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electricpaladin) wrote2008-07-21 01:40 pm
electricpaladin) wrote2008-07-21 01:40 pm
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The Game: Angel
Publisher: Eden Studios, Inc.
Familiarity: Medium. I’ve never actually played Angel, exactly, but I’ve played the Buffy roleplaying game about four times, one of them as the "Director." I’ve seen a handful of episodes of the television show.
If you’ve seen Angel, the TV show, you know what the game is about. If you haven’t, let me tell you a little. The game is a dark modern fantasy, urban and gritty, with serious noir influences. There’s a thread of the whacky running through the story, too. There are demons living in alternate dimensions that want to eat you in some creative way, but there are other demons who run karaoke bars. There is power available to mortals that can drive them mad, but there are heroic ensouled vampires who want to be human again so they can go back to their girlfriends.
The character creation process begins by picking a character type. My options are Champion, Investigator, and Veteran. Champions are fighters, people with magical powers. Investigators are more ordinary. Veterans are powerful and experienced.
Now, this isn’t a class. This is sort of… a starting point. The three types aren’t even slightly balanced (Investigators get extra Drama Points, but that’s a pretty lame consolation prize). The idea is to pick the type of character that is most appropriate. This is a game about reproducing the kind of adventures you get in the television show, not producing totally equal characters.
It’s a nice idea, but in actual play, it causes problems.
Anyway… I’d better share my concept.
The first ten years of Stephen Valentine’s life are a foggy blur. He knows that can happen to people who are abused, and he’s pretty sure that that is what happened to him. His first clear memory is of the policemen when they came to take him away from his parents. He knew they were taking him away from something bad. They were tall and powerful, with tough blue uniforms and shining silver badges. They were like angels. He knew he wanted to be like them.
The dream that kept Stephen going throughout foster care was of one day getting to be one of those warrior angels, so he could save other people.
It was not to be. You see, his parents hadn’t been doing anything so mundane as neglecting him or beating him. They had been evil cultists doing experiments on him. Stephen had serious magical potential, and just when he was trying to get into the police academy, they flared out of control. In order to stop the strange occurrences (and deaths) going on all around him, he had to delve deep into the underside of the occult world. By the time he had gained control of his powers, he knew he had sunk too deep in the magical world to ever go back.
So, instead of becoming a cop, Stephen became an occult investigator. Ostensibly, he’s a private eye, but he works for free more often than not. People know that when something weird is going on, Stephen Valentine is the man to go to.
Stephen has ambitions other than being a hero. He also wants to learn more about what his parents did to him, and increase his control over his magical powers.
Back to character creation: Stephen is definitely a Champion.
That means I have 20 points to spend on six Attributes. The attributes are Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, Intelligence, Perception, and Willpower. The range is from 1 to 6, with 2 as average and 5 as the “practical” limit.
For Stephen, I see 3 across the board for his physical Attributes as appropriate. In his line of work, you need to be tough and fast, but more often than not the problem is solved with magic or brainpower. Therefore, his Intelligence and Willpower will be 4. I’d love his Perception to be higher, but I can only afford a 3.
Next I pick Qualities. As a Champion, I have twenty points to spend on Qualities. Qualities are the merits of the system. They are little templates, special advantages and (of course) magic powers.
As a proper noir investigator, Stephen should be handsome; +2 should do the trick. Rugged good looks, but short of model-level attractiveness. Stephen will also need some Contacts. I’ll take a 3-point Police contact, a friend who actually made it onto the force who provides information and whatever aid he can without getting too involved in Stephen’s weird life, and a 1-point Supernatural contact, a sniveling wretch of a lesser demon stool pigeon. Hard to Kill is a near necessary Quality in this game, so I’ll take five levels of it. This also makes sense given Stephen’s line of work. I’ll need an Occult Library, but not a very impressive one (Stephen is just starting off). Two points should do the trick.
There’s a Quality “Cop” which grants some nice benefits. Looking it over, the book says that the advantages Stephen wouldn’t have (legal authority to carry a gun, use force, stop cars, and so on) is balanced by the obligation to the police force, so I can remove both without changing the point value of the Quality. I’ll call this new Quality “Private Investigator” and take it. What the Quality does give me is a +1 to any physical Atribute (I pick Dexterity) and a +1 to three skills.
Another template-style Quality is Occult Investigator, which grants some pretty hefty benefits in exchange for a mild obsession with gathering more information on the occult (I’ll need to make a Willpower roll to avoid doing something dumb when presented with opportunity to learn more). This sounds like a good get to me. In addition to providing another skill bonus, I get to add +1 to two mental skills. I’ll up Perception and Willpower, bringing them to 4 and 5 respectively.
Now, the game does say that I should avoid combining template-style Qualities unless it’s very appropriate. However, since Occult Private Eye pretty much sums up my character, it seems like this is an ok situation.
And… I’m out of Qualities (not out of points, out of Qualities), and I still haven’t decided on Stephen’s magic powers. Nuts. Fortunately, as I am an owner of the Buffy roleplaying game, I have access to the Buffy Revised Core Rulebook, which has more information on playing magicians and The Magic Box, a book all about magic in the Buffy universe.
In these books, Sorcery is a 5 point per level Quality that gives a character access to low-level telekinesis and faster and more effective spellcasting. I don’t think Stephen actually knows any spells yet, but I’ll start with two levels of Sorcery. Also, I’ll take The Sight, which lets him use his Notice or Perception to detect magical emanations.
That’s 23 points of Qualities, so I’d better take some Drawbacks. Because Stephen is a Champion, I can choose up to 10 points worth.
First of all, a one point Addiction. Like all good noir characters, Stephen smokes. No, he doesn’t smoke, actually. He’s quitting smoking… and has been for the past five years. He’s always either on some new cure, or having his “last” cigarette. A two-point Adversary for “assorted demons and vampires he’s tangled with so far” makes sense, too. One point of the Honorable Drawback means that Stephen is honest to people he likes and respects and will be seriously conflicted about lying to them. After what his parents did to him he has a hard time betraying people who have a good reason to trust him. One point of Resources as a Drawback makes sense, since Stephen is trying to run a business while taking on plenty of pro bono cases to help out against the supernatural.
Finally, I’m going to take the Uncontrollable Power Drawback, and apply it to the Telekinesis application of his Sorcery Quality. Whenever Stephen is stressed or angry, he has to make a Willpower roll to keep his Telekinesis under control. Remember, this is an improvement on what the situation used to be, where his power was going out of control all the time.
Finally, it’s time for Stephen’s skills. There’s a list of Skills right there on the character sheet. They run from 0 (completely unskilled) to 5 (extreme competence) in most cases, though someone who made it his life’s work to master a skill could have it in the 7 to 10 range. I get 30 points, and I already have some interesting bonuses.
I’m going to start with 5 in Gun-Fu – Stephen spends a lot of time at the firing range – and 5 in Notice – Stephen is an investigator, a professional Noticer. 4 points will do for Crime, since familiarity with the underworld and a skill at sneaking will come in handy. I’ll put 3 points (general competence) into Driving, Influence, Knowledge, and Occultism. Finally, I’ll put a measly 1 point into Computers, Doctor, Kung-Fu, and Sports.
After the bonuses… well, Stephen really knows his way around the Occult underworld, the criminal underworld, and cars (driving them, anyway; he’s lost when it comes to fixing them). And, you really don’t want to get into a gunfight with this guy. All of this makes sense.
And basically, that’s it. I figure out my starting Life Points, record my starting Drama Points, pick some relevant combat maneuvers and right down my stats in them… and that’s it.
Physical appearance? Stephen Valentine is a tall, skinny guy who looks like his metabolism is still nursing old wounds from neglect. He has a hatchet-like face: a sharp nose, sharp eyes, sharp chin, hell, sharp lips. The whole effect is kind of attractive, though. He has a certain dangerous, wounded charm.
Up next: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, followed by my first serious classic… Call of Cthulhu!
Publisher: Eden Studios, Inc.
Familiarity: Medium. I’ve never actually played Angel, exactly, but I’ve played the Buffy roleplaying game about four times, one of them as the "Director." I’ve seen a handful of episodes of the television show.
If you’ve seen Angel, the TV show, you know what the game is about. If you haven’t, let me tell you a little. The game is a dark modern fantasy, urban and gritty, with serious noir influences. There’s a thread of the whacky running through the story, too. There are demons living in alternate dimensions that want to eat you in some creative way, but there are other demons who run karaoke bars. There is power available to mortals that can drive them mad, but there are heroic ensouled vampires who want to be human again so they can go back to their girlfriends.
The character creation process begins by picking a character type. My options are Champion, Investigator, and Veteran. Champions are fighters, people with magical powers. Investigators are more ordinary. Veterans are powerful and experienced.
Now, this isn’t a class. This is sort of… a starting point. The three types aren’t even slightly balanced (Investigators get extra Drama Points, but that’s a pretty lame consolation prize). The idea is to pick the type of character that is most appropriate. This is a game about reproducing the kind of adventures you get in the television show, not producing totally equal characters.
It’s a nice idea, but in actual play, it causes problems.
Anyway… I’d better share my concept.
The first ten years of Stephen Valentine’s life are a foggy blur. He knows that can happen to people who are abused, and he’s pretty sure that that is what happened to him. His first clear memory is of the policemen when they came to take him away from his parents. He knew they were taking him away from something bad. They were tall and powerful, with tough blue uniforms and shining silver badges. They were like angels. He knew he wanted to be like them.
The dream that kept Stephen going throughout foster care was of one day getting to be one of those warrior angels, so he could save other people.
It was not to be. You see, his parents hadn’t been doing anything so mundane as neglecting him or beating him. They had been evil cultists doing experiments on him. Stephen had serious magical potential, and just when he was trying to get into the police academy, they flared out of control. In order to stop the strange occurrences (and deaths) going on all around him, he had to delve deep into the underside of the occult world. By the time he had gained control of his powers, he knew he had sunk too deep in the magical world to ever go back.
So, instead of becoming a cop, Stephen became an occult investigator. Ostensibly, he’s a private eye, but he works for free more often than not. People know that when something weird is going on, Stephen Valentine is the man to go to.
Stephen has ambitions other than being a hero. He also wants to learn more about what his parents did to him, and increase his control over his magical powers.
Back to character creation: Stephen is definitely a Champion.
That means I have 20 points to spend on six Attributes. The attributes are Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, Intelligence, Perception, and Willpower. The range is from 1 to 6, with 2 as average and 5 as the “practical” limit.
For Stephen, I see 3 across the board for his physical Attributes as appropriate. In his line of work, you need to be tough and fast, but more often than not the problem is solved with magic or brainpower. Therefore, his Intelligence and Willpower will be 4. I’d love his Perception to be higher, but I can only afford a 3.
Next I pick Qualities. As a Champion, I have twenty points to spend on Qualities. Qualities are the merits of the system. They are little templates, special advantages and (of course) magic powers.
As a proper noir investigator, Stephen should be handsome; +2 should do the trick. Rugged good looks, but short of model-level attractiveness. Stephen will also need some Contacts. I’ll take a 3-point Police contact, a friend who actually made it onto the force who provides information and whatever aid he can without getting too involved in Stephen’s weird life, and a 1-point Supernatural contact, a sniveling wretch of a lesser demon stool pigeon. Hard to Kill is a near necessary Quality in this game, so I’ll take five levels of it. This also makes sense given Stephen’s line of work. I’ll need an Occult Library, but not a very impressive one (Stephen is just starting off). Two points should do the trick.
There’s a Quality “Cop” which grants some nice benefits. Looking it over, the book says that the advantages Stephen wouldn’t have (legal authority to carry a gun, use force, stop cars, and so on) is balanced by the obligation to the police force, so I can remove both without changing the point value of the Quality. I’ll call this new Quality “Private Investigator” and take it. What the Quality does give me is a +1 to any physical Atribute (I pick Dexterity) and a +1 to three skills.
Another template-style Quality is Occult Investigator, which grants some pretty hefty benefits in exchange for a mild obsession with gathering more information on the occult (I’ll need to make a Willpower roll to avoid doing something dumb when presented with opportunity to learn more). This sounds like a good get to me. In addition to providing another skill bonus, I get to add +1 to two mental skills. I’ll up Perception and Willpower, bringing them to 4 and 5 respectively.
Now, the game does say that I should avoid combining template-style Qualities unless it’s very appropriate. However, since Occult Private Eye pretty much sums up my character, it seems like this is an ok situation.
And… I’m out of Qualities (not out of points, out of Qualities), and I still haven’t decided on Stephen’s magic powers. Nuts. Fortunately, as I am an owner of the Buffy roleplaying game, I have access to the Buffy Revised Core Rulebook, which has more information on playing magicians and The Magic Box, a book all about magic in the Buffy universe.
In these books, Sorcery is a 5 point per level Quality that gives a character access to low-level telekinesis and faster and more effective spellcasting. I don’t think Stephen actually knows any spells yet, but I’ll start with two levels of Sorcery. Also, I’ll take The Sight, which lets him use his Notice or Perception to detect magical emanations.
That’s 23 points of Qualities, so I’d better take some Drawbacks. Because Stephen is a Champion, I can choose up to 10 points worth.
First of all, a one point Addiction. Like all good noir characters, Stephen smokes. No, he doesn’t smoke, actually. He’s quitting smoking… and has been for the past five years. He’s always either on some new cure, or having his “last” cigarette. A two-point Adversary for “assorted demons and vampires he’s tangled with so far” makes sense, too. One point of the Honorable Drawback means that Stephen is honest to people he likes and respects and will be seriously conflicted about lying to them. After what his parents did to him he has a hard time betraying people who have a good reason to trust him. One point of Resources as a Drawback makes sense, since Stephen is trying to run a business while taking on plenty of pro bono cases to help out against the supernatural.
Finally, I’m going to take the Uncontrollable Power Drawback, and apply it to the Telekinesis application of his Sorcery Quality. Whenever Stephen is stressed or angry, he has to make a Willpower roll to keep his Telekinesis under control. Remember, this is an improvement on what the situation used to be, where his power was going out of control all the time.
Finally, it’s time for Stephen’s skills. There’s a list of Skills right there on the character sheet. They run from 0 (completely unskilled) to 5 (extreme competence) in most cases, though someone who made it his life’s work to master a skill could have it in the 7 to 10 range. I get 30 points, and I already have some interesting bonuses.
I’m going to start with 5 in Gun-Fu – Stephen spends a lot of time at the firing range – and 5 in Notice – Stephen is an investigator, a professional Noticer. 4 points will do for Crime, since familiarity with the underworld and a skill at sneaking will come in handy. I’ll put 3 points (general competence) into Driving, Influence, Knowledge, and Occultism. Finally, I’ll put a measly 1 point into Computers, Doctor, Kung-Fu, and Sports.
After the bonuses… well, Stephen really knows his way around the Occult underworld, the criminal underworld, and cars (driving them, anyway; he’s lost when it comes to fixing them). And, you really don’t want to get into a gunfight with this guy. All of this makes sense.
And basically, that’s it. I figure out my starting Life Points, record my starting Drama Points, pick some relevant combat maneuvers and right down my stats in them… and that’s it.
Physical appearance? Stephen Valentine is a tall, skinny guy who looks like his metabolism is still nursing old wounds from neglect. He has a hatchet-like face: a sharp nose, sharp eyes, sharp chin, hell, sharp lips. The whole effect is kind of attractive, though. He has a certain dangerous, wounded charm.
Up next: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, followed by my first serious classic… Call of Cthulhu!