So, I'm Flying a Spaceship...
Christopher Kubasik:
Right, exactly...
And if you get "knocked to your knees, guts spilling out," it might mean anything from your section of the ship having been heavily damaged to being adrift in space in a vacc suit after a hull breach. The color is justified to match the specifics of the character's condition. And, as always, there's really no way to know ahead of time what's going on outside the context of the fiction.
With Sorcerer, it's never about the gizmos, but the characters first. The camera is on them: their reactions, their circumstances.
I like the idea of the new table... and per Traveller we could have several weapon types (missiles, lasers and so on...) and defense types that can be activated by characters. Success with defensive (anti-missile systems, sandcasters against lasers) is what the role from the defender is.
Christopher Kubasik:
Can't Edit...
Let me clarify... If a character successfully uses the proper defense against a weapon, it would shift to a different row on the table to determine a different damage. That's what I meant.
There's still some sorting out here, but the focus of sticking with the PC is the design principle I want to work with .
Finarvyn:
A little off topic, but at one point I think there was a lot of discussion about someone who was putting together a Sorcerer and Space supplement. It seems to me like there is enough literary source material to make this a really good book, and I'd certainly buy one if such a thing were to be written.
Seems like there must be a whole bunch of ideas out there for Humanity in a space setting, particularly if there are robots and androids and non-humans that migh totally re-define the meaning of "soul" for characters...
Christopher Kubasik:
Okay...
I've typed up some notes about the Traveller/Sorcerer translation. Comments and suggestions welcome as work my way through it. Some of it's still rough, but should be clear enough for comments. For examples, the Descriptors aren't all defined, but I think the terms are clear enough. But I want to see if they resonate with the team.
Keep in mind that the point of this is to do GDW's Imperium, as described above.
I'm especially curious about reactions to the Social Standing descriptors
CHARACTER CREATION
Several assumptions exist for your characters:
Your character has recently mustered out of a military service
He is trained, experienced, and battle tested. He might be in his 30s, 40s, or 50s after a distinguished or undistinguished military career. Now that he has left the service, what will he do with his days? What will he see as a worthy activity? Given that your character is versed in combat, experienced in war, trained for battle – what will he choose to do now that his life is his own?
Your character has a wandering bug
By definition, your character is not ready to settle down. Whatever compelled him to begin a life of motion, violence and risk is still in his system. This might be a temperamental issue or an issue of circumstance. Your character might have ambitions not yet met, debts to pay with blood, opportunities to seize, a problem with the law, a true love that can only be won with astonishing deeds, and so on... All of this is tied to your character’s PRICE; something marked your character as a victim of wanderlust – what is it?
You decide your character’s relationship to the Imperium and society as a whole
Your character might be loyal to the Imperium – or bitter and resentful for a host of reasons. You might be loyal to a local planet, or hunted by the husband of a woman you dishonored. You might be an up-and-comer out to prove yourself worthy of ruling a subsector, or the daughter in too-large a royal family who has set out to carver her own role and identity.
Your characters are bound together through military service
Whatever ambitions or threats or unresolved business your character is focused on, you know you have each other’s backs in a way no one else in the Imperium ever will. You know each other as brothers-and-sisters-in-arms, having fought, survived and protected each other. The definition of HUMANITY for this game is FRIENDSHIP. The friendship between the Player Characters is what the game is about.
PCs are Solomani, Vargr or Aslan
Moreover, the game is set within the social and political framework of the Imperium. Each PC, in one way or another, your character is a citizen of the Imperium. If your character is Solomani, he or she was born as a citizen. If Vargr or Aslan, he or she was either born as a ctizen, or migrated to the Imperium and for whatever reason now lives within the Imperium’s political and social structure.
Scores
When creating a character, divide 10 points between STAMINA, WILL and PSIONICS. The fourth Score, SOCIAL STANDING, is equal to either Stamina or Will, as determined by the Player.
Stamina
Stamina is both a physical and mental phenomenon. It is not “body.” Stamina is the impact on, and the influence over, physical motion and effect. When your character calls upon memories of childhood abuse to draw up hate in order to heft a tire iron through a bad guy’s face – that’s Stamina. By contrast, if a character looms large physically to intimidate someone, that Will. Stamina draws on whatever physical and mental reserves are necessary for its effect.
Will
Will is both a physical and mental phenomenon. It is not “mind.” Stamina is the impact on, and the influence over, personalities. When your character looms large physically to intimidate someone, that Will. By contrast, when your character calls upon memories of childhood abuse to draw up hate in order to heft a tire iron through a bad guy’s face – that’s Stamina. Will draws on whatever physical and mental reserves are necessary for its effect.
Psionics
A psychic discipline practiced by the Zhodani and outlawed in the Imperium. It requires intense concentration and a “turning inward.” All characters have a latent Psionics score of 1. Using psionics allows the powers of telepathy, clairvoyance, telekinesis, awareness, and teleportation. Psionics is also needed to use and manipulate the tools, artifacts, architecture and records of the Ancients.
Anyone with a psionics score of 2 or greater means that training has taken place and will have a TELL. A Tell is a physical trait or behavior that gives someone else with a trained in psionics a chance to realize he is looking at a fellow student of the discipline. If your character has studied psionics you should create and describe a tell for your character.
Psionic abilities are built using the Demon Ability rules from Sorcerer. However, there is only one “power” per construction of Demon abilities. Each psionic power has the Needs and Desires, just like Sorcerer Demons. However, they are much more focused thematically, being based around notions of solitude, internal focus, meditation, quietude, isolation, focus on one’s own goals or ambitions, and so on. Psionics are described as, “building a world that extends to the edge of you cranium.” This builds a contrast to the game’s definition of Humanity, which is Friendship. The study and use of psionics puts the focus on the user’s thoughts and well-being, and puts friendship in jeapordy.
Social Standing
Social Standing is a combination of your Character’s background and how that background places you in the eyes of Imperium society. This Score is a combination of things you know how to do, contacts you might have because of your past and Social Standing, your ability to secure funds or credit, your ability to make an impression upon different social strata of the Imperium and so on.
Note that a higher Social Standing Score does not mean a higher Social Standing. It is a value of how good you are and what effect you can generate at that Social Standing.
Descriptors
After you have assigned points in Stamina, Will and Psionics, choose descriptors from the lists below. Any Scores with a value of 4 or higher may choose two descriptors.
Stamina Descriptors
Loves a good fight:
Discipline and detail: meticulous and neat, the PC is precise in his punches and accurate in his aim
No one loves to suffer like a soldier: Marine thinking: the worse it is, the better.
Big and vigorous:
Just healthy:
Will Descriptors
Angry:
Vow:
Zest for life:
Leader of men:
Lover:
For your buddies:
Psionics Descriptors
Okay, they tell me I could do it, but I don’t: 1
I was curious, but I really don’t do it: 2
This is something we should be able to do: 3
I need some time alone, please: 4+
Social Standing Descriptors
I was in the service, and it broke me: You're the guy who came out worse for wear; you got the 1000 yard (or kilometer!) stare, and know the ins-and-outs of surviving the lowlife, never fitting in, and not knowing how you'll go on
I was in the service, and you respect me for it: stalwart and with a straight spine, you command respect and know the drill
Backwater hick: Never been out of system, but in-system folks love me
Family nobility: a history of belonging to a long line of power and authority -- either as an entitled asshole or noble who wields it well
Titled nobility: only recently knighted or given title, which means you don't carry yourself like one of them
Grease monkey: In one way or another, you're clearly someone who keeps things working. In this society, that means you get disdain from folks who don't need you right then, and respect from folks who do
Intel or Psyops: there's a certain way you take in details and observe people that gives people the shudder -- but you size them up fast and know how to turn them to what you need.
I know a guy: no one can every identify where you stand on the social ladder, and you slip easily up and down, borrowing the habits of whatever class you need
Destiny
straight out of Sorcery & Sword
Price
the Price is not tied to Psionics. It's tied to what prompted the PCs "wanderlust"
Kicker
Yadda yadda
Christoph Boeckle:
Hi Christopher
This sounds neat! I have two questions:
1) Is telepathy/clairvoyance different from what Ron suggests to steer away from in Sorcerer (if I recall correctly, he talks specifically about mind-reading)? How?
2) What score is used by a character when the damage penalties have rendered him unable to act? In Sorcerer, it's a Will test to act anways. But it's physical motion and effect, does that mean that you'll be using Stamina for that?
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