Character Creation: Stokerverse

I have crossed oceans of RPGs to find you.

(Which is better than oceans of beef.)

The Game: Stokerverse RPG
The Publisher: Nightfall Games
Degree of Familiarity: I've read Dracula, but otherwise none
Books Required: Just the one

Stokerverse is a Victorian horror game. The gimmick, such as it is, is that it uses Stoker's works (including but not limited to Dracula) as a jumping-off point and that one of the creators is Bram Stoker's great-grandnephew, Dacre Stoker. 

But honestly? That's a pretty good gimmick. The book is well-written, the production values are solid, and I don't hate the system immediately upon reading (I'm also cagey about how much I like systems until I play them, but it looks like a nice balance between a couple of approaches; very much a trad game, but that's fine). 

In fact, the only complaint I have is the rather baffling decision not to have a printable character sheet included with the book. It's the with Quickstart. Which is fine, I guess, but if I'd bought this in a store I'd be hella annoyed. 

Also, not to harp, but the sheet that does exist is kinda garbage. No slot for character's name, name of the game isn't even on it, and the design is just boring. By no means a deal-breaker, but eh.

Anywho, let's make a character! 

Step One is "the conversation," which is basically session 0 kind of stuff, so doesn't really apply here.

Step Two: The Stakes. Can't have a vampire game without stakes! (I'm hilarious.) Let's assume we're doing a standard campaign, so I get 4 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points.

The book says that I can allocate these points at any point during chargen, though to "maintain suspension of disbelief" I should do it before play begins. Not entirely sure what they mean there, but whatever. I'll do it as I go, how about that.

Steps Three and Four: Archetypes. This game has you pick two Archetypes, which I really like (Cairn does something similar). I could pick both, roll both, or do one and one. I feel random today, let's at least roll the first one. "Performer." Cool, I can get behind that. Shall I pick the second one? Nah, let's keep rolling. "Game Warden." Ooh, sure. My character works for a circus. 

(Side note: Yes, I am aware that Victorian circuses probably didn't have the best track record with regard to their treatment of humans or animals, but a) it's a horror game, b) this is just a chargen exercise, and c) who am I even talking to.)

Let's say my character's name is Armitage Kelk. Tall, big mustache, handy with a rifle, runs the animal acts in his circus. In his 60s, kind of avuncular, says things like "what what" a lot. 

It's an act, of course. His real name is John MacHenry, born in Scotland in 1853 (which puts him in his 40s "now", depending on when "now" is in this game). He joined the British Army and for some reason got sent to the Gold Coast just in time for the invasion of Asante in 1874. He was not down for that shit, deserted, and wound up in living with some African auxiliary troops who'd also decided the British army could eat shit. He hooked up with the circus when they sent some folks to collect exotic animals, and here we are! 

Step Five: Record stuff. Which basically means I get to synthesize all of this stuff, I think. Boy, it'd be nice if there were an example of chargen, he said for the umpteenth time. 

Well, putting both Archetypes together, we get: 

STR 1, DEX 2, KNOW 0, CONC 0, CHA 1, COOL 1, LUCK 1

(I think it's weird to have a stat called "Cool" in this game. When did "cool" start getting used to refer to a steady and calm demeanor? Feels anachronistic, but I don't know if it is.)

Anyway, I have 4 points to add to those. I don't have to have a rating in them (that is, they range 0 to 6). I feel like Kelk should have better CHA, since he's maintaining a near-constant charade. COOL, too, maybe should go up. Knowledge can stay at 0, but Concentration I feel like I should raise. I'll put two there, actually. 

Skills! Better just list out what I have.

Athletics 3
Diplomacy 2
Driving (Riding) 2
Education (Criminal) 1
Education (Pick 1 - let's say Trade & Craft) 1
Firearms 2
Fisticuffs 1
Observation 2
Profession (Game Warden) 2
Profession (Performance) 1
Stealth 3
Survival 3
Thievery 1

I note with some amusement that I have most of the skills I'd get as a Soldier, too. That's handy. I get three more points, so I'll put 1 into Profession (Soldier), one into Thievery, and one into Firearms. 

For Traits, I get Ambidextrous (um, sure?), Attractive, Contacts, Expanded Wardrobe, Good Vision, Poor Accommodation (Shack). 

Actually, that's a question. Suppose I had Game Warden and Aristocrat. One has Poor Accommodation and one has Accommodation (Grand Country Estate). Does the better one just win out? I guess it must. 

Well, whatever, my shack is the only accommodation I have and honestly for a circus performer that's about right. I think Kelk's Contact should be Military, someone from his past that knows who he really is but isn't going to tell because Kelk saved his life (if he hadn't intervened, that woman with the sharpened bit of guava might have seriously...). 

And that's actually it! I get a rifle or shotgun (rifle, please, military issue), a survival kit, a folding knife, and performing clothes. 

I think Kelk would be an interesting character in this sort of game, particularly if you had some malevolent force spooking the animals or followed up on the "wolves escaped from the zoo" plotline that gets mentioned in the book.