Character Creation: Broken Earth

THE EIGHTH GAME OF XMAS, TWENTY-TWENTY-TWO,
IS BROKEN EARTH,
GOOD SOCIETY,
THEN MOONPUNK,
VISIGOTHS VS. MALL GOTHS,
PIRATES OF PUGMIRE,
THE TROUBLESHOOTERS,
THEN STAR-CROSSED,
AND THE FIRST ONE WAS THE ONE RING 2ND ED!

Greetings from the surface of fucking Pluto.

The Game: Broken Earth
The Publisher: Sneak Attack Press
Degree of Familiarity: Haven't played this, but it's Savage Worlds
Books Required: Broken Earth and some version of the SW rules

So, Broken Earth is a post-apocalyptic RPG in the vein of The Last of Us or Horizon: Zero Dawn (inasmuch as there's a lot of attention paid to humanity developing based on loss of pre-war knowledge, not so much the robot dinosaurs). There was a nuclear war, big-badda-boom, and the action all takes place in the upper Midwest - what was once Minnesota and some of southern Canada. There are three main communities that starting characters are asked to come from: the Axe-Tribe (a bunch of folks who worshipping spirits and mythological figures, including Paul Bunyan, whom they call "Palbun"); the Iron Shelter (folks who created a society in an iron mine and waited out the last century, so they know a lot about the pre-war world but almost nothing about what's happening now); and the Wright Company (a town formed by the enterprising and almost mafia-like Wright family). 

Honestly, it's all pretty baller. I read the book (and once again may I say that one of the things I love about most Savage Worlds properties is that they don't waste words - lots of setting packed into two chapters) in one sitting, and it's a rich and evocative world. It's got a tight focus but there's clearly a wider world out there. Definitely going on my "run me" list. 

For now, however, I picked this game for the "maids a-milking" slot because it takes people back to a pre-industrial society, so I figure milking cows would be a more common activity. 

Let's see, what kind of character would I like to make. Honestly there's a lot of cool possibilities; some people have psionic powers, there are "freaks" (a human offshoot species that's resistant to radition), and evolved chimpanzees called simians, all of which have potential. I think I want my character to be a former herder, someone who was trying to compete with the Wright Company in this one very small area, and who paid the price. 

Manis Hulder wound up taking over some farmland outside of Wright Town when the owner died, and quite by accident ended up with some milkable cows. In a year or two, he'd bought a couple more and hired on some folks to help care for them, and he was doing pretty well. And then one day, Jed Wright invited him to Wright Town to talk about maybe contracting with the Wright Company to get his milk better distributed. 

Jed didn't actually meet with him; he wound up talking with Jack Wright (Jed's brother) and having dinner, getting a little drunk, and getting sent home the next day with some vague promises and a bunch of Wright Fun-Bucks (the Wrights have their own currency, only good, of course, for their stuff). When he got home, he discovered that all of his cows were dead or gone, his staff was dead, and his home had been burned. Raiders, what are you gonna do? Never mind that the "raiders" didn't hit anyone else in the area. Never mind that no one saw anything, other than "raiders." Never mind that the Wright Company's milk production jumped in the weeks following. 

Manis gathered what he could and headed to Wright Town. Sure, ultimately he'd like to burn Jed Wright in his own bed, but for now it's about survival and staying under the radar, so Manis takes what work he can and bides his time. 

Cool, good start. So Manis is obviously human. As for attributes, let's do a d6 in Agility, Vigor, and Spirit, keep Smarts at d4, and bump Strength to d8. 

Skills! Now, Broken Earth is pre-SWADE, but that's fine, I can still use SWADE skill rules. That means I get a d4 in Athletics, Common Knowledge, Notice, Persuasion, and Stealth, and then I get 12 more points. 

Well, SWADE doesn't have a Farming skill (thank god), so I don't have to worry about that. I think I'd better take a d6 in Shooting and a d4 in Fighting. I'll bump Athletics to d8 (which eats 3 points). I'll put Persuasion up to d6, and buy a d4 of Repair. Riding is actually relevant here! I'll put a d6 there. Last two points for a d4 of Survival and a d4 in Thievery. 

Hindrances! I'll take Mild Mannered, for sure. I thought there was a Gullible Hindrance, but I guess not. I'll take Pacifist (minor), too. That'd be something that Manis would lose in play, I think, but he's a gentle soul. 

Oh, actually, instead of being gullible, let's say that he went too far the other way and take Suspicious as a Major Hindrance. People get a penalty to help me, which is a neat way to express that.

Four "points" to spend, ooh, plus I get a free Edge, forgot about that. I'll take Brawny, I think. Makes Manis a little bigger than I was thinking, but that's fine. And then I'll buy up Vigor to d8, and use the other two points to buy up Survival to d6 (because it's tied to Smarts). 

Gear, yawn. I get 500 "trade", so I'll blow 350 on a crossbow and the other 150 on a survival knife. Done and done.

Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 7 (because of Brawny), and that's all the derived stuff. 

Manis looks like he's from Minnesota. He's tall, blond, and seems like he should be more muscular than he is (food's scare, y'know). He's taught himself to question everyone, even - especially - if they're being nice, but the truth is Manis is a genuinely kind soul himself and doesn't really have it in him to be a total misanthrope (you'll notice he doesn't have Vengeful or Vow). This is probably why he's still alive - the Wright Company knew they could get away with what they did, and ironically that might be what pushes Manis over the edge someday. 

That'll do it! Back to hoping the power doesn't go out!