Ideas for a New long-term Campaign

[Donny Brook]

By my reckoning, she's only 686 points. Why so chintzy?

Also, I would remove Overconfidence. It mars an otherwise perfect paragon.

[Anaraxes]

I don't understand the personality - description or traits. "Outgoing", "optimistic", and "psychotic"? Also "fierce" and "rough". I have trouble combining those in my head into a coherent picture. Of course, I don't have to, since I'm not playing the character. But it does seem like most of those words could have at least a Quirk-level mental trait.

Are cinematic heroes of that level common in the setting? That is, it seems hard to be Overconfident at 686 points unless you're going to stumble into some peers or a team of street-level supers. "Your ego's writing checks your body can't cash" only applies if you can't, in fact, cash those checks.

Are the PC young and naive (+2 reaction territory from Overconfident), or are they also experienced SF operators (so in the -2 territory). Not that PCs are compelled to make reaction rolls, but it's a guide -- and the same question applies to the actual NPCs. Do the SEALs and Delta dislike her due to past experience with her - however successful she might have been?

How many points will the PCs be built on?

[Cheeseball]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

I don't understand the personality - description or traits. "Outgoing", "optimistic", and "psychotic"? Also "fierce" and "rough". I have trouble combining those in my head into a coherent picture. Of course, I don't have to, since I'm not playing the character. But it does seem like most of those words could have at least a Quirk-level mental trait.

Are cinematic heroes of that level common in the setting? That is, it seems hard to be Overconfident at 686 points unless you're going to stumble into some peers or a team of street-level supers. "Your ego's writing checks your body can't cash" only applies if you can't, in fact, cash those checks.

Are the PC young and naive (+2 reaction territory from Overconfident), or are they also experienced SF operators (so in the -2 territory). Not that PCs are compelled to make reaction rolls, but it's a guide -- and the same question applies to the actual NPCs. Do the SEALs and Delta dislike her due to past experience with her - however successful she might have been?

How many points will the PCs be built on?

Hello,

actually I did not want to put a limit on the budget of the player characters. As long as they make sense, I've preferred to leave that decision up to the players. There will be those who make petty criminals, and those who make "superspies" in the style of Jason Bourne. What is really difficult for me is to conceptualize a character that can rival this one, because I don't think there are facilities or intensive training programs for criminals.

[Aldric]

Originally Posted by Cheeseball

Hello,

actually I did not want to put a limit on the budget of the player characters. As long as they make sense, I've preferred to leave that decision up to the players. There will be those who make petty criminals, and those who make "superspies" in the style of Jason Bourne. What is really difficult for me is to conceptualize a character that can rival this one, because I don't think there are facilities or intensive training programs for criminals.

As long as the characters have their time to shine, anything is fine. I doubt they'd enjoy being the mooks in someone else's story however.

That said, there most definitely are training facilities for rival agencies, and even criminal groups might have their training programs, plus a life on the line might hone a few skills.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Cheeseball

What is really difficult for me is to conceptualize a character that can rival this one, because I don't think there are facilities or intensive training programs for criminals.

There's nothing really preventing a former soldier - special operations or otherwise - from going criminal, particularly if they are able to get involved with organized crime (or form a group with their old spec-ops buddies, like an evil variant of the A Team). And, with a pool of previously-trained operators to draw from, such organizations certainly can - and have - set up their own training schools. Particularly for a cinematic setting wherein "superspy" is an available character archetype, I see no issue with such operators functioning equally well on all sides of the conflict.

[Donny Brook]

As far as a rival goes, a good quality intel Ally Group, a well-equipped good quality field support Ally Group, and a highly specialized infiltration sniper specialist (with perfect hair) would be able to take her down quite handily.

In GURPS, no mundane human who puts herself in combat situations is safe from a well placed bullet.

[dcarson]

An interesting character idea might be the best thief because their family has been for generation. The old TV show It Takes a thief, Alexander "Al" Mundy, whose father Alister "Al" Mundy had been the best, and his father Albrecht "Al" Mundy before him. So no training school but home schooled by the best with generations of experience to pass on.

[Þorkell]

The character is per the description in her late 20s. In that time she has undergone SEAL training, Delta training, training from the CIA and FBI, military officer training (she's a Major), and deployed six times. I'm sorry, but this feels like way to many events into a short time.

[newton]

Originally Posted by Þorkell

The character is per the description in her late 20s. In that time she has undergone SEAL training, Delta training, training from the CIA and FBI, military officer training (she's a Major), and deployed six times. I'm sorry, but this feels like way to many events into a short time.

Absolutely. These feel like the achievements of a significantly older woman.
I’d honestly either:
- up the age and orient the character towards a mentor type character.
- keep the age but reduce the amount of past experience and refocus on raw skill.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Þorkell

The character is per the description in her late 20s. In that time she has undergone SEAL training, Delta training, training from the CIA and FBI, military officer training (she's a Major), and deployed six times. I'm sorry, but this feels like way to many events into a short time.

While I largely agree for a realistic campaign, the fact "superspy" is considered a legitimate character archetype for it indicates to me this campaign is sufficiently cinematic that a recent high-school graduate with a decade or more of combat experience* wouldn't really raise many eyebrows.

*And I'm suddenly reminded of the opening scene from Excel Saga. "Don't die on us, you've barely even begun to live your life!" *Bits of Excel's life flash before her eyes; the paramedic can somehow see this* "... nevermind."