Mars Alpha Options

[FuelDrop]

Okay everyone, let's get this show on the road. I figured we could use the monorail ride to have everyone introduce themselves in character, possibly bond a little, then we can move on with the game.

Now for some housekeeping: Your EVO HEL suit has been modified to include a toolkit suitable to your profession, containing anything you could need for normal day-to-day work in your area that could physically fit, along with contingency equipment and a high end multi-tool. It also includes a commlink with 3 in all stats except signal (except for our IT guy, who has rating 5 in all attributes), which is 5, and all common use programs loaded onto it at rating 3 (again except for the IT guy, who gets rating 5 for both common use and most hacker programs except Blackhammer). The suit also includes a trode net, image link, sound link, a biomonitor and about 3 terrabytes of company-approved music loaded onto the hard drive, along with tech and safety manuals for everything that you're authorized to have access to, a library of data on mars and your field, a rating 1 medical kit (except for the one issued to the medic, who has a rating 4 medical kit), and a high-end GPS tracking device in case something goes wrong and they have to find you somewhere on the martian surface.

Additionally, you each get a rating 3 agent tasked with keeping all your files in order, handling your schedule, and otherwise acting as your secretary. You can choose the skin and personality.

Finally, JT Logan is issued with an Ares Predator IV with an extreme environment mod (rating 2) for vacuum, 2 clips of gel rounds and one clip of frangible ammunition. Jacob Griffiths is issued with a Colt America, similarly modified, and a single clip of gel ammunition, along with a note saying he's receiving this for security reasons due to his history as a HTR Medic, and is not to fire it unless his life is in imminent danger.

[Bastard]

JT Logan, Mars Security

Character Description

[ Spoiler ]

36 year old white male, human, 5'10, 185 lbs, blue eyes, brunette
Hair is normally about 6-8 inches long on top and in the back, short along the sides, combed to the side, but messy
Beard is trimmed tight, about two to five days growth, and clean under the chin and on the neck
Dress is usually jeans or cargo pants, plain t-shirt or casual button up, casual work boots

Introduction

[ Spoiler ]

JT rubbed the stubble on his greasy chin. Shaving had been an occasional activity since Stacy had left with the kids. She could no longer handle the absentee husband, the late nights on the job or in the bottle. He was burnt out on the job and allowed it to spill over into his personal life. The empty house did nothing to slow down the drinking or reignite a passion for work. Constantly chasing shadowrunners had taken its toll.

In his hands he held a letter offering a new start. A new job, on Mars of all places. He looked around at the abandoned house, empty liquor bottles and take out boxes lined every flat surface, including the floor. Nothing tying him to down to this planet anymore, he figured why not. He hoped that there were no shadowrunners off-world, but he doubted he could find that kind of luck.

...

Freshly showered, shaved and sober, JT stood at the astroport. His only luggage was bag full of cheap cigars and whiskey, with a box and bottle or two of something good, as well as a change of clothes and small toiletries kit, which was now working its way down the baggage belt. In his hand a one-way ticket to Mars and a letter of hire from his old boss, Captain Scrubbs. He wondered if his recent failures and burnout had ruined a once impeccable reputation and how much Scrubbs knew.

Character Sheet / Stats

[ Spoiler ]

INFORMATION
Karma: 0
Total Karma: 0
Notoriety: 2
Composure: 8
Judge Intentions: 9
Memory: 8
Movement: 10/25 (Swim: 5)
Lift/Carry: 9 (90kg/60kg)

ATTRIBUTES
Body: 3
Agility: 5
Reaction: 4 (6)
Strength: 3 (6)
Charisma: 5
Intuition: 4
Logic: 5
Willpower: 3
Edge: 2
Essence: 2.9
Initiative: 8 (10)
Matrix Initiative: 4
Passe: 1(3), Matrix 1

Active Skills
Perception: 10

Etiquette: 9
Instruction: 7
Intimidation: 7
Leadership: 9
Negotiations: 9

Con: 9
Disguise: 8
Infiltration: 9
Palming: 9
Shadowing: 8
Tracking: 8
Survival: 5

Clubs: 7 (Batons: 9)
Unarmed Combat: 7 (Subdued: 9)
Pistols: 9
Longarms: 9
Automatics: 9
Armorer: 6
Throwing: 6

Language Skills
English: 7

Knowledge Skills
Security Tactics: 9
Combat Tactics: 7
Security Companies: 8 (Lone Star: 10)
Shadow Community: 7
Underworld: 5

Alcohol: 8
Cigars: 8

Untrained Active Skills
Archery
Artisan
Blades
Climbing
Computer
Cybercombat
Data Search
Demolitions
Diving
Dodge
Escape Artist
First Aid
Forgery
Gunnery
Gymnastics
Hacking
Heavy Weapons
Locksmith
Navigation
Parachuting
Pilot Ground Craft
Pilot Water Craft
Running
Swimming

Gear

[ Spoiler ]

Money
600 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif)

Armor/Wear
Armor Jacket 8/6
-An aged brown leather jacket
EVO HEL suit
-Crime Investigation Toolkit
-Law Enforcement Toolkit
-High-end Multi-Tool
-Commlink 3 (signal rating 5, all other stats 3)
-High-end GPS Tracking Device
-Trode Net
-Image and Sound Link
-Biomonitor
-Medical Kit 1
-3 TB of company-approved music loaded onto the hard drive
-Tech and Safety Manuals, & Library Data on Mars and Field
-Agent 3
>>>Tasked with keeping all your files in order, handling your schedule, and otherwise acting as your secretary.
>>>Base skin, with monotone base personality

Weapons
Ares Predator IV
-Extreme Environment Mod 2 (for vacuum)
-Gel Rounds, 2 Clips
-Frangible Rounds, 1 Clip

Personal Items
Commlink, Renraku Sensei
Toiletries
Two extra sets of clothes, casual
Running shoes
Underwear and socks, 6 sets
Cigars Rating 3, 4 boxes
Cigars Rating 6, 2 boxes (1 RP, 1 MoW)
Jameson's, 1.75 liter, 4 bottles
Jameson's, 750 ml, 1 bottle
MacCallan, 750 ml, 1 bottle

Contacts

[ Spoiler ]

CAPTAIN DAMIEN SCRUBS
Mars Security Captain - Loyalty 2 - Connection 2
Captain Scrubs was JT Logan's captain back with Seattle Lone Star, where Logan had once excelled. When Sgt O'Brien submitted Logan's resume, Cpt Scrubs hired him on the spot. When they meet again on Mars, Cpt Scrubs sees a shell of the man who used to be his star detective and protege. Will a new job, new life and new planet turn things around and return Logan to his former self?

SARGENT DAVID O'BRIEN
Mars Security Team Leader - Loyalty 3 - Connection 1
Sargent O'Brien was Logan's long time partner and friend. He watched as Logan's dedication to the job took its toll on his marriage, and the following destruction, and Logan's life spiral out of control. A few years after Scrubs arrived at Mars, O'Brien followed. A few months of establishing himself, he turned in a resume he wrote for JT, to try and jump start and turn around his friends life.

OMAR "BROKER" PEREZ / ENRIQUE "RICKY" ALVES
Maintenance Quartermaster / Black Marketeer (Fixer) - Loyalty 1 - Connection 3
Omar "Broker" Perez has always been in trouble with the law, but back in Seattle, he had a working relationship with Logan, that kept him out of jail. About a year ago he got himself into trouble with some runner types, and he closed up shop and disappeared without a trace. Logan suspected foul play, but what few leads he had quickly went nowhere, and the case went cold.

Little did he know he would later find Omar on Mars under the name Enrique Alves, and going by Ricky.

This post has been edited by Bastard: Jan 13 2015, 06:31 PM

[pbangarth]

Here's a colour scheme used in a number of games

- - Time and location stamp in Orange and bold
- - PAN mode in grey under time stamp
- - "Speech color=cyan, enclosed in quotes"
- - <Coms (vocal) color=violet or purple>
- - <Coms (Text) color=yellow>
- - Thoughts color=darkkhaki and in italics
- - Memories, flashbacks, dreams color=lightgrey and in italics
- - Spirits and Astral communication color=brown

[pbangarth]

STORAGE LOCKER FOR RANDOM THINGS THAT NATHANIEL REMEMBERS

I might find something better later, but for now this is the mental garbage dump for a PC who remembers everything by a player who doesn't.

#####

[ Spoiler ]

Day 1 on Mars

- Chainsaws in an unused storage room 208C at the quartermaster in Mars City
- a lot of people here seem to have internal air tanks

CHARACTER STATS FOR NATHANIEL JONES

So I don't have to keep finding the recruitment thread.

So, here goes the draft for Dr. Nathaniel Jones, Archaeologist to the Stars. (Well, planets anyway.)

I've built him with 750 karma points, and Initiation has been allowed, though I assume limits to starting Attributes remain. I'm also assuming a date in 2074 for the timeline of the story. I would adjust Jones' birth year accordingly if that is wrong.

Story

[ Spoiler ]

The last time he was here, it smelled like cattle. There was no way he was going to get involved in the hunting of spirits on Kilimanjaro, but the interview included free transport and accommodations. Nathaniel was never one to turn down the chance to explore a new corner of the Earth.

Now, Nairobi smelled of diesel fuel, cheap Indian food and despair. Like so many other places. Nathaniel screwed up his nose, hefted his small bag of worldly belongings, and headed towards the train depot. Last stop before the mountain and the mass driver into space.

*****

Nathaniel Jones had been on the fast track to academic stardom. Born into an upper middle-class family of means in 2048, he enjoyed the benefits of an excellent education at fine schools, and a loving, nurturing family environment. The fact that he manifested as a troll was no problem to his family and friends, though the emergency C-section to keep his size from killing his mother was a concern. Premature birth left its mark, too, leaving Nathaniel weaker than normal throughout his life. Weak for a troll, that is.

Even as a child he was well read and analytical, and early on he showed a talent for languages. His love, however, was archaeology. From an early age, he would rather explore a burned out farmhouse than run in the fields, or study the skeleton of a fish on the shore rather than swim to the island offshore.

During university, his life transformed as he Awakened. The magic manifested through the adept path, and Jones focussed his talent into enhancing his performance as a student and scientist. His analytical mind sharpened; his memory became prodigious; his concentration unshakeable; and languages came with little practice at all. Nathaniel earned a scholarship for graduate work at the prestigious University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. There he pursued studies in both Mesoamerican archaeology in the Oaxaca Highlands of Aztlan, and in early Aryan studies in north-east India. He earned temporary positions at several universities, and finally landed a tenure-track position at the University of Toronto, an up-and-coming school in his field. The Anthropology Department's reputation and Jones' grew with each successive publication. His excavations in remote regions taught him not only of the past, but how to deal with brigands and spirits angry to be disturbed. Ancient sites held many Spirits of Man, that in particular came to despise Nathaniel for putting 'science' ahead of their sacred places.

This idyllic life came to a crashing end in 2072. At an exciting excavation in India, Nathaniel unearthed a strange document. Encased in a bone tube, written in Sanskrit and illustrated with puzzling images, it piqued his curiosity. He began to translate it immediately, with the help of his two assistants. Even in the first evening it offered tantalizing suggestions of an earlier manifestation of magic in the world, and went so far as to implicate the existence of beings that lived incredibly long lives through that forgotten age. This document was of incalculable importance, he thought. How prophetic, for him at least.

A commotion outside his tent drew his attention. When he returned to the tent, his assistants were dead ... murdered. And the document was gone. He raised the alarm, but to no avail. The thief had escaped. What was worse, Nathaniel himself soon became the prime suspect in the crimes. Evidence appeared linking him to the murders. The trial was set, and with money raised by selling his family home, Nathaniel sought the best legal help he could. Try though he might to offer himself for magical scrutiny to prove he was telling the truth, the laws of India forbade the use of magic, arguing that it was easily twisted and misdirected, and that such use opened a slippery slope away from the evidentiary base of the rule of law. In the end, Nathaniel's investment paid off, because his lawyer won the case, though many felt it was on a technicality. Nathaniel thought he was free to continue his career.

The archaeological community thought otherwise. He was held in suspicion, still. What's more, racial slurs arose. "What would you expect from a troll?" "Their true nature always comes out in the end." Friends and colleagues abandoned him. The tenure review committee back in Toronto found 'errors and omissions' in his work that justified terminating his employment. His trust in the innate goodness of people was shattered, and his career was destroyed, notwithstanding the victory in court. Nathaniel figured there was only one way to restore his reputation: bring the real criminal to justice.

He travelled back to India, and with a few bribes and some canny thinking, he picked up the trail of the document. It led him to Washington, where he uncovered an artifact smuggling ring that had received the document. The exposure shut down the operation, and brought Nathaniel, bound and beaten, to the the ringleader of a deeply entrenched crime syndicate, known to the world only by his code name, The Blind Man.

*****

The Blind Man studied Nathaniel over the rim of a glass of scotch. "You impress me, Dr. Jones. And so few do. The frame-job should have had you languishing in an Indian prison for decades."

"I'm not the one who belongs in prison." Nathaniel replied.

A deep belly laugh erupted from his captor. "Who belongs where is of no consequence in this world, poor boy. Who wins and who loses, that is all that matters.

"Look, kid. I like you. You pulled out of a good scam and you have pluck. Good for you. But, you are bad for business. So here is how it will go down. You have forty-eight hours to get out of any place where I do business. Do that, and I will leave you alone. But you show your face anywhere in my territory, and we are enemies. And there is only one way that situation will end."

Nathaniel spread his hands wide to either side, as much as the two massive men who held him would allow. "I have no idea where you operate. How am I supposed to know where to go?"

Another laugh. The blind Man turned and walked away. The two thugs released Nathaniel. "That's your problem, bright boy. Figure it out."

*****

Twenty hours ago a dirigible had floated over Washington, and Nathaniel, advertising an adventure of a lifetime. "Talented, but no hope of advancement? Looking for someplace really different? Evo Corporation is hiring for Mars City and a frontier of limitless opportunity. Follow the AROs to our 24 hour recruitment centre."

It appeared that experience with satellite imagery, excavation, and deep-pattern analysis were marketable skills in the farthest place from The Blind Man Nathaniel could find.

Stats {karma costs of sections in curly brackets}

[ Spoiler ]

Dr. Nathaniel Jones

Metahumanity: Troll {40}

Qualities {-2}

Adept
Analytical Mind
College Education
Linguist
Martial Arts (Kiai- level 2) : +2 for Attacks of Will
Maneuvers: Focus Will; Iaijutsu
Bad Rap
Spirit Bane (Man)
Hung Out to Dry
Prejudiced (biased: humans)

Attributes {440}

BOD 6
AGI 3
REA 3
STR 6
CHA 4
INT 4
LOG 5
WIL 4

MAG 6
ESS 6
EDG 3

INI 7 (1 IP)

Adept Powers (6 pts.)

Astral Perception
Enhanced Perception (4)
Eidetic Sense Memory
Three Dimensional Memory
Analytics (4)
Linguistics
Missile Mastery
Power Throw (3)

Initiations (3) {48}

Cognition
Centering
Inner Strength

Active Skills {138}

Perception 2 (+4) INT
(visual) (+2)
Assensing 1 (+4) INT
Negotiation 2 CHA
Etiquette 3 CHA
(tribal) (+2)
Instruction 2 CHA
Survival 2 WIL
(desert) (+2)
Navigation 1 INT
First Aid 1 LOG
Chemistry 1 (?? +1 ??) LOG [when this was a Knowledge skill, College Education added 1. Now? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) ]
Data Search 4 (+2) LOG
(academic) (+2)
Pilot Ground Vehicles 1 REA
Dodge 1 REA
(ranged) (+2)
Throwing Weapons 3 AGI
Pistol 1 AGI
(semi-automatics) (+2)
Unarmed Combat 2 AGI
(martial arts) (+2)
Astral Combat 1 WIL
(spirits) (+2)
Arcana 1 LOG

Knowledge/Language Skills {79}

Archaeology 5(6)
Physical Anthropology 3(4)
Cultural Anthropology 2(3)
Linguistics 2(3)
Mythology 3(4)
(Indo-European) (+2)
Materials Science 1(2)
Civil Engineering 1(2)
Astronomy 1(2)
Satellite Imagery 1(2)
Mathematics 1(2)
Accounting 1

English N
Nahuatl 1(3)
Zapotec 1(3)
Spanish 1(3)
Hindi 1(3)
Urdu 1(3)
Sanskrit 1(3)
French 1(3)
Mandarin 1(3)
Japanese 1(3)
Kiswahili 1(3)
Arabic 1(3)
Or'Zet 1(3)
Sperethiel 1(3)

Gear 7,500 nuyen {3}

Still to be figured out, but he's running with what he can carry

[Bastard]

Sorry... I am out of date on Shadowrun... I still use 3rd Ed, so I have a few questions.

1/ What is AR?
2/ What is a HEL suit?
3/... and what does it look like?
4/ What is the difference between ocean and military gray? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)


May I also suggest that we disable signatures in the IC?

[FuelDrop]

NP, if any further questions occur to you feel free to sling them our way and I'm certain someone will answer them. Except for questions about where babies come from, we're all shut-in neckbeards around here with no experience of that sort of thing! (JOKE!)

1) AR stands for Augmented Reality. It's kind of like the HUD in most computer games, with the additional ability to generate helpful things like signs, navigation points, notes, and other things like that. It also allows you to do anything you could with a computer, only without the hardware (Including stream videos, read, write, look at lolcats, play games, ect). In addition, it allows for the creation of virtual items, such as the aforementioned fashion disasters. It's not quite real, but it lets you live big on a budget. One very useful part of this is the ability to leave other people signs and notices, including setting them so that only certain people can view said notices. That's not a comprehensive list, so feel free to be inventive!

2) A Hostile Environment Living Suit is, to quote Arsenal: "[A] thin, tight-fitting, puncture-and-tear resistant suit that covers the whole body except the face, which can be protected by a hood and self-attaching breath-and-eye mask with an internal 5-minute supply of highly compressed air that is usually carried in one of the suit's many pouches". It's capable of protecting you from short-term vacuum exposure, extreme heat, extreme cold, and hazardous chemicals. It's also highly comfortable, apparently.
Stat wise:
Armor 4/6, Insulation 4, Fire resistance 2, Radiation shielding 3, and chemical protection 2.

3) I'm not certain. I think it's some unholy hybrid of one-piece body suit and cargo pants (many pouches, remember?)

4) There is none. It's a joke I slipped in referencing the Red Dwarf episode "Me Squared". Also, there's a massive stockpile of Ocean Grey paint in one of the cleaning closets.

Good point on disabling sigs, I completely forgot!

EDIT: PS: If JT needs to fire off more than 45 shots before being able to resupply then he's probably going to want a bigger gun anyway (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Bastard]

I got the paint joke, thats why the smiley... but I didnt know it was from Red Dwarf. Never seen it. I just started watch Battlestar Galactica!! On season 2!

[nezumi]

There's a lot of material the droids in Red Dwarf reference that I'd love to see carried over to the replicants in Battlestar Galactica.

[pbangarth]

AFC till Thursday evening.

[Marcus Tarrow]

Randomish thought, what sort of scale is the construction of mars base going to be like at this point? Is space at a premium, or has Evo had enough time by now to carve out and seal up plenty of space so it doesn't feel too crowded?

I didnt know it was from Red Dwarf. Never seen it.

Well worth the watch. The books are good too, first place I ever came to meet the concept of Better Than Life (very similar to shadowrun BTLs, though predating SR by a couple of years) and the effects of what we'd look at in SR as simsense addiction.

[nezumi]

So quick question, since it seems to be applicable; what is the expected posting rate for the game? 1/week? If one of us misses that window, do you just roll the game forward, or wait for us to jump in?

[Marcus Tarrow]

Was planned to be 1/wk going by the recruitment thread. I think we've lost e-do but everyone else is still here.

Personally I'm all for pushing ahead. My only concern being that we're working in the least well documented of the SR environments, it'd be fairly easy to inadvertently come up with something that could clash with that FuelDrop has in mind. Even something simple like our current equipment loads raise some questions regarding the construction of the base (Jacob'll probably start wondering "Why're we all wearing spacesuits?" at some point (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) )

[FuelDrop]

Sorry I haven't been posting, RL stuff has been keeping me from maintaining the threads. I'll try and avoid it happening again.

[FuelDrop]

Does anyone want to do anything on the trip? If not, I'll put up a second post this week to get the plot moving properly.

[Bastard]

Nope. JT is observing and being a lump.

[nezumi]

I'm totally find with delays. I'm actually going to be in and out for the next two weeks.

[Marcus Tarrow]

Nothing major planned for the monorail trip - mostly some smalltalk, gazing out the window realising how far away from home we are, and reading the manual for the HEL suit so he doesn't forget how to attach the helmet (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[pbangarth]

Been away again. Will catch up.

[FuelDrop]

I don't really want to post into the middle of a conversation, so I'm going to hold off for a bit.

[Bastard]

I still have to post my character. I have my chummer copy if you need it.

I work rotating shift work, and we are splitting up a blank shift for the next 4 to 6 months, giving me about 60 hour work weeks, and on weekdays off my wife entrusts me with our 10 month old, who I have to keep out of the fish tank, microwave and liquor cabinet.

I usually cannot post from work, since I have no internet access from the work computer, and my cell carrier has decided to demolish the nearby cell tower and build a Spark Tower - whatever the fuck that is. Hopefully it will be done soon and my posts will be sped up!

[nezumi]

Rolling out to GenCon! I expect to get back on Monday.

[pbangarth]

Rolling out to GenCon! I expect to get back on Monday.

Ah, the memories!

My first one was at Kenosha, Wisconsin. Stayed in a motorhome with three other guys. Something rings a bell about spiders, and "Gee Whiz!"

[Marcus Tarrow]

Apologies for not getting on this past few days, got hammered by a windows update on Wednesday morning then PSU failed just as I was getting things up and running again on Thursday. Will pop up a post on Sunday.

[pbangarth]

Don't you have Agents to deal with that kind of thing? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[pbangarth]

So, do we have any idea what department we have been assigned to? I assume there would have been a job description at the time of the interview? Are we all the same department? Or a multi-disciplinary, inter-departmental rapid response team?