Looks like everyone is nearly completion and settling into your roles. The week looks to be busy at work but I will do my best to get a few things posted over on the Campaign tab to flesh out the game world:
An overview of the past few years to get an idea of life in the Regina and surrounding subsectors.
A run-down on the worlds within a few jumps of your starting point, Roup.
A listing of current cargos and potential passengers, in case you want to get a jump on earning a few credits.
Any current news alerts or warnings from your friendly local TAS office.
Looks like you guys still need to decide what you want to name the Navarro.
I'm fairly flexible on my 2nd skill, but I'll take Medic if no-one else wants it?
Ok, just a few questions and I should be done. I updated my character alias with skills and such. I had 2 events during character generation that need to be resolved. One was during Mustering out, I received a SECRET. Not sure what this might be, but I guess it is up to the GM. The second was psionic training. Will roll that now.
So he has some potential. Will need to read up on this....
As for skills, if they are not already spoken for, I would like to take Medic-1 and Survival-1, if that is ok.
Ok..think I did my psionics roll wrong. Looking at mdt's example for his character, it should be done at the time of the event (so for me, term 2). Therefore instead of -6 (all terms served) I should have subtracted -2 (actual terms served), giving him a 7, not a 3. Is that correct??
Also I will add Medic-1 and Survival-1 to my character for ship skills. Still need connections and the associated skills. My last term was not a good one and probably the reason I left the scouts....I also made a contact with an agent...who could possibly be mdt, if the times lineup....
What level are connection skills?
That is my understanding having read the rules. That specific roll is based on how old you are when you are tested. Once tested, it doesn't go down. Basically, they give you minimal training to understand how to not lose what you have if you test positive.
Ok, that is what I thought too, but just wanted to make sure...thanks mdt!
Now, next I have to roll for each area of skill (Awareness, telepathy, etc) to see if I have any ability, and if not, then I do not have trainable powers, correct?
Connection skills add one level, so new skill at 1, or increase existing skill by 1.
Lodic was working in Darrien space, if you were in Darrien space during your last term, you could have a connection with him. You wouldn't want to make him your contact, as that negates the contact. But you could have made a connection with two Darrien agents, Lodic and his old partner, and thus have a contact. Or, you could have made a contact with an agent who was working with Lodic from the Imperium.
That is my understanding having read the rules. That specific roll is based on how old you are when you are tested.
I would normally expect that if you were tested and the results showed only weak talent, they wouldn't bother with the training.
A 7 would be half-decent, though, I think.
Unfortunately my agent was gained before you were even enrolled in the special branch.
My last term had me doing something that I was not very proud of...perhaps I turned against the scout service and helped you escape Darrien space?
Also updated the Character Events Table and I hope you can edit it this time (I gave permission)
@ Varkha: That sounds fair..and with a 3 I would most likely not score on any of the skills either...
@Kenneth - You could have been involved in Lodic's superior's treason. He was selling information stolen from Special Arm to local corporations and foreign governments. You may have had to kill some witnesses (possibly kids?) and the remorse you felt caused you to approach Lodic and give him evidence against his boss to help cement his treason conviction.
Since Kenneth is taking Medic, I'll tentatively take Broker. I think we have at least 2 with Astrogate already don't we? if not I may take that instead and be backup Astrogator.
Also updated the Character Events Table and I hope you can edit it this time (I gave permission)
Do you need to use some 3rd-party application? I still can't seem to do anything to the file.
Click the 'open with' link and select 'google sheets'.
Awareness:
Telepathy:
Clairvoyance:
Telekinesis:
Teleportation:
Darn...really wanted Awareness. I wonder if I can forgo the other talents and maybe just get awareness at level 1?? :-)
@ Lodic: I like that....it sounds good and give you a reason to be joining our group!
Now just one more ....hmmm what skill should I choose for that connection?
@ Allrianne: If you want medic, you go right ahead and take it :-) I can find another skill...no worries!
Updated campaign package list:
Advocate 1,
Astrogation 1,
Broker 1,
Comms 1, Varkha (Peet)?
Engineer (any) 1, Allrianne
Gun Combat (any) 1, Lodic (mdt)
Gun Combat (any) 1,
Gunner (any) 1, Lysander (thzero)
Mechanic 1,
Medic 1, Kenneth (Daniel Stewart)
Persuade 1,
Pilot (any) 1, Maximillian (AGamer70)
Sensors 1, Lodic (mdt)
Stealth 1, Varkha (Peet)
Streetwise 1, Lysander (thzero)
Survival 1 Kenneth (Daniel Stewart)
Not sure what the picks will be for Doc (fnord72).
And I don't know what Maximillian (AGamer70) or Allrianne's second pick is. She suggested Broker or Astrogation.
Don't forget, you still need the *skill* to use the psi ability you have.
Lodic was only tested for Telepathy, so I've never actually rolled the other abilities to see if he can do them. Not sure if the GM cares about the rest or not. Lodic was only trained in Telepathy.
Also, you didn't do the rolls right for the last few. It's -1 per previous check, so -1, -2, -3, not -1 for all.
So, Lodic has potential for Awareness, Clairvoyance, and Telekensis, beyond Telepathy, but no training in using them.
** spoiler omitted **
You were already tested for telepathy, right? So the first one on the list should be at -2, not -1 I think, and all the others should have an additional -1. So I think that means no clairvoyance. Don't you get the other abilities at rank 0 though?
Ok..so then Kenneth would have Telepathy and Clairvoyance at 0, right? On the bottom of page 152, first column, it says the character learns the skill a level 0. Later it says if you had a 0 in telepathy you can use life detection, read surface thoughts or assault as the situation demands
@Varkha
Training requires four months of work, and costs Cr. 100,000. As part of training, the character may attempt to learn any of the common psionic talents on the Psionic Training table by making a Psionic Strength check. He may attempt the talents in any order, but suffers a –1 DM per check attempted. If a character learns a talent, he gains that talent at level 0.
When Lodic was tested for Teleapthy, he had not done any checks, and thus, no penalty on the first roll.
When checking for the second, he has made one check attempt (Telapathy) so he has a -1DM.
So, the penalties are -0 for the first test, -1 for the second (due to the first test) and so on. You haven't actually made a check until you roll the dice, ergo, on the first check, your penalty is -1 DM per check attempted, you haven't attempted any on the first check, so there's no penalty. On the second attempt, you have attempted (past tense) one test.
@Kenneth : Yes, per the quote above, you get it at a 0.
ok...this one will probably need the GM to weigh in on, but with connection skills, it says you can take "Any" skill...does that include psi skills??
GM Question.
@Varkha
For example, Luka has just determined that she has a Psionic Strength of 9. She now rolls to determine powers. She can select powers in any order, so she begins with telekinesis. She roll 2d6+1 (her Psionic Strength DM) +2 (the Telekinesis learning DM), but unfortunately, the dice roll is a 3 for a total of 6 – less than eight, a failure, and so she does not develop telekinesis.
This is the example of rolling the first check.
Next, she tries telepathy. She rolls 2d6 +1 (her Psionic Strength DM) +4 (the telepathy learning DM) –1 (one previous talent acquisition check), and gets a total of 10. Luka gains Telepathy at level 0.
So it's -0, -1, -2, -3, -4. Not -1, -2, -3, -4, -5.
@Varkha
So, the penalties are -0 for the first test, -1 for the second (due to the first test) and so on. You haven't actually made a check until you roll the dice, ergo, on the first check, your penalty is -1 DM per check attempted, you haven't attempted any on the first check, so there's no penalty. On the second attempt, you have attempted (past tense) one test.He may attempt the talents in any order, but suffers a –1 DM per check attempted. If a character learns a talent, he gains that talent at level 0.
Hmm... My reading is that the first check attempted has a -1 because that is one check attempted. That's how it worked in the Little Black Books... but I could be wrong about this edition.
@Varkha, please see the examples I posted. Those are directly out of the book.
Example screenshot from the book on how to do the checks
Not sure what else I can do to prove it to you.
@Varkha, please see the examples I posted. Those are directly out of the book.
Okay, totally got ninja'ed there - I was responding to your post four posts before mine, not the one immediately prior.
I only have the playtest version of the rulebook which doesn't have examples, but yes, your citing of the examples is convincing.
@ Kenneth: A possible connection for us would have been in the period 8-12 years ago.
Varkha: You spend several years jumping from world to world in your scout ship
Kenneth: You are offered the opportunity to smuggle illegal items onto a planet.
We could have crossed paths at this point; Kenneth could have recruited Varkha in his smuggling plan. Varkha is not especially greedy but does get bored easily and would probably be willing to go along with such a plan.
Sounds like it might work...and the "smuggling" could maybe be something as small as computer data (given his fairly high computer skills). That works for me...and since he was a good courier once, Kenneth probably kept tabs on him incase he needed his assistance again.
Click the 'open with' link and select 'google sheets'.
OK, this works... except that now I can only share it as my own file rather than edit the original. OK, I'll go with that.
I fixed the names and made them links to character profiles.
I don't know how to work you into that event.
Can you think of a connection to the Doc or one of the other two?
Stating that you have more shares doesn't tell me how you are tied into that event. Nor does it tell me how you think you could be involved in the acquisition of the ship itself.
I presented an idea that would tie three characters together at the same time, at the end of all of their pre-game careers, and just happened to provide a handy reason for those three to go in together to buy a ship.
Instead of stating how you could jump on the bandwagon, you made a statement that provided no assistance to the issue, namely how to connect the characters together.
Now, I may be reading more into your last statement then you intended, it came across a little crass. If that wasn't meant, I apologize.
I think that maybe Lysander is saying that because he was actually a merchant, his shares are already invested into a ship and we are "buying" into it. Which makes sense to me because of his background. Our connection to him would be the ship, as he would be actively searching for investors.
Maybe I am wrong, but that is what I thought he was meaning...sorry if I am mistaken...
Well see, that works just fine, that's part of a solution.
As a merchant, he had a line on a good deal for a ship, but needed more investors to make it work.
He just happens to run into three yokels that are cashing out their retirements to buy a ship but aren't really knowing what they're doing.
Badda-bing-badda-boom four characters with ship shares.
Admittedly with seven players the connections are starting to get confusing. I'm happy to have several just to give more players the chance to get them but remember you only need two.
The connections I think I have:
12-16 years ago: (with Allrianne) Varkha's was the first ship to respond to a distress call from a space station that had been struck by asteroids. When the station had to be abandoned, he struck a deal with Allrianne's salvage outfit to scavenge what was left of the station before it fell into the sun.
8-12 years ago: (with Kenneth) Kenneth gets the chance to smuggle some illegal goods onto a planet. He recruits fellow scout Varkha to help with the operation.
8-12 years ago: (with Maximilan) when transferred to another world, in order to save the cost of his passage, Maximilan hitches a ride on Varkha's scout ship for several weeks, earning a working passage instead.
0-4 years ago: (with Doc McBride) Doc McBride performs some biology research on a neutral world. The scout service is interested in the research and supplies scanning equipment; Varkha is part of the team setting up the equipment. While their Varkha also uses the equipment to spy on the local minor race.
From a purely mechanical standpoint there is no point detailing more than 2 connections each, as you can only get 2 skills total from them.
Not that it should in any way prevent further links - just no need to get carried away.
I'll leave my package skill in broker, probably more in character to be bartering for parts/services than patching up after injuries anyway.
On the spreadsheet
I've added square bracket tags to the resources I have set connections in, was experimenting with making cells colour matched to make it more obvious - but when there are multiple links in a term it screws up that idea. You don't seem to be able to change the formatting on just a single word in a cell either.
I have also changed the top 2 rows to 'freeze panes' so they show up even when you scroll down.
Hope no-one minds the changes there.
Hope no-one minds the changes there.
Not at all - that's a good idea.
I put the ones for Varkha in there (from my above post) plus ones for other people that I could remember (with question marks, as I'm not sure about them).
Everyone on there has at least two noted down except Doc. I think I'm forgetting something with him.
If Doc only had one connection, maybe his "Field Test a robot" might fit with Kenneth's "Specialized training," for a second connection.
From a purely mechanical standpoint there is no point detailing more than 2 connections each,
It is possible that a character might need to have more just to make the links work. Some characters are harder to make connections with than others.
True enough, AGamer70's character could either have been shooting at Ludic, or they could have been the extraction team that went pear shaped and he had to blast his way to get to them. Or maybe AGamer70's character and Ludic were the only two survivors and they ended up having to steal a ship.
On the other hand, Varkha could have been visiting Darrian space, trying to learn about the high tech available there, and happened to meet up with Ludic. This might have been about the time he quit Special Arm after finding out his boss was selling information to corporate interests.
Ok, still waiting on feedback from AGamer70 on a link with Maximillian. Varkha's fought the connection every step, so I'll back off on any connections to Varkha.
Kenneth, are you good with taking the connection Varkha doesn't want?
I think for my 2 connections they will be these:
Connection One 8-12 Years Ago: (This will bring Kenneth, Varkha and Lysander together)
Story: As part of his operation, Kenneth needs to make money to fund his covert operation. He contacts a fellow scout (Varkha), who is basically just spending the next few years travelling the sector doing small jobs for the service. He has contacted a member of a tradeship (Lysander) to get his a consignment of what look like TL-8 computer, but are actually filled with TL-12 components. Kenneth has Varkha pickup the shipment from Lysander and deliver it to him. They continue this setup for almost a year, before Kenneth stops the deliveries. Kenneth keeps in contact with the two, even thought he does not see them again until he arrives on Roup.
Connection Two 1-4 Years Ago: (This will have Kenneth, Lodic and Dr. McBride)
Story: Wanting to discover more about his psionic abilities, Lodic cracks into a very high-security medical database. Unknown to him, Kenneth had been sent to also retrieve the files from this same supervisor. The scout service believes the Darrien are trying to advance psionic research, and Kenneth was sent to retrieve this information, as well as wreck their research data. The two, comically, end up in the same server room, having attempted to psionically render each other unconscious...and in the process discovering they are both psionic. Coming to a quick understanding, Kenneth helps bury the files and sets up a number of dummy files pointing to the supervisor's treason and embezzlement (selling the "hidden" files to a foreign operative). Lodic helps Kenneth escape, and they plan to meet up and have the data reviewed. The ICSS hires Dr. McBride to examine the data, which turns out to be valuable only to those with psionic ability. Both Lodic and Kenneth talk the Doctor into falsifying the documents showing only failed experiments. Kenneth and Lodic, with the help of Dr. McBride experiment with these techniques (possibly setting it up for Lodic and I to take 1 skill in a psionic talent).
Ok...these are just ideas, so change, opt out or offer other suggestions...this gives us connections with the majority of the players, I think (The only 2 I am not connected with are Max and Allrianne.)
As a possible 3rd connection, getting the ship I have already met Lysander, as has Varkha. Lysander could have approached us sometime during the final year of our last term and told us about the possibility of his getting a ship and him asking if we wanted in. I could then speak to Dr. McBride and Lodic, bringing them into the group (with their shares in the ship). Anyone else who is connected with Max and Allrianne could use their connection to "let them in on a good deal"...shares in the ship.
Just a thought....but I think we might be getting bogged down in the connections...so I hope that this helps....again it is only a suggestion...alter, append, delete or whatever you want...
We've been told the game will take place in the Spinward Marches, Regina Subsector, above the planet Roup.
So how is everyone getting there, and when?
I changed my background to effectively have spent pretty much all my life in the Regina subsector.
Ok, it seems you guys have it well in hand making your connections and finishing up who will fill which crew spots. If that is done, I will add the info to the Campaign page.
Unless I missed it I do not see a consensus on naming the ship. I believe Kelser and Varkha posted the following selections:
Albatross
Black Pig
Borealis
Crescent Star
Deneb Rising
Erstwhile Fortune
Hesperus
Roupian Belle
Sasquatch
Star Tiger
Star Witch
Stumbling Dutchman
Vulkan
or leave it as the Navarro
One vote per player, let's settle upon the name. Highest vote getter wins.
While the game itself is starting on Roup, your crew can just as easily have been traveling together for a few months, coming together organically as you move around. You find yourselves over Roup, looking over cargo options and passenger manifests, thinking of where to go next.
What was the final ship share's percentage paid off? It will determine your monthly payments.
True enough, AGamer70's character could either have been shooting at Ludic, or they could have been the extraction team that went pear shaped and he had to blast his way to get to them. Or maybe AGamer70's character and Ludic were the only two survivors and they ended up having to steal a ship.Ok, still waiting on feedback from AGamer70 on a link with Maximillian. Varkha's fought the connection every step, so I'll back off on any connections to Varkha.
Sorry, mdt, on Monday I posted:
From event #3: As part of team which extracted Ludic - Gunner 1 from connection and Gunner as reward from event. Can I end up with Gunner 2 from this?
At that point in time, I would have been stationed on Efate. I was thinking that I was an engineer on a Fleet ship on patrol. Your team was recovering something from a Zhodani Naval base on Farreach when things went wrong. You were able to get off the base (how you learned Pilot) but were being pursued. The ship I was on received your distress signal and went in to assist. During the battle, a gunner on my ship was wounded and I had to fill in (how I learned gunner).
Hi Max, that works for me.
@Kenneth - Trying to work all 3 in seems a bit of a stretch. Also, not seeing how you did something in there you're ashamed of in that connection. The connections have to be connected by the events..