What I need from you:
On Kids:
First, create your kid. A few factors to consider: All kids are first year freshman in high-school. This means they are typically between the ages of 15 and 16. 14 is really young, but maybe you skipped a grade or got special treatment back in the day. Older kids are an option if you want, they will be social pariahs for NPCs. Also, they will have been held back in previous grades...high-school is a relatively new experience for all PCs.
Concept: If you are having issues coming up with a character, consider starting with a clique. "Rich Popular Snob" is the only one off-limits. Nerd*, Geek*, Freak, Jock, Wannabe, Stoner, Latch-Key, Troubled, School paper/Yearbook, Drama Club, Marching Band, Student Council, or some combination of these. My school had all of these in my opinion. * To me, Nerds are brainiacs who are interested in ‘practical’ school topics, while Geeks are into comics and RPGs...which are seen as less practical interests by most adults. Your personal definition may vary, and that’s fine.
Gender and Orientation: Please describe your character’s presented gender, prefered pronouns, and sexual orientation. There won’t be on camera sex scenes in this game, but high-school is a time of confusingly high hormone levels. This game has a sandbox quality and Romance is one viable corner of that sandbox. It might come up, unless there is significant consisus that it should not. There is no default. You may answer in detail or simply choose from this list of common descriptors (listed in alphabetical order):
Genders: Female, Male, Non-binary, Transexual, Queer.
Sexual Orientation: Asexual, Bisexual, Gay, Heterosexual, Lesbian, Pansexual.
On Relationships: When building your characters you will be asked to detail your PCs Relationships. I ask that you use at least 1 point of your starting 6 Relationship points to tie your PC kid to another PC kid. The relationship need not be mutual. You might look up to another PC, consider them your best friend, or have a crush on them, but they barely know you exist.
Below you will find a list of details I want on your character. These are mandatory, but you don’t have to be extremely detailed. A sentence might be enough to cover it. All of these are also potential Relationships for your character, but I am not making any demands beyond the one other PC kid you will have a Relationship with.
Any people named as Relationships will need that relationship detailed. There will be a Thread for "Who’s Who around town" in which names, important facts, and portraits will be posted.
Special Note: Player Secrets - I am not a big fan of secrets. I prefer to trust players to keep OOC knowledge in mind. I feel that if a player has a plot relevant secret from the other players, it might as well not exist. However, if there are secrets to be shared only between the player and GM about NPCs, like a secret crush or abnormal relationship, I will include them using the Note function in the NPC Who’s Who entry. That way other players will not see it.
Home Life: All kids are from Lower-Middle to Poor Class households. I want at least a brief description of homelife. Please provide a list of who the character lives with and some details about how they get along/interact. What do your parents/guardians do for a living? Detail what the home looks like a bit also. Do they have a computer and internet at home? Cable television? Do they have a car waiting for them once they get their license? (If yes, it WILL be a oil-leaking, gas guzzling POS in some aspect...no pristine Audis for these PCs.)
Phone: All kids will have a smart-phone capable of running the Skrimslimon EXPLORE! App. You might be lucky and have just the newest iPhone because grandma and grandpa were generous on your birthday, or it might be a few generations older, used/aftermarket that was all your parents could afford. You choose, but your choice could will impact other elements in the game. Texting is free, but no one will have an unlimited data plan...mmwwaaahahahaha!
Primary Hangout: Create a place your character hangs out at when they have personal time. If their prefered hangout is their room or at school (Nnnnerd!), that’s fine. Describe it some, but also give me a location away from home that they like. This should be someplace they are allowed to be. Someplace the cops don’t usually chase them away from on sight. You can share Hangouts with other characters, but be sure to you are adding a detail that makes sense. It is unlikely that you won’t have noticed each other coming and going.
Off-limits Hangout: Create a place your character wants to hang out at when they have personal time, but something prevents it. This could be the school roof at night, a dangerous cave or abandoned mine. A rock quarry or train yard. An abandoned house, or one under construction when the market collapsed and never bought by someone else. These will make great places to hide from enemies and speak openly with your monsters. If you are found here, the cops will chase you off, or even arrest you for trespassing! Again, you are free to share with other characters, but be sure that you are adding details.
Kid Character Sheet Template
Stats and Skills
Feet: 1 (Dodging +0, Kicking +0, P.E. +0) (HL: 1-2)
Guts: 1 (Courage +0, Wind +0, Wrestling +0) (HL: 3-6)
Hands: 1 (Blocking +0, Punching +0, Shop +0) (HL: 7-8)
Brains: 1 (Out-Think +0, Remember +0, Notice +0) (HL: 9)
Face: 1 (Charm +0, Connive +0, Putdown +0) (HL: 10)
Relationships:
X