Lifepath creation games

[Wannabe writer]

I must honestly admit that the huge pull traveller has over me is in the unique way a character is created. Sadly games that are designed in this way tend to have leviathan style rules systems to handle every round of bullet (or laser blasts, or would that be rod of laser blasts?) Large rule systems are not my style, I made myself learn one rule system like this once and I still played it off the cuff as I found the rules get in the way of the roleplaying. Is there a home for lifepath creation styles in free indie rpgs?

[kylesgames]

I don't know if you can find them in a ton of places, but Eclipse Phase: Transhuman has one, and you can find it (legally for free) online here:

[Onix]

In many situations, very ornate life path systems tend to follow when there is a lot of attention shown to the system. The only example I know of where this doesn't happen is in FASA Star Trek. The system was not well structured for the media but had a gorgeous life path system. It took up a major portion of the book.

The other thing a life path system requires is being tied to a story. It would be difficult to have one that's just based on genre because it would be full of vagaries.

[Rob Lang]

Cyberpunk 2020 and Cybergeneration both had life path generators. I really like them as an idea. Perhaps that might make a decent competition?

[Evil Scientist]

Burning Wheel's lifepath system basically contains the outline of its setting, which is not elaborated anywhere else (because it's supposed to be a quite "generic" medieval-style fantasy world).

[Abstract Machine]

We liked lifepath character creation so much that at one stage we just put it in all of our games.

Dropping the template from Cyberpunk or Traveller into another game works fine but you will find yourself having to roleplay or adapt little bits of it, a bit like the prelude from a White Wolf game. No bad thing, in my view.

[kylesgames]

Now I'm tempted to make a game in which everything is lifepath-based, to the point where sessions may have in-game years between them for characters to "advance".

[kumakami]

[catty_big]

Tbh I steer clear of games such as Burning Wheel and Traveller etc. where extensive background is part of character building, because I prefer to flesh out my character in play, and don't want to refer too much to my character's past, except in cases such as Changeling, where who I was before has a bearing on my present, and various WW games, where clans and guilds and so on are also very important to my present situation, and affect my abilities. I also want to start the game right NOW!! rather than spend hours and hours developing a background beforehand. No disrespect to lifepath enthusiasts, it's just my personal feeling.

[kylesgames]