Well… that was interesting: Blade Runner RPG Solo Game 1 - Anamnesis: Session 0.2 - Character Creation Overview & PC 1

She’s a replicant, isn’t she?
Deckard – Blade Runner

Session 0.2 – Character Creation Overview & PC 1

In this second post of a multi-part series covering the session 0 of this new solo game, I’ll be performing an overview of the character creation process for the Blade Runner Roleplaying Game, while creating the first Player Character.

You can read the other posts related to Session 0 by clicking the appropriate link below:

Advice to the reader

In order to interpret the structure of my gaming session posts effectively, it is strongly suggested that you peruse A Readers Guide to Play Sessions on The Old Bard, if you haven’t already.

To better grasp what I mean when I bring up Fate questions, you might find it useful to keep the Mythic Fate Chart accessible, potentially in a new window or tab in your browser.

How To Create Your Player Character

The core rulebook outlines the character creation process on page 26, which consists of the following steps:

Choose or roll if you are Human or Replicant
Choose or roll for your Blade Runner archetype
Choose or roll for your years on the force
Determine your attributes
Calculate your Health and Resolve ratings
Choose your skills
Choose or roll for your starting specialties
Choose or roll for your key memory
Choose or roll for your key relationship
Get your standard issue gear
Choose or roll for your signature item
Choose or roll for your appearance
Choose or roll for your name
Roll for your home or describe it yourself
Get out into the mean streets

Step 0: Character Concept

Typically, I immerse myself in the character creation process of the game system, obtaining a broad understanding before I start molding a character concept, and then further embellishing the details.

However, upon initially exploring the character creation process of this Blade Runner game, it appears that a significant portion of a character’s attributes can be determined by a dice roll. As such, I’ve opted to traverse character creation, allowing chance to shape my character’s attributes, and then conceptualize the character based on the outcome.

Therefore, we’ll circle back to the character concept once the creation process is complete, letting inspiration strike as the character comes to life.

Step 1: Choose or roll if you are Human or Replicant

Is your Blade Runner a human or a replicant? This vital decision is the initial step in character creation. Alternatively, you could let a roll of the dice make the choice for you.

Originally, I had contemplated playing a solo game as a Human, followed by another separate solo adventure as a Replicant. However, given my earlier declaration in Step 0 about permitting a dice roll to dictate my character’s attributes, I believe I should stay consistent with this approach. So, I’ll entrust this pivotal decision to chance, letting fate carve the path.

The core rulebook provides a simple table to roll on to determine this. You roll a D6, and if the result is 1-3, you’re a Human, otherwise if it’s 4-6, you’re a Replicant.

I roll 1d6 for a result of 3. Therefore, my character is a Human. I mark this down on my character sheet.

Step 2: Choose or roll for your Blade Runner archetype

ARCHETYPE
Next, it’s time to decide your archetype. This determines your role in the group, your expertise, and what type of work you normally do within the LAPD. It can influence your attributes, skills, specialties, and resources at the start of the game. Choose or roll on the table below.

There are seven core archetypes, described on pages 039–051. The Skimmer and Cityspeaker are only available for human characters, while the Doxie is reserved for Replicants. The others are open to any type of character. Archetypes are not official job titles within the LAPD – they should rather be seen as broad roles.

Archetypes can feel stereotypical, and they are meant to. Picking an archetype is a quick way for you, and the other players in the group, to get an immediate feel for your character. But remember that you are more than just your archetype – it is merely a starting point toward creating a unique player character.
Blade Runner RPG – Chapter 2 – Your Blade Runner – Core Concepts – Page 27.

I roll 1d12 for a result of 6. Based on the Archetype table, this makes my character a Fixer. I turn to page 47 in the core rulebook where this Archetype is defined.

FIXER
Some call you a career politician. Others a political crusader. You don’t care what they think. You work the system, and you never play nice, though everybody knows to play nice with you. And not just to kiss up to their future boss. It’s your job to keep saboteurs of the status quo at bay, may they come from outside or within. When big messes occur, you clean them up. And with every mess you fix, somebody owes you a favor. A whisper. And you hear a lot from high places. You spend more time in courtrooms, fundraisers, and nightclubs than the office. Doesn’t mean you’re not doing the job. Your little black book is the upper crust of elite rings to kiss, wrists to twist, and backs to stab. As a master of manipulation, you can tear through red tape, leap through loopholes, and quell every controversy. But let’s face it, the only case you’re ever working is your own. It’s no coincidence that you only work cases promising future headlines and new strings to pull. You’re determined to reach the top of that corporate ladder, even if you burn every rung beneath you as you go.
Blade Runner RPG – Chapter 2 – Your Blade Runner – Archetypes – Page 47.

I bookmark this page, as I’ll need to refer to it often.

Step 3: Choose or roll for your years on the force

To determine the number of years on the force, I need to roll a D12. I roll 1d12 for a result of 6 again. In this case, I’m a Seasoned Blade Runner with 2-7 years on the force. There are several modifiers listed for each grouping such as Attributes, Skills, Specialties etc. So, we will be referring back to this table again in upcoming steps.

Regarding the “Years On The Force” field on the character sheet, I’m currently uncertain about what information to fill in. Should it be the descriptor from the table? Or the roll result? Or simply a decided number within the provided range? Thankfully, I’m recording all these considerations in this post, so I can revisit this aspect once its implications become clearer. For the time being, I’ll leave this field on the character sheet blank.

Step 4: Determine your attributes.

The core rulebook notes the following in regard to attributes in general:

ATTRIBUTES
Your character has four base attributes that indicate your basic physical and mental capabilities, each rated on a scale from A to D. Level A represents the maximum human capacity, B is above average, C is your average human being, and D is a weakened or diminished ability. Attribute ratings are marked on your character sheet.

STRENGTH: Muscle power, toughness, and physical endurance

AGILITY: Body control, speed, and fine motor skills

INTELLIGENCE: Perception, intellect, and mental stability

EMPATHY: Social intelligence, charisma, and emotional stability

DICE: Your attributes are used when you roll dice to perform actions in the game (as well as for determining how much damage and stress you can withstand). When rolling dice, each attribute level is connected to a specific die type.
Blade Runner RPG – Chapter 2 – Your Blade Runner – Attributes – Page 28.

It then proceeds with determining your starting attributes:

STARTING ATTRIBUTES
When you create your Blade Runner, you start with a baseline of C in all four attributes. You may then make a number of increases, as indicated by your number of years on the force. An increase is always one step, like from C to B or B to A.
KEY ATTRIBUTE: You can increase any attribute you want as much as you want (up to A), but the key attribute listed by your archetype must be at level B or higher.

You can gain an extra increase by decreasing an attribute of your choice from C to D. For example, you could create an Old-Timer (with just one free increase) with the starting attribute levels C, D, A, C by decreasing Agility to D and thus gaining an extra increase to raise Intelligence to A.

REPLICANTS: Replicant characters get one additional attribute increase, which must be spent on Strength or Agility.
Blade Runner RPG – Chapter 2 – Your Blade Runner – Starting Attributes – Page 29.

The Attributes increases I get based on my years on the force is noted as +3. Therefore I can perform an attribute increase 3 times. I start by placing C for the rating on all 4 attributes.

Flipping back to review my characters Archetype, Fixer, I see that it’s Key Attribute is Empathy. Since I need to perform at minimum, 1 attribute increase for Empathy, I choose to do just that bring up its level to B on my character sheet, which then leaves me two more increases to use. I decide to bring both Strength and Intelligence up to B and leave Agility at C.

I markdown the values for these ratings for each attribute, and the Base Die, in the Attributes & Skills section on my character sheet.

Step 5: Calculate your Health and Resolve ratings

I’m assuming that the results of the formulas listed here are to be marked on my character sheet for Maximum Health and Maximum Resolve.

HEALTH AND RESOLVE
Your attributes determine how much physical damage and mental stress you can withstand. This is measured by your Health and Resolve ratings. Read more about how those work in Chapter 04.

Your Health equals the sum of the die size for your Strength and Agility divided by 4, rounding fractions up.

Your Resolve equals the sum of the die size for your Intelligence and Empathy divided by 4, rounding up.

Blade Runner RPG – Chapter 2 – Your Blade Runner – Health And Resolve – Page 29.

Since both my results are 5, I mark those down on my character sheet.

Step 6: Choose your skills

Just like we did for Starting Attributes, we now need to do for Starting Skill Levels. However, for Skills the baseline is D instead of C. So, I mark D for all the skills on my character sheet. Also, just like Attributes, your Archetype lists your Key Skills and you must bring the ratings for your Key Skills to level C or higher.

Flipping back to review my characters Archetype, Fixer, I see that it’s Key Skills are Connections, Manipulation, and Insight.

I decide to bring Manipulation up to B and Connections and Insight both get leveled to C leaving me 6 more increases to use. For the remaining, I spend 2 points on Observation to bring it to B, and the remaining 4 to bring Hand-to-Hand Combat, Firearms, Stealth and Tech to a C rating.

I markdown the values for these ratings for each skill, and the Base Die, in the Attributes & Skills section on my character sheet.

Step 7: Choose or roll for your starting specialties

SPECIALTIES
Specialties are tricks, moves, and minor abilities that give you a small edge. They are more specialized than skills and offer a way to fine-tune your character. Specialties are further explained on page 060.

STARTING SPECIALTIES: When creating your Blade Runner, you get a number of specialties at the start of the game depending on how many years you have on the force. You can choose any specialties you like, but your archetype offers you suggestions that you can choose from or roll for. If you’re a rookie, you start the game without any specialties. You can learn specialties during the course of the game.
Blade Runner RPG – Chapter 2 – Your Blade Runner – Specialties – Page 30.

I decide to just roll from the Specialty table on the Archetype page for my characters archetype. Referring back to my characters Archetype, Fixer, I see that it requires a D3 roll with the Specialty options being 1 = Cashflow, 2 = Insider and 3 = Protected. I roll 1d6 for a result of 6. Divide that by 2 and my result is 3. So my Specialty is Protected.

The definition of Protected is as follows:

PROTECTED: When you lose a Promotion Point due to any failures in your duties, roll CONNECTIONS. For every 6 rolled, the amount of points lost is reduced by one (to a minimum of zero).
Blade Runner RPG – Chapter 3 – Skills & Specialties – List of Specialties – Page 61.

I write Protected in the Specialties area of my character sheet.

Step 8: Choose or roll for your key memory

This part is rather interesting. Here is what the core rulebook has to say about Key Memory:

KEY MEMORY

Your memories are an essential part of who you are – no matter if they are real or artificially engineered. Each player character in the BLADE RUNNER RPG has a key memory of some defining event in the past, whether it’s your own, someone else’s, or a complete fiction designed in a memory lab. Your key memory is a focal point of your personality, and it can be a powerful source of inspiration and perseverance. Once per game session, you can use your key memory in a skill roll to improve your chance to succeed. You need to explain how the memory helps you in that particular situation, but the Game Runner should be lenient.

The Game Runner can also use your key memory to create events during play, as described in more detail in Chapter 09.Interacting with your key memory will gain you a Humanity Point at the end of the session.
Blade Runner RPG – Chapter 2 – Your Blade Runner – Key Memory – Page 30.

There are 5 tables to roll on.

The first Memory Table defines “When did it happen?” and requires a D6 roll. I roll 1d6 for a result of 2 which is “During childhood. You remember it like it was yesterday.“

The second Memory Table defines “Where did it happen?” and requires a D12 roll. I roll 1d12 for a result of 11 which is “In a foreign land, surrounded by crowds speaking a language you didn’t understand.“

The third Memory Table defines “Who was there?” and requires a D12 roll. I roll 1d12 for a result of 5 which is “A trusted friend.“

“What Happened?” is what you roll for on the forth Memory Table and requires a D12 roll. I roll 1d12 for a result of 6 which is “You were psychologically abused.“

And lastly, Memory Table 5 defines “How did it make you feel?” which requires a D12 roll. I roll 1d12 for a result of 11 which is “Terrified“.

So, my key memory will be as follows:

During my childhood, in a foreign land filled with unfamiliar tongues, a trusted friend and I witnessed a brutal incident. This violent event, experienced in our youth, left a haunting imprint of fear and helplessness that persists vividly to this day.

I place this description into the Key Memory area on my character sheet.

Step 9: Choose or roll for your key relationship

You do the same thing with you Key Relationship as you did with your Key Memory, but this is limited to just 3 tables instead of 5.

KEY RELATIONSHIP

Next to your key memory, the most defining element of your character is their key relationship. This is an NPC that for any reason plays a big role in your life. It will typically be a living person, but it can be someone artificial, dead, or even fictitious, existing only in your designed memories. It should not be another PC.

Your key relation is primarily used by the Game Runner to create events in the game, as described further in Chapter 09. Interacting with your key relationship will earn you Humanity Points at the end of the session.
Blade Runner RPG – Chapter 2 – Your Blade Runner – Key Relationship – Page 32.

The first Relationship Table is for “Who is it?” and requires a D12 roll. I roll 1d12 for a result of 2 which is “Sibling“.

The second Relationship Table is for “What’s your relationship like?” and also requires a D12 roll. I roll 1d12 for a result of 8 which is “Deceitful“.

The last Relationship Table is for “What’s going on?” and requires a D12 roll. I roll 1d12 for a result of 12 which is “They threaten you with something“.

So, my Key Relationship will be:

My sister, our relationship strained by deceit, believes I am a murderer because of my role as a Blade Runner. She holds the power to turn my loved ones against me, introducing a constant tension and the threat of isolation into our troubled bond.

I place this description into the Key Relationship area on my character sheet.

Step 10: Get your standard issue gear

For gear, there is no initial selection that occurs. You get the following standard issue of gear.

STANDARD ISSUE
As a Blade Runner in the Rep-Detect Unit of the LAPD, you get the below gear as your standard issue. All items are described in detail in Chapter 08.

Badge (page 174)

PK-D Blaster or .357 Subcompact (page 178)

Knowledge Integration Assistant (page 175)

Detective Special Spinner (page 196)

Blade Runner RPG – Chapter 2 – Your Blade Runner – Your Gear – Page 35.

Since we do have a choice of weapon, I select the PK-D Blaster

I mark all my gear on my character sheet in the Gear section, and fill out a weapon entry in the Weapons section with the PK-D Blaster.

I also need to role for the number of Chinyen Points I have.

STARTING CHINYEN: You roll a die set by your archetype to determine the number of Chinyen Points you get at the start of the game. This amount is then modified by your years on the force. These represent any savings you might have managed to scrape together during your career. Replicant characters start with one less Chinyen Point, to a minimum of zero.
Blade Runner RPG – Chapter 2 – Your Blade Runner – Your Gear – Page 34.

Flipping back to the Fixer archetype on page 47, I see that my die roll for Chinyen Points is a D10. I roll 1d10 for a result of 6. There is no modifier for Chinyen Points based on my years on the force, so I write down 6 Chinyen in the Gear section of my character sheet.

Step 11: Choose or roll for your signature item

For your Signature Item, you can roll on a table or come up with your own. It is typically connected to your Key Memory or Key Relationship, or both. By interacting with you Signature Item once per game session, you can use it to immediately recover one point of stress. Since we’re leaving most of this up to the fate of the dice, I need to roll on the Signature Item table which requires a D12 roll. I roll 1d12 for a result of 5 which is “A musical instrument“. How fitting for me.

I’m going to say that’s a Harmonica given to me by my grandfather. I write that down in the Signature Item field on my character sheet.

Step 12: Choose or roll for your appearance

For Appearance, you can roll on the Appearance table for your Archetype, or you come up with something on your own. I decide to roll on the table and keep to my decision of letting the fate of the dice determine. Looking at the Fixer Archetype on page 47, this table requires a D3 so I roll 1d6 for a result of 6. Divide by 2 for a result of 3 and that’s “You walk, talk, and dress like somebody who is going to fire everybody you know one day.” So, I jot that down on my character sheet in the Appearance section.

Step 13: Choose or roll for your name

For Name, you can roll on the Name table for your Archetype, or you come up with something on your own. This is the one thing I’m going to break the rule on and not roll on the table defined in the core rulebook for my archetype, however I WILL roll on some random tables.

Unfortunately, all of my random tables, books etc. are tailored for fantasy role playing and I don’t want to select a name from those, So I default to this Random Name Generator – Behind the Name, to choose a name for me. I few random generations and I get a result I like, Clayton Brant. I’ve left the links to each of the name’s etymology and history for your reference.

Step 14: Roll for your home or describe it yourself

HOME
As a Blade Runner, the LAPD offers a sparse apartment in Sector 5, but you can style your home the way you like and even find other places to stay. Describe your character’s home with a sentence or two, focusing on the most significant elements, and choose where in LA it is located. You can choose freely or roll on the table to the right. For more information about the different Sectors of LA, see Chapter 05.
Blade Runner RPG – Chapter 2 – Your Blade Runner – Wrapping Up – Page 35.

For the home, we need to roll a D12 on the Blade Runner Home table so I roll 1d12 for a result of 2 so that’s “A sparsely furnished LAPD housing apartment in Sector 5, small and claustrophobic (see page 111 for more information on these)“.

I write down “UN-Provided LAPD housing apartment in Sector 5” on my character sheet for the Home field.

Step 15: Get out into the mean streets

Well, this would be the part where you actually start the game. Nothing to do here except start playing. However, I have one more step I need to perform.

Step 16: AI Details

This isn’t an official step. But it’s my custom step where I’m going to take everything we’ve come up with and feed it into ChatGPT and see what the results are, and possibly tweak it if I see something I don’t like, or it makes sense.

Also, I’m going to come up with Visuals for him using Midjourney.

ChatGPT

I use the following information and feed it into ChatGPT in my Blade Runner RPG chat session I’ve established that contains everything we’ve done in this post series:

I need a character description and background made for me from the following information
Character Name: Clayton Brant
Archetype: FIXER
Some call him a career politician. Others a political crusader. He doesn’t care what they think. He works the system, and he never plays nice, though everybody knows to play nice with me. And not just to kiss up to their future boss. It’s his job to keep saboteurs of the status quo at bay, may they come from outside or within. When big messes occur, He cleansn them up. And with every mess he fixes, somebody owes him a favor. A whisper. And he hear a lot from high places. He spends more time in courtrooms, fundraisers, and nightclubs than the office. Doesn’t mean he’s not doing the job. His little black book is the upper crust of elite rings to kiss, wrists to twist, and backs to stab. As a master of manipulation, he can tear through red tape, leap through loopholes, and quell every controversy. But let’s face it, the only case he’s ever working is his own. It’s no coincidence that he only works cases promising future headlines and new strings to pull. He’s determined to reach the top of that corporate ladder, even if he burns every rung beneath him as he goes.
He is a seasoned Blade Runner with 5 years being on the force.
Key Memory: During his childhood, in a foreign land filled with unfamiliar tongues, a trusted friend and he witnessed a brutal incident. This violent event, experienced in his youth, left a haunting imprint of fear and helplessness that persists vividly to this day.
Key Relationship: His sister, their relationship strained by deceit, believes he is a murderer because of his role as a Blade Runner. She holds the power to turn his loved ones against him, introducing a constant tension and the threat of isolation into their troubled bond.

His Appearance: He walks, talks and dresses like somebody who is going to fire everybody he knows one day.

He carries the following items:
6 Chinyen
His Badge
His Kia
His PK-D Blaster

He lives in a UN-provided apartment. Free of charge.

I should note that I provided the description from the core rulebook for his Badge, Kia, Blaster and Home along with the above and this was the result:

Clayton Brant: A fixer on the political stage, weaving his web of influence through courtrooms, fundraisers, and nightclubs. He is often called a career politician by some, a political crusader by others. His aptitude for manipulation makes him an efficient problem solver, quelling controversies, and turning every challenge into an opportunity for gaining more influence.

Brant is a seasoned Blade Runner, having spent 5 years on the force. His childhood memory of witnessing a violent incident in a foreign land has left him with an enduring sense of fear and helplessness. Adding complexity to his life is his deceitful relationship with his sister who, viewing him as a murderer due to his profession, threatens to alienate him from his loved ones.

Despite the pressure, Brant carries an aura of authority. He walks, talks, and dresses as if he is perpetually on the verge of gaining more power. His possessions include his Blade Runner badge—his access key to almost anywhere in the city, a KIA—a personal data manager with a direct datalink to the LAPD Mainframe, a PK-D blaster, and 6 Chinyen.

Brant drives a Detective Special Spinner—an unmarked cruiser designed for covert investigations, and a symbol of status among the force. His home, provided by the UN free of charge, is a modest studio apartment in one of the numerous housing complexes. The apartment, while small, is equipped with exclusive amenities including a personal Esper terminal, an emanator ceiling mount, and an emergency-use spinner pad on the top floor. Despite its size, it offers him a moment of respite and a feeling of being above the chaos of the city.

Fairly bland, but I think our character is bland to most people so I’m going to leave this as is for now.

Midjourney

And now that we have a description for Clayton Brant, let’s generate what me may look like.

I used the following prompts to generate these images:

/imagine a man walking down a dark city street wearing a long black coat in the Blade Runner universe. Ultra Realistic. --aspect 2:1 
/imagine https://s.mj.run/yqQHbJZzO_s A detective in the Blade Runner Universe. Ultra Realistic. --aspect 2:1
https://s.mj.run/_DIKl6HLFXE a detective in the Blade Runner Universe. Ultra Realistic. --aspect 2:1 --iw 2

And here are the results:

Initial Character Description & Sheet

I created a full character page for Clayton Brant that you can view by clicking here with his description and details.

And below is his initial character sheet:

Bookkeeping

I created a character page for this character here to store his visualizations and character description for later reference. Note, as far as that “Years on the force” question I noted earlier in Step 3. I rolled a 1d10 for a result of 5, and since 5 was in range of a Seasoned Blade Runner, I put 5 into the field for “Years on the force” on my character sheet.

I also update the page description that will provide information on all characters in this solo game here.

Now it’s time to pour over the rest of the Blade Runner Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook to prepare to start playing!

Till next time!

Resources Used

Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook
Mythic Game Master Emulator Second Edition (MGME2E)
ChatGPT for generating a description of various elements as noted.
Midjourney for creating imagery.
Random Name Generator – Behind the Name for the character’s name

Well… that was interesting: Blade Runner RPG Solo Game 1 – Anamnesis: Session 0.2 – Character Creation Overview & PC 1