Another update:

I have not heard from Wolfgang in a while though the system says they logged into the game on the 6th.  I sent them a message and if I don't hear back soon I will remove them from the game.

I also have two more players interested in joining, we are hashing out character concepts.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 484):

Excellent!  That would give us a squad of 7, assuming both work out!

As much as we could probably use someone good in a fight, I feel like  -  looking at the "retired characters roster," that "Armsman" is kind of 'kiss of death'....  :-P

In reply to Hugh Shinjison Hoshikawa (msg # 481):

In line with figuring out what to do next...


I was looking through the 'Cast' list again, and was reminded that Hugh's profession is 'Bounty Hunter."

Is there a way to track down leads on a Bounty Hunting job that might get us moving in plot direction?  Does he have regular contacts that feed him contracts, or how does he usually find out what's available?

Something on some oddball planet where Nat's survival and planetary skills might be useful, that needs us to use some kind of piloted transport to both get there and to get around *while* there?  Some established and/or indigenous cultures that allow us to use our own disparate histories to communicate with?


While both Petra and Nat would *like* to get their memories back, neither of us is gung ho on working with Rach again, or even pursuing that angle *right now.*  We ARE interested in continuing to work together, whatever that may look like, so we're both (I'm not just speaking for Petra  -  we've been having extensive OOC conversations) pretty flexible at this point.

In reply to Natakkoa Tukumpeh (msg # 486):

Hugh's SM profession is Bounty Hunter because it was the closest fit. He actually has no training in Hunting or Bounties specifically, just a more subtle form of soldier than the Armsman profession gives. He was trained as a sort of cross between Customs Agent and Border Patrol in another province and has no real local connections.

Hugh would like to know how his memory was taken, was it Telepathy or drugs or what(is at least that much in Ves' range?)? If he can recover them, great, that would undoubtedly lead to new plot threads. As for working for/with Rach, Hugh isn't enthusiastic but really doesn't want to burn the bridge, since he currently has nothing to fall back on and Rach, as much as he probably made a huge mistake on this one, is still the best employer around here.

Well, Nat was putting words in Petra's mouth.  But blessings were given with respect to that.  ;)

With the potential for more than half the group (if we really do get up to seven) not invested at all in the lost memories thread (having not been involved in it at all), it is probably best to drop/sideline it unless there is a compelling reason to pursue it (like it is the excuse to get off-planet and start over).  May not be totally realistic (or satisfying from Nat/Petra/Hugh's POV), but is likely the most pragmatic - and I am willing to go with it.

Petra and her player recognize that Rach is the 'nicest' of the five crime bosses on Hyperion IX (presumably, that means that if any of the other four had sponsored our mission, there would have been no pickup and we'd just be dead in space), and that we are (still) considered pretty much expendable in his and Jewel's eyes.  So, while Petra is thankful there is no burn notice on them; she's only going to go as far out of her way to help them as much as they are her (which is, in her opinion, not very far).  Which, admittedly, means less to them than it does to her.

It is a Catch-22 though, the mission we originally went on wasn't supposed to have this type of opposition or outcome.  So, what is to say that the next mission from Rach won't turn out the same?  But honestly, that could be said for any upcoming mission I suppose.  But, that doesn't make the outcome any easier to swallow; I think that all Petra (or her player) can do is to try and avoid that as best they can.  At this point, though, I am at a loss as to how to safeguard against such outcomes (and, of course, Jewel - and therefore - Rach - also gave no assurances; honestly, though how can they?); I guess perhaps having a telepath on the team is a start...

How much cash do we need to get off-planet and start over?  Is anyone else interested in doing that?  Petra has a little stipend/income from investments, but that isn't likely to get her (to say nothing about the rest of the group) very far.  What do we know about Akaisha?  Anyone else willing to go there and poke around?

Conversely, if the majority of the group (i.e the four new players - and/or Hugh) wants to remain on Hyperion IX and take whatever job Rach offers next, then that is fine.  Mostly, Petra's hope is that any new mission will actually require her skills as a pilot.. :D

Hi folks!
Been away for a couple of days. Planning to catch up on the reading today.
Catherine is comfortable with going whereever the storyline takes her.

***
Happy to accept any plot hook that requires a mechanic.
I haven't figured out why she is where she is becasue IDK the world setting at all yet. Right now, she's looking for a job.
(If it helps engage with her, Catherine is 85% based on Kaylee Frye in Firefly/Serenity.)
This message was last edited by the player at 08:32, Fri 10 May.

Getting off Hyperion will be expensive, but passage to somewhere else within a reasonable distance is part of the offer Jewel made.   Reasonable distance here means with Devon Province, and that includes Akaisha.

The new characters don’t have to be on Hyperion of you decide to go somewhere else, you can meet them there, since they haven’t made an IC appearance yet.  So it’s really about Hugh, Nat, Petra and Ves deciding where, of anywhere, to go.

But the new players can chime in with suggestions, of course.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:00, Fri 10 May.

In which Province is Hyperion ?

It is in Devon Province

In reply to Game Master (msg # 492):
TY!
Re-read the history thread a couple of times and have got that now (although not the detail of the provinces).

Is there a map (topographical would be fine) of which province borders what other provinces?
(If not, do we know which Provinces are adjacent to Devon?)

Just though I'd throw this one out there to see if it gets any resonance/pick up..

Devon's enemy is Colos.
Catherine hails from Jade-London which also has Colos as an adversary.
Perhaps there's a suspected or rumoured plot by Colos that is/has/was/will need to be investigated?

Well, Nat/Petra/Hugh's last mission (which none of us remember much IC due to mind wipe), ended with the destruction of a Colosian Tachyon Beam Dictor (TBD) station.

So, there could be some resonance there (good and/or bad), Petra is willing to pursue the memory loss angle/thread, but we don't know if it is in direct conflict with the Colosians or not (i.e. if Colosians were involved/responsible, it is very possible that they were not).  To complicate matters (or lend credence to that theory that another party may be responsible of the memory loss), there was a potential third party (with alien nanobots - whom we don't know their allegiance) and a potential fourth-party there with a disembodied voice on the station (whom, again, we don't know the agenda/allegiance of) that initially tried to help us in the scenario, but stopped communicating with us after initial contact.

Plenty of unanswered (and potentially interesting) questions with very little means for us to answer them, currently (especially with not much to go on since the contact/handler on Akaisha is dead - whom we don't remember meeting and have no idea how or if we interact with).  But, it may be that Colos is not really involved with any of them (with the mind wipe, nano-tech, or the disembodied voice).  So, I can't really say if Catherine will have any real interest in pursuing any of those threads (especially if she finds out they are unrelated to Colos); that is up to Catherine (and her player), though.

It was just picking up a potential connection in case it grows legs.
Happy to pursue any or all of that. Depends how the GM's feeling/thinking..

In reply to Catherine Aria Tyndale (msg # 494):

Possibly, but that is a world-building aspect that the players don't control.  Behind the scene machinations and rumors or clues of same are the purview of the GM  - it's our job to discover them and then decide to pursue them or not.


Take it personal, and closer to home  -  has Catherine had any encounters or experiences with Colos in her personal past that have left any unresolved issues, things she'd like to get closure for?

In reply to Petra Jelinek (msg # 495):

Everything Petra said  -  who has a much firmer grasp of the world setting and details than I do (and who, I suspect, has played more SpaceMaster than I have, coming from my RoleMaster background....).  :-)

Due to both memeory issues, resources, and motivation, Nat isn't sold on our current options, and while she would deeply prefer to get her lost memories back, sees no path to that end that she would trust at this time.  A 'back pocket' option for later, unless something presents itself.

I, myself, am trying to find some time to crunch through a more detailed working of Nat's past, to see if I can come up with some plot hooks we can use, that she or other members of the group might be interested in.  I work Full-Time, so it might be the weekend before I can sink meaningful time into something that in-depth.

In reply to Natakkoa Tukumpeh (msg # 497):

TBH I'm feeling my way in. (Runing soemehat blind TBH). I've found that articulating thoughts often allows others to use/build/suggest therefrom.

***
OK, I've read (three times each) Terran History, O1 beginnings (msg #1 only), People in the Campaign & Places in the Campaign. (If there's more i should read then pls let me know).

***
I'd like to know the proximity/adjacency of Devon to Jade-London and of both to Colos.

***
Not sure if this is the right place but here goes anyway: I'd be interested in Catherine being an agent for Jade-London. (Not like a James Bond secret agent but more like a Haper in Forgotten Realms. I guess an agent that has a secret mission, but is mostly a normal (albeit highly skilled as PCs are) person, just with a sense of committment to a cause. I hope that makes sense. She's been sent to (soemwhere that will interesct with the exsiting group) to investigate rumours/suspicions of a Colos place. (@ GM - Perhaps Catherine's a sleeper that been activated?).
If you folks are content to stay on Hyperion then Catherine would be ideal to investigate/repair computer issues for the Spheranxe. (@GM - perhaps that intersects with a Colos plot (or an invetigation or theirs) &/or overlaps with the existing PC's memory loss (or cause thereof) or maybe picks up some breadcrumbs for a path to maybe discover the what/what/how behind it.)

***
Just playing with ideas here. Any resonance, pls shout out.
(And, of course, TY for your patience with me)

============
If there is any resonance (read "interest") around any of my above resmbling thoughts then I'd be happy to add extra details/thioughts to it.
I LOVE THIS STUFF!

In reply to Natakkoa Tukumpeh (msg # 498):
i'd be delighted to try and help!

Hmmm... it sounds like you don't have access to Group 1, which is sort of unfortunate as msg#1 isn't an accurate description of what happens in the thread (and why you don't know anything about the Colosian TBD station, the nano-tech aliens or the memory-wipe.   After the introductory posts by the PCs, the scenario started "in Medias Res" with all of us waking in the station with no memory of the mission brief or accomplishing anything.  We then proceed to try and explore the station before it explodes (meeting the disembodied voice and the nano-tech aliens along the way and getting rescued by a ship scheduled to retrieve us at mission completion... so, it is implied/inferred that time has passed and that we were where we were supposed to be at the mission's end somehow).

There are probably plenty of details that Petra's player has forgotten/missed from the thread and/or was never privy to; but that again, is just an inference, as her player's memory is not great and, ultimately, not have anything resembling a complete picture of the situation established has not helped with any recall or collation.  And as such has probably led to a lack of emotional investment in that scenario itself (beyond the dislike of the memory loss and wariness of the organizers that can't really protect their assets).

Hopefully, the GM and other players that were there can fill in any gaps.  Or if the GM deems it appropriate, just give you (and perhaps the other new players) access to Group 1's IC thread and you can read it for yourself.

Honestly, we are all just feeling our way around at this point.  With most of the group new to the game and the previous scenario ending the way it did (partially aborted, as I gather, and with such high attrition), it's like a new group/session 0 again.

TY for the fill in, Petra!
By and large I'm pretty persistent and don't do the attrition thing. (I've played quite a few campaigns that lasted a while, e.g. Night Below L1-19, Rappan Athuk L1-L14, World's Largest Dungeon etc). That said I did have one game on here that fizzled as the GM couldn't think of a story.

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So, are you folf (existing PCs) going to stay on Hyperion for at least a while?
If so, I will ask the GM to place Catherine on Hyperion and hopefully we can interact. From what you've said there are lots of threads there to pick at! I was very intrigued by the one-liner in the Hyperion description that a lot of off worlders think that the Spheranxe are actually computers!

Well, I think that is what we are trying to decide right now, OOC.  As Rach's offer to transport us (Petra, Nat, Hugh and Ves) off-world if we wish to pursue leads in Akaisha (or even Karoline, the Devonian Capital) and then meet up with the new PCs (including Catherine, I suspect) there (and not have to concoct a separate set of excuses to transport the other new PCs).

I know that you are itching to start RP (as we all are), but without a little more framework such RP might be a touch counter-productive.

Ok, fine, I'll go mute then until prodded.

I didn't mean to silence you, Catherine (and I am sorry, if you felt that way or you felt I came across that way).  Your input is important, we merely haven't been able to get a consensus (of which you are part) on where we should pick up the RP/what direction does the group want to head off in.

Is your vote to stay on Hyperion IX and work with Rach or another crime boss on a new mission?

Or do something else on Hyperion IX (not sure we want to try and mess with/upset the balance of power with the Spheranxe - given their (potential) mass suicide pact, but you do you... :D)?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:48, Fri 10 May.

Ah ok, my bad; misunderstood - I thought you were gently telling me I was talking too much. I can do theat when I get engaged.

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All of those. But also happy to leave when you do.

My thoughts on Spheranxe were just something that jumped out of the page at me. Wasn't any intent to mess up their stuff; the opposite in fact! Perhaps they wanted/needed/requested help? Maybe messing with them was the Colos misssion..
jus kicking out possibilities for inspiration/use/whatever that the GM might warm to/decide to use or embroider.

* waves * :)

I am still wrapping my brain around Space Master, and my character sheet is still under construction, but I thought I should say "hi".


If Catherine is Kaylee-ish, Tian You is Shepherd Book-ish.  If you envision that personality with a Theologist Semi-Telepath who is a Chinese Calvinist Churg, that will give you some idea...

I look forward to playing with you all.  :)

In reply to Yu Tian You (msg # 506):

Good way to put it; I get that!
I've never played SM before so you've not alone there (although I have played Rolemaster & MERP).

***
I'm sort of getting a feeling that we players are dancing around our handbags.
Might be best to just do something and we can all make it work somehow.
:)

I suspect that I may be the slow coach holding up the works, since my character sheet is still a work in progress.

I will try to finish things up ASAP, if not sooner than possible... ;)