Free discussion and game set-up

Let's discuss here about anything related to the game.

I'll post soon some info and links!

= Links =
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14wm6EvpmmuG-kHylxAL1bh4jU0EHR3mL

= Reading Tips =
Metro* is the core manual
For a very brief explanation check pages 8-13
For the general setting 16-25 could be enough, at least to understand the tone, we'll run a pre-made adventure so I'll give the necessary details in the intro
For the game rules check 68-126 especially "rapid download" pages, and the useful sample playthrough at 127-130

The most important things are understanding of what is a Tag, how to use it to make a move in the Action, the Status and how the Status stacks.

Tokyo* is the setting manual, maybe check the first 30 pages, but 8-16 could be fine as well. The adventur will take place outside Tokyo so focus on pages 13-14

= Post Frequency and Spotlight managing =
I suggest to post 4-5 days a week outside weekends so around one post a day mon-fri.

The game usually focuses on one player or character per scene or challenge and rotates this spotlight. However, I'll try to adapt by managing multiple challenges at once (or dividing them) and balancing the spotlight among all characters.

Hi ! Excited to try this out. My first question: is there something I can read that gives a setting overview?

Hi! Sure, I will soon upload everything on a google drive folder or similar thing and link it here in the first post!

As soon as possible, I will also provide you all with the references for the 'reading tips' to focus your reading on the important things and the basic rules.

In the meantime, I have tried to create an empty character sheet and a filled-out character, to check what is needed on the sheet and what to focus on regarding the rules and steps for character creation. It's usable, even if not perfect, so if anyone wants to try modifying it, no problem!

I've edited the first post with the link and some info!

Thanks for linking the documents. I will dive into them and design up a character. The settings looks very interesting

Sure!

My suggestion for character creation is to use a Tokyo Character Trope (pages 42-57), they should already be balanced and you don't have to rack your brains too much to put together themes, create tags etc. Please note that they reference both Tokyo and Metro themes.
However, if someone prefers, you can ignore the tropes and create your own character choosing 4 themes or even creating new ones.

There are some fun playbooks in there.

Looking at first glance at:
- FULLY-IMMERSED GAMER
as my favorite option

or alternatives:
- ENLIGHTENED CHILD
- CREATOR OF CYBERLIFE
- VENGEFUL YŌKAI HUNTER

Reading now! Thanks for the research materials.

Does the scenario suggest any of the particular Crew types, or are we free to settle that amongst ourselves?

It may take me a couple of days to read up on everything (everything seems so cool!). Tropes pulling at me are:
- Unwitting Nanotech Wielder
- Oni Motorcycle Courier
- Wandering Neo-Samurai
- Onryo-Haunted Bartender
- Imperial Clone

Need to read the rules and setting to help me figure out which one I like best

I'm still doing some reading now. Thinking about cooking up something tokusatsu-inspired. From the tropes listed though, I've been chewing on a few:

- Mech Pilot (I have a type)
- Hyper-Destructive Vandal w/ Trained Monsters (gotta catch 'em all)
- Ice-Cold Handler (a more social character might be nice, not sure others would dig it though)
- Broken Detective (I'm also a sucker for the classics)

Regarding the Crew Type, I think the entire Crew theme could work, but keep in mind this is a "enter, explore, steal, get out" mission or something along those lines. Therefore, "Elite Specialist" or "Source Hunters" might be the best fit. Additionally, "Wanted," "All-around Fixers," and "Family" could also work well. For other themes, I may need to come up with something to justify involving your place or crew, but it’s nothing impossible.

Listing potential tropes for each player here is a great idea. I can evaluate how well each one fits the mission. However as a GM, I always try to adapt all pre-made material to player choices. I'll provide feedback on those choices soon, but feel free to suggest others as well.

Once I've given feedback, maybe you can choose your final trope/character, and based on that, you can decide on the crew type together.

Also, take your time to read through the material, no problem!

Here is my response, obviously consider that it is the result of a look at the tags and the sentiment, not a real analysis. in any case, when you choose the characters, I will note down all your tags, so as to understand how to direct the challenges.
I gave simple values ​​such as ideal, useful and suitable.

Feel free to discuss here if you want advice or anything!

FULLY-IMMERSED GAMER (useful)
or alternatives:
- ENLIGHTENED CHILD (suitable)
- CREATOR OF CYBERLIFE (useful)
- VENGEFUL YŌKAI HUNTER (suitable but only partially, too focused on the yokai/magic part so you'll have to rely to your companion on more technological challenges)

- Unwitting Nanotech Wielder (ideal)
- Oni Motorcycle Courier (partially suitable, probably you'll have to leave the vehicle outside the place)
- Wandering Neo-Samurai (suitable)
- Onryo-Haunted Bartender (partially suitable, probably the safehouse won't be useful, and is more of a support role)
- Imperial Clone (useful)

- Mech Pilot (only partially suitable, probably you'll have to choose a human-size-like mecha or similar to avoid leaving it outside the complex)
- Hyper-Destructive Vandal w/ Trained Monsters (suitable, maybe choose from street gang tags useful away from the street place. Trained monster is very interesting, maybe you can choose something from japanese or oriental folklore would be amazing!)
- Ice-Cold Handler (useful)
- Broken Detective (ideal)

I've decided to go with the Unwitting Nanotech Wielder - and not just because the DM says it's "ideal' ;)

As for a crew theme, I envision my character as having stumbled into this life, so Elite Specialists doesn't seem like a good fit. I could see them having a role as the "tech guy" in an All-Around Fixers team. Since this character is already wanted, they'd fit right in with a Wanted team, but I think my preferred crew theme would be Source-Hunting Privateers.

Question: Is it ok to choose a fourth theme that isn't one of the suggested three on the trope? I'd like to choose Swarm of Probes (Drones), with the idea that my character can "shed" some drones that combine to create small, flying drones.

Absolutely yes!

Feel free to choose and personalize the character (i.e. maybe someone want to make a biker character without the bike asset).

Also my "labels" want only to give a a general sense of belonging of that trope but as I was saying I'll adapt the adventure and the challenge so feel free to choose the one what inspires you the most!

Sorry for the delay. Ooof, so many options! Can I make my own bespoke character? I like the Tamahagane Swordsmith, the Retired Nano-Butai Trooper and the Toge Street Racer. Maybe I can be the crew's driver?

Welcome on board!
Yes sure, I tried to make an "analysis" of character tropes for this particular adventure.
Tamahagane swordsmith would be useful, retired nano-butai trooper ideal, while the Toge street racer partially suitable since you'll have to leave the vehicle after arriving to destination)
However feel free to choose the one who inspires you the most!
In general consider that you still have 3 themes which are 9 tags if you have an "unuseful" one so is something manageable!

I am playing 1 character or each of us will have a crew?

1 character for each player, then you all will have the "crew theme" which is a kind of common tag stock (everyone can invoke a crew tag but once used you burn it).

Timplausible here already suggested some crew types which suits his character, but let's see what everyone choose and start from there!

Ha ha, sorry to be a little quiet, just struggling with a bit of decision paralysis. I have this one dumb idea that I kinda really wanna do, but I doubt it's a good fit, so I'm also trying to talk myself out of it.

Do eeet! I am thinking of a scientist that uploaded his mind in a super soldier clone.

No problem, I know what you mean!
If you want feel free to share it, personally I love original ideas! The game itself rely on Tags so the limit of this game is when you don't have "useful" tag to use. So on one side the game enhance creativity and original ideas, on the other hand it penalizes you if in a given situation you lack useful tags. Buy in any case will be my "duty" to try to put the group in a situation which someone of you can handle with his tags!

The concept I have in mind (so far) is that of a terminal ill scientist who uploaded his consiousness into the perfect organism. Is this organism a perfected clone or a nanite swarm? Or can be both?

So mechanically speaking is not different, since you "play your tags" and the GM "plays your weaknesses".
Considering the setting, narratively speaking the first is the most suitable, since if you check on pages 11 and 14 you'll see that nanite are outlawed. So, it is realistic to think of nanite users who hides is nanite technology, and less realistic thinking of nanite-based individuals.

You may want to check "Lab-grown supersoldier" or "Uploaded Scientist" (technically you would be a Downloaded scientist :P) as a Character Trope base for your character, with "Cloud of nanites" or "Swarm of probes" as the 4th theme.

Consider that how you describe your character is up to you. For example, you might have a mechanical body with a cloud of nanites inside, which you can send out and control with your mind. Or perhaps you always carry a small box with you that looks like a cigarette pack but contains nanites you control with your visor.
Mechanically they are the same tags and the same thing, narratively they obviously have a different flavour.

Oh, I thought the nanite contamination (Unwittling Nanotech Wielder) was such that your whole body was a nanite swarm / cloud. The Lab Grown Supersoldier was the starting point to be frank but I also like the Retired Nano-Butai Trooper trope. Maybe I can combine the two...?

In my mind, an 'Unwitting Nanotech Wielder' is someone contaminated with nanites, so I imagine it as a cloud of nanites in their blood, under their skin, or something similar. However, as I mentioned, everyone is free to depict their character as they prefer. I just provide some advice based on what I've read in the PDFs.

Also, note that 'Unwitting Nanotech Wielder' is the Character Trope chosen by timplausible here :)

The 'Retired Nano-Butai Trooper' is kind of the opposite—someone who fought against the nanites as a law officer of some kind. If your idea is a kind of 'perfect organism,' then 'Lab Grown Supersoldier' works well, and from there you can adjust the theme to create the character you have in mind :)


P.S. I've updated the character sheet template, so once one of you is ready to create the character, feel free to do so and add it to the game. You can also find a character example as a reference if you need. Once all characters are done, you all can start thinking about the crew theme and from there, the crew relationships!

Ok, I reworked the backstory. The character is a scientist that took part in the nanite wars. He got infected by nanites during the war and now they wreak havoc on his body. He manages to upload / download his consiousness into a perfect lab-grown supersoldier body or a perfect clone body of himself. His old self died in his arms, the body ravaged by the nanites.

Themes:
1) Science Experiment (Troubled Past)
2) Impressive Physique (Expertise)
3) Self-Healing (Cutting Edge)
4) Enhanched Clone (Augmentation)

or (something has to be replaced)
X)Warrior's Insticts (Exposure)

My son tested positive for COVID today. I probably won't be posting much over the next few days (maybe more - depends on how bad of a case he gets). I still hope to keep up with this game, but it might be just reading and making very short posts for a little bit.

Thankfully, covid is too mild nowadays. I wish a quick recovery mate!

I wish him a good recovery!
Seems very interesting!

Okay, not sure I'm going to be able to knock out the character sheet before work, but I think I've settled on a character concept:

AI-Possessed Tactical Waifu Drone

OMG XD

I'm sorry all. With the number of active games going on, including some new ones, I haven't been in focus at all with this one.
I better drop out to not slow you all down.

Sorry to see you go, Shorty, but I hope you enjoy your other games!

I went ahead and submitted Godwyn Enyo to the game. She's a bit of military hardware that got wrecked in cyberspace after crossing the wrong Source-entity. Scrambling for survival, she took refuge in the nearest piece of poorly secured hardware that could contain her: a Waifu drone looking after a teenager whose corpo parents spent most of the year working abroad, leaving him alone in a weirdly spacious home. As she took over the platform, Enyo co-opted parts of its programming to fill the gaps in her own toolkit.

Enyo became a source hunter as an attempt to reconcile the contradictory parts of her programming. On one hand, she's got a head full of combat programming (that her current platform is woefully underequipped for). On the other, her social programming lifted from the platform tells her that she is to love and care for her owner (but also to support him in romantic pursuits). The income from Source Hunting allows her to provide for her charge, ensuring he's taken care of, and also to sock some money away for her own gear and upgrades.

Ever cheerful and supportive, Enyo is a reliable hired gun, even if no one's ever seen the "Commander" she so fondly refers to.

No problem Shorty, I can understand that! :)
As I was saying I really like this concept!
Two things about the Character Sheet:
1) Each theme have a title (i.e. Post-Human Intelligence) but that is also a Tag ("Broad tag"), so you should list it in the tag list as well since you can burn it as well (the box near each tag)
2) Each thrope come along with a Loadout theme ("the fifth theme"), you can choose one and list the "tags" in the Loadout part.
Then, you all get to choose only one Loadout to bring in your mission, but you'll decide it once the briefing will be done!
=============

Regarding the game, I've opened it to application if in the mean time someone wants to join in (since we're also waiting for timplausble!)

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Regarding the crew, with your 3 characters concept I would suggest "Source-Hunting Privateers", or maybe something like that but shifted on "Strange-Hunting" or "Asset-Hunting" or similar, changing some tags would easily change the theme on a more "general" and not "magic-focused" theme but again, feel free to discuss and choose what suits you all :)

Glad that you like the pitch!

1) Ah, I hadn't considered that you might want to check off the Broad Tag, so I left it as the header. I've got it updated now.
2) Since I didn't just take a Trope, I'm taking a little more time with the Loadout. All the Tropes seem to have generic one-tag gear, but I'm not seeing any restriction on multi-tag gear, so I'm trying to figure that out and how I'd notate it/acquire it. Basically, I just need to do a little more reading before I fill that in.

I have my character almost ready. Just some clarifications.

1) What is the THEME tag?
2) If I choose a shotgun as my loadout, I need to buy basic ammo or only custom ammo counts? Because we have only 1 Load Up Power.
3) How I choose MYTHOS - NOISE - SELF points? Just add the themes I have chosen? So for me it will be MYTHOS 0 - NOISE 2 - SELF 2?

So, in general terms, think of the loadout as "that particular equipment that I care about".

The loadout is a theme, so it gets 3 power tags and 1 weakness tag.
The difference is that you can only "load" 1 power tag before each job (you can increase this number with character progression by choosing appropriate power tags), the others are considered burned.

It's up to you which tag you prefer, but you can find a catalogue on page 252.
You might want to focus on one thing (theme: high-precision rifle. Tags: High precision rifle, telescopic sight, long range).
Or you might want to do something broader (Subject: Exoskeleton legs. Tags: exoskeleton legs, high jump, power kick).
Or, another example, you might want to have a piece of equipment with different options (Topic: Shotgun. Tags: Shotgun, Armour Piercing Bullets, Anti-Drone Shock Shot)

So, once you load a tag (i.e. "shotgun") you can use it, is considered that you have everything you need to use that Shotgun (remember that a Loadout theme is burned after use).
Of course, if you're against an opponent in armor, if you use both "shotgun" and "armour piercing bullets" you get +2 Power to your move (bt, initially, you can load only one tag)
1) Each theme have a name/title which is also a tag and is the mandatory tag you have to take (then you choose other two).
So also the "theme" is a tag, is usable for the moves and is burneable too.
2) If you load a loadout tag, you fictionally get everything to use it. So of course is considered that you got ammos for that shotgun. Consider that you can take the bonus from that Loadout only once (the tag are burdner once used) but fictionally you still can use when you want (without getting bonus from it)
3) You can list your theme or count them as you prefer. Is something generally needed by the GM.
Example: if there's an an anti-intruder system with magic detection, the GM may say that the sistem is pointing to [character with highest Mythos value)

I feel kinda weird being all quiet 'n' stuff. Is there anything I can do to help things along, GM-man?

Yes for me is the same, so much desire to start the game!

Sure, here's a revised version:

We're waiting for a third player, hoping Tim will join us and create a character. I've also opened the game for applications. It's definitely hard to play with only two characters, since this game relies on a 'squad' where one player's weak point is covered by another's strength.

Let's see if in a couple of days something changes!

It seems that a third player isn't joining. Unfortunately, I'll have to put this game on hold for now. Who knows, maybe we'll all reconnect later or for something else.
In the meantime, have fun and a nice summer!

Bummer, I will wait though.