Hamish's Character Discussion

Taking Knifesedge's suggestion to separate character threads.

Okay, here are my initial thoughts for a character. I'll edit and refine later as go through char gen.

Don "Ham-Bone" Hardwick, a pro-bowler in his late thirties from St. Catharines was on tour and holed up with his wife Janice in a Motel 6 outside of Memphis when the Crash happened. Bowling isn't what it used to be - no big endorsement deals for him, although he is on a bowling trading card - and Ham-Bone has had to be resourceful and slick and has developed a network of friends and acquaintances on the tour, connections and skills that serve him well in the Loss.

Although fit, Ham-Bone's fleshy face and thinning hair, make him look like an easy mark. It doesn't help that he still wears his bowling glove and jersey, now stained and torn beyond recognition, as a link with the past.

I like that we're getting a former professional sports players theme

Is his wife still around?

Survival of the fittest :)

Holy cow, I didn't even think about the professional sports player theme. For some reason, I always liked the idea of playing a pro bowler in an rpg. My initial thought is that the wife is still around. I stuck her in because based on my limited knowledge of the game, having dependents plays an important role.

Yes. You have dependants equal to your charisma score and they help heal threats which is basically like psychological damage.

Ham-Bone is taking shape. This is what I have so far. I may change some of his skills.

Taker: "Ham-Bone"
Crew:
Weak Spot: Obsessed with the Past (Nostalgic)
Soft Spot: Attracted by Shiny Stuff
Tough Spot: Scavenger

Potentials
STR: 1
SPD: 2
ADP: 3
INT: 1
CHA: 2
WIL: 2

Skills
Athletics (SPD): 1
Awareness (ADP): 2
Criminality (ADP): 1
Deception (CHA): 2
Drive (ADP): 2
Mechanics (INT): 1
Networking (CHA): 2
Persuasion (CHA): 1
Scavenging (ADP): 2
Self-Control (ADP): 2
Shoot (SPD): 2
Stealth (SPD): 2

Dependants:
Name: Janice, Wife
Earl, Son

Gear :

Rifle with silencer upgrade 6
Knife 1
Flashlight 1
Binoculars 1

Looks good. Definitely a skill set, we don't have yet in the crew.

Just FYI, as a scavenger you do get to start with 20 bounty not 10

Thanks for pointing that out. That's what happens when you stay up way too late creating a character. Hmm, not knowing how much bounty to expect from a game, I am wondering how to balance the utility of having more gear with the liabilities of equipment upkeep. I'll go back and look at the equipment list but may bank the rest.

You don't necessarily have to use it. You can bank it. Or you could use it for character advancement

Right now for you to break even on a job you would need to make 4 bounty. To make sure all your gear is in order you'll need to make whatever the sum of all your gear upkeep is. Then there's things like healing or favors that are tougher to anticipate. Before you actually start a job, you'll have an opportunity to buy year knowing how much the job is worth.

Can bounty be spent on Advancement at any time, say during char gen, or only at specific times in the game? I couldn't find the answer in the rule book.

I have fleshed out Ham-Bone's background to better account for my choices during char gen.

Don "Ham-Bone" Hardwick has spent much of his thirty-eight years in the dimly-lit, subterranean confines of Garden City Lanes in St. Catharines. Bowling was his first love. Even after he married Janice, Ham-Bone seemed to prefer the smell of stale beer and cigarettes to home-cooked food. When he wasn’t at the alley or one of his part time jobs, Ham-Bone was on tour with the PBA. Professional bowling isn't what it used to be when television stations carried tournaments on Saturday afternoon. No big endorsement deals for Ham-Bone, although his picture does appear on a trading card. He wonders if the people who own that card know he made just $18, 562 that year. He was used to making do, repairing the old so he wouldn’t have to buy new, and relying on friends. Ham-Bone might be poor but he was shrewd and self-reliant.

The Crash found Ham-Bone and Janice, who was then six months pregnant, driving down Interstate 40 in his ’89 Astro Van on their way to a tournament in Memphis. With strange reports on the radio, they stopped at a Motel 6 just outside the city. Then everything fell apart. After seeing a vector run down and savage one of the motel guests, Ham-Bone raided the vending machines, grabbed the pistol he kept in his glove box and barred the door to his room. While Ham-Bone searched vainly for working television and radio stations Janice paced, ate chocolate bars and repeated "Help will come" over and over. Five days passed and no help came. Help never came.

Stuck in this hell-hole a thousand miles away from home with a pregnant and resentful wife, Ham-Bone had to do something. He was a loser, but not a complete asshole. On the sixth day, he ventured out to gather supplies: food, medicine, tools, and prenatal vitamins. Moving quick, he scavenged houses and stores. He surprised himself with how well he adapted to life in the Loss and took special pride in bringing back little luxury items that he thought Janice would like. Guilt drove him. Guilt at leaving Janice to go bowling. Guilt at dragging her here during the Crash. Ham-Bone now took risks to atone for past failings. With the birth of his son Earl, Ham-Bone redoubled his efforts to provide. He brought home diapers and wipes, rattles and stuffed animals, games and baseball mitts. Baby Earl was too small for most of the stuff, but Ham-Bone didn’t care. He wanted his son to have everything before it was too late.

Ham-Bone's fleshy face and thinning hair, make him look like an easy mark. It doesn't help that he often wears his bowling glove and his white jersey with purple splotches, now stained and torn beyond recognition. They are totems, tangible links to the past. But if Ham-Bone hangs onto the past, he thinks mainly of the future. Whatever becomes of him, he must get Janice and Earl out of the Loss and into the Recession.

Awesome. I like it. I think you'd be fine to spend bounty on advancement now. It doesn't explicitly say you can't anywhere I've seen. It usually mentions it as something between jobs, but go for it.

Maybe the Astro Van could end up at New Graceland and that is where he and Janice have created a mobile museum or shrine might be more accurate for their Old World stuff.

Love the museum idea. Still need to check your gear, but your stealth cannot exceed your SPD. Rather than traditional stats in other games. SPD is referred to as your potential to accomplish SPD related tasks. So in this instance, you probably could get better at Stealth, but you just don't have the physical dexterity or whatever to be better than Stealth 2. Until you raise that potential to 3, you won't be able to raise stealth.

I assume you spent Bounty on advancement of Stealth from 1 to 2 (2 Bounty) and then 3 (3 Bounty) since you have 22 skills, well 21 when you reduce your Stealth to 2.

Okay, so just read that the first Rations and Backpack are free. So you spent, 7 Bounty on Equipment, Banked 5 and had spent another 5 on Advancement but we need to roll back stealth, so that's 2 on advancement. that's 14. You have another 6 Bounty to play with.

Thanks for catching that. I'll keep the 6 in the bank. It will probably come in handy later. As the game progresses I'll have a better idea of what I need.

Okay so go ahead and update your bank on your sheet and were good to go character wise

Done