City of Strangers Character Creation

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The Basics

150 CP

Required Items

  • Patron: NYPD, powerful organization (10,000 x starting wage), appears fairly often (9) [15]
  • Duty: NYPD, frequency almost all the time (15) [-15]
  • Legal Enforcement Powers: local police [5]
  • Wealth: average [0]
  • Rank: police, 1 or 2 [5-10]
  • Restrictions
  • No Allies or Enemies
  • No "criminal" disadvantages - I totally ok with them having character flaws, perhaps even major ones, or a dark past, but they cannot be corrupt or criminal cops.
  • No advantages which would be supernatural; these are mundane characters

Suggestions

  • Contacts. Good investigations often require checking with the contacts you've established (especially confidential informants). Be creative with this as they could be fun character who often play a small role in the adventures. For now, I would prefer you avoid contact groups.
  • Luck. In my way of thinking a little luck isn't "supernatural" and is something that any police officer is likely to have if they've survived long enough.
  • Multiple languages. During this time in NYC, there are more immigrants than natives, many of which don't even speak any English. Having at least a broken level of one or more languages might be beneficial as a cop.
  • Although swordsmanship is not common at this time, as beat cops you would have been trained with use of nightsticks
  • This will be a TL 6 campaign.

Standard Issue Equipment (on-duty)

  • Revolver, S&W Model 10 M&P, .38 special (HT 94)
  • Shotgun, Winchester Model 1897, 12G (HT 104)
  • Bulletproof Vest (torso only), when conducting a raid (HT 66)
  • Box Camera (HT 42)
  • Personal Equipment

I think I'm pretty open to any gear out of the basic handbook or High Tech handbook. Although issued a .38 special, you could own your own personal weapons. Typically you will have access to a police car to travel to crime scenes, but you might not have a personal auto.

Area Knowledge

I don't intend for this game to go outside of New York City, however, NYC is a pretty big place, even back in 1920. By that point, the city was made up of the other consolidated nearby cities, to become the Five Boroughs (Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens). The NYPD is responsible for all of that area, divided into numerous precincts. At this point, the precincts were made up of the beat cops. The Detective's Squad is based out of the NYPD HQ in Lower Manhattan. This is where your office would be located, however, you might be sent to any of the precincts in the city to investigate homicides.

You can choose to live wherever you choose.

For Area Knowledge skill, something police should have plenty of, I would suggest one as "New York City" as a whole, perhaps one or more on a specific boroughs and maybe even a few specific neighborhoods (your old beats before you made detective).

New York City is a very large area and heavily populated, even in 1920. Although there may be encounters which could happen anywhere in the Five Boroughs, to begin with I'm planning to focus mostly on Lower Manhattan. This will be the area your characters will be primarily assigned to.

For Lower Manhattan, I'll be using these 12 neighborhoods: Battery Park City, Chinatown, Civic Center, East Village, Financial District, Greenwich Village, Hudson Square, Little Italy, Lower East Side, SoHo, Tribeca, and Two Bridges.

The NYPD Headquarters building, your main office, is located in Little Italy. City Prison ("The Tombs") and the criminal courthouse, is located a few blocks south, at the edge of Chinatown. These three locations would be areas your character regularly visit. Regardless of what "Area Knowledge" you take, these spots you know very well--name of judges, prison guards, prison warden, police HQ commanders and staff, etc.--since you see them all the time.

Wealth & Status

OK, so previously I indicated a Wealth (average), but to keep more into the feel of this time period, in which police where not paid well at all, I think instead Wealth (struggling) is more appropriate. Your monthly salary will then be based on the Rank you choose: $700 for Rank 1, $800 for Rank 2.

Cost of Living: $600 for Status 0, $300 for Status -1

If you have dependents (wife and kids), then cost of living for them must be included: 1 for wife, 1 for all kids. However, at this time, it was also very common for the wife to work, so in this case assume an income of half your income ($350-400).

Examples:

  • Bachelor Detective, Rank 1, will make $700 per month. He could live at Status 0 ($600/month cost of living) leaves $100 spending cash per month.
  • Detective Rank 2, married, no children, would have $1200 per month. They could live at Status 0 ($1200/month cost of living), leaving $0 spending cash.
  • Detective Rank 1, married with children, would have $1050 per month, but would have to live at Status -1 ($900/month cost of living) to leave $150 spending cash per month.

Status 0: A small house (heavily mortgaged) or large apartment, and a car.

Status -1: A small or shared apartment, or a decaying or derelict house in a bad neighborhood, and possibly a used car.

NOTE: due to the availability of transportation options, as well as the still relatively high cost of cars, instead of owning a car, this portion of the cost of living could pay for taxi/train fares.

For game play, I think the only time your status will really be a factor is when associating with high-status individuals (high society, politicians, etc.). Primarily, they will judge you by your appearance (fashion and condition of clothing). Reaction -1 for Status -1 for example.

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