Character Development Game

[Uncle Arthur]

I started my life of travel as I had a serious phobia about having the courts stretch my neck for my habit of "finding" my test subjects in the cheap parts of the city.

[Cpt. Robert Trevelyan]

Since I forgot to ask a question last time I will barge in if Kapitan Fritz will indulge me.
  What inspired you to set forth on your first voyage/adventure?  (assuming you have set forth)

Money'd be the main reason, but why as a submarine privateer?  Well, strictly speaking, my first voyage or adventure was neither as a submariner nor as a privateer.  I started out smuggling across the channel, using my father's merchant business as a cover.  It's difficult to run a maritime merchant business in Cornwall without the temptation of earning more through smuggling occurring to you...  Once I'd saved enough I bought my first submarine, a beat up little thing I named the Unrepentant.  Brilliant for smuggling, is a submarine.  After a while I realised I could make a better living and stop running from the navy if I went privateer.  The Unrepentant wasn't really armed for such service, so I poured all my savings into fitting out the St.Piran's Revenge to my own specifications.  Since war with Prussia and the United States seems imminent, I think I'm in for a pick up in business.

Q: Where do you see yourself in the social strata and how do you see/treat those above and/or below you?  As a successful businessman (albeit with most of my assets tied up in the St.Piran's Revenge) I suppose i must be upper middle class.  I grew up in a fishing village though, and as a smuggler mixed with some of the lowest society has to offer.  My crew are good lads, salt of the earth, and I get on well with them (close quarters of a submarine makes social barriers impractical and I ran with their type as a youngster).  Upper classes?  Well, now I have money and status in Falmouth they're reluctantly treating me with respect.  I don't despise them as such, some of them are alright sorts, but then most of 'em are Cornish.  Can't say I've much time for those who lord it up London way, big city ways don't sit right with a country boy like myself...

[Josephine Hogwood]

I think I belong to the upper middle class as well, for my father was of great fortune. He was a member of a wealthy family and did business with some well known gentlemen. Unfortunately he died of an illness. He left me with quite some inheritance and a lovely home with stables. But it is not very cosy when there is no one around. So I try to find some company elsewhere.
If there is someone of the lower class who asks for my help, I will try to do everything as much as I can to do so. Unless I suspect something as disabuse or blackmail, then they can forget about it. For the lady's and gents above me, I treat them with respect if they do so with me. But if I am aware that an acquaintance misuse his or her position with someone who is dear to me, there is a chance that I forget my good habits and will inform his/her environment of the situation.

What is the dearest memory you have?

[Uncle Arthur]

My fondest memory would be the last words my mentor, Dr Eslworth Q Freelie spoke to me. "Not that switch . OH SHiii "

[Zeppelin Kapitan Fritz]

     Do you have a question, Uncle Arthur?

[Uncle Arthur]

I knew I forgot something.    How do you fund your travels?

[Cpt. Robert Trevelyan]

My travels tend to fund themselves.  If I don't find any worthy prey out there I don't waste torpedoes, so only fuel and provisions are expended, and when I do take a prize the rewards easily cover my expenses.

Are you someone who invents and creates all your gadgets/technological equipment, or, like me, are you happy enough to admit that you simply use the wonderful inventions of others far more inventive than yourself?  I have to give a vast amount of credit to Narcis Monturiol for so much of St.Piran's Revenge, to the Nordenfelt company for the deck gun, and all sorts of clever bods for the intricacies of my torpedoes.  I just command her and while I have a working knowledge of Beta Stirling Engines, I'm still glad to have the Chief on board should anything go wrong.

[Zeppelin Kapitan Fritz]

     I have the highest respect for engineers, but I am not one of them. I know how to use technology, but I do not understand how it actually works. For example, I can fly a zeppelin, but if one of its engines breaks down with any but the very simplest of problems I am at the mercy of an engineer to make it run again. These men are almost like magicians to me, they are able to comprehend and manipulate the inner workings of such complicated machinery. I want to understand as well, but the harder I try the harder it becomes. Perhaps I am a more right-brained type, or perhaps I am just not smart enough to understand.

     How would you rank yourself in intelligence?

[Uncle Arthur]

I am a flaming GENIUS!!! Regardless of what the rest of the scientific world claims.

If you must travel incognito what is your favored disguise?

[JohnOdin]

To dress "up" or dress "down". I prefer to dress down, boiler suits, flat caps, face caked with soot and grime. The "working class" are invisible in many places. Or if the situation demands it - A trip to London, then dress up with a concealed weapon (a swordstick)

Q. Does your chararacter have any Augmentations? "Exosceletal gauntlets" "Bionic legs" "steam powerd lungs"

[Prof. Michael Masters]

Officially I am 100% good old fashion human. Unofficially well lets just say that there are a few bottles of "wine" in my personal wine cellar that may or may not be infused with my own brand of various nano-clanks.

What is your favorite alcoholic beverage? Be it wine-red or white, or perhaps you are more of a beer or hard liqueur type.

[JohnOdin]

I'm terribly cosmopolitan and prefer that Yankee invention of Coffee. In the evenings its a Real Ale, Wine gives me indegestion but Champers dosen't.

Doe's your charater write with a fountain Pen, or use a niw fangled typewriter  or Aeythernet Machine?

[Prof. Michael Masters]

Oh I write with all of the above. It all depends on what I am writing.

who is/was your mentor?

[JohnOdin]

My Mentor was my Great Uncle. Who left me the house and contents, inside a travelling case were his Journals and Diary's including his studies into the Occult....I guess he "Forgot" they were there. I of course read them.

Is your character Vegitarian ,Teetotal or straight edge in any way?

[Ulysses Reynolds]

The sound of snorting could be heard bouncing off the walls of the one-room hovel he currently calls home. Grimy and small it may be but it has everything he needs to and most importantly a reserve of cocaine left behind by a junkie. It'll do he supposes, he'll need everything at hand to keep himself awake and one step ahead of his pursuers.

Is your character a cannibal or not.

[Inflatable Friend]

A cannibal?

Not to the best of my knowledge, although you never know with army food.

You always hear stories though, when the HMS Snapdragon went down on the Sea of Tranquillity it was weeks before another ship managed to get to the wreck site. There were survivors and, though the Ministry tried to hush things up, there were rumours of how the crew managed to stay alive for so long with so little rations. After all, the Selenites couldn't have taken that many bodies.

As to my question. I was third Lieutenant aboard the HMS Griffin when she quelled the Parisian uprising. The looks of triumph on the faces of those who packed the Plaza de la Concorde as the Griffin ascended away, and their transformation to terror as we fired the Black Smoke canisters down is something that will stay with me forever.

What's the worst thing you've seen or done?

[Ulysses Reynolds]

As my vision fades in and out, I can't help but ponder on the many I've killed. Men and women, young and old. Even children, all died by my hand as I sought the rush that only came to me in the heat of battle, but the most hienous of my deeds was when I slaughtered an orphanage full of children just to make sure my blades had been sharpened correctly.

What is your ethnic background.

[JohnOdin]

I'm Welsh....Not English but Welsh. My heratige is a mix of souwalian on my mothers side, and westwalian on the more exitic and far flung fathers side.
Pure (Celtic) Welsh is Redheads, pale skin, blue eyes.
But the Southwalians have a Spanish tinge, from the Pirates of the 16th/17th C's giving Black Hair, Pale skin and blue eyes.
So I have the pale skin of the Welsh and the dark hair a legacy of a Spanish Buccaneer a few generations ago.



we have dealt with Cannibalism and Vegitariansim (or not) so the Question is
"What's the most exotic thing you have eaten?"


And answering my own question,
Goat (mmmmm nommy and would eat it again)
Pidgeon (s'ok )
Horse (Like a strong tasting pork, and in no rush to try it again)
Venision (Too liver-y can't see what the fuss is about)

[Semonius]

ooh this sounds like fun.. not a writer..but I have a lively imagination.

my most exotic food.. this is my characters story.

After I was balloonwrecked on one of my more daring adventures..I was young and foolish and had no skills whatsoever to survive on isolated islands..I was fully aware my skills were not sufficient but still I tried to hunt and catch some of the wildlife that was there.. they mockingly eluded me,highly amused by my blundering attempts..some monkeys even played tag with me as I tried to catch them. untill I just gave up..there is something about being hungry and exhausted on a deserted island and a monkey playing tag with you that makes a man lose his sanity! after three weeks the hunger was so unbearable that I had to live of this odd fungi that grew in large amounts on the island,it was stuck to the shadowy sides of trees...I discovered that hunger resulting in madness makes you start eating bark and fungi..in my case it turned out well.. I discovered the mossy fungi was rather nutricious...fungisoup ,fungi on leaves,fungi au naturel.fungi with a sideorder of bark and insects.  unfortunately it makes your hair turn purple and you lose all manner of physical balance after eating a steady diet of this fungi. It must have been quite a sight to see me stumble through the jungle trying to maintain some form of balance...I noticed the change all over my body..but as my stomach was good and filled I accepted it as the price of my survival .In hindsight I understand why none of the other animals ever got near this stuff. I had a tough time explaining myself to the crew who found me.. I think I never heard so many jokes at my expense from this ballooncrew after they realised they did not discover some form of new animal..at the time I was too euforic to really care,luckely for me the effects of the fungi became less and less and it was hardly noticeable as we reached the port of Aeros...but to this day there are times my hair still has a purple glow to it if it is hit just right by the sunlight.   



does your character have any BIG regrets about their  life ?

[Ulysses Reynolds]

This was it the last target and then he could rest, he had no regrets with his life so far. Mayhem, chaos and madness were great words to describe his life. He thrived on the uncertainty of the world, it kept him coming back for more. Wondering whether the person in front of him would help him or slip a knife in his gut. That's why he created so much anarchy, he thrived on it. There were a thousand ways his plans could go wrong and he enjoyed not knowing if they were going to succeed. It was glorious, pure bliss and he couldn't wait for the next situation that would bring more Delicious chaos and uncertainty.

Are you sane, insane or do you walk the fine line in between.

[Zeppelin Kapitan Fritz]

     I'm sane most of the time, but I have my moments.

     What's the most advanced technology in your world?

[Inflatable Friend]

We've a few impressive technologies in the British Empire. Our fleet of battleships for a start, their heat-ray boiler systems have done away with tons of coal and teams of stokers. Their lift spars are also pretty impressive, allowing the vessels to operate out of the water and at altitudes of up to 2000ft, though truth be told they're not much good in combat as damage can cause them to fail. If they do get into combat their weapon systems are almost unrivaled, no other country on Earth has the black smoke or heat-rays.

The one thing that stands out in my mind though is the HMS Thunderchild. Named after the heroic torpedo ram the new Thunderchild will let as strike back at the martians. She's not a ship, but a giant canon located on the moon. It'll let us send our troops to mars in the same way they sent theirs to us. There's a smaller version in Africa, but it's nothing compared to Thunderchild.

We've dealt with a Martian invasion, although it came at great cost it's allowed the Empire to rapidly expand across the Earth and the surface of Luna. Hopefully we'll be able to add Mars to that list soon. But have any of you ever needed to deal with strange and bizarre creatures or things from unknown lands?

[Hez]

Well I must admit that a camel is the oddest creature and, frankly, the most obstreperous even in comparison to the politicians that I have found it necessary to confront during my work for the cause of suffrage.

Does anyone have a better tale to recount than mine?

[Prof. Michael Masters]

I do believe that there are a fair number of interesting tales to be found over here:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

http://brassgoggles.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,20689.msg705496.html#msg705496

What do you do with your spare time? (If you don't have any spare time what do you do with your normal time?)

[Uncle Arthur]

In my spare time I tend to wander the poorer parts of which ever city i happen to be in looking for "volunteers " to help my researches.

Would you place yourself in harm's way to protect a friend?