Wooo! Wild bachelor week! Time to...make a character.
The Game: Goblinville
The Publisher: Narrative Dynamics
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: Just the one
Dungeon crawly kinds of games aren't traditionally my jam, but I'm starting to reexamine that. I actually really like RPGs that proceed in an incremented, almost formulaic or mission-based fashion, and I love it when RPGs have distinct phases, be they as regimented as Blades in the Dark's downtime/score divide, or as simple as Cairn having a Winter phase every year. A dungeon crawl game that arranges itself this way would be very much my jam, and Goblinville kinda scratches that itch.
In Goblinville, you play as goblins (doy) who are out trying to explore and make money and generally improve the lives of all goblinity. Rather than being the disposable serving-sized characters of Kobolds Ate My Baby (and, to a lesser extent, No Country for Old Kobolds), the goblins here are clever and capable, and if you can think your way around a problem there's no need for a roll. Actions are dependent on positioning and approach, and a lot of the game reminds me, in a very positive way, of Blades in the Dark. So let's make a goblin!
(Also lots of random tables in chargen, which I always enjoy. Gotta get me dice.)
Right, so, it's an 18-step process, but the steps are pretty simple. Step one is to choose a job, so I'm gonna roll for it. A roll of 19 gets me "sawbones." Awesome, I'm a professional wrestler doctor! I get a bonesaw, which I shall put in my pack.
Step two is age. I'll roll for that, too. I get green-ear, which is a young goblin. Cool, I'm just out of goblin med school (or, more likely, out of an apprenticeship).
Step three is a distinctive item of clothing. I'll choose this one, because "bloody apron" is an option, and that's pretty much perfect.
Step four is to name my boss and explain what happened to them. My boss was named Grizzle, and he (rolls die) died. I figure he was an old sawbones, and eventually died of some illness he caught from a patient, as all sawbones do.
Step five gives me a personal experience from my job, and sure, let's stay random. "Motivating loss." OK, then. We'll say that the first patient he "operated" on (that is, whose leg he amputated) died of blood loss and shock because he didn't apply the right poultice. Grizzle told him that this is normal, and told him the ugly secret of being a sawbones - you're gonna lose more goblins than you save.
Step six, I get to pick two traits. One's based on appearance, one's based on personality. I'll say he's lanky and fidgety.
Step seven is my name. I'll say his name is Feesh.
The next several steps would normally involve other players, but y'know, just me, so I'll be making some decisions that I normally wouldn't. Step eight, f'rex, would be me telling Feesh's story to the other players and them getting to come up with a title for me based on that story. I'll say that my title, based on Feesh's history thus far, is The Bloodletter.
Step nine is forging relationships between characters, so that one I'll skip.
Step ten is another one that the other players would give me, this time based on how their characters see mine (it's called an "esteem trait", and it's basically "why we trust you enough to adventure with you"). Well, Feesh is determined to end his career with more wins than losses as far as saving lives go, so he's very driven to keep his fellow goblins alive. I'll call that trait tenacious, I think.
Step eleven is about Feesh's outlook, how he sees the world, why he goes adventuring. I think that mostly he's an adventurer because it puts him in situations where can save lives, and also he gets bored easily if he stays still too long. Win-win.
Step twelve is "ask the GM what's going on," but I ain't got one of them, so on we go.
Step thirteen is a Perfect Circle album...no, that's Thirteenth Step. Anyway, it's really write a goal for this session. I don't really need this, but I'll say "save a goblin's life", because why not.
Step fourteen! Back to rolling, this time for a weapon. Rusty knife. Sounds great.
Step fifteen is gear, I get 2 torches, 2 rations, and a grog skin. Easy-peasy.
Step sixteen is more gear, but I choose or roll for one more thing. Ooh, I'll take useful herbs.
Step seventeen would be to pick a spell if I know one, but I don't, and step eighteen is basically "start playing," so that's it!
Feesh is a mottled green-brown goblin, very much colored like a frog (though his skin is dry and leathery, not wet and slimy). He's skinny and has long arms and long fingers, though is forearms are surprisingly strong (gotta be strong to saw through bone!). He has patchy black hair and intense black eyes, and he tends to fidget by tapping his fingers, cleaning his knife (it never helps), and reciting little mnemonics he's made up for medical procedures.
And that's it!
