For this entry in the 2025 Character Creation Challenge, I decided to switch to a sci-fi RPG from the Free Publishing League called Coriolis. Inspired by both Firefly and Poul Anderson’s Nicholas van Rijn, I felt a Free Trader a good fit for this character and, since I am particularly interested in how modern/futuristic RPGs handle cybersecurity, my character concept is a Data Spider / Data Djinn named Savellin (and nicknamed Savvy, of course).

Savvy is the third son of a Consortium big wig on Algol, and so he had access to lots of tech and skilled teachers. He enjoyed tech far more than the business his father was in, and was often at odds with the man. When his curiosity about a rival’s accounting system almost cost his father a major deal, Savvy decided it was best to seek his fortunes elsewhere – a decision his father wholeheartedly supported.

He lacks any real physical skills, and is a bit squeamish about committing violence. He has no problems digging into data on anybody, relishing the uncovering of secrets.

As a member of a group of Free Merchants, Savvy uses his skills to find information that can be used to gain leverage or gain entrance to restricted areas. He’s not above a bit of digital forgery or extortion to help his team.

Coriolus

This RPG includes a setting that I haven’t quite gotten a grip on. Some of the descriptions of the First and Second Horizons are vague and I’m not quite sure what to make of them. It may not be that important, and the GM can likely fill in any necessary blanks to drive a story forward.

I do love the Middle Eastern vibe, as that reminds me of Dune, which I’ve been a fan of for decades. And the character options are fun. A lot of it reminds me of Stars Without Number, which seems pretty obvious, since they’re in the same genre in the way that D&D and Pathfinder are similar.

Not having played any sci-fi RPGs, this one took a bit longer to understand, and I’m sure Savellis is not optimized in any way, nor can I tell (yet) if this is a game system that even supports optimization. It has been fun, however, to immerse the brain in something non-fantasy.

I can say I am impressed by the quality of work coming out of the Free Publishing League.