Character Counts

## **Where Art *Specifically* Imitates Life**

The process of character creation is designed to do *exactly* that.

Stage One, the background, forms the base from which an alter ego will emerge. This is the appearance and background of the character. In there should be the motivation, or circumstances, that led the person to look for the high-speed/low-drag life.

You may draw inspiration or character models from any source. Many people new to role playing do well to draw from characters that are already well established in their mind. The caveat: it sometimes helps to create a character that's going to fit the mood of the setting.

Is this high adventure? For modern-day adventures, feel free to throw in some Indiana Jones or Marion Ravenwood, or maybe even Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt. Maybe your adventurer hails from the east side of the Pond, in some version of Lara Croft or Allan Quatermain.

Cops and criminals? John McClane is the seminal good-guy action hero. Cargo-loader turned alien-killer? You can't beat the tough competence of Ellen Ripley.

## Danny Coulson

The original Agent Coulson

One of our personal favorites, a true real-life hero, is Danny Coulson. He's the founder of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team – and, we firmly believe – the inspiration for one of our favorite fictional characters, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Agent Phil Coulson.

If the campaign is leaning spies and commandoes, try a sample of the literary James Bond as an alternative to the cinematic version. A little-known American answer was created in the character of Mack Bolan (Don Pendelton's “men’s adventure” master of mayhem). Frank Castle, a.k.a. "The Punisher," would be a formidable template – though if we're going there, we're definitely calling up Natasha Romanoff for the team.

But *Speculation* leans on simulation, so who would be solid real-world role models? Check out Dick Marcinko, founder of SEAL Team 6, or Charlie Beckwith, founder of the US Delta Force. Check out Danny Coulson (see the infobox, just to the right). Anne Dawson did phenomenal work behind enemy lines and I understand David Stirling was rather resourceful as well...

Regardless of the originality of your creation, the character's motivation to be an adventurer should be strong, even all-consuming. Think about that for a second. What stops you, the player, from purchasing a gun, quitting your job, and stowing away on a tramp steamer to Rangoon? What, you don't want to leave your wife or husband or your comfy, salaried gig? Allergic to bullets? *Okay then*...

### **Speculation as an Operations Simulator**

***Semper Gumby***

If designing a scenario to be used as a tabletop exercise, there are a million strategies that can be employed depending on the circumstances. On average, the more *consistent* results come from generic characters piloted through a sanitized scenario. More *honest* results come from specific players recreated for a specific scenario.

There are a list of typical archetypes, from the average bystander to the average first responder in a major metropolitan area. These can be used stock or modified as needed to better reflect specific team members if this is a rehearsal (or a forensic re-creation).

For granular player simulation, the character generation rules have certain metrics to the physical attributes and may be tailored to reflect the particular strengths and areas of improvement for each team member.

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