Character Creation: Scofflaws (FAE)

It's Pride month, so a game that encourages us to do crimes (whether or not we're being gay at the time) seems appropriate. 

The Game: Scofflaws (Fate Accelerated Version)
The Publisher: Vajra Enterprises
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: I think the Scofflaws book is all I need, but I have Fate Accelerated should it become necessary

I made a character for the ORC version of this game a couple of months ago (well, I guess closer to six months ago), and but for the system, the game is the same, but since the systems are different books it qualifies as a separate game for purposes of this project. (You know, using my totally self-imposed and arbitrary rules.) If anyone reading this (lol) really wants to know the game's setting and backstory, click that link, I summarized it in the first character. 

So basically I'm making a Scofflaw, a person who is a criminal but probably doesn't want to be one. I need a concept to start us off. Well, last time I grabbed a song, so let's do that again! 

That's "Johnny Sunshine" by Liz Phair. Huh, I don't know that I've had a Liz Phair song come up, which as I think about it is too bad because her songs (particularly off this album) have some great lyrics to inspire characters. Anyway, I'd never really listened to that song's lyrics before, but holy shit. That song is about being hard done-by by a man who apparently is well aware of what he's doing ("you killed the cat/burned it in antifreeze"). I don't feel playing the titular Johnny Sunshine, but suppose we play someone more like the protagonist of the song, who winds up living in a box because of what Johnny did. Let's name our character Farley Liston, and say that his boyfriend basically stole his money, trashed his credit, and burned their house. Farley, in a moment of rage and desperation, shot the sonofabitch, and of course wound up in jail for it. Good start, let's move on to Aspects!

High Concept is, as ever, the character's basic vibe. For Farley, I think his most important Aspect is he got burned and he snapped. I suppose I probably should think about what he did before that, though. Eh, actually we'll just say he was like a customer service rep or something boring like that; his job isn't the most important part and never was. His High Concept is Decent Guy Pushed Too Far. 

Trouble Aspect feels like it should involve Johnny. Actually let's say Johnny's still alive, and he holds a grudge because of course he fucking does. I picture Johnny kind of like Sam Rockwell's character in Seven Psychopaths. Anyway, Johnny Sunshine is a perfectly good Trouble Aspect. The memory of him could be used to compel as easily as the actual dude.

Next we have the Dt$ Aspect, which is what people on the eponymous dating app would say about Farley. I think they'd say he's Pretty Intense. 

And then we have two free Aspects. (Rather, the next one is the "Something Interesting" Aspect.) I think Farley Organized a Babershop Quartet in Prison (he sings baritone mostly comfortably). That covers a lot, actually - Farley can sing, he can get people to show up for rehearsal and work together, and he can take a punch (because 100% someone tried to kick the quartet's ass at some point).

Finally, we'll say that Farley Sleeps with One Eye Open. I like the idea of Farley being paranoid and on edge, but that'd also be a good compel if the GM wanted him to, say, nod off at an inopportune time.

And now, Approaches. Same as usual: one at Good, two at Fair, two at Average, one at Mediocre. Well, Mediocre can just get right the fuck into Careful. Forceful gets the Good. Quick and Sneaky get the Fairs, and that leaves Clever and Flashy at Average, which is about right.

Refresh and Stunts. Again, usual drill for Stunts. Let's see. I think Farley needs a combat Stunt to reflect his time in slam. Let's give him Sucker Punch: Because I did time in prison, I get a +2 to Forcefully Attack if I throw the first punch. 

I think Farley has also Seen Some Shit: Because of what Johnny did, I get +2 to Carefully Defend against emotional attacks.

And finally, we'll give him a stunt called Bug Out: Once per session I can escape a scene with no immediate consequence, or spend a Fate point and have all present allies escape with me. 

I get 14 stars to split up between the nine different apps. Where is Farley going to be most successful? Well, I figure Al1b1 isn't going to be his jam (he's not going to help someone gaslight their partner, thanks). But Humili8r is very much up his alley, as is Go4. I'll put three each into Humili8r, one more into Go4, and my last one into Dt$ (turns out there are people who kinda like his intensity).

And that's it, kids. Farley is just shy of six feet, strongly built (but not as jacked as some guys get in prison). He never got any prison tats, but he's got a huge sunburst on his back that Johnny made him get. He hasn't gotten it removed (it's good work and like, he can't see it anyway), but he did get the words "Ain't No" on his right forearm and "Sunshine" on his left. 

Dragon Age: The Finale in Which No One Got Stabbed

No, really.

When we last saw our infamous group of intrepid ijits, they were on a boat to Rialto, for a brief stopover on their way to Llomerynn. Pulling into the docks, they have a quick convo about their plans.

Sinda wants to get off the boat, stretch legs, get a bite to eat, but Vedi, ever the Chronic Overthinker, wonders if this is wise. The four of them discuss the possibilities, and Kalendra says she needs to go ashore and refill her tea stashes anyway (and she like to buy tea in new cities; it's kinda how she experiences the world). Nakkim is all for it, being an adventurous sort anyway, and Sinda talks Vedi into it with his infectious brand of optimism ("Everything Will Be OK"). 

They do decide against splitting up, however. They go ashore and immediately note that there's a guard presence, but that's not necessarily abnormal. One of the guards notices Vedi (Qunari aren't subtle and there aren't many of them around) and questions him, but Kalendra steps in and gets the guards talking about tea. Sinda (keeping his hood up, since he's not sure if he's still wanted here) asks if that nice little tea house down the block is still open, and the guards say that it is, though the proprietor's kids run it now. 

Kalendra keeps the guards talking while Vedi and Sinda dip into an alley, and they all meet up at the tea house. Kalendra buys her stuff, and then Sinda suggests finding a dive bar. "What's the difference between a dive bar and normal bar?" Vedi asks. "The odor," answers Nakkim.

They do indeed find a dive near the docks, and Sinda buys a bottle of cheap booze and a basket of fried...things. He gets back to the table about the time Kalendra is warning Vedi not to eat the food in a dive bar, but Sinda doesn't seem bothered by the fried...objects ("they're...chewy. Huh"). Sinda also explains that if you hear the telltale "ert" noise of a barstool being kicked back, there's about to be a barfight.

Vedi asks about how involved one should get in such things and how lethal they are, and Sinda says that while barfights do tend to spread, the best thing to do is to back up and watch, and if you do get involved, don't escalate (that is, punching is fine, but if someone pull out a weapon things have officially gone to another level). There is a barfight while they're there, but it's pretty pathetic as these things go (seems to be an argument over what one man said about another's sister, but they're so drunk they don't do more than aggressively hug).

The wanderers end the night at a roadside establishment that sells fried legs of some kind, probably turkey, glazed in honey and spices, and they head back to the ship as the tide rises. The climb aboard, having managed to avoid trouble, and the ship sails on to Llomerynn, the worst behind them. Maybe we'll catch up with them later, when the worst manages to find them.

FIN

Dragon Age: A Quick Check-In

Last night we played Dragon Age, for the first time in forever, as the song goes. It was quick, which is just as well, because today is Oscars Eve and I have shit to do. 

Our heroes, having successfully pulled off the heist of the magical (?) breastplate, plan their next move. Lucanis Della Morte (whom Sinda refers to as "the anus guy") is still on their tails (on their butts, you might say) and they need to move along. They decide to pull a bit of a bait-and-switch. 

Kalendra uses the little coin they found during the heist to hire a carriage to take four people further east, inland, and spreads word that that's where the four of them are going...but here's the clever bit, they don't actually get on the carriage! Instead, they quietly sneak out of town at about the same time and head south, toward Afsaana. 

They camp for the night near the coast, and Sinda rustles up some cockles, which Kalendra then cooks for them ("you can just eat them raw," notes Sinda, and Vedi obligingly pops one into his maw whole). They take watches, but nothing of note happens since they're actually being subtle, and in the morning they head into town.

Kalendra finds them a nice spot to get some lunch, where they can see and have escape routes, and Sinda works the crowd as a cutpurse (everyone is concerned that he's going to attract attention, seeing as how he's an Antivan Crow Washout, but apparently pick-pocketing wasn't what he washed out for because he comes back with some fat coin purses).

Nakkim goes and hires them passage on the Belle of the Ball, a cargo ship bound for Rialto and then on to Llomerynn (Kalendra's home town). The captain pretty much tells them to stay out of the way and everything will be fine, and on the morrow they find themselves sailing into Rialto! Which, coincidentally, is Sinda's home town. He offhandedly mentions that he's pretty sure he's not still wanted in Rialto.

"Wanted for what?" inquires Nakkim.

"I can't remember if they draw a distinction between murder and manslaughter in Rialto," Sinda muses. "It was a kind of quick-draw sort of bet, and I missed, and the guy was the brother or boyfriend or cousin or something of a town bailiff. It was real messy. But Rialto's a fun town, we should-"

"NO," says Kalendra. "We'll get off to get supplies, but we're not getting off to do fun stuff because we're not going to be in port that long."

"Fine," sulks Sinda. The Belle pulls into Rialto, and this promises to be a quick, easy stop with no surprises.

Character Creation: Arcanes Majeures

Time to bust out the ol' Tarot cards!

The Game: Arcanes Majeures
The Publisher: Mindermast Game Lab
Degree of Familiarity: Ain't played it, but it's Fate Accelerated, which I know pretty well
Books Required: Arcanes Majeures (for certain values of "book"), Fate Accelerated, and a Tarot deck

In contrast to the previous entry in this project, which I know why I waited so long to do, I'm not sure why I haven't done a character for this before now. It's FAE, which I know, it uses Tarot, which I love, and it's only 9 pages long. Oh, well, we're here now! 

So! The setting is basically early 16th Century Western Europe, some gunpowder, some mechanics, and magic, but magic is very ritual-y. As written, you always use Careful as the approach for magic, but Arcanes (the PCs) also have some limited Tarot-based magic. This includes divination; if a character has a Tarot deck, they can pull a couple of cards to "see the future" and then use those cards to create a scene Aspect later, which I really like (divination in RPGs, in my opinion, works best when it's used as an excuse for a bonus later rather than literally trying to predict the future). 

High Concept and Trouble Aspect are also done a little differently; we draw a Tarot card from the Major Arcana and use the normal interpretation as the High Concept and the inverted interpretation as the Trouble. I have my trusty Rider-Waite deck right here, so let's see what I get!

The Hermit! The usual interpretation is prudence or caution, patience, potentially isolation. The reversed meaning can be either impulsivity or an overabundance of caution (overthinking things). 

Well, since gunpowder is a relatively new thing in this setting, I think I'll lean into the meticulous, cautious side of the Hermit and say my guy is an explosives expert (side note: I'm not going through full setting creation for this project and there's not an example of setting creation, boo, so we're keeping things pretty generic on that front). For no particular reason, I'm gonna name him Gibil after the Mesopotamian god of fire, and say his High Concept is Cautious and Steady Gunpowder Expert. For his Trouble Aspect...I dunno. Overthinking things is great and all (and frankly a lot of gamers do it anyway), but it doesn't always make for good at-the-table play because it tends to slow things down. I think instead I'll say Gibil has a tendency to under-do things, make his bombs or explosives weaker than they should be, because You Can't Make An Explosion Smaller, after all.

Three more Aspects, two of which are supposed to represent his journey to become an Arcane and one of which involves another Arcane (by default, a PC) that I've crossed paths with. Well, I have this Tarot deck right here, so let's draw and see what shakes loose.

Seven of Pentacles is about dreaming, but dreaming with ambition, and working and investing to realizing that. I'll say that Gibil is an Early Adopter, not just of gunpowder but of whatever tech or innovation starts to take hold. That means he gets taken for a ride sometimes when something doesn't pan out, but it also means he's on the cutting edge.

Ten of Wands tends to me over-committing or carrying too much on one's own. Gibil is the kind of person who never seems to realize how much he has on his plate or how much time everything is going to take, but the flipside of that is that he's known as a guy who will help out, because he Never Says No to a Project. 

And the next Major Arcana I draw is the Magician. Let's say Gibil's fly-by-night business partner, Hamish (yes, we went from Mesopotamian to Scottish, what of it) is just as talented with magic as Gibil is with explosives, but he's much less disciplined and prone to casting rituals before he's really worked out the kinds. Gibil often says Hamish's Magic Will Be the Death of Me. 

That's Aspects, then! On to Approaches. Obviously Gibil's highest one should be Careful. I'll put his two Fair Approaches in Flashy (I mean, he does make explosives) and Clever. I'll put the Averages in Forceful and Sneaky, and that leaves Mediocre in Quick.

Stunts! Since Gibil's not going to be going first in most exchanges, I feel like I want him to have a way to pack a punch. Let's give him a stunt called Flash-Bang: Because I carry small explosives I can attack every opponent in a zone, but I have to act last in the exchange.

Gibil has money, too, so we'll give him a stunt called Well-Off: Because I'm wealthy I get a +2 to Cleverly Create an Advantage by buying goods and services.

And, finally, let's lean into my Hermit nature and take a stunt called Think It Through: I get a +2 to Carefully Overcome an obstacle if time is not a factor.

Gibil is in his 40s. He's got black, curly hair and a full beard that's graying a bit in places. He wears well-made clothes, but isn't one for flashy colors or accoutrements. The exception is his gold pocketwatch; it was a gift from a horologist who has just started using a new method of making parts, and Gibil loves it, but such watches haven't really caught on in the city yet.

And that'll do it! I might run this at some point; we'd have to fill in some gaps, but when don't we?

Dragon Age: Can't Have "Heist" Without "Ice"

Last night we returned to the world of Thedas, and in a twist, nobody got stabbed!

Our heroes (so to speak) arrive at the town of Ayseleigh, on the eastern coast of Rivain, in a little bay on the southern end of this rather oddly shaped nation. The intent is not to spend a lot of time here - they're planning to get Veddi to the colony of Qunari up north, and there are already people on their tail. Kalendra, native to this country if not this town, sends the other three on to find lodging and goes to check in with her fellow Tempests.

Her local lodge-master, Spyke, informs her that their little incident crossing into Rivain has raised some eyebrows, and Lucanis Della Morte is either on the way or sending folks. They have probably 36 hours, to be safe. Kalendra says that's fine, they just need to rest, resupply, and hit the road.

Meanwhile, the other three - Sinda, Veddi, and Nakkim - have found a tavern called the Roasted Spud ("why don't fantasy settings have potato-themed pubs more often?"). Kalendra finds them fairly contented; Sinda is digging into his third bowl of fish chowder ("this is amazing. It sticks to the ribs"), Nakkim makings eyes on the bartender, Lila, and quaffing the house ale, and Veddi nibbling a raw potato cautiously. She tells them the situation and there's a brief discussion about how to proceed - overland or get a boat - but Veddi says he would prefer to take the faster route (overland). If anyone comes for them, well, so be it. (It is possible that Veddi has something of a chip on his draconian shoulder.)

But then Sinda reminds them that they have a lead on a treasure here in Ayesleigh - the fabled Breastplate of Berengran (which he variously refers to as the "Breastplate of Bears," the "Bearstplate," or the "Bear's Plate" if he's not paying attention). Kalendra points out that stealing from rich people is, while lucrative, the sort of thing that draws notice which is the thing they don't want to do. Sinda counters, however, that a) it would be fun and b) they promise not to steal anything that needs to be fenced. It's a rich dude's house, they'll just steal the breastplate and any loose cash or easily tradable valuables. Kalendra can't fault this logic, so they start preparing for a heist! And shopping!

They secure rooms at the Spud, and then split up into the town's markets. Sinda gets his knives sharpened, Kalendra goes to buy tea, Veddi gets a new cloak cut (his is a tatterdemalion pieced together in prison), and Nakkim asks around about the house they're going to hit. It turns out that some years ago, a team of thieves tried to steal the Breastplate, but none of them were ever heard from again. However, there's no reports of guard activity at that house, so the security seems to be internal, lock-based, that kind of thing. 

The characters reconvene and talk this through. Sinda suggests a daring ice-based water approach, but that gets shot down as being impractical. But, there is an entrance to the house from the beach (kind of a loading dock), and Sinda notes that there's a species of dolphin native to this bay that "sings" at night, making a lot of noise that might cover any that they make getting in (creating the advantage Loud Dolphins; I love FATE). They flip up their hoods and head for the house!

(As a side note, one of the things I love about a gaming group that's mostly familiar with Blades in the Dark is that it reduces the tendency to overthink the planning stages of a heist. Fuck it, we'll flashback later if we need to!)

So! The crew sneaks up to the loading bay door. There's no external lock, but it's clearly barred from the inside. Veddi freezes the door and Nakkim smashes it with his mace (again, the dolphins helpfully cover the noise), and the characters enter the storage area. It's pretty deserted; no evidence of humans, although Sinda checks for rats and those little guys are still around (if everything living is gone from a structured, vermin included, you want to really rethink if what you're doing is worth it). 

They search the area and Kalendra finds a secret door. Sinda pops it open (he is, after all, an Antivan Crow Washout, and he was taught how to pop locks), and they find themselves faced with a hallway that just gives off a terrible sense of menace. Veddi stops them ("don't you feel that?"), and conjures up an ice wall, pushing it down the hallway like a bulldozer, and it sets off all manner of blades, flames, and wire traps. 

Kalendra, perhaps a little impatient (and after all, Looking is for Witnesses) heads into the hallway, and immediately trips a magical trap, probably designed to freeze her in place. She powers through, though, rolling to her feet, and the foreboding sense goes away. They all head down the hallway and find, at the end, a Very Serious Door. This thing is made of hardwood, metal, and stone, and has both an immense keyhole and a combination lock. Clearly this is the vault they're looking for. 

Nakkim and Sinda head upstairs to search for the key, while Veddi and Kalendra start working on the combination lock. Kalendra mixes up some very potent tea which, aside from making one's eyes dilate and one's heart race, also sharpens the senses. Veddi sends tiny tendrils of ice into the works, rigging up a kind of switch that jiggles when the tumblers align, and together they start working the vault.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Sinda and Nakkim look around and determine that this place has been empty for years, probably - thick dust, empty closets. Nothing valuable left, unfortunately, but Sinda does find the key, it just takes a while. They head back downstairs and with Sinda's help and light fingers, they manage to crack the vault and open the door.

It's hardly the McDuckian trove they were hoping for - mostly it's military medals and the like, stuff with no street value. The Breastplate of Berengrand is there on a table, easily the mostly valuable thing here. Actually, maybe a little out of place. No matter, Kalendra grabs it...and iron bars slam into place over the door. 

Veddi panics a bit, but Sinda points out there's no alarm - they can break out, and they can even take their time. He examines the triggering mechanism on the pedestal to check where to poke, Nakkim jams the head of a spear into the bars to give them a little Leverage, and Kalendra brews more of the Stimulating Tea, and Veddi sends ice into the works and pushes the bars back up. Nakkim puts on the Breastplate and covers it with his tunic, and the crew walks back into Ayesleigh proper as the sun rises, no one the wiser.

Dragon Age: Out-stabbing in Our Field

Been a while due to the wilds and woolly whims of fate, but here we are back in the land of Thedas!

Our heroes (and I use that term somewhat loosely) trek overland, avoiding roads, heading for the border of Antiva and Rivain. Sinda has decided to very much follow Kalendra's lead going forward, since his big mouth kinda got people in trouble last time. Vedi, of course, is adamant that no matter what, he's not going back into prison.

The characters approach the border, and are approached by a man in what you might call a ramshackle, cobbled-together looking uniform. He asks who the characters are and where they're going, and Kalendra turns those questions right back on him. He claims to be the kind of hired guard for the Della Morte family from the city of Treviso, doing a bit of security. Kalendra points out that they're not in Treviso, that she's from Rivain, these are her friends, and she's headed home, so thnxbye.

The dude doesn't let it go, however, and four more people appear from the brush, one of whom is an elf standing a ways off. The guard tells them that a group of people fitting their description (looking pointedly at Vedi) has been spotted in the area and is wanted for discussion, and maybe they'd better just go with him.

Things get tense. Vedi glares, and frost starts to form around his nostrils. Sinda glances worriedly between Kalendra, Vedi, and the guard (his name is Ravad, if you're interested). Nakkim fingers his mace, which sounds really dirty. 

Kalendra tells Ravad that they'll be moving on, thanks all the same, and moves to do so. The elf (her name is Noa, if you're interested) bolts, clearly planning on bringing back reinforcements or otherwise snitching. Vedi snaps, and starts calling up ice. 

Noa is fast, but the ground is rocky and so she can't quite get out of sight before Vedi freezes her feet to the ground. Kalendra hurls a potion into the midst of the guards, and Sinda, following her lead, vanishes into the smoke like a phantom! He sneaks between the guards and spots one handily, but then backs up into the other. 

Meanwhile, Ravad tries to blunder his way out of the smoke, but just gets lost. The last guard draws a sword and charges at Vedi, intending to bonk him with the flat of the blade, but Vedi blocks it with a quick sheath of ice. Nakkim smashes through the ice and knocks the dude back with his mace, and the battle is joined!

Sinda spins, sees the other guard, makes a very dignified sound like "AAH!" and stabs the guard to death. The body falls, and the second guard (the one Sinda actually spotted before) closes on him, but Sinda is too quick to be stabbed! (It's also possibly that he just tripped in the right direction.) Nakkim and Vedi take on the sword-wielding dude and exchange some blows, but then Vedi gets fed up, grabs his throat, and conjures ice shards. (From somewhere across the multiverse, a whisper: "VEDI WINS! FATALITY!")

Ravad finds his way out of the smoke and rounds on Nakkim, and Kalendra scampers off after Noa. She gets close and downs a potion to make her fast, but Noa manages to free herself and isn't interesting in staying to fight. She runs off again, Kalendra pursues, and Vedi starts to summon up more ice, but being a Chronic Overthinker doesn't want to accidentally hit Kalendra. Noa escapes the area.

Meanwhile, Sinda and the other guard trade feints and thrusts, but neither one manages a blow. Sinda grabs a handful of flowers from the meadow, crushes them in his hand and flings the resulting oil and petals into the dude's face. The merc's eyes and lips immediately puff up and go red, and at that point Ravad calls a general retreat. "This didn't have to get violent!" he exclaims.

Vedi sits down heavily and starts bleeding off the excess heat (when you make ice, the heat has to go somewhere). Sinda asks if he can make water or just ice, and Vedi considers and then conjures up some water ("it's all just humidity, I guess"), so Sinda can wash the blood and flower oil off his hands. 

The characters can get across the border into Rivain, but now there are probably more people from Treviso after them, and the Della Morte family is definitely interested. The motley continues on, discussing the spicy fish soup that is the signature dish of this part of Rivain, and explaining the wonders of the versatile "potato" to Vedi ("They're great!" says Sinda. "So much you can do with them. Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew...")

Dragon Age: I Owe These Idiots My Life

Tonight we played a game based on Dragon Age, run by my bestie Gus in their inaugural foray into the GM's chair! Very exciting. We used the Fate Accelerated system, since that's what Gus is most familiar with. Meet the characters!

Kalendra is a Tempest! She's a mercenary working for a company called the "Azure Thorns." She loves a good cup of tea.

Nakkim is a dwarf warrior, working his way back to the city of Seere and the lovely lady he left behind. This doesn't stop him flirting with any other pretty face on the way, of course.

Sinda "Red Hands" is...well, he was training to be an Antivan Crow, and washed out. Sinda is friendly, chatty, and perhaps the unluckiest human being on the planet.

Veddi is a Qunari mage specializing in ice magic. Up until recently, he was a slave in Saharan, but was rescued by the other three characters (this was 100% not their intent, but it was a nice bonus). 

And now the four of them are heading to Rivain and the promise of freedom. Veddi has heard of a Qunari settlement where he'll be free and welcome. Kalendra is from Llomerryn in the south of Rivain, and ultimately wants to go home. Nakkim, as we've said, is looking to get to Seere, and Sinda is just going where the wind takes him. 

Our heroes take a boat to the northern coast of Antiva, near White Spire, and travel overland to the town of Brynnlaw. Sinda greets everyone they pass on the road - it feels rude not to - which has Kalendra kinda gritting her teeth by the time they hit town. Nakkim and Veddi find them an inn while Kalendra goes to check in with her company. Sinda tags along for moral support.

They arrive at the warehouse that serves as a front for the Azure Thorns, which is being used to house lots of wool. This is rather unfortunate, as Sinda is very allergic to sheep. His face gets puffy and he sneezes continually, but the Azure Thorn in charge, one Barv, is very understanding ("happens all the time"). He informs Kalendra that she may have attracted some attention from folks who aren't thrilled about losing a Qunari. She takes note, and decides that they'll get some rest, resupply, and head out.

Meanwhile, Nakkim and Veddi settle down for a drinking in the Princess Nug, a bar on the edge of town. Nakkim gets a small room for resting purposes, and they chat a bit about alcohol and the imbibing thereof, and then a dwarf starts running his mouth about "the Breastplate of Beregrand." Supposedly it's in the coastal house of a rich dude, and this guy knows its there because there was a job involving someone called Hollix and he steals from rich people...anyway, if these big strong folks could get it, perhaps that'd be worth a finder's fee?

"I said I'd buy you a drink for your story," says Nakkim, and leaves it at that. Neither of them really believe this guy, anyway.

Kalendra and Sinda find the Princess Nug (because Sinda asks everyone "Hey, you seen a dwarf and a Qunari?"). Kalendra calls for hot water, and explains the best way to drink tea and that only children drink it with sugar (Nakkim stirs in sugar and says "I don't want to hear it"). Sinda is fascinated by the idea that hot water reviving tea leaves is like necromancy. Kalendra also explains the danger and that they'll need to head out. Sinda and Veddi go upstairs to rest, and Nakkim and Kalendra go out to resupply.

While out, they see gossip spreading (it's pretty easy; people get chatty and then kids run off to spread the word). Nakkim snags a kid and asks for the news. It turns out that a local Lord of Fortune, one Lucanis Della Morte, is coming to town and might well be looking for someone. That's almost certainly Veddi, so the characters head back to the Nug.

Nakkim heads upstairs and opens the door, which gets his feet frozen to the floor (Veddi) and a knife in the door above his head (Sinda). ("Next time I'll knock!") He gets them moving and the characters head out into the woods, trying to stay ahead of the Crows. Kalendra mentions Lucanis, and Sinda confirms that he is, in fact, a dick. But he's a dick with an enthusiasm for stabbing, so yeah, better to keep moving.

They head out into the wilds, stay off the main roads, and put some distance between themselves and Brynnlaw. They camp at the base of a hill, and Sinda takes first watch (Veddi stays awake, too, since he doesn't fully trust Sinda not to fall asleep or get distracted by something shiny, which, like, fair enough). They hear some rustling in the bushes, and Sinda flings a dagger at the tree above the bushes, breaking the bark and sending a cascade of beetles tumbling down onto the intruder. They hear a muffled "shit!" and Veddi wakes up Nakkim and Kalendra.

A man steps out of the bushes and introduces himself as Hollix. He informs the characters that there are mercenaries and Crows after them - folks are looking for a team of four people, one a cheerful and friendly klutz, one a dwarf with a mace, and one a Qunari (Sinda: "Aw, they didn't say anything about you, Kalendra." Kalendra: "Yes, that's what I'm going for." Sinda: "ohhhhhh, I get it"). 

They put out their fire and get some sleep, rising before dawn as they hear commotion on the road. They avoid the main roads and the people traveling them during the day, but as the early morning light fades  they head up a rise they hear someone hiding in the trees. They stop, bracing for battle, and two Crow apprentices step out of the trees.

Sinda hurls a dagger at one and misses; it sticks in a tree near his head. The Crow scoffs, but Kalendra throws down a Fire Flask and conjures up a smoke screen. Nakkim and Veddi both burst from the smoke - Nakkim bonks one in the head with the hilt of his mace, and Veddi conjures a chain of ice around the other's neck and slams his face into the ground. Both apprentices incapacitated, Kalendra urges them to move on - just because they spotted these guys doesn't mean there aren't other, less incompetent pursuers near. 

Veddi expresses concern at leaving behind living witnesses, but none of the characters are really comfortable killing helpless foes. Sinda steals the Crows' daggers and cuts their clothes off, though, just to slow them down. 

And with that, the strange company moves on toward Ayesleigh.

Character Creation: Gods & Monsters

No, no one made an RPG out of the 1998 movie about James Whale (but...that movie co-starred Brendan Fraser, who is presently nominated for an Oscar for his performance in....THE WHALE!? Coincidence?). 

The Game: Gods & Monsters
The Publisher: Evil Hat
Degree of Familiarity: None with this particular expression of Fate Accelerated
Books Required: I think just the one, actually

So Gods & Monsters is a mythic Fate game in which you're playing the primeval gods of creation (or whatever) and telling tales of morality, history, and so on but hopefully not leaning into your comfort zones so much that you lose control and become a monster. It's...interesting.

I bought the game because the premise made me very happy; I love games that give an inordinate amount of narrative power and agency to players, and being the god of [whatever] is very much up my street (see also Part-Time Gods and Demon: The Fallen). But those are both urban fantasy, and this takes a more Garden-of-Eden vibe to things. The other thing I was reminded of while read it was From Dust, actually.

The book, though, kind of lost me. The writing is a little dry for my taste, and could use a few more examples of the cool, juicy premise along the way. It lost me, but I think it got me back by the end. There's a structure and a progression to the game that I think is well thought-out, and I'd be interested in giving it a spin.

For today, however, let's do like all ancient civilizations and make up a god. My buddy Gus asked me to use this song as inspiration: 

Well, I don't want to make the god of high school bullies. I shall instead make a love god, but he's more the god of courtship, wooing, and seduction than actual love. Easily bored, fickle, not dishonest so much as poetic. That sounds like fun. His name is Avasarah. 

So, Aspects! As usual I need an high concept and a trouble Aspect. For high concept, I shall take God of Courtship, Seduction, and Wooing. Simple enough, and I've learned that while it's tempting to get cute with Aspects, at least the high concept should be easy to understand. For trouble, Avasarah is Easily Bored. 

And here we get into the phase trio. And this is odd - the book seems to think that Gods & Monsters is Fate Core, but it uses approaches like Accelerated. Weird. Anyway, it tell us that the phase trio is just like in Fate Core except for two things: First, these are gods so go big, and second...we're never told what the second thing is.

(I'm being catty, here. I suspect it's that all of the PCs are members of the same pantheon so treat them like family, but the text says "except for two things. First," and then never says "second," and that's a pet peeve for me. Moving on.)

OK, well, let's think about some myths that Avasarah might have been part of. They say that Avasarah's touch is so light that he once removed the blush from a maiden's cheek (that's probably a metaphor), and the sweat from young man's brow, without them noticing. The Lightest Touch sounds like a solid aspect. 

One story about Avasarah goes that he fell in love with the sun, and he wooed the sun from his celestial path with sweet words and caresses. The world went dark until the other gods found the two of them together and basically told them to get dressed and get back to work. The aspect is Tempted the Sun and Brought Darkness. 

Finally, Avasarah can always find The Right Words, whether to arouse passion or bring succor. 

Aspects done, then, moving along to approaches. Like Fate Accelerated, this uses six approaches, and conceptually they're pretty similar, though the names have changed. They're also arranged in three pairs: Bold/Subtle, Clever/Mighty, and Swift/Wise. Same spread as in FAE: one Good, two Fair, two Average, one Mediocre.

Well, I think I want Wise to be Mediocre. Just not Avasarah's thing. I'll put my Good into Bold, but I'll put a Fair into Subtle. I'll put my other Fair into Clever, and that leaves Average in Mighty and Swift. 

That also means that Bold, Clever, and Swift are ascendant, which figures into the whole "gods into monsters" thing in play.

Three refresh and three stunts. The book advises us to avoid stunts that add +2 to a given roll in favor of having the stunts allow godlike manipulation of the world, and I can get on board with that. 

Hmm. I want Avasarah to be basically immune to emotional manipulation. So let's say I have armor:2 against any attack that plays on emotions. 

Avasarah can make someone feel like they are the most important person in the world by paying attention to them. Let's say once per session he can place an Aspect on a lover (Favored of Avasarah or something like that). 

Finally, Avasarah can take away his favor and leave someone devastated. With nothing more than a sad, dismissive glance, he can do a weapon:2 emotional stress attack, provided he has previously shown favor to the target. 

And now we create the divine mantle. For chargen purposes, I have to link each of my ascendant approaches to one of my Aspects. It can be any of the five of them, so let's see. Bold should link to my high concept, I think that's pretty tied in to who Avasarah is. Clever should link to The Right Words, and Swift should link to Tempted the Sun and Brought Darkness. Easy-peasy. 

I start with a boon, too. This is basically a weaker stunt, but it would grow in play as the divine mantle changes. So let's phrase it this way: Because I am the god of wooing and seduction, I get a +1 bonus when I Cleverly Overcome when convincing someone to assist or lie with me. 

And then I get a geasa, which can either be a -1 penalty to do something, or a complete ban on doing something unless there's an Aspect that lets me do it. I'll say that Avasarah cannot raise his voice or his hands in anger unless he has placed an Aspect on the target by speaking gently or passionately to them. 

And that's basically it, actually. I picture Avasarah as a young man with brown skin, golden eyes, and thick, lustrous hair. His eyes have a timeless quality, though, and have a way of making you think that you're just as important as the god of love, because the god of love is watching you. I think Avasarah is mostly a naive kind of god, rather than being actually cruel or heartless, but holy shit, if he became a monster he'd be a terrifying emotional vampire type of thing.

Character Creation: Flatline

Wee-oo, wee-oo.

The Game: Flatline
The Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
Degree of Familiarity: None with this particular game, plenty with FAE
Books Required: I think just the one, but it might need Fate Accelerated

So, in Flatline, we're in a dystopian future where top-of-the-line health care is only available to those who can afford it (that's in the game, right?). It's basically a cyber-punk sort of game but instead of stealing shit or blowing shit up or killing people, you're trying to protect your clients and keep them alive. 

I really like the idea, and the setting has some interesting points. The descriptions of how EMTs live is nicely evocative (they basically live like cult members, if we're being honest, and are encouraged to eschew contact with their families for the camaraderie of their fellow EMTs). 

My problem with the game is that it's missing some at-the-table context. Like, I really like the idea of EMTs that might have to fight their way into a corporate turf war to save their client. I even like the idea of the conflicts that might arise when EMTs realize they're putting their lives on the line to save obscenely rich people. The book just doesn't get into a lot of that, we don't see what a run would look like in context. And sure, I can do that work, but then I think of games like Red Markets where the themes and the mechanics are tighter than a duck's butt, as the saying goes. 

Well, anyway, I'm running a Fate game this weekend, so it'll do me some good to practice making up some Aspects and so on. On we go!

So, a Sammie team (short for "Samaritan") is composed of four basic roles: Hauler (drive), FACDoc (doctor), Crasher (ex-fil/combat expert), and Scanner (hacker and comms). I don't have a concept handy, though, so I think I'll grab a theme song. I was gonna go random, but then this song jumped into my head. It's a song about jealousy and unrequited love, but with that inimitable Amigo the Devil touch. So I'm gonna make a FACDoc character who very nearly married money - his ex-fiancee was a society gal, a reality vid star, and a multi-lots-of-money-aire. And then fucking Rod swooped in and seduced her (at least that's how my character sees it), and my guy had to go back to work in the Sammie wagon. 

My High Concept, then, is Bitter FACDoc. My Trouble Aspect is "I hope your husband dies;" this guy is defined by his resentment and loss to an alarming degree. For my third Aspect, I definitely need something that doesn't tie back to this part of the dude's life, I think. Hobby, specialty, family? Oh, how about Won't Get Fooled Again - he's a cynic and a skeptic, but that means he doesn't take anything for granted.

Now I'm meant to do a name and a description. His name is Luther Bates. He's in his late 30s, black hair, always a bit of stubble (with perhaps some silver in there?), well-toned, broad chest. I think Luther could have been played by a young Tom Selleck. 

Approaches! Standard FAE arrangement, I get one Good, two Fair, two Average, one Mediocre. Well, I think Flashy gets the Mediocre. Forceful and Quick can get the Averages. Clever gets a Fair, and then...hmm. Better at Sneaky or Careful? I think Careful should be his Good; fits the whole "once bitten" thing he's got going.

Set my Refresh at 3, sure, and then I can take two more Aspects and three Stunts (rather, the book says one Stunt and then suss the rest out in play, but y'know). Well, I think that Luther is pretty skilled at using medicine to fuck with people in unpleasant and untraceable ways, so I'll give him a Stunt called Do Harm: Because of my medical knowledge, I get +2 to Carefully Attack a target provided I am aware of their medical history and can get close enough to touch them. 

But I don't want Luther to be a total ass, so perhaps a Stunt related to healing or keeping his team in good shape? Or his former connection to the rich folks? Yeah, let's give him one called Dr. Feelgood: Because I used to supply drugs to the Upper Crust, once per session I can call in a favor from a rich acquaintance. 

(This, by the way, suggests an Aspect of Can't Go Home Again.)

Finally, I'll give him a Stunt called Ready for the Big Ride: Because I am empty inside, I get a +2 to Forcefully Create an Advantage by intimidating or shouting someone down.

I can take one more Aspect. I want something admirable in Luther, though, so I'll say he's Always First out of the Wagon. He doesn't want anyone gets getting hurt for him. Sure, that's less about loyalty and more about how damaged he is, but the effect is much the same.

And that'll do it! Tap that Aspect!

Character Creation: Demon Hunters: A Comedy of Terrors

Some time ago, I made a character for the first version of this game and noted that it was weird that I didn't plump for the printed version of the reboot when I backed the Kickstarter. Anyway, that's still the case, but here's a character for the new version anyway.

The Game: Demon Hunters: A Comedy of Terrors
The Publisher: Dead Gentlemen
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: Just the one

So, I thought that this new version was a Fate game, but it really isn't. It's a weird Fate/Cortex hybrid, and it looks playable enough, but I'm a little confused as to why if you're converting a game and not adding much to the setting (that I can see, though I freely admit I haven't done a deep dive) you wouldn't just go full Fate Core and call it a day. 

But whatever. The book is fun to read, and it feels like there's a more over-the-top vibe this time? Like, the example of character is Ned, a totally normal guy who died during basic Brotherhood training and was returned to life as a zombie who can swap out body parts. 

Anyway, I actually have something of a concept. I saw this in the game timeline:

This gets me thinking about "Fun on a Bun," one of my favorite episodes of Futurama, and things getting frozen in glaciers and so on. So I want to make an un-frozen Neanderthal, someone who didn't quite make it to the Hollow Earth with the rest of his people. I want to say that he's very much assimilated into modern culture, though - he never really fit in with his own people, and so he's gotten some cosmetic surgery to look a little more modern, wears designer clothes, and fully embraces a modern aesthetic. (Yes, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer might be playing a role here, too.) 

So the first thing I need is a Concept Aspect (this game borrowed Aspects from Fate, but not Fate points; instead we have faith dice). His Concept Aspect is Unfrozen Cave-Man About Town. Next up I need a Trouble Aspect. What's gonna cause my Neanderthal consistent problems? I don't want to do a "fish out of water" thing - he's very comfortable in his new life. If anything, something from his Neanderthal nature should get in his way. Let's say that sometimes his instincts betray him and he gets violent, loud, or just a little too ape-like. It's all terribly embarrassing, but he's just A Little Less Evolved. 

There are three more Aspects, but they connect to disciplines, which I haven't picked yet (ugh). Let's move on. 

Six Approaches! Like, from Fate Accelerated. Cool. Except that instead of using the Fate ladder, we're using different die types like this is Cortex. I get one d10, two d8s, two d6s, and one d4. 

OK, well, Careful gets the d4, obviously. Flashy gets the d10. Forceful and Quick get the d8s, Clever and Sneaky get the d6s. That was easy. 

Disciplines! These are kinda like skills, I guess. We've got five of them: Combat & Tactics, Covert Ops, Mystic Arts, Research & Development, and Social Engineering. I get one at d10, one at d8, and one at d6. However, I can also choose to omit one entirely and take a "Fringe" discipline, which is what I would use if I wanted to be a vampire or something. So the question is, does "unfrozen caveman" rise to the level of Fringe? 

I kinda don't think it does, actually? There's a character who's literally an unkillable engine of death and he's not Fringe. I think my caveman's special abilities can be simulated easily enough with stunts. So with that in mind, let's put the d10 into Combat & Tactics. It's not that he's super-trained in weapons, but he's a born hunter and he's hella strong by modern standards. I'll put the d8 into Social Engineering and the d6 into Research & Development, because those are what he's made a point to study. The other two get d4s.

Right, stunts and discipline Aspects. Let's go back and do the Aspects first. For the combat one, I'll say he's a Born Hunter & Warrior. For Social Engineering, I want to showcase all of the work that he's put into assimilating and learning the culture. You'd Barely Know He's a Neanderthal is damning with faint praise enough to be an Aspect, I think? Finally, I need an Aspect for R&D. Passionate Tool-User, I think, keeps with my ape-like theme.

Stunts! I get three for free, and then I can take more if I wish to spend Refresh devotion. I want one (maybe two) reflecting my super-caveman-strength. Let's say he gets a +2 to Forcefully attack when he screams a war cry and rips open his shirt. Likewise, his senses are keen (even after the surgery) so he gets a +2 to Cleverly Create an Advantage by sniffing or tasting something in the environment. 

And then I want something a little more modern, so I'll make a stunt called Sharp-Dressed Man. Once per session he can bypass a human obstacle by bribing or charming it. 

That's it, really (if I were playing this with a group we'd create a Chapter, but y'know). My caveman's original name is pretty much impossible to pronounce for a modern human, so he doesn't really use it anymore. He searched for a long time for a name that would encapsulate his desire to become part of the modern world and leave his big-browed past behind, and finally hit on Chester Asimov Darwin. He goes by "Chuck". He's pretty short, but stocky and muscular. He has thick, luxurious black hair, a handsome face with fierce green eyes, and if he's not paying attention, sometimes he still hunches over a little. 

And that's it!

Character Creation: Young Centurions

Well, this game is going on the "run this" list.

The Game: Young Centurions
The Publisher: Evil Hat Productions
Degree of Familiarity: Haven't played this particular game, but I'm very familiar with FAE and with Spirit of the Century
Books Required: Just the one 

Young Centurions is basically the teen version of Spirit of the Century. You're playing Spirits, folks born at midnight at the beginning of a new century (the 20th, in this case). In SotC, though, you're playing them as adults, while here you're playing them as teens. That means that game takes place before 1920, so there's this whole World War thing happening, and yet the tone of the game still manages to be pretty light. Part of that is because of the author (Carrie Harris, with whom I went to college and did a lot of gaming back in the day); she's really amazing at keeping the tone consistent and accessible. 

Anyway! The game is meant to be playable by younger and less experienced players, and I can honestly say it's one of the better expressions of that idea that I've seen. So, let's make a Spirit!

This being Fate Accelerated, I need to start by deciding a high concept. I also need to figure out what I'm the Spirit of. I feel like I make a lot of characters who are resilient and enduring, and I know I lean on tragedy a lot (this may be because I'm sad most of the time, but y'know, life's like that). So let's say that my guy is the Spirit of Hope. The latter half of the 1910s are pretty dark, and enduring it is one thing, but hoping for something better and daring to dream is another. So my guy is going to be someone who has spent his young life in an orphanage (yes, I'm drawing on Annie, sue me). He doesn't know who his parents were, but he's bought into the story that a lot of orphans have - my real parents are important, and someday they'll find me. 

Anyway, I think Hopeful Orphan is a decent enough High Concept. So now I need a Trouble Aspect. I think that the flipside of hope is that he trusts too easily; he's basically really easily led. Far Too Trusting is a good Aspect.

Now I get three more Aspects, and not a lot of guidance. I definitely want to lean into the whole "orphaned under mysterious circumstances," but I also don't want to have an Aspect that represents something the character doesn't know, so I'll call it No One Will Tell Me What Happened To My Family. 

I suppose it'd be in-genre to take a dog as an Aspect, but I don't want to go full Annie. Actually, I want to swim again the grain here and say that the orphanage is an awesome place to live. The couple who runs it, the Swanns, are caring and honest people, and they just won't place a child with a family that they think won't care for them. Swann's Home for Wayward Children is the Aspect, and it'll represent that I can call on the Swanns for assistance and that the place is important to me, so it's potentially leverage.

One more Aspect, and I think I want something that's a little more intrinsic and beneficial. Nimble Like a Nervous Cat. He startles easily, but he also gets out of the way instinctively. Doesn't mean he's afraid of everything, he's just an easy mark on Halloween.

Strictly speaking I should choose a name and description now, but I'm not quite ready to do that. I'll do approaches first. I get one Good, two Fair, two Average, and one Mediocre. I know I want Clever to be my Mediocre (this guy gets by on guts, not smarts). Conversely, my Good is gonna be Flashy. Fairs can be Forceful and Quick, and that leaves Careful and Sneaky as Average.

Stunts, then! The book says to take at least one, but the usual rules apply (meaning I get three). One needs to be a "Century Stunt", which means the bonus is +3 or do a cool thing twice per session. It needs to be thematically related to my High Concept. I'll make a stunt called Light in the Darkness: Because I'm the Spirit of Hope, twice per session I can spend a Fate point to give a rousing speech that gives anyone who hears it a Fate point.

Cool. I can take two more stunts before I have to start spending refresh. I'll take one called "Want Ta Make Somethin' Of It?" Because I can talk tough, I get a +2 to Forcefully create an advantage by intimidating others.

And then I'll take "Ssh! You'll Wake Mrs. Swann!" Because I'm used to sneaking out of the orphanage with my pals, I get +2 to Sneakily overcome if I'm leading a group.

That means I've got 3 refresh, which is fine. The rest is description!

Obadiah "Obie" Tailor is 14 (meaning that this is set in 1914). He's short for his age, lanky, and has dirty blond hair that falls in his eyes if he's not wearing his newsboy cap (he's basically always wearing it). He's missing one of his front canine teeth and he blows air out of the hole when he's thinking. Obie is always down to sneak out of the house and go raid someone's garden or whatever, but if someone on the block asks for help, he always manages to convince his fellow orphans to pitch in. "How did Obie talk us into this?" is a common question, but it always seems to work out OK. 

And that'll do it!

Mechanical Cows and Pre-Teen Aloofness: A One-Shot

Last night I ran a one-shot game for my kids, my stepson, and Michelle. I put notes in this post. I've kind of fallen out of the habit of doing write-ups for one-shot games, but I want to start doing it again so that I can remember them a little better.

So! The characters all attend the Academy for Advanced Science and Esoteric Studies. They are:

• Bing, the school's uplifted corgi mascot, fitted with a special collar that lets him talk.
• Brass, the statue that stood at the front of the school until it got bored and went to class, and the faculty just shrugged and enrolled them.
• Chip, a student at AASES who's very interested in creating robots and hella into school spirit. 
• Wanda, a recent transfer from James K. Polk Middle School who's naturally gifted at magic.

As we begin, the three students are part of a search party looking for Bing - the mascot ran off! (That will happen, he's very excitable.) They find him down a well, running in circles. Chip rigs the pulley to lower them down, but doesn't rig up a brake (he's Too Smart for His Own Good), but Wanda uses magic to uncover rungs on the side of the well and Brass reaches out and stops the platform before it lands on Bing.

Bing, meanwhile, has discovered a tunnel over grown with roots and dug it out. The group, curious and not really wanting to try and climb back up, follows the tunnel.

They emerge in a great big chamber. It's obvious been a long time since anyone was down here, but the floor is polished marble with the school's crest inset, and the walls are lined with shelves. Wanda checks them and finds they contain school projects going back to the 1950s, when the school started. 

Chip makes a little scout-robot and sends it off to look around, while Brass uncovers a portrait. It's of Dr. Lucinda Bramblefort-Meyer and Dr. Greta Meyer-Brambefort, the married couple who founded AASES back in the 50s. They're flanked by two corgis ("Granda! Gramma!" exclaims Bing)...but behind them is a sinister-looking mechanical cow with glowing red eyes. 

At this point, the little robot comes scooting back toward Chip with its screen flashing "NOPE NOPE NOPE." Five mechanical cows charge at the group from out of the darkness. 

Bing springs into action, herding the cows and turning them away from the group. Brass runs up behind two of them, grabs them uses magic to overpower them and send them crashing into a wall. Wanda takes one of them down with magic, but another charges Brass and knocks them back (but not badly; Brass is tough). Chip attaches a device to Brass to make them strong, and Brass tosses the cow to the side. The peril has passed...?

The characters go back to looking around, Chip starts to dismantle a cow, but Brass (who is Easily Bored) wanders off toward where the cows came from. They find a group of pre-teens from James K. Polk Middle School sneaking in. When they seen Brass, they dismiss them as a robot, which Brass finds pretty offensive (they're a construct, there's a difference). Brass shows off their magic prowess, which gets the pre-teens' attention but also summons Brass' friends.

Wanda recognizes one of them, a kid with funny-looking orange hair whom the others called "Bleach", as Charles Sponder, a former classmate of hers. They argue and taunt each other, and Bing makes good use of his BORK BORK BORK stunt to scare of some of Bleach's buddies. Bleach teases Wanda about not being able to hack it at Polk, but Wanda employs her Vortex Inside Me stunt to throw the whole place into magic chaos, and Chip refashions a mechanical cow-head into a Scarebot, which finally sends Bleach packing.

The characters show the faculty this place, which was a storage unit for student projects and as such as a lot of magic laying around. They're all given extra credit, and this is gonna make the soccer game against James K. Polk Middle School next week really interesting!

One-Shot Notes: AASES

I'm running a one-shot tonight because my son, asked what he'd like to do for this 10th birthday, said he'd like to play a roleplaying game. So that warms my little heart, but I should do some game prep.

Character Creation: Dresden Files Accelerated

First character of 2018. Yay!

So, in 2017, I made 39 characters for the project. My goal was 52 (one per week), so I fell a bit short. In particular, of course I went from late October to late November without doing any (some personal issues interfered, plus I went to three cons in as many weeks), and of course during the school year it's easy to go weeks without doing one because I tend to game and sleep on weekends.

I'm gonna set the same goal for myself in 2018: One character a week, for a total of 52. As a point of interest, there are presently 258 games on my list, and that doesn't count games that I've Kickstarted and just not received yet or games that I'll buy in future. If I managed to do 52 games a year, and assuming I only add 20 games per year to the list, I'd be caught up by the end of 2026. For context, I started this project in June 2008, right about the time Cael was born. He'll be 18 when I get caught up, assuming my math is right.

(hahahawheee i really do love this though)

Well, maybe this year I'll try and be better about blocking off time every week to read a game and make a character. What the heck, it's more likely than weight loss.

The Game: Dresden Files Accelerated
The Publisher: Evil Hat Productions
Degree of Familiarity: A decent amount. Michelle ran a game set in Baltimore wherein I played a kinetomancer, and I ran one set in Lexington. They weren't using this ruleset (except for the very end of Michelle's game), though.
Books Required: Just the one.

So, of course I made a character for the first version of this game some time ago (some time ago. More than seven freaking years ago). Anyway, the essence of the game hasn't changed much, just the mechanics have.

The first thing that I'd do if I had a group would be setting creation, but I haven't got that. There's a handy example right up front, though:

So I'll use that! I love New Orleans, anyway. First thing I do is choose a Mantle. Last character I made was a White Court vampire, and the character I played is a focused practitioner. I don't want to make a wizard, I don't think. Hmm. Suppose I make a changeling? What would it look like to play a Winter Court changeling in a town that doesn't get "winter" the way other places do...especially since the climate is changing now? I like that notion.

OK, to make a changeling, I pick a Pure Mortal mantle and then add changeling on top of it. I have an idea.

Bartholomew Griggs (please just call him "Griggs," not "Bart", for the love of god) is a forensic pathologist. He works in the shittiest hospital in New Orleans, and that means he pulls bullets out of bodies and compares wounds to weapons a lot. I'm taking the Medic mantle and then adding Changeling, too. So I get Medical License as a Condition, and then First Aid and Medical Care as stunts. I can choose one more for free, so I'll take Forensic Pathology.

For Changeling, I get the Called Condition (I can mark it to use Fae stunts, but if I fill it I have to choose to become fae or human, or abstain from magic for a while). I also get one Fae stunt as a core stunt. I'll take Cloak of Shadows - I can see in the dark and, once per session, hide perfectly. Griggs hears "holy shit, Griggs, how long you been standing there?" a lot.

Next up: Aspects! High Concept is easy enough, that's just Shadowy Changeling Coroner. Trouble Aspect is a little tougher, though, and requires that I think about Griggs a little more.

OK, so, Griggs is a doctor, so why is he this kind of doctor? I think he figured out he was a changeling while in his residency "upstairs." He was doing a psych rotation and they brought a guy in raving about "the Cobblers." He saw Griggs, stopped, gibbered, pointed, screamed "You! You're one of them!" and then ripped out his own eyes. Griggs isn't sure why, but in that moment he knew. He was one of the Cobblers, or at least, he half was. He took his next rotation in pathology and found that it fit.

See, death is very much a part of the Winter Court, but it's not about killing, it's about remembering the dead and paying them their tribute. Griggs has always felt that memento mori is important, and now as a pathologist, he helps the dead gain justice, peace, and closure. The trick is, though, that he's not a wizard dealing ghosts or ectoplasm. He's a changeling dealing with death on a much more story-focused level. He closes the books on the story of a person's life, and it's often inconvenient for him if they don't know when to leave. He often concludes autopsies by saying "Thank you for being here," and he considers that the end of it.

So what's his Trouble? His Trouble is that the dead don't always start quiet. I think that'll work as an Aspect, actually: The Dead Don't Know Their Place.

And then a third Aspect. I like the idea that Griggs is spooky, but regarded as wise. I'll take Basement Sage as the Aspect - other doctors come down here to ask him questions, if they can work up the nerve.

Next is Approaches. One Good, two Fair, two Average, one Mediocre, standard FAE allotment. The names are a little different, but they work more or less the same way.

I think Grigg's Good should go in Intellect. I'll put the Fairs in Haste and Focus, the Averages in Force and Guile, and the Mediocre in Flair (Griggs is, obviously, not a flashy guy).

I get 3 refresh, though I can spend some on stunts, if I want. I want to pick up Ghostbane, which lets me interact with ghosts as though they were incorporeal. And, oh heck, there's one under Medic called Psych Rotation, which lets me use my First Aid stunt on emotional or mental conditions. Shit yeah.

And then about does 'er. Griggs would be an interesting character because the thrust of the character's conflict, at least at the beginning, isn't on the Choice, but on some of the kind of knock-on effects of him being a changeling. I think the Choice would come up in play, but in a different way than I've seen it happen in other games.

Character Creation: Jadepunk: Tales from Kausao City

Well, I had grandiose plans for making a character for a game closer to the top of my list, but then I started reading a bunch of PDFs of D&D clones and kinda went "fuck it." So instead:

The Game: Jadepunk: Tales from Kausao City
The Publisher: Reroll Productions
Degree of Familiarity: None with this particular game, but I've played and run a lot of Fate.
Books Required: Just the one, as far as I can tell. I don't think you need Fate Accelerated, but I have it if I do need it.

So, I read this book on the plane back form New York. It's a cool martial-arts/wuxia/sword and sorcery kind of thing. I think you could do Man with the Irons Fists with it, but it takes itself a little more seriously than Feng Shui. It's actually kind of a cool setting; if I ever did run it, I think I'd pick up one or two of the sourcebooks, which is saying something (I almost never buy sourcebooks anymore).

Anyway, the book starts off with a foreword by Bruce Baugh noting that many games don't ask players to consider how moral their characters are, which I kinda disagree with. My experience has been that a lot of games do ask that, but comparatively few make it part of the mechanics, and of those, few integrate mechanics and morality well.

In any case, I need to start off with a concept that will give way to Aspects. Since the characters in Jadepunk are, of necessity, rebelling against the violent government, I need to think about my character's reason for fighting back. I want to take inspiration from the three secret masters in Kung Fu Hustle, men who are expert combatants and come out of retirement only to fight on behalf of others.

My character is from Tuyang (pardon my lack of an accent mark). He served in the military and did his time out in the outskirts of nowhere, where he discovered that the "bands of marauders" were just as often nomadic Naramel tribes just looking to survive. He retired to Kausao City and opened a bakery (everyone loves cake), and for the most part, could live with just watching the world go by.

That's a good start, and it's enough to give me my Portrayal Aspect: Secretly Badass Baker. I think it also gives me a Background Aspect: Retired Tuyang Military.

Next is Inciting Incident, or why I decided to rebel. My character was a good soldier, followed orders, and so on. He was always a believer in the rule of law; yes, soldiers broke the law and violated their oaths, but there were military tribunals for that. All in all, justice will out. Except then he saw that those in power don't respect the law; The Council Forced People From their Homes. Soldiers came and evicted a whole block by force, and my character stood up in court to argue their case. The judge, clearly bribed, came down in favor of the Council.

So, with that in mind, my next Aspect is my Belief. I think I'll phrase this as Justice is Blind, and Must be Led. He used to believe that justice always found its own way, but clearly that isn't the case. Finally, I get a Trouble Aspect. I would take "Reluctant Whatever," but honestly the interesting part of that story after the hero decides "yeah, I'm in this," so I'll take Hero of the Dispossessed. His bake shop is well-known, and his reputation as someone who'll stand up for the common folk is spreading, which actually isn't good.

Now I do Professions, which are basically what this variant calls Approaches. I've got six to worry about, and I get Good, Fair, Fair, Average, Average, Mediocre to throw around.

Well, I think it's in concept to take Fighter at Good (there's no Baker Profession, after all). I'll put Scholar at Fair (he managed to make a decent showing as a lawyer), and I'll put Explorer as the other one. I'll put Scoundrel and Engineer at Average, and that leaves Aristocrat as Mediocre. Makes sense.

Next is Assets, which are like stunts, but somehow a little more narrow in scope. I can take Allies, Devices, or Techniques. Hmm. I'd like to take the bake shop as an Asset, can I do that? Doesn't seem like it (I could spin it as an Ally, but eh). I'll take a Technique, though. I want a fighting style.

Techniques have to key off one of my Assets; the obvious choice is my Background one. So let's say that my character learned the Tuyang Army Style. It focuses on protecting allies, hard strikes to take down foes, and supporting comrades. My Technique Assets can be different attacks within that style, should I be so inclined.

I'll first take on called Clear the Way. I get a +2 to Fighter when Creating an Advantage for a comrade, but one after we've already been in one fight together (have to have time to learn their style). That only costs me one refresh, because one gives me two features (Focus twice) and a flaw (Situational).

For another, I'll take Technique. I want to be able to whoop ass. Very simple, just +2 to Fighter when outnumbered. Call it Tuyang Army Style.

And then do I wish to have a Jade sword or something? I think I do not. I think that'd be good, actually; it'll leave me 5 Refresh, so I can have a bunch of Fate points at my disposal.

And that's mostly done, except I need a name. There are example names listed for each of the nations, and I like Myon (though around the way it's Myon the Baker).

Character Creation: Strays

Much like last week, I let Sunday slip by without making a character, but I have a little time today, so I figure I'll do a quick character and then try and get another one done on Sunday so I'm caught up.

The Game: Strays
The Publisher: Wordsmith Games
Degree of Familiarity: Some. I've run it with my family and I'm familiar with the underlying system.
Books Required: The book is standalone, but I have Fate Accelerated if I need it.

So, Strays is a Fate Accelerated game in which you play stray animals. The book is mostly a rehash of FAE, and the author has caught some flack for that, but I dunno, I think it's pretty solid. Also my dog's in it.

See? Si! (Art by Jason Kerr)

So anyway, I'm gonna make a dog. He's a curly-haired terrier mixed, and he used to belong to a family, but then one day on a road trip he fell down an embankment and into a river, and got washed downstream. He's very confused and lost, but believes his people will find him someday. He's just gotta be patient. His name is Ruffles (because his fur looks kinda like ruffles, if you're a six-year-old girl, like the one who named him). He's mostly black but with some white bits, and he's got pointy ears. (Can't you just picture him? AW! RUFFLES!)

I need a High Concept to start us off. Let's say Lost Dog; I think that's nicely simple. For Trouble, I want Is That My Family!? Ruffles chases off after anyone he thinks might be his family, but he's invariably disappointed.

And then I need one more Aspect. Unlike a lot of Fate games, Strays doesn't ask that this be tied into anything in particular. I picture Ruffles as being very quick, maybe too fast for his own good. I'll take Runs Faster Than He Thinks as an Aspect.

The book states that I can add more Aspects, but I dunno if I want to or not. I think I'd like one to reflect his relationship with his human; Ruffles is the kind of dog that would let her paint his nails and put hats on him. I'll take "Human Children Can Do No Wrong."

So now Approaches! I've got six to split up Good, Fair, Fair, Average, Average, Mediocre.

Well, Ruffles is pretty obviously best at Quick, so I'll put his Good there. I'll put my Fairs into Forceful and Flashy (I am barky!), my Averages into Sneaky and Clever (I am...not terribly smart) and my Mediocre into Sneaky (I am barky!).

Now, Stunts. I get 3 Refresh and one Stunt, but of course I can spend Refresh to get more Stunts if I want them.

Let's see. I think my Stunt is "Because I am a mighty hunter, I get +2 to quickly overcome when I am chasing something." I'd kinda like something that doesn't play quite so strongly to my strengths, too, so let's see. "Because I am a good guard dog, I get +2 to flashily defend when threatened by mean humans."

And that'll do it, actually. I want to keep 2 of my Refresh. Ruffles is ready to go find his family and bark at things!

Character Creation: Iron Edda

Call me crazy, but I like making sure I've made characters for games I'm running.

The Game: Iron Edda: War of Metal and Bone
The Publisher: Exploding Rogue
Degree of Familiarity: A goodly amount. It's Fate Core/Accelerated, which I know pretty well, and I've run a session.
Books Required: Just the one to make characters, though having Fate Core to hand is helpful.

 

So! You can see the game I'm running here, so I'm not gonna summarize the game. The issue that I run into, as is often true in this project, is that the game would like it if I had a group, but I don't. No matter, the book includes several sample settings, which is nice, so I will pick one. I like "A Tale of Blood and Darkness", so I'll assume that my hypothetical GM is gonna run that. When the Group Aspect comes up in chargen, I'll instead do an Aspect about how I fit into this situation.

In brief: The community of Selah is having a celebration for spring, but there are weird shadow-spirits that killed the Jarl's son recently. There's a very cool murder-mystery vibe going on.

Ooh, so, what do I want to play? When I played this game with Tracy (the author) at Origins, I played a Seer and used a bunch of raven-based magic, which was cool. I kinda want to play a Bonebonded, though, a hero who's been bonded to the bones of a slain giant. I also want my character to have heard rumors of the shadow-spirits. I'll tie that in to my giant somehow, I think.

OK, so as is often true of Fate games, I must start with a High Concept. Grim-Faced Bonebonded Warrior about covers it, I think. This guy may have had humor at some point, but he lost it when he took up the bones. He's dour, never smiles, and he's old but sturdy. He might even be older than he looks, and be kept healthy by his giant.

Now I need a Trouble Aspect. I kind of don't want his dour demeanor to be the problem here; that's just kind of how he is. But I think we can relate it; I want him to be marked by Hel somehow. I'll call this Aspect Hel's Gaze Follows Me; the specter of death is always over his shoulder, and doesn't fear it, but it makes him fatalistic and untrusting.

Next I would do a Clan Aspect, but if you're Bonebonded you give up your Clan. I think this guy was Sparrow Clan before, real chatty and gregarious, and then the bones came.

My giant is called Runa the Riverbane. Years ago she blocked the Gjoll River, and fell in battle to Odin. Her bones lay at the bottom of the river until my character dove in to retrieve them, and rose up Bonebonded. Problem is, I think maybe Odin took offense. My Aspect here is This Bond Cost Me My Soul (this may or may not be true, but my character thinks it is, and Runa is strangely silent on the matter). I think that Runa is largely pretty helpful, for a giant. She's just glad to be off the riverbed.

Next I get a Sacred Item Aspect. I kinda like the idea that Odin killed Runa with Gungnir (his spear; no mention of a magic helmet), but Runa was tough enough to do some damage. When my character dove into the river, he came up with a splinter from Gungnir as well. I'll take Splinter of Gungir as my Aspect here.

Finally, the Group Aspect is going to relate to why I'm coming to Selah. I want to say he's heard rumors of the shadow-spirits, maybe even from Runa. Yeah, I'll take Runa Recognizes the Shadows as my Aspect here; she's clear enough that they're bad news, but she's either choosing not to tell me everything or can't for some reason.

Neat! Now stunts & skills & shit. I'll start by making my Bonebonded. This costs me two refresh, and I have to use one of my three stunts on my giant. I get six Approaches: Forceful, Clever, Quick, Careful, Flashy, and one more to make up. I think Runa's Approach is going to be Immoveable. She's damned hard to hurt or even move once she plants herself.

I'll put Immoveable at Good, Careful and Forceful at Fair, Clever and Flashy at Average, and Quick at Mediocre.

While I'm here, may as well do the stunt. I think I'll call it Force of the Raging River. Because Runa remembers the force of the river, she can Forcefully Attack at +2 when standing in a river.

Right, now I get two more stunts for me, not my giant. I'll take one stunt called Visions of Death. I can creep people out by talking about how they're going to die (I can't necessarily tell, though I think it'd be cool if my visions came true more often than not). +2 to Attack with Provoke if I talk about the target's death. And then I think Runa's unrelenting influence bleeds over. I get +2 to Overcome with Physique if I'm Overcoming natural phenomena (pushing through wind, snow, raging river, etc).

And now, Skills! I'll take Physique as my Great, Fight and Will as my Good, Provoke, Athletics, and Notice as my Fair, and Lore, Sail, Empathy, and Stealth as my Average.

I think that's it, actually. All I need's a name. We'll call him Einar Vatnsson. He looks like he's in his 50s (but is probably older). Muscular, built like a wall, long beard, long braids, all grey. His arms is blackened and rusted in places, but it works. He prefers big, heavy, weapons like maces (or, when in bone-form, rocks).