Career: Citizen
I kept one eye peeled over my shoulder. Across the table from me¸ The Colonel sipped his tea. Berlin busied himself more with tucking into his...what did the server call it? I forget...with great relish¸ not even looking about from time to time to see if danger was afoot. Out of force of habit¸ I glanced around the small café. It seemed to attract quite the clientele¸ from arrogant milespire professionals down to a few sewernauts¸ who were engaged in an animated game of chaax over steaming cups of kaff. "Would you gentles like anything else?" I started at the server's question. I hadn't even heard her approach! The Colonel¸ however¸ looked sedately up at her from his pad. "Another cup of tea¸ please¸ and looks like my friend here needs another helping." "Bel...relax¸" The Colonel said to me over the rim of his reader After the server left. "We're safe here; I chose this place for a reason." I know¸ Colonel; it's just...you¸ Berlin and Vajra have been at this longer than I have. It wasn't that long ago that I was¸" I lowered my voice a bit¸ "just a mundane like these guys here. Not being chased by half the galaxy." The Colonel regarded me earnestly. "And you remember that we chose you to travel with us not out of pity¸ but because we saw something in you that we didn't think you knew you had: spirit." The common folk found on every world in the interstellar government form the backbone of every society space travelers encounter. It's assumed in Cepheus Engine (CE) and the Original Science Fiction Roleplaying Game (OSFRPG) that these people don't ever leave their worlds of origin¸ performing routine tasks¸ and avoiding excitement and adventure. This is mere misconception. Mainstream citizens have yearnings and ambition¸ too. The difference is that they have fewer avenues to act upon such yearning and ambition. Thus¸ all too many live Walter Mitty-like existences¸ dreaming of being the star-spanning hero with gun blazing in one hand and beautiful companion in the other¸ while consigning themselves to being mere pawns in whatever game their society has set out for them. Now CE and OSFRPG characters of whatever origin can become all they can be¸ at least within the confines of their smallish existence. Career: Citizens is intended to offer Players a chance to build a hero from the ground up¸ becoming more than a mere paper-shuffler; and also offer Referees a way to introduce NPCs who are more than just a name and a throwaway role. The file offers three character types to generate¸ several new skills¸ and a new mustering out benefit tailored for non-adventuring types. Career: Citizens. Because sometimes¸ ordinary is good enough.