I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear
Session 0.4 – Character Creation Overview
In this fourth part for our session 0, I’ll be performing an overview of the character creation process for my first Collaborative Game of Dune: Adventures in the Imperium with the Space Cowboy.
You can read the other posts related to Session 0 by clicking the appropriate link below:
- Dune RPG Collab Game 1 – Session 0.1 – Introduction
- Dune RPG Collab Game 1 – Session 0.2 – House Creation
- Dune RPG Collab Game 1 – Session 0.3 – Enemy House Creation
- Dune RPG Collab Game 1 – Session 0.4 – Character Creation Overview
- Dune RPG Collab Game 1 – Session 0.5 – Planned Character Creation
- Dune RPG Collab Game 1 – Session 0.6 – Character Creation In Play
- Dune RPG Collab Game 1 – Session 0.7 – Enemy Character Creation
- Dune RPG Collab Game 1 – Session 0.8 – Additional House Creation
I’ve decided that I’m only going to create main 2 characters initially. This post is going to just cover an overview of the process, and the next post will detail the actual character creation itself.
Character creation is detailed in Chapter 4: Creating Your Character beginning on page 99 of the core rule book.
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.
The interesting thing about the Dune RPG, is that players not only play Main Characters, but also Supporting Characters.
Main characters are each player’s first and most important character. Each player has a single main character, and these characters are collectively the focus of the adventures you’ll play and the stories you’ll tell in the Known Universe of Dune.
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Supporting characters are player characters too, but they’re less-developed than main characters and are intended to be created quickly during the game asand-when- needed to fulfil a particular role needed by the group.
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Supporting characters can be either notable or minor:
Dune: Adventures in the Imperium – Chapter 4 – Player Characters – Page 100.
- A notable supporting character is likely to be a significant recurring character, and they will be capable specialists in their own right.
- Minor supporting characters are the ordinary rank and file subordinates and servants of the House; quick to create and disposable for brief scenes where their skills are necessary.
Non-Player Characters (as generally played by the game master in RPG games) are broken down as follows:
Dune: Adventures in the Imperium – Chapter 4 – Non-Player Characters – Page 100.
- Major NPCs are important, powerful people, equivalent or superior to the player characters.
- Notable NPCs are significant experts and agents of rival Houses or other factions, similar to notable supporting characters.
- Minor NPCs are the incidental enemies: servants, criminals, soldiers, and other persons unlikely to be identified by name.
This NPCs are addressed in Chapter 8:
Gamemastering and Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries.
Under Who Are You? in this chapter it discusses coming up with a concept for your character. You can use some of the sample concepts they have listed, but you are free to select something else inspired by the universe of Dune.
Under the heading Two Methods, an interesting facet of the Dune RPG that is described on creating your character is Planned Creation and Creation In Play.
Essentially you can create your entire character through the Planned Creation method, where you make decisions about your character at every step. Alternatively, you can use Creation In Play, which allows you to make fewer decisions.
If you choose Creation In Play, you make a few key choices but leave the rest blank on your character sheet. The remaining details will be defined once play has begun at particular points during the game where you need to define one of those elements.
I’ve decided I’m actually going to use both. I’ll use Planned Creation for one character, and Creation In Play for the other. I’m positive this will also help me understand the mechanics of the game better as well, as I’ll need to stop along the way and give considerable thought to how the story has progressed, and what may make more sense for the Creation In Play character.
The Measure Of A Character
This section of the chapter covers the following character creation concepts. We will go into them deeper as we start doing the actual creation of the characters soon, however following is a brief description of each concept.
Personal Traits
The character possesses two fundamental traits that serve as vital descriptions of their nature. These traits establish a framework for the character’s actions, influencing the level of challenge in the tasks they undertake. Moreover, they assist both you and the gamemaster in determining the character’s boundaries of possibility. In essence, these traits mirror the ones the gamemaster outlines when introducing a new scene, as outlined in Chapter 5: Core Rules.
Skills
Naturally, characters encompass more than their mere position and motivations. Achievements stem from taking action, and action necessitates proficiency. A character’s training and expertise form integral components that empower them to exert influence over the surrounding world.
There are five skills.
- Battle
- Communicate
- Discipline
- Move
- Understand
I’ll cover these when creating my character.
Focuses
The Dune RPG core rulebook has this to say about Focuses:
A character’s skills are broad, and each character has a selection of focuses which allow you to demonstrate their specialties and the kinds of advanced expertise that comes with specialized training or hard-won experience.
Focuses increase a character’s chances of scoring a critical success on tests using that skill, in circumstances where that focus applies. There is no singular, fixed list of focuses. Focuses can be chosen freely during character creation, for there are innumerable areas of expertise and specializations.
Dune: Adventures in the Imperium – Chapter 4 – Focuses – Page 103.
Drives
A character’s inner life motivates and defines their actions. A character’s drives, thus, shape the things they do, and how successful they are at those things. A character is more likely to succeed when they believe strongly in something, and less likely when they are indifferent. But those strong drives can also lead a character into trouble or lead them to take ill-advised actions.
Each character has a rating in each of five drives
Dune: Adventures in the Imperium – Chapter 4 – Drives – Page 105.
- Duty
- Faith
- Justice
- Power
- Truth
Drive Statements
For each drive with a rating of 6 or higher, you also need to define a drive statement that explains what the character feels about the drive.
Ambition
A character’s ambition is a short phrase describing their ultimate goal or desire, and it is defined by their highest-rated drive.
Stay tuned for the actual character creation process!
Bookkeeping
I initially intended this post to encompass the detailed creation process itself, but as I delved into it, I realized it was becoming quite lengthy even in the overview. After careful consideration, I decided it would be more prudent to create a separate post that provides a comprehensive overview of the entire process. I will continuously revisit and update this post as needed during the character creation phase, ensuring it offers a thorough yet concise glimpse into the process.
At this juncture, my friend, the Space Cowboy, and I engaged in a discussion about the unfolding game and he expressed interest in playing as House Obsidian. We contemplated an intriguing concept where the gameplay would be “Solo” in nature within each session post, yet “Collaborative” in essence. The idea entails alternating between us for each session post. When I compose a session post playing as House Maestoso, I will primarily control my characters and assume the role of the Game Master within that session. Subsequently, I will pass the reins to the Space Cowboy, who will portray the characters of House Obsidian and act as the Game Master. The story and the other parties’ characters will be shaped by the events that transpire during each collaborative post, thereby propelling the story forward.
Once I complete the character creation for House Maestoso, the Space Cowboy will generate a post focusing on the character creation process for House Obsidian. From there, we will develop our overarching story ideas and commence the alternating session gameplay in earnest.
Undoubtedly, this collaborative approach promises an intriguing and dynamic gaming experience, where the narrative evolves through the interplay of our characters and the consequential impact on the story. It will undoubtedly be an enthralling journey, and we are eager to embark upon it.
Till next time!
Resources Used
- Dune: Adventures in the Imperium Core Rulebook.
- Mythic Game Master Emulator Second Edition (MGME2E)
- ChatGPT for generating a description of various elements as noted.
- Midjourney for creating imagery the enemy homeworld, banner etc.
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