To introduce the Genesys game system from Fantasy Flight games, why not start with an overview of character creation? This will be for a postapocalyptic modern setting, and I will use use the core rulebook only, although there are supplements to expand into other genres if you prefer sci-fi, high fantasy, and more.
After discussion with the GM, I elected to have a character from New England. She would be of scholarly inclination, trained in medicine. Her alma mater would be Miskatonic University for potential story options. I poked around various name generators online and chose Deliverance Sinclair for her.
For the mathematical part of the character, I chose Archetype 3: The Intellectual from page 38. Characteristics can range between 1 and 5, with a standard human getting 2 across the board in brawn, agility, intellect, cunning, willpower, and presence. The Intellectual trades down to a 1 in agility for a 3 in intellect. Each archetype also gets some special abilities and 100 experience to spend on customization.
Experience can be used to increase characteristics by spending 10 times the next step in experience, so from 1 to 2 costs 20, or from 3 to 4 costs 40. This is the only way to increase these characteristics outside of a late-game special ability, so this is usually a wise way to spend points. I increased my agility, intellect, and presence by one point each, costing 20 + 40 + 30. The 10 remaining points were spent on the Tier 1 talents "Knack For It (medicine)" and "Toughened" to boost her core party role.
After number-crunching the derived stats,the next step is more character development. there are tables for desires, fears, flaws, and strengths. Her desire will be expertise in medicine, which explains her exploration of the wasteland to learn about the strange post-apocalyptic world. Her fear shall be isolation, since so many people died already in said apocalypse. Her strength will be analytical, and her flaw an intolerance for the "backwards" people of the wasteland.
The Game Master also granted a bonus 50 experience so we could represent characters with slightly greater starting skills due to the starting point in the game. I added some more talents and upgraded some skills. Her gear includes a portable medkit, plus a P90 submachine gun with an extra reload and reinforced clothing for when medicine is not the solution.
Keep an eye out for future posts about gameplay!
