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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Two Tough Guys

Or actually, one tough guy and one tough gal.

I've written quite a bit about the City and its world, but as my friend Jim pointed out to me the other day, I've yet to introduce any adventurers from the setting. Let me rectify that today by presenting two Fighter-type characters/ personalities from City's world:

Samael T. Hazard
A former Freedonian Ranger who hunted bankrobbers, banditos, and monsters along the Southwestern border, before "retiring" to the City to open a speakeasy. Going into business didn't mean Hazard had to put down his guns--he just meant he went freelance. He and his boys rescued the debutante daughters of the old money from ritual sacrifice by the sinister sorcerer, Wu Fang, and busted up a plot to hold the City for ransom with a threat to release War-surplus cloudkill in the subway. He helped clear the hobogoblin jungles in the Steel League, and stopped the Reds from replacing City ealdormen with dopplegangers. He even tangled with the Wurm at one point, but that one even he couldn't win. He made it out with his life, but left some good men underground.

Hazard eventually ran for public office, but didn't win, and went back to his bar in defeat. Still, taking out a Hell Syndicate Hit-Fiend during a live radio broadcast has got count as some sort of victory.


Eliza Gunn
Nineteen years-old, and already making her own way for several years in the bleakness of the Dustlands. Gunn is an ace mechanic, and handy in a scrap. She's been with a gang of adventures for a couple of years, defending refugees and isolated towns from road agents, black-dust zombies, and violent cyclone bosses looking to expand their territory. Between all this "do-gooding" they raid old Native mounds for treasure--mostly magical materials, but a little gold and silver, too.  There are trains to be guarded, too--a few days riding the rails from Lake City to the Stoneys, looking out for thunderbirds and as always, malevolent elemental storms.

Mostly sullen and not much for conversation, Gunn is given to almost berserker rages when she gets riled. Her favorite weapon is an over-sized wrench (rumored to be imbued with magic by a Native shaman--or maybe forged from adamantine scavenged from the sword of an ancient, Old World king, stories differ) that's cracked more than one skull of a would-be hardcase who's underestimated her.

6 comments:

  1. Awesome characters! I dig both of those, and while Hazard is the type of character I'd probably play in a game like this, the Gunn character sounds really interesting too. I see her as a tougher version of the Zoey character from Firefly.

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  2. Brilliant! Very evocative characters full of pulpy flavour. I am really enjoying the tone of this setting - chock-full of grit and derring-do.

    I am enjoying the diversity of different setting directions the OSR is exploring of late. The City is an example of a very unorthodox milieux for D&D that seems like it would be a lot of fun to play in.

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  3. @Jim - Thanks. I think I'll have some magic types for you in the near future.

    @Tom - Thanks. Glad you have been enjoying the stuff. I would add Middenmurk to the list of cool diverse settings people are exploring:). It interesting to see how big the fantasy gaming "tent" is.

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  4. I think this has come up before, but I really think you have the makings of a fantastic published setting. I would certainly love to play in or run a City-based game.

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  5. The more I see of the City, the more I want to run this setting.

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  6. @Risus and Vaults - Thanks, guys! Because positive response I've gotten, I'm thinking I will try to put a publication together--so you may get your chance to play in it. ;)

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