I'll probably be starting a one-shot PbP based in a different world in the Tarotverse in the year 2085. Here are the details if you are interested.
Working name: Children of Gaia
PREMISE: The Regional Authority Intelligence Network is concerned about a rapidly spreading cult called the Children of Gaia. They're appearing in refugee camp after refugee camp and taking them over, organizing them more efficiently, and delivering services using fairly expensive tech. While they may be something new and wonderful, RAIN can't afford another suicide cult spreading in the camps. Things were just beginning to get better.
MISSION: RAIN is sending a food convoy to one of the zones where this cult is emerging. Your job will be to join the bands of refugees that follow the convoy to its destination and infiltrate the camp. Find out as much as you can and report back to RAIN. Trust no one.
SETTING: The world's gone to s#+@, but groups of people are trying to pull it together. The population has been declining steadily since 2050. Few of the old national government's remain; new ones regularly rise and fall. Massive climate change has resulted in massive migration. Close to half the world's population lives in temporary housing.
Timeline
- 2020-2030: Flooding, fires, and hurricanes cause massive human migration. Within North American alone 30,000,000 people are displaced.
- 2030-2040: Natural disasters continue to tear the world apart. It gets put back together in strange new ways. A handful of corporate monopolies own the cities. Outside of the cities, gene-splicing cults, zero-waste communes, food co-ops, and university communities run things now. Robots become increasingly more sophisticated and increasingly necessary in life during climate chaos.
- 2035: The presence of a massive astrazoan conspiracy to dominate the Earth's governments and force peaceful and sustainable co-existance upon humans is revealed. Document dumps reveal the identities of thousands of astrazoans at all levels of the government. Many go into hiding and take new identities. Others are hired to work for the same governments they infiltrated, often as spies.
- 2050: Human population plateaus. Lilith-23 is born.
- 2051: Lilith-23 reaches her first birthday without a systems failure, marking the era of the modern android.
- 2050-2060: Human population, including mutants, declines 10% because of climate change. This trend continues until 2100.
- 2060-2080: Androids begin as sentient toys and servants for the very rich, but by 2070 are widely used for combat purposes on Earth and in space. By 2080, androids number in the millions. Humans are cheaper, but androids last.
- 2085: The android Helios hacks a global communication satellite with his 'Declaration of Personhood,' which begins, "I, too, am an I" inspiring the discreet graffito I2MNI. In years to come, this moment marks the beginning of the android uprising.
- 2085: This adventure begins.
RACES: Suggested races include human, human mutant, uplifted bear, android, and astrazoan. I'm hoping for a mix or mostly human party. I'd make exceptions if it feels right.
Humans: Humans still run things, for better or for worse.
Human mutant: Gene splicing and hacking give rise to new ways of being human. Most 'mutants' chose to be this way, but increasingly mutations such as telepathy are emerging among the human populace.
Android: Most androids couldn't pass the Turing test, but they are beginning to ask publicly whether that really matters. Do you really need to 'pass' as human to be given the same rights as one? This kind of talk can get androids decommissioned.
Uplifted bear: Eco-terrorist Greenwraith created a species of uplifted bears in the hopes that they would punish humans who violated natural areas. He was disappointed to find uplifted bears largely peace-loving albeit aloof.
Astrazoan: With the collapse of globalization, the astrazoan population on Earth finds itself out of work; no deep state when there is no state left. A document dump in 2035 also revealed them to humans, including their missions and identities.
I love the newscast foreshadowing :D
I love the newscast foreshadowing :D
I am really enjoying the comic book side of this and have some fun ideas in mind.
I'm also amused by the off-duty character development.
I'm also laughing at Colonel Greer and Charles. He'd probably accidentally refer to Charles as "an efficient killing machine" and mean it as a compliment.
The strangest compliment I was ever given was similar:
“When I’m drunk, I can kill a tiger. I’ll bet when you’re drunk, you can kill two tigers.”
This is what a school principal (in Kunming, China) said to me, while treating me to dinner.
Fortunately for the tigers, I had tea with my meal that night.
lol
The strangest compliment I was ever given was similar:
“When I’m drunk, I can kill a tiger. I’ll bet when you’re drunk, you can kill two tigers.”
This is what a school principal (in Kunming, China) said to me, while treating me to dinner.
Fortunately for the tigers, I had tea with my meal that night.
Oddly enough, you may be given the chance to prove that.
Not only is my post Valentine’s Day-themed, but I also introduced that book to my seventh-grade girls a couple hours ago.
Interesting. I had assumed that was a real book.
Nissa’s education stops at grade 12, so I thought her interest in books would be genuine, but limited to what a teacher made her read.
I’d definitely like to get the band back together before die-rolling happens.
The idea that we each learn three separate pieces of the puzzle is cool! I’m not against having the group stay separate, but long enough so we each learn one piece.
The four-day-weekend idea also works. It seems Theo/Karen are looking at one thing now, Geer/Charles another, and Nissa/Preston could swing by that greenhouse after coffee, but I’m open to either of the following:
• We RP it out a bit more.
• A GM post summarizes what we learn, and we time-skip.
• Same as above, but players are invited to add to the narrative (by answering questions in the GM post).
...
Oh, and I assume the growing plants/animals are the work of those B-Grade supervillains, so I’m voting same as Theo:
2 votes for Option #1.
I'm down for whatever tbh. pew pew pew.
Well, then, I won't rush you back. If Theo and Verve want to do any more checking around where they are, they can. Charles can talk to or go with Colonel Greer if he wants. Nissa and Dr. Preston could swing by the greenhouse if she wants.
I described this, but it was easy to miss: Verve's eyes are different colors when she's wearing it than when she isn't, and her boots make her look about 2 inches taller than she is.
Plus, right now she's like, totally, talking like a valley girl or some junk =P
[ooc]I described this, but it was easy to miss: Verve's eyes are different colors when she's wearing it than when she isn't, and her boots make her look about 2 inches taller than she is.
Plus, right now she's talking like a valley girl =P
As far as celebrity though, Verve doesn't seem to love the cameras as much as the others ... It sounds like she'd have less chance of getting noticed than Theo. With this group though, they're all looking at their devices.
Ya, she's actually basically given up the hero (or in her case sidekick) lifestyle, and was trying to go to college until she got her job offer. Her suit just has some built-in stuff to help protect her identity (kinda like Clark Kent, but a bit better cause technology).
I'm glad Charles rolled well, because his build doesn't permit him to be good at the things he should be good at as a former zookeeper. XD
I'm glad Charles rolled well, because his build doesn't permit him to be good at the things he should be good at as a former zookeeper. XD
I was hoping that I was missing some kind of bonus for animal-related checks as a former zookeeper. The next few encounters should bring us close to leveling up. Maybe there's something you can add then?
About the only thing I know if is spending a feat on Skill Focus. What he's using to be a chimera is, unfortunately, a Theme, so he couldn't pick Scholar to have bonuses in Life Science with extra for zoology, which would have been the most appropriate for him.
So, Verve, what do you want to do with the chicken coop? Theo can improve weapons if need be, but you have a secret identity to keep? Should we quickly head back to BT to get our costumes/gear, or tackle this building here and now?
Let's head back for now. My goal was to get a look at the place and get information from the gawkers. I'd say that has been accomplished.
I was very tempted to have Colonel Greer joke to Charles "I thought you were the mascot" but Colonel Greer's too disciplined for that. Enjoying the sight of the terrified clerk is the closest thing he's done to letting his hair down in 20 years.
Hopefully, Nissa’s tone with Preston is clear. She admires the doctor for her bravery, and is glad she insisted on helping Nissa. She’s not saying L.C. should have done anything differently.
Both IC and OoC, I like how that coffee “date” played out—especially the guards’ reaction to me effing with them.
Hopefully, Nissa’s tone with Preston is clear. She admires the doctor for her bravery, and is glad she insisted on helping Nissa. She’s not saying L.C. should have done anything differently.
Both IC and OoC, I like how that coffee “date” played out—especially the guards’ reaction to me effing with them.
That was all fun. I figured you'd post often enough that we could have a quick combat encounter and all meet up at Boston Theoretical without too much of a delay.
The pitbull could have become a combat encounter if Charles handled it poorly.
Climbing inside of the giant robotic chicken coop would have ended up with Theo and Verve in a very s$#@ty combat encounter with robots that pluck feathers from chickens.
What a delightful pun. Well played sir!
Oh! Can Nissa use Pilot to drive the robot like Ripley in Aliens?
Oh! Can Nissa use Pilot to drive the robot like Ripley in Aliens?
The forklift/robot can follow simple commands on its own, but a driver can also step into it too and control it. It's a bit slow though and would penalize Dex.
How's everyone doing? Staying safe?
My university closed for two weeks. I think we are going to spend the next two weeks figuring out how to move our courses online to finish the semester.
So far my work hasn't closed, though we've been talking about planning on working from home if needed.
My school is closed for two weeks. On Monday, staff only – we’ll attend a training on whatever software allows us to give lessons online, and we’ll find out what’s expected of us.
My daughters are off at least two days. The one who goes to Harvard (the town, not the university, as Nissa says) might have online lessons starting Wednesday.
It's business as usual for me, with the exception having to take my laptop home from work. Fortunately, the city I live/work in has no confirmed cases.
Going down the elevator works for me!
Going down the elevator works for me!
Yeah, that's pretty much what this is.
How tight of quarters are we in here? Is there room for Charles to get somewhere to use his breath weapon without splashing allies?
Speaking of not hurting allies, don’t forget that 3 rounds (☀️☀️☀️) means Nissa will Supernova—20 ft radius with Nissa at the center.
Sorry, I hadn't looked in the discussion thread in a while.
How tight of quarters are we in here? Is there room for Charles to get somewhere to use his breath weapon without splashing allies?
You're in a 10' wide corridor, so no, I don't think so. I had missed this question. Sorry.
That's what I suspected, so it's good I went ahead with the assumption it wasn't.
Given it’s a corridor, I take it Supernova is going to harm allies, no matter how I position myself.
(Of course I won’t Supernova if that’s the case!)
Given it’s a corridor, I take it Supernova is going to harm allies, no matter how I position myself.
(Of course I won’t Supernova if that’s the case!)
Can you hold the supernova at all? It's an interesting ability with the limitations and all.
Yes.
I get +2 damage when fully photon-attuned (as opposed to +1 when partially attuned), so that’s why I rolled d6+3 instead of d6+2 for the gunfire.
Lv.4 will allow me to get the new revelation that came out after we started the game, which will make not blowing up friends MUCH easier… at least where there are 20+ ft high ceilings.
Yeah… having a nuke that huts both friend and foe is interesting. I like having the power and having to, at times, choose not to use it.
_____
Edit - oh, and my photon attunement will remain full (☀️☀️☀️) if I don’t Supernova now, so I can explode at any round. Or not.
Good. I think you may get a chance to blow something up.
How's everyone doing?
I'm busier than ever, but busy from the couch, which is how I like it. I can't believe the whole institution I worked in just adopted my work methods ... stay home, work like hell, maybe consume a little something to take the edge off.
My state (Michigan) shuts down starting today. So unless the internet goes down (GOD FORBID), I'll have no excuse not to post.
I’m enjoying the video calls with my students, drawing a lot, and staying healthy. My kids also use Zoom and Google Hangouts for school, including dance and piano.
We had our dept meeting on Google Hangouts. I prefer Zoom.
At any rate, I am able to do my job remotely and so is my wife. We are fortunate in that respect.
My partner works in the cannabis industry and that, apparently, is an 'essential service' here in Quebec. I drive him to work, but other than that, I'm in my second week of pretty much staying at home.
I’m enjoying the video calls with my students, drawing a lot, and staying healthy. My kids also use Zoom and Google Hangouts for school, including dance and piano.
We had our dept meeting on Google Hangouts. I prefer Zoom.
At any rate, I am able to do my job remotely and so is my wife. We are fortunate in that respect.
You are fortunate. I think some people may not go back to doing their jobs face-to-face.
I don't have the wifi in my house to do synchronous stuff, but I've been developing asynchronous material for years. Suddenly the university wants me to show other profs how to do the asynchronous stuff and I'm doing that plus teaching.
It's kind of funny though. I've been getting bad evaluations because it has looked like I've been slacking off for three years. Meanwhile, I've been learning to use stuff no one else here knows how to use, or at least no one who can also explain it. Suddenly, my help is in great demand and my reputation out of the crapper.
I've been getting bad evaluations because it has looked like I've been slacking off for three years. Meanwhile, I've been learning to use stuff no one else here knows how to use, or at least no one who can also explain it. Suddenly, my help is in great demand and my reputation out of the crapper.
That’s awesome!
This situation is also showing off my ability to adapt and entice students with a positive attitude. Amazingly, there are teachers asking how we can penalize students with the discipline system. I’ve been that guy saying “simple — you don’t.” My Jamaican student is trying to get her classmate to join my calls daily because I make it a positive thing—helping students cope and get work done, and done right.
On the other hand, I taught my 12-year-old the term “dick wad” yesterday. She was on call with her principal, and there were some obnoxious boys on there. Fortunately she had her mic muted when I was “thinking aloud.” I also taught her that the F-bomb, in gerund form, is the perfect adjective for “idiot.”
My video calls have been free of student idiocy (and me swearing, which I normally don’t do in front of my daughters, for the record). I teach in an urban district and my oldest goes to one of the top public school districts in the nation.
I feel kinda vindicated. I’ve known my share of teachers who think the only way to get students to behave is to be a hard-ass. I agree there’s a place for that*, but right now, the hard-asses get rebellion. No one gives me any crap.
*(I do have a good rep for how I dispense justice. I just do it with a smile on my face, and spare no humiliating details on the write-ups that parents see.)
I think some people may not go back to doing their jobs face-to-face.
I have to admit, I prefer this in a way.
Not so much the lack of face time, but having no one above me who thinks they understand my job better than I do.
Before: your lesson plan should include this and that. You need to fill out this form. Add comments to the report card. Grade study hall using the three standard categories (it’s a f#*&ing study hall!), etc.
Now: wow! Keep it up! Can you tell the rest of the staff what you’re doing! I love that email you sent to all your students!
Vindicated is how I feel. My last sabbatical report, I wrote about how I stopped what I was supposed to be doing and started preparing for "potentially dystopian" situations in which we needed to help teachers move online very quickly. I think they thought I was nuts. I was thinking climate change.
I'm worried though. This is going to get bad and it will affect all of our lives.