In Neptune's Realm - OOC thread, Chatter on the high seas Options

[Penta]

Just keeping in practice, Eddie is taking note of what is happening, who said what to who, who sat where, what and how many much each person ate, anything that he can see, smell, hear, taste,...

If Penta wants Eddie to roll Perception, it is best that you do it yourself so I don't know how many hits Eddie gets. Eddie has 16 dice as base without adding in specific gear enhancements.

....16 rolls? At a minimum? Uh.

Roll your own rolls, I trust you all.

[Penta]

Just a quick note that whenever I get up tomorrow morning, or soon thereafter, I'll move the plot along.

[Penta]

GrimWulf, this is me trying to sort out "What Malachi thinks" from reality, because I thought I knew, but am suddenly aware I don't know for sure one way or the other:

Is that true, the whole language thing, so far as you know? I know we quibbled a bit in chargen over whether Rastafarian was a language or a lingo for mechanical purposes, but that's a separate/more objective question from the whole origins and purposes.

Next, for everybody: If your character does not have a way to see and interact with AR (this could be via gear, via DNI/cybereyes, whatever - I just need to be reminded of the fact one way or the other, not necessarily the method), say something to me ASAP? I'm writing up the posts for tonight or tomorrow morning (I'm being dragged out to dinner, so may or may not get the time to finish and post them tonight - if I don't they'll go up tomorrow morning or at worst early afternoon), and it matters for those. If you do, on the other hand, have the means to deal with AR, no need to say anything. Dumori helped me look over the posted sheets and doesn't find anyone lacking (except for Fazzamar's char, but he dropped out), but I want to make sure.

Oh, by the way: I only have quarters stuff from Minchandre that I can find. If you want free stuff, tell me.(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Xahn Borealis]

Oh, by the way: I only have quarters stuff from Minchandre that I can find. If you want free stuff, tell me. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I PMed didn't I? Have you not got it? About the fishing rod?

[Penta]

Doh, okay. That's two people.

[Minchandre]

You guys should do it, it's a lot of fun for not-so-much effort.

[Faraday]

....16 rolls? At a minimum? Uh.

Roll your own rolls, I trust you all.

You mean 16 dice? In case you don't know, rolling large numbers of dice is very easy these days.

[Penta]

If I was reading toturi right, he wanted me to roll multiple perception rolls per other person. There are 16 other people, so at a minimum 16 rolls.

[Minchandre]

If I was reading toturi right, he wanted me to roll multiple perception rolls per other person. There are 16 other people, so at a minimum 16 rolls.

I think he meant roll 16d6 per Perception check.

[Dumori]

yes but there are 16 people and toturi wanted to roll for each.

[Minchandre]

yes but there are 16 people and toturi wanted to roll for each.

I see. Rolling for each character, just to see if he noticed anything off hand. Something like this, and then make an alphabetical list of people or whatever? I'm not sure what exactly I'd put if someone rolled 10 Perception hits for Cherry. It's not like she's trying to hide anything.

[Penta]

Which is sort of my problem for the instructor staff.(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Minchandre]

Which is sort of my problem for the instructor staff.(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

"They are all a bunch of unremarkable Navy personnel. Sure, they have their idiosyncrasies - like Esteban's odd affection for Lombard cheeses, or Grant's Hello Kitty collection - but being in the military doesn't make you a robot."

[Xahn Borealis]

"They are all a bunch of unremarkable Navy personnel. Sure, they have their idiosyncrasies - like Esteban's odd affection for Lombard cheeses, or Grant's Hello Kitty collection - but being in the military doesn't make you a robot."

You can tell all that with a Perception Test?

[Minchandre]

You can tell all that with a Perception Test?

With 10 hits? I'd say so (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

[toturi]

You can tell all that with a Perception Test?

Maybe Esteban smells of Lombard cheese and Grant has barely discernable soft toy fur on the uniform.

Basically all I'm asking is that Penta gives me as much info that he thinks Eddie can get. That's all. The 16 dice part is simply to show that he ought to perceive more than most other people.

With 10 hits? I'd say so

Eddie is likely to only get 4-5 hits on average.

[Minchandre]

Eddie is likely to only get 4-5 hits on average.

In the sample roll I did, there was a 10; also, two 9s. The average was actually 5.75, a little higher than the expect average value of 5.33.

[Penta]

Maybe Esteban smells of Lombard cheese and Grant has barely discernable soft toy fur on the uniform.

Basically all I'm asking is that Penta gives me as much info that he thinks Eddie can get. That's all. The 16 dice part is simply to show that he ought to perceive more than most other people.


Eddie is likely to only get 4-5 hits on average.

Okay, now that you've explained it, I can try to answer it.(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

If I don't mention someone, presume that there's just nothing to remark on.

Walker is constantly being distracted by stuff in his AR view. He does a really good job of hiding it, or his irritation at the constant distractions, but he is both distracted and irritated.

Lynch has the slightest hint of a Jersey accent.

Ramirez has an Aztlaner Spanish accent to his voice. It takes a lot to tell, he's done very well at training his voice so it doesn't show, but it's possible to detect it.

Vaccaro seems as distracted as Walker. Much less annoyed though.

Roberts sounds like a guy who just had a tremendous amount of stress lifted from his shoulders.

[Minchandre]

Here's Cherry's being perceivedness. Most obviously, she keeps unconsciously reaching for her empty shoulder holster. Also, under the Israeli accent, there's a hint of Brooklyn.

[Faraday]

Looks like Roger notes a fair amount of stuff. 6 Hits

People perceiving on Roger will note that he seems a little distracted on occasion, digs into the waffles and syrup more than anyone else, and has a bit of an upstate (New York) accent. The accent is fairly neutral by itself, so it's not very notable.

[Penta]

Is it bad if I state that that post was originally even longer? My fingers aren't hurting, which anazes me.

Anyhow, notes.

(Yes, much of this is taken from BitW. Don't skip it totally, though.)

After breakfast and Walker's briefing/monologue, each of you is taken aside by Roberts, to meet a Petty Officer who's running the computer setup.

You're asked to provide a palmprint and a voice print. Roberts explains that the ship has extensive AR features; some added by the Navy, some from the original ship. Most important while you're new to the ship is the "guidance lights" on the wall - they'll guide you to any specified destination aboard ship, and are activated by voice command specifying the destination location, followed by a palm applied to a nearby pad on the wall. You then follow your assigned color code, which lights up for only your AR view to reduce confusion.

OOCly and ICly, the idea is a direct rip-off of an idea seen in "Ender's Game" for the kids, and being the Ender's Game geek that I am, I'll be assigning color codes accordingly.

The phrase for the voice configuration is "My voice is my passport. I am <name you wish to be known by the ship's computer as. Make sure it's one you'll recognize automatically!>. Verify me." Malachi (or others), if your character garbles it, you're told it has to be repeated exactly - no special grammar, because you're dealing with a computer. Your beliefs, well, the computer is fussy. And it uses your voice for a lot of recognition tasks. (Movie geeks, you win no karma for recognizing where that's from, but if you do without looking it up on the BitW threads or elsewhere, you win a cookie. It's a very shadowrunny movie, to me.)

The color codes, by player name:

Digital Heroin: Orange, gray, orange.
Minichandre: Cyan, cyan, cyan.
Faraday: Blue, red, blue.
Xahn Borealis: Red, purple, gray.
Dumori: Green, green, brown
Toturi: Blue, cyan, white
GrimWulf: Purple, white, purple

And then I'm going to include codes for Edana's character-in-creation, and Grinder's.

Edana: Red, white, red
Grinder: Blue, Green, Gray

These may never come up, but who knows.

There are other features to the ship's computer, but I need to think them up, first. Suggestions welcome by email or PM, or IM. You'll also learn how to navigate the ship without the guidance lights (for emergencies), but I thought this feature up during BitW, and it really does seem logical.

Other than that feature (if anybody protests to giving a palmprint, or voice print, or name...Roberts stares at you and asks why you don't think the UCAS doesn't already have all that info already...And besides, it gets stored in the ship's computer, nowhere else), in-processing is pretty standard. You're measured for and issued uniforms, of a sort - custom-sized fatigues for shipboard wear, including deck shoes, also custom-sized. If there are objections, Chief Ramirez patiently explains why they issue uniforms in the navy - it's not for camoflauge (indeed, they're a solid navy blue), like in the army or marines; it's for sanitation and hygiene reasons, as well as protection. You don't have to wear them, but they cut down significantly on laundry duty and water use. And, oh yes, expenses. He explains that there's a store of extra fabric, and a desktop thing that'll create new uniforms as needed. (They're not flats; they're more expensive and more durable...Plus they include limited fire protection. (Nothing stat-worthy, no I'm not statting these out) But they can be made automaticallly, and while they aren't disposable, they're more designed for practicality than style.) These aren't naval-issue uniforms. They're specific to you guys, without identifying markings. (One extra reason why they're custom-sized: You know instantly if you have the wrong uniform.) In feel, they're sort of like the blue jumpsuits NASA astronauts wear IRL (if you've seen pics of the Challenger crew, those - not the orange suits), except they're two-piece, and Navy blue versus a sky blue. They're sized to fit comfortably, to an extent they're baggy though, and they have *tons* of pockets. If asked about the expense, Roberts shrugs. The auditors approved it.

OOCly, my concept was something like this in BitW:
---

It's a navy blue...Well, if it were one piece you'd call it a jumpsuit, but it isn't - it's two piece (pants and shirt), plus optional protective gloves and black deck shoes. There are short-sleeved and long-sleeved versions. Not recommended for combat, but excellent for day-to-day duties. (If you guys really want combat uniforms, note that OOCly before training week is up and I can possibly come up with something to go beneath (or above in the case of FFBA) armor that'd be delivered in Cape May. Made out of something kinda like the fire-resistant qualities of Nomex, but better for tropical climates and sea duty than Nomex (which is really heavy) is IRL. Made to be a few things: Practical; Protective (it does not include armor (because armor would cause you to sink, all other things being equal), but does include fire resistance); maneuverable. Notice that stylish and good-looking aren't among the attributes. That's because...It's not ugly, but it's made for -work-. It's not made for going around in. You would, in the Navy, have other uniforms for that. In your situation, you have your normal clothes.

As you might suspect, there's an ulterior motive in providing you guys the uniforms. The Navy is testing them out for enlisted use. Comments are invited, as honest as you care to give em, on any possible topic under that subject. Walker will get them to the uniform folks.
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You're also issued survival gear in the event you need to abandon ship, which Roberts explains the use of. If you've ever seen "Deadliest Catch", think of their survival gear, except more high-tech. (I...doubt we'll ever need to use it. If we ever do, I'll come up with something then.)

You're given back some of your weapons, the smaller ones (really, nothing bigger than a pistol) - they've been immaculately cleaned while you ate and talked, and are returned unloaded - and told that the rest are in your quarters. Aquaman, your cyberarm with gun is in your quarters. Captain Walker earnestly advises establishing an armory/arms room to securely and safely store weapons and ammunition, and has ordered space be alloted for that aboard ship during construction and modifications, but will not insist upon it.

Finally, you're advised of where your quarters are, and shown to them by Lt. Roberts. You can change them after everybody leaves, but until that point, the ship's kinda full, so quarters assignments are fixed during training. There is, however, now an empty cabin left by Nik's exit.

Everybody gets roughly the same quarters. This is the basic unmodified desc:
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Not exactly the *biggest* quarters you could think of, these are still the size of a middle-class hotel room. They feature small private heads with showers (no bathtubs), and also feature private trids hooked up to the satcom. Comms off-ship occur from the bridge only, to maximize security, but the ship has wifi, and you can access a fair supply of games and the like on the ship's computer system. Roberts advises, though, that in his experience, shipboard life is isolating enough without becoming a recluse in your quarters when you're off-duty. Better to watch the trid as a group when you can in one of the lounges, but you can get some alone time. After training is done with, anyway.
---

You've all heard about the quarters gifts. Where people have suggested things, I've largely used those suggestions. Otherwise, I've tried to think up stuff on my own, only leaving someone out when I couldn't think of anything. More extensive backgrounds may well have wound up rewarded to a degree, yes; Minchandre gets kudos for giving me heaps of info with which to springboard, in particular - I had Cherry's bit written a while ago. (Faraday, the long quote of the framed thing is the modern translation of the original Hippocratic Oath, for the record. It seemed a shame to cut it off.) I should note that I did final edits of that megapost while dog-sitting and away from my notes and everyone's sheets. There are more things to find throughout the vessel; some Gratis equipment, some honestly gifts (the gifts not being stuff that would be decisive). These will be revealed as you explore and get to know your new home. Before anyone asks, the notes are written on ye olde standard paper, in pen. Both Roberts and Walker have very neat handwriting, in whatever language they're writing in.

GrimWulf, my apologies, I couldn't come up with a thing for Malachi. Nor, toturi, could I come up with anything for Eddie. I'm sorry to leave either of you out.(IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif) Everybody else, even if you didn't ask, I tried. Dumori, I'm presuming OOCly that you've heard of the Jane's series of reference guides IRL. Well, I presume they've continued in SR, and continued as an independent company even.

Further notes:

Cooking occurs *only* in the galley - and until training is finished, only at mealtimes (roughly: Breakfast at 0700, Lunch at 1300, Dinner at 1800, "Midrats" at 0000) - this is a safety measure; fire aboard ships is even worse than on land. (The limitation on cooking to mealtimes is because the mess crew, the metahumans among them anyhow, is configured like that, not for 24-hour service.) Classes, for the record, run 0745-1245 and 1330-1745, plus evening classes from 1900 til about 2300, except for the night of 1 June. Wake up occurs 0600, lights out occurs 0000. No required PT, given you're on a boat. I can change-up this schedule (retroactively if need be) if you have better ideas, but this is my first draft.
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After the gear issuance and stuff, you're informed that (it's now about 0945) "you have 15 minutes to get unpacked and ready for what comes next". Those are Roberts's exact words. What comes next? He has no idea, he was told to tell you that by the Captain. In those words.

At 1000 (0958 to be exact), you're called to the aft sun deck, now cleared off to serve as a flight deck, by the Captain over the ship's intercom/PA.
---

The promotion sequence is grabbed from websites dealing with USN protocol matters. The Letter of Marque and orders sequence is from BitW, modified where appropriate. Minchandre, DH, hope you can forgive my puppeting your characters. (I know he didn't actually read out the LoM. The form and such of it is basically irrelevant for our purposes. However, you may ICly inspect it. One point I should note is that the Letter of Marque defines your operating area: In this case, basically a shape with the South American coast as it's southern bound, Northern bound being the Arctic Sea, eastern bound being yet-to-be-determined by GM, and western bound being the coast of Texas. (I'd try to draw it, but can't find a way to.) If you ever want to shift operating areas, it's ICly easy, they just issue a new LoM with a new operating area.) It had seemed like you guys wanted an assigned hit before going to the independent-ish stuff that is the meat of the campaign, so I gave you one. It'll OOCly be a training run - me figuring out how to run a ship assault from the GM side and working out bugs, you guys working out bugs as a group. I'm also still looking for an AGM to help me with the crunch. I totally admit to being a story GM first and foremost - I know I'm no great master when it comes to the rules. Yes, in my view, the AGM totally gets to keep their character, by the way.

Training, insofar as it hasn't been addressed (it mostly has been), will be addressed in another post, because this one's huge. That said: Unlike the last campaign, this time I'm not going to ask for time use sheets or anything like that. If you guys want to give them to me to define for yourselves what you're doing when? I can take them. But they're absolutely not required. All I need is a quick listing, PMed or emailed to me (or posted here) of which courses you're taking so I can mark down who's done training for what for karma purposes. If it takes 10 minutes I will be shocked. To differentiate, the Intel Officer's course should be named such - the Intel Analysis 4-hour thingy should just be called "Intel Analysis".
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Finally, something I'm going to address now, before anybody asks, for once:

I know that it seems like there's a heap of NPCs and PCs to remember. I'm going to give you a hint that most of the NPCs, except Roberts and Walker, will fade into the background. You might want to keep track of who covers what, for convenience's sake, but otherwise they're not as fully developed as Walker and Roberts. I created them for the purpose of being Subject-Matter Experts, part of a group of such that are assembled for the Privateer project (meaning, yes, there are others); sometimes it's their only job, sometimes it's auxiliary to other duties. You will often, after training, contact them through Roberts, then get replies from them directly.

Here's a thought: I have a notebook devoted to this campaign, plus an entire folder of files on my laptop that is just this campaign, plus scratch files. Let me worry about that, to an extent; though I am a fan of you yourself keeping notes about characters and stuff, maybe on whatever comp you play from, if possible, I won't require it, and will endeavor to take the most part of the burden from your shoulders.
---

To sum up that paragraph: Don't worry about the horde of NPCs. Keeping campaign notes as a player is in my experience a good habit to get into, but I won't require it and will try to keep most of the notetaking on my side of the virtual table. The trainers you meet will reappear only indirectly, for the most part (at least that's the plan for now), as subject-matter experts later, contacted via Roberts. Contacts of a contact for whom the friend of a friend rules don't necessarily apply.

[Digital Heroin]

Duty yesterday, 12 hours of brow watch keeping... hooray for RL relevance to IC tedium...

Absorbing text, need food, will post on return...

Also, karma or not, the movie is Sneakers, which is by far my favorite movie, and, had I not lost the case containing it and an almost irreplaceable collection of other fine movies (I mean seriously, there is only one place in the world I've ever seen another copy of Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter, let alone For Your Height Only), I would likely have worn out the DVD watching it...

[Minchandre]

I think we should trade in the Quicksilver for one of these.

[Faraday]

I think we should trade in the Quicksilver for one of these.

Nice boat. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/eek.gif)

I like the car+garage, that's a nice touch. And only $25 million! Quite the bargain.

[toturi]

Penta: Goddamn... I though I had put the latest Eddie G into my thumb drive. I will update all his gear by tomorrow when I get back from the office and load him up. Now I have 2 different versions: 1 on my home PC and the other in my office computer with the office one being the updated version.

No gifts are alright. To Eddie, it simply means that the spooks over at Intelligence hasn't figure him out yet. Which, to him as a covert ops guy, is a good thing.