HinterWelt Fora

I didn't want to raise dead posts - so I thought I would take a stab at a new post.... regarding life paths. The setting I working on uses IRCS2 - its futuristic - and fits within the Neb setting - but in isolation. Think of it as a future dystopian Earth - large cities - abandon areas - environmental collapse... but people still going about their existences with some moving on to colonies in the solar system or slightly beyond.

Initially the game play centers on CSI / Police / Security / Private Investigations sort of careers. These are "government, corporate or private" workers - be it a security task force from a regional or national agency, corporate gumshoes or a "clean-up squad" for the local mob. The player characters would need to fit into this space. I am not looking for your typical "fighter, magic user, thief" set up. I feel like the players all start out in different places ( born in the ruins, labs, high tech society, or wherever ) ... but all end up as working within a particular field of expertise. Their would be details between these - but very similar.

With all this - lifepaths that essentially lead to the same end point with character creation. I may be over thinking this - but I needed to bounce things off the group here. I am hoping to add more to this thread as I go - There is more but I don't want to write a book in each post eheh.

-don

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the artist formally known as dwalton97060

Ok - so to continue -

Lifepaths as I see them would take everything currently used in character creation and retool that within the "paths". ie. Stat pools, attribute bonuses, extra skill bonuses, career skill list availability and special abilities...etc. These would only be available to a player character whom took particular paths along the way... and the skills would be picked up as you go... much as you do in a real life situation.

Also - the game setting I am working on - the player characters wouldn't really advance into different careers as they gained experience. Rather the life path would end with the "new career" of a detective for example. So multiple "careers" would have to be handled within the life path when doing character creation. How many careers, or how "experienced" the PCs would be would depend on the GM and players limiting things at the onset of the game.

These would be some of the basic ideas within the life path creation system that I am working on for my setting.

-d

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the artist formally known as dwalton97060

See, here is my problem. You have, basically, a group of skills. Life Pathing (to make sure we are talking about the same thing) is a method of walking the character through creation, with choices affecting skills as they progress and possibly having random chance influence the creation process.

So, how about we say this:
1. Child hood: Have them pick it they were Shy, Normal or Adventurous and award benefits from that choice. Maybe skills, maybe scars or life long friends or have them choose from a pool.

2. Education: Have them choose from Street, School, Trade, Military...and whatever you can think of. Then, similarly, give them choices from pools of allies, skills, stats bonuses.

3. Adult Life: Have them choose from Shy, Normal, Professional, Military...and whatever you want then let them pick from allies, enemies, stats, skills....

Or am I way off here?

Bill

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HinterWelt Enterprises
Bill Corrie
815-557-7365

I guess I am trying to not only build a character with stats - but also a short history to ground the characters in. With the lifepath - my thinking was providing some background - past contacts or associations - did you serve in the war / did do some hard time? / injury / mega corp experience - past career knowledge. .. something a PC could use to draw on while in an campaign - using contacts and things to help them with things they are working on.

Sure you could simply have a list to roll on - for some random history - an even have them choose a simple path through life - but I am looking for something a little deeper. Rolling it all into one... building pools of knowledge/trait areas (intellect, body, spirit)... along with other resources like contacts. Granted this all leads into a rather extensive and time consuming character creation process ( it would be an optional process - along with the traditional ICR rules)... but it would provide a more in depth view of the character. Also given that most characters will not advance much with game play - as they are sorta locked into a career of sorts after actual game play starts - I don't see a problem with spending a bit more time fleshing out a character prior to actual play. Or rather turning character creation into a sort of mini-game.

I think our partially on the right track - the overview seems to be close in a nutshell. All the choices would rely on prerequisites from earlier choices - some skills would only be available after taking a certain few skills, or living conditions or careers prior... etc. Thinking about burning wheel... with all those lifepaths - but somehow more simply done - but not as basic as the old traveller set up ehhe. It's been some thing I have been given lots of thought to - without much testing. I think I am ready to put things down in writing for my players to try and play through. But I thought I would post these thoughts here - to see what more experienced ICR rule masters had to say hehe.

-d

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the artist formally known as dwalton97060