Character guides

[Gollum]

yahoo

Originally Posted by namada

I don't see how it's any more difficult than say D&D and all its abstractions that need to be explained to a first-timer. I mean, wth is Rage, Smite, or Lay on Hands, anyhow?

It's not more difficult per se. Abbreviations make it more difficult.

"(A) DX+1 [4]-14" for instance is very difficult to get for someone who is playing his very first roleplaying game.

[Gollum]

Sorry, there was a bug with my phone. It submitted that post twice ...

TO BE DELETED ...

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Gollum

yahoo
It's not more difficult per se. Abbreviations make it more difficult.

"(A) DX+1 [4]-14" for instance is very difficult to get for someone who is playing his very first roleplaying game.

Huh. I always just say "The last number is your skill number, ignore the rest until I tell you to pay attention to it".

Then if I need a relative skill level, I tell them how to find that, and during exp spending I explain the rest. Works like a charm.


I should note, my pregens always look like this:

Cost	Skill	Level	ATT	Lvl	Diff
4	Skiing	14	DX	+1	A

[Gollum]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Huh. I always just say "The last number is your skill number, ignore the rest until I tell you to pay attention to it".

that still makes things hard to read for a newcomer (and often makes him believe that GURPS, with all those numbers, abbreviations, parenthesis and brackets, is very complicated ... while none of them is actually necessary to play).

Originally Posted by evileeyore

I should note, my pregens always look like this:

Cost	Skill	Level	ATT	Lvl	Diff
4	Skiing	14	DX	+1	A

Yes, it changes things. Such a notation makes everything much more easy to read.

[mook]

Originally Posted by Kale

Those look amazing! Very well laid out with easy to access information. How do you handle "Spell!" for the wizard though?

Thanks, Kale! Exactly what I was going for, so I can ask new players "What is your Basket Weaving skill?" without adding "It's under that super long list on the right, it's alphabetic."

The specific game those characters are for is for some kids (and their dad) who have never played any RPG before except maybe computer games, hence going for uber-simplicity.

With the wizard, I wanted to give her a few spells to give some ideas ("I can attack! I can protect myself! I can fly!"), but also allow room for her to say "Well, can I 'X' too?" without squashing it. It's basically totally freeform, kind of a wild-wilcard skill. But it costs half her "magic points (MP)" each time, plus it's a 3-hour game, so I don't expect much abuse :)

Originally Posted by Gollum

Awesome. Thank you very much for that great work!

Thanks, Gollum! Hope they come in handy for something.

[Gollum]

Originally Posted by mook

Thanks, Gollum! Hope they come in handy for something.

Yes, they do. They help me to dare simplifying things even more ...

Deborah Zucker, Medical Expert

Basic Attributes
- Strength: 10
- Dexterity: 10
- Intelligence: 14
- Health: 12
Secondary characteristics
- Hit Points: 10
- Will: 14
- Perception: 14
- Fatigue Points: 12
- Basic Damage: 1d-2/1d
- Basic Lift: 20
- Basic Speed: 5,5
- Basic Move: 5
- Dodge: 8
- Parry (bare handed): 8
- Block: 6
Advantages
- None
Disadvantages
- Honesty
- Sense of duty: toward all humanity
- Minor vow: vegetarism
Quirks
- None
Languages
- English (natal)
Skills
- Biology: anatomy: 13
- Computer Using: 14
- Criminology: 15
- Diagnostic: 14
- First Aid: 15
- Guns: Revolver: 10
- Interrogation: 13
- Karate: 10
- Law : criminal, Oregon: 12
- Observation: 14
- Research: 15
- Running: 11
- Surgery: 12
- Swimming: 12

[Kale]

Originally Posted by mook

With the wizard, I wanted to give her a few spells to give some ideas ("I can attack! I can protect myself! I can fly!"), but also allow room for her to say "Well, can I 'X' too?" without squashing it. It's basically totally freeform, kind of a wild-wilcard skill. But it costs half her "magic points (MP)" each time, plus it's a 3-hour game, so I don't expect much abuse :)

So it lets them do 'wizardly' things without having to have every single spell listed. Good way to simplify it.