PDA

View Full Version : Background Events



Rhynn
2013-05-10, 02:05 AM
I'm creating lifepath tables for a Fuzion-based homebrew (cf. Cyberpunk 2020, Bubblegum Crisis, Artesia: Adventures in the Known World, Sengoku), and I need some ideas.

Basically, Fuzion lifepaths are a series of tables you roll on to determine what kind of childhood you had - where you were born and grew up, and what sort of things happened that might have affected who you are.

I'm up to the Childhood Events table and coming up a bit short. I need Good Events and Bad Events; this is for a cyberpunk game, so they should be generic, modern, cyberpunk, or hard/early scifi.

Some generic examples I've got:
Abuse. You were abused, bullied, or tormented by a parent, relative, or other children.
Accident. You had a serious accident.
Illness. You suffered through a serious illness.

If you want to also include ideas on how they'd affect the character's abilities, that'd be awesome. For instance, Illness will reduce your Stamina (Constitution analogue) by 1 (scale of 1-10).

Bonus Option! Coming up with early childhood events, facets, or activities to help randomly determine your attributes, along the lines of...
You were a big baby. +1 Strength, +1 Stamina, -1 Technique.
You spent all your time on a computer. +1 Intelligence, +1 Technique, -1 Stamina.
You got into a lot of fights. +1 Strength, +1 Reflexes, -1 Empathy.
The attributes I'm using are STRength, STAMina, REFlexes, TECHnique, INTelligence, COOL, PERception, and EMPathy.

If there's interest, I'll post the finished tables (at least for Good/Bad Events) once they're done.

QuintonBeck
2013-05-10, 09:08 AM
Childhood Events

You were a bit of a tech scrapper, you used the old castoffs to make your computers rather than rushing out and buying the latest and greatest. +2 INT -1TECH

You looked out for sick relatives often which while taking away from your time spent with tech also increased your ability to read people and understand them. +1PER +1EMP -1TECH

You played a lot of games outside as a kid +1STAM +1STR -1TECH/INT (Not sure what technique is exactly so you decide)

You were very shy and withdrawn, preferring to keep up with the latest tech rags rather than dealing with other people +2INT -2EMP

Your caretakers kept a close eye on you and what you did and you soon began to keep a close eye on them and what they saw +1PER +1REFL -1EMP

That's all I got for now I think. Is that what you were looking for?

Rhynn
2013-05-10, 09:14 AM
That's all I got for now I think. Is that what you were looking for?

Pretty much exactly, thank you! I'm working up my own ideas, too. I'll let this sit for a while and see if there's more contributions, then put up the tables when I've collated them.

CarpeGuitarrem
2013-05-10, 10:49 AM
I'll come back with some ideas, but have you seen Mongoose Traveller? That's one of the grandaddies of lifepath design, and it's sci-fi to boot. You'd find a lot to mine from there.

Rhynn
2013-05-10, 11:59 AM
I'm working from Sengoku, Traveller (original, Mongoose, and Mongoose's Babylon 5), Fuzion Atomik Lifepath, Cyberpunk 2020 (and 2013), Bubblegum Crisis, Twilight 2000 & Twilight 2013 (well, those comes a bit later, in careers, along with 2300 AD), Artesia: Adventures in the Known World, and a pile of other resources that don't really have lifepaths (GURPS Cyberpunk, GURPS Cyberworld, Spacemaster's Cyberspace expansion) ...

I'm specifically looking for pre-adulthood (childhood & teens) stuff, which Traveller pretty much lacks; I'll get into careers and stuff that happens during adult life later, and Traveller can be pretty helpful there.

QuintonBeck
2013-05-11, 12:54 AM
Some more?

You broke more toy puzzles than you figured out +2STR -1INT

You were always first in line at the new tech releases +1TECH +1PER -1EMP

You were the oldest kid on the block and often took charge of the schoolyard gang +1EMP +1STR -1REF

You wimpy and bullied in and out of school but it taught you a thing or two about avoiding a fight +1REF +1PER -1STR

You preferred talking and sitting somewhere peaceful to playing games +1EMP +1PER -1STAM

Also, what's COOL mean in this system?

Rhynn
2013-05-11, 01:27 AM
Those are excellent, thank you! I love "You broke more toy puzzles than you figured out." :smallbiggrin:

Rather like INTelligence, COOL is a mash-up stat. It's your willpower, your mental toughness, and your ability to project outward. It's tested a lot in combat (staying cool under fire, keeping it together if you get shot), but it's also the main social characteristic (tests are characteristic + skill + roll vs. target number) on "the Street." Someone with low COOL is probably nervous, timid, and easily intimidated, and probably isn't going to impress people on the Street. Someone with a high COOL is going to get street cred fast, or at least fake it well, and isn't going to be intimidated. Someone with COOL 10 and EMP 1 would be a scary sociopath who can't empathize or read people, but can get through many social situations simply by making people uncomfortable enough to get things his way. (This is the traditional standard for CP 2020 characters, especially since EMP went down the more cyberware you bolted into your body.)

As an example of COOL in a background element, being homeschooled (these being generalizations and sort of stereotypes or averages) might give you +1 INT, +1 PER, and -1 COOL, because you learned more/better, but you didn't get the kind of socialization that'd help you relate to people on the Street.

Alternatively, "You spent your time running on the streets with the wrong crowd" might give you +1 COOL, +1 PER, -1 EMP. And I've got the (Fuzion standard) Childhood Good Event of "You did something heroic, like saved a life" giving +1 COOL, because the event suggests you had the ability to stay cool under pressure, and people who do heroic (dangerous) stuff are going to have more street cred...

Rhynn
2013-05-12, 09:39 AM
Alright, I finished my Good/Bad Event tables. These are very much just a modified version of the tables from Fuzion Atomik Lifepath / Artesia: AKW. I'm still working on the larger tables and welcome further contributions.

Basically, for the larger tables, I'm thinking of 4 tables with 10 entries each... if each has +1 to two and -1 to one attribute, that'd be a total of 10 positive entries for each attribute. If the attributes start at 5, they could go down to 1 or up to 9 with these tables, which is an acceptable range for me. (The Bad/Good Events below could take them up to 10, but no starting character would have a 0.)

Anyway, the first tables, in case anyone finds these useful for something! When/if I finish the rules hack, I'll probably put it up for download and share it on the homebrew forums.

CHILDHOOD EVENTS
Everyone can pick out some experiences in their childhood that stand out.

First, roll d10: 1–4 roll on Good Events, 5–8 roll on Bad Events, 9–10 roll once on both.

If the event might affect some or part of your family, roll d10: 1–2 entire family, 3–4 one parent, 5–6 both parents, 7–8 one sibling, 9–10 all siblings.

Bad Events
Roll d10.
d10 Event
1 Abuse. You were abused, bullied, or tormented by a parent, relative, or other children. You lose a point of EMP.
2 Accident. You had a serious accident. You lose a point from any one Physical Characteristic.
3 Bad Company. You got into bad company. You have a criminal record before you enter adulthood.
4 Burnt. You were burnt on the Net. You lose a point from any one Mental Characteristic.
5 Crippled. You had a terrible accident. Roll d6 or choose: 1–2 you lost a hand, 3 you lost an arm, 4 you lost a leg, 5–6 you lost an eye. You can obtain a cybernetic replacement at half price (for the basic eye or limb only; modifications are at full cost) during character creation.
6 Illness. You suffered through a serious illness. You lose a point of STAM.
7 Poor Student. You didn't do well at your studies. You lose a point of INT.
8 Tragedy. Someone close to you — a family member, friend, or mentor — died. Roll d6 or choose: 1 a parent, 2 both parents, 3 a sibling, 4 d6 siblings, 5 a friend, 6 a mentor.
9 Trauma. You suffered through a traumatic crime or event, like kidnapping or rape. You lose a point of COOL.
10 Unpopular. You were not a popular kid — maybe you were awkward, unfashionable, or just smelled bad. You start with 10 fewer Background Contact Points.

Good Events
Roll d10.
d10 Event
1 Active Kid. You were active and athletic. You gain a point in any Physical Characteristic.
2 Caring Family. You had a loving upbringing. You gain a point of EMP.
3 Creative Kid. You were a creative and artistic kid. You gain 12 Training Points in Artistry and 6 Training Points in an appropriate Performance Skill, or in Drawing or a Profession/Craft skill.
4 Discovery. You discovered something new or learned a secret. You gain a point of PER.
5 Friends. You made a lot of friends. You start with an extra 10 Background Contact Points.
6 Good Student. You were a great student, possibly earning a scholarship. You gain a point of INT.
7 Hero. You did something heroic, like saving a life. You gain a point of COOL.
8 Patron. You got the attention of a powerful patron. You can enter any Childhood Education you want without passing a test.
9 Scrapper. You got into a lot of fights and won. You gain a point of STR.
10 Traveled. You traveled a lot as a kid. You gain 18 Training Points in Language and Local Expert skills.

Black Jester
2013-05-13, 10:14 AM
I have a rather extensive lifepath system for Legend of the Five Rings, which includes a relative large number of different events and the like. If you send me a pm a valid email, I could send it to you.

There is also a lifepath system for fantasy characters for Savage Wolrlds which almost turns that system into something worth playing. Almost.