The first step in creating your character is to settle on a Character Concept. Are you a dashing army officer, a genteel lady, or a well-known opera singer? Briefly, why are you In Society? Please bear in mind that players may not play dragons. Please consult the GMs if you wish to play a faerie or dwarf.

Here are a few examples of character concepts to help get the creative juices flowing. Bear in mind, this is not a complete list, and there are also many variations on the themes below; do not feel as if you are confined to the roles listed here.

Adventuress. There's more than one way to get ahead in the world, and you prefer the saber and the saddle to the flirt and the fan. (suggested abilities: fencing, athletics, courage)

This is a good time to mention the role of women in the Castle Falkenstein universe. In historical Victorian times, women's roles were severely circumscribed to the private sphere of home and hearth. Perhaps because magic is a great equalizer (and also because traditional Victorian social roles limit female characters) standards are somewhat more relaxed in the Castle Falkenstein world. Still, the Steam Age is an age of traditions, and the institutions of the military and the university are still traditionally male. Women who wish to enter traditionally "male" fields usually need to find some sort of "back door". For example, women do not serve in national armies -- the adventuress who wishes to pursue a career at arms must serve as a mercenary. The adventuress is a catch-all category for the woman who has decided to play an untraditional role in society.

Artist. An artist who captures the essence of the aristocracy in your portraits, a poet whose verses embody the spirit of the age? A wealthy talent, or searching for a patron? (suggested abilities: artistry, connections, education)

Consulting Detective. From blackmailers to jewel thieves to - gasp - murderers, High Society has its share of criminals, and, in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes, you are there to offer eagle-eyed (and discreet) assistance to those in need. (suggested abilities: education, marksmanship, perception)

Dashing Hussar. No mere soldier, you are one of the elite military officers of Europa! Known for bravery on the field of battle, skill on the field of honor, and debonair style on the field of love. (suggested skills: athletics, fencing, social graces)

Demimondaine/Rogue. In any High Society, there are those who make their way, not on any nobility of blood, or talent, but simply on their good looks and quick wit. Many nobles and gentlefolk may despise you, but you know your talents, and exploit them to the fullest, laughing all the way to the club's private room while your rivals sit in the foyer gritting their teeth in impotent rage. (suggested abilities: charm, connections, social graces)

Diplomat. In the Steam Age, the lions of High Society are also the movers and shapers of High Politics. Many a treaty has been sealed at the punch bowl of a society ball -- you pursue your nation's interests while meeting social appointments. (suggested abilities: education, connections, perception)

Explorer. Your exploits are the stuff of newspaper accounts and dime novels, exploring the jungles of Africa, Borneo, and the Amazon. Are you a wealthy eccentric funding your own adventures, or perhaps in need of a wealthy patron for your next expedition? (suggested abilities: athletics, education, courage)

Gentleman/Gentlewoman. You are a pillar of High Society, or aspire to be one. (suggested abilities: education, exchequer, connections)

Gentleman/Gentlewoman Thief. The halls of High Society are your banquet hall. You can crack the count's safe, or lift the duchess's diamonds without losing your sense of style and savoir-faire. Somebody has to give the Consulting Detective a run for his money! (suggested abilities: stealth, athletics, social graces)

Inventor. Steam Age society loves gadgets and novelty. You provide them. Are you an eccentric aristocrat? An up-and-coming genius looking for patronage? Perhaps working secretly for your government to decipher rival nations' military secrets? (suggested abilities: education, perception, tinkering)

Journalist. The to-ings and fro-ings of High Society are of interest not only to those who attend the balls. The bourgeoisie, even the workers read the exploits of the well-born with great interest. This is the age of the printed page! London has over 400 newspapers! Paris, Vienna, and Munich are not far behind. Your society reporting can make or break reputations -- even the people you write about read you, although they may not like to admit it. (suggested abilities -- connections, perception, social graces)

Nobleman/Noblewoman. The gentleman or gentlewoman may try to lay claim to the lead role in High Society, but a fat bank account and a pedigree that doesn't go back more that two generations before sinking into the ignominy of fishmongers and potato farmers can't compete with the true value of blue blood distilled over centuries! And, in this age, the military and diplomatic corps still value the quality of an aristocratic background -- your title can give you actual pull, not just the right to have a fancy coat of arms on the door of your carriage. (suggested abilities -- connections, exchequer, social graces)

Performer. Opera singer, actor, musician; whatever your talent, you're a celebrity! (suggested abilities: connections, performance, social graces)

Physician. The well-born can afford the very best, even when sick, and you provide for their needs. Are you a skilled healer, or a slippery quack pandering to Lady Esme's hypochondria with the latest fad in patent medicines or miracle shock treatments? (suggested abilities: education, physician, perception)

Professor. You are a shining light in the academy, so bright that your fame even spills over into the world of High Society. How do you react to this new and different world? (suggested abilities: connections, education, perception (unless absent-minded))

Secret Agent. You are not what you seem. As you waltz around the ballroom floor, you are working on a secret mission for your employer -- find the secret plans, learn about the treaty negotiations, or something else? (suggested abilities: athletics, perception, stealth)

Once you've decided on a character concept, you need to select your abilities. You should think about the precise nature of your character. Selecting abilities (found in the next section) can help. If, for example, you're a dashing hussar, are you a social lion whose connections got you promoted? Or are you a great warrior whose heroic feats have made you the toast of your regiment, even though you started out as a nobody?

All characters start out with one thing they're Great at, four things they're Good at, and one thing they're Poor at. If you wish to increase your talents at the start of the game (take another Good ability, improve one of your Good abilities to Great, or your Great to Exceptional) you must take an additional Poor ability for each step improvement you make in another ability. For example, to improve your Good stealth to Exceptional is a two-step improvement. To do so you would have to select two additional Poor abilities.

Here are two examples of possible characters:

Jakob Grundmeier, noted inventor.  Great Tinkering, Good Connections, Good Craftsmanship, Good Education, Good Exchequer, Poor Athletics.

Sophie Ranninger, mercenary captain.  Great Courage, Good Athletics, Good Connections, Good Fencing, Exceptional Marksmanship, Poor Artistry, Poor Craftsmanship, Poor Education.

Once you've decided on those things which set you apart from the average (for good or ill) you should then describe your particular talents in those areas for us. The abilities are intentionally written very broadly, to facilitate role-playing. Describing how in particular you are a Great performer, or a Poor athlete will help flesh out your character. Is your poor athlete simply frail from hours spent in the library, or fat from too much high living? Where do your Connections come from, if you have any? How did you acquire your social graces, your exchequer? Fleshing out your talents will help give the GMs a better idea of your background, which will allow us to make the game more interesting for you.

A character is more than simply a collection of abilities hung on a general concept. A good character has a history and a past. Where were you born, and how were you brought up? Are there any important events in your past that shaped your personality? Do you have any longtime friends or enemies, or other important relationships? Any romantic escapades in your past (or perhaps that endure in the present?) Describe them and how you made them. Perhaps most importantly, how did you come to be in Munich, and what is your calling-card into Munich High Society? Are you a Bavarian? A foreign diplomat? An expatriate making a living somehow?

What qualities (good and bad) describe you best? Are you honest or deceitful, friendly or aloof, temperate or indulgent, generous or greedy? Which inner qualities do you not make evident, and which external characteristics are merely a mask for you? Describe your style -- clothing, manners, affectations, or quirks or personality. What are your likes and dislikes? Do you have any treasured possessions? What are your values? What principle do you value most in life (money, fame, love, power, something else?) Who or what do you value most in the world (a lover or relative, your reputation, your work?)

Take all that you've thought about, and try to condense the most important elements into a short phrase. We'll use this to describe you to other characters (both PCs and NPCs) who don't know you very well. A few examples:

Captain Wolfgang von Harstein, hussar: dashing but headstrong, known for his feats of gallantry on the battlefield and off.

Lady Ermingarde Collingwood, noblewoman: elegant and refined, a pillar of society.

Johann Cardinal von Treppenheim, Archbishop of Munich: dignified and aristocratic, the influential leader of Bavaria's Church is more prince than priest.

Doctor Doolittle, zoological linguist: eccentric and charming : he can talk with the animals, just imagine it!

Maria Elizabeta Mendoza, opera diva: stunningly beautiful and dangerously temperamental: heads of state have been twined round her little finger, or crushed by her scorn.

Professor Henry Higgins, linguist: social grace personified: what he doesn't know about etiquette isn't worth knowing. He could give lessons, and reputedly does!

What are your goals? Each character should set three goals for themselves at the start of the game. These goals are not intended as a means for the GMs to measure characters' success, but rather as a way to facilitate role-playing and generate player-centered plots that will make the game more enjoyable for all. The sooner characters are submitted, the more likely it will be that your goals can be fully integrated into the plotlines right away.

Each character should have a social goal, a romantic goal, and a professional goal. For example, a diplomat may have the social goal of becoming a member of an exclusive club, the romantic goal of courting a noblewoman, and the professional goal of negotiating a secret treaty with the King.

Once you've fleshed out your character to your satisfaction, you're ready to role-play! But, it doesn't end there. A good character will continue to evolve as the game goes on. Old goals will be achieved, new ones will be set. Your character will become better at things as time goes on. In order for all this to happen smoothly, and well, we ask that you do two things after each game.

First, submit a debrief describing your actions at the game -- who you met, the conversations you had, what you did, what you learned (or think you learned) etc. Hearing from all the players will allow us to chart the flow of the game and to prepare briefings for the next game for all the players. We encourage you to be creative here -- letters, journal entries, dispatches home, newspaper articles, are all great ways to describe what you did at the game.

Second, submit an out-of-game action that describes briefly what your character does after the game. You may wish to call on a new contact with whom you've made an acquaintance, you may wish to work on improving an ability, you may wish to further a Devilishly Clever Plan. You may wish to do several things. The one restriction we have is that Out-of Game Actions MAY NOT EXCEED TWENTY LINES OF E-MAIL. WE WILL STOP READING AFTER TWENTY LINES. So, you may describe in detail one plan, or you may list several simple actions. Either is fine. But your plans may not exceed twenty lines. This is simply to allow us to give time to everybody in the game. While we would love to coordinate extensive plans that cover pages and pages of detailed description, we can't. Please understand the limitations of the game.

However, the results of your Out of Game actions are another matter entirely! We will send back more-or-less brief descriptions of the results of your action. If you wish, you may flesh out these descriptions into fuller accounts, complete with imagined dialogue and other neat details. The GMs are happy to receive such expressions of player creativity, and we will take details from those accounts and we will incorporate them into the game. It is our hope that this will serve a good balance between limiting the number of plotline balls we have to juggle at one time, and encouraging player creativity.

With creatively conceived characters pursuing interesting goals, and seeking each others' help from game to game, we think this concept has the potential to generate some great fun! We look forward to receiving your characters.