As those of you who’ve been following me on Twitter may have noticed, I finally got a readable (and possibly even playable) version of Mind Strike off my hard drive and into the hands of a few brave souls. (Mind Strike, for the uninitiated, is the roleplaying game of psychics in a dystopian near-future America.)
To celebrate this milestone, I’m sharing a little bit of what you’ll find lurking inside the book. Specifically, here’s one of the characters that the players may fight against / fight for / share a cheese pizza with over the course of their adventures: Tina Walsh.
It’s only a matter of time before Tina kills someone.
She knows this. She’s okay with it—at least, that’s what she tells herself. After all, the system killed her sister and stole her dad, and someone has to pay for that. If that price is paid with blood, then so be it.
Tina and her family had been homeless for a year when they joined the “Urban Occupiers,” a local movement dedicated to taking over foreclosed buildings and turning them into communal habitations. The occupiers gave them a place to stay while she and her father saved what they could from part-time jobs, and in return they helped prepare other buildings for occupation.
Unfortunately for Tina, the group had no rights to the buildings they were occupying. When the banks who owned buildings realized what was happening, they sent in an army of riot police to clear out the squatters.
One of the occupiers was a psychic and a Loyalist. He unleashed a mental blast that held the police at bay for a few minutes. In the process, he and also opened the minds of Tina and her father (though they didn’t realize it at the time). Despite the Loyalist’s efforts, several occupiers were shot and killed, including Tina’s little sister.
In the aftermath of the raid, Tina and her father joined up with the Loyalists to lend their righteous anger and telekinetic powers to the cause. They served as muscle, using their minds to disarm security guards, protect protestors from bullets, and sabotage corporate infrastructure. They had a good run until six months ago. They fell into a trap, and Tina’s father was captured by the Agency.
Now Tina is on a mission of vengeance. In her efforts to get her father back, she’s become a weapon in the Loyalists’ hands. She will take on any mission against any enemy, no matter how dangerous, if there’s a chance it’ll bring her one step closer to freeing her father.
Tina Walsh, Angel of Vengeance
Urban Survivor, 4 dice: Tina’s lived on the street most of her life. She knows where to find food and shelter, and where the true dangers lie. (Strides confidently into the scariest parts of town, but cringes in the more upscale areas.)
Frenzied Fighter, 3 dice: She’s never had any real training in firearms or fisticuffs, but makes up for her lack of guidance with pure, terrifying aggression. (Short-tempered, goes on the offensive if given a chance.)
Telekinesis, 3 dice (Hair floats around her head when she’s angry, which is often.)
Forcefield, 3 dice (Not intimidated by enemy weapons.)
Attack 3 dice, Defense 3 dice, Hit Points 21 (survivor mentality), Psychic Pool 5
Quote: “Look down. That’s 15 stories to the street. Nothing holding you up but my patience, and my patience is running out. So before I get bored and just walk away, tell me when’s the shipment getting here!”
