Z-G as a Roleplaying Game 01

Character Selection
Your character is defined by what drives you, who you know, how you've lived your life so far. In Citizen Z-G, your character is defined in the game through 3 starting cards. Obviously this will not represent your character fully, but you need to have a goal for your character. The Gamemaster or zMarshal in IC (In Character) terms will need to know the direction you want to take.

This combination of 3 cards will normally consist of a Drive, an Expert, and a Syndic. Do not feel limited to this standard. If you desire a starting Flaw, you can take it in addition to your 3 cards, but it will not benefit you except in role-playing terms. Avoid flaws if possible, because this is not a points based game.

Rare or high ¢ cards will need to be vetted by the gamemaster. Unlike the advanced game the RPG version of Citizen Z-G will put you in the shoes of a EGS Citizen. This means that some card combinations will not be seen until your characters leave the EGS.

Exceptional Starter Cards

• Syndics - Solon, Omniclone, Mummer, Monzon Ezut, Virago, Null Foundation
• Drives - Wits, Force
• Maneuvers - Rare maneuvers such as Deadshot!!
• Characters - Lucy, Seren, Jett, or Zak-9.

It would be unusual for any normal citizen to own anything other than an ulster. An Ulster, as discussed in ØTech, is what makes life in space possible. Only the richest Terrans would never need an ulster, because they wouldn't have cause to leave earth. A truly hardcore Z-G fan would own working physical zGear, but only as a collectible, because to use it to battle inside the EGS would mean exile. Actual Z-G matches only take place in specific sanctioned orbital arenas.

Inside the EGS, Z-G matches take place in virtual arenas. Even the most experienced fighter wouldn't actually own any of their gear. Some of the major advances in technology between now and 100 years from now are in the field of nerve grafting, human computational integration, sense & memory spooling (recording/encoding), and large neural networks. This means that should a character be picked out of the safety of the EGS and put in a slum fight in the grange they would be competent. The nature of virtual interactions in Z-G can involve the muscles and the mind through modified ulsters. This means that your character would likely be able to actually perform the maneuvers that they have trained in virtually. This is another topic to be discussed in the ØTech articles.

So, there are a few options for starting your character out in the null cosm. Don't just look at a syndic and say, "I'm that guy right there". Those are the syndic champions. People are still people, and making a character for Z-G is not much different than making one for any other Sci-Fi game. Just go into the game with the concept of your character and your 3 cards and build your characters as a group.