COVID Character: Mikey Yates

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.

Mikey Yates

Aliases: None
Pronouns: He/him
Character Concept: A regular kid from America who has cousins in the Yorkshire Dales.
Character Stats: Lucky 12, Creativity 10, Physical 8, Social 6; Puzzle Solver
Campaign: The Vampire Next Door
System: The Vampire Next Door
Campaign Status: Completed!

This was a one-shot that I played in called The Vampire Next Door. It's the summertime in Yorkshire in the 1980s. All the players' are kids and are all related somehow. They're all spending the summer at their grandparents' house. Very idyllic, very bucolic. You get to run around and do whatever you want during the day so long as you're back by supper.

There's just one problem. The players are all convinced that their grandparents' creepy neighbor, Mr. Alucard, is a vampire. Despite trying to explain about Mr. Alucard's funny accent, penchant for only going out in the evenings, very sharp teeth, and love of cravats, none of the adults believe the players. 

The entire game is all about running around town trying to get proof that Mr. Alucard is, in fact, a vampire without causing so much trouble that you get punished. 

My group of three players took things one step farther than, "convince the town the vampire is a vampire." We all, being seasoned Call of Cthulhu players, decided that we were going to end him instead. With a bunch of chopped garlic, a squirt gun full of holy water, and some kid-like determination, we hunted him down and ended his threat once and for all!

Oh! My character, Mike Yates, was a kid from America who was visiting his cousins in the UK for the summer. He was nice, if a bit shy, and had a thing for sitting quietly and doing puzzles. His much more active British cousins made him go outside and do some activities. Like basketball. And vampire hunting. They also teased him about his name but, because he's never watched Doctor Who, he doesn't get why they do that.