Welcome! Before we get started in earnest, there's one last bit of character creation we need to do: each character's ties.
This is going to take some work, and probably a bit of back and forth between everyone, so I recommend that each of you read the backstories of your fellow crew members for some inspiration. I would like each of you to have ties to at least 2 other crew members. These ties don't need to be particularly close (maybe you simply worked for the same employer for a long time, and haven't even met previous to this adventure) but they should help establish some connection and common ground. The pair might even have bad blood, as long as it won't be disruptive to play.
Here are a few baseline things that all your characters know:
1) All 1.5 million people on Eros Station were killed by a previously unknown bioweapon called the protomolecule, and the asteroid was on a collision course with Earth before being diverted to impact on Venus.
2) The LDSS Nauvoo, still under construction at the time, was commandeered for use as a relativistic weapon against Eros. For some reason, the ship missed and is currently flying ballistic out of the solar system.
3) Tensions between Earth and Mars are the highest they've been in generations.
By the time we start, all of you are already on Tycho Station, the largest mobile shipyard in the solar system, and the Belt headquarters of the Earther corporation Tycho Manufacturing and Engineering Concern. It was also the construction site of the Nauvoo. Why you are there is up to you, as long as it leaves you open to accepting a missing persons contract from the Mormon Church.
Thanks for putting this together. I look forward to it!
Happy to be chosen, excited to explore this world with y'all :)
Is it generally understood that the Protomolecule is alien in origin and/or that Eros suddenly being on a collision course with Earth is very, very weird?
Getting my profile filled out. Working on getting some more details put in for the talents and stuff, for reference as we play.
As for connections I will read through people's stories.
mine: Grew up on Earth, made my way finding and fixing up scrap. Scraped up enough money to pay my way off planet. I worked on various stations and ships as a general fixer and someone who could fit into small places.
I am very stealthy, perceptive, and can fix things up decently well. Mostly just that crew mate who has to get into the tight to reach portions of ships.
I am ok with really anything pulling me into the group. I could be on the ship with someone, or just talked my way into working on Tycho and as a tech. So if anyone has any ideas that would link us together I am down.
Hey folks, looking forward to spacefaring with you all!
I think that Tristan and Ignacio would naturally have some sort of connection, as both of them are Martians looking to change things for the better.
With both Ignacio and Yuri both in the Mariner Valley, especially in the lower class section together, I imagine they'd have some connection there.
Highlights for Tania:
The Belt, grew up on Ceres. Her parents had a small profitable shipping company offering personalized services to the wealthiest Belters and moving goods across the Belt.
Her parents recently sold their small company to a bigger conglomerate. Tania now finds herself without many day-to-day financial worries, but also without a job and without purpose.
She is resolved to find a job on a trading ship and realize her dream of flying across the great expanse beyond the Belt.
Kiziah, we might have met once in space for an emergency repair. Your ship or mine would have come to help the other, which would have been stranded.
Looking at people's profiles.
Yori - I could easily work with you. Working with repairing ships or just salvaging black market parts could fit with me. You could bring me along to help spot the best things during auctions or other black market deals. Since I have an eye for the good stuff.
Tania - Sounds good. So one of the previous ships I was on helped you out at some point. maybe spending some time together while fixing the ship up. Maybe even making friends with your ship's crew.
Thoughts?
Kiziah: great! We bonded during that time.
Tania: That works! So when we link back up on Tycho we can do that "Hey I know you!" type thing.
GM: Do we still need to do income and items?
It's a bit tough to work out timelines without ages, so I'm ballparking this stuff a bit (esp since Priya is probably only in her early 20s).
I grew up on Eros and have only been on Ceres for the last couple of years. It's possible that I met Tania or Yuri back on Eros since they were both involved in shipping? I didn't specify what my family actually did on Eros, but it's possible that we could have imported or exported something that one of you would have been responsible for transporting?
I also think that Tristan and I would have things in common, w/ both growing increasingly sympathetic to the plight of the Belt (despite him being an inner). I'm unclear exactly how I'd have met a Martian Combat Engineer when I was more than likely a teenager, but I like the idea of having a connection with him, maybe growing to a sort of big brother or mentor kind of relationship?
Hi Pryia, sounds like a good plan. Perhaps there was some negotiations about the specifics of a contract?
Kiziah: That sounds good to me. Perhaps we worked on a few black market deals, and as you did not cheat him or burn him in any way, Yuri has come to partially trust you.
Ignacio: That connection might be with his parents who had to move there once the company they worked for sold out to a larger one. He could be their neighbour and the two came to know each other whenever Yuri visited his parents.
Yuri: Yeah I am not one to burn your cheat. But I was likely super interested in the idea of a black market deal. Likely talked too much.
To add to things, as Priya suggested, my age is about 31. But being so short and energetic she likely comes off younger. She also has a decently young face.
Is it generally understood that the Protomolecule is alien in origin and/or that Eros suddenly being on a collision course with Earth is very, very weird?
Yes.
GM: Do we still need to do income and items?
Both your income and starting equipment are derived from earlier steps, so go ahead.
I like the idea for a connection between Yuri's parents and Ignacio. Maybe they attended the church Ignacio preached at, and got to know Yuri through that?
Priya and Tristan probably wouldn't have met until he was in civilian life with the Haoma Group working as a consultant. I like the idea of the big brother/mentor relationship though!
I imagine that job would probably have put him in touch with the shipping company run by Tania? Maybe Tristan is the one who suggested a ride over to to Tycho to her since they're both a bit adrift at the moment.
I feel like Ignacio would be someone that Tristan would get coffee and talk about politics and current events with when he's back at Mars. Maybe they met when Tristan was in a bad emotional spot after recognizing that he was being blacklisted from promotion in naval intelligence?
Sounds good Tristan.
Hi Pryia, sounds like a good plan. Perhaps there was some negotiations about the specifics of a contract?
Oh, I have an alternate idea. I missed how young your character is (even younger than mine!) so I was imagining you having dealing with my parents, but I actually think maybe our parents had dealings with each other, and you and I hung out when you had downtime on Eros. Going with a sort of "childhood friends who haven't seen each other in years" kind of thing - what do you think?
Priya and Tristan probably wouldn't have met until he was in civilian life with the Haoma Group working as a consultant. I like the idea of the big brother/mentor relationship though!
Cool, I dig that! Maybe I was interested in getting involved with the Haoma Group, and it folding + what happened on Eros has really driven me towards the more radical side of the OPA.
Hi Pryia, sounds like a good plan. Perhaps there was some negotiations about the specifics of a contract?Oh, I have an alternate idea. I missed how young your character is (even younger than mine!) so I was imagining you having dealing with my parents, but I actually think maybe our parents had dealings with each other, and you and I hung out when you had downtime on Eros. Going with a sort of "childhood friends who haven't seen each other in years" kind of thing - what do you think?
Priya and Tristan probably wouldn't have met until he was in civilian life with the Haoma Group working as a consultant. I like the idea of the big brother/mentor relationship though!Cool, I dig that! Maybe I was interested in getting involved with the Haoma Group, and it folding + what happened on Eros has really driven me towards the more radical side of the OPA.
That sounds even better.
Awesome!
So, equipment, I'm sort of super unclear how it works, let me see if I've got it right....
- I have a Middle Class background (Academic) and an Outsider profession (Criminal). My income is 0 from my profession, but since my background is higher than my profession, I add +1 for each step higher, so (0 for Outsider, +1 Lower, +1 Middle), for an Income Score of 2.
- You can buy anything up to your income score +4 without having to roll (which for me is 6).
- If you successfully roll for something that is 10+ your income score (so 12+ for me), you decrease your income score by 1, because it's a pretty significant purchase.
That makes sense, assuming I've figured it out correctly. But the actual list of equipment is really sparse and the qualities are also really sparse, and it's kind of really unclear to me what things are. Like, the book mentions a "Virtual Display" but says nothing about what that is. Do I want that?
I'm going to just make stuff up because it kind of feels like that's what the book wants me to do. Obviously correct me on any of these Target Numbers and/or I'm happy to do rerolls or whatever because I have literally no idea what I'm doing with this part.
Tools
Can I add like, Network Security to my hand terminal? Like, it's the kind of thing that's mentioned, but I don't see an actual Quality for it, but it would help protect it against hacking? Esp since I imagine using my terminal for hacking, I'd like people not to be able to trace hacks back to me.
vs 10
I guess a medical kit is a tool kit?
vs 8
What about like, a medical scanner, like the mcrn medical cuff? is that a tool? is it a workshop? That's sophisticated so maybe it's higher? I have no idea. But also like, a medical treatment is 13 and an actual limb replacement is 15, so maybe this is just 10 or 11? I'm gonna guess it's the equivalent of a workshop.
vs 11
I'm treating slicing software as a tool kit because I have no idea?
vs 10
Plus separate tools for like, lock-picking?
vs 8
Weapons
Can I make up like, Concealable as a quality? Because I don't see something like that. Thinking this as being like a switch-blade.
vs 7
Grabbing two pistols, one for tranq'ing and one for dangertime.
vs 11
vs 11
Armor
Another thing I'd like to know is can I make my padded armor give me like, a bonus to stealth or something? Like the Camouflage Package from Power Armor? I don't know if that's otherwise accessible. GONNA TRY IT.
vs 10
Ok, so the connections for Yuri will be:
Kiziah: Yuri has met this woman several times when bidding on some bit of black-market tech. The two have become somewhat friendly and have even helped out one another on occasion. Yuri trusts that Kiziah would not turn on him...a sort of honour among thieves.
Ignacio: Since his parents move to the 'Valley", Yuri has been concerned for their safety. He worries no longer (or at least not as much) since they introduced him to a mendicant priest who holds prayer meetings once a week and actually lives only a few doors down from the couple. Yuri has met and became friends with Ignacio and while they may see some things differently, it does not stop them from have a beer now and then.
Good idea Yuri. To wrap up my connections:
Yuri: Worked with him on various black market deals. I was brought along to help spot the difference between a good or bad deal. Just an extra pair of eyes. Maybe even sometimes just someone to stay hidden and watch an exchange happen. Small things. I was eager to do it, and Yuri seemed nice enough. I would always try to get him to go grab some food and drink after a deal, as excitement always seemed to get my blood flowing.
Tania: A year or two back while I was on a ship, our ships needed to dock up in the black to help repair. During some of the repairs we bonded. She seemed nice! And I tried to come up with some pranks we could perform on the two ship's crews. Not many where pulled off well though. Still it was nice to have a short bond with someone in the black.
Items:
Starting Income: 0 (Outsider no modifiers)
I start with:
Ordinary Clothing
Tools for my profession: Basic toolbox for taking apart and shifting through things.
Weapon with associated Focus: Light Weapon (Metal pole that acts as a baton)
Hand Terminal
Roll for Light armor
Super basic stuff for me to start with. Basic tools and some padded armor.
Kiziah: Nice!
Priya: I think some of the things are deliberately left a bit vague so as to leave them up to the GM's discretion. That said, I think a concealable quality for light weapons is fine, though Padding is, by its nature, usually pretty bulky and difficult to conceal. If you're looking for something that won't be as easily perceived to be armor, you'll want something that would be considered Light armor, like a reinforced jacket or something similar. Everything else you put up makes sense to me, though I'd say the medical cuff is a tool rather than a workshop. A full medical bay would certainly include them, though.
Virtual displays are, as I understand them, the holographic user interfaces you see in the show. They can be used to display data from a hand terminal, at a crew station on a ship, etc.
I'm really pleased with how everyone's ties are coming together! I expect to get us started on Sunday, which is way earlier than I was planning! You've all done a great job.
Gotcha, thank you, Losonti!
Yeah I didn't want a medical bay / workshop since I imagine we'll be "mobile", so I'll keep the cuff as a tool. And with armor, I'll go for the Light Armor (+Light) then. Not sure if you want me to use the existing roll or do so over, but either way it'll be a 13 DC so success will reduce my income by 1.
Using your existing roll is fine.
Just checking in: are there any other questions for Birch, or is everyone ready to get on with their investigation?
I think with the documents and info he has offered, we have a good start.
Not sure what other questions to ask.
We have:
Locations of where they lived
What they were doing
To get:
Ships that left around the time they did.
I figure we can start looking at their homes. See what we can find. Might need to go back to him for more questions if we discover something.
Same here. Not sure what to ask but a few leads.
I want to give everybody a heads up that my posting this week is likely to be sporadic, I just started a new job and am looking at 10-12 hour days for pretty much the whole week, so I am usually pretty tired when I get off the clock. Tomorrow looks a bit calmer so I ought to be able to fit a post in the evening.
Thanks for the heads up!
Totally understandable. I have been working 50-60 hour weeks. Its been a bit insane.
Heads up: I'm going to be on an overnight trip tomorrow for work. I won't have my books with me, but I'll get a post in later in the evening.
Thanks!
Turns out I really underestimated how tired I was gonna be, lol. Post incoming shortly.
Would anyone else like to speak to Fred Johnson first? I don't want Tristan to hog the spotlight
Kiziah is enjoying watching you talk. She is down to start talking..
If possible she would like that last post to count as a "Entrance" Social Stunt since. I know he made the entrance into the literal room, but we are still going to him.
I would want Tristan to do the talking, but Kiziah can at least help out.
Sorry about vanishing, folks! I got my second dose on Wednesday and it basically wiped me out for the several days following. I'll get a real post up tomorrow.
Hi Everyone,
I've decided to take a long break from the boards. I'm not sure where this will lead and whether I'll come back. Too early to tell.
Thank you Losonti for putting this together. It was great to step into this wonderful universe, if only for a short while.
Please feel free to leave me in as an active player or remove me, as you see fit.
Kindly,
DW
I'm sorry to hear that, DW, but I totally understand.
Now is as good a time as any to do a vibe check. How's everybody feeling about the game? I know the pace is a bit slower than we'd all like, and a lot of that's on me.
I enjoy the system, but it does feel a bit slow. Might just be me, but its been hard getting us all to do something. Often its just worth letting someone else do the talking, etc.
Having a bit of a hard time getting into character too.
That all being said, I am 100% down to keep trying.
I'm with Kiziah, at least part of it for me is being unfamiliar with the system and also general busyness IRL. As one of the characters good at talking I've also been self-conscious about hogging the spotlight.
Still enjoying the story and interested to see where it goes!
Things have slowed down a lot on this game, but: are we in agreement that looping in Fred Johnson is our play? It seems much easier than trying to do an end-run around him, given his resources.
I'm game to continue if you guys are! I'll get a post up tomorrow assuming that's the plan.
Things have slowed down a lot on this game, but: are we in agreement that looping in Fred Johnson is our play? It seems much easier than trying to do an end-run around him, given his resources.
Yep. Supporting Fred Johnson and the OPA is right up Ignacio's alley.
Yeah Kiziah has no issues with supporting Fred either. Seems like a good plan.
Yuri is hesitant but will agree with the others
Hey all, I've just gotten home after 7 hours of driving for work today, so I'm pretty tired. I'll get a post up tomorrow over my lunch break.