Character and World Creation

Apologies. I just found out that my mother has been diagnosed with cancer and I need to help with some arrangements. I still want to join this game but I will not be able to devote the time to it for a few weeks until things have calmed down on my end a bit.
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So sorry to hear that. Take all the time you need. Let us know when you want to rejoin us, or if there is anything we can do... in the story, mainly, but if you want to play out any topics, or avoid any topics, let us know and we can try accommodate you.

Okay so my bare bones elevator pitch for a character is a Wolf playbook who is a former street level criminal, maybe with passing awareness of the supernatural, maybe not. She was bitten and changed during a drug deal gone bad, quite recently, as I envision her being very new to the supernatural scene. I think becoming a werewolf created an unusually high territorial instinct in her and she's gotten a little in over her head by taking a neighborhood before she's really ready. And maybe we could make her a single mom or at least taking care of a niece/nephew to make her a little sympathetic, dunno how you feel about that. Let me know how you think and how the concept can best be adapted and molded to the game as it stands, of which I am not yet familiar with.

Can do.

Up till now "there are no werewolves in London". But we can still get you bitten, we can work out the details to fit your character(*).

When you create a New Character in My Characters (or if you empty a sheet completely) you can pick 'Urban Shadows 2 - The Wolf' to fill your sheet in for you from the template.Most changes can be done by clicking on the relevant part, which is easier and safer than editing the whole sheet. If you do want to make significant changes (like adding a Move from another Playbook), feel free to ask for help if needed. The GM of the game can edit your sheet, but I don't do so unless you ask, it is your sheet. (You can click the checkboxes and such on others' sheets, but it does not save anything, so don't worry about messing up their character.)
We have run into issues with PCs 'being new' and that breaking the base Urban Shadows Advancement mechanic and such, so having some awareness of the supernatural and familiarity with the city helps a lot.
Great. That fits with werewolves being a 'new' feature in the city.
Looking at the playbook, that is a significant part of it. Was this 'territoriality' at all preexisting from your drug dealer days? Or were you a 'general petty criminal who (disastrously) dabbled in drugs that one time' rather than 'a drug dealer' per se?

How do you feel about criminal activity in your territory? Are you still involved? Do you run the gangs?

It is interesting that, by the Playbook, you are homeless. We can adjust these details so suit, treat them as guidance.

Not all the 'Starting Questions' or 'Starting Gear' or 'Starting Debts' make sense when adding a character mid-game. We can work out a better fit as needed. Use them as guidance.
Is this reflected in the Playbook choices?
Sure, if you want. I like family members who can make your life complicated and pull you around in the story.

Do think about how this will affect and be affected by the mechanics of the Playbook.
I hope we don't need to lean on this to make her sympathetic, do that with your characterisation and actions and feelings rather than with a 'kitten test'. :)

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Footnotes:
(*)

• The only reason 'there are no werewolves in London' is because the initial group did not have a Wolf in the lineup.
• The reason the Faeries are shaping up to be 'the bad guys' is also because there was no Fae in the initial lineup.
• It as obliquely hinted that there was a conflict with the Faeries and the Werewolves and that this led to them both 'being gone', first the Faeries, then the wolves. That was about 20 years ago. [ref]
• We can work on how much this is 'true' and how much is relevant to your character as you make them.
• If you make a fighty character we will have more fights, the game shapes itself around the characters.
• The Faeries shaped up to being the cause of the weather problems plaguing the city (country?), but there were other contenders at first.
• I had vague thoughts about an age-old werewolf-faerie conflict and a need to bring back the wolves to help combat this current incursion. But if that does not work with your character we can drop that idea. (**)

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(**)
• Is this why you were bitten?
• Are you roped into the fight from the start?

How transformation happened and how it goes it up to you. Some rough thoughts:

Maybe the one who turned you was laying low over the decades, waiting for the need to come back? Maybe their wolf was dormant? They could be knowledgeable, or just as clueless as you are? Up to you.

But, equally easily, your sire (biter) could be foreign (encountered on a drug transport deal on the mainland, mayhaps?), and not part of the city, leaving you alone and confused over here, needing to turn to the other PCs for answers (Emma wrote a fiction book about the supernatural, so approaching her, thinking her the closest thing to an expert, would make sense:). (I can think of another way to get you involved with Emma, since she is also dealing with a bite, so maybe you run into each other at the plastic surgeons? (There are complications with this route, given who they are, but we can turn that to our advantage.:))

You can make more werewolves, (either via the Playbook Advances, or through roleplay), so this question is mainly about whether you (the player) want a 'mentor' in the city or want to be a lone wolf. We can talk more if you want.

Seem to be having a problem creating a character, when I submit a label and the PbtA system it just goes gray and shows me a hexagon that turns orange and white without ever loading a sheet.

Alright, so awareness of the supernatural is good. Maybe she was a drug runner for demons/vampires/fallen angels (we can workshop which faction would slot best into her backstory) and wasn't fully aware of the higher ups nature but certainly realized there was nothing natural about them?

As far as territory goes, maybe she seized it from her old bosses? Or perhaps they're allowing her to hold onto it as long as she pays them their due respect and a cut of the profits? Either way, she's probably in charge of the crime now. The way I see her she's probably trying to soften the impact that criminal activity has on 'her' citizens but can't really see a path to legitimacy - she doesn't have much else in the way of marketable skills.

I did not realize the playbook had me homeless. I had to look at the other playbooks and realize that most of them mentioned lodgings in their gear and the Wolf... doesn't. I would like to have an apartment to live in, or if that's too much at least a car to sleep in. :D

As for her getting in over her head being reflected by her playbook choices... I think so. Originally my idea was that she took territory that no one else wanted, so "Your territory is plagued by a mystical or supernatural presence (add trouble: +haunted)" would have been one of my choices. But now that I'm thinking about her former bosses I'm thinking she basically 'stole' it from them and so "A Status-3 NPC wants your territory and is working to get it (add trouble: +encroachment)" would probably be more suitable. For the other I'd like "Mortals in the area are actively trying to revitalize local businesses and infrastructure (add trouble: +upheaval)" just because it's a snag I find interesting.

I am definitely intrigued by the idea of being drawn into a werewolf-fae conflict.

I think I'd rather be a 'lone wolf' than have a mentor.

Create a 'custom' character instead, using the first, default option. Those 'labels' are old and being phased out. (I mean: What even is 'PbtA'...? no sheet can cover all those options.:)
I am not sure working for one of those groups would make a lot of sense, but having crossed paths with them in your everyday crime is likely and fulfills the need for knowledge (so you can roll Put a Face to a Name [ref] for instance.).

If you really want to have been working for a supernatural 'higher up' we can do that, though. We could use that to link you to one of the PCs? Maybe you work for a division of the same demons Persephone works for? Maybe you worked for one of the competing vampire clans that have taken over after we lost Elliot (NPC vampire for the region), and maybe this can lead to some answers about what happened to him? Let us know.
We can look at these story proposals when we finalise the options you want to pick for your Territory. Some of them may play into the story.

We can also make your territory however large makes sense for the story, I always felt the 'a block or two' to be too small. We can do what feels right, covering a significant portion of the main, in-play area at the base and covering almost all of it if you take the option to 'span several city blocks'.
Is that a new thing, since the Wolf entered your life? Or did you always try to keep your territory 'safe'?
Yeah, it is a cute addition, but it is only defined through that omission. We can change it and give you a place to stay. But maybe it is not as permanent as you want it to be for the kiddies? Maybe it relies on the kindness of your people in your Territory? Or we can just ignore this aspect of the sheet, they are mainly for flavour and to get the ideas and story flowing, hence 'Starting Gear'.

And, speaking of Gear: No one else has guns, they are illegal in England, but you are a criminal, so you are welcome to have a gun and such of you want, and even (story permitting (maybe via Hit the Streets [ref] if appropriate)) be a source for illegal firearms for the others if they need them.
Cool. We will treat 'Haunted' in the generic sense, some mystical or supernatural problem.
It might fit the current story better if 'Encroachment' were a newish thing, we could then relate that to the recent activities that got Persephone 'killed' and link you to their revenge plans. What do you think?
Sure. What about that do you find interesting? We can shape it to fit what you want, don't feel too bound by the wording.

You seem to have 3 Troubles and no Blessings... You are welcome to have 3 Troubles, but only two of them really count for the sheet, the other can be merely story-related.

Any thoughts about your 2 Blessings? Do you want Hyde Park to part of your Territory (+Sanctuary)? Or do you first need to free it from the Haunting and Encroachment before you can claim it?
All right. The Wolves are, then, the 'traditional enemies' of the Fae, and there is a higher purpose to your being 'turned' at this time. We can talk about details, or we can make it up as we play.
Cool. So, were you bitten far away and brought the 'curse' back to London? Or were you, maybe, not bitten and turned due to an 'ancient bloodline' or some other mystical reason? We can do anything we want with the mythology.

Oh, and 'Label' is just that, a label to help you identify the character, you might have several named Bob and need to know which is which. Some people include freeform tags to intricate the game system or to sort them. It does not matter, and can be changed freely.

The name you enter in the Character Name field on the sheet is what shows up next to your posts and in the Characters menu at the bottom of the page. Use the short form of your name —what you expect people to type when they refer to you— in there. You can put your full name in the sheet itself.

All this can be changed at any time.

Okay I figured out how to actually get an Urban Shadows 2e Wolf Playbook up, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to edit it. Every time I click save it just seems to delete my work.

If it doesn't make sense for her to have worked for supernatural creatures then I can drop the idea, I'm not in love with it. We'll instead say that she was too close to the shadows to blink it away and knew that strange things were afoot even if she was ignorant of the particulars.

I definitely like the idea of having a larger territory. I think I like the idea of her having an entire plot-relevant neighborhood under her control, which includes Hyde Park.

I don't think she was always so concerned about other people. Ironically, becoming a monster made her a better person. It's partly because of her unusually high territorial instinct (They live in MY territory and they're MY responsibility) and partly because being made into some more powerful is making her reluctant to do anything truly wicked.

Alright, we'll say she's staying with someone in her territory that knows her situation. At least her poor child has a roof over her head.

Might as well be packin'. :D

I didn't actually mean to take on three troubles! I was just sort of spitballing ideas to see what you thought of them. I think I'll go with +haunted and +encroachment, and I would definitely like the buy-in with Persephone.

For blessings I would like "You are widely accepted as this place’s protector (add blessing: +supported)" and "Your territory includes open grounds for you to roam and hunt (add blessing: +sanctuary)" due to Hyde park. For the former I was thinking that even though she's new on the scene she's already defended her turf in a high-profile way that's got the mundanes on her side. Maybe the circumstances of the conflict would be such that it might have drawn the attention of one of the other PCs?

Let's say she was running drugs to Germany and got bitten there, started different immediately but didn't quite realize her fate until under a London full moon.

Most weird. Submit the blank sheet to the game (on the Game Details page) and we can see if I can help.

What happens if you just add a little bit of text rather than the whole sheet? We can work up to getting the full sheet in place.
You sorta need to know enough to know who the key players are and what they do, as well as to have interacted with them enough to maybe have some Debts (page 42) have occurred in either direction. Just enough to justify your rolling Put a Face to a Name [ref] and have that Move's mechanical outcomes make sense.
That may answer the question about which Blessings you need to pick, you will need the hunting grounds and the a larger size. You can always pick them up later, though.
:)
The Spider-Man? :)
And someone to look after them when you are called away.

You happy with that? We can give you a house if you want... as with everything, it may come with strings attached.
OK. We really must get a summary for you to read.

I was planning on having Persephone learn locations for her Revenge from other means, but, depending on what the relationship between the two of you turns out to be, the information could either come from you or lead to you.

(For instance: As a drug dealer you may know Henry, he may think to come to you for weapons for Persephone's revenge... if she is still talking to him. He is also one of Emma's Aware Relationships, but he is unlikely to mention you to her without prompting, you may know he knows her if it comes to that.)
Which explains why you have a place to live.
Already? Like before the turn? Or as a Wolf? Either is fine.
Could be. Let's work out the relationships between us all, see how it fits. You could easily have been reacting to the fallout of the events that led to Persephone's 'death', or it could be unrelated, both options could easily lead to your linking up if you have not already formed a bond. This is an easy way to get some of you together going forward.

(What we have done in the past is decide that we want some of the 'Starting Debts' to go to PCs, but they don't make sense to already exits, so we engineer an easy way for them to come about soon in the story. We can see if we need to do that again.)
OK, that gives you that park, but I need to look at how +Sanctuary makes sense, since the park is also kinda the source of the +Haunting and the +Encroachment...

I think the designers' logic was that it gives you somewhere safe to wolf out, but that feels left over from 1e where you did not have as much control of when you Transform. We can make it work, or take the park and change the Blessing if need be.

You have not chosen to have +Influence and expand your territory, so it probably does not fully cover the whole area of play from the start, but we can have it cover a fair bit of it. We can look at a map, but mainly we can 'wing it'.
"That's just typical of those Germans." :)

Okay, so she's interacted with key players and is fully aware of the supernatural, due to her own life skulking about in the shadows.

I would say she defended the territory as a wolf. Before the wolf, there was no territory.

I've submitted the character, and would be very grateful for a summary and any other information that is relevant!

I see you managed to save it? Anything we should be aware of about what went wrong?

Not that they others are not able to see the contents of the sheet. See Character Sheet Visibility for details on how to rectify that, or ask.

The name 'Viv' is already sort of taken, if you are attached to it we can have Viviana (Persephone's 'girlfriend' and target) find she prefers to to be called Ana, or something. Or we can deliberately have confusion over the names.
Someone will make one, possibly tomorrow. :)
'Fully' is a strong term... but believe what you will. The truly wise (so not the Wizards, since they are just wise-asses) would say no one can ever fully know anything... :)

You know enough to be a Status-1 player in the supernatural world.
Makes sense.

I think I've figured out my mistakes, and my character sheet should be all finished.

How about Max, short for Maxine?

I will take a look at it tomorrow.

Do you want to propose any of your Starting Debts to any of the players?
Fine by me, if you are happy with that.

Certainly, once I know them better. Perhaps the others could do character introductions?

I'm perfectly happy playing a Max.

Certainly! Here’s the introduction I originally wrote for Benji (Vamp playbook):He mostly busks at Piccadilly Circus Station which is his Harbour (sort of the vampiric version of a territory). There’s a lot of different plots and problems he’s tangled up in right now, but to give you a rough summary, Benji’s currently trying to:
* Protect a friend of his who found a powerful artifact (a genie lamp, it seems like?) washed up on the shores of the Thames
* Rescue some people from a group of vampires holding them captive underground in the storm sewers/railway tunnels near-ish to Hyde Park
* Find a missing vampire lord (or maybe not… he wasn’t super fond of the vampire lord in question)
* Find out why it hasn’t stopped raining in London for months (seems like fae interference so far)

I have created what passes for a 'wiki' on this site. It is just a subforum that we all can edit. Have at it. :)
You can find it here [ref]. Let me know if there is are problems, the permissions system changed since the last time I did this, so we may have to fiddle.

I have posted a rough summary of events [ref]. Those who were there can correct it (it was purely from memory) or add links as relevant (again, I did not look anything up).

I have also posted an export of my rough notes on NPCs [ref]. As stated in the first post, this just what I have, there are definitely missing NPCs and not everyone has references. Correct and add as needed.

Wow, that is a lot of information. Feeling a little overwhelmed, any idea how I could fit into all this?

Let's focus on your character, we can see what we need to know in order to fit them into the game. Most of the summary is there to look back on if needed.

Currently there is the issue of the faeries messing with the weather. And the issue of Persephone wanting revenge (and Benji possibly being tied up in that).

The weather is the only one you really need to fit into your character, and your character does not know the details (though we can possibly reveal some things through your instincts).

• Do you want to know any of the PCs?
• Maybe you already know Benji, it would be easy and sensible to have some backstory there.
• Maybe you knew Benji from before and seek him out for help now that you have changed?
• Maybe you know of Emma through her books about the supernatural... but if you know Benji you may also know she is full of it... or at least, her previous book was pure fiction... but then you might not know enough to know that?
• Do you want to know Persephone? I am not sure how, but we can arrange an introduction. Possibly through Circe's (her sister's) group of friends?

It is also perfectly feasible to not know most of them and get to know them at the start of play.
We can bring in your character as a fresh face and show you everything you need to know as we play.

Do you think Max would be seeking plastic surgery for her wolf bite marks? If so we could have Max and Emma meet at Titanias ... though there will be massive strings attached if they help a werewolf... on the other hand, if you don't, then maybe you could spot her coming from there while you are staking them out 'for reasons'?