Wolves and Sheep OOC

This thread will and should be used for the current mission OOC discussion/questions/comments.

**My apologies ... forgot to mention that the current mission should be considered Caliber 3**

Seuss

Yes, that would be helpful to know.

And just for continuity's sake:
Oh, and to clarify something, are Sebastian and/or Dozer supposed to be stalling the hacker? Or is it just background noise for the intel phase?

Background noise / roleplaying opportunity. You won't actually have to stall him as in - skill roll, success means you trace the signal or failure means you are scrambling trying to find out where he is - but you can post how you stall him however you want just know that the FBI techs will ultimately trace his signal to a train station in Miami and you can post your gear selection and you and Sebastian can come up with a plan on how to board the train.

Seuss

Team discussion!

@Seuss: We do not have a mission bundle atm?

@RusVal
Ok so, we don't know which train we are talking about... so I think that going traditional and just getting there fast is ideal and then look by foot... or we can bring something small to hop the two of us like a bike?

Standard Ground:
Caliber II - Car, sports (exotic)
Personal Ground:
Caliber I - Motorcycle, racing

If needed we can get an helicopter but that would actually not be a good idea... I think... like would be quite obvious we are after the dude and the like...

Oh sorry, I thought the train was going to be already moving by the time we got there. ;P

I am not a 100% sure about that... since we even need to figure out which train he is traveling on... that is why if needed we can get a chopper (which I can definetely fly if needed)

You will know what train he is on (as Miami is not a large city they only have one train station (at the airport) that goes north splitting in West Palm Beach to follow the coast to Jacksonville or branching off to head towards Orlando. You will be pursuing the train while it's moving. Control won't be too keen on a chopper as that would definitely spook the mafia members into maybe shooting hostages or spooking the hacker into releasing the program early or destroying it.

Fortunately there are roads paralleling the tracks almost the whole way so driving and boarding the train from the caboose is doable for sure (it also at points goes under I-95 (that is raised via bridge above the tracks and city streets) for what that information is worth as well)

Seuss

Also I should add that this first post really only has to be selecting your gear and (particularly Sebastian and Dozer) formulating a plan.

And I forgot to mention that there is no mission bundle for this mission (couldn't figure out how best to do that since at this time everyone is not part of the same organization).

Seuss

Quick question: Does accidentally hitting someone with non-lethal rounds (rubber bullets, what have you) count as un-unharmed-ing someone?

Depends on where you shoot the person?

I'm going to have to say YES. If you shoot a bystander with a rubber bullet it is going to hurt (a lot), still traumatizing said person. Complaints will be filed, lawsuits pending, etc ;-P

Seuss

HAHAHAHAHA!

Be careful what you shoot at. The innocent bystander you hit could be me. :P

Right, so countering the high probably "enemy holding a human shield" by dumping a 100-drum's worth of 5.56 rubber is definitely out.

Starting to think picking Rock and Roll! might have been a poor choice for my character.

But think of all the fun you would have had throwing lead (or rubber) at all his buddies up to that point where he's the last man standing with his human shield. Then you get to use Marksmanship and his rifle focus to give the dude a new sunroof in his head :-)

True, too true. :)

Though I couldn't help but keep laughing thinking about that. I did say before that Dozer and Sebastian might come of more as a comedic parody of counter-terrorism.

By the way, still can't get the STUPID GAMERSPLANE CHARACTER UPLOADER to work properly. Heck, I can't even get the thing to UPLOAD AN AVATAR PROPERLY. UGH.

EDIT- And while I'm complaining about Gamers Plane, I would like to point out that every time I manually code in italics, my computer auto corrects the "I"s to capital lettering, which apparently cancels out the coding, so I have to go in and fiddle-type around that to get it to work properly. So annoying.

Yeah. There is a bug in their Spycraft Sheet. You have to create a custom character sheet, then it will let you post as your character and choose an avatar. It's been reported and supposedly they are working on fixing it.

Yes. There are some quirky things going on but it's free, had a dice roller, and allows you to post pics in your posts (should you want too). It's slowly growing on me.

Oh man oh man oh man, just had a scare where the text box was starting to act all glitchy. Thought I was about to lose my whole post, so I put up what I got!

I'm working on my gear picks right now, sort of forgot how deep the thing can be. I know I'm going to be picking an M16/M4 family gun, though I'm starting to kick myself for choosing "Full" as my Armor Basics feat. I mean, sure, they won't expect an FBI guy to roll up in full "hobbyist's armor", but it wouldn't really be practical either.

So with that, and considering that we're going to be trying to do some jumping, I'm probably going to have to go light with armor.

EDIT - By the way, anyone watch Rusty Dewees? There might be some inspiration there. ;)

Have I mentioned how much of a brick the main book is. Also I am easily distracted, so I'm not being very fast with this right now. Some things I do know:

- I'm getting an M4A1.
- I'm probably going to use Interceptor armor from the Bags Full of Guns PDF. Still not sure if I'm getting the Cal III or the Cal II with upgrades.
- I realized I can house a Grapple Gun (Winch) in my armor using the Miniaturized Gadget. Um, yes please? Might, y'know, make jumping on a moving train easier.

Some clarification questions, though (I probably knew these back the other times I played, but it's been a while, so I need reminding):
- Non-Lethal rounds is listed as one of the ammo types I can choose to be my initial load. That means I get them for free, right? And because I have Rock and Roll! on a fully automatic weapon, I get double the number of drums/mags, so I can start off with either 100D2 or 30M10 amounts of non-lethal rounds for absolutely free?
- Would I be able to trade one of my Possessions gear picks for upgrades? I get 1-II and 1-I gear picks, so could I trade them for 4 and 2 upgrades respectively?
- If a coin's hidden in a coin, does that require a Gadget pick, or is that just an elaborate common item?
- Seriously, can I please have a grappling hook in my armor? What's a dozer without a winch, right? ;)

I don't have the Bags Full of Guns so you'll have to send me the stats on that.
Absolutely, and you have the picks available for it if that is the route you want to go
That is my understanding of the RAW
Correct. Though it is my understanding of the RAW that those would be permanent upgrades ... and must make sense for why your character would have them for his personal gear.
Elaborate common item. It provide no benefit but a story purpose.
See my comments above

By the way, if me typing out Dozer's internal thoughts is confusing people just let me know. I usually write my stories from a first-person perspective, so I've developed some habits that are hard to shake off. I realize that it's probably making it difficult to keep track of what you know, and what your character knows since y'all are hearing his thoughts, but not your characters.

I'm not going to lie, I am kind of jealous you get a gadget pick.

Oh well, it's my own fault for being freelance.

So a thought: Vex hasn't chosen his extra two mission gears yet, which I am willing to chalk up to system inexperience. So hopefully my stumbling around with gear tables yesterday is sticking in my brain (and not fading due to cram shock), but I seem to remember that Tradecraft and/or Resources allow a Recon pick, and a Dossier pick. I bring this up because I realize that we might not know who or what we are looking for once we get there, and time is of the essence (Dozer might also not want to let on that he knows there's a friendly on the train, not that he knows said friendly has intel themselves). So a Dossier pick to know what target to look for, and a Recon pick (in this case an overhead pic sent to Dozer's phone) to try to narrow down where on the train the target might be (as well as how many possible tangos we're dealing with).

Hey there! Yeah actually I believe it might be... I thought that I would get just 1V and 1W as part of my current level for Wheelman... so do I get to select other two mission gear?

Just as a reminder:
That's one of the neat things about Spycraft, they give you reasons to not make CHA a dump stat even if you are a super physical character. One of them is you get more mission gear depending on if you are working for a faction or freelancing it, because we were able to coax the quartermaster to let us have it, or we were far enough up the ladder that we could just order something like that. In my case we are on higher than average terms (which probably would be better if I wasn't so sarcastic) so he allows me a little wiggle room for how I sort and check out the gear, which allows me to store some surprises in places (and in the case of tradecraft/resources if I could badger someone higher up the chain as long as I haven't taken said liberty with gear beforehand). You, on the other hand, are a respected member of the FBI (and have a pretty face ;) ) so you have even more leverage than I do.

You may also be able to reserve common item and gear picks to use in the field by making Gear or Request checks. The combined limit on these is your Wisdom modifier so you normally need at least a 12 to use this option. The DC of the check and the time it takes to receive it is variable on type, caliber and location.

For example, if you discover that that you are going to need to raid a location during the course of a mission and had a Resource pick in reserve, you could try to call in a Bag Full of Guns to arm your team for the upcoming fight.

Sorry all, got a thing that I need to be at on Saturday (aka tomorrow as of this post). Very sad thing, don't want to go into detail about it. So I might not be in a good enough mood to post anything.

Back from the thing. Mood is okay right now. Been thinking about the plan. Have some questions:

1.) It's been a while since I've been on a train, is there an intercom system?

2.) Can I make an Intimidate check over said intercom system to, say, get the Russians to not kill hostages/surrender?

3.) How can I be intimidating if I'm using rubber bullets? Oh trust me, I'VE GOT AN IDEA.

Getting my strategy/tactics hat on (which, I'll admit, mostly just gets me Flawless missions in XCOM 2 Commander difficulty, I never claim to be a genius), I'm going to guess that the hacker is going to try to force us into a tough choice of going after the hostages or stopping him, so he's probably going to position himself far enough that we won't be able to run to him in time if we go to save the hostages first. However, technically there isn't a time limit on hostage taking, at least not one that can't be extended through talking. While it's true that Stephen has a jammer, if we are going to stay in character then Dozer and Sebastian don't know that.

That said, the headset radios we are using are basic Cal I gear, so the jammer's probably going to take them out. Since Dozer knows there's a friendly on sight, so if his headset goes out, then he'll probably figure that said friendly's trying to make a move, or someone else who wants the thing. Either way, the time limit's extended, so the right move will probably be to bee-line it to the hostages, depending on where he is at the time the jammer goes up.

Going to need to dig out my book again to look up the chase rules, though.

RusVal - In response to your questions. I would think that the train does in fact have an internal intercom (as I'm assuming the engineer would announce upcoming stops), that being said I don't know that you would be able to access it remotely.

Keep in mind that at the moment the Russians don't know that you are pursuing. The only information you have at this point is that the FBI knows the Russians are on the train, though it is unknown if they are there as buyers or sellers. It's probably a safe assumption that they other passengers are hostages but it is not actually known.

The concern with using a helicopter to infiltrate the train was a) spooking the hacker so that he either releases the program online (giving anyone and everyone a program that could hinder those looking for him) or shut down his attempt and walk off the train with the program still in his possession and b) there was a concern he may/may not use the other passengers as hostages

Your point on the jammer is valid ... though I might point out you could easily assume it is the hacker responsible for the signal jamming as well?

Also, I forgot to mention in my post ... the starting lead is 4 (80 ft)

Right, feeling much better today. Was going to post, but have hit a bit of a snag. See, I'm sort of trying to have Dozer remember that Whitmore's character's on the train, try to logic that he's in the last car (which I am assuming because Whitmore said he was "going forward" to the dining car), and gamble that the guy might have a back-up plan for stopping the hacker.
So he figures that a super secret agent man (from off the grid) will probably go first class. Because why not?
But now I'm having trouble figuring out why he would think it was the back.

Am I going to have to make a roll for this?

LOL ... we posted at the same time. See my notes to your previous questions above your 10:02 AM post. Also mentioned that the train's starting lead is 4.

And to respond to your last question. The only information you were provided was that there is a Banshee Net operator on the train. They didn't know if it was a he/she (and if you've been reading Whitmore's posts you have probably gathered that it is a he dressed up as a she) nor where he is on the train (for all you know he could be a train employee). Your objective is to make sure that the program is copied and makes it back to Banshee Net via their operator.

Seuss

Yeah, lol. :)
Oh I've been reading 'em, since I noted that he said he was moving [I]forward[/I] to the dining car, so I figured he was in the far back first class one.

And as an aside, looking at Stephen Fairbank's mug, I can't help but think of Seth Rogan in drag with a Team Fortress 2 Spy style paper mask with a printed picture of a woman on it. I know that probably isn't what's happening, but my brain keeps going there and can't stop laughing. I don't even know why, I don't even find that stuff funny...

But anyways, yeah good point as far as Dozer knows he could also be an employee. Guess I'm trying to fudge the knowledge gap here. ;P

So the initial plan it is: Hacker's got a hard time limit, so he's priority. Once we grab 'em, use the intercom (which I probably can't use remotely, but could possibly use when on the train) to at least delay any other hostiles from popping hostages. Best entry point is (if we can get at least two people on) between the third and forth cars. One guy goes towards the front, tries to get the train to stop, while the other works his way towards the back. First guy can then sprint to catch up once he's cleared the front.

By the by, I realize I might not have calculated my gear weight yet. I [I]think[/I] I'm under the 100 lb. limit for unencumbered (Interceptor Armor makes my carrying capacity strength 18 :) ), but if I'm not I might have Sebastian hold a few of my things (it's a common tactic in squads, Vex, I don't mean anything by it).

(By the way, I don't want to step on Vex too much, so that's why I'm trying to let him do on the Dramatic Chase scene bit. Hint hint)

Hello there!!

Sorry, it has been a crazy weekend and I haven't had the chance to even login here... I'll just post in the next few hours.

It could actually be a cooperative check, with a tactics synergy bonus which if memory serves Dozer has ranks in tactics?

Ooooh buddy, I am max ranks in Tactics over here. :)

Just checking, but does Vex know about the Chase rules?

Not likely, he doesn't.

Take a peek at the Dramatic Conflict Chapter in the Core Rules (Chapter 6). They are very similar to a complex task but with some extra crunch to make for a more cinematic experience. Review the rules and for now you can just read the introduction and Chase sections. If you have any questions ask ... I'm sure between RusVal, Whitmore, and myself we can respond.

Formulate a plan with RusVal and you can pick a strategy. Then send a roll and strategy (you can just edit your previous post as you already established your intent, just pick a strategy (add some narrative flair if you'd like) and go from there (after you review and are comfortable with the rules). I know you and Avenger both are new to SpyCraft so if a post takes an extra day or two it won't be a problem.

Seuss

In this case you are the Predator and the train is the Prey. Each round, both the Predator and Prey secretly pick a strategy, make their opposed rolls (which would be Drive / Maneuver unless the strategy changes it), and the winner may choose 1 or more Advantages from their strategy based on how much they win by.

The Lead represents the distance between you and the train so if you want to get closer to the train, you'll want to pick a strategy that has the Lead advantage which allows you to reduce that distance. Something like "Go, Go, Go!", "Eat my Dust" or "Redline" depending on your cars Acceleration and Handling stats.

But like Seuss said, I am more than happy to help answer any questions.

Did real life sneak up on everyone? Where is everyone?

Gotten kind of quiet 🙁

*zzzzzzzzzz-SNIRK* Oh, sorry. Was waiting for Vex to say he was ready to do the chase scene. Got roped into some manual labor while I did, so I'm feelin' kinda tuckered. *Yawn* I'll see what happens tomorrow, maybe see about standing in. Got a bit of a goofy idea, where I post a "temporary" scene (it might be cartoonically comedic ;) ), then have Vex PM me the "proper" version so I can edit it.

'Course just my luck they'll announce CoD: MW4 tomorrow, and I'll be too busy fanboying out to do anything.

EDIT- Was just gently reminded that I have a party I need to be at tomorrow. Okay, needs a strong word, but I'm being bribed with food to show up, so I can't say no. It shouldn't take too long. Either way, need to get some sleep... *zzzzzzzz*

Whelp, the party's been pushed back to another date at the last minute. Currently trying to haggle (read: badger) some pizza out of this.

Sorry! Hectic Tuesday around work, but today everything is doing better so... I am quite sure that I am ready to do the Chase scene.

@Seuss: What would you consider the Maneuvering room to be? Close?

Let us take a moment to appreciate that Stephen just tried the "oh look your shoe's untied" trick, have it completely work, only for his mushy little "Privileged Contract Professional" fists to go *toy hammer squeak*.

Hey, 1d4+1 isn't a terribly mushy punch. These guys are just tougher than I hoped. . .

Also, I really wanted to take some sort of unarmed combat feat but I just ran out of feats.

Okay, my cat is lying down on my books at the moment, so I'm being a bit lazy. I want to pull out my binoculars and see if I see anything happening in the train. What checks will I need to make (if it's possible for me to see anything)?

Ow. Had to run a quick errand outside, and banged my shin on something metallic. XP

Okay, so I'm going to peek into my crystal ball right now and see if I can see the future:

Either Dozer's going to see the fistfight, or a pistol's going to go off and the SUV notices. Because a.) someone might be shooting at hostages, b.) a firefight is breaking out due to a possibly friendly agent, or c.) someone else is making a move, the first breach plan is going right out the window. Dozer then will prep his grapple gun and attempt a dynamic entry, through the window if need be, conditions and Sebastian's Chase rolls willing.

Can non-lethal rounds punch through glass? I might have to look that up.

Don't worry! I saw a bald eagle today!I'm sure that can only be a good omen!

RusVal - Right now Dozer and Sebastian or trailing the train (racing down Ali Baba Avenue per Vex's post) by approximately 80'. Probably too far away to see anything in the side windows and the rear window. It would definitely be too loud from the car engine and general noisiness of the train to hear a gunshot.

Oh, well then never mind. Kind of proves I don't have any real experience chasing a train with an SUV. :P

Hmmmm… I want to help, but I'm trying to think of a logical reason for it aside from OOC knowledge.

May I make a check, most likely Tactics though feel free to correct me, for my character to have an idea that there hasn't been enough time for any hostages to be rounded up, and that it might be a good time to catch any OpFors off-guard? Therefore I can prep to zipline to the last car and possibly save Mr. Ms. Not Mushy Hands?

I think Dozer's military background would allow him to extrapolate that their hasn't been enough time for the hostages to be rounded up and subdued yet without any kind of roll.

You can absolutely prep your grapple in preparation of boarding the train.

You can also provide a cooperative check Drive/Maneuver (synergy bonus with Tactics) to provide Sebastian with a synergy bonus to his next Drive/Maneuver roll.

I went ahead and posted his first chase round. He managed to reduce the train's lead by 1.

Seuss

Woop, guess I posted too early, then. Let me just go back and edit it...

(Just for the record, I did roll a 19 on my Search check. Also rolled a 3 on my Tactics check, so it's probably a good thing I didn't need to use it :P )

Update - Calculating lbs., please stand by.

Oops, forgot the Drive/Maneuver check.

*Headdesk* Rolled a 2 on my Drive Maneuver. Already I'm seeing nothing but success in the near future.

Y'know, this must be what it's like for NASA engineers. Giving orders to things with long communication delays.

Hopefully I just barely missed last round because my attack rolls only ended up being 2 higher this round.

Right, should have probably done this earlier, but I'm looking up Amtrak cars trying to figure out the actual how I'm doing this.

Also wondering if it would have been easier just to have taken the skill training in Acrobatics. :P

So talk to me: What are my entrance options, and what actions/checks will I need to take to pull them off? I'm guessing there's either a door I will have to force my way in, or I'm going through the window.

There is a rear door on the back of the last car, with and adjacent door on the both sides of the car near the rear ...



To actually board the train would be an Acrobatics/Jump check against DC 15 to board the train ... or you can use your grapple gun for an Athletics/Climb check against DC 20 (or wait to fire when you're within 25 ft and use the winch).

Also, don't forget about your Action Dice ... you can boost rolls with it.

Whelp, I didn't put all those ranks into Athletics (and pull out a fancy Grapple Gun gadget) for nothin'. Though I would prefer the 25 ft. option. It'll probably also be safer to aim for the rear door, because of the ledge (and won't have to worry about being blown off), and I could probably get a nice shot in through the window.

Did I ever tell you all about the curse I'm suffering from?
I will have these big dreams and aspirations. And sometimes I will attempt them. I will visualize every element leading up to the attempt, sometimes dreaming how I will be awesome.

Then I do the thing. And fail miserably at it.

Just a heads up, RusVal.

One of your d4 action dice rolled a 4 which means that it "explodes".

"Each time you spend 1 action die to boost a roll, and you roll the highest number possible on the action die (e.g. you roll a natural 6 on a d6 action die), it "explodes." In this case, you roll the action die again, adding the new result to the previous result . . . An action die keeps exploding as long as you keep rolling its maximum value."

I suspect that is what the "Aces Explode" option does when entering dice rolls but I haven't tried it.

Also, "You may declare that you wish to boost a die roll at any time, even after making the roll. Also, you may spend any number of action dice to boost 1 die roll, so long as you have action dice left to spend."

If you are still short a coupe of points you could opt to spend a second action die on the attack roll with the grapple gun.

Oooh, I must have missed that bit about exploding. Then we might be in business, because with an extra d4 then the roll becomes 16-19, which, if Vex is able to pull off an Attack Run move, then puts me over!

I'm going to go back to edit in the exploded die, then we'll see Vex's roll, see if I need to use up another die. I miiiiiiight have a cool way to incorporate this into the story...

Update- 1! *headdesk ROFL* It's now up to you, Vex!

*sigh* That's just the way it is sometimes.

Whelp, Easter's coming up, so tomorrow's going to be getting prepared for that (cleaning, eggs, baskets, mostly cleaning), so I am most likely going into radio silence. Unless I don't, which is possible, too.

I dunno, need sleep, see what happens in the morning.

I didn't think that joining a spycraft action adventure would mean we would delve into the classic TV tradition of cliffhangers, too! *Grinds teeth* It's so terrific spending the holiday in complete suspense.

LOL ... just waiting on your driver :-)

Weekends are bad... add holidays and is a completely nightmare to get around the PC to post...

Anyway, I just posted! Yay! Decided to leave the awarded action dice to board cause... I'll just do it with more style than RusVal LOL

OOOOOOOOH NATURAL 20!! Okay, now we see who the dice loves more. The pretty boy stunt driver over the crusty soldier boy. ;)

(Ahem, we'll just pretend he went with "Attack Run" and not Redline)

Also, just to be sure, was Whitmore's kick before lethal damage? Otherwise, that guys getting back up...

I have the Unarmed proficiency (and forte) so my unarmed attacks also do lethal damage.

So I might've just killed a guy by kicking him in the groin . . .

I just hope that this natural 20 brings me straight to the front to jump Mission Impossible style to the train!! Haha! Stunt dude doing stunts on driving.

Now that is some kick in the groin... it came to my mind the Exploded nut syndrome LOL

HOLY!!! I am on a roll today!!! I need to take advantage of my luck today!

To activate a critical success, you need to roll within the threat range (usually 20 but can vary) and spend 1 or more action dice.

In a Dramatic Conflict, the standard result of a critical success is to change the lead by 1 point. Anything more than that becomes a discussion between you and the GM.

That said, generally speaking you have some pretty broad leeway in describing the action leading to that result so if you have some cool stunt in mind that would help you catch up to the train, it'd probably be fine*.


*I say probably because Seuss is the ultimate arbiter here, not me.

Alright, pumping the brakes a little to make sense of what's happening:

Using the winch (which is a free action for me), I zip over to the back door. So I still have all my moves left, as it were. Sebastian, meanwhile, is going to jump over to the side door? Which will probably take up a few actions. So I'm going to look in, probably see Beatrice with a gun, she'll probably see me (and the FBI emblazoned on my armor, as it is a requirement for agents) and lower her gun (maybe hold up a hand), and I'll probably use the full action to spool my grapple back up. Unless I see something otherwise (such as more Russians running in), in which case I will ready my rifle with my right hand (Rock and Roll! lets me fire the thing one-handed) and do something else (I'm not sure what yet).

Hmm, I might have accidentally started a panic . . .

Stupid 1s.

Nono, see, when the thug wacked you over the head, it knocked a bit of your mask loose, so now a bit of your face is, like, hanging off, and it's freaking out the civilians. ;D

Thinking about it, now I know why SWAT just handcuffs everyone and sorts it out later.

Correct. I am figuring the gun I fired is going to be missing a round while the other thug's gun might be fully loaded but I haven't taken the time in character to actually check the magazines.

I am also assuming they are both using the same kind of pistol and the spare mag will be usable but even if that is not the case, I don't want to leave the loose ammo lying around.

I WAS going to follow up by patting down the 2 thugs for any other magazines or gear they may have (like radios) but I rolled an error on the Impress / Persuasion check so I stopped there because the situation may be changing.

I slightly modified my original post to store the ammo in my backpack instead of my pockets.

Oh wait, what? Ooooh, I completely missed this post:
Because I posted at almost the same time as Seuss, and the thread went to the next page. I thought I had succeeded because of Vex's natural 20 (and hoped that Seuss had "corrected" Vex's choice from Redline to Attack Run). Aw man, sorry, now my post is completely out of context.

Urgh, and now I need to wrench my brain back in alignment with the story. I'll edit my last post, and get a new one up soon.

Right, I've corrected my posts to make more sense. Sorry about putting you on the spot like that without a roll, Seuss. I honestly didn't catch the post you made before, and assumed I connected the first time. Guess it's a good thing I actually got it the second time. :P

Seuss had indicated I had a few minutes before Dozer arrived so I may not be in the car upon your arrival.

True, but I'd still have had to have done something like that when I entered. "More IT gal than threat", I wonder...

"Fine, we're all fine here. How are you?"

Sorry, just had to say it. ;D

I'm also guessing that we're playing out the minutes before Dozer and Sebastian jump on. Will what Dozer saw change now?

I moved up a car but I didn't stop to clean up the bodies so there should be definite signs that something went down there . . . unless that woman in the first berth was bluffing and is a agency plant and she cleaned up for me after I left!

Hmmm, tactics brain is buzzing again... If "Beatrice" interrupted the Russians in the last car, then the Russians also haven't been able to do something funny to the last car. Unless they pre-did something. Maybe a quick Search to make sure...

Then tell the passengers in the next car to go to the last car, wait 5-10 minutes, then disconnect the car and hit the emergency brakes. Would save at least a few passengers, and might create a distraction... Meh, then again, might frighten Mr. Live Free or Dork Hard over there.

It will change what Dozer saw. Body still there and zip tied ... no woman.

Waiting on Vex's actionso before moving on ... just thought it'd be easier to push Beatrice ahead since she's still a couple minutes ahead of Dozer and Sebastian

Well then I might change my action (since he doesn't see a possible threat yet). Going to take the full round to zip up my grapple gun (basically reach up and "punch" the hook back in place), then ready my rifle and open the door. Probably won't shout out either.

Update- just going to go edit my last post with this new info in mind.

*Cough cough* Ah crap. There's a bug going around, and I think I caught it. :P

If you don't hear from me, I'm probably stuck in bed and can't make it to the computer.

Been radio silent for a day or two ... everyone doing well?

Seuss

Fortunately I seem to have slept off that bug before it dug in. Otherwise I'm waiting to see what happens after I enter that door. I mean, if you want, I can post the next bit if nothing happens.

Glad you're feeling better RusVal. Still waiting on Vex's and Whitmore's actions so I have a more clear picture of what Dozer encounters/sees. A post isn't necessary ... though if you have an itch to scratch that's fine too.

Sorry. I started a post yesterday morning and noticed all my image links were broken and got distracted trying to find a solution for that and then got totally derailed and ran out of time.

I changed image sources and fixed the existing links. Hopefully these won't break on me.

I'll go post my next action now.

Ugh, sometimes the dice gods love you and then sometimes . . .

One odd thing with it ... the photos were showing up on my phone but not the computer.

Seems like you've got whatever the issue was fixed. The pictures are showing up now.

Seuss

By the way, Dozer probably doesn't know at this point that Sebastian's codename is Hex, he's just calling the guy Crabman in the friendly way that soldiers razz each other. After all, it's a risk anyone with the name Sebastian has do deal with. ;)

The Dropbox links kept changing so I switched over to Google Photos. Hopefully it will work better.

Probably some unintended irony coming up. The week they are most likely to tease/reveal the new Call of Duty, and I'm about to partake in one long corridor shooter.

RusVal - I have PM'd Vex but have not got a response. I'll give him another day before we carry on with out and I'll NPC Sebastian I guess until I get an official word back from Vex.

Whitmore - This is the point that Rus and Vex will catch up with you so they'll probably hear the gunshots (or panicked passengers). I will respond to your post as soon as I can ... trying to catch up on some things at work as I'm off the rest of the week (but still should be able to post).

Seuss

*Shrug* I can work with that. Though I have to ask: is Avenger still there, or has he gone NPC, too? I can understand if his character's gone full sneak mode, to the point even the narrator doesn't know where he is. ;)

No. Unfortunately he PM'd to say RL commitments has lead to him not being able to continue ... I have him in reserve if it looks like ya'll are struggling. But I'm hoping Vex continues on.

Seuss

Stepped in Internet Sludge last night, so I've been recovering from the needed Brain Bleach today (is my brain supposed to feel like it's puking up acid?), and then I saw the Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer.

…

Sorry, I might need a day, I need to go drink my brains out in remembrance of my murdered childhood. XP

EDIT- Just to be clear, I'm drinking soda and water. I'm non-alcoholic, FYI.

WiFi at my hotel is acting up so looks like I'll have to wait until later tonight or tomorrow morning. Not purposefully trying to ignore the game ... just at a conference and have to balance work stuff, play, and family 😋

Work, play, and family? Well isn't someone just full of gumption? ;)

Ooooh, might be a big day in videogaming tomorrow. Got a new update in Ghost Recon Wildlands bringing in Legally-Distinct-From-The-Punisher (I mean, the guy has a flipping skull tattoo), and the grapevine has said that Activision devs are meeting investors, and rumor has it they might reveal MW4 to build up the hype train so investors are more willing to back the project.

Might be all busy in modern digital warfare tomorrow, I tells ya. :)
Don't worry, though, I'm sure I can find time to put words down when needed. ;)

I's all good. I work at the hockey rink and we had one of the last tournaments of the season last weekend which started on Friday. That is one of the reasons I wasn't able to post before Monday.

That and what little time I did have I got caught up fixing my picture links.

I want to make sure I have this correct.

There were 4 thugs in the car.

I shot one and is down. Another retreated to the next car back.

So there are still 2 active thugs in the car I can see.

Right, so I'm going to guess that Dozer's entering the "combat zone" from the far door behind all the passengers. With all the bruh-ha-ha, I'm wondering if the door Beatrice entered is still open? Because I might need to make a few shots from downtown here...

In my experience with trains on the left coast, the doors shut automatically and I didn't take any pains to make sure it stayed open. Quite the opposite in fact. The car behind me is loaded with passengers and I want as much cover between them and this firefight as possible.

Having said that, they usually have windows so if the train is travelling along a straight piece of track, you can actually see pretty far down the train.



One other thing I didn't realize until I just found this picture is how little space there is between each car . . .

RusVal - I saw that you posted. Just waiting for Whitmore to post Beatrice's actions before moving on. I know weekends seem to be really busy for him so I would anticipate a post tonight.

Seuss

Oh boy oh boy oh BOY oh boy! :D

Just need to re-unbury my books again...

Does Stephen recognize either of the new individuals? Either by reputation or having worked with them before?

If necessary, I have a +5 to Knowledge checks so I'll go ahead and roll that here in case it is needed.

He may recall a news clip from a couple years back of Sebastian as the lead agent in taking out a drug gang but other than that he would have no reason to know who they were (other than he can see that they are FBI agents)

So I'm guessing Stephen wasn't warned that a friendly Shadow Patriot wearing a watch cap might be on hand to help?

Also, DAGNABIT these attack rolls! At least I got another exploding action die in order to land the second hit. :P

On the road right now but Whitmore, the thug failed his save and is down so you can plan your actions accordingly.

Rus- I believe that will leave you with 3 APs remaining.

Also Sebastian is just sprawled not injured.

Just going to post a small quick in character thing, taking place in the split second the thug goes down.

For the past decade or so, Stephen has worked with Banshee Net and maybe the odd Shadow Patriot for specific jobs. For obvious reasons, these people very rarely go out in public as themselves. Stephen himself is a man in his mid thirties posing as a woman in her mid 20s.

All of that is to say that, just because these guys are wearing FBI badges, does not necessarily mean they are FBI agents. :P

The fact that Stephen at least recalls one of their faces in connection to a drug bust is enough to at least slightly legitimize them though not completely. I mean, IF I was going to impersonate a federal agent, using an existing one could make things easier.

The ability to look and act like whomever you want, and knowing that it can be done by others, might lend itself to a little bit of paranoia.
Yea, I had no Intel regarding other operatives in connection with this incident. As far as Stephen was aware, he was flying solo on this one. That's why he was a bit more brazen than he usually would've been. If he HAD known backup was coming, he would've taken a different approach to things. Like, let the backup get shot while I did something useful. :P

Very true ... that being said a Sense Motive/Detect Lie check can allow you to guess a character's allegiance. Also, your Cold Read ability also (though it's been used this 'session'). RusVal - You can also perform a Sense Motive/Detect Lie check to 'guess' at Beatrice's allegiance

Also I recall that in Sebastian's history his girlfriend/contact works for the Banshees and with Beatrice's high knowledge roll I think you can be confident that at least Sebastian you would be fairly familiar with (he being unaffiliated with a WoF faction yet wouldn't with Stephen ... certainly not in his Beatrice persona)
Correct. With the time crunch I figured that there would be some delay in coordination, thus they had enough time to get Stephen in play on the train and as a courtesy notify their Shadow Patriot allies/assets they were on scene in case they were able to send backup.

I wish I had found this video earlier. It really helps me visualize the space we are fighting in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emsfAivvdxA


This one is quite a bit longer but shows the sleeper cabins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlf1I9IMWuI

Wait, I have 1 AD, or do I have 3? There's the one I just used, the one I used the first time I tried to grapple, then there was that hidden second grapple attempt because didn't catch Seuss's post initially. So did I use AD those latter times?

My apologies ... I think I counted one of your exploded die rolls as a use. Dozer has 2 AD. He started with (3), one was awarded for a total of (4), he used (1) to fire the grapple gun (which unfortunately failed) and Dozer was successful the second time (no AD spent) and used (1) on his attack just now for a new total of (2) remaining.

To review ... Dozer (2)d4 AD; Beatrice (0)d4 AD

Glad we could clear that up.

Also, off topic, turns out eating straight peanut butter before sleeping gives me weird dreams. Like watching the Punisher get beaten up by a trickster demigod before I have to prevent a creepypasta-style haunted arcade cabinet from deleting all videogame worlds by frantically trying to scrawl the cabinet's name (Audrey Adam/Aaron CCC) on paper to look it up online, but non of the pencils/pens seem to want to work properly.

Naturally, my brain was in an awesome place when I woke up. :P Gonna be a bit before I post something, gotta get some caffeine in me.

Right, clawing my thoughts through the muck, got to clear something up:

I got Zip ties in my pocket. Do they count as a "no DC half-round" Bind check, or a "full round secret DC (with a -4 penalty because I'll probably have to do it one-handed)"?

Probably would have been simpler to use FMJ rounds and just straight up kill them, but dangit I'm a cop, I'm supposed to be arresting people.

No roll required. A simple 1/2 action.

Probably simpler to have the lethal rounds ... but I like that your sticking to character AND that you knew it would be harder but would have less chance of injuring innocent bystanders by using nonlethal. It hasn't gone unnoticed. There is probably a AD or two in Dozer's very near future.

And in Beatrice's as well ... since she too played to character.

Daaaw I'm blushing again. ;D

Right, running the options through my head:

1.) Take a full round ready action to fire a burst at the thug should he try to make his way through the door.

2.) Move towards the guy I shot (is he within 30 ft. of me?), and Delay 'til after the incoming thug's move, then I can take a shot.

3.) If I can, move then bind the guy I shot, and let whatever happens next happen.

My tryhard gaming soldier head's saying stay put and cover your teammates, but my "we are in a hurry here" head's saying move and Delay.

Decisions, decisions...

THESE DICE HATE ME!!! *Headdesk*

Edit- Correction, THIS STUPID D20 HATES ME!!! The d4s have actually been nice.

Honestly, and backed up by Whitmore's video links he posted, you can use your 5ft. bonus step to reach the guy. Though if you use that you can't take a move action.

Also remember that to Bind the guy you shot will use a half action.

Your gamer gut seems to be more in line with Dozer's mentality ... covering his teammates while they get in position. As they will not be able to see what's coming in ... only hear. For my 2 cents anyway.

Didn't realize he was that close. Editing post... and cursing my bad luck rolling d20s.

Now I'm sure you're wondering, "RusVal, you still had Action Dice! Why didn't you use it?!" And I assure you, I'm sure I'm going to be asking myself that over and over again in a minute. :P

But the short of it is: It's a strategic gamble, since my character's still fresh (and the only guy this guy sees) with body armor (remember, it's Personally Tailored, so DP is +1, so (if memory serves) the penalty should only be -2) against a pistol.
That, and I'm getting kind of tired of needing action dice to actually do the job I'm supposed to be good at doing. :P

How much cover am I in where I'm standing? It also might be time to do a Strafe maneuver, though I'll need a bit more info on positioning...

Getting a bit distracted with the videogaming bruh-ha-ha going on right now. Also probably most likely putting off having to roll these dice. :P

You have can have 1/2 cover if you take position to either side of the door. Currently you are standing beside the gunman you shot (who basically fell in front of the door into the car). All the other thugs are more or less standing in a line at the opposite end of the car (85' away) with 1/2 cover provided by the seats.

Strafe is certainly an option, though keep in mind they have cover and the recoil is doubled.

*Glass push* Actually, looking at the rulebook... *Ahem* Seriously though, I'm looking at the rules for Strafe, and it says "Recoil penalties are doubled", not "Recoil is doubled". Which makes sense, because I doubt anyone would have the 24 strength necessary for double an M4's recoil, let alone be able to offset the penalty for firing full auto.

Anyways, it sure would have been nice if I hadn't spent an Action Dice last round... Oh wait, I didn't spend it last round.
Think 2 double dice rolls'll help? ;)

I'll let both you and Whitmore do with this info what you will ... your rolls haven't been to bad. If not for cover you would have hit. What has been the crappy rolls is the cover keeps making the save for penetration, except in Beatrice's case where it made the save for the thugs yet didn't for her.

Ugh, I just spent the last few minutes pacing, trying to come to a decision. If I Strafe (because recoil penalties are doubled, and I don't suffer recoil penalties, then I'm safe), I need to hit a (10+4-7, +2 accumulative for every square) 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 in one single attack roll, with 4d4 (4-16) Action Dice assistance, so technically at least 5, 7, 9, 11, 13. (additional note: with Rock and Roll! I only need 2 rounds per shot)

Or I can play it safe, and do two bursts at 7 each.

*Bullsniffs* Y'all want a show? YOU ALL WANT A SHOW?!?!

LET'S DO THIIIIIS!!!!

SYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!

*Please roll saves for the thugs*

Just in case I don't have a chance to reply immediately, after the attack (in particular if the attack should be super successful (don't forget subdual causes knockback if I roll 10+ on damage :)), I'd like to signal Sebastian to come towards me, in order to hand off some zip ties to have him secure the bodies while Dozer and "Beatrice" go on ahead.

Your tactics were sound and certainly a good use of ADs however the two thugs made both their saves for the hit and to avoid the knockback.

Hmmm ... in fact maybe I should edit the post to make the two Russians standing more burly in appearance.

Good news!

My email had been shuffling all of the notices of new posts from gamersplane into my junk folder. I finally got it to stop doing that so when I checked my email this morning the notice was in my Inbox. That should make it easier for me to respond on here in a more timely manner.

Hazzah!

Well, since half of my targets are still up, I'm not going to signal Sabastian yet. But I really think it'd be better if he did the tying, save me some half actions in order to stay in the thick of the fight.

Right, so potentially this guy is being slammed with four shots, two of them with knockback. If he saves all of these, I call shenanigans.

Did some thinking, maybe Beatrice could hand some zip ties to Sebastian? Thinking the next bit of actions'll be Dozer signaling for him to grab some, "lock down this car and catch up to us." Might also be an ulterior motive to try to get himself alone with Beatrice, if only for a minute...

Y'know, I really gotta stop creating these weekend cliffhangers. :P

LOL ... Sorry about that. Was really hoping to post today. It's been a ridiculously busy weekend (that included me 'cresting the hill' so to speak) and now my Internet isn't working and trying to figure out rolls and posting from my phone doesn't sound fun or efficient at all so I will post first thing tomorrow.

Seuss

I was thinking it might be useful to set up a chat channel in Discord we could use, particularly for in-character dialog between characters. Like in this case, it might be quicker to handle a conversation between Dozer and Beatrice and then transcribe that into a single post when completed.

Great, another thing I gotta sign up and think of a password for. :P

I also find Google Docs useful for the same thing. If you share a word document then everyone invited can edit as they are able.

Seuss

Still don't have a Google account. I know, I know, I'm being really stubborn, but I've been avoiding most social media for years now. :P

*Sigh* I'll get a Discord account. Just give me a bit.

Oh, and I shouted for a medic just in case there's a doc or nurse on the train. Non of our characters have Medical, so if we want to stabilize any bleeding suspects that's the only thing that's going to help.

I applaud the thought and if you really want to convince a passenger or at least make stabilizing the downed suspects a priority you can send a roll. They're standard NPCs so per the rules as written it's implied that when they fail a save they are dead/dying. Though your decision to use rubber bullets will certainly not go unnoticed ... I figure that will give the FBI a lot of people to question about the Russian mafia and their operations.

And about the Discord account. Don't feel like you have to download something like that. I believe Whitmore was just suggesting it as an option. Is there a chat program that you do use? Or document share program? Maybe there is a common program that we all have?

Actually *pushes glasses again* there is a rule that specifies that the last type of damage that causes the failed save is important. To quote:
So those guys I shot could literally wake back up at any moment (and why I was making sure to tell Whitmore to clarify what damage he did). I also thought the "bleeding out" bit was you being nice and giving us a chance to save the others.
I'm going to have to get back to you about that, been a while since I deep dived this computer.

Right, so I do have Skype, but I don't think I have any money put into it. Heck, I don't even have anything beyond the basic word processor. I'm, like, the digital equivalent of a guy who only has the bare essentials of a house, with a bunch of pictures strewn about that I got out of free bins, and this MASSIVE collection of games to go with my SUPER AWESOME GAMING SYSTEM that occasionally glitches out on me because I attempted self maintenance on it a little while ago.

Looking at Discord, it doesn't look like I need to download anything, because it's giving me the option to open on the browser. Just need to think up another password. :P

LOL ... good point and a lesson I guess that I need to choose my words carefully. I was just trying to convey the image of a rapidly spreading pool of blood indicating the suspects demise :-P

Right, simple account claim. Since this is a private forum, my account is RusVal#4887 on Discord.

Feel free to let me know what rolls I might need to make, and I'll edit them in.

I did set up a Discord server we can try.

To join, just go to the following URL: https://discord.gg/xYRKT3

Oi, we need to figure out a time for Discording. :P

Alright, just a word of warning beforehand, once Dozer is by himself with Beatrice, he's going to attempt an Identify Friend Foe code phrase. While Beatrice might not have been warned beforehand that I would be there, would she at least know that much? Or will Whitmore require rolling a check for it?

Since Beatrice wasn't notified that there would be help both of you will need to make an Sense Motive/Innuendo check against DC 15. Dozer will need to beat the DC to convey the message, Beatrice will need to beat the DC to understand. If Dozer fails but Beatrice is successful she knows a message was conveyed but not what it means. If Dozer is successful and Beatrice fails, she does not realize a message was conveyed.

Alternatively she and/or Dozer may make an opposed Sense Motive/Detect Lie check to glean Allegiance and roleplay from there as well.

Well :P:P:P, that's probably going to go GREAT.

Pfffffthahahaha. Yep, going to be terrific.

Edit - I'm also getting the feeling that the conversation he had with Jazz might have been out of character. Jazz probably had to speak slowly, with small words, while streaming flashy pictures over the phone for Dozer to understand what he was saying. :P

Oh, and just because the cosmos has decided to gift me with this joke:

There's still hope. If Beatrice makes the check she'll at least realize that you were trying to send a message. And if that's the case I would imagine her to try and glean allegiance. Enough to start a conversation anyway

I don't need a full post, I am just making the Sense Motive roll(s) here to see if I recognize the failed innuendo check so I can respond appropriately.

Sense Motive is +6 and Innuendo gets a +1 synergy bonus from Impress.

Well, the first time failed, let's try that again.

Fairly last minute family gathering on Sunday, welcoming a relative from out of state, just FYI.

Game-wise, I think it's the perfect time to flex that Tactics skill of mine to set up a quick Ambush. Though I'm going to let Whitmore chime in before we jump to that option.

No probs ... just trying to break our weekend cliffhanger rut. I wasn't going to post having spent a whole day doing some much needed yard work ... then 3 beers in I was like 'eh, why not' ☺

I like the continued use of abilities and skills though. Enjoy your day with the family ... and no worries as I suspect Whitmore will be tied up. Weekends seem to be his busy time.

Hey thanks man. Actually, this wasn't as "cliffhanger-y" as the last few, because at least I wasn't waiting for the results of a roll. ;P

Also getting a crazy "I think it's time to go to bed" idea: Bull Rushing. Probably not a good idea, because doors, buuuut if someone were to sneak up to Joint Action where Sebastian and Beatrice open the doors for me...

Like I said, though, crazy.

Crazy?! ... Perhaps. Effective? Most certainly if your reasoning/hope is to take out 2 thugs in one go?

Though if you can set up an ambush the benefit seems greater for you, Beatrice and Sebastian. You all might be able to eliminate nearly all the thugs in a surprise round.

Yeah, or at the least knock one out and sprawl another.
Yes and no. A quick Ambush (only takes 1 minute) will give us a free half action. That's enough for us to take out three. If the dice favor us, then one of us might get to take two more shots to finish them off.

I might also be getting a little greedy, and trying to non-lethal as many as I can. ;)

So if we set up an ambush, and have one of our guys run forward to open the doors, the other two get a pot-shot in, then, dice willing, I'd get a chance to knock down two with a Bull Rush (or I could just shoot them). Like I said, going to let Whitmore chime in first.

I don't have an issue with trying to ambush them.

Just be aware that my tactics is untrained and with the normal +2 error range for a quick ambush, as a helper I am looking at an Error Range of 1-5 with a +3 on the check. That gives me 1 chance in 4 of screwing up the ambush for everyone.

Maybe you and Sebastian can set up an ambush and I can draw them out, like fire a potshot through the connector window at them and then run away so you can ambush them when they enter the car to get me.

See, this is why I wanted to wait, because I hadn't thought of that. Teamwork! :)

Sorry for the lack of post, Whitmore and I got bogged down trying to figure out the nuances of the Ambush rule. Like, when it says "standard surprise half action", does it just mean half action, or the standard "1 free, 1 half, or 1 full" action?
That, and we realized that Initiative's probably going to play a part in what our plan ultimately is.

Basically, we're gonna need a GC ruling on this.

I also posted this response to Discord

Okay ... so I think you are asking for a ruling on two scenarios?

1. Cooperative Tactics/Ambush check: Take 1 minute for a quick Ambush that with sucess gives Dozer, Beatrice, and Sebastian a HALF action surprise round, +2 bonus to Initiative, and 1d6 sneak attack damage

2. Surprise Round - Someone opens door, opposed team Sneak/Hide, rolls initiative, Delays for Dozer's Tactics/Ambush check that if successful earns another surprise round where everyone would then get one free, half , or full action

Scenario one gets (1) half action each for surprise round, Scenario two gets standard choice of one free, one half, or one full action if Ambush is used during 'combat' which I can allow when you open the door. The Hidden condition won't go away until you attack or fail the initial opposed rolls for the initial surprise round. Clear as mud?

OK, I think a Quick Ambush is still our best option. As Rus pointed out, none of us have Stealth. At least with an Ambush, Sebastian and Beatrice can ride the Tactics coattails of Dozer.

A critical failure may cause it to fail for all but, frankly, any one failing a Stealth check is going to pretty much do the same.

Our Sneak skill.

Yeah, quick ambush it is. Feelin' too tired to think up an IC post, will do one in the morning.

Edit - Still tired, but it's morning, so whatever.

Well, obviously the dice wanted to make up for letting me get a threat. :P

At least I won't have to delay for the door.

By the way, we're being a bit vague about who's opening the door, since we hope to use the (non-Dozer) guy with the highest initiative count to do it.

It wasn't that bad, remember you got a +4 on top of your regular bonus for scoring the Threat

And Sebastian will move forward to open the door ... then Beatrice can go, then Dozer

Seuss

Yeah, I remembered that I forgot to account for that. :P

I also don't want to keep pushing these glasses on my nose, chief because I don't wear glasses, but the rules under Ambush state that a Critical Success give 2 Free or 2 Half actions for our surprise round.

If you want to rule differently, that's okay. I just bring it up because it'll effect whether I use Strafe, or just shoot two guys with Burst.

2 Half-Actions'll also mean that Beatrice can shoot twice, and may or may not mean Sebastian gets a shot.

Yeah, we might clear these guys out during the surprise round.

And so you are correct ... somehow missed making a note on my pdf that that correction had been on the errata doc.

I will edit Sebastian's actions (he'll take a crack at a thug) and go from there.

Thanks for the assist!

Seuss

No problem! Guess it's because I'm using the published hardcover book, the most recent pre-print-on-demand-era version.

Just going to post a quick in-character bit. No actions, just a thing explaining what happens because I rolled so low on initiative.

*Facepalm* Oh for Frig's sake, game, quick tripping us up with your intricacies! Wanted to double check how Sneak Attack damage applies to Burst, and came across these gems:

-Sneak Attack damage may only augment the damage of a Standard Attack action.

-Sneak Attack damage may only augment (snip) a ranged attack against a target within CQB range. Beyond that, the accuracy required to hit a target's vitals cannot be managed.
(To double check this, I looked at the Sniper class, and it's Ranged Sneak Attack ability does specify that it could be applied outside CQB range, so yes this is a thing)

So two things:

A.) Are we in CQB range? Because if we are, then I get a +1 bonus to my ranged attack check and damage, from CQB Basics.
B.) If we are, does that mean I need to only use a Standard Attack to get it, or if using Burst does it only effect the first bit of damage from the "combo"?

Also, don't ask me why I'm posting so early in the morning. YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW.

Burst is a trick applied to a Standard Attack and nothing in the description of Burst or tricks changes the fact that it is still a Standard Attack so Sneak Attack should work fine with a Burst attack.

By a RAW reading of the rules it would appear that Sneak Attack may apply to any bullets that hit from the Burst attack though I can see the same exception made for critical hits also applying to Sneak Attack.

Another thing to note is that Sneak Attack requires the target to be vulnerable or helpless and in this case the thugs are vulnerable only because they are flat-footed at the start of a fight. If they take an action or are successfully attacked they cease being flat-footed, so only the first shot landed on any given thug is going to get extra damage from Sneak Attack.
The cars are roughly 90 feet long per the wiki entry for Amtrak cars so enemies within the first third of the car should be within CQB but I don't know exactly where the enemies are positioned within the car.

It can also matter to me because the 1911 has a 25ft ranged increment so some of those attacks I made might have range penalties, too.

My understanding of the RAW agrees with Whitmore's assessment. Including that only the first successful bullet will have sneak attack damage applied.

The Russians are within the first third of the train car from the rear so no range penalties (and a bonus for Dozer because of his feat)

Sooo glad I worked that hard for those sneak attack bonuses. ;P

That said, yeah, I foresee a lack of targets in the near future.

Now that I'm back from watching John Wick 3, I feel it necessary to point out that this campaign's Continentals, and the Continental Challenge Coin, are totally different from THE Continental, and the Coins they use.

In this campaign's case, the faction Continentals are a callback to the Revolutionary Continental Army. And Challenge Coins are a repected US military tradition.
Basically, my Challenge Coin generally only allows me to mooch drinks off other people. It isn't a type of currancy I can toss around.
When I'm with other Continentals, however, that's when things get interesting...

Also, is it just me, or did the OOC forum get emptier? I seem to remember there being more threads.

LOL ... yeah, very astute. Did a little cleaning up as I'll probably open recruiting back up next week. See if I can get recruiting and character creation done and ready to go next mission so you won't have to wait.

Seuss

Well... Don't know if my impulsive archivist brain likes that or not. :P
I mean, sure, it's just some rambling, but it's rambling that maybe possibly might just be relevant in the possibly right around the corner near future.
Or, y'know, maybe I like old thread surfing. ;P

My apologies :-(

Moving forward I will keep the threads (or at least archive them somewhere). Though I really only removed the thread regarding Cultures and Languages and the Campaign Start announcement thread. But again, I'll keep things up in the future.

Seuss

Thanks. I know it's silly, and one of the main reasons I have a major clutter problem, because I can't let go of even the smallest little things. But some of this stuff is, like, behind-the-scenes footage, man. People pay extra for this. ;)

See, if we didn't keep this thread around, then people would miss out on my increasingly abused face as I either palm it or desk it after yet another low roll. ;)

I am just going to throw out my Init here and follow up accordingly.

OK, I rolled worse than Dozer.

It's like a dice roller coaster! No pun intended!

I doubt that. :)

Oh for $!*@'s sake. The thug's not in cover, right? :P

So I've been looking over the rules again (was looking for the Personal Lieutenant feat) when I stumbled over the Talented and Training Advanced Skill Feats. Which shows you how closely I was paying attention to Whitmore's character, because he got the Talented feat. :P

Talented - Lets me choose one of the Basic Skill Feats (normally used to give a small bonus to two skills) even if I don't have them, and turn the two skills the feat covers into always class skills. On top of that, the two skills are linked like the Athletics/Resolve skills from my Infantryman Origin. However, from what I can gather, you can only choose this feat once, as the book often goes out of its way to tell you if you can take a feat over again.

Training - Gives me 5 "all skills are class skills" points, and I can take this feat multiple times, getting 5 points each time.

So here I've been hmm-ing and haw-ing over maybe cross-classing into this or that, when really I could have saved myself some trouble and just picked Talented and Training every time I get a free feat at character level, and stick with the Soldier(/Grunt) path I wanted to in the first place.

But what Basic Skill feat to talent in? And how will I spend those 5 points each time? The drama continues...

So the Basic Skill Feats that I'm eyeing to Talent are Actor (Bluff and Impress), Burglar (Acrobatics and Sneak), and Diplomat (Networking and Sense Motive).

On the one hand, Soldier and Grunt have none of those skills, so I could just pick any one. However, I am particularly focused on Impress (for various reasons), Acrobatics (for possibly jumping out of planes), and Sense Motive (after that particular, erm, misadventure in code-talking :P), with Bluff, Sneak, and Networking just being nice bonuses.
Additionally, Counter-Terrorist, Sniper, Tactician (oh, I've started considering specing into Tactician), and Triggerman have some combinations of those class skills, making a few of those feat choices redundant.

Not to mention that I need to pick up a few feats to even get into Counter-Terrorist (Covert), Tactician (Surge of Speed & Tactical Advantage(?)), and Triggerman (Two Weapon Fighting & Combat Expertice(?)), which all will take away from other options I'm considering.

I know, right?

There are never enough feats. As part of my background (and since I am with Banshee Net), I really wanted the Computer and Electronics skills that Faceman doesn't get so that feat was locked up. I was also looking for some way to pick up Resolve but, as you mentioned, I can't take Talented twice.

Then I was looking at possibly taking the Mole Expert class which needs Superior Documentation. I wanted to augment my unarmed capability with some sort of feat. I also wanted to leverage my above average Lifestyle (hence the Safe House feat). With my background, Nemesis Basics was practically screaming at me when I read it. Add in about 90% of the Style feats and I was agonizing forever over which ones I wanted to actually take.

I agree that there are never enough opportunities to acquire feats (especially if you want to flesh out you unarmed abilities). I had considered adding Feat Purchase campaign quality but when Vex and Avenger joined and weren't familiar with the rules I backed off not wanting to intimidate them with to many rules.

I could add that in if you would like?

Well... hold off on that for now, but keep that thought in mind, should we scoop up some more players.

My problem with feat purchase is I may never level again. :P

Just a quick aside, I'm thinking Agent Cho's first name is Joe.

Agent Joe Cho, has a nice ring to it. Couldn't be worse than Drew Wu. ;)

Y'know, I don't think I intended for my character to be such a dang chatterbox during combat. I guess it's just reflective of the medium (forum posting updates) that I'm just impulsive in having my character talking.

The ever continuing drama of planning out my character's future classes continues. I'm coming to the conclusion that I won't be able to class ability Impress and Sense Motive until about lvl 8 or so. I've narrowed it down, though, to either Soldier/Grunt/Counter-Terrorist, Soldier/Grunt, or just Soldier, all with Talented (Actor).

Or Soldier/Counter-Terrorist.

Dangit. :P

With a 19 I think Beatrice might have at least some idea of what needs to be done to uncouple the cars but with no mechanical aptitude she'd be like 'you need to pull the thing that hooks to the thing' when explaining to Dozer.

With only 'loose' Knowledge on what needs to be done to decouple the train and the negatives for not having a mechanics kit my fear is that you might end up wasting a lot of time.

Good thought though ... I just think the execution will be hard without much of a significant reward. The passengers in the rear are safe for the moment. All unconscious Russians are well unconscious at the moment and bound and the rest would have to overrun you guys to get back to them.

So ... moving on then? Ya'll going to continue with the plan to have Sebastian and Nik secure the train engine?

Seuss

Hey, it was worth a shot. Yeah, we're probably going to go with that plan.

Okay. Awesome. Have Dozer and Beatrice lay out what they want Sebastian and Nik to do and we'll go from there.

Y'know, I actually debated whether or not to go Grunt. Maybe I could go pure Soldier?

With the luck I've been having? I'm gonna need that free action die every combat!

Afternoon everyone! I'm the new guy in the game. I'll be playing a Martial Artist that's skilled in infiltration and close quarter combat and melee weapons. As far as other skills go he'll have some knowledge in fire arms, but what other skills does the group need?

As long as my job cooperates, I should have a first draft character sheet by the end of the weekend. I look forward to playing in the game.

Welcome! Gonna need backup, I'm rolling 4's like crazy. :P

Our character sheets are up over here if you want an idea what the other dudes are. I'm currently a Soldier, with a preference for firearms (both in usage and repair), essentially being my FPS character, more or less. I'll let Whitmore explain his character.

It'll also help to read the prologue to get a feel for our characters. I'd personally appreciate it, since I'm overacting like crazy, and my ego requires occasional praise. ;)

Welcome! I hope you find this game as enjoyable and with the same enthusiasm as RusVal and Whitmore.

I have PM'd you something to think about as you finish up your character.

Seuss

Welcome aboard, Squadfather! It's good to see another player on board.

As far as skills we are missing, I think someone skilled in stealth could definitely be helpful. Rus and I tend to be pretty forward about our approach to some things. ;)

Looking forward to play with you!

...Soooo, you still here, Squadfather? Haven't heard anything from you.

That's a negative ... he just PM'd me this evening.

I have a, hopefully, fun recruiting idea I'm hoping to implement this week on the Crafty board. I'll let you know when it's close to fruition.

Geez, of course Discord decides to crash just as the next post comes up. Like seriously, it keeps giving me a "Bad Gateway" error.

What do we see in the room? Sure hope they didn't climb out the window.

Or worse, the boss took the HVT hostage.

...Okay, I think Gamersplane just un-logged me. I might be having technical difficulties on my end, hang on...

*Sigh* Is Discord acting up for anyone else? Or am I going to need to clear my cache, or something?

Seems to be working for me. That being said I did just recently clear my cache (because Gamers Plane was acting up)

Seuss

Hee hee, you're welcome. ;D

Wolves and Sheep Rewards

Dozer - 2,988 XP 11 Rep

Stephen - 2,988 XP $550,000 Networth Prize: SEER program