Search Posts
I'm sorry guys, life came at me pretty hard and left me burnt out on gaming. Everything's settled down now, but the passion to actually run a game via PbP isn't there for me. The realization that PbP GMing isn't for me has sunk in. I'm sorry for keeping y'all hanging, but it's just not for me.
Knightingale leads the way through the dilapidated Old Gotham to a GCPD precinct. As you make your way from rooftop to rooftop, you notice dozens of buildings partially destroyed. Many windows are boarded, some buildings are taped off with a no trespassing sign.
"It's a done deal. Gotham City, Tech. Good luck, Outsiders." Tech Head's AI announces your arrival to Gotham. Down below, Neo Gotham glitters with nightlife. Once known as the troubled East End, the district saw a renewal project within the last 20 years that revitalized much of Gotham's reputation. The infamous Crime Row now stands as a gaudy block of skyscrapers that tower over the older parts of Gotham, connected to one another via sky bridges. Stick-ups were traded in for corporate scams. Bright lights pulse along to the beat of Neo Gotham. AI brings the Drop Ship down in an industrial area along the Riverfront district. Off in the horizon of Old Gotham, The Clocktower stands vigilant through the decay. Once off, the ship takes to the skies again.
"A sample will do. We honestly don't have the time to find the source just yet."
"This is all happening quickly. The Brother Eye programming will be installed in an obsolete satellite already in geosynchronous orbit. As for a sample, not currently, but that's why I've got you. I need you to hit the streets, pinpoint the source of this drug and grab a sample." "Mr. Harper, you're correct, but then I'd have a lot more questions to answer. I know what you are capable of, what you bring to the table, and I have no doubts that you'll be able to take care of any situation in a quick and timely manner."
"We've got 90 seconds to clear the scene. Coming in for a pick-up." Tech-Head chimes in on the commlink. The airbus rattles a bit as it's controls are taken over by AI. The lights flicker on again, showing the mess left within. Plenty of concussions and broken bones, but luckily no lives taken. The drop ship positions itself below the airbus. With a quick skip and a hop (or, y'know, Golem ferrying you over), you're safe within the confines of the drop ship. Once the ship is clear of any danger, the metal attache case emits a blue glow. Hard light slivers fall into place and take the form of Director Grayson.
Twelve hours ago, U.S. Government officials secretly green lit new programming for the Brother Mk I satellite. In three days, Brother Eye will be fully operational again. To make matters worse, a new drug is currently being distributed by The Jokerz. Intel claims it's injected into the blood stream and gives the user a euphoric sense of one-ness with other users and technology-- cars, streetlights, computers, cellphones, etc-- around them. I don't think these two occurrences are mutually exclusive.
All right guys, sorry for the hold up. Play the scene out as a cool, ass-kicking montage.
Pieces of the fuselage creak under the roar of the de pressurizing cabin. Once inside the massive Airbus, Knightingale can see many guards struggle to keep themselves upright. At the center sits a pod, about 5 feet wide by 5 feet long, made of metal and some sort of glass. Inside is a person strapped in a seat.
Within the Airbus, the guards are at attention. Starboard, they see a jet's wing slowly rip itself free, while their port side escort is throttling towards the ground.
Against the high speed winds, Knightingale manages to grapple her way from drop ship to Airbus. 60 meters away from her, she notices the port-side fighter jet begin to stall.
I made a rookie mistake. This should be the surprise round, and everyone should've taken either a move or a standard. Womp womp. How about I call it a learning experience and count it as a surprise round still? Enemies will take their turns next round.
Golem's form catapult's from the drop ship and onto StarFlank's transparent canopy. He bashes his fist through the canopy's polycarbonate...
...and rips it off of it's hinge. The training robot gives the pilot some encouraging words, which probably scared him all the same. Knightingale and Tech-Head are up.
Initiative
Iota 20
Tech-Head grunts a "Y'got it" at Knightingale while he fidgits with a contraption. "Y'heard her. When she gives the word, bring her down gently, but keep the cloak up." Barely visible against the night sky, the minuscule Iota leaps out of the dropship down towards the jet fighter flanking the airbus's starboard side completely unseen. Gravewound comes around again. He counts 8 guards in front of him, possibly more behind... A faint flicker goes through the aircraft. None of the guards seem to notice, but a separate hum can be heard alongside the sound of the aircraft. Even in his weakened state, Gravewound can sense that someone's giving him a hand.
Golem, you actually have 16 points left to use. Though power level 10 gives 150 power points, I threw in an extra 15pp, y'know, because I'm a nice guy and all. ALSO!
First post is up for those who've not yet dotted. Feel free to roleplay and set up some sort of plan.
Gravewound, you are out of the action for now, but feel free to come up with a fever dream, perhaps a vision from your past. Hope you guys enjoy!
"Approaching Target," Tech Head's AI states as his drop ship slows it's descent.
"Target Acquired" A metal attache case within the drop ship clicks itself open, revealing four black baraclava-style masks each with a large red "X" across the face. The masks feel flesh-like, no doubt made of a Pseudoderm composite. Red X Mask:
Red X Mask (Device 2) (Hard to lose) . . Immunity 2 (suffocation (all)) . . Morph 6 (morph: single appearance, +30 Disguise) . . Super-Senses 2 (darkvision) The Red X masks more or less give you all a uniform appearance, insuring that no one sticks out more than the other. Your outfits are all blacked out save for the X, and your voices are monotone and lifeless.
As the dropship clears it's cloud cover, the outline of a massive Airbus can be seen below along with what appear to be two fighter jets. If The Duke was still around, this would be the moment where he'd cock his devil-may-care smile and let out a "Let's Ride!". A bittersweet moment, indeed. Gravewound:
The last 8 hours have been a blur. You were knocked out with a pulse that would kill most men, but luckily it merely incapacitated you. In your daze, you've caught a few tidbits. S.T.A.R. Labs, Techno-Biological Virus, failing nanobots. ARGUS wasn't stupid. They juiced up their inhibitors so much so that you question whether they're trying to save you or kill you. When you come-to again, you find yourself encased and restrained in a chamber of glass and metal within what appears to be a cargo hold of some sort. The whir of airplane turbines drown out most of the surrounding sounds. With the nanites failing within you, even breathing is difficult. In seconds, your world goes black once again. Kn. Current Events DC 15: The Red X is a multi-national terrorist organization attempting to "even the playing field" between humans and metahumans by any means necessary.
The Outsiders are:
Let's try to get everything tidied up and ready to go. I'm looking to have the first game post up by Thursday. Some facts:
Some questions:
Hah you've done a great job!
We've got Iota, Knightingale and Gravewound all statted out. Waiting on the gadgeteer from Rigor whenever you get the chance.
One thing that's been bothering me is adjusting the sliding time scale for what we're doing. I know our game takes place 20 years after current comic book continuity, but how old does that put everyone at? How old is everyone? I figure Dick's gotta be in his 40's, which would put Superman, Batman and their generation closer to mid-to-late 60's? Possibly older? What are you guys thinking?
From what I can tell, the "Reactionary Teleport" is only a Shield power with the descriptor being Reactionary. It's not an actual Reactionary Teleport (which would give me a headache in combat and would probably make it on my "please don't do this to me" list) As Rigor said, he's very skilled-- which is good! But he's got some holes that leave him overly vulnerable. You might want to knock a bunch of points off of skills and move them to your save defenses. The closer to 10 they are, the better. While his name is Transporter, without the affects others extra, the only thing he'll be transporting is himself (which might be what you have in mind). It would benefit the team a bit more if he could assist them by way of teleporting them or opening portals or perhaps having an offensive blast of some sort.
Made a recruitment post, so feel free to keep an eye out on any potential squad mates you may or may not like.
The Outsiders will be a companion game to Justice League: Generations and Suicide Squad: Generations. The tone is a bit more discrete than your typical superhero tale. The focus is more on black ops and stealth but with it's fair share of action. We have one available slot for the time being. System: Mutants and Masterminds 2nd edition Setting: DC Universe set 20 years forward from current time. We are playing loose with much of the history and what was or was not canon. Synopsis: When a clandestine operation gets greenlit by top US government officials, A.R.G.U.S. Director Dick Grayson has no choice but to work outside the red tape. While he can't readily act against the motion, he sends in a group he knows will get the job done. He sends in The Outsiders. Submission:
Please have a quick paragraph or two for a backstory, and include why exactly Dick Grayson trusts them so much. This will be my second attempt at GMing a PbP. I expect at least one post per day, but I understand that life is a thing that exists. The team currently consists of:
Recruitment will be closed once we (myself and the other four players) have reached a consensus, or a week from today. Whichever comes first.
re: Restricted Powers
With that said, how would you feel about a boom tube portal with the unreliable flaw?
I like both Knightingale and Horus. Knightingale could lead to some good RP ties with Gravewound and Grayson, while Horus can be the heavy hitter in case things go sour.
I'll wait until we get more solidified ideas coming in before we recruit someone. Something to consider in your background: What is your relationship with Dick Grayson? What have you done that's garnered his trust?
I'd rather you play the concept you want while coming to some sort of agreement on what to expect. There will be materials so dense or foreign that will cause dangers at an atomic size. Will they be everywhere? No, but they'll be out there.
Being an Outsiders isn't a full-time gig. Think of it as a "when necessary" deal. If you want to go with Knightingale, by all means, bring her on, but it's probably best she leave the cape and cowl and use a different code name. Capt. Robo referenced Barb and Grayson being married but that was an off the cuff statement I made without thinking of whether she's alive or not. If anything, the current Batman should be Terry. So far we've got:
should I open up a recruitment for the fifth member?
I think about characters who are "one trick" types. They've got a power that they sit back on and let their training take center stage. Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler for instance. They shouldn't be able to go toe-to-toe with the JL, but with pre-planning and some set up, they should be able to put a hurting on them. I'm looking for a good blend of skills and feats as opposed to pure power. Looking for smart characters who find interesting ways to use whatever powers or talents they might have.
While I like the concept of a size manipulator on the team, I am weary that everything could be solved by going atomic. @EVERYONE Here are some build rules I st--borrowed from SS:G Power Level: 10
What The Duke lacked in power, he made up for in training, tactical genius, planning and heart. He was almost always the first one in and the last one out, and always the first to buy the group a round. In combat, he stressed the importance of teamwork and it was through his tactical expertise that the Outsiders were able to survive their first romp.
If I were to stat him out, he'd possess mostly feats and some gadgets along with some handguns and other pieces of equipment. The only powers he'd possess mechanically would be luck and possibly some sort of aura that increased team saves and attacks. He's a powerless human being who has served in various branches of the military before being discharged and starting up a career as a vigilante. His marksmanship was downright scary, bordering on supernatural. His ability to quick draw was rumored to have bested even Batman (aged, of course). Despite his lack of powers, his sheer determination was a force completely of it's own. He maintained peak human skills across the board. Physically, Mentally, he was the total package. I'd even say that your characters might have speculated that he could've trained with the elderly Batman.
Let us discuss!
Finding all that he could, Dustman leaves the warehouse. Escher peers down from the rooftop and sees a mysterious man appear out of nowhere. It takes him a split second to remember The Dustman, but once he does, he gives Night Stryker a thumbs up. Out on the dock, the hulking Bruno appears to be winded. Despite his strength and build, his endurance was easily defeated by Night Stryker's constant moving. With every punch Bruno threw, Stryker would sway deftly and respond with a well placed hook or jab. Above the skirmish, Stryker spots Escher's thumbs up signal. Night Stryker dodges one last haymaker and gives the man two swift jabs to the chest. Bruno crumples, and the crowd goes wild. "Bruno got beat!"
After meeting with Mr. Bets at Safe Bet, Father Pavel and Jason Kwon make their way back towards town with their documents and possibly more questions.
I'll be able to pick things back up soon! Were we all ok with starting fresh after everyone split up?
Sorry for being absent for so long! Work slowed down, but real life picked up and I've been busy with band stuff. I'm also running my first table game soon! Pretty nervous about it. It's set in the Marvel universe, as a "what if" the X-Men were founded in the early 2000's scenario. In regards to this game, should I wrap up the current scene and start fresh after both groups have gathered their information?
Round 2 Init 10
Dustman:
You give the warehouse a good inspection. Within the metal lockers, you find handguns and ammunition among more mundane items like work jackets. In the pocket of one of the jackets, you find an address with the name "Trivel" written under it. You spot a splatter of dried blood on the crane hoist's tackle above. Father Pavel: From your scan, you deduce that there are at least 33 people on property. You don't seem to find anyone in any sort of distress outside of the typical office work environment. Two particular minds stick out to you: One seems very very annoyed. The other is in physical pain. It does not transfer across as immediate pain, but perhaps pain from a past injury. They both emanate from a floor above your current position.
Joey, you would've had time to Nemesis up before he threw his first punch.
Safe Bet:
Same owner Madeleine replies. ---- From the introductory hand shake, Father Pavel's mind probe comes up blank. Pavel is certain that James Bet knows nothing. Mr. Bets takes a seat at his computer and begins plugging in some numbers. He prints out two copies and hands them over to both men. It seems to be an estimate for the shipping of the pews. The total cost is $25,000. As you can see, he begins, it will be a bit on the pricier side. As a man of faith though, I am willing to waive the supply fees for packaging, and add a skim a little. How's a 10% discount sound?" He flashes an awkward smile as his poor attempt at a joke fails.
A large painting is mounted on the wall behind James and a set of three smaller paintings on the wall to the left.
At The Docks: Inside the warehouse, The Dustman finds signs of trouble. Bullet holes in concrete poorly patched up, bleached spots on the ground indicating bloodstains. Something happened here, and it could've been as recent as last night. Escher watches as the crowd gathers down below. Bruno turns to the crowd and yells ALL RIGHT, THIS IS YOUR LUNCH BREAK. YOU BETTER HOPE THE MATCH LASTS, BECAUSE AFTER THIS, WE'RE GOIN BACK TO WORK!. He removes his work shirt and hands it off to an employee. Through his white undershirt, a tattoo of an anvil broken in two is visible.
Bruno reaches out for a handshake. All right bud, let's give 'em a showHe then lifts his index finger up and a crude bell (really, someone rapping a wrench against metal) is heard. Round 1 Init 10.
Bruno massive form towers over Night Stryker as he circles around the "ring" in boxing stance.
@Joey, go ahead and run Nemesis for now. @Everyone:
At The Docks:
The workers take notice of Night Stryker as he approaches them. A man standing about 6' 8", in his late forties, steps off a forklift and speaks up in behalf of his coworkers. "'Ey, there something we can help you wit? A gym? You inviting us to your gym? Look, if you got some pamphlets, I'd gladly stick 'em in our offices, but my men are tryin' ta work here, we don't need no solicitors." A wiry man shouts out from a fork lift a few feet away "Hah! A boxin' gym! Like you need that, Bruno!" Bruno replies "C'mon now, get back ta work fellas." Someone else yells out "Don't be so modest! C'mon Bruno!"
With both the hustle and bustle of the warehouses and Stryker's distraction near the Safe Bet compound, Escher manages to scale the wall unnoticed.
A quick peek through the roof top window shows eight groups of four tables lined out with chairs and hanging lights above each table. Along the walls are shelves stocked with wooden crates of various sizes. From his location, he can also see a few metal lockers. Escher gives a thumbs up down below and within seconds, Dustman is inside the warehouse. Safe Bet: Madeleine gives both men a sturdy shake and shyly smiles at Jason. "We share the building with Gardner Security. You could say this building is 'swarming' with security-- and you'd be right!It's a shame about the courthouse though. They could've really used Gardner. Black and Black. You've got it." As Jason looks around for security, he notices various frames hung up on the walls. Portraits, paintings, advertisements and statistics on what makes Safe Bet a great option. All strangely placed in a way that, if they were cameras, there would be no blind spots.
She returns with two mugs of black coffee. The two of you feel a sense of thankfulness as though you are happy to see her again.
Madeleine leads you down a hallway. After passing five rooms, she stops in front of the door labeled "General Manager James Bet". She opens the door after two quick knocks and introduces you to James Bet, general manager and son of Albert Bet. Rather young, James is dressed in slacks and a button up.
|
