For our first session of the Free Accra Campaign, character creation proceeded in phases using an approach borrowed from FATE-based RPG systems. In each phase, each player told a story about their character’s background, and from that story derived one or more Aspects. Two of the five phases required players to involve other players’ characters in their story.
Arregh Boenval (Chris)
Arregh is a Vargr from the close-knit community of Boenval (aka “Boneville”). Arregh is also a well-placed lieutenant in the military junta. He is generally proud of his success and position, believes in the goals of the junta, and has fully supported suppression of the protestors. On the other hand, Arregh is greatly troubled by the false honor and corruption that he’s seen in the military government. It’s troubled him to such a degree that on one occasion he took matters in to his own hands. Colonel Cobb (Joel) has an idea of what happened, but so far has been willing to keep the secret. Arregh also has some family secrets that can be difficult for him in the nationalistic Vargr community.
One of the events that troubled Arregh was when he was ordered to arrest Kno Moon (David). Arregh knew that Kno had no connection to the protesters.
Skills & Talents: military focused
Sample Aspects:
Morphin (Jose)
Morphin is human and psionic. Morphin is a member of a community of psionics who fled persecution by the Third Imperium. While psionics are not treated harshly in this area of space, because of their history, Morphin’s community prefers to be secretive about their talents. To the outside, they appear as a school of martial arts. Morphin’s individual psionic talents manifest as the ability to manipulate machines and computers with his mind.
Morphin recently found himself in the area of a student protest and the subject of a beating by police officers. Zh’kath (Ben) realized Morphin was an innocent bystander and convinced the police to stop (Morphin does not know this). After the police left Morphin, Atrika (Eric) found him and helped care for his wounds.
Skills & Talents: psionics, brawling, athletics
Sample Aspects:
Zh’kath (Ben)
Zh’kath is a Graken, very large, cat-like creatures who generally prefer solitary intellectual pursuits. Zh’kath was in the Graken version of the military academy but failed out and is now travelling to pursue his fortune. Zh’kath is clairvoyant and telepathic. He is also currently employed by the junta government but is not necessarily a supporter, and in fact, is beginning to question the wisdom of working for them.
Zh’kath helped rescue Morphin (Jose) from a police beating. Leaving his home, he was given a ride off the planet by Kno (David).
Skills & Talents: psionics, combat, security
Sample Aspects:
Colonel Cobb (Joel)
Cobb is human and a native of Accra. He grew up under the shadow of an abusive military father. As his father wished, Cobb joined the Marines, but to get back at his father, he became a doctor. Cobb has a short temper and a cruel streak.
Cobb has an idea that Arregh (Chris) was involved in his superior’s death, but doesn’t care to pursue it as he’s not fond of Vargr anyway.
At one of the protests, Cobb came to the rescue of Atrika (Eric) and severely beat the officer who was beating her. The government, not wanting to acknowledge the violent response of the police, but succumbing to the political pressure of those police, forced Cobb to retire from the Marines.
Skills & Talents: combat, surgery
Sample Aspects:
Atrika Van der Berg (Eric)
Atrika was born to a Solomani mother and a Vilani father, and was raised in a small commune on another planet. When she was 9 years old, that commune was attacked by Kafoe and her father was killed and the rest of the family held hostage. Military from The Old Worlds rescued the colony and the survivors were resettled on Accra.
For a while, Atrika’s mother became hooked on Shik, but she eventually kicked the habit and began working to help other addicts, as well as speaking out against government collusion with the drug trade. Perhaps not surprisingly, this got her mother killed.
Artrika went to college on a scholarship for commune survivors, studied mechanical engineering, and is now finishing up a graduate degree in chemical engineering. She’s become active in the anti-junta protests. At one protest, she helped care for an injured Morphin (Jose). At another, she was rescued by Col. Cobb (Joel).
Skills & Telents: engineering, persuasion, criminal contacts
Sample Aspects:
Kno Moon (Me– NPC)
Kno is an expatriate Solomani who settled on Accra after an extensive career in the Solomani Scout Service. He does not have diplomatic immunity but does have a certain status, as he is on detached duty. Kno was planning a peaceful retirement but apparently chose the wrong planet. He was arrested at the orders of Arregh (Chris), apparently for his connection to offworld political influences. He knows Zh’kath from a visit to the Graken home world.
Skills & Talents: politics & economics, empathy, astrogation
Sample Aspects: