A place for OOC banter, chit chat and comments

Welcome Belit!

Thanks, looking forward to shenanigans!

Shenanigans are the best!

There is another player who may be joining, but so far you are solo. I’m good with getting started right away though, as long as you don’t mind playing one-on-one for now.

Shenanigans of my very own? Oooooooooooooooooooooh!!

I’ll take that as a yes, LOL!

Thread is up to get things started.

Not sure my laptop battery will hold out until the power in my area is restored, but I shall post as frequently as I am able until it gives up the ghost.

[EDIT: Power is now back on, huzzah!]
This message was last edited by the player at 22:58, Wed 11 Oct 2023.

Awesome!!

Any news on the recruiting front? Maybe folk just don't know Offworlders.

In reply to Belit Ilani (msg # 9):

You’re stuck with just me for now. Can’t bump the Players Wanted as for 2 days and 8 hours!

If you know anyone looking for a game that can write as well as you do, feel free to ask them to come by.

In reply to GM (msg # 10):

Some of the best players I know on here tragically are adverse to PBTA games, science-fiction, or both. The only fantasy I'm really into is stuff like The One Ring, Swords Of The Serpentine, and Empire Of The Petal Throne.

I do notice that PbtA has sort of a core group who always seem to pop up. It is an incredibly flexible system… I use it in any game I GM where there are dice. I’m also running PbtA Vampire the Masquerade and ShadowRun games.

And I have a PC in a pretty active Beneath a Cursed Moon game.

I love all things PBTA, myself, although I'm not particularly adept at customizing it for my needs. I have a game based on The Expanse that I ran with the published AGE ruleset, but AGE doesn't do the kind of proper gritty that I think a hard-scifi game deserves. So I'm switching to a d100 hybrid of Ringworld, High Colonies, M-Space, and first-edition Blue Planet.

That sounds awesome. Is it up and running?

Never deleted the original game when it went on hiatus, right now I'm partway into the remodeling process. Three of my original players are back, three new players have signed on. Here's the link to another game should you want to read the tale we told earlier. It's all archived, so anyone should be able to.

Sorry about the one-liner, been down with the flu. Had the chills so bad I couldn't get my dictation software to comprehend me through all the chattering teeth.

Totally cool, no rush.

Spent most of the past 24 hours in bed, under the covers completely conked out.

One-liner deleted and new, expanded post made.

Nice!

Provide a write up in the Hitchhiker’s Guide on the PsyCorps for 1XP.

Welcome to the game Roan!

I’ll get a Playbook up for you, but it might be a few days…

Feel free to jump right in at the spaceport so we can push you and Belit together in the story… I gave you a prompt here (link to a message in this game)

Glad to be aboard! No worries with the playbook, I'm happy to wait. I'll get a post up shortly.

Welcome to the game, Roan! The shenanigans have barely begun! How shall we get into trouble? ^_^

Thanks! It looks like Roan will be bringing the shenanigans to Belit, if that crit fail is any indication!

Bring it! Plenty of time for more shenanigans, we have the whole (IC) night ahead!

What sort of game do we want, Roan? The ship should be a collective decision. My immediate observations are as follows:

1. UDW Explorer: Advanced Drive, Shuttle Hangar
   Did the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs. Shuttle great for late-night snack runs.
   
   
2. UWMC Scout: Advanced Electronics, High Manoeuvrability
   Hands down the best option for up-and-coming scoundrels and secret agents.
   
   
3. UWMC dropship: Armor, Afterburners
   Fab for bounty hunters and veterans of a thousand psychic wars. Bae is neither.
   
   
4. Civilian Cargo Hauler: Fuel Tanks, Massive Cargo Hold
   Classic vessel of Traveller-style stories, but how to make that fresh and interesting?
   
   
5. Civilian Passenger Transport: Luxury Quarters, Medbay
   A party yacht to take wealthy clients slumming would suit Bae's temperament.

How much liberty do I have to tweak the backstory of Bae's birth parents? Because I just had a seriously wild idea that would crank the dial to 11. The lyrics from the song at the first link are part of my inspiration, the other part of which borrows from the popular action-thriller franchise tied to the tune at the second link.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx2I4lSmx3w
   
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBB2bPwKWVg

This message was last edited by the player at 10:25, Mon 23 Oct 2023.

In reply to Belit Ilani (msg # 26):

Hmm, good question! They all have their benefits, but from Roan's perspective, he's most interested in A) helping out any other skinners who escaped from Tannhauser-VI and B) establishing a new life for himself.

The passenger transport definitely helps with A (not difficult to smuggle artificial people along with the real people), and explorer and cargo hauler are also versatile options for B. So I'd be ok with any of those.

Sounds like the passenger transport is Belit's top choice?

In reply to Roan Beltzer (msg # 28):

The scout would be great for smuggling small cargoes and one or two people in and out of places, those electronics and the maneuverability are ideal for something like that. But we can always buy new upgrades any time we can scrape together the ~50 credits needed. Ship type just tells the GM what sorts of jobs we want to start off doing.

In reply to Belit Ilani (msg # 27):

Is there a UDW equivalent of Operation Treadstone?

Interesting…

In reply to Belit Ilani (msg # 29):

That's true, the Scout does sound pretty promising as well, and a good starting point to build off of. I like it!

Welcome to the game B.B.

I think maybe we can start you off at the space port as well. What do you think?

Sounds groovy. Feel free to throw problems at me out the gate as well! With B.B. being anything but a boyscout I'm exceedingly comfortable with rivals, creditors and jilted lovers crawling out of the proverbial woodwork whenever it would prove most inconvenient.

Welcome to our space shenanigans, B.B.!

I've had a rough couple of days, but I'll get back in the groove of posting just as soon as possible.

Welcome aboard, B.B.! Shenanigans aplenty here.

Happy to be here. Got an intro post up!

Smidge busy tonight and tomorrow with work, but I'll wiggle in a post from B.B. soon. Don't feel bad with moving things along if you get the chance, I'll catch up!

Re: psychics from Roan's POV...

I figure the only experiences Roan has with psychics are bad ones. If any skinners do show signs of psychic development, they're probably "disposed" of quickly. However, the mining corp employed psychics as "auditors" to help keep the skinners on Tannhauser-VI in check. They would conduct regular "audits" of the skinners, to make sure that they were not harboring thoughts of insurrection. The only way to successfully plan an escape would be to figure everything out in the few short weeks between audits, before the auditors could read your intentions.  Roan and his fellow skinners did, however, not all of them made it out, and many of them fell to the more deadly psychic abilities of the auditors--which of course further instilled an even deeper fear of them in Roan.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:10, Sat 04 Nov 2023.

In reply to Roan Beltzer (msg # 38):

I love it! Take 1XP!

Ok, B.B. hiring the Maryanne to transport the students back to Serrah City is the way you all come together.

Also, Belit and B.B. are from the same part of the planet. Maybe they already know each other? That would smooth out the janky story elements, but isn’t entirely necessary.

In reply to GM (msg # 40):

Hey, if she'll fly in her current condition and not get me pulled over for a busted taillight...

She’ll fly. Just needs some minor repairs that, in an odd twist of fate, probably cost about 1CR…

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Ha!

Just wanted to get a foot in the door though and make sure we can have the whole school bus driver bit be a one and done plot point as an odd job. It's a bit off course of from my original image of 'troublemaker living out of a sci-fi taxi'. Was sort of imagining B.B. as the kind of young offender that has court orders keeping him out of school zones.


nonsequential; Love the little back and forth Belit and Roan are having. So I'll probably wait until a proper break in that to butt in with B.B. And having went with warrior tossing him in alongside actual trouble wouldn't feel out of place. (And having an obvious Malmori come knocking -right- after telling the skinner she's NOT an auditor might not fly so well!)
This message was last edited by the player at 23:54, Mon 13 Nov 2023.

@B.B.

I got the vibe that the character would take what came his way. The assistant coach gig is definitely not something holding him down just a favour to a relative and a bit of cred (or maybe a debt forgiven would be more likely).

As far as meeting up with Belit and Roan, feel free to explore the spaceport. Belit has another ship breath to explore anyway, so eventually you might cross paths (and maybe recognize each other from … somewhere… I dunno, just tossing ideas around).

Finally found some time to iron out another post! Let me know if you want any of that to get walked back. Basically I leaned into some of what others already established concerning the Malmori. And wanted to tie B.B.'s abilities / playbook into that heritage. He's not a warrior because he's seen any war--he's just built different. Literally the end result of cold eugenics.

Homogeneous, expansionist space empire seemed like the natural unfriendly neighbor for the UDW's interplanetary melting pot.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:10, Sun 19 Nov 2023.

In reply to B.B. 'Baby' Vandammez. (msg # 46):

The whole eugenics and selective breeding and genetic manipulation thing about the Malmori Empire is in. Without hesitation. Nicely done.

Belit gets to make the final call on the history between the two characters. I like the tie in though, so if it passes Belit’s review, it’s a go.

Hey gang, sorry for the absence, I've been dealing with a nasty case of the flu. I hope to be able to get caught up soon.

No problem Roan. Get well soon!

In the meantime I attempted to AI up an image of B.B.  Far from a perfect portrayal but neat nonetheless!

https://i.ibb.co/nw2wSdQ/BB.png
This message was last edited by the player at 16:09, Thu 23 Nov 2023.

I fear the boys will be bored to tears while Bae strikes out on her own to retrieve that starchart (she's not leaving the damn starport without it, especially to deliver some schoolkids to her hometown).

@Belit - That's fair, but I think you might find that you can't leave the system with your busted stardrive, and B.B. is offering the CR you need to get it fixed.

And your damn computer seems to be being a bit cagey about the Lambda Zone.

Slip 606 is not all that far away and I'm certain the kids can wait. I'm not certain they won't get into trouble while they are waiting but that's Coach's problem...

In reply to GM (msg # 52):

Might be trouble for Roan if he leaves the ship just now, though we could always disguise him by putting him in a spacesuit. Only person B.B. is likely to catch it from is Coach. Another potential source of income is that package of goodies Bae asked Mart to send her. Gotta be a duty-free shop or dispensary in the spaceport in need of product fresh from the farm / pharm.

You know who buys soft mellow drugs that make them giggle? Teenagers.

Ah, but would student athletes buy with Coach playing chaperone? (Cheerleaders might, regardless.)

They play rollerball, so its a safe bet, just need coach to be a bit distracted.

Is that original rollerball, remake rollerball, or original-draft-script-before-McTiernan-ruined-it remake rollerball?

Original for sure, but with a heavy helping of the 1990s game show Rollergames.

Apparently my alma mater and my parents' alma mater (Northwestern University and University Of Michigan, respectively) have copies of the original-draft-script-before-McTiernan-ruined-it screenplay. It was based on the same original short story as the 1975 film, but updated the social commentary and fixed a number of issues with the 1975 film. I am tempted to see if I still have library privileges at Northwestern despite having graduated fifteen years ago just to get my paws on a photocopy of the darn thing.

That would be pretty cool.

I'm putting the movie on now... trip down memory lane!

OK, Rollerball is a thing...

In the UDF it is played much like the first game in the 1975 film. Rough but regulated with rules.

On the frontier between UDF and Empire, where there are more independent systems like Akir things are closer to the style of the game early in the 2001 film. Showy, with pyro and professional characters that are very flamboyant.

In the Empire it is pure bloodsport - bread and circuses for the masses. There are a few pros but most are conscripted into the games. Sometimes prisoners are offered the chance at freedom if they play well enough.

tIn reply to GM (msg # 61):

I feel I must mention Futuresport, if only because it appears to be played in part on hoverboards in a skatepark-like arena. Looks cheesy as all fuck, but it's streaming for free on a bunch of services and I have ninety-one minutes I can spare in the event I don't turn it off part-way through due to intense levels of stupid.

Ten minutes in and we've just seen Hawaiian terroristas try to mess up Our Hero™, played by smirking butthead Dean Cain. Production values are decent, soundtrack is cheesy electronica. Very late 1990s. Oh, and Wesley Snipes doing a very cheesy Jamaican accent.

I've never seen it. Have about 30min so will heck out the first bit anyway. Wesley Snipes is looking great and the reporter with the implant is very cyberpunk.

Well, upon conclusion Futuresport wasn't too horrid. Still cheesy as hell, but nearly entertaining!

On Futresport: I got through the first half hour; it’s predictable and cliched but it speaks to me on my nerdiest level (like Demolition Man or Johnny Mnemonic).

On Belit and B.B. : great dynamic guys! Instant IC connection. Great job running with this. Take 1XP each (playbooks updated) and keep chatting. Just give me the signal when you start walking to terminal 6 and I’ll set you up for the scene at the dead spacer’s berth.

Sounds good to me!

Roan has been gone over a week now so we should probably forge ahead without him.

Off to terminal six or heading to do something else?

B.B.'s vote is still locked in form terminal six

Probably not safe for Roan to leave the ship anyway.

Just an update that B.B.'s still around and probably just scoping things out in that sort of relaxed alertness of a lazing lion. I'll probably have time to put a post up to that effect Soon^tm but don't pump the brakes on my account. Just extra work with the end of the year eating up too much of my time.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:27, Fri 15 Dec 2023.

Not to worry, B.B.... between the holidays and the year's-end workload, most games slow to a crawl in December.

Still! I crawled something out!


If you ever need to imagine Baby in motion just watch an episode of Aeon Flux. _{( 'Utopia or Deuteranopia' is a good entry point.)} That's 110 percent where my mind is at. He's an impossible Sci-fi exaggeration of stealth + precision. A human jaguar. Spooky intense.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:11, Sat 16 Dec 2023.

Somehow forgot how Scanner works in those prior posts. May have been too much of an open book. Moving forward B.B's posts around Ilani will be peppered with surface emotions (Since she reads those like letters), but she'll have to go fishing for deeper thoughts or specific information.

Happy holidays to one and all! ^_^

Getting close now!

Happy Holidays!

Time for the yearly ritual of constructing a little house for cookie men, then devouring them.

You are a fickle cookie god.

Ask not for whom the cookie crumbles; it crumbles for thee.

Merry Christmas!

It's the end of the year as we know it. It's the end of the year as we know.

It's the end of the year as we know it, and I feel fine...

Happy New Year!

New Year and new month. Take 1XP.  Playbooks updated.

Hope this is the tail end of holiday lag. Anything you guys need from me?

I was waiting for Belit to try and sell drugs to highschoolers, but we can skip it if I'm what's holding us back.

That's probably on me. I could of put a bit more forward momentum into B.B.'s last post. Not enough to react to in a reread. Just him being on the scene.

Out of the holidaze myself. So I can keep in step once we find our feet again.

Just got back home after holiday traveling.

Welcome back!

No stress on the game side, just keeping the embers burning.

Nothing for Roan, so I’m guessing he is gone for good.

Yeah, let's skip that. Never bought or sold drugs myself, so have no clue how to approach it in-game. Best I can manage is a single, uninteresting sentence.

I'm not opposed to jumping forward in time if that's what Belit's more comfortable with. We could even pick up in media res of the aforementioned "shakedown jaunt to Hephaestus..." or "... a quick tour of the Reaches."

Got it. We can time skip to "Shakedown jaunt to Hephaestus".

Will have that up over the weekend.

I can't leave my apartment building because there are police and a dead body in the lobby blocking the elevator. Fun day thus far... O.O

Damn! That’s much worse than light snow.

Stay safe!

Follow-up on Monday's events: The deceased was in fact a neighbor from the floor below mine who I chatted with when I first moved in. She was on supplemental oxygen for emphysema, and her lungs just finally gave out. She’d felt poorly earlier that morning. Apparently the police were there just as standard operating procedure, the deceased called 911 for an ambulance and came down to wait in the lobby but died before they arrived.

Holy shit!

What a crazy thing to happen in your building. Hope you are doing OK!

Anyone still lurking?

Yeppers.

So Belit is in for sure and maybe one more. No sign of B.B.

Pick it up at Hephaestus Station?

Sounds good to me.

Happy 300th post! ^_^

@Belit - fitting that you had #300 … welcome back!

@(new)Roan - you gonna play as you are, spin up a new character or just lurk? Absolutely no wrong answers and no expectations.  I know you have more on your plate than a feral raccoon in an Italian eatery dumpster. You are more than welcome!