Character Creation: Monster Hunters' Club

BOGUS. (RIP Tom Noonan.)

The Game: Monster Hunters' Club
The Publisher: I guess Fabled Environments, although the cover of the book says "CCS Games" 
Degree of Familiarity: I mean, I've seen most of the recommend viewing and I know SWADE very well
Books Required: The Monster Hunters' Club book and SWADE

As may be evident, Monster Hunters' Club is a kids-on-bikes paranormal investigation sort of game in the same vein as Pinebox, TX Middle School and Home By Dark. It gives us a pretty detailed setting (that of Gulf Haven, AL), and, like other SWADE games that have you playing kids (including HPL Academy) has the character ranks correspond to years in school. Gut instinct says that if I were to run a game like this and wanted to use SWADE, I'd go for Pinebox rather than this, but I couldn't tell you why that instinct occurs. Really there's only minor differences between them; this relies more heavily on archetypes (and is like Tales from the Loop in that sense).

That's enough links for now, let's make a character!

Twenty-five archetypes, my goodness. It's pretty thorough, too. There are some questionable choices (like the Gentle Giant being named "Lenny" in the interstitial fiction), but I was able to recognize most of them from various of the source movies. I think I will lean into my proclivities and take the Storyteller archetype. This is meant to be a sort of Gordy LeChance type of character who tells his friends stories in order to inspire or bolster them, and believe it or not, that was kinda something I did on occasion as a kid. Let's name my li'l storyteller Shane Stout.

Right, now we just...follow the instructions! Keen. I start with a d4 in all my Attributes and I get 3 points to throw around (not as many, for I am smol). Obviously I'm gonna jack Smarts to d6 and Spirit to d8.

I get a d4 in Storytelling (Storytelling is an Arcane Background here, hence the special Skill) and then 10 points to distribute as I see fit. Do I get the normal start Skills? The book seems to suggest that we do, other than Riding (as in bikes) replacing Common Knowledge. OK, well, if that's the case, I shall put a point into Athletics, Notice, Persuasion, Stealth, and Storytelling to give me a d6 in each one. I'll put two points into Common Knowledge for a d6 there, and oh shit, just remembered that my Agility is only d4, so it'll cost me an extra point each for Athletics and Stealth. That only leaves me one more point. Let's put it into Academics. (I might bump my Agility to d6 and get those points back, but I don't have to make that decision yet.)

OK, I get the Kid (Major) Hindrance. I get I've Read About That! (+2 to all Common Knowledge rolls). I get the Loyal Hindrance, and of course I get the Arcane Background (Storytelling) Edge. And then I get to pick whether I improvise my stories or if I collect them from other sources. I think I'll do that latter; that was kinda my vibe as a kid. That gives me a +2 on Research rolls (guess I should take some Research), the Obligation (Minor) Hindrance (since I volunteer at the local library), and the Habit (Minor) Hindrance to represent my addiction to reading. 

Weirdly, the book wants me to do derived stats and gear before I pick more Hindrances, but come on. Unlike most SWADE characters, I can only take a Major or two Minor, not both. There are some good ones in the MHC book, so I'll take Bully Magnet (Minor) and Crush (Minor). Bullies like to mess with me because I'm an easy mark and I'm smart, and I have a crush on a girl at school. Her name is Cathy, she's a grade ahead of me, and she's just beautiful. And she's in the library a lot.

That lets me bump my Agility to d6, which frees up two Skill points, so I'll take a d4 of Research and a d4 in Survival (summer camps).

Pace is 6, Parry is 2 (no Fighting, as Shakira says) and my Vigor is 4. I shan't bother with Gear, but I do need to check out my Arcane Background. I start with 3 powers and 10 power points. I have to tell a story to use my powers and they affect anyone in range (my Smarts die), so it's mostly gonna be defensive or helpful powers. I'd love Ward, but that's Seasoned or better. Over to SWADE to see what I can take at Novice!

Well, I want Relief (lets me remove negative conditions on people). I think Speak Language would be really cool in real life, though I suspect its utility in game would be limited, but whatever, let's assume my hypothetical GM would be cool about that. And then how about Boost/Lower Trait? Lets me give a good pep talk, sounds good.

That's pretty much it! Shane is about average height and weight for his age (12, I think), brown hair that sticks up in back no matter what he does to it, blue eyes, very intense gaze and sort of weird prosody.