Outpost VI - SFS 1-99 The Scoured Stars Invasion - GM Thread (Inactive)

Game Master numbat1

Welcome! Use this thread for all discussion, questions, etc.

It is my goal that this should be a pleasant and as stress-free experience as possible. It is our task to ensure the players have an enjoyable game without major issues. Multi-table specials can be challenging but they can also produce some of the best moments in gaming.

While I don't know all of you, I do know this is a wonderful and supportive community that has demonstrated the ability to work well together. Please, if you have any needs, concerns, or questions, speak up.

Let's make this a fun adventure for all, including us!

More to follow shortly.

I have added some links above. As you can see, more will be joining them before gametime.

The slide deck and original Table GM assistance is generously provided by Tyranius. I caught a couple of errors in the BBCode (usually missing a closing expression) and the translation to Markdown is mine, so I am solely responsible for any errors there.
Edit: Adding the token deck, also by Tyranius.

All of these should be set so you can view them from the link. Please copy them to use them for your games. Customize your own copy as you see fit. If you discover anything that needs correction or tweaking, please bring that to everyone's attention here.

If you have other resources you would like to share, please let us all know.

Make sure you have the latest version of this scenario to work from. I am showing April 2019 as the most recent update.

For your convenience here is the GM Thread where Thursty answers some questions. I have yet to refresh myself on all the details but we have time yet.

Whether this is your first time GMing a multi-table special for PbP, or you are a returning veteran, your input is valuable. Thank you.

Well, GMail seems to have ditched the end of my email to you all. It was mostly the pleasantries and signature but the one thing of import was discussing pacing and posting rates.

The schedule is calculated using a conversion of one PbP day being the equivalent of six minutes of in-person play. Obviously some rounding is often required. What we don't do, is change that conversion for weekends.

I know a lot of people are used to "One post a day during the week and one on weekends" but for multi-table specials (or other timed events) we don't slow down for the weekend.

While we don't have a strict posting requirement, we do ask you to keep your games moving and let players know from the beginning what the expectations are and how it can affect the success, not only of their own table but of everyone in the game. I encourage you all to set up botting expectations so if needed, characters can be botted if a player becomes temporarily unavailable.

On the other hand, I don't want games to feel rushed or destroy the fun and advantage of role-playing that our PbP format encourages. Balance in all things.

The other thing I meant to cover is that, given the international nature of our online community, we try to use UTC as our standard. This means I will post progression as close to UTC midnight at the start of the scheduled date. I am currently in Western Australia (UTC+8) which would be quite convenient. By the convention start, I should be in California (UTC-8), not quite as convenient but it should be manageable. This does not mean I expect any of you to post outside your normal hours. While we are all playing the same game, on the same schedule, we don't have to be that closely in sync.

I think most of the Discord folk know the special circumstances for Specials, and sometimes we get one of those Special tables that blasts through like 3 events in a day with everyone participating fully.

Waning though, I'm backup GMing... and my timezone is GMT+12, so I'm often asleep when folk are at their most busy posting.

I just received the scenario. Thanks to GM Numbat and Alex for working so quickly!

If anyone who was expecting the scenario through convention support did not receive it, please let me know ASAP so we can address that.

I've got a player asking to bring a level 3 into my 1-2 game. Is that allowed, or should I be pointing them to the level 3-4 game?

I've got a player asking to bring a level 3 into my 1-2 game. Is that allowed, or should I be pointing them to the level 3-4 game?

Given that all 1-2 tables are currently full and we have room on a 3-4 table that is also on Discord, I would ask that they change their signup to the 3-4 table (Kishmo, Cosmic Crit).

Thank you for checking with me.

...I would ask that they change their signup to the 3-4 table (Kishmo, Cosmic Crit).

One of us! One of us! :D

In other news: Bigrin's GM email yesterday said we should have everything up and running for channels, threads, etc, to start pre-game announcements, player seating, etc.

Since this Special has a Mustering portion - can we start that now, too? If this were an in-person Special, we'd typically be encouraged to start that stuff as people come to the table, even if a slot hasn't technically started. Does that hold true for PbP, as well?

GM Numbat wrote:

In other news: Bigrin's GM email yesterday said we should have everything up and running for channels, threads, etc, to start pre-game announcements, player seating, etc.

Since this Special has a Mustering portion - can we start that now, too? If this were an in-person Special, we'd typically be encouraged to start that stuff as people come to the table, even if a slot hasn't technically started. Does that hold true for PbP, as well?

Good question.

If you look at the schedule on the gameplay thread, you will see that we have two days allotted to the mustering portion.

The general guideline for PbP is that you can do in character introductions and flavour texts, as a GM you may even add a small setting post where the team gathers and meets each other, but nothing from the actual scenario.

This will be the opening announcement:
____________________________________________________________________
Screens large and small throughout the fleet ping with an incoming message. First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo speaks:
“Starfinders, we stand at the precipice of momentous history, and I want to thank you all for making it possible for us to be here today. The Starfinder Society has spent the last year recovering from the Scoured Stars incident, our greatest defeat in recent history. We are finally ready to return to the Scoured Stars, find out what happened to our missing colleagues and friends, and rescue any survivors we can find. Report to your stations and lend your assistance to our fleet by performing the final preparatory tasks. More instructions will come shortly.”
Table GMs, begin introductions and preparations
_____________________________________________________________________

So, feel free to describe the gathering of the fleet, meeting on board one of the ships, etc.

I will be starting the special a few hours late. My apologies.

This should not affect the timeframe at all.

My table did end up firing thanks to Bigrin joining. (ogrenoah here)

While I had intended to check in with you wonderful GMs to ensure all players had arrived and there were no issues, life has recently been more challenging than expected. Thankfully, it seems to be settling down a bit.

All links are now present except for the tracking graph. I hope to have that up in the next 24 hours, though it shouldn't be needed immediately.

Please use the reporting form to let me know when your table has completed the Introduction and Preparations section. With the late start to the game, it is less likely that everyone will complete this early, on the other hand, if I need to add a little more time there is the possibility of doing so.

I will make the game opening posts shortly. Again, my apologies to you and your players for my tardiness.

The Recruitment thread is being used for Aid Token information and communication. The first two tables have been selected and noted there and on the spread sheet.

Happy gaming everyone!

I only see one report of completion for the introductory section.

Do you think your table will need more time? I know I started us late so we can definitely add some extra time if needed.

As there are only two tables reported as completed. I am granting a little extra time.

Also, while not willing to move everything this time, I am wondering if it would be useful to most to open a channel on the Organized Play Online Discord server. I could use this to speed some communication and notify GMs that posts have been made.

Please let me know here if you think this would help.

I would find the notifications on discord helpful.

Progress viewer now in links.

I've moved the game forward even though only three tables have reported in. I tried to make it clear that you can complete the preparations before heading out on a mission.

Ack, my apologies, I didn't read the bit about reporting completion of mustering, and was still in "IRL special mode" where that's not usually reported!! I've put in my response now (although it's academic at this point :D)

Oh - and - yes, +1 for a GM channel on Discord, somewhere. As long as everyone is okay with that, I'd find the easier communication, and ability to ping & be pinged, helpful.

I really struggle with discord. While I have used it in the past, it is not somewhere I generally hang out. If you want a backup GM, please post here.

I also missed that we were supposed to report mustering completion, very sorry. Just reported that and our first success.

Reporting first success on Recon 3 Lifeless spaces. The scenario states to report if they get the data and stop the self-destruct sequence, which they did; they haven't made their way off the ship quite yet.

My table has all but completed The Third Kind, Recon Mission #4; just waiting to see if they go looking for trouble or not, before I report the success. There's already two successes for Mission #4, though, and once they decide, we'll be the third success. But I just wanted to say - wow, looks like a bunch of tables are actively seeking out Starship Combat? I was not expecting that - usually it's the opposite! Thought that was interesting!

I know, right? I was surprised my table jumped for that first too.

(Especially first as half the trouble in my experience in PbP/PbD is sorting out and agreeing on what ship, who's what role, etc. Though my table was able to (narrowly) talk nice to the ghost ship so no fireworks there)

A quick reminder to keep those aid tokens moving. Encourage your players to use them, or boost them, and pass them along.

I failed to post here but several days ago we did start a GM thread in the OPO server. Each of the Discord GMs should have received a couple of pings to it.

If you do not have access, and/or are not receiving the pings, please let me know.

I have not received a ping for it. Although I found it, so all good.

Are other GMs sharing the Progress Viewer with their tables? I haven't been so far, but on thinking about it - if this were an in-person Interactive Special, there'd probably be a projector or something, no? How does it normally go, for PbP Specials?

Are other GMs sharing the Progress Viewer with their tables? I haven't been so far, but on thinking about it - if this were an in-person Interactive Special, there'd probably be a projector or something, no? How does it normally go, for PbP Specials?

I have no problem with GMs sharing a screenshot of the progress viewer. In my experience it is rarely done and a simple conversation is the usual approach.

Table finally finished up their Starship Graveyard encounter after the better part of a week. Pretty responsive PCs, just terrible dice rolls all around dragged it out.

Since we're nearing Part 3, I have, har har, scoured the various scenarios with Jinsuls in them to grab all of the images available. If anyone wants, here are .JPEGs of the five different Jinsul art pieces I could find, as well as .PNG token versions of same:
Here Be Jinsuls

Thanks! (It's shocking how few jinsul art there is considering how often they've appeared - and occasionally still appear. I wonder/hope the Scoured Stars AP compilation may give us more.

Also curious where the other tables are focusing their efforts right now. With most of this special's run in Discord less easy to see which missions everyone else is doing until they're done and reported.

Right now my crew are just about to try and hold off a - for them quite over-levelled - plant predator in the Last Outpost's second encounter.

After consideration of the delayed start (my fault) and that the time for the intro/preparation section had been rounded down, I have added a day to Part 2 to help us catch up.

Initially I had thought that there would not be an issue, however several tables were still completing preparations headed into part 1 and there have been fewer missions completed than expected. Between the rounding down and late start we had lost most of a day, so now we are reclaiming it.

It is good to see the Aid Tokens moving.

Just a reminder, when you pass them on, make sure to post both in the recruitment thread and in the Discussion/OOC thread for the receiving table.

Thank you.

I think adding another day to Part 2 is a good idea - we're not getting very many Part 2 successes, are we :(

My table seems to be pretty speedy, as PbP goes; we've finished Lava River Rescue and I expect to be finished The Last Outpost today, or tomorrow at latest. We'll see if we can get through Cracked Mirror before Part 3 starts, too, but that one is more Roleplay, which isn't a straight-forwards as turn-based combat, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's one of the longer Part 2 Rescue missions.

For what it's worth, my table is - weirdly, abberantly - interested in Starship Combat, so I expect that they'll leap at the chance to do the First Line of Defense SSC mission once it comes available. If I'm doing the math correctly, First Line of Defense is complete at 1/4 total number of tables = 0.75 * 7 = 1.75 = 1? So only 1 table needs to complete it? If a bunch of us do the Part 3 SSC mission, I assume that excess successes can go towards Part 2 missions, though, so we're not, like, 'wasting effort' if more than 1 table has a go at it, right?

OgreNoah just put out a call on Discord for one of our Backup GMs to cover their table for a bit on CosmicCrit. They have a power outage and phone is rapidly running out of power.

Can someone pick this up?

Let me try. Discord is not my big thing but...

Let me try. Discord is not my big thing but...

Thank you.

I think adding another day to Part 2 is a good idea - we're not getting very many Part 2 successes, are we :(

My table seems to be pretty speedy, as PbP goes; we've finished Lava River Rescue and I expect to be finished The Last Outpost today, or tomorrow at latest. We'll see if we can get through Cracked Mirror before Part 3 starts, too, but that one is more Roleplay, which isn't a straight-forwards as turn-based combat, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's one of the longer Part 2 Rescue missions.

For what it's worth, my table is - weirdly, abberantly - interested in Starship Combat, so I expect that they'll leap at the chance to do the First Line of Defense SSC mission once it comes available. If I'm doing the math correctly, First Line of Defense is complete at 1/4 total number of tables = 0.75 * 7 = 1.75 = 1? So only 1 table needs to complete it? If a bunch of us do the Part 3 SSC mission, I assume that excess successes can go towards Part 2 missions, though, so we're not, like, 'wasting effort' if more than 1 table has a go at it, right?

I have confirmed with the PTB that despite no specification in the scenario, we can indeed count additional First Line successes toward rescue missions.

If anyone has active recon missions running, do what you can to finish them up before part 3 starts and they go away.

My group is two hits away from finishing RECON 5, and all the players are up. I expect to be done any time now.

My group is I think at the point where Part 3 might actually ave them, as a party of level 1 and 2s fighting the CR 4 bluethorn is going very very badly.

My group is going through the same fight. The regeneration is brutal.

Reminder - keep those aid tokens moving.

Which table’s in the most trouble right now? Have an aid token ready to move!

My players could use support.

My players could use support.

Aid token passed on!

(Finding myself unable to say so in the Discord)

PensiveOcelot wrote:

My players could use support.

Aid token passed on!

(Finding myself unable to say so in the Discord)

Thanks! Would you mind posting it in the Recruitment tab so we have a proper record of it. Has it been boosted?

Glad to see the Aid Tokens moving and finding tables in need.

Reminder:
First and foremost - post in the recruitment thread. Indicate which token, who it is passing to, what boosts it has.

Post in the discussion/ooc thread of the receiving table or if unable to do so, post here for assistance. (If the receiving GM acknowledges the token then I won't necessarily post again in their game but rely on them to do so.)

Update the spreadsheet to show you have passed the token and who currently has it.

Thank you for your cooperation. I am very open to suggestions for streamlining the process for future games. As Aid Tokens have not been present in the most recent specials, this is really only an issue when we run the older ones.