Exploring the B+ System: Practices

It’s game night and your game master is finally ready to run the evil sorcerer campaign he’s been preparing for weeks. But when everyone takes a turn to describe their character for the group, you notice that everyone else’s character seems to have a bit more to them than just a name and stats. So, when you describe your character only as “Punchara, the battle axe-wielding barbarian,” your GM asks that you provide some hobbies or interests that Punchara would pursue outside of slaying an evil sorcerer. “Even Wandaar,” he says, “is a savvy businessman with a penchant for investing in private magic schools which allows him to sway the region’s curriculum towards the dark arts.”

What’s a barbarian to do?

Some of the most engaging characters I have encountered and created in the tabletop games I’ve played have been those with hobbies or professions: adventuring brothers who sought rare artifacts and items to sell in their shop; a pirate who moonlighted as a confectioner, “procuring” funds to run a candy-themed restaurant in a city while his crew’s airship was being repaired; a megalomaniacal tyrant who used bureaucracy to allow him and his cohorts to legally invade another sovereign nation without triggering a war.
When you provide your character with extracurricular interests, you add substance to both them and the overall story. Extra details like these help your game master have an easier time devising new and exciting challenges for the campaign. So, now that Punchara has a vested interest in architectural design from her past quests in various dungeons, she can keenly deduce where Wandaar would install traps and other hazards in his “Castle for the Magically Gifted.”

To encourage our players to consider what professional skills their characters would have, we created a section in the B+ System called “Practices” that will allow your character to exercise their knowledge in various fields of study should they be doctors, dancers, or diplomats. It will also set the guidelines for what your character will be allowed to craft or repair during the game. Let’s say, for example, a character has “automotive engineering” as a practice. Using this practice, the character will not only be able to repair a car engine that has broken down in the middle of the road but will also be capable of designing and creating their own unique engine to use in drag races! Or if a character has expertise in “painting”, they may try their hand at restoring damaged pieces of art as well has painting their own works.

​Practices are not necessary to play Project: Powerpunk (after all, some players may just want to focus on questing, fighting, or social interactions), but they do provide a whole other dimension for you to explore and feel more immersed in your character. We hope you look forward to the possibilities Practices will provide you as much as we look forward to the experience you have.

Chris
High Eldritch Scribe | Stock & Bull Entertainment