If you’ve read the Kickstarter Preview [Link accessible for backers only] of The Sprawl, you may have noticed a big highlighted heading, “Extended Chargen Example”, at the end of Chapter 3: Making a Character. Over the next week or two, I will post sections from this extended example. If there’s some aspect of the process that isn’t clear, make a note in the comments and I’ll expand or clarify my description as necessary. The earlier posts are here: Step 0; Steps 1 & 2; Steps 3 & 4; Step 5.
Step 6: Choose Gear
Norah (MC): After you’ve chosen your playbook moves, look at the gear section of your playbook and follow the instructions there to choose your gear.
Killers get their custom weapon, two other weapons and another item. John gives Oakley a linked silenced machine pistol and a machete as subtle options to balance The Shanghai Special. He chooses a armoured jacket – less protection than body armour, but way less obvious.
Fixers get one weapon and two other items. Takumi chooses a semi-auto pistol, trauma derms and an armoured coat for Hub.
Infiltrators get three weapons and one other item. Sarah chooses a stealth suit, as well as a silenced smg, a hand taser and a sword to give her several quiet options.
Aanya chooses a performance deck and names it Hellblade. She chooses three programs: Lockdown, Sift and Alert to help Core spot and overcome ICE, and make some big scores on the side. She chooses a flechette pistol, armoured clothing, and a flashy motorcycle.
Norah (MC): Once you’ve chosen gear, write down that you have five cred.
Step 7: Consider Background and Contacts
Norah (MC): Next think about your character’s background. Where did they come from, where did they grow up, who do they hang out with? This will guide the kind of contacts you have, so make a few notes about that.
John (playing Oakley): I already said that Oakley has a military background. He came from a working-class Hispanic family in some sprawling megacity on the eastern coast of the US.
Sarah (playing Zero): Zero lived in a middle-class suburb on the outskirts of the Sprawl. She had a happy and sheltered upbringing before the chemical accident. Then she spent a lot of time in hospitals, both for herself and for her family.
Aanya (playing Core): I’m going to play to the stereotype and say that Core is a spoiled brat who ran away from her cushy life in a corporate arcology, Her mother was an executive and her father was a researcher. They left her alone a lot because they were always travelling.
Takumi (Playing Hub): Takumi’s childhood was unremarkable, but he had a pretty decent career in corporate media before he decided to pack it in for the excitement and paycheck of a corporate troubleshooting career.
