Gaming Outpost Discussions

1. 

   M. J. Young
   Moderator

   I might be done before dawn. I have John II (whose thread title I reallly want to change, because it is called "Kyler", and Kyler is not the player), Adam, Graeme, and John I.

   Not much to do with John II, but there's enough to keep things going.

   By choosing the specific target of the man's leg, Adam reduces his chance to hit, but also reduces his potential damage--and since he wants this guy alive (something I'm not sure he can get, but we'll see how it goes) this is a good choice. If I make the leg 36x6, roughly, that's 216 square inches, -12 for size. The gun is base dangerous, he uses it as a tech weapon +DC+10 for 3@10 SAL, +DC for 2@3 RSV, 2@2 BRA, 2x12@ bias, no range mod, 97% chance to hit, his target has a 2@2 TV and a -10 Def SM, using muscle blocking on a successful roll of 55 for -10 more, but he can't use his missile evasion unless he is moving or sees the attack coming, so that reduces Adam's shot to 55%, and the roll is 63. That reveals Adam's position.

   Graeme is overlooking his linguistic obstacles.

   John I is making his exit, I think.

   --M. J. Young

   Thu Oct 25 2007 7:48 am #
2. 

   JohnA1nut
   Member

   Yeah, I wish I could change the thread title too. I put that down because Kyler was the referee at the time. If you have the power to change it, feel free to do so. Just email me the new title so I can find it.

   Thu Oct 25 2007 7:58 am #
3. 

   M. J. Young
   Moderator

   I still have game threads to cover here--Ed, John II, Adam, and Graeme--and suddenly my Internet access is getting buggy, not connecting to Gaming Outpost. I'm going to keep going, though, because usually it clears up eventually--and if it does not, I can save all the posts and reboot.

   Ed needs a GE roll on finding a hotel.  He's going to need a good one, because even though there are hotels scattered all over the city, a lot of them are going to be in trouble. 17 is a neutral roll.

   John II rolls 44 on a TK pulse attempt, 2@2 BRA, the bias of the world is flatlined, and 1@9 SAL comes to 41, a near failure. The second roll is 96, which is a botch. A 2d10+10 GE roll comes to 15, which is favorable under the circumstances. He rolls 30 on Wilderness Survival, so we'll give him 1@1 Survival: Temperate Forest, T0@1.

   Adam really is not getting the breaks at the moment--he rolls 98 on his 2@2 Flashing Steel B7@1 fast draw katana skill, although it might not botch: +20 offensive sit-mod in the current style, 2x10@ bias, 2@7 BRA, 89% chance of success. It only means that the other guy will connect first. He rolls 57 on a leaping kick, 2x7@ bias, 2@6 BRA, 2@6 MSV, 3@8 SAL, +20 style bonus=124, minus Adam's defenses which do not include his armor but do include 2@1 TV, and a bonus if his muscle blocking skill works, 03 says yes for -10, but that 57 is going to hit. The damage is base dangerous +DC for style +DC for MSV +DC+8 for SAL which converts to +18, a fatal roll with an effective 75 on the dice, comes to 38 intensities, but Adam divides by 2 for his 2@2 damage value, 19.

   Ah, my posts are finally going through.

   Graeme rolls 00 on the anti-fatigue skill. Before I do a botch table, I'd better check--some of his spells are so heavily bonused they are nearly botch-proof. No, it's a 1@8 SAL with a +15 SM in a 7@ bias world with his 2@2 BRA, 69% chance of success is pretty good, but not good enough to prevent a botch here. It's a pretty low skill, though, so most of the botches will be small:

   1. Reverse effect: Graeme becomes incredibly weary
   2. Misfire: Pixie is greatly invigorated and becoming hyper.
   3. Unexpected result: momentary image of significance.
   4. Unexpected result: gate in sprite.
   5. Unexpected result: gate in imp.

   It's a short list, but I can roll against it: 1, well, not surprising I suppose.

   I think I'm done there.

   --M. J. Young

   Fri Oct 26 2007 5:31 am #
4. 

   Jhiaxus
   Member

   Why does my armor not count? I've read the description of leaping kick, and it says nothing about bypassing armor, and also part of my armor is based on the federation rubber armor, made to absorb impacts. Also my TV is 2@4 not 2@1, I made month by month updates on the old site after training, it seems they didn't make it to your master sheet with me. By my math by 42 or so points of armor + my 2@4 TV, plus -10 for Muscle Blocking, means that 124 - 42 - 24 - 10 = His target number of 48, which misses, and he falls causing himself annoying damage.

   Adam

   Fri Oct 26 2007 10:18 am #
5. 

   JohnA1nut
   Member

   2D10+10 GE roll? Is that one of those modified GE rolls you were talking about, where one die is stuck at 10? So I rolled a 5 on the other two dice? Is that how that works? Just so I'm clear on it.

   Fri Oct 26 2007 12:33 pm #
6. 

   Blue Canary
   Member

   2D10+10 GE roll? Is that one of those modified GE rolls you were talking about, where one die is stuck at 10? So I rolled a 5 on the other two dice? Is that how that works? Just so I'm clear on it.

   Yes, yes, yes.

   Fri Oct 26 2007 4:27 pm #
7. 

   M. J. Young
   Moderator

   I've got John II, Adam, Graeme, John I, and Ryan in play.

   John II does not need a GE roll on the tent; a blacksmith would have no use for such a thing, and so would not own one.

   I am apologizing to Adam; I even considered his armor (I should have mentioned it in my mechanics post) and assumed he was not wearing it. We'll redo that sequence.

   I'll mention that this is not at all uncommon in Multiverser. For example, it is entirely possible for the referee to roll some dice and tell the player, "You are surprised as a ninja bursts from behind the door and attacks you with his katana," and have the player respond, "I have an always active P11@1 Precognitive Danger Sense which should be rolled to determine whether I knew it was about to happen," then have the referee permit the player to roll it, and say, "You made that roll, and so a moment before the ninja jumps out from behind the door your danger sense alerts you, you draw your katana and put your attention on overdrive; roll initiative against the ninja for who gets the first attack." That's just one example; rolling back the film and playing it the other way is a normal procedure. It would not have been done in this case at the table, because at some point I would have observed aloud that Adam did not have his armor (I don't think he'd mentioned it thus far in the encounter) and he would have said that he did, and we would have resolved the matter before making the roll.

   Graeme awakens again, and turns his attention to his language potion before he forgets what he knows.

   John I is headed for a life pod, but has never used one; I need a GE roll for whether George is going to (on the one hand) ask if he needs help with it or (on the other hand) vanish into his own so fast John can't ask him anything, but a 6 is so favorable that the usually helpful George will be even more so.

   Ryan wants to return to the routine, but that means returning to the humans. He's got an 18 GE roll--it could have been a lot worse.

   That's not so bad.

   --M. J. Young

   Sat Oct 27 2007 4:49 am #
8. 

   M. J. Young
   Moderator

   There were a lot of active threads tonight, but only three games--Ed and Eric, John II, and Adam.

   I'm looking at a 19 GE for Ed's search for a hotel and food. That's not good, but it should yield something.

   John II spends a day working.

   I am persuaded by Adam's argument that he is wearing his armor; that means -48 on that flying kick, which, as he says, misses: 124-2@1-10=48=45, and the 57 misses. Adam rolls 98 on his attack, which if it hits will be devastating. He has a 2@7 BRA, 2@4 MSV, 2x10@ bias, +20 for style, 3@10 SAL, 131 against the defenses, 2@2 TV and -10 for style, which means a 99 would hit.

   I know Adam wanted to catch this guy and question him, but we can't always get what we want. It's not over yet, though. I'm sure Adam has ideas.

   --M. J. Young

   Mon Oct 29 2007 3:31 am #
9. 

   M. J. Young
   Moderator

   I'm sandwiched between Johns--John II starting us, with Adam, Shawn, and Graeme playing before John I ends the night.

   John II gets some questions answered.

   Adam gets a 25 GE roll on searching the body. That's too bad--I was thinking of all sorts of ways of giving him information through what he finds. It's not going to be nothing at all, but there isn't going to be credit cards, identifying jewelry, or any of that stuff.

   We'll move Shawn to the point where he can start the next day or finish the same night, as he prefers.

   Graeme is attempting to pull together two of his language potion spells. He gets a 13 barely good enough GE roll, which is, well, barely good enough--but that's good enough, barely. His rolls are 50 and 76; he's got a -7 sit-mod in the spell, 2x7@ for the world bias, and 2@2 mag bias, with a 1@2 SAL. That's not good news, as it's 14+22=36+12=48-7=41% chance of success, and neither of these will work--but he won't know it until he quaffs them.

   Ah, well--that's how it goes sometimes.

   I almost forgot John I. Well, it's tired and I'm late, or something like that. He will get launched.

   --M. J. Young

   Tue Oct 30 2007 5:03 am #
10. 

    Pharaoh
    Member

    NMVM. Thanks.

    Tue Oct 30 2007 5:11 am #
11. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    It appears that we again open with John II, have Adam and Shawn in play, and again close with John I.

    I need to figure out what the blacksmith thinks of John's idea of making a crossbow. I know what I think, but that shouldn't be completely determinative--only influential. A 16 GE roll puts it pretty much where I think.

    I'm piecing together what Adam is saying. At first I thought he meant Geneice was to crack the code on the phone while he drove the motorcycle back to Panama City, and couldn't figure out whether he meant that she would stay behind or that she would be trying to crack the security on the cell phone while riding on the back of the motorcycle; but I got it--she's to do the security work while he packs up the room. This is going to have a -10 penalty for difficulty, and I'll subtract her success roll in minutes from ninety. Her chance of success is 3@10 SAL+2x11@ bias+2@3SAL=85%, minus the penalty is 75%, and the roll is 43, so it takes her 90-43=47 minutes to crack it. It won't take him that long to pack. I don't know that he wants to wait that long, so I'll tell him in increments that she's working on it and let him decide whether to interrupt her.

    Shawn is on his relaxed visit to Moscow, and the introduction of the non-Faberge egg invites us to see all the real ones.

    John I surprises me, thinking of the scriff sense as a way to determine whether his two associates are still alive. That's good thinking, and requires nothing from me but a GE roll--after all, they could have died (which I think highly unlikely) or still be on the dead ship, and it is possible that they are far enough from him and close enough to each other that he has only one vector for the two. He's not going to like a 25 GE roll; but there's not much it can tell him. Step two was to attempt to contact them telepathically, 77, 49, he might have reached Bob--I crunched those numbers a few days ago, I think, but I don't see it so I'll do it again. Bob is humanoid, John has 2x7@ bias, 2@3 SAL, 1@1 SAL on humanoids, makes 48. Hey, they say suspense is good.

    I'm suspending my presence here for the day, though; Lord willing, I will be back tomorrow. I should warn everyone, however, that the efforts to solve the transportation problems in time for Ubercon might mean that I vanish without warning. Of course, complete failure to solve them might mean that I don't leave at all.

    --M. J. Young

    Wed Oct 31 2007 12:51 am #
12. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    If my eyes are functioning properly, I have John II, Adam, Graeme, and John I in play.

    I should mention here that there is no guarantee that I will be here again before Tuesday. It is my hope that I will be able to squeeze my work in tomorrow, but I have to find a way to Long Island to pick up a car; I also hope that I will be able to get work done Friday before I leave for the convention (I'm saying it's 90% that I will be going to the convention), but there is no certainty of that, either; I hope to be back Sunday evening in time to do my Sunday work, but it might be too late. In fact, it is possible that I will be so backed up and overwhelmed that I will not have time Monday to do anything--but we will have to see how things go between now and then. Do not panic; my absence to some degree suggests things are going well.

    It seems to me on the one hand that carpenters, as such, are not as common or in demand in this society as blacksmiths--after all, you can hire a carpenter wherever you are, but you need a blacksmith wherever your horse throws a shoe. On the other hand, there would be wagoners, furniture makers, shipwrights (well, not here), and other tradesmen who would be carpenters, and would probably be able to pick up a bit of extra work doing such odd jobs. 19 is not an entirely favorable roll, but it's not that far off center, so we'll have something.

    For Adam, we're starting to get somewhere.

    The rolls I made on Graeme's spells come to fruition now as he attempts to complete them. As he says, the show is mostly for the eyes. It's very brutal, and probably tells something about Roman culture even in that age.

    John I is going to attempt to use his telekinetic pulse to disrupt the fighters in such a way that they might collide with each other. That requires timing, as they are not flying in formation so he has to do it when they are getting close to each other; and he is limited by the fact that he cannot see them for most of the minute because of the rotation of his capsule. We'll give him first a GE roll to see if he gets what looks like a good shot, then a roll on the TK pulse, and use relative success to see if it does what he hopes. 16 does not get him what he wants, so we'll delay to see what his next plans are.

    If I've read aright, that's everyone tonight. As I say, I might see you tomorrow, but I might not.

    --M. J. Young

    Wed Oct 31 2007 10:35 pm #
13. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    I hope you're not here tomorrow. I know you could use the $$$$$$.

    Thu Nov 1 2007 1:27 am #
14. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    I am in the midst of organizing transportation for tomorrow (and still have to organize housing, but we're working on it), and I've come to a moment of stillness before I depart to pick up a car, so I'm trying to get something done. That something will begin with Ed and Eric, then John II, Adam, Shawn, and John I, although odds are that I won't get far at all.

    I should mention for those planning to play at Ubercon: do not answer tonight's post, as I probably will not see your answer before the convention and if I do you won't have time to see my response. I will be printing recent posts, and I will have John's and Kyler's character papers (Adam has a more accurate and easier to use copy than I could bring), but you are responsible to know what's happening with your character.

    Ed goes for hot dogs and asks about the hotel; I've already decided about both from a previous GE roll.

    John II needs a GE roll for whether the carpenter will do the job; 18 suggests that it's going to be a bit more than John expects.

    I'll get Adam a bit of information, but then I have to put a temporary hold on his thread.

    Shawn gets a strong 9 GE roll on theatre or drama, so I dig into my recollections of Russian arts and come up with Tchaikowski and Ibsen. I quick Google later tells me Ibsen is actually Norwegian, but I've got the right period, so I'll pull a famous play and a famous ballet.

    John I's adventure is almost over, but we'll give him a few more minutes.

    I am pleased with this accomplishment; I do not expect to be able to post again tomorrow, as mentioned, but you can never be certain.

    --M. J. Young

    Thu Nov 1 2007 7:29 pm #
15. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    I thought an 18 meant that it was what the referee thought was most likely. Why would what you think to be most likely not be what I expect? I would have thought a retired carpenter might work a bit more cheaply.

    Thu Nov 1 2007 8:02 pm #
16. 

    Tadeusz
    Member

    John,

    If your expectations do not match the local reality. And I think its like 15-16 is the middle. 18 is slightly bad. So he's justified in giving you slightly worse than what he would expect.

    Your expectations do not really enter into it. Your desires do.

    Eric

    Thu Nov 1 2007 8:49 pm #
17. 

    WilliamTWodium
    Member

    Well, as the referee and world designer, he knows more about the scenario. Your expectations are based on incomplete knowledge of the situation. In this case, you expect something which he, based on information you don't have, knows to be unlikely. Player expectations are wrong more often than they're right; the description for a 9 GE roll is "as good as expected."

    Perhaps he retired because he's old and tired, and it will take a lot of money to get him to bother doing work. If he already has enough saved up to live on, working for ordinary wages is more trouble than it's worth; if he wanted to do that, he wouldn't have retired.

    Thu Nov 1 2007 8:54 pm #
18. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    Eric,

    I think you're somewhat wrong here. On a scale of 3-30, there are 28 variables, not 30. A 17 or 18 would be in the middle of that. A 15 or 16 would be slightly good. The thing with it here is that someone who is retired wouldn't charge full price, as they are doing the work for extra cash, not to live. That's also why it would take a week, instead of a few days. More time, so less charged. At least that how I see it. Maybe MJ can explain that when he comes back. I'm just trying to learn this (which is the point) for when I get into forum play.

    John "A1nut"

    Thu Nov 1 2007 8:57 pm #
19. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    Scott, once again, your explanations make perfect sense. You should become a teacher.

    Thu Nov 1 2007 8:59 pm #
20. 

    Tadeusz
    Member

    15.....Not unfavorable result
    16.....Neutral Result or no effect
    17.....Neutral Result or no effect (again)
    18.....Not favorable result

    Thu Nov 1 2007 9:28 pm #
21. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    So we were both wrong. OK, I see the confusion now.

    Thu Nov 1 2007 9:35 pm #
22. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    I need to welcome aboard Max Saltonstall, who as newest player is first in line; he joined us at Ubercon IX this past weekend, and is the first (and only so far) to find his way to the forum. I intended to create a new sticky thread entitled Yes, You Can Play, But...., but I don't think I'll get to it today. Ed follows, then John II, then Graeme, then John I, and I hope that my bleary eyes and bushed brain haven't missed anyone.

    I see a stack of questions and answers in this thread. I think it's been covered; 16/17 is the center point of the General Effects Roll (count it out if you're having trouble with it, but it's (28/2)+2 to hit the center, and because it's an even number the center is between to results). The 18 GE roll means that the outcome is slightly negative, so I had to come up with a slightly negative outcome.

    As mentioned, Max started over the weekend; I'm going to have to get his character sheet from him, and a summary of convention play, but I'm still going to answer his questions. It is not revealing anything to say that he is in Starship Destiny.

    Ed is on the move. He's getting a hotel room and I can smell smoke, so I know he's thinking.

    John II moves forward a bit, as we begin to accelerate his time here.

    Graeme is going to make another language potion spell; 72 I know is a failed roll without checking.

    John I is trying something, but either I don't understand his description of it or he doesn't realize his mistake. Either way, we'll clarify it.

    --M. J. Young

    Tue Nov 6 2007 3:26 am #
23. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    Barely had I introduced a new player to the forum when another new player appeared--although in fairness, Al was here maybe a year ago, and although I have no idea how to find his thread, I still have his character sheet on my spreadsheet (albeit, buried on a page of inactive characters). Thus he will be first, then Max, Ed with Eric, John II, Graeme, and John I.

    Once Al updates us on his adventures, we'll continue his story.

    Max has his paperwork in order, so with a few comments we're ready to go.

    Ed actually is not here, but Eric has posted and handed him a gun, so he's involved.

    John II moves ahead through a week of work, and now has the piece he needs for his project.

    Graeme attends his meeting; I suspect that someone will have a translation skill, but I'll see what he does first before working out who.

    John I is puzzling over how to use his powers to accomplish something seemingly simple but vexing in its complexities. A GE 11, though, says he gets what he really wants--his wife is back aboard.

    Very interesting. I will see all tomorrow.

    --M. J. Young

    Wed Nov 7 2007 12:24 am #
24. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    We start again with Al, then Max, John II, Graeme, and John I.

    I'll start moving Al forward while at the same time filling in the blanks behind us.

    Max rolls 33 on learning to use the MK-12 Kinetic Blaster, which gives him a 1@1 Use Kinetic Blaster T11@1 skill. No one has ever asked whether Torbin plays games, but even if they had I'd probably have relied on a general effects roll anyway--in this case, 26 is pretty bad.

    For John II, I tend to think that making a crossbow is a distinct skill from blacksmithing/metalworking; indeed, it involves a T4@3 Rachet System, in the standard design--but I'd better check.

    I'm already pretty sure that there's someone who can translate for Graeme; I just have to figure out who it is. A GE of 21 is bad enough, though, so we've got a complication.

    John I is not going to get back to the routine just yet. After all, after a pirate raid, there's some heavy drinking to do--no, that's not what they're going to do, but they are going to put their treasure to use right away.

    --M. J. Young

    Thu Nov 8 2007 5:36 am #
25. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    RE: The crossbow. You're thinking of one particular design of crossbow, but there are many different designs. I described the design I want to make, and it does not use a ratcheting system. It would be more difficult to pull the string back, but at the same time faster by my design. I used to have a toy crossbow that used the design I reference in my game.

    Thu Nov 8 2007 5:55 am #
26. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    I have Al, John II, Shawn, and John I today.

    Al is going to practice a professional level skill in gathering force energy; I guess I should ask how he practices this, and several other things.

    He wants to learn to use telepathy; since he has the example of their contact telepathy, I'll permit him a bonus for adapting that to non-contact telepathy. I'm giving them humanoid minds, though, so he has to learn telepathy to humanoids for it to work. He has a 6@3 psi bias and a 2@1 psi BRA, 84 plus the example which will be 2@2, -5 because it's contact telepathy rather than direct, 101, minus the bias of the target skill, P1@5 telepathy to humanoids, 86% chance of success, and he rolls 12, and easy though weak success, 1@1 Telepathy to Humanoids P1@5 (Ul-mor)--the last a notation to indicate that he has some familiarity with the Ul-mor mind, and if he uses it to contact another type of humanoid mind it will be a new use.

    The crossbow John II describes does not use a ratchet system, but a simpler lever and latch system, a 3@1 design. Thus the 5@3 hard metals skills are the ones that matter to building, but the 3@1 simple lever skill is what matters to design. 19 means he easily gains a 1@1 Design lever & latch crossbow T3@1, and the building falls into his blacksmithing skill, a roll of 39, but we've got a glitch. He wants there to be a special metal; he describes mithril, although he apparently doesn't know that name (a sci-fi, not fantasy, fan). 17 is right in the middle, but since this is a fairytale world, the existence of mithril seems reasonably likely. On the other hand, it will be hard to find, expensive to get, and not easy to mold and form (which is why so few humans ever used it in the stories). I would have to assess a -10 penalty on his chance of success with it, but he's got a bonus because he's working with the blacksmith. We'll see his decision on what to do about the metal before we give him a conclusive outcome.

    He's also hoping that waterwheels have not been invented. I find this unlikely in the milieu, particularly as Kyler has described the place as having abundant waterways (suggesting that water power would have been noticed) and I have put mountains around it on several sides (reducing the likelihood of windmills being used); however, since it's not really stated and he's expressed his hope, I'll give him the benefit of a GE roll, with the caveat that it has to favor him decisively for that to be the case: 17 is not that roll.

    I'm sending Shawn home to Ruritania, but increasing the tension between him and Germany; I'm still contemplating a situation there, but probably won't have to decide for a couple more posts.

    As John I moves back into the routine, I'm going to attempt to learn more about the routine.

    --M. J. Young

    Thu Nov 8 2007 9:35 pm #
27. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    Correct me if I am wrong, but this is an @1 design crossbow, as opposed to an @3 design. So the crossbow I'm building will still work in a flatline tech bias, where the other crossbow wouldn't? That's exactly what I was hoping for when I described the design.

    Thu Nov 8 2007 10:18 pm #
28. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    Actually, it means specifically that you can design such a device in a flatlined world. That usually also means that it can be built and used in such a world, and in this case it does.

    Al, Max, Ed, John II--all relatively new people--Graeme, and John I--some of the long-timers--are tonight's players.

    Al is doing a number of things that are pretty smoothly integrated, but his attempt to learn the Ul-mor language will require a roll: 23 is a good roll for learning a language, and he now has a 1@1 rudimentary grasp of it, Ul-mor Language P0@0.

    Max has a couple of things that need rolls. No one ever asked for a PDA or Smart Phone in this scenario before, so it will take a GE roll to figure out what they have on that line: 7 is the sort of roll that makes other players jealous--"better than expected"--so here goes. The rest I know from the scenario.

    I'll move Ed forward to evening and make a few decisions about the situation; I think his hotelier is going to be the sort who wants to please, and particularly when he has only one customer.

    With a roll of 08, John II adds 1@1 Build latch & lever crossbow T3@1 to his skills.

    Graeme is testing my linguistic legerdemain, tossing some French at me. Je parle un tres petit peux de francais, but I think I got the gist of it. He wants to know whether the priestess can endow him with the ability to speak Latin, and whether she can arrange a meeting with the Emperor. Of course, if the priestess could endow him with the ability to speak Latin, they probably would not have sought a translator; on the other hand, it's entirely possible (within the curve and the level) that she would have such an ability, and she is a high priestess. It wouldn't be the conference of a new skill so much as a magical interpretation ability. Ah, but a 24 GE roll does not cover that. The other task is to persuade her to help him meet the emperor. In such situations, Graeme tends to rely on his animal magnetism more than his persuasion or charisma, but a simple check of 28 is a bit high even for his 2@2 attribute--it's probably the language barrier.

    I'm getting a bit more of a feel for how John I spends his time between missions. I'll start another mission in a bit, but I want to have the down time feel like down time.

    Speaking of downtime, I'm getting close to a bit of my own.

    --M. J. Young

    Sat Nov 10 2007 6:54 am #
29. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    Max is on the front of the line again tonight. Someone has posted on Ed's thread, and John II is present. If there's anyone else, I missed him.

    Max wants to know if there are simulators or trainers in Torbin; my inclination is no, but it's not a strong enough inclination not to roll, so the GE roll says 19, which agrees with me. On the other hand, a 19 GE on whether any of those people would care to learn karate by practicing with him says one of them is interested, somewhat. That would be George--the jack of all trades got that way by being interested in learning new things, of course. I don't remember whether anyone has ever asked about intelligent non-human species before, but a GE of 25 says no, I think. The innoculations are a fairly straightforward thing which will bonus his resistance one intensity, to 1@6. That might increase his damage value, but since I've not calculated that yet I don't have to worry about it.

    Ed and Eric have both posted to that thread, and I'm going to give them a quiet night, as I really don't think there are enough people strong and healthy enough to do otherwise.

    John II wants to make bolts for his crossbow; that requires fletching skills, which I'm sure are outside blacksmithing skills. I'll put the problem to him.

    I'll also put myself on the path to catching up on sleep; I've gotten through this more quickly than anticipated, although it's not really the end of the night yet.

    --M. J. Young

    Mon Nov 12 2007 3:50 am #
30. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    I'm looking at Max, John II, and John I.

    One thing I did not address when Max got his watchputer is whether the wrist device, Federation technology, is compatible with the interfaces on the ship's computer, alien technology. A GE of 16 tells me that it's not directly compatible, but can be made so; the alternative was going to be that Torbin had to recite the data for the watchputer to receive. I've got a bit of an uncertainty in connection with the questions about magic and psionics, and it's got a couple of wrinkles. First, the psi bias is listed as very high in this world, but that doesn't mean the crew of the Destiny has ever encountered anyone who wasn't completely and obviously human in all respects. Thus it's entirely possible that the answer is no, they've never encountered anything unusual. At the other extreme, it's possible that they've encountered aliens, augmented humans, mutants, and other psionically capable beings so frequently they don't consider it unusual, and so again the answer is no, they've never encountered anything unusual. It's only if those powers are moderately rare, encountered occasionally but not expected or anticipated, that he gets the affirmative answer. 21 is bad enough, so he doesn't get the answer he wants either way.

    John II apparently doesn't know as much about arrows as he thinks he does.

    We're still exploring what John I and company do during the downtime between missions. I'll get them on another mission in a bit, but I've got to get the other Starship Destiny scenario started on something first.

    --M. J. Young

    Tue Nov 13 2007 7:11 am #
31. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    Al is still with us, along with Ed and Eric, John II, Graeme, and John I.

    Al gets a 78 on learning to use the spear, which is good enough to start him at 1@2 (given his high tech bias, I'm sure this is a success on a Use Spear T3@1 skill).

    Ed is starting a day, but he's not really done anything with it yet; Eric is also in motion.

    John II: just so you don't think I'm giving you a hard time over nothing, fletching on arrows serves the same function as rifling in guns, and it has to be done right to get the ideal efficiency from it.

    Graeme is a charming individual, and has apparently been sent by the gods, which would definitely bonus his 2@2 animal magnetism to something like 2@7; a simple check is 12+8=20. The dice then disfavor him, though, as the roll on his first language acquisition skill is 89, well above the 1@2 SAL-7SM+2x7@ world bias+2@2 BRA=41% chance of success. 55, 89, 85, all fail. There's a 39 on his effort to learn Latin, which will be an easy success particularly given that he has an instructor; it will take a while to improve it above the 1@1 SAL, but he'll get there.

    John I gets a 13 GE roll, barely good enough, on the interest in his skills; I rolled because in Max's version of this world only George was interested in "primitive combat techniques".

    I think that's the whole team.

    --M. J. Young

    Wed Nov 14 2007 3:11 am #
32. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    John II: just so you don't think I'm giving you a hard time over nothing, fletching on arrows serves the same function as rifling in guns, and it has to be done right to get the ideal efficiency from it.

    Yeah, I know that. I just wish I had gotten a better GE roll on it. Or did you even give me a GE roll on it? Well, you wrote the rules, so you know them better than anyone. If a GE roll was required, I'm sure you made it.

    Wed Nov 14 2007 3:37 am #
33. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    John, a GE roll was not really appropriate here. It's a bit like asking whether to roll to see whether a professional rocket designer is also a famous film actor--the numbers of people to be both are so slim as to be below the need to check. Fletchers are fletchers, usually also bowyers, but carpenters are not fletchers or bowyers. Pastry chefs usually know how to cook other things, but they don't usually also know how to build ovens.

    We've got a new player: Harry is joining us, and I need to sort through his post, figure out who and where he is, and move forward from there. Max, Ed, John II, Adam, Graeme, and John I are also waiting.

    We'll get Harry organized and started, putting his character sheet into my spreadsheet, and asking a couple of questions.

    With a roll of 41 and an SAL of 2@5, Max is going to succeed, slowly, in building this data conversion program. I'm also going to give him one mark for new use, as no matter what he's done before I don't think he's ever built an interfacing program to an alien computer. That's shown on the sheet as "+1", usually at the end of the line defining the skill. Meanwhile, a roll of 69 on creating a few games is strong enough that I'm going to let him create all those first tier games on the basis of that roll.

    I keep thinking that there are aliens out there, but Destiny doesn't deal with them; but that's a bit unrealistic in some ways, particularly as they have an alien ship. There might also be diversity in the human population, now that it is scattered to the stars, and this would confuse the issue. A GE of 26 agrees with me.

    Ed is moving out into what is very like a post-apocalyptic world that just hasn't figured out yet that this is what it is. I'm going to have an interesting time reconstructing things here.

    I seem to recall already saying that there was a fletcher in John II's town, but I'm not sure what I said and he doesn't seem to remember either, so let me give it a GE roll to see what I get: 15 is not unfavorable.

    Adam gives a good summary of events of two live games, and suggests a next step. Before I start thinking about rolling for a Supersoldier Serum, I think I'll throw a couple of questions at him.

    Graeme gets a 22 GE on finding dry chicken leg bones, which means he's not going to find much in the way of trash or druid supply shops. He also gets an 18 GE on reaction at the temple of Mars. I'll roll for the blessing when I see the need; it should be related to valor, and Graeme might just need that.

    John I is advancing the abilities of his team, including himself--but we're not yet sure of the details.

    We are sure that we're running out of time, though, so I'd better move.

    --M. J. Young

    Fri Nov 16 2007 12:24 am #
34. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    MJ, I can roll with you on that a little, but not all the way. If you were to ask how many truck drivers knew how to rewire a radio control car for different batteries, you would probably say "Not many" however, you are talking to one at the moment. Before I went to truck driving school, I took electronics. It's possible that a carpenter also made bows. Perhaps he specialized in them at one time. A chef that could repair an oven? Not hard to imagine. The assistant manager/head cook of my first job could do basic oven repair. How many truck drivers do electronics? Well, I know of one right now. It's not that hard to imagine. A rocket scientist and a famous actor? That I might be able to roll with you on, but Howard Hughes was a director at one time.

    Fri Nov 16 2007 12:48 am #
35. 

    Graham
    Member

    Listen to MJ on this one John: You can stretch it and say that a trucker would be more likely to have comprehension of electronics since they have to deal with electronic couplings and systems, but the leap from "carpenter" to "fletcher" is outside of the bounds of logic. It'd be like saying "He's a trucker, he should know the fundamental principles of engine combustion" or "He's a trucker, he should know how to work sheet metal since that is what makes up his truck." Yes, there could be a trucker who is also an engineer, but the chances are so low in a specific situation it doesn't justify a GE roll.

    Also, remember oven repair is different from oven construction. Just because I can reformat my computer's hard drive and fix viruses doesn't mean I can construct a hard drive or write a virus myself.

    With Howard Hughes, you kind of emphasize MJ's point; What're the chances of you visiting a random city somewhere in the world and running into Howard Hughes (assuming he is alive)? Not big enough to need to calculate.

    Fri Nov 16 2007 3:26 am #
36. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    Yeah Graham, you're right. I was thinking about signing back on and rescinding that actually. Never mind about it MJ. I just felt like arguing, but Graham is right. Sorry.

    Fri Nov 16 2007 3:36 am #
37. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    Yeah, that would probably take a 3 GE roll just to become within the realm of possibility. Not worth rolling for. I'm still trying to learn to play this, so bear with me while I learn to play it.

    Fri Nov 16 2007 3:44 am #
38. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    Ya know, I was gonna ask why there was no roll on whether or not the blacksmith could do the bow on a crossbow. Isn't that Bowers work after all? But then I realized that to the blacksmith, it's just a metal spring. Tech bias, and all of that. If the blacksmith tried to make one out of wood would probably be a roll. That's it right? Just so I understand. I got thinking about what Graham said, and then I started trying to beat it. Then I realized I was probably wrong about that, too. I just want to be sure though, that's the reason there was no roll on if the blacksmith could bow a crossbow?????

    Fri Nov 16 2007 4:02 am #
39. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    On the other hand, the bower could make a spring out of wood, but could not make one out of metal. The spring being the common thing. I think I got it. Is that about right?

    They can both make springs, but not out of the other's material. That's why there's no roll. Gotcha, OK.

    Blacksmith could make metal arrows that were too heavy for anything but point-blank range, but could not make them out of wood. Both can make arrows, but not out of the other. I got it. If it doesn't make any sense to you, don't worry, it makes sense to me. I'm agreeing with Graham. He's right.

    Fri Nov 16 2007 4:07 am #
40. 

    bananapants
    Member

    Since I'm working on more advanced technology than my home world, should I update the Tech level of my computer or first aid skills at all? Doesn't seem as relevant for Cooking though. :)

    Fri Nov 16 2007 6:21 pm #
41. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    Max, your question is answered on your other thread.

    John II, you've pretty much answered your own question; there's a specific detail that you've overlooked, though. This is a feudal medieval society; the way you learn a skill is by apprenticing as a child to a man who knows it, and then you make your living doing it for the few remaining years of your life and hopefully apprentice some child to replace you when you die. You can't be the apprentice of two masters at once, so you can't learn two skill sets; once you know one skill set, you're too old to be apprenticed to another.

    You were very fortunate to find a blacksmith willing to take on someone as old as you, and to some degree you've been fortunate to get others who are willing to share a bit of what they do with you--partly because they thought you were some kind nobleman, and not real competition. In the vast majority of circumstances, if a carpenter asked a fletcher how to make arrows, the fletcher would tell the carpenter that the carpenter doesn't make them, he buys them from the fletcher.

    Let's dig in, with Max, Ed and Eric, John II, Adam, Graeme, and John I.

    Most of what Max is asking is pretty clear in the scenario description, so I'm mostly passing on information; some of it is filling in the blanks with whatever makes sense within the framework of the character. However, whether George knows any sort of sign language needs a roll--and 25 pretty much eliminates that.

    And let's start a mission.

    Ed is moving forward nicely. Eric decides to heal him, and I'm not making all those rolls--Tadeusz is a professional or expert, and in some situations you don't roll professional or expert skills. The roll on the psionic healing (psionics working much better in this world for someone who knows them) is 67, which is an easy and strong success, at a dangerous +DC level of healing coming to 14 intensities of healing.

    John II has a couple things happening, but easily addressed.

    Adam has suggested that we put him in a doctoral studies program in genetic research, and so I'm going with that.

    Graeme, whose linguistic skills in his new language are not terribly good, rolls 36--with a 1@5 BRA and 1@1 SAL in a flatlined bias, 26% is his best shot; on the other hand, this is a really simple thing to try to do, so he's going to get close. He needs a string of rolls on the language potion: 10 works, 36, 79, 26, that's three out of four good ones.

    John I wants to improve skills he already has, so no rolls are needed, but we'll get him moving forward on learning.

    --M. J. Young

    Sat Nov 17 2007 3:31 am #
42. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    Yeah, I see your point there MJ. I'm not trying to argue with you about it, but I did want to make one point. What does a carpenter work with? Answer, wood. What are bows and arrows made from? Answer, wood. I don't think it's that much of a stretch that a skilled carpenter would have learned to make bows and arrows over the years. Likewise, a fletcher would probably be able to do light carpentry, because of his woodworking skills. I don't think those in particular are much of a stretch. However, I do see your point, so I'm not arguing (well, not very hard) just throwing my 2 cents in on the matter.

    Sat Nov 17 2007 4:43 pm #
43. 

    JohnA1nut
    Member

    Again, not arguing (well, not hard) but a blacksmith who had never seen a car could probably build quite a few of the parts for it. A lot of them are just formed pieces of metal. Exhaust systems in particular would be a cinch for a good blacksmith to build. I have a 2 year technical degree in electronics. Circuit boards, TV repair, that kind of thing. The teacher told us that doing house wiring is pretty much the same thing, just larger, but similar, components. The theories and applications of the two would be similar enough. I really and truly see your point here, so don't take this as a serious argument against you. It's just something I was thinking about, and wanted to lay on the proverbial table.

    Sat Nov 17 2007 5:16 pm #
44. 

    M. J. Young
    Moderator

    I'm picking up with Harry, then Max, Ed accompanied by Eric, John II, and finally Adam, who is going into some very intensive training.

    Harry and I are discussing a skill that might prove important here; but we're also moving forward as he explores the ship, and with a 15 GE roll it's going to be a Not Unfavorable Result--but it's still going to be a surprise.

    I'm wondering whether there are lathes aboard for George to use to make the things Max wants, but on a 4 GE roll, that's not going to be a concern. I get a 16 GE on the juggling. His effort to persuade members of the crew to learn Ameslan is a simple attribute check, but 16+12=28, and even his high 2@4 persuasion does not bring them over.

    Ed and Eric are mostly talking about what to do next. It's interesting, because I think Ed is looking for ideas from the senior verser, and Eric is trying to let Ed call the shots and decide what direction to take. I agree, though, that coming to grips with the rampant ecological catastrophe that led to the release of Godzilla is an important step. I think Graeme would have approved.

    John II is doing a lot of things most of which are burning up calendar--which is something he needs to do, so that he can increase his skills and attributes through the regular work with the blacksmith.

    Adam is going to go through the program month by month, and things are going to happen in the outside world during that time--based entirely on GE rolls. October's is 23, Nearly As Bad As Anticipated.

    --M. J. Young

    Mon Nov 19 2007 2:23 am #
45. 

    bananapants
    Member

    Would that 4 GE on the tools (wow!) be enough to let me have some soft materials in addition to the wood so I can make my clubs nice and comfy? All wood works, but is not that nice on your hands.

    Mon Nov 19 2007 4:49 pm #

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