First time as GM any tips on chargen for late comer

[DericStrider]

I've started a new group (playing 1/2 ATOW and BT on MM) and while the character creation with players and setting up the first contract was fun, I had a player join last on short notice a player and didn't get to go over character creation with them as much as others and they produced a sheet that has a dump stat of charisma 1. The char is a clan liaison officer on fact finding mission (handwavium). They made their char natural app in energy weapons to 5  and mechs is the mpls nova. It doesnt take a genius to realise even if his char is 4/5 that with natural app they want3d6 rolls and -1 energy to hit and -2 off pulses. The campaign is in 3058 and in chaos march. Should I allow it and have OpFor head hunt a clan mechs on field. Should I make them redo char so no dump stats andnatural app energy weapons?

[Atlas3060]

I would say it depends on how much of your campaign requires out of 'Mech action.
If you're not going to do much then leave them be, the battlefield will erase them eventually.
If you're going to lean into the Clan Liaison Officer then that dump stat of Charisma will hamper them. Though my more sadistic side would let it ride; it might be best they are informed such a thing should be re-examined.

[Elmoth]

If you find this character problematic the easiest way is to say "no" politely but unequivocally. Gaming the system and playing the game are 2 different things. ALL people should enjoy the game, GM and players both.

If he wants a combat monster it is OK (been there both as a GM and a player), but liaison officer and low charisma do not fit. It fits a total jackass, though. ncpurage him to play the character that way. A liaison officer that has a dump stat and high combat skills says to me that he is a total ass, more interested in his own glory than in being a good professional for his clan or people in charge. So he is a VERY BAD liaison officer. he probably will have a low administration skill level as well? I would advise him to find another background, something that is quite easy to do.

If you decide to let him play that way and with those skills, there is a a Jason Smetzer story called Gulf of Reason (https://www.sarna.net/wiki/The_Gulf_of_Reason). The liaison officer there is an ass as well and can be an inspiration for the character. But that one has high administration skills.

[idea weenie]

Put the character in lots of social situations that rely on charisma, and rarely let him use his custom Mech?  The other characters will toss off all sorts of social situations they don't want to deal with ("you're our liaison officer, you handle it"), and the enemy forces will soon figure out his specialization and work to prevent him from using the custom weapon loadout.

Just make sure that he gets a battle or two with his custom Mech setup before you start sending the saboteurs after him.  It might just be a simulation where he sets the new course record, and after that the saboteurs start getting contracted.  They verify his skills by hiring a pirate unit to hit the planet, and keep an eye on his performance.  Once they have verified his primary skills, they start getting to work.

Eventually you may have him engaged by Mechs with antilaser armor.  Hope the character has learned other weapon skills and added some variety to his Mech's loadout.

[Daryk]

The others have already said it, but let me say it concisely: "Liaison officers LIAISE!"

When he fails enough times at it, FIRE him...

[Frogfoot]

This is something you should talk over with the player. My advice is this: Explain in an even-handed way the ramifications of being a low charisma Liaison Officer, both the bad (he will suck at his job) and the good (being an abrasive, uncommunicative, blathering, boastful or otherwise dislikable liaison officer could be characterful and fun). Once he fully understands what the deal is with all of that, offer him the options of rejigging the character or running it as is.

[Hellraiser]

Agreed w/ all the above.

I had a character that I wanted to make a combat monster in MW2E & it still didn't look like that.

I don't know the ATOW stats well but Moving a SINGLE point around from Strength or Body or Charsima into something like Dexterity / Reflexes & Dropping a point of edge & taking a few less skill points to get NA for 3D6 rolls is doable without coming up with a Charisma-1 Liaison Officer.  /boggle.

Lets not even talk about a liaison mission to the "Chaos March",  LOL
Who are they liaising with?

[Daryk]

4 is the average value of an AToW Attribute other than Edge.  It's the basis I use for most of the characters I create. With 5,000 points to work with, there is ZERO reason to drop any Attribute to 1, aside from Edge (of course).

[Maelwys]

4 is the average value of an AToW Attribute other than Edge.  It's the basis I use for most of the characters I create. With 5,000 points to work with, there is ZERO reason to drop any Attribute to 1, aside from Edge (of course).

I sometimes think people don't realize this when they come from character generation in ATOW, especially when at the end of it they come out with a stat at one or two. They think "Oh man, that's pretty low, but that's where I was at the end of chargen." Its sort of hard to think you should probably be raising most to 3 or 4...

[Daryk]

Even 3 comes with penalties to a variety of skills.  4 really should be the baseline.

[DericStrider]

Thank for all the replies, I was able to talk the player out of the dump stat as I explained the problem of the stat dump and that he would not be able to merely "roleplay" it out as though he was not adept at social skills but would have to play the character as a sociopath. I also played a quick game with them on megamek to show how a nova with mpl+nat app gunnery and energy specialisation is not shown on BV and would mean I would have to "balance" the game via more OpFor to make up the missing BV value.
That said the first session was with the other players and had a blast.

Doing the Sheratan extraction raid in Chaos March Source book and the group had to free a Hector Land Train depot before going to the warehouses. The group surprised the light garrison and was able to force the defenders to surrender with a negotiation roll vs will. Was bit easy of first mission but I wanted to show the group the different ways they could resolve the sessions. Hope to tie in a larger story arc of Duchy of Small which is next door and its ill fated attempt at expansion and/or Corp intrigue with the contract employers Atticks Enterprises back in Acamar. Loving the GM role atm.

[Daryk]

Glad to hear it!  Hope you can share more going forward!  :thumbsup:

[Atlas3060]

Huzzah, glad you could talk it out and have fun with your player.