Been a while, but at least "been a while" is shaking out to be two weeks and not several months.
The Game: Hobomancer
The Publisher: Hex Games
Degree of Familiarity: None. I've read it and I've done some reading on hobo culture and history for unrelated reasons
Books Required: Hobomancer and QAGS 2nd Ed, which I have in PDF
QAGS (or Quick-Ass Game System) has two methods of chargen; you can do point-buy or you can use the "Qik Start Rules" and do a bunch of it randomly. Since I did point-buy last time I made a QAGS character, I think I'll do it randomly this time. I start by generating some numbers by rolling a d20, dividing the result in half, and then adding 6, five times. That gives me: 15, 8, 12, 13, 6 (I rolled a 1 on that last one and you round down, so like, yuk).
I now sort those numbers into Body, Brain, Nerve, Job, and Gimmick. My Job is Hobomancer, obviously, so I'll put my 13 there. Now, I should think a little about concept.
My hobo's name is Slicer Beefcake McGrew (the name "Slicer Beefcake" has been stuck in my head for a few weeks now, and I think it came from watching Pacific Rim and thinking of rejected Jaeger names, but I don't remember). Slicer used to be a butcher in his old life, but then bad luck befell him. A couple of 'bos came by looking for work, which he was happy to provide (carcasses are heavy) and the three of them did a hard day's work slaughtering, moving, and breaking down some meat, and then they all sat out back and had a smoke. They only had one match between them, and so they all lit from it, and Slicer was the last one. Little did he know that if a match lights three cigarettes, the man who lit the last one will soon suffer an injury. (The 'bos did know that, but each of them thought the other was going to say something and by the time they realized, it was too late.)
Slicer lost his hand in a knife accident the next day, and as he had no family or close friends to help him out (the 'bos had already moved on), he lost the shop. He hit the rails, intending to go to the next town and find work, but he caught up with the 'bos that had worked with him and they felt right awful about what happened, so they took him on for a few states and taught him the Hobo Code. And somewhere along the way, Slicer had a chat with the Kind Lady and heard the Song, and here we are.
OK, back to numbers. I feel like butchers are strong, so Slicer's Body ought to be kind of high. I guess the immediate question is where to put that sodding 6. I think I'll put it in Gimmick, because although that means my Gimmick kinda sucks, it also means my Weakness is low (since Weakness starts equal to Gimmick). I need to think of a Gimmick, however, so I'll let that sit a minute.
For the other three, I'll put my 15 in Body, my 12 in Nerve, and my 8 in Brain. My Weakness is One Hand 6, so that's easy. His Old Job (which is actually "Old Life" on the sheet) is equal to (16-Job)/2, but the example characters in the book with Job 13 have Old Life +2, so whatever, I have Butcher +2.
Now I get 3 Skills at +3, +2, and +1. Skills are something that fall out of line with one's Job (or Old Life, in the case of hobos). I kind of want Slicer to be good at talking with folks and putting people at ease, so I'll take Chatting at +2. I'll take Knifeplay at +1, and for my +3 I'll take Harmonica (you can play it with only one hand, see).
Right, still need a Gimmick. Um. It's not gonna work very often, whatever it is; I'd have to roll under a 6 on a d20 (barring any help from Skills). I'll think I'll say that Slicer has the Devil's Attention - sometimes he can play the harmonica and Ol' Scratch will tune in. That's not always a good thing, but for whatever reason the Devil seems to want Slicer alive.
Cool, now I get a Hobo Power. There are a bunch of examples, and a lot of them are pretty cool, but I can make one up if I want. It's tempting to do something with knives or butchering, but that's Slicer's old life. I think, though, that something that familiarizes him with death or killing is appropriate, since he was used to that. I'll say that Slicer is a Haint Caller, someone who talks with ghosts and other dead-things and helps them to move along. I need a vow, too, so I'll say that Slicer's Vow is "Never Spill the Blood of a Man Who Has Done You No Harm."
Only number-related thing left is how many Yum-Yums I start with, which is 1d20/5. I roll a 13, so I get 2 (round down).
Now, three more bits of flavor: WWPHITM (Who Would Play Him in the Movie?), Tag Line, and Dumb Fact.
For the Dumb Fact, I'll say that Slicer keeps his own knucklebones in a bag around his neck (eek). For Tag Line, I'll say "How 'bout a tune, fellars?" And as for who'd play him...need someone kinda beefy. Someone with one hand would be ideal, but a quick search doesn't show me a lot of one-handed actors (missing legs seem to be more common), so I guess we're doing that with special effects. Ooh, but how about someone who actually plays harmonica? I'm gonna say Bruce Willis. Check this out, I think it'd work:
And that'll do it!
