Towards the abyss - Eigengrau (Inactive)

Game Master Fiendish Zen

Discussion thread for group Eigengrau.

Reporting for duty!

Thanks for the selection GM-Fiendish - looking forward to meeting the rest of the sleepers :)

Checking in, looking forward to this campaign.

Checking in as well; thanks for the selection.

Please set up a Gameplay Thread when you get a chance so we may 'dot and delete' and have this campaign show up in our 'home page'.

Looking forward to this.

Game on!

Thank you for the invite! Checking in.

Hi all, thank you for checking in :)

I'll open the gameplay thread so you can dot it. For those newcomers, 'dotting' means making a post on a thread (can be anything but it's called 'dotting' because the common thing to do is post a '.'!), so that means the gameplay thread shows up in your campaign tab.

Had intended to post the opening passage tonight but time has gotten away from me and don't want to post something unfinished! So proper start tomorrow :)

Looking forward to the game.

Just a FYI: I'm from Scotland, so am on GMT; always useful to know where everyone else is haling from (so we can get a feel for the typical posting response/running order).

GM-Fiendish: How will be handling character builds? Know all will likely be revealed in due course, but am curious to work on crunch options for Konrad.

Yep, curious about the crunch as well.

You did say that you will use Pathfinder, right?

I have tried to run a game using the Numenera/Cypher system which is very versatile and excellent for sci-fi but had to shut the game down because I lost almost all my players. :(

It's hard to find committed players with newer systems/worlds.

Looking forward to see what we do here.

Aye - believe we're using PF/d20. I had alchemist elements suggested in my pitch, but to be honest I'm keen to know how the our intrepid heroes will shape into the system.

I am from Illinois USA. Mid West. Central time zone.

I am looking forward to character creation also, I am looking forward to this game.

Side note, It is not letting me dot in the gameplay. I post it and when I go back to it, it is gone.

Yeah I posted a dot in gameplay as Konrad and its not recognising the alias in the Character tab... weird.

The game will definately rock - GM-Fiendish at the helm of this rather eclectic group of characters... what's not to love :)

I'm playing from Michigan, EST. Stoked about this game.

It finally allowed me to do it, but I had to reply to something already posted.

Aye - did the ol' dot & delete and it worked as well.

I'm posting from the future! GMT +12 to be exact ;p
I live in New Zealand, emigrated here from the UK a bunch of years ago. Pleased to have you all on board (pun intended ;) I'm looking forward to running this for you :)

Around crunch... I've thought better of the whole 'let's create your character as you play!' concept, it's a one-shot adventure so good to know where you stand and what you can do before boot hits deck and all that.

CharGen is still simple... pick a starting package, pick some skills, pick some perks and you're done. Nice and easy :)

First gameplay post is written up and waiting in the wings, I'll post it as soon as you've all make your chargen crunch selections and posted them here!

Any questions let me know!

Oh and if the chargen turns in to a trainwreck then I'm going to claim this game is still in beta ;)

In truth I trust you all to work with me and focus on telling a great story, we can do that whilst glossing over any rules discrepancies etc :)

CharGen

Pick a package:

Mmmm I'm torn on the chargen front for Konrad.

Combat Vet makes sense - given his training, but so does technician (my original concept behind him was a member of the Technischkorps.

Am guessing Erik might well be a tech as well; not sure about Clara... Will hold off to see what the others pick and fill any potential gaps.

If you'll don't mind, I am going to swap one of my skills for medicine.

I've put together builds for Konrad - as I'm still pretty torn on my minds eye version of the character and slotting him into one of the templates.

Upscaled the tech's combat ability to give a different feel to Clara... Combat Vet speaks for itself - reflects more his training and enhancements rather than veteran experience. Specialist allows a degree of middle ground - but we have two in the group already...

Everything fits (kindof) and not... :S

Two monits for your thoughts everyone...

Jedediah: Wondered how you were going to factor faith in, that works for me :)

Erik: Think of diplomacy and sense motive as the social attack/social defence skills, so diplomacy can cover bluff and any other subversive and or deceptive tasks you care to utilise it for ;)

Konrad: As much as this doesn't help you pick, each of the packages should have a chance to shine during the adventure, I'd heartily suggest picking the one you think you're going to enjoy the most. If I get 4 specialists then evidently I need to look at balancing the packages more, but more importantly I will look after you and change up the challenges. Long story short, play the crunch that best represents your concept, don't worry about what everyone else has picked!

I'm going to go ahead and post the 1st gameplay post shortly.

Heh - No its sound advice GM-F, will have a think and see what the rest of the group reckons as well.

Superb opening post by-the-way... Loved the sfx :)

@Konrad: All of your concepts seem like they would help the group, I would go with whatever one is most fitting for your vision of Konrad.

I was also concerned about the availability of military weapons but if we find them, they'd be all yours.

The specialist build is missing two perks, just an fyi. He can get even more stacked. :)

Alas 4 perks for Specialist was a carry over typo of my cut and past from the Technician :(

Am leaning toward the Combat Vet, but to be honest still not sold on any one build as a bolted down version of my concept. Drawing inspiration from the Norts of 2000ADs very cool Jaegir series. Technicians 4 perks is also very appealing to give me that eugenically/biologically altered vibe to the character.

GM-F: Could you give us a skinny on what constitutes simple weapons vs military if possible. Originally envisioned Konrad being armed with a side arm (pistol or some such) and his baton.

So military weapons would be anything fully-automatic, 'large gauge' or restricted in some other way. With regards to caliber, anything remotely capable of punching a hole in a hull would be majorly restricted on a spacecraft. Scarily, it's likely for any issued ammo to be hollow point, to minimise potential to penetrate the hull, which would also have the knock on effect of being very lethal to anything living hit :s

Example milSpec: Assault rifle, SMG, anything above 9mm in caliber, electrified combat batons, swords

Example basic: pistol, shotgun (SA/PA), hunting rifle, knives, truncheons.

Obviously these sorts of things aren't carried around a ship or space-station day-to-day (and there are paid security staff to discourage anyone taking advantage of that), but planetside it's known to be frontier-like, so people would tend to go armed.

So you could get away with a pistol and baton, but they'd have been placed in your holdall during cryo-sleep...

So we have two choices. I vote smash. Anyone else?

Thanks Clara for posting :)

As the last gameplay update was 2 days ago by me, I was going to post tonight to ask if all is ok with everyone? If the game isn't what you thought it would be or if you have run in to any issues affecting play then please let me know, I can't fix things if I don't know what's broken!

Anyway, hope all is well with you all, looking forward to your posts :)

Was waiting for the others to react to your post GM-F.

I vote smash also (said as much in the game thread)

Thanks Clara for posting :)

As the last gameplay update was 2 days ago by me, I was going to post tonight to ask if all is ok with everyone? If the game isn't what you thought it would be or if you have run in to any issues affecting play then please let me know, I can't fix things if I don't know what's broken!

Anyway, hope all is well with you all, looking forward to your posts :)

Just some thoughts. Yes, the game started slow but...

We all agreed to post once per day and we should do so. Ideally some sort of post that either moves the game forward or involves other PCs, hopefully both.

If we all start doing that then problem solved; the game picks up momentum and 'we all live happily ever after in PBP world.'

However, I think the game could use some sort of frame of reference.

GM: I'm sure this is all in your head and you see the scene playing out differently than we do but we know little to nothing about the game setting. There's the blurb in the recruitment thread but we don't know things like: what year is it, is there a timeline of recent events, is pirating a thing in this world, which are the corporations out to get you, what social problems are there, what are the politics like, etc.

While this may seem silly to some, I find that it allows PCs to pull in the 'current situation' and provide them with fears, hopes, motivations, etc. All of this makes for a better character development and a better game.

I mean should my PC be worried about a Firefly style reaver ship?

Is there some group preventing transport to whatever colony we are going? Why? Pirating? Religious?

That sort of thing makes the world come alive, for me at least, and is what is hardest with homebrew worlds.

Feel free to ignore. :)

Good point well made Erik.

Outwith us all being mind-wiped I reckon some background info to the "universe" we live in and potential interaction/roleplay hooks would be useful.

I've been running with the Neo-Prussian concept from my pitch in-game, but I've no idea what Konrad's actual background is (nor what he knows of the greater world) - if such a frontier enclave doesn't actually exist then I'll feel pretty dumb for running with the germanic/russian references...

Also a rationale what all the traveller's onboard expectations were - was the ship on a route that picked each of us up? Did we all plan to end up at the same end route or is it a loop transit...

Like Erik says guess these things give us a point of reference (especially with it being a home-brew setting)

First off thank you Eric for your feedback, as Black Dow noted: absolutely invaluable :)

You are right about the lack of background information being notable, my initial idea I think was problematic. Despite the intent being to allow for newer players to just 'dive in', at least some background info is definitely needed to allow you the those points of reference as you suggested. It's a great idea to assist the PCs with making them 3d :)

So let's start by answering some of those questions to set the scene better. I'll say as a caveat that I'm shooting from the hip so some of this might not hold up under close scrutiny, but it should help to set the scene a bit better.

Timeline recent events:
2034 Mars colony established
2086 asteroid mining established
2130 Jupiter and Saturn's moons colonised
2180 Uranus, Neptune, Pluto have outposts established
2255 Intra-system tourism in full-swing
2288 Jumpdrive technology developed
2308 Ships depart for Wolf 359, Alpha Centauri, Tau Ceti, Sirius, Barnard's Star, Epsilon Eridani
2446 <Current Year>

Short range, intra-system personal spaceships are expensive but there are plenty around.
Inter-system ships (Goliaths) are currently the sole purview of the corporations and givernments, being the only ones with the resources to build the gigantic space-bending drives required to cross the gulf of space quicker then light-speed.

The Sol (home system) is pretty safe, it's well-patrolled and well-developed. SolSys is the government entity that looks after the 'inner colonies' as they're called. There are colonies out as far as Jupiter's moons, though currently the few way stations further out are resource limited compared to the inner systems, due to scarcity of solar power reaching out that far. Most colonies are set up under domes to protect against radiation, and terraforming happens under the domes, which are expanded every year.
The outer colonies are more of a frontier-space, humanity is sending out people as fast as they'll go. There are half a dozen star systems currently being settled, and safety is less assured as corporations and governments stake their claims on asteroids and moons, and there are far fewer SolSys protection vessels around to make sure everyone is playing by the rules.

Crime and piracy do exist, but it would be rare for a Goliath to be attacked as they're well-defended due to the heavy investment the owners make in them.

Transit-wise, it's cheaper to freeze a passenger then ship them on a short-range ship to one of the departure points, so you could all have left different colonies and been placed on the same Goliath for the trip. The cryo-units are independently powered so can be transferred between ships.

Humanity remains humanity, there is no panacea brought about by the advance of technology, the system-wide economy is still a capitalist structure, with the exception of some few colonies that are attempting to go it on their own, but it is difficult to be self-sustaining. Medical technology has advanced markedly, but people still die of old age, disease and 'misadventure'.

Each inner colony has nominal authority but tithes to SolSys to cover law enforcement and administration. In an effort to encourage the spread of humanity between the stars, the outer colonies are currently not beholden to SolSys, so those wishing to make their own fortunes and carve out their own piece of sky tend to head there. Unfortunately the same holds true of criminals and other ne'er-do-wells who seek a new life away from their old. Additionally it has become a 'thing' for Sol criminals to be sentenced to indentured servitude in the outer colonies.

In a nutshell, think Wild West...IN SPACE!!! Or the exile of British criminals/colonisation of Australia...IN SPACE!!!

As per Black Dow's idea for Konrad's backstory, if you want your character to come from 'Geno station, orbiting Io, the renowned holiday destination for discerning scientists' then go for it! I'm accepting of you adding to the universe's lore, there's something of a good feel to the idea that you are helping to flesh out a universe that others will later play in (pending all goes well with the adventure :)

As potentially the most important note...there are no psychotic and/or religious extremist/Cenobite/sanity-challenged groups known to exist at present, so no nasty Reavers to be quaking in your boots about ;)

So there's your starter for 10 and I hope that gives a bit more depth. Keep those questions coming where you have curiosity about how something works, and between us we can fill out the back story :)

I'll post these in the other campaign as well so they have more to go on!

additional info...

Ah, much better. Thank you very much.

I'm sure I'll have more questions to help flesh out this world but let me digest the info you already provided.

One question now:

Are we all going to the same destination by choice? If so, where?

Or did we just need to 'get away' without caring where we ended up?

Ah, glad it helped :)

As to your destination, i'll make an arbitrary decision and just say Wolf 359 (it could have had the cheapest fares or simply be where you wanted to go), so if you compare notes then yes you were going to the same destination. Feel free to make up the actual colony names or stations you are headed to, the important part if the actual system.

Hi all, it's been 7 days since Jedediah "Jed" Price posted, so steps are being taken. Please continue business as usual, this message is just to keep you informed :)

@GM Fiendish: Is pvp appropriate in this system? Clara would not respond well to some greased up Fabio-type kissing her hand. :)

I am very okay with this.

Any anti-PvP stance of mine stems entirely from the desire to protect other players from 'Stabby McStabberson, who's raison d'etre is needling the other players.

I have absolutely no problem with well RP'd intra-party conflict, as long as everyone is having fun. Daniel, thank you for posting that you are ok with Clara wanting to smack you upside the head ;)

For future reference, my mailbox is always open if anyone gets uncomfortable with anything happening in game, and any 'ok let's stop that now and move on' posts from me will never reference any messages I've received, if that makes sense :p

Anyway, on with the game!

Now these past few days have been quite the unpleasant forum experience, very difficult to track campaigns!

Back to normal now though ^.^

Hey all, tonight I am heading to Kentucky to do some climbing so my access to cell service or wifi is going to be spotty, at best.

I'm going to try really hard but I might be out of contact until Sunday afternoon EST.

Feel free to bot me!

Hey guys,

I'm going to respectfully bow out of the game. Not every game is to everyone's liking and I just can't seem to get engaged in this one.

I wish you all lots of fun.

Thanks.

PS: Of course, do with Erik as best suits your story.

Folks - just a wee heads up that I’ll be out of town this weekend. Helping out as pit-crew for a mate of mine whose racing bikes, heading shortly and we’ll not be back until late Sunday. Will most likely be Monday morning before I’ll get back into the posting swing.

@Erik: Sorry to see you go komrade.

Soooo... half way to the circuit our van's water pump went kaput. Back home pending a possible re-run tomorrow... Best laid plans and all that!

OK Erik thanks for letting us know, sorry to see you go but understand if it's just not floating your boat. All the best for your next campaign :)

Konrad, what dreadful timing! Hope you're able to get transport there successfully next time!

As an aside my home interwebs are been shockingly unreliable at the moment, so been updating at work when i can.

I'm off on leave from tonight until next Tuesday (awa doon tae Glasgae [Scots: Travelling down to Glasgow] Fri-Sun) so if home webs continue to stymie me, please bot as necessary.

Hey everyone. I am going to not so gracefully bow out. I've got the 2 jobs thing going on and right now I am not keeping up with posts. Really sorry, this was fun.

Sorry to see you go Clara :(

GM-Fiendish: With us down to 2 am wondering if you should let this one go? I'm enjoying the game, but losing the majority of the starting cast has taken the wind out of my solar sails...

Sorry to see you go too Clara.

Konrad, I feel you! Try as I might I feel like I've been ice-skating uphill with this one! I may try again after Starfinder comes out, but I agree with you , let's let this one slide in to the abyss. Thank you for your imaginative character, I've enjoyed your posts :)

I'll post a narrative wrap up to finish off the story once I've written it up.

GM-F: Yeah its been very fun and loved the puzzle of it all.

Please keep me in mind should you run a StarFinder game as that's one I'm definitely keen to play and would be great to be part of another of your games.

@Daniel: Thanks for the futuristic fun mate.