Over_the_Edge_Players'_Survival_Guide

Players’ Survival Guide
HELPFUL HINTS
Keep your mouth shut whenever possible.
Deception is an inherent good, and does not need
an end to justify it. The sin is not deceiving, but
getting caught.
Just say no to strange drugs, until two smart people
you semi-trust have told you they’re OK — and then
only if you really, really want to.
Get a job. You’ll see a lot of stuff first hand, instead
of having to get it from questionable sources. You’ll
meet people you otherwise wouldn’t. You’ll have
a cover. You’ll have the financial independence to
turn down job offers.
Write down everything.
As with character creation, moderation is a virtue
in play. One way to be ineffective is to be paralyzed
by indecision. Another is to lunge forward without
enough preparation and forethought. Once you’ve
committed to a plan, go for it all the way, but always
have an escape route. Don’t be afraid to screw over
other PC’s, but be subtle about it, and don’t do it
unless you really have to (or really, really want to).
Pass lots of notes to the GM. Don’t let other players
know the full range of your character’s abilities.
Secret conferences and covert alliances are part of
the game.
Don’t take anything for granted. Trust nothing.
Remember that every other character has a secret,
and many of them are unpleasant. Watch out for
betrayal everywhere. Don’t trust your mentor, your
roommate, or your fellow players. Never tell anyone
everything. Always have a backup plan. Always
have a bolt-hole. Always have a spare identity, a hidden
ally, an ace up your sleeve, and a knife in your
boot. On Al Amarja, paranoia is simply sanity.
And, oh yeah... have fun.
Getting into the
OTE Mindset
by Michael Halse
Nicolai Tassaroff — Seven feet tall, built like
Schwartznegger, the hairiest person you’ve seen since
sasquatch, rather large incisors, and a strange webbed
pattern on his hand. Nic usually wore a muscle shirt
and sweats, and carried a large duffel bag. His father
was from the planet Q35, and extraterrestrial genes
gave Nic retractable fangs, mathematical genius, the
ability to “reverse-teleport” things to him, and the
physique of a bodybuilder.
Nic was the first character I ever invented, and, I
must say, truly amazing. He never had to go to a gym
to maintain his physique, and the other characters
didn’t seem to notice. Perhaps his attire was convincing
enough for them. On Al Amarja, Nic lived in a
hotel, and his door was always unlocked (preventing
repair bills from break-ins). I suspect that a few characters
had checked out Nic’s room, but Nic always
destroyed any shred of evidence of anything he had
discovered or hid it elsewhere. He always tried to
stay one step ahead of the other players.
Nic was an extremely powerful character and had
a bad temper, but he didn’t overuse his fringe abilities
or reveal them unnecessarily.
Character Creation
Create characters that you can identify with or ones
that you really want to play. Think of your characters’
backgrounds and acquaintances before they left for
the Edge. Design characters so interesting that you
can’t wait to run them.
Make your characters real — or, if not real, internally
consistent. If your traits don’t mesh, rethink
them. A combination martial artist, diplomat, and
telekineticist might be more of a mini-maxing exercise
than a real person, but if you can weave seemingly
distant traits together into a cohesive concept, then
go for it! (See Nicolai, above.)
After you have your traits, come up with a secret.
It could tie into your traits or be something completely
different, but always keep one of those traits
secret. Your secret ability doesn’t have to be a fringe
power but could be something that might be handy
in a pinch. Nic’s reverse-teleportation ability came
in handy, and never drew attention to itself because
I played it cool.
When introducing my character, I’d always show
the next victim (er…player) a good character drawing
and explain it fully. Nic let the other characters
know about his strength and mathematical abilities
but everything else was secret. The Edge has so many
secrets that you’ll feel a little comfort in having a few
of your own.
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