Character Creation: Moonpunk

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

Lacking games about geese, I instead took inspiration from what a lot of us think of when we think of the big honkin' bird in question: 

As such, I was looking for a game with some fight-the-establishment kind of vibes, and came up with...

The Game: Moonpunk
The Publisher: Wannabe Games
Degree of Familiarity: None with this game, quite a bit with PbtA in general
Books Required: Just the one

Moonpunk feels very much like Misspent Youth in a lot of ways; you're playing characters who are, by dint of their circumstance, under the thumb of the Authority (which is even what the GM is called). It doesn't focus on teenagers, of course, and there's a specific setting. We're on the moon (but are not whalers), and are under the thumb of the powers-that-be. There's a lot of discussion about what exactly being "punk" is, which I appreciate, since a lot of times the suffix -punk gets appended to something to mean...we're making an RPG about it, I guess? 

Anyway! Let's make a whaler moon-punk. (Yes, that song does get stuck in my head every time I think about this game.)

As is often the case for PbtA games, I must first pick a playbook, and there are quite a lot of them. Going with my theme of chaos and persistent mischief as inspired by Untitled Goose Game, I think Mutant works (they have a move that lets them rile people up). 

So! I have already picked my playbook, so now I pick my moves. I get three specialty moves: mutation, support structure, and rise from hardship. The only decision I have to make here is the specifics of my mutation, and I think I'll lean in to my goose-ness and say that my guy's upper and lower mandibles have protruded out, and that he doesn't have front teeth, so it looks like he has a beak. That fucks with his articulation sometime fierce (and if I were going to play this character, I'd take the time to do a deep dive into which sounds would be affected and how), but for now, we'll just say he has the tag unnerving. 

As for playbook moves, I get two. I already know I want poke the pig, which lets me piss people off to manipulate them. I will also take Hey, Fuck You!, which gives me +1 forward when I directly stand up to oppression in public. 

Although it's not listed in the steps of chargen (boo), I need to pick a stat line. I think we'll go with the bottom on: +1 Presence, -1 Cool, +1 Smarts, and +2 Bones. 

I'm not gonna worry about Links because I don't have a group, but I do need to consider ethos. Ethos, of course, is my punk's moral and philosophical framework. So let's think about his experiences. 

He is disturbing to look at, and to hear. His voice has a sibilant, hissing kind of quality and he has trouble making any sound that requires lip closure (or even involvement; I can't imagine his /f/ or /v/ sounds are very clear). I'm sure that's given him a chip on his shoulder, and couple that with the implied and literal violence that the Authority is willing to employ, and his ethos is best summed up as "peace was never an option." 

I don't start with any gear, which is fine. I'll steal what I need. My guy's name is Sil (it's actually William, and his folks tried to call him "Bill", but a) he's incapable of making a /b/ sound and b) it's an unfortunate name when you think about his face). 

Sil keeps his head and face shaved, to draw attention to his mouth. He wants people to look, because not only is this him, but also it's what the Authority does to him and all mutants. He's capable of keeping his mouth shut but not really capable of playing nice with the Authority or representatives thereof, because he knows that they will never do the right thing without a gun to their head. 

I suspect Sil is either going to burn out or sell out, and either would be a fun ride to play.