Ex Stasis Games

Day 5 of #CharacterCreationChallenge is a game I have owned for literally years, and gone through multiple phases of being very interested in and deeply uninterested in. It’s Thirsty Sword Lesbians!

The main reason I dip out of being interested is because, honestly, I don’t play women often. It’s a whole gender dysphoria thing. That, and I’m ace. But the dysphoria’s not hitting too hard at the moment, so I’m going to strike while the iron is hot. Plus, I’ve got a soft spot for characters with flair, panache, and swords.

Let’s Do This

TSL is Powered by the Apocalypse, so it runs on playbooks with a few key choices to be made. I am not, overall, a big fan of PbtA but that’s another post. I am a fan of quick and colourful character generation. I like playbooks.

This character creation process is only four steps long, and one of those steps is relationships with the other characters (who do not exist), so I don’t even need to do all of those.

Quick sidebar – the art direction in TSL is by Trivia Fox, who I was lucky enough to work with a couple of times at Renegade Game Studios. Man, she’s good. The range of situations and diversity of characters on display in TSL is a joy.

Step 1: Choose Playbook

I’m going into this no thoughts, head empty. I want to see how quickly I can whip up a character I’ll have fun playing, and causing DRAMA with. So I’m just going to pick the playbook that appeals most.

Each playbook comes with a summary of what the character does and their central conflict – the kind of stories they’re great at telling. I’m a creature of habit so I’m picking The Scoundrel:

“The Scoundrel is a hero of action and intense physicality. Their sword fights are punctuated by banter and flirtation and end in kisses as often as they end in bloodshed.

Their central conflict lies in their urge to explore new horizons versus committing to purpose or security.”

What’s that? A flashy, dangerous loose cannon looking for a cause but unable to commit? Yeah, that’s the good shit.

Interlude: Setting

TSL doesn’t have a fixed setting, so let’s pretend I’m making this character for a specific campaign. And let’s pretend it’s somewhere between Rose of Versailles and Revolutionary Girl Utena: set at a training academy for elite swordspersons, against a backdrop of a decadent kingdom on the verge of revolution (with a fun rococo aesthetic!).

Step 2: Fill in Playbook

Now, there’s a thing about playbooks that I do not enjoy. They’re often presented with character art, and there’s something weird about looking at a character sheet with a person drawn on who is not mine. I’d love to see some playbooks with space for character art instead.

Anyway, onwards.

Name first, for once. Danae. When in doubt I go with something classical. She/her pronouns because I’m going to damn well commit to this. I choose:

• Eyes only for you, because she’s radiant, and when her attention’s on you it feels special.
• A gaudy costume, because this is 11/10 rococo. There’s flowers, gold braid, and so much shape and colour.
• And a flashy sword, to match.

Danae is very much the rakish, flirtatious, primadonna of this academy.

For her stats, I choose the array that gives me +1 Daring and Grace, for that fabulously flashy fencing, and -1 Wit. Makes sense. She has no danger sense. It does mean her “witty” repartee is… not as good as she thinks it is, which removes some roleplaying pressure.

I get to add +1 to two stats, so I’m going all in: +2 Daring, +2 Grace.

I didn’t even look at the playbook’s moves before I chose it, but it comes through: fall in love fast, identify why it would never work, spit witty comebacks (even if they’re not always objectively clever) and taunt enemies, and do ridiculously daring stunts.

I start with two core playbook moves:

• Lust At First Sight, which means I fall in love fast (at a cost, giving the recipient power over me) and fall out of love with anyone who doesn’t have power over me. Heh. The enemies to lovers arcs are going to come thick and fast.
• Shiny and New, which means I’m best at giving Emotional Support with new people. Fall in and out of love real fast, again.

I also pick Fools Rush In, which pays out when I do reckless, daring things, and Impressive Swordplay, which makes people fall for me when I’m fighting flawlessly.

Steps 3&4: Introductions and Relationships

I don’t have any other players to do this with, so I can’t do these steps. But I like that the advice for introducing your character is to tell the other players everything, secrets and all. I enjoy when a game keeps up a dialogue between players, and secrets are maintained between characters. That’s how you get an ensemble, baby.

Well, that was quick. Maybe half an hour? And I’ve got a flashy bastard with a pearly grin and no sense of self-preservation, ready to fall in love with a series of increasingly pretty faces. I get to swashbuckler, and that’s really all I need to be happy.