Session Zero

Sweet :) Thanks, @htech - I'll try it that way, then. I'll wait until @timplausible and @JoshuaMabry have posted in "The Crew/Characters" thread and then do that i.e. suggest connections here in this thread.

Gloop is up in the character thread. I'll try to look at the other characters later tonight and figure out who gets what question.

I'm working on a suggested set of connections atm - should post them soon, as a starting place for putting this together. I'm incorporating the comments/suggestions already made in this thread.

I'll post below proposed Connections between all four PCs. I've suggested them so that each PC has one Connection to and from each other PC.

These are just proposals, hopefully a way of making this part of Session Zero a bit quicker in a PbP Context. None of it is set in stone, and I think it's important that both sides feel like a Connection is a good fit. So, if you want to move away from having one Connection with one of each of the other PCs, please go for it.

Also, if you feel a Connection just doesn't work for your character (e.g. Gloop/The Unfamiliar/@timplausible's "I am observing _____ to learn more about romantic interactions. (+1 Trust)" then I encourage you to look at the Connection questions in the other Playbooks and pick a Connection that would feel more appropriate for you.

I've added some follow-up questions and an attempt at clarification after some of the Connection questions. If you want, I could imagine it could be neat if you updated your Charcter Sheet on the basis of how/if you decide to answer those questions.

Sorry this is taking so much time to get to actually playing - FWIW I feel I'm learning a lot about running PbP at the moment. Thanks for your patience.

Nova Blue - The Gifted - @RageRed
1. You are pretty sure that you could buy Hank "The Tank" Harper/The Warrior/@JoshuaMabry's loyalty in a pinch. Is that reassuring (+1 Trust) or disappointing (-1 Trust)?

[You decide, @RageRed, if that's reassuring or disappointing]

2. You suspect that Gloop/The Unfamiliar/@timplausible has similar motivations to your own. (+1 Trust)

[If you want, @RageRed, you could speculate on what that motivation might be]

3. You thought John Doe/The Normal/@htech could help you with one of your endeavours, but you were mistaken. What didn't you understand? (-1 Trust)

[If you want, @RageRed, you could briefly describe the endeavour and how it didn't work out.]

John Doe - The Normal - @htech
1. You are fascinated by Hank "The Tank" Harper/The Warrior/@JoshuaMabry's attitude towards authority. Do you think it's good for Crew morale (+1 Trust) or does it harm it? (-1 Trust)

[You decide, @htech, if you think Hank's attitude towards authority is good or bad for morale - Hank "has a strong distrust for authority, having worked with too many incompetent officers in his time".]

2. Gloop/The Unfamiliar/@timplausible actually knows your name! You even hang out on occasion (+1 Trust)

3. You have seen Nova Blue/The Gifted/@RageRed do things that you don't approve of, although they have no idea you were there (-1 Trust)

[If you want to briefly describe some of those things, @htech, please go ahead and do that

Hank "The Tank" Harper - The Warrior - @JoshuaMabry
1. Despite their lack of fighting skills, John Doe/The Normal/@htech has helped the crew out of some dangerous situations. Has that earned your respect (+1 Trust) or do you dislike their methods (-1 Trust)?

[You choose, @JoshuaMabry, whether or not they earned respect or dislike. If you want, you could briefly describe one such situation]

2. You have spent time improving Nova Blue/The Gifted/@RageRed's fighting skills. They may not be an expert, but you know that they are brave and will serve to the best of their ability (+1 Trust).

3. Gloop/The Unfamiliar/@timplausible knows about a shameful defeat from your past (-1 Trust).

[@timplausible - what was this shameful defeat? What happened?]

Gloop - The Unfamiliar - @timplausible
1. Nova Blue/The Gifted/@RageRed seems more curious about you than anyone else. Is their interest genuine intellectual curiosity (+1 Trust) or do you suspect they have an ulterior motive (-1 Trust)?

2. I am observing John Doe/The Normal/@htech to learn more about romantic interactions. (+1 Trust)

3. The choices that Hank "The Tank" Harper/The Warrior/@JoshuaMabry makes seem illogical. You will need to continue to observe them to understand them better. (-1 Trust)

I like all your suggestions, and if it's all right with everyone will go forward with them. I'll try to do some follow up on them today.

@BeardHare For myself no apologies needed. There's a lot of work that's involved in getting a game going.

That all sounds good to me, @htech!

Sounds good to me, @RageRed - please go ahead and pick other questions and share how you answer them here.

OK. I'll go and have a look at the PDF and see if I can work out what the intended questions are. Sorry for the confusion.

Looking at the PDF, I think the questions intended for The Gifted are:

1. You once used your gift to help XXXXXX but they did not appreciate your interference. Are you trying to make it up to them (+1 Trust) or are you giving them space (-1 Trust)?

2. You go to XXXXXX when you want to talk about your feelings (+1 Trust)

3. You know XXXXX is capable, but you sensed something that makes you not trust them. What did you sense? (-1 Trust)

And, yes, this set of questions are for The Civilian:

1. You are pretty sure that you could buy XXX's loyalty in a pinch. Is that reassuring (+1 Trust) or disappointing (-1 Trust)?

2. You suspect that XXX has similar motivations to your own. (+1 Trust)

3. You thought XXX could help you with one of your endeavours, but you were mistaken. What didn't you understand? (-1 Trust)

Maybe I have The Civillian ones as the default in the Character Sheet I shared and didn't flag clearly that they were from that Playbook, or something like that. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks @RageRed - and you can add specific answers to the questions (e.g. "What did you sense?") either now, or as we finish up the Character Sheets, or during play, as works best for you.

I’m starting to picture the relationship between Hank and Nova Blue like Wolverine and Jubilee from the 90s X-Men cartoon. Mentor and mentee.

I love that! So stealing it.

It isn't stealing if its being given away. ;p

For Hank's shameful defeat, I have an idea, but it really needs @JoshuaMaybry to buy in. What if Hank wasn't captured at the end of the insurrection because he made some kind of deal with potential captors. It could be something really shameful, like he gave up a location or person in the insurrection, or maybe something more benign like he bribed the potential captors somehow.

I don't know how Gloop would know this, however. Gloop is a computer guy, so maybe he stumbled across it while hacking some Republic system. Open to ideas. Or we could figure out the details as we go.

@timplausible I’m all in! Betrayed one of the leaders of the insurrection for my freedom only to be captured after all decades later.

As for the studying someone to learn about romance, my question is this: do any of the other three characters seem like they would exhibit any obvious knowlege or experience with romance? Or if not romance, maybe they are the kind to comment on if someone is attractive or not?

If not, maybe we should change this question somehow? I could be watching someone to learn about something else. Gloop doesn't fully understand some other things like family and aging. He's also very curious about clothing and fashion, though that may not be as interesting of something to be "fish out of water" about.

Edit to add: Since John Doe is the "Normal", maybe Gloop is just trying to use him to learn about humans in general. Hank and Nova both seem like outliers, while John appears to be an average person. So let's say not just romance, but all the aspects of human nature that Gloop doesn't understand.