Regina dei Dannati |
Glad to be here and thanks for GMing. Did I have a chance to grab any medical supplies, weapons or provisions before entering the life pod?
Kara Saint-Germaine SF |
Dot.
GM Xabulba |
Common background for everyone:
You were hired by the Zeck Z'Zatz corporation, a headhunting corp that recruits and assembles survey and security teams for other corps and private investors, to do a comprehensive secondary survey of Question.
Question is a blue moon orbiting a hot gas giant in the Thompson's Twins system. Thompson's is rimward several LY from the nearest coalition outpost. Thompson's is a binary system of a white dwarf (Thompson A) and it's red giant companion (Thompson B). Thompson B has 3 planets in orbit, the first two are Mercury sized and very close to the star. The third (Thompson B3) is a hot gas giant with 7 planet sized moons. Question is the 5th moon and the only one to have habitable atmosphere. Question also has a incredibly strong magnetosphere, stronger than should be possible for a mass it's size, the magnetosphere is the only thing keeping the moon habitable.
The first survey team reported no intelligent life but found evidence of artificial created structures covered by vegetation. They also came back with basic topographical maps and spectral analysis on potentially valuable mineral deposits.
The second survey team consists of over a hundred personal and several hundred tonnes of equipment. The survey team is lead by a central command that organizes the efforts and information collected by the half dozen exploration teams. That is until arrival at Question when the ship carrying the survey team is attacked by party unknown.
GM Xabulba |
The escape pod ... are we already in that? :)
I wasn't going to play through the attack on and destruction of the transport ship, I was just going to some exposition and start you on in the escape pod heading towards the planet. If enough of you want I can have you play through the attack.
Kara Saint-Germaine SF |
I'm okay either way. Being thrown together in a tiny boat during an emergency is a natural starting point for the adventure and a good place for introductions.
Kara Saint-Germaine SF |
Looking forward to this...when do we start?
GM Xabulba |
what do the seu packs cost? i cant seem to find it.
Page 53 of the original SF book. It's 100cr for a 20seu ammo clip.
Also as posted earlier in this page;Each of you will start with following equipment free;
1 Albedo Screen with 3 20seu charge packs
1 Skeinsuit
1 hand weapon of your choice with 3 full clips of ammo
GM Xabulba |
Regarding the perception check: under Alpha rules, with a 45 intuition, I think I would need to roll under that, but using Zebulon's guide, with no skill and the resolution table, I need under 35. Do I understand that correctly?
With the Zebulon resolution table you want to roll low, the lower the better. Each level in a skill shift the results one column to the right. Depending on the difficulty of the task is I shift the column to the left. If you don't have a skill but want to or have try anyway the results can only be shifted to the left. I should have told which color (colbalt, blue, green or yellow) is needed for success, sorry about that.
In the case of the perception test green is all you needed.
Kara Saint-Germaine SF |
@R. Wilco, generally a post in the relevant forum is enough, and you've done that.
I'd suggest the forum equivalent of rebooting: log out and log in again. You might also try clearing your cache or trying a different browser or different machine.
Chip - SF |
Series of statements and questions to get a feel for things. GM, please advise for your setting.
I would expect that any escape pod was designed for controlled landings, furrows tend to scramble the contents.
Civilian emergency gear is generally made idiot proof and would have an automatic beacon.
Military gear would not automatically broadcast, since it might be in hostile territory (today's pilots carry emergency beacons they can turn on and off).
How good is detection equipment, in general? Today it would take specialized gear to find a large metallic mass hidden under a jungle canopy. In some sci-fi settings, the metal configuration of our batteries might be easily detectable.
To better understand the rolling, Chip's perc is 65. With no skill, he rolls on the 0 or /0 table? With no skill he receives no shift for his base of 65? Rolling on the same column as someone else with a base of 30 and no skill?
GM Xabulba |
Series of statements and questions to get a feel for things. GM, please advise for your setting.
I would expect that any escape pod was designed for controlled landings, furrows tend to scramble the contents.
Correct, this model used a para-wing to slow decent and when low and slow enough deplys a parachute and balloon cushions for touchdown, no furrow.
Civilian emergency gear is generally made idiot proof and would have an automatic beacon.
Military gear would not automatically broadcast, since it might be in hostile territory (today's pilots carry emergency beacons they can turn on and off).
This is a civilian model so the beacon automatically broadcasts which is why you had to disconnect it to stop it broadcasting.
How good is detection equipment, in general? Today it would take specialized gear to find a large metallic mass hidden under a jungle canopy. In some sci-fi settings, the metal configuration of our batteries might be easily detectable.
The pod is made from plastics, ceramics, carbon-steel weave and resins, very little metal was used in its construction. The sensors in the game can see much more detail than today's however they have the same limitations. The attackers would need a specialized sensor kit and a lot of time to detect the escape pod provided you turn off all radio/ladar/meson emissions, basically unplug the pod and go radio silent.
To better understand the rolling, Chip's perc is 65. With no skill, he rolls on the 0 or /0 table? With no skill he receives no shift for his base of 65? Rolling on the same column as someone else with a base of 30 and no skill?
That's the rules, now that you point it out it doesn't seem fair does it. If the others agree I think a house rule is in order, how about 50 (above average) gets a +1 shift and 80 (excellent) or better gets a +2 shift.
Kara Saint-Germaine SF |
That bothered me too.
I would agree with the house rule, perhaps even going so far as a -2, -1, 0, +1, or +2 depending on which 20% the stat falls in.
GM Xabulba |
House rule vote;
Chip brought up the fact that people with no skill regardless of their physical ability all have the same column penalty. That doesn't seem reasonable so I propose unskilled tests would get a +1 shift for abilities 50 (above average) or better and a +2 shift for abilities 80 (excellent) or better.
Kara Saint-Germaine SF |
Aye.
Dax Thura |
Are we doing encumbrance? If so how much do these items weigh? Who will be carrying each which item and are we willing to move slower or leave things behind? My suggestion is for moving slower.
Survival blanket; waterproof and thermal insulated, can also be turned into a one pup tent. x5
Water distiller/purifier x1
Food purifier 1
5 days redi-heat meals x5
2 liters water, soft-skin canteen x5
Sparker (flintstone) x5
Plasti-Poncho x5
two way broad spectrum communicator x1
medkit 10kg
envirokit 10kg
techkit 12kg
Ru DeHammer |
Agreed on the house rule. I think they took it too far by eliminating any benefit from attributes other than in combat.
In regards to carrying the purifiers, I guess a question would be if we need them or will we be able to find food and water once our supplies run out. Do we know enough about the moon to determine that? The rest of the equipment should be light enough to carry in a pack.
Dax Thura |
Repeat:
Are we doing encumbrance? If so how much do these items weigh? Who will be carrying each which item and are we willing to move slower or leave things behind? My suggestion is for moving slower.
Survival blanket; waterproof and thermal insulated, can also be turned into a one pup tent. x5
Water distiller/purifier x1
Food purifier 1
5 days redi-heat meals x5
2 liters water, soft-skin canteen x5
Sparker (flintstone) x5
Plasti-Poncho x5
two way broad spectrum communicator x1
medkit 10kg
envirokit 10kg
techkit 12kg
Chip - SF |
Well,
I think each of us should carry some of the obviously personal gear.
(GM may want to rethink quantities, a life pod should have had a set for each seat in the pod. Did we have one person rolling around without a seat?)
Dax's idea of using the dex table as a basis for skills makes a lot of sense, penalty for low attribute, untrained, bonus for high attribute untrained.
Zebulon's color guide has lowered the average success rate for skills from the old version. Neither version had abilities closely tied to skills though.
I think that is something to consider. PER is not an attribute perception to be used in place of untrained survival. It is actually Personality.
From reading on the 'net, it appears that many types of activities were just assumed to either be within the character's ability, or not. Only those falling within certain areas needed additional rules (the skills).