Aaaaaaaargh! Not another one with the character generation complexity complex!
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Aaaaaaaargh! Not another one with the character generation complexity complex!
Every procedure for getting a cat to take a pill works fine -- once.
Like the Borg, they learn...
-- (Terry Pratchett, alt.fan.pratchett)
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Styro, Liz:
Have you checked out Patrick Goodman's character creation example? It's quite good.
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"Doug, at the keyboard, his fingers bleeding" (with thanks to Moriarti)
In D&D3E, Abyssal is not the language of evil vacuum cleaners.
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Character Generation Example
Also, just keep in mind that the basic steps are:
[list=1][*]Determine Attributes (Chapter 4)[*]Choose Species (Chapter 2)[*]Choose Species Skills (Sidebar, page 85)[*]Choose Personal Development Package (Chapter 5)[*]Choose Profession and Professional Ability (Chapter 3)[*]Choose Professional Development Package (Chapter 5)[*]Determine Reactions, Defense, etc. (Chapter 8)[*]Apply any Advancements as needed (Chapter 9)[/list=1]
Hope those help.
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"Doug, at the keyboard, his fingers bleeding" (with thanks to Moriarti)
In D&D3E, Abyssal is not the language of evil vacuum cleaners.
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BTW, thanks, Doug, for the new update on the dec message boards. That's exactly what I was talking about.
Praise and adulation unto thee! May all your products be bestsellers, your children be beautiful geniuses, and your life be full of days, riches, and honor! ( forgot to add 'glory' there, so I'm adding it here). You rule!
There now, does that almost make up for all the bitchin' and moanin' I've been doing?
"It's hard being an evil genius when everybody else is so stupid" -- Quantum Crook
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Doug wrote that the basid steps were:
"1. Determine Attributes (Chapter 4)
2. Choose Species (Chapter 2)
3. Choose Species Skills (Sidebar, page 85)
4. Choose Personal Development Package (Chapter 5)
5. Choose Profession and Professional Ability (Chapter 3)"
I'm not sure why this appears to be the single biggest source of confuson about character generation, but technically you're supposed to determine attributes after chosing your species and profession.
Why is that?
First, your species tells you what bonuses and penalties your character gets. Isn't it useful to know you get a +2 to strength, and so can put that 10 elsewhere? That was certainly the intent.
Second, your profession tells you what attributes are important to your character. This way, you don't put a 12 in Agility when you really need it in Intellect.
The whole idea of putting attributes third was that you didn't have to do a lot of re-assigning and recalculation based on species and profession choices. And yet it seems to be the source of a lot of confusion......
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Ross, I think that while you are correct, Star Trek RPG is rare in that it actually presents the material in that order (attributes third). This might be what's confusing.
Of course we actually have an idea of our species and profession before we roll up our stats. But just about every character sheet in every RPG lists the attributes at or near the top of the page....so, naturally, IMO, we tend to think attributes first.
Presented with the material in the "proper" order, we, the players have to actually reprogram our conscious mindset to the layout.
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"Frightened? My dear, you are looking at a man who has laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe! I was petrified."
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Actually, Ross, it makes perfect sense to me to make a character as the book is organized, but then, as a playtester, I got used to the idea early on.Originally posted by RIsaacs
The whole idea of putting attributes third was that you didn't have to do a lot of re-assigning and recalculation based on species and profession choices. And yet it seems to be the source of a lot of confusion......
However, the confusion you mentioned is but one of the reasons I suggest doing your attributes first. The other is that I've found it's easier for a lot of folks to do the development of their skills by the stage most relevant to it (Personal and Species Skills with Species, Professional with Profession) than near the end of the process. And to do that, one needs know his attributes before or right after determining his species.
Former Decipher RPG Net Rep
"Doug, at the keyboard, his fingers bleeding" (with thanks to Moriarti)
In D&D3E, Abyssal is not the language of evil vacuum cleaners.
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Maybe I'm just a game-rule genius (it would be the only thing I am a genius at) but I pretty much figured out the process the first time through. I made a couple of mistakes, which I then went back and corrected, but by now I have made probably 20 characters between Trek and LOTR. I did find the flipping back and forth to determine reactions a bit annoying, but had no problem with the process itself.
If someone would like help with making a character, e-mail me at Allensh@yahoo.com and I'll try to help you out. I can even pop onto #TrekRPG and discuss it there if need be.
Allen
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