Character Creation: Rhapsody of Blood

Up there with Kult and kill puppies for satan in the "the title of this game would make Pat Pulling shit kittens" category.

The Game: Rhapsody of Blood
The Publisher: UFO Press
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: Just the one 

Rhapsody of Blood takes its cues from Legacy: Life Among the Ruins in that it's a PbtA game that has you creating both a faction and a character within that faction. It's more tightly focused; there's a castle, it reappears every generation, the factions (as expressed through their explorers; you create a faction and an explorer) go to infiltrate the castle and kill the Regent. But you can't really kill it; it reoccurs with the castle and your explorer might actually become the next Regent depending on how the dice fall. 

I like this game, actually. It's nicely focused, it's atmospheric, and it looks like it'd be good for short-term play. Reminds me of Lost Roads or The Last Caravan in some ways (though without the focus on travel, obviously). It also has a lot of the same vibes as Voidheart Symphony, by the same author, though Rhapsody seems to be a lot simpler.

Anyway! Standard method of chargen would be to play through a prologue using the founders of the various factions, but since it's just me I'm obviously not gonna do that. Instead I shall start with making a faction, make an explorer for that faction, and then piss off to the grocery store (and vote!). 

We've got five choices for the bloodline (that's the faction), and honestly this game handily passes the Chupp Test because I'm having trouble picking one. Let's roll a d5 and see what that gets us...the Holy Church. Hmm, wouldn't normally be my first pick, but it sounds totally workable.

Let's see. We need a name for our church. I like "The Bright Line," as "drawing a bright line between good and evil" or whatever. I think we'll lean into abjuration and protective rituals, but also harsh punishment for people who choose corruption (the Line very much believe it's better to die and let everyone you love die than it is to succumb to corruption). 

I get three options for Stats, and I want the one that has the Line as an offshoot of a larger church (more resources but less magicky stuff). That gives me Chalices 1, Swords 0, Coins 1, Wands -1.

Then I get to pick a Style, Lore, and Name for traditions of the Church. For Style, I want fastidious clerical garb. Not robes; I picture them wearing trousers with neat creases, hip-length coats that don't button, and white shirts that are, by tradition, never washed.

Lore: I'm gonna riff on one of the options ("accumulated folklore from your congregations") and say that the Line's lore is "reports and stories from adherents." Less folklore and more anecdotes, I guess, but very much a "look what our Church can accomplish" sort of vibe.

Name: I'm not 100% sure what I'm going for, here. The examples are "the virtue you follow, the mark you wear, your hope for the future" but how is that "name?" I'm gonna say ours is "no compromise with evil."

History I'll skip, because that requires other players. That's true of Pact as well.

The chargen section mentions Specialists, but I don't see that on the sheet. Hm. Well, anyway, I get two Bloodline Moves, and I get pick a refuge (a safe haven that my bloodline controls at the start of the generation). Let's do the latter first. Oh, "the home of a believer, where the faithful are waiting out the horrors," that's perfect. For the breach (the gateway into the castle from my refuge), we'll say "the burial catacombs and a crevasse that's opened them to the world." The catacombs are attached to this believer's house, but the horrors from the castle have ripped them open, so the usable bit of the house is much smaller.

Moves! I'll take...shield of faith and holy vanguard, both very much themed around protecting others from corruption. 

Neat! On to the explorer! The playbooks here are likewise cool, but Reckoner or Slayer are the best choices for my Church, and I think Reckoner sounds more interesting.

So! Stats! I get Iron -1, Glass 1, Sulphur 0, and Mercury 0, and I can add one to one of them. I think I gotta raise Iron to 0. 

Looks! Just a big ol' list. I think my guy is Masculine, athletic, Caucasian, and his name is Richter (it's one of the options, I dig it).

Motivation is listed in the chargen section, but it's not on the sheet. Grr. Anyway, Richter's motivation is pretty simple: Protect the congregants. If you're faithful, if you're unflinching and brave, you should be protected. 

Covenants we'll skill, since that's about relationships.

Gear! I get a weapon with one perk and one flaw. Richter's weapon is a big iron club, kinda like a kanabo. For the perk, it's very tempting to take holy, but I think I'll take stun (lets me stagger foes). For the flaw, I'll take brace (need to be one steady ground to use it; it's too heavy not to). 

I get an additional armament, I shall take protective gear (which gives me armor). I get two gears, I'll take chalks, paints and dyes (that's all one thing) and rations. 

Two moves, once again. I want true sight (I can always recognize illusions) and and next you'll say... (which lets me say what an opponent will do next and, if I succeed, set them up). 

And that's it! I think Richter is of average height and wears the typical neat-as-a-pin garb of the Bright Line, but the clothes belie how trim and strong he is (he can wield that club, after all). Weird casting, but I think Steve Carrell could play him.