Re: Star Wars: Dawn of Defiance OOC Thread

[Kolson]

Star Wars is the plan, but I've been meaning to put something like this together for a while now. It sucks for most of the players to be available and then not play. That's why we have a backup plan like this in my real life groups.

Also, the reason I'm sticking to my timetable is so we have something in case a last minute thing happens for someone and they aren't available. In other words, I just want something done and mostly ready to go.

Another thing about FATE is that I'm not in full control of the setting. When players are making Aspects for themselves, especially their character's Trouble, they end up telling the GM in no uncertain terms who and what the conflicts are. So I can only do so much before I need your guy's input. That's not to say I don't have any say in the matter but that's why I need us talking about this kind of thing so we can figure out what will make us all happy.

For example, if K made a Wandering Card Shark With a Heart of Gold (his High Concept) who Owes Money to the Landon Gang (his Trouble), he has now made the Landon Gang a part of the setting and I would have to write accordingly.

[K]

A shark with a heart of gold does sound tempting. He protects the innocent and only eats algae and plankton. But only evil plankton. Once in a while he might eat something more substantial, but only if it's evil too.

If there's nothing evil in the area and he's really starving, he'll go into a deep meditation in order to draw life energy from the surrounding water (if it's willing to donate), and sustain himself until something evil appears, or one of the local denizens of the sea starts down the path of the wicked, by which time he'll spring forth in a frenzy and viciously devour the fiend. But he'll go for the vitals first, so as to kill it quick and mercifully. Because he has a heart of gold.

[Kolson]

Lol, what? A literal shark?

I suggest you read this article K.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_sharp

I was using "card shark" in the Rounder sense.

[K]

.....then Higaide wakes up, and wonders if he's been eating the wrong mushrooms again.

[Rory]

Something else worth mentioning: the Nebraska family father and his son, Gofsef, were sentenced to 100 years in prison(possibly for a number of violent crimes). What warrants such a sentence? If "100 years" is supposed to outlast their remaining life, it's not specified.

The Nebraska family father and sons are cyborg humans, so it's up to you whether the longevity of humans was greatly improved(completely plausible), or that the sentence that would only be plausible for us today as "life in prison" was doable for them because they owed their longevity to their cyborg modifications.

So yes to cybernetic enhancements/replacements and cyborgs. Androids...not public, in prototype stages maybe.

[Rory]

Then again, with the aliens thing, there is Zazie from the manga, so who knows? Maybe there was just the one.

[Kolson]

Yeah, maybe. I also had no idea that the Earth was still a thing. Apparently in the manga the Earth Forces join Vash's army to try to save the last of the Seven Cities from Knive's assault. I had no idea things got that bad.

[Zeiss]

*Reads K's post.*

So THAT'S why his post didn't make any sense. Oh well.

[Rory]

What's this about armies? Earth is still habitable? Wow I know next to nothing.

Where I once was proud that I was knowledgeable of what would soon be a new setting, the endarkening truths I learn this day fill me with enough shame to taint the Sunken One thrice over.


...And knowing is half the battle!


I guess spaceships could be a thing, if you wanted to go back to Earth for some reason. Hmm, mineral mining?

I think I have my character figured out, I'll attach the link to a PM(secrets!). I know this isn't going to be some big thing, but I always go overboard, so just bear that in mind. I hope we can find the opportunity in the future to get a proper Gunsmoke campaign going, or some other fictional western, because I would love to give this character a good amount of fun in the sun.

[K]

He'd give your character some, Zeiss, but Fat Elf came by this morning and confiscated them all.

[Kolson]

Whew, what a long battle. Your character lives Zeiss and everyone gets to level up to 3! Also, everyone regains full hp and can use their second wind again.

[Rory]

Also, Dake, you managed to kill C3. Then you flanked C4, the last guy standing near you. It was his turn next, and he tried to move after attacking(and missing), and provoked an oppy from both you and Jim. Jim hit him, and then you rolled a 22, and you did 22 damage, knocking him down to -17(very dead). Nobody died.

K, the very obvious argument about to happen will take place in the Converse thread. Treat it as though Vahrran would have shot the captive even if he wasn't already dead, because that's what would have happened regardless.

Dawn of Defiance
Fools Rush In


The following day, the group spends time preparing for the eventual visit to a temple, with the intent of using a tour as a reason to get close. Vahrran purchases clothing to cover his head and neck, paint for his hands to the forearms, and a cloak to cover his eyes, to avoid standing out in a crowd. Meanwhile, Ominae visits the prime minister to try and learn of anything that might be related to a swelling presence of the Dark Side. To Vahrran's disappointment, Ominae insisted on keeping his promise to the official to refrain from specifying the new information he learned, and took no comfort in his subsequent vow to tell him what he needed to know after it was no longer useful in preparation for the inherent danger the unnamed object of their discussion posed.

During the tour, Ominae sensed that they were being followed. Feeling that this was unacceptable and needed to be dealt with swiftly, Vahrran suggested capturing the man. Upon approaching winding alleyways, the group headed into them to lead their stalker into a trap. They managed to do so successfully, and drag the unconscious body of the spy--a Bothan--into a warehouse where they subdued, with great difficulty, a caretaker droid.

After securing the prisoner, and calming down the Caamasi delegate who was hosting the private tour, Vahrran shared with the others his knowledge of the Bothan spy network, and how almost untouchable they were. He woke the captive and Ominae quickly put him under his mind spell to learn what they could. All they were able to learn was the location of a cantina where he would contact his employer, and the codename "Hydra".

According to Vahrran, this "Hydra" name came up very rarely, owing to disappearances and trace removal, and was associated to "cleanup" operations. Just then, several operatives came crashing through the windows, forcing the group into a fight harrier than any they had previously fought together. During the fight, a loud concussive sound was heard near the position of the diplomat and her bodyguard, the escorts who were transported as part of the smuggling job.

The end of the fight was punctuated with a tactical distraction on Vahrran's part, who approached the Bothan captive and shot him through the head(who, unbeknownst to any besides the nearby Chiss, had died taking a dose of sweet sister sleep). Shocked upon witnessing this, Ominae--after dispatching the last enemy--approached to strongly dispute with Vahrran over the decision he made.

The delegate Aro Hanterim, completely frazzled by very recent events, would very much like to take these crazy people where they need to go immediately and return home, wishing nothing further to do with the inherent danger of their visit.

[Zeiss]

Also, Dake, you managed to kill C3. Then you flanked C4, the last guy standing near you. It was his turn next, and he tried to move after attacking(and missing), and provoked an oppy from both you and Jim. Jim hit him, and then you rolled a 22, and you did 22 damage, knocking him down to -17(very dead). Nobody died.

Even when I'm not there, I manage to do awesome stuff.

I'm sorry that I missed the last part of the battle. Like I said, my colleagues at work were in deep trouble. The guy who was supposed to work in the kitchen for the night shift decided to be stupid and childish, saying he didn't want to do it and just left. So they had to call someone that could replace him and who knew what to do. Even though I already had another shift the same day, I was pretty much the only guy they could call. I haven't slept in 24 hours, but at the very least, I scored some Respect points.

Now, time to level up! What class am I going to choose... hmm...

[Rory]

Well that won't look good on his resume. Cause I can only assume what happened right after that will have him filing for unemployment checks.

I have chosen Long Stride as my new talent.

[Zeiss]

So, I think I will take a level in soldier, take the Light Armor proficiency feat and the Jet Pack training talent.

[Kolson]

@Rory Very nice.

@Zeiss Cool. That's a useful talent.

You guys also get a character feat, which can be any feat you qualify for.

@K Let me know when you get back and we can arrange some time before the next session to level up Ominae together.

[Rory]

Okay...we got to pick a feat at level 2. Now we're picking a feat at level 3. I'm not complaining, but could you please explain that? Does it have something to do with class level vs character level?

I choose Careful Shot.

[Kolson]

Yes, it is Character Level vs. Class Level.

Character Level Feats: All characters get a feat at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th. These feats can be anything the character qualifies for and includes feats that are deemed too powerful to be class bonus feats.

Class Level Feats: The base heroic classes (Jedi, Noble, Scoundrel, Scout, and Soldier) all get bonus feats every even level. These feats are chosen from a limited list, but include many feats that would be useful for someone in their particular class.

Balancing the two can be tricky. One thing you should be asking yourself is if you are willing to wait a level to pick up a feat as a bonus feat instead of using one of your precious character feats on it. We actually use to do whole character building contests around this on the old Star Wars boards over at Wizards of the Coast.

[Rory]

K, if you want the debate between Ominae and Vahrran to take place, you need to get the ball rolling in the Converse thread.

[K]

Sorry i was off comms for longer than i said, guys, but i came back with this stupid summer cold (guess i'm a lucky guy), and between the sore throat and the runny nose, i just haven't been able to get my thoughts in order. I'm getting better now, though, so here i am.

Ah, the moment i dreaded is at hand. Much as i likes building a bigger better Jedi, a certain near-fatal lucky shot by some bothan scoundrel has shown it is indeed only prudent to invest in some survivability, lest i bite the cosmic dust for good before i'm able to carve out my destiny. So yeah, i think i'll be taking a level in Soldier and getting that light armor proficiency, while we got the loot lying around and everything.

Speaking of which, Kolson, do we get some Anime-time in order to collect all the wonderful toys lying around the corpses of our fallen enemies (and have that terrible argument with Vahrran i've been dreading), or is the clock ticking for that as well and we need to decide between to picking it all up, and avoiding the authorities and the Hydra backup units as fast as we can?

As for levelling it up together, considering it's about 11pm here when it's about 7pm over there (going by the session times), i'm guessing i'll be able to fit into whatever timetable works for you, since i don't anticipate being out that late for most of the week.

[Kolson]

Actually, I don't think I'm going to be up to running the game this week. We are having a beloved family pet put to sleep, likely tomorrow. The thought of running a game does not appeal to say the least. I'm still willing to meet up with you and level Ominae though. We can do it at the usual time on Thursday.

You guys can also loot the bodies. Which reminds me I need to get a list together of their gear. Ugh. I think gear is my least favorite thing to do as the GM, lol.

[K]

As someone with two dogs and a cat, i'm really sorry for your situation.

Whenever you're ready, no rush.

[Rory]

In the roleplay thread, Vahrran isn't confused about his own decision, but Ominae's attitude when making an obvious statement. Let me explain.

He was inflecting the end of his statement because he was unsure why Ominae was asking and displaying an aggressive attitude, but then assumed the boy took it personally, and then apologized and explained why he was going to kill him anyway and that it wasn't whimsically tied to the fight. It would surprise him if Ominae objected to killing the spy regardless of the circumstances.

So I'd like it if you could revise your post. In contrast to what your roleplay suggests, Vahrran did know what he was doing, and for what reason.

[K]

Ominae isn't putting on attitude. I very much emphasized how exhausted he is during the whole confrontation.

When Omi first confronted him about it, Vahrran just stated the obvious of what he did and why he did it. Fair enough, but not good enough a reason to unilaterally throw away an asset (not to mention pretty much committing a war crime), for the sake of giving your ally a marginal advantage in a confrontation he already had under control. So Omi emphasized that point ("So you execute a prisoner!?"), and as a response he got what seemed to me like a fake apology loaded with sarcasm (sorry, but i have a very hard time believing that was any kind of sincere), followed by a dismissal as Vahrran turned his attention away from him and to the device.

Now Omi had two choices, either confront him on it (after Vahrran had made his attitude on the matter clear, no less) and go into a drawn-out argument in the middle of compromised territory that could be overrun again at any moment, or turn his attention to more urgent matters that need to be addressed immediately. Now, he is still human (Lorrdian, i know, but that's just human with a few benefits), and it very much stung him that he'd be nigh-mocked and brushed off when confronting Vahrran on a very important matter after they'd just come out of a life-or-death situation in which he himself nearly died - and keep in mind that Vahrran is the guy that had relentlessly bombarded him with intrusive questions about his personal life after it had just been destroyed just a few days earlier; with a frigging notepad, no less. Not to mention actually trying to invalidate his judgement to the point of moving to physically restrain him with a stun baton just the previous night. And now the guy did that is actually brushing him off when it's his turn to answer someone else for his own actions. I was actually ready to just enter "You're giving me attitude, Vahrran?" into the post, and let that speak for itself, but to draw this thing out any longer under the circumstances would be suicidal, so Omi just closed it off as well, but couldn't resist leaving that parting shot, for the sake of his own sanity.

My roleplay suggests nothing of Vahrran, just Ominae's opinion of his actions. What he did and why he did it were clear enough before Vahrran even said anything about it: Distracting the enemy to gain advantage. Ominae knows Vahhran's reasons full well, he just strongly disagrees with them. And when he confronted him on it, all he got from Vahrran was attitude. He didn't get anything on why Vahrran thought it was worth throwing such a valuable asset away for such a fleeting payoff (and he's strictly speaking Vahrran's language here, and leaving the obvious atrocity of the action aside - and trust me, that took a lot of restraint on his part).

That parting shot was spiteful, i admit that. But trust me, it was the very tamest reaction you could have possibly gotten out of him under the circumstances.

And out of character, Rory, you know you could have just said "he was already dead" and ended the discussion before it even started. I was very much hoping you would, actually, because i hate doing this kind of roleplay, especially when it ends up putting me at friction with other players.

Now, if i'm wrong about what i said, do let me know, but i think i've thoroughly explained myself just now.

[Rory]

Fine. Ominae was "being angry". And exhausted. It's possible to do both. Hope that covers semantics. I'm feeling a little let down, considering how close I came to bursting Ominae's bubble when I *didn't* want to. While we're there, I'm surprised he's holding onto the invasiveness of that verbal exchange, like you said it's been days.

Vahrran's response to Ominae was not sarcastic at all. If it was, I wouldn't feel the need to explain his tone in detail. I explained it because when someone misunderstands the overall attitude of a character in roleplay, elaboration of tone becomes essential. What you mistake for "mocking" is instead trivialization borne of misreading offense taken in regards to the object of disgust. The response I chose for Vahrran was meant to convey the following: that Vahrran doesn't know that Ominae objected strongly to executing the prisoner, and he hasn't yet contemplated that the execution of the prisoner in and of itself was the object of Ominae's dispute, or that it would be subject to criticism among present company(save for the Caamasi delegate). Your character is a Lorrdian to boot, that should give me points.

I was predicting that Ominae would continue to express outrage, and in my next reply, that detail would have slipped, because Vahrran didn't factor the spy's premature death into his strategy, and he would only have felt the need to mention it if Ominae continued to express his dispute. Only then, when it seems Ominae still has something to be mad about, will Vahrran make the connection.

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