Character Creation: Good Strong Hands

Cronch, cronch, says the Rock-Biter.

The Game: Good Strong Hands
The Publisher: Nerdburger Games
Degree of Familiarity: None, yet
Books Required: Just the one

Since this game is presently nominated for an Ennie, and since it's already been on my one-shot list once, I figure I'll give this one a go. 

Good Strong Hands takes inspiration from The Neverending Story (as is obvious to any Gen-Xer in the audience), and initially I was thinking it was a little thin - it's about the land of Fantasia Reverie and the Nothing Void coming to consume it. But then I read the list of inspirations, and in addition to the things I expected (The Neverending Story, Chronicles of Narnia, Willow, Labyrinth) I also found Annihilation, which threw me for a bit of a loop. It's perfectly in-theme, though, and I think if I were running this game for an adult group (as opposed to a group including my son), that's the way I might lean.

In any case, though, let's make a character! First thing is to choose a playbook. I'm torn between Paragon (an animal that is the fabled, Platonic ideal of its species; Aslan fits here) or a Redcap (Scottish folklore represent!). I think I'll go Paragon, because I had an idea for a snake character and it'd be an interesting twist. 

So that's my playbook. Now I divide 9 points into Body, Mind, Charm, and Heart. 2 is Average, 3 is above Average. Grr. I don't really see this snake as having anything below average, which means I pretty much have to go 2/2/2/3, so what gets the 3? I think Charm.

Now I pick two Specialties. My choices are Fighting, History, Leading Others, and Void Knowledge. Well, I think History and Void Knowledge, thanks.

Talents! I get one automatically - Eternal Shepherd. I can speak to other snakes, other snakes will defer to me, and when I die I can spend 3 Spirit and reincarnate. And then I get one more. 

Hmm. I like Channel Friendship, which would allow me to choose another character's Talent every morning and use it for that day, but I also like Void Sense. I think I'll go with Void Sense; kinda fits the "forbidden knowledge" vibe I've got going.

No Corruptions to start with, so skipping that. Fears! I think fear of cold makes sense, seeing as how I'm a snek and all. I guess a fear of burlap sacks is probably too narrow. How about a fear of heights? Clearly I'm not a tree snake, then, but that's fine. Oh, wait, no, open spaces. Nowhere to hide, too many blind spots.

Anchors! I get three of these, and they're basically just character traits. I'll take Wise, Subtle, and Flexible. 

That's pretty much it, other than name and description and stuff. The snake's name is Salem. Salem is a constrictor snake, very long and thick, rather like an anaconda. He's striped (greens and browns) with a yellow underbelly, and has deep blue eyes. He has a habit of wrapping around people when he's talking to them, but not, y'know, in a squeezy way.

I picture Salem as getting more predatory and scary as the Void takes hold, if it does, but always pretty much knowing more about the Void and the cycles of Reverie than he really wants to. He's got a very "I know I could just burrow into the warm places in the earth and sleep this out" vibe to him, and I dig it.