Character Creation: Showdown

August! Chargen! Here we go!

The Game: Showdown
The Publisher: Dark Omen Games
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: Just the one

Showdown is a two-player game in which you and a friend portray two people fighting to the death. The specifics are left to the players, but the meat of the game is going through flashbacks about their relationship and how everything got to this point. There are dice and cards (there's a special deck, but you can use a normal one, it looks like). 

It's not a million miles from One Shot, and probably pretty close to A Single Moment and/or Reflections. I like the game, the text is easy to follow, I just don't tend to be interested in two-player RPGs, but that's just me.

ANYWHO. First thing me and my hypothetical other player would do is decide on setting and genre and style. And I think it'd be fun to do a low-fantasy, thieves/assassins guild kind of thing. Like, the final battle isn't a full-on metal-on-metal swordfight, it's the two of us sneaking around a warehouse (or whatever) trying to get the drop on the other. That sounds fun.

So the first thing I do is come up with some general ideas and concept. I think my guy isn't a killer, he's a thief and a saboteur (and as such has probably been responsible for deaths), but he's not the "stab 'em in the throat" sort of guy. At least he think he's not (a lot of this game is changing your qualities and learning the truth about yourself). I'll say his name is Willet.

The next thing I do is come up with details. These are things that would be obvious upon meeting the character or that would be introduced quickly in the movie version. Will has a young face. He has a long scar across his throat, and as a consequence of that wound, a strained voice. Finally, he wears a short leather jacket covered in scratches and marks. 

Next up, I need a weapon that Willet will use to kill his opponent (or at least try). I picture him having twin boot knives. 

And then, Qualities. These are things that aren't obvious when looking at the character, and that are reflective of how Willet sees himself. They will also all change during a game. 

I know I want my first one to be not a killer. Following that theme, I'll say Willet thinks he's an honorable thief. Just to set myself up for crushing disappointment, Willet also thinks he is respected by the criminal class and unknown to the nobility. 

And that's it, cats n' kittens. Willet is ready to kill or die!