Regulus
Characters in Regulus
Characters in Regulus have all the normal things you'd imagine: a name, appearance, and so on. However to make the game work, they also have a lot more. Follow along below to figure out how those special things work.
Defining Characters
In this rules-lite game, characters are loosely defined by Qualities and Ratings. Both are slightly vague and meant to be applied broadly. Each Quality of a character is a broad, defining aspect of them. A Quality can be a vocation, a defining trait, or a passion. Qualities can also come from choices made in the Operative Handbook, and have special game rules attached to them. Each Rating is an aspect of the character with a number rating, called the Rating Level. An example of a Rating is Wealth, which is a vague definition of how much wealth the character holds. Certain operatives can also have a special rating related to their Gig (job in the crime world).
Qualities
A Quality is a broad definition of an aspect of a character. They typically fall into three types: vocation, trait, or passion. When your character can apply a Quality in the fiction, it’ll provide Leverage for a die roll. This means they are more likely to win contest rolls and get the outcome they want.
- Vocations are each a broad set of skills. ‘Detective’ is a good example, or ‘Net Coder’ for a more setting-specific example. Each Vocation may also get one or more Aptitudes, which, when they apply, will give Leverage for a die roll. For the ‘Net Coder’ example, an Aptitude might be ‘Security’.
- Traits are sweeping aspects of the character summarized as a short phrase. ‘Strong as an Ox’, or ‘Crazy Smart’, are good examples of traits. The application of Trait Qualities can be impacted by a character's Luck Rating, which will be expanded upon later.
- Passions are exactly what they say they are: something your character cares deeply about. Each of these is enough to drive them to action. They fuel and empower. A Passion could be an activity, such as ‘Gambling’, ‘Martial Arts’, or ‘Coding’, which are good examples of these. A vice can be a passion, such as ‘Greed’ or ‘Sloth’, which are good examples of these, but the latter might be hard to play in the game, YMMV. A belief is also a Passion, such as a Religion or Philosophy.
Ratings & Levels
Ratings are broad, vaguely defined facets of a character. Each has a number level rating, which is a rough measure of the amount of that Rating a character holds. Called a Level Rating, or Level for short, here is what the number roughly means.
| Level | How much? |
|---|---|
| 0 | None, you ran out! |
| 1-3 | A Minor amount |
| 4-6 | A Moderate amount |
| 7-9 | A Major amount |
| 10+ | A Colossal amount |
All characters in Regulus have at least four Ratings, though they may have more: Comfort, Luck, Security, and Wealth. It is important to note that when a Rating hits zero or runs out, the character will face a crisis.
- Comfort: This is the degree to which the character is satisfied with their situation in life. When you run out of Comfort, you’ll face a Mental Crisis. When your character does the things they enjoy, they will gain comfort. Comfort is the closest thing to HP (of D&D fame) in this game.
- Luck: This is the measure of how much the universe blesses the character. The higher this rating, the greater the chance of winning out when blind chance is the factor. When you run out of Luck, you’ll face a Wild Crisis.
- Security: This is the level of protection your character has in the dangerous world they live in. When you run out of Security, you’ll face a Safety Crisis.
- Wealth: Money, assets, promises, and such are all Wealth. When you run out of Wealth, you’ll face a Monetary Crisis. Completing Jobs earns you Wealth levels.
Marks: Ratings can earn marks during play. Each mark is a markdown or a markup. When a Rating has three marks, they are removed, and it resolves in a roll to decrease or increase the level. The specifics of how these marks resolve are covered in Rudimentary Rules.
The Eight Volumes
As you take the first step in creating your character, you determine which Volume they belong to. A Volume is like a special book from which you can choose things for your character. Each of the eight Volumes in the game gives your character a place in society, but not a specific job. You just answer three simple yes-or-no questions, and you get the Volume for the exact combination. Here are the questions:
- Does your Operative live under a false identity? There are many reasons to do so, but this adds another level of complexity to life. Operative will end up a Runner, Professional, Insider, or Crusader.
- Has your Operative killed someone before? Murder is extreme, but sometimes necessary. Operative will end up an Irregular, Professional, Rector, or Crusader.
- Many in the Empire believe God is divine. Does your Operative agree? A hot political topic across humanity, 80% of people would answer Yes here. Operative will end up a Missionary, Rector, Insider, or Crusader.
| Fake Id | Killer | Belief | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| No | No | No | Spook |
| Yes | No | No | Runner |
| No | Yes | No | Irregular |
| No | No | Yes | Missionary |
| Yes | Yes | No | Professional |
| No | Yes | Yes | Rector |
| Yes | No | Yes | Insider |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Crusader |
Volume: Crusader
Your Operative belongs to a recognized Religion and has taken brutal action in the name of the cause, under the direction of Control. This status gives you special dispensation from Control, but the Empire has an active file on your actions and does not approve. Within the Network, Crusaders are common and often seek to promote their Religion through actions within the criminal syndicate. However, unlike their brethren, the Missionary, they don’t usually evangelize their cause.
Volume: Insider
Your Operative is an erased member of Control infiltrating the Network to keep tabs on their operations. Unlike the Spook, the Network can never know you are part of Control, as it has a zero-tolerance policy. The Insider is truly erased; they can never return to their identity within Control. This gives them certain advantages in maintaining their secrecy. You’ll have a handler from Control that knows you are an Insider, and feed information about the Network back to that handler.
Volume: Irregular
Your Operative is a Mercenary, a gun for hire. You probably have earned a Duke title from an Empire world, having done a recognized Service for the Empire. Often this means you led an action team and dealt with a Pirate group, making you at least a leader of some manner, and often a soldier. Irregulars make up a large share of the Network, as they are often the ones who get their hands dirty.
Volume: Missionary
Your Operative belongs to a recognized Religion and seeks to spread the word. This status gives you special dispensation from both Control and the Empire. This recognition makes you powerful both inside and outside the Network. While you evangelize your cause, it is often the case that you don’t fully believe at all and are just in the game for the power you can gain. Though that isn’t ever public knowledge, as you would quickly lose your position of power.
Volume: Professional
Your Operative is a Professional killer, an assassin for hire. Along with the Rector, the rarest of the Operatives in the network. While you can make a straight-up cold-blooded killer type, that isn’t the norm for these Network Operatives. Most Professionals are clever accident-makers, employ Net Code, or engineer quick-decay poisons to get their work done. These people are often the most feared of the Operatives.
Volume: Rector
Your Operative belongs to a recognized Religion and has taken brutal action in the name of the cause. This status gives you special dispensation from the Empire, but Control has an active file on your actions and does not approve. Unlike the Crusader, the Rector has taken a title from the Empire, and in return gained standing and power. As a Rector, you are the head of a small church, which offers many benefits at the cost of time invested in maintaining it.
Volume: Runner
Your Operative trades in secrets and operates as a fixer, forging connections between people and the Network. Runners and Irregulars make up the bulk of the Operatives in the Network. You likely have a Mirrochip, which lets you interface with the 'Net in ways normal people can’t. However, using the Mirrochip is tricky, and you have to spend either a lot of time or money to master it.
Volume: Spook
Your Operative reports to a World of the Empire or a Union on the activities of the Network. You are a not-so-secret agent, which means the Network is generally quite aware of your infiltration. You are good at what you do, though, and tolerance is granted as long as you play ball with Network Security - known internally as Sec Ops. Even though you work for the organization or power, it's secret work. You don’t get any standing or protection, and are in fact walking a very dangerous tightrope every day. To add to your risk and maintain your security, you often have to leak the information you are reporting to a Network handler, which would obviously make your organization quite unhappy with you if ever discovered.
Operative Handbook
Once you have a handle on the basic ideas here, and a rough idea of what Volume you want your operative to belong to, head over to the Operative Handbook, which explains the bulk of the creation process for your operative.