Ex Stasis Games

Here we are on Day 3 of TardisCaptain’s #CharacterCreationChallenge. This time, we’re off to the end of the world for Dead Air: Seasons, by World Anvil Publishing. It’s both zombie- and eco-horror, with strong influence from The Last Of Us and The Girl With All The Gifts, which happen to be some of my favourite apocalypses. This is a story-focused game, so character creation should be… pretty rapid. I’m hoping.

Let’s Do This

There’s no character creation overview, but there is a form-fillable character sheet, so on balance – fine.

Step 1: Concept

Oh boy, third game in and this is the first one that’s actually explicitly asked me to start with a character concept. Which is fair enough, but it flags up something important: you have to have fully read this book to know what factors limit your concept (it’s set ten years after the apocalypse; you should be playing someone who was alive then, and adult or close to it – these are actually explained in a sidebar in Step 2, and should probably be addressed here in Step 1). I probably wouldn’t have snagged on this before this challenge, but it’s fair to assume that not all players have read the book in full. Which turns into a design note for me: make sure character creation explains everything.

Fortunately, I have read this book before, so I’m good.

Right. Concept.

I’m going to play an ex-lawyer. Someone who started the apocalypse with approximately no useful skills (or so you’d think) and who’s had to figure a lot of shit out on the fly – he’s become a hell of a scavenger. Dead Air’s a very community-focused game, so I think this lad’s niche is in striving to make sure communities are healthy and well-governed.

I shall summarise this as “Lawyer turned scavenger – and watchdog.”

Step 2: Descriptors

This step turns that concept into four useable traits that will provide advantages in play. Each one should come with a drawback.

1. Yesterday’s World: A public defender with a strong sense of fairness, and no ability to overlook a wrong.
2. Along the Way: Learned to scavenge and trade what he found for assistance.
3. Today’s World: A scavenger and trader, with a reputation for fairness.
4. Tomorrow’s World: “We can rebuild.” Maybe not the same way, but humanity can get back to a society ruled by principles, fairness and – maybe – compassion.

Now I translate these into first person statements:

• I was a lawyer – I made sure justice was done.
• I can see through bullshit to what actually matters (I’m hopeful this descriptor applies both to scavenging and to social encounters)
• I make good deals (as a trader)
• I can see the forest for the trees (to reflect a strategic view, and a sense of where communities might end up)

And I add the Descriptors’ downside:

• I was a lawyer – and sometimes I forget the old rules don’t apply
• I can see through bullshit to what actually matters, but I’m quick to dismiss things I believe aren’t important
• I make good deals, so that’s my first solution to any problem
• I can see the forest for the trees, and if I see a problem I can’t let it slide

These go onto the character sheet (and I discover the text fields are too short for them and the font doesn’t resize to accommodate. Argh.)

Step 3: Archetypes

I pick two, and I really like this feature. It makes sure players have multifaceted characters who aren’t locked into a one-dimensional trope. I grab:

• Manipulator (“communication as a primary weapon”)
• Explorer (“move and survive in hostile environments”)

Leader was right there, but it’s too close to Manipulator for my taste, and Solomon (oh look, he’s acquired a name) had to learn to survive on his own, picking through dangerous abandoned places, so he’s picked up some relevant skills.

Step 4: Gifts

These come from Archetypes, or from a generic list, and I pick one derived from each Descriptor. Each one generates a resource called Soma – essentially a flexible “desperation” pool that you can use to gain bonuses on dice rolls or (I think) to activate some Gifts. The better a Gift is likely to be, the less Soma it generates. This is really elegant: you can run on reliable powers, or luck.

There are also Goal Gifts, that aren’t initially mentioned as a list you can pick from, but are covered in the Gifts chapter itself as a useful list to pick a Gift based on the Tomorrow’s World Descriptor.

I pick:

• Eyes on the World, which makes me good at figuring out people’s motivations and relationships. (2 Soma)
• Observer, understanding the nuances of any situation and spotting details. (3 Soma)
• Merchant, which is… uh… deal making. And also resource sourcing. (2 Soma)
• Devotee, which gives me experience if I convince someone to act in accordance with my principles. (3 Soma)

Step 5: Attributes

There are five attributes, and three possible point spreads. I choose Focused: Sol’s got particular strengths, but not too many weaknesses (because those strengths would not have kept him alive, if he had serious attribute weaknesses).

• Body: 2
• Reaction: 2
• Mind: 4
• Presence: 4
• Determination: 3

Step 6: Equipment

I have to choose one piece of Iconic Equipment, which means something to Sol and is a marker of his life before the Blight. These are meant to be useful but not game-defining. The example characters have jackets and a mirror, but there’s mention elsewhere that the Iconic Equipment might also be a weapon. Sol’s is:

A utility knife he was given at a stupid corporate retreat. It seemed so irrelevant at the time, but it’s saved his life more times than he can count. It’s his sign that there is a link between the world as it was, and what it is now.

Steps 7&8: Introduction and Bonds

These rely on other players, so… I’m not doing them.

And with that, Sol’s done. I’m… relatively happy with him. I would, ideally, have liked more prompts. It’s very easy to make a Dead Air character who’s too loosely, or too sharply, defined – but I think there’s enough here for me to figure out the rest of Sol in play. I know what he’s about, and the game’s Crises (scenarios) should push him in interesting directions.

Next up is a solo game – and how many solo games do you know that actually do character creation? Read it here.