Since this is all taking shape, I'll throw out the second half of character considerations as well now.
[ +- ] Iconic Item
You start the game with one Iconic Item; it works just like other Items, but it also says something about who you are. Your Iconic Item gives two bonus dice in a situation where it can be used to help you to overcome Trouble. Your Iconic Item will not disappear or break whatever happens, unless you want it to. If it’s stolen or lost, you’ll find it again before the end of the Mystery. Your Iconic Item cannot be used by the other Teens.
[ +- ] Problem
All Teens have a Problem, which you may have kept to yourself or told the others. The Problem is a part of Everyday Life, something that worries you. During the game, the GM will use your Problem to put you in Trouble. If you solve the Problem, you must pick a new one before the next session. You should choose a Problem that you want to explore during play, as a signal to the GM: put my Teen in this kind of Trouble!
[ +- ] Drive
Your Drive is your reason for exposing yourself to dangerous and difficult situations in the course of trying to deal with the Mysteries together with your friends. It helps you to understand your Teen, and makes it easier to take on a new Mystery; no matter what, the Teens’ Drives force them to investigate and stop the dangers around them. You may change your Drive between Mysteries.
[ +- ] Shame
Every Teen has a Shame, something that makes you feel weak, weird, and worthless. Your Shame may be well known to the group, or a tightly guarded secret. The GM should use your Shame to put you in Trouble, by setting up scenes that highlight or activate it. You’ll be teased in the locker room if you’re overweight. Your friend will challenge you to dive from the highest cliff even though she knows you’re scared of heights. Your teacher reads your essay – poorly worded and full of spelling mistakes – aloud in front of the whole class. Your Shame is a tool to use when getting to know your Teen.
Shames and Problems can be intertwined, and your Shame may very well turn into a Problem, but they can also have nothing to do with each other. You may change your Shame between Mysteries. Once per Mystery, you may use your Shame to add an automatic success (a six) to a dice roll, even if you already rolled the dice and scored no sixes, or if you rolled at least one six but want to improve your result further (page 72). You must be able to explain how your Shame helps you in the situation. If you play a multi-session Mystery or the Adventure Landscape, you may use your Shame for an automatic success once per session.
[ +- ] Friction
The Teens are friends and stick together to resolve the Mysteries, but there will always be Friction within the group, creating conflict, drama, and secrets. Decide together what causes Friction in the group at the moment. You can change Friction between sessions. All Teens in the group have the same Friction, but it affects you all differently – one of you may be its focal point, while someone else tries to resolve the issue. Choose from the list below or make up a new one, and then proceed to work out the details: who is in love with whom, and why is that causing tension? Who has stolen from whom, and what was stolen? Connect the Friction to the Relationships you have within the group. When you create your group, you should start with a relatively mild Friction, as more serious issues risk tearing the group apart. The basis for your Friction might be positive, but still lead to conflict: two of the Teens are in love but keep it a secret from the others, who notice the lies and feel left out, for example.
RESOLVING FRICTION
You can heal Conditions in the same way as you do when you spend time with your Anchor by meeting up with one or more of the other Teens in the group somewhere deemed safe and secure enough by the GM. You are furthermore required to be physically or mentally close and intimate – talking, hugging, sharing secrets, comforting each other, or having sex. This allows you to resolve Friction within the group, but you are not necessarily forced to talk about what is causing the Friction. The GM cannot put you in Trouble while you are resolving Friction, but a Teen in the group is free to do so, for example by starting an argument within the group. If this leads to Trouble in the same scene as you intend to resolve Friction, none of you heal any Conditions.
FRICTION THEMES
■ Love
■ Sexuality
■ Rivalry
■ Unfair Behavior
■ Malice
■ Misunderstandings
■ Theft
■ Cowardice/Fear
■ Weakness
■ Crime
