backgrounds

I recently read White Star, a space opera game heavily based on (and completely compatible with) Sword & Wizardry Whitebox which postulates a space opera implied setting that is largely an ersatz Star Wars (as AD ASTRA itself has become) with a few popular space opera tropes from other sources thrown in to make it slightly less overtly Star Wars. One thing that it did that I really liked was the character serials—an odd name that actually refers to what is essentially a chargen minigame not unlike what Traveller used to have in concept. Now, the execution of if is quite different, but the concept is very similar.

I really liked it, and I liked that it was quite a bit simpler than what Traveller had done (as befits a rules-lite game based on S&W) but I couldn't quite use it as is for AD ASTRA for a few simple reasons: 1) I can rarely use anything as is without resisting the urge to tinker, and 2) m20 is just different enough that some changes are necessary to make it work.

This system uses a few simple tables to randomize some background elements for player characters (or even important NPCs, if desired.) These cannot be picked as desired (unless, of course, the GM specifically allows it) this is meant to be a small minigame in its own right as part of chargen, and not all of these options are created equal. There is an element of risk/reward in even doing this at all, and utilizing these tables as part of character generation should always be considered optional. However, if you opt to do it, the results are binding—this is the risk reward. It is possible (although unlikely) that your character may actually die from this, but more likely if you somehow get an unfavorable result, it'll just be weird; like an Arcturan hulk that's from a low-gravity homeworld and therefore cancels out much of his racial STR bonus or something like that. All results stack with both other results on these tables as well as any other racial or class abilities. If you end up with the same affinity more than once, that means you can reroll it as many times as you possess the affinity. Using these optional tables should only be done at the end of character generation, after everything else has already been done. If you really get results that don't make much sense work with your GM to find solutions, but mostly you can just stack those results together and still get a playable (albeit occasionally odd) result.

So the bottom line is: these rules are experimental, often broken, and if you choose to use them, caveat emptor. I can't specifically recommend them... but there's some fun stuff here too. That said, they're mostly here only to keep them somewhere. No game that I would run would use them. I'd be more likely to work, as the GM, with characters to manually give the PCs and ally or nemesis, and ignore the rest of the categories.

There are six elements to the character backgrounds approach. You need to roll a d6 for each of the six elements, and then consult the table. This is best done one at a time, so you don't mix up which roll belongs to which table. The six elements are:

    1. Homeworld
    2. Childhood
    3. First Adventure
    4. Allies
    5. Nemesis
    6. Critical Event

1. Homeworld. Everyone had to be born somewhere. This chart doesn't try to assign a specific planet from the setting, but it does tell you something about where you were born and what effect that had on your development as a youngster.

2. Childhood. Everyone has formative experiences that influence their lives well into adulthood, and may even provide skills or knowledge that others do not necessarily have.

3. First Adventure. You aren't out here among the stars as a wet-behind-the-ears farmboy. Something brought you here, and as a result, your experiences have taught you something.

4. Allies. You aren't an island in the stars unto yourself. Scattered throughout known space, you have contacts, friends, family, associates, old flames, etc. that can be called on in a pinch to provide modest assistance. Usually, doing so costs Heroism points, with the GM determining how likely your ally is to be available to help you; if it's relatively likely, only 1, if not, up to 3 Heroism points to call in a favor.

This is rarely the kind of favor that can be called in in tense situations or combat, with the exception of the loyal robot.

5. Nemesis. Sadly, your experiences have not just granted you friends and allies, but have also brought you to the attention of forces that either you have impeded, irked, or angered, who will turn up from time to time to thwart you in turn or destroy you if he can. It is up to the GM to utilize these nemeses, although when he does, he should grant the player who's nemesis has arrived a bonus Heroism point for the session.

6. Critical Event. Everyone is the sum total of their experiences, but some experiences loom much larger and more important in our past than others. These events often grant benefits that are rather significant, and your GM will need to make specific note of them and account for them in his adventure design.