In Neptune's Realm - Chargen and Recruitment, Cyberpirates: create characters here! Options Track this topic Email this topic Print this topic Download this topic Subscribe to this forum Display Modes Outline Switch to: Standard Switch to: Linear+

[Penta]

Okay, some chargen guidelines for this campaign.

Generally

You'll note I've brought up a few of these issues before. Some are new-ish, basically they came to me in the shower.

For ease of use, I greatly prefer the default BP system. 400-420 BP. (Essentially, you have 400 BP - below that, I'll stare at you for not spending the full allotment. After 400 BP, you get 20 BP of slack - where, if you need the BP for your character concept, you can have it. In short, I won't squawk about the amount of BP spent so long as it falls within that window.)

I would be willing to allow the karmagen system, as amended by SR4A's changes to karma, but have no idea how to figure out a similar value.

Anyhow, I look much more at what comes out than how it is arrived at, so far as sheets go.

Whichever method you use, please use DamienKnight's XLS chargen or some other automatic chargen system. You *can* do it by hand, but it makes life tons easier on all of us if I can just glance at the sheet and know the math's been done automatically.

So far as Metatypes go: I'm going to look very carefully at trolls and dwarves. Humans, Orks, and Elves are much better sized for this campaign.

Technomancers: I waffled over this one. I want to allow them, but don't see how I can mesh it with my view of what a satlink is. To be clearer: The way I view a Satlink, it's a hard-line option. It connects the central node of a ship's computer systems to a satellite uplink - said systems are generally not wireless. Meaning there's no wifi mesh for the TM, and they'd (depdning on who you talk to) be constantly edgy or possibly even curled up in a ball. Not really a good situation.

Additionally:

The group is getting a 500k nuyen no-interest loan from your employer. This will pay for the ship, any modifications to it, and any other gear you may desire to have owned in common. You don't have to spend it all, but you'll be paying back 500k in any case. Anything over 500k to the common account? Gets tacked on to your loan.

Lifestyles will play a funky role here. While you're on the ship, you'll live at basically a middle lifestyle - however, you don't need to put that down on the sheet. Lifetsyle here would describe your lifestyle "back home". You can choose to not buy one and just live on the ship, in which case you use 2d6 x 100 to determine starting nuyen.

I strongly recommend determining roles - we used a system in Blood in the Water that worked admirably, but could use some simplification. I'll work on it, and post what I come up with as suggestions in another post.

I'm almost certain I've left stuff out - bring it up if there is.

Oh, there is:

Master

Every ship must have a master. Someone legally responsible for the ship to the world's coast guards, navies, port authorities, etc. This is not necessarily the commander, though it can be and often is.

The Master's License has specific requirements:

SIN (Real, or a fake of at least rating 4)

Skills:

Maritime Law 2
Pilot Water Craft 2
English at least 4
Swimming 2
Navigation 3

Required skills for all characters

Swimming should be at least 1 - if you want to use a Skill Group to get swimming, that's fine. But not being able to swim is a no-go. This is a nautical campaign, not knowing how to swim is...stupid.

Nautical Mechanic at least 1 - When the ship gets broken, everybody's gotta pitch in to fix it.

Everybody gets a free common contact of Kevin Roberts, a fixer. Loyalty 2, Connections 4.

Thoughts on Runners Companion Stuff:

1. You all get the Common Sense quality for free, no need to even mention it on your sheet. I would be doing that anyway, I'm a sucker for such things.

2. The Erased quality is incompatible with being the Master of the ship - almost by definition, since you need a SIN.

3. Nobody may take the Born Rich, Made Man, Print Removal, or Day Job qualities...Illiterate or Mental Handicap is also a poor idea to say the least.

Essentially, try to think ahead when picking qualities - you've already been cleared by your employer for sea duty - this tends to preclude various qualities.

4. As stated above, no Drakes, Infected, or Shapeshifters. SURGE will require really good writing to get over the cheese factor of many of the effects. Metavariants I will look at more closely than their "base", given their rarity.

5. I'll allow advanced contacts - advanced lifestyles, though, are not applicable to this campaign.

About the Records on File flaw:

Records on File, to me, does not necessarily mean you have derogatory records against you on file. It means that at some point, your real identity went through a security clearance investigation (including the required investigation to enter virtually any first-world military), some kind of reasonably-thorough background check, etc. It also includes, say, service jackets.

I really see this applying if you're formerly attached to a military, particularly if you're formerly-attached to any variety of special operations force (or have been an officer or officer-candidate); They keep tabs on you in a general sense, so they know where to send notices in case of recall (which usually means wartime, to be honest).

I make a note of who the records would be held by. Especially after the Crash of 2029, I don't see records being kept solely in digital form. Governments, militaries in particular, are too conservative for otherwise to be true (and for the CAS and UCAS (taking a leaf from their predecessor states), records storage is governed by extensive regulations basically mandating that the truly important digital files also get kept on paper where it is at all possible, or in copies in off-Matrix storage where it isn't. (This is based on RL government recordkeeping practices, which are scary in their detail and redundancy when applied properly.)).

Fret not: They are unlikely to share their records to any great degree. To pry a service record from the military for example, even a DD214, without the consent of the person being recorded is hard even when you're on the same team. Lord help you if you're another country (or a corp).
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That said, before we begin chargen, I'm also looking to find an AGM, precisely to cover for any weaknesses I may display in my rules-handling. The AGM is totally allowed (and encouraged) to have a PC - I'll hash out the specifics with the specific person after I pick them, then let everybody else know where the dividing line is, but generally I see the AGM as helping me figure out the crunch, so I can focus on the story.

PM me to inquire.(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
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Also, some basic processes for how chargen will work.

When you're done with your background and sheet (or at least one of the two), PM me. If by chance you're new and can't PM, post. I'll then PM my email address (since there's really no other way to easily send a file that I know of), and you can email the sheet (or the background, or both). We'll then begin the process, really a negotiation, of the sheet and the background until we're both happy to it. (I admit it: I'm a perfectionist, and rare is the packet that goes without some comment from me on how it could be made better. It can happen, but rarely does. I promise, I try to make it a constructive experience - more suggestions on how to do what you want better, only occasionally do I look at a sheet or background and go "this can't work at all".) After we're both satisfied, I'll ask you to post the sheet and bio to the chargen thread, just to get commentary on everything from the other players. I've found it invaluable in catching flaws in the sheet or bio, and like to encourage open, constructive critiques.

I'd first like everybody to nail down their role in the crew and their basic concept, though, then start working on the sheet and bio.

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For the record, I haven't settled on the exact starting date of the campaign. (I need to figure out when the heck the canon timeline is at, first) My instinct is to set it at the end of 2072 or the first months of 2073. For Chargen purposes, let's say the start date is 1 October, 2072.