Hello everyone! Please check out the maps, linked above, and make sure you can see and interact with them.
There will be much more to come soon. Sit tight. Things are about to get crazy!
Checking in. I can see the maps and sent you a message to gain further access than just "view."
Checking in! It will be a few days before I get Thuldas's character sheet together, but I'm here.
Checking in!
Checking in! Will have my profile up tomorrow
heya. I'll get an alt created shortly.
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Okay, got my alt done. Unfortunately there is no "Bear wearing a chef's hat" alias picture alas.
Hello again everyone.
I should have the permissions on the maps set up so everyone can add tokens, etc.
I will be doing some further work on the google slides later this weekend. One thing I plan on doing is creating a slide that keys my lovingly drawn map of the Gallery (it seriously did start out life as a piece of graph paper with my pencil scratchings on it--check out slide #5).
There will be some opportunity for some posting here in discussion and in gameplay by Sunday evening this week, though I don't anticipate serious gameplay for another week or so.
Anyway, you'll be hearing more from me by Sunday.
Quick update:
I am working on keying the gallery map right now. There should be another slide by tomorrow with some information about what each of those numbers mean.
Slowly but surely we are getting this thing going.
Yoro, were you one of the martial arts instructors? I'm just trying to see how I know the various group members, and I specifically mentioned taking unarmed combat/claw fighting classes to blow off steam (since we had two different dojo characters).
Here's a couple of bullet points for Kusa for suggestions for character ties:
*Kusa owns a diner that mostly specializes in Noodles. He makes almost all of his money off the lunch crowd, and though people stop by for dinner, it tends to be much slower.
*Kusa is married to a Vesk named Raxima. They love each other dearly.
*It's an open secret among the really downtrodden that Kuda will provide them with an occasional meal for free or sometimes for things like washing dishes, as long as no one takes advantage of his generousity (people have tried, but his wife is rather well known for...let's just say she has a stereotypical Vesk personality when dealing with others, and she is friends with several of the gang leaders in the Gallery and the nearby parts of the station).
Yes, Yoromishtali (Yoro is fine too :-) is a martial arts instructor. He teaches mainly the doshko but also unarmed (claw) techniques. Usually he keeps the room lit in blue light (like Ghavaniska -- Vesk Prime’s sun) but will change it often so students become acquainted with fighting in different light environments. The other martial art trainer (last I checked) was @supersuperlative’s pahtra. Since he’s in the other group I haven’t looked at their thread, so I’m not entirely too sure what his final background was.
Yoromishtali probably eats at your place (does it have a name?) three or four times a week usually at dinner when it’s slower.
Tremox and S1G-NL could have a fun buddy-cop vibe -- we’ll see?!
Whenever Yoromishtali needs to get cheap video equipment, more than likely he heads to Thuldas’ shop for some refurbished stuff taken off a salvaged starship.
As I showed in my posting, Tremox (Moxie) really wants to do good and help the people of the area. However, he quickly learns that that doesn't pay the rent well or keep food (noodles?) on the table. I think he's forced to do his share of scummy ambulance chasing or accident claims to afford to help people who might not be able to cover the regular fees. With this knowledge of the the Prosecutor’s office, he is actually pretty successful at getting people released or having cases overturned.
He would have gotten a reputation in the area as someone you can go to if you're in trouble with the authorities.
He probably eats at the noodle cart several times a week.
If anyone had been arrested or might have had a small run-in with the law, Moxie could have helped them out.
I could see him knowing Thuldas as a contact for when he comes upon stolen equipment.
Not sure if S1G-NL would have an adversarial relationship with Moxie or not. Maybe a "I respect what you do, but I don't like it" thing?
@Tremox ah, I think I didn’t read your background as well as I should have. Sorry. Your post definitely helps clear up my misunderstanding.
I could see back in the day, Moxie and S1G-NL would have been two parts of a Law & Order episode. His outlook now probably depends on how abusive the authorities are to the locals. I'm sure he sees many of them as decent people. I just didn't want to tie him to any authority structures based on the info given, so former prosecutor turned into a Hell's Kitchen Nelson & Murdock lawyer seemed right.
You guys are going a great job sorting things out. I'd like to think your characters do, in fact, all know each other. After all, you have been doing business (and perhaps grown up) in the Gateway District, having gotten to know many of the "regulars" who live there.
The song "WHO ARE THE PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD" from the American children's show Sesame Street is going through my head.
And I can't get it out.
More guidance from the GM coming soon.
We can say Tremox helped Yoromishtali (a non-citizen of the Pact Worlds living on Absalom Station) with a legal issue concerning his residency a few months back. Perhaps if he needs any protection from former clients he can call on Yoromishtali.
As for S1G-NL I’m still thinking. Maybe Yoromishtali comms him too often to report minor infractions of Abaslom’s laws? Or maybe he attempts to make too many citizen arrests before S1G-NL arrives and diffuses the situation.
Lol about Sesame Street. Yesterday, I was imaging Yoromishtali humming the Mr. Rogers song as he walks around the district.
Updates will be incoming tomorrow.
As promised, here is your update.
We really are getting close to starting, I promise! I apologize for the delay.
Here's a timeline of what I have in mind:
Within the next couple of days, I hope to make a post over in gameplay. It will just feature some of the sights and sounds of The Gallery. Perhaps it will be an opportunity for your characters to interact a little bit.
By the end of the week, perhaps this weekend, there will be an encounter for you to deal with, or perhaps a problem to solve. It might not be directly related to the adventure you'll be starting, but it will be a chance to roll some dice and see what your character can do.
The adventure! I'm especially proud of this short adventure, and I will tell you that I am also playing it with my home group! We started tonight. No real spoilers, but here is a little preview: You'll meet one "Bubs Vinzer, Vinzer Galactic Insurance," who is visiting Absalom Station on a business matter.
Oh. That's how he introduces himself. To each of you.
"Bubs Vinzer, Vinzer Galactic Insurance".
He's looking for a small starship his company has already made a substantial insurance payout on. He wants to salvage it. He thinks it's in one of the hangar bays underneath The Gallery. Maybe you can help?
After that, I hope we can be a little more experimental, including more of a "sandbox" style of play.
Tremox and S1G-NL could have a fun buddy-cop vibe -- we’ll see?!
That sounds like it could be pretty fun, haha.
As for S1G-NL I’m still thinking. Maybe Yoromishtali comms him too often to report minor infractions of Abaslom’s laws? Or maybe he attempts to make too many citizen arrests before S1G-NL arrives and diffuses the situation.
Hrm, especially with Yoromishtali teaching kids, yeah, he may overhear things from / about their parents / other kids? The idea of calling S1G-NL for minor infractions is also pretty amusing, especially if it's like calling the FBI because someone was jsywalking, haha.
As I showed in my posting, Tremox (Moxie) really wants to do good and help the people of the area. However, he quickly learns that that doesn't pay the rent well or keep food (noodles?) on the table. I think he's forced to do his share of scummy ambulance chasing or accident claims to afford to help people who might not be able to cover the regular fees. With this knowledge of the the Prosecutor’s office, he is actually pretty successful at getting people released or having cases overturned.
He would have gotten a reputation in the area as someone you can go to if you're in trouble with the authorities.
He probably eats at the noodle cart several times a week.
If anyone had been arrested or might have had a small run-in with the law, Moxie could have helped them out.
I could see him knowing Thuldas as a contact for when he comes upon stolen equipment.
Not sure if S1G-NL would have an adversarial relationship with Moxie or not. Maybe a "I respect what you do, but I don't like it" thing?
I could see back in the day, Moxie and S1G-NL would have been two parts of a Law & Order episode. His outlook now probably depends on how abusive the authorities are to the locals. I'm sure he sees many of them as decent people. I just didn't want to tie him to any authority structures based on the info given, so former prosecutor turned into a Hell's Kitchen Nelson & Murdock lawyer seemed right.
The way I'm sort of seeing it is that because S1G-NL technically works for the Stewards, it's a bit of a situation of having a Federal Agent hanging around a local police station. A lot of the more local authorities probably don't like him a whole lot, and as a lot of the security force is made up of less-sophisticated robots, he probably doesn't think too highly of them, either.
I think the idea that Tremox wants to do right will mean that S1G-NL mostly respects him, and I think S1G-NL does think someone needs to be looking out for the locals, especially in cases where the security-bots run into things that are beyond their programming. With that said, yeah, some of Moxie's methods are things he may find questionable.
I think his big fear would be of Moxie getting a case overturned where the person really was guilty of something pretty serious.
I have placed a post over in gameplay. Please enjoy some in-character banter over there.
I will be moving the plot forward in a couple of days.
If there is any banter you would like to continue or start, please feel free. Also, don't forget to roll for your free credits!
....And, the action is underway. Haven't heard from Kusa in a while. Hopefully we can see some posts from everyone over the next day or two and kick this into gear! Hope everyone in the US enjoyed their holiday weekend!
Hey GM, the link in your post header for the maps is not right. It takes you to the discussion thread. The link at the top of the page does work correctly.
Thanks Tremox. I'll try to fix that tomorrow.
Haven't heard from a few of you in a while. Looks like a scrap is brewing. Hopefully we can get at least a round or two in over the weekend, then we'll meet the victim of this brazen act of thievery!
Checking in! Just waiting for my turn. Last in the initiative order...not too surprising with Yoromishtali’s dexterity bonus.
Okay gang, hitting the pause button for the weekend. I am going to message Kusa later on and see if we can expect him.
Maybe by Sunday we will hear from him, and I will do some things to kick this little adventure into gear. Not a lot of energy now, but I still feel the potential for this to turn into a great success!
I did reach out to Kusa. Hoping to hear from him soon and get this truly going.
Thank you for your patience.
I'll come up with a plan B if there are concerns.
Well gang, I have not heard from Kusa. At this point I am going to assume that he won't be participating.
We'll see about getting things started again in the next couple of days.
Sorry about this.
Checking in! Since Kusa is unresponsive, maybe we can pretend he was never in the scene to begin with? Or maybe he’s just observing the situation from the bridge in case this is a distraction. If he’s able to join us in the future, great.
So we're clear, I give permission to skip my turn (or have the GM/another player control Yoromishtali) during combat if I don’t post within 24 hours of being prompted to do so.
I had fun making Yoromishtali and this appears like it will be a fun campaign. I don’t want it to end so soon.
Yes. I have been meaning to post. Obviously a little disappointed about Kusa--it was a great character idea, and we'll keep his noodle stand going.
I am going to restart things tonight. I'll decide where--we may just fast forward past this skirmish with the petty thieves and meet the victim.
I apologize. I am behind the 8-ball at work for the next day or so. This game is on my mind. Good things will happen, and I am going to jump start things to get it going.
Hello all!
Nice to see our posting begin to ramp up.
Just a reminder, please use the link to the slides at the top of these pages. The link in my profile is for the other group. I tried to add this group to my profile, but there does not seem to be room in the fields for the URL.
Going to try to post an update tomorrow. Hoping Thuldas and S1G-NL will check in.
I'll try again to kickstart this tomorrow. I feel like once we are up and running things will fall into place.
My concern is that we have already lost one player. S1G-NL hasn't checked in since around the first of October. Maybe he'll be back if I can get a couple of posts in.
Thanks to Yoromishtali for making a post.
Oops, sorry, I'm still here! I'll try to get a post up tomorrow
Thank you. Thuldas' latest post inspired me :) It was optimistic and implicitly asking for a response.
Welcome back S1G-NL!
Yep. We're down a couple from where we started.
First, let me make sure that Thuldas, Yoro, and Tremox are 100% on board for this ride. If so, I will recruit 2-3 additional players, perhaps posting tomorrow in recruitment.
The other group is actually going fairly well. They haven't lost anyone, and if they did, I would have considered simply combining the two groups.
Any opinions as far as what I might want to look at for 2-3 players and their characters? I think I would want to try to coax new characters toward being complementary as far as class and abilities go.
I’m still interested in playing Yoromishtali in this adventure. I think I wrote earlier that Yoromishtali’s concept was one of the first I created after buying the Starfinder core rule book. He didn’t fit in many games so I didn’t even bother to apply. This game is one of my best chances for playing him, so I’m trying to put in effort to keep this game going. I think we all are putting in effort.
As far as new PCs, having a wide breadth of abilities and skills is ideal, but I’d rather have players committed to playing their PC if that means some overlap (say two soldiers for example).
I'm also still interested in playing. I actually thought you might put both groups together, but I get it if you didn't have any attrition in the other group.
I think with Yoro, Moxie, and Thuldas, we're covering all the absolute musts (spellcaster, face, fighter). An operative might be nice, but so would other things, so I don't think we have a real preference.
Alrighty gang, I opened up a recruitment thread to help us out here. Feel free to chime in there if you want to help out. I'll probably post a "story so far" note there tomorrow.
I agree with Yoro and Tremox that I'm still interested in playing w/ Thuldas in this game. One of the struggles, I think, is that not much has happened so far (I haven't yet been forced to finish my character sheet). If we can get a couple more players that are properly engaged, we should have enough momentum to keep it rolling.
I would agree that having players who are engaged is far more important that broadening the party's capabilities.
Thuldas, that's a great word. "Momentum" is what we need here. We'll see if we can find a couple of players.
In an ideal world, Each of us--me, and every player, would be making 6 significant posts a week.
Needless to say, we haven't done that. I think we just need some chemistry. I think the four of us have have a firm basis. We just need a couple more players to play off of.
I'm thinking about a plan B (and maybe a plan C) if we don't get two more players. The three of you deserve a few months (at least) of some good gaming.
I have reached out to a potential player who created a strong, well thought out character who should complement the three of you nicely.
I'm hopeful it will work out nicely.
Hello again Yoro, Tremox, and Thuldas.
We have two interesting characters who have made excellent submissions. I'll be inviting them to join us here in discussion tomorrow night, and I would imagine game play will pick up with your next meeting with Bubs by midweek.
I'm excited.
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Hi there!
Great to be on board!
First off, lemme give a great big NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo..... that both Vrog and Yoricks are out. I know both of them have been epic players on these boards, but I also know that both of them have dropped out hard at times. It looks like they're both in the low-phase of their individual sine wave. Ah well.
Thuldas, it looks like you and Anton have some common interests in All Things Tech. Can we say we know each other? I ask this for two reasons:
1) It's very plausible. Since Anton is a bit of an all-around low-class fixer, the two of us might very well have run in to each other either at a tech shop, or at a watering hole and had some -epic- nerdtalks. ^_^
2) For momentum, having people need to do initial greetings is always weak sauce. But having some people that are already friends just keep a ball rolling can be more betterer...er.
Yes, it always been my opinion that nothing generates posts like...more posts. To wit, it's the old "success breeds success" line in that posts breed posts. It's a given that the main engine is the GM, but if some characters can get a good dialogue going, that can be just as much fun as the adventure itself.
(One player I encountered stated it best that his motto was "ABP: Always Be Posting". He also mentioned that a good post has three parts: A Reaction {to something that happened/something the GM/another player did}, An Action, {of what your character is doing, of course} and a Hook or a Push {Something that someone else can play off of/some indication to the Party and the GM of what is going to happen in the future. I can't say if anyone else would agree, but it's something I like to keep in mind. =-)
Oooh, I just now see that I'm not supposed to start posting in Discussion until tomorrow. Um, it's probably best to just ignore this post for right now. ^_^
Great to have you on board, Anton! In fact, two mechanics! It will be an interesting addition.
Moxie can obviously hook into Xic's background either having been involved with his less than legal endeavors or simply having known of him through his contacts in the DA's office. For Anton, it might be more straightforward. Moxie could have asked him to evaluate a datachip or help him track down who made a piece of tech. I could see them having a very transactional relationship.
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That is a great idea Moxie!
I like this idea of tracking the manufacturer of a piece of tech.
"Oh yeah. This definitely comes from Jadin-Nakada Industrial Consolidated. See these anomalies in the holoframe? I run into that every time I climb through their dumbsters."
Heh.
Seeing as the group needs to get and then understand some past blueprints for the landlocked Hanger 18, conceivably you could just call me have us meet up.
"Anton! Ol' buddy ol' pal! Iffn' I 'member right, you owe me a drink!"
Heck yes, double mechanics! For a technomancer, Thuldas actually isn't that technologically adept - he prefers to instead find ways to apply ancient dwarven magics to circumvent the limits of technology. I think these will be some great additions to the party.
Welp! I was supposed to make a post tonight and I haven't heard any differently, so here I am!
I expect that there's a decent chance that I might have met any one of you. I know that +13 isn't the absolute highest that you can pump a skill at level 1, but I feel pretty good about Xic's computer skills :) He works pretty cheap, so maybe he's done work for some of you before?
Xic doesn't have a whole lot of social skills in terms of diplomancy, intimidate, bluff, etc., but he is a likable guy, very earnest.
He'd probably at least recognize Thuldas from the scrapyard; they both have a fondness for fiddling with things and making stuff. Any sort of project that needs more than one computer/engineering person might have led Anton and Xic to have worked together in the past.
Moxie, I really like the idea that you might have busted Xic in the past, considering that he's not actually all that great at being a criminal :)
So glad Xic and Anton have chimed in.
I'd like to let the five of you know a couple of things:
1. Tomorrow night, probably late, I'll set the scene for this dinner meeting with Bubs. Yes--Xic and Anton will be there, either because Thuldas invited them, or because they were happening by and stopped to say hello.
2. Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a sincere Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Groups like this have been a godsend this year with the limitations I have with my home "live in person" groups (though I have one or two who occasionally meet via Discord).
Anyway, you are all appreciated, and I hope you enjoy the next several days doing whatever you are accustomed to doing when you celebrate this time of year (or at least do the best you can if your situation includes being careful with the pandemic going on around us).