Note: This post, and the campaign that goes along with it, will contain spoilers for Leviathan Wakes, the first novel of The Expanse series, and for the TV show as well through the first 1.5 seasons. We're not going to be replaying the books or anything, but suffice to say there are some events that have too big an impact to go unmentioned elsewhere in the solar system.
In the wake of the Eros incident, somebody is snatching up scientists connected to the LDSS Nauvoo, the Mormon generation ship that was intended for the Tau Ceti system before it was repurposed into an asteroid-killing kinetic weapon. The players are a small time mercenary outfit, private investigation agency, or simply know the right people, and get offered a job by the Mormon Church to find out what's happened to their wayward researchers.
We'll be using Green Ronin's The Expanse RPG, which is based off the Adventure Game Engine (AGE). Rather than using the d20 and its small army of dice, it uses a roll of one to three d6s for everything. One of the dice is called the "stunt" die, and is used for using various special abilities/actions called, appropriately, stunts. On a table this one would be a different color than the others, but for here I think we'll just have the 3rd die in any 3d6 stand in for it.
Now, because The Expanse RPG doesn't have a free online SRD like Pathfinder, and I can't just wholesale post 20 pages from the Core Rulebook here, this recruitment thread is going to be a bit different. I won't expect you to have a fully built character to pitch, since even if you own the book that isn't completely possible (since your character will need some ties to at least some of the rest of the party). That said, you can download the freely available Quickstart PDF from Green Ronin, which has most of the game mechanics in it. It does not have any character creation rules, but there are some 1st level pregens you can take a look at to have an idea of what your finished character will look like.
You can also select your social class, background, and profession without needing to roll for it.
Beyond that, tell me about who your character is. Where are they from? What's something they're afraid of? Why are they on Tycho Station? You don't have to write a novella, but I'd like this to be at least a few paragraphs.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me, either here or via PM. Recruitment will be open until 11:59pm Central US on January 16th. I'll be selecting between 4 and 6 characters, preferably with at least 1 each from the Belt, Earth, and Mars.
Yay! I’ll get to work on the character
Likewise!
Also working on a character!
For a heads up: I'm working on a Belter pilot, perhaps a tech, a romantico-philosophical spirit who sees her work as the thread that binds humankind together.
Origin: Belt
Social Class: Middle
Background: Trade
Benefit of background: Focus: Intelligence (Technology)
Profession: Pilot
Drive: Caregiver
I like to roll when I have the chance....
Earther
upper Class
Aristocratic
Dilletante
Visionary
Interesting....
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Ok...ready to go...lets see what I get!!
Origin: Martian
Social Class: Middle Class
Background: Trade
Profession: Pilot (I see Warforged is looking to make a pilot, so I will roll again) Scholar
Drive: Survivor
Interesting....a Middle-Class Martian whose background is in trade, but became a Scholar with the drive of a Survivor!! Hello Indy!!
Will get the rest sorted ASAP
Origin : Belter here
Social Class : Lower Class
Background : Urban
Profession : Technician
Drive : Penitent
Living on the edge... that's what makes life interesting. Always had a knack for mechanical and electrical things. Handy skill for someone who had to make his own advantages... If only that girl hadn't died. It wasn't really his fault... but if you don't put yourself in situations for bad things to happen they won't. I've got to get out of here and do something useful with my life.
Don't know much about the Expanse RPG, but I'm a huge fan of the books!
Martian
Lower Class
Urban
Clergy
Visionary
Interesting. Not what I had initially imagined, but I think I could make it work. Some sort of Martian priest, maybe hired by the Mormons for his status as a man of the cloth.
Very very interested in this! I was just watching the show last night with my wife. I have eaten up these books something fierce. I have also been really trying to get a sci-fi game going here. Had some not great luck with a bad fit in a game.
Downloading now!! (just buying the full game, because it should be in my library anyway)
--Looking at book--
Concept: Earth based scavenger and trickster. Great to getting around and keeping open eyes.
Origin: Earther
Social Class: Outsider
Background: Outcast
Profession: Scavenger
Drive: Estatic
Name: Kizia Numbia
Description: Dark skinned Earther. Grew up in South Africa. Her accent actually has some similaries to the belters, though any Belter would be able to tell its just a strange Earth variant that sound similar at times.
She is short and thin for a Earther, maybe 5'2" and 90lbs. Among the belters she seems tiny and a bit squat.
She spent hours as a kid scrounging through old junk, learning the workings of small equipment, as well as the best way to find the best things to sell. Eventually she made enough, with a few great finds, to get off Earth. She never much liked it anyway. She made her way to Ceres. She got a job scouting out the tunnels and small scale fixes. Though she made most of her money finding the best parts and fixing them up. Never quite doing it fully legally.
12 points applied then +1 Willpower for Outcast
Accuracy: 0
Constitution: 0
Fighting: 2
Communication: 1
Dexterity: 3
Intelligence: 2
Perception: 3
Strength: 0
Willpower: 2
Talents:
Fringer (from Outcast)
Maker (from Scavenger)
Attractive (from Estatic)
Focus: Dexterity (Stealth) (From Outcast)
Focus: Perception (Searching) (from Scavenger)
Defense: 13
Toughness: 0
Speed: 13
Fortune: 15
Question: We get 12 points then 1 more from out Background right? For a total score of 13?
I imagine I could have been picked up by a group for her skills. She is great at being not seen, and for spotting things others do not. Invaluable skills. Also surprising scrappy in a hand to hand fight (lot center of mass and all). Figured I would leave the last tiny bit empty to see how the group ends up forming together.
Good luck everyone!
Yes, if it wasn't clear, you still get the +1 to an ability that's given to your by your background.
You should also roll a 2d6 to determine the added benefit you get from your background, which might give you an additional +1 to an ability or an extra focus.
Great! I was skimming a bit. I will likely read through the book fully either if I am chosen, or when I finish Rhythm of War. Whichever comes first.
Added focus: Fighting (Light Weapons)
That fits well. I will likely have a nice short metal pole. Flavored Baton.
Thanks!
Yes, if it wasn't clear, you still get the +1 to an ability that's given to your by your background.
Does that allow a stat to go over 3, or should we take the background into account while assigning points?
Your background's +1 can take an ability to 4.
Mostly done I think
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Ok, I think I have almost everything except equipment.
Origin: Martian Social Class: Middle Background: Trade Profession: Scholar Drive: Survivor
Speed: 11 Defense: 11 Toughness: 1
Move: 11 Run: 22
Accuracy: 1
Communication: 1
Constitution: 2
Dexterity: 1
Fighting : 2
Intelligence: 3
Perception: 1
Strength: 1
Willpower: 1
Talents: Tactical Awareness, Maker, Expertise (Technology)
Focus: Grappling (Fighting), Technology (Intelligence), Engineering (Intelligence)
Income: 3d6+4
Equipment:
Yea! Working on my concept now.....
1) Your base Toughness is equal to your Constitution score, so it should be 2 for right now.
2) You'll also need to pick something more specific within the Technology focus (the example the book uses for Technology is "hacking," to give you an idea of how specific).
3) This is a readability thing instead of a rules thing, but rather than putting the focuses in a separate section, please put them in parentheses after the ability they pertain to. So it'll look like "Fighting 2 (Grappling)" and "Intelligence 3 (Technology, Engineering)"
Lets see how this turns out...
- Belter
- Lower Class
- Urban
- Soldier
- Achiever
Very interesting... a Belter street kid turned Soldier/Gun-For-Hire who just wants to leave a legacy maybe?
Here is my character. Let me know if you have comments or suggestions!
I'll get my character up before the end of the day.
Ok here is my character...to start. Will add background and personal information.
Well I was getting ready to post my character and realized that the two already posted how many of the same skills and talents I’ll work on it tomorrow and come up with something different
Yeah, I've been having trouble creating one in that sense, too.
Mechanically speaking, creating a character in this effectively comes down to which 3 focuses and which 3 talents you get - and you aren't even choosing those six things directly. The backgrounds / careers system (while cool / quick to create with) also tends to steer you in a particular direction which means you're choosing from a limited set.
My gut is that it's probably a lot easier to create characters with an established party, when each person can have a particular role in mind that they're building towards. Or, if you're starting at a higher level and have more options to help differentiate.
But it's also worth noting that there are 10 people who have expressed interest (for what are effectively 4-6 party roles), so I think some overlap or duplication is probably to be expected.
Either way, I'm gonna shoot for getting my character up tomorrow, which I think is def gonna be in conflict with someone else's.
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I noticed that as well...and that is why I moved away from Pilot as Dreaming Warforged had already gone that route, and suspected others would as well...I was actually looking to make an ex-martian marine sort of like a mix of Boby and Amos, but the one I rolled seemed pretty cool too!
I know I could choose what I wanted as well, but I sooo love rolling!!
Quick compilation for future generations:
Submitted:
- Yuri Sokolov (Daniel Stewart) - Martian Trade Scholar (Survivor)
- Tania Teg (Dreaming Warforged) - Belter Trade Pilot (Achiever)
- Kizia Numbia (NeoEvaX) - Earther Outcast Scavenger (Estatic)
Rolled but incomplete:
- Laird_Thorne - Belter Urban Soldier (Achiever)
- Simeon - Martian Urban Clergy (Visionary)
- Scranford - Belter Urban Technician (Penitent)
- Spazmodeous - Earther Aristocratic Dilletante (Visionary)
- Tristan Seong (CrusaderWolf) - Martian Military Investigator (Leader)
Also Dotted:
- Dslak
- Taimat
It's okay if there is some overlap. Amos isn't the only one able to do repairs on the Rocinante, and Bobbie is a functional pilot, too. :)
I'm thinking a Ex Star Helix individual who had a substance abuse issue, and made a big mistake that got his partner or an innocent killed. Just have to figure out how to do it using the rules presented. I'll have something up soon.
Okay. Here is my character. If chosen I'll complete a profile, but for now here are the specifics.
I'm thinking a Ex Star Helix individual who had a substance abuse issue, and made a big mistake that got his partner or an innocent killed.
Character Sheet
Name: Laklo Moon
Origin: Belter
Background: Lower Class
Social Class: Military
Profession: Investigator
Drive: Penitent
Accuracy (2) (Pistols)
Communication (1) (Investigation)
Constitution (1)
Dexterity (2) (Free-fall)
Fighting (3)
Intelligence (2) (Security)
Perception (1) (Searching)
Strength (1)
Willpower (0)
Talents
Speak (Belter Creole)
Striking Style
Observation (Searching)
Speed (12)
Defense (12)
Toughness (1)
Fortune (15)
Tall, thin Asian man with belter tattoo around neck. Also scar over right eye. Hard eyed glint. Wears sloppy business casual with loosened tie.
Equipment: Ordinary clothing, Investigators Kit, Pistol
Martian
Lower Class
Urban
Negotiator
Caregiver
Hmm...a peacemaker or empath? Maybe a counselor? Probably not held in the highest regard in Martian society.
Here's Taimat's submission for a newly-minted OPA Operative. Will be fleshing out the background more, but wanted to get something up early.
Basics: Belter Academic Criminal (Rebel)
[dice=Origin]1d6 Martian
[dice=Social Class]2d6 Lower Class
[dice=Background]1d6 Urban
[dice=Profession]1d6 Negotiator[dice=Drive]1d6 1d6 Caregiver
Hmm...a peacemaker or empath? Maybe a counselor? Probably not held in the highest regard in Martian society.
So with this combination, I feel like you either have Space Bard, or what I think is the more interesting a caring medic/counselor steeped in a world of intrigue. I think he's probably a Belter-sympathizer working the Martian medical system to get needed drugs and supplies to the Belt. He would have been suggested to the LDS as a person who can talk his way through anything and has medical skills.
The problem I see is a general lack of fighting or spaceship skills. He's Simon from Firefly.
Communication (Deception)
Oh, wow. We're really specializing here.
Ok, I think I've got a decent sheet. Please take a look and tell me if I got anything wrong. I'm a bit concerned about being so Communication focused, but no one complained about Avasarala.
Name: Wayne Li
Origin: Martian
Background: Lower Class
Social Class: Urban
Profession: Negotiator
Drive: Caregiver
Accuracy (2)
Communication (3) (Persuasion, Bargaining, Deception)
Constitution (1)
Dexterity (2)
Fighting (0)
Intelligence (2)
Perception (2)
Strength (0)
Willpower (1)
Talents
Misdirection (novice)
Intrigue (novice)
Medic (novice)
Speed (12)
Defense (12)
Toughness (1)
Fortune (15)
Description: Tall, but overweight Martian who clearly has some mixed-Chinese heritage and speaks with a characteristic drawl of the Mariner Valley. He has a quick and charming smile and an infectious laugh.
Background: "Study and work hard and you can do anything." That was the biggest lie the Mars and his parents had ever told him. Wayne had bought it when he was younger, staying on the straight and narrow and studying hard in the hopes of becoming a doctor. But life in the Mariner Valley slums didn't afford the best education or the professional networks to even get him a decent internship. After a short stint as an EMT where he got beat up by a druggie, Wayne became a drug/alcohol and conflict counselor.
When one of his colleagues was collecting donations of medical supplies for the Belt, Wayne decided to help him deliver them to Tycho. There, he saw even more need. He now splits his time between Tycho and Mars offering counseling and collecting Martian medicine for the needy Belters.
Lots of very cool character concepts! Just as a reminder: if you have an incomplete submission, please get it finished up by the end of the weekend.
Just want to confirm that my summited character Kizia Numbia is considered complete. I am pretty sure I got all the pieces done.
If picked I will make an alias and clean up and make the sheet prettier.
Good luck everyone!
Yes, Kizia is complete.
Getting pretty close to finishing Padre Ignacio Walker, rolling my 2d6 for the Urban benefit.
Focus in Acrobatics. Not super in line with my Communication and Accuracy focus, but I can make it work.
Submitting Padre Ignacio Walker, a Martian Catholic priest with a dogged desire to change things for the better!
Origin: Martian
Social Class: Lower Class
Background: Urban
Profession: Clergy
Drive: Visionary
ACCURACY: 2
CONSTITUTION: 1
COMMUNICATION: 3 (Persuasion)
DEXTERITY: 2 (Acrobatics)
FIGHTING: 2
INTELLIGENCE: 0
PERCEPTION: 1
STRENGTH: 0
WILLPOWER: 2 (Faith)
Defense: 12
Speed: 12
Toughness: 1
Fortune: 15
Talents:
Inspire
You inspire your friends and allies. If you are conscious and they are within sight of you, your allies gain a +1 bonus to all Willpower-related tests.
Misdirection
As a major action, you can make a Communication (Deception) test opposed by an opponent’s Willpower (Self-Discipline); if you succeed, your opponent cannot perform stunts until the end of your next turn.
Oratory
You know how to work a crowd. If you fail a Communication (Persuasion) test when trying to convince a group (not an individual), you can re-roll it, but must keep the results of the second roll.
Life on Mars isn’t all that the Congressional Republic cracks it up to be. The rough streets of the outer Mariner Valley proves that. The mines of the valley fuel the supremacy of the Martian navy, but it’s inhabitants don’t often share in that prosperity.
It was into the Mariner Valley that Ignacio Walker came, kicking and screaming to two miners with barely enough to scrape by. His childhood was rough in the five neighborhoods, and by the time he turned fourteen he knew that though he might be a miner’s son, he wasn’t going to follow in his parent’s footsteps. Not just that, he wanted to make sure that life for those he had struggled alongside wouldn’t be defined by the hard circumstances of their birth.
He found his calling within the basalt walls of the parish church of Our Most Holy Mother of the Dust (Nuestra Madre Santisima del Polvo in his native Spanish), and by the time he turned twenty he had been ordained as a priest of the Catholic church.
Life in the Mariner Valley was still hard, and the violence that plagued the urban districts led him to becoming a crack shot and a proficient brawler. His more violent skills, however, paled in comparison to his skill with words and persuasion which he preferred to use whenever possible.
Ignacio Walker, most commonly going by “The Padre,” is a Martian of Mexican descent, tall and graceful as most Marsborn tend to be. Going on thirty three, his dark hair and perpetual stubble are just barely tinged by flecks of grey. He wears dark jeans and the black shirt and collar of the Catholic clergy. Though he speaks with a Mariner Valley drawl, it’s tinged with an accent from Spanish, his native language.
Ignacio is a kind and humble man, as he knows that the Good Shepherd commands him to be. That said, he has lived in an area fraught with violence, and knows that when words and scripture fail, one must do what they need to, and hope that their penance will be enough to redeem them. He sees his calling as a spiritual and political matter. All people were made equal by the Lord, and in his eyes, it is the duty of the church to uplift those who fortune hasn’t smiled upon. Though this mentality has made him few friends among the elite of the church, he cares little for their games.
Let me know if anything looks off. First time I've made a character for this system so I'm not totally sure if it's all right.
Ok.. the background and description are all done!!!
Excited to see who got selected. Just in case some people are stuck, delete your cookies so you can log in. No matter how many times you try to sign in it wont work without tossing all those evil cookies.
Good luck everyone!
Profile complete! I'm a little fuzzy on whether we get any starting equipment given the Income Test features, but otherwise everything is set!
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Thanks, everyone! Recruitment is now closed. I expect to have a crew selected by the end of tomorrow.
Will the following please report to the discussion thread:
Priya Chakrabarti
Kizia Numbia
Tristan Seong
Yuri Sokolov
Tania Teg
Ignacio Walker
To everyone who applied: thank you. I really agonized over who to choose, and while I regret not being able to take every character who was submitted, I am grateful for the time and energy each of you put into creating them.
Have fun all, and thanks for the consideration.
Have fun, those selected! I enjoyed playing with character creation just to see how the system is set up.