Role-Playing Exercise #1

[Richard Logue]

An idea occured to me recently, and I'd like to put it here on the boards where it can reach a wide variety of folks.

I wonder what players will come up with for character concepts given (1) a lack of information about the campaign in general, (2) specific, yet generalized, parameters for character ideas, and (3) a "starting point" for the game's story. So, before I present the idea to my pool of players here at home, I'd like to use you people as a litmus to see if I need to rethink or refine or reject my idea.

So, just as if you were one of my players, read the following and participate. Also note that, given the limited amount of information (and choices) being presented, some of you will doubtless come up with similar concepts. That's quite alright as it also gives me an idea of what may be some of the more typical responses.


I want to run a sci-fi game using the HERO system. It will not be the standard Star Hero setting, but It will be a more-or-less standard sort of sci-fi setting roughly along the lines of Terran Empire technologies. There are no alien races to speak of, only humans, and the inhabited worlds in the millieu form a sort of confederation of (mostly) democratic republics. None of the worlds are currently in open conflict with any of the others.

Come up with a one- or two-sentence character idea. It cannot be combat-focused, i.e. professional military or security type personnel.

The story will begin onboard a ship gallavanting about on a pleasure cruise in the outer reaches of a prominent star system. The craft is an FTL-capable, lightly armed or possibly even unarmed, private yacht owned by a very wealthy socialite.

Ready... Begin!

Richard
(And thanks in advance for your participation.)

[Blue Jogger]

A gifted, but possibly autistic child, whose rich parents thought that he just needed to "get out" and see the stars. Who needs aliens when you have this kid?

[McCoy]

J. Darlington Smith. A Navy SEAL who volunteered for an early experiment in suspended animation. Frozen in the final days of the 20th century, "thawed out" a year or so ago, he knows primitive survival, primative weapons, unarmed combat, and almost nothing about modern technology or customs. He was a media darling for a few months, but his celibrity is fading, Our hostess, the very wealthy socialite, has invited him along, thinking her other guest will be amused by either his stories of the past or his innocent lack (by modern standars) of manners and sophistication.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Nicholas Laine, sophisticated interstellar playboy, with a charming smile and a devilishly dry sense of humor, moving in the circles of the galactic nouveax-riche. Beneath that facade, Laine is "Nick the Quick," freelance spy, courier, and sometime thief. :sneaky:

[Lucius]

I decided to post before seeing anyone else's answers, to avoid being biased by what others said.

No open conflict of a military nature, but in a confederation of democratic republics, there is probably a LOT of competition of an economic nature. And information is wealth.

I might design an industrial spy, possibly even with sabateur abilities. Want to know if the next system over is close to duplicating your latest tech? Want to know how to duplicate THEIR latest tech? Do you suspect someone's found an unsuspected resource in an uninhabited system and is exploiting it without registering it with the Confederation...and you want to know for sure, preferably with a map so you can cut yourself a piece of that action?

Maybe we can do business.

Lucius Alexander

Palindromedary Enterprises

[sinanju]

A high society thief/gigolo currently squiring around his latest target; he lives the high life at her expense for as long as possible before eventually vanishing with whatever portable wealth he can lay his hands on. He expects this particular cruise to be his "last hurrah" with Edna Uppercrust, so he's on the lookout for his next opportunity to abscond or find a new patroness.

[Nevenall]

This might work better for a cruise ship then a yacht.
"My name is Laxander Hy. I'm a musician. I make my way from starport to starport looking for any paying gig I can find. Sure you can instantly access limitless databases of music from around the galaxy, but no recording can ever replicate the soul of a live band. Ha! Like I said, sometimes it's tough finding a job."

[CSgeekHero]

James Gamma. A former frontier lawman who's seen enough blood. During one investigation, something happened that started his withdrawal from connections with other people. Finally, he has enough and is now on board the ship trying to rebuild his life and reconnect with other around him. The cry of "murderer" echoes in his darkest thoughts. Are those words true or is the good fighter for justice still inside of him trapped by his emotional cacoon?

[Manic Typist]

Zeke Burchenoff, of Burchenoff Weapons Industries (Problem Solving through Powered Armor!), a member of the Burchenoff family, who are a major arms producer for most of the Confederation. He is high level contract bidder and salesmen, always looking to make a deal with the military, private organizations, and even seedier things at times............

This ride could be quite lucrative, with many very rich people about who want to protect their very valuable things.

[Outsider]

Rufus, a genetically engineered sheepdog of doggish form, but human level intelligence. He was the companion and minder of the socialite when he/she was a child, and is now their close and trusted friend.

[bigdamnhero]

Bial Astalon, wealthy galactic playboy who is secretly a master thief. Think Jim "Stainless Steel Rat" DiGriz crossed with Cary Grant's character in "To Catch A Thief". He steals not because he needs the money -- athough he's not nearly as rich as he pretends, and basically all of his money comes from his crimes -- but because living an honest life is just soooo boring. Despite it all, he does have an innate sense of honor and duty... he just hasn't found anything to inspire it yet.


bigdamnhero
"Raise the defensive shields!"
"An excellent idea sir but with just two minor drawbacks. One, we don't have any defensive shields and two we don't have any defensive shields. I know that is technically one reason but it was so glaring that it is worth mentioning twice."

[Matt Frisbee]

Lars Aimless, an interstellar homeless person who travels from planet to planet on the cheap (stowaway or steerage) using his myriad talents for petty theft, making friends on the streets and the generousity of strangers to get by while pinching his pennies for the next spaceflight.

[Captain Obvious]

Looks like a lot of wealthy socialite playboys with dark secrets.

My first thought was a "Talented Mr. Ripley" type of guy....

[Manic Typist]

I'm not a playboy! I'm an enterprenur!

I want to supply your weapons for your next war!

Basically.

But......... I still might chase the skirts too hehe.

[Dr. Anomaly]

The FTL yacht Rainbow Trail is not just cutting edge -- it incorporates so many cutting-edge technologies it should more properly be called "bleeding edge." Naturally, a ship like that would require a near-genius engineer to keep running at the height of perfection -- someone like Gerald T. Horn. Considered "eccentric" at best in polite circles and "crazy" most of the time, Horn is a genius, though his approach to problems is often...unique. Most 'normal' businesses and shiplines wouldn't hire Horn on a bet; fortunately the Rainbow Trail's owner didn't inherit his money, but made it himself -- and he's shrewd enough to know how useful Horn's skills can be, with just a bit of guidance...and a large paycheck. For his part Gerald would work for free just to have the chance to 'play' with the Rainbow Trail's equipment, but he's not about to turn down his rather generous salary!

[Curufea]

A politician. Not particularly notable - a back bencher here on a holiday from her constituency. Strong willed and quick witted she has prime ministerial skills but lacks the ambition - simply waiting for a "nudge" into the public eye/to get her active.

A public servant. She has saved for ten years for this cruise and is still mildly euphoric from the send off her work colleagues gave her. She's single, not particulary attractive, and quite lonely. Much like the politician above, she has hidden strengths if she is just provided the catalyst necessary. She owns her own home, has one pet and tends to take public transport, rather than owning a vehicle (or licence). She works in the personnel section of a government department on immigration.

[Dale A. Ward]

Michael T. "#26" Tucker - Former G-Ball star, lost an eye in his last tournament. Had it replaced with a cyberprosthetic, then had to retire because league rules prohibited any "performance-enhancing" cybernetics. He is never seen without either his old team jersey (in casual surroundings) or his championship medallion (in formal settings). He has an eye for the ladies and never passes up a chance to impress one.

He is a guest on the yacht by invitation of the owner (who also owned his former team), and Tucker feels a great sense of loyalty to his old boss (who footed the bill for the prosthetic eye).

Contrary to the "dumb jock" stereotype, Tucker is something of a computer savant... a fact he goes to great lengths to hide from the ladies.

[Manic Typist]

Riddley Smith. Assistant secretary to a mid-rank political figure invited to the yacht. He is skinny, wears glasses, earnest, and dedicated. Unfortunately, he is saddled with a boss with a boss who is lazy, incompetent, and more concerned with feeling up women than filling out his paperwork and fulfilling his duties.

Thus, Smith is always rather hard pressed to do his boss' job for him and ensure everything runs smoothly.

This paper pusher is slowly being ground down into mulch... until one day his entire life changed while accompying his employer on a high pedigree cruise....

[McCoy]

J. Darlington Smith. A Navy SEAL who volunteered for an early experiment in suspended animation. Frozen in the final days of the 20th century, "thawed out" a year or so ago, he knows primitive survival, primative weapons, unarmed combat, and almost nothing about modern technology or customs. He was a media darling for a few months, but his celibrity is fading, Our hostess, the very wealthy socialite, has invited him along, thinking her other guest will be amused by either his stories of the past or his innocent lack (by modern standars) of manners and sophistication.


Riddley Smith. Assistant secretary to a mid-rank political figure invited to the yacht. He is skinny, wears glasses, earnest, and dedicated. Unfortunately, he is saddled with a boss with a boss who is lazy, incompetent, and more concerned with feeling up women than filling out his paperwork and fulfilling his duties.

Thus, Smith is always rather hard pressed to do his boss' job for him and ensure everything runs smoothly.

This paper pusher is slowly being ground down into mulch... until one day his entire life changed while accompying his employer on a high pedigree cruise....
Wonder if they're related.

[Outsider]

Michael T. "#26" Tucker - Former G-Ball star, lost an eye in his last tournament....He has an eye for the ladies...


Groan!

[Dale A. Ward]

Groan!

~snicker~

Totally unintentional... but, I'll be happy to take credit!!

:p

[FeralWhippet]

Dr. Aarifa Tazief, an astrophysicist who has taken great pains to have a rather average looking career. In reality she is quite brilliant and had developed a new branch of mathematics which she eventually realized could be used to develop weapons of truly frightening potential. Her husband was somewhat familiar with her work and betrayed her by revealing some of the implications to his connections in a government "black" project. She was brought (well forced) into the project and put to work developing prototypes. Eventually she found a way to sneak out. Now she is on the run and is the only person who can complete the work.

[WhammeWhamme]

Well, since I'm me...

A servant robot. Not one of those over-engineered monstrosities certain people include, but one designed to be adaptive enough to handle the needs of all the guests. Psychology data banks, extremely creative (or rather, has a lot of interesting possibilities stored on file), always perfectly polite, is designed to be able to convince humans to follow it's orders (as there are non-robotic staff).

Has a personality matrix solely to increase the comfort of humans who have to deal with it.

[Trencher]

Ben Wilks: A terra forming engineer. He is on vacation paid for by the company as a perk for his last successful “forming”. He is thinking about going into business for himself. He is a tall black haired man with blue eyes and a reserved manner.

[Haven Walkur]

Dr. Judith Harvey is a brilliant 38-year-old neurosurgeon and well-known enfant terrible of the medical community, who works for the major medical complex Rochester/Mayo/Tebrun. She's thin, fierce and bad-tempered, with unruly blonde hair and narrow gray eyes, and she's taking a leave of absence from the Complex to think over her options...because she's afraid she's losing her mind.

[Cancer]

Gonzalo "Gonzo" Montemayor, engineer, #2 in the make-things-work section of the ship. Likes tech; like card games almost as much; he's a decent but not expert gambler and knows it, so avoids high-stakes games. Born in Jeff Davis County, Texas, bilingual in English & Spanish, can't stand hoofed animals after being kicked in the face by one at age 13. Age 44. Served two hitches in the Space Force, took his honorable discharge and went into the merchant service. Women don't seem to have much use for him, so he's given up trying. Aboard passenger ships one must have the smiling, unfailingly courteous face on 24/7, so he does; can play most four-player social card games adequately well and sometimes is called upon to be a fourth at a table. Has done a little small-time interplanetary smuggling, nothing particularly heinous. Saves his money, ultimately hopes to retire to a place on Skylight III, the only place off-Earth which has both the climate and a large enough Hispanic community to have decent Sonoran food commonly available.

[Curufea]

Hmm, this is rapidly becoming "populate the entire starship" :)

[Derek Hiemforth]

Hmm, this is rapidly becoming "populate the entire starship" :)That's it! Richard Logue, the tricky devil, is actually having us do his GM prep work for him! This isn't a "roleplaying exercise" at all! We're fleshing out his NPC roster for him! ;)

[Cancer]

That's it! Richard Logue, the tricky devil, is actually having us do his GM prep work for him! This isn't a "roleplaying exercise" at all! We're fleshing out his NPC roster for him! ;)

Y'know, there's worse ways to use the people on these boards. :p

[Manic Typist]

Rat. Rat snuck aboard several months ago. An orphan, homeless, fifteen solar years old, and hungry. He doesn't no much about his past, and he doesn't really care about his future. He came aboard while fleeing from security forces at the last major stop, who were trying to arrest him for stealing. Rat isn't his true name. He doesn't know what his name actually IS. He has simply taken to it because the cooking staff suspects a rodent has gotten aboard, based on the disappearance of food and the gnaw marks found on scraps and even on food containers. He spends most of his time in the ventilation ducts, quietly observings the comings and goings of the entire ship, giving him access to many peoples' secrets....

[Richard Logue]

That's it! Richard Logue, the tricky devil, is actually having us do his GM prep work for him! This isn't a "roleplaying exercise" at all! We're fleshing out his NPC roster for him! ;)


MUAH-HA-HAHA-HA-HA!!!!!!1!!!eleven!!1!!!!!

LoL... Actually I'm very impressed with everyone's creativity. Although there is a couple of observations I'm making that forces me to take a look at my wording and such. And that's good, because that's really the main purpose of this fun little exercise.

First, somehow or another, many of you saw the private yacht as a commercial cruise liner. That's more than likely my fault as I stated the yacht was out on a pleasure cruise. I definately have to adjust that when (and if) I use this scenario/campaign on my players here at home. Just to avoid any confusion, I meant for the ship to be a privately owned yacht that likely has a crew of around 8-10 and room to support the owner, a dozen or more of his guests, and their lavish parties.

My second observation concerns the selections in general. I'm surprised no one wanted the role of the yacht's owner or the captain. And I'm very surprised no one said they'd want to be the pilot(s).

Here's the general breakdown of what you all have picked so far:

4 spies/thieves
3 vacationers (of various careers and circumstances)
2 engineers/techs
2 politicians/bureaucrats
2 stowaways
2 strange beings
1 each of entertainers, former LEOs, businessmen, sports heroes, robots, and formerly-frozen SEALs awakened in the "future" only to be kept on a leash by the yacht's owner for the aumesment factor

Thanks, and certainly keep creating!
Richard

[bigdamnhero]

That's it! Richard Logue, the tricky devil, is actually having us do his GM prep work for him! This isn't a "roleplaying exercise" at all! We're fleshing out his NPC roster for him! ;)
Jealous cuz you didn't think of it first?

I sure am. :D


bigdamnhero
“I don't have a choice; I'm a puppet. The universe just sticks its hand up my butt, and if I don't dance, people get hurt!”

[AlHazred]

Hmmm... Well, what the heck, I thought of it before Mr. Logue reposted, I'll go with my first idea:

Boxwell Tidds, wealthy tri-D star, makes his living on his image and his voice. Like most tri-D stars, he doesn't actually do any acting - instead, all big-budget movies are made in computers, with actors renting the studios their image/voice for the film. This means that Tidds doesn't actually do any "work" - he just gets the paycheck and lives the "star" lifstyle of Big Risks and Big Press. He just got lucky one day and was "discovered." Probably a good thing, too, as he isn't qualified to do anything, really...

[AlHazred]

My second observation concerns the selections in general. I'm surprised no one wanted the role of the yacht's owner or the captain. And I'm very surprised no one said they'd want to be the pilot(s).Speaking for myself, I assumed those roles were NPCs that you had specific ideas for, since they're obviously the "prime movers" at the very beginning of the campaign.

[atlascott]

Im printing these out! WOW, 20 NPC's with backgrounds, in the blink of an eye!

[Manic Typist]

Yeah, I didn't touch them because I thought they were YOUR NPCs, so to say.

Was mine the "LEO?" What does LEO stand for?

Hm.

Damien Shaft: Intergalactic porn star. He is adored by men, women, and other genders/species everywhere for the movies that he stars in. However, he isn't some deviant or a nymphomaniac. He actually wanted to be a teacher, but his family couldn't afford his schooling. So, what started out as a one time gig turned into a monster that has begun to consume his life and even his identity. He has become disgusted with the industry that he works in, seeing how it ruins lives with its various vices such as drug addiction, but he doesn't think he has the capacity anymore to do anything else. His dreams were all dead, and he thought he was jaded beyond all caring, until one day he boarded a certain VIP's pleasure yatch....

[Basil]

Dr. Radha Winnett.

Although there are no known alien sapients, there is alien life. Indeed, there are plenty of planets with their own life forms. Thus, the profession of xenobiologist is not too uncommon. Some of those life forms are, or may be, useful to humans. Thus, the profession of xenobiologist is respected.

Though, not all xenobiologists are respected. A few have got the "where's the aliens?" bug. Dr. Radha Winnett has it worse than almost everyone else. Particularly in the "where are the alien ruins?" form.

Dr. Winnett is convinced there were alien sapients on some planet (s)that humanity has discovered; where exactly is still to be determined. This has made him an outcast from academia, which usually would mean he'd have no way to make a living (except food service or grunt labor). But as it happens, the owner of the yacht believes that Dr. Winnett is correct, and has become Winnett's patron.

Of course, it's not entirely altruistic; if Winnett finds those alien ruins, the yacht's owner plans to lay claim to everything the law allows (and perhaps more). There's bound to be a fortune made by the first person to find traces of an alien sapient. Dr. Winnett knows full well what his patron intends, but doesn't care much. So long as those b*****ds in their ivory towers are forced to admit he was right, he'll be happy.

[Richard Logue]

Was mine the "LEO?" What does LEO stand for?


LEO is Law Enforcement Officer. That was James Gamma by CSgeekHero. LEO is an acronym I picked up when I used to run Space Master a decade ago. Rat was one of the ones I counted toward the stowaways.

Richard

[Trencher]

Mine is the only world builder so far.

[Manic Typist]

Mine is the only world builder so far.

That is truth..... but mine gets a soundtrack:

"Bow wikka bow chikka wow."



What did you classify my government contract arms dealer as? I'm curious.

[BlackSword]

Fletch Morrison, Professional Scapegoat. Power still corrupts, and when the corrupt get caught they need someone to take the fall for them. With hundreds of worlds its easy for Fletch to find work, he may have been 'ruined' on a dozen planets, but there are another dozen politicians and CEOs looking for a loyal aid. When something dirty needs to be done Fletch heads out on his own and his boss gets plausible deniability. Mr. Morrison knows how to discreetly hire anything his boss desires and an amazing ability to take the blame, now he just needs a new employer.

[AlHazred]

As an aside, this sort of thing always works well on these message boards. There've been a number of threads on RPG.net that have taken this theme of "Help me populate [X]". Come to think of it, I should start one in Dark Champions to "Help me populate my creepy hotel."

Anyway, here's #27:

Few have heard of Benson Bock Pollard, and those who have know him instead by the title Master Alpha Prime. He claims that his “mentalization process” is merely a “memetic technology,” a new advancement in the science of Logic and thinking; his critics contend that it is merely the latest in insidious cult techniques. Those who believe these charges find themselves taken aback when he presents himself. Far from being a wild-eyed, oddly-dressed prophet, he is well-dressed and immaculately-groomed, seemingly a natural in front of a podium. Despite the controversy, his public speeches are always sold out, and his organization steadily grows as he attracts the disaffected and despairing to his mantle.

[AlHazred]

Oh, and the current breakdown:

Spy/Thief: 5
Vacationer: 3
Engineer/Tech: 4 (some overlap between this and Vacationer)
Politician/Bureaucrat: 2
Stowaway: 2
Strange Being: 2
Entertainer: 3
One each of Former LEO, Businessman, Sports Hero, Robot, Cult Leader, and FFSEALAITFOTBKOALBTYOFTAF.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Anderson "Andy" Meriwether is the nephew of the owner. He's rich, spoiled (as he's never had to work or been denied anything in his life) and is absolutely convinced the only reason poor (read "working class") people are poor is because they don't apply themselves enough, or they're actually of inferior stock and can't make it as "real" members of society. He has the skill, grace, and charm to get along with others in any social situation you can name...when he cares to bother, which isn't often.

Currently, Andy has a self-appointed mission: travel from planet to planet, visiting all the highest-class areas (hotels, casinos, shopping areas, resorts, cruise ships, etc.) and try to drive the staff to the breaking point. While this is certainly one of his less endearing qualities, Andy does have a justification for this, at least in his own mind. Andy views himself as a kind of modern-day Diogenes, and is wandering the cosmos looking not for a perfect specimen, but for someone worthy of being a "real" member of society (read: rich and powerful) but who is currently stuck in a menial position. If and when he finds such a person, Andy fully intends to set him or her up with a small corporation, lots of capital and backing, and so forth. Until then, he's testing out potential subjects by seeing if they can be broken, driven to violence, or made to quit in disgust and despair. Andy believes that when he finds someone who won't bend, break, give up in despair or make a homicidal attempt on his life after a month of "testing", then he'll have a candidate for his project.

So far, though, he's turned up zero possibilities, and is beginning to feel a bit of despair and desperation himself; as a result, he's stepped up his "testing procedures" to an all-time high, and the cruise on his uncle's yacht promises to be Hell Incarnate for the staff and crew...

[ghost-angel]

I was thinking .. why's everyone skipping the crew?

Natalie Eisen liked to fly anything that left the ground. From gliders to massive cruisers. She joined the navy to fly their big ships, and learned to work on them. She's a mechanical genius and an above average pilot. As her military career brought her to the point where she wold be promoted beyond engineer or pilot she mustered out and hired herself onto anyone who wanted something piloted, always looking for a new place to go or a ship she hadn't gotten behind the helm of yet.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Roberta Lawson, age 29, is an aspiring author -- and, unlike most such, is actually a writer who creates interesting, well-written stories with realistic, entertaining and memorable characters.

There is a problem, though.

In the modern writing market, your work is considered a failure by publishers if you don't attract at least 1% of the total population. Given what the total population of humanity is, spread over so many worlds, it's well-nigh impossible to attract that many readers no matter how skilled you are. Further, what sells isn't necessarily good writing, but sensationalist writing, something that Roberta has so far steadfastly avoided on ethical grounds.

She realized, though, that if she could get sensationalist elements into her work, without violating her ethics as a writer, she might have a chance. To that end, she secured a position as a steward on this particular yacht; the rich, famous, and powerful always have a lot of sensationalist, scandalous dealings, secrets, and opinions and people of that layer of society tend to treat servants the same way they treat furniture -- as fixtures without emotions, ears, or brains. In other words, they tend to keep talking to each other about these sorts of things and completely overlook the person passing out drinks as someone who might actually hear and care about what they're saying. Roberta figured this would be the perfect way to pick up sensationalist elements for her work, and yet keep her professional writing ethics because they wouldn't be "made up" just to sell books, but based on real-life people and occurances. She doesn't have enough to satisfy her yet, but this particular upcoming cruise may be the pot of gold for which she's been searching.

A bit wistfully, while contemplating the guest list for the upcoming trip, Roberta mused that a setting like this -- a limited number of wealthy, powerful, famous people with secrets to hide all cooped up together in a relatively isolated, confined area (the ship) -- would make the perfect background for a murder mystery novel, something she's wanted to write for years. The problem is, though, that for it to be of use to her for that purpose, there would, of course, have to be a murder on board first...

[Supreme Serpent]

Ok, first couple, without reading any of the other replies yet:

Psychic navigator/pilot - able to "see" good paths/hyperspace jumps without the use of nav computers.

Air&water engineer - keeping a space yacht's life support and plumbing operational has got to be a full time job.

[Cancer]

Eva Batzenfelder is a ditz. She is also the pastry chef in the galley, and she's extremely good at what she does. Her raspberry croissants are to die for, and she's had people tell her that her chocolate macadamia nut tart is better than sex ("And a lot more reliable", grouses the rather promiscuous Olivia Barnes, head of Housekeeping).

But as expert as she is in the kitchen, she is a little ta-ta upstairs otherwise. She earned a college degree in cartography, which was completely worthless for employment, then went back to a chef's school and found her real gift. It's a good thing she gets room & board while in space, because otherwise she'd spend money without any clue where it was going. Age 36, she's slim, mouse-brown hair, flat-chested, nice legs, plain-looking. Has had several lovers (and a husband), remembers remarkably little about them, and the men that think they might want into her life have a difficult time making much of an impression on her. As is practically required for everyone in the crew, she can hold up her part of the bargain on the dance floor, but isn't spectacular. Her main hobby is photography, snapping images of nebulae from the crew portholes, and of landscapes on ports of call. Sometimes she even remembers to transfer the images from her camera to her personal storage space, but about half the time she forgets and blanks out everything in the camera at the start of an imagery session. Her chief vices are high-quality gin (though she isn't a drunkard), dime romances, and forgetting where she left her commfob.

She shares her cabin with a fifty-year-old female African Grey parrot named Pookie that she inherited from a maiden aunt, and she converses with Pookie more or less continually, whether the bird is present or not. Pookie is barred from the kitchen, more for stealing all the filberts than the health regulations that prohibit her from food prep areas. In a way that's too bad, because Pookie shows definite signs of being better at following a conversation than Eva, and Pookie has been known to charm guests in order to get the fresh fruit out of their salads.

Eva has little in the way of long-term goals. She's good enough at her chosen profession to land a job on any planet, but she's sensible enough to recognize the benefits of having reliable off-world residence and benefits for most of her time. Someday maybe she'll find a business party and set up a nice little B&B on that delightful bluff overlooking Eternity Beach on Goarthal IV, but right now it seems like too much bother.

[Mentor]

Brother Estevan, member of a monastic order dedicated to the physical, mental and spiritual perfection of humanity, through the use of martial arts training, cybernetic implants, chemical enhancements, speed reading techniques, meditation and travel throughout human space. Their desire to know all things makes them capable of handling a large variety of jobs throughout human society, ranging from the most technically sophisticated to the primitive and mundane.

[Outsider]

Come up with a one- or two-sentence character idea. It cannot be combat-focused, i.e. professional military or security type personnel.


People seem to miss this bit, so I bolded it. :)

I'm looking at :
McCoy (Unfrozen Navy SEAL)
CSgeekHero (Stellar Frontier Lawman)
Ghost Angel (Navy Pilot)
Mentor (Cyborg Martial Artist)
and maybe a little at
Manic Typist (Will this interstellar arms dealer just happen to have access to powered armor and some skill in its use "just for demonstration" purposes?)


the several interstellar theives/spies/saboteurs get some caution too, depending on just how much "opposed intrusion" focus they have...

[Richard Logue]

People seem to miss this bit, so I bolded it. :)


Yeah, there's that, but I didn't see a need to make an issue of it. If I decide to run this little thing at home (or even as an online game), the character ideas that come up would be looked at for such things. And really, there were only 2 really glaring character ideas in this thread so far that gave me pause. The rest of the ones you pointed out could be worked with in lieu of the creativity involved.

Meanwhile, with everyone's help, I've redefined my description a bit. Tell me if this is any better and more clear. Thanks again for your help here.



I want to run a sci-fi game using the HERO system. It will not be the standard Star Hero setting, but It will be a more-or-less standard sort of sci-fi setting roughly along the lines of Terran Empire technologies. PCs are humans; there are no alien races or sentient androids to speak of. The dozen or so inhabited star systems in the milieu form a sort of confederation of (mostly) democratic republics. None of the worlds are currently in open conflict with any of the others.

The story will begin onboard a private yacht gallivanting about on a pleasure cruise in the outer reaches of one of the prominent star systems. The craft is an FTL-capable, lightly armed or possibly even unarmed, spaceship owned by a very wealthy corporate baron and socialite (sort of a Ted Turner type character).

Come up with a basic one- or two-sentence character idea. (No more than that is necessary to begin with.) It should not be combat-focused, i.e. have extensive backgrounds/skills concurrent to professional military or security type personnel.

Ready... Begin!


Richard

[Manic Typist]

People seem to miss this bit, so I bolded it. :)



Manic Typist (Will this interstellar arms dealer just happen to have access to powered armor and some skill in its use "just for demonstration" purposes?)




Well, I had not intended on it. The character concept I felt was broad enough that while yes, it would be more than appropriate for him to have access to power armor, and a wide variety of highly powerful and highly concealable weaponry, it is also broad enough for him to carry little in the way or armament, or nothing at all.

After all, power armor is bulky and obvious, and so gauche! Not to mention I doubt that most business people would feel comfortable with someone so heavily armed.

;)

[Dr. Anomaly]

Come up with a basic one- or two-sentence character idea. (No more than that is necessary to begin with.)
I've noticed that some people tried quite hard to adhere to this bit; others (myself included), didn't.

Is that an issue, or are longer character descriptions (like, for example, mine) okay with you? I've got two more in mind, but they'll take more than a one-or-two sentence description to convey properly.

[ghost-angel]

People seem to miss this bit, so I bolded it. :)

I'm looking at :
McCoy (Unfrozen Navy SEAL)
CSgeekHero (Stellar Frontier Lawman)
Ghost Angel (Navy Pilot)
Mentor (Cyborg Martial Artist)
and maybe a little at
Manic Typist (Will this interstellar arms dealer just happen to have access to powered armor and some skill in its use "just for demonstration" purposes?)


the several interstellar theives/spies/saboteurs get some caution too, depending on just how much "opposed intrusion" focus they have...
Actaully... I fail to see how a pilot and mechanic are combat oriented. Several positions with in a military organization have little to do with actual combat. They may be trained to fire a gun, but I doubt the navy expects it's engine technicians to actually fight. In fact, having worked with several, I know for a fact they don't and would get beaten soundly in combat.

Hence, I tried to come up with a character who would have had access to and learn about almost every type of ship and power plant out there - an ex-navy helmsman and mechanic. Explain how that's combat oriented?

[Outsider]

I've noticed that some people tried quite hard to adhere to this bit; others (myself included), didn't.

Is that an issue, or are longer character descriptions (like, for example, mine) okay with you? I've got two more in mind, but they'll take more than a one-or-two sentence description to convey properly.

Longer character descriptions dont break campaign concepts. Specifically telling one's players to not make combat oriented characters and then having some of them show up with Navy SEALs and Cyborg Ninjas does. The latter is like telling six players to make 100+50 point characters and having two of them show up with 200+50 point ones. I would have thought you'd see the difference.

[Outsider]

Actaully... I fail to see how a pilot and mechanic are combat oriented. Several positions with in a military organization have little to do with actual combat. They may be trained to fire a gun, but I doubt the navy expects it's engine technicians to actually fight. In fact, having worked with several, I know for a fact they don't and would get beaten soundly in combat.

Hence, I tried to come up with a character who would have had access to and learn about almost every type of ship and power plant out there - an ex-navy helmsman and mechanic. Explain how that's combat oriented?


You're right. I shouldn't have included your concept in with the SEAL, the cyborg martial artist, or the frontier lawman. I threw it in because it was a professional military background. A navy engineer probably isnt any more combat oriented than one of the several spy/thieves.

[Dr. Anomaly]

I would have thought you'd see the difference.
Oh, I most certainly did; but as part of his RFC (Request For Concepts) he specified a "basic one- or two-sentence character idea", so technically giving longer descriptions does violate what he asked for, though it may not violate the campaign concepts.

I would have thought you'd see the difference.
And given that I quoted Richard, the founder of the thread, when I asked for an answer to that question -- and not you -- he's the one I wanted an answer from, and will wait for.

I would have thought that you'd see the difference.

Unless, of course, you're actually Richard, under a different posting ID?

[AmadanNaBriona]

Jake Callahan, a low grade empath who uses his unusual talents as a grifter and con man. Unfortunately for him, that same empathy tends to backfire on him... He ends up "Robin Hooding" away most of his ill gotten gains, running scams to help people out of their problems, and can really only manage big scores against truly "bad" people. Most of whom would make VERY bad enemies, were they to catch on to him.

[Outsider]

And given that I quoted Richard, the founder of the thread, when I asked for an answer to that question -- and not you -- he's the one I wanted an answer from, and will wait for.

I would have thought that you'd see the difference.

Unless, of course, you're actually Richard, under a different posting ID?

If you didnt want anyone else to comment, you should have sent Richard a PM. By posting it in a public thread, you're implying consent for all and sundry to comment.

[Richard Logue]

I've noticed that some people tried quite hard to adhere to this bit; others (myself included), didn't.

Is that an issue, or are longer character descriptions (like, for example, mine) okay with you? I've got two more in mind, but they'll take more than a one-or-two sentence description to convey properly.


Well, longer descriptions and ideas are great. The reason I had suggested shorter concepts is that they'd be easier for me as GM to work with and build upon with the player. The longer the character description, the more I may have to pare away from it to fit the story and campaign ideas I have in my head. And once you start telling a player "that's not going to fit the story, try this instead," you're going to start losing the player's interest.

So that's my rationale behind shorter beginning descriptions. That being said, longer descriptions do speak well of a player's creativity.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Enjoy the feast. And to our non-US board members, just eat a lot of food with family today! :)

Richard

[Dr. Anomaly]

If you didnt want anyone else to comment, you should have sent Richard a PM. By posting it in a public thread, you're implying consent for all and sundry to comment.
I posted it because I thought others might be interested in Richard's answer as well.

I must say, though, your answers have been quite illuminating as well. Between your snide reply to a question asked of the thread founder, and your attitude since, I have had my eyes opened about you in a way that simply hasn't occured before.

PLONK

[Dr. Anomaly]

Well, longer descriptions and ideas are great. The reason I had suggested shorter concepts is that they'd be easier for me as GM to work with and build upon with the player. The longer the character description, the more I may have to pare away from it to fit the story and campaign ideas I have in my head. And once you start telling a player "that's not going to fit the story, try this instead," you're going to start losing the player's interest.

So that's my rationale behind shorter beginning descriptions. That being said, longer descriptions do speak well of a player's creativity.
Good points, and understood. Thank you, Richard. I'll get those other two I mentioned typed up as soon as I have a chance (probably tomorow at this point).

And by the way...Richard, very nice thread you started here; it's certainly hit my creativity button in a way I'm quite enjoying. And for those who've contributed character ideas...thank you, because you can consider them officially 'swiped' by me, too, for later use! :thumbup:

[ghost-angel]

Good points, and understood. Thank you, Richard. I'll get those other two I mentioned typed up as soon as I have a chance (probably tomorow at this point).

And by the way...Richard, very nice thread you started here; it's certainly hit my creativity button in a way I'm quite enjoying. And for those who've contributed character ideas...thank you, because you can consider them officially 'swiped' by me, too, for later use! :thumbup:
My character was one I swiped from a never played SH game, if you want I can dig out the more extensive build and possibly even the character sheet and send it your way.

[Outsider]

I must say, though, your answers have been quite illuminating as well. Between your snide reply to a question asked of the thread founder, and your attitude since, I have had my eyes opened about you in a way that simply hasn't occured before.

PLONK


Plonk all you want. You're the one who started with the snideness in post 57, bucko. Not that you're listening anymore. I guess I just didnt tug the forelock, bow, and scrape enough to please your Lordship, "The Patron of the Pantheon". (ie I didnt back down when you were snide) :rolleyes:

[Manic Typist]

Mommy daddy! Stop fighting! Can't you see that you're tearing this family apart!

*sniffle*

[Outsider]

Sorry, Manic (as well as to the rest of the readers). Its not what I wanted to do here, or on my Thanksgiving morning either. That last was all I am going to say in this thread about that.

Now back to our regular programming :

Concept 2 (for me) :

Patterson Fairbrother :
A somewhat absent- (or elsewhere focused-) minded art museum curator, who has managed to wrangle himself an invite onto this little cruise with a mind to work (oh so subtlely!) on the owner in regards to getting him to donate, or at least lend, certain exquisite artworks he owns to the museum. Aside from having very good artistic taste, Patterson is witty, has impeccable manners, and can be generally quite charming when he needs to be. Unfortunately, unless you have something he wants, or are likely to have such in the future, he sees no need to be witty, polite, or charming to you!

[Dr. Anomaly]

Plonk all you want. You're the one who started with the snideness in post 57, bucko. Not that you're listening anymore. I guess I just didnt tug the forelock, bow, and scrape enough to please your Lordship, "The Patron of the Pantheon". (ie I didnt back down when you were snide) :rolleyes:
I hadn't actually hit "Ignore" yet; I got distracted by another thread. Rest assured, I'm about to rectify that oversight.

I don't expect any bowing & scraping from anyone based on any kind of rep, rep power, or anything remotely like it, and never will. And for the record, the 'snideness' started in post #55, not #57; perhaps you remember it, because you posted it?


I would have thought you'd see the difference.

You can't call my post -- which used the same phrase -- snide without lumping yourself in the same basket, "bucko". All you're doing here is confirming what I said I'd already realized, and in front of everyone else. Perhaps I should thank you for that. :)

In any case, as noted I will resume my contributions of character ideas to this thread when I have the chance to write them up properly. Until then, thank you everyone else for your contributions, and now I'm off to do the rectifying of the oversight I mentioned. :)

[Outsider]

Concept 3 (for me) :
Brian "Bri" Turner
The 'troubled' son of the tycoon/socialite, who has been dragged along on this trip by his father supposedly so the two of them can spend some time together. Brian, ever suspicious, doubts that this is the real reason, since his father has invited so many other people along, and has been underhanded about his motives before. Usually he counters whatever he perceives his father's intention to be by either by being willful, rebellious, and generally a little brat like only the scions of the unspeakably wealthy can be, or by refusing to interact, withdrawing into MMDNF (Massive Multiplayer Direct Neural Feed) games, which he is quite good at. Unfortunately, on the fringe of the system, the ship isnt positioned for MMDNFs, so its looking like it will be Method 2 this time.

Bri's main internal conflict is a resentment of his father's intrusion into his life (Bri gets to go nowhere without bodyguards, and meet no one who hasnt been security screened) vs his resentment of his father's absence in his life (Father always seems to be away on business, hob-nobbing with other people, and generally having no time for Bri). His conflict on this trip is between his non-interaction plan (sulk) and his curiosity about some of the other guests, who surely couldn't have passed father's usual screening...