Character Generation

Be sure to read and follow the guidelines for our forums.

KCC

Jul 2, 2023 10:45 am
Pick Your Career
This game is for 3 to 5 players, plus a Director. It’s recommended one player be The Face and another be The Camera Person. Pick from the rest as you like; doubling up is fine.

The Face
Jersey Shore idiot? Effete Brit? Whatever the case, this show – much like the entire world – revolves around you.

Pick a very stupid name. As a character, you’re intensely jealous of anyone else’s screen time and want to make everything about you at every turn.

As a player, you’re helping the Director keep things moving, and helping to keep everyone at the table loose and in the spirit of absurd trashiness.

Example Faces:

• Jersey Meathead (P4, S1)
Loud, Simple, Hotheaded
• British Intellectual (P3, S2)
Snide, Verbose, Passive-Aggressive
•Ex-Sports Star (P2, S3)
Friendly, Nostalgic, Physical

Thought Starters:

Who here is your friend?
Who needs putting in their place?
What previous case does this remind you of?
The Camera Person
Everyone’s got cameras, but you have the camera, and since the Director is squirreled away in the van outside you’re the de facto AD.

It’s your job to herd the idiots in the most profitable way. Act put-upon at all times, because whether or not you are the smartest person in the Crew, you’re pretty sure you are.

The Camera Person is frequently "the straight man" in the group (and has a decent SURVIVE to match), but not always.

Example Camera Persons:

•Enthusiastic Intern (P2, S3)
Chatty, Anxious, Klutzy
•Grizzled Union Guy (P1, S4)
Gruff, Cynical, Sentimental
•Ex-Porn Director (P3, S2)
Sleazy, Aggressive, Rebellious

Thought Starters:

Who here is your friend?
Who needs putting in their place?
Who is your go-to for "off-the-record" nasty comments?
The Charlatan
You’re the supernatural talent, and you are entirely fraudulent. You’re very dramatic and talk in halting, portentous phrases, and you absolutely must wear a fantastic top or hat.

Reveal more and more of your dramatic and utterly fabricated back story as the evening wears on.

Example Charlatans:

•Psychic (P4, S1)
Spacey, Halting, Hypochondriac
•Televangelist (P3, S2)
Haughty, Spoiled, Tacky
•Crackpot Scientist (P2, S3)
Wild, Begrudging, Untrustworthy

Thought Starters:

Who here is your friend?
Who needs putting in their place?
Who is your go-to for "off-the-record" nasty comments?
The Co-Host/Face’s Buddy
You’re a parasite, and you’re not going to let this sweet co-hosting gig go lightly. Suck up, crack terrible jokes, and make sure no one gets between you and the Face. Their success is your success and besides, you’re helping!

After all, every E needs a Turtle, right?

Example Co-Hosts:

•Mooch (P4, S1)
Needy, Jealous, Insecure
•Bodyguard (P2, S3)
Aggro, Pushy, Dim
•Kid Sibling (P3, S2)
Bored, Skeptical, Trolling

Thought Starters:

Who here is your friend?
Who needs putting in their place?
What Features can you tamper with (or steal)?
The Academic
You know some things about this place and you’re also broke as hell, which explains why you’re here. You are (or were) a skeptic but once things get hot... maybe you’ll shine, maybe you’ll totally lose it. Let’s find out together!

Example Academics:

•Fallen Professor (P3, S2)
Resentful, Snobby, Opportunistic
•Ex-Cop (P2, S3)
Blowhard, Braggart, Cowardly
•Faded TV Star (P4, S1)
Portentous, Trench-coated, Horny

Thought Starters:

Who here is your friend?
Who needs putting in their place?
What is an alternative (but equally hare-brained) theory about this haunting?
The Director (Me)
In other games, you would be called the Game Master. While these other dinks are risking their lives breathing in asbestos and climbing rickety staircases, you’re out in the van goosing the action and keeping an eye on the ratings. Your job is threefold: guiding and tracking the crew’s progress, helping shape a coherent story, and steering the talent with questions and prompts to keep the footage lively. Have total disregard for their safety: that’s what the insurance waivers are for, after all.

KCC

Jul 2, 2023 10:51 am
Pick Your Stats
You will be dividing 5 dots among two stats: PROVOKE and SURVIVE.

These stats highlight the contradictory nature of your profession, the yin and yang of the shameless reality TV ghost hunter psyche.

Each stat must have at least 1 dot. Both stats have their benefits and their trade offs, but when in doubt, let character flavor guide your decision.

Provoke
You may not be strong or smart or likable, but if you’re an asshole on a reality show, you are an absolute wizard at provoking a reaction in someone else – whether living or dead.

Use PROVOKE when attempting to poke, prod, or otherwise annoy your co-stars or the Ghost into doing what you want.

PROVOKE is great for scaring up the restless dead and bad for making rational decisions.

Survive
You have some glimmer of self-awareness buried way down deep, and it stops you short of doing the stupidest possible thing... sometimes.

SURVIVE comes in to play in the last act of the game, where... well, you’ll see.

SURVIVE is (obviously) good for survival but usually bad for ratings; no one’s here to watch a bunch of squares be polite and sensible with each other.
From here on out, each player will only need 1d6 to play. When asked to roll against your PROVOKE or SURVIVE, you roll your d6. If you hit at or under your stat you succeed. If you roll over that number, you fail.

After that, all you need is a name and a face!

KCC

Jul 2, 2023 11:17 am
Pick The Show’s Name
This is very important – what’s a brand if you can’t repeat the name on the intro and outro of every commercial break?

Everyone roll 2d20 and pick your favorite name. Try to embrace the randomness of the roll, but if you’re one off from a truly dynamite show title, fudging is fine.

Dice #1
1. Ghost
2. Haunt
3. Haint
4. Paranormal
5. Spook
6. Phantom
7. Specter
8. Phantasm
9. Fiend
10. Poltergeist
11. Shade
12. Wraith
13. Spirit
14. Apparition
15. Ghoul
16. Revenant
17. Nightmare
18. Horror
19. Monster
Dice #2
1. Hunters
2. Investigators
3. Hasslers
4. Detectives
5. Spies
6. Sleuths
7. Hounds
8. Chasers
9. Trackers
10. Highway
11. Siblings
12. America
13. Stalkers
14. Mysteries
15. Science
16. Laboratory
17. Facers
18. Inspectors
19. Wranglers
Jul 2, 2023 11:36 am
Okay, reading the closer descriptions, I still think either Camera Person or Co-Host sound really fun. I'm leaning more towards Camera Person, but I'd take Co-Host if someone else has their eyes set on the camera.

Let's roll for the first show title suggestion:

Poltergeist Hounds
Last edited July 2, 2023 11:37 am

Rolls

And the show is called... - (2D20)

(107) = 17

Jul 2, 2023 11:43 am
https://i.imgur.com/fMUkgA7.png
Ricky "Hooligander" Dijkgraaf
Career: The Charlatan
Provoke: 4 Survive: 1
Concept: Ricky Dijkgraaf is of Dutch heritage but grew up in the melting pot of SoCal. He used to lead ghost tours during his twenties and thirties while trying to break into the Hollywood scene. Ricky constantly needs attention as it's the only thing that gives his life meaning (and even better if the attention is from females!) He has a talent for accents and voice work, but his acting skills are sub-par and his personality is a repulsive mix of arrogance, unearned confidence, and a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen. He is confident this show will finally be his big break into show business. He currently "channels" his spirit guide Hooligander, an ancient Dutch wizard who unlocked the secrets of time and space but was murdered as a heretic before he could transcend his humanity.

Show Name: Celebrity Ghoul Investigators
Last edited July 2, 2023 12:33 pm

Rolls

Show Name - (2d20)

(202) = 22

Celebrity - (1d20)

(15) = 15

Jul 2, 2023 11:46 am
I'll do the Academic, nothing like a snobby wannabe-genius who claims to be the smartest and then gets absolutely destroyed by the first demon the group ever encounters. XD High Provoke, low Survival, let's go!

Also, who wants to be my dedicated "this person is almost as smart as me so I tolerate them" friend? :V

Specter Trackers? Mhm.
Last edited July 2, 2023 11:46 am

Rolls

Nah, my genius says the show is called: - (2d20)

(79) = 16

Jul 2, 2023 11:58 am
Eh, if everyone's just grabbing careers, so will I 😁
https://i.imgur.com/nelMg0j.png
Kimberly "Leigh" Adler
Career: Camera Person
Provoke: 2, Survive: 3

Leigh knows that ghosts aren't real and everyone on this show is an idiot. But it is a paycheck and a credit for her resumee. And if nothing else, the cinematography of this show is going to be amazing.
Of course, the most scary thing anyone on this crew is likely to see on set is her reaction to one of those ghost-hunter morons touching her camera.
Will figure out the inter-PC connections once everyone has posted some info about their characters
Jul 2, 2023 12:30 pm
I'll take the Co-host job
https://i.imgur.com/JdaVAsp.jpg

Joe Glickmann
Career: Co-host
Provoke 3 Survive 2


Hollywood/Broadway has-been looking for any avenue for a comeback and this is the best show his agent could book. A tailcoat-riding, name dropper that revels in a mythologized version of his Glory Days.
Show name: Revenant Hasslers
Last edited July 2, 2023 12:38 pm

Rolls

Show name - (1d20, 1d20)

1d20 : (16) = 16

1d20 : (3) = 3

Jul 2, 2023 12:45 pm
Okay, so far, Revenant Hasslers is by far the best!

Also, I submitted my sheet
Last edited July 2, 2023 12:45 pm
Jul 2, 2023 12:52 pm
(Image pending because I actually need to draw it and drawing people is a pain, but have my favourite character from Pacific Rim as a placeholder.)

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pacificrim/images/2/2c/Hermann_Gottlieb_%28Profile%29.png
Name: Narcissus "Professor" Vonsham
(he absolutely resents the nickname, but it stuck)
Career: Academic

Narcissus is a former college professor who despised his job and eventually quit it, only to fail to secure any other work and somehow end up at a ghost-hunting show of all places. He mostly takes care of equipment and miscellaneous finances, and when on camera pretends that the show is far more scientific than it actually is by spouting vaguely convincing chemistry jargon and barely related physics facts, as well as doing simple tricks with luminescent liquids, colorful smoke and pyrotechnics. He has an actual Ph. D. in chemistry but doesn't like to talk about it, and suffers from a whole array of bad habits - not least of which is smoking, which he does a frightening lot of.

He is also a very self-centered, snobby person who isn't particularly interested in engaging with the show beyond showing off his skills, thinks that ghosts don't exist and that everyone who ends up on this career path - himself included - are just hopeless failures. His main joy in life is when anyone gets impressed by his chemistry tricks, but otherwise he is often grumpy and not very talkative, and is very easy to rile up by bringing up his previous occupation or disagreeing with his scientific claims.

Provoke: 3
Survive: 2
And I agree, Revenant Hasslers sounds great!
Jul 2, 2023 1:30 pm
VonSham is an awesome name 😄

I think all the show titles have been winners. Celebrity Ghoul Investigators, Specter Trackers, Poltergeist Hounds, Revenant Hasslers all sound great. I'm curious what 4x4 will come up with?
Jul 2, 2023 1:37 pm
Thanks, I'm glad my solution to making sham sound pretentious worked. :>
Jul 3, 2023 3:17 am
https://i.imgur.com/NOeqIWu.png

Justin "J-Money" Blakely
Career: The Face
Provoke: 2
Survive: 3

Justin was an overweight kid who always got bullied in school. He was never popular, never had a girlfriend, and was sick of always getting picked on. When he first graduated high school, he started working at a McDonald's to pay for a gym membership at the local YMCA. Eventually, he lost all the weight and got freakin' jacked, dude. With his new rockin' bod, he decided to start a career in acting. How hard could it be, right? He just had to be hot and he'd land a gig in the big leagues. It didn't matter if he could really act - there was a script anyways and they could just edit the crap out. Oh, how wrong he was. He couldn't even land the lead role in romance indie movies but instead was just the stereotypical dude who was asked to take his shirt off for a scene or two. Sure, he could model, but he wanted more.

Someway, somehow, he was asked to be the main host of the ghost hunting show called...Spirit Science...
OOC:
Yeah...maybe not Spirit Science, lol!
Last edited July 3, 2023 3:21 am

Rolls

Show Name - (2d20)

(1315) = 28

KCC

Jul 3, 2023 8:45 am

Pick Your Show’s Name Public

Spirit Science
Revenant Hasslers
Celebrity Ghoul Investigators
Specter Trackers
Poltergeist Hounds
Jul 3, 2023 11:55 am
Flying, how do you feel about Leigh maybe remembering Narcissus from university. She took a film studies major and filled up her schedule with a chem class. And then, some time later, they reconnected through coincidence here at the show. And her jokingly continuing to call him Professor caught on and to his dismay, everyone calls him that now.
Jul 3, 2023 12:28 pm
This sounds great, I'm in! Plus they both don't believe in ghosts, so I imagine they'd be the kind to complain to each other about other crew members and how much of a farce this show is.

It is so hard to pick one name for the show, they all are growing on me. :V Maybe we should take advice from the rules and fudge it a bit. Spirit Hasslers, anyone?
Jul 3, 2023 1:48 pm
FlyingSucculent says:
Spirit Hasslers, anyone?
Hasslers is the word I hate the most so I'd take any combination that doesn't have hasslers in it lol.
Jul 3, 2023 1:58 pm
Celebrity Spirit Science? Or even better, Selebrity Spirit Science
Jul 3, 2023 2:16 pm
Hmm, what can make a catchy jingle? Specter Hounds? ...that makes us sound like a rock band. Ghoul Trackers? Spirit Interceptors (thanks, autofill) Investigators?

Hey, dice roller, can you solve it for us and give us a name which will be unanimously great?
...Spook Trackers? At least it understood that need to use one of previous words. XD
Last edited July 3, 2023 2:17 pm

Rolls

Pretty please? - (2d10)

(59) = 14

Jul 3, 2023 2:50 pm
Spook Trackers isn't bad
load next

You do not have permission to post in this thread.