|
@Quandry
As a side note, regularly unarmed craft with hidden weapons just feels too much like a Bond-mobile ripoff. And not the cool James Bond, but Roger Moore's James Bond.
Additionally, an intelligence operative understands the need to blend in with his environment, therefore, a character in the kind of place where everyone is armed will be armed himself.
While I admit I like the idea of a fighter along with whatever transport the group has, I can go without it. And I still like the idea that while he's a pilot, he's only slightly more than useless when it comes to actual larger ships, so he will not step on the toes of the pilot.
|
OK, looking at some possible starships, I noticed the Citadel-class cruiser, which seems perfect for our group; tons of cargo space (for smuggling and/or extra emplacement points), plenty of passenger space (for transporting people with enough creadits), an attachment for up to two starfighters (for Wade's fighter), some decent weaponry, and it allows a lot of crew (pilot, co-pilot, gunner) so that the whole team can get involved. It's also WAY cheaper than the Baudo, which is nice... :)
Of course, we'll have to get it used, but that just adds to the fun!
Okay, short post for today... got hockey to watch, steaks to bbq, kids to chase around the house.
I am setting up stuff in Google Docs for the game environment.
At the moment, it's just the basics of the Juiblexian Sector "market". This spreadsheet forms the underpinnings of the trading sim behind the scenes. Commodity & merchant good prices are tied to market movements, which are mostly based on random walk/Brownian motion, for those of you who've done some Finance. The intent is also to include semi-"Black Swan" events (i.e. mostly high-impact Rebel activities or Imperial crackdowns), I don't know if I've included that in the model that's on the Google doc spreadsheet yet. This spreadsheet is just your view with historical data. There's a more complete Excel spreadsheet that I have on my machine.
Basically, it's a lot of fancy crap to provide a "realistic" market environment for you to play in. Eventually, your characters can also invest in stocks as part of the mini-game, if you'd like... but it's just crap on the side that you need not concern yourselves with.
I'll provide access to the spreadsheet to those players whose characters should have the education to understand some level of Finance.
I will eventually have other docs up there & will provide access based on character ability/logic.
Anyway, send an email to ruelavie at gmail dot com (you know the drill with email addresses). Create a new gmail address if you'd like (that's not my "main" email address either, although it will all get dumped into my Blackberry anyway). I'm just using this for access to Google docs associated with this game.
I think this is the concept I'm running with. I've got others in the back, but this one shouted loudest.
Elliot Pren is the son of one Trelic Pren, a major merchant from the Core. Gifted from birth, Elliot easily accomplished anything he set his mind to, coasting through life on the wings of talent and money. When he was accepted to the Imperial Academy's medical school at 16, it was his family's proudest moment. Even greater was their pride when he graduated with highest honors at 19. Elliot seemed destined for a great life.
The sudden death of his father on a routine fringe shipment shocked Elliot to the core. His father had been the foundation of his life, his reason to strive so hard. With him gone, he lost the motivation to continue on. Passing up an appointment on Coruscant, Elliot left his home, now a place devoid of feeling for him.
Elliot has spent the past 5 years wandering slowly out towards the edges of space, making his living as a trader and doctor. He never stays with one crew long enough to form a real attachment, never wanting to experience that soul crushing pain again when someone he loves dies. Whether he realizes it or not, Elliot has been retracing his father's steps that lead to his death. Only time will tell whether Elliot ever gets over his father's death, but he rises each day with purpose, if not happiness, in his heart.
What Elliot doesn't know:
@Soz: I'm going to come up with some previous ship captains, business owners, etc who I would have dealt with previously (for use as NPCs, background, etc), probably focused largely on small-time smugglers & ship salvage... I think I'll write up a particular Squibb salvage operation where I had run into you (working as their security), and run it by you for comment/update? (i.e. we work up a shared point of history, and you can develop your before & after yourself...?) Maybe one of the other characters might have known you/heard of you before you got ruined with drugs and were a good pilot, maybe you won some piloting contest or something?
@Cinder: I think your character is simplest to integrate into the group really, being a child... You probably wouldn't be 'let in on' much stuff to begin with, but once you're tagging along you'll prove your worth and so forth. Maybe just finding you on our ship as a stow-away would be the best intro?
@Laris: What do you think of the AquaEden station as a locale where we could have met/ established some relation? It's supposedly high class and "safe" (not out and out "pirate den") but with illegal stuff going on safely hidden from view... Would that have been a place Maris might have gone to for some reason? Where else would be a good locale we cross paths?
Also, what do you think of the possible ship backstory I had? I just think if you're NOT the ship owner, how exactly would it work? Any role you could serve as 'employee', or would 'chartering' the ship to deliver/pickup deals you find yourself make sense? Or you could just be a passenger, and then scenarios come up that extend the relationship beyond that...??? For me, I can probably fit in most any ship scenario fairly easily since I'm a great Mechanic (motivation to stick it out just needs to be there), but I'm just looking for the best scenario that makes everyone's character work, believably.
@Mayvar: I think I get your character in a static sense, near-broke, desperate but ambitious, etc, but how does he connect with everybody else? Would he sign on as a mercenary/guard to some "dangerous" operation and be looking to make his move to the next level when the moment/cred chip balance is right, or does he have all his connections in place and just needs to find a ship captain willing to do a cargo run "pro bono" for a cut of the proceeds (for example)? Those are just two ideas, but how do you see it working out? (Also, maybe I know of the crew who mutineed and ditched you, i.e. of their bad reputation and where they're reputed to have been working recently... Minor thing, but could add another link to a relation that might be limited at first...?)
@Wade: So was the target planet from your last assignment in this sector then? I'm just thinking beyond the whole star-fighter issue/ hired fighter escort thing, which may or may not work but really seems like a limited role... If the planet WAS in sector, besides essentially being sheltered by at least some faction of it, would you have had familiarity with other systems in-sector, and/or with Imperial Military/Intelligence operations? You might want to work up some contacts, like former commanders or other operatives also working in the sector, Imperial Intelligence front businesses you know of, some corrupt back-dealings former associates of yours were running on their own without knowledge of their superiors, conflicting operations/ feuds, etc... (with an eye to underworld dealings) - Actually, some underworld contacts who didn't know you were Imperial Intelligence, but recognize you from a past assumed role would be interesting...
Your player seemed sort of 'goody goody', i.e. sabotaging your operation and quitting over moral qualms, so would you be aiming to follow thru by exploiting this knowledge against the Empire? Besides fighter-pilot-for-hire, what might be your focus/ or goals? All that stuff seems important for group dynamics, both short and long term, more so than what is essentially a gear choice/ combat role (starfighter).
@DM: About AquaEden, my idea was that it was 'semi-transportable', i.e. a pain, but it's probably been transported thru hyperspace a couple times in it's life already. It seems a cool sort of locale for some encounters, with crime heavily involved in running it, yet a place where the rich & naieve go to vacation safely, all the illegal stuff hidden where only those who pursue it can find it.... Anyhow, you're more familiar with the sector than me, but feel free to place it wherever you want (should be a fairly 'safe'/civilized system to function as a vacation destination), or you can even have it transported in-sector at some point in the story (problems with the previous system government causing it to change locales). What d'ya think?
Also, any ways I might tweak Ulula to fit better? I'm not quite sure if she's SCUM enough...??? I *DO* feel like she is a creature of circumstance, with a healthy measure of defensive attitude, her plate full of problems (esp. w/ the starship b/g option) enough to keep her focused on the here & now and not get caught up in high-minded save-the-galaxy crap... I almost think she can serve a role as the down-to-business/ 'straight' character, without personal ties or compulsions impelling her to the worst elements of criminality, with a healthy aversion to suicidal combat encounters & the like, yet stuck in this world for the moment, not quite a clean enough history (or trust of authority like the Empire) to fit in a mundane corporate job (though she's tried)... (i think fleshing out several different contacts like you suggested could help solidify her place in things...)
...It's definitely a lot more specific to get a menagerie of a group like this together, more so than a "D&D" style "gather in bar, kill bad guys & split loot evenly, being champions of good along the way" type of plot, but I think it's worth it. I'll be writing up some more of those background contacts that will hopefully be usefull (I'm also totally down with background contacts being invented on the fly by the DM to better segue a scenario, dropping a spoiler into their intro like: "you recognize this scum as the ex-lover of captain So and So 2 years ago, he was supposedly into drug precursors back then, but he also seemed to be into some wierd cult. he obviously recognizes you and obviously remembers your role in getting Capt. So&So to dump him.")
about your economic spreadsheet: I can definitely say I am not personally inclined to get that detailed :-) but am glad if it's a tool to help model a dynamic background. All I can say is if there's information my character would know about, just let me know "the synopsis" of the situation in lay person-terms, or the basic viable options relavent to the situation, etc... Ulula was conventionally educated in a sporadic manner for the most part, more self-learning by osmosis from capable and educated people around her, so I'll say she would not have attended Economics Courses, but she's smart and would pick up relavent things from working salvage and black-market cargoes and various technical jobs. The economic stuff DID make me think of that sub-plot idea I had, engineering economic/political events to bring down the Velusia Minining Corp (and possibly make boatloads of creds along the way off insider knowledge).
|
|
I think this is the concept I'm running with. I've got others in the back, but this one shouted loudest.
I like it, Wandslinger! Awesome stuff! :)
Here are the stats of the ship I suggested:
Colossal space transport
Init -4; Senses Perception +5
Defense Ref 15 (flat-footed 14), Fort 26; +14 armor
hp 120; DR 15; SR 30; Threshold 76
Speed fly 12 squares (max. velocity 830 km/h), fly 3 squares (starship scale)
Fighting Space 12x12 or 1 square (starship scale); Cover total
Base Atk +0; Grp +36
Ak Options autofire (laser cannons)
Abilities Str 42, Dex 12, Con --, Int 12
Skills Initiative -4, Mechanics +5, Perception +5, Pilot -4, Use Computer +5
Crew 3 (normal); Passengers 14
Cargo 50 tons; Consumables 6 months; Carried Craft 2 starfighters
Payload 12 medium concussion missiles
Hyperdrive x2, navicomputer
Availability Licensed; Cost 205,000 (120,000 used)
Laser Cannons (gunner)
Atk +1 (-4 autofire), Dmg 5d10x2
Ion Cannons (gunner)
Atk +1, Dmg 5d10x2 ion
Medium concussion missiles (pilot)
Atk +3, Dmg 8d10x2, 4-square splash
Tractor beam (pilot)
Atk +3, Dmg – (grapple +36)
It's got some good damage potential and some assorted neat stuff (tractor beam and ion cannon seem useful for a crew that might take on... all sorts of jobs). The cost used is 120,000 so we might be able to get by with a 20,000 credit down payment and some monthly payments to deal with until we can pay the rest off.
So the question is, how did we acquire this ship?
I was thinking; what if Mayvar and Laris meet and realize that they are both looking for the same thing: a ship. Mayvar needs money to buy the ship, whereas Laris needs someone to keep the paper trail off of her, so that the ship can't be traced back to her name, or even her alias. So Laris is the real owner, but Mayvar is the "official" owner, so nothing can be traced back to Laris. Does that sound amenable to you, spinningdice?
How does that sound to everyone so far? Should we try something else instead?
And, agreeing with Quandary, we need to figure out how we all fit together and get on the same page. I think we're almost there now... I can't wait to get this PbP started! :D
|
|
@Wade: So was the target planet from your last assignment in this sector then? I'm just thinking beyond the whole star-fighter issue/ hired fighter escort thing, which may or may not work but really seems like a limited role... If the planet WAS in sector, besides essentially being sheltered by at least some faction of it, would you have had familiarity with other systems in-sector, and/or with Imperial Military/Intelligence operations? You might want to work up some contacts, like former commanders or other operatives also working in the sector, Imperial Intelligence front businesses you know of, some corrupt back-dealings former associates of yours were running on their own without knowledge of their superiors, conflicting operations/ feuds, etc... (with an eye to underworld dealings) - Actually, some underworld contacts who didn't know you were Imperial Intelligence, but recognize you from a past assumed role would be interesting...
Your player seemed sort of 'goody goody', i.e. sabotaging your operation and quitting over moral qualms, so would you be aiming to follow thru by exploiting this knowledge against the Empire? Besides fighter-pilot-for-hire, what might be your focus/ or goals? All that stuff seems important for group dynamics, both short and long term, more so than what is essentially a gear choice/ combat role (starfighter).
Yeah, the Wade character does seem a little too "good" for the Empire, but I'm working him more along the lines of the type who believes in what the Empire could be, if it weren't for many of the corrupt officials in its ranks. He detests the idea of needless sacrifice of innocents, but is also willing to gun down an unarmed and helpless enemy if the opponent in question tells Wade that if allowed to live, he'll devote that life to ending Wade's.
He's basically a man of contradictions, with his main reason for hiding out in the fringes being that "someone" within the Empire has betrayed him, and he's spending his time trying to figure out who it was, but he's still to naïve to realize that the "someone" is effectively the Empire as it currently stands.
This is also partially why he hasn't gone and joined the Rebellion, he sees it as a purely criminal act. Even if/when he discovers what the Empire truly is, it'll probably such a shock to him that this time he's spent as a refugee of sorts simply seeking who cut him loose will turn into an actual lifestyle choice as he will likely loose faith in the system.
The kind of Empire he believes exists won't really exist until much later in the Star Wars time-line, when the Remnant and the New Republic sign a treaty.
Also, what I'm trying to do with this character is take an upstanding person and have life crap on him until he becomes less so, concerned more with survival. Someone who believes in something, and then shown that which he believes isn't what he thought it was. This way my character isn't fully developed at the outset, and has room to grow over the course of the game, based on how the story progresses.
Think of this character as a fusion between Firefly's Malcom Reynolds, Wing Commander's Maverick, and Burn Notice's Michael Westin... in Star Wars.
Alternatively, I am willing to alter this character, as I don't feel the character is set yet, since we haven't started the game yet. I can certainly change things up so that he didn't discover anything unsettling about the Empire, and the whole thing simply be due to him being set up and not wanting to die.
As for whether or not the sector that planet he was in being Juiblex, my suggestion is "whatever is better for the story".
@Soz: I'm going to come up with some previous ship captains, business owners, etc who I would have dealt with previously (for use as NPCs, background, etc), probably focused largely on small-time smugglers & ship salvage... I think I'll write up a particular Squibb salvage operation where I had run into you (working as their security), and run it by you for comment/update? (i.e. we work up a shared point of history, and you can develop your before & after yourself...?) Maybe one of the other characters might have known you/heard of you before you got ruined with drugs and were a good pilot, maybe you won some piloting contest or something?
Sounds good to me. I picture that while he is an above average pilot (due in large part to his race) his addiction caused him to wreck too many ships and he now is seen as being an accident waiting to happen.
Cinder: I think your character can definitely work with Ulula... Being especially young sets up a certain type of relationship right there. I think having some Skill over-lap is fine, we can differentiate with our Feats & Talents, like you taking Jury-Rig and me not (if I have another 'job' during ship combat like manning a turret or shields or sensors/etc, you specializing in 'keeping things up' with Jury-Rig would work great I think.) Me having Skill Focus: Mechanics (racial) so you maybe not doing that but perhaps taking Skill Focus: Use Computer (and/or Acrobatics for squeezing thru tight spots) would easily keep us well distinct... I'm not planning on speaking Binary (Droid), so taking that as one of your languages would be another differentiator.
Yes, I'd hoped we could do something like that. Ulula might not let Cinder near the life support systems because of her spotty education, but be okay with her messing with other systems like power transmission until Cinder's proven herself. I haven't chosen languages yet - I imagine the only languages Cinder could pick up would be pirate langauges and Binary...what languages would the pirates in these systems tend to speak?
With your high INT you obviously get alot of Skills, but having so many Knowledge Skills seems slightly off to me for such a young character with a background like yours without access to academic sources - it might be better to have stuff like Climb/Jump/Swim/Acrobatics/Stealth/Initiative (survivally stuff) which would let her deal with all sorts of terrain & wierd interior spaces.
I pretty much took every non-knowledge skill I could with Cinder that made sense with her background. I obviously couldn't take survival with her living on a ship her whole life, etc. :) I figured Knowledge (Galactic Lore) would come from listening to various pirates from many planets discuss their homes and places they've visited, plus her perusing the ships records for planets with artificial atmospheres while she was planning her escape would give her some basic computer knowledge of many planets. Knowledge(Technology) is pretty simple. She wouldn't be aware of the shiniest new technology, but she'd have a good working knowledge of many different kinds of technology living on a ship full of jury-rigged parts and stolen items. Knowledge (Physical Science) would be something she could pick up from a computer again, and useful in her self-taught ability with mechanics. I couldn't choose any social interaction based skills or skills associated with anything planetside, and I'm limited to skills in my class so I ended up pretty limited in my options. :)
Also, between you and Mayvar, I think it might be best for there to only be one Force Sensitive character... ???
I don't know, I'd always considered Cinder to have a touch of Force, to be able to get out of her situation. Will it be a problem to have two force sensitive characters?
@Cinder: I think your character is simplest to integrate into the group really, being a child... You probably wouldn't be 'let in on' much stuff to begin with, but once you're tagging along you'll prove your worth and so forth. Maybe just finding you on our ship as a stow-away would be the best intro?
Stow away could be made to work - Cinder was desperate to get back on a ship and she might be pushed to that, but given her lifetime of captivity, I'd think she'd rather sign on so the crew wants her there.
Her desperation would lead her accept any sort of pay or restrictions most on the fringe wouldn't accept.
Another option is she's been getting work on her small planet any way she can, including hanging out at the starport and offering mechanical services to anyone that's willing to pay - maybe a broken down fighter or shuttle, or the freighter itself if Ulula needed a hand.
Maybe someone's taken her under their wing with a sort of guardian / ward relationship - a nearly skeletally skinny nervous albino sixteen year old might pull on the heartstrings of any scoundrel that uses a gruff exterior to hide a good heart. :)
|
|
I don't know, I'd always considered Cinder to have a touch of Force, to be able to get out of her situation. Will it be a problem to have two force sensitive characters?
Yeah, I noticed that Cinder is Force Sensitive afterwards, I'm thinking of dropping force sensitivity from Mayvar's concept since it's not so fun to have a bunch of FS characters running around; it makes it less unique.
EDIT: I have changed Mayvar's stats; Cinder is once again the only FS character. Looking forward to seeing how that plays out! :)
Sorry - short post, I'm not well and screens are making me feel a little sick.
I'm happy with either being the financier behind the ship or simply a passenger who hung around long enough to be considered almost part of the crew (Just don't start making assumptions that I'm like Inara okay?)
|
|
Sorry - short post, I'm not well and screens are making me feel a little sick.
I'm happy with either being the financier behind the ship or simply a passenger who hung around long enough to be considered almost part of the crew (Just don't start making assumptions that I'm like Inara okay?)
Hehe. Deal. ;)
I don't know, I'd always considered Cinder to have a touch of Force, to be able to get out of her situation. Will it be a problem to have two force sensitive characters?Yeah, I noticed that Cinder is Force Sensitive afterwards, I'm thinking of dropping force sensitivity from Mayvar's concept since it's not so fun to have a bunch of FS characters running around; it makes it less unique.
I didn't know having Force Sensitivity would be an issue - I figured I'm not a Jedi or anything, it wouldn't keep anyone else from filling that role.
EDIT: I have changed Mayvar's stats; Cinder is once again the only FS character. Looking forward to seeing how that plays out! :)
Cinder: I dunno guys, I have have a bad feeling about this...
Everyone: Kid, be quiet, the grown ups are talking!
|
|
Speaking from my large amount of experience with Force characters in general, and many all Force games, there can still be a large amount of differentiation amongst Force users. The simplest dichotomy is between the Jedi/Sith and the Force Adept types: the former usually end up concentrating on lightsaber abilities, or special Sith techniques, picking up powers that compliment those talents, while the latter usually focuses on the powers, and pick up talents that compliment their powers.
Digging deeper, the Jedi/Sith themselves can be rather varied, depending upon the talents chosen, whether any multiclassing was done, etc. Same for the Adepts.
The third main option, of course, is to only get that Jedi level for training UtF, and just pick up Force Training once in a blue moon, continuing on with whatever character plan was already in place, just with an added hint of the Force involved.
The fourth, and in my opinion least exciting method, would be to simply acquire a few Force talents, without accumulating any powers. Just a touch of the Force, perhaps, without any real mastery of its mysteries.
Not sure how much this helps, but I felt I had something to say.
|
|
Maybe someone's taken her under their wing with a sort of guardian / ward relationship - a nearly skeletally skinny nervous albino sixteen year old might pull on the heartstrings of any scoundrel that uses a gruff exterior to hide a good heart. :)
I can take that role, if you like. Assuming the R-41 is okayed, it has two seats, and would make sense that Wade would want someone to take on the Mechanical and Use Computer roles before joining up with the rest of the crew.
I still have to post my idea for the Imperial secret that Wade found, what Wade was framed for - or Wade's "real identity", since it's going to be a bad & potentially vile deed... However, that'll wait until I am at my laptop at home & not just on mobile devices.
...
For Ulula, I have the beginnings of ideas of how to Scumify her history, but I'll have to re-read her new background to firm it up.
As for AquaEden & the game environment, I think I intend for the Goffle subsector to be a backwater section of the Fringe, so its home port is likely more appropriate in the "higher level" sections of the game world. I can always drop a nebula or something into Goffle space for AquaEden to hang around, but I've not thought that out yet. Still working on the mechanical core to the environment.
...
As for the market spreadsheet, it's there for those interested. I created it for the merchant trader aspect of the game (imagining along the lines of Elite, Freelancer, Sid Meier's Pirates, etc), and because I like finance. The spreadsheet gives the illusion of life behind the scenes. Without a mystical central plot in this specific game, I need something to mae the world move.
The Google spreadsheet just has market closing data. My Excel spreadsheet is more detailed, with about 10 megs of data so far (and it's not half finished yet).
For those interested, Excel allows you to do things like generate random numbers based on an existing set of data. I think I used the history of DJIA daily returns as my model for random distribution. There's also an extra Bernoulli distribution that I generated on top that can create anomalous events (explained by Rebel activity, for instance).
Prices of merchant goods are tied to economic conditions (the market returns). There's a beta/correlation factor, volatility factor, and a normally distributed random element (with a mean of 0) that affect the price movements, along with a Bernoulli distribution specific to the "stuff" in question to represent random jumps. Both the market correlation and vol are slightly volatile themselves.
I am using the prices from the rulebook as the "Day 0" price guidelines for the stuff. If the calculation for the game's Day 0 gets in the ballpark of what 1 metric ton of Metal (Common) costs in Saga Edition, then it's good to go. (Excel's Solver can't return the exact number due to the volume of calculations, so I just try to get it close)
Each planet will also have its pricing factor in terms of bid & ask price for stuff that the planet sees as import goods, export goods, and trade-neutral goods.
It's simplistic and probably very wrong in terms of quantitative finance & economics (I could do more in terms of the economics), but it does the job of creating a semi-living environment with minimal work. Excel does the numbers work for me.
If you feel like gleaning something from those tea leaves & care about the recent pricing history of Tritanium ingots in case your character might want to invest, haul, and trade, then it's there for you to look at.
If not, you know where the data comes from & that the game world isn't static.
Additionally, the pricing info will also fuel discussion with NPC trader captains in the environment, cantina rumors, holonet news reports, etc. A run on Bacta & Synthene might signal the preparation for an Imperial offensive, for instance. Stock prices for companies mentioned in character backgrounds will similarly assist in the creation of future stories.
...
Anyway, I'll have more specific character, ship, and group comments later. Just wanted to show that there's work behind the scenes here.
Mechanical aspects completed, concept expanded slightly to accommodate the Connections talent. Any thoughts? Still trying to work out how he's connected to the rest of the crew, unless everyone wants it to just be 'we need a medic, and this guy popped up needing a job'.
Cable modem is down in my area, so all I have is the Blackberry. Makes this a bit tough since the mobile device browser does not load things the same way as Firefox on my laptop.
Mechanical aspects completed, concept expanded slightly to accommodate the Connections talent. Any thoughts? Still trying to work out how he's connected to the rest of the crew, unless everyone wants it to just be 'we need a medic, and this guy popped up needing a job'.
Well, an idea I just had was through Elliot's education. A number of the characters are educated, or could potentially be tweaked to have a some higher education.
School chums could be one shared background.
As for Elliot's background. It's straightforward. I may have to jazz it up with things that Elliot doesn't know about his father. I've ideas how it might all interact with other character backgrounds.
More detail on the relationship with Elliot's father would be good. The existing detail is good, but more. (If I was on my laptop I could flip back & forth instead of trying to rely on memory) details like how much/little pressure to succeed, how much affection the father shared. What kind of father was he to inspire such emotion?
Okay, time to hunt through with the BB & post more.
Oh, by the way, what I mean by "jazz it up" for everyone is this: every character can be spiced up some flaw, some failing in the past that they don't want revealed.
It doesn't have to be as melodramatic as the stuff from Battlestar Galactica, but it should be something that can inspire an episode of one of the TV shows that you watch, or a section of a book that you like
It gives me plot hooks to weave in to the story. Notorious outlaws and criminals, Imperial spymasters, past loves/acquaintances, former captains & shipmates - all this and more can create a greater tapestry with less effort on my part to divine what you're looking for.
Ok, I hear the network is back up. Time to power up the laptop & comb through everyone's posts.
Also, any ways I might tweak Ulula to fit better? I'm not quite sure if she's SCUM enough...??? I *DO* feel like she is a creature of circumstance.
I think you summed it up there. Aside from the end bit in AquaEden, which is good, Ulula is more of a passenger than a driver in her story.
If there's a way to tweak her story so that she's more involved in the dirt behind the scenes of her present character, then that probably would make her more Scum-y.
It's kind of late & I'm tired, so I don't have specific ideas in mind for that sort of tweak. Ulula mostly hides other people's secrets, while she doesn't have the same kind of dirt on her... that's really the thing that separates her from the more scummy characters in the group.
I'll post more tomorrow. The network being down kind of slowed me down tonight.
|
|
Admittedly Elliot's background doesn't serve well for crew connections. The closest thing I see, personally, would be a passing acquaintance with Wade, having gone to the Imperial Academy himself, but for a different program.
As for the father elements, I imagined Trelic as the kind of father who did what he could to support his family. Most likely, he was some kind of smuggler extraordinaire during his own day, but settled down somewhat after his marriage to Elliot's mother, Anaya. Still, old habits die hard, and when you need some solid, high paying work, you turn to what you know first.
I'm not really sure mechanically, or conceptually, where I want to take Elliot. As it stands, with 2 to 3 levels in any of the other classes, he could qualify for almost any prestige class in the game. Besides the 7th level requirement, he qualifies for the Medic PrC in The Force Unleashed book right now.
Really, I think it depends on what happens when he discovers what his father was actually like, if he ever does. If Elliot becomes disillusioned even further, he might turn down a more violent path. If he instead decides to live up to his father's legacy, he might become some kind of benevolent healer/trader mastermind. Heck, for all I know, he might have a force sensitive ancestor, which manifests to him at the onset of Force awakening.
|
|
More thoughts.
Trelic never really needed to pressure Elliot to succeed, as Elliot tended to go at whatever he was doing the with the 'if I can't be the best, there isn't a point in doing it' mindset, but I could see where the pressure would be more subtle than overt, which would mean that Elliot may not have noticed it at the time, and would only start to realize that now.
Elliot was very close to his father. Trelic was his idol, his role model, his ideal: a true father figure in every sense.
As for 'jazzing it up', go right ahead. Having the GM add a pinch of secret spice to the mix is something I like quite a bit. It gives an element of mystery that I love to react to in games.
On a different note, considering that Elliot probably spends, at most, 6 months on a ship at a time, that's somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to 12 separate vessels that could be brought into play at some point, if you need things to weave into the game.
I just wanted to add, I think so far we've been singularly focused on creating a back-story to explain how this group came together - which is great. But once we have that mostly tied down (not yet), I think following thru with that, basically synopsizing what the group does "for the next chapter" before we actually drop into the game, will really solidify the group dynamic more... I think on that aspect as well as the back-story, if our Sithious DM wants to make any directorial decisions, that can be very useful.
...SO, our future recent history could be another source of 'scumification' for Ulula. And my exit from AquaEden could also be tweaked for more scandal/criminality/potential future enemies/etc. ...In any case, I'll get some more of those background contacts/NPCs written up and those could either fit the bill or be a starting place for suitable scum-itude.
I just wanted to add, I think so far we've been singularly focused on creating a back-story to explain how this group came together - which is great. But once we have that mostly tied down (not yet), I think following thru with that, basically synopsizing what the group does "for the next chapter" before we actually drop into the game, will really solidify the group dynamic more... I think on that aspect as well as the back-story, if our Sithious DM wants to make any directorial decisions, that can be very useful.
Depends on the Owner & the Captain in some ways. Once the initial feeling/attitude/philosophy is established, I can set up the initial cargo run & we can start in the middle of it. So what kind of haul is it?
Is it the simple pursuit of profit via trading? Are your characters seeking out injustices, missions of mercy, and lost causes to fight for? There's always the criminal element as well - piracy, privateering, and more grey areas like smuggling and blockade running.
From there, continued OOC discussion will help me set up the rumors and jobs your characters might come across.
On the back end, I am still defining the mechanics of the market environment.
I am also defining a number of secrets that tie your separate character stories together, based on the stories you've written about your characters' backgrounds. I will probably have more tweaks to specific characters' backgrounds in order to accomodate this (I should have some for Elliot tonight & will review Mayvar, Ulula, and Soz for more tweaks.)
The tweaks will be subtle until the secrets are revealed. Your characters will find pieces of their hidden (and sometimes intertwined) histories as the game progresses.
|
|
I just wanted to add, I think so far we've been singularly focused on creating a back-story to explain how this group came together - which is great. But once we have that mostly tied down (not yet), I think following thru with that, basically synopsizing what the group does "for the next chapter" before we actually drop into the game, will really solidify the group dynamic more... I think on that aspect as well as the back-story, if our Sithious DM wants to make any directorial decisions, that can be very useful.Depends on the Owner & the Captain in some ways. Once the initial feeling/attitude/philosophy is established, I can set up the initial cargo run & we can start in the middle of it. So what kind of haul is it?
Is it the simple pursuit of profit via trading? Are your characters seeking out injustices, missions of mercy, and lost causes to fight for? There's always the criminal element as well - piracy, privateering, and more grey areas like smuggling and blockade running.
From there, continued OOC discussion will help me set up the rumors and jobs your characters might come across.
On the back end, I am still defining the mechanics of the market environment.
I am also defining a number of secrets that tie your separate character stories together, based on the stories you've written about your characters' backgrounds. I will probably have more tweaks to specific characters' backgrounds in order to accomodate this (I should have some for Elliot tonight & will review Mayvar, Ulula, and Soz for more tweaks.)
The tweaks will be subtle until the secrets are revealed. Your characters will find pieces of their hidden (and sometimes intertwined) histories as the game progresses.
Well, to further describe Mayvar's character a little bit, he's definitely appropriately named a scoundrel. While not a bad person (he doesn't go out of his way to hurt others), he has no respect for authority, legitimate or otherwise. His word is generally solid, though, and if he promises to do something, he'll more than likely see it through, barring further complications.
While he always prefers to solve problems peacibly, he does this out of a need for efficiency rather than any moral obligation; Mayvar has killed in the past, though only in self-defense or to protect close friends/allies. On the subject of protectiveness, Mayvar was once extremely protective of those close to him, but after being burned in the past, he is less so. His natural instincts may reappear if things go well, however...
As the Captain, he prefers subtlety; after all, there's no need to bring unwanted attention to himself or his ship. Smuggling is his specialty, but he'll take any job that seems reasonable and doesn't put himself or his crew in unnecessary danger. He does not shy away from criminal activity, clearly. As for trading commodities, I don't think that would be his primary mission, but Laris may be more interested in that. Thankfully, it can often be done at the same time as carrying... illicit cargo. :)
While the proposed ship does have decent armaments, I don't think piracy would be of interest. And he doesn't care for either the Empire or the Rebellion to be much of a privateer. Not to say that he wouldn't take a job if it was lucrative enough though...
And of course, Laris has the power of veto on anything, being the financier and all...
I'll also try to post some more info on Mayvar's old crew either tonight or tomorrow!
When should we be expecting to start the game?
Argh! Eaten post!
Short version:
Languages have been updated on the profile - items too. If you see anything that should be changed to better fit, please let me know.
also, do you need further elaboration for Cinder's background or character?
Mechanical aspects completed, concept expanded slightly to accommodate the Connections talent. Any thoughts? Still trying to work out how he's connected to the rest of the crew, unless everyone wants it to just be 'we need a medic, and this guy popped up needing a job'.
Still debating what exactly to do with Elliot & his father.
To flesh it out a bit more, let's say Elliot's father was a merchant captain, commanding the freighter Wayward Star. He was known as being a trustworthy & resourceful merchantman, so he hauled all manner of important cargo for very well connected individuals in addition to his own merchant trading operations. Trelic Pren's death during a routine run to the Fringe was surprising because of Trelic's skills & ability to stay alive, but not so surprising given his extensive merchant operations & potential list of powerful clients/potential enemies. And I'll leave the rest of the story at that for now.
As for why Elliot is with the crew, maybe it's as easy as saving someone's life? The simple one is to save one of the other player characters, or saving someone that the other player character feels is important.
A shootout on a Fringe world where Elliot was serving as a "country doctor", curing/helping another player character who had insulted the local crime boss/thug/warlord... which then made Elliot into the enemy of the crime boss, forcing Elliot to join the crew & flee the planet. (picturing some world/town like the one in Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven", or Kevin Costner's "Open Range")
Anyway, this one requires some cooperation with another player character, and choosing any one planet in the subsector. Maybe Rhudor, since it's a "gold rush" planet & generally lawless.
Okay, on to thinking about other characters...
also, do you need further elaboration for Cinder's background or character?
No. I'm considering ways to tweak the story of Cinder's parents in order to tie her backstory to other characters' backstories. The essential story is good & doesn't need to be touched, really.
Okay, for Cinder...
Anyway, here's a simple tweak for Cinder's history:
Cinder's parents were from the planet Emegheron, in the isolated Vaelios star cluster. Father's name was Tiberias Nerus, mother's name was Claudia (of the Levolo family prior to marrying Tiberias).
As said in your previous post, Cinder's parents were simple cargo ship operators, though they were not always so. The Nerus family had landholdings on Emegheron. Tiberias & Claudia operated a family-owned farming estate, and had conceived Cinder while living on Emegheron. However, they left the planet soon after Cinder's birth.
Cinder doesn't know why they chose a life amongst the stars, but Tiberias did speak fondly of his former life as a farmer.
I'll also try to post some more info on Mayvar's old crew either tonight or tomorrow!
When should we be expecting to start the game?
Next Monday, I think. Seems like we've a few more details to iron out as far as the group goes.
I'm sketching out a relationship web for everyone's backstories. It takes a bit of time to connect all the dots so that each of your characters' stories might eventually interconnect.
Okay, I think that's the last post for me tonight.
I'll continue thinking & posting more ideas. The ship, Laris, Mayvar - that's probably the next step for me at the moment. Also to weave Soz in there. Humans are just easier to interconnect, but it's good to have non-humans as well.
Just to let y'all know I'm still on this, I know I haven't posted in a while, I'm more or less waiting to see what ideas come out and haven't felt I've much to add.
I'll volunteer to have been shot for character intro. I don't think Cinder would've spoken up to the local crime boss, but she's not a skilled combatant and I could see her getting hit in the firefight most easily.
I'm considering ways to tweak the story of Cinder's parents in order to tie her backstory to other characters' backstories.
I figure that Cinder's young age at the time of capture and the intervening trauma would make her memory of her parents' names and her own past spotty at best. She did her best to forget her childhood because she had to stay alert and sane in her present circumstances on the pirate ship.
If you want her to know the history you posted already, I'd prefer to have it be from research she completed already, like the name of the ship snatched from the pirate ship logs before she escaped and then subsequent research in a starport's data log rather than from things she remembered clearly.
Oh, other than my desire to make sure the languages she knows are appropriate to have learned from the pirates and to know if the multipurpose tool is a viable item, I wanted to ask about skills. I had to give Cinder two knowledge skills because of the limitations imposed on what skills she could choose given her class and backstory (survival makes no sense in a person who panics if under an open sky, for example). I was wondering if I could switch Knowledge (Physical Sciences) for Acrobatics...I think Acrobatics fits with the character background better (hiding in small spaces or crawling through them to make difficult repairs) than Knowledge (Physial Sciences), but Acrobatics isn't on the scout class skills list. If it would be okay to take Acrobatics, please let me know. Otherwise I'll keep it as is.
Okay, basic character profile up. Expect alterations.
Okay, basic character profile up. Expect alterations.
Ooh, look who showed up at the party wearing the same dress... :)
Okay, basic character profile up. Expect alterations.Ooh, look who showed up at the party wearing the same dress... :)
Haha! Almost like you two are twins! ;)
Okay, I'll post more tonight. Hope to get some closure on the ship situation, and set up the beginnings for the game.
I tend to like the in medias res style of Star Wars, and I don't anticipate that we will stray from that here when we begin.
Okay, would it be preferred I have established ties with Mayvar or Ulula?
I can see my existing backstory leading up to a quick ride out of the system, and ending up either on AquaEden, where I turn up, and needing transport assist Ulula and am the one that talks them into granting us the ship as part of our bargain?
or
As per Nameless' post I end up there Mayvar needs a little cash and I end up putting the remnants of my money on a ship in his name.
Either way works for me, alternately could tie the three threads together in someway and have Mayvar on AquaEden?
Okay, basic character profile up. Expect alterations.Ooh, look who showed up at the party wearing the same dress... :)
Luckily, my history as an intelligence operative has taught me to prepare for all eventualities. :P
Too bad there aren't any pictures of SW minis I could find.
|
|
Okay, would it be preferred I have established ties with Mayvar or Ulula?
I can see my existing backstory leading up to a quick ride out of the system, and ending up either on AquaEden, where I turn up, and needing transport assist Ulula and am the one that talks them into granting us the ship as part of our bargain?
or
As per Nameless' post I end up there Mayvar needs a little cash and I end up putting the remnants of my money on a ship in his name.
Either way works for me, alternately could tie the three threads together in someway and have Mayvar on AquaEden?
After escaping from that wretched planet, I'm sure Mayvar bummed around lots of places, including AquaEden. If that's a good starting location, then it's sure he can be there! :)
I think Cinder shall be the one who has been shot. The idea suggested fits, plus it allows for Elliot to give everybody a big lecture about taking young girls out into the fringe after he has to high-tail it out of there with the crew.
as long as it doesn't kill me outright, anyway. ^_^
Okay, would it be preferred I have established ties with Mayvar or Ulula?
I can see my existing backstory leading up to a quick ride out of the system, and ending up either on AquaEden, where I turn up, and needing transport assist Ulula and am the one that talks them into granting us the ship as part of our bargain?
or
As per Nameless' post I end up there Mayvar needs a little cash and I end up putting the remnants of my money on a ship in his name.
Either way works for me, alternately could tie the three threads together in someway and have Mayvar on AquaEden?
Darn internet ate my last post... maybe it's something with these boards.
Laris could have ended up on AquaEden somehow, being a place for the affluent to indulge themselves. That might be a natural way to meet Ulula.
Mayvar's "stranded on a rock" idea is somewhat problematic in some ways. Maybe the "rock" is Rhudor (where Elliot served as country doctor), and Mayvar was left there by his previous crew... Mayvar then ended up as a gunslinger for lost causes. Not as crazy & disillusioned like Bill Munny (the Clint Eastwood character in Unforgiven). Some disagreement happens where Ulula gets shot, Mayvar helps to get her & the doctor to Ulula's ship.
I think it might be good to expand Laris' Noble family background. Instead of planetary nobility, maybe there is a sector-wide nobility & human organization (prior to the Empire taking over). Sector-wide noble families make for more interesting potential allies & adversaries :)
Okay, if I don't fall asleep after getting the kids to bed tonight, I'll post more later.
I think it might be good to expand Laris' Noble family background. Instead of planetary nobility, maybe there is a sector-wide nobility & human organization (prior to the Empire taking over). Sector-wide noble families make for more interesting potential allies & adversaries :)
I agree this would be interesting.
I mean, with the analogy of feudal Europe, the same Noble Houses could be involved in multiple different planetary regimes (and even extra-planetary organizations). On some planets certain families could cooperate with each other, while on others they are feuding, or one is completely excluded from official power, or there is out-right civil war. On other planets, Hutts or other species dominate, while other planets have either over-thrown/ out-grown their old nobility, or have been settled more recently and have more egalitarian (or at least non-feudal) regime. And being in the same "house" (or an 'opposed' house (from where you came), could mean completely the opposite (or not much at all) depending on the politics of the planet at hand.
Will think on this, idea has potential, but now need sleep.
agree this would be interesting.
I mean, with the analogy of feudal Europe, the same Noble Houses could be involved in multiple different planetary regimes (and even extra-planetary organizations). On some planets certain families could cooperate with each other, while on others they are feuding, or one is completely excluded from official power, or there is out-right civil war. On other planets, Hutts or other species dominate, while other planets have either over-thrown/ out-grown their old nobility, or have been settled more recently and have more egalitarian (or at least non-feudal) regime. And being in the same "house" (or an 'opposed' house (from where you came), could mean completely the opposite (or not much at all) depending on the politics of the planet at hand.
Good points. I was thinking just three loose factions of nobility, but the "revolutionary" faction is more interesting than another political cluster of noble houses.
So maybe three human political factions. The old ruling families, aligned with the Empire. The younger noble houses, who are the mercantilists. And the revolutionary faction, who are sympathetic towards the Rebel cause but are more anarchist/radicalized "democratist" than the Rebels.
We can add in two Duro factions, for good measure. The ultra capitalists, aligned with the Empire. And the anti-Imperial freedman's guild (smaller merchant captains and small cap corporatists).
Then there's the classic Imperial, Rebel, and Hutt factions, along with minor players throughout the sector (with some crime lords being less "minor" than others). Plus each faction having their intra-faction political disputes (as you point out, each noble house might cooperate on some worlds and some issues, but other areas might inspire a tremendous amount of discord).
A couple more things...
If anyone hasn't seen them, the 14 episodes of Firefly are on hulu (if you don't know what that is, just look it up while it's still "free" & before they decide to start charging for it).
It's worth looking at as a framework for attitude & character, I think. There ain't gonna be no Companions in this gorram game & we're gonna keep it PG-13... but Star Wars was also supposedly a blend of the Western genre with Sci Fi, and Firefly does that better IMO.
Also, going was OOC, the Jedi Academy Training Manual is pretty average. Scum & Villainy isn't great either as far as content goes since I can do without mini-encounters & another stat book, but the content that's there is useful & different. Scum & Villainy seemed to have more new stuff, while Jedi Academy is mostly just an extension of what I've already got. Jedi Academy is kind of a misnomer because almost a chunk of the book is non-Jedi traditions & I don't really care for another incarnation of Baran-Do Sages and whatnot, and at least half the book seems to be NPC stats. If I weren't thinking of a Jedi-only game down the road, I wouldn't have gotten it.
There's just not a lot of Jedi content (it's shorter than Scum & Villainy), and Jedi are too dedicated/one-note to make the book useful anyway.
|
|
Firefly is awesome. I've been reviewing the box set for ideas. JATM struck me as a useful tool, just not as dedicated to Jedi as the title seems to claim. Admittedly, if they shoved all the Jedi ideas they had for every era into one book, they wouldn't have any Jedi stuff to put into other books, and that's a selling point they can't ignore. Either way, if I was a Jedi, it would be a useful thing.
A little off topic, but are there any FarScape fans in here?
|
|
If anyone hasn't seen them, the 14 episodes of Firefly are on hulu (if you don't know what that is, just look it up while it's still "free" & before they decide to start charging for it).
Unfortunately, I can't watch shows on Hulu here in Canada. But, fortunately, I have access to the Firefly box set! I've actually started re-watching the episodes in honour of this game. Out of Gas is the one I just finished, and possibly the best in the entire series. I'm all pumped to start on Monday, now!
A little off topic, but are there any FarScape fans in here?
I've never actually seen the show, but some of my friends keep raving about it. Why do you ask?