Character Creation: Project Ninja Panda Taco

Happy Sunday!

The Game: Project Ninja Panda Taco
The Publisher: Jennisodes
Degree of Familiarity: None, really. I've read it and I've seen Despicable Me, but it's been a while since either.
Books Required: Just the one.

 
I think I've picked this game up to make a character a few times and then not done it, but I can't remember why. Let's see if I remember!

The basic setup here is that you're a mastermind trying to take over the world (or whatever) with convoluted, ridiculous plan, and you're also playing the minions trying to help your mastermind. I think you actually play the minion of another mastermind? In any case, the book is colorful and bright and fun, with art by Brian Patterson (who also did the art for Headspace; I think it fits better here). Anydangway, on we go!

Oh, right, this book is all written in-character. Like, I'm fine with the, but I appreciate dropping the character and explaining to me as the reader how this shit works when we get to things like chargen. Ah, well. I start with Mastermind creation. I start with a name, and it needs to be appropriately mastermind-y, by which I mean ridiculous. I'll name my Mastermind Dr. Boggan MacTeagle, MD, PhD, DEd, DDS, Etc. Yes, there's a Monty Python reference in there, no, I will not apologize for it.

Now I pick my best Quality. The examples are...weird. Eyebeams, giant feet, a scary grin? This is all over the map. But, that's in genre, I suppose. I'll say that Dr. McTeagle's best Quality (for Mastermind purposes) is his huge, gnarly beard. He can stroke it to look thoughtful, it can get all bushy if he needs to look bigger and frighten a bear, and he hides things in it.

Normally at this point I would pass my character sheet around to let other players add qualities, but it's just me, so I'll fill in the other qualities myself.

I'll give Dr. Boggan a Poetic Soul (his pottery, er, poetry, is very avant garde). I'll say he's got a Sporran of Doom. I want him to have a Big Slobbery Dog That Doesn't Listen Well. And, finally, Dr. McTeagle has a Bushel of Crabs. Good.

At this point I would introduce myself to the other Masterminds and tell them why I want to take over the world. So! Dr. McTeagle is, clearly, a Scot with a huge bushy beard. His evil lair is probably a seaside affair, but it's got a dentist's office (there's always time for dental hygiene and Dr. McTeagle takes great offense to the notion of dentists as villains; he's both and that's completely co-incidental!). He wants to take over the world because he's out there working his fingers to the bone getting all these advanced degrees and they keep raising the interest rates and the bank is just a bunch of crooks and WHAT'S ANOTHER THREE DAYS ON MY LAIR PAYMENT ANYWAY.

Ahem.

Right, next would be Nemeses, but that requires other people, so I'll skip it.

So, the next thing is to make a Minion, but like, all a Minion consists of a name and one item. No, really. I'm not necessarily making Dr. McTeagle's Minion; on the Minion turn I'd decide who I wanted to help. So, sure. My Minion's name is Bevis (not "Beavis" thank you very much) Jonkerputts. Bevis has a rubber fish that squeaks. It's probably a chew toy, but for a very large dog. Bevis talks slowly and seems quite dim, but he's actually capable of some startling leaps of insight if you give him a minute to squeak his fish.

And that's it! Everything else would happen in play.