The group creates their character and run through the aspect creation process.
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Knights of the Night
KOTN Actual Play Podcast 64 "Delivery - Character Creation"
(upbeat music) - Hello, and welcome to Night to the Night actual play podcast. This stress and foul story, delivery, is written and run by your GM top. And now, please enjoy episode 64, character creation for delivery. (upbeat music) - Sure, we finished our character development. We have only one bit of feedback, and that's from Rocket. - Cool. - We haven't heard from Rocket in a long time, and I think mostly it's because Bob, who played shoe, has gone and Rocket can't pick on him anymore. So I used to be his favorite target. Rocket posted on our Facebook page, which I want to mention really quick. So far, we have posted two documents that we used for the creation of our Dresden city world. One is the city high level sheet, and the other is the city location sheet. Both of those were in relation to individual episodes that we worked on those, and we intend to also put out the character sheets. In addition to, we'll have pictures of the characters and pictures of NPCs. All of that can be found on Facebook, Night to the Night actual play, just look us up there. - If we're gonna be able to see our bad handwriting on our character sheets, or our perfect handwriting on our character sheets, there's some people. And Rocket says, "Hey guys, it's Rocket." I think the Dresden settings for Cleveland sounds as dark and bleak as the new world of darkness setting. Good job for the creativity on designing a dark setting with its own intrigues. I can't wait to see what characters you are bringing in, although I will miss Scott as Jim. Time is doing a good job, and we'll know more in this custom setting. Thanks for the great games. - Well, I have a question for Rocket, actually. I believe, if I remember correctly, that Rocket had indicated that he was going to try a shitlock with his group of players. Speaking from a storyteller's point of view, I'm very intrigued to know how a different group might have attacked that story if he did indeed play it out. So please, Rocket, if you did, give us some feedback. But in interim, thanks for the feedback. We're glad you're enjoying Dresden. We're enjoying the system, I think, as well. It's a nice diversion from the bleakness that is the world of darkness, even though the setting for Cleveland here is a little dark. I think there's definitely a more light-hearted banter around the table than, maybe it's just me, but 'cause I'm on the other side of the table now. But it certainly feels a little more airy and a little lighter than the world of darkness did, although I can see his points about how we constructed a Cleveland that is definitely dark in nature. - Also, if Rocket hasn't run it yet, and he's thinking of running and he's looking for more information, I'm sure you'd gladly share some notes. - As much as I can. - As much as you recall. We also had a review of Rich Rogers from Cannon Puncture did a review on his blog. It's a nice long review. He's got some good points. - I thought all of this counts. I mean, I understood them all. - Mm-hmm. - Constructive criticism is always good. - Yes. - You mentioned me by name at one point. I'm just like, "Please, please, nothing." - It was the part where I was going with Nietzsche's, got his dead for Cleveland. - Oh, yeah. - And you were a little bit, your character didn't love that idea, so we were bantering back and forth in that regard. I think that's what I'm trying to get on the review. - Yeah, but I didn't want to come across like I was some kind of Bible belt crazy person who-- - No, I left the morality or the religion. I just-- - I left it in 'cause I thought it was important 'cause there were aspects of people that they don't want to deal with in a game. Games are supposed to be fun. If one of the players have an area that they're uncomfortable with, then that should be avoided. I think that's important. So that's why I left it in. The article, you can find it at CannonPuncture.com. Rich is doing, it's called the Orcs podium, in which he does quick little hits on different podcasts, ours was I think the second one that he did. And it was a lengthy article, which he covered a lot of things about our shows, and we really appreciate that. And we thank him. All right, and with that, we'll finish up the character creation. All right, we're doing character creation for Dresden. My name is Tom on the GM, starting with my left is John, who is not named yet, but was Zach, Francis Wizard. - Thomas, character's gonna be named Maxwell, something, work on it. And I was playing Martin Capucci. - All right, Mike, playing Michael Clay, just kidding. - I'm Scott, and I am playing someone who is yet to be named. I played Nate in the last story. - We are going with the level of chest deep, that's eight refresh and 30 skill points, with the skill being capped at superb. Is everybody happy? - It doesn't have an idea. - I don't think there's gonna be like this. - Fuck it out on paper first. - What, Jim? - I printed some out, and I thought they were in your blue folders. - I want to take Mike's character face his worksheet, 'cause Mike has a bent corner and his doesn't. - Oh, good. - You are anal. You know what's funny? It is all right. One of our fans said that your voice reminds him of Sheldon and the Big Bang Theory. - Oh, great. - Yeah, it was Quiz voice. - Oh, it's got more ears, though. - I don't hear it either, but his anal would have to admit right here. - Works perfect. - I have to have a friend. - He's right here? - Well, there's a smudge on it. - My shit. - All right, the first thing on the day is his worksheet or the character sheet. - His worksheet? - Okay. - It is high concept. So everybody should fill in what their high concept is. - That's an aspect, right? But one of the best way to use is opposed to-- - Yes, and it should be well asking that both describes your character and is usable in almost any and all situations. And you can also put in a negative to it, because the thing you want to do with aspects is you want to make them an automation of both useful and dangerous. - Something that the gym can use to earn you fake points in addition to. Not all of them, obviously. But some of them, certainly your high concept could include something in that nature. - I thought about this driving over. The idea, the high concept is good soldier. And what I was thinking about that is that you kind of, I'm also reminded by the poem that yours is not the question why, yours is but to do or die. So in the sense of a good soldier, you're coming here with a purpose 'cause you're following orders. The good soldier follows orders sometimes to his detriment. Or often to his detriment. But at the same time, I tried to find something that could be positive and negative and give you, I don't want to do this or I'm not sure if I knew that it's your duty. You're a good soldier or-- - So what could I do? - I like that, but for your high concept, that's not enough. - That's not enough. - Because what are you? You're a warden. So that should definitely be included in there. - Or go to warden? - Could be a warden. - I could be your trouble asking. - A warden who above all is a good soldier. - His high concept could be about being a warden and then he's a good soldier as a warden, as another aspect. - It could potentially or he can include it in his high concept if he wants to. - If you have some sort of backstory to that, it might fit into one of these other phases. - Later on. - If he's coming here, soldiers have to be trained and they look up to the officers and the people who trained them and broke them and rebuilt them into the machines they are. The soldiers coming back to the, I think we talked about this last time where-- - Your mentor is missing in. - Missing or maybe not up to good stuff. - Right. - Which should offer plenty of morality choices. - But I would have to say he's stopped reporting. So that's why you're being sent in. You don't know why. Is he dead? Is he missing? Is he giving up his warden ship? - It's also like the idea that, I don't want to say I'm being road-shirted, but special forces and frontline warriors. - They're expendable. - They're expendable. Thank you. That's the word I was looking for. - Expendable. - Especially in what we've described as Cleveland. - The high concept would include the fact that you're a warden, but it could be a warden trained by, so that you've got history in there as well, of a relationship to your mentor. - Same name yet. - So we need to give him a name. - I leave that up to you if you want, or we can work on it together. - Jackson. - No. - William Donovan. - Oh, good name. - Donovan. - Also known as Big Bill. - So your high concept, have you finalized it? - No, I haven't even written anything. - Oh wow, that's Thomas. - Mike is going to be a warden trained by William Donovan. Do you want to flesh it out more than that? - Yeah, I was. - So you could be trained by William Donovan to be a good soldier. - You can work all your aspects into that one, I mean, you can. - Okay, the good soldier returning to, you know, when you get-- - But you get followers, but returning, but also with a personal-- - You don't want to make it too historical, like, 'cause it's only temporary for this adventure. What is the high concept of your character, your character is a warden. I mean, that's the most important thing in his life. And what's important to him was that he was trained by Bill Donovan to be a good soldier. So you've got your three different aspects that you're kind of rolling up into one, that you're saying as a good soldier, sometimes you do things you don't want to do. - How about the train by the living legend? - Okay. - And the idea is that if Donovan's on a pedestal, you know, maybe that becomes-- - It could become problematic. - Yeah, do we maintain the legend or is the legend hiding a lot of bad stuff? - Right. - Anybody else got a high concept? - Not yet. - Mike, he's going to be a blackened denarian. He's tempted by the coin business, accepted it, so he's not gained all the shit-shifting powers they have, but he uses it to fight the darker things in Cleveland, so he's some sort of vigilante. - Okay. - That's a high concept somewhere in there. - Is he immortal except for the powers that the coin gives him? - Yes. - And you have any thoughts on templates on what you're going to do with that? - He's looking for like-- - An emissary of power. - An emissary of power, that's a good one. - Probably. - I love that one. - So you're an emissary of power to blackened denarian. - Bro. - I think you say denarian. - Okay, yeah. - And I'm sorry if I bring this up again, I know we kind of talked about it last week, but no one is aware of that that is the source of your power. - Yeah, absolutely not. - Okay. - And I mean, that would be one of his troubles, I would imagine, is having to hide that. - But okay, yeah. - No, okay, if you have other troubles, I'm sure. - What did your character otherwise? - I mean, that's not his soul defining feature. - I was wanting to be a soldier type guy, but there are soldiers enough here, policemen and wardens and such. - No, I'm sorry. I mean, if you're human in that sense, I mean, a wardens gonna use his sword or his magic. Jim's talking about making a character that's a detective agency that would tie you guys all together working for him. - Jim. - Right. - We're just going for a black quart prototype. - Right. - Okay, we are the good guys, right? (laughs) We got a black denari and we got a white quart right here. - This is the good guys. - I'm like Marilyn and the monsters here, it's just. - Don't quite fit in. - There's a good guy. - Yeah. - We're just some guy, just a mapiaga, or police guy. - So I would say that your high concept is you're a soldier returning from war, carrying a dangerous artifact. - That's a mouthful. - Yeah, but that's what a high concept should be, something along those lines. - It's part of your goal, I'm sorry, it's part of your goal to dominate and destroy the world. No, no, I'm sorry to win the Battle of Wills with this denarius coin, or. - I'm not aware of all the troubles it poses. It grants me powers to fix up the city as I can. That's all I'm aware of. - Ah, okay, okay. - He's kind of ignorant of it. It's history. - Gotcha. - He's just got something that's allowing you more. - Good things. - Okay, gotcha. - It's allowing him to do good things and help people. - High concept between you two gentlemen. - You're a traitor, right? - Black market. - Yeah, I mean, I could say he's a divan mancer. - Oh, the divan? - So, well, in the book it said what mancer at the end of-- - He's not a full-- - You don't have to obey them. - He's just focused practitioner. - Oh, so he's like one of the parent, a little bit-- - He's a talent, not a full blood, okay? - So you are human. - You are human, right? - Yes. Definitely human. - This will come to me that need things. - He finds things. - I'm a finder. So he's-- - And I usually sell to the highest bidder, but in this particular instance, I've been kind of forced to find friends where I've never needed them before. - You definitely kind of Jim's character in the investigation office. I mean, he's used-- - Yeah, he's used me, and now I need some protection for some reason. - And more, yeah. - And I've used your high concept, which is a seeker, a finder, a finder of lost things. - Like a divinator for hire, but I want something better than divination. There's gotta be a word there. - You don't have to have it in the name. - Augery, Claire of Wancy. - Hi, I'm an FBI officer. I joined to do the right thing and protect the people because the police aren't doing it. - Okay, but you're an FBI agent who has-- - In the know? - In the know. - Mm-hmm. - Who has seemed too much. The higher hopes are telling him to do this, but from the FBI level, it looks like he's been kicked out. - So they're kind of registering him too. - I mean, that's what you're talking about, wasn't it? - But wait. - That you weren't, you know, technically you weren't on the books, but you were still deep enough, you're still on the books and you're working for the FBI, but you're working on your cover. - Maybe this is also part of the containment plan. So because you have stumbled upon or you encountered the spooky stuff, because you're the one who encountered it, you're the one that they are now tasking, putting out to the field to deal with it, and if you, that is a result, that's a problem solved for them. It's a dirty lock, but that's the way it is. What do you think? - I like getting it. - I mean, that way you still have your FBI agent who saw too much and therefore you were pushed deeper into undercover. You're still working for them, but it's so undercover that any normal FBI agent wouldn't recognize you as an FBI agent. - How do I get anything done? - Well, higher hopes, no. You have a contact that you report back to. 'Cause that doesn't tie you to a desk and it doesn't tie you. It gives you freedom. - I'm just not sure that's in my concept. - Your high concept is you're an FBI agent who's in deep cover because he saw too much. - That implies a lot of what we just talked about into one aspect. - The word serendipity comes to mind with your character or that confluence of events to have a positive outcome. You know, the chance-- - The chance Dippity Mancer would work. - I'm going with Dippin' Mancer right now. She's gonna have to beat it up by some better. - Sir Dippitus. - I don't wanna be saying that. - Do you want the Mancer in there? - I'm just trying to play by the- - Don't rule his father. - No, I have to. - That he sat down. - Who should be a Mancer? - Pyro Mancer. - Ectomancer. There's like a bunch of Mancers in the book. - He was just- - Okay, that was just for picking your slew of powers. I don't think your high council has to fall under it, unless that's your defining characteristic. - This is my game. You don't have to use Mancer. - But you're almost like a seer or a sage. - Right. - So, a seer. - I like seer. - I was taking divinated, but I actually like seer better. - It's like Terminator, but- - Yeah, it's like- - Okay, how about deep cover FBI agent and run for trouble? I've seen too much, because I can't find a concise and a way that sounds good to say all that. - Well, you can write down that now. And if you come up with something better, I have no problem with changing around a little bit. It's not a problem at all, it's not. - Right? - Pencil. - All right. The next concept after high concept. - Trouble. - Is your trouble? - I think my trouble- - Every character has some sort of trouble. So that also works as an aspect. If your high concept is what or who your character is, your trouble is the answer to the simple question. What complicates your high concept? So what makes your high concept difficult? - I have a coin. I figure I am not totally ignorant about it. Maybe I revealed the source of my powers to like a priest or something and say, "Those are sinister, you've got a cannon over." And I was like, "But it enables me to do all this." And then he went to go report me to the Vatican or whatever, whoever handles these things. - He didn't do that, though. - Priest, you know, I mean, I was in a confessional. I can't- - I didn't confess. - If it wasn't a confessional, they can't under certain circumstances report things. - Yeah, that's truly dangerous. - All right, maybe I did them. - I did murder with this. - You did? - Yeah. Just go on us, people. - Oh, okay. - Batman, but Jason Todd. - Ooh. - Okay. - Except not a crazy son of a bitch. - Isn't that as crazy as Jason Todd is? - Yeah, but Jason Todd is the most crazy anymore, is it? - That's pretty crazy. - Well, yeah. - So your trouble is- - I killed the voices from the coin? - Yeah, no. - Temptation by the coin? - Did I have to keep it secret? Because there are apparently people who are hunting them. - For whatever reason? - To destroy them, but yes. - Maybe I did it with big eyes with swords. - Big eyes with swords. - Maybe they are aware of me in our after me. Or maybe I killed the guy to keep the secret. I don't know what you. - You killed a priest to keep the secret. - Wow, that's a serious problem. - He threatened to send me, send templars after me for all I understood. What the hell is that about? - Okay, no, that's a perfectly good trouble. - I mean, your trouble is- - That's the cross? - Yeah, but my God. - I would say your trouble then, the way you're describing is that the coin must be kept a secret. - Keep it secret, keep it secret. - Either that or that knights are after me. - Even those are notoriously forgiving. - They have a lot of big chops to do right around now. - Not in our story. - Okay. - They could be after you in your story, but I would think that it's a much more usable aspect to say just that you have to keep the coin secret. - Okay. - Because anytime you use a power, you could technically gain a fake point because you have to do it in a way to keep the coin secret. - Big bad guys are coming after the kill. I mean, that's not an aspect that you're gonna use very often unless it's essential point of the adventure. Are we going around the table or does anybody else have a trouble that they can spot up quite quickly? - Well, I don't know if this qualifies as trouble, but the conflict between duty versus loyalty. I mean, I have a personal feelings and loyalty towards William Donovan, or but my duty as a warden is clear. And so what I feel, what I like, what I want to do is irrelevant to what my duty is. So my trouble is I want to-- - Trouble should be directly linked to your high concept. Your high concept is that you're a warden and that you were trained by this guy. If you're saying your trouble is-- - If he's dirty, I'm gonna have to go against him. - 'Cause I get, I get you just, it's a good idea and it fits well with your high concept. So it would work. - Okay. - You just have to-- - I just refine it a little bit, but I'm just gonna go right now. - Do you need a friendship? - Or is it simply-- - In this case, duty trumps all. - It doesn't hit you that way. - But it's not really conflict, anything. - It's just like-- - Well, that's-- - It's making up to give-- - It's gonna be lots of conflict. - 'Cause you get a lot-- - 'Cause it's friends with all of us. - I'll get some-- - Yeah, okay. - Are you going to arrest him? Are you gonna get him? Are you gonna stop him? I don't want to, or I don't, or I want to find reasons around it. It's your duty to do this. It's your duty to investigate. - But that's not a trouble, it's just an aspect. - It's a good aspect, but it's not trouble. It's a way to resolve things rather than make them more complicated. - Maybe that's a valid point, Thomas. I mean, it's a great aspect. - This is the character and you're obviously gonna use it somewhere, but is it the trouble that prevents you from being the Warden trained by so-and-so? - That might be your phase two aspect. - We have done it. - If you look at that one. - What shape two? - Donovan. Shape two. (laughing) Tells you that. - So what trouble prevents you being the Warden trained by William Donovan? - Donovan's gone. - Or do we go with some of the other aspects you talked about when like you were, what's your character's mental state? Why did he get sent to Cleveland other than the fact that his mentor was gone missing? Is there more to it like he screwed up other places? Or, you know, he's hitting the bottom of his barrel. I mean, you discussed, you mentioned some of that, where, you know, maybe he's a Warden down to his luck and this is his last shot of him. - This is like being assigned to Alaska? - Yeah. - Yeah. - I mean, it's not a good place to be assigned. - Maybe your duty conflicted with the rest of the council. And that's why they sent you here. You were a good soldier, but never had a good record because you always did what was required rather than what they wanted-- - You wanted to play the political game. - In short, I mean, this is punishment. - Yeah, I mean, it was a really easy excuse. It's your matter. But they also wanted to get rid of you because you didn't play the political games. - So this assignment is a punishment. Is that, would that be enough trouble? - Or you go to, doesn't play the game? - Oh, I see what you mean. - You know what I mean? That's the reason you're here is because you don't play the political game among the Wardens. - That could be useful. Every time we encounter someone who's vaguely-- - Oh, like, oh, he's a Boy Scout. - Yeah. - I think that could be an interesting character to play in this situation because in Cleveland, that's not gonna be easy. - There's a free party here. - There's a freeze at that. - Yeah, even amongst your party, that's not gonna be easy. - Yeah, there's a freeze in the military for that kind of thing. Easy, he's like, buy the book. - Right, right. - Yeah, buy the book or two, like Boy Scout or two. - Well, that could be a good trouble. - Trouble. - I said one. - Coin must be kept sick. - Oh, I'm sorry, you got yours. You got yours. Do you have yours? - No. - Okay. - Well, Thomas needs trouble. - Me and Thomas seem to be struggling a bit. Okay, my high concept is morally gray-seer to the supernatural. That's what I do. - What is it I'm sorry? - I'm a morally gray-seer to the supernatural. - Okay. - So, it's what I do. - How about this? - It's a morally gray. How about just a moral? Like you don't have them. - What you see is what you see, right? - It's not good or bad. It's not right or wrong. It just, it just is. - Yeah, that works. - So instead of morally gray, we'll go with a moral. - A moral. - That might imply that overall you have no morals whatsoever. In your actions. - I will. - Oh, be on dictionary.com. - Well, wait a minute. Do you want that to apply to your character? - Okay. I want my character to almost like, you know, you know me. You know what I'm going to do, you know? If the situation is this. - That's not necessarily, I mean, you have morals. - It doesn't mean it, but I do stick to my, it's actually, it sounds like a social disorder. - And what would the trouble be for your character? I know you just finished your high concept, but what is it that complicates your high concept? - My high concept complicates my high concept. - Yes, it does, but. - Didn't you have a failed job that you don't have to do other things? - I didn't really pin it down. I just said that. - Is there anybody who would have problems with what you do? - Well, all the people I steal stuff from to get for the people who asked for it. - This job makes a lot of enemies. - I mean, I'm a divinator. I find things and I get them to people. I probably have a small organization underneath me running in tandem with the, not with, but definitely at least knowledgeable of some of the underworld activities in the greater Cleveland area because I have to know where everything is. Everyone comes to me, whether it be the guy running the casinos in the thistle down area or whether it be the brightest star that we have right now in Cleveland, 'cause there's not much of brightness, but Michael's character. - Well, that's interesting because in a way, you are not, almost like a fence. - Well, it's like you're not even, oh, yeah, like a fence where everything, yeah, that's good. But it's almost like you're not seeing who the victim, they will look at you, okay, you're just getting familiar, you caused me trouble and, or you just took my kid's stamp collection. - Right. - Well, should it protect you better? - But you're not even going that far because to them, you don't even almost notice, you don't recognize or pay attention to who you're turning. - You want me to get it back? You know, it'll cost you. - Right. - I'd get it back for $1 more than I just got it for. You know what I mean, that's how he lived before this moment. Before this moment, that was him. Now, he's probably gonna undergo some changes to make him obviously a bit more playable in a group setting, and he needs stuff now. For the first time in his life, he needs other people, which he's never needed before. - Are you like a highest bidder or? - Yeah, I'm just the guy, everyone comes to when they need something. - But you get it. - Right. - It is the highest bidder. Yeah, there's no moral grounds. - Well, but it serves it more. - But can you make deals, like, like, do we have a deal? 'Cause you know, it's almost in a way like, you know. - What are you saying? Is he gonna stick to the deal? Yes, as long as I'll be paying him more. - It's a lot of it. - But he could also conceivably, all right, I want you to steal that pen from Tom. You do it. He's, he's, you banked it. But now, now it's not safe in my hands because I know you haven't. - Right, you still know where it is. - You're learning a good lesson. - You didn't protect your shit. Now maybe you'll protect your shit in the future. - You're gonna be a moral about the act, but then you're gonna be moral about the shit. - No, it's his justification to himself. He'll do the act. And that's how he justifies it to himself. - But what, instead of justifying what you just see is that there's, you know, kind of like the Native American concept of-- - There is no ownership. - Right, there is no, nothing is property. Or, you know, the classic gypsy thing is that, you know, what's, all right, no one owns this pen because it's just sitting here, so I'm gonna use it. - Right, so, not quite sure I'm going there, but I'm leaning towards the fact that, you know, he justifies it to himself as they just learned a very valuable lesson. His little boy's crying now, and he's gonna learn to protect his shit next time, and I just taught him a great lesson, and I made money while I was at it. So if you wanna, you know, pay a little more, and then the person who stole it knows that this is the way it goes. You pay a lot of money, you pay top dollar, 'cause you don't want anyone outbidding you for me to be able to track it down. So he's always been able to play this game well, and then he took something or did something that was, he couldn't deal with the consequences of what it was. The money was just too great, and he went and stole something that was really probably out of his range of things that he was dealing with mostly mid-level to slightly above-level people, I mean, powerful people, but he wasn't dealing with the kingpins, the Rockefellers, or one out of the Cleveland area, and now he stole something that he shouldn't have. And, you know, they're not saying we'd like it back the way people normally want it back, they're actually coming after him. - So is the trouble you shouldn't, some people you shouldn't steal from? Is that trouble, or is there, I'm trying to find a trouble that would be in conflict with your, and that sounds like the only thing that you've said so far, that-- - Now that you're on the land, you're not-- - How about when he took from the wrong person? - Even that one, how about you use that aspect? Too often, took from the wrong person, just doesn't seem-- - Yeah, even some people shouldn't be stole from, is, doesn't seem like it's gonna have a lot of use. - We could also go with, like, everything has a price, because it ties into the concept, in one sense of, I'm only doing anything for any price, but it also ties into the fact that-- - The price is not-- - I'm paying the price now, and it's not money, I'm paying it with potentially my life. - All right. - Everything has a price. - Good work. Again, once we start playing, and if you guys come across something it's a better idea, I have no problem with you guys swapping that out. - Right. - Thomas doesn't have a trouble, and after trouble, we go to Facebook. - Facebook, I think the trouble for Thomas might be, fees in disrepute, and if he's on the downside of the law enforcement community. If you're deep undercover, it's like, well, you're undercover, and so there's a case file on you. Now, how you seem to avoid prosecution, how you seem to wriggle out of the things is a big mystery. - And some people are just gonna make them all about-- - Right. - To get you caught for something. So your trouble could be that, yeah, your cover is too deep, some cover can be too deep. - Yeah, something like that, where the average police officer, the average FBI, they know you as a failure, and they're gonna give you trouble instead of help. - Well, as a result-- - Well, as a result-- - As soon as he's a failed FBI, he's been drummed out as far as they can tell. All the FBI's that you used to work with, you're not working there anymore, 'cause you're under deep cover as if you've left the FBI. So they're gonna give you a hassle. Same thing with the cops. - Here's-- - Well, and not the average cop, the average cop is gonna know who you are, right? - It's a good idea, a difficult idea, but that's the point of a trouble. - Right, and Scott had some covers of too deep. - Some covers are too deep. So I want my character, one of the reasons my character who's able to thrive as long as able to thrive is-- - No, I don't think so. - Okay. - Everybody who likes me. Like, even though you know I may screw you over-- - You're a rogue. - You're a nasty rogue. It's just he's incredibly likable. - All right. - And so it's kept him out of a lot of hot water for the longest time, and he's met somebody or has crossed somebody who doesn't like him. And he's just stunned by that fact because everyone, I mean, again, you know that he's for the highest bidder, but you always think of him as your friend. Because he very rarely does a double take, you know, a double steal. Doesn't happen very often. He goes to the higher bidder, and usually that's the end of that. So the people who hired him love him and think he does a great job, and they keep coming back to him because he keeps getting stuff. - Are you like a kindly old man wearing his little sweater vest? - No, he's definitely, you know, I'm thinking like late, well, mid 30s. He's definitely comfortable, you know, in a bar in jazz clubs, in a nice restaurant. He's just an affable individual who will stab him in the back if someone pays him to. - I think what you want to go with is presents, and you want to make it high. - Okay. - I just was looking for-- - This is my command reputation and social fortitude. - That would be like one of his skills. - Right, and with a delightful robe, with 30 skill points, you could take that at, you know, superb, which is plus five. That's pretty damn high, but that would be your highest. - Right. - You would also, in mentioning your character concept, you'd also have contacts in the very high. - Right, and magic, and it's gonna be a good idea. - These are skills, and so if you're doing those other things, yeah, you have to have discipline, you have to have more, you have to have. - Go away. - Some kind of tracking or some kind of magic that allows him to track things down. - But those types of magical skills and stuff will be covered under-- - Stunts and powers, right? - That's what you're buying, as opposed to-- - Right, but we'll need the skills to do the magic. - Right. - That's why I was-- - If you put one at five, you'll need one at four, one at three, one at two, and one at one. You need, like, a tower. - Yes. - So the highest one-- - And if you want to jot this down, then you can focus on those later, 'cause I'd like to continue with the aspects. - Five. - We have 30. - Yes. - And how much do you have here? Do you have you traveled now? - Covers could be. - Okay, so then the next aspects we go on to are the phases, which is the first of those is where did you come from, your background? - You can feel free to write in all the history there. - Okay, but I can just be the aspects for tonight. - Right. - Is that what you're saying? - Okay. - The events would be, you know, I was raised by so-and-so, and so-and-so, and I was taught this, and that, and the other. And from that, you can get an aspect, and it could be an item that those people bequeathed to you. You know, I mean, it's a little bit of a story that you're pulling an ass. - For me, maybe Cleveland, like the back of his hand? - Yeah. - And he even knows this city, 'cause of his, what he means. - Maybe your dad was a taxi driver, and he used to take you around when you were a little-- - Right. - Just got to learn everything about the city, and then, you know, the city like the back of your hand. - Just so you're aware, right? - That would be an extremely positive aspect. You might want to try to work out a little bit of a negative spin to it. - Would it? - Well, I don't know, because if he shows up some more, oh, hey, London. - That's which is his name. - London? - Yeah, and everybody, London Steel. Steel being, yeah, but S-T-E-L, E-E. - Yeah, it's a pseudonym. - Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. - So it could be a bad thing, because he can't really walk anywhere and not be known. - That's just not that you know Cleveland like the back of your hand, but you know-- - Cleveland are known. - Right. - And all corners of Cleveland. - But what are musts, is this? - Musts are things you have to have for your template. If you have a template, like, where is your fourth? - Focus practitioner. - You have to, if you're focused on everything, you have to have whatever you focus on. - One type of magic. Mike, what's your history about? What's your-- - Ritual divination. - It's your mom. - So you build a history of your character, just a brief, you know, like when they were young, how they grew up, what they did, and you know, you've mentioned being mentored by William Donovan, growing up in Cleveland. What aspect came from that? You know, did he give you something? An actual item that you have that you can use? Did he give you knowledge? - Were you the boy one note to his Batman? - Possibly, yeah. I think I changed it and he's a protege of William Donovan. - So in coming back now, you're seeing things that you saw before in a totally different light, because back then you didn't see Cleveland as its evil place that you now know it is. So you might work out an aspect from that, like-- - Different eyes, you know, seeing with different eyes, or seeing with older eyes, or wiser eyes, or different from a reference, lost the rose colored glasses. - There you go. - That was a good aspect. - How did they go? - What's your history, you younger days? Born and raised in Cleveland, my father was a police officer, so-- - He was a big family. - So we went to public schools, and I was a low-income family in the city of Cleveland, which means a lot of things, if you're from Cleveland. - Okay, so what aspect can we call from that? 'Cause your father have given you knowledge or an item that you could use and find useful, that he could pass on to you. - A sense of justice. - Okay. - The desire to help those in need, which is pretty central to my character, so I live in there somewhere. - Justice is in the blood. How deep are under cover, are you? Do you look like a criminal to him? Are you a disappointment to your family name? - I am no longer a cop, and as far as he knows, I am no longer on the FBI either. - But this particular one is doing-- - Yes. - This particular aspect is dealing with your background. In being raised, what did you get out of it? Justice comes at a price. Come on, that sounds like an aspect, doesn't it? - It does, it doesn't, but I'm not. - I'm not sure it applies, but it sounds like a damn good aspect. Your father maybe paid the price of being-- - Or he's cruel. - Warhol? - Yeah, maybe. Or maybe it was the family paid the price that dad was always gone. - Freedom isn't free. - Secrets have costs, 'cause it's definitely a secret. - One of the things that I wanted from my character is a sense of ideals. - Despite all that he's been through, he still wants to see the best of the situation of people and is kind of naive in a few ways still. - I'm not sure anyone ever reinforces naivety on their children. - No, but you didn't, but you were. - And now you take comes from youth. It just, people lose it or they don't. - No, I wouldn't say you want to do an aspect of naivety. I would say that the aspect would be something along the line that is naive, which is there's good in all people. You know, something like that. - People are worth saving? - Every person is worth saving. - Every person is worth saving, that's an aspect. - Every life, whatever you like. - With those aspects in place, the next one is what shapes you. It's your character's middle history. Your high concept comes more strongly to the front. Think about your high concept and the situation that would call into sharp relief forcing him to make a choice or otherwise take decisive action. - What shape do you? - My first experience with supernatural. I guess I'm going first because this is the only one I have concrete and a deal for. - Okay. - We're on phase two. - So you're rising conflict. - Did you finish phase one? - No. - John didn't finish phase one. - Well, it's fine. - I've found the coin. - In your soldiering? - Yes. - Or did the coin find him? - Hey, it's a dangerous job because the coin someone dies, someone checks the body, think that the coin moves on. - Okay. - I thought it was sent some village in Afghanistan. - Or maybe it was kept in a very rich neighborhood in the fancy house and the house was bombed. Did the original owner was killed or are they fled? - You know, who knows? - This giant ape-like thing bursts into the battlefield and kills three of your soldiers and then you drop an artillery shell on it and then you pick up the coin for someone godly. - It could be in a slaughtered village. - Right. - Because the coin brings. - To our trouble. - Yeah. - To all the touch it. - It sounds like the coin was kind of an accident, opposed to seeking it out. - That'd probably be someone in a second phase. - Right, phase one would be what led you to be what you are in your high concept, which is the soldier. To come from a poor family and it was the only way to go. Or would you come from a family of soldiers? So you're following in the footsteps of the other? - Then I'll be the poor guy. - So you're from a poor family? - That gives me a reason to fight afterward to be vigilanting about the nasty things. - The poor weak people have to put up with a bunch of shit particularly in Cleveland. - So parents living, parents dead. - In poverty. - In a game written area, maybe. - So growing up in a poor neighborhood got you what? Knowledge of the occult, as you saw things you weren't supposed to see. - Oh bloody hell of a man. - Maybe the police raided my neighbor's house, a door house, and it turned out they were not, they were right-court or something, and they absolutely slaughtered the police, and there's things the police just can't deal with. That was, showed me that there's things the city needs help with, and that's why I took up the job. Society can't handle everything. - Or you have to do what the police can? - I need the power to do what the police can? - I already have the power to do it. - So then you go to what shaped you? The rising conflict. - Mine is information is power. I think that's my rising one, 'cause it just defines him in so many ways. Information is power. - All right, so this is phase two, but in fact it's the fourth aspect of you. - Right. - So that's a good one for you, Mike. - What shaped me? - Rising conflict will shape you. - Well having the power trying to live up to, I'm the protege of this legendary warden, trying to live up to those expectations or to that level has been very hard. - I have big shoes to fill. - You have big shoes to fill? - Yeah. - Or I was in school for the shadow, but big shoes to fill is probably a better way to say it. - Why you? - My first encounter with the crime matter all. - Well, no, what made you an FBI agent? I guess this is like the back point. - Okay. - I was a police officer. - Yes. - I encountered something supernatural. - Big deal. - Nobody in the police office would acknowledge it. - Okay. - And that was the reason I joined the FBI. - Further stepping into the rock, it's a big chain of events. - Sure. - So what aspect did you get out of? - There's something-- - Supernatural. - About the characters courage to do-- - Cannot rely on others. - All this stuff when he doesn't have the power to himself. There are people who are better suited to it. And he doesn't care. He sees the problem, so he must confront it. I wanted something along the lines of courage. - Sometimes you can't wait for backup. - If it ever became important, I wanted this aspect to substitute for true courage. If we ever face down a like program by eight fear, and it's weak to true courage, this is the aspect that I would use to harm them. But I didn't really have a name for it. - Yes. - Too brave for us, I'm good. - Yeah, too brave for your own good, could be used positively and boldly as opposed. I walk where angels fear to tread. - That's a good one. If you want to use your aspect, write it down. - Yeah. - John, this would be probably when you got the point. It gave you power, the power was used for good. So this aspect could be that, how you use the power for good at that time, or how you learn to use the power for good, spin it more into your high concept, give you more positive. - I'm too afraid you're going too negative on your aspect. - No, I don't think too negative, it's just the coin wants you to do evil things. - Right. - So maybe something about power tempting, but you don't need to even do it. That would be positive though. Power corrupts? - Absolutely, power corrupts, absolutely. - I mean, are we talking about the ends just fine means type of thing here? - Slippery slope, both of those. I guess that it would distort it so that I go through that process when I'm making decisions. - My path to hell is paved with my good intention. - No, that's acknowledging. - I don't think he's not acknowledging that. - He's not acknowledging that he's going to fail. He thinks he can control this coin. So I think the aspect should have more to do with that. How about something that says-- - I got this. - Yeah, I got this. I got this. - I'll need an aspect for temptation just so that I can get a fake point when I'm not spending one to resist. I mean, I mean, ooh, when I'm not, you know-- - I'm in control of this one, yeah. - This one, I'm just saying, I'm in control, that you're acknowledging that the power's coming, the power's from the coin, but I'm in control. So you recognize that the power's coming from the coin, but it's not changing you. And that still could be used by me to saying, no, you want to do this because you're in control. You see that this is not bad. - Control is something I control. - Okay, did everybody then do what shapes you? - Yes. - All right, so now we get into the adventures of which there are great. One is what's your first adventure and if something that would be worthy of a book. - You know, it's like your first taste of using your powers. - And then the other two are going to be you guest starring and those other people's stories. This is about a cross ties all of you together. - This is the one where we'd write it on a note card to pass it around. - What do you do? - And unfortunately, Jim's not here. I'll make up the story for Jim. - How do you do it? - And you can have a character, I know. - You know, it really doesn't matter what Jim's story is because you're going to make up a part that you took. And his, so we're just writing like a phrase or something? - Yeah, well, try to give it a title. What would you call the story that somehow describes what the story would be in a short little phrase and what your main action was in there and you got to get an aspect from it, you know? And doing that, you learned something or you got something or you achieved something or you further defined your character. I'm going to go with Jim and he can change this, of course. The story named Birthright because his character, you know, as far as he's described it to me as a black court prototype and it had something to do with him finding out a little bit about his background and maybe his aspect he got from it was, I'm more powerful than I know. He found out something about the powers that he has. He had a confrontation and he dealt with, you know, I'm not leaving Vegas, any of it. - But he dealt with a rack full of sisters. - Then throw the cards in the middle and then if anybody's got something that they want to tag onto that story, they can do it as their ex-phases. - Still struggling with your story? - No, I thought up one and I was like, "Well, maybe this, and that's a really boring story." It was maybe something happened to my father and I was like, "Well, what's my father like?" He's probably an alcoholic wife abuser. (laughing) - Wow. Maybe I killed him. - Well, that's a really short story, that's boring. - Who helped me in that? - You hold down, I'll kill him. - Well, I mean, that's the story that has potential. - At first I was like, maybe he was messed up and some gang shit and I had to rescue him or, but then he was an asshole. Sorry. And then I was like, "Maybe I killed him?" That's just. - I rescued my father from some gangs. - He's an asshole, I killed him. - The problem solved. - Oh. - Maybe you rescued your mother? - He was beating her and trying to kill him. - I wanted to, the only reason I thought of killing him was because of the darker side of the coin. Justifying things, like this kind of deserved to live. He raised me. He's worthless now. He's a wife of bees around the dark. (laughs) - Strike one or you got one? - I got one. I just, I don't know how I would tag an aspect to it, but. - I wish you a story. - I'd call it, you could banish the lady in red. Allen helped Donovan defeat a red port temptress. It was his first taste of mortal peril. Later, Allen wonders why Donovan merely banished her and instead of killing her. - Things can't be taken at face value. Things are more complicated than they seem. - This shit just got real. - The world is a messy place. - But I also wanted to kind of plant the idea that. - That first realization. - Well. - First. - Loss of innocence. - Yeah. - You always imagine, life was easier when I was younger. - Mm-hmm. - You know, you look pretty good. - No. - From the story you learned, what? Life isn't. - That it's, well, actually that the, a lot more dangerous. You think you're immortal when you're young. You're not. - You can be broken. - That can be dangerous. - Or this is his first awareness of his mortality. - Shit just got real. - Shit just got real. - Yeah, it's kind of silly, but. - It doesn't, that's a great aspect. The shit just got real. I mean, that's for your character at this place in his life, the shit just got real. - Yep. - You're in a position that you don't really want to be in searching for someone that you cared about that's missing. I mean, the shit just got real. - It is done 30, Mike? - Yeah, I'm sorry to fade. - Okay. - We can call here and then everybody finish. You don't have to stay for that. But everybody finished the story, then next time it would be just a simple cross-referencing, or we can stay here and cross-reference for the rest of us if you want, I don't know how much you want to push on, but after we finish these, the rest you're doing is skills, powers, and stunts, which does have to be done as a group. - And we can do our guest star and then he does it when he comes back. Our guest star isn't us, it's somebody else. - It's in somebody else's. - You're the guest star for this one, but you're going to be... - Actually the star, aren't I? - You're the star. You're the guest star in one other one, and well, two of them. - Right. It says guest star, but it really should say star. Starring the first one in steel. The first one, yeah. - So the phase three. It's just asking if you want to blow like that's fine, but I think we're gonna push on and finish it. - I mean, if it just is throwing it in the middle. - Well, you grab somebody else's and then... - What do you got? - It's your shit. - Do you want to be an interesting lady in the red? - Yeah, I'm just waiting in the red. - Scott, so you want to be on mine. Did you guys finish here? - You haven't signed other than mine. You're gonna put the chimps. - I'll be in the chimps. - What do you want to be in chimps? - He was, his was called birthright. His aspect is more powerful than I know, and he dealt with Rockefeller sisters and finding more about his... - Well, actually, yeah, maybe he does, because he's being tried to be such a paragon, maybe he sees people as a concept, not as individuals. So it's easy for him to hurt the little man. Doesn't see the force for the trees. Or that he's, oh, he's so busy with the greater good that he doesn't realize that he might. - So it's like even in domain, you know? It's all supposed to be for the greater good, but you're still taking old people out of their homes and demolishing them. - So that's in Jim's story, or I don't know what's best story. - My story is called the Ring of Faustus. I stole my first major artifact or magic item for a client, and my aspect was everyone likes me. 'Cause even after I did it, like even the guy stole it from, he didn't know I stole it from me, he didn't know it was me. But everyone still liked me. And he just really understood that he had a way with people, and people really like him, which is really gonna screw me in the future when you want me to go talk to somebody I really don't wanna go talk to, because he thinks that he can talk his way out of anything. Maybe everyone likes me, isn't the right aspect. But just, he really believes in his ability to be smarmy, but not smarmy. - That's charismatic. - He has a presence of five. - That's pretty charismatic. - So yes, that is, that's superb. He just, people really like him. And he's kind of amazed by it, 'cause he doesn't see himself as anything that fit. I don't know if he's got a lot of self doubt yet or not. I don't think he does just based on where he's at right now. Maybe he's starting to find some, but he's got a little organization going up to this point, so I don't think he had a lot of self doubt. He just said, "Wow, I'm really good at this." I can do magic, that's really good at one thing, divination, I can find things, and I can go get them. Or hire people that work for me to go pick up. - Maybe you bring out the best in other people. - That sounds too nice. I like it, but it doesn't sound too nice. - It's like almost a form of, it's actually kind of insidious. It's a very easy thing to be corrupted by that kind of, like look, if I can walk into any room. - Maybe that's, instead of everyone likes me, I can corrupt, because again, he's famous. - So, I can-- - Too Vince. - More like that. - You can sell it. - I can sell it. - I can sell it. I can sell it where I get a silver tongue. - Silver tongue is a good way to describe it. Then it also implies that you have to talk your way into it. This is more of a-- - It's more of a presence than you, 'cause it's not talking, it's just, I don't think so, charisma is-- - It's almost like the literature-- - The literal word of awe, like people are in awe of you. - Yeah, right. - Me. Something along that line. - Well, he does. - What command, reputation, and social fortitude? I don't really like everyone likes me, it's a week. It's that week, it's just, I don't like the phrase. - I don't think it's-- - But I'm London. And everybody likes London. - But I'm Londoners. That works for me. - Easy now. - Easy like Sunday morning. - But-- - I'm London. - I was thinking for Jim's, you might have helped him find some paperwork that he needed to trace down his lineage, and I don't know what aspect you would get from that. What I'd like to see is Scott's character has a story. And in his story, if John and Thomas are guest stars, and Scott is a guest stars and yours and Jim, he's linked to everybody. He's a guest star and yours and Jim's. Thomas and John are a guest star and his. Everybody's linked together. - And Jim is the detective. - Jim is the detective. - So one of my guest stars, it has to be Jim's. - And-- - Have to get star and Jim's. - But anyway, it works, just don't be a guest star and somebody who's a guest star and yours. Jim and Mike. - Right, so Mike, you've got the red vampire thing going on? - Yeah, but I could actually have used him to help track down the her connections and-- - Oh, guest star and Jim's and Mike's. - So if he helped-- - You're just called, what Mike? - Benishing the Lydian Red, or just called the Lydian Red. The Lydian Red Queen. - And Jim's was called Birthright. And you helped him find the paper trail that proved that he was adopted or whatever, the storyline. And then I don't know what aspect you want to get from that. - The Lydian Red Court, Jim's was-- - Birthright. - Birthright. - Here's mine so far. I'm the amoral seer to the supernatural. Everything has a price. Rising star of the underworld. Information is power, but I'm London. That's what I've got so far. - Okay, Thomas, do you have a story? - Hi, I'm looking for a rare toy. - As an FBI officer, I was investigating the man in subway looking for a girl who had been lost. And there was some heavy supernatural overtones. Most people believed dead. Went in there with the conductor, that's my guy, and found a corpse along with some monsters gnawing on it. - Okay, see an aspect of it? - I got separated and lost by myself. I chose can't do this on my own because my character just can't do this kind of thing by himself. He needed someone's help to get up. - All right, so-- - It wasn't-- - It was a warrant, so Mike, you're in Thomas's story. - Okay, you got a title? - Title? - All right, journey in the dark, maybe. - Journey in the dark. Got something to do with the conductor and the underground subway. - Or lost innocence. - Lost innocence, that's not like that. - Get both of you and the girl. - What you thought was on a story, do you have one? - Billing rejected one? - I don't know what I want for an aspect. - I can't make a story in-- - Don't you give me an aspect that you want? And we'll see if we can make a story out of it. - Just don't know, I'm kind of done. - Sometimes you get burned out, that's fine. - We can deal with this at a later time. So with that, we'll call up a night and we'll resume next week before we sleep. (upbeat music) - Thanks for listening to the Knights of the Night actual play podcast. Visit kotnpodcast.com for more information on this and other adventures, where you will find character stats, photos, storytelling, perhaps in even a forum for comments and suggestions, or you could email us directly at feedback at kotnpodcast.com, or contact us via Twitter or leave a message on Facebook. All music for this podcast was created and performed by Zen Audio Smith. If you'd like custom professional music created for your podcast or business, please visit zenaudiosmith.com And please join us next episode for more mystery and adventure. (upbeat music) - We are the good guys, right? (laughing) We got a black denary and we got a lot of cord right here. - This is the good guys. - I'm like Marilyn and the monsters here, it's just.