Character Creation: IF02

Now that the hustle n' the bustle of Oscars is over, and I've actually managed to get some sleep, let's make a character!

The Game: Interface Zero 2.0
The Publisher: Gun Metal Games
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: The IF0 book and Savage Worlds core; this game uses Explorer Edition, I think

I haven't done a Savage Worlds game in a while - not at all this year, in fact - and the last one I did was Broken Earth as part of the 12 Games of Xmas. So I thought, why not do one, and hey, whilst I'm at it, tick another version of this game off the list (since I had three on there - 1.0, 2.0 (this one), 3.0 (the most recent one) and that's not even counting the d20 version I did way back in 2011). 

This version isn't honestly all that different than 1.0. It's got the same huuuuuuge history section, the same diversity of options (psychics! interplanetary stuff! cyberpunk street level shenanigans! hybrids!), and it grabs the Savage Worlds rules and tries to stretch them to be more like Shadowrun or Cyberpunk or something.

And I dunno. It just was not hooking me. Maybe it's because of this:

When you use the term "politically correct," it immediately makes me think you're trying to fulfill an obligation rather than actually considering whether the language you're using is appropriate and non-harmful. Like, dude, no one cares if you say "fuck." That's not a harmful term. It's (considered) profane, but it's not offensive to anyone in particular. But if you start using, say, any given racial or ethnic slur, that shit is harmful, that shit is offensive, even if, in context, it would be appropriate to use given a game's setting. 

Also, the little disclaimer there claims that the book is going to "talk politics" and "talk religion." Does it, though? There's a page, written in-character, that talks about tolerance and -isms, but it's not clear to me what point it's making, and it closes with the old fallacy (again, in-character) that atheism is an 'ism' too. Thanks, South Park. 

Anyway. If there's a larger and more challenging philosophical point here, I think it gets lost in the biomass. But whatever, I'm just gonna make a character. I said last time I did an IF0 character that I was going to cyber the hell out of the next character I made, so let's do that. 

As is typical in SW games, I start out picking a race. In this case, my race is cyborg. I want to play a character who kinda went all-in on replacing bits of himself with machines, perhaps because he's very into the whole "I hate my meat-suit" outlook. That means I get: 

Whew, that's a lot. Let's flip ahead to Augments since I get a free one. Has to be Strain 1 at Streetware level, but that gives me some options. One of them is a smartgun system, which raises my Wild Die on Shooting rolls to a d8, but nowhere in the book is a "smartgun" defined. Sure, from the context I can suss it out, but c'mon now. I do want that, though. I think I'll just lean in to my cyborg being a killing machine, and in Savage Worlds terms, maybe I make him good at clearing out mooks since they just require one hit.

Right, moving on. Traits! The usual in Attributes, everything gets a d4 and then I have five more points to throw around. Well, if I'm thinking I'm gonna be shooty, I'll dump three points into Agility, one each into Smarts and Vigor. That leaves Spirit and Strength at a d4, but I might shore up one or both of them later. 

Skills! This game has a specialization system that I'm going to ignore. This is also pre-SWADE, so I don't get the basic Skills, just 15 points straight up.

Well, 4 points into Shooting gives me a d10. Driving d6 sounds appropriate. Fighting d6, sure. I want a d8 in Notice. That's 11 points spent already. Two each into Stealth and Streetwise, I think. 

Occupations! Basically just that; they're your job between runs and give you credits from your "normal" work. Pizza delivery driver is on here, because of course it is. 

Well, Ganglander appeals, but then there's this:

Must be some of that "politically incorrect" stuff they were talking about. Bleah. 

Christ, this is annoying. Most of the occupations have Edges as prerequisites, but then the Edges also have prereqs. Folks familiar with SW rules know that we only get one free Edge...maybe not even that, I don't know if Cyborgs count as human. Nope, they don't. Fuck. So basically most of the listed occupations aren't gonna work. You know what, screw it. I'm taking Layabout. My guy just doesn't have a job between jobs, so he's pretty much gonna go gig to gig. No prereq there, but no bonus either, so just a wasted step. Moving on. 

Edges, Hindrances, and so forth. I can take the usual 4 Hindrances (1 Major, 2 Minor) and then use the resulting "points" on Edges or Skills or Attributes. Well, I'll take Bad Reputation as a Major Hindrance, because clearly my guy has a criminal record already. I'll take Bad Street Cred as a Minor Hindrance, probably tied in with the Bad Rep Hindrance. I think my guy got pinched and plea-dealed his way down to something manageable, and clearly didn't snitch on anything too important (or else he'd be dead), but he's still wet paint to a lot of folks. 

Ooh, and then how about we take Nano-Virus? That lowers the Wild Die with a particular Skill to a d4. Let's say it's Fighting. My guy is skilled at gun-play, and he's ok in a hand-to-hand fight, but the software tends to glitch. 

Cool, got my four points. I know I want Chromed; I get 15,000 credits I can only spend on Augments. I'll spend 2 and bump my Strength up to d6, and I'll spend the other two on Skills (d4 in Repair, d4 in Intimidation). 

Ugh, now I gotta shop. I get a varying number of credits depending on where the GM would want to put me, and heaven help me, I think this character - unemployed when not chasing gigs - makes most sense as a gutter punk. I think he's the definition of a big fish in a small pond; better equipped than some folks at his pay grade but still very much at his pay grade. So that means I get 5000 credits and nothing free for Augments (though I do get the 15,000 from my Edge). 

Well, armor is useful, so I'll blow 3500 on an Urban Punk Gecko suit. Feels like I oughta have a gun or two, huh? Problem is, I'm very low on cash. So let's say he's got WT Long Barrel and a Street Talker 6mm, both handguns, for now. That leaves me with 100 credits, which is pretty sad. On to Augments!

I have 15,000 credits here, and the cost is a base amount (depending on the quality of the gear) x the Strain. I shouldn't go over 6 Strain, so there's that. Streetware grade augments are 5000 per Strain, so basically I can take 3 Strain worth of stuff at that grade. Sounds good. 

Well, I want a Cyber-arm, I think? That gives me strain equal to the number of modules. Do I just wish to dump all three there? Eh, I'll just take two. His right arm is completely cyber'd, and for the modules, I'll take cyber-tools (+2 Repair, useful for fixing myself up) and a Firearm (doy). That leaves me one more augment at 1 Strain. I'll take Personal Airbags, because it halves damage from falls, and if you're going to climb walls, it's wise to have a way to avoid the worst of gravity's retribution. 

And that's actually it! We'll say my guy's street name is Possum - falls out of trees and plays dead, y'know. He was kind of an up-and-comer in the world of street assassination and gang-clearing, and then there was that whole "botched job" thing. He played dead, plead down, didn't really snitch (but it depends who you ask), and now he's trying to claw his way back up, but it's slow going and there are probably people out there who would shoot him if they had a chance and a spare bullet. 

Possum, for his part, is a boring-looking white guy white brown hair, brown eyes, and the standard off-the-rack cyberlimb. He hasn't customized it much because he's trying to get shed of his reputation before he builds too much of a brand, but that might not work well. And he'll take basically any job he's qualified for if it'll help build up the ol' street cred. 

That'll do it!