History and Who You Are
Exactly what is it that makes an individual unique? Is it how they look, how they present themselves, or something so small as their name. Possibly we are so similar that it is only our actions that make us differ from one another. Alas no—life is not that simple. Whatever you believe, that which makes you distinct is not a singular thing. There has been a plethora of events, people, places, and even items that have shaped you through your life. What we truly care about though are the key moments involving these things that have acted as reagents in forming you today. Those are what make you unique.
Filling in the Second Page
There are ten categories listed on the second page of the investigator sheet. For initial creation of your investigator, just focus on the first six: Personal Description, Ideology/Beliefs, Significant People, Meaningful Locations, and Traits. Try to add something to each category, or leave blank to be filled in later as your investigators narrative progresses.
The final four categories—Injuries & Scars, Phobias & Manias, Arcane Tomes, Spells & Artifacts, and Encounters with Strange Entities—are typically left blank when creating an investigator. These are filled in during play, but of course if you feel it is important for your investigators story to start a significant injury or scar then write it in.
If you are struggling to think of your own entries, the following tables provided can help. Either roll on the tables or just pick ones that best suit your character concept. Above all, the random tables are there as a springboard for your imagination. Each dice roll will give you something to react to: embrace it or reject it, but be sure to react to it and use it to help fuel your imagination.
Random Roll Tables
Each of the following tables have thier own bref description. Just click roll, and a random row will be highlighted. Or use your own dice.Key Backstory Item
Consider your character’s backstory, and pick the one entry that you feel is most important to them. This is their “key connection”: the one thing above all else that gives meaning to their life. Mark it with a star or underline it on the investigator sheet. This connection can aid your investigator in regaining Sanity points.Ethnicity
People of many different ethnic backgrounds were drawn to the new frontier, whether immigrants like Anglos (white Americans), African-Americans, and Chinese, or indigenous folk, such as Native Americans and Mexicans.
Free African-American persons found work there, many as cowhands. Indigenous people, who might already be living in the area, found work too. Chinese immigrants were used as a source of cheap labor, especially on the Transcontinental Railroad, and within the mining industry.
As a player, your choice of ethnicity and gender are two factors that go in to making your character’s backstory. The game does not dictate any advantages or disadvantages to a particular ethnicity or gender, so the choice is entirely up to you. Your choice of ethnicity may well imply a skill in more than one language. If the character’s chosen occupation does not include additional languages as a skill, the skill points for such additional languages should come out of personal interest skill points.
