Appendix C: Researching Yourself Minigame
In the eyes of the future, the characters are notorious historical figures, and as a result, they have wiki pages dedicated to their lives and crimes. Of course, like any historical figure who lived more than 1000 years ago, the details are of questionable accuracy. If the characters try to look themselves up, it should trigger a little minigame.
For each of the following sections, have the player roll on the table for a prompt. Have the player elaborate on the prompt to explain what’s in their wiki page. The information doesn’t have to be accurate. This isn’t a character-building exercise, it’s an explanation for why the future thinks the character is a villain. Encourage the players to have fun, and maybe incorporate some of the results into their interactions with NPCs on the station.
Early Life
This section of the wiki page helps to establish how the character’s childhood led to their eventual life of crime.
| d10 | Prompt |
|---|---|
| 1 | Born under an ill omen |
| 2 | Traumatic childhood |
| 3 | Grew up poor |
| 4 | Troubled childhood |
| 7 | Military brat |
| 5 | Unremarkable childhood |
| 6 | Lived in a traveling circus |
| 8 | Grew up rich |
| 9 | Remarkably gifted |
| 10 | Divine birth [citation needed] |
Gang Membership
This section of the wiki covers the character’s time with the adventuring party, referred to as the character’s “gang,” and establishes how the future views their participation in the gang’s crimes.
| d10 | Prompt |
|---|---|
| 1 | Not actually in the gang |
| 2 | Gang mascot |
| 3 | Unwilling participant |
| 4 | Reluctant participant |
| 5 | Stockholm syndrome |
| 6 | Willing participant |
| 7 | Enthusiastic participant |
| 8 | Overzealous participant |
| 9 | Gang ringleader |
| 10 | Gang founder |
Post-Gang Life
This section of the wiki covers the character’s life after leaving the gang and probably includes their death. Encourage the players to go big here. There’s a reason they’re notorious in the future.
| d10 | Prompt |
|---|---|
| 1 | Retired peacefully |
| 2 | Died badly |
| 3 | Disappeared |
| 4 | Famous invention |
| 5 | Sexual deviant |
| 6 | Committed atrocity |
| 7 | Prison |
| 8 | Committed atrocities |
| 9 | Cult leader |
| 10 | Exploded [citation needed] |
Historical Perspective
This section covers the consensus by historians of the character and what sort of view the future takes of their crimes and their impact on the world.
| d10 | Prompt |
|---|---|
| 1 | Likely fictional |
| 2 | Amalgamation of several historical figures |
| 3 | Misunderstood |
| 4 | Product of their time |
| 5 | Revolutionary |
| 6 | Mentally ill |
| 7 | Actions due to venereal disease |
| 8 | Inspired copycat criminals |
| 9 | Inspired a political movement |
| 10 | Inspired a religion or cult |
Depictions in Popular Culture
Encourage the players to have fun with this section, especially if the roleplaying has gotten a bit dark in the previous sections.
| d10 | Prompt |
|---|---|
| 1 | None |
| 2 | Mentioned in hip-hop lyrics |
| 3 | Subject of a well-known musical |
| 4 | Documentary |
| 5 | TV miniseries |
| 6 | TV series |
| 7 | Villain of a movie |
| 8 | Villain of a popular movie series |
| 9 | Name is used as slang |
| 10 | Name is used as a curse word |