Character Creation: Cthulhu Dark

I do love well-done Mythos games. (Spot the subtle implication.)

The Game: Cthulhu Dark
The Publisher: Graham Walmsley
Degree of Familiarity: None with this game, played a bunch of Mythos games
Books Required: Just the one

I mean, I shouldn't say (or imply) that. There's a lot to like about Cthulhu Dark, apart from the fact that it sounds like a stout from a brewery that's way too pleased with how nerdy it is. The system is so simple that I felt like I missed something when I read it, and there's not only a lot of advice on writing horror scenarios and running horror games, but a fairly comprehensive and very digestible explanation of lots of Mythos-related threats and characters. Plus four fleshed-out settings. 

I just...I don't know. The game part of the game feels simplistic, but maybe that's not bad? Reading it, I just kind of feel like it'd be more useful as a supplement or launchpad to, say, Trail of Cthulhu or tremulus than a game on its own. But that's probably fine, right? (I'm tempted to do the more recent Cthulhu Hack next and see how that works.)

Anyway, gonna make a character. It doesn't take much, because there are no stats. In play, you roll some d6s, and by default you don't fail at anything unless someone thinks failure would be interesting, in which case you add a Failure Die and if that comes up higher than anything else, you fail. There's also an Insight die tied to your Insight rating, and if that rating gets too high you go bananas and leave play. Like I said, pretty simple.

So what setting do I want? There's one set in London of 1851, but the sample scenario is something I would probably X-card out of hand so nah. But the one set in Arkham, Massachusetts in 1692, that's something I can get behind. So let's do that. The hook for the scenario assumes the characters gave evidence in a witch trial that resulted in the execution of a family. The scenario tells the GM to make sure the PCs have a relationship with one Christopher Miles, and with the Ingham family, but that probably isn't necessary for my purposes. 

One of the few descriptors for characters in this game is occupation, and the book handily describes a bunch appropriate to the setting. I rather like this idea of being an engraver and specializing in wood, rather than metal. 

So: My character is Giles Carter, the son of George Carter, a local carpenter. Giles meant to follow in his father's profession, but when he was young he was thrown from a horse and broke his leg badly. He eventually recovered enough that he can walk, more or less, but doesn't have the mobility he'd need to do the kind of work his father does. He does, however, have extremely good hands and as long as he has somewhere to sit, or the custom stander his father made him (so he can reach doorjambs), he can do some pretty intricate engraving. 

So that's name and occupation sorted. I need a specialty, something within Giles' professional wheelhouse that he's good at. I'll say Symbolism - Giles is good to finding ways to say a lot with a few sentences, and the reverse of that (figuring what symbols might mean) is a nice bonus.

For Personality, I'm meant to pick a single positive adjective; I'll say Giles is humble. For his Flaw, I'll say it's his disabled leg. He can't walk without a crutch, and some days it hurts too much to even do that. 

Giles is now 20 and he's gotten quite used to people talking about his "cross to bear" or whatever. He manages to get away with some more subversive carvings because he can play to sympathies, but he tries to be careful not to piss anyone off - it's not like he could run. Giles is clear-faced, light brown hair and blue eyes, with maybe a few freckles on his cheeks and nose (his sister Rebecca got the motherload of freckles, so Giles feels he got off light there). 

That's it, then!