GM Valen's SFS 2-07 - Four for the First (November 2020)(Subtier 3-4) (Inactive)

Game Master Lysle

This is a place to post out-of-character discussions, including anticipated changes in posting availability and boon selection.

Hi I will bring this character to the party :)

Hi I will bring this character to the party :)

Welcome! Glad to have you join us.

Hey Valen,

I would gladly play this scenario.
1) Player name: Farol
2) Character name: Croaker
3) SFS#-Character#: 2359780-703
4) Character Class & Level: Mystic 4
5) Faction: Acquisitives
6) Earn Income (go ahead and roll): Gambler: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28
7) Have you played this scenario before? No, but I know the result of the vote :D

Name: Florent
Character Name: Ombonth
SFS ID and character number: 754-712
Character Class & Level: Vanguard 4
Faction: Second Seeker Jadnura
Earn Incomel: Holovid Star: 1d20 + 4 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 + 1 + 4 = 20
Have you played this scenario before? Once a long time ago! (when people were able to meet in person...)

1) Player name: Jim Crase
2) Character name: Jagrur Cragsteam
3) SFS#-Character#: 56565-710
4) Character Class & Level: Mechanic 4
5) Faction: Dataphiles
6) Earn Income (go ahead and roll): Profession: Roboticist: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24
7) Have you played this scenario before? Yeah, and ran it....but always fun to do replayables!

1) Player name: therealthom
2) Character name: Ears
3) SFS#-Character#: 90661-702
4) Character Class & Level: Technomancer 3
5) Faction: Acquisitives
6) Earn Income (go ahead and roll): Instead of rolling, I'd like to use my True Savior of Tasch (Slotless Boon; Limited Use): to complete the 2nd of five segments.
7) Have you played this scenario before? No, but I am very excited to.

Between last mission and this, Ears is buying some Lashunta tempweave armor. I'm going to double check the crafting rules, and if possible I'll say it's self-made.

1) Player name: Jeff Cook2) Character name: Ears
3) SFS#-Character#: 9251-703
4) Character Class & Level: Technomancer 3
5) Faction: Exo Guardians
6) Earn Income
7) Have you played this scenario before? Yes

Hey Folks!

Btw. It is great to be playing with you. It is one of those tables when I know all players from a number of games. Great to see you all!

Sorry please drop me from this game

In an odd place mentally at the moment but should be fine

Sorry please drop me from this game

In an odd place mentally at the moment but should be fine

Understood. Take care of yourself, stay safe, and I look forward to sharing a table with you when able.

Only have 2 boons (besides Dataphiles faction boon)

Live Air Celebrity (Social Boon)
And I am going to finally remember...
True Savior of Tasch (Slotless), please use that for my day job. It is my 3rd box out of 5 needed to be checked.

Also, Digital Presence (Tier 2 Dataphiles boon) please (+1 Rep/Fame)

Oups!

Looking back at my chronicles to find my boons, I've realized that I forgot to add a chronicle to my character, boosting his character level to 5 :(

I have only one another in the level range who's a Technomancer 3.

Do you mind if I change?

I have only one another in the level range who's a Technomancer 3.

Do you mind if I change?

I don't mind. We haven't really gotten into any mechanics yet.

Name: Florent
Character Name: Malaak Goodman
SFS ID and character number: 754-707
Character Class & Level: Technomancer 3
Faction: Dataphiles
Earn Incomel: Profession (Corporate Lawyer): 1d20 + 11 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 11 + 1 + 4 = 27
Have you played this scenario before? Once a long time ago! (when people were able to meet in person...)

Boon
Marked Field Agent (Slotless Boon)
▫ ▫ ▫ Faction’s Friend (Social Boon; Limited Use)
Dataphiles Champion (Faction Boon)

Boons:

Faction: Acquisitive Champion

Starship: Solar Power Weapon System (+1 with "lasers", 1 RP for +4 )

Slotless: True Savior of Tasch (Day job stand-in)

Pulled an all nighter for work Monday night. At my age, recovery from such shenanigans is brutal. Sorry if I held things up at all.

My parents have sold their house and Monday I'm going to Illinois to help them move back to Connecticut. Trying to squeeze a lot of work in before Friday. This weekend I'll be trying to get the house squared away. Unless I get a lucky confluence of time and internet access, I won't be posting much or even at all until December 4 or so.

Anyway, I've got to fly. See you in December. (And hopefully once or twice tween times. )

Bot Ears as required. His main combat schtick is supercharging other (higher BAB) people's weapons. And if he somehow gets into melee, we've already lost.

I'm confused. There's two slides displayed for this section. I presume Slide 4 is the correct one. If that's the case, what's Slide 5 depicting?

Slide 5 was used for "hidden" movement by the gremlins. I will delete it

Umm..not going to ask for a fix on it (as it didn't get past my AC), but just FYI, the light microfusion range is 15', and there is no range past the 1st as it is a blast weapon. So it should not normally be able to hit Jagrur as that is it's normal range is it max range, unlike most guns with a range of 15' would just mean that it would take a -2 for the 2nd 15' range. Ears was in range for the hit unfortunately though....sorry...

Also, going to do an action based off of what Frightened does...Jagrur will flee (double move), but Dross would still attack. Since all came to him, he will just sledge them. A mechanic doesn't need action economy to order his drone...so Jagrur would just say pound them into pate....as he flees.

Sorry about the mistakes--the result of trying to juggle a few things at the same time.

@Gm don't worry, mate ;)

@GM yeah, don't worry, the Hobkin gremlins are pretty much 'unique' to themselves.....I love this baddie as a GM, and I hate it (both as a GM and player). Kinda like I love spicy food...but I hate it later ;-)
Trying to remember everything that power can and can't do is tough. And as I mentioned not everybody has the rules of blast weapons memorized. I almost always now have my PC (or in case of Jagrur, Dross) get some kind of blast or line weapon by level 3-4 for the 'swarms' that are now in SF....

Dealing with Hobkins, their out of phase ability is so powerful against ranged combatants......I remember a walrus in a game I played almost died because he was front line fighter (who was fighting easily against them) almost got taken out by all the ranged other players who were shooting, and missing because of that. Needless to say the gremlins always targeted him with their ability...so we almost killed our front line solarian....

Yow! This fight is exposing some holes in Ears' build. Use of his favorite trick could be dangerous. If we can get Jagrur's drone to melee range Ears could supercharge its weapon.

Got to patch those holes, maybe buy some grenades meantime.

Hobkin gremlins exposes almost all holes in peoples builds...the only build that has been zero affecting when I have ran it or played was melee solarians....but since everybody else usually is ranged...the poor melee solarian usually gets killed by his/her own allies.

I've got a soldier who would also be killed by allies. It might be happening now.

If 'Dross drops...it drops. I can repair it pretty easily, since I believe between 'missions' (i.e. quests) we have a day or three....the Drone will live again. Maybe I will do Jagrur's veresion of Dr. Frankenstein....

Hopefully the 1 round of fear is all I have to deal with....that way I can get Jargur back into the fray.

I'm gonna be so bummed if Dross misses.

What do you do if you don't have a lawyer in the party? Kill Wazasha, destroy her drones and then hunt down the film crew?

I do like the chance for diplomacy to win, but this seems really situational.

As an attorney by profession, please allow me to stress how important it is to always return counsel and keep them available.

(My family and ban account will thabk you for it.)

As a GM, I will confirm that it is very situational , but there are multiple ways the mission can play out (some seeds of possibilities of which I tried to allude to). Since this scenario is replayable, I'd rather not spoil the other potentialities, but instead encourage you to play this scenario again with a different PC!

I confirm that the previous time I've played this scenario no one was playing a lawyer and the resolution of this mission was completely different!

Same here. I think my technomancer ended up doing target practise and had no luck trying to cozy up to Wazasha.

I'll try it again if I can then.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Thanks! Merry Christmas All!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season!

My posting will likely be limited between now and the end of the year, but I will be checking in and posting when I can.

Just a heads up. As of tomorrow afternoon (about 30 hours from this post) I am going to be going on 'vacation' to a cabin near a nice forest. I can attempt to post, but it will be with my phone....moving my character will likely be out on the google docs.

It will be until Thursday...so not too long, but just wanted people to know.

Really nice time travel post.

When it happens how will we know its you?

Really nice time travel post.

When it happens how will we know its you?

If I do it right, you never will.

@GM no worries, life happens. And I know exactly what you were doing, you prepared gifts for your favorite team of starfinders:P I try to stick to the rule to post daily as it keeps me focused, and I do that even if the game is not progressing.

Well, that's not exactly what I was doing.

Hey! Grats mate! Now, how the hell will I play it with Croaker? Was this thought haunting you? Or with my skittermander? How the enemies scale with regards to the usage of flamethrowers?

I can't wait to play it!

That is very cool, Lysle. My hat's off to you.

Respect.

For anyone who may still be having sign-in issues, there are steps on how to clear the cookies and resolve the issues
here.

1) Player name: phaeton_nz
2) Character name: Octavii Scratch
3) SFS#-Character#: 124312-715
4) Character Class & Level: Solaripn-3
5) Faction: Wayfinders
6) Earn Income (go ahead and roll): musician: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27

Except for something that I sent to the GM, my reporting should be fine from the original post.

Thanks for running GM Valen. I had a lot of fun!

Hope to see you all at another (pbp) table...or even on Discord/roll20 maybe.

Jim/Jagrur/'Dross

@GM Valen - thank you for running the scenario. That was the first time that I played it, and I must say I really enjoyed it.

I loved the scene of Tara Nova processing the footage, and mostly how you jumped from the fight to debriefing with her. Great job! I actually enjoyed the fights, they were unique and required adjustments to the regular: 'let me bash my way through it'.

I enjoyed how you presented the NPC's whom I found interesting. I was sincerely pissed off at the morlamaw both as a Croaker and player :D Which I found amusing.

@team - thank you for the game. It is always a pleasure to play with you. It was a good run and big thanks to you!

==========
Now one digression that I discovered some time ago and I look for confirmation that it is not only me. I found that stories in SFS are way more interesting than in PF2 scenarios. I know that part of it is the ability to change the planet with different physics, species, etc. But I find that also NPC's are more vivid in SFS than in PF2, and I can tell more details about them than their counterparts in the non-Gap world. I find that investigations are better made in SFS, like in protectorate petition you learn the whole story of what happened on the planet with regards to different events. In Pf2 you barely find 1 letter giving you some scraps of pieces of information.

First, I thought it was a reason for GM's, but there is a whole bunch of people that I play in both SFS and PF2.

Please keep in mind that I never played PF1 which means that I lack a lot with regards to Golarion Lore.

This could be simply my preference, then all in all I like more SFS than PF2. Or a preference to different scenarios than PF2 offers. But I was giving it some thought and I think it goes beyond preferences. I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

Croaker, out!

1) Player name: therealthom

2) Character name: Ears
3) SFS#-Character#: 90661-702
4) Character Class & Level: Technomancer 3
5) Faction: Acquisitives
6) Earn Income (go ahead and roll): Instead of rolling, I'd like to use my True Savior of Tasch (Slotless Boon; Limited Use): to complete the 2nd of five segments.
7) Have you played this scenario before? No, but I am very excited to.

Between last mission and this, Ears is buying some Lashunta tempweave armor. I'm going to double check the crafting rules, and if possible I'll say it's self-made.

I think that this still applies. That tempweave is a whopping 1950 credits. Note to self -- for next game get a melee weapon and some grenades. For next level, consider a direct damage spell.

Guys, thank you so much for a very enjoyable game. I had a great time playing with you and learned a lot.

GMV, Lysle, Kapp-man! Thanks for running the game. Excellent stuff! I'll second Farol on the fast-forward to the editing room. And, as I mentioned, the fight titles. And the generally smooth flow of the game.

OH! And congratulations again on your opus!

Farol, I can't draw a comparison with PF2 because I haven't played it. I'll say this about SFS, in general I like it. Sometimes I wonder just what the VCs are thinking though. They often seem clueless. I don't think it's as bad as PFS1. There it seemed that a greater portion of the missions were just VC whims.

And Protectorate Petition is my favorite first contact scenario.

Thanks again to all. I hope to see you around the boards.

This could be simply my preference, then all in all I like more SFS than PF2. Or a preference to different scenarios than PF2 offers. But I was giving it some thought and I think it goes beyond preferences. I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

Thank you (and others) for offering feedback and encouragement. I appreciate it. Unfortunately, I made a few errors in the bad-guys favor during this run. Yet, despite those errors, your PCs all triumphed with flying colors. Congrats.

As for my "thoughts" on SFS and PF2, there are a number of variables that can affect one's "preferences".

The difference in the setting of the two systems changes the nature of the adventures. The mindsets and technology of the Starfinder universe are much closer to those of present-day Earth than the world of Pathfinder making it more accessible for players and arguably writers/designers as well. Many concepts, such as nobility, which are prominent in "medieval fantasy", hold far less sway in present-day culture and, by extension, Starfinder. Further, the parallels and similarities between the Starfinder universe and our present-day world may make NPCs more relatable to modern players and allows the scenario to use modern forms of "shorthand" and "analogues" for the players and GMs to draw upon in shaping the world and NPCs around the PCs.

Investigations are a good example of an area in which the two settings greatly differ. For example, all of the modern tools routinely used in crime scene investigation (on screen, if not also in real life) are available in SFS, including DNA, fingerprint databases, background checks, video surveillance, GPS, fiber analysis, etc. By contrast, such methods that we are used to seeing in media and real life are unavailable in PF2. While magic and spells may provide some of the information that could be gleaned through the use of such tech, magic is not as accessible in PF2 as in tech is in SFS. Impacting investigation even more, PF2 is a newer system so the amount of available useful magic alternatives is somewhat limited.

I think also, whether due the closer similarities with the modern world or the nature of the science fiction genre, SFS allows more for both cultural commentary and comedy. Anecdotally, I recall encountering more "funny" and "silly' situations in SFS play than in PFS.

As PF2 is newer, players and GMs may have more of a learning curve in PF2 than SFS, which could impact one's enjoyment (and cause it to change over time).

Finally, it may simply be the prevalent use of previously undescribed worlds in SFS and the relatively young age of its canon lends more license to writers to stretch their creative potential.

I will be reporting this game under the Online Support Program, which requests that I provide the email addresses of those players looking to earn boons.

If you would like me to include your email address, please PM it to me within the next 48 hours.