For Day 13 of the 2026 #Character Creation Challenge I’m using a game that I received in the Secret Satan (a play on Secret Santa) gift exchange that I had blogged about earlier. This is The Well Roleplaying Game by Shoeless Pete Games. I had never heard of it before I had opened the package and that’s what I loved. When asked what I wanted, I asked for some thing that I could use in the challenge. Past challenge entries that came this way included Mutant Crawl Classics, Teenagers from Outer Space and Fantasy Age 2nd Edition.
I had blogged about the system and the world that this game had been set in, so I’m going to jump right into character creation. Besides having a one-page character sheet, there was also a one-page creation checklist for your gravedigger (the character that you play in the game.
It’s not listed as first on the list, but at the top there is a section for the name of the character. I selected Barton the Bastard just because. There is a list of all the weapons and armor available and I’m instructed to select three of them. The weapons are broken down by 1-handed or 2-handed. I quickly read through the descriptions and picked Sword, Spear and Cuirass and Hauberk.
The Kit is the next item on the checklist and it’s the equipment the character has. Several items are already selected such as a bat, flint & steel, knife and torches. I’m allowed to pick five more items so Barton has bandages, booze, food for three days, 10 m of rope and a waterskin.
The book says history is next, but the checklist shows skills. I’m going to go with the Skills since it’s right there. I pick one for “you are better than most at…” (which I picked Awareness). There is also a section for Runes (the magic system in this game) but Barton isn’t smart enough to know how they are used.
Ok, now History. Before Barton was a gravedigger he was a… Vagabond. Besides being lower-class, I’m not certain what this gives the character. When you go up the well, what waits on your return? There is a list of possible options and I had difficulty choosing here. There were some I eliminated from consideration automatically, but I selected “a vicious rival” so that I could move on.
Contacts is next and I pick two of them. One Barton knows, the other he owes a favor to. The first is other Gravediggers who give him advice. He owes a favor to Criminals (perhaps this is where that vicious rival comes from?). On the Reputation, the checklist says “You have a reputation for…” and I selected Greed.
Next on the checklist comes the Self-Image. I’m instructed to pick three words that describes how Barton sees himself and his actions. I picked hard, observant and shifty. The last item was two Habits that Barton has. Well since I picked up booze in the kit, I’m going to say drinking and suspicion.
I think I transfer information to the sheet. The checklist states that the resilience is 10 and the asset points is 0. I noticed that there were several sections not filled in on the character sheet. Complications (which happens during game play) and Tasks in Progress. This last item I believe that the GM would let me know what to put here. I scanned both sheets so you could see them.
Afterthoughts:
Character creation was short and sweet, which I appreciated. I would have liked a little more information on what the history of the character provided (if anything). Like I said in my review, I wonder how this game plays at the table? I do like that the reason for humanity being in The Well and why the dead are rising back up is completely up to the GM. Some possible suggestions are given, but left vague.
Additional Notes:
While I had been re-posting their posts on BlueSky, I was unaware that Chant Evans had been posting his entries in the challenge on the Ex Stasis Games blog. I’ve added it to the links found at the 2026 #Character Creation Challenge page. If I’m missing any blog or message board, please let me know.
Coming Up Next:
Worlds Beyond
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