Motivations

[vegascat]

Here is a system I use for new characters to give them a bit of difference. Players get to draw a card from a normal card deck sometime during character generation. It has made for some interesting times.


Secret motivation cards

Ace Spade - Sorag undercover spy, mind controled by real Zhodani spy
King Spade - Military renown, destroyed overpowering enemy fleet
Queen Spade- Romance with Zhodani spy
Jack Spade - Friends in high places, Owed favor by Zhodani ambasador
10 Spade - Know location of hidden treasure, burried on enemy planet
9 Spade - Draw two more cards
8 Spade - Know location of hidden treasure, Pheonix weapons site
7 Spade - Experimental combat drug changed stats permanently, +2 Dex -1 Str -1 End
6 Spade - Known by all three names i.e. Lee Harvey Oswald
5 Spade - Vital information given to an enemy power
4 Spade - Trained Zhodani set to set up PSI institutes in Imperium
3 Spade - Slave born of slaves
2 Spade - Friends in low places, born in crime family

Ace Club - Sorag undercover spy, real spy
King Club - Military renown, Part of a very sucsessful deep penetration raid
Queen Club - Romance with 3D drama queen or ⌧ star
Jack Club - Friends in high places, Saved member of Megacorp dirctors family
10 Club - Know location of hidden treasure, abandoned ship in excentric orbit
9 Club - Wrote a well known book, Royalties set at 50K Cr per year
8 Club - Has full knowledge of Darrian Star Trigger
7 Club - Experimental combat drug changed stats permanently, +2 End -1 Str -1 Dex
6 Club - Same name as a famous assassin
5 Club - Was a P.O.W.
4 Club - Has psionic power to know when someone is using psionics nearby
3 Club - Sold into slavery by parents
2 Club - Friends in low places, romanced by crime lord

Ace Diamond - IBIS undercover spy
King Diamond - Military renown, resecued a royal family member
Queen Diamond - Romance with royal family member
Jack Diamond - Friends in high places, Saved member of Dukes family
10 Diamond - Know location of hidden treasure
9 Diamond - Was famous child 3D star, until puberty, all money gone
8 Diamond - Has full knowledge of how to counterfit Imperial currency
7 Diamond - Experimental combat drug changed stats permanently, +2 Str -1 End -1 Dex
6 Diamond - Nieghbors always describe you as "such a nice boy"
5 Diamond - Participated in a military massecre
4 Diamond - Know location of a Psionics institute
3 Diamond - Adopted/bought ou of slavery
2 Diamond - Friends in low places, saved crme lords life

Ace Heart - Spy for Grandfather
King Heart - Military renown, survived an alamo with honor intact
Queen Heart - True love is different spieces
Jack Heart - Friends in high places, related to sector Grand Admiral
10 Heart - Know location of hidden treasure
9 Heart - Raised on world with signifigantly different moral standards than imperial norm
8 Heart - Has full knowledge of how black globes works
7 Heart - Grandfather is following your exploits
6 Heart - Family member was famous traitor
5 Heart - Witness of massecre
4 Heart - Trained in secret in psionics by a parent
3 Heart - Slave born, escaped
2 Heart - Friends in low places, Hold evidence against crime lord

Big Joker - Known bastard child of Imperial Royalty
Little Joker - Unacknowledged bastard child of Imperial Royalty

 

[flykiller]

Thanks, these are great and might prove helpful with certain players.

 

[Straybow]

Oooo, some of those are… nasty tricks to set up a player

Didn't you say you rigged a deck to make everyone draw Ace of Spades to set them against each other?

 

[vegascat]

Amazing things can be done with magic card decks that can be aquired in Las Vegas.

I found that some of the draws can give a player that is imagination challenged a bit of extra help to kick start the rotting grey matter.

The problems come when a player tries to munchkin out a character with an interesting draw. Think backfire.

 

[Badbru]

Allways the first step in character generation in my games, reguardless of experience/inexperience of the player is to have them draw two cards as per the TNE NPC motivations chart. This gives them an instant framework to build a character on reguardless of which chargen system you use, though more usefull in a system where you have some choice over the skills you gain. I run a TNE game though often use MT chargen extended system if it has an appropriate career for the player to use. Player's are free to use or not use the cards they draw but my feedback on this has been universally possitive even from those that then go on to play the char not quite as the cards would have suggested.

 

[Straybow]

Oh. Didn't realize this was a modification of an existing table.

Still interesting

 

[vegascat]

actually, the table was created completely separate from the NPC motination chart. It is to be used in place of or in addition to any motivation system.

 

[tjoneslo]

I've seen a similar kind of thing using Tarot decks. I had one DM who would do a full tarot reading on your character when you started then game. Since they had some really wacked interpertations of the cards, the campaign turned out a little scary.