Character Background Hooks

[kurtis]

I've been working on a list of sample scifi character 'heritage' idea hooks, that are intended to flesh out and inspire players' character concepts. They don't have to include gamist crunch (although that's cool too), just an idea seed that colors the character's early childhood background and reinforces the scifi nature of the game. Although potentially related to homeworld mods, it doesn't have to be tied directly to homeworld stats (in fact, that's where I need the most help).

The list isn't intended to be exhaustive or finite, since I will encourage my players to make up their own if they like. I'm brainstorming for more, but I only have a few so far, and I'd appreciate any other ideas y'all may have.

This is also related to recent discussions of lifepath development for Traveller here.

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Even Enerii: your character was born into an average, unremarkable lifestyle.

Spacebrat: your character grew up in space habitation environments, such as a spacecraft, belter colony or highport.

Eugenic: your character was conceived and raised under tight genetic protocols, as the result of planned social control.

Low-G Adaption: your character is adapted to a slightly lower than normal gravity environment, down to 50% of normal (.5G for Humaniti).

High-G Adaption: your character is adapted to slightly higher than normal gravity environment, up to 150% of normal (1.5G for Humaniti).

Wolfling: your character was born into a low-tech barbarian society, and is acclimated to the extremes of nature.

Future Now: your character was raised in a high-tech paradise, and is acclimated to an extreme automation lifestyle.

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Thanks heaps!

 

[Piper]

Changeling: your character's parents were diplomats/researchers/traders and you were raised in a culture of a different race (eg. human among Aslan)

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Tarzan/Mowgli: your character's parents were killed, and the character was raised by members of that different race.

 

[jonathonbarton]

Creche: You were raised in a group of other children your own age, with limited contact with Adults of your race and have an unusual concept of "Family".

 

[kafka47]

Asimov's Solarian: You are raised by robots bound by the 3 laws of robotics in total isolation from the rest of the human race save through a view screens.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Noble: You are born into a world of privilege, and high education, luxury, and wealth. You are of the social elite, the fashion/ trend setters.

Poverty: Your are born into destitution, hunger, and want. Its a dog-eat-dog world, and everyone's short of dog biscuits there.

Feudal-Technocratic: Your society is based on the value of your expertise in some facet or skills. Your value to the society is based how much you know, and contribute to the whole group/ company/ world. You owe your loyalty to those who know more/ do more than you.

Military Brat: Your parents were Service people for [world/ Imperium/ what have you] and grow up moving from place to place around military installations.

Colonist: Your parents were part of a group of settlers to a new world/ planet/ system.

Good topic!

 

[kafka47]

Noble: You are born into a world of privilege, and high education, luxury, and wealth. You are of the social elite, the fashion/ trend setters.

Poverty: Your are born into destitution, hunger, and want. Its a dog-eat-dog world, and everyone's short of dog biscuits there.

Laim, as you can see when you place these together on the post...we get the classic Prince & Pauper scenario (a la Twain) did you have any members of the Imperial Family. Lucan would be a nice candidate in the Rebellion era which would account for his pathological insanity and immaturity. Whereas, the real Lucan was merely a spoiled brat the Pauper wants revenge. As the old Russian expression goes: "Nobody makes worst masters than former slaves."

 

[Liam Devlin]

Kafka47:

That wasn't my intent, but your point is well taken.

Also, in my experience of Traveller gaming, there was always one or two nobleman in the party, and the rest of we 'lower classes.'
so puttng the opposite life path right after the first was my intention here.

Yes, the rags n riches parable is well illustrated by Mr Clemens tale. Haven't thought of it in Lucan context tho.

Interesting take on it, I daresay.

 

[kurtis]

Great help, guys! I appreciate it. I've been chasing my tail on ideas for this; on one hand the easy stuff are pretty thin cliches that would apply to any genre adventure (Farm Hand, City Slicker, etc.), and on the other are rich, but possibly overspecific hard scifi character ideas. For example, kafka's Solarian idea has a lot of merit, but I doubt many or any of my players are familiar with that source.

I've also been pondering how to tie this into chargen mechanics -- I'd like to give my players the opportiny to pick a few skill ranks for their 'childhood' term (roughly, human ages 1 - 12).

I think what I'll do is make a picklist of avaible 'heritage' skills and benefits, and then ask the players to justify their picks by either using one of my sample backgrounds, or coming up with one their own. (As much as I like classic random elements in Traveller chargen, my players aren't big fans, so I plan to offer both random and non-random lifepath navigation.)

Thanks heaps for the ideas!

 

[Badbru]

Not quite the same as Kafkas idea but two player characters in my current game (brother & sister twins) were essentially schooled by a trio of hobbyist strain robots during their teenage years as part of a detailed Ref/Player character generation process.

 

[GBoyett]

Space Gypsy: Character grew up in a society of interstellar nomads. For them a scoutship, freighter, or large mothership is home.

Advantages: Regularly have experience with EVA, vacc suits, and shipboard tech. Some space gypsy may even have gene-mods to help with zero-g or radiation.

Disadvantages: The nomadic life develop a clannish "Us v. Them" attitude towards outsiders.

Some space gypsy can have a fear of open spaces (agoraphobia) when on a planet without any vaccsuit or protection.

 

[Theo D Lite]

Corporate/Zaibatsu - Kind of a combination of creche and fudal-technocratic. Your family are lifetime employees of a mega corp. The mega corp provides cradle to grave support in the place of government social services. They educate you for a pre determined role in the corporate machine. To leave would bring disgrace to your parents possible demotion if they are still working or reduction in benefit if they are now retired (smaller apartment, lower income etc) and could harm the prospects of any children or siblings.

The goal of a corporate/zaibatsu person is to achive a higher position for their children through their own respect and work.

Very Japanese in concept taken from William Gibson and others.