This Isn't Balanced: Round 1
Watching the Detectives
GM: Okay, we are going to try out of a new system since you guys have rules lawyered all of the old systems to death. It's called Gumshoe.
Player 1: Like for Trail of C'thulhu?
GM: Yeah, it's the same rules, but this next game won't have any supernatural elements. I need something uncomplicated until I feel comfortable with this system. I'm talking a basic procedural mystery. You guys will be cops solving a murder. Okay?
Player 2: Groovy, we have some characters ready.
GM: What? When?
Player 2: We got bored waiting for you to show up, we saw the book, and we made a couple of detectives.
Player 1: They've got no supernatural powers.
GM: I know that I am going to regret this, but let me see your character sheets. (shuffles papers, reads) Hmm, Player 1, why is your character so young?
Player 1: He's a teenage detective. It's a genre trope. He assists the police when needed, but he's not tied down by regulations.
GM: Seems a little underpowered for a change. Okay, there is nothing here deal breaking. (shuffles papers, reads) Wait a minute, this is the same character. The same character is on two character sheets in two different hand writings.
Player 2: No, it's not. Look at the names.
GM: What the hell?
Player 1: They are brothers.
GM: They have the exact same stats, same skills. They even have the same physical description.
Player 2: They're twin brothers.
Player 1: Identical twin brothers, it was easier than building two distinct characters from scratch.
GM: Oooooooh guys, this is bad. In this system, different skills produce different clues. You need diversity of skills.
Player 1: No we don't. You always call for the same three or skills in every game.
Player 2: We worked out the most commonly used skills, and we doubled down on those by having two characters geared toward exploiting them.
Player 1: It's like having twice the skill points for free.
GM: Rejected!
Player 3: May I join? My character is a girl.
Player 1: Sure!
Player 2: Aight!
GM: Let me see that character sheet.
Player 3: She's not even related to them.
GM: Same age, same skills, you crossed out the name and hair color. You wrote in a different name, made her blond, and added an "fe" in front of "male" in a different ink color. Was she by any chance supposed to be a triplet?
Player 3: It's a mystery.
What book characters did I describe in the above dialog?