Quirks

You’re a lot more careful (or paranoid) than others.

OOC: This is a game style quirk — when adjudicating the outcomes of your actions, the GM team will take the least risky interpretation of your actions. This may grant you some measure of protection against being attacked or getting into dangerous situations, but you’re less likely to come away with the big haul if it requires sticking your neck out. You can always specify that you are taking more risks in a particular action if you choose to. Note that if you seriously annoy someone, this quirk may not grant you complete immunity from their retaliation.

You take more risks than most people.

OOC: This is a game style quirk — when adjudicating the outcomes of your actions, the GM team will take the most risky interpretation of your actions. This may mean you are more likely to win big, but you are also more likely to lose big as well. With this quirk a character may be much easier to kill, but may also get better rewards when doing risky actions. You can always specify that you are being more careful in a particular action if you choose to.

You have a natural artistic flair; whatever you turn your hand to, you do it in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

You have a good range of contacts inside the named Department, Faction, or Sector.

This trait can be taken multiple times, but only once for each Department, Faction, or Sector.

One part of you has been cybernetically “enhanced” in some fashion. Unfortunately for you, cybernetics are still very much a “beta” technology, and have some serious downsides. Further, all augmentations have an obvious physical manifestation, and it should perhaps be noted that some shipboard factions take a very dim view of those who pervert their body with bits of the machine.

You may take this quirk multiple times to represent multiple different “improvements”.

The following are example implants and their downsides — feel free to suggest others to the GM team, though there is no guarantee we will OK them.

• Limb replacement: These have the advantage that injuries inflicted upon them don't hurt, and are easily swapped out. A limb might be particularly strong, resilient, fast, or precise depending on its construction. The downside is that other qualities are likely to suffer. Remember also that while the limb may be upgraded, the limb socket is still only human.
• Visual spectrum augmentation: Your retinas have been replaced with broad-spectrum cameras. You can now see into either the IR or UV spectrum. Suggested downside: your normal vision is now monochrome or significantly impaired in some other way.
• Built-in zoom: Your retinas have been replaced with high-resolution cameras. You can now “zoom in” on fine detail or long range. Suggested downside: your peripheral vision is non-existent. You bump into things a lot, suck at reactions-based sports and have difficulty dodging anything that is fast moving.
• Field sense: You have had small magnets implanted in your fingertips or elsewhere, that enable you to sense magnetic fields. Suggested downside: Strong magnetic fields, for example from malfunctioning food fabbers or proximity to major ship systems, can cause you intense and debilitating pain.
• Pain desensitization: You have had a small chip implanted in your spine that is able to filter pain signals, enabling you to keep going where others would not. Suggested downside: You're still taking the damage the pain is supposed to be warning you about. Also, hacking one of these devices is an infamously awful way to torture your victim.
• Drug gland: You've had a small package implanted next to a major artery that can be programmed to administer various drugs in certain situations. Warning: overuse of drugs may lead to blindness, heart palpitations, internal bleeding, paranoid delusions or premature death. Warning: sharp physical shocks to drug gland may result in unmeasured release of drugs potentially leading to overdose.

You belong to one of the three notable families detailed on the dynasties page. This grants you a certain prestige and reflected glory, easing your way into circles you have no other contact with. In the right circumstances, you may be able to call on family connections to get things done, or you may be able to convince the masses that you are a somebody and worthy of help or attention.

You react more quickly than other people, lending you an advantage in any surprising situation or ambush.

You have a small army of minions, useful for getting grunt work done. Unfortunately they aren't very good at anything which requires them to think for themselves. Please specify who these minions are and what they do as a day job.

Things just seem to go well for you. The food processor breaks down and gives you ten times as much food as you were allocated. The bulkhead you were trying to sneak through was left open. The weapon you found in the cargo bay happens to fit the cleaning robot *perfectly*. You can take this quirk more than once.

OOC: The more times you take this quirk, the more often things will go your way. GM discretion will apply. You do not get to choose when you are lucky.

You have an information network that stretches throughout the ship, and occasionally you hear some very interesting information through the grapevine. If you spend some time and effort, you can probably focus your network’s attentions on more specific things.

OOC: Your spies can be used to either (a) be sent to spy on a specific person or place as a minor action; or (b) listen out for any interesting rumours (the default if you don't tell them what to do).

You have the right contacts to spread more rumours than most people. Of course, not all rumours are based in the truth, but you already knew that, right?

OOC: This quirk allows you to spread additional rumours per turnsheet as a minor action. You can spread as many as you want, within reason.

You have a small secret hiding place known only to yourself. At the start of the game it is filled with some form of useful item, such as food, tools, drugs or spare parts. Please specify your preference.

You have somehow come into possession, either through your own action or purchase from the black market, of a stolen ID. This lets you claim extra rations and may offer you a one time get out of jail card if you can pin something on an alternate identity. Of course, you must still fill their shifts otherwise the game might be up.

OOC: This quirk may be taken multiple times to represent multiple stolen IDs. The GMs will specify whose ID(s) you actually have if you have no particular suggestions.

Even when you do interesting things, the rumour mill never seems to pick up your name.

OOC: This won't protect you from rumours someone is deliberately trying to spread about you. Further, if you are particularly unsubtle about an action you will still generate rumours.

At some stage you came across an unusual piece of technology. It is either somehow better than the usual equipment one can get out of a replicator, or is rarely found onboard the ship. These relics are often resource inefficient, or are not particularly powerful, but their rarity makes them notable.

OOC: Please specify what this is. The GMs will tell you how it works (if you know) and reserve the right of veto if it is too powerful or is otherwise inappropriate.

Others may find it disorienting, but whether through natural talent or long hours of practice, you move through Zero-G expertly.

You are not the person everyone else thinks you are. You've assumed the identity of some poor fool who was supposed to be on the training scheme. As soon as you walk out that door over there you can take off the jewellery in which your unfortunate victim's tracking implant is concealed. At this stage you're effectively off the grid, the way you've lived most of your life, where food is scavenged or bought on the black market. Should you ever get caught by Computer you're in for a whole world of hurt, but there are many advantages for the clever and canny.

OOC: If you are Off The Grid, your Stolen ID will be a person who has been selected as a part of the Advanced Crew Training Programme.

For some reason you are of special interest to the Computer. It seems to have a high level subroutine watching you and your surroundings. This has both an upside and a downside. On the plus side, the computer will more quickly and forcefully intercede to stop anything illegal going on in your vicinity. On the downside, the computer will intercede to stop anything illegal going on in your vicinity. Oh, and the tracking isn't all that subtle, with the way that flying drones follow you into less well viewed parts of the ship. Or the warnings if you venture outside a secured area.

You spend you entire life, or at least most of it, playing the surreal VR game Worldcraft. Some say the game reflects the consciousness of Computer, others say it is attuned to the collective consciousness of all who live on board. Some even suggest that those who immerse themselves in Worldcraft to the exclusion of all else can learn to interpret the worlds they find themselves in to reveal the future; but that is clearly tosh.

OOC: If you take this quirk you will not be able to submit downtime actions in a turnsheet. Instead you will receive a description of happenings inside the virtual reality of Worldcraft that you experience. You may optionally opt out of email contact as well (let us know if you wish to do so) representing your true addiction to the game (but gain no mechanical benefit from doing so).

You can't remember anything before the last couple of months. Computer claims knowledge of your previous life is privacy restricted and won't tell you anything. You woke up in a medical treatment facility with no idea how you got there. You still seem to have your skills from your previous life, but no idea what that life was.

Something is wrong with you. From time to time you awaken in a strange place with no memory of how you got there, only a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't good.

There is something in your past that you have taken great pains to conceal. Currently, nobody knows about it, and you want things to stay that way. Things would go badly if people found out. Let us know what it is.

Somewhere above you, someone, or several someones, are pulling your strings. You may or may not know who they are and what they want; it may be a mysterious blackmailer, or maybe your superiors in a cult you are fanatically devoted to. Either way, you need do as they say — or else. Let us know who they are, or let us choose for additional fun!

Someone important to you, perhaps a family member, is sufficiently incompetent that they require your help to get themselves out of the messes they get into. Really, you got captured by criminals who are holding you for ransom. Again?

For whatever reason, you are extremely well known. For the wrong reasons. People talk about you and your actions all the time, and they don’t say very nice things. People may be wary of trusting you, and your actions may draw more attention than you'd like.

OOC: Please specify what particular deed or deeds earned you such a reputation.

You have some form of condition that will make life exceptionally unpleasant and potentially short if you don't continue to take the drugs computer prescribes you. Alternatively, you're completely addicted to a narcotic from which the withdrawal is nightmarish. Just make sure you don't somehow get cut off…

Need those extra points for character generation, but all the other negative flaws look bad?
Willing to take a risk that the GMs won't be too mean if you volunteer for punishment?
Then this is the flaw for you!

You are nearing 65, the age of “retirement”. Or rather, the age where the ship regularly assesses whether the resource expenditure in keeping you alive is worth the trouble. Unless you are continuously proving yourself exceptionally useful to the ship, some day soon a politely worded invitation to visit human recycling is going to be issued.

For some reason, someone is after you. Someone with sufficient influence or money to send people to get what they want. Perhaps your failed to repay a loan, or eloped with some VIP's daughter? Either way you're going to need a plan to fend off the goons who have been sent after you.

You have a special relationship with someone. The sort where you go out of your way to screw each other over at any cost. It's a revenge thing.

You have a particular vice you can't resist. It may be alcohol, cigarettes or torture, but there are good odds it will lead to your ultimate downfall.

You have a physical weakness or vulnerability which may affect your ability to take certain actions, and may be exploited by your enemies (if they find out what it is). Alternatively, you may have a psychological condition of some kind which could be debilitating in the wrong circumstances.

OOC: Please have a chat with us about this. The GM team can work with you to come up with something appropriate, but reserves veto on your choice.

Your character is naturally unlucky. Whenever you can be “volunteered” for an “unfortunate” experience, you will be. Whenever an accident waiting to happen happens, it happens to you. If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. Whether you are breaking items or yourself, it always ends badly.

OOC: For extra hilarity, feel free to take this flaw multiple times.