[Anarchy] Charatcer creation questions

[Geoff Hall]

Okay, so a bit of background.  A long time ago now (really, we're talking well over a year) I started to work vaguely on a game called Anarchy.  I even posted a couple of threads on here about it and got some useful feedback.  I ran a very bare bones playtest of the system at Conception 2007 (a UK convention) and then kinda drifted away from the game, and indeed roleplaying in general, for awhile.

Recently I attended Conception 2008 and got somewhat fired-up with the idea of design again, which was odd as I didn't have a single conversation about it nor play in any playtest games all con.  Still, I was and still am motivated to pick up where I left off.  Naturally I managed to lose the notebook which had my Anarchy notes in it at Conception and I hadn't looked at them properly in months and can, therefore, only remember the vaguest bits of what I was doing with the system.  Still, it seems that starting mostly fresh has been good for the ol' brain and I got an intro for my playtest document written up recently and posted on my blog.

Since then I've been working on the character creation section of my playtest doc.  I've actually got it pretty much entirely written up but wanted to garner some feedback on the first section, a set of questions for the players to answer.  The idea behind this came from reading a variety of indie games and taking on board Malcolm's feedback and experience in writing Cold City.  Essentially I'm trying to get the players to set their characters up so that they fit well within the game world and come pre-equipped with conflict points, hooks and useful NPCs.

What I'm looking for here is some feedback on the questions (which I shall post below) to see what you think of them.  Do you think that they will produce useful information that can be brought into later conflicts? Have I worded them in an excessively shite manner or are they reasonably clear and understandable? That sort of thing.

I should point out that I've already posted a thread about this over at the Collective Endeavour and received some useful feedback there but I am interested to see what the luminaries over here make of them as well, especially given the background info linked to in my blog.

Cheers,
Geoff

The Five Questions

1. What do you do?

In the world of Anarchy everyone has an assigned role within society. You may not like it, you certainly won't have chosen it but it will be something that you are, in some small way, suited to. You will have natural talents or affinities, or perhaps a specific personality-type, that are a good fit for your given task.

This question asks you to decide what it is that your character does when they're not at home or planning the revolution. What is their day job? What is it that society expects of them?

This is important as it provides grounding for your character in the world outside of the Anarchist Movement and ties him into the world of Order. If he starts failing to show up to work people will notice and become suspicious, if his productivity or quality drops off too much someone is bound to notice. How will he balance this potential for discovery against his need to do something and bring about change?

Your answer to this question will also be the primary source of inspiration for the generation of your characters Order Traits (but more on Traits later.)

2. How did you awaken?

The British population is in thrall to the government. Using a combination of subliminal suggestions, tailored drugs, fear mongering and propaganda they keep any thoughts of rebellion or a better life in check. Yet your character has seen through the lies. He is somehow able to resist the suggestions. He either avoids or is immune to the drugs. He sees past the propaganda and the manipulation to the truth that lies beneath.

How did he get to this point? Was it a gradual realisation? Some singular event? The manner of his awakening can say a lot about your character, the how and why of becoming an Anarchist can be intricately tied into his awakening as can his thoughts and feelings towards the government that has done this to the British people.

3. Who is important to you?

People's relationships with those around them are one of their most defining characteristics. Who you care for and why says a lot about you and your priorities in life. The same holds true for your character.

It should be a given that your character cares for their ideals and their goals within the Anarchist Movement but what about those around him? Who does he love and care for? Who is he in a relationship with and what is its nature? Does he have a family? Close friends? What would they think of his secret life? Most would likely turn him in without a second thought as it is what they have been conditioned to do. The desires to both protect the ones that he loves whilst simultaneously trying to bring about sweeping, perhaps catastrophic, change as part of a group of freedom fighters are unlikely to be compatible, which creates great potential for conflict.

You should use this question to note down any Non-Player Characters (NPCs) who have an important, personal relationship to your character.

4. Who recruited you and how?

At some point your character woke up. The how and the why should have been dealt with by the question 'How did you awaken?' but you must still consider what happened to him next. The Anarchist Movement doesn't take out adverts in The Times for new Anarchists to join their crusade against the forces of Order; they recruit people in a very select, careful manner. They must for government agents lurk everywhere and successful infiltration attempts can have disastrous consequences for the Movement.

Nevertheless at some point your character will have been approached. It may have been by another, more experienced member of his current Cell or it may have been by a different member of the Movement. Perhaps he was recruited by his Cell's immediate superior, their connection to the wider Anarchist Movement. Perhaps it was by someone he has never seen again. Whatever the case this was his introduction to the Anarchist Movement and the world of possibilities that it offered. This was also the lead in to the introduction to his Cell, the most important group of people in any Anarchist's life.

5. What is your preferred method of instigating change?

There are many potential ways to affect change within a political system and the route taken by an individual or group can earn them the moral high ground or see them derided by the international community as terrorists. Of course those striving for change may not care what outsiders think of them, their place in the footnotes of history paling in comparison to the ultimate success of their goals.

In the end the acts necessary to bring about the downfall of the British government may go far beyond that which your character believed himself capable but, especially in the beginning, he will have lines that he believes he is unwilling to cross. For some it may be violence, or more specifically violence against civilians and other innocents. For others it may be negotiation with the state that is so thoroughly controlling everyone's lives. Whatever the case your character should decide where he draws a moral line in the sand and refuses to step over. What are his limits and taboos? What will he just not do? At least for now...

[Grinning Moon]

Just as an observation, #5 seems like it should be renamed to, 'Where does your character draw the line?', or perhaps even split into two seperate questions.

I'm curious: do you intend for the game to have an Orwellian sense of hopelessness, or are you leaning towards a world where characters really can effect change and perhaps even encompass the defeat of The Authority?

If the latter (and your description seems to suggest this thus far)... were you planning on incorporating any rules for the eventuality that characters manage to see this ultimate goal through? I always thought it would be interesting to have a game where the players overthrow the existing tyrants, only to establish their own manipulative agencies for the sake of their agend - seeding for the next campaign, where a new resistance movement comes comes to overthrow the previous session's newly emplaced government.

[Geoff Hall]

Heh, I got similar feedback regarding 5) over on the Collective Endeavour forums.  I think what I'll do is split it and lose the current question 2).  Not, incidentally, because I want to keep five questions but because I, having gone through a character creation example myself a few times, don't think the question is either necessary or helpful.

As to your second point I'm intending the characters to believe that change is possible but the players to understand that, whilst they might affect some changes, their death or capture is basically inevitable.  It's more about how much they can accomplish before they are hunted down than it is about actually being able to throw down the government.

[Grinning Moon]

I think what I'll do is split it and lose the current question 2).  Not, incidentally, because I want to keep five questions but because I, having gone through a character creation example myself a few times, don't think the question is either necessary or helpful.

Really? I think the question has a lot of merit, actually.

[Geoff Hall]

Fair enough.  It doesn't hurt me at all to leave it in and have 6 questions for the time being.  It's not like there's some kind of hard limit after all ^_^ .  I'll see how people feel about them  with some playtesting and make some decisions then.