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Atomic Rocket Games and Evil Robot Games are close to releasing our new science-fiction/Cyberpunk-genre campaign setting, The Metro, using our new in-house system, The Power Core RPG.
We (well, I) will be running a Play-By-Post playtest campaign here on the forums. Why?
* - Because these forums are the largest, best, most chock-full of intelligent, diverse gamers in the world.
* - Because Power Core will be a class- and level- free, non-d20 addition to the OGL family of game systems.
* - Because enabling gamers outside the core playtest group to see how the game works is an ideal and transparent method of showing people what we hope (and know) the system and the setting can do.
How's it going to go?
My players will post their character concepts here in this recruitment thread, and we will go through their build process, showing how it's done, and detailing their characters in a step-by-step form.
Once that's done, the Discussion thread will be where we talk game mechanics and setting particulars. My players will ask questions on a regular basis (questions you as observers might have!), and they'll be answered based on the rules and the setting.
Can I join the game?
Unfortunately, there are no available playtest slots at this time. We have our testers (we've worked with all of them before), and all four slots are full.
Can I get a peek at the rules?
Not at this time. This is for confidentiality on the rules and for legal reasons, as well.
Can I observe the game?
Please do!
What is Power Core?
Power Core is a class- and level- free RPG ruleset that will be released under the OGL upon completion. Its first campaign setting - The Metro, a high-rise world of culture-shock, futurism, and malleable humanity - has been under construction for some time, and will be detailed as part of the playtest.
What's in Power Core?
Power Core uses a 2d6 + Attribute + Modifiers vs Difficulty Class resolution system, making it both familiar and easy to pick up.
The system offers a broad skill and reputation system, enabling players and GM's to tailor their games with both skills and organizations that are custom-built for the campaign with minimal effort.
Power Core also offers an adaptable combat system, a fully-integrated mecha/vehicle/weapon construction system, and much more.
What's in The Metro?
Ambiguous history. Balkanized subcultures. Sexy androids. Enormous skyscraper cities. Mystery and Adventure. Corporate Nation States. Spicy Krill On A Stick. Synthetic Life Forms. Flying cars.
When does it start?
The discussion and gameplay threads will go live on May 1, 2018. The players will start posting their character builds here in this thread then, as well. There will be a 1/week minimum update, either from players, or myself.
Sounds great!
Aw, thanks! We hope so!
Playtesters, please format your submissions as follows:
Character Name:
Character Concept:
Character Culture And Focus:
Character Culture Contact Name:
Character Job:
(Spoiler) Culture Freebies:
(Spoiler) Beat Chart and Binding Ties:
(Spoiler) Attribute Lists:
Primary Attributes:
Figured Attributes:
(Spoiler) Skill Lists:
Job Skills:
Education Skills:
Background Skills:
(Spoiler) Reputation Lists:
Crowd Reputations:
Culture Reputations:
(Spoiler) Equipment And Funds:
(Spoiler) Character History And Background:
Character Name: Emily Theora Carter
Character Concept: Emily is an investigative journalist looking for her next story.
Gender: Female
Appearance: Short, stocky woman with short messy hair in streaks of purple and green. Eyes are purple. Clothing preference is for comfort and ease or movement, lots of neutral colors.
Character Culture And Focus: Social
Character Job:
(Spoiler) Culture Freebies:
(Spoiler) Beat Chart and Binding Ties:
(Spoiler) Attribute Lists:
Primary Attributes:
Figured Attributes:
(Spoiler) Skill Lists:
Job Skills:
Education Skills:
Background Skills:
(Spoiler) Reputation Lists:
Crowd Reputations:
Culture Reputations:
(Spoiler) Equipment And Funds:
(Spoiler) Character History And Background: In 500 words or less!
So let's talk about Culture Focus in the game.
As a Social, Emily has the choice of two Cultural Focus options: Spiller or Thriller.
Spillers spend their days livestreaming on the go: constant streams of selfies, monologues, and vlogs, edited on-the-fly by smart-apps in their AR rigs. Spillers are almost never without at least a pair of drones, broadcasting everything they do from their best angle. Spillers usually have close (if not friendly) ties with Law Enforcement, thanks to all the Public Eye recording clauses built in to their livecasting software. When anyone has the option to sue you for missing out on your Terms and Conditions, it’s always best to be up to date on your contracts.
Thrillers are exactly that: adrenalin junkies in full-sensory meshes, letting their followers get that same rush as they take a freefall-parkour dive off of a High-Sec walkway. Speeding through skylane traffic in bare-bones wingsuits, half stuntman, half filmmaker, Thrillers ride the surge of public euphoria, giving everyone a good time and show them what it’s like to live. Unsurprisingly, the bulk of a Thriller’s followers usually come from the lower Quads, where escape and adventure are out of reach, but not out of mind.
The Social Culture Contact is KitKat, and player character Socials are her close personal friends.
Emily's next step is to pick a Culture Focus (and based on her concept, something like a Spiller seems appropriate), and when she's done that, she'll have a few options to look at.
Let's look at what the book says:
IF YOU’RE A SOCIAL…
Decide if you are a Spiller or a Thriller. Once you’ve done that:
• Go and grab ((Socials + Joe Public) * 100cr) worth of goods and gear necessary to live your best life. Clothes, climbing gear, a wing suit. Whatever you need to keep your followers happy. Remember: they’re here to see you.
• Socials are always-on, always in the Public Eye. Because of this, it’s very easy for them to get favors, but when they screw it up, they do so big time. All of your costs to gain Reputation are halved, as are your temporary reductions from Useful Actions. Unfortunately, all of your Aggressive Action penalties are doubled.
• Even if someone doesn’t know you, they might still “know” you. While generating your Beat Chart, whenever you gain a bonus to Reputation with a Crowd, you may reduce that bonus (by up to half) and put the remainder into another Crowd that you don’t already have a Reputation with. This cannot exceed your Socials Reputation.
• You’ve managed to lock down ten of KitKat’s private PERSONE chits. You can use these to get face time with her, or get a private, secured stream call with her. She usually replies within the hour, and is very happy to see you.
Additionally, being friends with KitKat gets Emily an additional benefit at character creation:
As your Culture Contact, KitKat will provide you with one of the four following benefits at character creation:
• An introduction to your opposite number (Thrillers for Spillers and vice-versa) for a one-time collaboration that can get you (Socials * 500cr) cash, instantly. You gain this person as a friend.
• A crash course in Making It that will teach you what you need to know in order to improve your Presentation or Socialize skill by +1.
• KitKat will take you shopping, allowing you to buy Tier 4-6 quality clothing at half price during character creation.
• If you want to burn her as a contact, KitKat will use her influence to turn public opinion in your direction to wipe out one crime on your Beat Chart (whether you’re guilty or not). She hates lying, and will remember this.
That last item is of particular importance:
Characters have the ability to burn their Culture Contact at character creation. This is a two-edged sword: you are no longer being watched by a friend and mentor, putting you in a position where you won't necessarily have support and assistance should you need it, but at the same time, you're free to go your own way, and can distance yourself from the more traditional aspects of your Culture. Usually, people burn their Culture Contact in order to eliminate a particularly terrible incident from their record, or give themselves a clean slate as they go forward.
It's not an easy choice to make - think about it carefully before you do it.
We'll check back with Emily and see what she's thinking about in terms of her Culture Focus.
I'm in agreement about Emily being a Spiller and not a Thriller!
Let's try this again.
Character Name: Emily Theora Carter
Character Concept: Emily is an investigative journalist looking for her next story.
Character Culture And Focus: Social > Spiller
Character Culture Contact Name: KitKat
Crowds: Medias, Joe Public, DownTowners, The law
Character Job: Freelance Writer / Vlogger who sells advertising on her videos
Primary Attributes:
Figured Attributes:
Job Skills:
Education Skills:
Background Skills:
Crowd Reputations:
Culture Reputations:
Family: Boring, midtowner, but great great GREAT grand dad was a media and he's her hero.
Hope I'm doing this right. I always get nervous when I work with a new system, even one like this…
Character Name: Avryl Grimaldi
Character Concept: Renegade computer genius
Character Culture And Focus: Egghead; Freelancer
Character Culture Contact Name: Wally
Character Job: Freelance computer engineer; hacker
8 tech toys, as play progresses
Coding Workshop (+1 to programming)
Wally’s PERSONNE chits (10)
Where do you come from?: Orbital high rise
• +1 adv tech; -1 streetwise
• -1 joe public & two other reputations
• +200cr starting funds
Where did you grow up?: Isolated; private tutors & guides
• +1 knowledge & language skills
• +1 to to UpTowners reputation
• “-“ to Grace total
What kind of kid were you?: Smart kid
• +1 to knowledge skill
Where are you in life?: I’m onto something…something big.
• +1 to deduction & surveillance; “+” to Grace total
Age 16: 1 event
EVENT 1: Boring! Life goes on, right?
Age 17: 3 events
EVENT 1: Stabbed in the back(-); someone stole my early work! Rep penalties w/ Eggheads doubled
EVENT 2: Nothing of consequence
EVENT 3: Nothing—this ain’t a great year for me, is it?
Age 18: 1 event
EVENT 1: Lover (m) in my own culture (+); It was nice, but…complicated (Complicated nothing! The man-slut thought “open relationship” meant “he’s open and I behave”. Wrong!)
Age 19: 2 events
EVENT 1: Broke into lab proved Wally right. Now he owes me a solid (+)
EVENT 2: New friend on the Net, naturally. (+)
Age 20: 3 events
EVENT 1: Remember Mister Man-slut from age 18? He has a vendetta against me now (-)
EVENT 2: Made friends with a Law Man (+)
EVENT 3: New enemy: Former employer (now we know why I do freelance only) (-)
It’s at this point where the fall from grace happened, forcing me into MidTown, where I swallowed my pride and started using my skills to hack for a living.
Age 21: 1 event
EVENT 1: Ho hum…nothing happened
Age 22: 1 event
EVENT 1: Nothing to write home about…
EVENT 2: Former intern tried stealing one of my programs, so I crashed their account (enemy) (-)
EVENT 3: On a lark, I entered the Metro Lotto…and won 5,000cr & +1 to Joe Public (+)
Age 23: 1 event
EVENT 1: I wish I could tell you what happened for the last 4 months, but I’ve got nothin’ (-)
Age 24: 2 event
EVENT 1: Someone in the family is irked by my mad science/behavior/fall from grace (-)
EVENT 2: Thankfully, the rest of my year was uneventful
Age 25: 3 events (Wow! The year for making friends!)
EVENT 1: New friend among fellow eggheads; good things will come of this (+)
EVENT 2: A mutual rival turned into a friend; we did great things (+)
EVENT 3: Then I met another brilliant egghead & we did greater things (+)
Age 26: 1 events
EVENT 1: Timing’s everything, right? Managed to help out Suits (+1 rep) (+)
Age 27: 3 events
EVENT 1: Nope! Nothin…kind of a relief, in a way
EVENT 2: That bad relative? He got another relative on his side doing the hating (-)
EVENT 3: But I did join a fencing school (+1 edged weapons) (+)
Age 28: 1 event
EVENT 1: Literally ran into my newest love (f) (“Taxi—“ *Whammo!*) (+); Never thought about doing a relationship like this, but surprisingly we’re still together (rolled a 4 for years).
Age 29: 2 events
EVENT 1: Life fracking sucks! In a depressed state for 6 straight months & get nothing done (-)
EVENT 2: Then I got sick! Oh, this is just great! Shoot me now! (-)
Primary Attributes:
Figured Attributes:
Job Skills:
Education Skills:
Background Skills:
Crowd Reputations:
Culture Reputations:
I'll tell you this when I know myself
Getting established was hard at first, and she made plenty of mistakes. But she learned, she networked, and slowly built up her reputation among both Eggheads and Hackers. A little luck played along the way as well. She’s suspicious that her former family and their associates are using her. She has no direct evidence, save for 6 months of her life that she can’t account for. Then there are the two family members who seem to cause her nothing but grief.
The last two years have been a mixed blessing. On the plus side, she met the possible love of her life. On the downside, the following year she was afflicted with something she wasn’t immune to, and the debilitation led to a long case of depression. She’s just managing to recover, and she thinks she has a lead on some juicy information, which may point to a potential mystery…
We're back to talk about the Puppeteer Culture - of which our new friend BART is a member.
Puppeteers live their lives wearing robotic bodies: whether operating them remotely from the safety of a Telepresence Cradle or plugged in do them directly as part of a Biopod, Puppeteers experience the world in a vastly different ways than "Solitaries" - when you are literally who you wear, the restrictions of biological identity fall away like old leaves.
As with the other Cultures, Puppeteers have two Culture Focus options: Crib Kids and Pod Babies.
Crib Kids do their work from inside complex, secure Telepresence Cradles. It’s a mentally taxing job, often requiring long hours hooked into an interface buffer, with your attention split between various bodies. Some Crib Kids only have the one Puppet, choosing to dedicate the rest of their Cog-Hours toward raw processing, using their T-Cradle buffers to turn their brain’s raw processing power toward things like data-mining or information folding. Crib Kids are the most numerous Puppeteers, usually tackling jobs that require a lot of heavy lifting and otherwise back-breaking work, filling roles that would normally need an entire team of skilled workers. Since each Crib Kid is his own team, though, there aren’t a lot of Corporations stupid enough not to have at least a few Crib Kids on their payrolls. And hey, don’t worry about running too many Puppets at once. Cognitive Disassociation is just a buzzword. It doesn’t really happen.
Pod Baby Puppeteers are usually accident victims, their brains, central nervous systems, and endocrine systems held in a self-contained survival/interface unit known as a Bio Pod. (Rarely, a Pod Baby still has some of their original body left, but not enough for them to survive being hooked in to a T-Cradle.) The Pods can be fitted with small sensory/motive devices, enabling the Puppeteer to interact with the world when not hooked to their Puppet. When inserted into a Mech-Body, the Puppet’s systems take over, allowing the Pod to act as a sort of cockpit for the Puppet. When running a Puppet, the Puppeteer has access all the sensory, physical, and technical abilities of the Puppet. Pod Babies are often highly specialized Puppeteers, linking up with powerful, expensive Mech-Bodies to tackle jobs that their Crib Kid friends don’t have the training or focus to handle.
The Puppeteer Culture Contact is Bob-999, and player character Puppeteers never know which Bob they'll be dealing with next.
BART has chosen Pod Baby as his Culture Focus, which means that as part of his character creation, he's somehow ended up in a Biopod, from which he controls his Puppets - mechanical bodies that can be tailored to almost any task.
As a Pod Baby, BART's entire life is contained in his Biopod: an incredibly sturdy containment device that holds his brain, central nervous system, and a number of artificial organs that keep his cerebral fluid clean, his cells healthy, and what remains of his genetic matter clean and happy. Biopods aren't very mobile in their default configuration - they closely resemble large, polycarbonate-armored eggs with a ring of six wheels around their base and a large, 1024-color LED screen from which their "faces" can speak and emote - but they can be modified or replaced with a variety of alternatives.
Let's see what the book says about Puppeteers.
IF YOU’RE A PUPPETEER…
Figure out whether you’re a Crib Kid or a Pod Baby. Once you’ve done that:• Choose a standard, unmodified Mechbody, free of charge. Any modifications you want to make to this first Puppet must be bought as normal.
• Being able to swap bodies means that Solitaries are usually pretty leery of getting to know you – after all, you could be anyone. Every time you gain a friend on your Beat Chart, roll 1d6. On a 1-2, you don’t gain that friend.
• Not being bound to one body gives you a good take on “other people’s shoes.” Every time your Beat Chart would grant you a Physical skill, you can swap it out for a Mental or Social skill, instead.
• Bob-999 will supply you with 10 of his private PERSONE chits. Due to Bob’s… disjointed… nature, you can’t quite be sure which of him will answer.
Being on Bob-999's friends list also offers one of the following benefits to BART:
As your Culture Contact, Bob will hand over one of the following things at character creation:
• A one-shot speed module that will boost your Initiative while running one of your (and only your) Puppets by +6 for one encounter.
• A Sensory Upgrade that can equip one of your (and only your) Puppets with an advanced suite, giving you a +2 to your Perception skill.
• One of Bob’s Egghead friends will set you up with (Puppeteers * 250cr) worth of non-combat upgrades for one of your (and only your) Puppets.
• Bob will, reluctantly, get you a Puppet Black Box, but this will burn him as a contact.
Of special importance is the last item on this list: Puppet Black Boxes are highly controversial technology in Puppeteer Culture - they enable the complete hijacking of another person's Puppets, taking away the operator's ability to control the mechanical body for a period of up to several minutes time. Puppet Black Boxes are military-grade intrusions-operations hardware, and are (thankfully) almost impossible to come by on the civilian market. That being said, anyone who uses them on a fellow Puppeteer is seen (rightly) as being a violator of the worst kind.
And with Avryl's entry, we have a chance to check out Egghead Culture.
Eggheads literally keep The Metro running - and they're out to fix the world. Not save it. Fix it. It’s broken, and they can see that it’s broken. Anyone who doesn’t should either get out of their way or sit down, shut up, and listen while the Eggheads explain it.
The two Culture Focus options for Eggheads are Dayjobs and Freelancers.
Dayjobs, are the people that make the day-to-day world of The Metro work. They’re the Operations technicians, the high-tier Support Reps, and the IT Professionals that keep the bits and bytes moving where they need to. Without them, the gears of The Metro grind to a messy, disorganized halt, and nobody gets paid. Dayjobs may not be some of the most glamorous members of their Culture, but they’re highly competent, highly respected (by their peers, if not their bosses), and highly sought after people. Don’t mistake their riding a desk for not having ambition or the desire to make a change: Dayjobs have their reasons for being where they are, which are easily as (or more) complex than Freelancers have for their choice of vocation. Dayjobs can be valuable contacts for insider information, corporate espionage, and even a little sabotage, if you’re lucky.
Freelancers don’t punch clocks, and they don’t draw regular paychecks – their independent work precludes a certain amount of financial security. Freelancers are usually called in to do a specific task for a large amount of money. NDA’s, secrecy money, and windowless transportation to and from the job site are all hallmarks of a Freelancer’s day-to-day. The up-side of this uncertainty is mobility: Freelancers move from position to position as semi-anonymous faces. This can play in the Freelancer’s favor, letthing them work for rival corporations within the span of a few weeks or months. If they play their cards right, Freelancers can build a network of contacts and associates from every tier and industry in The Metro, garnering a vast well of knowledge and favors.
The Egghead Culture Contact is Wally, the best, most connected R&D Design Engineer this side of the International Date Line.
Avryl is a Freelancer, meaning she doesn't have the same sort of stability and reliable resources that a Dayjob has access to, but on the other hand, she gains a network of contacts that would make a Social blush. The book says this about Freelancers:
Whenever you need to gather information about a corporation, organization, or group in The Metro, you can make a Difficult Reputation check (use the appropriate Rep group + Eggheads + 2d6 vs DC 23). Success indicates that you’ve worked there before, and you know someone on the inside.
As to Eggheads, themselves, the book says:
IF YOU’RE AN EGGHEAD…
First, decide whether you’re a DayJob or Freelancer. Once you’ve done that:
• You begin play with a number of Tech Toys equal to (INT + MECH). If you like, you don’t have to pick them right away, and can instead create them on the fly from spare parts you have lying around. If you choose to build them on the fly, you only get (INT + MECH)/2 Tech Toys as play progresses.
• Pick one of the following options for your Tech Toys:
- - Replenish: you can replace an expended Tech Toy in an hour by spending 1 Rep (a Major Useful Action) with one of your Crowds, which you must recover as normal.
- - Scavenge: When a Tech Toy breaks, you can scavenge it to gain a +1 bonus to your next Basic or Advanced Technology skill check for every 100cr the Tech Toy cost.• Every time you have the option to pick up a Physical or Social skill on your Beat Chart, you may choose to take a Mental skill instead.
• Wally will give you 10 of his private PERSONE chits, each of which gets you a premium slot on his calendar.
Additionally, Wally can offer Avryl one of the following items:
As your Culture Contact, Wally has the ability to get you one thing off of this list during character creation:
• Wally can get you into a coding workshop, giving you a +1 to your Programming skill.
• Wally can clear up to (200cr * Eggheads) worth of debt from your records, no questions asked.
• Wally can help you get one legal Cybernetic Enhancement for 50% off the price.
• Wally can make you a one-shot decryption key that can crack anything short of Government or Military security protocols, but you really should never ask him for anything else, ever again.
So, a little about skills and bonuses in the game.
As has been noted, above, various sources in the characters life can provide them with a bonus to a skill or skills.
In Avryl's case, her mentor, Wally, can provide her with a +1 to her Programming skill.
This is a bonus. It adds to her total roll with the skill when she's in a situation where she has to make sure that her attempts don't mess things up. Under normal circumstances, she can succeed at any Programming related task automatically: she's proficient with the skill, and while she might not be as good as some others, and it might take her a little longer, she can do it.
Normal usage of skills does not require a rolled check, as long as the task has no dangerous outcome if it fails.
In a stressful situation (such as trying to hack a corporate computer system behind a very secure firewall), however, Avryl will need to make a skill check.
All of her bonuses are added to her skill ranks and her controlling attribute, as well as a roll of 2d6, and the result compared to a Difficulty Class - something familiar to a large number of gamers in a large number of systems.
Wally's tutelage doesn't actually improve Avryl's skill ranks, but it does give her a bonus.
Equipment, skill training, and a variety of other factors can provide bonuses. In the case of equipment, if a character is using more than one piece of equipment that provides a bonus to a particular skill, the character only applies the most relevant bonus during their skill check. A character using a piece equipment that makes them virtually invisible ("active camouflage") and another that makes them silent ("passive camouflage"), for instance, would use the bonus from their Passive Camouflage item if they were trying to be quiet. Being invisible doesn't make you any harder to hear, after all.
A character's Beat Chart, Culture Focus, Culture Contact and more can all provide skill bonuses throughout character creation.
So we're going to do a little nuts-and-bolts character creation here with our first entrant, Emily.
Emily's first step, deciding her character's Culture and Culture Focus is already handled - She's a Spiller Social, and spends her days dishing her life and times out to her followers via updates, livestreams, and soundbites.
She gets a few cool benefits, some of which rely on her Reputations with her various contact groups - other Cultures, and the collected social-strata groups of The Metro: Crowds
Let's see what the book says:
AS A SOCIAL, you have no privacy, your life is a public event, and you have little in the way of real intimacy. You’re “friends” with hundreds, maybe thousands, of people. You’re friends with a handful of souls, if that. You serve a valuable purpose in today’s society, yeah, but no matter how many people find purpose or escape in your feeds, they’ll probably never really know the real you. It can be a great, fulfilling life, or it can be the loneliest thing ever. There’s really no in-between.
IF YOU’RE A SOCIAL…
Decide if you are a Spiller or a Thriller. Once you’ve done that:• Go and grab ((Socials + Joe Public) * 100cr) worth of goods and gear necessary to live your best life. Clothes, climbing gear, a wing suit. Whatever you need to keep your followers happy. Remember: they’re here to see you.
• Socials are always-on, always in the Public Eye. Because of this, it’s very easy for them to get favors, but when they screw it up, they do so big time. All of your costs to gain Reputation are halved, as are your temporary reductions from Useful Actions. Unfortunately, all of your Aggressive Action penalties are doubled.
• Even if someone doesn’t know you, they might still “know” you. While generating your Beat Chart, whenever you gain a bonus to Reputation with a Crowd, you may reduce that bonus (by up to half) and put the remainder into another Crowd that you don’t already have a Reputation with. This cannot exceed your Socials Reputation.
• You’ve managed to lock down ten of KitKat’s private PERSONE chits. You can use these to get face time with her, or get a private, secured stream call with her. She usually replies within the hour, and is very happy to see you.
As a Spiller, Emily also has a bit more text for her to deal with:
SPILLERS, like Kitkat, spend their days livestreaming on the go: constant streams of selfies, monologues, and vlogs, edited on-the-fly by smart-apps in their AR rigs. Spillers are almost never without at least a pair of drones, broadcasting everything they do from their best angle. Spillers usually have close (if not friendly) ties with Law Enforcement, thanks to all the Public Eye recording clauses built in to their livecasting software. When anyone has the option to sue you for missing out on your Terms and Conditions, it’s always best to be up to date on your contracts.
If you’re a Spiller…
KitKat is your best friend. Okay, maybe not really, but she’ll say she is. Once per week, when you tap her PERSONE chits, you can reduce one Aggressive Action penalty taken against your Culture by half.
That's pretty sweet! It would appear that being friends with KitKat provides the character - in this case Emily - with the ability to get out of a rough spot with their fellow Socials. Even at once a week, though, it doesn't sound like something Emily will want to take advantage of all that often.
And, finally, like all Culture Contacts, KitKat has a few options that Emily can pick from during character creation:
As your Culture Contact, KitKat will provide you with one of the four following benefits at character creation:
• An introduction to your opposite number (Thrillers for Spillers and vice-versa) for a one-time collaboration that can get you (Socials * 500cr) cash, instantly. You gain this person as a friend.
• A crash course in Making It that will teach you what you need to know in order to improve your Presentation or Socialize skill by +1.
• KitKat will take you shopping, allowing you to buy Tier 4-6 quality clothing at half price during character creation.
• If you want to burn her as a contact, KitKat will use her influence to turn public opinion in your direction to wipe out one crime on your Beat Chart (whether you’re guilty or not). She hates lying, and will remember this.
So, KitKat can either get Emily some extra cash, a bonus to one of her skills, a hefty discount on clothing (which could very well be more valuable than either of those two previous things), or - if Emily wants to burn KitKat as a contact entirely - wipe out a crime on her Beat Chart.
The Beat Chart is a calendar, of sorts, showing what your character has been doing during their adult life up to this point. If you go spy a little on Avryl's first character post, you'll see that it helps determine a character's background - where they were born, where they grew up, what kind of kid they were, and what their current motivations are - as well as giving a series of events per year up to this point.
A typical character's history will have between one and three major events per year, which are important enough to wind up on the Beat Chart. Sometimes these events aren't really "events" at all - it's entirely possible to have a stretch in which your character just exists, with neither good nor bad things befalling them, which can be a blessing in and of itself. Other times, these events are very fortuitous things! A monetary windfall, perhaps, or gaining a new friend and confidant. And, of course, very bad, no good things are always waiting in the wings.
In the spirit of cosmic balance, a character can only have so many things happen to them in a particular year, before the next year subsides and things level out for them. What this means in game terms is that when a character has three events whack them on the head in one year, they'll only have one the next.
Our next step with Emily, however, is to get her Culture Freebies handled, and then her Beat Chart and Binding Ties, after which we'll handle her Primary and Figured Attributes before moving on to Reputations.
At that point, we'll send her off shopping for equipment and gear, and she'll be good to go!
I have some ideas for Binding Ties for the group. Here's a blurb from the book:
Before you start down the Beat Chart, talk to your GM and the other players in your group about creating some binding ties between each of your characters. These are positive and negative relationships meant to enable your group to be in the same place at the same time, getting you on the path to your first adventure.
My character is definitely a "talk to anyone anywhere" type. It makes sense on my end for her to have met Avryl or BART while searching for or reporting on a story. I can also see her introducing various people she's met to each other to see what happens. (Not in a creepy way, but in a "OO, what weird directions will the conversation go!" way.)
BART could have been an interview subject in and of himself. Black sheep son of a wealthy family gets mangled in an adrenaline junkie accident and, in his recovery, turns himself into the "Fastest Borg in the Bay." If that isn't a general interest, powder puff story for the evening news, I don't know what is.
I guess the important question is would he want to be a story. I assume the answer is yes?
On the flip side, if Avryl didn't want to be in front of the camera, I'm SURE my character needs security for her gear.
Avryl would probably do just about anything to avoid camera time. And while I'm not sure about security for the gear, I am pretty sure some of her juicier information can find its way to your hands (for a modest share of the profits, natch!).
Avryl would probably do just about anything to avoid camera time. And while I'm not sure about security for the gear, I am pretty sure some of her juicier information can find its way to your hands (for a modest share of the profits, natch!).
That works, maybe she stumbled on something and needed cash so she reached out to Emily with the scoop? And we stayed in touch for future scoops?
Avryl would probably do just about anything to avoid camera time. And while I'm not sure about security for the gear, I am pretty sure some of her juicier information can find its way to your hands (for a modest share of the profits, natch!).That works, maybe she stumbled on something and needed cash so she reached out to Emily with the scoop? And we stayed in touch for future scoops?
Sounds like something that could work. She definitely survives through the use of networking.
Players:
As there are still issues with the formatting pop-up here on the site, I've made a formatted sheet on Google Docs and sent you all the link. You can use this as a template for your character data going forward.
Character Name: Emily Theora Carter
Character Concept: Emily is an investigative journalist looking for her next story.
Character Culture And Focus: Social > Spiller
Character Culture Contact Name: KitKat
Character Job: Freelance Writer / Vlogger who sells advertising on her videos
AS A SOCIAL, you have no privacy, your life is a public event, and you have little in the way of real intimacy. You’re “friends” with hundreds, maybe thousands, of people. You’re friends with a handful of souls, if that. You serve a valuable purpose in today’s society, yeah, but no matter how many people find purpose or escape in your feeds, they’ll probably never really know the real you. It can be a great, fulfilling life, or it can be the loneliest thing ever. There’s really no in-between.
IF YOU’RE A SOCIAL…
Decide if you are a Spiller or a Thriller. Once you’ve done that:• Go and grab ((Socials + Joe Public) * 100cr) worth of goods and gear necessary to live your best life. Clothes, climbing gear, a wing suit. Whatever you need to keep your followers happy. Remember: they’re here to see you.
• Socials are always-on, always in the Public Eye. Because of this, it’s very easy for them to get favors, but when they screw it up, they do so big time. All of your costs to gain Reputation are halved, as are your temporary reductions from Useful Actions. Unfortunately, all of your Aggressive Action penalties are doubled.
• Even if someone doesn’t know you, they might still “know” you. While generating your Beat Chart, whenever you gain a bonus to Reputation with a Crowd, you may reduce that bonus (by up to half) and put the remainder into another Crowd that you don’t already have a Reputation with. This cannot exceed your Socials Reputation.
• You’ve managed to lock down ten of KitKat’s private PERSONE chits. You can use these to get face time with her, or get a private, secured stream call with her. She usually replies within the hour, and is very happy to see you.
SPILLERS, like Kitkat, spend their days livestreaming on the go: constant streams of selfies, monologues, and vlogs, edited on-the-fly by smart-apps in their AR rigs. Spillers are almost never without at least a pair of drones, broadcasting everything they do from their best angle. Spillers usually have close (if not friendly) ties with Law Enforcement, thanks to all the Public Eye recording clauses built in to their livecasting software. When anyone has the option to sue you for missing out on your Terms and Conditions, it’s always best to be up to date on your contracts.
If you’re a Spiller…
KitKat is your best friend. Okay, maybe not really, but she’ll say she is. Once per week, when you tap her PERSONE chits, you can reduce one Aggressive Action penalty taken against your Culture by half.
Avryl: Brings me good story leads for credit
Bart: Tried to do a feel good story on his recovery only to find out he really didn't want to be known.
Current Age 27
1a Where do you come from?
Born In MidTown…
Add +1 to your Conversation and -1 to your Leadership skills
Add +1 to your Joe Public Reputation
Subtract 150cr from your starting funds
1b Where did you grow up?
In A MidTown Joe Public Work-A-Day World…
Add +1 to your Languages and Socialize skills
Add +1 to your Joe Public Reputation
Add a “+” to your Grace total
1c What kind of kid were you?
Chatty Little Kid…
You were a talker, and got really good at keeping your mouth going.
Add +1 to your Conversation skill
1d Where are you at with your life?
You’re On To Something…
There’s a discovery out there that you’re on the trail of – even if no one else believes
you. You’ve got the clues and the motivation, now you need the proof.
Add +1 to your Deduction and Surveillance skills, add a “+” to your Grace total
Age: 16
event 1 Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You had a crazy random happenstance meet-cute. It was nice.
event 3
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is an old childhood enemy come back around. (Grammar school bully?)
Age: 17
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You had a crazy random happenstance meet-cute. It was nice.
Age: 18
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You started out as professional rivals, but now you’re in good.
event 3
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 19
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 20
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re another member of your Culture.
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re an old flame, come back to help out.
event 3
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 21
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 22
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 23
event 1
Take The Good With The Bad – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 A
Learn A Skill, Earn Some Cash – Go to Beat Chart Step 4 A
+ You’ve done right by The Mob. What you did, maybe you don’t
want anyone to know. Maybe you do. Either way, you can reach
out to your contact in The Mob for a Moderately Useful Action
once per adventure, for only one mark on your Reputation
Track. You must pay the penalty back as normal. If you don’t
have any In with The Mob, you gain +1 with them, instead.
Age: 24
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is an old friend who can no longer stand you.
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 25
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re a former business associate.
Age: 26
event 1
Take The Good With The Bad – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 A
Learn A Skill, Earn Some Cash – Go to Beat Chart Step 4 A
+ You won Metro Lotto! You gain 2000 Credits and +1 to
your Joe Public Reputation.
Age: 27
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is someone you once worked for.
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 3
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re an old enemy, come ‘round to your side of things.
Grace Notes
3 negatives
12 positives
Primary Attributes
Mental Attributes:
INTellect:
MECHanical:
PREsence:
Physical Attributes:
AGilitY:
SPeeD:
STAmina:
Social Attributes:
AFFinity:
FORtune:
LooKS:
Figured Attributes:
PREsence Based:
Resistance ((PRE/2) - 1):
Willpower (PRE * 3):
SPeeD Based:
Base Move (SPD):
Running (SPD * 10):
Jump (Running) (SPD):
Jump (Standing) SPD * 0.5):
STAmina Based:
Wounds (36):
Bruises (STA * 5):
TouGHness ((STA/2) - 1):
Carry (STA * 3kg):
Deadlift (STA * 12kg):
Encumbrance/Bulk Value (Carry * 0.25):
AFFinity Based:
Grace (AFF * 10):
FORtune Based:
Action Points (FOR + 1):
INITiative ((INT + AGY + FOR)/3):
Job Skills:
Education Skills:
Background Skills:
Crowd Reputations:
Culture Reputations:
Crib sheet:
What’s your name? Do you have a single name?
Many? Is your name a Job-Tag (Johnny Fifteen
Roger)? A Norm-Tag (John Fitzgerald Rogers)?
• What’s your gender? Male? Female? Neutral?
Fluid?
• What do you look like? Describe yourself.
• Do you have a family? Siblings? Parents? A Coterie
from a Corporate Creche facility?
• Let’s talk about your Culture. Are you a Bodycon?
An Outsider? Something different? Something
uniquely you (and a million other people)?
• What is your role within your Crowds? Within
your Culture?
• Who loves you, and who do you love?
• What are your top three motivations? What is,
for you, best in life?
• Do you have any prejudices? Do you hate
Crowds other than your own? Betas? People
named Joe?
• Is there a District or Districts you simply will not
set foot in? Why? What about them’s gotten under
your skin?
• Have you got religion? What is it? Do you buy
in to BeliefCorp’s Social Network, or are you a
Lion Cultist from the lower levels of Down Town?
Tantric Meditationist, or follower of the Prophet
Of Infinite Wub Wub?
• And before we forget, what’s your job?
Character Name: Avryl Grimaldi
Character Concept: Renegade computer genius
Character Culture And Focus: Egghead (Freelancer)
Character Culture Contact Name: Wally
Character Job: Computer Scientist; hacker
Coding Workshop (+1 to programming)
Wally’s PERSONNE chits (10)
Emily: We have a working relationship.
No opposite just yet.
Current age: 29
Where do you come from?: Orbital high rise
• +1 adv tech; -1 streetwise
• -1 joe public & two other reputations
• +200cr starting funds
Where did you grow up?: Isolated; private tutors & guides
• +1 knowledge & language skills
• +1 to to UpTowners reputation
• “-“ to Grace total
What kind of kid were you?: Smart kid
• +1 to knowledge skill
Where are you in life?: I’m onto something…something big.
• +1 to deduction & surveillance; “+” to Grace total
Age 16: 1 event
EVENT 1: Boring! Life goes on, right?
Age 17: 3 events
EVENT 1: Stabbed in the back(-); someone stole my early work! Rep penalties w/ Eggheads doubled
EVENT 2: Nothing of consequence
EVENT 3: Nothing—this ain’t a great year for me, is it?
Age 18: 1 event
EVENT 1: Lover (m) in my own culture (+); It was nice, but…complicated (Complicated nothing! The man-slut thought “open relationship” meant “he’s open and I behave”. Wrong!)
Age 19: 2 events
EVENT 1: Broke into lab proved Wally right. Now he owes me a solid (+)
EVENT 2: New friend on the Net, naturally. (+)
Age 20: 3 events
EVENT 1: Remember Mister Man-slut from age 18? He has a vendetta against me now (-)
EVENT 2: Made friends with a Law Man (+)
EVENT 3: New enemy: Former employer (now we know why I do freelance only) (-)
It’s at this point where the fall from grace happened, forcing me into MidTown, where I swallowed my pride and started using my skills to hack for a living.
Age 21: 1 event
EVENT 1: Ho hum…nothing happened
Age 22: 1 event
EVENT 1: Nothing to write home about…
EVENT 2: Former intern tried stealing one of my programs, so I crashed their account (enemy) (-)
EVENT 3: On a lark, I entered the Metro Lotto…and won 5,000cr & +1 to Joe Public (+)
Age 23: 1 event
EVENT 1: I wish I could tell you what happened for the last 4 months, but I’ve got nothin’ (-)
Age 24: 2 event
EVENT 1: Someone in the family is irked by my mad science/behavior/fall from grace (-)
EVENT 2: Thankfully, the rest of my year was uneventful
Age 25: 3 events (Wow! The year for making friends!)
EVENT 1: New friend among fellow eggheads; good things will come of this (+)
EVENT 2: A mutual rival turned into a friend; we did great things (+)
EVENT 3: Then I met another brilliant egghead & we did greater things (+)
Age 26: 1 events
EVENT 1: Timing’s everything, right? Managed to help out Suits (+1 rep) (+)
Age 27: 3 events
EVENT 1: Nope! Nothin…kind of a relief, in a way
EVENT 2: That bad relative? He got another relative on his side doing the hating (-)
EVENT 3: But I did join a fencing school (+1 edged weapons) (+)
Age 28: 1 event
EVENT 1: Literally ran into my newest love (f) (“Taxi—“ *Whammo!*) (+); Never thought about doing a relationship like this, but surprisingly we’re still together (rolled a 4 for years).
Age 29: 2 events
EVENT 1: Life fracking sucks! In a depressed state for 6 straight months & get nothing done (-)
EVENT 2: Then I got sick! Oh, this is just great! Shoot me now! (-)
Primary Attributes
Mental Attributes:
INTellect: 8
MECHanical: 8
PREsence: 7
Physical Attributes:
AGilitY: 6
SPeeD: 5
STAmina: 4
Social Attributes:
AFFinity: 6
FORtune: 6
LooKS: 7
Figured Attributes:
PREsence Based:
Resistance ((PRE/2) - 1): 2.5
Willpower (PRE * 3): 21
SPeeD Based:
Base Move (SPD): 5
Running (SPD * 10): 50
Jump (Running) (SPD): 5
Jump (Standing) SPD * 0.5): 2.5
STAmina Based:
Wounds (36):
Bruises (STA * 5): 20
TouGHness ((STA/2) - 1): 1
Carry (STA * 3kg): 12
Deadlift (STA * 12kg): 48
Encumbrance/Bulk Value (Carry * 0.25): 3
AFFinity Based:
Grace (AFF * 10): 60
FORtune Based:
Action Points (FOR + 1): 7
INITiative ((INT + AGY + FOR)/3): 6
Job Skills:
Education Skills:
Background Skills:
Crowd Reputations:
Culture Reputations:
Getting established was hard at first, and she made plenty of mistakes. But she learned, she networked, and slowly built up her reputation among both Eggheads and Hackers. A little luck played along the way as well. She’s suspicious that her former family and their associates are using her. She has no direct evidence, save for 6 months of her life that she can’t account for. Then there are the two family members who seem to cause her nothing but grief.
The last two years have been a mixed blessing. On the plus side, she met the possible love of her life. On the downside, the following year she was afflicted with something she wasn’t immune to, and the debilitation led to a long case of depression. She’s just managed to recover, and is looking to get back in the swing of things…
Now with attributes!
Character Name: Emily Theora Carter
Character Concept: Emily is an investigative journalist looking for her next story.
Character Culture And Focus: Social > Spiller
Character Culture Contact Name: KitKat
Character Job: Freelance Writer / Vlogger who sells advertising on her videos
AS A SOCIAL, you have no privacy, your life is a public event, and you have little in the way of real intimacy. You’re “friends” with hundreds, maybe thousands, of people. You’re friends with a handful of souls, if that. You serve a valuable purpose in today’s society, yeah, but no matter how many people find purpose or escape in your feeds, they’ll probably never really know the real you. It can be a great, fulfilling life, or it can be the loneliest thing ever. There’s really no in-between.
IF YOU’RE A SOCIAL…
Decide if you are a Spiller or a Thriller. Once you’ve done that:• Go and grab ((Socials + Joe Public) * 100cr) worth of goods and gear necessary to live your best life. Clothes, climbing gear, a wing suit. Whatever you need to keep your followers happy. Remember: they’re here to see you.
• Socials are always-on, always in the Public Eye. Because of this, it’s very easy for them to get favors, but when they screw it up, they do so big time. All of your costs to gain Reputation are halved, as are your temporary reductions from Useful Actions. Unfortunately, all of your Aggressive Action penalties are doubled.
• Even if someone doesn’t know you, they might still “know” you. While generating your Beat Chart, whenever you gain a bonus to Reputation with a Crowd, you may reduce that bonus (by up to half) and put the remainder into another Crowd that you don’t already have a Reputation with. This cannot exceed your Socials Reputation.
• You’ve managed to lock down ten of KitKat’s private PERSONE chits. You can use these to get face time with her, or get a private, secured stream call with her. She usually replies within the hour, and is very happy to see you.
SPILLERS, like Kitkat, spend their days livestreaming on the go: constant streams of selfies, monologues, and vlogs, edited on-the-fly by smart-apps in their AR rigs. Spillers are almost never without at least a pair of drones, broadcasting everything they do from their best angle. Spillers usually have close (if not friendly) ties with Law Enforcement, thanks to all the Public Eye recording clauses built in to their livecasting software. When anyone has the option to sue you for missing out on your Terms and Conditions, it’s always best to be up to date on your contracts.
If you’re a Spiller…
KitKat is your best friend. Okay, maybe not really, but she’ll say she is. Once per week, when you tap her PERSONE chits, you can reduce one Aggressive Action penalty taken against your Culture by half.
Avryl: Brings me good story leads for credit
Bart: Tried to do a feel good story on his recovery only to find out he really didn't want to be known.
Current Age 27
1a Born In MidTown…
Add +1 to your Conversation and -1 to your Leadership skills
Add +1 to your Joe Public Reputation
Subtract 150cr from your starting funds
1b In A MidTown Joe Public Work-A-Day World…
Add +1 to your Languages and Socialize skills
Add +1 to your Joe Public Reputation
Add a “+” to your Grace total
1c Chatty Little Kid…
You were a talker, and got really good at keeping your mouth going.
Add +1 to your Conversation skill
1d You’re On To Something…
There’s a discovery out there that you’re on the trail of – even if no one else believes
you. You’ve got the clues and the motivation, now you need the proof.
Add +1 to your Deduction and Surveillance skills, add a “+” to your Grace total
Age: 16
event 1 Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You had a crazy random happenstance meet-cute. It was nice.
event 3
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is an old childhood enemy come back around. (Grammar school bully?)
Age: 17
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You had a crazy random happenstance meet-cute. It was nice.
Age: 18
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You started out as professional rivals, but now you’re in good.
event 3
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 19
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 20
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re another member of your Culture.
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re an old flame, come back to help out.
event 3
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 21
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 22
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 23
event 1
Take The Good With The Bad – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 A
Learn A Skill, Earn Some Cash – Go to Beat Chart Step 4 A
+ You’ve done right by The Mob. What you did, maybe you don’t
want anyone to know. Maybe you do. Either way, you can reach
out to your contact in The Mob for a Moderately Useful Action
once per adventure, for only one mark on your Reputation
Track. You must pay the penalty back as normal. If you don’t
have any In with The Mob, you gain +1 with them, instead.
Age: 24
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is an old friend who can no longer stand you.
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 25
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re a former business associate.
Age: 26
event 1
Take The Good With The Bad – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 A
Learn A Skill, Earn Some Cash – Go to Beat Chart Step 4 A
+ You won Metro Lotto! You gain 2000 Credits and +1 to
your Joe Public Reputation.
Age: 27
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is someone you once worked for.
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 3
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re an old enemy, come ‘round to your side of things.
Grace Notes
3 negatives
12 positives
Standard Heroes 55 Points, 6 is Average
Primary Attributes
Mental Attributes:
INTellect: 6
MECHanical: 5
PREsence: 6
Physical Attributes:
AGilitY: 5
SPeeD: 5
STAmina: 5
Social Attributes:
AFFinity: 9
FORtune: 8
LooKS: 6
Figured Attributes:
PREsence Based:
Resistance ((PRE/2) - 1): 2
Willpower (PRE * 3): 18
SPeeD Based:
Base Move (SPD): 5
Running (SPD * 10): 50
Jump (Running) (SPD): 5
Jump (Standing) SPD * 0.5): 2.5
STAmina Based:
Wounds (36): 36
Bruises (STA * 5): 25
TouGHness ((STA/2) - 1): 2
Carry (STA * 3kg): 15
Deadlift (STA * 12kg): 60
Encumbrance/Bulk Value (Carry * 0.25): 3.75
AFFinity Based:
Grace (AFF * 10): 90
FORtune Based:
Action Points (FOR + 1): 9
INITiative ((INT + AGY + FOR)/3): 6
Job Skills:
Education Skills:
Background Skills:
Crowd Reputations:
Culture Reputations:
Subtract 150cr from your starting funds
+ You won Metro Lotto! You gain 2000 Credits
What’s your name? Do you have a single name?
Many? Is your name a Job-Tag (Johnny Fifteen
Roger)? A Norm-Tag (John Fitzgerald Rogers)?
• What’s your gender? Male? Female? Neutral?
Fluid?
• What do you look like? Describe yourself.
• Do you have a family? Siblings? Parents? A Coterie
from a Corporate Creche facility?
• Let’s talk about your Culture. Are you a Bodycon?
An Outsider? Something different? Something
uniquely you (and a million other people)?
• What is your role within your Crowds? Within
your Culture?
• Who loves you, and who do you love?
• What are your top three motivations? What is,
for you, best in life?
• Do you have any prejudices? Do you hate
Crowds other than your own? Betas? People
named Joe?
• Is there a District or Districts you simply will not
set foot in? Why? What about them’s gotten under
your skin?
• Have you got religion? What is it? Do you buy
in to BeliefCorp’s Social Network, or are you a
Lion Cultist from the lower levels of Down Town?
Tantric Meditationist, or follower of the Prophet
Of Infinite Wub Wub?
• And before we forget, what’s your job?
Okay, we're back with our fourth concept, a Flashback named Zerin Taro, and attributes for both Avryl and Emily.
Let's see what the book says about Flashbacks:
AS A FLASHBACK, you’re dressed in black from head to toe, with guns in your petticoats and knives in your fingers. Everything is black and leather and metal and you like it that way. Folks claim the fight was over when the Cybershock Era ended: when the Metro ate up the world to make its towers. You know better. You know that if you scrape away the corporate veneer and chop your way through the thick conformist lacquer, the world is just the same as it was. It’ll come crashing down. And when it does, you’ll be ready. When it does, you’ll be the one bringing it down, chopping away the diseased roots of the weeping World Tree.
IF YOU’RE A FLASHBACK…
Figure out whether you’re a Rouser or a NeoPunk. Once you’ve done that:• Choose a number of Cybernetics with a total value equal to (1000cr * TGH). You get these for free, but they are unregistered, most likely illegal, and can be found with even a cursory scan.
• Flashbacks aren’t exactly known for making friends outside their Culture. Being hung up on a lost battle tends to make people look at you funny. Every time you make a friend on your Beat Chart, roll 1d6. On an odd number, you gain an enemy, instead.
• Every time you have the option to pick up a skill on your Beat Chart, you can decide which category (Mental, Physical or Social) to take the skill from.
• Shavv will give you ten of her private PERSONE chits. When you use one, it either gets you a face-to-face with her, or pings one of her bolt-holes on your AR map, at your discretion. It will be within 1km of your location, and may or may not already be in use (or under observation).
So, Zerin now needs to review the two Focus options for Flashbacks, Rousers and Neopunks.
The book says this about Rousers...
ROUSERS, like Shavv, understand that any revolution has its greatest impact on the innocent bystanders: the Joe Public common-folk who will inevitably end up wedged between the monolithic corporate mega-states and the guerilla armies of rebels and resistance fighters allied against them. Rousers are the Robin Hoods of the Super City, often working with Cloisters and Socials (whether they want the help or not) to keep the well-being of the people on the forefront of the fight. To be a Rouser is to put the health and safety of the common folk ahead of your own. You spend resources, time, and social capital to make sure that the people on your “beat” are fed, get medical attention, and aren’t steamrolled and vanished by Re-Zone teams. NeoPunks call you soft, tell you that you’re not focusing on the big fight, that you’d be better off picking up a bomb and taking out a tower, but you know better. The fight is meaningless if the people you’re fighting for are all dead.
If you’re a Rouser…
Shavv’s PERSONE chits can be used to ping one of her various contacts, also within a 1km distance of your location. They may (or may not) be of use to you in your current situation, but they’ll at least be a friendly face when you need one.
The book says this about Neopunks...
NEOPUNKS are the surreptitious soldiers of the resistance: the cyber-enhanced, gun-slinging chrome cowboys of the old world, still clinging to their causes with all their might. They don’t care that the world no longer wants them, because from where the NeoPunks are standing, whether they’re wanted or not, they’re needed. The Metro could be a boon to everyone, everywhere, but instead it’s just more of what the Cyberpunks fought against: the subjugation of the individual by a corporate state bent on making the rich richer and convincing the poor that being a slave to the machine is the highest calling. NeoPunks trip into violence much sooner than Rousers: their goal is to disrupt, disturb, and destroy the engines that power the system, and sometimes that takes blowing some s*@* up. It’s sad when bystanders get hurt, sure, but in the long-game, it’ll all even out. Won’t it?
If you’re a NeoPunk…
Shavv’s not the best with face-time for NeoPunks, but she comes through. Her PERSONE chits will also let you ping a source of ammunition within a 1km radius of your current location. This could be a stash, a dealer, or a MetroSec armory. It’s hard to say.
So, Zerin needs to choose a focus for their role in the Flashbacks, including their Culture Freebies.
Additionally, Zerin has the ability to get one extra item from their Culture Contact, Shavv:
As your Culture Contact, Shavv can get you one of the following at character creation:
• Shavv can get you a spray-on upgrade for your armor, giving you +1 AR/+0 BR on one item.
• Shavv can get you a contact with a Downtown or Subway gang, giving you a +1 Rep with them.
• Shavv’s contact network can get you (100cr * Flashbacks) worth of weapons or ammo, once.
• Shavv can get you an entirely new identity, wiping any and all crimes in your past away complately. After this, she doesn’t know you.
Once Zerin has made note of these things, it's time to tackle the Beat Chart and Binding Ties, assign Primary Attributes, determine Figured Attributes, and start thinking about what sorts of Reputations they want to cultivate.
The Beat Chart and Binding Ties are essential, because they'll help determine where the character comes from, what their childhood and formative years were like, and what their current motivations are.
As can be seen on Avryl and Emily's entries, characters begin with 55 Points to distribute among their Primary Attributes - with the "average person" having a value of 6 in most things. Zerin should consider what sort of values best suit the concept of a "Burned Out Veteran" who's seen and done too much.
Once Zerin has all of these things taken care of, we'll let Avryl, Emily, and Zerin move on to Reputations, while we address what it means for BART to be a brain in a box, strapped in to a robotic body.
Onward!
Character Name: Emily Theora Carter
Character Concept: Emily is an investigative journalist looking for her next story.
Character Culture And Focus: Social > Spiller
Character Culture Contact Name: KitKat
Character Job: Freelance Writer / Vlogger who sells advertising on her videos
AS A SOCIAL, you have no privacy, your life is a public event, and you have little in the way of real intimacy. You’re “friends” with hundreds, maybe thousands, of people. You’re friends with a handful of souls, if that. You serve a valuable purpose in today’s society, yeah, but no matter how many people find purpose or escape in your feeds, they’ll probably never really know the real you. It can be a great, fulfilling life, or it can be the loneliest thing ever. There’s really no in-between.
IF YOU’RE A SOCIAL…
Decide if you are a Spiller or a Thriller. Once you’ve done that:• Go and grab ((Socials + Joe Public) * 100cr) worth of goods and gear necessary to live your best life. Clothes, climbing gear, a wing suit. Whatever you need to keep your followers happy. Remember: they’re here to see you.
• Socials are always-on, always in the Public Eye. Because of this, it’s very easy for them to get favors, but when they screw it up, they do so big time. All of your costs to gain Reputation are halved, as are your temporary reductions from Useful Actions. Unfortunately, all of your Aggressive Action penalties are doubled.
• Even if someone doesn’t know you, they might still “know” you. While generating your Beat Chart, whenever you gain a bonus to Reputation with a Crowd, you may reduce that bonus (by up to half) and put the remainder into another Crowd that you don’t already have a Reputation with. This cannot exceed your Socials Reputation.
• You’ve managed to lock down ten of KitKat’s private PERSONE chits. You can use these to get face time with her, or get a private, secured stream call with her. She usually replies within the hour, and is very happy to see you.
SPILLERS, like Kitkat, spend their days livestreaming on the go: constant streams of selfies, monologues, and vlogs, edited on-the-fly by smart-apps in their AR rigs. Spillers are almost never without at least a pair of drones, broadcasting everything they do from their best angle. Spillers usually have close (if not friendly) ties with Law Enforcement, thanks to all the Public Eye recording clauses built in to their livecasting software. When anyone has the option to sue you for missing out on your Terms and Conditions, it’s always best to be up to date on your contracts.
If you’re a Spiller…
KitKat is your best friend. Okay, maybe not really, but she’ll say she is. Once per week, when you tap her PERSONE chits, you can reduce one Aggressive Action penalty taken against your Culture by half.
Avryl: Brings me good story leads for credit
Bart: Tried to do a feel good story on his recovery only to find out he really didn't want to be known.
Current Age 27
1a Born In MidTown…
Add +1 to your Conversation and -1 to your Leadership skills
Add +1 to your Joe Public Reputation
Subtract 150cr from your starting funds
1b In A MidTown Joe Public Work-A-Day World…
Add +1 to your Languages and Socialize skills
Add +1 to your Joe Public Reputation
Add a “+” to your Grace total
1c Chatty Little Kid…
You were a talker, and got really good at keeping your mouth going.
Add +1 to your Conversation skill
1d You’re On To Something…
There’s a discovery out there that you’re on the trail of – even if no one else believes
you. You’ve got the clues and the motivation, now you need the proof.
Add +1 to your Deduction and Surveillance skills, add a “+” to your Grace total
Age: 16
event 1 Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You had a crazy random happenstance meet-cute. It was nice.
event 3
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is an old childhood enemy come back around. (Grammar school bully?)
Age: 17
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You had a crazy random happenstance meet-cute. It was nice.
Age: 18
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You started out as professional rivals, but now you’re in good.
event 3
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 19
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 20
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re another member of your Culture.
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re an old flame, come back to help out.
event 3
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 21
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 22
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 23
event 1
Take The Good With The Bad – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 A
Learn A Skill, Earn Some Cash – Go to Beat Chart Step 4 A
+ You’ve done right by The Mob. What you did, maybe you don’t
want anyone to know. Maybe you do. Either way, you can reach
out to your contact in The Mob for a Moderately Useful Action
once per adventure, for only one mark on your Reputation
Track. You must pay the penalty back as normal. If you don’t
have any In with The Mob, you gain +1 with them, instead.
Age: 24
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is an old friend who can no longer stand you.
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 25
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re a former business associate.
Age: 26
event 1
Take The Good With The Bad – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 A
Learn A Skill, Earn Some Cash – Go to Beat Chart Step 4 A
+ You won Metro Lotto! You gain 2000 Credits and +1 to
your Joe Public Reputation.
Age: 27
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is someone you once worked for.
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 3
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re an old enemy, come ‘round to your side of things.
Grace Notes
3 negatives
12 positives
Standard Heroes 55 Points, 6 is Average
Primary Attributes
Mental Attributes:
INTellect: 6
MECHanical: 5
PREsence: 6
Physical Attributes:
AGilitY: 5
SPeeD: 5
STAmina: 5
Social Attributes:
AFFinity: 9
FORtune: 8
LooKS: 6
Figured Attributes:
PREsence Based:
Resistance ((PRE/2) - 1): 2
Willpower (PRE * 3): 18
SPeeD Based:
Base Move (SPD): 5
Running (SPD * 10): 50
Jump (Running) (SPD): 5
Jump (Standing) SPD * 0.5): 2.5
STAmina Based:
Wounds (36): 36
Bruises (STA * 5): 25
TouGHness ((STA/2) - 1): 2
Carry (STA * 3kg): 15
Deadlift (STA * 12kg): 60
Encumbrance/Bulk Value (Carry * 0.25): 3.75
AFFinity Based:
Grace (AFF * 10): 90
FORtune Based:
Action Points (FOR + 1): 9
INITiative ((INT + AGY + FOR)/3): 6
Job Skills:
Ability: Trustworthy [Group]: Social
Presentation Trustworthy
Perform Instigation
Deduction [H]
Lipreading [H]
Interview Instigation
Oratory [H] Instigation
Streetwise Grifting
Surveillance
Perceive Lie
Education Skills:
Ability: Trustworthy [Group]: Social ~Points Spent: 6 for 3 Ranks + Job Bonus: 2 = 5
Languages ~Points Spent: 1 + Beat Chart Modifier: 1 = 2
Presentation –Trustworthy ~Points Spent: 5 + Job Bonus: 2 = 7
Perform –Instigation ~Points Spent: 5 + Job Bonus: 2 = 7
Deduction [H] ~Points Spent: 2 + Beat Chart Modifier: 1 + Job Bonus: 2 = 5
Lipreading [H] ~Points Spent: 2 + Job Bonus: 2 = 4
Interview –Instigation ~Points Spent: 5 + Job Bonus: 2 = 7
Oratory [H] –Instigation ~Points Spent: 3 + Job Bonus: 2 = 5
Streetwise –Grifting ~Points Spent: 3 + Job Bonus: 2 = 5
Surveillance ~Points Spent: 2 + Beat Chart Modifier: 1 + Job Bonus: 2 = 5
Background Skills:
Mental Skills: 6 points
Perception –Hard Knocks ~Points Spent: 3
Perceive Lie ~Points Spent: 3 + Job Bonus: 2 = 5
Physical Skills: 5 points
Dodge –Hard Knocks ~Points Spent: 2
Dancing ~Points Spent: 2
Brawling ~Points Spent: 1
Social Skills: 9 points
Conversation [H] –Commanding ~Points Spent: 2 + Beat Chart Modifier: 2 = 4
Leadership [H] –Commanding ~Points Spent: 2 + Beat Chart Modifier: -1 = 1
Persuasion –Grifting ~Points Spent: 5
Crowd Reputations:
Culture Reputations:
Subtract 150cr from your starting funds
+ You won Metro Lotto! You gain 2000 Credits
What’s your name? Do you have a single name?
Many? Is your name a Job-Tag (Johnny Fifteen
Roger)? A Norm-Tag (John Fitzgerald Rogers)?
• What’s your gender? Male? Female? Neutral?
Fluid?
• What do you look like? Describe yourself.
• Do you have a family? Siblings? Parents? A Coterie
from a Corporate Creche facility?
• Let’s talk about your Culture. Are you a Bodycon?
An Outsider? Something different? Something
uniquely you (and a million other people)?
• What is your role within your Crowds? Within
your Culture?
• Who loves you, and who do you love?
• What are your top three motivations? What is,
for you, best in life?
• Do you have any prejudices? Do you hate
Crowds other than your own? Betas? People
named Joe?
• Is there a District or Districts you simply will not
set foot in? Why? What about them’s gotten under
your skin?
• Have you got religion? What is it? Do you buy
in to BeliefCorp’s Social Network, or are you a
Lion Cultist from the lower levels of Down Town?
Tantric Meditationist, or follower of the Prophet
Of Infinite Wub Wub?
• And before we forget, what’s your job?
We're back with a look at Emily's skills.
Since we're writing these things from the perspective of neophyte players who haven't done these things before, let's take a few moments and walk through Emily's skills.
I'm going to reformat them a bit, since it looks like Emily's player's formatting didn't quite take. We'll talk about these as we progress.
Job Skills:
Ability: Trustworthy
Presentation (Trustworthy)
Perform (Instigation)
Deduction (Hard)
Lipreading (Hard)
Interview (Instigation)
Oratory (Hard) (Instigation)
Streetwise (Grifting)
Surveillance
Perceive Lie
So, these are Emily's Job Skills. A Job Skill in Power Core (and by association, The Metro) is a skill that a character has learned and gained experience in as part of doing what they do to make a living. They needn't spent skill ranks on these to know how to do them (but it helps) - a character always has a +2 Job Bonus to these skills, even if they have no ranks in them.
At this point, Emily could spend absolutely none of her skill points on these skills (and the ability, Trustworthy) and be proficient enough in them to get by.
The Trustworthy Ability, now that we mention it, is important to note. While it can be used by itself in specific situations, its real strength lies in that it's what's referred to as a Skill Modifier, meaning that it gives benefits to people with three specific skills, in this case, Gambling, Presentation, and Seduction. Any time Emily is attempting to use a skill modified by Trustworthy, she gets a bonus equal to her total in that Ability.
Let's see what the book has to say about Trustworthy:
Trustworthy
Description:
With Trustworthy, you have “one of those faces,” or are generally known to be worth listening to. Similar to Commanding, the Trustworthy ability allows you to garner influence based on the power of you personality. Unlike Commanding, however, Trustworthy is measured more on the strength of your renown as a believable, honest, or noteworthy person. Beloved television personalities, local celebrities, and respected religious leaders are all likely to have ranks in Trustworthy. Trustworthy influences the skills Gambling, Presentation, and Seduction.
So, as you can see, Emily's got a lot going for her in the realm of getting people to believe her. Her stories are based in fact. Her word is good.
To quote a certain mobster from a show about people who lived on a spaceship, "Her reputation is solid."
Some of Emily's skills list other Abilities that they're associated with. This will become important if Emily decides to pick up any of these Abilities later in play.
And, finally, some of her skills are listed as (Hard). Hard Skills are just that - skills that take extra time, effort, and education to master. At the start of play, the only difference between a normal skill and a Hard Skill is the rank to which they may be bought. After start of play, Hard Skills and Abilities cost additional amounts of Experience Points to increase, beyond what skills normally cost.
Now it's time to talk about Emily's Education Skills. These are skills that she's spent time and effort on, learning how to be good at them. Every character starts with 40 points in Education Skills, and can spend them on any available skill, including Abilities.
Education Skills:
Ability: Trustworthy: 6 points for 3 Ranks + Job Bonus: 2 = 5
As you can see here, all Abilities have a 2:1 cost:rank ratio.
As well, Emily's added her Job Bonus, giving her a total value of 3 (ranks) + 2 (job bonus) = 5
Languages: 1 point for 1 Rank + Beat Chart Modifier (1) = 2
Emily has remembered to put her Beat Chart Modifier on to this skill. It's important to remember that your upbringing and background influence your skills.
Let's go ahead and tally up the rest:
Presentation: (Trustworthy) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Perform: (Instigation) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Deduction: [H] 2 Ranks + BCM (1) + Job Bonus (2) = 5
Lipreading: [H] 2 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 4
Interview: (Instigation) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Oratory: [H] (Instigation) 3 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 5
Streetwise: (Grifting) 3 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 5
Surveillance: 2 Ranks + BCM (1) + Job Bonus (2) = 5
Adding up all of Emily's ranks (6 + 28), we see that she's actually only spent 34 of her Education Skills.
She has 6 points remaining, so we'll check back with her and see what's going on, and make sure she spends those remaining 6 points on some skills!
Background Skills:
Mental Skills: 6 points
Perception: (Hard Knocks) 3 Ranks
Perceive Lie: 3 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 5Physical Skills: 5 points
Dodge: (Hard Knocks) 2 Ranks
Dancing: 2 Ranks
Brawling: 1 RanksSocial Skills: 9 points
Conversation: [H] (Commanding) 2 Ranks + BCM (2) = 4
Leadership: [H] (Commanding) 2 Ranks + BCM (-1) = 1
Persuasion: (Grifting) 5 Ranks
Background Skills are exactly what they sound like: skills that your character has picked up, learned, or been exposed to as part of their daily life. A character's Background Skills are derived from the highest value Primary Attribute in their three attribute groups (Mental, Physical, and Social). A character may spend their Background Skills on any available skill, but not on Abilities.
And we're good, except for those missing 6 points that Emily will need to account for. Odds are high that she'll be happy to see them!
42nd try is the charm...
Character Name: Emily Theora Carter
Character Concept: Emily is an investigative journalist looking for her next story.
Character Culture And Focus: Social > Spiller
Character Culture Contact Name: KitKat
Character Job: Freelance Writer / Vlogger who sells advertising on her videos
AS A SOCIAL, you have no privacy, your life is a public event, and you have little in the way of real intimacy. You’re “friends” with hundreds, maybe thousands, of people. You’re friends with a handful of souls, if that. You serve a valuable purpose in today’s society, yeah, but no matter how many people find purpose or escape in your feeds, they’ll probably never really know the real you. It can be a great, fulfilling life, or it can be the loneliest thing ever. There’s really no in-between.
IF YOU’RE A SOCIAL…
Decide if you are a Spiller or a Thriller. Once you’ve done that:• Go and grab ((Socials + Joe Public) * 100cr) worth of goods and gear necessary to live your best life. Clothes, climbing gear, a wing suit. Whatever you need to keep your followers happy. Remember: they’re here to see you.
• Socials are always-on, always in the Public Eye. Because of this, it’s very easy for them to get favors, but when they screw it up, they do so big time. All of your costs to gain Reputation are halved, as are your temporary reductions from Useful Actions. Unfortunately, all of your Aggressive Action penalties are doubled.
• Even if someone doesn’t know you, they might still “know” you. While generating your Beat Chart, whenever you gain a bonus to Reputation with a Crowd, you may reduce that bonus (by up to half) and put the remainder into another Crowd that you don’t already have a Reputation with. This cannot exceed your Socials Reputation.
• You’ve managed to lock down ten of KitKat’s private PERSONE chits. You can use these to get face time with her, or get a private, secured stream call with her. She usually replies within the hour, and is very happy to see you.
SPILLERS, like Kitkat, spend their days livestreaming on the go: constant streams of selfies, monologues, and vlogs, edited on-the-fly by smart-apps in their AR rigs. Spillers are almost never without at least a pair of drones, broadcasting everything they do from their best angle. Spillers usually have close (if not friendly) ties with Law Enforcement, thanks to all the Public Eye recording clauses built in to their livecasting software. When anyone has the option to sue you for missing out on your Terms and Conditions, it’s always best to be up to date on your contracts.
If you’re a Spiller…
KitKat is your best friend. Okay, maybe not really, but she’ll say she is. Once per week, when you tap her PERSONE chits, you can reduce one Aggressive Action penalty taken against your Culture by half.
Avryl: Brings me good story leads for credit
Bart: Tried to do a feel good story on his recovery only to find out he really didn't want to be known.
Current Age 27
1a Born In MidTown…
Add +1 to your Conversation and -1 to your Leadership skills
Add +1 to your Joe Public Reputation
Subtract 150cr from your starting funds
1b In A MidTown Joe Public Work-A-Day World…
Add +1 to your Languages and Socialize skills
Add +1 to your Joe Public Reputation
Add a “+” to your Grace total
1c Chatty Little Kid…
You were a talker, and got really good at keeping your mouth going.
Add +1 to your Conversation skill
1d You’re On To Something…
There’s a discovery out there that you’re on the trail of – even if no one else believes
you. You’ve got the clues and the motivation, now you need the proof.
Add +1 to your Deduction and Surveillance skills, add a “+” to your Grace total
Age: 16
event 1 Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You had a crazy random happenstance meet-cute. It was nice.
event 3
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is an old childhood enemy come back around. (Grammar school bully?)
Age: 17
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You had a crazy random happenstance meet-cute. It was nice.
Age: 18
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You started out as professional rivals, but now you’re in good.
event 3
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 19
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 20
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re another member of your Culture.
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re an old flame, come back to help out.
event 3
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 21
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 22
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 23
event 1
Take The Good With The Bad – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 A
Learn A Skill, Earn Some Cash – Go to Beat Chart Step 4 A
+ You’ve done right by The Mob. What you did, maybe you don’t
want anyone to know. Maybe you do. Either way, you can reach
out to your contact in The Mob for a Moderately Useful Action
once per adventure, for only one mark on your Reputation
Track. You must pay the penalty back as normal. If you don’t
have any In with The Mob, you gain +1 with them, instead.
Age: 24
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is an old friend who can no longer stand you.
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 25
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re a former business associate.
Age: 26
event 1
Take The Good With The Bad – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 A
Learn A Skill, Earn Some Cash – Go to Beat Chart Step 4 A
+ You won Metro Lotto! You gain 2000 Credits and +1 to
your Joe Public Reputation.
Age: 27
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is someone you once worked for.
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 3
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re an old enemy, come ‘round to your side of things.
Grace Notes
3 negatives
12 positives
Standard Heroes 55 Points, 6 is Average
Primary Attributes
Mental Attributes:
INTellect: 6
MECHanical: 5
PREsence: 6
Physical Attributes:
AGilitY: 5
SPeeD: 5
STAmina: 5
Social Attributes:
AFFinity: 9
FORtune: 8
LooKS: 6
Figured Attributes:
PREsence Based:
Resistance ((PRE/2) - 1): 2
Willpower (PRE * 3): 18
SPeeD Based:
Base Move (SPD): 5
Running (SPD * 10): 50
Jump (Running) (SPD): 5
Jump (Standing) SPD * 0.5): 2.5
STAmina Based:
Wounds (36): 36
Bruises (STA * 5): 25
TouGHness ((STA/2) - 1): 2
Carry (STA * 3kg): 15
Deadlift (STA * 12kg): 60
Encumbrance/Bulk Value (Carry * 0.25): 3.75
AFFinity Based:
Grace (AFF * 10): 90
FORtune Based:
Action Points (FOR + 1): 9
INITiative ((INT + AGY + FOR)/3): 6
Job Skills:
Ability: Trustworthy
Presentation (Trustworthy)
Perform (Instigation)
Deduction (Hard)
Lipreading (Hard)
Interview (Instigation)
Oratory (Hard) (Instigation)
Streetwise (Grifting)
Surveillance
Perceive Lie
Education Skills:
Ability: Trustworthy: 8 points for 4 Ranks + Job Bonus: 2 = 5
Languages: 1 Rank + BCM(1) = 2
Presentation: (Trustworthy) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Perform: (Instigation) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Deduction:[H] 2 Ranks + BCM(1) + Job Bonus (2) = 5
Lipreading:[H] 2 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 4
Interview: (Instigation) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Oratory:[H] (Instigation) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Streetwise: (Grifting) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Surveillance: 2 Ranks + BCM(1) + Job Bonus (2) = 5
Background Skills:
Mental Skills: 6 points
Perception: (Hard Knocks) 3 Ranks
Perceive Lie: 3 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 5
Physical Skills: 5 points
Dodge: (Hard Knocks) 2 Ranks
Dancing: 2 Ranks
Brawling: 1 Rank
Social Skills: 9 points
Conversation:[H](Commanding) 2 Ranks + BCM(2)= 4
Leadership:[H](Commanding) 2 Ranks + BCM(-1)= 1
Persuasion: (Grifting) 5 Ranks
Crowd Reputations:
Culture Reputations:
Subtract 150cr from your starting funds
+ You won Metro Lotto! You gain 2000 Credits
What’s your name? Do you have a single name?
Many? Is your name a Job-Tag (Johnny Fifteen
Roger)? A Norm-Tag (John Fitzgerald Rogers)?
• What’s your gender? Male? Female? Neutral?
Fluid?
• What do you look like? Describe yourself.
• Do you have a family? Siblings? Parents? A Coterie
from a Corporate Creche facility?
• Let’s talk about your Culture. Are you a Bodycon?
An Outsider? Something different? Something
uniquely you (and a million other people)?
• What is your role within your Crowds? Within
your Culture?
• Who loves you, and who do you love?
• What are your top three motivations? What is,
for you, best in life?
• Do you have any prejudices? Do you hate
Crowds other than your own? Betas? People
named Joe?
• Is there a District or Districts you simply will not
set foot in? Why? What about them’s gotten under
your skin?
• Have you got religion? What is it? Do you buy
in to BeliefCorp’s Social Network, or are you a
Lion Cultist from the lower levels of Down Town?
Tantric Meditationist, or follower of the Prophet
Of Infinite Wub Wub?
• And before we forget, what’s your job?
Character Name: Avryl Grimaldi
Character Concept: Renegade computer genius
Character Culture And Focus: Egghead (Freelancer)
Character Culture Contact Name: Wally
Character Job: Computer Scientist; hacker
Coding Workshop (+1 to programming)
Wally’s PERSONNE chits (10)
Emily: We have a working relationship.
No opposite just yet.
Current age: 29
Where do you come from?: Orbital high rise
• +1 adv tech; -1 streetwise
• -1 joe public & two other reputations
• +200cr starting funds
Where did you grow up?: Isolated; private tutors & guides
• +1 knowledge & language skills
• +1 to to UpTowners reputation
• “-“ to Grace total
What kind of kid were you?: Smart kid
• +1 to knowledge skill
Where are you in life?: I’m onto something…something big.
• +1 to deduction & surveillance; “+” to Grace total
Age 16: 1 event
EVENT 1: Boring! Life goes on, right?
Age 17: 3 events
EVENT 1: Stabbed in the back(-); someone stole my early work! Rep penalties w/ Eggheads doubled
EVENT 2: Nothing of consequence
EVENT 3: Nothing—this ain’t a great year for me, is it?
Age 18: 1 event
EVENT 1: Lover (m) in my own culture (+); It was nice, but…complicated (Complicated nothing! The man-slut thought “open relationship” meant “he’s open and I behave”. Wrong!)
Age 19: 2 events
EVENT 1: Broke into lab proved Wally right. Now he owes me a solid (+)
EVENT 2: New friend on the Net, naturally. (+)
Age 20: 3 events
EVENT 1: Remember Mister Man-slut from age 18? He has a vendetta against me now (-)
EVENT 2: Made friends with a Law Man (+)
EVENT 3: New enemy: Former employer (now we know why I do freelance only) (-)
It’s at this point where the fall from grace happened, forcing me into MidTown, where I swallowed my pride and started using my skills to hack for a living.
Age 21: 1 event
EVENT 1: Ho hum…nothing happened
Age 22: 1 event
EVENT 1: Nothing to write home about…
EVENT 2: Former intern tried stealing one of my programs, so I crashed their account (enemy) (-)
EVENT 3: On a lark, I entered the Metro Lotto…and won 5,000cr & +1 to Joe Public (+)
Age 23: 1 event
EVENT 1: I wish I could tell you what happened for the last 4 months, but I’ve got nothin’ (-)
Age 24: 2 event
EVENT 1: Someone in the family is irked by my mad science/behavior/fall from grace (-)
EVENT 2: Thankfully, the rest of my year was uneventful
Age 25: 3 events (Wow! The year for making friends!)
EVENT 1: New friend among fellow eggheads; good things will come of this (+)
EVENT 2: A mutual rival turned into a friend; we did great things (+)
EVENT 3: Then I met another brilliant egghead & we did greater things (+)
Age 26: 1 events
EVENT 1: Timing’s everything, right? Managed to help out Suits (+1 rep) (+)
Age 27: 3 events
EVENT 1: Nope! Nothin…kind of a relief, in a way
EVENT 2: That bad relative? He got another relative on his side doing the hating (-)
EVENT 3: But I did join a fencing school (+1 edged weapons) (+)
Age 28: 1 event
EVENT 1: Literally ran into my newest love (f) (“Taxi—“ *Whammo!*) (+); Never thought about doing a relationship like this, but surprisingly we’re still together (rolled a 4 for years).
Age 29: 2 events
EVENT 1: Life fracking sucks! In a depressed state for 6 straight months & get nothing done (-)
EVENT 2: Then I got sick! Oh, this is just great! Shoot me now! (-)
Primary Attributes
Mental Attributes:
INTellect: 8
MECHanical: 8
PREsence: 7
Physical Attributes:
AGilitY: 6
SPeeD: 5
STAmina: 4
Social Attributes:
AFFinity: 6
FORtune: 6
LooKS: 7
Figured Attributes:
PREsence Based:
Resistance ((PRE/2) - 1): 2
Willpower (PRE * 3): 21
SPeeD Based:
Base Move (SPD): 5
Running (SPD * 10): 50
Jump (Running) (SPD): 5
Jump (Standing) SPD * 0.5): 2.5
STAmina Based:
Wounds (36):
Bruises (STA * 5): 20
TouGHness ((STA/2) - 1): 1
Carry (STA * 3kg): 12
Deadlift (STA * 12kg): 48
Encumbrance/Bulk Value (Carry * 0.25): 3
AFFinity Based:
Grace (AFF * 10): 60
FORtune Based:
Action Points (FOR + 1): 7
INITiative ((INT + AGY + FOR)/3): 6
Job Skills:
Ability: Computer genius
Basic Tech (Monkeywrench)
Electronics [H] (Computer Genius)
Adv. Tech [H] (Monkeywrench}
Programming [H] (Computer Genius)
Security Systems [H] (Computer Genius)
Knowledge—Math
Language—C-Prime
Perception
Deduction [H]
Education Skills:
Ability: Computer Genius: 6 points for 3 ranks + job bonus (2) = 5
Ability: Monkeywrench 4 points for 2 ranks
Basic Tech: (Monkeywrench) 4 ranks + job bonus (2) = 6
Electronics: (Computer Genius) 2 ranks + job bonus (2) = 4
Adv. Tech: [H] (Monkeywrench) 2 ranks + job bonus (2) + BCM (1) = 5
Programming: (Computer Genius) 2 ranks + job bonus (2) + BCM (1) = 5
Knowledge—Math: 3 ranks + job bonus (2) + BCM (2) = 7
Language—C-Prime: 3 ranks + job bonus (2) + BCM (1) = 6
Perception: 3 ranks + job bonus (2) = 4
Deduction: [H] 2 ranks + job bonus (2) + BCM (1) = 5
Melee Combat: 3 ranks
Edged Weapons: 3 ranks + BCM (1) = 4
Presentation: 2 ranks
Surveillance: 1 rank + BCM (1) = 2
Background Skills:
Physical skills: 7 pts
Dodge: 4 ranks
Ranged combat: 2 ranks
Endurance: 1 rank
Mental skills 8 pts
Streetwise: 2 ranks - BCM (1) = 1
Deception: 4 ranks
Knowledge (cooking): 2 ranks
Social skills: 7 pts
Socialize: 4 ranks - BCM (1) = 3
Seduction: 3 ranks - BCM (1) = 2
Crowd Reputations:
Joe Public +2
Hackers +3
Suits +1
UpTown +2
MidTown +1
DownTown +1
Culture Reputations:
Eggheads +2
“Grippy 23” AR Pack (200cr)
Tactical AR pack case (100cr)
AR Pack keyboard add-on (55cr)
AR Pack processor add-on (350cr)
Desktop rig (2350cr)
• ARSOS shell (0cr)
• ICARUS shell (50cr)
• ICARUS SKD (0cr)
• Hacking Suite (200cr)
Locator tiles—20 pack (40cr)
Locator card add-on (150cr)
Satchel: 2AR/2SR (700cr)
3D printer—medium (650cr)
Remaining CR: 4,705
100 POS-ID chits
1 POS-ID card with your real identity on it.
A week’s worth of normal, unarmored clothing
1 Ryde.IT voucher good for 50km worth of transport.
A place to sleep
1 HARDCA$H© brand credit voucher with 2500cr left on it.
Getting established was hard at first, and she made plenty of mistakes. But she learned, she networked, and slowly built up her reputation among both Eggheads and Hackers. A little luck played along the way as well. She’s suspicious that her former family and their associates are using her. She has no direct evidence, save for 6 months of her life that she can’t account for. Then there are the two family members who seem to cause her nothing but grief.
The last two years have been a mixed blessing. On the plus side, she met the possible love of her life. On the downside, the following year she was afflicted with something she wasn’t immune to, and the debilitation led to a long case of depression. She’s just managed to recover, and is looking to get back in the swing of things…
Character Name: Emily Theora Carter
Character Concept: Emily is an investigative journalist looking for her next story.
Character Culture And Focus: Social > Spiller
Character Culture Contact Name: KitKat
Character Job: Freelance Writer / Vlogger who sells advertising on her videos
AS A SOCIAL, you have no privacy, your life is a public event, and you have little in the way of real intimacy. You’re “friends” with hundreds, maybe thousands, of people. You’re friends with a handful of souls, if that. You serve a valuable purpose in today’s society, yeah, but no matter how many people find purpose or escape in your feeds, they’ll probably never really know the real you. It can be a great, fulfilling life, or it can be the loneliest thing ever. There’s really no in-between.
IF YOU’RE A SOCIAL…
Decide if you are a Spiller or a Thriller. Once you’ve done that:• Go and grab ((Socials + Joe Public) * 100cr) worth of goods and gear necessary to live your best life. Clothes, climbing gear, a wing suit. Whatever you need to keep your followers happy. Remember: they’re here to see you.
• Socials are always-on, always in the Public Eye. Because of this, it’s very easy for them to get favors, but when they screw it up, they do so big time. All of your costs to gain Reputation are halved, as are your temporary reductions from Useful Actions. Unfortunately, all of your Aggressive Action penalties are doubled.
• Even if someone doesn’t know you, they might still “know” you. While generating your Beat Chart, whenever you gain a bonus to Reputation with a Crowd, you may reduce that bonus (by up to half) and put the remainder into another Crowd that you don’t already have a Reputation with. This cannot exceed your Socials Reputation.
• You’ve managed to lock down ten of KitKat’s private PERSONE chits. You can use these to get face time with her, or get a private, secured stream call with her. She usually replies within the hour, and is very happy to see you.
SPILLERS, like Kitkat, spend their days livestreaming on the go: constant streams of selfies, monologues, and vlogs, edited on-the-fly by smart-apps in their AR rigs. Spillers are almost never without at least a pair of drones, broadcasting everything they do from their best angle. Spillers usually have close (if not friendly) ties with Law Enforcement, thanks to all the Public Eye recording clauses built in to their livecasting software. When anyone has the option to sue you for missing out on your Terms and Conditions, it’s always best to be up to date on your contracts.
If you’re a Spiller…
KitKat is your best friend. Okay, maybe not really, but she’ll say she is. Once per week, when you tap her PERSONE chits, you can reduce one Aggressive Action penalty taken against your Culture by half.
Avryl: Brings me good story leads for credit
Bart: Tried to do a feel good story on his recovery only to find out he really didn't want to be known.
Current Age 27
1a Born In MidTown…
Add +1 to your Conversation and -1 to your Leadership skills
Add +1 to your Joe Public Reputation
Subtract 150cr from your starting funds
1b In A MidTown Joe Public Work-A-Day World…
Add +1 to your Languages and Socialize skills
Add +1 to your Joe Public Reputation
Add a “+” to your Grace total
1c Chatty Little Kid…
You were a talker, and got really good at keeping your mouth going.
Add +1 to your Conversation skill
1d You’re On To Something…
There’s a discovery out there that you’re on the trail of – even if no one else believes
you. You’ve got the clues and the motivation, now you need the proof.
Add +1 to your Deduction and Surveillance skills, add a “+” to your Grace total
Age: 16
event 1 Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You had a crazy random happenstance meet-cute. It was nice.
event 3
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is an old childhood enemy come back around. (Grammar school bully?)
Age: 17
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You had a crazy random happenstance meet-cute. It was nice.
Age: 18
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ You started out as professional rivals, but now you’re in good.
event 3
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 19
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 20
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re another member of your Culture.
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re an old flame, come back to help out.
event 3
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 21
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 22
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 23
event 1
Take The Good With The Bad – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 A
Learn A Skill, Earn Some Cash – Go to Beat Chart Step 4 A
+ You’ve done right by The Mob. What you did, maybe you don’t
want anyone to know. Maybe you do. Either way, you can reach
out to your contact in The Mob for a Moderately Useful Action
once per adventure, for only one mark on your Reputation
Track. You must pay the penalty back as normal. If you don’t
have any In with The Mob, you gain +1 with them, instead.
Age: 24
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is an old friend who can no longer stand you.
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
Age: 25
event 1
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 2
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re a former business associate.
Age: 26
event 1
Take The Good With The Bad – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 A
Learn A Skill, Earn Some Cash – Go to Beat Chart Step 4 A
+ You won Metro Lotto! You gain 2000 Credits and +1 to
your Joe Public Reputation.
Age: 27
event 1
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make An Enemy, Lose Your Heart – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 B
- Your enemy is someone you once worked for.
event 2
Nothing Important Happened Today
event 3
People Come And People Go – Go to Beat Chart Step 3 B
Make A Friend, Find A Love – Go to Beat Chart Step 5 A
+ They’re an old enemy, come ‘round to your side of things.
Grace Notes
3 negatives
12 positives
Standard Heroes 55 Points, 6 is Average
Primary Attributes
Mental Attributes:
INTellect: 6
MECHanical: 5
PREsence: 6
Physical Attributes:
AGilitY: 5
SPeeD: 5
STAmina: 5
Social Attributes:
AFFinity: 9
FORtune: 8
LooKS: 6
Figured Attributes:
PREsence Based:
Resistance ((PRE/2) - 1): 2
Willpower (PRE * 3): 18
SPeeD Based:
Base Move (SPD): 5
Running (SPD * 10): 50
Jump (Running) (SPD): 5
Jump (Standing) SPD * 0.5): 2.5
STAmina Based:
Wounds (36): 36
Bruises (STA * 5): 25
TouGHness ((STA/2) - 1): 2
Carry (STA * 3kg): 15
Deadlift (STA * 12kg): 60
Encumbrance/Bulk Value (Carry * 0.25): 3.75
AFFinity Based:
Grace (AFF * 10): 90
FORtune Based:
Action Points (FOR + 1): 9
INITiative ((INT + AGY + FOR)/3): 6
Job Skills:
Ability: Trustworthy
Presentation (Trustworthy)
Perform (Instigation)
Deduction (Hard)
Lipreading (Hard)
Interview (Instigation)
Oratory (Hard) (Instigation)
Streetwise (Grifting)
Surveillance
Perceive Lie
Education Skills:
Ability: Trustworthy: 8 points for 4 Ranks + Job Bonus: 2 = 5
Languages: 1 Rank + BCM(1) = 2
Presentation: (Trustworthy) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Perform: (Instigation) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Deduction:[H] 2 Ranks + BCM(1) + Job Bonus (2) = 5
Lipreading:[H] 2 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 4
Interview: (Instigation) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Oratory:[H] (Instigation) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Streetwise: (Grifting) 5 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 7
Surveillance: 2 Ranks + BCM(1) + Job Bonus (2) = 5
Background Skills:
Mental Skills: 6 points
Perception: (Hard Knocks) 3 Ranks
Perceive Lie: 3 Ranks + Job Bonus (2) = 5
Physical Skills: 5 points
Dodge: (Hard Knocks) 2 Ranks
Dancing: 2 Ranks
Brawling: 1 Rank
Social Skills: 9 points
Conversation:[H](Commanding) 2 Ranks + BCM(2)= 4
Leadership:[H](Commanding) 2 Ranks + BCM(-1)= 1
Persuasion: (Grifting) 5 Ranks
Crowd Reputations:
Joe Public: 2 + BCM: 3 = 5
Midtowners: 1
The Mob: BCM: 1
The Law: 1
Downtowners: 1
The Media: 1
Culture Reputations:
SOCIALS: 3
EGGHEADS: 1
BODYCONS: 1
CLOISTERS: 1
Culture Freebie Funds: (Socials 3 + 5 Joe Public) * 450cr) = 3600
Regular Starting Funds: 5000
Beat Chart Modifiers:
* Subtract 150cr from your starting funds
* You won Metro Lotto! You gain 2000 Credits
5000-150+2000= 6850
Employment Status: Currently employed or in this case, currently have advertisers or a sponsor for my feed.
Free Equipment:
* A generic ICARUS AR Pack and Buds with a 200cr
trade-in value. (Keeping this for emergencies)
• 100 POS-ID chits (you determine if they’re public or
private when you hand them out).
• 1 POS-ID card with your real identity on it.
• A week’s worth of normal, unarmored clothing (this
includes corportate jumpsuits, as well shoes, underwear,
shirts, pants, dresses, hats, etc.)
• 1 Ryde.IT voucher good for 50km worth of transport.
• A place to sleep (either temporary or permanent).
• 1 P@yOut© or HARDCA$H© brand credit voucher
with 2500cr left on it.
• Ten of KitKat’s private PERSONE chits.
SHOPPING!
Tops: 3 x 25cr = 75
Pants: 3 x 35cr = 105
Dresses: 2 x 15cr = 30
Underwear: 18 x 15cr = 270
Sock: 43 x 15cr = 645
Coat: 2 x 30cr = 60
Monthly MetroTrans Pass : 1 x 40cr = 40
Apartment – Private Hotel Studio Midtown: 4 x 950cr = 3800
Elite Data Plan: 1 x 200cr = 200
Platinum Eve 4: 1 x 750cr = 750
Tatical AR Pack Case: 1 x 100cr = 100
Kit Kat’s Close Personal Ears – Fox: 1 x 500cr = 500
Tech Spectacles : 1 x 200cr = 200
Design Suite: 1 x 250cr = 250
Office Suite: 1 x 150cr = 150
Office Suite
CabCo “Bell Ringer” Free
Gabby Gabby App Free/Premium
Hot2Go Dating Free/Premium
HuQQup Sex Finder Free
PERSOBoard Free/Premium
Ryde.IT App Free/Premium
Songbird Free/Premium
The Circuit Premium Only
Gabby Livestream Drone: 1 x 350cr = 350
CT Robot Observer: 1 x 675cr = 675
Liquid Screen: 5 x 100cr = 500
Locator Tile: 10 x 2cr = 20
Locator Card Add-On : 1 x 150cr = 150
Rugged Backpack: 1 x 72cr = 72
,
Total Spent 8942
Creds Left 1,508
What’s your name? Do you have a single name?
Many? Is your name a Job-Tag (Johnny Fifteen
Roger)? A Norm-Tag (John Fitzgerald Rogers)?
• What’s your gender? Male? Female? Neutral?
Fluid?
• What do you look like? Describe yourself.
• Do you have a family? Siblings? Parents? A Coterie
from a Corporate Creche facility?
• Let’s talk about your Culture. Are you a Bodycon?
An Outsider? Something different? Something
uniquely you (and a million other people)?
• What is your role within your Crowds? Within
your Culture?
• Who loves you, and who do you love?
• What are your top three motivations? What is,
for you, best in life?
• Do you have any prejudices? Do you hate
Crowds other than your own? Betas? People
named Joe?
• Is there a District or Districts you simply will not
set foot in? Why? What about them’s gotten under
your skin?
• Have you got religion? What is it? Do you buy
in to BeliefCorp’s Social Network, or are you a
Lion Cultist from the lower levels of Down Town?
Tantric Meditationist, or follower of the Prophet
Of Infinite Wub Wub?
• And before we forget, what’s your job?
For those of you watching at home - we are working on a few things on the back end, and will be doing one final round of updates for the characters before kicking the game off.
One of the realities of a playtest is that sometimes certain bits of mechanics end up being more fiddly than we originally intended. While working on BART and Zerin, one of these came to light. Because of this, we're fixing in in the background, and will update when it's sorted out (shouldn't be too long, it's not that big a bug).
So, consider this a patch notice, or something like it.
We'll be back to our regularly scheduled nonsense shortly.
Looks like we're still having some formatting issues. We'll tackle that and move on to getting the character sheets handled and proceed!
Okay, we're back!
Things took a little longer than expected due to a couple of family issues and an illness in our playtest group.
The up-side was that it enabled us to not only fix the problem that arose back at the beginning of July, but also find and resolve a couple of other related issues.
This week should see the players:
• Making Aliases for their characters
• Doing a "round of introductions," where the characters introduce themselves and explain how they know one another.
• A brief overview of gameplay
As some of you haven't used the Paizo forum Alias features before, here's a few pointers:
In the "Classes/Levels" section of your Profile, please put the following (replacing "{" and "}" with "[" and "]" appropriately)
{spoiler=Attributes}INIT ## | SPD (Base) ## | SPD (Run) ## | TGH/RES ##/## | Bruises ## | Willpower ## | Perception ##{/spoiler}
Where ## is the relevant number on your sheet. If you want to add other things, like your Bulk Value or your Jump or Carrying weights, feel free, but these should be the minimum you put in.
In the "Gender" entry, please put the following:
{URL=XX}Your character's gender (as appropriate), and your Culture and Focus{/URL}
Where XX is the Google Drive (link-shareable) link to your character sheet.
So for instance, BART would look like this:
{URL=XX}Male Puppeteer (Podbaby){/URL}
While Avryl would be:
{URL=XX}Female Egghead (Freelancer){/URL}
That's it! You should be set!
Avryl Grimaldi: Master of all things computer. She codes software, she designs hardware, and she hacks. Hers is a unique story lost in a city full of them.
Originally hailing from the orbital high rise, her technical acumen made her an ideal candidate for designing the next generation of quantum-holo-organic AI or whatever, but her refusal to marry a cheating narcissist would have reverberations in her family and those above her. Ultimately it led to her downfall to midtown (not even uptown, dammit).
She was determined not to crawl back, though. She was still “master of all things computer”, so she’d code, design and hack her own way in life. If she couldn’t get back to the hallowed heights she was born to, she’d at least make her own way, on her own terms, determined not to be controlled by anyone else again.
She had a number of friends and contacts that helped, despite constantly feeling like a square peg in a town of round pegs. Among her handiest is Emily Theora Carter, who found Avryl’s uncanny abilities to find information that didn’t want to be found very handy for her breaking stories. Occasionally, she would get a semi-regular visit from BART to re-balance his high body’s high performance machinery (it’s amazing how fast he can wear out high endurance calipers).
Now she’s onto something potentially hot…and after 6 months of some variation of snake flu and a month of “why me” self pity, what she could really use right now is a nice piece of intel to boost her bottom line and self esteem.
Emily Theora Carter: A Spiller with a message: The Metro is a HUGE place and it is filled with fascinating people. She loves meeting new people, hearing their stories and sharing them with her followers.
Emily was born into a nice stable midtown family but started to develop a thirst for more when she found out her great great grandfather had only settled down and had a family after years of investigative journalism. A career that had landed him a fair amount of fame in his day. She loves meeting new people and this inspired her to share as a spiller.
She started out small, gathered a following and now she picks and chooses which people she needs to meet. As time goes on, especially after meeting Avryl, the people she meets aren't as thrilled about what she has to them. Or in BART's case, he wasn't thrilled at the idea of her saying anything at all. But there are just some people you need to meet and save for a rainy day. Like Zerin who she met during a piece on veterans. Emily finds Zerin fascinating because of everything she's seen and done. But if Emily's experience with BART taught her anything, it's sometimes it's safer not to push.
Zerin Taro: burned out veteran that keeps getting pulled back into the fight.
People look down on the Flashbacks, people holding on to a conflict or war long past. But, the past isn't always so far back, and sometimes there's a reason to be mad, a reason to not forget. When you sign a contract to fight, they own you till your time is up, and if you're damaged, well, they can put those pieces back together and extend that lease on your soul.
You get out, you try to keep your head down and hold what's left of you together, but the world keeps remind you that you just don't fit. And well, sometimes the only way to keep those pieces from falling apart is to sign your soul away for the maintenance and care you can't afford on your own.
The Metro just keeps on getting younger. Burying it's past in the next new upgrade. Some of us can't forget the bones this city was built on, know what will happen if they're allowed to crumble to dust. So we do maintenance of our own. Working on the machines we rely on for our daily lives and livelihoods that the forgotten can't afford the newest upgrade.
Pull in, pop the hood. There's grease in my joints and on my hands. I may not be pretty, but I'll get your ride back on the road.
Okay, it's time to go over a brief overview of gameplay, as promised.
We'll put these behind spoilers, to keep the Wall Of Text effect down to a minimum.
First up, something important to note about skills and checks in the Power Core RPG system:
It is not necessary to make a skill check if:
- Your character isn't under any sort of stress while attempting to make the check.
- Your (Attribute + Skill Rank + Ability (If Any) + Any other modifiers) equal or exceeds the target Difficulty Class, and
- there is no dangerous or negative result that can occur if your check fails.
Like many games, this one uses a basic Attribute + Modifiers + Dice vs Difficulty Class mechanic. In this case, the dice in question are 2d6, which provide a nice bell curve for target numbers, and enable the GM to apply a fairly easy set of mean-distribution values for on-the-fly penalties or bonuses (approximately +/- 3 per step).
Margins of Success are also used to help determine how well (or how poorly) a character succeeded (or failed) at their task. Generally speaking, every 5 points of success over (or under) the target number is one Margin of Success/Failure. This is especially useful when the character is attempting something that requires a large amount of time, or that doesn't necessarily result in total failure if they miss their roll.
Critical Successes and Failures take place if the character rolls 2d6 and gets two 6's (Critical Success) or two 1's (Critical Failure). On a Critical Success, an additional 2d6 are rolled and added to the total. On a Critical Failure, an additional 2d6 are rolled and subtracted from the total. In both cases, the total is compared against the target number, and the results are carried out accordingly.
All characters have a pool of Action Points, which are used to influence their rolls. By spending an Action Point before making the check, a character can increase their result by 1d6, and this roll cannot critically fail unless all three dice come up 1’s. However, if any two of the dice result in 6’s, the roll critically succeeds.
Characters can use Action Points after a check has been made, but before the GM has announced the result of the check, but must spend 2 AP to gain the usual +1d6 to their check. A check may only have one additional die added to it by way of Action Points.
This is the quick, dirty, and fluff-free rundown of what you need to know to hurt people and avoid getting hurt in the game. Ready? Let’s go.
- At the start of combat, pick a combat leader. That person rolls 2d6.
- Everyone on your side adds the result of that roll to their Initiative Value.
- The GM starts at the highest Total Initiative and works their way down to 0.
- Everyone gets two (2) actions per turn for free when their Total Initiative comes up.
- Every action after 2 up to your Initiative Value racks up a –3 (that nice, easily determined value we talked about above) cumulative penalty on every subsequent action. If you have an Initiative Value of 6, you can take up to 6 actions, total, in your turn.
- To hit your target, roll 2d6 + Skill + Modifiers VS the target Difficulty Class. If you meet or exceed the DC, you hit.
- Subtract your target’s Armor Rating from the Damage Rating of your weapon. If the total is reduced to 0, you do (x)DR in bruise damage, where (x) is equal to the number of dice (a 2 Damage Rating weapon vs. 2 Armor Rating armor does 2 points of bruise damage).
- If the total is positive, the remaining dice are rolled as Incoming Hits. Roll those dice and total them for total incoming damage.
- The target gets to convert (AR + TGH) to bruise damage, with the remainder applied to their Wounds. A target taking 16 Incoming Hits with an AR of 4 and a TGH of 2 would take 6 points of bruise damage, and 10 wounds.
- Unarmored targets always get their TGH when calculating bruise damage.
- If the target is reduced past their Condition Track Threshold, they suffer the listed effects to their Skill Penalties and Action Point Totals.
- When all combatants have finished their turns, a new Combat Turn has begun, and the GM starts the countdown at the highest number, again. This continues until the combat encounter is complete.
That’s it for combat. Now, what about healing?
- Bruises recover at a rate equal to your TGH per hour.
- Wounds recover at a rate equal to your TGH per week.
- A skilled doctor can perform a skill check (using First Aid or Medicine) at a DC 20 (+1 per Wound suffered) to give you double this rate for 1 day.
- You can perform these same checks on yourself, but the base DC is raised to 30 (+2 per Wound suffered).
And, finally...
Basic Movement: Every character has a Speed Attribute. This is the number of 1-meter hexes that they can move in a single action during their turn.
Sprinting: A character can Sprint up to twice their Speed in one action, but they take a –2 penalty to all actions after doing so (in addition to any other penalties they'd incur). A character can only Sprint once per turn.
Running: A character can effectively remove themselves from combat and move in an all-out run, which gives them a total of Speed * 10 in movement. Obviously, this is not something to do when under a large amount of gun fire, but sometimes, you've just got to.
That's it for our quick overview.
The rest, as they say, will be seen as it's seen!
For those of you observing the game, please come and join us in the Discussion and Gameplay threads soon!