What a character (part 2)

(Character attributes.)

Yesterday, we mentioned how the characters have to be different, have interesting play, and have a chance of victory. We'll mainly address the first issue today.

Let's see what the characters are like at the start of the comic:

• Helen Narbon: mad geneticist (biology)
  
• Dave Davenport: computer guy / henchman
  
• Melody 'Mell' Kelly: gun-toting intern
  
• Artie: superintelligent gerbil / progressive
  
• Lupin 'Wolf' Madblood: mad cyberneticist (computers)

And herein lies the problem: both Dave and Madblood are computer guys. In fact, there are several comics about how Dave wants to be Madblood since he's better at computers (a cornerstone of Dave's nerd identity) and has the attention of Helen.

But, as Helen puts it, "Dave isn't a computer genius... I think that was just what his brain did because he wouldn't let it do anything fun." [1] And when you think back to what Dave has done - the weather controller, orbital laser, teleporter, dimensional portal microwave, black hole coffee maker, and universe-destroying time travel - his best work isn't computers, and I'm going to lump them under the heading of physics.

So here's a tentative mock up of the cast's ratings:

• Helen: Biology 2, Genius 2
• Dave: Computers 1, Physics 2
• Mell: *
  
• Artie: Biology 1, Genius 1, **
• Madblood: Computers 2, Physics 1, Genius 2

* Mell will have some bonus that lets her be a gun-toting maniac. Not sure what else.
** Artie should also have some bonus for being too cute to squish, being good, or both.

This reflects, at the start of the comic, that Helen and Madblood are the only full-blown mad scientists, and Artie can outsmart Dave and Mell. Both having Computers and Physics should have Davd and Madblood competing against each other for those cards, though I'm not sure about Artie's Biology 1 pushing him to get into Helen's air space.

Like many things in this project, I decided on game mechanics based on the theme rather than the other way around. This feels backward, but it seems to work. At least, the 4 basic character attributes selected above seem to make sense.

Tomorrow, gameplay.