ThirdWizard
First Post
In this thread we'll be working on getting Locations (along with all the bits that go with them) and Player Characters built.
Pick a Template and a High Concept
Everyone should be working on picking their template and high concept. If you want to bounce ideas around, that's great! Post up your thoughts about your characters and get feedback for how to phrase your first Aspect. It can be difficult to make Aspects, especially if you don't have a lot of experience with the system. High Concepts don't have to be two-fold like other aspects, but it is still an important decision to make.
Get an Idea for a Location
Post up ideas about any locations you might want to detail. You wouldn't want to go through all the work of writing up a location to find that someone else has been working on the same thing, so get those ideas on here when you have them, even if they aren't fleshed out. If you find you don't like it and want to change it, that's fine.
Detail the Location
Once you start the ideas percolating in your head, you can start to write out the details. Depending, this can take a few minutes to several hours. I know I stared at a few locations that seemed perfect in the past for days before realizing how to really make them pop.
Locations have:
Create a Face
Your Location needs a Face, an NPC, to go with it. Faces are important because once you get where you're going, you'll need someone to talk to. You might not always be interacting with the Face, but more often than not, the Face is an integral part of the workings of the area, so even if you don't talk to that particular NPC directly, they're an important cog in whatever it is you'll be doing there.
Faces have:
Character Creation
Finally, right!? But, it is important to have an idea of where the PCs will be living before we build the PCs. So, at this point, we should have a High Concept and a Template. Now we move on to the Phases of building characters, assigning skills and powers, and fleshing everything out in wonderful detail.
The Aspects
This is my favorite part of character creation. It really helps the PCs come to life, as we write up very short stories based on their past. Remember to keep these short! We aren't looking for a novella here, just a paragraph at most describing each of the following Phases of the characters' lives.
Trouble
Pick a trouble. This should be something that affects you. I should be able to compel the trouble on a semi-regular basis, about once per story on average, with occasionally several times in a story if it revolves around something dealing with your trouble.
Where Did You Come From
Page 59. Where did you come from? What's you're basic past? Write a bit about that. I'll go over it and make sure it meshes with the game I have planned out.
What Shaped You
Page 59. Perhaps something went wrong in your life. Perhaps something went right.
What Was Your First Adventure
Page 60. Remember, we're starting the game Submerged, which is about where Harry is at the start of Storm Front, so this takes place a quite while back comparatively.
Whose Path Have You Crossed (guest starring)
This is one of the fun ones. I'll assign each of you to a different player's Story, and you get to write their entry for them, then they choose an Aspect to go with it. Subject to approval from me and the player you're writing for, of course!
Who Else's Path Have You Crossed
Same as above. I'll assign who gets who, and it will have to be approved.
Gory Details
We assign skills, stunts, powers, and all that other crunchy goodness. Take what we found out about the characters above and work with it when assigning skills, powers, etc. I'm sure you'll have in mind way before this what you're character is like but keep a few skills in mind before you get to this point.
Take a look over the skill list and think about your PC. Read over the supernatural powers and think about how that might affect you as well. A lof of these skills and powers have to do with more than adventuring and move into your day to day life.
The Final Details
What's your name? Where do you live? What do you do when you aren't saving lives? Who are your friends and family? How close are you to those not in the known on supernatural matters? What's your favorite fast food restaurant? These are the questions that must be answered.
Done!
Once we have this done, I'll make the In Character thread and we'll start. I'll get more details for you about that once we get to it.
I know, all this can look daunting. I wasn't sure whether I should have put it all in one post, but it really isn't so bad. Most of this can be knocked out in a few minutes. And, its a lot of fun! I've had a blast in the past writing up the stories and picking Aspects. And once we get going with the story starting, the better those Aspects are, the more interesting the game will be, and the more you'll feel that your character is being drawn into the game on a personal level.
Pick a Template and a High Concept
Everyone should be working on picking their template and high concept. If you want to bounce ideas around, that's great! Post up your thoughts about your characters and get feedback for how to phrase your first Aspect. It can be difficult to make Aspects, especially if you don't have a lot of experience with the system. High Concepts don't have to be two-fold like other aspects, but it is still an important decision to make.
Get an Idea for a Location
Post up ideas about any locations you might want to detail. You wouldn't want to go through all the work of writing up a location to find that someone else has been working on the same thing, so get those ideas on here when you have them, even if they aren't fleshed out. If you find you don't like it and want to change it, that's fine.
Detail the Location
Once you start the ideas percolating in your head, you can start to write out the details. Depending, this can take a few minutes to several hours. I know I stared at a few locations that seemed perfect in the past for days before realizing how to really make them pop.
Locations have:
- Name - What it is called when people refer to it. It can have multiple names depending on who is making the reference.
- Description - A physical description of the area complete with sights, sounds, and smells. What is it like going there?
- Theme or Threat - Pick one. Threats are simple - there is something dangerous in or around here. Themes are a bit more open to interpretation.
- Idea - What makes this place stand out as special. It should have a supernatural element to it. No mundane stuff here!
- Aspect - This aspect can be invoked when in the area or dealing with the area, by both PCs and NPCs. It should be evocative. This can be a difficult part of the process.
- Face - A person that has something to do with the location. They live here, work here, or something else depending on what kind of place it is. They'll have their own write-up later.
Create a Face
Your Location needs a Face, an NPC, to go with it. Faces are important because once you get where you're going, you'll need someone to talk to. You might not always be interacting with the Face, but more often than not, the Face is an integral part of the workings of the area, so even if you don't talk to that particular NPC directly, they're an important cog in whatever it is you'll be doing there.
Faces have:
- Name - What people call him or her.
- High Concept - What the person is. This uses the same guidelines as a PC High Concept
- Motivation - What the person wants. There should be some clear goal here, something that will push the Face to be a part of the coming adventures. They should want change in some way.
- Relationships - What other Faces they interact with on a semi-regular basis. They could be allies, enemies, business partners, anything. We'll work on relationships after we have a few Faces made and see how everything can fit together.
Character Creation
Finally, right!? But, it is important to have an idea of where the PCs will be living before we build the PCs. So, at this point, we should have a High Concept and a Template. Now we move on to the Phases of building characters, assigning skills and powers, and fleshing everything out in wonderful detail.
The Aspects
This is my favorite part of character creation. It really helps the PCs come to life, as we write up very short stories based on their past. Remember to keep these short! We aren't looking for a novella here, just a paragraph at most describing each of the following Phases of the characters' lives.
Trouble
Pick a trouble. This should be something that affects you. I should be able to compel the trouble on a semi-regular basis, about once per story on average, with occasionally several times in a story if it revolves around something dealing with your trouble.
Where Did You Come From
Page 59. Where did you come from? What's you're basic past? Write a bit about that. I'll go over it and make sure it meshes with the game I have planned out.
What Shaped You
Page 59. Perhaps something went wrong in your life. Perhaps something went right.
What Was Your First Adventure
Page 60. Remember, we're starting the game Submerged, which is about where Harry is at the start of Storm Front, so this takes place a quite while back comparatively.
Whose Path Have You Crossed (guest starring)
This is one of the fun ones. I'll assign each of you to a different player's Story, and you get to write their entry for them, then they choose an Aspect to go with it. Subject to approval from me and the player you're writing for, of course!
Who Else's Path Have You Crossed
Same as above. I'll assign who gets who, and it will have to be approved.
Gory Details
We assign skills, stunts, powers, and all that other crunchy goodness. Take what we found out about the characters above and work with it when assigning skills, powers, etc. I'm sure you'll have in mind way before this what you're character is like but keep a few skills in mind before you get to this point.
- Do you want to be wealthy? If so Resources might be important.
- How do you fight? Spells? Fists? Weapons? Guns?
- Are you knowledgable about the supernatural? That's Lore
- Do people look up to you? Are you a leader? Better have Presence.
Take a look over the skill list and think about your PC. Read over the supernatural powers and think about how that might affect you as well. A lof of these skills and powers have to do with more than adventuring and move into your day to day life.
The Final Details
What's your name? Where do you live? What do you do when you aren't saving lives? Who are your friends and family? How close are you to those not in the known on supernatural matters? What's your favorite fast food restaurant? These are the questions that must be answered.
Done!
Once we have this done, I'll make the In Character thread and we'll start. I'll get more details for you about that once we get to it.
I know, all this can look daunting. I wasn't sure whether I should have put it all in one post, but it really isn't so bad. Most of this can be knocked out in a few minutes. And, its a lot of fun! I've had a blast in the past writing up the stories and picking Aspects. And once we get going with the story starting, the better those Aspects are, the more interesting the game will be, and the more you'll feel that your character is being drawn into the game on a personal level.
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![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
