Beyond the Veil

Game Master MCKhaos

Rache’s mother is monetizing their Giri operations by making it a “dog the bounty hunter “ type reality show. She’s not a star like Trophy, but she makes enough from the show to cause conflicted feelings around “defiling” the sacred work of Giri.

I need to do beleifs. would love to hear thoughts on these ones

1. The world isn't fixable.
2. The system exists to perpetuate itself.
3. They wouldn't like me anyway.

Beliefs are tricky as they need to be able to be tested in concrete terms. I'm not making any comments on any particular belief that has been suggested so far. I'm only saying that you should be able to come up with at least one concrete way you could test that belief if you were the GM.

Turning to the specific suggestions: These seem fairly abstract. How would you test them?

This reality TV idea is brilliant. I wish the Telepresence playbook from the Cascade Supplement was available. It is basically: Vblogger the playbook.

I love #2. It's only logical that systems that last perpetuate themselves well, so obviously the status quo is the system that best perpetuated itself. All the little psychological exploits have been found and mined for profit. The entire economy hangs on cultural relevance rather than productivity. This seems like a belief that will hold for a long time.

#3 is very flexible, what with the pronoun game. seems like something that will come up a lot, and might be the first to get resolved if anyone gets friendly.

#1 will be an interesting one to see resolved in any form.

This reality TV idea is brilliant. I wish the Telepresence playbook from the Cascade Supplement was available. It is basically: Vblogger the playbook.

Oh snap, I just found the PDF of this playbook on their Kickstarter.

I'll need to think if I want to take a character detour and do this instead...

The Fates see through a single eye. Tested by a constant paranoia that every little thing is a sign that LaChessa is loosing her mind. I'm also eyeing the "change playbook" and "make a new character" options in the lvl 6+ advancement list.

Telepresence is a safer alternative to Cyberwear. Tested by borrowed chairs, voyers at the foot of the bed, Immersive Feedback Syndrome, backdoor entry, man-in-the-miiddle attacks, etc.

Suffering is the source of all evil. Tested by psychopaths, privileged crooks, and the innocent downtrodden.

In my head, these beliefs are defense mechanisms, in one way or another.

1. is straight up "the onomastics were trying to fix the world, to make it better. look where it got them."

2. is their reaction to the inhumanity that pervades this world. people treated as tools or props or set pieces. I'm gonna put an "Only" in there

3. is what they tell themselves as they sit in their sanctuary, choking down cold nutripaste with only a psuedo-AI for company.

Hi guys!

1) Can I also do an Executive?

2) How Shadowrun can we get/steal? (srsly, I'm thinking of working for Ares Macrotechnology.)

3) How is this game fun? (Um, it looks like it's DW, but not as good. Like, it says the executive is always rolling + capital...but then there are two options for the corporation, one gives you +1 capital, one gives you -1 capital. How can I feel like a mover and also a shaker if I'm just doing base rolls the same as the common workers?)
If I'm a high roller, wouldn't I want the modifiers to my rolls to reflect that?

It seems like a lot of this game just gives you a base roll, maybe +1. Is that what I'm seeing here?

You also add your current emotional state modifier to every roll (including capital rolls) unless specifically told otherwise. Because of this, the moves don't say Roll+State, they just say Roll. So Roll+Capital is really +State + Capital.

I would tend to want to avoid repeat playbooks. By the way, here are five more playbooks the author has released: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/n2up0ef4807hzyz/AADblEyFiGljsJSlDm6ywpBBa?dl=0

As for the differences between DW and Veil: The Veil is less focused on granular combat and the setting is of course very different. I'm not sure which is more fun, as this is my first time with the Veil.

The mnemologist is tempting... Alas I am committed.

3) How is this game fun?

Without having played this game, its “fun” is making a collaborative story about the intersection of humanity and technology. Based on the playbooks so far, our game is going to be a lot about reality tv and fame in the digital age.

I can’t speak to how that will be fun for you. It’s my jam. Maybe it’s your jam too. Maybe you’d rather play The Spawl, which is a mission based cyber-punk shoot’em’up (if you find a game of the sprawl lmk because that’s ALSO my jam).

I hope you play. Consider the Telepresence from Veil’s link. But let us know if you’re not going to play, because I think we’re waiting on you.

Without having played this game, its “fun” is making a collaborative story about the intersection of humanity and technology. Based on the playbooks so far, our game is going to be a lot about reality tv and fame in the digital age.

I see it exploring identity, faith, and purpose in a blank-slate, automated world of consumerist circle-jerking.

Mmmrmph. Fair 'nuff.

I've suffered a personal setback, and it needs some attention. Hence I don't have the time I'd like to learn a new system.

I'll keep reading the books and following along. =)

I see it exploring identity, faith, and purpose in a blank-slate, automated world of consumerist circle-jerking.

Yeah that too

Looks we are almost good to go with Rache, Na-so, and the triumvirate.

Tonight I'm going to dig through your playbooks, the discussions so far, and then posit some final char creation and establishing questions.

One thing that is fascinating about this Reality TV life is that your main antagonists are as much on display as you are. I've been thinking about that a lot because it drops the fog of war in interesting ways. I think I will often be describing off screen hard and soft moves through clips you are watching.

Please check out these sheets. I think they will help me track all the stuff. This is a bit more resource intensive for a GM than DW is.

I realized that I need to know your final giri choices before I can do establishing questions. What did you end up settling on?

This is a little involved for mobile. I’ll fill out tonight (eastern)!

I think Trophy is taking my #1 (saved me from Iconoclasts). I haven't seen Rache's yet I don't know If I want to take any of Lachessas.

Here are mine:

If someone keeps a secret regarding why you enforce Giri and has told no one, they have 1 Giri on you.
„

If you’ve let someone off or reduced their penalty when they did not uphold their own Giri previously, you have 1 Giri on them.
„

If you trained someone to fend for themselves when you’re not around, you have 1 Giri them

Pick what you want!

Only one that might fit LaChessa with Rache is #2. I can see LaChessa trying to weasel out of Giri.

I’m into that. What was the giri violation and why did Rache let you off the hook? Something work related?

I’m into that. What was the giri violation and why did Rache let you off the hook? Something work related?

I think it should fit into one of the categories of Societal Giri selected in Rache's playbook.

I'm considering taking you both up on your #3's

Na-Zo is a researcher who has found themselves in a bad position, and Maybe Rache helped them figure out how to protect themselves from the Iconoclasts.

What would being an exclusive asset for LaChessa look like? if not, maybe in one of their "wandering out of the panry" moments, they saw something LaChessa wishes they hadn't.

Trophy makes a public show of taking in strays. During the escaped weapon incident that wiped out your club, or whatever, she brought you in (occasionally) kept you paid (occasionally) and has allowed you a certain degree of freedom in perusing your investigation. You're played up as the unhinged orphan of an underground cult, and it's presented in the most culturally destructive way possible. She's one of the few people who will give you a regular job without any extra questions or forcing you to wear a camera rig. Fast money comes to those in the spotlight, and without a camera on you... or in you, you won't have the capitol to pursue interests beyond survival.

There is a personal affectation in the way Na-Zo dresses (which has no cultural significance) which fans of Titan Inc. understand to be part of your ninja outfit. You find replicas in discount bins everywhere.

That's not...it wasn't a... What do you mean escaped weapon?... Since when does a longcoat mean 'ninja'?

I love it

So Trophy thinks the Iconoclasts are escaped weapons of some sort?

When you're in a condemned building and unlicensed assets show no loyalty to anyone on the guest list, you assume someone cracked open the rainy day party poppers and issue a tactical retreat.

It's just good business.

Ok, my sheet is all filled out.

So, I hold 1 Girl on LaChessa because I let her off the hook
I hold 1 Giri on Na-Zo because I sheltered and trained Na-zo to protect herself

Na-Zo, I'd be happy to do either #1 (which follows logically from you taking #3 on mine) or #3, which would come up organically as we trained. Probably Rache venting about how she feels regarding the reality show. Kosto Corp. is the only place where her camera is off, so training there would give her the opportunity to gush.

LaChessa, #1 or #2 would fit, depending on what giri violation you're guilty of, and why I let you off the hook. Since you owe Giri if someone employs you, skimming off the top would be a Giri violation...

Before Titan Inc was acquired, LaChessa worked for them in the same capacity as she does now. She didn't have a lot of friends among her new higher-ups. Once acquired, Percival, the CFO of Olympus Heights' senior living tower, claimed damages, and OH gave LaChessa a choice: go into exile, or lose her portfolio (both a death sentence at her age).

LaChessa's out was to tell Rache the truth. Something which would get both Rache and Percival disfigured or worse. The damages in question we performed on an unauthorized retreat where LaChessa and Percival got "entangled" in ways Percival's boss and partner, Damien Hadron LLC, would not appreciate.

The terms of LaChessa's Giri were altered, and resolved, but Rache now knows something of LaChessa's past that could put her status at the corp in jeopardy and Rache keeps it secret for her, Rache has 1 Giri on LaChessa.

I love it! That's definitely something that Rache would let slide, especially if it lead to holding some giri on LaChessa. Now that Trophy is a star, Rache may have need to cash in a marker or two.

So, what memory did Rache share with Na-Zo, as they huddled next to her after the first supermarket run disaster?

Also, how urban is out environment? like, starscrapers andslums and massive bllboards spilling neon light onto cloud darkened streets? or are we somewhere else?

She told Na-Zo about her first solo Giri recovery. This was before the reality show. She felt honored to be a part of such an intimate and important proceeding. When Rache approached the young man in his home, she was stuck by how relieved the man was at her presence. The shame and guilt and worry were over and things could be made right. She had him change into comfortable clothes and gave him a pill to take and he went to sleep and never woke up. He’d even boxed up his things before she got there.

The jobs aren’t always that easy (if someone violates Giri they’re likely to keep violating it), but you’d be shocked at how many people are thankful for her presence. She erases the stain they accidentally left on their lives.

I’d love our setting to be highly urban, little to no green space, slums and high rises, neon everywhere

S*#$ man... mental note, don't "Refute" near Rache

Yeah, Giri is no joke. Don’t mess with the fabric of society or someone will come murder you

People live in starscrapers. The biggest starscraper is the one built around the space elevator- the one we built before we realized space travel was impossible? Now it's used to ratchet the livable structures up above the global devastation below. It's like a beautiful chandelier counting down humanity's demise. Good thing we're all transhumanist and such.

People still live in the scyscrapers built on land. Squatters mostly. Kings of filth. It's a good place to lay low, or schedule mayhem. There are also undocumented persons in the infrastructure (the ducts, the pipes, etc.)

For the mostpart, outside is not a thing. There's no veil outside. How would there be? Why do you want to go outside? Don't go outside. We have outdoors. Very well simulated. Our historians are second to none.

Are we waiting on anything else?

Just me. Sorry this has been the most stressful week of my professional career! I have not abandoned ye!

My thoughts and prayers to various Gods, real and imaginary, for you and your career.

I also cannot express how much I love that our world is set on an enormous skyscraper built on an abandoned space elevator.

Why did it turn out that space travel is impossible? Is it actually impossible, or is that just what the peasants have been told?

An overlay describes Mz. LaChessa as a 'former aerospace engineer'.
"It's fiscally impossible. That's what the economists told us. It shut us down immediately. That was my first time starting fresh... Launching rockets was a luxury of a bygone age. The fuels we've got don't burn that bright anymore. If we'd have known then what we know now? Maybe. Besides, if we could just jump ship, wouldn't we have done it by now?" LaChessa stops to take a breath off of a machine styled to look like a hookah stem. "Sure, maybe there was an ark like they say, but why does that matter? Even if it were true, they're not coming back for us. Not after all this time. As far as I'm concerned that argument is moot."

Back when we were a thing, the Onomastics were kinda like magpies, but for history, snatched up any goodies anyone else left vulnerable for too long. In our records were the recording of the three failed colonization missions. If you'd ever seen them... Listen, the space option isn't viable, and I kinda think that Ark thing is a load of bull s&#~ so big it could make crops grow at sea level.

No, they won't elaborate, just repeats "theres nothing good up there... trust me" or variations thereupon

What do you all think of this?

I imagine the structure as one tall wedge that can spin freely. Perhaps three miles long, but only two miles wide as the back of the wedge. As a result, it will spin to face into the wind, reducing instability for the higher regions.

Each "story" is 300 feet tall and has its own micro economy of buildings,schools, businesses, homes, and open areas. Travel between stories is strictly regulated by an ancient computer system. Some of the lower classes will live out their entire lives within a single story. Even elites are limited, with the most powerful corps (that you know of) limited to about 100 stories.

But you calculate that there must be thousands of stories. Cut off by the ancient computer system for centuries, you can only imagine what life is like far below and far above you.

Sounds amazing, and it explains why Giri is so important. If you can’t cooperate, you have to leave or die.

I just settled a particularly stressful case. I'm here.

I think we know the world, and I have an idea of some of the other players in it, but I'd like to start out by following some wise Apocalypse World advice I've heard: In the first session, just follow the characters and see what happens.

If you have any session/game starting moves, please make them over in the gameplay thread. I'll probably use the Executive's results for a very basic framework of an initial scene that all three characters are in, and then we'll play to see what happens from there.

It is nice to be playing with three players that I know are incredibly creative. This is going to be fun.

Also, I was thinking of making some aliases for other big time players in the reality TV wars, and using those aliases for "on camera" check-ins on what they are doing. Does that sound reasonable?

The idea of "confession booths" reality TV scenes within the context of cut throat corporate warfare is hilarious to me.

Seems reasonable to me

LaChezza, how should we handle mandatory contract deadlines? # of posts or something ... like you have 50 posts ...

I'm not sure of the best way to do this.

In game time? use the time in hard choices ("you could take cover, but the target will get away. it could take a day to catch up to them again, if they go to ground", "You can get there via the elevators and corridors, but it'll take a couple hours") and just stay on top of it

50 posts can be a few weeks (the journey to Eolen), or a few minutes (the fight with Einora).