Category: Masks: A New Generation RPG: Actual Play

And we’re back. This time doing Trope 3- Smart Guy/Girl.

As a reminder:

“The physically weak, but intelligent or clever member. Often nerdy and awkwardly played for comic relief. Sometimes unconventionally young (early- to mid-teens). Sometimes a Trickster and a buddy of the Big Guy.”

So keeping that in mind lets look over the playbooks that I’ll choose from:

The Delinquent- Due to the high base Superior label. Also a trickster.

The Outsider- Superior base score. Also could provide Alien high tech and alien high intelligence. Furthermore, different Alien Physiology could make her super young in Earth years, but very mature in Alien years (or vice versa)

The Newborn- We already have a non-core Playbook active, so everything is fair game now. The Newborn could range from being an Artificial Intelligence (like The Vision) To a bio engineered creation/clone. Being Newlyborn, it fits the Abnormally Young criteria, as well.

So… lets do it.

Q: Is this person a woman?

A: No, but

(…but not a man either.)

Q: Is it Man-made?

A: No.

(Outsider it is. And it’s Gender-less as well. I’m going to assume that it is like the Asari from Mass Effect. For sake of simplicity, I’ll refer to it as a ‘she’ (cause referring to it as an ‘it’ is a bit disconcerting)

Q: Does she have a strange body?

A: No

Q: Does she have an Animalistic body?

A: Yes

Q: What Animal is she most related too?

A: Return/Friendship

(An animal that Returns Friendship. A dog comes to mind (Dogs become loyal to those who care for them. Cats can sometimes show this trait as well (though we all know how evil cats can be. Don’t believe me, look it up on Youtube). A Google search later and I found five more animals that can be loyal as well. I’m going to go down this list and see what bites…)

Q: Does she look like a Rabbit?

A: No and…

(…and she does not look like a Guinea pig either (the next on the list). So skipping that…)

Q: …a rat?

A: No

Q: …a Cockatiel?

A: No

Q: …a Bearded Dragon Lizard?

A: No, but…

(She carry Lizard Traits. Will explore this in a second. We have two left. If she is not a Dog, cat it is!)

Q: …Dog?

A: Yes

Q: What Lizard Trait does she carry over?

A: Stop/A burden

(Armor. So she has Lizard like Scales.)

Q: Does she walk upright?

A: Yes

(Asked this so I can envision her better. She walks like a human on two legs. For the sake of Comic Book simplicity, she has hands and feet like a human. She’ll have scales with fur growing from between the cracks in between each scale.)

Q: Does she have glowing eyes?

A: Yes and…

Q: …and Animalistic eyes?

A: Yes.

(Glowing Canine Eyes.)

Q: Does she like wearing flashy clothes?

A: Yes

(This says something about her personality. She could also be hanging around with Nate as well.)

Q: Is her heroic costume her native world’s uniform?

A: No

Q: …is it her Station’s uniform?

A: No

Q: …is it a practical costume?

A: Yes, but…

(Being that she is smart, and by definition logical, it makes sense that she wears a costume that accentuates her abilities. How ever something is impractical about it, as well. We’ll work on this when we get to see what her powers are. Which is now.

Now, the play book says that she can fly and that she is pretty tough. She also has two traits from a given list. Time to go down it.)

Q: Does she have density control?

A: Yes

Q: Does she have Stunning beauty or phoremones?

A: No

Q: Alien Weaponry?

A: No

Q: Heliokinesis (Solar energy control)

A: No

Q: Radical Shapeshifting

A: No.

(By process of elimination, her other power is Telepathy and Mind blasts. Density Control and Telepathy. Perhaps what makes her heroic costume impractical is due to the density control?)

Q: Is she used to Earth’s gravity?

A: No, and…

(…and she needs a device from her costume to keep her from suffering from Earth’s different gravity. Boom. She doesn’t need the whole costume, but it’s very noticiable and it gets in the way.

Before we go any further, she needs a name.

I’m not going to tell you how I came up with it, but some of you may figure it out, any way.

Liats T’sthe

And no, I’m not saying how you pronounce it. Lets just say that her teammates call her “Lia” or “Tee” for short.

So, Labels

Danger -1, Freak +2 (+1 went here, see why below), Savior 0, Superior +2, Mundane 0

Now we have an interesting delimma here. It makes sense to put the +1 to Superior. HOWEVER there is one point I failed to bring up in the first two characters: Having +3 in a trait is not always a good thing. In the game, there is such a thing called shifting labels and when a Label get’s shifted past +3, it leads to complications. This is the equivalent of someone being so smart, they look like a jerk. Lancer can get away with it because she’s the lancer. But Lia, not so much. Being that she is a Lizard/Dog hybrid looking thing with glowy Canine eyes, I’ll go the safe route and add +1 to Freak

Now for the back story.)

Q: Where do you come from?

A: Befriend/Attention

(She comes from a world that wants to be found. Perhaps it’s in danger of something?)

Q: Why is the planet in danger?

A: Agree/Pain

(Their planet is hurting, but it’s and Agreeable hurt. Maybe they are low on Resources and as a resort, their planet is dieing? Perhaps the feel that hurting their planet is a good thing? A warring planet, perhaps?

A google search found out about the Discovery of the Trappist-1 system. The native name of the planet she is from is unpronounceable in human Tongue, so to the team and others, it’s called Trappist.)

Q: Why did you come to Earth?

A: Spy/Jealousy

(Oh dear. So Trappist is jealous on how much natural resources Earth has and sent Lia to spy on it?)

Q: Is Lia aware that she is a spy?

A: No

Q: Is she alone?

A: No, but…

(Okay… Lia was a part of an envoy. However their true mission to to gather intelligence about Earth. Lia is in the dark about this, she thinks this is a diplomatic mission.)

Q: Why do you want to stay here (for now at least)?

A: Overthrow/Animals

(Who would she consider ‘Animals’? Not earth, remember, she has no idea about the spy mission. Maybe she is doing this to spite her own people? She’s angry about something?)

Q: What is it about her people, that Lia is angry about?

A: Take/Elements

(SO! Her people takes resources. Like animals. Makes sense, after all, they found it agreeable to harm their own planet. Thus, in the back of her mind, she suspects that her people maybe thinking about doing this to Earth as well!)

Q: Why do your people want you to come home?

A: Trust/Environment

(They like Earth. They REALLY like Earth. But why does it require Lia to come home? After all, couldn’t they just invade and steal resources if she was there?)

Q: Why is it ‘required’ for Lia to come home before an invasion?

A: Punish/Status Quo

(Ah! She is required for punishment based on their laws. She did something wrong, and they can’t invade without putting her on trial. For what?)

Q: …for what?

A: Cruelty/Wishes

(Cruelty towards their wishes. She is in the way for what they truly want. I could keep digging, but it’s time to come-up with my own conclusions:

Lia’s race of Canine/Lizard people (Let’s call them, the Cazarthi) is a race of peoples who go from homeworld to homeworld, soak up the planet’s natural resources to powerup their own warmongering, and then moves on. Earth, among other planets, are on their hit list. However the envoy they sent to Earth, lead by Lia, hasn’t returned, so they can’t make final plans against Earth without that critical data.

While Lia is ignorant towards the true threat, she isn’t ignorant with how selfish her people are about natural resources. Seeing how beautiful Earth is, she is taking her sweet time in returning to the Cazarthian fleet, hoping to find compelling evidence or… something to convince her people that they shouldn’t bully Earth.

Sounds nice.

And now, final question.)

Q: Why do you care about the team?

A: Open/Extravagance

(I guess through them (or by them), she sees how beautiful Earth is, and it’s potential.

So finishes part one of Liats T’sthe. Next is the Big Guy/Gal, the powerhouse of the group.)

I’m starting a solo ran game of Masks using Solorpg.com. I’m posting in the forums, but will also post entries here as well for fellow Masks fans to see.

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What is this?

This is going to be gameplay from the PbtA game: Masks. Masks is a Superhero genre game based on the concept of teen/preteen heroes and heroines dealing with growing up and finding there own way. Think Teen Titans or Young Avengers.

How will I run this?

The party will be five members (the classic number when it comes to super teams) following a ‘modified’ five man band trope. For those unfamiliar to that trope (copy/pasted from TV tropes):

The Leader — (lead singer) The leader of the group. Can be a mastermind, charismatic, levelheaded, headstrong, or some combination of the four. Often also The Hero.

The Lancer — (lead guitar) Usually a contrast to The Leader. If the Leader is clean-cut and/or uptight, the Lancer is a grizzled Anti-Hero or Deadpan Snarker; if the Leader is driven and somewhat amoral, the Lancer is more relaxed and level-headed.

The Smart Guy — (keyboardist) The physically weak, but intelligent or clever member. Often nerdy and awkwardly played for comic relief. Sometimes unconventionally young (early- to mid-teens). Sometimes a Trickster and a buddy of the Big Guy.

The Big Guy — (drummer) The strongman of the team. May be dumb. Or mute.

The Chick — (vocal effects, tambourine) A peacekeeping role to balance out the other members’ aggression, bringing them to a nice or at least manageable medium. The Chick is often considered the heart of the group. This role is played by a woman or girl. Someone female. Otherwise, it is not a Five-Man Band.

Now the modification is obviously the ‘Chick’. I’m changing that to The Heart. This opens the door for any of the remaining four (if not all) to be female.

I will also use the 9q rules, written by John Fiore. These are awesome rules for solo players and if you haven’t tried them, you should. They are compatible to many solo engines and games.

Anywho, time to get started! This will be part one of the Leader, posting the playbook info up until the background information. Part two will follow after all five members are some what fleshed out, since that info will be needed for each of them.

Character Creation

Trope 1- The Leader (And will most likely be the focal point of the narrative. If I need a narrow focus on narration)

Q: Is it a woman?

A: Yes

(See? Right off the bat. So I’m justified in my earlier assumption of modifying the fiveman band concept.

So now it’s time to check out what playbook, our leader will be. (Playbook is another way of saying ‘class’. Masks call them playbooks.) Looking over the playbooks, two are specific with being a leader. Those two are the Protege and the Legacy. The Protege is basically a heroine trained by an already established Adult hero/heroine. Think of Robin, a sidekick of Batman. Legacy is someone who shares the same powerset as an established hero and is expected to carry the torch for them. Think Supergirl or Superboy and how the burden is on their shoulders to carry on Superman’s burden if he ever retires.

So…)

Q: Is she a protege?

A: Yes, but…

(Off the top of my head she is a protege (and will use the protege playbook), but she doesn’t want to be. Maybe she has a disagreement with her Mentor? We’ll investigate this later, after she is more fleshed out.

Now I went to Randomlists.com and generated 12 random names.)

Q: Is her name Aiyana?

A: No but…

(More ambiguity. So her name isn’t Aiyana. But maybe it used to be? A name change.)

Q: Is her name Ariel?

A: Yes but…

(We know, we know… it’s not her real name Wink . That worked out, didn’t it? Her current name is Ariel. Her real name is Aiyana.)

The playbook asks about her Gender, but we already answered that. Now her ethnicity…)

Q: Is she Asian or South Asian?

A: Yes, and…

Q: Is she also African American?

A: No

Q:…Hispanic/Latino?

A: No

Q:…Indigenous?

A: Yes

(Interesting. So she is Indigenous (think Native American/Tribal decent) with some Asian Lineage)

Q: Does this have to do with her name change?

A: Yes.

(Nice. So slowly her background is expanding.)

Next is her look.

Q: Does she have an Athletic body?

A: Yes.

(She is athletic, or maybe she is naturally fit? We’ll learn more on this as we press on.)

Q: Is she always seen in a school uniform?

A: Yes.

(This can mean a lot of things. Maybe she lives on a campus with a strict dress code? Perhaps she has a lot of school pride? Maybe she doesn’t have a deep wardrobe? Again, I shall press on, with the anticipation that this will answer itself)

Q: Is her costume colorful?

A: No

Q: Does she wear a costume similar to her Mentor?

A: Yes

(So when she is a Heroine, Ariel wears the costume similar to her mentor.

So we now move on to her abilities. She has an ability that she shares with her Mentor, an ability that she alone possess and an ability her Mentor possess.)

Q: Is their shared ability a superhuman physique?

A: Yes, but…

(From the top of my head, they are both superhumans but perhaps the source of said physique are different, which could be due to Ariel’s mixed heritage?)

Q: Is this because of Ariel’s mixed heritage?

A: No

(…okay, I clicked Likely, but got a no. So something else is going on here. Let’s press on, though.)

Q Is Ariel’s own ability weapon and gadgets?

A No and

(Going to assume that it’s not her mentor’s either. Going to make a note of that.)

Q:…Stealth?

A: No, but…

(…but it is her Mentor’s.)

Q:…Detective Skills?

A: Yes.

(So recap: They are both in possession of a Superhuman Physique. Ariel has good (or I’ll even say Exceptional) Detective skills. Her Mentor is good at Stealth.

My thoughts so far is that this could be a Ninja vs. Police/Detective sort of thing. Or even a Tribe vs. Modern sort of thing. Her Mentor is strong with the ways of the tribe, but Ariel is strong with the ways of the city, perhaps? She solves problems through analysis and thought and her Mentor is more hands on (I do not want to say savage or primitive, because not all indigenous tribes are)? Complexity is forming here.

This next question (or questionS depending on the answer) is going to be huge, but those of you who haven’t played Masks won’t be able to see why or even know what is going on yet. I’ll explain it later.)

Q: Does the Mentor embody Savior?

A: No

Q:…Danger?

A: Yes but…

(Okay. In this game, traits are known as Labels. The higher a Label, the more likely that said character has a ‘label’ placed on them. This is how the outside world see them and when someone increases a Label, this is what they think a character should be or how they view them.

Danger is a Label placed on someone seen as Threatening, Strong, Bloody Knuckled, and Risky.

Other people see a character as a Danger when they think they should steer clear of that character, mostly out of fear of harm.

A character views themselves as Danger when the are afraid they will hurt others and/or they feel they can take down dangerous threats.

In this case, the Mentor is someone who not only take out threats, but does so brutally and ‘unseen’ (remember Stealth, right?), therefore, the logical conclusion I can come up with is that of an Assassin. So perhaps the tribe is Ninja clan-ish in nature? Ariel is her new name, but in the clan, she is known as Aiyana?

Okay, that sounds decent. Now for the label the Mentor deniesSmile

Q: Does the Mentor denies Superior?

A: No

(Another Very Likely question that was shot down. I cutted to the chase and asked this because it made sense. Ariel has Detective Skills and Superior Label delves in the ‘smartest person in the room’ vibe. But the answer is no, so lets forge on)

Q: …denies Savior?

A: Yes and…

(So Savior is when a character sees themselves as defending, guarding, protecting and stalwart. People se a character as a Savior when they think the character as noble, or selfsacrificing, maybe a bit over bearing and moralizing. They see themselves as Saviors when they feel themselves as a matyr, someone who gladly sacrifices to protect and defend others.

…and the mentor denies this.

This is sounding more and more like a League of Shadows, here. People who cares less about the safety and well being of others and more about the eradication of evil no matter the cost.

Can’t wait to find out who he or she is and we’re close to doing so. First, it time to actually find out the Labels (traits) of Ariel.

Now the Labels are (repeating the ones already mentioned for simplicty sake):

Danger: seeing yourself as threatening, strong, bloody-knuckled, and risky. Other people see you as a danger when they think they should steer clear of you because you might bring them harm. You see yourself as a danger when you believe you can take down other dangerous threats, and when you think you yourself are a threat to other people.

Freak: seeing yourself as strange, unusual, unique, and powerful. Other people see you as a freak when they think you’re odd, unlike them, something unnatural or outside of their understanding. You see yourself as a freak when you accept and own the things you can do that no one else can, and when you think you don’t belong with the people and the world around you.

Savior: seeing yourself as defending, guarding, protecting, and stalwart. Other people see you as a savior when they think of you as noble or selfsacrificing, or a bit overbearing and moralizing. You see yourself as a savior when you think of yourself as a martyr, someone who gladly sacrifices to protect and defend others.

Superior: seeing yourself as smart, capable, crafty, and quick. Other people see you as superior when they think you’re the smartest person in the room, an arrogant and egotistical jerk. You see yourself as superior when you think you’re cleverer than everyone else, and when you know exactly what to say to make the people around you do what you want.

Mundane: seeing yourself as normal, human, empathetic, and understanding. Other people see you as mundane when they think of you as all too normal and uninteresting, but also comprehending and sympathetic. You see yourself as mundane when you think you’re regular, just a person, not special, and focused on normal human things like feelings and emotions.

The base stats for a Protege are Danger -1, Freak 0, Savior +1(+1 to make that +2, more on that in a sec), Superior +2, Mundane 0

I get to add +1 to one of these and based on the above info (The fact that Ariel disagrees with her Mentor and that her Mentor denies Savior), +1 goes to Savior. So she sees her self as smart and clever, as well as a person who will sacrifice her self to save others.)

Next is her backstory. The playbook conveniently has questions set up for me to ask. XD)

Q: How did you (Ariel) first meet your mentor?

A: Trust/Travel

(So Ariel trusted The Mentor once upon a time. And they traveled together. Let’s break away from the background questions for a second to investigate a few key important facts:

First, the Mentor. We know the Mentor is likely a Ninja or Assassin. Very hands on, but also values keeping things clean and unseen. Not too keen in self sacrifice or saving others (possibly because the clan itself doesn’t believe in emotional attachments).

Q: Is the mentor a woman?

A: Yes.

(So Woman Ninja. A Kunoichi. And I’m calling the Clan, the White Lotus. Why?

Aiyani, Ariel’s clan name, means “Blossoming” or “Eternal Flower”. So the name scheme matches the Clan. What to name the Mentor?

One Google search later: Hamsini. “One who is on a lotus”. Very on the nose. Very Comic Booky. I love it. However, the travel thing. Why were they travelling together?)

Q: Are they related?

A: No, but…

(So they share a bond, but are NOT related. Not by blood, anyway)

Q: Why were they together?

A: Praise/News

(Praise and news? Praise is linked to religion. News could mean anything information related. Religious information in comic books is usually a prophecy. A prophecy links them together? Or maybe a religious ritual within the clan linked them together. The travel part could be them isolating themselves for said ritual. The trust could have gathered from same. They relied on each other so heavily, that they couldn’t help but trust each other.

With that settled, let’s continue the background questionsSmile

Q: When and why did you choose to train with them?

A: This was already answered. The White Lotus Ritual.

(But to flesh things out: The White Lotus follow the same teaching similar to the Jedi/Sith, that being that there is a master and an apprentice.)

Q: Why did they agree to train you?

A: Ritual. Moving along.

Q: Who else, outside the team (implying that the team already knows, a fact I’ll delve into in part two), knows about your training?

A:Inspect/Jealously

(Inspect and Jealousy? I thought of an interesting twist here: Ariel’s foster parents. Perhaps detectives themselves? Further more, the ‘Jealousy’ part could be coming from the ‘Motherly’ competition between Ariel’s mom and Hamsini, both competing to raise Ariel in their image.)

Q: Why do you care about the team?

A: Move/Technology

(I like to thank my anthropology college teacher for this one. ‘Technology’ is more than just computers and such. Technology is a way of life. Setting a fire, for example, is a form of technology. The wheel is a form of technology. Copy/pasted:

“Technology can be the knowledge of techniques, processes, and the like, or it can be embedded in machines which can be operated without detailed knowledge of their workings. The human species’ use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools.”

The Team must’ve helped her settle into her new home. The team may even be her extended family?

Anywho, this concludes the Leader part one. Aiyani, the Eternal Flower (Or even, the Eternal Lotus? I’ll stick with that, as it sounds even more awesome!)

The character creation will continue next post with the Lancer part one!

Till then, I’ll like some feed back. Any thing you feel I should flesh out or clarrify with Aiyani?

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