GURPS WWII: Their Finest Hour

[Martizs]

Thank you very much :)

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Michele

The player ... has a penchant for finding, for his characters, the most unusual firearms. IIRC he wanted that, and a big-bore revolver.

Well, he achieved those things all right. It will make big holes with no problem, provided you don't want to reload it in a hurry, and you don't drop it.

It worked reasonably well. The character was nearly killed a couple of times, but the same happened to the more supernatural ones, and one of them actually died. Naturally, over time the character also acquired a higher-tech gadget to go with the sniping, and a permanent blessing boosting his resistance to physical hazards, so he did not remain a truly mundane hunter, however gifted.

Glad to hear it worked out for him. I'm not sure it would have flown in our campaign; the styles are seeming more different the more I learn about yours. It's fascinating.

[Michele]

JAMES EUGENIDIS
US Sailor and Super-Strong Giant

(c) copyright 2011 Michele Armellini

Base Setting: GURPS WWII: Weird War II, GURPS WWII: Their Finest Hour

Total Points: 300

Age: 25 Height: 7"1' Weight: 300 lbs. Description: a true giant, broad-shouldered, black hair and eyes, a broken nose, an olive complexion looking like weathered leather

ST 19 [81] HP 23 [8]
DX 13 [60] Will 13 [10]
IQ 11 [20] Per 11 [0]
HT 15 [50] FP 15 [0]

Basic Speed: 7.00 Move: 8
Basic Damage: Thrust 2d-1, Swing 3d+1
Basic Lift: 72

[Total Attributes: 229]

DR: 3/4(*) Dodge: 12(**) Parry: 11(**) (Boxing) 9(**) Knife Block: 0

(*: 4 on the hands due to Iron Hands)
(**: including +1 from Combat Reflexes)

ADVANTAGES AND PERKS: Combat Reflexes [15]; Damage Resistance 3 (Tough Skin) [9]; Fit [5]; Hard to Subdue (2) [4]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Recovery [10]; Very Rapid Healing [15].
Improvised Weapons (Brawling) [1]; Iron Hands (DR 1, Tough Skin) [1]; Sea Legs [1].
[Total Advantages and Perks: 71]

DISADVANTAGES AND QUIRKS: Appearance (Unattractive) [-4]; Charitable (12 or less) [-15]; Chummy [-5]; Compulsive Gambling (12 or less) [-5]; Gigantism [0]; Pacifism (Cannot Kill) [-15]; Wealth (Struggling) [-10]; Sense of Duty (Country) [-10].
Dislikes Staying Away from the Sea [-1]; Horrible Hangovers [-1]; Somewhat Shy [-1].
[Total Disadvantages and Quirks: -67]

SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES: Boating/TL6 (Large Powerboat)-13 [2]; Boating/TL6 (Unpowered)-12 [1]; Body Language-11 [2]; Boxing-14 [4]; Brawling-14 [2]; Carousing-15 [1]; Carpentry-11 [1]; Climbing-13 [2]; First Aid/TL6-11 [1]; Fishing-11 [1]; Freight Handling/TL6-11 [2]; Gambling-12 [4]; Holdout-11 [2]; Intimidation-13 [2]; Knife-13 [1]; Mechanic/TL6 (Surface Vessels)-12 [4]; Meteorology/TL6 (Earthlike)-11 [2]; Navigation/TL6 (Sea)-10 [1]; Running-14 [1]; Scrounging-11 [1]; Seamanship/TL6-14 [8]; Streetwise-11 [2]; Survival (Salt-Water Sea)-11 [2]; Swimming-15 [1].
Elbow Strike (Brawling)-13 [1]; Feint (Boxing)-15 [2]; Kicking (Brawling)- 13 [2]; Uppercut (Boxing)-14 [1].
[Total Skills and Techniques: 56]

TL: 6 Cultural Familiarities: Western [0].
LANGUAGES: English (native) [0]; Greek (spoken broken) [1].
[Total Cultural Familiarities and Languages: 1]

[Michele]

BACKGROUND:
James Eugenidis was born in 1915 in Boston's South End, of a family of Greek immigrants. His mother was nearly killed by his size; even as a baby, he was a giant. By the age of 12, tales about his disproportionate force were commonly heard in his extended family and neighborhood, and he was nicknamed "Hercules". He soon began spending longer and longer hours in the local boxing gym, and soon he showed that he had more to bring to the ring than sheer size. His height helped, but it was his dedication that made him win early successes and find a good trainer. A reasonably good agent followed, and James (he hated being called "Jim", and people don't often risk upsetting a giant boxer) began to believe he could make a career in professional boxing. At 20, he was taller than Primo Carnera and he dreamed about beating that giant. He was acquiring some local fame in Boston, and making some money.
But he was too honest and fair to succeed. In 1936, he was slated to face Pedro Guzman, an aging but very experienced and mean heavyweight. James thought he had a fair chance; his youth and speed against the opponent's experience and skill. But, by overhearing a conversation, he came to know that the match had been fixed: Guzman was to play dead by the third round. James confronted his agent, the match organizers, and Guzman himself, openly. These quarrels, paradoxically, cast him in a bad light; the fixers put the word around that he was afraid. In the end, he couldn't afford not to fight. So he did - and theatrically went down at the second round, spoiling the day for the bookmakers and the criminals that set it all up.
The latter didn't take this in stride. But instead of facing James, they sent goons to punish his agent, and his trainer. Unfortunately, things got out of hand, and the trainer died. This sparked the boxer's rage. He knew where to find the culprits. He took justice into his own big and tough hands. He brought his fists to knife fights, and then to gun fights. He never killed anyone, but he did beat them, a lot; and their knives and guns barely scratched him.
However, when his family's house was fire-bombed and heavily damaged, he understood this wasn't a fight he could win. Besides, he was arrested for destroying a bar, and nobody wanted to be his new agent. James decided it was time to leave Boston. The money he had set aside went to paying the bail, and he embarked on a cargo ship.
Since then, he reinvented himself as a seaman and part-time boxer. He learned the skills of a sailor, but he also tried not to lose his boxing training. Apart from the occasional brawls in seafront bars and dock alleys, he has actively sought encounters and tournaments in all the ports where his ship happened to call, thus keeping his skills honed. Most of those activities were illegal, and fights much more dangerous than those of regulated boxing, but that was not a problem for James. While gamblers made small fortunes betting on those encounters, though, somehow he never became wealthy.
When the war began, James thought it was a European affair. However, in 1940 he was aboard a US tanker, the San Tiburcio, when it hit a mine in the Moray Firth and quickly sank. James put his strength to good use: a few comrades were trapped below decks because a door frame had been deformed by the shock wave, blocking the door. He tore it down. Then he helped those who couldn't swim. All of the crew survived, in no small measure because James was there.
James is now in Liverpool, in the summer of 1940, waiting. Another merchant ship belonging to his employer, the Eagle Shipping Company, should be arriving soon. The problem is that his mother wrote him that the sinking has made it to the news back home, and his name was quoted. Staying away from US soil, and from Massachussets in particular, would probably be a good idea. There is still that charge waiting for him, and having jumped bail isn't going to help him if he is arrested again.
Besides, after his shipwreck and during his unexpected stay in Britain, James has developed a new awareness of the danger represented by the Axis dictatorships in general, and by the German submarines in particular. He's a patriot, and the USA are not involved in the war yet; but he's considering whether he shouldn't volunteer for service in the US Navy. Another tanker would only be a target, while a US destroyer would be able to fight back and to protect the cargo ships. Additionally, even though he feels he's 100% American, James is still fond of the old country, and he has noticed the headlines about the Italian threats to Greece.
While he's pondering his options in a cheap boarding house near the docks, he has been visited twice by a British agent of some sort. He said he was gathering intelligence on the sinking, but he asked a lot of personal questions about James, his strength, and even his family lineage. At the end of the second interview, he sounded as if he was about to offer James a job.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
None. James has lost nearly everything he owned in the shipwreck.

CANONICALITY:
James is loosely based on the Sailor template found on p. 84, GURPS WWII, even if he's a civilian seaman. This character would have Unusual Background in many campaigns. Since the point value depends on the specific setting, this is left for customization.


GM’S NOTES
James is extremely strong and definitely too tough for a normal human. Maybe there is something about his Greek origin, and the idea that the demigods of Greek myths were simply metahumans... something that could be passed down through generations. The player wanted a bare-handed combat-oriented character, but without sinking everything in that specialization; he wanted a credible "day" job, too. Additionally, he did not feel enticed by any of the wartime British templates. James is what he came up with.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Michele

The player wanted a bare-handed combat-oriented character, but without sinking everything in that specialization

He managed that, all right. Someone who cam tale a rifle shot and usually keep going is a bit terrifying in-period. Presumably there was on-the-ground action for Eugenidis and Simmons during the air battles of the campaign?

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by Michele

ST 19 [81] HP 23 [8]
DX 13 [60] Will 13 [10]
IQ 11 [20] Per 11 [0]
HT 15 [50] FP 15 [0]

Basic Speed: 7.00 Move: 8
Basic Damage: Thrust 2d-1, Swing 3d+1
Basic Lift: 72

[Total Attributes: 229]

DR: 3/4(*) Dodge: 12(**) Parry: 11(**) (Boxing) 9(**) Knife Block: 0

(*: 4 on the hands due to Iron Hands)
(**: including +1 from Combat Reflexes)

I think he should be Dodge 11, not 12. His Basic Speed is 7, giving Dodge 10, +1 more for CR. Gigantism gives a +1 to Basic Move, but that doesn't benefit Dodge, which is based on Speed. Dodge 11 is still pretty good, giving him a reliable defense against melee attacks and gunfire (by Retreating or Dropping behind cover).

[Michele]

Originally Posted by johndallman

He managed that, all right. Someone who cam tale a rifle shot and usually keep going is a bit terrifying in-period. Presumably there was on-the-ground action for Eugenidis and Simmons during the air battles of the campaign?

Sure - all of them had that. We had some air action, but don't forget that this was going to be the one RAF special unit. They had to deal with supernatural threats to air bases, sabotage to a radar station etc.
Of course, air action would not always involve every character. But we also had a problem, which is usual for us (I don't know if it's the same for most gaming groups). At times, we simply seemed unable to gather the whole group for some time. We often solve that by having sessions involving only two or three characters (and, therefore, players). That can be made easier if the players who have more probabilities of being available on a given week day, or of being available anyway, have characters who can be teamed together; while players who probably will show up less often have characters who can work as loners, too.

The campaign concept titled United We Stand, described in GURPS WWII: Their Finest Hour (p. 59) is particularly suitable for this.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

I think he should be Dodge 11, not 12. His Basic Speed is 7, giving Dodge 10, +1 more for CR. Gigantism gives a +1 to Basic Move, but that doesn't benefit Dodge, which is based on Speed. Dodge 11 is still pretty good, giving him a reliable defense against melee attacks and gunfire (by Retreating or Dropping behind cover).

Oh. You are right. Well, he had a nice freebie for the whole campaign, it seems. My fault! Thank you for pointing this out.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Michele

But we also had a problem, which is usual for us (I don't know if it's the same for most gaming groups). At times, we simply seemed unable to gather the whole group for some time. We often solve that by having sessions involving only two or three characters (and, therefore, players).

We do a bit better: of the two groups I play in, one is every Wednesday night, and has been for over a decade, so people are used to it. The other, which is the WWII campaign, is approximately monthly, but we fix dates using everyone's diaries. So we usually have one person, at most, missing. We are middle-aged folk, who don't often have to dash somewhere at short notice.

The campaign concept titled United We Stand, described in GURPS WWII: Their Finest Hour (p. 59) is particularly suitable for this.

Indeed. Their Finest Hour is actually my favourite of the G:WWII books to re-read, simply because it fits together so well.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Their Finest Hour is actually my favourite of the G:WWII books to re-read, simply because it fits together so well.

Hey thanks!! Glad to know that.