On 12 Oct 2017 5:27 am, "Timothy Collinson" <xxxxxx@port.ac.uk> wrote:

but steward works too. Perception is also important, but the jobjob turns on your people skills. But the last one who's not made a go of it, the low carousing makes sense. Ages are fine too but they'll all claim to be younger. I'm 56, claim to be in my mid 40s and get away with it.

Hah! Yes, I hadn't thought of the claim to be younger angle! Although, again, in this particular situation they might lessen that aspect unless they sense the PCs want young. (Which hasn't been the case thus far).

They'll likely engage in some conversion first as they size the party up and tailor things to them. Yes quite possible they'll up their ages if they think it's what they want. You can usually go five to ten years. One of the funny sides about my job is the men in their early fifties who worry they may be too old for me when I'm actually older than them.

If they're working together, they trust each other a lot

Yes, I did think that. In fact, as I think you suggested might be the case, now I've created these four I'm inclined to think that just maybe there's an adventure for next year's TravCon using them as PCs rather than NPCs. Although I've noticed that players don't tend to do much with my potential love interest character hooks with other PCs as I guess they're uncomfortable with it. I felt as if I was something of an outlier in going along with a referee's (quite gentle really) drug filled orgy at a coming of age party for a tribe last March. But what the heck... it's role playing and we seem happy enough with the violence... :-)

It's something that's always confused me. People are far more comfortable with violence than romance.

. They almost certainly live together and work from there, they watch each other's back. I'd strongly suspect the 26 year old is in a relationship with one of the others. I'd go with the 33 year old woman, same sex relationships are very common in sex workers and for her to come back into the job points at a "mentor." The others may well be very protective of her. The male with his high streetwise is probably the "senior" member of the group and the others will likely defer to him.

Yes, I thought that, then thought 'oh, that's a bit stereotypical so let's make it the older woman', but the more I look at it, the more I think that's the way to go.

Sadly that particular stereotype is quite accurate. Being a sex worker is hard on relationships, very few people are comfortable with their partner regularly sleeping with others. Most of my relationships are with other current or former sex workers.

They need two names, their real name and working name. These will be very different so the working name doesn't hint at the real one. For working names I'd suggest something "conservative" for the 29 year old. She'll likely play off her upbringing and present a more upmarket image, Judith perhaps. The male will probably go for a name that hints at strength, Axel might fit. The 33 year old something more casual. She's toward the upmarket but would want a more "easy going" image. Nici might work. The 26 year old will be playing on her age, something a little funky. Shontika would be an example.

I'll use those if that's ok although inspired by your earlier email, I was thinking the guy might be called Angel. Axel's fine. I like the slightly Euro-sound.

Angel would work too, just don't make him look like David Borenez haha.

Right, now, plot...
... life threatening disease... some rare herb that is thought to be curative... but it's either kept on the higher decks where the workers can't easily go, or even so rare it's behind more secure areas of the orbital station. (This is a big place - 1000 decks, 800,000 people iirc, or was it 8 million?). Sex workers have tried before so they're recognized and can't try again - but PCs could. Maybe it's one of the Enemy connections who has charge of them and so specifically won't release herbs for that person.
OK, well it's a start. I've a few more days to let it swill round in the back brain. It's tempting to have this as part of a larger scam but you've persuaded me that despite their Deception skills they'd be more straightforward than that. (And again, trying to avoid stereotypes.) (Except that a couple of times recently I've been accused of having NPCs that are too nice and truthful etc)

cheers

These are "walk ins" They seem to have approached the workers at random. The workers just don't know them, trying to scam them is frankly far too dangerous. No background information and no idea how the characters would react. If there was a scam involved, they'd have planned it beforehand and made some effort to approach the characters. They may well mention that and do what I do sometimes, explain the "Don't lie or deceive" rule and the logic behind it. Clients usually get the logic and it helps build trust.

But other than that I'd love to see the whole adventure, it does sound good.

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