Dwight

[ QUOTE ]
Now, the question we're all dying to ask: Is it City of Jai-rows, City of Ghee-rows, or City of Yee-rohs?

[/ QUOTE ] In some dialects of Greek, it is City of Hee-rows.

Thus, the joke

Most of my characters with backstories have them tied in to current events:

John Red Eagle (tech blaster, guns 'n' gadgets) - When he retired from Special Forces, he returned to the reservation and found that the Skulls had started to move in, recruiting and getting kids hooked on Superadine. John and his son Mike (a reservation police officer) drove them off but not before Mike was killed in a shootout. John vowed revenge against the Skulls. He gets help from "a few friends still in the Agency" and has moved to Paragon City to pursue his vengeance.

Umbrus (magic dark/dark defender) During the Rikti Invasion, the Circle of Thorns played a vital (if unacknowledged) role in defending Paragon City (as the aliens burrowed underground, they came to the CoT's secret city; the Circle defended it will all their resources and were likely instrumental in driving the Rikti off.) To supply hosts for the spirit beings that were at the source of the Circle's power -- and thus the Circle's defense -- hundreds of citizens were kidnapped and subjected to a horrifying rite that expelled their souls to the outer darkness, leaving living, empty shells. Terrence Conway was one of the people kidnapped. He was an adept of various dark arts himself and was able to return to the mortal plane. He is but a shadow of his former self, so he has taken the name of Umbrus (from Latin 'umbra', the darkness cast when a celestial body blocks out the sun.) His driving goal is to fight the evil that is the Circle of Thorns.

CD-4819 (tech rad/rad defender) A "civil defense unit" from about 2300 years in the future. According to his past, the Rikti Invasion was but a preliminary landing force. In 2048, the Rikti returned in even greater numbers. Their primary goal was to "mine" the Earth of its water and some rare heavy elements. The Earth became a waterless, almost airless world and all that remained of humanity was a "Morlock" class of Martian colonists and an "Eloi" class of space station dwellers. After two centuries of oppression, the Martians developped a type of bomb that altered the quantum nature of a small patch of space-time; they attacked the space stations and set off the bombs near the stations' reactors. As best as CD-4819 can tell, the result was a rift that sent him back to just after the first invasion. He has told the government to prepare, but is not sure if his warnings are being taken seriously or if they will do any good. He is working to develop his skills so that he is ready when the Rikti return.

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After all, Super powers do NOT mean Super intellect.

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Ain't that the truth! I may be a part time super hero (just killing time until my application to the American Wrestling Federation gets approved), but at least I'm literate enough to spell my own name correctly!

Sistah Soul: Aretha Franklin singing "Think!"
Olaf Thorssohn: "March of Cambreath"
CD-4918: Theme from "Lost In Space"
Santy Claws: "You'd Better Watch Out"

Oh, you'd better watch out!
You'd better not cry!
You'd better not pout
I'm telling you why.
Santy Claws is coming for you.

He's making a list, checking it twice,
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice.
Santy Claws is coming for you!

He sees you when you're sleeping.
He knows when you're awake.
He knows where you are living now,
So be good for your life's sake.

So, you'd better watch out!
You'd better not cry!
You'd better not shout!
I'm telling you why.
Santy Claws is coming for YOU!

These have no specific theme, just a musical genre:

Father Michael: Music from "The Exorcist"
Leather Boi: Music track from bad 80's porn
John Red Deer: Native American drumming

In 2000, the Rikti sent a force to Earth. It was fought off, but at great cost.

In 2020, the Rikti returned. The previous invasion was only a diversionary tactic, an effort to weaken Earth's defenses and create a base of operations. The second invasion was much larger, and it succeeded.

Humans were irrelevant to the Rikti; they were after Earth's natural resources. The invaders brutally ***** the planet, removing its water and mining it's crust and mantle of scarce elements. The Earth became a scarred desert unsuitable for life. Humanity had been reduced to a few Martian colonies and scattered space stations.

For two hundred years after that, mankind lived in two distinct classes. Martian life was brutal and harsh, their work focusing on providing raw materials to the "Eloi" who ruled the skies. Spacer life was one of luxury and decadence, dependant on robotics and the labor of the "Trolls" who lived under the Martian surface.

In secret, the Martians learned Spacer techniques of robot manufacture and imprinting (a process of partially "copying" a human mental pattern in to a robotic "brain", giving a sort of personality and, more importantly, an ability to reason, rationalize, learn and adapt.) They also developed physical sciences to where they could warp the universe itself in a limited way, to "unroll" some of the hidden dimensions of space-time and alter the functioning of basic nuclear processes. This science was used to create a Warp Device, an untested but presumably powerful bomb. With these tools came the bid for freedom.

Civil Defense unit 4918 Alpha had been operational for nearly 40 years on Samsara Station. His main job had been reprimanding people who talked too loudly in the corridors and to escort home those who had overindulged the station's many options for recreational drugs. When the invasion came, his primary function to "protect and defend law abiding citizens" came to the forefront, and he found himself acting as a last line of defense against the Martian attack. Ares Resistance Militia unit Tau 238 Beta was part of that attack. He had been ordered to clear a path to the station's fusion reactor so that the Warp Device could be deployed. The last thing either of them remember from the war is facing each other outside the power plant door.

Then came a discontinuity. The EM pulse of the exploding Warp Device disrupted their cognitive functions; next they knew, they were in an orbital arc towards the sun. They were quite surprised when a science ship from Earth picked them up and told them that the year was only 2004. The explosion had knocked them back in time as well as space.

Their new, self-imposed primary mission is to prepare Earth for the next Rikti invasion in 16 years. To make sure that their mission succeeds, they have joined with the Freedom Force in Paragon City. They hope that if the Rikti beachhead can be eliminated, the main invasion will be called off. At the least, they will be on the front lines when the invasion does take place.

With their human imprinting, though, they can't help but to be concerned. If they succeed, the future from which they came would not exist. The fact that they are still here rather worries them.

I've been playing RPGs for more than two decades. I enjoy the creation and development of an alternate "me", what can I say?

While I know that RP is not everyone's cup of joe, I would like to pass on a few tips that will make play more fun for you and the others around you.

First off, decide your character's backstory. It is easier if you do this before your character is put together, because you can then make costume choices based on the character's history. I did this with Sistah Soul, a character right out of the "blacksploitation" genre of the 1970's. She used to be a "Mod Squad" type of private investigator until a time warp carried her from Detroit, 1974 to Paragon City, 2004. With this in mind, I created Sistah Soul, a female Natural Scrapper with a mini-skirt, platform boots, granny glasses and a big afro hairstyle. You can also create the backstory to fit the character. Another of my characters is a small guy in blue jeans and a cowboy hat, a Mutant Defender who shoots electricity. After playing him a few levels, I decided that The Li'l Wranger was created when he was struck by lighting while repairing a barbed wire fence on the back 40 in rural Oklahoma.

After you have your backstory comes the real fun: macros. Take one of your tool bars and create some local text macros that reflect your character's personality. Basic ones you will want include asking other players for help while you are in combat, thanking them for help, turning down offered help and offering them help. If Li'l Wrangler is in over her head, I can quickly have him say, "I shore could use some help with this here varmit." If someone asks and Sistah Soul doesn't need any assistance, she can reply, "Thanks, sugar, but I'm TOO much woman for this dude! I'll manage." Roleplay and convenience, all in one mouse click.

Another way to add flavor is to create "flavor" text macros. After defeating a tough enemy, Sistah Soul likes to say, "Maybe now, you'll show a lady some RESPECT!" Another character, Santy Claws (Magic Scrapper using guess what weapon), chases down villains while saying, "Running won't do you any good, Douglas Arthur Johnston! I know where you live!" Li'l Wrangler sometimes tells a grateful public, "Shucks, t'warn't nuthin." It can be fun to have things to throw out during a fight, like, "Someone has been a *very* naughty boy this year!"

Make your text meaningful and easy to interpret, but make it fit your character. Again, it can be helpful to have things like this done and available so you don't have to hunt through the quick menu or type while you are busy fighting. It's an easy way to add some character to your character.