Last week we started looking at the character of Alexander Hamilton as presented in Lee Manuel-Miranda’s Grammy winning musical “Hamilton.” I would suggest going back and reading Part One if you haven’t already. This week we pick up at the very end of Act I/the beginning of Act II with the final third of the hero’s journey as first presented by Joseph Campbell.
Afterwards, I thought it might be fun to take a stab at creating the character in Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars Roleplaying Game.
- REWARD
When we left Alexander, he had just helped win the Revolutionary War, had taken part in the Constitutional Convention, and been selected by George Washington as the first Secretary of the Treasury – not bad for a kid from the Caribbean. He finally had what he had always wanted – status.
The most interesting part about this stage of Hamilton’s journey is that we see it lead to a smaller version of the hero’s journey taking place as Hamilton faces off against Thomas Jefferson and James Madison as he fights to create the Federal Reserve and help financially stabilize America. He is thrust into the world of backroom politics and personal crises.
The biggest echo in this particular Act is TESTS, ALLIES, ENEMIES, and ORDEAL. He faces road blocks from the Democratic Republicans at every step. In addition, the stress of the situation causes him to to carry on an affair with a married woman and ends up being blackmailed by her husband. He eventually overcomes these ordeals, but it is nowhere near approaching the total victory he established in Act I. He is forced to make some compromises with Jefferson and Madison in order to get his financial reform approved by Congress, though in the end he gets the better part of the deal. He is eventually fired after Washington abdicated his office and when his fellow Statesmen uncover what they believe to be illicit use of federal funds, they confront Hamilton and he confesses publicly to the affair with Maria Reynolds as a way to save his reputation.
- THE ROAD BACK
When Hamilton loses his position, he is thrust back into THE ORDINARY WORLD. And he must do so without his wife Eliza who turns him out after he admits to the Reynolds Affair.
- RESURRECTION
During this time Hamilton faces several different ordeals that culminate in his resurrection. Firstly he faces the mortality of his family after his eldest son is fatally wounded in a duel defending his honor. After this he retreats fully from the public eye, reconciling with Eliza after moving the family uptown.
Finally, he provokes Aaron Burr, his ally and friend, for the last time during the Election of 1800. Burr asks Hamilton for his endorsement, but Hamilton instead backs his old opponent Thomas Jefferson on the basis that Burr has no beliefs of his own.
- RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR
Hamilton is all set to live out the rest of his life in the ordinary world. He has been forgiven by Eliza for his infidelity and they are dealing with the death of their son as best they can. But being snubbed by Hamilton in favor of Thomas Jefferson is more than Aaron Burr can stand and he challenges Hamilton to a duel. Hamilton ultimately throws away his shot (which, if you’ve heard the musical, is the most delicious twist of the entire damn play) and Burr fatally wounds him, cutting his life short. Hamilton completes his heroes journey posthumously.
So – what does Alexander Hamilton look like in Star Wars? Well, I’ve built him as a starting character, and then at 150 and again at 300 earned XP to show his development over the course of his career.
Alexander Hamilton
Species: Human
Career: Colonist
Specialization: Politico
Obligation: Obsession (+10 magnitude)
Motivation: Ambition (Status)
Characteristics
Brawn 2
Agility 2
Intellect 3
Cunning 3
Willpower 3
Presence 2
Skills: Charm 1, Coercion 1, Deception 2, Education 2, Lore 1, Ranged (Light) 1, Resilience 1
Talents: Plausible Deniability 1, Toughened 1
Abilities: Scathing Tirade
Wound Threshold: 14
Strain Threshold: 13
Soak Value: 2
Melee/Ranged Defense: 0|0
Alexander Hamilton (150 earned XP)
Species: Human
Career: Colonist
Specialization: Politico/Recruit
Obligation: Obsession (+10 magnitude)
Motivation: Ambition (Status)
Characteristics
Brawn 2
Agility 2
Intellect 3
Cunning 3
Willpower 3
Presence 2
Skills: Charm 2, Coercion 3, Deception 2, Education 3, Gunnery 1, Lore 1, Ranged (Heavy) 2, Ranged (Light) 2, Resilience 1
Talents: Basic Combat Training (Brawl, Ranged [Light]), Plausible Deniability 1, Tactical Combat Training (Melee, Ranged [Heavy]), Toughened 1, Well Rounded (Gunnery, Resilience)
Abilities: Improved Scathing Tirade
Wound Threshold: 14
Strain Threshold: 13
Soak Value: 2
Melee/Ranged Defense: 0|0
Alexander Hamilton (300 earned XP)
Species: Human
Career: Colonist
Specialization: Politico/Recruit/Advocate
Obligation: Obsession (+10 magnitude)
Motivation: Ambition (Status)
Characteristics
Brawn 2
Agility 2
Intellect 3
Cunning 3
Willpower 3
Presence 2
Skills: Charm 2, Coercion 4, Deception 3, Education 4, Gunnery 1, Lore 1, Ranged (Heavy) 2, Ranged (Light) 2, Resilience 2
Talents: Basic Combat Training (Brawl, Ranged [Light]), Grit 2, Nobody’s Fool 1, Plausible Deniability 3, Tactical Combat Training (Melee, Ranged [Heavy]), Toughened 1, Well Rounded (Gunnery, Resilience)
Abilities: Discredit, Improved Scathing Tirade, Twisted Words
Wound Threshold: 14
Strain Threshold: 15
Soak Value: 2
Melee/Ranged Defense: 0|0
Hamilton screams Colonist to me, as much for the fact that they have access to the Knowledge (Education) skill as for the flavor it provides for the concept. It also gives him access to the Scathing Tirade talent, which strikes me as perfect for a young Hamilton. He was blustery, and full of piss and vinegar. Well Rounded gets him access to Resilience and Gunnery as career skills. You could really pick any two skills that you wanted. I picked those two for his non-stop nature and the fact that he distinguished himself in battle by stealing British cannons and using them against the battery. Recruit gets him access to the other combat skills – Hamilton was noted as being a skilled marksman. Finally, the Advocate Specialization from Ambassador gets him access to some great talents such as Discredit and Twisted Words. Hamilton was a great debater, and even founded the New York Post in order to publicly trash talk and discredit his political opponents. The Obsession Obligation is one that he carries all his life – I don’t see him abandoning it for a duty. He thirsts to be recognized, and it makes him throw himself headlong into dangerous situations. Once he has obtained the social status, he thirsts for a legacy. He wants something that is going to outlive him, and that drives him through his days and nights. All three talent trees he has dipped into have some great higher level talents that he could take advantage of as he gains more XP, working his way towards several instances of Dedication. The result of this kind of build is a face character that is capable of standing his ground in a combat situation should he find himself in one. As long as he doesn’t throw away his shot that is…
After listening to the musical pretty much daily for the last few weeks, I was struck by just how beautiful the tragedy plays out with the wrenching dramatic irony in the final moments leading up to Burr and Hamilton’s fateful duel. And it got me thinking about another roleplaying game with similar themes that I bought years back, read through it and promptly put it back on the shelf. And so next week, in honor of Spring coming to the Northern Hemisphere, we’ll be doing some spring cleaning on my bookshelf and taking a fresh look at John Wick’s Houses of the Blooded.
Ben Erickson
