Player Character Idea

[banez]

I was doing some google searching for this and didn't come up with much so I decided to register and post. I have been a big fan of Twilight 2000 now for over a decade. I even started up a group to play this when I was working my first full time job. Now, more recently, I have been a part of a new group that is playing Shadowrun.

So my idea is this, and if it's been hashed out or done before on this forum please link me to the thread as I'm not coming up with much in my searches, the players create themselves as Twilight 2000 characters. As the GM I would give them average stats unless they can justify something about themselves that is better than average (one of them bikes and climbs on the weekends, i'd give him a 1-2 point bonus in some physical attributes). I am just thinking about this idea and wondering if I shouldn't just give everyone 2 bonus points to apply to the area where they feel they are stronger and see how honest they are, this also eliminates any situation where someone is offended.

Anyway, so I thought about making them play themselves and start out as a bunch of gamers in the basement of a home where we play and have them hear the first bombs dropping. I'll explain the war breaking out and the first few play sessions will be about what they do to survive this time period. If someone dies I'll have them play another civilian or a solider (like a national guard) and rejoin the group. Perhaps down the road they can join up with some militia or something. During this time period I'll accelerate skill learning and character growth as their pretty average characters fill out roles and knowledge skills in this new world they need to survive in. Many of these gains in knowledge and skills can be role played as hidden talents they never knew they had because they never had to do anything but go to the grocery store for food, or a restaurant when lazy. Therefore hunting, cooking, scouting, all of these may need to be new skills they have to learn in the first few play sessions.

Anyway, I'm just brain storming here. This concept isn't new in other games but I haven't found much information on people doing it within the Twilight 2000 gaming system.

So let me know if you have feedback, suggestions, or specific things to rule out in order to make this work within the system.

Thanks!

[Raellus]

Hi Banez, welcome to the boards.

What ruleset are you using? v2.2 has rules for using background and secondary skill activities like running (CON), weightlifting (STR), night classes (EDU), and a few others, to give modest attribute bumps.

If you're going to grant players bonus points to apply towards attributes, I'd imagine that it would cause fewer hurt feelings and headaches just to give every player the same extra points to apply towards buffing/customizing their respective PCs.

As for starting the campaign off as civilians, v2.2 has rules for that as well.

[banez]

Thanks for the reply! I will look at my books and see if they are v2.2. I never know they published more than one version until I was reading different sites the other day when I was researching this idea.

[Marc]

I agree with Raellus. T2K v2.2 can give you some clues, like background skills and educational and civilian careers.

As an alternative, a good friend used an interesting method some time ago, with good results. The game was not T2K, but this is not very important. He prepared a little questionnaire for his players. Each question had four possible answers. Each answer implied a modification of the average level of an attribute or a certain degree of expertise in some skill.

As a funny point (if you follow T2K v2.2 rules), you could determine the relation between agility and strenght of your player if you know his/her weight. :)

[NanbanJim]

Quite some time ago there was a "Guide" for creating yourself as a T2k PC for version 2... we're talking 1996. I recall it being VERY difficult to be anything beyond average. An all-state football player was only able to make a 7 Agility--not saying that's wrong, just unexpected.

I'll put my weight behind everyone being average, with an equal amount of bonus points. You may consider requiring half that amount in penalty points, depending on your players.

I certainly do like your idea of developing the characters as you go. Sounds like a campaign that will require some tweaking at the start.

[CDAT]

The problem that I found was trying to give your players the skills that they have in real life, by picking jobs in the game does not work well.

[NanbanJim]

At that point I've gone one of two ways...

1.) Treat this as an alternate universe the whole way through, where your jobs RL were somewhat different in game.

2.) Just modify what skills you get from the career.

I prefer number 1, treating it as a "reboot" like in TV series... yeah, most people went with "gritty reboot." It gives you some interesting insight into the players.