Character Creation: Out of the Blue

No point standing on ceremony.

The Game: Out of the Blue: The Buddy Cop RPG
The Publisher: Broken Razor Games
Degree of Familiarity: None; I read it this morning
Books Required: Just the one.

 

Out of the Blue seeks to take the buddy-cop genre and make it an RPG. The first issue to confront there, as I see it, is that those movies really only have two main characters, and the focus is on them. The RPG does that nicely by limiting it to the two cops and the Beat (not exactly a GM, since the game is more collaborative than that, but the Beat is the playing the opposition). The cops have 14 scenes (a week in game time) to solve the case and achieve their respective goals.

I rarely only have three people at my table, but with the right three people I can see this game being a lot of fun. Sadly, there is no character sheet, but there is a character creation system, so let's do it!

There are four types of cop: The Veteran, the Rookie, the Rogue, and the K-9. I don't feel like making a dog, I don't think. Hmm. Of the three other types, I think Veteran appeals the most - it'd be interesting to play someone like Alonzo Harris in Training Day, but maybe not quite so corrupt. Oh, more like Jack Vincennes in LA Confidential, then. Cool.

Now, the next stage would be to design the city, but that's really a group activity. I'd also answer questions - the questions are paired and in two columns, and I and the other cop's player would each answer one of a pair. So I'll just pick one from each column to answer.

What's your name and rank? Detective Sergeant Alford Sturm ("just say 'storm,' kid, it's easier"). He really doesn't like going by "Alford," but "Storm" sounds really hokey, so for god's sake, just call him "Al."

Where d'ya go to relax or reflect when the day is over? Diver's Bar (known almost exclusively as "the Dive"). It used to be a cop bar back when Al joined the force, and it's been steadily getting gentrified ever since. Fred Diver, the owner, married Al's sister Vera thirty years ago, and out of respect for her, he's kept the tiny corner booth that Al likes just the way it was, and kept his favorite whisky on the shelf.

What d'ya love or hate about the city you live and work in? Al hates that it changes. "Bad" neighborhoods had crime, sure, but they had personality. They had families. People knew each other, and there was respect. Criminals were often violent scumbags, yeah, but they were violent scumbags who took care of their families and brought cases of good beer to block parties. Shit gets gentrified, and now the criminals are gone, but we've got white-collar crime, and those guys are sociopaths.

And now, Skill ranks! I've got five Skills: Pursuit, Combat, Dialog, Bureaucracy, and Investigation. They're ranked 1 to 5, so I'll arrange them this way:

Bureaucracy 5
Dialog 4
Investigation 3
Combat 2
Pursuit 1

He's been on the force long enough to know where all the cracks in the system are and how to wiggle through them, and he's pretty good at talking people into giving up what they know. He's never been great at being a detective, but he's decent, especially with a more observant partner. He was once good in a hand-to-hand scrap, but arthritis, sciatica, and just plain old age have taken a toll (likewise for Pursuit).

As a Veteran, I get Ace in the Hole (which all cops have), Wisdom, and "I'm Too Old for this Shit!"

And that's actually it! I picture Al as being played by Brion James (who sadly cannot accept the role, as he passed away in 1999).

Him, but a little older.

Name: Detective Sergeant Alford "Al" Sturm
Role: Veteran
Skills: Bureaucracy 5, Combat 2, Dialog 4, Investigation 3, Pursuit 1
Abilities: Ace in the Hole, "I'm Too Old for this Shit!"
Wisdom: 10
Goal: Retirement