Play@YSDC

I'm using the 7th Edition for the game, with a few House rules listed below. It's up to you whether your Investigators are acquainted or not before play begins. You're all regulars at the Cafe Braun, where the Alexanderplatz and Friedrichstadt districts meet, but apart from that fill in contacts and loved ones as you please.


There are a couple of new skills. Administration covers the searching of bureaucratic records, passing yourself off as a member of an organisation, or competently running an organisation. Field (specialisation) is for humanities skills such as History that aren't covered on the regular character sheet, such as Bibliography or Theology.
Own Language is getting dropped – you don't need to roll for it.
This means that some Occupations have their lineups altered a bit – let me know what you want to play, and I'll let you know if that applies.

You can choose any of the occupations from the Keeper's Rulebook, Investigator's Handbook, or Berlin The Wicked City.

Each occupation comes with a range of Credit Rating values. You get the lower end of this range free as a base value.

Choose one of your characteristics that best encapsulates your character's nature and make a note of it (if you have Pulp Cthulhu, you can use the archetypes as a guide). I'll let you know when it becomes relevant.

The optional skill packages are all available, except for Mythos Experience. However you can have Occult Experience instead. Choose a starting age of 30 or over. Deduct D10+5 SAN. Choose a phobia or a mania. And divide 70 skill points between Anthropology, Appraise, Fast Talk, Field (Theology), History, Library Use, Occult, Other Language, and Science (Cryptography).

Last, and not about character creation, I'm not using pushed rolls – since an action may average a day, depending on how often people can post, I don't want to double that. In return, I'm not using fumbles either, so even an 00 roll will just be a failure.

For this one I'm thinking of a researcher in astronomy at the Prussian Academy of Science.

Ok. I'll need to work in a few opportunities for astronomy to shine, but I can do that.

It doesn’t have to be astronomy. Physics or another science is fine.

HoneyDog wrote:It doesn’t have to be astronomy. Physics or another science is fine.

Astronomy's fine. It might come up in some odd circumstances thought .

I didn't have time to create my character this weekend, as on Saturday morning I didn't get enough sleep to think straight, and I was too busy today. I should have time Wednesday or Thursday, however.

I'm thinking of playing a film star who was previously a Great War veteran.

Sounds good.

I realised I didn't describe Cafe Braun. It's a Bohemian kind of place, which is really two establishments in one. During the day it's a bar and cafe where artistic sorts come to socialise - at night, the tables are cleared away, music is put on, the upper floor is opened up, and it caters to a more drug and sex crowd. Any details anyone wants to suggest to make it feel like home, and a place where your character would drink, go ahead.

I was thinking of playing a recidivist thief/conman who is working at the cafe behind the bar. Would that work?

Philulhu wrote:I was thinking of playing a recidivist thief/conman who is working at the cafe behind the bar. Would that work?

That sounds great!

For background purposes, what year is it?

1926.

Alex Sands - Barman

Alex stood behind the bar, polishing glasses as the table staff cleared up for the night. Trim, 5’9” tall and with sandy blonde hair and a short beard, he cut quite a dashing figure in the smart trousers and waistcoat that he wore. He tried not to look in the mirror above the bar as that, and the lights, just highlighted how thin his hair was starting to look on top...

His attention instead was on the group of men who were just making their way outside. They weren’t the usual clientele - thick, dull and brutish compared to the dandies and peacocks that the Cafe Braun normally attracted. From their age and deportment, they looked like ex-Heer. The oldest looking one had been referred to as “Sergeant” all night, so Alex reckoned they must have served together in the war. They wore lapel badges with the hakenkrauz - the symbol of the new worker’s party he’d been hearing about. His own badge - not the hakenkreuz but the red fist of the Communist Party - was tucked under his own lapel. His boss didn’t want it on display while he was at work.

As the door closed, Alex put down the glass and slipped out from behind the bar. One of the men had left his wallet on the seat and he reckoned an extra tip for his service tonight was in order. He picked it up and had opened it, when the door opened again and the owner of the wallet stepped back inside. Their eyes met for a moment, then Alex snapped the wallet shut and offered it to him. ”Ah, there you are,” he said casually. “I saw that you’d left it behind and was just looking for an address...”

The look in the ex-soldier’s eyes suggested that he didn’t believe Alex, but then, Alex didn’t really care. He stood there with the wallet outstretched until the man snatched it from his hand with a barely mumbled thanks and turned back to the bar to finish drying the glasses, cursing his luck under his breath again...

Here's my character - I think I got everything. I can't upload the photo yet.

Karl Giger



Age: 57
Sex: Male
Occupation: Researcher / Astronomer, Prussian Academy of Science
Birthplace: Bornicke, Germany

STR 50
CON 60
SIZ 50
DEX 50
APP 40
INT 80
POW 60
EDU 70

Sanity: 60
Current Sanity: 60
Phobias/Mental Disorders: None
Luck: 40
Current Luck: 40

Hit Points: 10
Current Hit Points: 10
Magic Points: 12
Current Magic Points: 12
Move:
Damage Bonus: 0
Build: 0

Appearance & Personality:

As a child in his small town near Berlin, Karl would lay looking up at the stars, wondering about how they were made and what secrets they held. A somewhat dreamy child, he eschewed sports and concentrated his studies on science, with an ambition to learn more about the universe, and the possibility that life might exist on other planets. Eventually he joined the Prussian Academy of Science where he has spent the entirety of his career. He is currently engaged in star-mapping, which makes him something of a night owl.

Although not anti-social, he has few friends outside of the university and is content with his own company, focused as he is on his work. The war years and the subsequent revolution did not disturb his work greatly, although he is relieved that things might seem to be returning to normal. Never a supporter of the war, he believed that humanity would be better off pooling its knowledge and resources in the name of science and progress, although in the jingoistic climate of 1914 he was careful not to stick his neck out.

An average looking man with dark hair and mustache, he does not stand out, and is paid little attention to; this in tandem with his preoccupation with his work has led to him remaining unmarried. He tends to dress conservatively in the typical fashion of the day, but is not overly concerned with his appearance.

Although he doesn't socialise much, he does however enjoy the atmosphere at the Café Braun and often lunches there if he has time at weekends, observing the bohemian types and engaging in conversation about science when he can.

Skills: (professional ones in italics, .private preceded by a dot)

Accounting (05%):
Administration (10%): 40
Animal Handling (10%):
Anthropology (01%):
Appraise (05%):
Archaeology (01%):
Art/Craft (05%):
Bargain (05%):
Charm (15%):
Climb (20%):
Credit Rating (00%): 40
Cthulhu Mythos (00%):
Demolitions (01%):
Disguise (05%):
Dodge: (25%):
Dreamlands Lore: 6
Drive Automobile (20%):
Electrical Repair (10%):
Fast Talk (05%):
Fighting (Brawl) (25%):
Firearms (Handgun) (20%):
Firearms (Rifle/Shotgun) (25%):
First Aid (30%):
Geology (01%):
.Hide (10%): 30
.History (05%): 25
Hypnosis (01%):
Intimidate (15%):
Jump (20%):
Language (German)
Law (05%):
Library Use (20%): 60
.Listen (20%): 40
Locksmith (01%):
Mechanical Repair (10%): 40
Medicine (01%):
Natural World (10%):
Navigate (10%): 50
Occult (10%):
Operate Heavy Machine (01%):
Persuade (10%):
Pilot (01%):
Psychoanalysis (01%):
Psychology (10%):
Read Lips (01%):
Ride (05%):
Science (01%):
Astronomy 70
Physics 50
Mathematics 60

Sleight of Hand (10%):
Spot Hidden (25%): 50
.Stealth (20%): 40
Survival (10%):
Swim (20%):
Throw (20%):
Track (10%):

Equipment:

Notebook
Pencils

I like it! Edited to add: I cross-posted with HoneyDog - I like them both.

I’m trying to add the Organised Crime background to my character using the Dhole’s House but the option is greyed out. Anyone know why that might be?

STR:
0
CON:
1
DEX:
2
APP:
3
POW:
4
SIZ:
5
INT:
6
EDU:
7
Luck:
8
Some of those are awful rolls. Am I allowed to reroll the whole set and try again? Am I allowed to swap stats around?

I just made a note in the other game - you don't need to roll for 7th edition. It gives you pre-set values which you assign according to your preference.

Again, yes, assigning is fine.

Thank you, I'll try rerolling.

STR:
0
CON:
1
DEX:
2
APP:
3
POW:
4
SIZ:
5
INT:
6
EDU:
7
Luck:
8
Okay, that was even worse. I think I'll stick with the initial set of rolls. That one wasn't so bad, except for that 20.

EDU (80) improvement check:
9
War Experience (Officer) Package Sanity loss:
10

Name: Max von Kleist
Player: Mr. Handy
Age: 30
Sex: Male
Occupation: Actor (Film Star)
College, Degrees: Heidelberg, Psychology, 1923
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany



Characteristics:
STR 45
CON 20
SIZ 70
DEX 45
APP 80
INT 65
POW 50
EDU 80

Sanity: 50
Current Sanity: 39
Immune to Sanity losses from viewing a corpse or gross injury
Phobias/Mental Disorders: None
Injuries/Scars: Gassed in the Great War
Luck: 70
Current Luck: 66

Hit Points: 9
Current Hit Points: 9
Magic Points: 10
Current Magic Points: 10
Move: 7
Damage Bonus: 0
Build: 0

Appearance & Personality: Max von Kleist is a devastatingly handsome man from a well-to-do, aristocratic Prussian family. Max is tall and debonair, with dark hair and a thin mustache. He is always a snappy dresser. Max dislikes politics and tries to stay out of it as much as possible, having disdain both for Communism and the new movement of National Socialism. Any government that will leave him alone and let him live his life is a good one as far as he is concerned.

Background: When the Great War started in 1914, Max rushed to join the Army, his status helping him get a commission as a Leutnant. His courage and leadership was unmatched, and he fought with distinction on the Western Front. He survived a gas attack in 1916, which weakened him severely and compromised his health, but thankfully spared his good looks. After the war, he enrolled at Heidelberg University, where he studied the relatively new field of Psychology. While there, he was bitten by the acting bug, starring in numerous student productions, usually in the lead role. He caught the eye of German film studios looking to discover new talent, and upon graduation, he became a film star working for great directors such as F. W. Murnau and Fritz Lang. He prefers to perform his own stunts, with his trademark face clearly visible so that the audience knows it is truly him and not a stuntman. It was not long before he became a heartthrob of the silver screen. He can frequently be seen at the Cafe Braun with a beautiful woman on his arm - or sometimes one on each.

Skills: (professional ones in italics, .private preceded by a dot, !war experience skills preceded by an exclamation point; non-base scores bolded)

Accounting (05%):
Administration (10%):
Animal Handling (10%):
Anthropology (01%):
Appraise (05%):
Archaeology (01%):
Art/Craft(Acting) (05%): 65%
Charm (15%): 65%
!Climb (20%):
Credit Rating (20%): 75%
Cthulhu Mythos (00%):
Demolitions (01%):
Disguise (05%): 55%
Dodge (1/2 DEX): 42%
Dreamshaping(??%): 10%
Drive Auto (20%): 60%
Electrical Repair (10%):
Fast Talk (05%):
Field (01%):
Fighting (Brawl) (25%): 65%
!Firearms (Handgun) (20%): 60%
Firearms (Rifle/Shotgun) (25%):
!First Aid (30%): 60%
Geology (01%):
Hide (10%):
History (05%):
Hypnosis (01%):
!Intimidate (15%):
Jump (20%):
Language (Other) (01%):
Law (05%):
Library Use (20%):
!Listen (20%): 55%
Locksmith (01%):
Mechanical Repair (10%):
Medicine (01%):
Natural World (10%):
!Navigate (10%):
Occult (10%):
Operate Heavy Machine (01%):
Persuade (10%):
Pilot (01%):
Psychoanalysis (01%):
Psychology (10%): 55%
Read Lips (01%):
Ride (05%):
Science (01%):
Sleight of Hand (10%):
!Spot Hidden (25%): 55%
!Stealth (20%): 60%
Survival (10%):
Swim (20%):
!Throw (20%):
Track (10%):

Equipment:
P08 Luger pistol
1926 Mercedes Benz automobile

Cool!. Philulhu, how are your stats coming?

I tried using the Dholes House but I’m having problems adding the organised crime option. I’ll try again and if I can’t get it to work I’ll just have to manage without.

Name: Alex Sands
Player: Philulhu
Occupation: Bartender
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Residence: Wedding, Berlin
Birthplace: Bremen

Stats
STR 65
CON 60
SIZ 55
DEX 60
APP 45
INT 65
POW 50
EDU 55

Sanity: 60
Current Sanity: 60 - [dice]0[/dice] = 54

Phobias/Mental Disorders: Claustrophobic (as a result of being locked in a cupboard by an older brother when he was a child.
Luck: 40
Current Luck: 40

Hit Points: 11
Current Hit Points: 11
Magic Points: 11
Current Magic Points: 11
Move: 9
Damage Bonus: =1d4
Build: 0

Appearance & Personality:

Alex was born and brought up in Bremen, one of the Hanseatic trade ports in northern Germany. He left school at 14 and, like his father and brothers before him, went to work at the docks, loading and unloading cargoes from home and abroad.

He managed to avoid being called to the front during the world war by a combination of his reserved occupation and a hefty bribe to a local doctor who certified that he was unfit for service. Besides, he was involved in the black market and wasn’t wiling to give up that source of income in a hurry.

Politically, Alex could leaned to the left. He could see that the war was being fought for capitalist and imperialist interests and wanted no part of it. As the war dragged on, he got more involved with protests and strikes and the establishment of the local Council Republic, as a fixer and someone willing to fight for what he saw was right.

Things came to a head when the Freikorps violently destroyed the Council Republic. In retaliation, one of the Freikorps commanders was murdered and although Alex swore he had been nowhere near the murder scene, his name was linked with the killing. Deciding that Bremen had become too hot for him, he was smuggled out of the city for his own safety.

A friend of a friend found him somewhere to live and a job in Berlin, which is why he now works at Cafe Braun. The increase in popularity of the right wing politicians and their followers worries him, however, and he is wondering if it is time to move on again.

```
Alex is 5’ 9’’ tall and of average build. He has sandy-blonde hair which is thinning slightly at the crown, and blue eyes. He has a scar along the line of his jaw on the right side of his face, sustained in a street battle. He wears a short, neatly-trimmed beard to hide it.

He rents a small apartment (little more than a bed-sitting room) in the Wedding district of Berlin, a traditionally socialist area. He has been seeing Lisle, a shop girl who works on the Ku’damm for a few months, although sneaking her in and out with the block warden finding out is becoming more and more difficult.

Skills (increased skills in bold)

Accounting (05%): 30
Administration (10%):
Animal Handling (10%):
Anthropology (01%):
Appraise (05%): 40
Archaeology (01%):
Art/Craft (05%):
Charm (15%): 45
Climb (20%):
Credit Rating (08%): 25
Cthulhu Mythos (00%):
Demolitions (01%):
Disguise (05%):
Dodge: (25%): 45
Dream Lore (15%):
Drive Automobile (20%):
Electrical Repair (10%):
Fast Talk (05%):
Fighting (Brawl) (25%): 50*
Firearms (Handgun) (20%): 35
Firearms (Rifle/Shotgun) (25%):
First Aid (30%):
Geology (01%):
Hide (10%):
History (05%): 50
Hypnosis (01%):
Intimidate (15%): 30
Jump (20%):
Language (German): 55
Law (05%):
Library Use (20%): 45
Listen (20%): 35
Locksmith (01%): 36
Mechanical Repair (10%):
Medicine (01%):
Natural World (10%):
Navigate (10%):
Occult (10%):
Operate Heavy Machine (01%):
Persuade (10%): 45
Pilot (01%):
Psychoanalysis (01%):
Psychology (10%): 25
Read Lips (01%):
Ride (05%):
Science (01%):
Sleight of Hand (10%):
Spot Hidden (25%): 45
Stealth (20%): 40
Survival (10%):
Swim (20%): 35
Throw (20%):
Track (10%):

Alex wears his father’s pocket watch on a chain, tucked into his waistcoat pocket. His father was a terse and tough, but fair, and the watch is a reminder of that for Alex. He also carries a knuckleduster, just in case he gets into a situation he can’t talk himself out of.

Bonus Points (70) in history and library use, something else instilled by his father.

Great! I think we're ready to start.