Caracas: Hole in the Heart, Recruitment Thread Options

[BlackHat]

So far the interested parties and their proposals are:

...BlackHat

Last minute out of town trip for this weekend, so I don't think I'll have anything ready. There seems to be plenty of other interest, though - and the characters proposed so far look great. I'll be interested to see where this game goes.

[Abschalten]

Last minute out of town trip for this weekend, so I don't think I'll have anything ready. There seems to be plenty of other interest, though - and the characters proposed so far look great. I'll be interested to see where this game goes.

If you change your mind, I'm still taking charsheets until July 1st. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Rastus]

Looks like it's that time again! Hopefully the trend will continue and my prodding will cause more completed sheets to show up. Wonder who's the next person to turn in something? Sure hope it's Martin, we need a B.A Baracus substitute! Fools need to be pitied, then pummelled.

[Martin_DeVries_I...]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I think I'll have something up tonight. Unfortunately I have some RL stuff to do (damn dishes won't do themselves, where's my helperdroid?) but I'm definitely working on it.

[Abschalten]

Hey guys.

I updated the first post with the list of people who have currently applied, and I noted who I needed charsheets from so far.

Also I updated the list of negative qualities with an additional one, Cyberpsychosis. I know Mister Juan's character has taken that quality. It was originally on my first list of those qualities but for some reason I cut it when I made the short list. But I feel like it's applicable given the mood and theme of the game.

You'll also notice that the second post has my house rules in it. I only have one so far (mostly because I've forgotten my other ones.) But do take note of it. I think a couple of you spent money on regular ammunition, and if you'd like you can get that back. Note this is only for standard ammunition, and that's ammo that has no modifications to damage code or armor. Yes, I know that Slivergun "regular ammo" is flechette, but I'm talking normal rounds. In that example the regular ammo is still flechette and needs to be bought accordingly. This also applies to slug rounds for shotguns.

I may add some more house rules later on. Keep checking the second post to make sure I haven't updated it.

I haven't come up with a story for the campaign yet, because I'm waiting for all the character sheets and backstories to come in. I do know that I'm going to read back through Ghost Cartels and Runner Havens to get ideas. Rastus also pointed out to me that there's some regional information for the game to be found in Vice, so I'll be flipping through that, too.

In all I'm looking forward to the game. After all the sheets are in (BY JULY 1ST!!) I'll more than likely spend a couple days fleshing out a story and getting the threads prepared.

Also, I have a request. Does anybody have the color key for PbP posts? I know one of the DS posters here had them in his/her signature, but now that I want to (*ahem*) borrow that, I can't find it. Also suggestions or recommendations for formatting the PbP posts will be appreciated. I additionally have some ideas about how I want to approach the individual stories, which I'll share with you closer to game time.

This *is* my first PbP campaign and while I have a general vibe and idea of how it's going to go, there may be kinks here and there, so work with me and we'll get sorted out just fine.

Things may be streamlined in parts. Combat might be simplified, as will hacking. I'm not going to force us to spend weeks rolling dice just to get through one combat, though it will be roughly close to the book.

Again, I'm looking forward to the game. For those of you who haven't submitted characters yet, I'm looking forward to receiving them. I've been pleased thus far and this entire venture has gotten me excited to GM Shadowrun again, after having been burned out for so long.

Edit: We're going to use Invisible Castle's roller. When I ask you in the OOC thread to make your roll, just go to this link and put in your character's name, the number of times you'd like to roll, and the number of dice. It'll log your results and give you an output. Just paste that output into the window along with the link to the results.

[Mister Juan]

Colors and format wise, I've always enjoyed the clarity of the Living in the Shadows format. In a nutshell:

Time stamp with hours, day and location at the beginning of each post, in Orange
All PC and NPCs names in Bold to keep track of everyone.
Text, Matrix stuff in Yellow
Thoughts in Italic
Astral stuff in Pinkish Purple, which is FF00FF

Anything more than that usually makes it a pain in the ass the write a long post effectively, and too many colors make it a little intense on the eye.
At least, that's my personal opinion.

[Martin_DeVries_I...]

Don't know what happened, but DS was down last night just as I tried to post Coatl. Perhaps the board doesn't want me to play... to hell with that, I say!

Esteban Moreno, "In Coatl" (Nahuatl: The Snake)

BACKGROUND

[ Spoiler ]

As one of the so-called Yucatan "rebels" it really pissed Esteban off when Pobre accepted Aztlan's olive branch and became governor of the peninsula. People, people with families and dreams, fought and bled and died for the Yucatan's freedom. And this fucking wyrm brushed all that aside and took credit. The dragon gets to rule the land, and gets a pawn in some goddamn game in which the scaleys hold all the pieces. And what do the people get? Fuckin' nothing. Their land changes hands from some metaphorical snake to a literal one. That's all.

It keeps him up at night.

Esteban Moreno was born as the resentment and anger of the Yucatan first boiled over into rebellion and battle. He saw cousins and uncles chewed up and killed by the Aztlan war machine. He saw crops planted to feed families and huts for shelter set aflame to roust rebels. By his ninth birthday he knew how to fire an assault rifle; by his twelfth he had lost count of how many men he had personally killed.

But all things end, good and bad; and just as the troll entered his teen years the fighting came to a stop. The loss of so many—Esteban’s own village had been razed, his parents and sisters dying in smoke and flame while he’d been fighting miles away—made the rebellion’s slight victory bittersweet. Even worse, a dragon was in charge, rather than the people; no matter how often Pobre called himself a “Mexican,” it couldn’t change the fact that the serpent had slept all through Mexico’s existence. Many dragons had been involved for the fight for the peninsula; to Esteban, they were interested only in domain, rather than changing anything.

With very few family members still living, and a teenager’s typical anger against the world, Esteban joined up with a crew of smugglers. It was glamorous; he saw more of the world than he’d ever thought possible (and all without leaving Central America). By the time he was 17 he’d served on several different crews, but had finally found his permanent place with one: the Yanqui Drowners, weapons smugglers who stuck to the rivers and inlets of the Pacific coastline when they weren’t raiding AZT camps for their product.

He was proud to be with the Drowners; they lived by their own rules and bent knee to no country or corporation. They were glad to have a soldier with them: he knew how to fight, he knew the jungles. Best of all, they gave him a chance to use his mind. Never very smart, Esteban was nevertheless a naturally intuitive mechanic, and the Drowners were not afraid to take advantage of that. He began to learn how the machines and weapons worked, and realized he enjoyed being more than just dumb muscle.

Work with the Yanqui Drowners was lucrative but dangerous. Esteban put his share into enhancements, knowing he needed every slight edge. New eyes, new ears; he got a voice modder to speak in code during ops—birdcall was great for messaging. He lost his right arm in an ambush in Panama; it wasn’t long before he came to like the new one even more.

With their attacks on, and theft of, Aztechnology property, the Yanqui Drowners were making a name for themselves. Esteban thought it was great, a sign of their rising importance. But some of the Drowners were not fond of being targets, and slowly a plea deal of sorts was arranged between the ring’s leadership and the corp.

It happened so fast that in Esteban’s mind it’s still a blur. The corpsec team burst in while he was sleeping in his Panama City flat and overtook him easily. There was a kangaroo court, and the Azzies went all out—they claimed Esteban was well-known for his war crimes during the Yucatan rebellion. They accused him of being the one that razed his village—of killing his family, of burning down what little home he had had growing up. They turned it into a circus, basking in the good PR of putting away a dangerous terrorist. And then he disappeared.

While he was imprisoned in the hellhole AZT controls on the Narau Protectorate, he heard rumors. Word came down from guards sometimes, about how he’d been set up, about how his execution had been faked for the bloodthirsty media so he could be left here to rot forever. They showed him videos, made him listen to taped conversations, proving that the Yanqui Drowners had set him up to cut the noose that was tightening around their own necks. The guards told him these things to try and break his will; but instead he hid it all inside and vowed he would have his revenge.

They made him fight in the pits to kill him, but it only made him stronger. They spread whispers to the other inmates about the Coatl, the Snake, who killed his own family; but any would-be assassin hopped-up on these lies soon found themselves dead at the troll’s hands. Esteban kept to himself and the others soon learned—stay out of his way if you know what’s good for you.

They were made to work on Narau, groups made to dive to mineral mines while armed guards kept watch. Esteban was with one of these boats when a riot began at the prison. He doesn’t know what caused it, but it was enough of a distraction that he and the others killed their guards and made off with the boat. They worked their way across Micronesia, thieving and pirating and murdering their way to Australia, away from Narau. Esteban left them in Brisbane, getting passage across the sea with a pirate crew.

From Australia to Metropole; from Metropole to Caracas. He’s been free less than a year, taking what odd jobs he can, fighting for money when he needs to. He follows rumors and ghosts. He’s heard that the Yanqui Drowners split up as an operation, but he might learn more in Venezuela. And he intends to. There’s blood on his hands and there’ll be a whole lot more before he’s through. They tried to wipe him from the Earth; he won’t rest until he does the same to them.

SHEET

[ Spoiler ]

Esteban Moreno, In Coatl -- Troll -- 40 BP
Starting Nuyen: 240 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) (whoo! deep pockets!)
(Nuyen Roll: 2d6 → [1,5] = (6)) (plus 6 from Gear conversion)

ATTRIBUTES - 180 BP

[ Spoiler ]

Body - 9
Agility - 3
Reaction - 4
Strength - 8
Charisma - 1
Intuition - 2
Logic - 2
Willpower - 4

Edge - 1
Init - 6 (1 Init Pass)
Essence - 2.14

QUALITIES - +7 BP (extra 15 pts for Neg qualities, -8 for MA Maneuvers)

[ Spoiler ]

POSITIVE
Guts - 5
Martial Arts - 10
--Sangre & Acero: +1 die to Exotic Melee Weapon tests; +1 DV to attacks with Blades
--Maneuvers: Blind Fighting, Break Weapon, Finishing Move, Set Up (8 BP)
Tough As Nails L 1 - 10
Will To Live - 10

NEGATIVE
Enemy - Yanqui Drowners (C:4(+3)/I:3) - 10 BP (15)
High Maintenance Implant -Cyberspurs - 5
Prejudiced - Aztlaners, Outspoken - 10 (15)
SINner (Criminal) - 10

SKILLS - 154 BP

[ Spoiler ]

Armorer 3
Automatics 4
Blades 4
Cybertechnology 1
Dodge 4
Exotic Melee Weapon 3
Heavy Weapons 2
Intimidation 2
Nautical Mechanic 2
Outdoors Group 2
Perception 3
Pilot Ground Craft 1
Unarmed 4 (Spec: Sangre & Acero)

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS - 12 pts free, 6 BP

[ Spoiler ]

"Aztlaner" Spanish - N
Guns - 2
Guerilla Warfare - 2
Jungle Flora - 3
Martial Arts - 3
Prison Tattoos - 3
Smuggling Routes - 2

CONTACTS - 8 BP

[ Spoiler ]

Martin, former rebel turned Ghost Cartel Soldier: C3/L1. "Don't call me, man. I don't need Aztech hit squads coming after me because I might know where you are."
David "Skimmer", Smuggler: C3/L1. "Leave me out of this. I do not want to get involved. You're a war criminal, you're poison."

GEAR - 94015 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) , 19 BP, remainder converted into starting nuyen

[ Spoiler ]

Base Gear (7375 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) )
Squatter Lifestyle, 3 mths prepaid (1500)
Lined Coat (700)
Half Body FFBA (900)
Fake SIN R3 (3000)
Respirator R2 (200)
Cybertechnology Kit (500)
MetaLink comm w/ Vector Xim OS (300)
-AR Gloves (250)

Kamikaze, 6 doses (600)
Snuff, 5 doses (25)

Cyberware (85940 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) )
Voice Modulator (7500) (.2 E)
Cybereyes R2 (750) (.3 E)
--Flare Comp, Low-Light, Thermo, Smartlink (3750)
Cyberears R1 (500) (.2 E)
--Augmented Hearing R1, Damper, Spatial Recognizer (3000)
Dermal Sheath R1 (10000) (.6 E)
Kevlar Bone Lacing (10000) (1 E)
Obvious Cyberarm, Customized (Body 5, Str 7, +2 Capacity) (26000) (1 E)
--Agility +2, Body +2, Strength +3 (1650)
--Armor R1 (300)
--Two Retractable Spurs, one facing forward, one facing behind (3600)
--Olfactory Booster R3 (3000)
Hand Razors w/ Cybergland, Secondhand (800) (.36E)
--Cybergland has 3 dose capacity
--Loaded with Dopadrine (6 doses) (90)

Bioware (15,000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) )
Muscle Augmentation R1 (7000) (.2E)
Muscle Toner R1 (8000) (.2E)

EDIT: Fixing the mistake Abs caught.
SECOND EDIT: Doing some switcharoos.
FINAL EDIT I SWEAR: Changing "High Pain Tolerance 2" to "Tough as Nails 1"

This post has been edited by Martin_DeVries_Institute: Jul 2 2010, 05:19 AM

[Abschalten]

Looking good, looking good! I like him. Sent you a PM as well. I updated the list on the first post. Looks like so far we've got a full house but I'm still taking applicants until the 1st.

[Rystefn]

What's the policy on Long Haul addictions? Still trying to do it every day (or several times a day)? Something that keeps you awake for a coupe of days would really wreck you up if you tried to do it two or three times a day, I think. Also, just to be clear, do we apply the 1.5 modifier to the encourage negative traits before or after the 35pt limit? I'm going to run off of the assumption before, that way if it turns out I'm wrong, I'll have more points to apply to the character rather than fewer.

That said, I've got an idea for an ork street kid (well, teenager) who doesn't know he's an adept and has no idea why people have such a keen interest in him. So he's all paranoid and takes Long Haul so he doesn't have to let his guard down. I know you're gtting pretty full here, but I like building characters, and worst-case scenario, I've got a decent NPC I can use in my own games.

Edit: Left something out.

[Abschalten]

You come up with your negative qualties, up to 35 points BEFORE THE MODIFIERS.

Then, you take the ones on the list and multiply them by 1.5 (round up.)

So say you take Moderate Addiction (10 BP), Bad Luck (20 BP), and SINner (5 BP). That's 35 BP of negative qualities. But you take the approved ones (Moderate Addiction and Bad Luck) and multiply them by 1.5. (30 * 1.5 = 45). So instead of 35 BP for negative qualities now you have a total of 50 to use.

[Rystefn]

Oh sweet... I just got 10 more BP, then. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Abschalten]

What's the policy on Long Haul addictions? Still trying to do it every day (or several times a day)? Something that keeps you awake for a coupe of days would really wreck you up if you tried to do it two or three times a day, I think.

I missed this part of your post so I wanted to come back and address it.

My idea for Addiction in this game was to show people abusing substances as a way to keep themselves going in a bad town and surrounded by worse people. I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around Long Haul as a crutch to help a person keep going. Now in conjunction with a quality like Paranoia, I could understand it ("Can't sleep, clowns will eat me...")

Don't be afraid to take a good old-fashioned Addiction to synthahol or novacoke. Seriously, if you're worried about the harm your negative qualities can do to you, you're already in the wrong game. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Renard]

Rest of Character will be in today or tomorrow...
RL kept me busy the last few days..

[DrZaius]

So after talking to Abschalten, I decided that my Trickster shaman was a little too "light-hearted" for this game. I'm going to make a new guy; update to follow sometime today or tomorrow.

-DrZaius

[DrZaius]

Stephen Jacobs, Ork Mage

Background

[ Spoiler ]

Jacobs was a Private Investigator in Seattle, up until 2 years ago. He was good at his job, focusing mainly on finding people who didn't want to be found. Of course, his luck wouldn't hold out. One day he received a message from his sister, simply, "Find me." He thought it was a joke, so he sent a spirit off to find her, thinking nothing of it. She had moved away as soon as she had turned 18, and while they kept in touch he wasn't really sure where she was staying at the moment. When the spirit returned empty handed, he sent a more powerful one. And then a more powerful one after that. Jacobs was beginning to become concerned, and the fact that he hadn't heard from his sister in several days made him even more distraught. He decided to hold off his other investigations and take on finding his sister full time, at least for a few days. He summoned the most powerful Spirit he could muster, and after fighting him for what seemed like hours, the Spirit was sent off to find his sister. The spirit returned, but said he couldn't find her precisely. Only the city she was in. Caracas. Jacobs booked the first flight out.
It was hot down in South America, hotter than he was used to. He stuck out like a sore thumb, but he didn't care. He knew there were only a few places in the world that his spirits couldn't find someone, and he was afraid, deathly afraid, his sister was in one of them. It took him several weeks; tracking her down was difficult because of the place she was in. If a person tried to think of a place where magic would become dirty and corrupted, a forced prostitution ring would spring to mind easily. Once he had his 'appointment' with her, he entered the room trying to figure how to get her out. He was too late. The surgery was subtle, but it was clear that this wasn't his sister anymore. He thought as he pressed the knife to her neck that he saw a moment of recognition, but he considered that he wanted her to recognize him, and that it was all in his head. She was safe now, but he had been too late to save her.

Character Sheet

[ Spoiler ]

Metatype: Ork (20 BP)
Attributes: (220 BP total)

[ Spoiler ]

Body: 4
Agility: 4
Reaction: 3
Strength: 3
Charisma: 4
Intuition: 3
Logic: 3
Willpower: 5
Edge: 3
Magic: 5
Initiative: 6
Essence: 6

Qualities (Net -17.5 BP)

[ Spoiler ]

Magician
Mentor Spirit (Dog)
Addiction, Moderate (Synthahol)
Big Regret
Combat Monster

Spells (21 BP):

[ Spoiler ]

Manabolt
Analyze Truth
Mind Probe
Increase Reflexes
Improved Invisibility
Physical Mask
Influence

Skills (128 BP):

[ Spoiler ]

Active Skills
Summoning : 3
Binding : 2
Shadowing : 2
Inflitration : 1
Disguise : 1
Dodge : 3
Pistols : 3
Spellcasting : 4
Counterspelling : 4
Ritual Spellcasting : 1
Assensing : 2
Con : 1
Etiquette : 1
Intimidation : 1
Unarmed Combat : 1
Perception : 2
Knowledge Skills
English : N
Spanish : 3
Magic Background : 3
Crook Hangouts : 3
Safe Houses : 3
Parazoology : 3
Black Markets : 3

Gear (12 BP, 55,000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) )

[ Spoiler ]

Colt Manhunter
Concealable Holster
10x Regular Ammo (10 shots) (Free)
Survival Knife
Yamaha Pulsar
Concealable Holster
Taser Dart (10 shots)
Clothing (Regular)
Lined Coat
Commlink : Novatech Airware
OS : Iris Orb
Subvocal Microphone
Trodes
Yamaha Growler (Off-Road Bike)
Sustaining Focus (Rating 3)
Fake License (Rating 4)
Binocular
+Thermographic Vision
Flashlight
Gas Mask
Fake Sin (Rating 3)
Fake Sin (Rating 4)
Magical Lodge Materials (Rating 5)
Respirator (Rating 6)
Medkit (Rating 6)
Medkit Supplies
Trauma Patch
Earbud
+ Audio Enhancement (Rating 3)
+ Select Sound Filter (Rating 3)
+ Spatial Recognizer
Containment Manacles
Grapple Gun
15x Plastic Restraints (per 10)
Low Lifestyle, 1 month

Contacts (17 BP):

[ Spoiler ]

Jose Felipe, Fixer/Fence (L:2 C:4)
Joseph Diaz, Talismonger (L:3 C:3)
Virgil, Bartender (L:3 C:2)

I've got another 3,900 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) ; I'm sure I forgot to buy something.

EDIT: Now down to what I have in my pocket; added the respirator and a few other items.

[Abschalten]

Looking good, DrZaius, and I applaud your tenacity; you've made three character sheets for this game so far.

[DrZaius]

Looking good, DrZaius, and I applaud your tenacity; you've made three character sheets for this game so far.

Ha! I had forgotten about my face; I guess in my head he and the trickster shaman sort of melded into one. I'm looking forward to playing this new mage though; I think it fits the setting much better.

-DrZaius

[Martin_DeVries_I...]

Three characters, that's very industrious. I don't know how you do it, man, I've made three characters for three different games this last week and they seem to take -days.- (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) As for gear, you can't go wrong with a respirator. They're damn near required at this point in Seattle, and I bet Caracas isn't much better.

[Rastus]

Hah, I knew we'd see a private detective character would be submitted at some point.

[DrZaius]

Three characters, that's very industrious. I don't know how you do it, man, I've made three characters for three different games this last week and they seem to take -days.- (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) As for gear, you can't go wrong with a respirator. They're damn near required at this point in Seattle, and I bet Caracas isn't much better.

You may note in my signature I have a character building... problem. That said, good idea on the respirator; I'll take another look at my gear tomorrow, and add a few knick-nack items as appropriate for the setting.

-DrZaius

EDIT: I was at first hesitant to make an Ork Private investigator, because I like my profile pic so much and I didn't want to appear biased, but obviously my desires overwhelmed my willpower in that regard.

[Doc Chase]

Ooh, respirator. Good idea.

[Rastus]

Someone should get a good medkit too. Never know when you'll need a few.

[Combat Mage]

I know exactly when I'll need one, because I'm waking up with a hole in my head and a bullet in my skull. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Rastus]

I know exactly when I'll need one, because I'm waking up with a hole in my head and a bullet in my skull. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Guess it's a good thing that amoung other small edits, I added a medkit and painkillers to my resources.

[Rystefn]

I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around Long Haul as a crutch to help a person keep going. Now in conjunction with a quality like Paranoia, I could understand it ("Can't sleep, clowns will eat me...")

That's exactly where I was going with it, actually. Sooner or later, he's going to crash out pretty hard from it, but them's the breaks. I was just wondering if he was going to have to feed the craving while he's already under the effects of a previous dose, is all. Either way, I'm cool. Dude's not supposed to be the most together guy in the universe, really.