Ok, here we go with another game.  This one is set in the Fading Suns universe, a dark future where a once-great hi-tech republic has fallen and now bold noblemen, superstitious priests and scheming merchants fight over the scraps of lost glory.

This particular tale starts with a space-liner, thought lost since the time of the Second Republic, and its inexplicable return from the demon-haunted darkness beyond the edge of the solar system.  Rumors of its sighting have spread, and now various parties rush to find what treasures, lore, artifacts and answers it may contain.

Your characters will be the crew and passengers of a small star-ship under the banner of the ambitious House Decados, each with their own interest in the derelict vessel.

This game will use the "Solar System" RPG system, which is relatively simple and very flexible.

I intend for this to be a pretty focused and fast-paced game, so that it can come to a satisfactory conclusion rather than a premature halt.

I'm looking for 2-3 players who can post every 2-3 days (or more frequently).  Don't worry, I don't intend for this thing to drag out.

For those not familiar with the setting, I offer this link: (Ignore the rules and just browse through the fluff.)

http://www.fading-suns.com/plugins/p13_download_manager/getfile.php?categoryid=19&p13_sectionid=4&p13_fileid=27&p13_versionid=27

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"If you fudge dice rolls, your system is failing you!" -Sons of Kryos

"I genuinely think that some people measure their free will by reading how unhappy their GM is." - TonyLB

[dice type=fudge]3dF[/dice]

A little out of my element but then I never played in a zombie world before, I'll sign on if you'll have me, what do you need for a character?

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) Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before.

Yay!  A hit!

Glad to have you, OldGrump!

Well, the important thing to have is a concept.  Being familiar with the setting is helpful, but you can probably just come up with an idea for "a guy" and we can figure out where he fits in from there.  So think of a guy who would be have a reason to visit a derelict ship that might be carrying valuable artifacts or treasures, and that superstitious people think might be haunted as well.  So, journalists, investigators, treasure-hunters, researchers, exorcists, bodyguards, etc.

Once you have a character in mind, think of something heroic he did in his past that showcases a skill that he's really good at.  Maybe he strangled the snakes sent to kill him when he was an infant.  Maybe he made an incredible sniper shot that saved the day during the war.  Maybe he climbed the Cliffs of Insanity to rescue his beloved.  That sort of thing.

Then give a little background for the character, describing the kind of life he had growing up, the kind of job he does, the kind of place he lives, etc.  Again, setting specific stuff might be tricky for you, but "poor kid who grew up in the city who then moved north to hunt polar bears" can fit a lot of settings and it still tells us a bit about your character.

Once we get an idea of who he is, we can pick a special ability, figure out what motivates him, and then round him out with some extras.

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"If you fudge dice rolls, your system is failing you!" -Sons of Kryos

"I genuinely think that some people measure their free will by reading how unhappy their GM is." - TonyLB

[dice type=fudge]3dF[/dice]

Oh, and if it makes a difference, there are aliens (second-class citizens, but playable), psychic powers (considered evil, but playable) and "clerics" (magic-using priests, basically).

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"If you fudge dice rolls, your system is failing you!" -Sons of Kryos

"I genuinely think that some people measure their free will by reading how unhappy their GM is." - TonyLB

[dice type=fudge]3dF[/dice]

I'm interested, here is a character I'm thinking of playing.

Alun Volkonsky

Alun is an accomplished "goto" person for his lord, Triquet Onegin.  Alun is capable of making deals on his lord's behalf, he is an accomplished merchant, diplomat, and, when it comes to it, quite skilled at closing up loose ends if need be.  Alun has two secrets; the source of his talent at manipulating people and his connection to his lord.  The first, only partially understood, even by himself, is that he has an innate talent with Psyche; capable of glimpses into the minds of those around him.  Psyche is quite a useful talent for someone in Alun's position, though dangerous if the church found out.  The second secret is a bit more obscure, Alun is, in actuality, Lord Triquet Onegin.  Posing as a relatively poor, likable scoundrel like Alun with no connections keeps Triquet apart from a lot of the backstabbing squabbles from the rest of House Decados.  Sometimes Triquet wonders whether he even "is" Triquet anymore.  Triquet has adopted a different style of hair, accent, even manner of moving.  In many ways Alun has made Triquet a better man than his Decados fellows, as he often finds himself looking at life through a more "common" man's eyes, rather than the elite view of his peers.

His family perished in a mysterious crash while he was young, so few in House Decados knows who the reclusive Triquet really is, and those who do haven't put the pieces together that the scruffy low-born Alun could be the same person as the highborn Triquet, a blindness the nobility occasionally have.   

Just an idea, let me know if it works or not.

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Richard M.
Grimfang
"Whisper"
Xaeraes

Yay!

Ok, so characters have "Abilities", which basically means "Skills".  They have every Ability that they might reasonably know at "Mediocre(+0)".  One Ability, they have at "Adept(+2)", and should be illustrated by a heroic even from their pasts.  Three Abilities they have at "Competent(+1)", and should tie into their background history.  You can pick the Abilities and then come up with the background to justify them, or you can come up with the background and choose the Abilities to match, however you feel like doing it.  You'll also need to choose a "culture" from Noble, Guild or Church.  Everybody can choose "General" Abilities, but only members of a culture can choose culture-specific Abilities.

For a sense of scale, it goes Mediocre(+0), Competent(+1), Adept(+2), Master(+3) and Grand Master(+4).  So "Adept(+2)" is pretty good.

Here's a list of Abilities:

General:
Intimidation (I)
Archery (V)
Firearms (V)
Seduction (I)
Incite (I)
Deceit (R)
Athletics (V)
Brawling (V)
Remedy (R)
Craft (R)
Bargain (R)
Cajole (I)
Ride (V)
Drive (R)
Stealth (I)
Hunting (I)
Larceny (I)
Library (R)

Noble:
Dueling (V)
Warcraft (R)
Diplomacy (I)
Think-Machines (R)
Melee (V)

Guild:
Computers (R)
Mercenary (V)
Tech Redemption (R)
Pilot (I)
Surgery (R)
Science (R)
Tactics (R)

Church:
Preach (I)
Merciful Technals (R)
Theurgy (R)
Doctrine (R)

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"If you fudge dice rolls, your system is failing you!" -Sons of Kryos

"I genuinely think that some people measure their free will by reading how unhappy their GM is." - TonyLB

[dice type=fudge]3dF[/dice]

I am studying the 16 pages of the link I printed out.  I was thinking former hunter now a power plant technician.  I don't see it in Guild so would that be a general class?  Basically I am a propulsion  mechanic on the ship.  Cross between plumber/pipefitter, drive mechanic and electronics tech.  Just don't ask me to fly the ship or make your meals and for heavens sake don't call me sir.  I am Tanred (Pipes) O'Gronnagant, Pipes to my friends.  Will have him fleshed out a little better tomorrow morning. 

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) Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before.

Sorry, for "flavor" some of the Abilities have funny names.  "Think-Machine" means "computer", but is obviously a simpler, more superstitious understanding of them.  Similarly "Merciful Technals" means "advanced medicine as seen through religious dogma", "Theurgy" means "clerical magic", and "Tech Redemption" means "hi-tech repairs".

So your character would likely be a freeman who was a hunter in his youth before apprenticing and becoming a member of the inscrutable and creepy "Engineer's Guild".  The skill used to maintain the ship's power-plant and other such things would be "Tech Redemption".  Wilderness skills would be "Survival", which I added to the general list (along with Stealth).

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"If you fudge dice rolls, your system is failing you!" -Sons of Kryos

"I genuinely think that some people measure their free will by reading how unhappy their GM is." - TonyLB

[dice type=fudge]3dF[/dice]

Sorry, not Survival, but "Hunting". :P

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"If you fudge dice rolls, your system is failing you!" -Sons of Kryos

"I genuinely think that some people measure their free will by reading how unhappy their GM is." - TonyLB

[dice type=fudge]3dF[/dice]

As an example:

Sir Galan Trevor Hawkwood

Heroic Event:  Once, in his youth, he defended a weaker child from 5 armed bullies with only a wooden practice sword.

Background:  A child of landless nobility, he was often ignored by his guardian, his mother's drunken uncle, and as such spent much of his time with unsavory sorts in the nearby urban area.  Despite this, he swore himself to the Emperor's Service and trained to become a Questing Knight.

Culture: Nobility

Pools:
Vigor(4)
Instinct(4)
Reason(2)

Abilities:
Melee (+2) V
Larceny (+1) I
Firearms (+2) V
Bargain (+1) R

Dueling (+1) V
Warcraft (+0) R
Diplomacy (+0) R
Think-Machines (+0) R

Endure (+2) V
React (+1) I
Resist (+0) R

Secrets:
Imperial Charter (Imperial authority and responsibility to find lost worlds, protect the Empire, and mete out Imperial justice.)
(Also +1 bonus die where Imperial Charter matters.)
Equipment - Energy Shield (+2 Effect against firearms) Cost: 2I

Keys:
Adventure: 1XP - Go to new places, meet new people, do exciting things, 2XP - Participate in an unlikely yet dramatic coincidence, 5XP - Finish an adventure, 10XP - Settle down for good.
Imperial Charter: 1XP - Uphold Imerial law, 2XP - Bend the law, 5XP - Get injured in the line of duty, 10XP - Abandon your charter

Gear:
Rapier
Heavy Revolver
Knife
MedPac
Fusion Torch
Some Money

This will make more sense later. :)

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"If you fudge dice rolls, your system is failing you!" -Sons of Kryos

"I genuinely think that some people measure their free will by reading how unhappy their GM is." - TonyLB

[dice type=fudge]3dF[/dice]

I'm thinking a monkish sort, determined to find release from personal attachment in order to ascend to a higher spiritual plane.  Her family relied heavily on her and raised her with a good amount of guilt and sense of duty.  She's currently working as a bodyguard / personal assistant for a Decados noble.  Of course, she has developed a less than professional relationship with him and is struggling to overcome her growing attachment and a concern for his welfare that is not entirely explained by her employment status.

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It is better to be the hammer than the anvil.
--Emily Dickinson

Ria, that is terribly interesting!  Is she officially ordained in sect of the Church, or is she simply a very spiritual householder?  Does she know martial arts?  Also, could you describe a heroic event in her life that showcases her strongest Ability?  What three Abilities best represent her background?

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"If you fudge dice rolls, your system is failing you!" -Sons of Kryos

"I genuinely think that some people measure their free will by reading how unhappy their GM is." - TonyLB

[dice type=fudge]3dF[/dice]

Here is my character so far, any suggestions, alterations, etc are welcome.

Alun Volkonsky
Aka Lord Triquet Onegin

Heroic Event: During a purchasing trip to an outer colony for rare spices, Alun heard rumors of a monster attacking the population.  Alun concluded his business but decided to stay another night.  That night while finishing a drink he heard the screaming of a woman from outside.  Triquet would have ignored the sound, but Alun decided he wouldn't.  All he can remember of that night is stepping between a screaming woman and a man with no color, as if the very color had been leeched from him, making him difficult to see in the darkness.  A monstrous growth was growing out of the back of the man, an inky blackness like a large shelllike carapace, his eyes multi-faceted like some sort of large beetle and large mandibles projecting from his mouth to boot.  He has vague glimpses of fire and an alien voice that continues to haunt his dreams telling to help spread and procreate.  He only knows he was successful in saving the girl because the next morning he had a batch of homemade pastries from the girl with a long letter professing her thanks.  Alun left the world and never looked back, though he continues to have strange dreams of weird creatures and strange voices urging him to go places or do things.

Background: Alun is actually Triquet Onegin, the last son of the Onegin family, his parents backstabbed by a supposed ally in House Decados.  He was raised by a trusted family advisor, Tuchko Ivanov.  In order to protect Triquet, the persona of Alun was borne.  Assassins might want to kill Triquet, but the reclusive noble is seen as being outrageously paranoid and hard to pinpoint.  Meanwhile, Alun Volkonsky is free to move around and go on missions a noble might otherwise not be able to do.  In this way, he is free, or more free than some of his noble peers, even as he is denied some of the greater aspects due to having to hide his true nature.  Since Alun's encounter with the "monster" of planet X, he has had recurring nightmares both of the incident and of places and events he has never experienced as well as occasionally strange impulses.

Culture: Nobility

Pools:
Vigor    4
Instinct   3
Reason    3

 

Abilities:
Endure +1
React +2
Resist +0

Dueling (+2) V

Diplomacy (+1) R
Deceit (+1) R
Bargain(+1) R

Firearms(+0) V
Stealth(+0) I
Athletics(+0) V
Think-Machines(+0) R

Secrets:
Psyche (I)

Keys:
Infected(?)

 

Gear:

 

 

 

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Richard M.
Grimfang
"Whisper"
Xaeraes

Lovely.

You also have three "automatic" Abilities. Endure, React, and Resist.  These are "defensive" and allow you to endure physical stress, react to danger and resist compulsion.  One starts at +2, another at +1 and the last at +0.

You may note that the various abilities now have letters beside them.  These letters represent the Pools to which these Abilities are associated.  The Pools are: Vigor, Instinct and Reason.

Vigor is your reserves of physical endurance.

Instinct is your reserves of animal-like grace and force of personality.

Reason is your reserves of mental strength.

So, divide 10 points between these Pools.  Minimum of 1.

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"If you fudge dice rolls, your system is failing you!" -Sons of Kryos

"I genuinely think that some people measure their free will by reading how unhappy their GM is." - TonyLB

[dice type=fudge]3dF[/dice]

Done. :)

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Richard M.
Grimfang
"Whisper"
Xaeraes