Character Generation
“Some would ask, how could a perfect God create a universe filled with so much that is evil. They have missed a greater conundrum: why would a perfect God create a universe at all?”
Sister Miriam Godwinson, "But for the Grace of God"
Concepts and Backgrounds
Before creating a character mechanically, a player will need to have a concept approved by the Ref team. It is expected that a player character will be an individual with some level of power or influence or expertise, or some other trait that makes them stand out from the hoi palloi. Otherwise, why would they be invited to attend meetings at other factions’ bases?
In addition, all characters must fill out background information in the form of a 20 Questions document. This will allow us not only to understand who the character is and how they got to where they are at their start, but will also allow the Ref team to write plot that is specific and relevant to a character’s background.
Ideologies
If our society seems more nihilistic than that of previous eras, perhaps this is simply a sign of our maturity as a sentient species. As our collective consciousness expands beyond a crucial point, we are at last ready to accept life's fundamental truth: that life's only purpose is life itself.
Chairman Sheng-ji Yang, "Looking God in the Eye"
An ideology is a comprehensive set of beliefs, ideas, and values that shapes how an individual or group understands the world and often guides their actions and social or political programs. It can be a system that explains reality and recommends ways to change it, forming the basis for social, political, and economic systems. In Alpha Centauri, ten core ideologies describe the dominant beliefs and approaches to ensuring that humanity survives and thrives in this new world.
As such, these ideologies form an integral part of society. Every faction has a defining ideology which each member of that faction will hold, every job or role in society has an associated ideology which those who hold those positions will have, and each character will have personal beliefs and aversions - ideologies they strongly adhere to or strongly avoid. Individually and in combination, these ideologies will form the central core of each character. As such, though changing them is certainly possible through play, it is not an easy undertaking.
Faction: Every character has a starting faction, which determines their first ideology - it is the defining one to which the faction adheres. They might be loyal, neutral or a dissident to their original faction, but it will have shaped their upbringing. If your character is not a dissident they also gain access to the faction discussions and missions as well as a level of reputation with them. By acting in line with the tenets of their faction, a character may improve their reputation or progress in their career.
Role: Every character has a Role in society, even if this is ‘rebel’ or ‘dissident’. This gives access to a second ideology and membership of a faction sub-group with the appropriate ideology and accompanying reputation. Fulfilling their Role well can get the character either reputation with their employer or bonus resources. It is possible to choose a role which fits into the same ideology as the faction - for example a Spartan choosing a Military role. In cases where the role and faction ideology are the same, the character may choose a different ideology for their role, however this must still be one of the ideologies that their faction holds as strong.
Belief: Every character then has free rein to pick a final ideology as their belief, which must be different from the ideologies relating to their role and their faction. Acting in accordance with their Belief gives benefits to their mental focus and helps resist the advance of tolls of old age.
Aversion: Every character must also have an Aversion, which is an ideology that the character has strong feelings against and are unable to learn proficiencies related to.
The ten ideologies in this game are as follows:
Decentralisation - this ideology is rooted in the belief that power should be distributed across society to allow each part to function independently based on local expertise and knowledge. Those who are opposed to this typically believe in governance led by a strong, central authority.
Economy - this ideology promotes the free market as the strongest engine for prosperity in human history, and that it should be encouraged in all places, including here. Opponents tend to think that corporations should not exist, or should be very tightly regulated if they do.
Growth - this ideology strongly favours population growth and expansion as the key to humanity's survival and prosperity. Those who have this as an aversion either believe that quality of life is more important than the quantity of it, or that too much growth leads to suffering and environmental damage.
Industry - this ideology dictates that the construction of buildings, acquisition of materials and production of goods is needed to allow humans not just to survive but to flourish in this world. Those who disagree likely either believe that too many luxuries make people soft, or that excessive industry harms people and the environment.
Military - this ideology is based in the belief that a strong military is the key to safety, security and prosperity. Those who strongly disagree tend towards pacifism and non-violent approaches to resolving problems.
Morale - this ideology encourages very strong belief in one's faction, identifying compromise and dissent as weakness and expecting members to go to strong lengths to defend their ideals. Those who reject this ideology tend to be more open-minded, welcoming other ideas and being easier to convince.
Planet - this ideology sets forth that caring for this new world, living in harmony with planet Chiron and adopting sustainable practices are the best way for humans to survive here and avoid a repeat of the tragedy of Earth. Opponents tend to believe that the world is here to be used for humanity's benefit.
Police - this ideology promotes authoritarian control of the people to prevent disorder and promote stability. Those who have this as an aversion are likely anarchists or outspoken about things like 'freedom'.
Probe - this ideology represents the belief that information is power, and that secrets should be held and kept by those who can use that information responsibly. Those who disagree tend to believe in the free sharing of knowledge and freedom of information for all.
Research - this ideology is focused on the need to study and understand this world and to develop new technologies to ensure humans survive here, whatever the cost. Those who reject this ideology tend to be more suspicious of new technologies and/or how they have been developed.
Residency
Characters will begin as residents of a base belonging to their faction. Some factions may restrict where those with particular roles or specialities may live, this will be agreed through discussion with the Ref team.
Proficiencies
“Energy is the currency of the future.”
CEO Nwabudike Morgan, "The Centauri Monopoly"
Proficiencies represent the skills, knowledge, equipment and occasionally allies or contacts that a character has. Each proficiency is unique and tied to a single ideology, though there is significant overlap between some, such as Scout (Military) and Explore (Planet).
A character which favours the associated ideology will find the proficiency easier to learn; in contrast, characters cannot learn proficiencies which are linked to their aversions.
As standard, characters have six starting proficiencies. They must take at least one proficiency from the ideologies associated with each of their Faction, Role and Belief. All of the starting proficiencies must come from within these ideologies. The number of starting proficiencies may be modified by advantages and drawbacks.
They also start with an income of 2 energy unless their faction, advantages or drawbacks change this. Bear in mind that they may need this for upkeep depending on their faction’s policies.
Advantages and Drawbacks
Please see this page for more information about advantages and drawbacks.
Example Roles and Ideologies
Below are some examples of roles which would fit under each ideology, largely based on the proficiencies useful to those roles. This is far from an exhaustive list, please do feel free to make up new ones as befits the character being created.
DECENTRALISATION - Administrator, Base Commander, Bureaucrat, Coordinator, Diplomat
ECONOMY - Advertiser, CEO/Business leader, Lawyer Media Broadcaster, Merchant, Thief
GROWTH - Community Leader, Doctor, Farmer, Logistics Coordinator, Rancher, Terraformer
INDUSTRY - Builder, Engineer, Inventor, Manufacturer, Miner, Roboticist
MILITARY - Base Commander, Mercenary, Military Command, Quartermaster, Scout, Soldier
MORALE - Community Leader, Counsellor, Drill Sergeant, Entertainer, Preacher, Rabble Rouser
PLANET - Explorer, Farmer, Forager, Mariner, Mystic, Xenobotanist
POLICE - Bodyguard, Interrogator, Investigator, Law Enforcement Officer, Martial Artist, Pickpocket
PROBE - Agent, Cybersecurity Expert, Digital Surveillance Operative, Hacker, Propagandist, Saboteur, Software Developer
RESEARCH - Academic, Archivist, Inventor, Lab Tech, Researcher, Scientist, Teacher