Character Creation: The Green Knight

Weird game, this. 

The Game: The Green Knight
The Publisher: A24 Studios
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: It's a boxed set, but just the one

Movie tie-in RPGs aren't unknown, though never exactly common. Mostly it's an RPG company buying the license from the studio, which is how we got stuff like World of Indiana Jones, Ghost Dog RPG, and so forth. But I don't know of any that were produced ahead of a movie as a marketing kind of thing. 

Anyway, I would have expecting a 5e type thing, or, failing that, something that's more obviously a D&D clone. Instead, The Green Knight is pretty explicitly mirroring the themes and experience of the movie, which is cool and all, but the movie is fookin' weird. Like, in a good way, but The Green Knight (which I recommend) is a good reminder that a lot of Arthurian mythology is, like most other mythologies, just bananas. 

The included adventure has the character dealing with the titular Green Knight, but the resolution system really cooks down to whether you get Dishonor or not. As such, it's not really a combat simulator like D&D or similar games, but much closer in spirit to an indie game. I think that's cool, and although the mechanics seem somewhat simplistic, it would still be interested to see it at the table. And making a character is pretty darned quick, so here we go. 

First thing, I need to pick a character type. Noble, Bard, Knight, Sorcerer, Hunter. Well, I usually default to magic users in fantasy settings, and the glimpse we got of Merlin in the movie was pretty cool, so sure, let's do Sorcerer. 

So, first off, I choose two Abilities. I can pick Courage, Might, Intellect, Cunning, and Charm. I think I want Courage and Charm, just because that's maybe not the most obvious choice for a sorcerer. 

And then I get 4 Skills. Skills are attached to Abilities, but I don't think I have to take Skills from the Abilities I chose. I'll take Mysticism (obvs), Authority, Vigilance, and Trickery. 

Now I get a Virtue and Vice. I want his Vice to be Proud, that's easy. Virtue...hmm. I'll take Temperate. That'll play nicely into my ideas for why he's in the pickle he's in.

I get a Special Move; I want Banefire. I can throw a damn fireball. Awesome.

And now I have to answer the questions three, which isn't mentioned during chargen but is obviously pretty important. Said questions are:

1.  Where were you when you met the Green Knight? My sorcerer, Accolon, lived in a stone cottage outside of the castle (the castle of whatever lord or king is appropriate, hardly matters). He met the Green Knight one afternoon when he was deep in study, and the Knight came knocking. Accolon was annoyed; he takes his studies seriously. 
2. Why did you strike down the Green Knight? The Knight made his offer to Accolon (duel me, you win if you hit me, but come find me one year hence and I'll do the same to you). Accolon knew a sucker's bet when he heard one, but he was proud enough to think that he could beat the Knight at his own game. He ignored his usual even-tempered nature and flung a fireball at the knight's head, burning it to a cinder. And then the ashes swirled up and reformed, and Accolon knew he was screwed.
3. What did you do in the year between then and now? Accolon has studied every text and scripture he can, looking for the true nature of the Green Knight. He's found so many legends of beings that might be the Knight, but nothing conclusive, and nothing he can use. The best he can do is go to the green chapel and meet his destiny.

I figure Accolon is obviously an adult man, but his age is hard to pin down. He's not old, but he reads as older than he is. He wears grey robes and walks with a staff, but clearly doesn't need it to get around. He's proud of his knowledge of magic, and hates the irrational fear that it engenders in people. 

And that'll about do it!