#RPGThursday #Orbital2100 RPG #CepheusEngine Chargen

Using Orbital 2100: A Solar System Setting of the Cepheus Engine I ran thru a character generation example. As I talked about in a previous post, Orbital 2100 makes only minor changes to the standard Cepheus Engine character generation process.

Meet Vanov Page, idealistic young man born aboard LSC-1 Mattias Vanderveen in Earth orbit at L4.

STR 4 (DM-1) / DEX 9 (+1) / END 4 (DM-1) / INT 9 (DM+1) / EDU 3 (DM-1) / SOC 6

Background skills are as in Cepheus Engine (3+ EDU DM). However, one must be taken from the Orbital 2100 Background Skill table (p. 31). Vanov, coming from an Orbital Colony, gains Mechanics 0, as well as Computer 0.

Choosing a Mining and Colony Survival campaign, Vanov becomes a Surface Operator. The equivalent Cepheus Engine career is Colonist.

First Term: Survives. As Rank 0 gains Survival 1. Does not commission nor advance. Service Skills gained are Mechanics 0 (already possessed), Gun Combat 0, Animals 0, Electronics 0, Survival 0, and Vehicle 0. After an eventless first term, Vanov reenlists.

Second Term: Survives. This time Vanov commissions as an Officer (Rank 1 – District Leader) and gains the skill Jack-of-all-Trades! After gaining an additional service skill in Vehicles, he now has Vehicle (Ground ) 1. Vanov also successfully advanced this term (Rank 2 – District Delegate) and picks up Gun Combat, making his skill Gun Combat (Slug) 1. Riding high on his success, Vanov reenlists again.

Third Term: Survival roll is END 6+, and thanks to Vanov’s DM-1 he FAILS. Rolling on the Injury Table, we find Vanov was severely injured which reduces one physical characteristic by 1D6. Rolling a 5 (super ouch!) Vanov reduces his END from 9 to 4 with a new DM -1. Per Cepheus Engine, Vanov must now leave the service after an abbreviated term (2 years) and will get no benefit roll this term.

Mustering Out: Vanov gets two benefits rolls. He takes one on the Orbital 2100 Universal Benefits Table (p. 35) and gets +1 SOC. His cash benefit is 4,000Cr. Per the Orbital 2100 rules, this is reduced to 10% of the Cepheus value, or  400Cr.

At this point I review Cepheus Engine and look at the rules for Medical Care (p. 29). Restoration of a lost characteristic is 5,000Cr per point. Raising DEX to 6 (2 points) would cost 10,000Cr and void the DM -1. Rolling on the Table: Medical Bills (p. 30) results in “the company” covering 50% of the cost, but this leaves Vanov having to cover the other 5,000Cr. I figure this is a good character aspect; Vanov is in debt and therefore more likely to be “asked” to do provide “interesting” tidbits of information.

Vanov Page, Age 28, ex-Colonial District Delegate (Medically Retired, now available as a Contract Advisor). 400Cr.

STR 4 (DM-1) / DEX 6 / END 4 (DM -1) / INT 9 (DM +1) / EDU 3 (DM -1) / SOC 7

Animals 0, Computer 0, Electronics 0, Gun Combat (Slug) 1, Jack-of-all-Trades 1, Mechanics 1, Survival 1, Vehicle (Ground) 1.

Vanov Page was born in an Orbital Colony above Earth. Although the habitat has some gravity, Vanov is generally frail but very agile in the lower gravity. Raised not to look down but out to the other planets, Vanov decides to become a Surface Operator supporting mines and colonies. His first few years are taken by hard study where he learns the basics of his career. After a few years, Vanov begins to make his mark and quickly rises in rank to District Delegate. But then a great accident befalls him, and he is severely injured. At the depths of his physical misery, Vanov is approached by an old friend who offers to help pay for part of his medical bills in exchange for certain “favors” in the future. Grasping at the slim chance presented to him, Vanov agrees.

Medically retired from colonial government matters, Vanov Page hires himself out as a advisor for small start-up colonial and mining ventures. Vanov is secretly in debt to Tharsis Heavy Industry for “only” 5,000Cr – or so he thinks. He needs to pass along a few real “gems” of information if he ever is to get free of his obligation. The last time Vanov passed on info about a new outpost setting up, Tharsis was able to use the inside information to underbid their competitors and win the contract. Vanov then realized that Tharis planned on using “less-than-optimal” equipment and some of the staff sent were a bit iffy. Vanov wonders if his restored health is worth the risks he is taking….