Role-Playing Exercise #1

[Cancer]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

Hmm' date=' this is rapidly becoming "populate the entire starship" [/quote']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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

That's it! Richard Logue' date=' 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! [/quote']

 

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

[Manic Typist]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

That's it! Richard Logue' date=' 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! [/quote']

 

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

That's it! Richard Logue' date=' 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! [/quote']

Jealous cuz you didn't think of it first?

 

I sure am.

 

 

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!â€

[AlHazred]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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

[Manic Typist]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

Mine is the only world builder so far.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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]

Re: Role-Playing Exercise #1

 

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...