story you won't be involved in, in some way.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
For the end of that story... I guess it depends on what we think Rebel Trainees would be flying. If it's something like a Z-95 (likely), Slyysk would eventually be forced to break off the foolish attack as he's not going to get anywhere with lasers. If, for some reason, they were flying X-Wings... I could see him expending all of the craft's proton torpedoes, and maybe getting it to withdraw.
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
From where I'm sitting, I just happen to see a lot of overlap between Still Looking to Even the Score and Loose Cannon, such that any time the one could be invoked / compelled, the other one could be, just as easily. But, if you really like it, keep it! Alternatively, finish writing your phase, and then hold off. Maybe the additions from someone else will spark something new.
As far as what you were flying, Z-95s (if it's a solo flight) or trainer Y-Wings (solo or if you've still got an instructor along for the ride) are pretty likely options. Feel free to pick something more eccentric if you want, though, if it's important or adds something neat!
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Aspect: I Owe You One. While not quite enough to qualify for a life debt, Slyssk is still going to feel mighty indebted to this near-ghrakhowsk. The character could be a PC, an NPC, whatever you think would be the most interesting.
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
... Or ...
You could loop in your previous thoughts about Still Looking to Even the Score and mash it up with I Owe You One and get something like, I Always Repay My Debts.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists