The Dire GM's [SFS] Skitter Shot (PbP GameDay VIII)

Game Master CanisDirus

This is the discussion thread for Skitter Shot (Tier 1-2: using pregenerated Skittermander characters or your own level 1-2 skittermanders) as part of the PbP GameDay VIII, set to begin on August 26th, 2019!

Sorry for only getting this page up now, but post-Gen Con 2019 has been a bit insane for me - moving, medical/back issues, and other things I won't bore you with.

Feel free to pop in and say hello if you're part of the game from the Signup Spreadsheet!

Welcome NUFRIENDS to this table of the fun and slightly loopy module called SKITTER SHOT!

My name is Mike Bramnik (VC for Southern Indiana) aka The Dire GM. I will be your conductor of this crazy space train into six-armed furry fury!

Normally for a PbP game, you would need to have a character profile created with your stats posted in the profile. Because this game only allows you to use pregenerated characters (unless you happen to have a Personal Boon allowing you to play a Skittermander who is level 1-2), the sheets for these characters are publicly available.

For your own comfort, you can choose to create a messageboard alias for the skittermander you choose to portray and copy text-code stats there. Another enterprising GM already put those together HERE if that's what you would prefer.

Alternatively, I have the original character sheets for the skittermanders, plus additional "cheat sheets" created by PFS/SFS volunteer Jen McTeague in my Dropbox folder HERE.

Included in my Dropbox folder are also a guide to which skittermander has what options in Starship Combat (you know, in case that were to happen, or anything *grin*), as well as a neat "10 Facts About Skittermanders" document!

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Now, onto slightly more boring stuff!

Dire's PbP "Table Rules" -

0 - RL > Game. No other rules trump rule 0! :D

1 - I'd like it if everyone posted once a day Mon-Fri. Friday night through Sunday night is eh-whatever (I am in US Eastern Time, for reference). I'll try to post when I can over weekends, but I know people have lives and won't always be online, so no worries.

2 - If you don't post in the middle of an "action" scene for a day, you get skipped once (or botted if your action would be super obvious or you leave a note to me or another player "proxying" your character). If you don't post a second time, you get "botted" by me to do something simple (usually just attack or aid another). If we get into the 3-5 range, I'll probably drop you a line off-list to see what's up. If it goes on too long...well, I hate dropping people from games, but it unfortunately happens :(

3 - When you've got a saving throw to make, please roll that first before posting any other actions/rolls (unless it can occur before the save).

4 - Feel free to roll perception and sense motive whenever you want, and if you have a reroll, feel free to use that anytime as well.

5 - Have fun! Rule 5 trumps all other rules! :P

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Also, please post the following information in this discussion thread:

Player Name/Alias:
Organized Play # / Character # (that you want to apply this chronicle sheet to - any level 1-2 SFS character is allowed)
What faction are you slotting for this adventure:
Do you have a promotional boon to slot for this adventure / what is it:

Unlike most SFS adventures, the only boons you can use here are basic Faction boons (to earn Reputation), and Promotional boons.

Thanks very much in advance for that info. At this time, please feel free to say hi to each other, pick your favorite skittermander, and relax. The fun starts in just under a week! I'm looking forward to running this for all of you!

One more thing! Something I do with almost all of my SFS games lately is have a soundtrack for them (especially since one of my players bought me a bluetooth speaker as a birthday present). Since we're doing this all online, I'll post soundtrack links in the gameplay thread for each scene, to sort of "set the mood" as it were.

If we were at the table together, this would be the "pre-game / player mustering" music I would have on for you!

Track 01: Pre-Game. YouTube Link: Outlaw Star - "Flight"

(I decided to challenge myself with Skitter Shot and Skitter Crash. My mixed soundtrack for this module is 100% from the Outlaw Star OSTs, and Skitter Crash is 100% from the Robotech 20th Anniversary OST. ...yes, I am a dork, and you have my permission to point and laugh.)

Dropping by to say 'hi' very quickly. Will come back at lunch.

Player Name/Alias: therealthom
Organized Play # / Character # 90661-706 (HFG-5-309)
What faction are you slotting for this adventure: Dataphile
Do you have a promotional boon to slot for this adventure / what is it: Sadly, no.

I'm looking forward to meeting you all and playing this game very much.

Hey! Thanks a lot for running this for us, can't wait to get started!

Player Name/Alias: CaptainBacon
Organized Play # / Character # 347661-704
What faction are you slotting for this adventure: Wayfinders
Do you have a promotional boon to slot for this adventure / what is it: Nope

About the choice of pregens before we start, I was thinking of playing Quonx, did anybody also want her?

Our options are:

DAKOYO -- Male skittermander priest mystic 2

GAZIGAZ Male skittermander xenoseeker envoy 2

NAKO Female skittermander spacefarer soldier 2

QUONX Female skittermander scholar mechanic 2

I am ambivalent about which pregen to play. I will take whoever is left over.

Hello!!

Player Name/Alias: Sunny16
Organized Play # / Character # 2370255
What faction are you slotting for this adventure: Wayfinders
Do you have a promotional boon to slot for this adventure / what is it: Nah

I really liked Gazigaz, is it ok with everyone if I pick this character?

I played these backwards, I was Nako before might as well stay the same.

Player Name/Alias: Betty(Kyten)/Incendiaeternus
Organized Play # / Character # 95342-702
What faction are you slotting for this adventure: Acquisitives
Do you have a promotional boon to slot for this adventure / what is it: Nope

All four players are now present! :)

CaptainBacon has voiced an interest in Quonx (your GM's personal favorite on several different levels)
Sunny16 has expressed interest in Gazigaz (hashtag #highfashion)
Kyten has already played as Nako once, and seems to be doing the timewarp (again?)
Therealthom - are you okay with Dakoyo, the level-headed mystic with a stethoscope? :)

PS - Sunny, what character # would you like your chronicle sheet to go towards for this adventure?

I'm OK with the mystic.

I'll be using this alias for Dakoyo, at least it's furry. I wish Paizo would make a separate Starfinder set of avatars.

100% agreed with you there! They have some out there, these days, but not too many. I use this one for my blue skittermander PC, for instance.

*sigh*
I have to be the bearer of bad news. I just got this in my inbox 30 seconds ago.

Subject: Gameday VIII Delayed

Hey Everyone,

I have some unfortunate news. I regret to inform you all that we will have to postpone Gameday VIII by 2 weeks.

This would place our new dates for Gameday at: 09 Sept 2019 - 17 Nov 2019

WHAT IS GOING ON? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?

As most of you are aware, the majority of the GM’s have not received their scenario support for the Convention to include a good portion of the Specials. With Tonya occupied by other duties this weekend, we realized as a team that we are very unlikely to see the remainder of scenario support drop by Monday the 26th. Multiple avenues were discussed and what seems to be the best solution is to push Gameday back by two weeks. This will allow enough time for the GM’s to receive their scenarios and prep them.

BUT WHAT IF WE ALREADY HAVE OUR SCENARIOS, CAN WE START THEM?

Please hold off until the new start date to be able to eligible for your boon rewards. I understand this is a large inconvenience, we are doing everything we can to make this work. Part of that is to have everyone one the same start / end times rather than scattered.

We apologize for the inconvenience that this may cause, but we want all our GMs to have a chance to shine.

HOW DO I NOTIFY MY PLAYERS?

Go ahead and post the news to your tables. Feel free to copy this email if you wish. We will be posting notices in all the PBP lodges as well as the Gameday VIII Announcement page.

I know this is not what we hoped to do, and I’m sorry. Thank you for understanding that we’re scrambling to fix this.

If you have any other questions please don’t be afraid to ask.

-Tyranius

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Sorry, all :(

Unfortunate.

Bummer, but we'll get there all the same :P
I say we can still RP out in Gameplay until we officially start?

Sorry, #701

Bummer, but we'll get there all the same :P

I say we can still RP out in Gameplay until we officially start?

I am absolutely fine with this :) Let me post the "briefing" of sorts to the gameplay thread tomorrow, and then you can RP all you'd like. Technically, your characters will have plenty of time to hang out with each other in-game, anyway! *evil GM grin*

Will make my first post soon!

As far as avatars go, I'm using this really sweet browser plugin that allows you to change avatars client-side, both for yourself and for other players. So I went ahead and made these avatars with the portraits of the pregens, if you guys want to use those. To change a portrait, simply hover the avatar you want to change and click the picture frame icon in the bottom-right corner, and select the avatar! Hope this helps!

Here's how it looks on my end, for instance!

Love the soundtrack idea by the way, I'm currently writing my introductory post listening to it!

Sorry for the absence, guys. Two very hard days at work and my parents are visiting. May not be able to post regularly until Sunday night.

I want to apologize, I'm having a rough few days. I hope to be back on track posting tomorrow and moving us along (although it seems many people are also dealing with things so maybe the timing works out?).

Not just you it would help if Paizo quit eating posts again.

Sorry for the delay, it's a pretty hectic week for me. I'll try to post later today, please bot me as needed otherwise.

Due to an unexpected technical failure, I am currently without a working computer and am having problems posting long stuff from my phone. I should be back home within the next 24 hours and also back to a real computer then as well.

Very sorry about this...again ><

No worries

Again, very sorry about all of that, but I am back home, with my working (albeit old) laptop, and should be on regular posting schedule again!

Sorry I've been so slow lately, it's the midterms for me. Going on a LARP this weekend so I won't be able to post, feel free to bot me.

No worries. Real Life > Game, always.

I'll get a GM post together soon-ish.

DGM, I thought I'd already said this, but can't see the post now. -- Sorry about the armor lights. I had it in my mind that all armor came with grav/mag boots, a comm unit, and 10' lights. Not sure where I got that impression. After re-reading the rules all I could find were the boots.

Heya, no worries about that. I'd love it if armor came with all of that, too. It's possible that it was from the alpha playtest, if you ever got a look at it. I ran one of them before SF released, so at some point after this weekend I may go delving into those files to see if that was the case pre-2017.

All's well that ends well, and Dakoyo acquitted himself quite well there! :)

I have a super busy next 24 hours coming up, but I'll post after that. Decide if you want that 10 minute rest, but don't use all of your spells - trust me! :)

Sorry, I have been having a pretty hectic week... Let's say that I was not prepared at all for my midterms... I will try to post tonight after my exam!!

No worries, and good luck!

Heya gang - so, the allotted time slot for Gameday VIII is rapidly coming to a close, and as such it's time to roll for boons! My MO for these is to roll for everyone in alphabetical order with the GM last. A 19 or 20 wins a boon.

Good luck, everyone!

Dakoyo: 1d20 ⇒ 11
Gazigaz: 1d20 ⇒ 5
Nako: 1d20 ⇒ 18
Quonx: 1d20 ⇒ 18
GM: 1d20 ⇒ 3

Darn, no boons for us :(

DGM, I thought I'd already said this, but can't see the post now. -- Sorry about the armor lights. I had it in my mind that all armor came with grav/mag boots, a comm unit, and 10' lights. Not sure where I got that impression. After re-reading the rules all I could find were the boots.

Since this is far from the first time the light/armor thing has come up, I've still been researching it, and a fellow GM (the amazing Hmm, in fact), found the answer, and I've been wrong all this time!!

Personal comm units are common, inexpensive devices that are capable of communicating with each other on a single planet or between ships orbiting a given world. Small enough to be carried in a pocket, they also come automatically integrated into all armor of 1st level or higher.

Since personal comm units have flashlights, that means you effectively do have lights built-in to your armor! I never would have thought to look for that rule in the "Settings" chapter of the book - you can't even find that by searching Archives of Nethys!

My apologies for earlier in the module - I literally only learned this tonight!

No worries. I spent a good bit of time searching too, but couldn't find it again. It does kind of take the punch out of the armor lights upgrade. I suspect its just bad editing in the rush to publish.

Like I've already stumbled upon it here, we find things in the oddest places and always learning.

Yar.

So...who wants to kill the robot? ;)

I propped up Nako instead. So it won't be me.

I guess that it'll be me then

GO TEAM SKITTERMANDER!

I hope you've all been having fun with this module and that I haven't been doing anything wrong on my end...I normally really don't like botting multiple people for multiple rounds of combats...

Okay...this is very messed up... when I made my first post of the evening, Quonx's attack rolls were 17 and 3 (and the damage was 2 and 6), and Nako's rolls were 14 and then a natural 20... I have NO idea what happened between when I clicked "submit post" and when I just looked at the gameplay thread a second ago!

I am very sorry for my poor posting practices lately, I am utterly swamped with work right now. I'll try to sneak in a post today, but please bot me if I don't do so.

I've had a good time. The skittermander help ethic is a beautiful contrast to one of my other PbP games.

It is a really nice module!! I had so much fun!! I am just so swamped that a daily post is sometimes too much for me... But you did an incredible job ;)

This also begs a question. There is an optional encounter at the end of the current part we're playing. For the story told in Skitter Shot, it's not super important, although it does play a role in explaining something story-related in the sequel module, Skitter Crash. I'm okay running it or not as you all prefer.

It is a starship combat encounter, if that makes a difference - difficult for some to do in a pbp environment. If the consensus is no, I'll still make a narrative post about it so you know what happens when/if you play Skitter Crash, though!

I'm happy to play the ship encounter, but will roll with the majority.

Yar. In case of a tie, I'll flip a coin :)

Also, because the game day officially ends on Sunday, I just submitted the game report. The chances of our furry friends failing the main objective are minuscule at this point, so I felt confident in that!