COVID Character: Commander Tada

Since the start of the pandemic, I have played more role-playing games than I ever have before. I thought I'd use my space to introduce you to my characters, and give you a little background about the system they're in, what they're like, and what they're doing.

Tada

Aliases: None
Pronouns: He/him
Character Concept: Young samurai, eager to prove himself
Character Stats: I don't have the character sheet in front of me, so I'm not sure!
Campaign: Thousand Arrows
System: Thousand Arrows
Campaign Status:Ongoing

This is a new character in a new game, using both rules and a genre that is rather outside of my own comfort zone. 

Thousand Arrows is set in the Warring States period in Japan. The players are all allies to Hiro, one of the warlords who is trying to make a name and a kingdom for himself amidst all the strife. I'm not sure that he is "the good guy," as I think that the game is far too nuanced to do something like that. It seems that he is reasonably forthright and just, though, so that's something.

The game is based on Powered by the Apocalypse, which I've always had trouble wrapping my head around. Not sure why. It's just a thing. Rather than have stats or skills like "Strength" or "Metallurgy," my character has things like "Void" and "Lead from Behind."Combat is less about, "he misses you, but you hit him," and resolves more in the abstract. 

For instance, we recently led a 200 soldiers on an assault of an enemy fortification. I think the fact that we were going to win was a foregone conclusion, considering we had done a lot of scouting and had the advantage. Instead, the rolls were for things like, "okay, this was your first command. Let's see how you did. Make a Lead from the Front roll. Oh, that was a contested success. All right, you only barely manage to hold the bridge and, as a result, you lost more soldiers than you were comfortable with. Also, the other player characters noticed. How does that make you feel."

Despite being set during a war and featuring actual battles, the game is more tightly focused on drama, court intrigue, romance, and interpersonal relationships. It's basically like a soap opera, but with swords.

And this brings us to Tada. He is a young samurai who is desperate to prove himself. He's from a clan that has adopted the use of the arequebus (which they acquired from trade with Portugal). Arquebuses are devastating weapons, but at least one of my companions thinks that they are messy, stupid weapons that fly in the face of our traditions. 

I have also learned that Tada is someone who thinks in straight lines. Do you want that thing? Go over there and get that thing. Do you see an objective? What is the most obvious way to reach the objective? Do that.

The problem is that a lot of the game's focus is on things like soft power, manipulation, and social positioning, which are things that Tada is (and here is an understatement) not particularly good at. He has been successfully bamboozled by his grandmother (a skilled politician and schemer) and by his new ladyfriend (who he didn't realize was attracted to him until she kissed him). 

He's in a lot of trouble, is what I'm saying.