Sorry about the radio silence. Job and illness and a case of the blahs.
Should be good for now.
Catch-up post on the way and then over to Flood!
~PWO
Good good, was starting to get worried.
Similar reasons. Give me half an hour & I should have a Gameplay post up.
edit: Ok, I lied, I will have a Gameplay post up tomorrow...
In the last five minutes my energy dropped like a rock! I think bedtime & sleep is in order for me.
It would be pretty impressive if we manage to clear 2 missions at once.
Guys, I'm here. Family drama is hitting me fairly hard at the moment, but I hope to be posting again before too long.
Well sorry to hear about the drama, hope things settle down for ya soon :)
As a heads up, from now on Thursday through Sunday will be slow posting from me, as thur, fri, and sat will be my standard working days. should still manage to post every day or two excepting when major posts/exposition etc. is required.
Eh I'm just rolling with what you gave me. Besides. He could have noticed the lift itself and gotten suspicious.
Advanced warning that your friendly neighborhood idiot giant will be on vacation starting 27th June all the way through to 17th July. We will be taking our first big ol' vacation in six years and swanning off to Hawaii (both Kauai and Oahu). Our first trip to the US, and despite needing about 16 hours in a plane to get there - we are still super excited :)
However since we'll be travelling with only an i-pad for computer support both my predeliction for sesquipedalian loquaciousness and the relative alacrity and frequency of posts shall suffer most terribly during that time. So in essence Mus'ad will be relatively inactive while I'm off sinking deep into Kalua pig, malasadas and loco moco. Fear not for I shall return fully recharged and reinforced for the onward push towards more gold... and wenches.
If in the case that DMPC or PCPC will be required, Mus'ad's responses will tend to follow the following logic:
1) Squint piggish eyes and insult it.
2) Hit it with glorious fists.
3) If hitting it didn't work... try again... but harder.
My interpretation of the powers indicates to me you know when someone has you in a Telepathic Communication, so Happy Jack should be able to recognize that she has been 'listening in' so-to speak.
Unless of course my interpretation conflicts with GM-Peanuts', in which case, we go with his.
But if mine is correct, consider that I have relayed the information to DA.
The power doesn't really specify one way or the other, so I'll allow you to choose :)
Things should advance later today or else tomorrow.
As a head's up; My son & I will be road-tripping down to my Father's in Okalhoma tonight, so it will likely be a couple days before I can post regularly again.
mmm, alright, things are going pretty slowly anyway, do your best and have fun :)
Apologies again guys, my prep has been weak for this mission and struggling to put something meaningful together. Will post, but may be a little while. I won't hazard a guess since those always seem to be wrong, but I'll do my best to get things going again asap.
Well, I don't know where you are, but it's a national holiday for me, so I'm not worried.
Australia :)
Well, enjoy your independence day, and watch out for Aliens trying to destroy the white house!
It's not the aliens you have to worry about...
Mus'ad is back in saddle and ready for horseplay :)
Good to hear. Now the GM just has to get off his butt and post :p Not sure when that'll be but I haven't lost interest in this, just focus.
Also good to hear.
Good to hear. Now the GM just has to get off his butt and post :p Not sure when that'll be but I haven't lost interest in this, just focus.
Not a problem. Take a break if you need it we will be here.
I for one am wondering how this 2 sided dance party is going to play out.
Steals candy from baby.
Puts kitten in tree.
Sigh evil just isn't as much fun alone.
Steals candy from baby.Puts kitten in tree.
Sigh evil just isn't as much fun alone.
No, no it is not.
Sorry guys, I really am still interested in this campaign, but I don't think I'm quite up to running it. It's a bit too freeform/chaotic for my meager talents...
I can keep trying if you guys want, or else I've actually had a different idea for a setting rattling around in my head for a week or two now. Should be able to fit it into Savage Worlds fairly easy and it's a rather smaller world (at least at the start. Has the potential to go very large later on if I feel up to it). What's everyone's opinions?
Peanuts - I can understand the feeling with the sandboxyness, I've had to kill of a few campaigns when I loved the concept - but wasn't sure how to actually deliver it.
I'm free and open to anything really.
Seconding Mus'ad's sentiments.
Any other setting neutral game systems anyone wants to try? I picked up the PDFs for FATE recently and was considering looking that over to see whether it would fit.
FATE is an interesting rule-set and creates a much more dynamic descriptive flow as the amount and effect of rolling is diminished somewhat. It's more about playing off keywords and evoking the essence of your character, opponents and environments based on my read.
I don't suppose FATE has a free PDF or some-such? My finances are really strapping down at the moment.
There is a 'Pay what you like - including free' link to download here on their website.
yeah, I threw 5 bucks in there direction and grabbed both pdfs :p I was certainly thinking something a bit more narratively focused might be worth a try :)
DA, Jack, Cash, your thoughts?
Well rats.....
I can understand about the sandbox nature of NE being hard to run. It is just that as it is my second favorite setting for any RPG, falling behind only the transformative glory that is Low-Life, I am saddened to see this game end.
As far as another game I am quite willing to try but I would like to know more about the setting you propose? Is there anything you can tell us about it or are we coming into it completely dark?
Rules actually matter little to me. My current favorite systems are Savage Worlds and Risus if that tells you anything. I am convinced that any game system played long enough will become Risus in any case. Much like tapes left in a car all become Freddy Mercury tapes but I digress. FATE would be fine.
I am convinced that any game system played long enough will become Risus in any case. Much like tapes left in a car all become Freddy Mercury tapes but I digress. FATE would be fine.
That only happens in worlds co-written by msrs. Gaiman & Pratchett...
Tell that to my old '77 microbus.
What are your thoughts on FATE Bella?
Does it have 'shovels & rakes & implements of destruction?...'
FATE sounds fine. I also quite enjoy some of the more free-form systems. Also, I am more interested in GM Peanut's ideas for the world than the system so long as it does not involve a greater stress on my already-stretched finances.
As a general heads-up, I will be starting back to school come Mid-August, so my ability to post regularly may take a bit of a hit.
Well I'm up for suggestions on systems, so if you have one you like Belle, or indeed anyone else, then feel free to throw me a link so I can check it out. I'm open to any, just needs to have the right feel to it.
As to the setting, well I don't have time to go into detail before bed, but basically the PCs will be members of one of 4 different humanoid species living together on an enormous, living ship flying through space. There are many stories told about why you're on this ship, what the ship is, where the ship came from, where it's going, etc. etc. All you really know is that for all your life you've lived inside ship (need to come up with a name still), lived off of the bounty it provides, and occasionally been called on to do strange tasks that noone really understands.
Can tell you more later, but that's the general concept of it for now, feel free to ask questions.
First: Sad because the game ended.
Next: Yay! Character survived! Eat THAT Gypsy curse!
Well I have the Dresden Files and Shadow of Yesterday systems (SoY is free but is heavily modified for Fate/FUDGE). Haven't finished Dresden yet. SoY has a cool XP system.
So I'm familiar with some of the basics.
Setting: So bigger than Moya? More like Ringworld, Dyson's Sphere or Mass Effect Citadel in size?
Moya was not the inspiration, but it did come to mind after I'd been working on the ship for a while. I don't actually know Moya's dimensions, and have not played Mass Effect, but much smaller than the ringworld and dyson spheres (although it does have it's own ecosystem like a ringworld). It's More in the vicinity of a few miles in length, and a few hundred metres diametre. Unlike Moya Ship is almost entirely organic, and requires no Pilot. It's also a lot slower (no starburst/hyperdrive for you guys :p)
More later... But if I can call Dibbs on a hyper evolved gorilla the. I am in like Flynn.
No Gorillas, but there are Gargoyles, Dryads, Mantis, Humans and The Altered. At least those are the work in progress names for them. You could maybe play some kind of Gorilla-like (big, muscly and covered in hair) altered... T would prefer someone a bit more complex than Mus'ad however :p
Don't worry - I'll make something a mite more personable than Mus'ad. Are you going with FATE then?
Looked over the FAE rules last night (wasn't feeling up to tackling the core ones on my third nightshift) and yeah it looks pretty good. It's different to anything I've tried before but it looks like what I want. I'll try to get some more setting info typed up in the coming days and post a recruitment thread to see if there's any interest from other parties, looks like we may have lost Cash.
Actually Cash is the alias. Skeksin is the main ID.
Bleh, I meant Happy-Jack then. Too tired... *zzzzz...*
Questions are a burden to others; answers a prison for oneself.
'As to the setting, well I don't have time to go into detail before bed, but basically the PCs will be members of one of 4 different humanoid species... Gargoyles, Dryads, Mantis, Humans and The Altered.
Can you tell us more about these species? Race isn't a big thing in FATE/FAE but as you are creating the races from whole cloth we will need a solid description of how you see them. Why do you see the need for multiple races? Just cool or are they symbolic of something, i.e. races linked to the 4 classical elements. Any chance for an illustration or something close swiped from the net to give us an idea of how they look? Oh and minor point you said 4 races and then named 5. Typo?
'...living together on an enormous, living ship flying through space.'
It's More in the vicinity of a few miles in length, and a few hundred metres diameter.'
So quite small really. Smaller than a city. It would be about a days walk from one end to the other. I was going to say the size or Roanoke island but the island is 8 by 2 miles so we are looking as something much much smaller. Like a narrow river valley. I was thinking the ship was along the size of the Red Dwarf or the Starship Warden from Metamorphosis Alpha but this ship is far far smaller.
That changes how I was thinking about the game. So no room for Nations or multiple tribes to develop on the ship. No room for unknown territory either. Forbidden territory yes but little room for real exploration on the ship.
There are many stories told about why you're on this ship, what the ship is, where the ship came from, where it's going, etc. etc. All you really know is that for all your life you've lived inside ship (need to come up with a name still), lived off of the bounty it provides, and occasionally been called on to do strange tasks that no one really understands.Unlike Moya Ship is almost entirely organic, and requires no Pilot. It's also a lot slower (no starburst/hyperdrive for you guys :p)
Stories told by whom? Is this a generation ship? Space would have to be highly regimented to maintain genetic diversity in a human population much less squeezing 5 races into one small valley.
What kind of society are we looking at? How are troublemakers dealt with? Is their contact with the universe outside the ship?Who directs the tasks? Why are they not understood? Is this task source not available to answer questions? What happens if a task is refused/ignored? Who is setting the course for the ship? Can it be turned?
What type of game are you looking for here? Pseudo-medieval/tribal fantasy on a starship? Planetary romance ala' John Carter of Mars/Space 1889? Survival horror ala' Dead Space. Or is this a full on science fiction game? Trading/exploring and adventuring across the space lanes ala Traveller/Firefly/Rogue Trader?
What tech level? Rayguns(Star Wars)? Modern/near future guns(Aliens)? Black powder? Bows and axes? If there is High Tech (however defined) is it understood/able to be replicated or is it artifact-like.
Will fighting or Shooting be the primary combat skill?
Does magic/psi etc exist?
Sorry to deluge you with questions but you are the only source for info on this setting. Looking forward to learning more.
PWO
I can confirm we have lost Happy. C'est la vie.
I can confirm we have lost Happy. C'est la vie.
FATE/FAE look like a good match for PBP. Refresh poses a problem but no more of one that Benny refresh did.
There are 5 races, just me forgetting about the altered (since they're kind of a mongrel race). No specific reason for so many, just wanted to provide a bit of variety, and add some things I'd been thinking of for a while. I did orignally stat them up in savage worlds and some other stuff for this besides, but FATE should be even easier. I can see about googling some images when I type this up.
Well, I figured it was pretty big for a spaceship. There will be potential for exploration, don't you worry, but I'm happy to discuss what I had in mind with you guys. FATE seemed to indicate that worldbuilding was meant to be a communal exercise, so I'm happy for input.
Will get more info up for you in the next few days I hope, but to answer at least some of your questions...
Ship is indeed a generational ship, and has been travelling for so long that any knowledge of what she really is, her purpose, etc. has become a matter of myth (I do have some ideas and notes on why which the party may be able to learn depending on where this thing goes). As to genetic diversity it's not so much of an issue, the inhabitants are quite primitive technologically speaking, except where medicine is concerned (more about that later).
The races generally get along quite well, there are occasional periods of turmoil, caused by both internal and external forces, but generally the races work together to maintain the ship, and live peacefully. (Unsurprisingly, the campaign will be set at the start of a period of turmoil :p). Think of the ship as a kind of garden of eden and you wouldn't be too far off the mark. There are tales of contact beyond the ship in the past, but many believe them to by simply myths (it hasn't happened in several generations. The ship inhabitants are fairly insular).
The ship is a living, intelligent being, though does not posses sentience in the way we understand (don't look too much into that, it's just a handwave so that the ship can't give you all the answers. Alien brain chemistry, etc.). It is quite powerfully psionic in order to be able to defend itself, and can communicate simple requests with it's inhabitants through specially chosen representatives; they are able to communicate the ship's instructions without really needing to understand that scraping the growths out of a certain tunnel (for example) is required because they are leaking a pollutant into the water supply which passes through that duct. The ship has a high level of control over it's own functions and can reshape itself (some limitations) should the need be required. Beyond the mysterious biological functions that sustain both ship itself and her inhabitants; ship contains a small, but diverse ecosystem. Were it not for the walls arching up overhead, and the lack of a sun one could almost be forgiven for thinking her large, open compartments belonged on a beautiful, habitable planet somewhere. Trees, undergrowth, crops, insects, animals, and more all abound within her picturesque environments.
I am open to suggestions as to where the campaign goes. The start of the game will be tribal fantasy (the races have no technology to start with, the only materials they have regular access to is wood, bone and some stone, with the rare bit of metal finding it's way into the system, usually introduced by the ship itself in the form of a tool) dealing with an unexpected disaster affecting the ship. There will be opportunities from there to introduce more sci-fi elements, space opera, trading/exploration and what have you.
Okay last, the races. I still need to look over the full FATE rules, but I'm thinking I'll come up with some Aspects common to each race and you guys can choose one (or come up with something similar that fits the theme) to use for one of your starting Aspects:
Gargoyles: They're what you'd expect from the name. A race of humanoids with hard, rock-like skin containing a large mineral content. They are the most physically imposing of the five races, though they have a tendency to stoop; even without that they cannot match up to the Mantis in height.
The elders tell stories of the race's birth when Ship gave them life, raising them from the small, mindless creatures that scurry about her halls to serve her in a time of great need. The legends tell of great heroes and warriors setting aside their peaceful ways, to be given fearsome claws, grow mighty wings to fly over her fields and landscapes, remaining ever vigilant.
Dryads: Not as stereotypical in this case (May come up with better names for these races. Suggestions welcome and encouraged). The Dryads, like the Gargoyles tells stories of being birthed by ship. They claim that their distant ancestors were chosen from amongst the humans, and bonded to the trees and plants that they might ever have someone to tend and guide them.
Physically the Dryads are the smallest of the races (generally speaking, the Altered can vary a lot in size), about the size of a dwarf, though not as rotund or robust. What they lack in size they make up for in heart; the Dryads are the most caring and nurturing people, both towards the plants and animals that live within Ship, and the other races as well. They do not usually join the human's in their medical pursuits, but are accomplished natural healers and have a keen understanding of the habits of nature.
This is not to say that they are all timid rabbits who want nothing more than to help people. That is a strong drive within them but they posses other abilities granted by their floral origins. Their skin is fibrous and tough, and many of them posses an organ that can fire needle-like darts from their arms when threatened. Legend tells of other more power dryads who joined their Gargoyle brethren in defending the ship, growing vines to assault and entangle their foes, drip poison onto their darts before firing, or confuse and delude ship's enemies with clouds of pollen.
Mantis: The mantis (again, open to better names) are a species of insect-like humanoids who originate from outside the ship. Stories amongst the other races tell of a time not too long ago (2-3 centuries) when Ship 'gave birth' to a great rock. It lay dormant, and ship's representatives counseled that the place was to be left alone. It was not until a generation later that from it crawled the first Mantis. Extremely tall and thin, with a second pair of smaller arms, and a chitinous carapace the Mantis were nevertheless humanoid. Initial encounters between the Mantis and the other races were tentative, but eventually they were welcomed onto the ship.
The race it seemed, had been birthed at the same time as the great rock. The mantis would have been welcomed as the latest creation of Ship, had it not been for a strange structure at the heart of the rock. Seemingly incomplete, or perhaps only part of a larger whole, the building featured strange markings, odd constructions and other mysterious formations that were found nowhere else on the ship. Communion with the Ship confirmed that the Mantis had been 'saved' and 'reborn'.
Since their arrival the Mantis have gradually acclimatised to the lifestyle of the ship. They remain somewhat removed from the other races however, continuing to live in the large rock, digging more tunnels to accommodate their growing numbers, and pursuing their own strange interests. The Mantis are the most advanced species, quite intelligent, constructing tools and simple devices to aid their excavations and the work of their allies, inventing new techniques for farming and hunting. There are some who feel that Ship made a mistake by welcoming these 'outsiders' within her, but to question the will of Ship is to question she who provides for them all, and their voices are largely ignored, or fall silent.
Humans: The original inhabitants of the ship humans are the most numerous of the races, but not by any great amount. They live in harmony with the others and pursue their own interests, the primary of which is the Science of Biochemistry. Though the greater understanding of the science has faded as their memories of their origins before Ship, the humans remain adept manipulators of biological processes. Their primary method of affecting such changes, comes in the form of growing organisms in vats of chemicals extracted from plants, animals (and in some rare cases Ship itself), and if possible the blood of the intended recipient. The organism is then swallowed/inserted/implanted/attached to the recipient where it forms a symbiotic bond with it's host where it secretes chemicals/is absorbed/replace another organ/enhances functions or whatever else it was grown to do. Some organisms can be grown to survive and function independently of a host and used as tools and--if need be--weapons. Technologically (tool crafting, construction, theory) Humans are second only to the Mantis, but as in medicine occasionally surpass the insectoid people, if for no other reason than having more minds to bend to a task. Of course not all humans are scientists, the majority are simple tribesmen and women.
The Altered: Not so much a proper race as a category for the occasion genetic reject. Whether a result of crossbreeding (see spoiler below), the body rejecting human biological implants, improperly grown implants, or just random mutation (a flaw in Ship's radiation cover, something she ate... etc.) the altered are beings that posses aberrant features and odd abilities. They generally suffer from a shortened lifespan (though that can still be several decades), and sometimes crippling deformities and defects. Despite this they are generally accepted by the other races, the only exceptions being those whose mutations result in an imbalanced mental state, or who otherwise endanger the Ship or other inhabitants. Those who suffer from such abnormalities are restrained, anesthetized, and 'returned to the ship' (tossed down the orifices that recycle waste).
Some who overindulge in implants, or other chemical overdoses (can be caused by some plants, animals, and Ship) have diverged from the base stock sufficiently to fall within this category.
Besides those unions, the occasional 'freak' birth does occur however, Mantis Human hyrids, Gargoyle Dryad monstrosities; such children rarely survive to term, but those that do are often raised and loved by their parents in the accepting environment of the ship; others however are left to the animals, abandoned, or 'returned to the ship' (see above))
If an altered reproduces with anything else, the offspring has a higher chance of surviving than a normal crossbreed, but it is still relatively low (and will most likely be an even more unusual Altered)
Phew! That took a while. Still more rattling around in my head but that should answer your questions, and hopefully get you guys thinking about characters, the setting, and where you'd like to take it :)
Oh and since I didn't really mention it above, there are Psionics aboard the ship (the representatives chosen by Ship for instance), it's relatively uncommon, but not unheard of for people to posses it beyond the representatives.
Thank you for the info.
How are the living areas arranged? Do we live on the inside of the cylinder/ship with pseudo grav provided by rotation? Or are floors parallel to the direction of travel with artificial gravity? Or are the floors set perpendicular to the direction of travel with pseudo-grav being provided by acceleration/deceleration as in Star Frontiers?
Sorry if this question seems arcane but it makes a big difference in available space.
If we live on the rotating skin then there is {assuming length of 10 miles, diameter of 1 mile to make the math simple} just over 69 square miles of inner surface area. A chunk of this will be lost to machinery etc. so say 60 square miles fit for wandering. Walking speed over rough terrain is about 2 mph so we are looking at 1-2 days march at most to reach anywhere reachable. Not the Warden but a respectable size. Mind you there will be no unknown/unexploited areas and no hostile beasts that anything like the players could fight. The previous generations would have killed/domesticated them or our generation would not have been born. Especially with 5 races wandering around.
What kind of population levels were you thinking of? Is the ship a dungeon/urban setting? or more open and agrarian? Mind you a 'filled in' cylinder w/ decks solves most of the space problems and allows for 3 dimensional wars as folks move between decks.
How is gravity maintained? If rotational or acceleration based then areas or times of microgravity will be known. In a rotation system it would be possible to use the "tube" of null gravity at the center of the cylinder for rapid transport and anything that gets 'up' there will tend to stay there.
How about the feel of the place? More a well managed utopia or is Ship barely hanging on?
Lack of sun? What feeds the plants? Artificial lights?
General areas I would like more info on:
Societies & cultures on the ship. Race based? Religious factions? What separates people from people.
Play style. Is this a sandbox or more arc/mission based?
Do you see escaping from Ship as an important goal?
Is there a threat that we are aware of? What is 'pushing' us to be heroes?
Are you using the weapons/armor bits from FATE?
Sorry this post rambled. TL:DR More info please!
~PWO
Just for fun
Devil's Advocate in FAE
High Concept: Science Villain out for power and revenge.
Trouble: Paranoid
Aspects: All your base are belong to us.
:Money is data
:REBECCA sees all, knows all
Approaches
Careful +2
Clever +3
Flashy +1
Forceful 0
Quick +1
Sneaky +2
Refresh 3
Stunts: Gadgeteer
: Chameleon field: +2 to create an advantage or overcome an obstacle if changing appearance if helpful.
just a stab ....