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[OOC] Dresden Files RPG: Las Vegas: Glitz and Glamo(u)r - Roster picked, IC thread Soon
Desy
She/HerYeenRegistered User regular
She/HerYeenRegistered User regular
Ok Folks.
I want to run a Dresden Files game. Set in Las Vegas.
This time I'm putting a hard cap of four players. No more.
I'm personally inclined to only have three players, but four is an option if submissions are too good to pare down.
Refresh would be 10 (Submerged, in the parlance of the rules).
Time period, I want to set the game during the beginning of Changes.
Speak up if interested.
Edit for clarity: This will be a pbp hosted on these here forums.
City Details:
High Level View
Locations
Faces
Roster:
Roxanne Chandler, the Grey Witch.
Denada playing Jonah "JJ" Jones, the Lucky Charm.
I want to run a Dresden Files game. Set in Las Vegas.
This time I'm putting a hard cap of four players. No more.
I'm personally inclined to only have three players, but four is an option if submissions are too good to pare down.
Refresh would be 10 (Submerged, in the parlance of the rules).
Time period, I want to set the game during the beginning of Changes.
Speak up if interested.
Edit for clarity: This will be a pbp hosted on these here forums.
City Details:
High Level View
Locations
Faces
Roster:
Roxanne Chandler, the Grey Witch.
Character Name: Roxanne Chandler
Musts: Evocation (-3), Thaumaturgy (-3),
Wizard's Constitution, The Sight (-1), Soulgaze
High Concept: Ex-Warden Femme Fatale
Trouble: I’m Retired, Dammit
Phase 1: The Heart of a Killer
Phase 2: My Reputation Precedes Me
Phase 3: The Mob Signs My Paychecks
Phase 4:
Phase 5:
Background/Where Did You Come From?
Born 1928 Roxanne had an uneventful life until her natural aptitude for Wizardry manifested itself in the form of strange visions. Adopted by an experienced wizard, she is taken for her apprenticeship.
Training in the harsh Arizona desert with her mentor taught practical survival magic alongside basic combat techniques. Training completes at the end of World War II at the age of 17 when mentor is killed by a warlock and Roxanne slays him in turn.
Aspect: The Heart of a Killer
Rising Conflict
After many years of living under the Doom of Damocles, it’s finally lifted in 1959 as the global war against the Necromancer Heinrich Kemmler erupts. Distinguishing herself many times on the battlefield, Roxanne acquires the title of the Gray Witch, a suspension of the Doom, and a promotion into the Greycloaks.
After Kemmler is taken down Roxanne hangs up her sword and drops off the radar for several years as she goes on walkabout; eventually settles down in Las Vegas amidst the bright lights and glitz to become a consultant and liaison for the supernaturals in the city and the White Council. Becomes entrenched as a figure in the underworld as someone not to be fucked with.
Aspect: My Reputation Precedes Me
What Was Your First Adventure?
Title: Dirty Money
When a slew of counterfeit bills flood the casinos of Las Vegas, Roxanne is pressured to investigate by her underworld boss. Things take a turn for the worse when Roxanne discovers the White Council is behind the bills as a part of a larger plan and she’s forced to choose between two very dangerous people...
Aspect: The Mob Signs My Paychecks
Whose Path Have You Crossed?
Title:
Who Else's Path Have You Crossed? aka the Team-up
Title:
Skills
Superb (+5) Conviction, Discipline
Great (+4) Lore, Endurance
Good (+3) Guns, Alertness
Fair (+2) Athletics, Resources, Weapons
Average (+1) Rapport, Investigation, Intimidation, Presence, Fists
All other skills default to mediocre (+0)
Powers
Evocation (Earth, Spirit, Water) [-3]
Thaumaturgy [-3]
The Sight [-1]
Soulgaze [-0]
Wizard's Constitution [-0]
Lawbreaker (First) [-1]
Refinement [-1]
Specializations
Earth +2 Control
Earth +1 Power
Biomancy Complexity +1
Focus Items
Iron Rod (+1 Offensive Control Earth, +1 Offensive Power Earth)
Rune-Etched Leather Gloves (+2 Defensive Power, +1 Defensive Control Earth)[Linked to shield spell]
Stress and Consequences
Physical oooo
Social ooo
Mental oooo (+1 mild consequence)
Mild Consequences:
Moderate Consequence:
Severe Consequence:
Refresh Level 10
Refresh Spent: -9
Current FP: 1
Rote Spells
See Spell Folio
Jennifer Silva, the .Musts: Evocation (-3), Thaumaturgy (-3),
Wizard's Constitution, The Sight (-1), Soulgaze
High Concept: Ex-Warden Femme Fatale
Trouble: I’m Retired, Dammit
Phase 1: The Heart of a Killer
Phase 2: My Reputation Precedes Me
Phase 3: The Mob Signs My Paychecks
Phase 4:
Phase 5:
Background/Where Did You Come From?
Born 1928 Roxanne had an uneventful life until her natural aptitude for Wizardry manifested itself in the form of strange visions. Adopted by an experienced wizard, she is taken for her apprenticeship.
Training in the harsh Arizona desert with her mentor taught practical survival magic alongside basic combat techniques. Training completes at the end of World War II at the age of 17 when mentor is killed by a warlock and Roxanne slays him in turn.
Aspect: The Heart of a Killer
Rising Conflict
After many years of living under the Doom of Damocles, it’s finally lifted in 1959 as the global war against the Necromancer Heinrich Kemmler erupts. Distinguishing herself many times on the battlefield, Roxanne acquires the title of the Gray Witch, a suspension of the Doom, and a promotion into the Greycloaks.
After Kemmler is taken down Roxanne hangs up her sword and drops off the radar for several years as she goes on walkabout; eventually settles down in Las Vegas amidst the bright lights and glitz to become a consultant and liaison for the supernaturals in the city and the White Council. Becomes entrenched as a figure in the underworld as someone not to be fucked with.
Aspect: My Reputation Precedes Me
What Was Your First Adventure?
Title: Dirty Money
When a slew of counterfeit bills flood the casinos of Las Vegas, Roxanne is pressured to investigate by her underworld boss. Things take a turn for the worse when Roxanne discovers the White Council is behind the bills as a part of a larger plan and she’s forced to choose between two very dangerous people...
Aspect: The Mob Signs My Paychecks
Whose Path Have You Crossed?
Title:
Who Else's Path Have You Crossed? aka the Team-up
Title:
Skills
Superb (+5) Conviction, Discipline
Great (+4) Lore, Endurance
Good (+3) Guns, Alertness
Fair (+2) Athletics, Resources, Weapons
Average (+1) Rapport, Investigation, Intimidation, Presence, Fists
All other skills default to mediocre (+0)
Powers
Evocation (Earth, Spirit, Water) [-3]
Thaumaturgy [-3]
The Sight [-1]
Soulgaze [-0]
Wizard's Constitution [-0]
Lawbreaker (First) [-1]
Refinement [-1]
Specializations
Earth +2 Control
Earth +1 Power
Biomancy Complexity +1
Focus Items
Iron Rod (+1 Offensive Control Earth, +1 Offensive Power Earth)
Rune-Etched Leather Gloves (+2 Defensive Power, +1 Defensive Control Earth)[Linked to shield spell]
Stress and Consequences
Physical oooo
Social ooo
Mental oooo (+1 mild consequence)
Mild Consequences:
Moderate Consequence:
Severe Consequence:
Refresh Level 10
Refresh Spent: -9
Current FP: 1
Rote Spells
See Spell Folio
Denada playing Jonah "JJ" Jones, the Lucky Charm.
Desy on
0
Posts
also i'm a big fan of setting the game post-Changes but honestly any time period could work here - vegas is a colorful city
and after some chit-chat with the GM pre-changes works better
oh yeah uh i am interested and will be playing a weezard
So I'm interested.
Because an Inuit shaman that shapeshifts into a polar bear is still one of the most badass things ever.
I probably won't do this, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense conceptually, but would having both Seelie Magic and Unseelie Magic give a 1 refresh bonus because both are true spellcasting and cost 3 if you have another form already, bringing the total cost to 7 rather than 8?
Looking at the book and taking, my interpretation (and ruling) would be that only mortal spellcasting (evocation or thaumaturgy) would let Faerie magic apply the refresh cost reduction without justification. Channeling and Ritual could qualify for the cost reduction depending on the concept, aspects, and justification.
For a couple reasons: thematically, if a character wanted to take both, I'd view it as a big deal in-universe. It's a changeling or mortal spellcaster that wants to draw from the power of both courts. Neither Court would really look upon that with favor, so in play there would be lots of pushing to get the character to commit. It just doesn't make much sense for a single person to contain or be able to draw on the conflicting energies of the Summer and Winter Fae.
Only reason I might consider it would be dependent on the character's background and aspects. Something like "Friend of Neither, Pawn of Both. would change the situation.
And this would only apply to a character that isn't full Fae (ie, at a non-zero refresh).
EDIT:
Seems like you and I think alike Nova. My character for a Skype game was an Iroquois shaman that shape-shifted into a grizzly bear. Just to make it more delicious, he was a ~65 year old Vietnam Vet.
Really sad that game didn't seem to develop. It was my first true foray into Fate and Dresden, so I had to feel my way into the tone to start. And then, it painfully drove home that my 'bad' gaming habits are just magnified when it's voice only over Skype.
Elements from both courts are probably interested in her as well, since it's very rare for changelings to refuse to pick a side, and even rarer for changelings of different courts to produce children. (Possibly this whole thing has been engineered by a puppetmaster who could have various motives, not that my charcter or her parents would know.)
This is kinda what I was hinting at in my post on the Fae magics, but stated much better. Story-wise, it's just not a good idea. It would take a very specific/good concept to get me to allow having power of both courts in a game. They're just too different and diametrically opposed otherwise.
Kinda ties back into a sub-theme I notice in the books and the setting. The major powers are usually ancient organizations, if not ancient individuals. They don't like unique snowflakes that don't conform to the party line of the specific group. And the unique snowflake is usually pressured into falling in line, via whatever methods said organization deems appropriate.
The nail that sticks up tallest and speaks out gets hammered down hardest. And then sometimes bent, broken, and melted down, if necessary.
This isn't me encouraging everybody to play Bland Blandson of the Illinois Blandsons. Just something to keep in mind, if a person can do or is something unique (and isn't shy about spreading that fact around), there will be a group or individual that want's that person or his/her/its power for its own (nefarious? heinous? evil? eh, pick an adjective) ends.
My question would be, if you do decide to reuse the guy above, why is an Inuit polar bear Shaman hanging around Vegas? It's not as if polar bears are common wildlife in the Nevada ecosystem.
While I can completely understand the desire to recreate a character concept that didn't get a chance to shine. Might get a better game experience by making something new and better fitting to the game at hand, speaking generally.
There is a story that got him to the deserts of the USA.
EDIT: But I'm totally open to starting fresh.
Musts: Evocation (-3), Thaumaturgy (-3),
Wizard's Constitution, The Sight (-1), Soulgaze
High Concept: Ex-Warden Femme Fatale
Trouble: I’m Retired, Dammit
Phase 1: The Heart of a Killer
Phase 2: My Reputation Precedes Me
Phase 3: The Mob Signs My Paychecks
Phase 4:
Phase 5:
Background/Where Did You Come From?
Born 1928 Roxanne had an uneventful life until her natural aptitude for Wizardry manifested itself in the form of strange visions. Adopted by an experienced wizard, she is taken for her apprenticeship.
Training in the harsh Arizona desert with her mentor taught practical survival magic alongside basic combat techniques. Training completes at the end of World War II at the age of 17 when mentor is killed by a warlock and Roxanne slays him in turn.
Aspect: The Heart of a Killer
Rising Conflict
After many years of living under the Doom of Damocles, it’s finally lifted in 1959 as the global war against the Necromancer Heinrich Kemmler erupts. Distinguishing herself many times on the battlefield, Roxanne acquires the title of the Gray Witch, a suspension of the Doom, and a promotion into the Greycloaks.
After Kemmler is taken down Roxanne hangs up her sword and drops off the radar for several years as she goes on walkabout; eventually settles down in Las Vegas amidst the bright lights and glitz to become a consultant and liaison for the supernaturals in the city and the White Council. Becomes entrenched as a figure in the underworld as someone not to be fucked with.
Aspect: My Reputation Precedes Me
What Was Your First Adventure?
Title: Dirty Money
When a slew of counterfeit bills flood the casinos of Las Vegas, Roxanne is pressured to investigate by her underworld boss. Things take a turn for the worse when Roxanne discovers the White Council is behind the bills as a part of a larger plan and she’s forced to choose between two very dangerous people...
Aspect: The Mob Signs My Paychecks
Whose Path Have You Crossed?
Title:
Who Else's Path Have You Crossed? aka the Team-up
Title:
Skills
Superb (+5) Conviction, Discipline
Great (+4) Lore, Endurance
Good (+3) Guns, Alertness
Fair (+2) Athletics, Resources, Weapons
Average (+1) Rapport, Investigation, Intimidation, Presence, Fists
All other skills default to mediocre (+0)
Powers
Evocation (Earth, Spirit, Water) [-3]
Thaumaturgy [-3]
The Sight [-1]
Soulgaze [-0]
Wizard's Constitution [-0]
Lawbreaker (First) [-1]
Refinement [-1]
Specializations
Earth +2 Control
Earth +1 Power
Biomancy Complexity +1
Focus Items
Iron Rod (+1 Offensive Control Earth, +1 Offensive Power Earth)
Rune-Etched Leather Gloves (+2 Defensive Power, +1 Defensive Control Earth)[Linked to shield spell]
Stress and Consequences
Physical oooo
Social ooo
Mental oooo (+1 mild consequence)
Mild Consequences:
Moderate Consequence:
Severe Consequence:
Refresh Level 10
Refresh Spent: -9
Current FP: 1
Rote Spells
See Spell Folio
we already have some ideas for the setting so i've got i guess a head start on you guys, but we're always on irc/AIM so if you want to join us and get up to speed feel free
uh i guess he also has to pick the final crew
Nathan Moore (i.e. Nevermore)
High Concept: Shape-shifting investigator
Trouble: Curiosity killed the bird.
Other Aspects: Quoth the Raven, Locked or Unlocked - its all the same to me, Shiny!, You Rang?, Ignorance is bliss, he said sarcastically.
Skills: Investigation (+5), Computers (+4), Steath (+4), Alertness (+3), Burglary (+3), Resources (+3), Athletics (+2), Lore (+2),
Scholarship (+2), Contacts (+2), Survival (+1), Presence (+1), Rapport (+1), Deceit (+1), Driving (+1)
Powers: Human Form (+1), Beast Change (-1), Echoes of the Beast (-1), Diminutive Form (-1), Wings (-1), Inhuman Speed (-2)
Stunts: Quick Eye
Stress: Mental 00, Physical 00, Social 000
Beast form is a Raven / Crow.
Refresh = -4
Background: TBD
High Concept: Dryad's Daughter
Background: Her father is a park ranger, which is how he met her mother, a dryad, while camping in the woods. She had a few nights of fun with him, and dropped off the baby nine months later. He raised Harriet alone, and took her with him on his job; as a consequence, she was a hell of a tomboy, and enjoyed the outdoors more than anything else.
Aspect: Tomboy Through and Through
Rising Conflict: When she was sixteen, her mother returned, and they took a vacation for a few weeks. A sorcerer figured the unaligned Fae were easy prey, and attempted to capture them both for various nefarious experiments. They managed to fight him off, and afterwards Melis taught her daughter a bit about her supernatural heritage. In addition, after Melis searched his belongings, she found evidence that he wasn't working alone, and charged Harriet with investigating the matter - after all, while she may not have been part of a Court, the fae of the woods looked out for one another to some extent, and the sorcerer's buddies might be right behind him.
Aspect: The Part Defends The Whole
Not sure about skills yet, but I figure she's very stubborn and knows something about both the occult and ordinary worlds.
Name: Shawn Warner
High Concept: Ambitious Relic Thief
Trouble: That Thing Would Look Better In My Hands - Shawn has a covetous nature and there's always something new that catches his eye that he wants to possess. The more taboo or locked away, the more he wants to steal it. If it's a particularly powerful artifact, then all bets are off that he won't try to pry it out of it's owner's hands.
Musts: I'm thinking that he already has at least two Items of Power [-3] in his possession.
Background: Shawn grew up on tales and myths as told by his grandmother whom he saw one month every summer when his family took him to the ancestral stomping grounds upstate. There he got his first taste of the glamor of the legends between running around the farm terrorizing the poultry. Growing up he wanted more, the mythical had to be real.
Background Aspect: Grandmother's Words
Rising Conflict:Fate has a habit of arranging things...like leaving cigar boxes carelessly lying about. In this particular box was the Thorn of Ayrshire, ceremonial dagger and the possession of the rightful Lord of the Twisted Oak Freehold. The old Lord had died and there was particularly heavy squabbling over succession...enough that the emergency room was occupied for a while. The Thorn had been kept away from preventing any usurper from preemptively claiming the rulership.
However, Shawn had been eying the Thorn, wanting to claim it for himself. He found the Thorn hidden in one of the loyalists' apartments and claimed it for himself. Despite repeated entreaties and a few underhanded attempts to take it back, Shawn has refused earning the ire of the Freehold and its allies.
Rising Conflict Aspect: Enemy of the Freehold
First Adventure To be continued.
High Concept: Amateur Spellslinger Of Ill Repute
Trouble: I Am My Father's Son
Phase One - Background:
Nathaniel Doone was born the 13th son of Solomon Doone, one of the most evil and infamous wizards in a long line of evil wizards hailing from the infamous Doone Clan. It was the night of the full moon, and Nathaniel's mother, a frightful witch whose body was covered in strange birthmarks of the most evil shapes and configurations, died in childbirth at the stroke of midnight.
Yaguah, the twisted, one-armed, midwife who delivered the child, remarked that Wormwood, the Doone's black housecat, had crossed the threshold into the room just as Nathaniel uttered his first cry. The signs pointed towards greatness in the family, and Solomon was certain that Nathaniel would one day replace him as head of the Doone Clan.
Phase Aspect: My Life Is A Bad Omen
Phase Two - Rising Conflict:
Despite the Doone Clan's careful attempts to ease Nathan in to the life of a renegade spellcaster, he resisted, developing a conscience despite his father's best efforts. Before he could be brought into line (or else), the White Council finally tracked down the Doone Clan, sending a group of wizards to deal with the Lawbreakers. Among their number was the Warden Tabitha Sterling who encountered Nathaniel first, allowing him to escape upon seeing that his soul was not stained by the crimes of his family. He grabbed what books he could from the library and attempted to go into hiding.
Phase Aspect: 'Needs Must As The Devil Drives'
Phase Three - The Story:
Story Title: Sacred Ground
When a wizard of the White Council is killed with black magic, burgeoning sorcerer Nathaniel Doone's checkered past makes him the prime suspect in their investigations. But will Nathan clear his name when faced with the suspicions of the White Council, a vengeful necromancer out for blood, and a ghost from his past, seemingly back from the dead?
Phase Aspect: He Has His Father's Fire
And by that I mean, why would this character be in Las Vegas as opposed to Reno or San Antonino or Boston or Seattle or ... you get my point.
What connects a character to Las Vegas. Why do they choose to live here.
Arc's character has ties to the Vegas mob as well as just having lived in the city for years. There's a history there.
That's one reason I'm not super fond of recycled characters in Fate or Dresden (First admitting that I've not played the system that much). But, the themes of a game change from GM to GM. A character that was made for another game might or might not fit into a second.
And just so you guys all have a little view of what I currently have jotted down as high-level themes/threats. Here you go.
City-wide Themes and Threats
THEME
The Idea: Uneasy, Tenuous Peace
The Aspect: Plenty of Fuel for a Fire
The Faces:
THEME
The Idea: Sinful Sin City
The Aspect: Dark Deeds in the Neon Lights
The Faces:
THREAT
The Idea: Mundane powers encroaching on the supernatural
The Aspect: Boundaries Blurring
The Faces:
The Balance of Power
What is the Supernatural Status Quo?
Appearances are everything. Keep to the Shadows.
What is the Mundane Status Quo?
Don’t scare the Tourists.
OTHER MISCELLANY
EDIT: I'll also add that, while there will be plenty of conflict and combat. Las Vegas is a city of back-room deals and politics. There's going to be a fair share of intrigue and political maneuvering.
I was envisioning a UNLV student (Computer Sciences) -- a character with plenty of spare time to investigate the weird doings of the occult in the city of Las Vegas.
Admittedly, that doesn't tie him into the fabric of Las Vegas, but most of my other ideas that were more tightly bound had other problems attached, although
I am game at pulling something a little more attached, if you would prefer...
And while I did say that recycling characters can be not optimal, there are shades of grey. There's nothing wrong with reusing a haracter concept, if there is some connection back to the city. And If a character is just a 'wandering hero' type, then what is the reason for being in Vegas.
I'm also going to steal something Arc mentioned on irc, as I think it's a handy tool for fleshing out characters in Dresden (perhaps Fate in general)
When making a character, take a step back and look at him/her. Strip away the supernatural aspects of the character. What's left? Is there still room for development and growth without an occult side. Are there still interesting facets of the character. What is the mundane details of the character.
For example, take Harry Dresden. He's not supernatural all the time. He takes mundane investigative gigs, he has bills to pay. Granted, that side of his life isn't often given the spotlight in the Casefiles, partially because the supernatural parts are more interesting reading. But the mundane is still there and shouldn't be ignored. All the characters are still at positive refresh and human after all.
I'm not asking for people to completely revamp their characters, exactly. If nothing else, I'm trying to share how I now approach creating Dresden characters.
In a real table game, a lot of what I'm talking about would be brought out during city creation and character generation itself. But pbp works differently. So I'm just trying to share my thoughts so everybody understands where I'm coming from.
I want this game to take off and succeed. More then any other game I've (attempted) to run on these forums before.
PS: If anyone wants to talk on irc, I'm on the #slashnet /darktimes channel near constantly. Even if I won't see a message until I get back to my personal desktop, I'm still logged on most of the time. So is Arcanis. I can also be reached on AIM as GenialCurmudgeon.
Jonah "JJ" Jones
Template: Focused Practitioner
Musts: Channeling (-2)
Options: Sight (-1)
High Concept: Luck-Bending Spatiomancer
-Where others might be able to create fire, freeze water, or manipulate minds, Jonah can change the distance between two points, mess with gravity, and otherwise manipulate the fabric of space. He doesn't know how it works, but he doesn't care. He just knows that it does, and he uses it to win a lot of money at the casinos.
Trouble: Under a Black Cloud
-Unfortunately, making his own luck seems to cause the universe to constantly crap on him in order to restore some kind of cosmic balance. Sure, he wins lots of money, but then his car breaks down, or his apartment is broken into, or his hair catches on fire. It's enough to almost make a guy quit cheating.
My general idea is that Jonah is the child of two traveling acrobats. Through a series of unfortunate events, his parents died and he ended up on his own in Atlantic City as a poor teenager. He used the skills he learned in the carnival circuit to make a living in the casinos until he was old enough to start gambling. By that time he was getting used to his powers, and he started using them to cheat at the craps and roulette tables. Unfortunately for him, casinos don't take kindly to cheaters.
Through another series of unfortunate events (some of which may or may not have been his fault), he's been banned from every other gambling mecca in the US, and has arrived in Vegas as his last hope. He started out playing his usual games, but ---here's where I'm thinking I can start mixing him up with other characters--- when ye olde cosmic balance showed up, he found himself with a bag full of counterfeit bills and a very unpleasant mobster at his back. One conspiracy and half a dozen close calls later, he's been introduced to the lovely folks of the Vegas mob and the White Council, neither of which are particularly pleased with how he's been conducting himself.
I still need to work out my phases, aspects, skills, and ... kind of everything, I guess. But I'm getting there.
Even if there isn't room as a player, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the thread.
Dresden is a very different beast then dnd. After having had some experience with the system now, I love it. The aspects take some getting used to but they are fantastic. What other game system lets me describe an iriquois werebear shaman as Grizzly Medicine Man for a high concept. Aspects appeal to my love of wordplay and word-smithing. They describe and define a character while also being used for environment description and manipulation. It's kinda amazing all the possibilities from a simple system.
Nathan Moore is a computer sciences student at UNLV on scholarship, working on completing his degree, taking a semester off / waiting for a necessary course to come around.
In the meantime, he's making his money tutoring and computer consulting, setting up systems for those with less knowledge of computers, leaving him a fair
amount of free time to indulge his other interests, including computer security. He works with local kids (Big Brother, Bid Sisters) remembering his own youth. He still has a
tendency to have mildly sticky fingers -- pens and small objects, but it more in an absent-minded sort of way, but works to keep kids from going down his path.
I figure the high Investigation is as much a sign of his gumption in finding opportunities, Stealth and Burglary are the result of a mis-spent childhood, with the rest being
"ordinary" skills normal to a player character
I figure without the supernatural angle, he'd still be an interesting character to play -- high investigation, a host of useful skills to further the plot... the only real drawback is that
he's pretty much a non-combatant, so he either has to play smart or find a friendly associate or three to handle the rough stuff.
Am I supposed to create a character in order to apply for consideration? I'm a little hesitant to spend hours on coming up with all the little things if I'm not going to be playing.
Again.
You see my dilemma.
And I'm not exactly asking for all the work to be done now. But I am laying out what I find interesting from the system and what I'm kinda looking for.
However, I don't think it would be too much to ask for a very small bit of why your character would be or live in Vegas. Especially with a an Inuit Shaman that's also a were-polar bear.
Trouble: Fighting Against My Fae Nature—Jennifer is sometimes tempted to use magic extensively to get around obstacles, but she's afraid of becoming more of a Faerie and losing her humanity.
Background:
John da Silva is a park ranger in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area district, near Las Vegas; pretty much since he got the job, he's been camping and hiking there, both recreationally and as part of his job. That's how he met Mellia, an enchanting woman who seduced him by his campfire. She showed him her power over nature, and while he realized she was a dryad, not human at all, he was already under her spell. After a few nights of passion, she vanished, and he went back to work. Nine months later, she dropped off a baby girl, whom he named Jennifer, and that was the last he saw of Mellia for over a decade. He raised Jennifer alone as well as he could, teaching her how to live in the woods, and a proper respect for their environment. She grew to be quite the tomboy, disdaining fancy clothes and makeup in favor of jeans and the dirt and debris of a night in the woods. Although Jennifer played sports, she never joined any official teams, preferring pick-up games without the social jockeying inherent in school competitions. When she enrolled in the University of Las Vegas' horticulture program, it was no surprise.
Aspect: Tomboy Through and Through
Rising Conflict:
Just after graduation, her mother came for the first time since giving birth, and Jennifer was overcome. They talked for ages, and Jennifer related her plan to go to Las Vegas and work at the botanical garden there. Mellia was encouraging, but disapprovingly noted the excessive water and other resources used in the city, and hoped Jennifer could ameliorate that, to make Las Vegas more in tune with nature. And indeed she did, going around to local businesses and advising them on how to cut their utility bills while enhancing their displays. However, that didn't sit too well with the Chamber of Commerce, which sent a senior representative to her to explain that they would rather she talked to them, instead, as they were considerably more skeptical that her improvements were actually cost-effective. The mob was also displeased, as many small businesses dealt with them and stored mob operations which Jennifer could well uncover in her tours; they took the less subtle approach, attempting to send her to the hospital. Unfortunately for them, the hit men chose to approach her just outside work, and she wasn't afraid to use her powers to defend herself. Now Jen and the mob are at odds, though they're not quite sure how to handle a changeling.
Aspect: I Don't Scare Easy
Powers: Glamours [-2], Channeling (plants) [2], Inhuman Recovery [-2]
Stunts: Nature Rapport (communication with plants and animals)
I may or may not come up with something new.
There's enough interest here and enough submissions for me to pick the three people for the game.
I'll have a decision by late tonight or early tomorrow.
I woulda picked the roster by the date I set, but real-life had other ideas. Not to mention, I had a hard time actually deciding.
The three players are:
ArcanisTheImpotent playing Roxanne Chandler, the Grey Witch.
Captain Carrot playing Jennifer Silva, the "Destro can't think up/steal a fitting pithy moniker."
Denada playing Jonah "JJ" Jones, the Lucky Charm.
To all others who applied, thank you for your interest, sorry I couldn't run a game for everyone, but I know my own limits (usually learned through rather painful experience.)
All are welcome to continue to hang out here, in what will become the OOC thread once all characters have aspects and other stats ironed out and I get an IC thread started.
I'm working on locations, factions, and faces.
I'll post what I have soon. While complete cooperative group generation is really fun and rewarding. In pbp format it would take an age of middle-earth. So I'll hash them out myself and will welcome suggestions on what I draft.
EDIT: Google Doc links for Themes, Locations, and Faces posted in OP. Locations and Faces are still work in progress.