OOC Thread

Here is where discussions shall be.

Hey, just joined in. I'm at work right now, so I'll start up on a charactre later today.

Same for me, thanks for the invite

Found a small mistake while creating my character. Section 1.6 (p.4) tells us that weapons are listed in section 4.1 (p.16), it's actually listed on section 3.3 (p.12).

As the player who rolled the Russian Metalhead Rocker (Hairy Skinned Uncaring Rock Star) don't worry I have Cedarwood Essential oils so it's all good. My apologies in advance little ones. *laughs heartily before tuning his guitar*

I would like apologise for the delays. Don't worry, we shall begin now.
I'll add Jerome's backstory to lore.
Btw, I figured I should add African to the ethnic Percentage. I haven't because I was only following the name generator country of origins. I may edit that another time.

I'm afraid that in terms of space rock or space metal, Zack has already been beaten to it...

In game? Anyone have a song about dying form lack of oxygen in space?

Space Oddity by David Bowie?

I meant in game but out of game yeah I know it's well established. Sidenote: Someone pitched a game where we play magical girls and I suggested we play Baby Metal like teens fighting crime. GM is on board, one player has ammo to mess with his friend now since Baby Metal is a real group which will supposedly aggravate his friend.

I love Baby Metal. Some really great tunes on their first album.

There's Ladybeard that's somewhat similar.

I mean if you have to play a Magical Girl...

Btw, for Matsuki and Oddball, what might be their personal items?

Hmm, I suppose the typical utility things: a change of clothes (a spandex-like exercise outfit) and personal grooming stuff (brushes, makeup, etc). For extra non-utility items, she would have a necklace with an intricate twisted metal design, and a personal music player loaded up with the equivalent of modern J-pop.

No, there is a type of item called a personal item. It is used to heal back sanity/Wis. Something that is non-utility, and has personal meaning to the character.

I'll go with the necklace with an intricate twisted metal design. A gift from a former lover/mentor who taught her the ways of the shadow sniper. The twisting design is a mantra for meditation, to unwind herself from doubts and fears.

My apologies in advance if I have poop metal lyrics. Twisted Metal... Hmm Imma use that phrase now though.

Cool baby, a dissing-concert or de-stressing MacGuffin

First wow -- glad I am not seeing those pictures ;)

BTW RoAries how does one recover from damage and is recovering from HP damage different than Attribute damage?

Recovering HP is either through resting, or using healing items like med kit or pain killers. There are different rest durations, where resting longer heal more.

HP is different from Str, and the other attributes. You heal HP easier than the attribute damage, as its like a buffer before you start to inch towards death.

Str and dex recover from long or full rest. Wil recovery also need a personal item. Btw, would the space herbs count as your personal item? If it isn't, then I'll count it as homebrew mechanic when used to heal Wil.

yeah I would have to say his current personal item would be his Cosmic Herbs (updated the character sheet) -- if he can have more than one personal item the second one would be his Mechanics Tools -- I did not see anywhere that you cannot have more than one personal item -- but then again it does say item vs items

I think it would be one item. Like what you would rely on first to calm yourself down. If it's lost, then you may make another item your Personal one.

So an expendable one use item would not be good to use then?

Yes... But actually, I think it doesn't exactly mention that. So I'll suppose if the use of Personal Item means its consumed somewhat, then I'll have it to lose Durability points when used in rest.

This shall be the same for Zakk's case of using Essential Oil. Since it is a consumable, I'll have him and you roll Will saves to have self control to avoid spending a Durability point.

Copy that good thing I have a guitar...


Oh maybe Zakk can buy some exotic essential oils when we land... "This real essential oils from a Saberbird's bootyhole?" *Sniffs* "Smells like it, I'll buy it... What why do I need this scent? Yall wanna smell something cool?"

Oh I thought that Gatling Gun was just another name for your guitar due to how rapidly you can play it ;)

Oh, crap, I think I should give @RoAries a heads up: I've just learnt this morning through Discord that DeJoker has been banned.

What? Why?

I still see him in the list of players. Is he no longer able to post here?
Also, sorry for the bit of delay.

Yeah, he hasn't been deleted, but he had been banned so he can't log on, presumably for attacking other users (the moderators I think). Details are sparse, but they've confirmed he has been banned.

Aw, that's a pity. But I did receive warning from another player that there is issues with the way he plays. I didn't think it would be much concern, from the thread I made for him. I'll see if I could have a replacement if legitimately he can't join us.

Btw, guys, can you check on your inventory for your sheet? I want you guys to confirm that the order of items is what you are OK with. There is a thing where when you are in a tense situation like a fight, you have to roll 2d6 to get the item from your inventory. So that means the list isn't to just track what you have, but what position of convenient retrieving the item is in.

Sweet this is the part where Zakk might die or suffocate for being well not smart... XD

I thought it was a priority list of how fast we want to be able to grab an item in real life so...

It is a priority list for grabbing items. Did I made it sound like it's something else? I just meant that I made some edits for the sheet to represent that, but don't know if the priority arrangement is your preference. It might take a while to move things around, and if you like to make the expression of 2 slot items better, you can edit that too.

I'll check it tomorrow. I had a huge day at work today and I'm a bit spent...

Edit: Oh, is that why my 12th slot keeps disappearing?

I'm happy with my priority list.

Yeah, just brought up oxygen canister #2 a bit further up. Hopefully, we won't be in any need of rapid sermons or exorcists...

Sorry for the delays. As I have done for other games I run, I will give compensation for delays of every 5 days that is my fault. This is to show that I didn't abandon the game, and to give small rewards for the players' patience.

How I will do it for this game is that everyone will pick one attribute and roll 2d20s. If the lower of the 2 results is higher than the attribute score, it improves by one. If not, nothing happens.


You all may do it now.

No worries man, life is life and should always take priority. Also dat sweet badly drawn skull motif cryo-pod though.

Udpate: Will 6-->7 *play end final fantasy music here*

Just a heads up, my computer might die on me soon...

Thanks for letting us know. Hope your computer could still be fine. Though an 11-year-old computer is impressive that it can last that long. I am also planning on still using my 5-year-old computer, and upgrade it with a 1tb ssd.

Zakk didn't touch it... Good luck! We are going into Cryo in game though...

Mac computers tend to be hard to kill. I personally know a few people who are still using Macs that are older still than my computer.

I think it's ironic Zakk is not loosing his mind cus he's thinking of random BS that might happen... Mental attacks on the less intelligent go over his head... but if he notices he'll try and catch it though.

So i googled brain eating mold... XD

I'm not sure if there was a lack of communication or something. Maybe RoAries wanted to try a different style of running Screams Amongst the Stars, but I was under the impression that Saves were reserved fro them players were in really bad situations, and not as a sort of skill roll mechanic. The game already covers those by stating that players should succeed any reasonable rolls (I guess backgrounds could be used as a guideline of what constitutes "reasonable" here), or rely on the Luck Rolls.

Again, maybe I missed something, if so my bad. Just thought I should give our Referee some friendly reminders about the other mechanics available in the game.

I figure the will save is from the imagery in red (unsure if that's blood) so like a guts/fear check from Savage Worlds, you pass it's gross, you fail you figure out it's poo or blood, and the dex check from the clutter/possible booby traps with us mucking about.

Sorry for the delays again.

So yes, this system only uses saves to avoid trouble/harm. I guess there could be better ways to make use of skill checks for this game, so if you any suggestions, do share. For now, I try to strike a balance. When you make a roll, there is roughly 50%(depending on stats) for undesired results. Passing saves counts as nothing bad, but nothing definitely good. Then I make tiers for fail and pass, because my style I now like is to make a transition of results, instead of black and white fortunes.

Also, failing Will saves very badly have the bonus of perceiving supernatural phenomena. It might give hints to the threat for the mission, or could just be plain insanity.

Edited my last post.

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

Btw, as a hint, the "Watcher" in this narrative is not the same as the Watcher alien in the rule book. You are not really meant to view that section of the rule, but I am just sharing first if any of you might question this change OOC.

Anyways, this universe is not following the setting in the rule book.

I think I'm going to bow out of that game. I had certain expectations during the recruitment phases which I explained here and here. So far, those expectations have not been met.

Like I said earlier, it is entirely possible RoAries wanted to try something different and there was some miscommunication as to what the game was going to be.

I do not wish to shift the blame entirely on RoAries, as I understand this system to be daunting for people who come from backgrounds where they are used to have the players roll for each action they're attempting, and it might feel comforting to take refuge in using saves as skill substitutes. Sadly, the game was not built to be used that way.

I know this might make me sound like a massive hypocrite since I am a huge proponent of the golden rule (it's your game, you bought it, you do what you want with it), but ultimately the golden rule only works if every one around the table is having fun, and I must admit, with all those rolls, I am not having fun right now.

As such, I will take full blame here, that perhaps I should have been clearer, or paid more attention as to what was written. I am terribly sorry for what inconvenience my departure might cause, and hope anyone sticking around the best of luck.

I think that I agree. Homebrewing rules to fill in gaps in the system makes sense when those gaps are oversights. But these are not design flaws, this system is based upon an expectation for success when the plot is not on the line rather than simply overwhelming tasks as obstacles.

I was hesitant to read this through, but at least I understand your grievances. Sorry that I have made it unenjoyable with the requests of rolls for everything. I would prefer for my players to let me know first if anything was becoming unbearable, so I could try to readjust.

Alright, so this system is best to stick with the no Skill rolls needed, unless inherent harmful risks is associated with the action. I have made outcomes too based on dice luck. I will pull back on such things in future for this game.

If you still opt to be out, kalajel, I'll understand. I'll figure out what to do with the scene.

For the rest, I'll request for a vote now on whether you want me to continue to use a tier based outcome for roll results for this game. If you vote to revert to the original rule of pass or fail, I will make results to only be "tier 2" type, or expectedly reasonable.

I'm still up to play but maybe a blurb or verbage on how things work for a roll or non roll would have helped?

*How combat works. Roll init and state your action? Does the slower inits get stated first and the higher the number more data you have or vice versa high init acts and every lower init posts in reaction to what's happened like how we're doing?

*How Social Works.

*How Research/Investigation works.

I agree with Remnant. If we're not going to play Screams Against the Stars as written, and you want to make fundamental changes to the way it plays, then I think it is reasonable to codify the rules.

If you prefer to run a skill-system based game, then maybe a different system is the way to go. The characters aren't so complicated as to be hard to convert.

On a sidenote I think it's awesome we as adults can discuss this and hash something out.

Had I known you wanted something with skill rolls, I would have strongly suggested another system.

But coming back to the subject of why it is a bad idea to replace skill checks with saves in Screams Amongst the Stars, you must consider the following. We roll attributes using 2d6+3, this means an average of 10 per attribute (looking at what we've rolled, we seem to be pretty much within the ball park...). Since saves requires you to roll your (current) attribute or under, we're talking of a best-case scenario of having roughly 50% or so chances of succeeding. This works perfectly for saves made in order to avoid some horrible fate, not so much for mundane skills...

I think this is why the game insists on letting players auto-succeeding at mundane tasks. The spirit of the rules if you will: "let the players have their little victories, they'll be hurting soon enough when they start rolling saves or getting into fights...".

So... this game dead in the water? Like a moldy skull in a bucket? Zakk's next single by the way is Moldy Skull in a bucket.

Sorry for the delays. Had a new job, and need to mentally prepare to post.

Another apology again. I am busy this season, but if any of you still want to discuss how to continue, we can.

I thought I have shared in the "background information" thread, but maybe it's not enough info. (nevermind, it's not enough, and rule changes will cause much more confusion. Sorry.)

I was thinking to make use of rolls more. I was getting interested in having a range of results to simulate that the narrative could be more natural instead of looking rigid. I also thought that creating risks and opportunities for rolling is good player interaction, as I don't want you guys to feel bored/lack of agency in the introduction scenes. This can be further discussed as GMing philosophy, but so far I have messed up, as I didn't do enough pregame discussion. And also have been adding extra rules without player input.

---

I will go ahead and give brief answers.

If you go with non roll, there will be a sort of natural outcome, but if we go with the route of non-instant success, "normal" will mean what makes sense for your character backgrounds. But with rolling, you have the chance of getting a better result at the cost of getting a worser one. The stats have an effect, and give a leaning chance to succeed or fail.
If we go with the original rules of instant success, you will already have the knowledge and skill of a professional space explorer.

Combat works as what we are doing so far. Roll init if party and enemies are aware of each other. If you pass, you are faster and act first, and failure means act after enemy. After first round, the order will be more clear with party and enemy alternating.

Social can be roll or non roll. Rolling normally means that your interaction has an effect you want, which has a chance of not happening with the npc, and could lead to more complications.

Investigating, this part I am also thinking how to best do it. Do I make it a roll to determine outcome, or do I give environmental clues and see how you guys want to approach the investigation? Both options have pros and cons on how easily you can solve a "puzzle".

Research, this part, I have tried to make rules in the "background information" thread. If you are doing quick research, it will be similar to Investigating.

Alright, looks like the issue is that I want to play with skill checks, but the system is different to the extent it doesn't do that.

Remnant, Qralloq, what do you think? Shall we continue in this system and have the new spacers be somewhat smooth in their operation before things escalate to needing saves? Or shall we move to a system that can accommodate what we are doing so far, in terms of having different skilled characters?

I'd like to continue, but I'm also unreasonably gunshy about houserules. I'll defer to Remnant: if he wants to continue as you've suggested, then I'll happily do so and try my best.

Well to self-depracate a bit I canceled a game I was starting due to not thinking the players would have time to post and to that point succeed due to activity levels and just getting legit characters created after a month didn't happen, also some people were confused on rulings for character creation or at least implied until requested to show where in the book they go the ruling or interpretation.

If we're going more space opera I think the system being more rules light and less roll heavy works out of the box. That's the feel of the genre. If it's going to be for lack of better words more Sci-Fi D20 checks for most things due to homebrewing I think we should talk and agree upon what dictates a roll and the standard DCs and such to speed things along so we understand what we're playing.

For example are we going to take a rules light exploration investigation game and homebrew it to be a crunchy skill check oriented game? That sounds more like a different game in a different system than a homebrew update to me. Although I can do either I'd like to know which way things float, because if it's more crunch we should have a more distinct idea action X does or does not involve a check since it's more Roll vs Role.

I do get you're trying to find the right mechanics and meta of a system to run the story of a game but currently as a test there's data and feedback to end it from the data so far.

TLDR: I don't think the current system with homebrew is working to run the kind of story/game for the players and GM that have all the pistons firing. New system honestly would kind of be a repitching so in a way similar but new PCs unless you have enough data to figure some things out on how you wanted to run the plot and we end it so you can plan V2.

I think you've described my own feelings on the situation perfectly. If we want to rebuild the characters using a skill based system, I think that one time pain would yield greater benefits than attempting to turn rules-light into rules-medium.

One option would be to wrap up the current scene and then start somewhere later, be it with a time skip and introduce a couple new players -- as I say that, I know that RoAries puts a ton of effort into establishing back story for us all, and so that's not as easy as just interjecting a few new faces.

Alright, I see that we are now leaning to using a new system to make skill checks, as to ease my GMing style. Also with time skipping to recruit more players.

However, if you guys still desire to do away with skill checks via this system, then I'll readjust and communicate any issues or system changes I'm planning. If I'm still vague about something, please let me know.

---
Btw, regarding what my vision of the story is, is that it centres on a closed off human planetary civilisation that just recently begun to re-explore space, and discover more disturbing truths of the situation of their species.
So the theme would be sci-fi cosmic horror. But could potentially develop into Space Opera, with elements of survival horror for the focus on the individual.

For such a theme, would you think rules light or medium is better?

Broad strokes:
I think it's also an opportunity to look at and think so you can state if the game is more about skill checks or the discovery exploration part of things. Skill checks means quantitative and quantitively means conflict physical/social/intellectual for a well beat down to get a desired result for PCs and NPCs. Skill check combat has a scripted outcome in the process, if it's more RP and rules light it's any one's guess and fickle what happens.

Under the hood with the zoom in googles down:
So for sci-fi cosmic horror is sanity a mechanic or an RP point? Or would it just lumped into additional mental task burden?
The Oxygen Tank resource management part to me kind of pinged the game at survival already.

Meta on a system
I think for rules light to ultrafine modular metal powder crunchy I guess what do you want the PCs to hit on the beats during a session/adventure/episode? FYI I play crunchy very differently probably then most of my characters on GP because it's data driven and that's a different mindset then RP heavy since to me that'smore Chuck would do X cause they have beer or something since it's more cinematic versus scripted/formulaic.

That said I figure this and the Cypher game are test games to see what system hits those beats you want the players to be on for the story and theme. This topic in general could probably span and be waxed poetically about for the same time as a long running campaign though.

@Qralloq your thoughts?

I don't think that I had any expectations of the game being a certain way when we joined up. I just knew basically it would be "sci fi with horror elements" and trusted RoAries to do that well.

Once we settled on Screams Against the Stars, then the expectation evolved a bit. More story driven, improv style seemed the key, with a kind of unforgiving resource management mechanic to bend the horror back in a bit.

I like trying new systems, it's my primary motivation to joining and running lots of games. I'm less a fan of houserules because that can obliterate the feeling and intention of the ruleset. Skill checks would drastically alter the play of SAtS enough that we are no longer playing that. HOWEVER, the game comes first rather than any purist interest I have.

As has been said before, you can play and game with any system.
-- Powered by the Apocalypse might be a good skill system for this style if you want to keep it rules light -- no real skills, just generic approaches or Moves as they call them. Then you can simply focus on the story, and call for a Move when you want the chance of failure to be on the table.
-- Cypher certainly works, for a straightforward roll-over mechanic we're all familiar with.
-- If we stick with SAtS, then maybe simply adding in a 13th Age style Background pool, or D&D 5e/PF2e style Proficiency Bonus to add to the base stat checks when the PC would have skills in the relevant area. Keep any homebrew very simple is my preference.

Alright. Now I have a better sense of how I should do it.

SAtS should be more RP interactive. I am thinking of making use of chance still, via the 1d6 luck roll. The expectation is that a roll of 1 is normally less desirable than a 6 for the players, and this roll shall be made by me as the GM. The probable outcomes of a luck roll will be kept secret. There could be minimum of 2 outcomes and max of 6 if done this way.

Stats are only as health/Sanity resource for survival, and lower of such stats mean less likelihood to avoid danger, aka save rolls.

Combat is straight forward. Attacks auto hit, and only roll the damage. Distances and armour will be taken into account. There may be special abilities and moves, and this will be discussed when the time comes.

For the first mission and planet, lack of clean oxygen will not be instant death, but will affect health for prolonged inhalation of the planet air.

If you guys are fine with my plan of continuing with the SAtS system, with the addition of occasional use of luck rolls, then I shall prepare to make a post of Time skipping the fight, and also posting to look for more players. Any new players' characters will be staff of the current colony base sent to accompany the new arrivals.

Sure, that sounds simple enough.

Works for me.

Hello and welcome SavageBob! We will character Creation posts on the relevant thread, but I would like to give the new players an option.

You can go with the original way of rolling for everything. Any background that seems at odds with standard space colony stuff could be further discussed.

Or, you could pick and choose what background and appearance that you want. To make it fair to the starting players, I'll say that you will be given 1 background item, and 1 less O2 canister. But in exchange, you get to manually describe your character.

---

Let me know if you guys have any opinion on the second character Creation method.

Hey, folks! I'm happy to be joining you all. I've toyed with doing a cosmic horror game in Star Wars for awhile now, so it's exciting to try it out here in a more Aliens-esque setting (as I understand it).

I'm happy to roll up stats randomly, so I'll do that in the Character Creation thread. After that, I tend to find a picture of my PC first (finding something on Pinterest that inspires me) and then work out character traits and background from that. I'll go ahead and do the stats part, but I'll need another day or so to finish the rest. Once I have some basic idea of who the person is, I'll be very reliant on all of you to fill me in on what's going on and how I might slot into it!

Welcome SavageBob, perfect time to join us

I might be using the wrong sort of job titles, such as communication officer. I was looking for a title for someone that communicates back to headquarters from a distant base of operations.

Well if it's military themed: Signal Officer

There is another player coming in, FlyingSucculent!

Hello there! :D All the familiar faces, ey!

Woot! Hi FS

Welcome, FlyingSucculent!

FlyingSucculent's intro thread makes me think I did a woefully poor job of roleplaying Tariq's similar thread. My apologies! I was hoping his personality and motivations would be better revealed through play.

On that note, am I supposed to be posting in the main thread yet? I've been waiting for some indication I'm in the scene, but maybe I'm supposed to make that happen on my end? Just let me know what you prefer, RoAries.

Ah yes. You all can now enter the main thread.

Sorry if I may be occasionally absent. But I'll still be able to post here easier when I have the time.

FlyingSucculent, are you there? You can introduce yourself to the main thread now.

I'm thinking of making a Hex map for world traveling. Do any of you have suggestions for a free and easy to use hex tile map maker? Otherwise I'll use what I can.

FS is catching up on games.

Sorry about not posting for a while! I'm here, and catching up with the thread; will post shortly. :D

I remember trying out MapTool, though I don't have much experience with it. But it seems like a good program - maybe worth a try? I checked, and it does have hex mode!

The way I do random encounters for this is:

I make a list of 6 possible things happening/seen. I will roll 1d6 for that, and then 1d6 to see the suggestion of where it will be.

When an Event used, there will be a new one added to the list. It starts with 6 tier 1 events, then slowly replaced by Tier 2, then Tier 3 and so on. As the tier gets higher, more dangerous and/or weirder things will happen.

The frequency of events depends on movement speed and whether the area have been explored or not. Walking will give 1d6 roll, where on a 6, an event happens. For the truck, it will be a 1d2 roll, where on a 1, one event happens, and on a 2, 2 events happen instead. If traveling over explored areas, the frequency will halve.

If not long rested for 2 days/8 watches, rules say will have disadvantage on all saves. I would also want to add attribute damage for extended periods of not long resting/not having supplies to do, but I am thinking how I could do it. What do you guys think about this?

I suppose you could have us roll a save after each week or so? That is, if you want to do that kind of bookkeeping.

I started with only 30 credits, so I only have one week of rations. I guess I didn't realize this was such a resource-counting game. We should have negotiated with the quest-giver for an advance so we could get supplies!

Yall are getting paid?

Falconloft says he is busy and will be dropping out. I'll consider what to do about that in game.

I'm back, hope I didn't miss anyhing too critical. :)

Also, I realized that I completely forgot about rations (to be fair it's not too out of character), so I probably shouldn't have been able to rest. Not that I have any damage to heal anyway... yet. And I only have 30 credits, so it would've been just a week of rations. Guess I'll hope to hunt some alien creature. XD

My bad, I thought Falconloft was one of you guys. He haven't started character Creation yet. It's OK then.

From my feedback of my other games, I have decided to roll the required dice for the players when they make a post of doing an action that I want to have dice rolled for. You can still roll dice, if you are expecting that I may ask for it. This is to make PBP games faster to run.

Though, make sure your sheet is updated whenever needed. Such as damage taken, rations used, and time spent without long rest.

Btw, I have decided to make save rolls of 20 or 1 to have a little more effect. Such as 20s causing the damage dice that I might roll for failure would be 1 size higher(aka 1d4 to 1d6).
And 1s might give bonus information without the will damage, or some other advantage.

What do you think?

I fear I won't survive long even without my fantastic rolls of 20s. XD
But sounds fun, crits can make for a dramatic moment! I don't mind it.

I agree. I'm unfamiliar with the system enough that I trust you to do what you think is fun, RoAries.

Since I feel that you haven't made your action and answer clear in your post, I will assume you will just continue your action of shooting enemies. Also, I'll roll the dice for your position.

Are you OK with that? I'll make my post in another day or so to give time for your reply.

I want to apologise first for not posting/nudging. I am busy with other things like research, since I have to resign from my job this year.

I will try to see if I can post soon.

Hope all is well, RoAries. Real life comes first! Take your time.

Yeah, echoing what SavageBob said! It's alright, we can wait on being horrendously devoured by smiling faces. :D

*takes notes for possible lyrics* Making out with a planet or getting eaten. Hmm...

Link to discord

Check out a discord server I made collecting my universe games and media.

I don't use Discord for gaming right now, sorry. But great to know anyway, maybe I'll swing by someday in the future. :D

Same! I'm a bit of a Discord luddite. I'm just too busy to hang out and chat, unfortunately. But I hope it's a good repository for you, RoAries!

Thanks! I am working on it as blog/museum for my creations. Maybe it can become a media project? Though, I am not a social person to seek artists and stuff.

Hey, I can draw you something! :D Although my cartoony style admittedly doesn't fit most settings all that well.

Thanks for offering! No real idea right now. Just trying to upload more stories or drawings later.

We have lost Qralloq.

Please guys, give me feedback if you feel there are things that can be improved or if something have put you off.

My original expectation for the current scene is that the party will notice that there is time pressure since the enemies will keep coming. Either you get in the structure, get out, or get killed off the moment I have decided to not give mercy.

That's a shame, but I do want to say that I personally am enjoying the game. :)
Also, hi in advance to any new players who'll join us!

Hi hi,
RoAries invited me to take up the role of Matsuki Magumi.
I'm looking forward to play with you all ;)

@FlyingSucculent We meet again! :D

I already read the background info and the character introduction thread. I'll try to read the mission threads this week.
Where can I find the rules? And I'll somehow need access to Matsuki's character sheet I guess

Sent message with info to you.

Btw, Zakk is left to make his action and movement.

@Scrol
Yay, Scrol! Nice to see you here! :D
Join us being eaten by creepy smiley faces!

Btw, I have given descriptions of other inactive characters in the recruitment thread at Games Tavern. Scrol, if you want, you can still choose another character, but you will not be part of the combat encounter.

Guys, I want to ask. Do you need help with guidance on what you can do, or do you want to carry on the current style of me letting you interpret and explore what can be done?

I'm alright with how it is right now! :D That is, unless I'm missing anything crucial.

I also had a question about the vacsuit actions. You said "Next round's action will allow you to take it out properly" - does it mean that I won't have to roll, but will still use an action? And then I'll need another action to wear it, right? So two turns total.

Yes. If you fail your retrieving roll, your next round action can be to still retrieve and it will succeed, even if the slot number is more than 12. Then, since I can't find the rule on wearing armour, I'll assume it will use up your action and movement.

I have another question, do you think that your starting credits is not enough to for what you need? I did try to allow some time for you to decide what you want to buy when you leave the base, and mentioned you can pool your credits with discussion with the rest. Now, I'm sorry, but it's too late to retcon, unless I offer it with consequences to make it fair. Because I will make 1 hint clear now: Don't try to stay in one spot, they will not stop coming as long as you are exposed within the pit.


Another question, do you want mercy or no mercy from enemies? Right now, it is mercy, because I am intentionally trying to make you survive despite what may be happening. No mercy means the enemies will now be fully intelligent, no wasted actions, and will use their action to run if you are distant.

I'm afraid I might lose Tariq and Zakk.

I wasn't here for initial discussion about credits, and I also completely failed to grasp that I was supposed to spend them before we left (and now Nikolai's gonna be straving on the way back). XD Packing is hard.
Not gonna say no to new people (if they make new characters) starting with more money, wink-wink. :D

I fear that we all will just go down with no mercy. XD And since I'd rather keep Nikolai around, I would prefer if it isn't too... hardcore. Some challenge, but not too brutal?

Hey yall, Savage is got the irl work stuff and between my new job, marital issues, and finding a new place in the next two months plus move I'm a bit jammed for time to jump on the site. My apologies. Have Zakk keep walking his line of fire where it's appropriate I guess and saying random things? It'd be like I'm still here. XD. Again my apologies.

Matsuki is perfectly fine ;)

Okay I've brought myself up to date. So we are fighting those creepy faces above while Nikolai is having fun in his newly found underground bunker :P

Can I attack one of the face straight away. Or can I communicate with them and attack during my turn?

Alright. I'll consider that 3 of the 4 current players will be unavailable. Idk if it's ok to ask for new players to take over.
(btw, I still don't understand what Remnant mean by walking his line of fire.)

@Scrol: You can communicate, though if you want any actual effect like giving information or persuasion, it will be an action, and I will ask for Will save, failing will make them focus on you.

@FlyingSucculent: Do you want me to puppet your allies to follow you, or do you want me send them to safety?

You're welcome to join! >:D I'm almost certain that there is something unpleasant waiting below, and I doubt his claws alone will cut it, pun intended.
Getting them inside will mean more work for you and a possible danger to the characters, so I think I'd rather have them retreat to "regroup" somewhere nearby until SavageBob and Remnant are back. I think Remnant meant for Zakk to stay firing at the faces (but don't quote me on that), so maybe they can narratively stay by the edge of the pit and provide cover fire for when/if Matsuki decides to join Nick? Not actually in danger or doing actions, just for flavor.

Just to let you guys know just in case, I am getting a little more busier, so I may not be posting as often.

Since it's becoming a disaster, I'll opt to make it "no mercy mode". However, it is what supposed to be, I am supposed to make it very clear what you can do, and most things should be easy, aside when its not supposed to be. I will try to make it right slowly.

Hey, I just wanted to say that I'm enjoying the game - be it running exactly by the rules or not, it's fun. :D Your post in the Tavern seems to judge it pretty harshly, but I respectfully disagree: I think it's going quite nicely!

No mercy sounds quite ominous... but no pain no gain, right? XD That said, I don't have anything to do for the next two turns, since Nikolai is putting on his vacsuit. Poke me when these turns pass, please, so I know when I can start doing stuff again. Hopefully no one will get eaten by the faces in the meantime.

And I wish you a swift recovery from whatever you're sick with! :)

You're right calling it no mercy is scary, "smart mode" is more appropriate. The enemies, PCs, and the GM should be smarter instead of causing confusion.

Hello everyone, and thanks for the invite.

Is there something specific I should know about what kind of character I come up with?

Welcome! :D Come join our facetastic adventure!

You have the option of choosing to play a character that a player is not around to play as.

There is Zakk, the rockstar cameraman who is fighting to escape from the Faces.
There is Oddball, a hippie engineer who is arriving into the colony base.
There is Jerome, a priest that is recovering from a fight with cultist thugs.

You could also play as a new character. If so, you will be a staff stationed at the colony base.

Edit: Ah I now see that you have rolled for your character. Ok, I'll discuss in that thread.

Just a bit of feedback. I'm enjoying the game so far and I don't mind the bit of danger that is added by playing in "No mercy mode".
Maybe add a visual like a crude map for the next fight. I think I have a bit of a mental image of the battle field now but it took a bit. But that's only a minor issue for me.
I'm excited to see where the adventure is headed ;)

Ok, I'm still here, crap happened in life, but it's mostly over.

That sucks, I hope you're alright, whatsup!

I hope I can make a post today. That would be good.

Hi, Ro.

If GM burnout is a thing for you, some randomization might help. I didn't know before our game with FluxCapacitor started that there are published things which do exactly that, and surprisingly well.

* Ironsworn has lots of random tables called Oracles, and it's completely free.

* The Mythic GME (Game Master Emulator) is a full system to drive a game without a formal GM, but it can also be used as a great guidance / support addition to a regular game (actually both as a GM and as a player.)

* The Game Master's Apprentice Decks are sets of 120 cards without a system, and they are a wonderful source of inspiration.

All require intelligent interpretation, but I don't think any of the people here are short on that.

I'm not a sort who does randomisers, unless I make one. I want to be in control of the scene instead of being too wild. Though yes, I do feel burn out as I fear I may not post something good enough.

Thanks for the suggestions anyways.

As for the main thread, sorry again for taking a while. I'll be back once I have handled others.

I'm not impatient with this game, my post was a late response for your distress in the Games Tavern recruitment thread.

It's all good, RoAries, we can wait! :D I for one have games with 1 post per month in speed, and am perfectly fine with that. This one is fast in comparison!
(Also, perfectionism is a struggle, I feel that.)

A bit busy, and need a good mind to handle this again. Hopefully soon.

Fun fact: when searching Screams Amongst the Stars in Google, this game is the ninth result (for me, at least). XD

Seventh for me.

Sorry for taking weeks to make a post. I will try to make one today.

I think I will try tomorrow.

Still is difficult. Will post when I do.

That's alright, take your time! Hope you're doing well. :)

Thanks Flying Succulent. I now have 6 day work weeks of intense training to be an engineer, and I find I have less personal time than before.

Oh, what kind of engineer? If you don't mind me asking, of course! Also, good luck with training! :D

Alright. I am training to be a Build Information Modelling Engineering. I will have to use multiple programs to help with designing and planning buildings.

And thanks!

No worries btw.
Some games run slower, some run faster. PbP-gaming is good for both ;)

Thanks for being patient. I will try to get to posting again. Though, my time will remain busy.

(I just wanted to mention that I'm still around, just have nothing to write since the last post. :D)

I want to apologise for being noticeably absent for the main game thread.

For Nikolai, I may not have addressed the actions he want to perform. Sorry for not explaining that I'm doing that because he does not have the turn action to do that yet.

I want to give compensation for the long absence. My idea is just give attribute improvements of 2 points without rolling. If you want it, let me know which attribute you wan to distribute to.

I was curious about that, thank you for explaining!
And no worries about absences, things happen (and so does writer's block). :)

I am not the one to turn down freebies, especially considering how poorly this all might go. XD I'll take points to Wil and Dex, please!

Boop? Also, there is a new person interested in this game in Games Tavern. :D

Oh yeah, forgot that it was my turn. And thanks for letting me know about the interested player. I kind of gave up on bumping the thread.

I'm on vacation until August 15th. I'll probably post from time to time but it'll be inconsistent.

Alright. Thanks for letting me know.

Hello, Marcabru! :D

Hello FlyingSuculant! Hello everyone! Now that my character is created and ready, I just wanted to ask how will Harlock be introduced in the story?

See you all in space!!!

Hey there Marcabru. Hope you'll enjoy the game with us.
We are currently on our way to be driven mad by some strange fungus. I think after that you'll be introduced :D

Awesome! Good luck out there!

"And so, the fool shall look after the madman"

Twelfth Night, Shakespeare

You can begin soon. Though at the colony base, investigating the strange "definitely not a cult" group. From there, you could be direct, though with high consequences. Or you can take your time to explore and or gain some allies.

Btw, any suggestions with how you like to begin? An idea is that you are likely a temporary staff of the base, since you are a Navigator. You could have picked up rumours of strange holes that looks like faces, everyone becoming moody, and a overly passionate fanclub devoted to mentioned hole face. Maybe you are curious about finding more, or maybe you have some other goals that happens to unintentionally clash with this group.

Being a Navigator, maybe I was temporarily on the base waiting for a new assignement, and started after a few days to notice the strange beheaviour of the more permanant staff, and decided to look into it? How does that sounds? About my goals, as I am from the Industrials, I saw my parents being used basically as slaves by the governamemt, and so decided from an early age to enroll in the navy, climb in rank, until I could captain one of their ship, then defect and becoming a rogue asset, disrupting their trade lanes and giving back to tge people in the small amout I could. So he obviously raised in rank up to navigator, and I think it's only an unhappy coincidence that Harlock waits his next assignment at this particular station. He doesn't miss the occasion to see there's something aloof in the station, that may (or may not) help him in his endevor (I think it fits the narative well and fits also his power hungry trait)

What do you think? I'm happy to chanve everything if need be :)) Also, my items include a "weapon" but I do not know what weapon! Shod I make a roll for that?

This is interesting that Harlock is basically a runaway from the Alliance, while my character is an exile from the Union. :D It would be a fun conversation if they ever meet (that is, if we survive the spooky face mold).

That would make for some interesting convo, for real!!! IF they can trust eachothers! Haha!

I just wanted to say, I'm in the middle of a tour (I'm a touring artist) so if I don't write or answer right away to the OOC or mission thread, don't panic, I'll reply as soon as I can!

Alright thanks for letting us know! BTW, I will add slots for inventory that you get to have. If you want to rearrange the order, you can.

As for weapon, just imagine what weapon someone like Harlock would use. Note that two handed weapons will take up 2 slots.

Speaking of which, I think I'll edit Nikolai sheet too to make 2 gauntlets table to take 2 slots, but share durability points.

Hello everyone!
Thanks RoAries for inviting me to the game!

I think Oddball is ready to go. Just let me know how to role in... Probably a fast finish of his introduction thread?

Hi, Cathamber! Hope our characters survive to meet yours! XD

Just wondering, do you guys peek into one another's thread? Your character won't know anything ooc, but I like to think you guys also follow the side stories.

I read all of the side stories when I joined and I occasionally read into the other character creation threads when I have time.
Of course OOC and IC knowledge is strictly separated :D

I read the character creation threads of most when I joined. And just finished to read the main story. Please survive!!
I'd rather adventure WITH you guys, instead of going to the place FOR you (or your bodies...).
Edit 1: BTW... Prof. Oddball is still asleep flying to the base, right?
Edit 2: YES!! He woke up! let's go!

I skim through them and reread when it becomes relevant. Don't want to get invested in case we never meet, I suppose.

And we will try, Cathamber, we will try... XD

Also, Oddball, dude, these were some really good herbs if you are seeing a flying plant with a propeller, in a tie and wearing glasses. Thanks, though, I am proud of them! Also please don't accidentally join a cult back at the station, that would be awkward to discover when our... ahem, proteges, come back.

Hehe no problem from my side ;)
A comic relief character is probably a good idea anyway. It balances out the serious Matsuki and the dutyful Nikolai :D

And we will try our best to survive. But maybe you have to scrape some fungus from our bodies afterwards

Hi guys, I see you ARE surviving that encounter.. against all odds I might add. That's great!
I hope Oddball will arrive at the base around the same time as you... unless you run into trouble on your way driving back.

RoAries, Oddball's intro thread is taking a bit longer than I thought it would, but I wouldn't rush it.. I think it makes good story, as you said it allows for more world-building, and I don't feel he will can make much progress in the base without the rest of the crew. Or curse, if you have something else planned, do as you feel appropiate.

I hope we survive the encounter. If action movies taught me anything it is that red blinking boxes like to go BOOM! XD

Got to say that I enjoy Matsuki's role in this part a lot! She is quite opposite from Oddball in many ways, so I would expect a lot of opportunities for misunderstandings, conflict and team work.

I also think that Matsuki and Oddball will have some quite interesting clashes
I'm excited to see it play out. Lot's of IC banter incoming XD

And meanwhile Wolf is just going to be quiet in a corner, because socialising is so not his area of expertise. (Or maybe Oddball can spike his soda and add some fun into Wolf's life. XD)

Absolutely Scrol, me too XD

Hahaha, Flying is asking for trouble! ... and it COULD happen ;)

Are you guys waiting for me, or just busy? If you are confused about what to do, let me know.

Sorry. I thought I was up to speed in this game. Just posted ^^

FYI Seems like FlyingSucculent will be missing for some time :(

Sorry I'm busy for a while and haven't been checking back frequently. But I'll get around to posting hopefully soonish

No problem. ^^

@Cathamber I think you're up to respond. But since a week have passed, I'll offer to move it along.

Alright. I'm also trying to give focus on my desk job, though now I'm getting used to it.

As always, I'm paranoid if my players inactivity might mean interest is being lost, but busyness is fine. If objectives being unclear is a reason to avoid posting(or similiar), do let me know because I want to avoid a similar thing like last time when I made my game too open world for my players to have a clear direction, especially when groups of interests are putting pressure on the party by hunting for them.

Hey, I'm back from my AWOL moment! Are we still playing? I'll post in a bit, though I'm hesitant to join the conversation Oddball is having with the dream crew - for now.

Also, can I get a refresher on who Sabe Ruth is? You mentioned them as a "design-stealer" Nikolai knows, but I honestly can't remember anything about them; I failed whatever roll relates to memory here. XD

Hi FlyingSucculent. It seems that the others have paused somewhat. You can go ahead to join the conversation if you want, as you are with them too.

As for Sabe Ruth,
you can see my first mention of him with this link.

(BTW, the name is a reference hint to his role in relation to Nikolai)

Hello everyone. Sorry for the long delays. I have a feeling we may be taking longer than necessary, both on my part and the players.

Let know how you guys feel about this. Are you guys fine with continuing like this, or might we end this?

I'm fine with continuing if you are, I don't mind slower posting rates. :)

Same for me ;)
If you want to continue I'm willing too

Fair enough. I can continue. Its just that I may feel some pressure if we are getting really slow. But if you're cool, then I will take my time too.
(I might make a post tomorrow)

Quick question: do we still have a way to communicate to each other at a distance?

Eh, I'll say that you guys do have one. Makes splitting up easier to handle.

You both get a free Communicator.

I have made a third recruitment thread, I think. I feel that only two players may be too little. So far it is fine, but I think 3-6 players is good for a party.

Hey everyone. Thanks for having me. I’ll start trying to make a character.

Is there anything the party needs? Any roles that need to be filled?

Welcome Aegis!

As for roles, I'm not too sure. Maybe someone better at social interactions, idk. You can make whatever you want I suppose. Then we cab discuss how to fit you into the ongoing mission, or you join when the current problem is over.

Why would someone might join the Visage Discussion Club?

1) Nightmares and hallucinations have made work difficult. To solve it, one might look for anyone willing to give answers.
2) The lowering of salary by the government who funds the space projects found that supporting tech development more, and worker welfare less is seemingly more profitable. Joining a union of some kind becomes desirable.
3) Spiritual individuals may see the aliens as their saviours. With the previous 2 reasons being an issue, having outside help to overthrow the current regime can seem attractive.

Welcome, Aegis, glad to have you here! :D

For team composition, maybe someone with an outgoing personality would be nice. Neither Matsuki nor Wolf are particularly social, so having someone for diplomacy and team bonding might help the whole thing to gel better. :P

Those are great tips! Thanks!

Hi I'll join as well.
We'll see how character genration goes :)

Hello and welcome too GeneralET!

Welcome the General!

I submitted my character. Gotta find a pic for him but I think that can wait a few days.

Welcome Aegis and GeneralET! I'm looking forward to game together :D

Me too. Seems really fun

Welcome, GeneralET! o/

Thanks glad I join you guys!

We’re waiting for mission 1.3 to wrap up before we jump in, right?

You can probably jump in when both current PCs are out of immediate danger? I think we aren't planning to take on the cult right away, so it would make sense if we try to recruit help after we reconvene and before the confrontation. At least I think this was the idea. :D

Also, welcome, Kaneda_Shepard!

Yeah. That makes sense. Just wanted to confirm.

@FlyingSucculent I see that that is your plan... sounds like a good idea. And then the cult confrontation with new players can be a good climax to the end of the "1st chapter", and an introduction to the campaign for the new players.

Sounds great!

Yep. Excited

What's in the bag!!!!!

Maybe it's the talking skull. :P

Since Matsuki discovering our gagged and bound employer kinda complicates matters, I want to propose a new method to get new players into the situation right now! How about this: Matsuki informs Nikolai about the hostage situation, Nikolai goes "welp, time for plan C" and rushes to meet her guns blazing, and on his way grabs the first three people he runs into (being Nicky, Grant and Hui) for backup? He can offer them money, or pretend that it's a technical emergency, or flex nonexistent authority, whatever works for them. :D

Hmm, that could work as well.

I got to see how they fit into their current location firsut. It can be done with a quick discussion here...

Hello everyone! Excited to get started on this campaign, looks very good so far!

Hello everyone! Excited to get started on this campaign, looks very good so far!

Discusion:
@Kaneda_Shepard @GeneralET @Aegis
Why is your character here?

This is a fairly simple question. You could be just be a staff already present and working at the colony base on Mersk for some time. If you want to be more special than that, you can let me know.

What were you in the middle of doing?

You could simply be taking your break at the cafeteria, when Nikolai comes across you and invites you to be involved in a mission. Or you could also just happen to be nearby of it. Or you could be one of several staff that is given a message about a request of doing a paid side job by Samantha the Assistant Base Communications Officer, and it is only now that you decide to accept it.

I think Grant is pet of the permanent staff. You can always use a welder and mechanic on a base like that.

And I also think he’s just in the break room relaxing and trying to figure out what he has to do to improve his station in life when this opportunity arises

Hui is definitely working at Mersk, but he knows he's nothing special, just making extra credits on the side by selling drugs to the other employees wanting a release. Oh, works out perfect in the break room, can we say that as Nikolai comes to speak to Aegis' character and because Hui is fatalistic, he believes that him running into these two was fate and forces himself into joining.

@Kaneda_Shepard

That works very well!
The employees suffering from nightmares and hallucinations definitely are seeking medication to relief their stress. In fact, one NPC I made for another player that became inactive is also a secret drug dealer. The thing is that officially selling and buying unlicensed drugs is illegal. But if you are secretive enough, that can be a thing most staff will not crack down on.

And you meeting Nikolai just in time can be seen as fate too.

Seeing the side job of Hui, I could see Nicky beeing there for "business" when Nikolai come in.

As for what he is doing Nicky and his band were hired foe a couple of gigs on Mersk. Beeing the adventurous type he would not turn down an opportunity to experiment new stuff and follow Nikolai.

This drug dealer lair break room better be on the route towards Matsuki, since I don't think it's in character for Wolf to specifically seek help; now if he were just to meet them on the way by crossing through, that works! I'm all in for him crashing a profitable deal. >:P

Son of a -

lol

I just noticed we were in the break room. Is this Grant’s cue?

I'm sorry guys for delays in posting. This month I have 2 communities I felt I'm accused and shamed from. It really hurts, as I'm not a person who handles hatred or rejection well. I will find time to post again in time.

No worries, take your time! And don't let people get to you too much. As someone who also struggles with social conflicts, let me tell you: there is always going to be someone who doesn't like you, that's just a fact of life, so sometimes it's better to move on and not dwell on these things. Anyway, I hope you feel better soon! :>

Yeah. I'll learn to handle such things as I grow more confident.

Well spoken FlyingSucculent ;)
Don't let yourself get down and focus on people that mean it well with you, RoAries. And take your time we're here for the long game :D

@RoAries - That really sucks. Sorry to hear it. Take your time to get resituated.

I just realized that the new trio's weapons are effectively a welder, a guitar and a bong. We better hope it doesn't actually come to fighting. XD

If Grant gets close enough, he can blind them or burn a tiny spot on them. It’ll hurt though.

Hello, just making sure you saw that I submitted my character to be accepted, so you guys aren't all just looking at a hooded figure haha.

lol

Sorry again for the delays guys. I'll accept your character, Kaneda. Also, you get to have a weapon that isn't your tools. However, we could also go with them being weapons too.

Guitar is 1d6 2-handee melee fragile, welder being 1d6 1-handed melee, bong is 1d4 1-handed melee fragile.

Fragile will mean that attacking with this item will cost 1 durability point.

Cool. I’ll think on another weapon, but the welder makes sense for this right now.

You should make it a cool futuristic welder which can turn into a sword, anime-style. :P

Ooo. I would do that in a second if that was even close to thematically similar to this genre, lol. I live that idea though.

As of right now, the tech for light sabre-like weapons is not available. But it might if this story develop further enough.

But then, it won't be a total power fantasy. Since it is space horror, it will feel like a dark souls game as I try to scale threats appropriately.

I figured, lol

I didn't actually mean a lightsaber, I was thinking more along the lines of it physically transforming. You know, like RWBY, for example? Or pretty much any action character with a prosthetic arm turning into a blade? I wouldn't say it's too futuristic. And come on, a welder turning into a scythe is very Dark Souls. XD

Ha

I want to apologise for leaving you guys hanging. I'll hopefully post again soon.

Just wanting to let everyone know I am going camping from September 7 - 10 and will be without internet, use my character as you will until I get back!

Have a fun time camping, Kaneda! :D

Also, I'm lagging a bit with my post, give me a day or two.
(And oh, there are more interested players in the recruitment thread? :0)

Sorry if I am slow to post too. I was sick last week. Still recovering a bit more.

And, ooh, more interested player responses?

@RoAries No worries. Do what you’ve got to do to recover

Feel better soon, RoAries! :3

I heartfelt get well from me too. Do what you have to do to get better and don't worry about the game. We'll be here when you're better ;)

Hey new players, can you help me also to arrange your items into a numbered list? Number 1 is the easiest to retrieve from inventory, with the last slot being least easy. Also, I want your oxygen tanks to take up individual slots. Make sure that your Vacsuit also take 2 slots.

Updated

Also help me note how you can carry/inventory slots. It is equal to STR + 5

And now that I checked, most 2-handed weapons should count as taking 2 slots.

I guess I'll help to edit sheets. Also, I'll make next post tomorrow. Better to keep things going.

Also, I have just updated my homebrew rules post in the background info thread.

Something happened with that last post you dropped. The only word in the post is "the"

I don't remember this rule from the beginning, is it new? Anyway, I edited it on my sheet too, since it only had gauntlets in two slots.
Just wanted to ask, please don't edit my sheet? I get super disoriented if things change on my sheet because of GM editing and don't match my backups. I promise I'll try to stay on top of changing rules. XD

I wanted to edit and make posts a few days ago, but I forgot again. Don't worry, I only touched Hui Zhili's regarding inventory number.
And yes, vacsuits always took up 2 slots.

I am thinking of allowing your oxygen cannisters to be "grouped in one slot". But I will read it as taking up a number of slots that is the number of cannisters.

Ha! For all his greed and maliciousness, Grant has a paper jaw. Lol

I think we need to consider investing in armor after this... XD

Just confirming… my dude is still knocked out right? I didn’t see where he came to it got medical attention or anything

I think he is. Which sucks, since there is a limit of six turns to recover, and it's already been at least three. Perhaps Hui can try to resuscitate him with, ahem, unconventional medicines?..

Getting dangerous. Classic OSR. Lol.

I just wanted to be sure I wasn’t missing anything and skipping turns.

Yeah, Grant is "unconscious" and have the Injured condition. You have 6 turns from that moment to dying, so treatment to stablise you is needed. But don't worry, I'll offer an opportunity for that to not happen.

I put unconscious in quotes because the rules only specifies that you are Incapacitated. So you can still be conscious but in crippling pain.

My poor gauntlets, I'll need to repair them after this. D:
Out of interest, do enemy weapons have durability too?

Related question: if I want to stop using the gauntlets, can I switch to unarmed immediately, or would it take a turn? (Theoretically I can just kick the opponents, so no need to free up hands? XD)

Enemy weapons would have durability, but since mostly they would start battle with full durability, unlikely(but possible) for their weapons to become unusable. (You can target enemy weapons to damage them as a dex or str save, but if it seems like its worth it. A success would reduce it by 1 point.)

As for switching weapons, I will say you can drop your weapon as a free action, but to switch to other weapons will require you to roll to take it from your inventory, so it will be action.
But you are also right... you could use kicking as an unarmed attack. I'll let you have that.

I really hope that after this chapter we'll have decent time to heal. :'D
(And also decent time for me to flirt with Connor. You bet I'm trying to establish NPC connections for extra drama. XD)

Are you going to invite people who expressed interest before, now that we have a new chapter? :D

Oh yeah. I almost forget. Yes, I will bring in the new people. Though I hope I won't seem too alienating the newer players as this game gets more players. I'll give some opportunity for downtime before the next mission reveal.

Thanks for sending me the invite @RoAries. I'm one of the new players. Hello all! I'll roll a character shortly.

Alright! Grant is back, baby!

Thanks for the invite! I’ll roll up a character tonight.

Thanks!

Hello Jomsviking, microtheMacroBear and Honor_Over_All! I'll get to checking your character generation to see if it's correct.

---

Also, I notice for a while GeneralET is inactive on the site. I will consider not involving his character for the next part if he is absent.

Just a heads up, I’ll check in and post when I can but I’m traveling for Thanksgiving for the next week and a half, so my posts will probably slow way down.

Safe travels, Aegis! :D

Thanks for letting us know Aegis! It should still be ok, since we are doing downtime and bringing new characters in. Happy Thanksgiving! (Is that right? I am not american.)

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates! Be safe traveling to all who are traveling! (That's right, RoAries)

It's because of your character sheet - you need to have something in the Character Name field, otherwise you can't post.

Ok, I'll check, thanks!

Sorry. I’m still here. holidays and real life caught me, so I’m catching back up. I should post soon.

Ok. Good to know you are still here. I will assume it is the same for everyone else. I will wait more then.

Hi! I'm traveling for work this week. I will try not to let it effect my posting rate, but there's a good chance my posting will slow down. I should be back to normal on Monday.

I will continue on today or tomorrow. If more of the previous player batch is around I will allow them to be involved again. Treat the characters like they are not around unless the player posts.

I am now back from my holiday. Hopefully I can get to posting again soon.

I am ready. If not extremely hungover

Holiday time is only starting for me (my country mainly celebrates New Year), so I might be absent for a few days before/after 31st - just a warning in case our two groups unite in the meantime.
Also, happy holidays everyone! :D

Hey. Super sorry I just dropped off the planet like that. I had a TON of stuff happen in RL (wife had a kid super early AND a brand new job and new responsibilities) and got pretty overwhelmed. I kept thinking I was going to post something "tomorrow" but tomorrow kept moving and by the time I realized that, it'd basically been a month, I guess.

Anyway, with all of my RL stuff going on, I've got to scale back and basically quit any of the games I was in if they didn't quit me first, so I won't be on the site much for a while.

Again, sorry to be so flighty.

Best wishes to you and your family, Aegis, I hope you're all well! :)

And hey, maybe you can jump back in when you get more time! Imagine, you return to an apocalyptic scenario with black mold cultists running everywhere... Quite cinematic.

Congratulations on the job and the baby!

Congrats Aegis! You go ahead with scaling back. I'm also in need to consider quiting somethings too, but I'll see.

As for now, sorry for delays, I'm currently on vacation with parents now for Chinese New Year. I'll find when I can start going through my games comfortably.

Sounds good

Have a good vacation, RoAries!

I might be a bit absent and extra slow to react for a while, but I'm still here. :D

Thanks, I will take another day to read and post.

I also will let you guys know that I will start a new job very soon, and may have weeks long absences then.

Just as a note, I'm successfully back. :D

Congrats on the new job! And all the holidays blessed be.

Just want to say as we slowly progress, I believe Jomsviking had a good idea of what this "Black Mold" is OOC. This alien entity is not really malevolent, but it is disruptive to current humanity. Having empathy or ignorance being morally unclear is an interesting part of eldritch horror.

I mean, it told me I am the chosen one. Just like every psychedelic fungus I have taken. I also just started my education in Radical Mycology, so I am thoroughly enjoying this as hard sci-fi. And lending as much of myself to Corvin as I can.

I'll would allow the ability to continuously upgrade the items, but I will put some limits in case if the glasses is getting too decked out. I will say computer glasses can exist, but not filled with features that requires multiple devices to perform. You can perform experimental upgrades by yourself at risk of acquiring drawbacks along with the costs that exponentially increases.

For example, your glasses modded with thermal glasses cost 100 Credits. If you mod it with Medical Scanner(cost 300 Credits), I will make it cost 600 credits.

---

Custom rules: Modifying items
An item that is not a weapon can be modified with the functions of another item. It will cost: A x B
A is the base cost of the item that will be sacrificed to modify the main item.
B is the number of times that the main item will have been modified after the modification.
Some items are impossible to be modified with the functions of another item without losing all functionality.

You can pay an NPC to perform the modification with no risks at 150% the cost. However, NPCs can choose to not take that commission if it is deemed too hard.

---

Also, Wolf can now spend resting time with Connor without needing his Personal Item to recover Will.

Got it! I promise not to make them shoot lasers. >:D Was mostly thinking various kids of scanning and different modes of vision, the usual sci-fi stuff for vision devices.

I now have another suggestion. If there is an item that is usable as a group and does not require to be used instantaneously, it can be shared with the others in the party to be kept in inventory.

Or, the extra items can be placed somewhere else, like say your rented room, or in the storage of a trusted individual. However, note that Samantha was kidnapped and robbed of the Moldy Skull she locked in her office cabinet.

I am now feeling like doing a rewrite for my post for Corvin and Abdullah, if it feels too abrupt or inconsiderate as a response.(Not sure the right words to use.) I'll consider it...

Edit: maybe it's okay now.

I'm not opposed to a shared storage, but how would it work with encounters? Do we agree who has the thing when an encounter starts, or just whenever it comes up for the first time?
...Hmm, I don't think I have anything that makes sense for sharing right now. It's mostly just weapons, armour and professional stuff. And oxygen, but everyone has that. Although now I am thinking about getting a medical scanner after all...

Speaking of shared spaces, maybe it would be nice to have some way for our characters to communicate with each other outside the main thread? It's hard to do it organically in a week per week format where all of us (except Corvin and Abdullah) are doing different things. Something like a message exchange thread? So we can share what we've discovered in a summarised format for easy reference?

(And Samantha really should invest in a bodyguard.)