2072 [+4 Months], Multiple Players / GMs - Recruitment Always Open Options

[AppliedCheese]

Reminder bump since we hopped pages. IP 2 sees a long burst at the last alpha , with 3 hits, and slaving a commlink from the enemy net to pixel-net os that she can plunder it for whatever she needs to crack their network.

[Seth]

I suspect Xarin/Pixel will be hacking or some other electronic stuff , so I think it's fair for the goons to finish their IP 1.

Alpha Squad (2 members):

• Move so that they cannot be shot at from the inside (as I said above they have decided it's too tough a nut to crack)
• Lay down supressing fire on Demon and Pixel. Both are currently in cover, so they are not affected unless they move or try and shoot back
• vs Pixel (3) successes, vs Demon (2) successes

Beta Squad have split into three groups

• Beta 1 (2 members) Lay down suppressing fire on demon and Pixel. vs Pixel (5 successes) vs Demon (3 successes)
• Beta 2 (3 members) Charge towards Demon (will be in contact at end of next round)
• Beta 3 (2 members) Charging towards the door of the cafe (will arrive at end of next round

Summary of Alpha/Beta Squads

• Pixel is targeted by 2 suppressing fires of 3 and 5 successes
• Demon is targeted by 2 suppressing fires of 2 and 3 successes: but you can ignore it as you are actually in cover

IP2
Mrs Sniper has vanished into a haze of thermal smoke, and with the breaking of line of sight between Demon and her (assuming that Demon wants to break that line of sight) then she is no longer being tracked by your tacnet.

Alpha Squad: Replace ammo clips
Beta Squad (1) Advance while replacing ammo clips
Beta Squad (2) Lay suppressing fire at demon and Pixel (2 successes on demon, 5 successes on Pixel)
Beta Squad (3) Lay suppressing fire at the windows of the cafe (6 on the window that now has two unconcious Alphas. 5 on the window that the other two Alphas are near).

@JxJxA
It's looking very tough being where you are at the moment: next round is likely to hurt. I'd yell for help or move. If you towards the cafe, you can have good cover from beta squad. If you move anywhere else you can have partial cover from alpha and beta. Note the suppressing fire on the cafe windows.

@AppliedCheese
You can move to take a shoot at alpha but the pie from indoors won't work here: you need to stick your head out the window to see them: and see the suppressing fire by beta squad above. "Reminder bump since we hopped pages. IP 2 sees a long burst at the last alpha , with 3 hits, and slaving a commlink from the enemy net to pixel-net os that she can plunder it for whatever she needs to crack their network." Got it. There are now only 2 alphas left. Unfortunately I don't think you have the hacking skills to slave the commlink. (It's a device rating 5, and it's saying 'enter password').

@General
The tacnet that the baddies are using is increasing their deadliness a lot. They have gone from 8 to 12 (alpha from 6 to 10) die on most attacks/perceptions/ etc and the difference is very noticeable. This is round three. At the start of round five there are likely to be 4..7 kamikaze baddies simultaneously throwing grenades/suppressing fire and room clearing. I suggest that you are either not there when that happens, or have a plan to deal with it.

• One plan that occurs to me is for Copperhead/Ember to spend some xp and get AOE spells: Mob Mind and Stun Ball are the traditional ones.
• You can evac through the storm drains as Molly initially suggested. Mind you: it looks like these guys are planning on killing all witnesses, and there are about 50 patrons in the bar area...
• Another plan (suggested by one of you earlier, but the jamming was in place) is to call for help from the three smugglers who just escaped. I suspect a "10K nuyen each if you come back and help us" would go down well
• You have actually done very well in the past when they try and come in: just be tough, keep your nerve, and shoot them down!

@Ghost
I've been thinking about what you said about opening the game up a bit more. I'd love to do it but I just don't have the GMing bandwidth to take a few more people. I'm running two games already (and a third with some 14 year olds) and unfortunately my dumpshock work load is full (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

[AppliedCheese]

mm...a point of contention on the alphas:

Started with 8.

4 at the door, 2 at window 1 (A1, A2), 2 at window 2 (A3, A4).

4 at the door died horribly trying to enter against waiting guns.

At window 1, A1 died to hand grenade. A2 soaked another hand grenade when A1s went off.

At window 2, A3 just got gunned down. You declared A4 a "combat kill" with 1x mental box left.

If true there is only one functioning Alpha left: A2.

Beta is back to 7...natch. Thought it was too good to hope that they were down to 5 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Rules Lawyer point: Tacnets scale by 4^(tacnet rating) sensory feeds required to reach potential I believe. If they're running a +4 tacnet, they have at least 256 sensory platforms - sexy they may be, but I find it hard to believe that 10 remaining personnel (hacker, sniper, 7 beta goons, 1 alpha goon) are each boasting an average of 25 sensors each. Even tac 3 would be rough without the hacker running a ton of drones. I believe we, with 6 personnel, are barely making the 16 need for tac 2, and thats with a couple pixel toys (well, one's a dealer toy slaved to pixel)

---unless of course they've jacked Molly's tacnet. Then all bets are off until she puts a round of ex-ex through her main frame and lets the attack hacker collapse from self inflicted denial of service attack. I'm sure his commlink will chug a hefty 2 frames per second.


Anyhoo...watching the window explode around him, Dealer still tries the commlink trick (he doesn't know better, and figured the commlink would be running as if he were the use rif he just snatched it from a body. Whoops.) And fails. Then he grabs a oversized steak knife knife lying next a much trampled steak n eggs breakfast, looks for a brick sized part of the wall that is only kevlar papering

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3175657/ 3 hits for perception

finds just such a patch

and slashes open a mousehole to shoot from.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3175662/ 2 hits on STR + REA (how quickly can you keep stabbing and how hard through the patch) making an acceptable, but not great mousehole (call it an additional -2 shooting penalty and can only see out to the beta area)

Neat fact - you can stab through kevlar fairly easily. It stops bullets by dispersing the force over a wide area while flexing with the bullet - which is why you have those bruises whenever your vest stops a round, even after the plates crack - but the point of impact for most knives and rifle ammo is so small that it rarely disperse enough(which is one of the reasons 5.56 green tips rip right through soft kevlar while a .45 round with similar KE doesn't ) to work.

IP 3

Widens the mousehole http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3175664/ another 2 hits...call it a proper mousehole now...just the usual -1 shoot from cover, limited to the beta targets.)

and cuts a long wide burst at one of the advancing betas form the new found impunity.

(DP 14 + 2 Smart + 2 Tac - 2 recoil - 1 cover - 2 running target) = 13d6

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3175667/ 1 hit. Apparently hes still getting used to shooting from the mousehole.

[AppliedCheese]

130 second response time even after getting slagged at the Lucy? Damn, firewatch are FAST. And Hansai must be freaking important.

[JxJxA]

@ Seth

I'm going to follow your advice and run towards the window. Is it possible for me to pop up out of cover, take two shots at the incoming Betas and then run into the cafe?

Maybe a better question is if I can hear ultrasound signals from the incoming beta squad. I can pop hot smoke, too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Xarin]

Wow, this thread is rolling way too fast for me to keep up right now. Lots of work + getting sick = not as much computer time. Feel free to NPC Pixel a little bit for a couple days if you need keep it moving. Assume she's trying to protect Hansai and Molly, but she's not risking VR around emm386.

If emm386 is busy in Molly's, Pixel might try hacking the corpsec tacnet instead. It'll either draw him off, or she'll be in and able to turn thier tacnet back on them. (She doesn't have the offense right now to actually stop emm386 anyway)

Retreat is deffinately an option to her if she can get her friends out, or if they're confirmed dead / captured.

[LostProxy]

I'm assuming he'll have at least one complex action before they get to him so Isaacs will have a +2 to whatever he has to shoot as the others get to the car.

[Seth]

@AppliedCheese
Tacnet rules p125..126 Unwired

...In order to be counted as a member of the tactical network (and to receive bonuses from it), each member must contribute a number of sensor channels equal to the tacsoft rating x 2....
...The bonus equals the total number of team members minus 2 (you need at least 3 members to have an effective tacnet, so the first two don’t count), up to a maximum equal to the software’s rating. So a team running Rating 4 tacnet software with 7 team members gets a dice pool bonus of +4 (the maximum)...

I'm not familiar with the rule you quoted (can you send a page reference): I'm just using the two above

I'm likely to be confused with the Alphas: come back metal figures. So there is only 1 Alpha left
But there are 7 betas...the confusion of battle (and my confusion as well)

As far as the techy Kevlar stuff goes, Kevlar has many forms. For example it can come in hard plates, or thin woven wires. It is actually used to stop abrasion and cuts as well as bullets. Your observation buys you a reduction of 4 in its barrier rating, your perception roll another 2.

Breaking through a barrier rules are straightforward. Call it a barrier 10. If the weapons modified weapon damage isn't greater than the barrier rating, the wall takes no damage. If it does, the wall is rolling 20 die to soak your damage, but isn't dodging, so your successes add directly to damage. I suspect a steak knife will take a long time to cut through the barrier...

The problem with response times is that you are in the barrens. At 240 mph (say) it takes 90s to travel 6 miles.

@JxJxA

• Popping thermal smoke is just a good idea
• If I am reading the rules correctly you might as well take a pot shot at beta. Just by moving you are exposed to their fire, and you are no worse off if you shoot them. Don't forget the -2 for shooting for cover.
• I should use the thermal smoke on their attack roll, but since I have rolled their attack, you can have 2 more die on your reactions+edge (use the base 3, not your current total) for a total of bonus +6 (basically they are shooting blind). I think the only difference in the "you roll" "they roll" is on glitches, and they didn't glitch.
• If you run for the windows, beta have really unpleasant suppressing fire on the windows
• The door is currently not being suppressed: so you could run for it easily (they can be shot at from the windows, the door is on the side.

@Xarin
So noted. Hope you feel better, and that work cools off.
Molly screamed on the commlink. The Jamming is back on. Conclusion: Emm386 has hacked in, has geeked Molly, and is in charge of the Drones electronic systems.
Your options:

• Hack the tacnet, to cripple the invaders
• Go and take on Emm386 in the Drunken Drones systems (you have all the passwords that you need).

I'll wait a couple of days to get your choice, before NPCing you.
Edit: due to popular demand, I'm NPCing you earlier than that!

[Seth]

@LostProxy
Glad to see you. The team is currently 3, 4 with you

• GalenB/Jamie: small human female guns + decking
• Seth/Jotamon: small orc. Cybered up to the max
• alyena/Doza: large troll
• You: Dwarf

The GM has said before that Doza is too big to get in Jamie's Jackrabbit

Couple of posts for you to read.
http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?show...t&p=1102880
http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?show...t&p=1103190

I think we posted that before we knew you were coming, but in either case the sentiments expressed are correct.

I had a chat with Alyena, hence the IC post

@Ghost / General
Here is a summary of Aria's thread so far.

[Notsoevildm]

@Seth:
Re: Spellcasting - mainly a mistype. I knew it was 3 but was going from memory rather than looking it up.

For next round:

Quick check of alpha's by the door for frag grenades: Int 3 + Per 2 + Vision 3 - 2 mods = 6d6.hits(5)=2 - hopefully enough to spot a pair of frag grenades.

Then either get air spirit, if it's still around, to deliver to beta team coming at door or Copper will lob them herself
(ideally hoping her cyber troll hands are big enough to lob 2 at once otherwise just the one):
Defaulting to agi 2 - cover 2 + edge 2 = 2d6.hitsopen(5,6)=1 - 0 dice without edge probably means it wasn't open but doesnt affect result.
Scatter: 2d6.hits(5)=0 - 3+1 so 2 meters regardless of whether they are normal or aerodynamic, direction: 1d6=1 so goes long which is almost always better than short.

Assuming a simple action in IP1 to spot and pickup and either a simple to command spirit to drop them off or a complex in IP2 to throw at beta team. If the spirit does delivery then she fires a couple of rounds at beta team charging cafe in IP2 to keep their heads down:

Bang, bang: Agi 3 + shotgun 4 + smart 2 - cover 2 = 7d6.hits(5)=2, 7d6.hits(5)=3

I'll wait to post as the cyberjocks are faster than her and get to go first.

Spending karma for spells, etc.

I keep forgetting that Copper is sustaining detect enemies, so any chance of burning a significant portion of her cash (30k) and karma (6pts) on a F3 sustaining focus on the assumption that her talimonger contact had found one for her before the current run. Second, combat spells are not really her forte, so stunball is out of the question. However, Snake is a sneaky sort, so while Mob mind has a vicious +4 on drain, how about that for an additional 1500 + 5 karma? I can certainly do something with Snake suddenly dropping that piece of knowledge into her head while she is high on cram.

[AppliedCheese]

Correction to round two then:

Fails at commlink.

Observes patch.

Long narrow burst
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3176638/

7 hits + 5 DV + 6P

18 damage against a (10 barrier - 4 techy -2 perception = Barrier 4). APDS should maintain that sharp and pointy effect.

Assuming break through:

hammer a beta

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3176639/ 7 hits, wide long

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3176640/ 6 hits wide long

[JxJxA]

@ Seth:

So if I understand everything, I have now taken 7P damage with 1P getting shifted to 1S via the trauma dampener so I have -2 wound penalty from phys and -1 wound penalty from stun. Let me know if I'm missing something. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Here goes nothing on IP 2

1 simple action to pop hot smoke.

1 simple action to shoot at one of the incoming betas:
Agility(6) + Firearms(4) + Smargun(2) + TacNet(2) - Wounds(3) - Shooting from cover(2) = 9d6 for 3 hits.

Using my free action to get up and run towards the mercifully-so-far-unsuppressed cafe door.

Trying to avoid the incoming fire:

First wave
Reaction(5) + Edge & Smoke(6) - Wound(3) = 8d6 for 2 hits.

Second wave
Reaction(5) + Edge & Smoke(6) - Wound(3) - Prior defense(1) = 7d6 for 1 hit. So...as long as my dice actually hit on the damage resistance test, I might be okay. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Seth]

@JxJxA
Good news for you. Reread this Only Beta (who got 2 successes) got to lay suppressing fire on you, as the one remaing alpha was reloading his ammo. You dodge that.

When you get inside, you need to roll a smoke and say "its only a flesh wound".

@Applied cheese
Just checking IPs
IP 2 you shoot a hole though the wall
IP 3 you shoot at the betas

Can you include in your rolls the modifiers you have used? e.g. there is poor visibility, the range penalty on the gun (range is about 30m at this point...new data...but deduced from the fact they are about 2 rounds away), shooting from cover.

[ Spoiler ]

Beta's are in a fire fight, and zigging and zagging to dodge bullets, so I will give them:
Their reactions (they can see you are pointing a gun at them: millimetre radar and a tacnet is good)
Partial Cover 2
Defender running 3
Tacnet bonus
Noted its a long wide burst: -6.
Assuming its the same target, -1 on the second roll
The one you shot gets 3 and 4 successes on their dodge, so there are nett 4 and 2 successes.
Can you tell me the damage and AP again? I am assuming 5P AP-5 in the following roll, which means 9 and 7
Soak 2 and 3. Mr "I can soak what ever you throw at me is clearly on holiday". Nett damage 7 and 4
If its 5P AP-5, then the 7 is physical, and the 4 is stun
Mr Beta 1, falls on his ass

Status of beta for me

[ Spoiler ]

Beta 1. Shot by Dealer through hall in wall 7P, 4S, prone
Beta 2.
Beta 3
Beta 4
Beta 5
Beta 6
Beta 7

[JxJxA]

@ Seth:

Yay, I'm alive!!! LOL, I've half a mind to start yelling something to this effect at the incoming corporate goons. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Seth]

Your mother has a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries?

[JxJxA]

And that I pop my pimples in their general direction,

[Aria]

Ember will summon 4 watchers for 1 hour each [4:1 rule for 1 hit summoning & no drain?!?] and sic them on the 4 members of beta squad that aren’t feared – at least until they walk into a FAB area, then I guess I’ll have to summon some more.

Let’s see how they function with their vision impeded by a sprite they can’t touch (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ork.gif)

If I can see the sniper I will do the same thing to her. Can I see Pixcel?!?

Tempest’s fear rolls (1 per IP?!?) 3x 10D [vs. will] = 6, 4, 5 hits (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ork.gif) (I suspect some will be running away at least!)

The terror lasts for 1 Combat Turn per net hit scored by the critter. Even after that point, the target must succeed in a Willpower + Charisma (critter’s net hits) Test to return or face the critter again.

[Seth]

@NotSoEvil
Yes they have a nice pack of 2 more each. Simple action to get each one (can be air spirit) they are simple mechanical devices with the pin and the lever.

Beta are still some time away, but the air spirit can lift one. I'll be letting the incoming have a "dive for cover roll" if they see the grenade coming

I'll be moving into the next round pretty soon: Probably this evening
Xarin have asked me to NPC them as they are both busy
Me, You, Demon and Dealer are posting at a frantic rate, so I'l keep the rate up at least until the end of the fight.

@JxJxA
Just reread and noted that you shot one of the betas. He has little cover against you (you are closer than Dealer, and are actually providing some of his cover). Because of his tacnet bonus's he manages to get out of the way of your shot.

@Aria

• I am happy with the 4:1 rule, saves loads of die rolling.
• Unfortunately Beta are running through the area doused with FAB. Mostly they are running past their trucks, using them for cover, and that is where the original FAB was deployed.
• The watchers can be used when Beta get close to the building though.
• If they materialise they can be attacked (with attributes at 1, and ITnW 2, I suspect they will not last long: although that eats the attackers time)
• If they just become a bit visible like a mage manifesting, they cannot do so with a living thing inside them, so the most they could do is put a distraction on the incoming (which is no bad thing).
• They can however give you a "friends in combat" bonus for astral combat, or melee combat...

Tempest will need to manifest to use fear. I suspect she can use it with partial cover, but she will become a target. As you are fighting for your life, and the life of the other people in the cafe, this doesn't count as "being cruel to spirits", but bad things are likely to happen to her

@Xarin
The bad guys tacnet is crippling everyone, and Molly is in trouble. I'm going to have you attack the tacnet first. As this is urgent I'm having you in hot sim, and will change you to AR if you detect IC

[ Spoiler ]

IP1:
EW 5 + Scan 6 + Hot Sim 2 to find hidden node. 4 successes: you find it

IP2:
Hacking 9 + Exploit 6 + Hot Sim 2 to Hack on the Fly: 6 successes
The network is a device rating 5, so 10 die to detect you: It got 5 successes...very nearly had you
Your Hacking 9 + Stealth + Hot Sim 2 to remain undetected: 4 successes
The devices spot you roll (Analyse is running): 1 success
IP3:
There is an encryption 5 program running, so you can start cracking that
EW 5 + Decrypt 6 + HotSim 2 = 5 successes. It will not to long to crack...
While that is running, you can go and deal with Molly!

@General
Just summarizing where people are at the end of this round

• Everyone except Pixel (who is under a truck) is inside the cafe
• Dealer is shooting through a hole in the wall
• Demon has just got to the door way
• Copperhead has just finished blasting the Fire Elemental
• Ember's body is under a table, and he has been laying the Astral-Fu upon the Fire Elemental
• There is 1 Alpha against the wall of the cafe
• There are 7 Beta's coming towards you, laying down suppressing fire, and advancing in turns.
• There is a sniper somewhere out there
• The Fire Elemental is gone, after a very poor showing.

[Aria]

@Aria

• I am happy with the 4:1 rule, saves loads of die rolling.
• Unfortunately Beta are running through the area doused with FAB. Mostly they are running past their trucks, using them for cover, and that is where the original FAB was deployed.
• The watchers can be used when Beta get close to the building though.
• If they materialise they can be attacked (with attributes at 1, and ITnW 2, I suspect they will not last long: although that eats the attackers time)
• If they just become a bit visible like a mage manifesting, they cannot do so with a living thing inside them, so the most they could do is put a distraction on the incoming (which is no bad thing).
• They can however give you a "friends in combat" bonus for astral combat, or melee combat...

Tempest will need to manifest to use fear. I suspect she can use it with partial cover, but she will become a target. As you are fighting for your life, and the life of the other people in the cafe, this doesn't count as "being cruel to spirits", but bad things are likely to happen to her

@Seth:
Ok, wait for the buggers to be out of FAB areas - even if that gets them closer they can probably be slowed before grenade range. I know there's FAB outside the door so there's a small window. I'll get them to be visible but not attackable - they just need to be 'in your face' which I suspect will be distracting at the very least!

Yes, Tempest will have to manifest but 10 hardened armour should stop most things?!? Cover should also be available and hopefully 3 of the 7 will run off screaming!

Can I see Pixel? - I'm not sure I even know she's a pixie yet do I? Was going to ask Tempest to conceal her but that is probably a waste of time given she can do it herself at least as well...

@Everyone:
We are picking up some interest from new players (which is great!), don't suppose there are any budding GMs amongst you that would like to start something going? I can get my courier run going again easily enough but at the risk of slowing my other postings - sadly only so much time in my lunch hours for posting (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[AppliedCheese]

Double post

[AppliedCheese]

The wall roll is 14 DP + 2 smart + 2 tac - 1 stun - 2 recoil = 15 d6

Beta shot 1 is 14 DP + 2 smart + 2 tac - 1 from cover - 2 running target - 2 recoil = 13.
Beta 2 = as above with 1 extra recoil

It appears I forgot the stun, which by process of removing the last die from each roll negates 1 hit on each.

Range. The AR short range is <=50m. Human running rate = 25m/round. If they're moving bounds, about 1/3 to 1/2 of that as each element stops to suppress as the next moves up. Either way, 2 rounds is 50m or less.

The damage code is 6P / -5 AP. This adds 1 DV...however, the stun mod removes that net hit, so beta 1 should be on the level at this point.

Which moves to other modifiers. I misread the "shoot people" screen an applied -2 for a running target...but thats ok, because I didn't figure in them being in partial cover ( I figured when running = exposed). So that's a wash on shooting DP. Net DV is the same.

However, it does remove the 2 partial cover reaction bonus. So, whatever the last two dice were for our friendly beta 1, takem off, and dv to successes. Yay complexity.

Or, we could say my forgetting the stun track (-1), but their adding bonus cover defense evens out. In which case its 8 and 5 damage...assuming 14 ballistic armor, that's 8P on the 1st burst and 5..hmm..who wins ties? probably stun.


For future reference, I will assume the following modifiers for shooting beta:

DP 14
+2 Smartgun
+2 Pixel-Net
-1 Shooting From Cover
-1 Stun Track
-2 Partial cover.
-2/-3 Recoil (1st and 2nd long bursts...none on short bursts)
= 12d6/11d6


Range < 50m
Vis Mod = ?

[JxJxA]

I'm definitely not experienced enough to run (I'm still looking up basic rules and such). Sorry (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

[Notsoevildm]

@Everyone:
We are picking up some interest from new players (which is great!), don't suppose there are any budding GMs amongst you that would like to start something going? I can get my courier run going again easily enough but at the risk of slowing my other postings - sadly only so much time in my lunch hours for posting (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

I'm thinking about it. I've done a good bit of GMing over the years including a couple of SR3 campaigns. However, I am still getting to grips with 4e rules.

Who is still looking for a game? I'll take a look at their PCs and if I can come up with a suitable hook for them, I'll give it a go.

[Seth]

@NotSoEvil
Thanks!

[AppliedCheese]

I would screw up the matrix and magic rules horribly. I don't mind making a twisty turny story o doom, but dice rolls would be my great failure.