Birthday Surprise.

It's my birthday today, a chance to celebrate making it another year. Something that feels more relevant given how many people I know that never made it to my age. It's honestly kinda lonely and covid only feels like it's exacerbating the whole thing.

But it's good to know  I have folk that believe in what I'm doing. I finally seemed to find  something  I'm good at and I really want to make the most of it all. I'm almost done with my second book, but I can't help but  think about how ready I am for the second game.

You have no idea how much I have planned. I'm going to flex so hard on folk. I hope you're ready for some real revolutionary shit to the idea of a narrative tag game.

But for now, Y'all want to see some of the first drafts of the new Persona Protocols in the Welcome to Reedsboro book?

The Adventurer
The One Who Experiences
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-Stunt Performers
-Daredevils
-People that have to see to believe
-Backpackers
-Foodies
-Urban Explorers
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I don’t think people actually know how much work is actually a part of stunt work. It’s one thing to do something dangerous on camera. It’s another thing to do something that looks dangerous safely. There is a lot of actual technical knowledge involved when you want a car to make a jump over a train or a bad guy launched by an explosion. What may be five seconds of a movie for you represents countless hours of planning, preparation, and practice. It’s broken bones and going back on set the next day because you’ll lose your insurance if you don’t.

But I’ll tell you why I do it. Why I fight through every broken rib. I just want to see if I can.

When people watch an action screen and fantasize about being a big action hero. That’s me. I’m the one they want to be. I’m the person rolling through the window and I’m the one grabbing a guy between my thighs and throwing them across them room. I’m the one sliding that car on two tires through an alley.

I get to see the world. I’ve had shoots in the deserts of Spain, Hong Kong back alleys, and once a ferry in San Francisco. All it cost you is your body. Can you believe that stunt performers aren’t recognized by the academy? Hand me that icepack would you?

-Interview Transcript, Barb (She/They)

That’s the thingmost folks don’t understand about racing stock cars. They say it ain’t a real sport just because it’s the car doin’ the moving and I ain’t peddling the car forward like it’s the damn flintstones. But I want to see how they hold up going 190 miles perhour around a corner. A race like that is a sport of endurance and precision.

Strapped down into that seat, you feel your muscles straining as you take a 3,400 pound monster in your hands. It’s asking yourself if you can go a little faster as you feel your blood pounding in your ears. If you can push your way through that opening. If you can hold your place when you have someone riding right on your bumper. If you can hold that pace for 300 hundred laps without blacking out and spinnin’ like one of those apple rides at the fair.

You’re riding at your personal redline and it becomes a question of who breaks down first, you or the machine. And there is nothing like it.

You should come out to the races sometime. I promise it’s a lot more fun than you see on tv.

-Interview Transcript, Emmett (He/Him)
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Intro
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Some people want to see everything the world has to offer. There is this drive to know for yourself what something is like. An explorers urge in every human to find out if you can. The Adventurer are the ones who embrace this urge. Taking chances and finding the path into the new, unknown, and dangerous.

The Adventurer is more than a thrill-seeker or adrenaline junkie, though plenty fall into that description. The Adventurer tends to be a worldly person with a lot of experiences to draw on. An adventurer is categorized by an ambition to broaden their horizon, no matter what that field that may be in. They’re bold, action oriented types and bring that attitude into how they solve problems. Sometimes someone needs to make that first leap.

Power Tag Questions
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Answer the Genesis Question marked with a star and three other questions from the Power Tag section found below. Each answer becomes its own Power Tag. Make note of your answers on your character sheet under the appropriate protocol's Power Tags along with the letter of the question.

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(*) Who are you that invites adventure into your life? “I am a...”
Examples: Travel Guide Writer, Professional Skateboarder, Documentarian, Theme Park Fan, Field Researcher

A. What doesn’t scare you?
Examples: Heights, Spiders, Private Property Signs, People in Power, Fire

B. What tool helps you on your adventure?
Examples: Climbing Kit, My Motorcycle, My Passport, A Hard Helmet, A Lasso

C. What daring stunt is second nature?
Examples: Watch me do a wheelie, Do A Flip, I Can Hypnotize A Bird, Drifting Around Corners, Bracing Myself In A Hallway

D. What do you come back home to?
Examples: My Pet Iguana, My Own Bed, Home Cooking, My Best Friend, My Favorite Place To Camp

E. How do you get away from trouble?
Examples: Epic Parkour Skills, Press Credentials, My Trusty Steed, I Know How To Fall, Mountain Bike Tricks

F. Why do you adventure?
Examples: I Want To Be The Fastest Motherfucker Alive, Push Myself To My Limits, I Want To See Something New, Human Culture Is Beautiful, Science Is More Fun When Practically Applied.

G. How do you get to where you need to be?
Examples: Unshakable Sense of Direction, Ask For Directions, Trained Helicopter Pilot, My Jetski, My Lovable Sled Dog Team

H. What skills have you picked up on your adventures?
Examples: Great Dancer, I Can Set A Broken Bone, I Know A Dangerous Animal When I See It, Multilingual, Make A Mean Drink

I. How can you find your way?
 Examples: Think About What My Mom Would Say, The Stars Are My Map, A Collection Of Atlus’ and Maps, Leave It To Fate, Ask Locals For Advice

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Weakness Tag Questions
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Select one question from the ones below to answer for your Weakness Tag. It should, like a power tag, be a short word or phrase, but describe something that impedes or is an obstacle for the character. This answer should be recorded in the Weakness Tag section of the character's protocols.

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A. What risk won’t you take?
Examples: Getting Sick, Scared of Heights, Other People Getting Hurt, Big Dogs, Emotional Vulnerability  

B. What bores you?
Examples: Planning, Waiting In Line, Romantic Relationship, Computers, Office Jobs

C. What gets you in trouble?
Examples: I Bite Off More Than I Can Chew, Preparation Is For Suckers, I Know Better Than You, I Never See The Strings Attached, Me First

D. What ties you down?
Examples: I’m Not A Kid Anymore, My Dreams Are Bigger Than My Wallet, I’m Everyone’s Big Brother, My Old Injury, Work Requires Paperwork and Results

Questions to think on
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What sparked your need for adventure?
Do you have a goal you’re working towards?
How has your adventures broadened your horizons?
What has your Adventures caused you to miss out on?
How do you feel after an adventure is done?
What was your favorite Adventure so far?

The Hustler
The One Who Makes Deals
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-That Guy With The Mix-Tapes
-Car Salesmen
-Rise And Grind Types
-Small Business Owners
-Community Organizers
-Politicians
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People underestimate the importance of financial independence until they are without it. I’m of the personal belief that it is one of the key forms of oppression in this country at both a macro and micro level. It’s how systems keep people poor and reliant. From rent to credit systems to the shoes we wear.  

Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps has become an inaccurate metaphor for the experience. I’d describe it as being pushed into a minefield when others have a bridge. And you can build your own bridge, but you have to dig for the parts. But at any second, out of your control or knowledge, you can scrape along a mine.

I built my bridge. This house I live in? I bought it. The car I’m driving? I bought it. I’ve worked to make sure I’m as independent as possible and not reliant on others. I may not have blown off a limb on those mines, but I’ve lost a finger or two. I know the struggle of living from paycheck to paycheck and juggling bills to decide which one I can afford not to pay this month. There was a real struggle to get to the point where I’m at and it shouldn’t have to be that way.

The best way to get around that struggle by my reckoning is to invest into my community. To insure that people have more opportunities. That’s real legacy. Miss me with ugly statues. I’d rather have a building and a knowledge that I helped others find success of their own.

-Interview Transcript, Bernadice (She/Her)

You want to know how a guy like me ended up down here and like this? Any yahoo and his mother can make a pizza. Bread, sauce, cheese. As long as you can figure out your dough and don’t burn nothin’ for the most part you’re golden. You have to try real hard to make a bad pizza. To make a good pizza, that’s another ball game. I can make a good pizza. I mean a real good pizza.

I got a cousin with a beach house down here he time shares. Real smug bastard who thinks he’s better than everyone else, just like his mother. He invited me down one year for the summer and I saw an opportunity. Reedsboro had no pizza options. And I mean NOTHIN’. No Domino Hut or Papa Caesars, NOTHIN’. None of those guys. You had to take the bridge and drive 40 minutes for pizza.

You know what people in a place they don’t know do for food most of the time? They get on their little smartphones or whatever and look up Pizza. It’s consistent. That’s that hard to mess up thing I was talking about. People know what they’re getting. It comes right to what you’re stayin’. You don’t have to drive around trying to track down a place and look for it. Which if you’re dragging around your two to three brats and they’re hyped of on sugar and beach time fun is the last thing you want. It’s perfect. Summer times leave me busy.

But you want to know where you get ‘em? It’s the extras. Unless you’re a kid with no taste or on one of those froo-froo weirdo diets, no one just gets cheese pizza. You charge ‘em a buck-fifty per topping, you get some specials, and then you offer sides. Breadsticks and wings, salads for the people fooling themselves. Big sodas. I’ve got a good thing going here. Much better than some dumb ol’ office job my clown of a cousin has. He rents, but I own my house on the beach. How about them apples?

-Interview Transcript, Vinny (He/Him)
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Some people just know an opportunity when they see one, but less people know how to take full advantage of it. The hustler is a person who sees the world in opportunities. They’re the business-minded and dealmakers. They can create connections and insure access to whatever their communities need by navigating the complexities of the give-and-take.

They’re the local council member trying to leverage their relationships to their cause. They’re the struggling charity head trying to secure funding. They’re the small business owner and entrepreneur. They can be con artist or just confident in what they have to offer. But their aide ensures chances that would otherwise be off the table. The hustler is an opportunity.
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Power Tag Questions
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Answer the Genesis Question marked with a star and three other questions from the Power Tag section found below. Each answer becomes its own Power Tag. Make note of your answers on your character sheet under the appropriate protocol's Power Tags along with the letter of the question.

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(*) How do you provide deals and opportunities in your life? “I am a...”
Examples: Music Producer, Food Truck Owner, City Council Member, Internet Influencer, Used Car Salesmen

A. What do you have that others want?
Examples: Money, My Good Looks, My Audience, Vehicles, Musical Talent

B. How do you negotiate?
Examples: Woo and Flattery, It’s Not Technically Blackmail..., I Have An Amazing Opportunity, Spinning A Tale, It’s For Your Own Good.

C. What sort of contacts have your dealings brought you?
Examples: Musicians, Garbage men, Mechanics, Gamblers, Accountants

D. What sort of knowledge or skills has your trade instilled?
Examples: An Eye For Appraisal, Audio Design, Forgery, Electronic Restoration, Sculpting

E. How do you save a bad social situation?
Examples: Smooth It Over With A Joke, Pay It Off, “Lemme Get You A Drink”, How About An Autograph?, Everyone Loves A Compliment

F. How do you gain a favor?
Examples: Remind Them Of What They Owe, Genuine Kindness, Trading and Barter, Plea To Their Better Nature, Discounts

G. How do you make an impression?
Examples: Dress for the Occasion, Can Make a Compelling Presentation, An Intimidating Presence, I Want Them To Underestimate Me, Professional Composure and Grace

H. What is something you always notice or see through?
Examples: I Know A Bad Deal When I See One, Flattery, A Flicker Of Envy, The Posturing Of The Rich, Empty Threats

I. What can you always be counted on to provide?
Examples: Food, A Place To Say, I Can Pay For This, Legal Assistance, Online Gossip, A Ride
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Weakness Tag Questions
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Select one question from the ones below to answer for your Weakness Tag. It should, like a power tag, be a short word or phrase, but describe something that impedes or is an obstacle for the character. This answer should be recorded in the Weakness Tag section of the character's protocols.

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A. What is something material you can’t resist?
Examples: Money, Sex, Rare Records, That Sweet Kush, A Good Meal

B. What is something you can’t bargain for or buy?
Examples: My Self Respect, A Healthy Work-Life Balance, Artistic Credibility, Acceptance From My Family, My Children

C. Who are you a sucker for?
Examples: The Elderly, Family, A Pretty Face, The Sad and Desperate, Other Geno

D. What keep getting in the way of your success?
Examples: My Big Mouth, Not Enough Money, My Poor Health, My Family, I Refuse To Ask For Help

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Questions To Think On
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-What are you working towards?
-Why does that matter for you?
-Have you ever worked on anything you’re proud of?
-Have you ever made a deal you regret?
-What do you think of the people you make deals with?
-What do they think of you?