Pilot creation (OOC thread)

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May 23, 2024 9:15 pm
[ +- ] Night Witches
Bully pulpit games have a few important free pdfs we can reference to:

1. List of moves which includes soviet names for the characters, details for the planes and even a description of the game flow (we will go through this during training)

2. The playbooks for each "class"
May 23, 2024 9:47 pm
Welcome everyone!

I'm setting this game up, but I guess we can all start slowly thinking about the characters.
May 23, 2024 9:52 pm
Lets take the character creations slowly as I set up the training base :D

First option is your character's nature.

Each Nature has a character playbook that includes a different selection of Moves, Marks, and options. Every player should choose one at the start of play. It is fine to have more than one player with a given Nature, but getting every type into the game is probably more fun. Once chosen, you’ll keep the same Nature throughout the game. Once a Hawk, always a Hawk.Each Nature has its own traits and instincts. All birds love to fly.

* Hawks are decisive and tough, simultaneously showy and precise in their actions. They are also obsessive hunters who strike without warning.

* Quiet and observant, Owls are among the most contemplative of birds. Unlike Hawks, they are happy to watch and wait. Owls are solitary predators who feast on the bones of the weak.

* Pigeons are gregarious and not afraid to get their feathers dirty—resourceful and down to earth. They are also vaguely ridiculous and most comfortable in a crowd.

* Ravens are intelligent and curious, acquisitive, and confident. Unlike Sparrows, they aren’t afraid to make a scene. They are also carrion birds with a stubborn disregard for propriety.

* Graceful, unobtrusive, and discreet, Sparrows tend to be everywhere or nowhere. They are also nervous, timid, and prone to flying away at the first sign of trouble
May 23, 2024 11:47 pm
Thanks for the invitation! I finally opened my book today! It was still in the packaging.

I think I'll try the Hawk. A pilot who files straight in, full of guts and glory, risking it all to win!
May 24, 2024 1:40 am
Thanks for running the game CESN. Looking forward to it. I found my book and will start relearning the rules.

I am torn between an Owl and a Raven. If someone else wants one of those, I'll be happy to defer.
May 24, 2024 2:43 am
Thanks for the invitation CESN! Looking forward to this. Lemme get to looking at character options.
May 24, 2024 1:41 pm
Thanks CESN, great that we can play such an interesting game. Nobody seems interested in pigeon, so I’ll go for that. I can already imagine a character based on the concept.
May 24, 2024 3:58 pm
Hamish says:
will start relearning the rules.
🤣 that's what I have to do as well. Little refresh. Well I guess most of you have an idea of what nature to pick. Next step its the character's role.
Roles are social obligations that your airwomen naturally fall into as part of a group. The combination of Nature and Role gives your character a clear identity and purpose in the story. In contrast to your Nature, which never changes, your Role may shift over the course of the game. If you wish, you can change your Role when you change Duty Stations.

* Adventurers live to fly. If they aren’t behind the yoke and throttle of an airplane they are thinking about how to get behind the yoke and throttle of an airplane. Play an Adventurer if you were born to fly and aren’t afraid of anything. As an Adventurer, you are adept at the Wheels Down Move and Advance between Duty Stations if, at some point, you walked away from an utterly wrecked aircraft.

* In addition to nightly clouds over German targets, Dreamers have their heads in clouds of their own making. Sometimes those dreams come in handy, though. Sometimes they come true. Play a Dreamer if things other than the here and now distract you, and you don’t care if this gets you in trouble. As a Dreamer, you’ll fare better under NKVD questioning. You’re flexible. Their reality can be your reality if that’s what they want. (NKVD are the secret services. They have an regimental officer spying on everyone)

* Leaders are born to lead and assume command naturally, whether they have been assigned to or not. Leaders often end up in charge of Squadrons or Sections or serve the Regiment as general officers. Being selected to lead others is a serious honor Leaders covet. As a Leader, you inspire others during Attack Runs and Advance between Duty Stations if, at some point, someone under your direct command died.

* Misanthropes are a refreshing tonic for the hidebound madness of the Red Army Air Force. Cynical, iconoclastic, and against the grain, they always know a better way, although they may not care enough to try it. Play a Misanthrope if you know it all and don’t care if your hands get dirty. As a Misanthrope, you are an excellent Scrounger and Advance between Duty Stations if, at some point, you bucked against the patriarchy and got in trouble for it.

* Protectors have a fierce loyalty to their sisters-in-arms and are driven to apply their skill and courage in the service of something bigger than themselves. For them the war is personal. Play a Protector if you’d rather take a bullet yourself than see a comrade hurt. As a Protector, you are handy with aircraft Repair and Advance between Duty Stations if, at some point, you saved someone’s life.

* Zealots understand that their real mission is to help develop political consciousness across the Regiment while diligently rooting out intrigues by reactionaries and wreckers, knowing that the unity of all the forces of democracy is the most reliable weapon in the struggle against reaction, and in the struggle for freedom and peace throughout the world. Play a Zealot if you are content with being hated and feared in order to do the right thing. As a Zealot you are skilled at raising morale through snitching and Advance between Duty Stations if, at some point, you interest the NKVD in a member of the Regiment.
May 24, 2024 11:28 pm
Since I already said guts and glory are going to be her thing, then let's go with Hawk Adventurer!

She will be someone who is a bit of an adrenaline junky. She doesn't really care about politics, but rather the rush of combat and the wind in her hair. Passionate, fiery, and probably a bit of a troublemaker, at least insofar that she doesn't care about rules and regs.
Last edited May 25, 2024 5:14 pm
May 25, 2024 12:36 am
A Sparrow Misanthrope for sure!
May 25, 2024 11:36 am
I’d quite like to go with Pigeon Dreamer. She’s an idealistic worker poet who has a naive faith in the USSR and the collective future of humanity. She doesn’t quite understand why the state is sometimes so brutal or the NKVD so vigilant against dissent. Comrade Stalin would surely rein them in if he knew of their harshness (she believes ). Surely peoples around the world just want to be happy, kind and share their good fortune together. This is why the triumph of World Communism is inevitable. She creates poetry— well written, but ridiculously naive to many—to this effect.
Last edited May 25, 2024 11:39 am
May 25, 2024 8:49 pm
I might make my Raven a Protector. Her desire to defend her comrades and her penchant for acting up could create some some interesting situations.
May 26, 2024 12:37 pm
Ok cool. I think we are all set. Just keep in mind that your nature doesn't change, but your role can change! For example, the Raven Protector's desire to defend her comrades can turn her into a Raven Zealot later on if she aligns with the NKVD's methods for example.

The training base has a very well detailed progression which should touches the rules we go so I guess can start thinking about setting that up. There's a character sheet template set up you guy can use to fill in an submit a character. The playbooks have a lot of suggestions to add flavor to the description for each nature, so be sure to check them
[ +- ] MAKE PLAYER CHARACTERS
May 26, 2024 1:06 pm
According to the document CESN gave us, there's 34 female names and 65 surnames. You can roll randomly with that.

Name: Dasha "Dash" Bobkova
Uniform: Flashy
Body: Lanky
Eyes: Calculating
Home Town: Zhelenogorsk District, Kursk Oblast
Who You Write to Back Home: your son, Maksim
Last edited May 26, 2024 3:16 pm

Rolls

Name! - (1d34, 1d65)

1d34 : (20) = 20

1d65 : (13) = 13

Uniform - (1d4)

(4) = 4

Body - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Eyes - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Home Town - (1d5)

(4) = 4

Who You Write to Back Home - (1d5)

(2) = 2

May 26, 2024 1:12 pm
As the GM is also supposed to have a backup replacement character, I have made made Dasha, the Own Zealot. She is a higher rank as I'm not expecting to need her during training. The idea is that whenever one of your character needs replacement for any reason, I step in and you take on the GM role.

Sergeant Yegorova looks like a graceful and ingenuous city girl from Moscow, but she is quietly observing everyone. She understand that the people's struggle is a long-term one and is more than happy to bid her time and wait for the best opportunity to strike against the enemies of the Motherland, both external and internal...
If you can't find anything online, the game has an handout with profiles to pick from.

Rolls

Name! - (1d34, 1d65)

1d34 : (21) = 21

1d65 : (28) = 28

May 26, 2024 5:00 pm
What do these statements mean?

"You can bring a plane Wheels Down well"
"As an Adventurer, you are adept at the Wheels Down Move."

I know what Wheels Down is as a move, I just don't know what it means to do it well or to be adept at it. Is there some sort of mechanical benefit I get for it?
May 26, 2024 11:09 pm
My pigeon will be:


Galina ("Gayla") Malinovskaya
Uniform - none, wears worker’s overalls.
Body- Frail
Hands - Steady [edited]
Home Town - Bratsk
Who You Write to Back Home - sister Sonya
Last edited May 27, 2024 12:58 am
May 26, 2024 11:10 pm
Bookrat says:
I know what Wheels Down is as a move, I just don't know what it means to do it well or to be adept at it. Is there some sort of mechanical benefit I get for it?
Found it! It’s on the move consequences. Adventurers, being more adept, take less 1 consequence on a near miss

" On 7-9, you break the plane; and choose two consequences (Adventurers choose one)"
May 26, 2024 11:16 pm
OrangeTree says:
Eyes - Blue? Options not in playbook
I noticed all playbooks have a different body part 😅 most likely related to the bird/personality, but I haven’t checked all of them

for pigeon it’s HANDS:
Expressive, filthy, calloused, steady, nervous, delIcate
May 26, 2024 11:16 pm
Thanks GM!
OrangeTree says:
Eyes - Blue? Options not in playbook
Different playbooks have different options. Like one of them had Face instead of Eyes. It's on the free PDF the GM provided in the first post. :)
May 27, 2024 12:57 am
Bookrat says:
Thanks GM!
OrangeTree says:
Eyes - Blue? Options not in playbook
Different playbooks have different options. Like one of them had Face instead of Eyes. It's on the free PDF the GM provided in the first post. :)
Aha! Thanks. Hands for pigeon. I’ll edit in.
May 27, 2024 11:49 am
I've pitched a work-in-progress character sheet for

'Lari' Larisa Rostovich
Nature: Sparrow
Role: Misanthrope
Gender: concealed
Uniform: incorrect
Body: beautiful
Hands: manicured
Home Town: a series of orphanages
Who you write to back home: no one

(Leaning into the opportunity to misgender Lari in the hyper-masculine, warlike atmosphere of the Stalinist regime.)

Almost too properly coiffed and manicured to have chosen a career in the Russian air force, and apparently mediocre both in talent and study, one would consider them more suited to any other vocation than this. Unobstrusive to a fault, and never seeming to actually perform most of the duties they are assigned to, their work still somehow gets done. The NKVD would have a field day if they wanted to sift through the chequered past of Lari's origins. Was Lari somehow sponsored for this job?

Looking for a suitable portrait!
Last edited May 27, 2024 11:50 am
May 27, 2024 12:03 pm
BedzoneII says:
'Lari' Larisa Rostovich
Just so you're aware the manual states:
"If you are a Junior Lieutenant, add a total of zero to GUTS , LUCK and SKILL in any order. For example, +1, +0, -1 or +0, +0, +0. Also possible is +2, -1, -1, but it’s not recommended!"

They don't explain why but I'm guessing it's because your average roll will be 5 and you miss at 6 or less. A -2 might make the skill virtually useless without some proper bonuses. If you're ok with that, we can try it out (you'll get to bump it sooner or later)
May 27, 2024 1:44 pm
Dasha "Dash" Bobkova grew up in a small village near the Ukrainian district, in an area called the Kursk Oblast. She was always active; a runner, a hunter, a cook, a mother to an overly energetic boy. She's a natural risk-taker, which has gotten her in trouble more than once. It was this exact trouble that got her "recruited" into the military and taken away from her boy. But she used her guile and passion to ensure she'd at least get something that can actually make a difference - which is how she ended up as a pilot.
May 27, 2024 1:49 pm
Roger that! It's a good feature of PbtA, that bonuses in one attribute are balanced by weaknesses in another.

Would you prefer that we generally start at average, ie +0, and then improve them as we gain experience? I'm not dead set on the distribution I've chosen. But I'm also distributing in that manner to sort of point towards the kind of PC Larisa might be, ie unskilled, but iconoclastic and seemingly always on the right side of things.
May 28, 2024 7:50 am
BedzoneII says:
Roger that! It's a good feature of PbtA, that bonuses in one attribute are balanced by weaknesses in another.
Sure, I never actually played this game so I can't say how deadly it is. But I'm fine with -2 skill. You do need to pass a skill test to graduate, but we'll see how we do that when the time comes. It's a potential hook waiting to happen as well :D

So we have 4 PCs now: Larisa the Sparrow Misanthrope; Dash the Hawk Adventurer, Galya the Pigeon Dreamer and Dasha Yegorova the Owl Zealot.

How are we doing with your character @Hamish?
Are you ok with submitting a character sheet @OrangeTree ?
May 28, 2024 2:19 pm
Thanks for considering to try it out. If it doesn't work out further down the line please do the GM thing and veto it. Looking forward to the hook! I wrote a hint of that in the quick blurb above as well.
May 28, 2024 3:40 pm
Apologies for the delay. I was at away at a wedding over the weekend and got less done on character creation than expected.

Meet Vera Gromova

Nature: Raven
Role: Protector
Gender: Female
Uniform: Regulation
Body: Angular
Face: Plain
Home Town: Vyzama
Who you write to back home: daughter Masha
May 29, 2024 9:57 am
Hamish says:
Apologies for the delay. I was at away at a wedding over the weekend and got less done on character creation than expected.
No problem. Just checking how things are going.

I guess we can the training area soonish.
May 29, 2024 1:42 pm
I think I'm ready!

Anything you want from us while we wait to ship out to the training facility?
May 29, 2024 4:08 pm
Bookrat says:
Anything you want from us while we wait to ship out to the training facility?
Most thinks should be fleshed out during the training if the introduction works as intended :D
Just Nature, Role, a name and some descriptions should be enough.
This is probably very minor but, because USSR was huge, the manual has some suggestions to explore the ethical diversity in case it inspires you.

Your character will be a Soviet airwoman—maybe heroic, maybe deeply flawed, maybe monstrous, maybe all three—but she will be a woman from the Soviet Union who flies. This is an iron-clad rule. You can’t play an American, you can’t play someone who can’t fly, you can’t play a man—unless, of course, everybody thinks that man is a woman.

There is still room for variety among the characters. The Soviet Union was a big place full of diversity, so go ahead and play a taciturn Georgian, or a proud Azeri, or a reluctant Estonian, or a despised Volga German, or a far-from-home Yakut if you want.
May 31, 2024 1:43 am
Awesome! Can't wait!

Just a heads up, headed out of town the next few days. I'll still be available with my phone, but I have a wedding to attend, and other family events, so I won't be on too much.
May 31, 2024 10:29 am
No problem. Thanks for letting us know.
We will have a slow start just to introduce the characters and the setting. There shouldn't be anything major happening this weekend yet
May 31, 2024 3:08 pm
My flight has been delayed by 12 hours. I slept in the truck in the parking lot. I'm running on about 3 hours of sleep. I don't think I'll contribute much because I'm having a hard time focusing.
Jun 2, 2024 3:13 pm
Figured I'd warm up to my character with a starter post. I shall get round next to thinking through those very thorough and introspective questions CESN!
Jun 2, 2024 3:25 pm
BedzoneII says:
I shall get round next to thinking through those very thorough and introspective questions CESN!
You don’t have to answer them yet, but if you see something that inspires you, mark it ! Most of them are meant to be asked at some point during the training station.

I just wanted you guys to have time to think about them
Jun 2, 2024 3:27 pm
Newb question. How do I add a character portrait for the game?

(I’m just going to dump my portrait link here so I don’t lose it.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Evgeniya_Rudneva.jpg)
Jun 2, 2024 3:29 pm
Go to your character sheet. In the upper right corner there's an edit button. From there ,in the upper right corner there is a link to add a portrait.

And if folks clock the little banner symbol on their character sheet, you'll make it public and we will be able to see each other's sheets.
Last edited June 2, 2024 3:29 pm
Jun 2, 2024 3:34 pm
Exactly that. There is another thing which is that you have to post as the character, not the player, for it to show up. There’s a little drop down menu on top of the text box for that
Jun 2, 2024 3:58 pm
Got it, thanks.
Jun 4, 2024 2:55 pm
Hamish says:
Apologies for the delay. I was at away at a wedding over the weekend and got less done on character creation than expected.

Meet Vera Gromova

Nature: Raven
Role: Protector
Gender: Female
Uniform: Regulation
Body: Angular
Face: Plain
Home Town: Vyzama
Who you write to back home: daughter Masha
@Hamish quick check how you're doing as you haven't submitted Vera's sheet yet.
Jun 4, 2024 2:56 pm
BedzoneII says:
she was a Cossack,
someone is asking for trouble ... 😅
Jun 4, 2024 3:12 pm
Explains why she's a rebel and iconoclast! Being from multiple orphanages didn't help either. Love the character options on the sheet, this character practically wrote herself! I figure they wouldn't know she's a Cossack, her birth papers are long gone, we've only got the orphanages' badly kept records. Lots of juicy things for the NKVD's GM's use!
Jun 4, 2024 9:50 pm
I was also at a wedding over the weekend. I'm back now, so I'm hoping tomorrow I can get to writing! :)
Jun 6, 2024 8:47 am
Hamish last activity was 5 days ago, so this is probably not a good week for them. I'll move on slowly in the mean time :)
Jun 10, 2024 10:48 am
Today is my last day out of town. I won't be able to get much writing done, and I'm expecting to be home well after midnight. But I'll be able to pick it back up tomorrow.
Jun 10, 2024 11:20 am
Don't worry about it. I'll post on wednesday so you should have plenty of time to catch up (on GP and sleep 😅 ). thanks for let us know.
Jun 12, 2024 2:46 pm
OrangeTree says:
She also assumes that the commanding officers will at least share the food among themselves, which would not be a complete waste of the present.
But she might half-consciously place a small check against its misuse... should I roll 2d6?
Given we didn't go through any of the rules, I thought I'd introduce the move in case you wanted to go for it. But it's up to you, if you think Galina would go along, there's no need to roll :D

In fact, it looks like Galina is all too happy about the captain accepting the gift, which doesn't look like a move, so I'll ignore the roll.
OrangeTree says:
(I don't know if the mechanic has mods for difficulty).
I don't think it has explicitly. There are ways to get +1 forward bonuses so we can think about -1 forward as well. But it's already difficult to get a full success, and even then, it might still have consequences.
Jun 12, 2024 3:50 pm
Ok! Thanks for explaining!
Jun 12, 2024 5:53 pm
OrangeTree says:
Ok! Thanks for explaining!
No worries, I skipped the rules part so we'd jump into the game! If anything is unclear feel free to ask :D

I'll try to introduce as much as I can since this game is meant to have a rotating GM, so everyone should be familiar with the rules at some point or another.
Jun 12, 2024 6:43 pm
Just a heads up - my second (and final) trip for the month is this weekend. I'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon for a camping trip. There will be no cell service at the camp (but if I have to drive back to the local town, there will be). I will return Sunday afternoon.
Jun 13, 2024 5:28 pm
I am very sorry for disappearing. My wife's mother, who lives about 9 hours from us, had a health scare and so I went to be with her for a while. I'm home again but will likely be going back soon. I will bow out so as to not hold you up any longer and am not really in the right head space for rpgs. Sorry both for the delay and for not communicating my situation.
Jun 14, 2024 4:13 pm
Bookrat says:
Just a heads up - my second (and final) trip for the month is this weekend. I'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon for a camping trip. There will be no cell service at the camp (but if I have to drive back to the local town, there will be). I will return Sunday afternoon.
No worries, we'll take our time until you're back
Hamish says:
I am very sorry for disappearing. My wife's mother, who lives about 9 hours from us, had a health scare and so I went to be with her for a while. I'm home again but will likely be going back soon. I will bow out so as to not hold you up any longer and am not really in the right head space for rpgs. Sorry both for the delay and for not communicating my situation.
Thanks for letting us know. I hope your wife's mother gets better soon!
If you want to join at some point later, the game is very modular and we'd be happy you ave you back :)
Jun 19, 2024 5:08 pm
Hello all! Thank you for the invitation.
I am going read up and come up with a character asap.
Jun 19, 2024 5:28 pm
Welcome to the game! No need to rush, we can easily introduce you anytime.

The player that unfortunately had to drop picked a Raven, but my unused spare PC is an Owl. So I guess those two natures are available as the character natures are better not being repeated. Let me know if that works for you!
(Roles are changeable and can overlap more easily)
Jun 19, 2024 5:28 pm
Welcome to the game! No need to rush, we can easily introduce you anytime.

The player that unfortunately had to drop picked a Raven, but my unused spare PC is an Owl. So I guess those two natures are available as the character natures are better not being repeated. Let me know if that works for you!
(Roles are changeable and can overlap more easily)
Jun 19, 2024 5:28 pm
Welcome to the game! No need to rush, we can easily introduce you anytime.

The player that unfortunately had to drop picked a Raven, but my unused spare PC is an Owl. So I guess those two natures are available as the character natures are better not being repeated. Let me know if that works for you!
(Roles are changeable and can overlap more easily)
Jun 19, 2024 8:42 pm
Bookrat says:
OOC:
Quote:
Keep in mind that the war and economy are going really bad, so it is generally hard to find anything. Small luxuries like cigarettes are very valued in this game
I'm a bit confused on this, considering earlier you said...
Quote:
resources are abundant
Was this earlier post a mistype?
Good catch. Actually not a mistype. It's exactly as written xD

So, generally things are bad, but things are worse in some places than others.
"Resources are abundant" means you can more easily scrounge for them, not exactly that you can easily get them. A favor here and there and you find someone who can get for you. Sometimes, no favor is big enough to get you what you want (or need!)

My comment now so you keep in mind during the game of the sort of things that NPCs might care about. Say a NPC ask you what can you get them for their help. In this game a chocolate bar, a pack of cigarettes, special tea herbs or even good vodka are all examples of currencies you can use. These are all luxuries a crumbling planned war economy.
Jun 20, 2024 6:36 am
Welcome Shorty!
Jun 20, 2024 8:54 pm
Thanks for the welcomes all. I have been reading up a little and I have the following idea for a character.


TANYA KOMAROVA
PLAYBOOK: Owl
RANK: Serzhánt (not sure between Sgt getting a +1 and JL getting a +0? How does that even out?)
Skill +2, Guts -1, Luck 0
SEX: Female
UNIFORM: Dirty
BODY: Small
FACE: Serious
HOME TOWN: Moscow
WHO YOU WRITE TO BACK HOME: Grandfather
ROLE: Protector

Tanya isn't the true type you'd expect at an airbase. Young, small of stature and a bit nerdy.

Tanya was raised by her Grandfather, Aleksei Komarov, a decorated WW1 and Civil War pilot, now retired and living in Moscow. He instilled in Tanya a strong sense of duty and love for aviation.

When Tanya was just a baby in 1923, her parents were killed by an anti-communist seperatist attack.

Tanya quite likes to tinker with planes as much as she loves to fly them. Her hands are always greasy.
And while her grandfather did not really approve at first, he finally trained her to fly an plane.

With the war raging on, endangering the State that her grandfather fought for, and her parents died for, Tanya had to do something. Even against grandfather's will to fight. She secretly joined the Night Witches. And while she will take her part in combat missions, she'll rather just spend time with the planes.
Last edited June 20, 2024 9:00 pm
Jun 21, 2024 9:23 am
Looks good. We are starting with the Private rank during the training as you need to graduate. I thought it would be easier to just have the first part everyone being the same.

You can use the character template from the first post (press [ + ] Night Witches and then Create Character on the top right and submit it on the game details page when you're ready)

Also, have a look at the currently open questions. This game has a number of questions per duty station which help flesh out the each one of them and bring some plot hooks and potential drama to the story. Pick any you think are interesting for your character :D
Jun 21, 2024 4:51 pm
Quote:
Who do you routinely see from your brother unit, the well-equipped, all-male 218th Night Bomber Regiment, and where, and why?
It's this unit at the same air field we are at?
Jun 21, 2024 5:56 pm
You are in the all women regiment 588. 218 is all men. Though this will be clear once they are introduced as the ones trying to sabotage you 😄

To make this worse, Larisa is just trying to join 586: the fancy "Darlings of the Soviet media" mostly female regiment.
Jun 21, 2024 6:00 pm
I know they're a separate unit. I was asking if both units are on the same base.
Jun 21, 2024 11:16 pm
I sorry I read it a bit too quickly and missed the actual question 😅

Yeah, everyone is part of the Fourth Air Army. This should become clear later but this force is divided into regiments and those divided again into squadrons. So these regiments are all in the same base.

Only 3 regiments had women and only the 588th was made of women all the way from the top to the bottom of the hierarchy. In this game, 218th is meant to be played as the troublesome sexist men, but you can have friends/lovers/family on the "other side", not just enemies/idiots/obstacles.
Jun 22, 2024 9:06 am
Larisa's trying to wing it! Who knows, she might either get herself into a lot of trouble, or gain the respect of the 586th!
Jun 24, 2024 9:03 am
@Shorty Character approved :D If you want, you can still change your skills by having a +1/-1 if you'd like it.
OrangeTree says:
tries to indicate that favours will not extend to anything immoral or unpatriotic.
OOC:
yet...
OrangeTree says:
Bet it smiles nice
OOC:
Ahaha nice touch. We can definitely work with that 🤣
Jun 24, 2024 8:20 pm
CESN says:
@Shorty Character approved :D If you want, you can still change your skills by having a +1/-1 if you'd like it.[/ooc]
Thanks. And I did take the +skill -guts
Jun 26, 2024 3:09 pm
Quote:
"after sorting out the mess with the 588th" means you're joining them now and leaving Litvyak and the 586th waiting?
Which is more preferred? I don't really want to derail our main thread. If it makes more sense for Larisa to simply join up with the 588th noobs, then let's do that, and leave Litvyak as a complication to be solved to next time she bumps into Litvyak. Alternatively, Larisa could be very vested in playing along with the 586th to see where that leads her (given her character) by reporting back to them, until she's finally caught out (and court-martialed no doubt!) I especially like the fact that we managed to start answering one of the character development questions, and wouldn't mind continuing to answer the next bit you provided, which is about how Larisa feels about Litvyak.
Last edited June 26, 2024 3:10 pm
Jun 26, 2024 7:42 pm
BedzoneII says:
Which is more preferred? I don't really want to derail our main thread.
As you wish. You'll go back to 588 sooner or later, it's just a matter of how. So do what Larisa would do :D
BedzoneII says:
wouldn't mind continuing to answer the next bit you provided, which is about how Larisa feels about Litvyak.
This feels like and opportunity to introduce Regards or a reach out roll eventually.
Jun 29, 2024 1:42 am
OrangeTree, sorry if the Larisa thread's been confusing. So far what has happened is:

Like everyone, Larisa was supposed to get to Logistics and get supplies. A terrible roll meant she ended up in the wrong place, meeting the 586th squadron instead. They (Lt Litvyak) mistook her as one of them, but gave her the right directions which she was grateful for. So rather than unaccountably disappearing, Larisa decided to play along a bit more, and maybe get into the good graces of Litvyak.

So when Galina bumps into Larisa, Galina would find it strange that while Larisa ought to have been in the same situation as Galina, Larisa instead scampers away somewhere else (still intending in her head to report to the 588th eventually, but running off to complete her detour first).

Back to our GM, yeah I figure Larisa might end up with indicating Regards for Litvyak as a result. Somehow that chance encounter made Larisa want to impress her maybe? I'll try to work that in.
Last edited June 29, 2024 1:42 am
Jun 29, 2024 2:14 pm
OrangeTree says:
I’m finding it hard to follow why Lari is going back to other squadron. To ask their squadron leader to ask logistics to give our squadron oil? I’ll place the confusion into Gali’s IC post.
As Bedzonell said, Larisa rolled really bad and, instead of fixing it, she is playing with fire. Galina would be confused as she remembers back in the ferry that all of you should be from the same regiment, but maybe things changed.

Nice description of the post-apocalyptic barracks :D there's definitely enough there to do roll some interesting moves
Jun 29, 2024 6:21 pm
Thanks both for the clarification.

I hope that , since that this is the opening part of the game, we can start to work together and get to know each others' characters a bit more.
Jun 30, 2024 12:53 pm
OrangeTree says:
I hope that , since that this is the opening part of the game, we can start to work together and get to know each others' characters a bit more.
Yeah that should happen soon... Larisa just needs to fail miserably at her mission 😈
Jun 30, 2024 1:05 pm
No worries there, I'm sure Lari's heading back to the 588th soon, after she fails miserably again at her next skill roll and is found out !
Jun 30, 2024 1:12 pm
Bookrat sent a note to CESN
Jul 1, 2024 8:49 am
CESN sent a note to Bookrat
Jul 1, 2024 11:52 am
Bookrat sent a note to CESN
Jul 3, 2024 4:45 am
I am going camping tomorrow. I will return on Saturday. I do not know if there is cell reception at this lake. If there is, I'll be able to post as normal. Otherwise I will be absent.
Jul 3, 2024 8:57 am
Thanks for letting us know. Enjoy :D
Jul 8, 2024 10:40 am
Sorry for the lack of posting. I caught something ans was a bit under the weather this weekend. I'm feeling better so I'll try do up-date today or tomorrow.
Jul 8, 2024 11:05 am
Please have a proper rest and recovery! We're not flying off anywhere yet!
Jul 12, 2024 5:41 pm
Quote:
And, honestly, the pilot doesn’t count because you have a spare.
😂
Aug 6, 2024 9:20 pm
Just got home from vacation last night. Exhausted today. Will be able to pick things back up normally tomorrow.
Aug 8, 2024 8:39 am
No worries, we'll wait for Dasha :)
Aug 14, 2024 1:23 pm
I think I need to take a pause or bow out of this game. Things were fine when I started, but now that the kids are in school (two different schools and no bus routes, so we have to leave extra early to ensure everyone gets to school on time) and my coworker got laid off (and all her work dumped on me), I'm overly stressed and can't properly contribute to all my games.
Aug 15, 2024 8:54 am
No worries! Getting those kids to school is definitely the priority :D
Hope things ease off a bit soon!
Aug 15, 2024 8:56 am
I'll also shout out to @BedzoneII to check how he's doing
Aug 15, 2024 11:57 am
I'm really apologetic for grinding down more and more slowly in this game. It's not something that generally happens in the games I am committed to, and Night Witches has been such a deep characterisation game. Perhaps it's also my current uneven work demands that have contributed to my bad pacing (a few of the games I'm running are also waiting for my attention). And I do feel I haven't given this one the attention it deserves.

I do appreciate the immense detail CESN has put into this game, and I do get a very real feel for Dasha and Galina. But I'm now at a point where I'm not sure how I can move ahead with Larisa.

I am open and inclined to wrapping up this game, (noting also bookrat's concerns) and I want to say again how grateful I am for what CESN has put together for us thus far and for running what amounts to a first chapter.
Aug 16, 2024 9:29 am
Hey BedzoneII!

Yeah PbtA games might get a bit more intensive than expected at first so it's difficult to predict if we'll have the time and minset for them beforehand, specially for slow PbP games.

I guess that leave @OrangeTree, but I don't think this game in particular is suitable for one-on-one as it's meant to thrive on drama between PCs.
If that's ok, I'll just put it on hold for a few weeks and then probably close it
Aug 16, 2024 11:53 am
BedzoneII says:
I'm really apologetic for grinding down more and more slowly in this game. It's not something that generally happens in the games I am committed to, and Night Witches has been such a deep characterisation game. Perhaps it's also my current uneven work demands that have contributed to my bad pacing (a few of the games I'm running are also waiting for my attention). And I do feel I haven't given this one the attention it deserves.

I do appreciate the immense detail CESN has put into this game, and I do get a very real feel for Dasha and Galina. But I'm now at a point where I'm not sure how I can move ahead with Larisa.

I am open and inclined to wrapping up this game, (noting also bookrat's concerns) and I want to say again how grateful I am for what CESN has put together for us thus far and for running what amounts to a first chapter.
I totally agree with Bed's comments.

CESN has done a great job of setting out the game here. Hopefully the resources can be reused for a future adventure.

I think we needed more players and an agreed post rate. CESN's work deserved it!

But it looks like we have come to the end of the road on this one.

I'm actually thinking of buying the game for irl play! So CESN has sold me on the game.
Aug 16, 2024 1:46 pm
Yeah, I agree with the others. CESN - you've done a fantastic job. I feel bad that I'm not able to contribute how I'd like to.

Ten years at this company, and this is the first time we've had layoffs. Of course it happens just not us after we get a new CEO. End of an era, right? To be fair, my coworker who got laid off kind of deserved it; they were behind on all their projects, and giving them to me, I was able to get them back on track and then even ahead of schedule.

For school, my oldest started middle school, which means I have to get the kids out the door an hour earlier every day. I had expected him to take the bus to school, but they cancelled the bus route to our road. So now I have to drive him, which means leaving much earlier in the day.

I kind of wish you were able to keep this game going and just find new players, because not only is this such a great concept for a game, but you're a great storyteller and GM.
Aug 17, 2024 9:29 am
Sorry to hear about the layoffs giving you a heck of a lot more work bookrat, I wish you well in your work circumstances.

And OrangeTree, you're totally right in saying we might have sustained the relationships a bit more with at least five players, because the PbtA character dynamics would kick in so much more, t's just that we lost some along the way.

Thank you again CESN, and also my fellow players, I hope to play with you in a different game here some time down the line.

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