Lets be kids again
So you signed up to play a game of Tales from the Loop from Free League with your StartPlaying GM and you need to make a character? Well, get out your walkman, put on your leg warmers, and let’s make you a character. In Tales from the Loop you play as kids in a 1980’s that never was, dealing with bullies, trying to figure out how to ask your crush to the dance, and investigating the robots that escaped from the Loop. This is a game about solving mysteries and trying to grow up. This is a game about being a kid.
How to become a kid again
Let’s make one of those kids. To start, you’re going to choose your Type, this is anything from Bookworm, to Popular Kid, to Troublemaker. These types give you some Key Skills, some possible connections to PCs, and other possible options like your Iconic Item, Problem, etc. We’ll get to those later.
Now you’ll pick your age, anywhere from 10 to 15. Your age determines how many points you can add to your attributes, and how many luck points you get, which you can spend to re-roll dice. Older kids get more Attribute points but younger kids are luckier. Your attributes are Body, Tech, Heart, and Mind. You get Attribute points equal to your age and can distribute them in your four attributes. Your starting score must be within 1 and 5. When you turn 16 years old, you are no longer a Kid and must make a new character. Now determine your Luck Points, by taking 15 minus your age. For example: If you are 13 years old, you have 13 Attribute points to spend on your Attributes, and 2 Luck Points. Your Luck Points recover every session and can be used to re-roll dice. Once you’ve finished that, you’ll choose your skills. You get 10 points to spend on skills, spending up to 3 points on your Key Skills as determined by your type, but every other skill has a maximum starting level of 1.
All the things you carry or item selection
Up next, you’ll pick your Iconic Item. Items can give you a bonus of between 1-3 extra dice on your roll if they are relevant, but your Iconic item is special. Your Iconic Item says something about who you are as a person. It gives you 2 bonus dice whenever it’s relevant, cannot disappear or break, no matter what happens unless you want it to, and if it is stolen or lost, will be found before the end of the Mystery. On top of that, your Iconic Item cannot be used by other Kids. They wouldn’t know how. It’s yours. You will find and lose other items, but your Iconic Item never leaves your side.
Personal problems and relationships
Up next you’ll choose a Problem, a Drive, and Pride. Problems indicate something you want the GM to challenge you with, maybe your problem is that there’s a bully at school that seems to target you. Pick your Problem knowing that your GM will probably use that Problem to make your characters life a little harder, and their story a little more interesting. Your Drive is why you fight, it’s why you investigate what is happening and why you’re willing to put yourself into dangerous situations. Your Pride is something you hold within yourself that makes you feel strong. Once per mystery, you can check your Pride to automatically pass any failed roll.
Next, determine your relationships. Your Type will have some possible connections you have with your fellow player’s characters and the NPCs. Try to make these relationships interconnected, and maybe a little bit messy. You’ll also pick your Anchor. Your Anchor is a special person in your life who is able to help you when no one else can. If you’ve taken any Conditions, your StartPlaying GM will explain that in play, you can spend a scene with your Anchor to heal all of your Conditions. On top of that, your GM is not allowed to put you into trouble in those scenes, unless you choose to let them.
Your favorite song and where you can hide
To wrap things up, you’ll give yourself a name, a description of what you’re like, and pick a favorite song. This is my favorite part. Pick a song from the 1980’s or earlier as your character’s favorite song. This has no mechanical effect, but you can use the song as a “theme” to play at the table whenever it is appropriate in the story.
Finally, you and your fellow Kids will determine what kind of Hideout you have. Your Hideout is your safe place, you can heal Conditions in it the same as you would with your Anchor, and the GM is not allowed to put you into trouble or allow NPCs to find it unless the Kids show them. You’ll also take some time to answer some questions that the GM has for you, that help determine some details about your character and the group.
And you’re done! You have your Kid made, your group has their Kids made, and you are ready to start solving the mysteries that lie within the Loop. Have fun and make sure you come home when the street lights come on.
To find a game of Tales from the Loop you can join click HERE. To find other games you can join click HERE
Jordan Hunt, also known as GM_ Jordan or sometimes in the wild buying a cortado and a muffin, he loves playing, running, and thinking about ttrpgs.
