Character Creation: Starguild

Feels weird not to have a "cold open" sentence, here, but I don't have much to say.

The Game: Starguild
The Publisher: Plane Sailing Games
Degree of Familiarity: None, I've read through most of it.
Books Required: Just the one.

 
I backed Starguild on Kickstarter, and picked it up last week to read it. The basic concept is "space opera noir," which is something I find really intriguing - I love noir and I think it could dovetail interestingly with the grandeur of space opera. Hell, there are moments when Star Wars inches close to noir (mostly involving Han Solo), though it never quite makes it.

With all of that said, Starguild doesn't quite evoke that as I read it. Now, I fully admit, I haven't played the game, which is really where the rubber meets the road as far as RPGs go. Reading it, though, it's structured like most other trad games and it feels more "sci-fi RPG" than "loving marriage of noir and space opera." But again, the best way to really get what a game feels like is to play it, so that's just a quick impression.

I will say, though, that the lack of a blank character sheet in the book is a weird omission. I have a character sheet, but it's a spreadsheet. Odd.

Anywhichway, let's make us a noir opera person!

The character creation process includes a running example throughout, thank you lawd.

Anyway, the first thing I need to decide is my level. That actually is a decision, because the text tells us that while most people don't have a level (meaning they're "level 0"), that isn't necessarily where a campaign starts. The example character, in fact, is level 2. I guess I'll start there as well, since I have an example to follow along with.

Next up is Ability Scores. There are 3 of them, Passion, Intellect, and Physique. I start with 0 in each (really, I start with +2 because of my level, but that's a later step) and I can shift points around as I wish to give myself as much as +5 or as little as -5. I should think about concept a little, maybe.

Well, if I'm doing noir and space opera, I could take a little dabble from each genre and see what comes up. If I take the dashing rogue from space opera and the corrupt cop from noir, that sounds fun (kinda like Denzel Washington's character in Training Day, maybe not quite that corrupt).

Sounds like my character would be strong in Passion and Physique, maybe not as much in Intellect, so I'll bust Intellect down to -2 and pump the other ones up by +1.

Now I do background, express as I'm a [talent] [profession] from [homeworld]. Talent first, then. Well, hey, Corrupt is a Talent! Booyah. That gives me 1 more to my Passion and the Bluff Edge in Swindler.

Profession is next. There's not a specific one for cop, but there are a few that would include cops - Gunslinger, Investigator, and so on. I want to be from a Core world rather than a Frontier one, so I'll pick Investigator.

Next up is Homeworld. I have to pick a Core world, and I think it needs to be from one of the Keron Federation; I don't see my guy as being from the Holy Republic (too churchy). Let's say he's from Halder, the most populous world - everything's tight and cramped and pickpocketing happens a lot.

Then I get a Relationship. In my case I get an Ally. I'll say that my Ally's name is Elddet. He claims to be of noble birth, but no one really buys that. He does, however, know a lot about nobles and how they work, and he's amazing at numbers and accounting and such, which is handy for folks who like to skim off the top.

I get Conviction equal to my level (2), and other than my name, that seems to be it. Folks in the Federation typically have surnames that indicate their profession or a family profession, but also a connection to a noble family. My guy's name is Jeffrey Judge ("Judge" is a family profession, and he's kinda like a judge) a Lorigga (connected to the Lorigga noble house through his mother's brother).

And then I'm level 2, so I can take 4 advances. Well, I want to be more dangerous, so I'll be trained in Aim and Brawl. I'll grab Specialties in Intimidation and Ballistic (under Coercion and Aim, respectively). And I'll increase my Social Saving Throw by 3 (I can talk my way out of anything).

Jeffrey is tall and stocky, keeps his hair perfect, but always has a bit of stubble. He's got steely eyes and a smile that just doesn't seem right somehow, but he's charming as hell. He wears his uniform when he has to, but he usually opts for street clothes and a conspicuous symbol of office.

And I think that's it! I could do an event, but it involves dice and I don't feel like figuring it out. Likewise, I ain't going shopping.