[OOC] Game Chatter

We can use this thread for longer out-of-character discussion, absence notifications, or other things.

Hallo-hallo, glad to be here! *vibrates enthusiastically* Looking forward to playing with you all!
(Also, Windy, we meet again!)

Welcome folks!

Sorry for the delay on invites - work emergencies got in the way. All clear now, though!

Let's post our character sheets here (instructions on that process in the Game Details), and let me know if we have any questions prior to beginning. I really appreciate everyone's patience as I get used to all the tools on the site - I'm still learning! :)

There's some additional background information in the Game World thread, and the details on our safety tools in the Lines & Veils thread.

Thanks again for joining!

Ha! I sniped the first post! :P Lightning reflexes, good job me.

Here is a basic sheet template if anyone needs it! Tried to recreate the layout of the original, more or less.

I mostly finished the sheet - Switchblade, feel free to peruse! Only need to make an avatar.

The idea of this character is someone who is human, but is actively making himself physically into a machine; an in-between of a human and an ISOmorph, in a way? Thought it'll bounce interestingly if we have any ISOmorph characters. And if not, I can just spook the humans with stuff like unnaturally bending limbs and oil blood. >:P

Hi everyone, glad to be here!

(We do meet again FS. This I think is our 4th game together?)

Here's my character so far: Former Leviath scientist turned rogue operative for the Pyley rebels. Dr. Ava Renn was once a leading researcher in Leviath's top-secret intelligence division, but disillusioned by the atrocities committed by her own faction, she defected to the rebel cause. So she's a human.

I will flesh out some more later today and try that character sheet you so kindly made, Flying Succulent!.

GM: If you have any questions about using the site, feel free to ask. Qralloq has a bunch of very helpful videos that will steer you in the right direction too.

My character is a former space architect. When the war engulfed Pyley, he lost his family from the war crimes of Leviath. Wanting to take revenge he became a mech pilot in the rebels' forces. He is a human, with burn marks and scars on his arms, torso and a bit on the face· remnants from the war.

GM: How I get the stats and crew positions? Because I am a bit conflicted between helm officer/security officer and science officer/engineering officer crew positions. I have decided about the CASE stats.

I'm thinking Ava is best suited as a science officer for primary, and medical officer as secondary occupation, if that suits the rest of the group.

And here she be!

Oh, oops, I thought occupations were free form. I'd like Security and Engineering, if possible? Although I can go with Medical too, just not Liaison, please. Unless you want the entire galaxy having us as personas non grata. :V

We're not technically a crew, are we? So maybe we can share positions?

Edit: If we can share on secondaries and primaries, how about this:
Alepous - Helm (or Security?)/Engineering (or Science?)
Windy - Science/Medical
FS - Engineering/Security
?

(Good thing we don't need to be charismatic, this crew is lacking in space bards.)

Hi folks!

Regarding crew positions, FS has the right idea - we're going with a more free-from approach and choosing two past occupations rather than the specific crew positions outlined in the system (see the Game Details for more explanation on that). This (and the ISO Axioms) are part of the homebrew portions I've hacked into the "Those Dark Places" rules as written :) Hopefully it lets everyone be a bit more creative!

I wondered if it was part of the hack! I originally had "Cybernetics Engineer" and "Contract Mercenary", are these okay? :D The latter is a bit broad, but I meant it like a purely physical type of mercenary work; bodyguarding, for example.

Cybernetics Engineer sounds good! If we're aiming for the more physical aspects of a hired hand, "Contract Muscle" might be a better fit - mercenary is a bit general, as you mentioned. Thanks for your work on the custom character sheet, as well!

Windyridge, Dr. Ava looks great! Excited to see everyone else as well :D

Hmm, but hired muscle leans into a more mundane manual labor too, which I think he'd be a bit bored to do... Although it is a little funny, considering he probably doesn't have any actual human muscles anymore. XD

Maybe I'll adjust a bit and not limit it to physical elements, make it more specialized. Do you think something like "Retrieval Specialist" can work - someone who gets send to fetch items from potentially dangerous environments? Or maybe even "Freelance Bounty Hunter", just including non-human bounties in it. Have it affect things like searching for valuables and fighting single opponents, maybe...

Absolutely, either of those would work!

Splendid, I'll probably go with the bounty hunter one!
Also, can you approve my sheet, please? For easy access, mostly - once you do, the sheet will appear on the bottom bar, the one which has Threads and Tools right now. You can approve the sheets on the Game Details page (we can still edit them after you do). :D

All set! :D

So I get "space engineer" and "mech pilot" as my professions?

Correct!

We've also found our fourth player - MinMin expressed interest in bringing an ISOmorph to the table. Welcome MinMin!

Welcome, MinMin! :D
Oh yeah, an ISOmorph! I was hoping for one, I love artificial lifeform characters.

Thank you everyone!

I think I'm close to submitting my character Dell, but I think I've got a few questions about the setting since it's not one I'm familiar with:
1. Since the ISO's are artificial constructs running images of live volunteers, I assume Dell would act more 'Bladerunner' human-like than 'Data' artificial android-like. That is to say, he'd act according to his programming without any human emotion or remorse related to the consequences, but at the same time he'd present himself with a human-like personality rather than as a cold machine when interacting with others?
2. Despite being human-like, ISO's seem common enough that I don't think they'd be trying to hide their nature. It would be obvious/communicated to all others that Dell was an ISO.
3. And while I suppose that an ISO might go around chanting one's Axion as a mantra, it would probably be more fun roleplay wise if this was never revealed openly and it had to be extrapolated by other players from their actions.
4. I think I'm clear on the distinction between Primary and Secondary Occupations, but plot and setting-wise where and when would it make sense for those roles to have occurred? I was envisioning Dell's pre and post rebellion life both starting on Pyley--though he might have been shipped out anywhere after joining the rebellion. But should he instead be based on KEYstation or another planet for party formation purposes?

FYI--I'm designing Dell around the idea having been a courier in his 'original life' with the idea that same day delivery competition of the future had led to ridiculous daredevil feats for the pre-rebellion Amazon delivery in the big city to avoid moneyback guarantees, etc. (I was trying to keep this sort of balanced and figured he'd perhaps be the team getaway driver for ground vehicles, though that could conceivably be expanded to more vehicles and 'pilot' if one was needed for the crew and the GM thinks its balanced). He ultimately ended up as a logistics officer for the rebellion since beyond just being a good truck driver, he was able to organize people and supplies to get them where they were needed.

Hardcore Amazon delivery is an amazing concept. :'D Also I like your idea of hiding the Axiom, MinMin! Although if the game is supposed to be short, we probably won't have time - or many opportunities - to guess it? Still probably will be fun!

Speaking of working together, do our characters know each other? More in the sense of whether we are aware of each other's weaknesses, strengths, origins, professions, etc. Did we have a briefing about each other, or do we literally just meet right before the mission?

Good questions!

MinMin, to your questions:
1.) I'd say you have a good read here. On the scale of Bladerunner Replicant to a fully constructed android, ISOmorphs hew more closely to the Replicant in terms of behavior. They have access to their ego image's memories in the same way Replicant's have implanted memories, but rather using that to blur the line between the artificial and the biological (as in Bladerunner), ISOmorphs utilize their image for a very specific goal and shed from emotional resonance. They are built to purpose. An ISOmorph created to manage inventory in a mega-warehouse will be visually and structurally different from an ISOmorph built to build ships in the vacuum of space, or an ISOmorph built to administer medicine. While the basic programming is widely the same, the ego image fuels the expertise needed to fulfill their goal. In this way, there are "lines" of ISOmorphs. They come off the factory floor almost identical, and the differences in their personalities only start to arise after they begin to learn the lessons of their particular field (a shipbuilding ISOmorph might gain expertise in cockpit construction as opposed to engines, for example).
2.) Correct. ISOmorphs are quite common, and as mentioned, are immediately visually identifiable, even in cases where more human-like features are more desirable.
3.) Sure, you could play it that way!
4.) Plot wise, Primary Occupation happens prior to the War, and Secondary Occupation happens after the War has started and has shaken everything up. For ISOmorphs in particular, Primary Occupation reflects the expertise of their ego image (what they were constructed to do), and Secondary Occupation is either other skills they picked up in the course of their main function, or whatever job they had to take up after the Rebellion displaced them or reassigned them once the status quo had been shifted. Setting wise, you can originate Dell anywhere. Pyley works fine, as it's the origin of the Rebellion and transport to KEYstation is part of the assignment no matter where you have them start. You could also place Dell in KEYstation, and maybe the Rebellion taps them specifically for the assignment because "we already have an agent on site". Whichever sounds good to you!

To FlyingSucclent's question:
Your characters have met, but only very recently - right before leaving for KEYstation, maybe in a capsule hotel just off the spaceport. Maybe you've heard of another character's exploits before ("Hold on, you were part of the Pious Rebuke job? That had the hive swarming for weeks!"), but no one has worked together before yet - safer SecOps, from Rebellion brass. Your brief introduction has been enough to understand who is good at what, and general attitudes. If Dell is located in KEYstation, most of what you've heard about them is from gossip ("I've heard our agent on the inside is a devil behind the wheel"), and anything else about the you'll be seeing fresh.

Let me know if I missed anything or you have any other questions!

Thank you, everyone--that helped give me a much better feel for everything. I've gone ahead and submitted Dell for review--I decided to reassign him to KEYstation as you suggested. Reading through a brief about supplies to be delivered to a special squad that's being thrown together in a hurry, he's surprised to find that he himself is among them...

Dell looks great! All approved :D

I'd like to make my character space-colony born. Is there such a location on the System? (I watched too much Macross I guess)

Of course! There's larger ones in orbit over some of the larger moons, and literally thousands of them in the Kohzander Belt. Feel free to name your colony and we can make it work :D

That's everyone's characters' approved! I'll get the main IC thread started later on today. Thanks for your patience everyone - excited to get started!

Ok, I just put the colony's name. It was the Prospero Space Colony, but when it was destroyed the sector was renamed to Serenity Valley in the name of the thousands of people that perished within the O'Neill cylinder.

Here is the background story for Ulysses Corvus

Ulysses was born at the Prospero Space Colony, an O’Neill cylinder that housed several thousands of people. He became a space architect and got married, everything went well till Leviath attacked the colony. The Corporation did not liked the autonomy that the colony had, its major source of income was the mining operations on the near asteroid belt and the space construction yard. The stability of the colony, both economical and political, were a thorn to the Corporation’s agenda of total control of the sector. The Corporation’s forces attacked en masse during a holiday day, when everyone was celebrating and was more relaxed. The initial causalties were too many and Ulysses tried his best to escape with his family. But it was not easy to avoid the massacre and soon they were chased down by Leviath army personnel. They got cornered in a construction site, along with other civilians, and were gunned down. In a desperate attempt to save his family and the other people, Ulysses climbed in the cockpit of a constrcution mech and tried to fend off the Leviath forces. His action was in vain, as he saw his family getting killed. In his rage he decimated the Leviath forces on the construction yard but he sustained heavy damage and passed out before the mech broke down.

Some time passed and the Prospero Armed Forces, what was left of them, found him. They took him with them and left the colony with an escape shuttle. He woke up just before the Leviath forces managed to overload the space colony’s reactor and blew a hole that was the doom of the rest of the population. The O’Neill cylinder managed to stay in one piece but the damage was catastrophic, as the air vented out, leaving the interior a cold and dark tomb. The remaining civilians and armed forces of Prospero banded and formed an insurgency group, that to this day try to eradicate Leviath or any other major Corporation in the System.

The Prospero colony was renamed by the survivors as "Serenity Valley".

Ulysses knew how to operate heavy machinery, for his job as a space architect, and was quickly drafted as a mech pilot by his new comrades. Fuelled by a rage and a bitterness for revenge he hates Leviath with his whole being.

To those who don't mind doing it, can you make your character sheets public? For convenience with descriptions and strategizing and stuff. :D (You can do it by clicking a book icon in your character list.)

Also, question to the GM! Is there a list for current Lines & Veils? I'd really like to know what not to include in my posts in advance.

Also, unrelated, but I'm really happy with how Switchblade's avatar turned out! Sci-fi always lets me shamelessly use neon hues.

I do not mind. I like stuff being public, games too. I like reading other stories. Whateer the DM says.

Hey folks! Sorry for the delay, the weekend's been hectic. I'll get the list of Lines & Veils up today!

All right, Lines & Veils updated. As always, that's a living document, so let me know if you want to add something along the way or we need to change the course of a scene. :)

I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure of how one circles an exterior of a thing which is on the ceiling, but, erm, there are probably some passageways? XD

Of course! Multiple parking lots, several catwalk entrances to different sectors - the power plant is a campus affair.

Also, sorry for the delay today, team - I've been traveling most of the day and I'm wiped. I'll get an update on the action tomorrow. Apologies again!

No worries!

By the way, Tatterdemalion, may I suggest using something other than Discord for image posting? Since these links expire rather quickly (already can't see the station's image D:).

Imgur is a good choice.

Or Goggle Drive! A bit more machinations with the links, but easier to update the image if needed. Like for maps?

Oh shoot, you're both right!

Sorry about that, team - I'll try to set aside some time and clean all the pictures up. The weather is being apocalyptic right now so it may be until tomorrow morning for the regular update to come in.

Thanks again for all of your patience as I learn GPs best practices!

No worries. The site has a bit of a learning curve.

Hey folks, sorry for the delay! This weekend has been hectic - I'm hoping to check back in tomorrow morning and get our tense IC situation moving. Thanks everyone for your patience!

All good in the hood.

Yeah, don't stress on our account Tatter, we just appreciate you running the game and keeping it going, but I how you get a chance to enjoy the weekend too!

I like this interaction.

Dell: I'll defer to you.
Ava: No, *I*ll defer to you.

It's the defer-ception! :O

🤣😂

:O A character of mine from another game has a drone nicknamed Hornet, also with an eye and a stinging tranquilizing weapon. This is nice, I like these drones. (Although they're probably coming for us.)

🤣