Typically, one of the first ‘boxes’ you will ever put your character into is their job on-site as well as their role in the field while on runs. As it stands, you have a variety of simple ‘boxes’ to fit your character into, but for now we will boil it down to the main four in terms of this RP;
Firstly, there is Security. This box of character types contains your combative characters (e.g marksmen, heavy weapons experts, and the like.), the sort of character types you will find in the field dishing out damage and generally being the front line of defense.
Second, we have Engineering. Typically you will find your computer whizzes and mechanics here, but you might also find a fair few combative-type characters as well. Engineer-type characters will usually alternate between fire support and their particular specialties within the Engineering stats.
Third, Medical- your traditional support role. You will not typically find much action in this box for your character. If you personally enjoy being more support-oriented with a little bit of action in-between, this is your best bet.
Fourth and finally, we have the Research/Social box, which covers your characters not found elsewhere in these simple boxes. Their roles are varied and broad-spanning, but are more often than not used on runs and events that are heavy on investigation and logic.
Now that we have these boxes somewhat defined for the sake of simplicity, it is a good time to try to fit your particular character concept into one of these boxes- don’t worry, they don’t have to stay there for long, we will expand on them later. Generally, if your character has a background in the military, combat, or just plain old toughness, you would put them in Security and center their stats around that job set. The same can be said for Medical if your character has a background in medicines or was formerly a medical professional. On the other hand, if your character concept is more brains than brawn (and yes, even the Medical characters), perhaps you would do better to put them in the Research/Social box, especially if they are particularly adept at staying hidden or talking in certain situations.
Now that the basic boxes are in place and you have (hopefully) put your character concept in one, we can take the time to expand the boxes out a bit more.
Backstories are the backbone of your character concept; while you might be able to put them in their given box, understanding the intricacies of why they fit in their box is what gives your particular idea a sense of character and depth. You will generally want the Demeanor and Nature of your character to be clear in their History, and perhaps you should provide a slight amount more to really flesh these character traits out. The GM team has very few rules about this form of characterization. These rules are as follows: mental illnesses and neurodivergence should be avoided, and if it cannot be avoided, these things must be brought to the GM team for approval prior to soft approval.
However, this does not mean that In-Character characterization is any less important- in fact, it is quite the opposite, being one of the most important aspects of character creation. You will want to give yourself some wiggle room to play with as your character interacts with their peers and the world around them. As mentioned above, any mental illness or neurodivergence that is not explicitly approved by the GM team will be removed, including anything potentially gained in-character.
Now, onto the final rule of the GM team- there are to be no ‘surprise’ details that come up in your character’s backstory. No vague details to spring on people later, especially not the GMs. Everything that is written should be clear, and any unwritten details absolutely must be given to the GM team for approval.
So, now that we have covered the soft aspects of your character, we can move onto the hard stats. Your basic stats (e.g. Ranged, Resilience, Determination) are fairly easily explained. Each stat corresponds to a general set of skills, but some are more broad or narrow than others, however. For example, Resilience is used to both weather any attacks on your character, and also is used to determine Physical Health. If you are not exactly sure of what a particular stat applies to, feel free to ask questions. There is also a guide to stats and their general functions [here, on the first tab http://scpsandbox2.wikidot.com/cocoaorigins].
Specialties are limited-use but powerful skills that make your character stronger or more skilled under certain circumstances than they would be otherwise. You should primarily base your Specialties off of what stats your character are adept in, then assign a situational bonus or mechanic to your character that represents said adeptability in-game. More information can be found at the end of the mechanics page. This is a simplified way of thinking about it, as you can also use Specialties to cover for certain weaknesses under particular circumstances- but that is a discussion and path of choices for a later point in this guide.
Typically, there are three main forms of Specialty- a flat bonus, a mechanical bonus, or just a new mechanic entirely. Beginning with the flat bonus, this is a Specialty that does exactly that- it adds a flat bonus to a given stat (Ranged, Medical, et. al.) under certain set circumstances.
- It’s Raining Men: 2. was a paratrooper in the war, and one of his favorite stories is his survival of a massive drop after a piece of shrapnel tore a hole in his parachute. (+2 to PDEF in the case of fall damage.)
Secondly, we have mechanical bonuses. These are Specialties that generally rely on other mechanics to activate. This is particularly good (and somewhat standard fare) for Medical characters, for example.
- Triage: 3. He’s pretty good with most wounds, but ’s skills as a combat medic really shine when a teammate is near death. (When treating a character that has less than 4 PHP, can expend one healing die from his medical pool to restore 3 PHP, rather than having to roll for it like normal).
Finally, for the sake of this guide, there is the Specialty that creates an entirely new mechanic. This is what covers for any Specialty that falls outside the definition of the other two. An example is below, but do not hesitate to ask questions.
- Bottomless Pockets: 4. Being a retired white collar criminal, is sitting on quite the sizable amount of cash, mostly stashed away in Swiss banks and offshore accounts. can roll 4df+4 to leverage this economic power in the form of bribes or raw buying power.
These are not the limitations of Specialties, nor are they hard limits. Some Specialties blend these types or do not adhere to them much at all. You will want to take a look at some of the character sheets to see what it is you might like to do. ‘But how situational is too much/little?’ I hear you ask; simply put, if your character is good enough at a particular skill and does not need the planets to align to pull something off, it is safe to say that it is good enough for the GM team.
In SCP Horizons, there are two ‘types’ of anomalies: agents with innate abilities, and agents with access to anomalous tools or weapons. In the case of the latter, the GM team will be slightly more relaxed as these are simply mundane player-characters with the knowledge to use or create anomalous things- in the case of misuse, the anomaly can be taken away. In most cases, Specialties taken up by this anomalous tool or skill will be set at a value of 1 or 2. Again, to be incredibly clear, these Accessers are not anomalous by nature, they can merely harness their respective abilities through a medium.
In the case of the agent with inherent abilities, this is much different- a player with this level of anomaly will be held to a strict level of quality by the GMs, and in the case of misuse the character will be forcefully put on leave until further notice. As like above, any Specialties taken up by this anomalous ability or skill with be set at a value of 3 or 4, and will be required to have a drawback/flaw of some kind.
In either case, you will need two GMs to approve for both Soft and Hard approval. You must also have a very good and story-related reason that your character must have this anomaly in order to progress their story and the world around them- especially so in the case of Inherents over Accessers. A GM can choose not to approve an anomalous character if they do not feel it meets the standards. Your first character cannot be anomalous in any way.
Language is capital-I Important given that the player-characters are active globally. Generally, most PCs will know one or two languages around this time period- though this is purely dependent on their background. English is mandatory given that we are an English based RP, and the PCs are stationed in Nevada
Just as important as Language is your character’s gear. You do not have to be the foremost expert on the gadgets and weapons of the early 1980s, but we do expect some attention paid to the gear your character keeps with them. Feel free to push some boundaries, but try to kep a degree of realism in your descriptions and writing.
For those of us not so firearms inclined, here is a handy set of general lists for use in kitting out your character for damage types:
Pistols (typically Light damage):
- SIG/Sauer P22x (and variants)
- Glock 17
- Beretta M92F
- Ceska Zbrojovka CZ-75
- Colt M1911 (and variants)
SMGs (Light or Normal damage, varies):
- Heckler & Koch MP5 (and variants)
- IMI Uzi
- Ingram MAC-10
Rifles (typically Normal damage):
- FN FAL (and variants)
- MAS FAMAS
- Steyr AUG
- Colt CAR-15 (and variants)
- Kalashnikov AK Pattern Rifles (and variants)
Shotguns (typically Normal damage):
- Franchi SPAS-12
- Mossberg 590 (and variants)
- Ithaca Model 37 (and variants)
LMGs (typically Heavy damage):
- Heckler & Koch HK21
- Kalashnikov PKM
- FN Mag 60-20 (and variants)
Sniper/Marksman Rifles (typically Heavy damage):
- Accuracy International L96AW (and variants)
- Walther WA2000
- Remington 700 (and variants)
As a reminder to the mechanics of light, normal, and heavy damage types for firearms, please refer to this link, under Damage and Health. For any futher questions, contact a GM. Users TheRaven and Aphex_ are knowledgeable on the topic of particular firearms.
As a new player, please keep in mind that anyone can look at sheets and give feedback, and most players will give very good critique on what does and doesn’t fit in the setting and rules- but, just because non-GM players approve does not guarantee approval from the GM team. (On the topic of GM approval, please be patient with the team as they are not always immediate.)
Unfortunately, the point must also be made that GMs do communicate, and any attempts to ask every possible GM for approval after approval- so long as the sheet is not up to the standards- will be met with a very swift ‘no’. The GM team will not stand for this nor will it stand for whining in the event non-approval. Please, just follow the guidelines set before you and you will do just fine.
If the answer is no, it does not mean you can never play the character ever. It most likely means you need to revise your sheet again. What we want varies by sheet, and if we ask you to change something, please do. There is always a reason for what we do, and we will explain what our reasoning is. If you're stuck on the change that was asked of you, don't be afraid to ask for help. Again, veteran players and GMs are a great resource. Sometimes all you need is some better brainstorming to resolve the issue.
So, your character has been approved for Soft roleplay in the in-character channels- firstly, congratulations! And secondly, please remember that Hard roleplay (runs, et. al) approval will take up to a week of solid in-character presence for the team to remove the Soft hold. The GM team is firm on this stance.
Don’t worry, Soft RP encompasses about 90 percent of what we do in Origins, and you can still have a great time not going on runs.
Just remember the rules, remember Wheaton’s law, and get out there and have fun.
The first thing you do is introduce yourself IC. Unless it’s a weird hour where everybody’s busy, there will be somebody around to RP with you to introduce your character. Most of the time you introduce in commons or [SPOILER REDACTED], and somebody IC will show you around and introduce you to people. It’s a really easy way to get to know a lot of people in one big sweep. From there, you’re more than welcome to put your character in an IC channel, whether it be empty or you ask people in an active scene if it’s okay to join. From there, it’s very simple to keep roleplaying; characters do act like people after all.
Soft RP is the backbone of Horizons. Runs and events can be greatly shaped by the team dynamic of the characters going on them. So go ahead, make friends, get a significant other*, be social and have fun.
If somebody or something is making you uncomfortable IC, OOC, or in PMs, please come to the GM team immediately, preferably with logs. We will do everything in our power to help you out. While we do deal with adult themes at times, we are willing to work with you to get a warning for these occurrences. Bullying and harassment are a hard line and we do not tolerate that kind of behavior. No, we don’t expect everybody to get along at all times, but we do expect you to remain civil. Regardless, everything will be handled on a case by case basis, as these issues are rarely uniform.
*No, we don’t take issue with your character getting in a romantic relationship, however we do expect you to be mature about it. Yes, all the PCs are adults and do adult things, but we absolutely cannot have inappropriate RP going on in public channels. Basically, keep it PG-13 or mildly spicier. If a scene does progress to the point of it being too much for the public IC channels with people as young as 15 viewing, you can quietly have it fade to black and pick up at a later time. Nothing that is going on in this can be seen or heard in any public areas of site.
If you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask. Generally, contributors and higher are a safe bet.