DM Default |
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I'm currently GMing a game of Masks by Magpie Games, which is based on the Apocolypse system. Unfortunately, real life has weathered the player count down to an active three players currently. However, the three remaining are eager to continue and I've decided to once again open a re-recruitment.
For those interested:
Masks is a tabletop roleplaying game in which you play young superheroes who are growing up in a city several generations into its superheroic age. Halcyon City has had more than its fair share of superheroes, superteams, supervillains, and everything in between. Over the course of three different generations of super-people, Halcyon City has seen it all.
You play members of the fourth generation, young adults trying to figure out who they are and what kind of heroes they want to be. The rest of the world is telling them what to do, but they’ll find their own path amidst the noise. And kick some butt along the way. After all, what’s the point of being a hero if you can’t fight for the things you believe in?
Masks is based on the award-winning Powered by the Apocalypse system developed by Vincent Baker and used in Apocalypse World, Monsterhearts,Urban Shadows, and more. It’s a rules-light system that fuels some of the best innovations in gaming in the last ten years, and Masks has been built from the ground up to incorporate everything I’ve learned about Powered by the Apocalypse games.
When you take an action that would trigger a move, you roll two six-sided dice, add them together with one of your Labels (a stat that describes your hero), and look to the move to see what the results are. On a 10+, you get what you want, and maybe a little extra. On a 7-9, you get what you want, but at some kind of cost or with a complication. On a 6 or less—a miss—the GM says what happens next, and chances are things get complicated for our young heroes.
Masks produces stories like those found in Young Justice, Teen Titans,Young Avengers, X-Men, and more, using the Powered by the Apocalypse rules to provide an easy but useful skeleton for awesome storytelling!
The current playbooks already claimed: The Transformed, The Janus, The Outsider
The playbooks of the Protege and the Doomed are currently off-limits.
Available playbooks can be found here and here.
Please choose a playbook that is not currently in play.
The Bull – You’re tough, gruff, and powerful on the outside, and caring on the inside—oh, and you were made by an evil organization that’d love to get you back: can you learn to rely on the team enough to save you from yourself?
The Nova – You’re amazingly, egregiously, horrifyingly powerful, and keeping control is a struggle: can you come to terms with your power before it destroys you? Or someone you care about?
The Outsider – You’re not from here, and you don’t quite understand this place, but you find it fascinating: can you find a way to belong? Or will you always be different?
The Legacy – You’re carrying on a long tradition of heroism and nobility: how can you balance that legacy with your own identity?
The Protege – You’re tied to a mentor who trained you: do you want to be them? Or someone else entirely?
The Janus – You put on the mask, become someone different, escape your mundane life, but you know your responsibilities are always waiting for you: who are you really? The mask or the mundane?
The Delinquent – You’re a rabble-rouser, a rules-breaker, and an incorrigible prankster, someone who pushes people away while secretly wishing they would stay close: can you stop being a little s&#$ for long enough to let them know you actually care?
The Doomed – Your powers are killing you; they come with some awful, nightmarish fate. But until that end comes, you’re going to work to change the world: how much are you willing to give up for your cause before your doom comes?
The Transformed – You don’t look human anymore and the world won’t let you forget it: can you learn to accept yourself? Can you deal with their looks, stares, and fear without becoming the monster they see?
The Beacon – You’re here because this is awesome, and you may not quite fit in, but screw it, you’re going to do this anyway: can you prove that you actually deserve to be here? Or are you just a wannabe?
The Innocent - Hopeful, troubled, out of place, noble. e Innocent is the kid version of a dangerous person, in whom anyone else can see the potential for great nobility...and the potential for great horror. Their story is all about simultaneously being an unformed font of possibility while having clear evidence for a particular life path in front of them.
The Joined - Unsure, supportive, jealous, defiant. The Joined is a mix of emotions and ideas, de ned more by the hero to whom they are connected than by anything else. The Joined is different from any other playbook in Masks, and making it work requires substantial buy-in from all the players involved. Don’t play the Joined unless both you and the other player are on-board.
The Newborn - Curious, strange, quixotic, dogmatic. The Newborn is a kid trying to figure out how the world works, and clinging to principles in an attempt to impose order on their understanding of it. They don’t quite know for sure what their ideals are or should be, but they’re testing them out with every action and idea.
The Reformed - Haunted, redemptive, dangerous, tarnished. The Reformed is still young, but even in their short time, they’ve done things—if not quite unforgivable, then pushing the limits. They filled the role of the villain, and they did it willingly and knowingly. And now they’re trying to do better, to be better, but redemption doesn’t come that easily.
The Star - Arrogant, ambitious, flamboyant, delightful. The Star is a young celebrity, aware of their status and interested in obtaining more of it. If they’re a showboat, but they’re also still a superhero, and those two poles pull them in drastically different directions.
The actual playbooks are listed here.
If you're wondering about some of the more important mechanics before you decide to sign up or pass, I invite you to read the following two sections. Interaction is the basis of this game, and how you percieve your place in the world and influencing people into changing are core mechanics.
Characters in Masks each have five mechanical attributes called “Labels.” Labels represent how your character views their identity. Are you a Danger or a Savior? A Freak or Superior? Or are you just Mundane?
Each Label ranges from -2 to +3; the higher the rating is, the more the character sees their self by that light. If you have Danger +3, you see yourself as a threatening, violent figure. If you have Mundane -2, you see yourself as anything but a normal person.
The Labels include:
Freak, which is all about being strange, unusual, unknown, different, unique, powerful, weird, and special.
Danger, which is all about being strong, threatening, violent, destructive, badass, frightening, reckless, and mighty.
Savior, which is all about being defensive, protective, overbearing, moralistic, guarding, patronizing, and classically heroic.
Superior, which is all about being clever, faster, better, arrogant, dismissive, commanding, egotistical, and smart
Mundane, which is all about being normal, empathetic, understanding, kind, boring, simple, uninteresting, and human.
The Labels shift and change over the course of the game as your self-image changes, most often due to the influence of others. As these Labels shift, so does your position in the story: a hero who sees their self as a Danger is better at directly engaging villains and threats, but their low Mundane means they might struggle to connect with ordinary people after a fight.
Influence is a mechanic used to keep track of whose words matter to you. When you have Influence over someone else, it means they care about what you say. When someone else has Influence over you, it means that you’re affected by their words.
Much of Masks involves giving, taking, and losing Influence over others. After all, you can’t convince your teammate to stop being a Danger if you don’t have Influence over them. When you do have Influence over them, and you tell them how they endangered civilians, your words might lead their Labels to shift. They might be chagrined at your words, and shift their Danger up, and their Savior down—they see themselves as more of a Danger, because of what you said. Or, they might resist, argue with you, and wind up shifting their Savior up and their Danger down—they don’t care what you say because they define who they are, and they choose to be a Savior.
Influence allows for a quick and easy way to understand whose words can cause your Labels to shift. You care about what they say, so your self-image is tied up in how they view you, what they say about you, and what you accept about their perspective on the world.
Of course, you are just a young superhero, trying to find your way. And that means in Masks, all the adults have influence over you by default. But you can resist what they say to free yourselves of their words. You just have to stand up to them, and tell them that you make your own path…easy, right?
If I haven't scared you off quite yet, then feel free to reply!
I'm looking for two new heroes to join the team. Recruitment lasts for one week (or until I can pull myself out of the middle of finals) but I'll stop accepting applicants on May 9th, Wednesday.
Pertinent Info
The group is currently in the middle of a character arc. The selected character may enter during or after the events.
If you want to see what's currently going on, feel free to check out the current gameplay here in all its roughshod glory.
Backstory questions will be filled out with input by the other players so you can leave them blank for now.
Powers are very flexible and more of a means to an end to performing moves. They're defined vaguely to allow players to be uniquely specific with how they work.
Thanks for reading!
neonblues |
I'm into it! Here's my character, Virtue; he's The Newborn, a highly adaptive, artificially intelligent nanobot entity designed by a major corporation to help defend the city. (Let me know if you want any other details at this stage.)
Real/Hero Name: Virtue
ABILITIES
fantastic elasticity
super durability and strength
Danger +1, Freak +2, Savior +1, Superior +1, Mundane -2
NEWBORN MOVES
A mind of their own
Damage
A BLANK SLATE
A superhero should: arrest those who break the law
Always: Protect the innocent from harm
Bronwyn Pascal |
Hi there, I'm one of the current players, so hopefully I can help out with any recruitment questions as well.
@Jargon: Well let's hear the concept!
@neonblue/Virtue: Neat! So far the campaign has trended towards evil faceless organizations,so an explicitly corporate but altruistic hero would definitely be an interesting space to mess around with. How do you picture Virtue's relationship with his creators?
@Hymenopterix: Feel free to sing out if you have any questions about the system. One thing I'll note I'd that Masks tends to have descriptive stats rather than prescriptive ones, which is to say that your character will naturally get better at the things you focus on, rather than having to build carefully to make your character do what you want them to do. So starting with a concept can be a good way to go even if you're still shaky on some of the specifics.
@Elbow: Sure would! I'll chime in again later today with some examples
Bronwyn Pascal |
Okay, as promised, here's a few playbooks that could encompass a symbiote:
The Bull: This playbook assumes that you are an absolutely wrecking ball of a character, and could definitely encompass some of the more hulking portrayals of Venom (for example). The Love/Rival portion of the playbook could also tie into the slightly obsessive nature that many symbiote hosts have ended up with too.
The Transformed: This one is currently restricted, but pending some developments in the campaign it might open up, and it's a good enough fit I felt I had to include it. It's all about the loss of your humanity to your powers and encompasses both super strength and body horror as possible power sets to boot!
These ones might work too, depending on what sort of aspects of your character and their story you'd find fun to emphasize:
The Reformed: This one might take a bit of creative flexing, or emphasizing some powers over others, but could still be a good fit (The Vitality Absorption power set is very much how Venom worked in Ultimate Spider-Man for example). On the whole this playbook would have less emphasis on your powers and more on your dark past as a rule of thumb though.
The Innocent: This one would certainly go afield from the traditional symbiote stories (since it including time travel as a default explanation), but still mucks about with the idea of self control and battling a dark side.
The Legacy: This one is also a bit of a stretch, but has an interesting aspect to it that I figured was worth mentioning. One of the fun things to me about Spidey's relationship to Venom (and Carnage, and Toxin) is that they in a real sense create their own nemeses, and as a result have ended up with freaky family-esque dynamics. And since the Legacy playbook is all about exploring how you relate to your forebears, it might be worth a look too.
ElbowtotheFace |
Robbert Ulysses Isaac Noble/Ruin
Labels:
Danger: +2, Freak: +1, Savior: -1, Superior: +2, Mundane: -1
Abilities:
Superhumanly tough, incredibly strong, and uniquely skilled at fighting.
Bull Moves:
There when it matters.
In a china shop.
Bull's Heart:
Love - ??
Rival - ??
- Role: Defender
Hows that look?
Bronwyn Pascal |
Heh, I like the classic acronym-style name :p
Mechanics look solid to me, and as Default said, backstory stuff shouldn't really be finalized since there'll be a lot of cross-player input and suggestions. That said early thoughts or character descriptions are certainly welcome. Filling out some of the Look options can help give a quick sense of your character too (they are different for the different playbooks).
Artemis P. |
So, I see two players in here already, so might be a little late- I'll admit to a bit of lurking, since I couldn't find the power I liked. Is there anything in the books for a sort of power mimicry/power absorbtion- type option? Or is it restricted, hence why I can't find it?
I've always loved the idea of a indecisive, social chameleon- type character who's powers shifted with his attitude- a la the first iteration of Peter Petrelli from Heroes, where he could only copy one power at a time.
Just thought I'd ask before I chose something else.
Bronwyn Pascal |
@Virtue: Makes sense, not being able to trust "the grownups" is an important part of the system. The Newborn carries with it some connotations of a certain lack of polish when it comes to interpersonal relationships. Is that something you're envisioning for Virtue? If so, are you seeing him as cold and aloof, perhaps a little too sunny, or something totally different?
@Ruin: Having your Love and Rival be PCs makes it more likely that they'll be consistently in play, but my understanding is that they can be NPCs if that fits better
@Artemis: There's not that power specifically... You can get something like Power Negation out of the Delinquent playbook, and you could maaaayyyybe stretch some of the other shapeshifting or biokinetic powers into doing something like that when you Unleash Your Powers, but passive power absorption isn't a default option.
Moving slightly off of the specific powerset, checking out the Nova Playbook might be fruitful if you like the idea of playing someone whose powers are poorly understood, constantly in flux, can be redirected to perform surprising new tasks, and are in serious danger of taking over your life.
@Hymenopterix: No worries! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
Artemis P. |
@Bronwyn Pascal- That gets the brain juices flowing! Loved the Nova idea, think I'll stick with that. Thanks!
Name: Finn "FLux: Matthews
Labels: +2 Danger, +2 Freak, 0 Savior, 0 Superior, -1 Mundane
Abilities: Biokinesis
Influence: Locked Down
Nova Flares: Worship, Boost, Overcharge, Elemental Awareness
Obviously, I'll need help working on the backstory, but I'm thinking someone with a Rogue- like dilemna who, upon touch, boosts the powers/normal abilities/senses/etc of those touched to extreme levels, which can be a good thing, but can also be really painful and disorienting (kinda a blessing and a curse). He'll spend most of his time trying to deny the abilities, kinda shut out, but can and will in times of need heal or do other cool things- but again, only in the most dire of circumstances. He's accidentely caused too much damage to use his powers unrestrained.
Tell me what I'm missing and if this looks good so far!
Bronwyn Pascal |
@ Neon: Makes sense. Is emulating and understanding humans a drive of his, or merely a "natural" outgrowth as he gains familiarity with others?
@Artemis: Mechanics look good. Having a Rogue-style dilemma is good drama fodder, and also a useful explanation of why you'd be reluctant to flare up when it wasn't important.
The main thing I think would be worth spending a little time on is actually something from the backstory section of the playbook "Why do you continue to use your powers?"
After all, if Flux is too reluctant, he'll never get into any superhero shenanigans!
neonblues |
I figure he was designed to have empathy and experience emotions from a practical standpoint (since part of fighting crime is reading emotions and being able to use them to your advantage), and over time he’d naturally develop a genuine sense of wanting to belong (maybe even a sense of humanity/wanting to be human).
jargon2029 |
Kenneth Gray/ Apex
Labels:
Danger -1
Freak -1
Savior +2
Superior +1
Mundane +2
Abilities:
Martial Arts and Acrobatics
Moves:
Straight. Up. Creepin' and No Powers and Not Nearly Enough Training
Backstory
Kenneth Gray (at the time of the campaign having just turned 16) was born exceptionally gifted for an unpowered human being. With an exceptional memory, an analytical mind and excellent spatial awareness, he is able to predict his opponents moves and perform feats of parkour with little or no preparation. However, the lack of a creative spark that separates the super geniuses from the rest of the population has, in Kenneth's mind, held him back in Halcyon society. He has not been able to test out of any grades and despite exceptional academic performance has received relatively few academic awards.
Kenneth's mother and father (an engineer and doctor respectively) both originally worked as support staff for a super hero team but were let go recently as a result of the team falling a part. Each member of the team was able to go solo or join another team with very little effort, and his parents were only out of work for a short period of time, but Kenneth resented what he viewed as the irresponsibility of the super heroes.
His perceived lack of status and his parents continued interest in their former field has convinced Kenneth that he needs to prove to himself and society that an unpowered human has as much to offer Halcyon as any of the superpowered heroes leading him to take up heroics under the name Apex. And to his mind there is no better way to prove that he's as good as any of them than to fight along side the best youth team around.
How did you gain your skills? "Through rigorous training and practice. You?"
When did you first put on your costume? "I started earlier this year, but just to get a feel for it, I won't really be put through my paces until I join a team"
Who outside the team thinks you shouldn't be a superhero? "You mean besides society? Look I guess, just don't let my parents know, they think superheroics are just for the guys who can stop bullets with their little fingers."
Why do you try to be a hero? "Everyone thinks heroes have to be a gift from the gods or some kind of result of horrendous experiments, but I know that we all deserve the agency to defend ourselves... and hey according to the law, all I really need is this mask and some fancy footwork."
Why do you care about the team?"Look, I'm not saying people with powers are automatically bad people. I think these guys can be some of the best heroes out there. And if I'm gonna be out there, I'm gonna be teamed up with the best."
Starting Drives:
Lead the team successfully in battle
Take down a threat all on my own
Outperform an adult hero
Help a teammate when they need me most
I'm not super sure about my relationships yet, I want to get a better grip on all the characters before I nail that down
Edit: Forgot physical description
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 160 lbs
Hair: Black, short
Eyes: Hazel
Costume Design: Blank white Volto mask, Black compression shirt and black cargo pants, black soft-soled shoes (between toe shoes and ballet slippers)
Bronwyn Pascal |
@neonblues: Cool, having thoughts for how your character might develop is definitely a plus.
@jargon: Parental issues are nice, thinking through Drives already is great - if only it weren't Beacon only I'd poke everyone to do it :p.
Definite chip on his shoulder in a few directions (towards powered teammates, towards parents, towards "super geniuses")
So clearly as a Beacon instead of a Protege a mentor won't be a focal relationship, but I was curious about where he picked up his moves. Maybe even more, did he pick up his moves and then decide he could be a hero too, or did he go out of his way to study martial arts so that he could become a hero?
jargon2029 |
I'm thinking that when he was very young he wanted to grow up to be a hero, and his parents played along, like with kids who want to be firemen or police officers, expecting him to grow out of it. As he's grown older he's begun to go to a series of different studios or dojos because while he's technically skilled, he doesn't have the right temperament to reach the higher ranks, he's just too angry and arrogant. As such, his style is varied, able to take what he's sees as the best parts of many martial art styles, but is lacking in the kind of expertise that marks most of the heroes who draw power from their martial arts.
He's probably developed a reputation amongst his teachers, both at school and martial arts, as being unwilling to commit to something unless he's automatically good at it.
Artemis P. |
So, I've kinda thought about this a lot- sorry for not getting it up sooner! The explanation for why Flux would wish to continue to use his powers is duofold- it's a combination of thrill and fear that drives him.
We'll start with fear. His powers are unstable- it's a Nova thing, right? Well, I knew from the start I wanted to make his powers to be life- altering, and that's the core of it. It's touch. He cannot touch anyone, anything, without gloves or some sort of material coating his skin- and human contact is important. Look at all the studies they've done on the importance of touch. Finn- he can't hug his Mom, or shake his Dad's hand, or interact with his friends on a level that most of us can. And let's not even get into dating; nigh- impossible. It's a fear, of fear of being afraid that, without learning to control his powers, he'll never get to live a normal life- that's what drives him, primarily. Now, he'd never admit that to himself; if pressed, he'd definetly talk about the second reason- but that's his primary motivation, I think.
Secondly, I think it's a rush for him. He's a healer, and that makes him important (Well, I think he's a healer- it's not listed in the Nova flares- but it's biokinesis- he should be able to heal, I'd think- but let me know if he can only do that listed flares); or extending one's senses to hear from far away, or see things that couldn't before be seen- when it works and is under control, he's a hero. He's special, someone that can open up new worlds and new ways of thinking for people. Of course, when it works is the optimal word here- there's been too many times where he hurts or overloads someone on accident, causing pain- hence the dilemna he faces. He doesn't want to use his powers, but he can't not use them- how could he deny someone who needs healing, or deny someone the ability to see infared temporarily, or anything of the sort- it's too much to tell people they can't do something when he knows that they can, with help. So, that's why. It's the thrill, of being a hero, of opening new doors for people- that's why he uses his powers, despite the fear of hurting someone.
It's a lot of complexities and some contradictions; but, then again, aren't people full of contradictions? If you have any questions (and I'm sure there will be; I'm still working it all out, in my head), feel free to ask. But I hope that answers that question, at the least.
ElbowtotheFace |
Pretty sure I have Robbert finished outside of what needs to be done with the other players.
Bronwyn Pascal |
Thanks for the updates guys!
@Razzocnor: Recruitment should be closing today, though since the GM's in the middle of finals-week, you might be able to sneak something in under the wire.
Mechanics aside, do you have any sense of what your character might be like? (This is a system that doesn't really have character building traps, so starting with a concept can be a good way to get going)
Razzocnor |
Let's see, I've had a couple ideas;
A fairly normal, bookish teen who, through some bizzare accident, has aquired not-very-much-control over some esoteric fundamental forces, and is now stuck with the proplems associated with a power set that requires understanding of advanced theorectical physics to use for anything much more subtle than causing tiny nuclear explosions. Definately a Nova, possibly developing some strange side-applications.
Someone who was scooped up by a shady corporation for some illegal testing of salavaged alien bio-augmentation technology, proceeded to be one of the few survivors of the process, and then demonstrated that it worked very well indeed when he ripped his way out of the facility and bolted back into the city. Now 'blessed' with what appears to be a set of super-soldier modifications for a distinctly different species, needing to deal with suddenly having razor-sharp fingernails, carbon nanotube impregnated skin, a hair-trigger adrenal response, and a blast furnace of a metabolism with some distinctly odd food cravings. Actually takes the modifications mostly in stride, except for all the awkwardness of not really knowing how his biology even works any more. A Bull, with a bit more focus on just what kind of physiolgical changes would actually be entailed in the central change.
DM Default |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Announcement as I pull myself from my finals.
REcruitment closes when I post on this thread tomorrow after my final. I'd like to thank Bronwyn for her active help in this as the timing of the recruitment was poorly timed for my studies.
Please finalize any details, backstories, and such before the cut off. Good Gaming!
Razzocnor |
All, right, it's a bit rushed and probably could use some more work, but I can now present my submission, just before closing time!
___________________
Hero
___________________
Hero Name: Beast
Real Name (if different): Vander Shultz
Abilities: Reinforced skin and bones, rapid healing, strength and speed, razor teeth and claws, chemical spit, extreme omnivorism and hyperactive metabolism.
Look: Man, White (Germanic), Inhuman hands, casual clothing, simple costume
___________________
Labels
___________________
Danger : +2
Freak : +2
Savior : -1
Superior : +1
Mundane : -1
___________________
Conditions
___________________
___________________
Influence
___________________
Have Influence on:
___________________
Team Moves
___________________
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, make them your love or rival immediately to mark potential. If they are already your love or rival, take Influence over them and mark potential.
When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, give them Influence and hold 2. Spend that hold to help them as if it were Team in the pool.
___________________
Advancement
___________________
Potential 0/5
___________________
Backstory
___________________
1. Who changed you?
Vander doesn't yet know. Whoever they were, they were smart about not plastering their symbols all over or talking about who they were; they just snatched him from the street, drugged him into unconsciousness, and drove off. While being forced through tests at their facility, Vander once heard the name 'Sliver', but that's about it for info. They definitely had some weird-looking technology lying around; it didn't look like it had been made by humans, for sure, and based on what it did to him, probably wasn't meant for use on humans either.
2. How did you escape them?
Whatever weird experiment those guys did on Vander, it worked really well. Well enough that the sedatives didn't work well anymore, and he came to in some kind of scanning machine... which wasn't nearly durable enough to withstand his suddenly enhanced strength. In a haze of adrenaline, he tore through his bindings, smashed his way out of the lab, and charged blindly through the halls, new, violent instincts taking over as he clawed and bit at his captors, tasted oil and blood, and had just enough presence of mind to keep moving in roughly one direction. Eventually he broke through into a back alley in the city, and bolted, moving much too fast to keep up with... and getting quite lost himself.
3. Who, outside of the team, tries to take care of you now?
TBD
4. Why do you try to be a hero?
Well hey, if you're going to end up with a bunch of strange (and dangerous) powers, and are simultaneously saddled with a bottomless appetite and a taste for petroleum products, where else are you going to go? It'd also be really nice to have some backup and public support if those creepy guys come around again.
He also is actually a pretty decent person, most of the time, and has some strong protective tendencies towards anyone he actually cares about. When he's not angry. Or really hungry, which makes him angry. And even when he's angry, people tend to react better if he takes it out in some super-fight than venting it in some more dangerous manner.
5. Why do you care about the team?
TBD
___________________
Relationships
To be determined
___________________
___________________
*Any Other Abilites Unique to your Playbook
___________________
Bull Moves
Thick and Thin Skinned, In a China Shop
___________________
The Bull's Heart
You always have exactly one love and one rival. You can change your love or rival at any time; give the new subject of your affections or disdain Influence over you. Take +1 ongoing to any action that impresses your love or frustrates your rival.
Love: TBD
Rival: TBD
And yes, good luck on finals! And don't stress out too much!
DM Default |
Thanks for the wait folks!
After careful consideration and taking some input from the team, I've decided on recruiting the two following characters:
Apex
Flux
Thanks for applying everyone, and for those not selected I still hope to see you around the boards. The two new players, please go ahead and post in the discussion thread.