(Back after time off for real life, and I have a bunch of draft posts from February that I didn’t finish and publish at the time. Since then, the final version of the T2Kv4 Kickstarter that I late backed has dropped and so I’m reading through it and pretty quickly decided to use it for my solo T2K game. So this guy is adapted from the V1 rules using the v4 ruleset.)
Thomas L Foote is a 23 year old Cavalry Scout, ranked SGT in a motorised unit attached to the US 4-12 Mechanised Cavalry of the 5th Division’s Recon Brigade. He was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. Thomas worked as a courier before enlisting when war broke out.
Using UNE (Universal NPC Emulator) by Zach Best to roll up some of Thomas’ backstory and character, we generate the following descriptors: “A sinful warrior who operates happiness, obtains pride, and suppresses lies.“
“Sinful warrior” Thomas is the kind of soldier who fully embraces the idea that the end justifies the means. More so than the average soldier, Thomas understands that to stay alive in the Twilight War morals are too expensive a luxury. Thomas does not share other soldiers’ feelings about things and acts that are held to be disgraceful and shameful.
“Operates happiness” Thomas seeks to control and manage the happiness of others as well as his own. It could be a moral balance to the darker side of his character, that he makes an effort to lift the others in his group and keep spirits high. It could just as likely be a way of distracting others from some of the things that he does / has done, focusing them on drinking and partying as a way of avoiding too much scrutiny of his own actions elsewhere.
“Obtains pride” Pride is very much prevailing in Thomas’ world, and he likes to do and gather things that make him feel big and important. A typical thing for Thomas to do would be to make a big deal of throwing a party and laying on some improvised treats and then for weeks and months afterwards reminding everyone about just who made it happen.
“Supresses truth/lies” Thomas is good at preventing the dissemination of information, both true and false, with his general sceptical attitude. The unfortunate side-effect is that he treats everything as if it is equally true/untrue, arguing that the group doesn’t have enough information to be sure either way. This is often his cue to ‘go and find out’ and use his Scouting skills to gain information and put himself at an advantage over his group. The big problem is that even when Thomas finds out the truth, he won’t return and share his information. Rather, he keeps as much of his intelligence to himself as he can in order to remain important and powerful.
This guy is in danger of getting the group killed, or worse, if he isn’t reined in.
Next up I’m going to use SOLO by Paul Elliott to generate some background for Thomas. Let’s see if his three Life Events will confirm some of the secrets and mystery of his past:
- Thomas once helped the boss out, and now the boss owes him a big favour. OK, this might be one of the reasons that Thomas enjoys a bit of a free rein in the group, because the boss cuts him some slack due to the owed favour. I’m not sure how much longer Thomas can live off of this favour though until he has either used it up or burned that bridge by getting the group into trouble with his prideful ego games and despicable actions.
- Thomas had to flee his home as a kid, due to him falling foul of a ruthless local drug gang. It feels likely that Thomas was up to some of his despicable stuff, perhaps with some of the gang’s family, or maybe Thomas broke the codes that even a lot of criminals hold to..
- Thomas made a powerful friend in the military. This makes sense in terms of how Thomas has managed to avoid censure and reproach for his more shameful acts. It’s easier to get your cowardice overlooked when you have someone above you looking out for you who will let you off the hook.
Well, that was another interestingly complex character who is full of apparent contradictions.
OK, after rolling up Thomas’ stats (below) using the v1 rules and then adapting him with the new v4 ruleset, and thinking about his background, I’ve made him a Cavalry Scout SGT. The terrible things that he does are things like saving himself and leaving others to die (think Shane from The Walking Dead) and engineering the capture or deaths of allies so that he can gain their supplies and gear; killing women and children indiscriminately in battle; executing all survivors to cover up something else that he has done; etc. Not a nice guy at all.
Stat development: (v1 stats modified using the v4 conversion rules)
- Strength (STR) B
- Agility (AGL) C
- Intelligence (INT) C
- Empathy (EMP) D
Skills (v4 rules):
- Childhood – working class
- Tech D (Specialism: Mchanic)
- TO BE COMPLETED
- Original v1 Stats:
- Fitness 16
- Agility 8
- Constitution 13
- Stature 5
- Intelligence 7
- Education 10
- TOTAL: 59
- Strength 10
- HITS: Head 13 Chest 28 Others 18
- Weight 60kg (about 132lbs)
- Load 28kg
- Throw Range 20m
- Military Experience 8
- Time In Combat 26 months
- Coolness Under Fire 4
- RADS 29
- Age 23
- Rank SGT Armour (Cavalry Scout)
- Army US
- Nationality American
- Native Language LNG(English)100
- Military Skill Points 320
- Education Skill Points 200
- Background Skill Points 300
Skills:
-