Character Creation: When the Woof Comes

All together now!

FOR THE TWELFTH GAME OF XMAS, TWENTY-TWENTY-FOUR,
TWELVE WOLVES A-COMIN' (wait, hang on...),
ELEVEN WORKERS HOLLERIN',
TEN SHIFTERS SHIFTIN'
NINE FIGHTERS PUNCHIN',
EIGHT HITLERS BLEEDIN',
SEVEN FAIRIES FLITTIN',
SIX GOBLINS GOBBLIN'
OH, FINE, GAME OF THRONES,
FOUR NESTING BIRDS,
THREE VELVET GENS,
TWO SONGBIRDS,
AND BARD THE RPG!

Actually, a bunch of the games I did for the 12 Games of Xmas this year wound up on the "run me" list, so that's cool. It's always nice when I read a game and think "ooh, this would be fun" rather than "ooh, glad I'm done with this." 

And what about the year generally? Well, fuck it. I mean, I've never really understood political theory or sociology. I'm interested in communication on a person-to-person level, but I've always rather suspected that anyone predicting what people (rather than "a person") are going to do is talking out of their ass for the most part. And after this year, I think I was more right than I realized.

Because I just do not get it. Yes, I'm talking about the election. I do not understand how in four years everyone got that much dumber. And sure, you can talk all you want about how disappointing Harris was about this or that, but the truth of the matter is that Trump will be - already is, even though he's not president yet! - so, so much worse, and we fucking know that because he had a chance already. And everyone just...kind of forgot that because back in the heady days of 2020 they think they had more money and that's Biden's fault somehow?

I was actually much more upset by this, and then I was in casual conversation with a co-worker, a woman with a Master's degree who lives a comfortable (economically speaking) lifestyle, but who works in education and will 100% be affected by the coming administration in one way or another...and she didn't know who the vice-president elect was. Like, she didn't know who J.D. Vance was, that he was an Ohio senator, that he had been elected veep. And at that moment, it kind of clicked. Most people don't know or care. I'm in an echo chamber not of people who lean one particular way politically (I mean, I am, because I don't wish to associate with people voting for literal fascists), but of people who bother to stay informed. And none of us know what's going on or what's going to happen, either! We all have our theories and our guesses, but we are all in the dark as much as anyone else. 

Years ago, I made a post on Facebook that I'm kind of proud of in which I posited that we build ourselves using whatever circumstances and materials we have to hand, and the process of building ourselves is a lifelong one. Some of us have help, some of us have guidance, some of us have light, some of us don't. Some of us have moments where someone comes in and kicks the work we've done apart. Some of us have done the kicking. We are all - all, even (especially?) the people who voted for this dipshit - in a place where we're about to lose something in that process, be it progress, light, materials, arrange the metaphor however you like. It's hard to be optimistic, but I'm finding it just as hard to be fatalistic because what I keep coming back to is "who the fuck knows anymore." 

So I'll keep doing what I've done for years now - do my job as well as I can, pursue my interests, take care of the people around me, and be prepared to use my privilege as a white man to help where possible and appropriate. I cannot fix the things I have done in the past, and I cannot repair the lies that others have told about me (and both of those things apply, thanks). All I can do is what everyone does - pick up the pieces and keep building. 

Speaking of building people...

The Game: When the Wolf Comes
The Publisher: Schwalb Entertainment
Degree of Familiarity: None, really, except with the game engine
Books Required: Just the one

When the Wolf Comes has some space opera, some Scandinavian neo-noir, alt-history, Norse gods, there's a lot going on, it's pretty cool. It was, like Velvet Generation, in contention for being played by the group that's now playing Wildsea. Like other Shadow of the Demon Lord games, it's a fairly simple d20-based system but with a fun level progression. 

Making a character starts out with choosing an Origin, and at chargen most of the decisions probably live there. There are 10 of them, and I don't have a strong preference, so let's let lady luck decide what type of torture's justified ("I'M PIT BOSS HERE ON LEVEL TWOOOOO!")

Ooh, deep-fried robot!

Anyway. Rolling a d10, I get a 7, which, counting down, gives me Járnviðjur, which are animal-cybernetic genetically created things used originally for war, but who are now mostly living on the fringes of society. What's interesting, though, is that they have a Frankenstein's monster thing going on, in that they are often cultured and educated and happy to be around others. They're just capable of fucking shit up when need be. Cool, sounds good to me! 

As is often the case, I can roll on some tables to generate some backstory, so I will! Background: You underwent extensive imperial deprogramming on Midgard. Ooh, that doesn't sound pleasant. Personality: Fearful, plagued by nightmares, the instinct is to run and hide when I scent danger. Sure, that tracks.

Religion: A quietly devout Kristinn. Well, that's a twist. I kinda like it, though. Bears noting that in this world, Christianity did arise in the same way but then the Church got the shit stomped out of it by the Norsemen, though they didn't destroy it because they don't much care if you worship one god over another. I like the idea that my guy's conversion to Christianity was the first major decision he made on his own - he was created to be a warrior, he was deprogrammed in Midgard, but he came to faith on his own. 

Age: Grizzled old-timer, 15-25 years old. Not what I was picturing, but I'm OK with it. 

Build: Immensely broad, with muscles like taut rope. Might and Size increase by 1. Neat! Appearance: Erm. I rolled "polycephalic," but I don't...want that. I'ma reroll that one. Short, flattened, nearly human face. Holy shit, I'm a giant mutant pug.

Now I get two Professions. I can't have Trade Professions, and I can pick them or roll them. Well, it feels like I should have a Military Profession, so I'll pick one of those. Sure, let's roll for it. Systems Engineer. Seems a little technical for a Járnviðjur, doesn't it? Maybe reroll. Quartermaster. That's still thinky-er than one would expect, but I kinda like it for this guy. Maybe he's got a head for rationing and resource management, and everyone just kinda shrugged and said "well, sure, he's kinda good at it and no one wants to do it, so yeah, put the big dog-monster in charge of the barracks." 

One more Profession. Shall we roll? Nah, let's just take Soldier, that makes sense. 

I speak Jötnar Brogue, that's easy enough. I roll for social class, and get freedman - I bought or won my freedom. That fits. I get basic clothing, a light weapon (I think maybe a hammer), backpack, bread, waterskin, flashlight (military issue, it's pretty scuffed), and a pouch with 7 pennies. I've basically got the fur on my back and not a lot else. 

And I think that's all but the shouting, let's put this together. I get Might 10, Sleight 11, Wits 8, Will 8. Awareness is Wits + 1, or 9, which is still crap (I'm taking penalties to a lot of these rolls, sadly). Defense is equal to Sleight, so that's good. Health is equal to Might (10), Healing rating is 2 (1/4 Health). Size is 2, Speed is 12, Power and Spirit are 0. No damage to start, but 1d3 Trauma and 1d3 Shame...1 and 2, respectively. I get the Quicksilver Gift, what does that mean? Ooh, when I'm grabbed or slowed, I can use my reaction to shed that condition and move a bit. That's pretty cool. 

I also get Night Vision (pretty self-explanatory), Pack Attack (if I'm near an ally when I attack I get a boon, or rather, a weal, on the roll), and Vicious Bite (if something hurts me I can use a triggered action to DO IT A CHOMP).

And that's all done but the shouting details, then. So, my guy's name is Flatface (I don't have a way to translate that into Norse, but it's the thought that counts). He was created as a brute or a soldier, like a lot of Járnviðjur, and then somewhere along the way he got made a quartermaster - someone had to do it, he was decent at it, whatever, he wasn't going to live long. But through a weird quirk of fate he wound up captured and deprogrammed on Midgard, to the point that he's barely capable of fighting anymore. He spent years in some kind of subservient role (probably related to his job as a quartermaster, like assistant butler or something) for years, because the people who owned him thought it was cute to have this gigantic dog-monster saying "YOU ARE OUT OF EGGS" or whatever. 

And then a passerby on the street gave him an illustrated kid's Bible (remember, he only speaks the one language and I doubt very much he's literate in Noor). He pored over it, and eventually came to believe that God apportions the blessings upon the universe in much the same way as a quartermaster. Could He...just make more stuff? Maybe, but maybe the other gods stop Him, or maybe He's got other reasons for scarcity and He's just doing the best with what He has, like all of us. In any case, it's up to us to help Him out by doing without when we can...and clearly these fuckers who own a living thing because they think it's funny aren't doing that. 

So Flatface saved his pennies, and eventually bought his freedom. And now he's out in the world again, and goddamn if it isn't terrifying. 

Flatface is very lorge, but his face and head are almost comically small by comparison. He's got red-brown fur and brown eyes. A lot of people assume he can't bite effectively, but he can, he just doesn't want to. He still has a couple of things left over from his time as a soldier (hammer, flashlight), and he could in theory use them, but he's not in touch with his violent side anymore.

Motivating him to go adventuring would be tough, and I think if I were playing him I'd rely on the other PCs to give him a reason to hang around. I also think he either wouldn't live long or he'd have an early arc where he undid some of his deprogramming and started on the Path of the Oathsworn, and then maybe Berserker or Housecarl.