The retired military man. In Victorian settings he would probably be British, most likely an officer, still keeping in touch with the home office, quite the proper gentleman. A pulp era (early 1900s through WWII) would most likely be American, maybe a dashing figure a pilot. Modern times, most likely choice is definitely American, with a load of odd skills picked up in one unpopular military excursion or another.
| Typical Goals and Motivations: | Since the chracter is probably pulling a military pension that is sufficient to live off of (this is fiction after all) he would simply be an adventurer for the excitement. Alternatively, his involvement in the campign could stem from whatever he is doing to support himself post-military. |
| Typical Abilities: | Alert and combat trained, strong willed, trained in military matters. |
| Suggested Disadvantages: | Reputations, hatred of whomever he fought against in "the war", possibly even combat-trauma psychosis. |
| Roleplaying Tips: | This archetype is at its best in a pre-modern setting, where the military still has some sense of romance in the eyes of people. The refined old colonel who served with his her majesty's forces in India, or the hot-shot ex-pilot, still reveling in his victories over the German tri-planes. |
Skills and Talents |
Cost |
| WF: Small Arms | 2 |
| WF: Common Melee | 2 |
| Survival | 3 |
| Tactics | 3 |
| Paramedic | 3 |
| Climbing | 3 |
| TF: Ground vehicles | 2 |
| Perk: Contact (Military) (11-) | 3 |
| PS: Military (11-) | 2 |
| KS: Military (11-) | 2 |
| Package Bonus | -3 |
| Distictive Features | -5 |
| Psych Lim: Disiplined | -10 |
Package Cost |
7 |
This archetype represents a standard career/job that can be found in a
modern setting. It was deliberately made slightly generic so that it can be easily
modified to cover a wide range of times, from Victorian to near future.
Modern and semi-modern settings games can take many forms from Horror to Pulp Science
Fiction to Mysteries to Spy-vs-Spy (thank you Mad Magazine). The old Danger
International and Justice Inc. games from Hero Games covered these genres very
well, as well as games like Chaosium Inc's Call of Cthulhu and several of Steve
Jackson Game's GURPs supplements.