Kinda Funny Gamescast – The Outer Worlds 2: Creating Greg’s Characters
Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Greg Miller (with producer Barrett)
Theme: One month out from launch, Greg Miller builds two unique Outer Worlds 2 RPG characters—"good" and "questionable"—live on the show, while discussing RPG choices, character design, and the nuances of roleplaying in Obsidian’s upcoming sci-fi sequel.
Episode Overview
This solo episode, hosted by Greg Miller, is a deep-dive character creation session for The Outer Worlds 2, set a month ahead of the game’s release. Inspired by his “Starfield” spoiler-cast and rapidly growing anticipation for the new Obsidian RPG, Greg seeks to not only plan out his first playthroughs, but also walk the Kinda Funny audience through the process of shaping two distinct characters—a “good” Lawbringer and a morally ambiguous “ex-convict”—to explore the flexibility, philosophy, and role-playing paths in Outer Worlds 2.
Key Segments & Discussion Points
1. Why This Episode? Setting the Stage
(00:07 – 04:40)
- Greg’s Motivation: Greg, hyped for The Outer Worlds 2, recalls his Starfield spoiler-cast and expresses the joy and pain of pre-planning his RPG runs.
- Handling Character Creation Anxiety: He admits indecision over naming and path selection, explaining the pull to base PCs on real-life celebrities or wrestlers in other games (e.g., Taylor Swift, Becky Lynch, Kal-El).
- “I usually go through, I randomize, I customize, I do the thing, I finally find somebody and I usually make a Taylor Swift. Maybe I make Kal El, maybe I make a Becky Lynch.” — Greg, 01:30
- Audience Participation: Greg emphasizes that while this is a “one-man show,” thousands in chat and through Super Chats are influencing decisions live.
2. Outer Worlds 2 – The Hype & Setup
(04:51 – 07:41)
- Game Background:
- RPG sequel from Obsidian, Xbox/PC.
- Players take on the role of an "Earth Directorate agent" investigating mysterious rifts and threats to humanity.
- Reading the Steam and Official Descriptions: Greg pokes fun at generic marketing blurbs, but highlights the flavor text’s promise: emphasis on choices, strengths, flaws, and crew.
- “That sounds awesome. That’s what I want. You are going to get a lot of me talking and talking to you and making decisions and going through all these different things here.” — Greg, 06:00
3. Story Trailer & Game Tone
(07:41 – 08:49)
- Auntie Cleo’s Narration from the Trailer:
- Self-interested corporations, manipulation, and player agency set the narrative stakes.
- Quote highlight:
- “Do you think I care that the colony is in disarray? ...This pest agent is mucking things up.” — Auntie Cleo, 07:41
- “Now let’s get out there and buy our way to victory.” — Auntie Cleo, 08:42
- Greg’s Takeaway: The trailer reaffirms the central dynamic: the influence of choice, player alignment, and the fine line between doing good and falling into corporate temptation.
4. Obsidian on Character Backgrounds, Traits, and Skills
(11:43 – 15:37)
a) Role of the “Earth Directorate Agent”
- Space lawman “sky marshals,” but backstory is player-defined.
- “We’ve given you a role...but we don’t tell you why you joined...There could have been a lot of different reasons.” — Obsidian Dev, 11:43
b) Traits & Perks
-
Big, meaningful choices. Traits like ‘Brilliant’, ‘Lucky’, ‘Dumb’ modify dialogue and gameplay.
- “We brought back dumb, so players love the dumb option.” — Obsidian Dev, 12:48
- “There’s another perk called heavy handed, right? Where say you’re a melee person...they actually knock people down.” — Obsidian Dev, 14:46
-
Unique Perks:
- Serial Killer: Permanent health bonuses for trophy killing (15:01)
- Assassin: Movement boosts after stealth kills (15:13)
c) Skills Condensed for Impact
- Fewer, but more impactful, skills than the first game. Each point opens new options or unlocks significant abilities.
5. Debating Good vs. Questionable Roleplay
(15:41 – 26:49)
- Greg’s Goals: He wants to experience both moral extremes—“good” and “questionable”—not pure evil, but “morally grey.”
- “I don’t like being bad...I mean, this is role playing 101, right? They should be morally questionable.” — Greg, 15:47-16:15
- Structure for Analysis: Two D&D-style sheets: one for the good character, one for the questionable one.
- Reflections on Past RPGs: Cites 30+ hour playthroughs of prior Outer Worlds, planning parallel runs to compare emergent stories.
6. Background Selection: Building the Characters
(26:49 – 34:06)
The Choices:
- Ex Convict: Disdainful of the Directorate, conscripted for a clean slate.
- Gambler: Prior luck, forced in after losing a bet.
- Lawbringer: Law & order zealot; Greg’s pick for “good.”
- “Lawbringer immediately is what spoke to me as my good person.” — Greg, 20:45
- Professor: Archaeologist, outcast for unorthodox methods.
- Renegade: Law-skirted hustler fleeing dubious employers.
- Roustabout: Drifter, accidental hero by bumbling into villain’s demise.
Audience & Internal Debate:
- Greg wrestles with stereotypes, personal biases, discussing how character backgrounds impact roleplay and possible narrative tension (e.g. “good” Lawbringer might face moral conflicts in a potentially corrupt agency).
- Ultimately opts for:
- Good: Stevie Rogers, Lawbringer (inspired by Captain America/Stevie Nicks).
- Questionable: Lee Everett, Ex Convict (inspired by Telltale’s Walking Dead protagonist).
“Stevie Rogers is a very fun concept.” – YouTube Chat, 30:00
“I love Lee Everett because it’s like parallel universe shit. Here’s Lee Everett, it’s a she this time...” – Greg, 34:26
7. Traits Selection – Crafting Personality & Playstyle
(37:00 – 49:01)
Positive Traits (Summarized):
- Brawny: Physical power, knocks down enemies.
- Brilliant: Extra starting skill specialization.
- Heroic: Companions act faster.
- Innovative: Efficient crafting.
- Lucky: Higher critical chance, unique opportunities.
- Nimble: Fast movement and stealth.
- Resilient: Cheat death once per combat.
- Suave: Vendor discounts, talk way out of trouble.
- Witty: Immune to negative reputation.
Negative Traits (must pick one if selecting 2 positives):
- Abrasive: Cannot gain non-neutral rep with factions.
- Dumb: Locks out 5/12 possible skills.
- Sickly: Lower health, more affected by item toxicity.
Greg’s Choices:
- Stevie Rogers (Good): Brawny (emphasizing “brick shithouse” build, strong, leader)
- Lee Everett (Questionable): Suave and Witty, but must accept Sickly as a negative.
“Lee Everett, slimy little shit. Right, so it’s like that works out well.” — Greg, 46:57
“I’m thinking, brick shithouse Stevie Rogers, slimy little wiry shit Lee Everett.” — Greg, 49:00
8. Skills Discussion: What Will They Excel At?
(50:58 – 65:39)
Skill Categories (each explained):
- Engineering (mechanical repair/defense)
- Explosives (throwables, traps)
- Guns (all ranged weaponry)
- Hack (terminals, bots, machines)
- Leadership (companion buffs)
- Lockpick (pickpocketing/unlocking)
- Melee (close-quarters)
- Medical (toxicity, healing)
- Observation (find hidden objects, weak points)
- Science (gadgets)
- Sneak (stealth, detection reduction)
- Speech (persuasion, intimidation, discounts)
Greg’s Planned Builds:
- Stevie Rogers:
- Prioritize Guns and Speech (“leader and ranged fighter”)
- Lee Everett:
- Prioritize Observation, Sneak, and Speech (“sickly, stealthy, manipulator”)
- Possibly invest in Lockpick if points allow
“Lee Everett is going to be my favorite character. I like doing the assassins. I like doing the sneaks. That's what we're gonna be doing as a questionable person.” — Greg, 44:08 “Now we're seeing it: brick shithouse Stevie Rogers, slimy little shit Lee Everett.” — Greg, 49:00
9. Character Moods, Visual Style & Final Mood Boards
(65:39 – 69:32)
- Inspiration for Visuals:
- Lee Everett: “Rachel Leigh Cook on drugs” ad + Jenna Ortega gothic/emo. (Sickly, wiry, but sharp.)
- Stevie Rogers: “Wonder Woman but blonde”, references to Maya Lesnar (powerful physique), Gwendolyn Christie, Jade Cargill, Rhea Ripley, or “female Captain America.”
- **Audience pitches in with casting ideas, Greg settles on archetypal images rather than real celebrities for full flexibility.
"Rachel Lee Cook, you on drugs. That's it...That's your brain on drugs. Fuck, yeah." – Greg, 65:45
"I'm just gonna write Blonde Wonder Woman for Stevie Rogers. Of course I could have put female Captain America, but I am biased to DC, as you all know." – Greg, 69:11
Memorable Quotes
-
On moral ambiguity:
“I don’t want this to be like...would you like to murder these children or feed these children? And you think I’m gonna murder the children. I’m not locking my character in that much." — Greg, 34:26 -
On RPG customization stress:
“It takes me so much time to sit there and make the goddamn character...I usually make a Taylor Swift. Maybe I make Kal-El, maybe I make a Becky Lynch.” — Greg, 01:30 -
On embracing the audience:
“And it isn’t a one man podcast, it’s a thousands of people podcast. Because I’m looking at the live chats over here...get your questions, get your comments, get your suggestions, read as we go.” — Greg, 02:10 -
On playstyle commitment:
“I think really committing...is going to make for a more entertaining experience rather than, well, maybe I should back off this and do this.” — Greg, 54:30
Timestamps for Key Segments
| Timestamp | Segment | |------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:07 – 04:40 | Greg intros, episode framing, character creation struggle | | 07:41 – 08:49 | Auntie Cleo story trailer, tone of The Outer Worlds 2 | | 11:43 – 15:37 | Obsidian devs on backgrounds, traits, and perks | | 15:41 – 26:49 | The philosophy of good vs. questionable characters | | 26:49 – 34:06 | Reviewing & selecting backgrounds, naming the heroes | | 37:00 – 49:01 | Trait perks chosen (Brawny, Suave/Witty/Sickly) | | 50:58 – 65:39 | Skills deep-dive, tying them to personality/playstyle | | 65:39 – 69:32 | Mood board, visual inspirations for each character | | 69:32 – End | Final wrap-up, summary, outro thoughts |
Final Character Builds (Summary Table)
| Character | Background | Traits | Major Skills | Visual Inspiration | |----------------|--------------|------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------| | Stevie Rogers (Good) | Lawbringer | Brawny | Guns, Speech | Blonde Wonder Woman, Maya Lesnar, Gwendolyn Christie | | Lee Everett (Questionable) | Ex Convict | Suave, Witty, Sickly | Observation, Sneak, Speech (plus Lockpick if possible) | Rachel Leigh Cook ("on drugs" ad), Jenna Ortega (goth/emo) |
Closing Thoughts & Community Call-to-Action
Greg reflects on the unique journey character creation brings before a major RPG release, and teases the potential for future character-building shows in other games. He invites feedback, other game suggestions, and thanks live viewers and supporters.
“Ladies, gentlemen and enbies. This has been another episode of the Kinda Funny Gamescast. I loved it. I hope you did, few people who watched it. Of course, we have just built two characters…As we get out there, we’ll figure it out again...Thank you for doing this exercise with me. This has been a fun one.” — Greg, 69:29
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