Wanted to do a character in some way appropriate to the sub-sub-Arctic temps we have going on here, but I already did Ganakagok (a long time ago). But what's colder than Russia in WWII? Nothing, that's what.
The Game: Night Witches
The Publisher: Bully Pulpit Games
Degree of Familiarity: I had the pleasure of playing this game at MidWinter, and I'm familiar with PbtA games in general.
Books Required: Just the one.
As usual for a PbtA game, this actually works better with a group, but since it's just me, I shall muddle through somehow. First step is to pick a Nature, which is based on a bird. I played a Hawk before; for this project I shall make an Owl.
Next up, I do Name. There's a handy list of suggestions present. I like "Dasha" (full name, Dariya Yegorova) just fine.
Look & Background. Sex is female, obvs. Uniform is tattered, body is fragile. Face is scarred. Home town is Vladivostok (so way the hell east).
Who does she write to back home? I'm gonna say her grandfather. She hasn't gotten a letter in a while and isn't sure if he's still alive, but she keeps writing.
I pick Rank. I don't see Dasha as having risen through ranks yet, so I'll say she's a sergeant.
Stats! I have Skill, Guts, Luck, and Medals, but I start with 0 in Medals no matter what. I can start with 0, 0, 1 or 2, 0, -1. Hmm. I see Dasha as cautious and observant, so I'll go 2 in Skill, 0 in Luck, -1 in Guts. She's great at wayfinding, not so great at leading attack runs.
Role. If Nature is race, this is class. Kinda. Really it's almost the other way around. Never mind, comparing everything to D&D is dumb and a problem in this hobby. Hmm. I'm torn between Adventurer (I can bring planes down well, which is to say, non-fatally) or Dreamer (if I share a premonition and it comes true, I advance). The latter seems more in character for Dasha.
I'm a newbie, so I don't start with Moves or Regard. Normally my fellow players would ask me questions to help flesh out the character, but it's just me, y'know. So I shall randomly pick a couple of questions to answer.
Why does the NKVD already have a file on you, and how did you get around that black mark to join the Regiment? Ooh, jeez. We'll say that Dasha was part of a gang back in Vladivostok, and they escalated from occasional thievery to moving explosives at one point. Something blew up in their faces, killed most of them, and scarred up Dasha's face. The NKVD investigated, and Dasha managed to convince them that she'd tipped them off in the first place (she didn't, but the girl who did is dead). They're probably still keeping an eye on her.
What job - pilot of navigator - would you prefer? Why? Dasha prefers to navigate. When push comes to shove, she's afraid she'll panic, but if she's navigating, she's not responsible for the plane actually doing plane-things.
And that's it, I think!
