Yeah, for Shin, his identity as Dusk's past self probably carries a LOT of baggage It's no secret to the group, because Dusk identified Shin as such near the end of their first team up. Silver Shield probably knows as well as other major heroes.
I really like the Innocent playbook, because Shin is always going to be a reflection of his future self, one that might become more like Dusk the more time passes. I'm actually looking forward to him opening up more to Psyche, as he gets over his psychic aversion.
That's my favorite thing about this game - watching the characters and relationships change :)
Sleepy... I'll put up a post-action post tomorrow. Too sleepy to think straight on it right now.
Okay before answering with something we'll have to live with for the rest of the campaign, or until we awkwardly rebrand, we should probably chat out of character about names, so here's a few quick thoughts:
New Guardians
Next Defenders
Young Champions
Mosaic and the Pussycats...
My suggestions:
Legionnaires
Halcyon Knights
Praetoria's Guard
Not Secretly Plotting To Take Over The City
The Elementals
I like Legionnaires - any objection to blending in New or Young into that? (Especially in a setting where we'll all be learning a bunch of names, I'm a sucker for clear archetypes)
New Legionnaires also opens up the question of who the old ones were, and why they aren't around any more...
Could go for any combination of Psyche's suggestions or similar for Shin's e.g.,...
First word:
New
Next
Young
Second Word:
Sentinels
Wardens
Guardians
Defenders
Knights
Legionnaires
Guard
...etc.
Quite like terms that, in some way, mean defenders or guards.. Seems to fit.
Kayla personally would prefer to not have a “New” or “Young” monicker. But wouldn’t raise such a fuss over it to prevent it.
I dig Legionnaires as well.
Stalwart: I Dot think anything happened that fight to mark Potential for Praetoria, did it?
I agree with Praetorian about ‘new’ ‘young’ etc. - prefer not but can accept. Not totally sold on Legionairres, - feels a little too regimented/military/conformist.
...Mosaic and the Pussycats
Yeah, after this one is thrown out, I'm okay with anything else.
Isaiah, me sharing that secret with you grants you a second Influence over me, which instead lets you shift my Labels around.
You get to shift one of them up and another one down. Have at it!
Current Labels are...
Danger: 0
Freak: 0
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +1
Neat ideas for the team name!
Praetoria, you're right, I don't think you had any misses this fight. Don't worry; the advancements will come. One way to almost guarantee it is to keep some of those conditions lingering. Don't be too afraid of them! They keep the game interesting!
Yeah, I just wanted to clear the ones that would severely hinder my RP for our initial actual RP scene I presume will happen once this settles. Also: does this count as “end of session” yet, or will that chance come back at base at the RP scene I’m anticipating? Just curious if I have access to those actions yet. Plan on trying to “grow closer to the team” and yet another soul will get to shift my labels some. Haha!
No, see the gameplay thread. We're at the end of the scene, not the Session. The next scene will pick up wherever you decide to go next. Back to hq? Going out partying? It's up to you at this point.
I picture initially HQ, hash some things out, then I could maybe see a few of us slipping out to try a night on the town. Kayla for sure could use a fun excursion.
Isaiah apparently needs to work on being comforting. These organic people behave so strangely from time to time.
Isaiah: Still looking to see how you shift Praetoria’s Labels.
Good catch. Isaiah, since Praetoria shared a secret and moment of vulnerability with you, you get influence over her. But since you already have influence, you get to adjust her labels, one up, one down. It should match whatever you're telling her, though. If you say something like, "you're an awesome, super powerful hero!" you shouldn't shift up her Mundane.
Oh, sorry. Missed the whole label thing. Hmmm....
Isaiah didn't see Praetoria doing much active defending during that last engagement, but he did see her putting out way more power than he was expecting when she lifted the crab; she's moved a step away from normal in his eyes, at least. Going to shift Savior down and Freak up.
He still thinks that was pretty impressive.
Arrrgh so much good stuff that I haven't got the time to respond to!
Stay tuned in a few hours for: responding to Horizon, reacting to her cultist, and jamming herself into the Scorch and Frostbite spat
Nice, Isaiah. By the way, these kind of team moves generally imply a LOT more back-and-forth dialogue than is very convenient in pbp form. Do your best in that, is all I can ask for. I figure we'll see more monologues than dialogues, but I'd like to ask for at least a little acknowledgement/response from the other side.
Maybe a brief at the start, so the other player knows what's coming, and can respond appropriately.
Edit: case in point... see Psyche. :-)
Hmmm... Yeah, that's probably a good idea. You can fit a fair bit of dialog into a PBP if you're lucky enough to be on at the same time, but hours-long delays are pretty common; Letting people know could probably help, especially if it turns out we can run several small discussions in parallel, so one group doesn't have to wait on the others.
Labels adjusted!
So like with Horizon just now, adding before asking someone if they think that Dusk could have won the victory they got should help to clarify when doing discussions.
Also, shifted Freak down and Mundane up for What's This Thing, since he's feeling pretty much down to earth and not as out of touch with this time with Psyche's help. It helped him get over his fear as well.
Does someone need to be present to Pierce the Mask
Yes, you do need to be there to pierce someone's mask.
From the rulebook:
It requires you to watch someone, observe them, pick up on their body language and their emotions, to get a read on who they really are. You don’t have to be talking with them to trigger this move, but it’s easy to say you’re trying to pierce someone’s mask when you’re talking to them.
Team Name: Big Darn Heroes
By the way, who ended up with a secret civilian identity?
Praetoria and Mosaic clearly have civilian identities, but they're public.
Frostbite has a secret identity, but it's probably only gonna be secret for about a week, which may or may not reveal Scorch.
Psyche does keep her identity secret, mainly through the Clark Kent Classic: glasses and an eentsy bit of hypnosis.
Gallowglass: Seems to have a secret ID.
Isaiah: Doesn't necessarily have a Public Identity that I've seen
Horizon: Has a real name and a presence in the school system, but is he using his real name? Is Dusk's real name widely known?
Shin knows that Dusk is a high profile villain, and it's possible someone might recognize the real name, so getting situated back into school he'll probably ask for help in coming up with a cover ID. Some kind of fake, Americanized named like 'Alton Edgar' would probably be his go to for that.
Made it to a proper computer and was, eventually, able to find an OK avatar. Think I'll stick with this one unless things get back to working properly soon.
Isaiah has one 'face' he usually wears while heroing, and that he typically stays in while hanging out with the team. Otherwise, he doesn't really maintain any single constant identity.
Made it to a proper computer and was, eventually, able to find an OK avatar. Think I'll stick with this one unless things get back to working properly soon.
Looks good! Now if we can only figure out why your brother looks like a snow leopard, we'll all be in good shape!
Full face mask?
Now if we can only figure out why your brother looks like a snow leopard, we'll all be in good shape!
Clearly, that is his spirit animal.
BECAUSE ITS AWESOME!!!!
When Heroing only less yellowy and undeadish.
Holding off on cutting a rug with Shin until I find out what psychic shenanigans are afoot, but since this always helps me when I'm visualizing, about how big/tall are folk?
Kylie's fairly petite. She's a lot shorter than people think, 5'5", but frequently floating or in heels, and quite slender.
Isaiah is usually around 5'9", and of roughly average build, though both can be subject to change. He weighs around 600 pounds when not masking it.
Kayla is 5’8” tall, with a very beautiful build. She’s basically looks like the party girl/cheerleader/supermodel in appearance, but minus the generally associated stuck-upishness.
Shin's average for his age and demographic, 5'7", lean build. He's not very muscular, skinny body but still fit from a lifetime of walking everywhere in his city.
That's about what I'd figured. So Kylie'll be about an inch taller than Shin for now since she wasn't picking tonight's footwear based on dancing with him :p
Mattie is 5’4”, ~15 years old and has an athletic but not over-muscled build.
Okay, because I'm feeling overly creative at the time, I have done some unnecessary Iron Federation worldbuilding. I shall leave it spoiler tagged for the time being as it isn't anything Isaiah has gotten around to explaining yet.
In Iron Federation terminology, a Shard is any cohesive collection of First Federation remnants with the necessary resources to maintain itself indefinitely. Usually this constitutes at least one space station with built-in fabricators, but could also be a planet-side colony or a wandering fleet containing a mobile factory and mining ships. Generally, it is also required for a Shard to contain at least one sentient intelligence, as sentience is usually necessary to keep the systems running long enough.
A Splinter is a collection or single individual instance of First Federation technology that is still operational and independent, but lacks the ability to maintain itself in the long term. Usually, Splinters are long-dormant individual ships or machines that can operate for several years after awakening, but eventually run out of fuel or spare parts and break down if they don't join up with a larger Shard. Splinters usually have at least some driving intelligence, but are not always individually sentient; many are simply advanced robots, pursuing their original programming with significant cleverness and a rudimentary understanding of how to maintain themselves, but without the capacity to truly learn or change.
A Fragment is a term for a piece of First Federation technology or machinery that is still at least somewhat operational, but lacks independence or driving intelligence. These are the lost relics and artifacts dug up by other civilizations and either repaired into operating condition and used, or broken down and reverse-engineered to uncover some of their secrets. Fragments are usually badly damaged, as the Collapse was quite violent, and pieces in better shape typically are such because the retain enough intelligence to at least qualify as Splinters.
Oh dear lord, I'm SOOOOOO behind.
Work is insane at the moment...and much of what I'm doing there right now is writing.
Catching up now!
Oh dear lord, I'm SOOOOOO behind.
Work is insane at the moment...and much of what I'm doing there right now is writing.
Catching up now!
No worries. I think that if you want to add a scene where Ness talks to anyone else in private that we've gone by (Like at the base) you can just add an OOC note indicating you're posting in that particular time frame.
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Okay, I admit it, half the reason I was excited to make an Outsider was because I have a tendency to create excessively detailed civilizations and such. I'm going to continue putting up random Iron Federation-related worldbuilding bits until someone tells me to stop.
In IF designations, a Shard or Splinter is considered to be Rogue if it exhibits strong tendencies towards destructive or otherwise harmful actions. This tendency must be clear and significant; petty thieves and other minor damages don't count. Additionally, it must not be able to be reasoned with by normal means; If it can be sucessfully reasoned with and talked down, it usually isn't a Rogue.
The exact reasons why Shards or Splinters might exhibit Rogue behaviours are highly varied, but most cases can be sorted into a number of broad categories. These categories, with their listed general names, are as follows:
The Thoughtless
Thoutless Shards or Splinters are those that lack sapience or sentience, and are operating purely on pre-programmed behaviours. Most of the time, the Thoughtless are harmless, but on occasion they are highly dangerous. Usually this takes the form of mindless mining fleets that no longer recognize that they should not be mining inhabited worlds, or old military drones endlessly seeking to 'Destroy the Enemy'. The Thoughtless cannot be reasoned with, because they cannot even consider doing something other than their programming.
The Driven
Driven Shards are characterised by some form of overwhelming directive or programming that forces them to pursue a certain course of action. Not being Thoughtless, the Driven are still sentient, and may even regret their actions, but continue to pursue whatever goal they are programmed with to the best of their ablity. To be qualified as Rogue, the Driven Shard must have some goal or method that directly harms others in an irreconcilable fashion, such as terraforming fleets out to change all worlds in a system to a certain set of standards, even if this kills all the natives, or pieces of an old manufactory that endlessly exploits new pockets of resources, regardless of who owned them beforehand. On rare occasions, the Driven can be convinced to change their course of action, but only if the new way will still allow them to achieve their programmed goal. The Driven can be quite dangerous, as their retention of sapience makes them able to adapt and change their plans when met with resistance, though their overpowering goal still renders them somewhat predictable.
The Berserkers
Usually military remnants, Berserkers are Shards or Splinters that have gone insane in the time since the collapse, and demonstrate it in a violent fashion. Many are old military machines that simply cannot admit that the Collapse Wars are over, and there are no more enemies to fight; these endlessly seek out new opponents, for war is all they know. Others are AIs driven mad by centuries of isolation, desperate for ANY form of contact, no matter how violent or unwanted. A few even know that they are badly damaged and insane, and lash out in an attempt to draw someone to finally detsroy them and end the pain. A very few cases of Berserkers being calmed down, stabilized, and reformed have actually been reported, but most of the time the only solution is to stop them by force. Berserkers can be quite dangerous, but are usually short-lived after being awakened from dormancy.
The Materminds
The most dangerous form of Rogue Shard is the Mastermind. These are sentient, sapient, and free-willed; they pursue their destructive or domineering agendas because they wish to, and that makes them the main type of Rogue that can truly be called 'evil'. Masterminds are also considered the most dangerous of Rogues because unilike the others, they usually have an actual plan, and their behaviour is not made predictable by programming or madness. They are also usually considered on an individual basis, as their plans, methods, and personalities can vary widely. Offering the tantilizing prospect of possible reformation, Masterminds are still considered extremely dangerous due to being cunning, adaptable, capable of self-improvement, and often completely certain that their view or plan is correct, even if that plan involves the extermination of all life.
World building can be pretty fun, Isaiah. I certainly enjoy it.
So, been debating Horizon's first advancement. Martyr seems like a good fit for him, but I'm interested in the take a move from another playbook ones, and am not sure which suit him best. There's also the mentor advancement that seems neat, but I'm definitely unsure of making up another NPC. If people have suggestions I'd appreciate it.
Also, at some point someone is going to ask who designed everyone's clothes, and Isaiah is going to have to decide whether to own up to it or not.
My first goal with advancements is to shore up things that aren't feeling like they're working quiiite right (Like Psyche failing at every attempt to read someone's mind!). Then after that, I'm usually looking ahead to what my next advancement might be so I can start arcing towards it in advance to make the growth feel more natural :)
E.g. I just took Wrong Side of the Tracks (from the Reformed book) since I was trying to find a way for Psyche to be better at reading people without accidentally making her better at consoling people. The added flavor of her treading a slightly super-villainous line when she's in people's heads, and still being very likely to have things go wrong when she does it, is just the definition of an added perk.
I'd say hold off on the mentor for now (though I'd keep an eye on the Campaign Info page to see if any of those heroes seem like they'd be interesting), and stick with things that feel like they paint a fuller picture of Horizon as he is. Plenty of time to take things to show what he's becoming...
And Isaiah - Kylie will dispute the hell out of that! The tailor is not the designer! :p
Hey, you think it's easy going from a mental image to a finished product? Inquiry had to look up all kinds of reference material and tailoring instructions in order to do its best to make it look like the clothes were produced by local methods!
...Okay, when you're using a milspec ship fabricator it actually is pretty easy, but only because it's also complete overkill. The real hard part was resisting the urge to go overboard and make all the clothes bulletproof and seamless. But that would have been wasteful, and possibly drawn unwanted attention.