I often find I need characters for the setting (and that such characters are tricky to make), and I have recently found a way to adapt Gurps: Action 4 to help with that ... and to help a lot. It involves a custom BAT template and some new BAT packages.
Action and Infinite Worlds
What's the real difference between an Action Game and an Infinite Worlds Game?I couldn't find much in the way of defining what "Action's" parameters were, but the series does list campaign types:
Brotherhood in Blue, Capers, Commandos, Mercenaries, Spy vs Spy, Task Force, Troubleshooters, Vigilante Justice, and War Against Terror.Almost all of those are elements in infinite worlds: many of them feature strongly. Vigilante Justice and War Against Terror are less likely to come up, but themes from them are still present. Infinite worlds talks about the 'mode' you approach the genre from, and lists possibilities:
Action, Cinematic, Dark, Gritty, Hollywood History, Investigative, Pulp, Silly, and Technothriller.Wow, quite a lot of those hit the 'Action' area. The first one being literally called 'Action'. Cinematic, Investigative, Pulp, and Technothriller are all right in that area as well, leaving a a few modes that won't work. For those modes we're on our own, but outside of that, we can use the Action series to help us flavor our characters. So the real difference between Infinite Worlds and Action is that action is limited to modern day settings. But that's true of an awful lot of infinite worlds, and we can work around that.
Book 1 of action has a few problems for this goal: it uses 250 point characters (which is a bit high), and the characters lack some of the vital skills needed in infinite worlds. Book 4, on the other hand, gives us a lot more flexibility. And suggests that alternate BATs are possible. And so I looked into making an ICOP's BAT.
The Basic ICOP Template [100]
70 points in Attributes and secondary attributes(Example ST 10 DX 11 IQ 11 HT 11 Will 12 Per 12 speed 6.00, move 6)
Advantages (52):
- 15 points in languages [15]
- 2 Cultural Familiarities [2]
- Legal Enforcement Powers (Patrol) [10]
- 25 points in advantages (see Action:4 for a full list) or an extra package [25]
- Duty (Patrol, 12 or less, Extremely Hazardous) [-20]
- -25 in disadvantages (see Action:4 for a full list) [-25]
- History (any, possible multiple specialties) (IQ/ H) [8]
- First Aid (IQ/ E) [1]
- Guns (Pistol) (DX/ E) [1]
- Computer Operation (IQ/ A) [1]
- Stealth (DX/ A) [2]
- Driving (automobile, heavy wheeled, or Motorcycle )(DX/ A) [2], or Riding (any) DX/A [2], or Running HT/A [2], or Hiking HT/A [2]
- 2 points in Wrestling or Judo [2]
- 2 points in Brawling or Karate [2]
-
4 points among Electronics Operation (Parachronics) (IQ/ A), Professional Skill (Infinity Patrol) (IQ/ A), Savior-Faire (Police) (IQ/ E), and Cliodynamics (IQ/ H)
The languages points don't cleanly map to a whole number of languages, and the language talent is missing. This is intentional: the Infinite worlds are not full of good clean distinct languages with full written forms. Instead you have divergent languages it only takes a single point to become fluent in, languages without a written form (or with an informal and adhoc written form), and things like Chinese, which have one written form, several languages, and a few noninterchangeable dialects. 15 points encourages players to think about what they get instead of just saying 'french and mandarin'. As for language talent, it takes a minimum of 20 points in languages before language talent is possibly a good purchase (five languages at accented being the ideal case), and that step is suggested in the process anyways. Its also a good idea to make sure that your history specialization and cultural familiarities line up with your language skills.
The last four points to be distributed are things that will be learned at the academy, but not everyone will pay attention. These skills reflect specific infinity training, and define what role the character plays in infinity as an organization.
Professional Skill (Infinity Patrol) is similar to soldier, covering the basics of patrol training and doctrine. It includes rolls on the proper procedure to approach a situation, coming up with simple cover stories, properly destroying high tech gear and other evidence, and uses of Cliodynamics or Electronics Operation (Parachronics) where the routine +4 bonus would apply to someone who had the skill.
Unlike the original BAT, this template suggests that players arrange their attribute points as they see fit. This is once again to encourage diversity. The GM should probably frown on taking attributes below 10 though. If you want to mandate the example template, that's up to you.
An example character might be Daniel Jao. Daniel is a Chinese-Canadian who works in alternate Chinas, stopping out-time crime and occasionally nudging policy. He gets written Chinese [3], Spoken Mandarin [3] and Cantonese [3], and learns an older dialect for spoken Mandarin [1]. He learns Japanese at a broken level [2], the spoken form of Manchu at a accented level, and spoken Mongolian at the broken level [1]. He drops two points in savior faire (police) and two in Professional Skill (Infinity Patrol) -- he does things by the book, doesn't change worlds often, and doesn't mess around with echoes or determining divergences.We'll save his advantages and disadvantages for later.
Filling Out the Packages
Now you add packages to the template, just like you normally do in action 4. In action, characters are assumed to be 250 points, which makes the number of packages to choose fairly simple. This BAT can have any number of templates added, but I recommend 3 or 4. Higher point characters might want to look at raising attributes rather than adding more packages. Infinite worlds suggests adding "thirty or so" points to its 155 point basic templates. That might be a little low, but that gives us between three and four packages worth.When adding the packages, you should take into account both what the character does and where he does it. What is the classic TL he works with? If he's trained to counter centrum, is he trained to work on echoes (where history is both known and sacred) or alternates (where the goal is to counter centrum influence)? Does the agent live in the wilderness, or the city,. Do they get their intel face to face or by sneaking around? How often is the character expected to fight?
Daniel Jao spends most of his time in TL4 to TL6 china. He is a social man at home in the city, and is fond of bugging targets to achieve his goals. We'll add Bugging, and Businessman for the status he usually gets inserted in at court. We'll finally add Social Engineer: Daniel doesn't just plant bugs, he engages with people, gets them to change their minds, tricks them into telling him things they shouldn't, and so on.
Additional Packages
The framework is doing pretty well so far. Daniel is a pretty solid character, and functional enough in an Infinite worlds campaign. He needs someone to analyze his data and he's not that good in a fight, but he's good enough, and he can both gather info and provoke changes in others, and blend in as a variety of roles.And yet there are things that the packages just didn't cover, because its made for modern action, not infinite worlds. Daniel can pose as a merchant, but we really want him to blend in as a government official, of the classical Chinese type. Which involves some odd skills like calligraphy and literature. There are other holes as well: what if you want an expert on cliodynamics? So we're going to have to add some additional packages to the system.
Most of these packages either cover the new cultural and technological aspects of the setting. Some were simply added because I found them convenient. The package that requires the most explanation is 'Regional Training' and the corresponding 'Integration Packages'. Integration packages are 10 points, and most represent a role in society. Taking Regional Training along with an integration package allows an agent to blend in or assume an identity for a long time -- or may be the result of the long term assumed identity.
Daniel could really use regional familiarity: His language list has lots of broken level entries and he wants to pose as an imperial scribe in most cases. We will swap out Businessman for regional familiarity, and brings his three 'foreign' languages up to native levels when speaking them, and his Japanese writing up to accented. He loads up on the various skills needed to pass as one who has passed the Chinese imperial exams: poetry, literature, and philosophy.
I don't expect you to read all of these packages, but I found them necessary in getting what I wanted out of the Infinity version of the BAT. Have fun creating your characters!
The Packages
New Packages:Caravan Life
Parachronics
Paranormal Researcher
Scientist (Expanded)
Combat Experience
Regional Training
Integration Packages:
Low Tech Scribe
Low Tech Soldier
Hunter Gatherer
Herdsmen
Urban Scrounger
Noble Lifestyle
Basic Conflict
Adjusted Packages:
Computer Intrusion (Realistic)
Conspiracies (Infinite Worlds)
Cowboy (Skills)
Electronics (Infinite Worlds)
Repairman (Infinite Worlds)
Caravan Life:
You spend your life on the move, taking goods from one place to another. You may be a trader, or you may be a nomad, but you're experienced with moving across the wilderness. There are a number of choices to be made here, but they are all basically about what terrain you cross and what vehicle you use.
Fit [5]
Survival (Plains, Desert, Forest, or Arctic) IQ/A [4]
Freight Handling IQ/A [4]
Navigation (Land)
Riding (Horse or Camel) DX/A [4], Boating (unpowered)DX/A [4], Driving (Automobile,Heavy Wheeled, or Half-track) DX/A[4], Hiking HT/A[4], or Teamster (Equines, Cattle, or Dogs) IQ/A [4]
Animal Handling (Equines, Camels, Dogs, or Cattle) or Mechanic (Automobile,Heavy Wheeled, Half-track, or unpowered boat)
Parachronics:
Infinite worlds needs specialists in its specialized feild of parachronics. These folks have devoted their lives to understanding this better, and are cutting edge at what they do. While they all have a similar grounding, these folks can specialize quite deeply.
History (any) IQ/H [2]
Cliodynamics IQ/H [2]
Physics (parachronics) IQ/H [2]
Electronics Operation (parachronics) IQ/A [2]
Mathematics (Applied) IQ/H [2]
Computer Operation IQ/E [1]Seven of the following (yes you can double up or more -- fact you have to!)
- History (any) IQ/H [2]
- Cliodynamics IQ/H [2]
- Physics (parachronics) IQ/H [2]
- Electronics Operation (parachronics) IQ/A [2]
- Engineer (parachronics) IQ/H [2]
Some Infinite worlds games need these in order to understand the worlds they encounter. These characters tend towards the technical side of things and away from action, but are still fun to play. Once again, you have a lot of choice. The first set of skill choices determine your subject of study, your second set of choices gives you tools to handle such weirdness without getting killed -- or worse. Infinity and Centrum Parachronics research is found in a separate package -- but a world without the secret researching parachronic travel will use paranormal researcher while they still don't understand it, and Reich-5 parachronic researchers (I mean mad scientists) certainly use this package rather than the very mechanically oriented parachronics package.
Research IQ/A [8]
Writing IQ/A [2]
two of the following (yes you can double up):
- Thaumatology IQ/VH [4]
- Thaumatology (Specialty) IQ/H [4]
- Weird Science IQ/H [4]
- Expert Skill (psionics, parachronazoids, or other) IQ/H [4]
- Genegeneering IQ/H [4]
- Electronics Operation (Scientific, Psychotronic or Weird) IQ/H [2]
- Occultism IQ/H [2]
- Hazardous Materials (Magical, Nuclear, Weird) IQ/H [2]
- Mind Block Will/H [2]
- Physics (weird specialty) IQ/H [2]
- Animal Handling (rabbits, deer, apes, or any other) IQ/A [2]
- Psychology (Human ) IQ/H [2]
- Pysician IQ/H [2]
Scientist (Expanded):
While their is a 'science' template in action 4, is specifies that only a few skills are used, and intentionally prunes down the potential skills of a scientist. Infinite worlds leaning more to science fiction, an expanded science lens is appropriate. This lens is still skewed towards 'cinematic', and using an NPC expert to cover specifics and a more general scientist as your PC is still recommended for action type games.
Research IQ/A [2]
five of the following (yes you can double up):
- Biology IQ/VH [4]
- Biology (specialty) IQ/H [4]
- Chemistry IQ/H [4]
- Physics IQ/VH [4]
- Physics (specialty) IQ/H [4]
- Hazardous Materials (Specialty) IQ/A [4]
- Naturalist IQ/H [4]
- Electronics Operation (Scientific) IQ/A [4]
- Physiology (human) IQ/A [4]
- Current Affairs (Science and Technology) IQ/E [4]
- Public Speaking (IQ/ A) [1]
- Teaching (IQ/ A) [1]
- Writing (IQ/ A) [1]
Less of a skill package and more of a status, combat experience is appropriate for any character that's experienced a good deal of fighting.
Combat Reflexes [15]
First Aid IQ/E [2]
Tactics IQ/H [2]
6 points in combats skills (melee weapons, ranged weapons, or hand to hand combat skills)
Regional Training:
The linguist and the local expert packages are nice, but on the smaller budgets not as effective as would be convenient, and don't include vital skills necessary to blend in as a citizen of the world. Regional Training only costs 15 points by itself, and should be combined with a 10 point 'integration' lens. This is for agents who have lived or intend to live for a long period in a fairly alien culture.
6 points of Language [6]
1 Cultural Familiarity
History (The region) IQ/H [4]
Area Knowledge (The region) IQ/E [2]
Streetwise IQ/A [2], Savior Faire (Mafia, High Society, Servant, Military) IQ/E [2] , Law (Local) [2], Philosophy (any) IQ/H [2]
Integration Packages
Designed to be used with regional training, these lenses help people fit into specialized rolls in wildly different societies.Low Tech Scribe:
You are a professional scribe, able to read and write at a time when no one else could. You have beautiful hand writing and the cultural skills to put such hand writing to good use. Scribes are important people and inserting one into a society can be vital. And while an earphone can help you cheat your way through the chineese exams, if you don't know at least some of it you'll be exposed as an imposter.
Artist (Caligraphy) IQ/A [2]
four of the following (yes you can double up):
- Administration IQ/A [2]
- Accounting IQ/A [2]
- Law (Local) IQ/H [2]
- savior-Faire (Servant) IQ/E [2]
- Literature IQ/H [2]
- Poetry IQ/A [2]
- Philosophy IQ/A [2]
- Theology IQ/H [2]
You have trained to fight in formation with other soldiers. This often comes with a large amount of privilege and mobility, lets you carry weapons openly, and if you're in command, gives you a fair amount of influence in a key places.
Soldier (Low Tech) IQ/A [4]
Tactics (low tech) IQ/H [2]
4 points in low tech weapons skills [4]
Hunter Gatherer:
Someone who can't hunt, can't fish, and can't light a fire is a useless lump. And when you need to interact with TL0 folks, a useless lump is a terrible thing to be.
Survival (any) IQ/A [4]
Bow, Sling, Spear Thrower, Spear, or Fishing [2]
Tracking [2]
Expert Knowledge (Tribal Customs) [2]
Herdsmen:
You live with animals all day. This isn't the closest you can be to the seats of power, but its a lot better than being helpless
Animal Handling (any) IQ/A [4]
Survival (any) IQ/A [2]
Hiking HT/A [2] or Ride (any) DX/A [2]
Packing IQ/A [2], Teamster IQ/A [2], Handle Animal (dog)IQ/A [2], or Teamster (any) IQ/A [2]
Urban Scrounger:
You live on the streets of a city and live by your wits -- which means you find crap in all sorts of unlikely places and sleep on the street.
Scrounging IQ/A [4]
Urban Survival Per/A [4]
Streetwise IQ/A [2], Area Knowledge IQ/E [2], Architecture IQ/A [2], Traps IQ/A [2]
Noble Lifestyle:
You can fit in with the local nobility -- which is no mean feat. Etiquette must be learned, as must good taste.
Saviore Faire (High society) [2]
Four of the following:
- Riding (horse) DX/A [2]
- Dancing DX/A [2]
- Connoisseur(any) IQ/E [2]
- Literature IQ/H [2]
- Public Speaking IQ/A [2]
- Law IQ/H [2]
- Administration IQ/A [2]
- Carousing HT/E [2]
You can handle yourself in a fight, including surrounding activities. Unlike other integration packages, this one isn't focused on fitting into a role in a society: its a fall back option if no other integration package fits.
First Aid IQ/E [1]
Stealth DX/A [2]
Guns (pistol, riffle, or shotgun) DX/E [2]
Brawling DX/E [2] or Karate DX/H [2]
Wrestling DX/A [2] or Judo DX/H [2]
Driving (any) DX/A [1], Hiking HT/A [1], or Running HT/A [1]
Altered Packages
some packages fit right in, but could use a few tweaks ...Computer Intrusion (Realistic)
Realistic' hackers tend to know computers very well and use a variety of methods to achieve their goals. Such raised realism can be appropriate for infinite worlds.
Remove computer hacking. Add 3 points to computer operation and 1 point to electronics repair (computer).
Conspiracies (Infinite Worlds):
This is a classic skill for those working against centrum, whether on echoes or not. The expert skill (conspiracy theory) is a little odd, and many times this package really ought to include Cliodynamics. Its recommended lowering conspiracy theory at [2], and raising intelligence analysis to [4], and either taking Cliodynamics at [4] or raising intelligence analysis to [8].
Cowboy (Skills):
When you are traveling to the old times, you sometimes need less cowboy ruggedness and more cowboy skills. This skill set focuses on the skills of a cowboy and more generally an outdoorsman.
Remove Per and HT. Raise Survival (Plains) to [4], add Handle Animal (horse) IQ/A [2], and three of the following skills: Handle Animal (Cattle) IQ [2], Cooking (Trail Food) IQ/E [2], Naturalist IQ/H [2], Guns (riffle,shotgun, or pistol) DX/E [2], Hiking HT/A [2], or raise one of the skills listed or Handle Animal (horse) IQ/A to [4].
Electronics (Infinite Worlds):
Be aware of the parachronics specialty of electronics -- it can be vital. Add it to both lists of potential things to repair.
Repairman (Infinite Worlds):
In infinite worlds, you have a lot more types of machines to repair, including your conveyor's power sources and any weird machines that might be local to the timeline. You also potentially have a lot of low tech gear you need to take care of. Keep scrounging and Machinist, and add Conveyors to your mechanic list, as well as carpentry, smith, and leather working, and varied levels of machinist and mechanic. If necessary, drop artificer and pick up a broader set of specialties.
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