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Old 05-07-2021, 10:00 AM   #1
Stormcrow
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ronkonkoma, NY
Default Voyagers!

For fun, I wrote up Phineas Bogg and Jeffrey Jones from Voyagers! Here they are. Formatted by GCA.

I'm not entirely happy with Jeffrey's character. I feel like I'm missing something, but I can't quite think of what it is. Let me know if you can come up with something.

In making these characters, I'm not giving them traits that they exhibited just once in passing. There has to be evidence that they're actually trained in skills, etc. Status is ignored, as they have none in the places they go, and languages are ignored because the show does so.

Phineas Bogg (112 points)

ST 12 [20]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 12 [20].
Damage 1d-1/1d+2; BL 29 lb; HP 12 [0]; Will 12 [10]; Per 10 [0]; FP 12 [0].
Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Dodge 9.
6', 165 lbs.

Social Background
TL: 7 [0].
CF: Western (Native) [0].
Languages: English (Native) [0].

Advantages
Appearance (Very Handsome) [16]; Luck [15]; Voice [10].

Disadvantages
Duty (Voyagers; 15 or less (almost always)) [-15]; Lecherousness (12 or less) [-15]; Phobia (Cynophobia: Dogs; 12 or less) [-5]; Sense of Duty (Anyone in need; Small Group) [-5]; Wealth (Dead Broke) [-25].
Quirks: Doesn't drink alcohol; Expression (Bats breath); Expression (Smart kids give me a pain). [-3]

Skills
Boxing Sport (A) DX [2]-12; Brawling (E) DX+2 [4]-14; Dancing (A) DX-1 [1]-11; Diplomacy (H) IQ+2 [4]-12*; Fast-Talk (A) IQ+2 [2]-12*; Games (Shnibbits) (E) IQ+2 [4]-12; Judo (H) DX+1 [8]-13; Rapier (A) DX+2 [8]-14; Riding (Equines) (A) DX [2]-12; Seamanship/TL4 (E) IQ+2 [4]-12; Sex Appeal (A) HT+7 [1]-19†; Shield (Shield) (E) DX [1]-12; Shortsword (A) DX+1 [4]-13; Sleight of Hand (H) DX-2 [1]-10; Teamster (Equines) (A) IQ [1]-10; Throwing (A) DX [2]-12.

**Includes +2 from 'Voice'.
†*Includes +6 from 'Appearance', +2 from 'Voice'.

Equipment
1× Omni ($0; 1*lb); 1× Ordinary Clothes (Status -2; $0).

Notes: This represents Bogg by the end of the show. I set Bogg's TL as 7 because that's as high as his Omni can go. Though his native TL is 4, his training familiarized him with TL7. The Voyagers themselves may be greater than TL7, but they don't teach field workers anything about times beyond however far their Omnis can take them. (We know this from Isaac Wolfstein, whose Omni only went up to 1925, and who didn't know anything the stock market crash of 1929.)

I didn't include Bogg's lucky coin because he apparently never got it back. When Wolfstein asks if he's got a coin to do the coin trick with, Bogg doesn't and has to lend him the Omni.

Jeffrey Jones (-39 points)

ST 8 [-20]; DX 9 [-20]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 10 [0].
Damage 1d-3/1d-2; BL 13 lb; HP 8 [0]; Will 11 [0]; Per 11 [0]; FP 10 [0].
Basic Speed 4.75 [0]; Basic Move 4 [0]; Dodge 7.
4'8"; 90 lbs (SM -1).

Social Background
TL: 7 [0].
CF: Western (Native) [0].
Languages: English (Native) [0].

Advantages
Charisma 2 [10].

Disadvantages
Duty (Voyagers; 15 or less (almost always)) [-15]; Social Stigma (Minor) [-5]; Wealth (Dead Broke) [-25].
Quirks: Sense of duty to see history on the right track; Still mourns for his parents; Tries to talk and act like an adult. [-3]

Skills
Area Knowledge (New York City, 1982) (E) IQ [1]-11; Expert Skill (Overview of History) (H) IQ+2 [12]-13; First Aid/TL7 (Human) (E) IQ [1]-11; Literature (H) IQ-2 [1]-9; Sports (Baseball) (A) DX+1 [4]-10.

Equipment
1× Ordinary Clothes (Status +0; $0).

Notes: This is also at the end of the show, after Jeffrey has been officially accepted as a Voyager. I decided that Expert Skill was the best way to represent his general knowledge of history that doesn't go into great detail.
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Old 05-07-2021, 12:28 PM   #2
Prince Charon
 
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Default Re: Voyagers!

I remember that show! Was pretty fond of it while it was on.

It's been a while, though, so I'm blanking on the game 'Shnibbits.' Google gives very little on it, and Bing not much more.
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Old 05-07-2021, 12:35 PM   #3
Stormcrow
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ronkonkoma, NY
Default Re: Voyagers!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
I'm blanking on the game 'Shnibbits.'
"Shnibbits! Played that game in Hungary; learned it from the Gypsies!"

The name is a joke in the show. The game that Bogg learned as shnibbits is really poker.

Bogg tries to play cards with a slaveowner to win the freedom of Harriet Tubman. At first he thinks he's playing bridge, and calls out, "Two no trump." Then Jeffrey tells him he's supposed to be playing poker. Bogg doesn't know what poker is until Jeffrey describes it for him, then he realizes it's the game he learned as shnibbits.

"Last time I played shnibbits I won twelve goats."

He plays shnibbits/poker again in another episode during the American Revolutionary War, where he cleans out a whole house full of redcoats.
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Old 05-07-2021, 12:49 PM   #4
naloth
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Re: Voyagers!

I liked the show, but I really don't recall it that well... That being said, this sounds pretty good.

I'd drop Duty and Dead Broke, though. Duty because nothing seemed "enforced" and if anything they were more at risk of losing the omni and becoming stuck there. I'd drop Dead Broke or at least convert it to Struggling since nothing is stopping Boggs from getting a job (and IIRC, he did from time to time) and from Jefferies (again, similar reasoning if he wasn't additionally a minor). Both are features of the setting like the omni that they could just give up if they decided not to be Voyagers.
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Old 05-07-2021, 01:05 PM   #5
Stormcrow
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ronkonkoma, NY
Default Re: Voyagers!

Quote:
Originally Posted by naloth View Post
I'd drop Duty and Dead Broke, though. Duty because nothing seemed "enforced" and if anything they were more at risk of losing the omni and becoming stuck there.
There are hints throughout the series that the Voyager Board was active in policing its field workers, including one episode where Bogg is put on trial for alleged violations of the Voyager Code. Being a Voyager is a job with strict rules.

Quote:
I'd drop Dead Broke or at least convert it to Struggling since nothing is stopping Boggs from getting a job (and IIRC, he did from time to time)
No, there was no episode where Bogg actually got a job. He poses as a worker sometimes, but was never earning money in doing so.

There was the episode where he's apparently hired by a coach of the Red Sox, but that's because Jeffrey teaches him to throw pitches no one's ever seen before, and he doesn't stay past one day.

On the other hand, perpetually not having any money is occasionally a plot point. They have no credit, no cash, and no assets. Maybe they should be Zeroed...

Quote:
Both are features of the setting like the omni that they could just give up if they decided not to be Voyagers.
No, it's made clear in the setting that the Voyager Board monitors the activities of its field workers. Voyagers that we see who have either retired or are planning to retire do so by going to Voyagers Headquarters and handing in their Omni and Guidebook.
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Old 05-07-2021, 01:35 PM   #6
naloth
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Re: Voyagers!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stormcrow View Post
There are hints throughout the series that the Voyager Board was active in policing its field workers, including one episode where Bogg is put on trial for alleged violations of the Voyager Code. Being a Voyager is a job with strict rules.
Well, I only remember bits and pieces of the show. The question becomes why is the Duty worth points, but the Omni is not? Being a Voyager seems to be either a setting thing or part of a package that you'd stat out.

Quote:
No, there was no episode where Bogg actually got a job. He poses as a worker sometimes, but was never earning money in doing so.
Yea, but could he? Is he employable? Does the Voyager commission prevent him from working? Does the commission restrict them from taking possessions/money with them?

Quote:
On the other hand, perpetually not having any money is occasionally a plot point. They have no credit, no cash, and no assets. Maybe they should be Zeroed...
Probably, since they aren't in any system anywhere.

Quote:
No, it's made clear in the setting that the Voyager Board monitors the activities of its field workers. Voyagers that we see who have either retired or are planning to retire do so by going to Voyagers Headquarters and handing in their Omni and Guidebook.
Wasn't the whole reason for Jefferies traveling with him because Boggs lost his Guidebook? I seem to recall keeping track of the Omni (and each other) was also a plot point.
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Old 05-07-2021, 02:03 PM   #7
Stormcrow
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ronkonkoma, NY
Default Re: Voyagers!

Quote:
Originally Posted by naloth View Post
Well, I only remember bits and pieces of the show. The question becomes why is the Duty worth points, but the Omni is not? Being a Voyager seems to be either a setting thing or part of a package that you'd stat out.
The Duty represents the inability of Voyagers to go off and do whatever they want. Bogg is usually in a hurry to move on to their next assignment, with the implication that they're not supposed to stay anyplace for a long time. He's also stingy about vacations, though they do manage to have a couple of those (which is why I put "15 or less" and not "always").

Possession of the Omni is just a benefit of having that Duty. It's a piece of equipment, nothing more. It's an essential piece of equipment, but still just equipment given to them by their employer.

Quote:
Yea, but could he? Is he employable?
No, because he'll never stick around long enough to pick up the first paycheck.

He might be hireable, but that can be left down to a simple reaction roll. "You want to help dig this ditch? You look strong. Take this shovel." But he could never land a job that actually requires the connections implied by any level of Wealth above Dead Broke.

Quote:
Does the Voyager commission prevent him from working?
Yes, inasmuch as he's got a duty to move on to the next assignment immediately. No, if working is part of the assignment, but I touch on that above.

Quote:
Does the commission restrict them from taking possessions/money with them?
Possibly, if it's for their own benefit. I can very much imagine them reviewing their records and condemning acts of personal enrichment.

Quote:
Wasn't the whole reason for Jefferies traveling with him because Boggs lost his Guidebook?
Jeffrey travels with him because his Omni accidentally sent Bogg to 1982, and when Jeffrey fell out a window Bogg had to take him through time to save him. But Bogg's Omni is only supposed to go to as far as 1970, so he couldn't bring him back. By the end of the series, though, Jeffrey had been to Voyager Headquarters and been declared a bona fide Voyager.

Bogg did lose his Guidebook in 1982 and couldn't go back for it, but it turned out that Jeffrey was better than a Guidebook anyway.

Quote:
I seem to recall keeping track of the Omni (and each other) was also a plot point.
Sure, but that's not the sort of thing you put on a character sheet.

Last edited by Stormcrow; 05-07-2021 at 02:06 PM.
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Old 05-07-2021, 02:28 PM   #8
naloth
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Re: Voyagers!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stormcrow View Post
Possession of the Omni is just a benefit of having that Duty. It's a piece of equipment, nothing more. It's an essential piece of equipment, but still just equipment given to them by their employer.
It's more of a gadget, in that it provides abilities (travel powers and the ability to divine if things are "right") that can't be otherwise purchased in the campaign. It's sometimes just a plot device (perhaps the green/red indicator) but other times used to travel voluntarily. Having it is as much of a perk of being a Voyager as being directed to fix periods of time seems to be a Duty. It seems as long as you have the duty, you also get the ability travel through time and space within within your jurisdiction.

I'd also venture to say that the rush to wrap things up had more to do with this being a TV show. If I were to run it as a game, I'd allow the flexibility to have them stay in one place longer than a day or two.

Quote:
No, because he'll never stick around long enough to pick up the first paycheck.
That seems like a modern bias. Given that the show's travel covered 2000 years, there's plenty of day labor options, which is likely how covered room and board.

Quote:
Sure, but that's not the sort of thing you put on a character sheet.
Naturally even in the context of the show, there are plenty of options for other traits. Secret (Voyager!) seems to be appropriate since you're always out of place and possibly imprisoned or worse if that is discovered. I seem to recall one of them almost being executed for being a witch...
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Old 05-07-2021, 03:00 PM   #9
Stormcrow
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ronkonkoma, NY
Default Re: Voyagers!

Quote:
Originally Posted by naloth View Post
It's more of a gadget, in that it provides abilities (travel powers and the ability to divine if things are "right") that can't be otherwise purchased in the campaign.
There's no need to write up the Omni as a gadget using character points.

Quote:
I'd also venture to say that the rush to wrap things up had more to do with this being a TV show. If I were to run it as a game, I'd allow the flexibility to have them stay in one place longer than a day or two.
I'm interested in reflecting the show and the characters seen on it.

Quote:
That seems like a modern bias. Given that the show's travel covered 2000 years, there's plenty of day labor options, which is likely how covered room and board.
"Dead Broke: You have no job, no source of income, no money, and no property other than the clothes you are wearing." This literally describes Bogg and Jeffrey throughout the series, except for the Omni, which is given to them by their employer. The fact is that they don't get any jobs, even if maybe they could persuade someone to hire them, and Dead Broke does exactly what is needed for that.

Quote:
Secret (Voyager!) seems to be appropriate since you're always out of place and possibly imprisoned or worse if that is discovered.
That's a possibility. "It's a sworn secret," says Bogg. But I think that's covered by the Duty already. A separate Secret would provide no mechanical benefit that Duty doesn't already.
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Old 05-08-2021, 06:24 AM   #10
James P
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Default Re: Voyagers!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stormcrow View Post
Possession of the Omni is just a benefit of having that Duty. It's a piece of equipment, nothing more.
I'd say it's Signature Gear. Otherwise, it'll get taken and you'll have to treat it like Signature Gear, anyway.

As in, you'll have to give the PC a chance to get it back, since otherwise the time travel campaign is over and the PC needs to get a job to survive. Basically, the Omni IS "Voyagers".

Last edited by James P; 05-08-2021 at 06:27 AM.
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