<strong>Creating Characters</strong><br/>All protagonists (player characters) are insomniacs of some sort who have Awakened to the Mad City and who, eventually, are stalked by Nightmares (and other people and creatures from the City).  As the Awake, they have access to strange powers – ranging from simply being able to do certain things unusually well, to performing acts that are flatly impossible.<br/><br/><strong>Answer Questions</strong><br/>But beyond being Awake, protagonists are also very much flawed, human people who have problems. These problems lead to too many sleepless nights and, thus, their current predicament. To take a step back from the strangeness and the Nightmares and the Mad City, this means that every protagonist brings a set of issues and events to the table that comprises his personal story. Setting aside the basics of surviving, a protagonist’s story is about how he explores these issues, and questions whether or not he’ll be able to rise above them, and take his life back. To get a grip on their protagonists’ personal story, and their connection to the setting, players must answer five questions, beyond the simple basics like “What’s your name?” The GM will look at these answers from time to time to get a handle on how the protagonists are proceeding in their personal stories, and the players will get a chance to make use of their answers in ways that guide the development of the game.<br/><br/>Here are the questions:<br/><br/><strong>What’s Been Keeping You Awake?</strong><br/>This is the source of the character’s insomnia, and sets up what the character’s immediate history has been like.<br/><br/>Think about: What troubles him? What pressures turned him into an insomniac? Is he running from something? Does he stay awake due to nightmares or substance abuse? Has he lost someone dear to him and the grief is robbing him of sleep?<br/><br/>Why it matters: This answer connects the character to what all the protagonists in the game have in common – insomnia. It can drive further development of the character by offering opportunities for flashbacks. If it suggests something that the character is avoiding confronting, the GM may look to that as a source of ideas for what the character should face.<br/><br/><strong>What Just Happened to You?</strong><br/>This is what happens to the character in his very first scene of the game – it’s not in the GM’s hands, it’s in the player’s! Such a moment should always feature a moment of high stress for the character. This may be different from what’s been keeping the character awake.<br/><br/>Think about: What would make an exciting, stressful scene? Is the source of the stress mundane or supernatural? Did you just lose your job? Did a monster jump out of your closet? Did you walk in on your wife and another guy in bed? Did you fall off a building – and land without a scratch?<br/><br/>Why it matters: Players get to set the tone for the entire game by determining the opening scene for their protagonists. This is a huge power, and should be exercised with discretion. The best opening scenes are the ones that say something about the character’s ongoing story – they imply a trajectory as much as an event – but so long as the “moment of high stress” requirement is kept to, all should be well.<br/><br/><strong>What’s on the Surface?</strong><br/>This determines the first impressions the character gives off, and tells what is obvious about him.<br/><br/>Think about: What does the protagonist appear to be at first blush (as opposed to what he actually is)? How do others see him? What’s his physical appearance? What sort of personality does he have? Does he put his best foot forward – or his worst?<br/>Why it matters: This answer will be a strong guide as to how the world interacts with the protagonist. It will offer ways in which the face he turns to the world can help or hinder him.<br/><br/><strong>What Lies Beneath?</strong><br/>This speaks to the protagonist’s secrets, the part of himself that he doesn’t show to the world if he can help it.<br/>Think about: What’s the protagonist’s real deal? What would be a surprising twist that plays counterpoint to what’s been said about him so far? What secrets would he give his life to protect? How does he see himself? What lies does he tell himself?<br/><br/>Why it matters: This answer can complicate the portrait of the character, and give him a real three-dimensionality. It plays strongly to character motive. In the absence of anything else, this informs what sorts of things might, over time, be brought to light – or be carefully, deliberately kept in the dark.<br/><br/><strong>What’s Your Path?</strong><br/>This question addresses the character’s goals, and points to how – in a vacuum – a story about him could reach its conclusion.<br/><br/>Think about: Where is the protagonist headed? If a story were written about his life, what would its theme be? What are his goals? What does he want or need?<br/><br/>Why it matters: This is the ultimate question in a game where the personal journey of the protagonist is just as important as anything else. When the character isn’t dodging Nightmares or navigating the Mad City, this is what his mind is set to achieving.<br/><br/><strong>Choose Responses</strong><br/>A protagonist starts with three response boxes, which he may divide up between fight and flight (you may even put all three with a single response, if you dare). The distribution of boxes is, first, a general indication of how much your character is angry and aggressive versus fearful and passive.<br/><br/>The responses of fight and flight are also important to how the protagonist responds to moments of extreme stress, when the psychological strain of the situation overwhelms him. The responses on a character’s sheet help indicate how he’ll behave in such a situation.