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The second COTW this week is another political and
philosophical iconoclast, a beatnik wordsmith seeking his
own Truth on America's highways and interstates...
Murphy Dexter; drifting beatnik poet and truth-seeker
(c) copyright 2001 Volker Bach
Total Points: 28 Points
Age mid- to late-20s; 6'2"; 175 pounds; a tall, dark-haired
and slightly gangly young man with thick glasses.
ST 11 [10] - thrust 1d-1, swing 1d+1, fatigue 10
DX 10 [-] - basic speed 5, move 5, dodge 5
IQ 13 [30]
HT 10 [-] - hit points 11
WL 13 [-]
ADVANTAGES: Academic Status 1 (BA, Poli Sci) [5];
Claim to Hospitality (Beatniks, hippies and readers of his
column) [1]; Less Sleep x2 [6].
DISADVANTAGES: Bad Sight (Nearsighted, Correctable)
[-10]; Paranoia [-10]; Reputation -4 (as
"no-good pinko drifter", to all conservatives, 10-)
[-5]; Secret (Uses recreational drugs) [-5];
Wealth (Struggling) [-10].
QUIRKS: Always carries a paperback book in his jacket
pocket; Loves to goad people into controversial debates;
Thinks himself a brilliant beat poet; Name-dropper ("When I
last talked to Jack Kerouac..."). [-4]
SKILLS: Area Knowledge (USA)-13 [1]; Bard-11
[.5]; Conspiracy Theory-11 [2]; Disguise-11
[.5]; Driving/TL7 (Automobile)-9 [1];
Economics-10 [.5]; History-13 [4];
Literature-12 [2]; Musical Instrument (Acoustic
Guitar)-10 [.5]; Philosophy-11 [1];
Photography/TL7-11 [.5]; Poetry-12 [1];
Politics-11 [.5]; Research-12 [1]; Typing-10
[1]; Writing-13 [2].
LANGUAGES: English (native)-13 [0]; Russian-10
[.5]; Spanish-11 [.5].
EQUIPMENT
Murphy Dexter travels light - his usual equipment consists
of a mackintosh raincoat, a cheap plaid plastic-covered
suitcase, a portable Underwood typewriter, a camera and
several dog-eared paperback books of fashionably
intellectual and/or left-wing authors. He never carries a
gun or knife. There is a small (17-18 on 3d) chance that he
will have some Marihuana or LSD on him at any given time,
should it matter.
BIOGRAPHY
Born into the tail-end of the Great Depression, Murphy
Dexter grew up through the war years and the following
economic boom. His parents were comfortable, tolerant,
middle-of-the-road liberals encouraging the boy's
intellectual and artistic interests and allowing him great
latitude in his choice of reading matter. Sheltered, gifted
and wanting for nothing, young Murphy spent his youth much
like many American boys in the 1950s, tentatively rebelling
against stuffy respectability while preparing for College
and entry-level positions into that continuum. Like most of
them, he tried reckless driving, illicit drinking, loud
music and flashy clothing. Like many of them, he was left
unfulfilled.
His formative experience came when he went to Berkeley. He
had long sought something other than the respectable,
suburban, Truman-Democratic way of life his father had
taught him. There, he found it. Radical leftist political
positions, beat poetry, English dress habits and the early
stirrings of what was eventually to bloom into the summer of
'68 all blended into the perfect expression of his erratic
personality. His teachers encouraged his zest for
controversial debate and fostered his pride in disagreeing
with the Powers That Be - no matter what. Murphy became a
debating society finalist and star reporter for a campus
newsletter, wrote articles as a freelancer for several
left-liberal papers and eventually managed to graduate in
Political Science with distinction. Now, it seemed, was the
time for him to follow the example of his generation - shed
the rough, abrasive larval skin of his radical student years
and emerge a radiant, respectable professional man.
Not so. Murphy Dexter had no intention of ever becoming
respectable. In fact, he had come to distrust the
established order too far to ever want to be a part of it.
(Any one - or several - of the seminal events of the 1960s
could have been his formative experience, depending on the
events of the campaign. Possibilities include the Guatemalan
coup, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Kennedy
assassination(s), the King assassination, etc..) Murphy was
a rebel, and he had enough intellectual honesty not to
dissemble. Much to the dismay of his father, he set off on
the road in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac, to find himself,
America, Truth, Freedom, or a cause worthy of embrace.
By now, Murphy has found if not his life's purpose, then at
least a comfortable niche. He still has not settled down,
nor does he intend to, but instead of living on odd jobs he
writes a weekly column - syndicated to several small,
left-wing papers - titled "On The Road To America". He
combines philosophy (often trite, occasionally surprisingly
deep) with political analysis, biting satire, and astute
observation of the realities of life at the fringes of
society. He considers this largely a "money job" until his
poetry is fully appreciated. But journalism is, in fact,
what he does best. He has acquired a small but loyal
readership, earns a regular if not overly generous income
and has been repeatedly investigated by the FBI on suspicion
of running a drug ring, a KGB espionage network, or a
terrorist movement, all to no avail. (The KGB has actually
considered recruiting him, but left off in disgust after
Murphy gave the slip to two prospective handlers.)
ENCOUNTERED
Murphy Dexter is a guarded, careful man slow to trust
strangers. In fact, it will become obvious to all but the
most casual observer that he takes excessive precautions to
ensure his things are not tampered with (such as taking his
suitcase to the men's room, locking his briefcase after
taking a sandwich out, etc.). This has led the authorities
to look at him closely on several occasions, which
reinforces his own conviction that he has reason to be
distrustful. It is quite impossible to fully gain his trust,
but once you manage to convince Murphy that you are not an
FBI agent or HUAC hatchet-man he will let his guard down a
little. He is a fascinating man to talk to (if you enjoy
talking about politics, conspiracies, philosophy,
literature, music, beat poetry, Buddhism or race relations,
that is) and quite engaging. But his flightiness, mistrust
and aggressive leftist Holier-Than-Thou politics can be
quite infuriating.
CANONICALITY
Murphy Dexter uses the optional ST=HP/HT=FT rule from p.Ci7.
His Claim to Hospitality reflects the fact that his
readership knows he is constantly on the road and will
happily shelter and feed him when he comes into town -
though they are few and far between in most places. His
wealth in money terms is probably closest to Average, but
his itinerant lifestyle is costly and his disposable income
is better reflected as Struggling. Otherwise, he is fully
canonical.
WHAT IF?
Murphy Dexter was written for the PAPERCLIP 1950s/60s
conspiracy campaign, a 30-watt Illuminated setting. However,
he adapts easily to both more Illuminated and cinematic
campaigns. (He would be a good candidate for the Illuminated
advantage in a setting in which his Conspiracy Theory skill
actually represented applicable real-world knowledge.) He
can be moved around in time almost as easily - a 1970s
version would probably have Maoist leanings and constantly
talk about Vietnam and Cambodia, while a modern character
would be a left-wing Libertarian or Anarchist and probably a
well-established internet persona.
ADVENTURE SEEDS
Murphy Dexter is the beat generation's self-appointed
busybody-in-chief, a tireless investigator of just about
anything that piques his interest. In this role he could be
a witness of (or become privy to information about) just
about anything that They don't want to become public
knowledge. PCs could be pointed in his direction either by
dark hints in a particularly rambling piece of "On The
Road...", talking to his associates, or by Murphy himself
approaching them for help or protection. Note that finding
him, gaining his trust, and identifying his enemies (or
rather, finding out which of his enemies is the one) will
all be difficult tasks.
- written by Volker Bach (bachv@paganet.de)
- editted and formatted by andi jones
(andi@angelwerks.com)
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