 Infiltration Challenge, Examining situation variables |
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 Mar 24 2004, 07:39 PM
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#426
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Decker on the Threshold  Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,922 Joined: 14-March 04 Member No.: 6,156  |
Another question I've been wondering about: what, besides the high background count, flagged this mission as "immediate turndown" for so many veterans? Surely most of the elements other than the background aren't that much different than many or even most other runs?
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Mar 24 2004, 08:06 PM
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#427
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 18-February 03 Member No.: 4,110 |
That's a good question... Alot of us were worried about the possible stink of Bugs on this one... looking over the original thread is kind of a trip down memory lane... alot of the heavy hitters had some funny stuff to say. I don't wanna derail though, so I'll edit this out and start a new thread if anybody thinks it would be a good idea... ? Siege
Arcanum V
Bob the Ninja
I think after giving it all some time to settle in and the more we learned about it, the more we grew hungry for the challenge. |
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Mar 25 2004, 12:50 AM
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#428
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Decker on the Threshold Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,922 Joined: 14-March 04 Member No.: 6,156 |
Well here's all I could find after running through both threads:
We're pretty obviously *not* following part of that plan, as Trogdor is doing quite alot of astral recon (all to the good). But Trog's probably got one or two great form spirits tucked away, no idea what they are or what they're doing though. One thing that could have been important: I imagine that Trogdor's Body-amplifying focus at least, and maybe his Reflex-boosting focus should be boosting Ghost's Body attributes rather than his own, which might have helped with some of the Stun damage she took earlier. |
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Mar 25 2004, 01:30 AM
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#429
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,677 Joined: 5-June 03 Member No.: 4,689 |
Thanks for the hunt and find, Eyeless Blond, and belated welcome to the thread (also to tjn - I'm starting to get close to ten days behind on the thread!). Edit: Don't see any need to edit that out, Shanshu Freeman - unless you want to use it to start up the postmortem thread a tad early? There's background things which can be discussed already without throwing what's left of the scenario. I also remind that your fixer mentioned that the J had a good rep, that there was some nice nuyen coming out of this, and that no team would have been hired which had to be blackmailed into doing the run: it was of your own free will, or not at all. Once again I have to beg off on any detailed answer for "swamp" reasons. (Two pages! :spin: ) Once again I hope for a proper tomorrow update. I need to conjure an ally spirit with a secretary/research assistant form and associated skills. For now, quickly: a couple of nice catches (not the only ones, but the ones that stood out on the quick sweep):
:D (To the best of my knowledge, I've not strayed into house rules yet. Everything here was designed to work within canon rules. You guys get to yell at me in the postmortem thread if I've slipped anywhere.) Per Mace's
she'll suddenly flush and go very subdued - "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else. It's not like I didn't know it would set it off, but I saw you and I just reacted again. I didn't realise it would hit her [waving at Ghost] too." A reminder that all those floors aren't quite empty space - besides the team heading up to the roof, the cleaners are still around somewhere - but with Solitaire's control of the cameras, you'll be able to avoid, no problem. Also, within your experience to date, all astral signatures can be erased ... but some might take some time. One more quick question (no books on me, memory dubious): anyone remember exactly how trauma and stim patches work, besides the risk to magic? (Not something that ends up commonly used in our games, but possibly relevant here.) And yes, definitely ditto kevyn668 re tjn:
Absolutely! :D |
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Mar 25 2004, 05:08 AM
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#430
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Decker on the Threshold Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,922 Joined: 14-March 04 Member No.: 6,156 |
Question: did we scout out the 9th and 10th floors? And do they have security cameras installed on them? From what I gathered none of the cleaning crew go that high, and the security guards treat them as storage space, so either floor would be a good place to hide out, particularly if Solitaire can overwatch us. We might want to hide up there.
However, if the answer to either of the above questions is "no" we'll stay in the basement for now, in the room we already ducked in previously. The "storage area" being on the *top* floors rather than near the loading area on the lower floors makes it very suspicous... Oh, sleg! I just thought of something really stupid and horrible. We're about to lose our communication relay when we cut the wires on Advert's laser-->wire rigger network, aren't we? More to the point, we're going to lose everything that's being transmitted *through* those wires, including possibly: 1) The drones (but we know that already, 2) The comm link to Ghost (being transmitted through the rigger network as a relay atm), and 3) the data tap for our decker, and thus our only way of securing the, er, security system! The first two are expendable, but that last one we need to keep up, for obvious reasons. How do you suggest we do that? |
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Mar 25 2004, 05:49 AM
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#431
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,598 Joined: 15-March 03 From: Hong Kong Member No.: 4,253 |
<no 'current' game stuff contained in this post>
The things that turned me off this job were: Time period and mission success parameters: having to do the mission a certain way might be ok, having to do the mission in a certain amount of time is ok. Having to do both is almost always a turn down. In general, you cannot get enough information within the time limit to be certain of jumping through the hoops. Nature of opposition: considering the location and structure, the opposition is likely to be in the ‘unusual’ category. Some sort of magical/conspiratal group seems the most likely suspect (background count). (Most ‘normal’ powers like corps or governments would have a different MO). Attention to detail: from the description of the place, the opposition has security with good to reasonable attention to detail. This makes meeting the schedule and succeeding within parameters (and living, for that matter) much less likely. If you are willing to torture a few homeless people to death, it’s easy get to a background count. With this method a count in the 3-5 range is ‘easy’ to get. So the existence of a background count is not ‘unusual’ in itself, but points to one of two things: that what they are doing in the building is ‘very bad’ and that causes the background count, or that they do not mind doing ‘very bad’ stuff to increase their security. Notice that it would be ‘trivial’ to defeat the team trying to carry out the mission by putting a 24 hour guard on then package. Since a 24hr guard of the package cannot be *absolutely* ruled out by intelligence, mission success is something not really controllable by the team. In short it’s the combination of time, success parameters, and opposition that make this mission a pass. |
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Mar 25 2004, 06:37 PM
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#432
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 18-February 03 Member No.: 4,110 |
are you pondering what I'm pondering? What if the guards treat those floors as storage space, and the cleaners aren't allowed up there because whatever *is* on those floors is Very Bad? |
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Mar 25 2004, 07:24 PM
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#433
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Decker on the Threshold Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,922 Joined: 14-March 04 Member No.: 6,156 |
Thus why I asked those questions :D But I'm really more concerned with that second part of my post; losing our decker overwatch will be Very Badder. :( |
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Mar 25 2004, 08:48 PM
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#434
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 18-February 03 Member No.: 4,110 |
Me too... Do you think we should just get the bugger out then, without stopping to recover, or only regrouping for a moment, doing any magical healing we can? If so, how should we go about it? [brainstorming]distraction alarms, delaying/trapping guards in elevators, speed up our elevator... what else?[/brainstorming] |
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Mar 25 2004, 11:30 PM
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#435
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,677 Joined: 5-June 03 Member No.: 4,689 |
Do I leave it to the brainstorming, then? Are there any questions you urgently want answered? Edit - that I can answer without a dedicated plan of action?
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Mar 26 2004, 04:56 AM
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#436
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 18-February 03 Member No.: 4,110 |
in the interests of keeping the thread moving -> if these questions being asked wouldn't adversly affect the timeline then I'd like to ask them:
but if they *are* going to have consequences for being asked, then I'd like the others to sound off on what to ask and how to ask it. |
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Mar 27 2004, 06:36 PM
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#437
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,677 Joined: 5-June 03 Member No.: 4,689 |
Start with this, then.
The response I gave earlier to Mace's also applies in this context: She'll suddenly flush and go very subdued - "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else. It's not like I didn't know it would set it off, but I saw you and I just reacted again. I didn't realise it would hit her [waving at Ghost] too." Adding that she'd be looking at the floor now. Trogdor's feeling distinctly sorry for her.
"Well, [looking up, tentatively, her eyes very bright] I know how to get to the front door from here - I think."
"Gear? [waving hands at self, laughing, more than a bit upset] Do I look like I've got any gear? You can have my clothes, if they're of any use. If you've got a gun, I can shoot it." Her hand strays back to her hair, she pulls it back. Muttered: "I've got to get those back." And then more clearly: "But you weren't hired to do anything besides get me out, were you?" |
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Mar 27 2004, 10:01 PM
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#438
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Decker on the Threshold Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,922 Joined: 14-March 04 Member No.: 6,156 |
Well, here's what I'd suggest:
Ghost[chuckling weakly]: "It's the 60's, Miss -. It's been a long time since you tell what a person has on 'em by just *looking*." (Replace "-" with Juliana's last name. I can't remember what it was ATM.) "Solitaire to Ghost. We've got a situation here. Guards are heading to the roof, probably 'cause of our distraction. They'll be up there in-" [include time estimate here] "and that means I gotta jack out." Now, option 1: If that amount of time is, say less than 3-5 miutes (eg. no way they're pulling out in time), try to have Solitaire find an out-of-the-way spot to put the team, somewhere the cameras can't reach. In that case ell Ghost to, "Sit tight," [insert location] "and we'll be back soon as we're clear again." Option 2: If Solitaire judges that there's enough time to get them out before the guards get to the roof--maybe by delaying the elevator for a couple of minutes?--then have her tell the group to, "Turn your wires up and get to the elevator fast, and I'll hold the door for you." It just occured to me that Ghost isn't piloting the glider so she can get rested up in there; maybe toss on a stim pack so she can get up there without stumbling too much. If we're going with option 1 and there's truly nowhere to go that's not watched (highly unlikely) then there'll probably be a bit more discussion. :D |
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Mar 28 2004, 01:40 AM
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#439
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 18-February 03 Member No.: 4,110 |
I'm queasy about calling Juliana by name. It will emphasize that we know who she is... I'd like to not draw attention to that. It might make her wonder what else we know or suspect about her, and that might make her suspicious or dangerous.
My suggestion is that we act as if we're answering the question, without getting too concrete. Something like: Trogdor: <perks up attention-wise as she reaches up again> Get what back? If there's anything here that can help us get you out, now's the time to say it. 2 :nuyen:
Maybe foci? Useful in her removal and our exfiltration. She's a journalist or some such, though, isn't she? Maybe it's some sort of data storage device disguised as hair clips. Not useful to us - even if she offered to pay us, considering it might jeopardize our mission. If we get out safely and unnoticed, we maybe could consider taking a smash and grab for her.... at a price.
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Mar 28 2004, 07:30 AM
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#440
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,598 Joined: 15-March 03 From: Hong Kong Member No.: 4,253 |
I think it's pretty clear we are here to get her, the stuff about not using her name seems a bit silly. It's not like we broke in here with the intention of taking home the first pretty girl we came across.
Having spent time with the security computers, can they be caused to crash in a believable manner? (BSOD?) if the systems are a type that fail occasionally generating a normal looking systems crash may be a useful tactic. Inserting 'virus.bin' into Mr Exec's porn collection can do the trick too (though that is not likely to apply in this case). What is the time again, how long until normal daytime operations start again? |
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Mar 28 2004, 09:33 AM
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#441
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 18-February 03 Member No.: 4,110 |
The point I'm trying to make is that it's obvious we came to remove a very specific Package, but let's be subtle about it... no point in drawing attention to the fact we know more than just the basics about her. There'll be time to draw targets on our backs later. |
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Mar 28 2004, 02:39 PM
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#442
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,677 Joined: 5-June 03 Member No.: 4,689 |
Incidentally, she is "Juliana" on every public and Shadowtalk medium you pulled up; and she would be very recognisable. It would be reasonable to assume she expects to be recognised. Time estimate of guard's arrival at roof of Solitaire to Ghost: 1 minute without elevator tampering, 6+ with.
She shakes her head, sheer self-amused disbelief that she is having this conversation. "Can we get out of here now?"
"Believable" is a relative term. With someone who is not really a computer expert, certainly - but it's also possible, based on your experience, that someone who isn't really a computer expert but just happens to be paranoid automatically jumps to the conclusion of being targeted. Someone more skilled in computers might well be able to determine that something was caused (in game mechanics, opposed skill tests), but depending on how skillfully it was done, that could take time. Shanshu: following up your suggestion as to Trogdor's comment if others agree with it, since it definitely has the potential to open up a can of worms outside the mission's original parameters. Time check: 2053 Eight minutes after Ghost ventured past the kennels at the bottom of the elevator shaft and the guard in the kitty-corner building called Lone Star, twelve after the elf was dusted, maybe five minutes since Ghost ventured into this side corridor, if they have not arrived yet the second gang is due to arrive any minute ... and a very long time until normal daytime operations start again. (Ref: pp 4-6) |
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Mar 29 2004, 12:04 AM
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#443
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 18-February 03 Member No.: 4,110 |
Just Juliana, though, right? Do I remember you saying something about her not generally being known to have a last name? Or is that the crack muddling my memory? |
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Mar 29 2004, 08:18 PM
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#444
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,677 Joined: 5-June 03 Member No.: 4,689 |
p8 - too much to quote, I thought. Bear in mind it is a Tir birth certificate.
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Mar 30 2004, 01:02 AM
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#445
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 18-February 03 Member No.: 4,110 |
Thanks :D it's just what I was looking for.
So her last name is generally available for someone who's looked around a bit... then I suppose it's no big deal really. (Not that it ever was, especially considering we're progressing ic w/o trouble)
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Mar 30 2004, 03:49 AM
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#446
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,598 Joined: 15-March 03 From: Hong Kong Member No.: 4,253 |
6 minutes sounds like plenty of time to get to the roof, strap in to the glider and jump off. Anything else is liekly to increase our chances of getting detected.
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Mar 30 2004, 04:11 AM
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#447
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Decker on the Threshold Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,922 Joined: 14-March 04 Member No.: 6,156 |
Heh, I wasn't really expecting Ghost to actually *say* the glib comment so much as think it to herself. :) The commtalk from Solitaire was the important bit really.
And yes, definately time to go. Six minutes is plenty of time to get to the roof and gone. Heck in six minutes I can get from my house to the library, check out a movie and come back home :P All in favor of ditching the building ASAP? |
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Mar 30 2004, 04:56 AM
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#448
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 18-February 03 Member No.: 4,110 |
yup, the longer we're here, the longer we're exposed. Eyeless Blond
Eye.
:wobble: |
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Mar 30 2004, 04:14 PM
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#449
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,677 Joined: 5-June 03 Member No.: 4,689 |
So not following up that one? Also, I know it slipped through my swamped cracks earlier, but what were you doing about the impending Lone Star call from this location? |
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Mar 30 2004, 10:42 PM
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#450
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 18-February 03 Member No.: 4,110 |
maybe: Trogdor: <perks up attention-wise as she reaches up again> Get what back? If there's anything here that can help us get you out, now's the time to say it. were we going to try to intecept the call and spoof LS again? |
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