Article #2 in a regular series where I offer up some ideas for character backgrounds by class. I aim to collect these ideas together for a future pdf publication.
What made your character decide to become a wizard? Why did they leave their home town? Did they leave family behind or are they looking for something? These are all questions players face when generating their characters, with the best will in the world it's tempting to rely on cliché
ANY CLASS
3. Spurned Love - You thought you had a chance of happiness when you're eyes met across the harvest banquet table. But those hopes were soon dashed when her gaze landed on your older brother's. The following Spring they were married and as is the custom she moved into her husband's house, your home. After a week you realized you couldn't face another day in the same house as her so you left for pastures new and possibly adventure...
4. Accidental Death - Your oldest and best friend was your rival for the attentions of the miller's daughter. Even though you were exonerated by the Sheriff from any wrong doing, the villager's believed that you were not entirely blameless for his accidental death. After month's of putting up with the furtive glances and the whispered rumours you decide that life would be better for everyone if you just left. Perhaps in another village you'll be able to start a new and more interesting life...
BARBARIAN
1. Born into it - You don't really have a choice you're father was a tribal chief, as was your grandfather and his father before him stretching back across the ages into the time when the Legends were born. It is the tradition that tribal chief sons go out into the world far beyond the boundaries of the tribal lands and embark on a great quest. Perhaps you will find a beautiful wife like your father, or great riches like your grandfather, or perhaps like your brother you will not return at all...
THIEF
3. Brutal childhood - You had two choices after your Father died and your Mother remarried; either runaway or die at the hands of the brute she married. You chose the former and ran away at the tender age of 12 eventually falling in with a kindly old thief from whom you learned the arts of the con, the distraction, the palm, how to pick a pocket and a lock and many, many more...
4. Middle Child - As a middle child you felt you always got the raw end of the deal. Your older sibling got the praise for doing everything first and your younger sibling always being praised for just existing. The only way you got any attention was when you did something bad. Eventually your petty thievery caught the attention of what passes for the Thieves Guild in your town you were given three choices; join the Guild, leave town or take a beating...
Monday 10 January 2011
Thursday 6 January 2011
Mars Attacks! Bubblegum Cards on Flickr
Call me crazy but I do love a bit of pulp Sci-Fi every now and then, here's a Flickr set of the complete Mars Attacks! bubblegum cards.
Mars Attacks Bubblegum Cards
Most of you will know that these cards were the original inspiration for Tim Burton's 1996 movie of the same name, But
I've never seen the whole collection before or seen the card backs either so set the slideshow to play, sit back and enjoy a bit of nostalgia.
Monday Motivations #1
Article #1 in a regular series where I offer up some ideas for character backgrounds by class. I aim to collect these ideas together for a future pdf publication.
What made your character decide to become a wizard? Why did they leave their home town? Did they leave family behind or are they looking for something? These are all questions players face when generating their characters, with the best will in the world it's tempting to rely on cliché.
ANY CLASS
1. Slaughter - You were left for dead by the raiders who slaughtered everyone in your village. You nursed your wounds and survived the cruel winter which followed fueled only by thoughts of revenge. Now you must find out who orchestrated the raid and how you can destroy them.
2. Bastard offspring - On your mother's deathbed she told you that your father is a wealthy / powerful man who will never recognise you as his rightful heir. You can't accept this and have vowed to either prove to him that you are a worthy heir or his equal.
RANGER
1. Track a foe beast - You are the best tracker from your village and after a few of the villagers were killed by a savage beast you were tasked to hunt it down and slay it. You have passed through many towns and villages along the way and have stopped to help the locals in exchange for food, lodgings and a little money.The beast's territory ranges for thousands of miles and you have been tracking it for months but it always seems to be one step ahead of you...
THIEF
1. Retrieve an heirloom - On your father's deathbed he gave you his signet ring, confiding in you that it was central to his fortune. Stricken with grief you were drowning your sorrows in a local tavern where you were mugged. After cursing your foolishness you returned home and in the following weeks creditors appeared from every corner claiming to be owed money. It was not long before the business collapsed under the weight of it's debt. Perhaps your father's ring held more significance than you originally thought so you vow to track it down and regain your family's fortunes...
2. Escape from poverty - After your family fell on hard times you decided to lessen the burden by going out on your own looking for work. It was then that you realised how unfair the world is, the rich have far more than they'll ever need and are consumed with the need to gather more and more wealth whilst the poor go hungry and spend every waking moment trying to survive. You decided to partake in a little wealth re-distribution of your own...
What made your character decide to become a wizard? Why did they leave their home town? Did they leave family behind or are they looking for something? These are all questions players face when generating their characters, with the best will in the world it's tempting to rely on cliché.
ANY CLASS
1. Slaughter - You were left for dead by the raiders who slaughtered everyone in your village. You nursed your wounds and survived the cruel winter which followed fueled only by thoughts of revenge. Now you must find out who orchestrated the raid and how you can destroy them.
2. Bastard offspring - On your mother's deathbed she told you that your father is a wealthy / powerful man who will never recognise you as his rightful heir. You can't accept this and have vowed to either prove to him that you are a worthy heir or his equal.
RANGER
1. Track a foe beast - You are the best tracker from your village and after a few of the villagers were killed by a savage beast you were tasked to hunt it down and slay it. You have passed through many towns and villages along the way and have stopped to help the locals in exchange for food, lodgings and a little money.The beast's territory ranges for thousands of miles and you have been tracking it for months but it always seems to be one step ahead of you...
THIEF
1. Retrieve an heirloom - On your father's deathbed he gave you his signet ring, confiding in you that it was central to his fortune. Stricken with grief you were drowning your sorrows in a local tavern where you were mugged. After cursing your foolishness you returned home and in the following weeks creditors appeared from every corner claiming to be owed money. It was not long before the business collapsed under the weight of it's debt. Perhaps your father's ring held more significance than you originally thought so you vow to track it down and regain your family's fortunes...
2. Escape from poverty - After your family fell on hard times you decided to lessen the burden by going out on your own looking for work. It was then that you realised how unfair the world is, the rich have far more than they'll ever need and are consumed with the need to gather more and more wealth whilst the poor go hungry and spend every waking moment trying to survive. You decided to partake in a little wealth re-distribution of your own...
Saturday 1 January 2011
Happy New Year and Roleplaying Resolutions for 2011
Happy New Year to you all.
And, as sure as eggs follow bacon, the time has come to make some New Year Roleplay Resolutions:
1. Take more notes - Over the last few years, with respect to note taking, I have become just plain lazy and has often resulted in me taking a back seat in games as a player when I should be taking the lead. When DMing, I've been relying on my player's memories and notes way too much and I need to start driving the scenario rather than it driving me. This has got to stop!! My new campaign starts in a week's time and I want to start writting session resports again. I find they invaluable in helping me record the improvised detail I generate in-game that you don't get during normal worldbuilding activities. If I don't record it, type it up and publish it on the campaign website, it will be lost forever.
2. Build a weekly blog series - Frankly I'm jealous of the likes of Dyson Logos: Geomorphs and Land of Nod: Deviant Friday and thought it was about time I created a weekly(ish) series which might possibly be gathered together into some sort of publication perhaps. Ideas so far are:
Anyway, I think that's enough to be getting on with, if you have any preferences for series ideas let me know.
And, as sure as eggs follow bacon, the time has come to make some New Year Roleplay Resolutions:
1. Take more notes - Over the last few years, with respect to note taking, I have become just plain lazy and has often resulted in me taking a back seat in games as a player when I should be taking the lead. When DMing, I've been relying on my player's memories and notes way too much and I need to start driving the scenario rather than it driving me. This has got to stop!! My new campaign starts in a week's time and I want to start writting session resports again. I find they invaluable in helping me record the improvised detail I generate in-game that you don't get during normal worldbuilding activities. If I don't record it, type it up and publish it on the campaign website, it will be lost forever.
2. Build a weekly blog series - Frankly I'm jealous of the likes of Dyson Logos: Geomorphs and Land of Nod: Deviant Friday and thought it was about time I created a weekly(ish) series which might possibly be gathered together into some sort of publication perhaps. Ideas so far are:
- Monday Motivations: Inspired by the excellent Campaign Mastery: Character Hooks, this series of articles gives some suggestions for PC Background Motivations, why does a PC become an "adventurer" or embark on a "career class" in the first place?
- Tuesday Trailer: I get a lot of my inspiration from movies and TV although I rarely lift a plot from a movie. It might just be a single object or a character or it may even be something as intangible as the art direction which gets the creative juices going and I want to share that with you all.
- Dramatis Pictura: I hate reading NPC descriptions which don't have a character portrait to go along with them, in fact I find it hard to visualise a fully rounded character without one. Shouldn't be too hard to find some good NPC portraits in deviant art
- Serious Locations: On my travels round the interweb I stumble across some amazing photographs many of which inspire RPG locations.
- City Geomorphs: There's enough folks doing dungeon geomorphs to last me a lifetime and most of my adventures take place in urban environments so I'm going to take a crack at cities.
Anyway, I think that's enough to be getting on with, if you have any preferences for series ideas let me know.
Friday 24 December 2010
1884 - A New Terry Gilliam Project
Just in time for Christmas comes the news that Terry Gilliam is producing a steampunk puppet movie. No details (or IMDB entry) on the production schedule, cast or release date but two videos are available:
Makes me want to dust off the old Forgotten Futures rules and get writing.
Animation Test Video
Teaser Trailer
Makes me want to dust off the old Forgotten Futures rules and get writing.
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