For those of you who follow me on social media or on itch.io, I have released a new game called Lagash 3 for the Breathless Jam! Here is a basic summary:
Inspired by the big, space station-based Sci-Fi shows from the 1990s, Lagash 3 is a Breathless-powered game where you play residents and visitors to this neutral station. Play a Warrior on station staff, a Teep contractor working in the Al-Sooq business district, the Fixer on staff for a local Diplomat, or a mysterious Wanderer from the fringes of Known Space! Designed for one-shots or episodic play, starting a game is a breeze with all of the critical information present on a single page! To play, all you will need is a standard set of polyhedral dice (D4, d6, d8 d10, d12, d20) and a handful of coins or tokens.
As you can see here, the basics of this game were heavily inspired by shows like Babylon 5 and Deep Space 9, the “space station-based Sci-Fi shows from the 1990s” I referred to. To celebrate that, I have decided to look at the major characters from B5 and see which kit (AKA classes) from Lagash 3 they exemplify.
Before I do that though, I guess I should tell you what the Kits are!
The Kits
When making a character in Lagash 3, each character gets a kit. This kit has a basic description of the personality type or job that this person likely has and a unique Skill that only that type of character gets. Here is the list with their basic descriptions.
- The Pilot – Calm under pressure and quick to act, they are great fliers. However, their risk-taking and focus can get them intro trouble outside of the cockpit. Skill: Pursue
- The Warrior – A soldier or lone champion, they are masters of war. They have become skilled at not just fighting, but also preparing Body, Supply, and Soul for coming conflict. However, some have trouble putting down the sword when the fight is done. Skill: Mobilize
- The Scavenger – “In space, do not waste.” That is the motto they live by. They can solve all sorts of mechanical and survival problems, but sometimes over-rely on their own know-how over help from others. Skill: Refurbish
- The Fixer – There is always someone that wants something and they are the person that knows how to get it done. So tell me, what do you want? Skill: Connect
- The Diplomat – Influence is their trade and favors their currency. Some build webs on webs while others favor eloquence and truth. Both can still be blinded by either their honor or their elaborate plans. Skill: Intrigue
- The Teep – Telepathy is present among almost all species in small numbers. They can use their skills to read the minds of others, but in turn are often mistrusted. Skill: Read
- The Wanderer – Explorers and drifters are often seen as outsiders and can experience difficulty connecting with others. However, have gained esoteric knowledge and cultural flexibility from their travels. Skill: Elucidate
- The Skeptic – There are two kinds of Skeptics. Some don’t believe in anything anymore. Others believe strongly in a personal ideal they think is lacking in others. Both are bound to their world views and impulsively seek validation for their lack of trust in the Universe. Skill: Investigate
The Characters
So now we come to the real question. Which classes fit the characters’ best? So here we go, in no particular order.
Susan Ivanova – The Pilot
As XO of the Earth Alliance forces on B5, it might make sense to make Susan a Warrior. However, it is important to remember that Susan is rather awkward at “rallying the troops” at several moments in the show. Also, she has a history as a Starfury pilot. While I would not refer to Susan as reckless, she is frequently stuck in a cycle of tragedy because of her dogged pursuit of what she thinks is right.
Michael Garibaldi – The Skeptic
I definitely had Garibaldi in mind when I created this class. While at times he can appear happy-go-lucky on the surface and really starts to bond with some people, there are lots of moments when he is hurt by it like in the GRUPS episode. He literally says it in the pilot episode. “Londo, I don’t trust anybody.” And when he does not trust, he literally cannot let anything go unknown.
Lyta Alexander & Talia Winters – The Teep
An obvious choice, but I also wanted to point out that Lyta also has touches of The Wanderer in her after her experiences with the Vorlons and then later explorations. If Talia had stayed in the show, I could have also seen her growing in that direction.
Delenn & Londo Mollari – The Diplomat
This one is also a seeming no-brainer, but I also wanted to highlight the way that they both highlight different aspects of this kit. Delenn really represents the forthright aspects while Lando is the “webs within webs” that leads to him getting caught up in a lot of the negative events in the show.
Vir Cotto – The Wanderer
What? Vir a Wanderer?
Yes, really. He is at the beginning of his journey. I would also point out that he as remarkably good skills at reading intentions outside of a couple of blind spots his most common role is pointing out Londo’s missteps and hypocrisy, a good alternative use of the “Elucidate” skill.
Marcus Cole – The Wanderer
While it would make sense for Marcus to be a Warrior because of his role in the Rangers and his time in hand-to-hand fights on the station. However, his role on the show is really to help the Viewer (often through the perspective of Susan) dive deeper into the Rangers, Shadow War, and the Minbari culture Marcus has absorbed living so closely with them.
G’Kar – The Warrior / The Wanderer
This was a hard one. I think G’kar starts off as the Warrior. He has a long history of leading the fight against the Centauri and that serves him well supporting the resistance on B5. However, I think G’Kar morphs into the Wanderer by the later seasons of the show due, in part, to his self-awakening, spiritual mission, and rededication to the fight against the Shadows and other evils that follow.
John Sheridan – The Warrior
This was one of the exemplars for the Warrior kit (the other being Ta’Lon). Sheridan was the reason I licked the Mobilize skill for the Warrior because it was more important to show a strategic and logistical mind than a only directed toward violence.
Lennier – The Fixer
Ahh, Lennier. The thankless attache to Delenn. He is a Fixer for sure from beginning to end, always helping out Delenn, Sheridan, and others.
Morden – The Fixer
Morden is the dark mirror to Lennier. He will get you what you want at the right price. However it will never be the way you intended it, so you feel like you have lost out in the end.
Zathras – The Scavenger
No list is complete without Zathras. As Zathras says, “good at doings, not understandings.” They are pretty good at fixing things, especially when it is a case of good enough rather than perfection. Zathras is also a survivor, which feeds into this Kit.
I hope that was enlightening and fun it was for you as it was for me! If you want to look more at Lagash 3, it can be found on the itch store. Be sure to check out other games in the Breathless Jam as well as the Breathless SRD to potentially make a game of your own!