SPACE JESUS: MASS EFFECT FAWTL

Game Master Freehold DM

Being diplomatic is exhausting. It was a whole lot easier being a sociopathic weirdo loner.

Then again, not giving a f@&& can get pretty exhausting too.

I believe it. OTOH, maybe Grace will be a good influence on you.

I hope that doesn't extend too far. The world doesn't need another teenage me.

FHDM: Are you still giving out Paragon/Renegade points, or was that scrapped?

FHDM: Are you still giving out Paragon/Renegade points, or was that scrapped?

I am thinking about how to best handle it. I do think grace deserves a Paragon point for this last scene and Hestia deserves a renegade point.

Well... Hestia thinks you're a big, stupid jellyfish!

And I would like to point out in my defense that Hestia neither decked the guy, nor manifested any biotic powers AND restrained herself from using Intimidate: Promise of Pain. AND she is smiling now. Smile smile smile.

Well... Hestia thinks you're a big, stupid jellyfish!

And I would like to point out in my defense that Hestia neither decked the guy, nor manifested any biotic powers AND restrained herself from using Intimidate: Promise of Pain. AND she is smiling now. Smile smile smile.

all good points...hm. still there is more than one way to be a renegade...or paragon. I will take all of this into consideration.

In all seriousness, the Paragon/Renegade options in ME seem to suffer from scale issues IF you assume they are all weighted equally. Maybe more than one point could be awarded for certain things.

Verbal = 1 point
Physical altercation/intervention = 3
Life/death choices = 5

Just a thought.

Dave:

I know what you're up to! :P And it seems to be working. >_<

In all seriousness, the Paragon/Renegade options in ME seem to suffer from scale issues IF you assume they are all weighted equally. Maybe more than one point could be awarded for certain things.

Verbal = 1 point
Physical altercation/intervention = 3
Life/death choices = 5

Just a thought.

Seconded.

Talk is literally cheap.

Hm. Good observations and even better thinking.

I looked up Grissom Academy, seeing as it came up. It gets destroyed by the Reapers, no matter what you do, it's just a matter of whether the students are kidnapped and brainwashed by Cerberus, or rescued by Shepherd. Safe to assume they were saved in this canon?

I looked up Grissom Academy, seeing as it came up. It gets destroyed by the Reapers, no matter what you do, it's just a matter of whether the students are kidnapped and brainwashed by Cerberus, or rescued by Shepherd. Safe to assume they were saved in this canon?

saved by Shepard, yes.

Treppa wrote:

Yeah, why do you think I suggested Grace be the commander? And why do you think I'm being such a PITA.

Payback's a b&##!. ;)

Seriously, what you linked there was hands down the most shocking thing that's happened in a pbp, in my experience. I was floored.

There were... demons that needed to be exorcised.

I understand this better now.

David M Mallon wrote:

Treppa wrote:

Yeah, why do you think I suggested Grace be the commander? And why do you think I'm being such a PITA.

Payback's a b&##!. ;)

Seriously, what you linked there was hands down the most shocking thing that's happened in a pbp, in my experience. I was floored.

There were... demons that needed to be exorcised.

I understand this better now.

How so?

Because I'm so freaking angry that I don't think I can RP anything besides homicidal maniac.

Save me, Space Jesus. You're my last remaining connection to the forums where I've spent a third of my life.

You can hide threads, you know. That and FOCUS have saved me.

You can hide threads, you know. That and FOCUS have saved me.

Right now, most of the threads are focused and/or hidden. Finally working up the courage to hide & close out FAWTL hit me harder than I thought it would. Also, I've been drinking. Big surprise there.

Treppa wrote:

You can hide threads, you know. That and FOCUS have saved me.

Right now, most of the threads are focused and/or hidden. Finally working up the courage to hide & close out FAWTL hit me harder than I thought it would. Also, I've been drinking. Big surprise there.

here's hoping things look better in the am after the alcohol has done it's work.

David M Mallon wrote:

Treppa wrote:

You can hide threads, you know. That and FOCUS have saved me.

Right now, most of the threads are focused and/or hidden. Finally working up the courage to hide & close out FAWTL hit me harder than I thought it would. Also, I've been drinking. Big surprise there.

here's hoping things look better in the am after the alcohol has done it's work.

No, not really. I think that thread's off my list.

"Ten-HUTTS!"

Do you think there's enough space on the ship? That seems like an awful lot of them...

Freehold DM wrote:

David M Mallon wrote:

Treppa wrote:

You can hide threads, you know. That and FOCUS have saved me.

Right now, most of the threads are focused and/or hidden. Finally working up the courage to hide & close out FAWTL hit me harder than I thought it would. Also, I've been drinking. Big surprise there.

here's hoping things look better in the am after the alcohol has done it's work.

No, not really. I think that thread's off my list.

Then in case you missed it, I had my stillborn conjoined twin surgically removed from its protective cyst today.

Gosh I miss little Theodore...

o_O

Who is that masked DM? wrote:

"Ten-HUTTS!"

Do you think there's enough space on the ship? That seems like an awful lot of them...

You can pop up a hut anywhere.

What are you guys on?

And are you sharing?

Anyone home?

I'm here just doing some research on the vessel. Work also was extraordinarily stupid today, as i am going away on Thursday. Be ready for a post tonight.

Would the Codex entries for the planets be common knowledge/easily accessible over the extranet? I'm mostly wondering in terms of size, location, environment, level of inhabitation, etc.

I acrually considered that, but there are too many spoilers up at the wiki to simply put up links, as easy as that would be. I can copy paste what the extra net would have. Would that be good?

That certainly works for me, though I'd hate to think I was making a bunch of extra work for you.

Ontarom:

Though Ontarom's surface is uncomfortably hot, its nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere and abundant, shallow seas make it an ideal candidate for habitation by most known species.

Unfortunately, the orbit of the moon of Thonal has been slowly decaying since the system coalesced. Its proximity is beginning to have tidal effects, and its dynamo-like revolution through Ontarom's magnetic field is generating increasingly powerful electric storms.

While some have suggested emplacement of mass effect drives in an attempt to lighten the moon and correct its orbit, the scale of such a project – tens of thousands of drives, costing enough to bankrupt the governments of all the Citadel races – make it a pipe dream. A multi-racial effort is underway to catalogue and preserve the unique genetic diversity of Ontarom's vibrant young biosphere. ExoGeni Corp. and Heyuan Genomics represent the Alliance's share of the effort.

When humans settled on Ontarom, the asari derided it as foolish, but today the humans look prescient. The communications hub they set up on the planet has hundreds of quantum communicators, whose information is spread through broadcast on the planet and beamed out via comm buoy.

Sixteen years ago, the Systems Alliance established the first dish field on Ontarom, defying the tidal disruptions and electrical storms that periodically sweep across the planet. The facility has since grown into a crucial communications hub for the Alliance.

Trade between the Alliance base and nearby human settlements sustains planetary unity. The Alliance also trains and hires colonists to maintain the quantum communicators, further strengthening the bond between locals and the military forces that use the comm stations.

Although most of the communication relays serve the military, a coalition of Ontarom's businesses has begun construction on a civilian broadcast hub. The local Alliance commander has offered the help of the military's technical experts, making Ontarom a symbol of civilian and military cooperation.

Noveria:

Noveria is a small, frozen terrestrial world, barely habitable by conventional definitions. It is privately chartered by the Noveria Development Corporation, who lease out labs to perform research too dangerous or controversial to be performed elsewhere. Given Noveria's unique situation, it is the source of many wild conspiracy theories.

Noveria is a world with most of its hydrosphere locked up in massive glaciers. A privately-chartered colony world, the planet is owned by Noveria Development Corporation holding company. The NDC is funded by investment capital from two dozen high technology development firms, and administrated by an Executive Board representing their interests.

The investors built remote hot labs in isolated locations across Noveria's surface. These facilities are used for research too dangerous or controversial to be performed elsewhere, as Noveria is technically not part of Citadel space and therefore exempt from Council law.

Noveria features the Skadi Mountains, where the isolated lab Peak 15 is situated in, and the Aleutsk Valley, a pass between Port Hanshan and Peak 15. Locales known to Noverian denizens include a resort at the equator that provides amenities like accredited asajura fields and caters to other leisure activities like bouncebacking and diving.

Feros:

The ExoGeni Corporation has founded a pilot colony on Feros to explore the Prothean ruins that blanket two-thirds of the planet's land mass. The atmosphere is fouled with dust. Terrestrial travel is hampered by crumbled debris dozens of meters deep. There are indications that Feros was a much colder world in the past. Feros has two large moons, Orcan (the farther) and Vardet.

Feros is a habitable world in the Attican Beta cluster. Two-thirds of the habitable surface is covered with the ruins of crumbling Prothean megalopolis. In the millennia since the Prothean extinction, the ruins have been picked over by looters many times.

Feros was considered a poor prospect for colonization, as little open ground remains for agriculture. The only sizable fresh water sources are the poles, which are tapped by the decaying Prothean aqueduct system. The dead cities, while in good condition considering their antiquity, are of uncertain stability. Ground level is congested by a dozen meters of fallen debris, and the air is fouled by dust.

In 2178, the human ExoGeni Corporation announced its intention to place a permanent colony on Feros, to thoroughly explore the ruins. The pioneer settlement was placed on the upper levels of the several intact skyscrapers, using the surviving Prothean aqueducts and rooftop hydroponics gardens to support the population.

Nepheron:

Nepheron is a barren, volcanic terrestrial world with an atmosphere of carbon dioxide and krypton. Its surface is mainly composed of sodium with deposits of magnesium.

Aside from displays of geologic beauty (including many spectacular volcanoes), this barren world is of little interest. Entries relating to Nepheron in the astronomical database are sparse.

Nonuel:

WARNING: Level 1 Heat Hazard

Though it is one of the oldest entries in the star charts, Nonuel has not yet been fully mapped. It is the largest body in the asteroid belt of the blue star Plutus, not only large enough to maintain a spherical shape, but also massive enough to maintain the noxious carbon and sulphur dioxides venting from its many volcanoes as an atmosphere.

Nonuel is rabidly volcanic, and the source of its great heat is also the source of its inordinate mass. Nonuel is a "secondary source" of element zero, coalesced around a large chunk of eezo ejected by a supernova billions of years ago.

Surface conditions are extremely hazardous. In addition to the thin crust and numerous magma flows, wide stretches of the landscape are coated with slippery ash and cinders ejected from the volcanoes.

Chohe:

Chohe is a terrestrial planet whose surface is mainly composed of aluminum, with numerous deposits of calcium. Though it has enough mass to retain a dense atmosphere, Chohe is nearly a vacuum. This lack of atmosphere allows a moderate average temperature, but the differences between night and day are extreme.

The surface of Chohe's sunward-facing side is usually covered by a haze of volatiles (mainly water vapor and carbon dioxide), which return to the ground as frost over the course of the long, cold night.

The Sirta Foundation has established a research outpost on Chohe to investigate the native subterranean life of Chohe, which shows incredible resilience to extremes of heat and cold.

Sharjila:

WARNING: Level 1 Pressure Hazard

Sharjila has a very dense atmosphere of ammonia and oxygen. Its temperate surface is mainly composed of alumina with deposits of sulfur. Comm buoys in the system have recently logged a number of unregistered vessels operating nearby.

Sharjila has an extensive silicon-based, oxygen-breathing ecology. Heavily populated areas are covered with fine silica (silicon dioxide) dust, the respiratory by-product of the world's higher animal forms. High-speed surface winds, often laden with abrasive silica dust, present a hazard. In areas where the wind deposits a great deal of silica, footing can be treacherous. EVAs are discouraged.

Antibaar:

Antibaar is a cold terrestrial world with an atmosphere of methane and argon. Its frozen surface is mainly composed of iron with deposits of magnesium. The world has been noted as a possible target for long-term terraforming; if the atmosphere could be increased to the thickness of Earth's, the global average temperature would rise by 10 degrees Celsius.

Antibaar's combination of low temperatures, high speed surface winds, and low visibility make it dangerous to explore on foot.

Casbin:

Casbin is a classic "pre-garden" terrestrial world, with conditions similar to those on Earth millions of years ago. Its hot, humid atmosphere is mainly composed of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. An increasing amount of the surface is covered by simple lichen and algae. Should no unexpected calamity occur, these tiny plants will change the atmosphere to an Earth-like nitrogen-oxygen mix over the next few millennia.

Due to its potential for future habitability and sapient life, Casbin has been designated a Sanctuary World by the Citadel Council. Landing is prohibited by law, and any disturbance of the fragile young ecosystem will result in harsh fines and imprisonment.

At present, the planet is passing through the debris trail of a long-period comet.

Let me know if any are missing.

Awesome, thanks very much, FH. :)

And they're all accounted for. :P

Save me, Space Jesus. You're my last remaining connection to the forums where I've spent a third of my life.

Patrick is back, he started a new thread Monkey Treefort. Some old FAWTLies even showed to post there.

Life is totally kicking my a$$. Trying to get my head above water this weekend to return Monday.

It's more than understandable. I hope things improve, Lady Treppa.

Everything alright with everyone?

Things are okay on my end. Sorry about the long quiet, the humble bundle and website crashes kept me away from the game. I'm back now.

Things are okay on my end. Sorry about the long quiet, the humble bundle and website crashes kept me away from the game. I'm back now.

No worries, and I apologize if I've seemed pushy. I've just seen way too many PbPs crash and burn (sometimes my fault), and this one is one of the only things I have to look forward to these days.

bump

That's supposed to be MIND READER...

I just assumed a "min trader" was yet another piece of ME lore I didn't know. :)

That's supposed to be MIND READER...

Well, how was I supposed to know that? I'm not a... oh, wait...

bump

Apologies for major absence lately guys, life has been busy. I got a new job though, so silver linings. :)

btw;

"I'm Sergeant Grace Wright. This is Officer Hestia Harper and Specialist Gir'Rimas nar Mesa."

While Gir would be happy with the promotion, I thought we were going with Specialist Dern? Or, at least, Dern reported in as a Specialist.

While Gir would be happy with the promotion, I thought we were going with Specialist Dern? Or, at least, Dern reported in as a Specialist.

If I remember correctly, both Gir and Dern were designated as specialists, while Grace was the sergeant and Hestia the officer.

Sounds right, Dave. 2 specialists.

Let me know if I'm being too much of a stickler for details, but I looked it back up, cause I didn't think I was misremembering. FH did say "a pair of officers, a specialist and a sargent". It had stuck with me, because I wasn't sure who would play the role of Specialist better, Dern or Gir. I'm happy either way, though canonically, Zinnius seems a better fit, given he has actual history serving in a military force.

By golly, you're right. Either way, Hestia is at the bottom of the heap. :)