Hargrave is the largest human settlement in the region of Fellmyr and the Hargravers (as they call themselves) are hardy folk. The town is walled and boasts a long tradition as the foremost fortified settlement on the western edge of Lord Aldred’s territory. Here is where I am beginning to create some new characters for my campaign.

For my upcoming one-shot adventure I’ve decided that the adventurers will all be associates of one of the two rival Thieves’ Guilds in Hargrave. The Rats are the most-established group, having tacit acceptance from Lord Hargrave, the ruler of the town. Their rivals are the Ravens.

As I contemplate the shape of an adventuring party, I initially requested the help of fellow GURPS fans in the RPR community to help create characters. The response was a veritable barrage of character sheets (for which I am grateful) but a dearth of characterisation. I’m going to use those suggestions from a rules perspective, but I want to offer players characters instead of mere stats.

Thus, the task is to imagine some Hargraver folk from the gutters of the town. At my nominal 62 points baseline, these are people just slightly cut-above the average but generally inexperienced as adventurers. Their main motivation for taking on the mission is to prove themselves to the Grand Rat.

It makes me smile to think that for all the times I have said that, with GURPS, you need to imagine your character FIRST and then go an build them, the habits of a lifetime point to the contrary. I am used to the old way of rolling stats and choosing a class, not imagining an interesting character. This is something I seek to change.

I am curious as to the kinds of characters I’ll find on the streets of Hargrave. I think I’ve found one just this morning – a street thief named Quill – but I need to work on his characterisation a little more. There’s an aspiring wizard and a disaffected priest in my mind too, but who knows why they joined the Rats?

Isn’t this fun? While discovering a character through random means can be enjoyable, I certainly think the challenge of imagining a character I’d choose to play is worthwhile pursuing.

Game on!