Hello everyone! Thank you all for joining my game. My goal is for each and every one of you to walk away thinking 2 things: 1) Man, that was a lot of fun, I can't wait to do it again; and 2) That DM Bigrin guy is a great GM, I want to play in more of his games :)
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Please take a moment to answer these questions about you and your character. They will help us all stay on task and have fun!
I have a Pro account on Roll20 that I like to use for maps/combat. Can you access Roll20 on a regular basis or do we need to use Google Slides?
Do you have an up-to-date 'bot me' spoiler -- complete with dice expressions? (check out Kastien's botme)
Will you be willing to bot other characters if I ask you to do so?
Do you promise to let me know if you get super busy for a few days so we can bot you?
Are you comfortable with a 1-2 post a day pace?
What's been your favorite SFS Adventure with this character, and why?
Player Name:
Character Name:
Character Number:
Slotted Faction:
Information for this chronicle sheet:
Number of this Chronicle:
Starting XP:
Initial Fame:
Fame Spent:
Reputation with slotted faction:
Day Job:
Any other special things you need me to note on your chronicle?
I also need you to fill out your alias profile with all the relevant information.
Please put the relevant stat block in your profile, under the Race field. See below for an example of what I am looking for. This is my quick lookup so I don't have to do a full dive into your character when I need to make snap decisions.
Female Ysoki Mystic 1 | SP 6/6 : HP 8/8 : RP 5/5 | EAC 13 : KAC 14 | Fort. +2: Ref. +2 : Will +2 | Init. +2 : Perc. +8 (darkvision)
Also, please put your full character sheet in your profile somehow, whether it is formatted text from HeroLab, PCGen, or another character generator, a link to an online sheet, or raw text. (talk to me if you want to know more about PCGEN, a FREE character creation and management tool).
Ready? Break!
A clicking noise heralds the arrival of a spherical robot that shuffles into the room on a set of spider-like legs.
"Hello, I am the BotPlay-4000. I have been assigned to help this group move forward as swiftly and smoothly as possible. I have a limited ability for strategic problem solving, so it is to your benefit to provide me a detailed list of possible actions. It is also to your benefit to make use of me as little as possible. My job is done best when I am not necessary at all."
The spherical body spun on its axis, without moving the legs, then the robot skittered away, back to whatever hidey hole it came from.
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I will use BotPlay-4000 under the following circumstances:
I prefer not to bot, but I want the game to keep moving. If I do bot you, it will likely be minimal. I won't use player non-renewable resources except in dire situations.
The option for google slides is there.
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I have a Pro account on Roll20 that I like to use for maps/combat. Can you access Roll20 on a regular basis or do we need to use Google Slides?
I have never used Roll20, but it's about time to give it a go. So I now have an account and am interested to learn to use it. I could also easily use Google Slides.
Do you have an up-to-date 'bot me' spoiler -- complete with dice expressions? (check out Kastien's botme)
Yes, it has been updated. I do have preformatted combat and skill checks, though they are in the body of the profile and not the spoilered bot section.
Will you be willing to bot other characters if I ask you to do so?
Sure!
Do you promise to let me know if you get super busy for a few days so we can bot you?
Also sure!
Are you comfortable with a 1-2 post a day pace?
Love it and looking forward to it!
What's been your favorite SFS Adventure with this character, and why?
Skittermander run, though technically not played with this character it applied to him. Skittermanders are just an awesome little hyper super helpful race and the group had fun playing them all off each other.
Player Name: Pete H.
Character Name: Hef Sadir
Character Number: 123584-702
Slotted Faction: ExoGuardians
Information for this chronicle sheet:
Number of this Chronicle: 5
Starting XP: 6
Initial Fame: 11
Fame Spent: 3
Reputation with slotted faction: 11
Day Job: None
Any other special things you need me to note on your chronicle?
Not that I can think of!
Looks like Google Slides it is!
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Do you have an up-to-date 'bot me' spoiler -- complete with dice expressions? (check out Kastien's botme)
Yup.
Will you be willing to bot other characters if I ask you to do so?
Yes.
Do you promise to let me know if you get super busy for a few days so we can bot you?
Yes. First span is this Thursday through next Wednesday. I may still get some posts in but I will be buuuussssyyy.
Are you comfortable with a 1-2 post a day pace?
Yes.
What's been your favorite SFS Adventure with this character, and why?
Hadir is mostly made up of AP and/or GM credit, but I've played The Solar Sortie with him. If you count the GM credits, then Yesteryear's Truth (which I've also played with a different PC) was my favorite Society scenario (PF or SF) of all time.
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Player Name: caps
Character Name: Hadir
Character Number: 137974-702
Slotted Faction: Wayfinders
Number of this Chronicle: Not sure, but I think it's 8. Can you leave it blank?
Starting XP: 10
Initial Fame: 21
Fame Spent: 0?
Reputation with slotted faction: 20
Day Job: Checking the Culture box on my Qabarat University Admittance boon
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Boons Slotted this Adventure
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Ally:
Faction: Wayfinder's Champion
Personal:
Promotional:
Social: Faction's Friend
Starship: Loaned Ship: Sunrise Maiden (if the party approves)
Slotless: Marked Agent, Star Sugar Heartlove!!!, Starfinder Insignia, Qabarat University Admittance
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Ok...now that I'm not being dumb...
Do you have an up-to-date 'bot me' spoiler -- complete with dice expressions? (check out Kastien's botme)
Will set one up before the end of the day.
Will you be willing to bot other characters if I ask you to do so?
Yes
Do you promise to let me know if you get super busy for a few days so we can bot you?
Yes
Are you comfortable with a 1-2 post a day pace?
Yes
What's been your favorite SFS Adventure with this character, and why?
#1-03 - Yesteryear's Truth - It was a great, classic sci-fi story. A lost civilization, living with tech it doesn't fully understand, a twist and a moral decision with no obvious answer.
Player Name: Ebon Fist
Character Name: Azara Thenason
Character Number: 143948-15 (No, it's not wrong...it doesn't start with a 7. It's a long story...)
Slotted Faction: Wayfinders
Information for this chronicle sheet:
Number of this Chronicle: 5
Starting XP: 6
Initial Fame: 12
Fame Spent: 0
Reputation with slotted faction: 13
Day Job:
Any other special things you need me to note on your chronicle?
None
I also need you to fill out your alias profile with all the relevant information.
Done
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Thanks for running this.
Checking in;
Out of Character Questions
I have a Pro account on Roll20 that I like to use for maps/combat. Can you access Roll20 on a regular basis or do we need to use Google Slides?
Slides are better. I can use Roll20 but only from home, so that limits the times I can access
Do you have an up-to-date 'bot me' spoiler -- complete with dice expressions? (check out Kastien's botme)
For attacks, yes
Will you be willing to bot other characters if I ask you to do so?
Yes
Do you promise to let me know if you get super busy for a few days so we can bot you?
Yes
Are you comfortable with a 1-2 post a day pace?
Yes
What's been your favorite SFS Adventure with this character, and why?
1-24: Siege of Enlightment; it just worked. Good party that worked together,nicely paced and a nice scenario with skill use, combats that were hard but not too difficult to overcome
CHRONICLE INFORMATION:
Player Name: Eric
Character Name: OP-1
Character Number: 13475-704
Slotted Faction: Acquisitives
Information for this chronicle sheet:
Number of this Chronicle: 10
Starting XP: 9
Initial Fame: 18
Fame Spent: 0
Reputation with slotted faction: 18
Day Job: None
Any other special things you need me to note on your chronicle?
No
Gameplay thread has been created, so feel free to phantom dot in there while we wait for Zyni and Twik to load.
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Azara, you can actually write up the fully formatted dice rolls on your profile, you don’t need to leave off the brackets.
I even have all my skills formatted on there and can do a quick cut/paste for most of my rolls. It helps a ton when posting from a mobile device.
Good to know! I guess the system is smart enough to only roll the dice in an actual post. Pretty useful.
Damn, I really want to do this, but I just started a new job and I know I'm going to struggle with that 1-2 posts a day pace. I'm afraid I have to bow out. Hope you all have a great game!
Congratulations on the new job! I completely understand. Have a good time.
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Thanks Bigrin for reaching out!
I have a Pro account on Roll20 that I like to use for maps/combat. Can you access Roll20 on a regular basis or do we need to use Google Slides? Google Slides is better for me.
Do you have an up-to-date 'bot me' spoiler -- complete with dice expressions? Yes, but let me know if you need more detail.
Will you be willing to bot other characters if I ask you to do so? Only if stats are readily available.
Do you promise to let me know if you get super busy for a few days so we can bot you? Absolutely.
Are you comfortable with a 1-2 post a day pace? Should be fine, I do that already with my other games.
What's been your favorite SFS Adventure with this character, and why? This character only has played one: 1-36 Enter the Ashen Asteroid. It was fun (that first encounter was a doozy), but I don't typically enjoy pure dungeon crawls.
Player Name: Chris Wasko
Character Name: "Sunshine" Korvin
Character Number: 125136-709
Slotted Faction: Wayfinder
Information for this chronicle sheet:
Number of this Chronicle: 2
Starting XP: 4
Initial Fame: 4
Fame Spent: ?
Reputation with slotted faction: 7
Day Job: N/A
Any other special things you need me to note on your chronicle? As with Fame spent, I'd like to read the adventure briefing for possible purchases first, which I'll post here.
@Twik - Any idea when you will be available?
@everyone - I am going to try and post the intro tonight, but still give everyone time to respond. I know Hadir is out for a full week, so he will have to play catchup. For now, consider him the quiet, but very talented, team member that everyone respects...at least until he returns and speaks up for himself :)
Based on everyone's responses, you are all okay with a fast-paced game, and not hesitant to bot or be botted if progress is being held up. Good. Also, we will be using Google Slides for the maps and handouts, and I will post that link once I get it set up.
I have also set up a Discord channel so that we can have time-sensitive discussions (not having to wait until someone checks the boards to answer a question). It isn't mandatory, but Hmm's games have really shown me the utility of having some form of discussion and question answering mechanism outside of the delayed board responses.
Map Slides have been added to the campaign.
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I'll be pretty busy until probably next Thursday. I'm not sure what my posting rate will look like day to day. Don't hesitate to bot me if I haven't posted yet on a given day and am holding things up. There should be a Bot Me spoiler at the bottom of my profile but if there is not, recent posts should be indicative.
Will do. Basically giving Twik until Friday to post (as promised) before I start this rollercoaster.
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Player Name: Phillip Wood
Character Name: Twik "The Jack"
Character Number: 127693-702
Slotted Faction: Wayfinders
Number of this Chronicle: 10
Starting XP: 9
Initial Fame: 11
Fame Spent: 0
Reputation with slotted faction: 20
Day Job: Nil
Out of Character Questions:
Google Slides is good for me.
Im happy for you to bot me - Twik will Trick Attack every round unless shooting twice makes more sense. Dice expressions in my character profile.
I'm fine botting other characters if need be.
Do you promise to let me know if you get super busy for a few days so we can bot you? Yes
Are you comfortable with a 1-2 post a day pace? Yes
What's been your favorite SFS Adventure with this character, and why? 1-10 Half Alive Streets. It was an interesting story (with other Halfings!) and the team really go into the roleplay - the result was hilarious.
That's everyone. Here we go!
Go ahead and slot your boons for this adventure. List them here like this:
Ally -
Faction - WAY
Personal -
Promotional - Starfinder t-shirt
Social - Honorary Spider
Starship -
Slotless -
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Boons Slotted this Adventure
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Ally:
Faction: Wayfinder's Champion
Personal:
Promotional:
Social: Faction's Friend
Starship: Loaned Ship: Sunrise Maiden (if the party approves)
Slotless: Marked Agent, Star Sugar Heartlove!!!, Starfinder Insignia, Qabarat University Admittance
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Boons Slotted this Adventure: Full details shown in the spoiler at the top of his profile.
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Ally: Collector and Examiner
Faction: ExoGuardian Champion
Personal: --
Promotional: --
Social: Pact Worlds Defender
Starship: Oooh, a loaned ship? Sounds awesome!
Slotless: Private Vault, Scoured Stars Veteran
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Ooh, hireling boons. Brb...
... Okay, spent some fame. Hadn't done that before. Here are my new slotted boons. I should probably branch outside of Wayfinders sometime.
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Boons Slotted this Adventure
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Ally: Professional Hireling Access, Set 1
Faction: Wayfinder's Champion, Improved
Personal:
Promotional:
Social: Faction's Friend
Starship: Loaned Ship: Sunrise Maiden (if the party approves)
Slotless: Marked Agent, Star Sugar Heartlove!!!, Starfinder Insignia, Qabarat University Admittance
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I'm well aware Hef is not the best pilot, there are two with significantly higher modifiers. But if there are two or more vehicles, I do think he should be driving at least one of them. Why? Because he is terrible at doing anything at range and (at least in my minimal vehicle experience) that seems to be a large part of what the passengers have to handle.
If you all disagree or have more experience with vehicle combat and my assessment is wrong (wouldn't be the first time), I'd be happy to sit him in a passenger slot. He's passed on piloting stuff before due to being out-skilled so his feelings (nor mine) won't be hurt. :D
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This will be my first scenario with the vehicle tag so other then there being a vehicle involved somehow I have no idea what to expect.
If you want to drive a vehicle I'm not going to tell you not to do it. I'm a firm believer of everyone having fun, so if you think it will be more fun for you to drive a vehicle..go for it ;)
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Before we start the scenario in earnest, can I sneak in one surprise GM credit from this afternoon? It won't change any of my starting stats, just my Chronicle info as follows:
Information for this chronicle sheet:
Number of this Chronicle: 3
Starting XP: 5
Initial Fame: 6
Fame Spent: 0
Reputation with slotted faction: 9
Day Job: N/A
Before we start the scenario in earnest, can I sneak in one surprise GM credit from this afternoon? It won't change any of my starting stats, just my Chronicle info as follows:
Information for this chronicle sheet:
Number of this Chronicle: 3
Starting XP: 5
Initial Fame: 6
Fame Spent: 0
Reputation with slotted faction: 9
Day Job: N/A
Pretty sure I already said yes to this, but if not, yes! :)
Right now, I have divers and passengers as:
Buggy1 - Sunshine (D), Hadir, Azara
Buggy2 - Twik (D), OP-1
Enercycle - Hef (D)
Does that sound good?
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Right now, I have divers and passengers as:
Buggy1 - Sunshine (D), Hadir, Azara
Buggy2 - Twik (D), OP-1
Enercycle - Hef (D)Does that sound good?
That works for Hef, but then again that's what he volunteered to do so he could go get eaten by the the planet-killer first and give you all a chance to escape... he's cool like that. :P
Feel free to switch around. I merely put everyone that said "I want to drive" in the driver's seat. Nothing says you guys can't take turns. In fact, if you want to start out driving, I can use your piloting roll and get us started.
Welcome to combat!
The way I do combat is to set up the initiative tracker, and then let everyone post in blocks (before the monster, after the monster, between the monster groups, etc.). If your block is up in the tracker (bolded) then you should post. Don't worry about posting in order, as that slows everything down. Post as you can and I will merge the actions together in initiative order. If your action would depend on what someone before you in the order, place contingencies in spoilers, like this:
I have this action prepared
I have this other action prepared
Obviously, if it is too complex you can delay, but I will be running combat updates at least once every 24 hours and if you miss your posting block, you lose your action.
Clear as mud?
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It is odd that the scenario doesn't start the encounter until they are right on top of us. You end up with this thematic weirdness of people that are armed and ready to fight being flat footed. That's how it works though. Kinda bothers me in general that so many organized play scenarios force you into these close quarters combats all the time. we have weapons in PF and SF with roughly 100' of range, feats to increase that range, and rules for shooting past that range, but scenario authors always assume that PCs will waltz right up to the bad guys before fighting (and vice versa).
That's how combat in general works, though. If both parties are aware of each other, then neither is surprised and everyone is flatfooted until your first turn in the initiative order. You had plenty of time to potshot them, but you didn't (assumedly because you are the good guys who don't start killing things that haven't attacked you first).
It's the "downside" of being a good guy. You can't just shoot at anything that enters your field of view because it might be innocent, or in need of aid.
And there definitely are long-range scenario fights. They are rare, but they do exist.
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Well, I don't agree that's how combat works in general. If it was the PCs that openly started moving aggressively towards a foe from hundreds of feet away in plain sight, we would roll for initiative and, by the time we were in melee range of each other, no one would be flat footed.
I view the "you're flat footed until you act in combat" as having to do with being caught off guard for the fight, even if only by the *timing* of the fight. Consider two parties in a tense negotiation. They're tensing their grips on their weapons as they see things going worse and worse, but *someone* has to decide to swing first. In that situation, they're right on top of each other, they expect a fight any second, but the initiative rolls basically represent who is ready in the seconds the fight actually breaks out. I.e. you're flat footed before you act not because you didn't see the fight coming, but because you didn't know the precise 6 second span in which the fight would start.
In a situation where one party starts charging, weapons drawn, from a few hundred feet away while the other party draws their weapons, waiting expectantly for combat to begin, then I would expect neither party to be flat footed by the time they clash. They are both expecting the combat and, by guaging the speed of the moving party, they can fairly well predict when the fight will actually start; some would argue in that situation it has started already.
My two cents on the general case.
I see the ambiguity angle here, though, since it wasn't clear if these things were hostile or just curious; it's kind of in between the two cases, since instead of being unsure of *when* the fight will start, we're unsure of *whether* it will be a fight at all. On the flip side, it is more like the second scenario in that if we are expecting a fight (and we were) then we would not be surprised that a fight starts and would also be able to time their arrival by gauging their speed.
Anyway, that was a lot of words over some little things. :-) On with the game!