8 Player characters
A downloadable game
Player Characters
Each player controls one character, who represents a wayward soul seeking absolution on the Frontier.
Player Characters (PCs) have their rules, resources and game abilities recorded on a character sheet - see an example below:
Key
1. & 2. Name and Moniker
Each PC is given a Moniker, a sobriquet which they are known by during their time on the Frontier. This Moniker might have been given to them or self-selected, and might be descriptive, playful or ironic. A PC will typically be known by a combination of their Moniker and their actual name (for example, "Daisy 'the Kid' Hutchings").
A Moniker is the first choice a player makes when creating a character, and each Moniker has its own Playbook, which contains rules for creating a character with that Moniker. The playtest materials include Playbooks for six Monikers:
- 'Buffalo'
- 'Calamity'
- 'Captain'
- 'Doc'
- 'The Kid'
- 'Lucky'
A Moniker isn't a 'class' and doesn't determine a character's expertise, focus, skills or specialisation. Each Moniker does however provide flavour and style (for example 'Doc' is likely to be more urbane or sophisticated, while 'Buffalo' is likely to be more salt-of-the-earth), and specific options for backgrounds, equipment and motivations.
3. Motivation
A PC's Motivation is the most important piece of information on the character sheet. This describes what has drawn that PC to the Frontier, and what they hope to achieve or accomplish.
Whether or not a PC's actions have aligned with their Motivation determines rewards at the end of each session, and whether or not a PC successfully finds absolution at the end of a campaign.
See Ending the Session for more details.
4. Background
This provides a brief summary of who the PC was before they were drawn to the Frontier, and what was the inciting incident that led them to them abandoning their previous life.
5. & 6. Personality: Characteristics and Flaws
A PC's personality is described by both their Characteristics and their Flaws, which will be determined during character generation.
A PC's personality may be called upon when that PC is attempting cardplay, and their personality would be appropriate to the attempt at hand (for example, the above character's 'Persistent' Characteristic might be called upon when working to build a barn).
A PC can call upon a Characteristic this way in an attempt to recover Luck, while a PC might try to overcome one of their Flaws in an attempt to recover Will. These attempts are always a form of wager however, and come with a risk - the PC only recovers the resource on a success, on a failure they lose that resource instead (as their Characteristic proved to be detrimental to the task at hand, or they failed to overcome their Flaw). For more details see Characteristics and Flaws.
7. What was left behind?
Each PC has left something of value behind, before making the difficult journey to the Frontier - possibly family, a lover, a professional practice or official position.
8. Suit ratings
For each of the eight suits (Diamonds, Hearts, Pistols, Horns, Clubs, Spades, Masks, Tomes), a PC will be assigned a rating representing their skill, experience and affinity with that suit: 'A',' B', 'C' or 'D', with 'A' being the highest and 'D' being the lowest.
A PC's rating in a suit does not directly impact cardplay, but does determine:
- starting equipment relevant to that suit (for example, a character with an 'A' or 'B' rating in Pistols might begin the campaign with a powerful weapon like a service pistol or coach gun, while a character with a 'D' in pistols might begin with a derringer);
- whether the PC has proficiency in tools or equipment associated with that suit (for example, a character attempting to use a medicine bag would require at least a 'B' rating in Tomes);
- any Traits the PC possesses (positive or negative) which impact that suit (see 9. Traits below).
For more details see Suit Ratings and Proficiency.
9. Traits
Traits represent particular specialisations, abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and occupations possessed by the PCs. Traits are generated during character creation, and derived from a PC’s rating in each suit. The Traits available to a character are determined by that character’s Moniker and are detailed in their playbook.
Traits may be positive or negative, but always impact cardplay in particular circumstances. See Traits for more details.
10. Equipment
This section allows players to note their PC's weapons, gear, tools and supplies; and to note rules for this equipment. See Equipment for more details.
11. Invocations
Invocations represent a PC's ability to engage with the Frontier on a metaphysical, spiritual or occult level, in an attempt to create favourable outcomes for the Posse. This might take the form of folklore, rituals, superstitions or folk remedies.
Using an Invocation involves meddling with the fabric of the Frontier, so always comes at a grave risk. See Invocations for more details.
12. Contact
Each PC starts the game with one Contact - an NPC whom that PC had some connection to from their time before arriving at the Frontier.
A PC's Contact and their attitude towards the PC (Helpful, Friendly, Acquainted, Feuding) is generated during character creation. See Contacts for more details.
13. Notes
This is a blank space to write any further notes about the character's personality or backstory, or to keep notes about leads or clues as the campaign progresses.
14. Resources
Each player tracks four key resources using physical components:
- Grit (green chips): a measure of the character's health and endurance
- Luck (blue chips): a measure of the characters good fortune and ability to escape injury
- Coin (silver chips): a measure of the characters' wealth
- Will (cards in hand): a measure of the character's determination, steadfastness and resolve
Each of these resources is recorded on the character sheet at the end of each session, as a reminder for future sessions. For more details see Resources, Injury and Dying.
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