OK, Karoline, how about Hodder and Dartha split learning the two languages for which there is no linguasoft, and leave the Yoruba to one of the other PCs? You want Igbo, or the Yoruba city-speak?

EDIT: Sorry, this should have been addressed to Kerenshara.

Most of this should be in the IC thread, but it would be out of synch with the other PCs' actions.

SincereAgape, when Hodder gets home he will pack clothing and equipment. Basically, everything on his list fits the luggage restrictions you provided. The Magic Lodge will stay at home. Nothing he will do in Nigeria will need it. (Famous last words?) Extra clothing and toolkits will go into the checked luggage, and vital stuff like magic reagents, foci and weapons will be in the carry on or worn by Hodder. So, Hodder trusts that there will be no border checks. Say about an hour and a half to get home and pack.

If Hodder leaves the meeting right away, there is time for packing and the two binding rituals below. If delays happen (more talking, whatever), then packing plus only the first binding ritual will take place.

SincereAgape, let me know under what circumstances one may buy successes. For example, if I need 1 success, and I have 11 or 12 dice, do I still roll, to risk a glitch?



Hodder has about an hour and a bit to get back to the private hangar at the airport. One last look around to see all is in order, who knows when he'll be back.

Hodder steps to the three bags, quite heavy with gear. No problem, he can be strong:


Hodder's eyes turn sky blue, almost glowing, with little sparklies shooting across them, and a gentle, perpetual breeze seems to be blowing about him, like in a fashion photo shoot or when a door to the outside just opened. A bit more than an hour now to get to the private hangar. He picks up his three bags with ease, and steps out the front door. It almost seems as if he is walking on air, his steps are so light.

I looked at the vaccinations in Arsenal and also the biomeds mentined in SR4A. The numbers do not add up. The medkit at rating 6 is sometimes less expensive then the meds in it (wtf). For instance, I would expect a properly equipped EMT pack (such as described in SR4A as a medkit) to have trauma patches, but one trauma patch costs as much as a 500 nuyen rating 5 medkit.

In addition, each vaccination shot is for a specific strain of disease. That means you can get innoculated against Hep A, but but not Hep B, C, or D. The cost becomes more than we are payed for each inoculation (around 3000 nuyen at least for each, and they don't guarantee immunity either, wtf?). When I got my shots to come to Libya, I got all my booster shots as well, most of them have a guarantee of 10-20 years. The only thing I do not have an innoculation against is malaria. Cost me about 50 euros.

I will assume that the 400 nuyen gives us a broad spectrum vaccination against the most common diseases, but special diseases such as VITAS III, really do demand a hospital and hospital stores.

So a 400 nuyen per shot is reasonable, but if you get something which cannot be easily treated with rest, lots of water and broadspectrum antiobiotics, demands a quick trip to a hospital. So no wading through waste water or plunging your hand into used sharpies.

Furthermore, most dieseases have an incubation period of roughly two weeks, so you may feel fine until you get back and then it can hit you.

I will also be taking 10 filtration units that screw on water bottles (exist today and cost about 20 dollars, they even have an automatic shut off when the filter gets clogged), saltine and vitamin tablets as well.

Despite what people tell you, the most obvious disease vector is water, you drink the wrong kind you get sick, you don't drink enough and you get dehydrated, which supresses your immune system and makes you sick.

We are used to eating soy based products so we may have big trouble metabolizing real food, also the bacteria in the food will be different then what we are used to. People will get sick for a few days after eating street food

Heh, usually real food is supposed to be a delicacy, but I'd imagine that we'll be wishing for good old soy before long. I don't know about everyone else but I plan on picking up water purification tablets and at least a week's worth of rations.

So I assume Vera will take care of the ordering through Ms. Johnson, and we all get our meds when we board the plane?

The other thing is that vaccinations take time to take effect. That may have changed in 60 years, but at this point in time, hepatitis vaccinations, or even flu vaccinations won't take effect overnight.

I don't think there even are current vaccinations for the various hemorrhagic fevers that come out of the jungles of Africa.

###

As an aside, various apologists for European conquest of the Americas must take heart in recent evidence that suggests that the second of three great epidemics that swept through Mexico and Central America in the decades after arrival of the Spanish was not a European disease such as smallpox, but rather a local hemorrhagic fever that had been known there for centuries. "See, it wasn't all our fault!"

Of course, they won't talk about the enslavement, malnourishment, confinement in close quarters for labour camps and the general despair of a broken civilization that may have set up the population for a plague.

The Internet is working again after I fixed it. Wohoo!!

I asked for a rough 1000 since medkits are not all that cut and dried about price. If Vera can pocket some of the money for commission she will. As for acting. Epipen to your largest muscle group, your gluteaus maximus or bottom, should do the trick.

I am wondering why are we flying to Cairo and then to X, when it would be faster going through Frankfurt, or is Germany a giant no-fly zone?

She'll have the medkit and vaccinations delivered by courier to the airport as she will be partying with her disposable hero until 0330, quick run home, and to the airport (hopefully) on time. Most likely will have to change in the plane.

Hehe, my post is up. Not my greatest work ever, but there is actually a fair bit there.

@pbangarth
Can Hodder handle anything bigger than a pistol?

@SincereAgape
Kit List for Dexter

OK, I have a problem. A LOT of my posting was going to be from work, and that site is blocked by the internal monitors (for dice rolling). I can get to it from home, but that's going to SERIOUSLY curtail my posting. Any ideas?

(BTW, where's the IC thread? It's been hell, and I'm going on 16 days no internet at home. I'm using an air card and it's a piece of drek for anything better than reading email.)

Never mind, I found it. It's been a long week. I'm spun up and ready, but I need to get slotted in somehow. I'll watch and see how it goes. I'm running off that aircard after 9PM any night at the moment, so it's going to be fun. And I'm still "dice" limited prior to 9PM 'till further notice.

Ideas on a hook?

Hey guys!

I am going to try and get to everyone's questions tomorrow and Wednesday. It was a busy day at work as I spent the entire day in the field with a brand new co-worker showing them the ropes and introducing them to new clients.

Tomorrow I finish my day earlier and Wednesday we have mundane training for a new policy from 10-6. Ouy *Facepalms* (Boring, but less tiring)

Sorry about the delays!

@Kerenshara, post #151 was meant for you, not Karoline. Sorry, ladies.

@Mister Juan, Hodder has a weapon Skill only in Pistol (automatic), but when he is possessed and turns on his adept power Attribute Boost (AGI), he typically has an AGI of 9 or 10. So with his Predator he has a typical dice pool of 14 or 15, and with another smartlinked weapon he has a typical pool of 10 or 11.

Oh, and everybody, Hodder's PPP system is the 'discreet' form which allegedly hides underneath clothing. It's in my item list, but I didn't specify in my other posts.

Hehe, I thought it was sure odd that you were asking me to pick up languages

Oh, and PB, I got 8 hits on my perception test to see if I noticed you wearing any armor under your clothing There is a difference between discreet and unseeable. It makes your body a bit oddly shaped, and when wearing a suit, those sorts of things are actually quite hard to hide. Really it is the FFBA that is -really- hard to spot. I figure even the discreet version of PPP is going to look like you're wearing pads and stuff under your clothing unless you're wearing something really bulky.

Oh, and if you'd like Kerenshara you can send me your requests for die rolls, I'll go roll them up for you, and then send you the link back. Maybe not the fastest method, but I tend to check DS some while in classes, so I should notice it before too long.

Sooo.... Does anyone want to start a PC on PC deadpool?

Cause it seems that the way this is shaping up the enemies out there are going to be the least of your problems

What? No! Hawkeye would -never- turn on a teammate like that *whistle*

While I'm highly appreciative of the offer, if we're resorting to that, and trusting each other on the results, I carry a block of dice with me just about all the time, so I have no problems just doing that... assuming everybody's willing to trust me.

And as to party-rivalry, I don't see any reason Dartha can't work with everybody at least to start.

@pbangarth
That pretty much answers my question I was wondering, because Dexter has a few weapons he won't bring along to Lagos, simply because he can't be using ALL of them. Mainly, what he currently has to spare are a SPAS22 Shotgun, a P93 SMG and a Desert Strike Sniper Rifle. Before Hodder leaves, Dexter will offer to "improve" his firepower is he wants

@SincereAgape
I remember you mentioned somewhere in the recruitment thread that we could get a free 1/2 contact or something along these lines. Should I take it that Dexter's contact is the guy who called him earlier? Or do I make another one up?

I review my previous kit list and realized I forgot one item: sound supressor for the assault rifle. So, I'll add that.

Also, to speed things up IC (you can answer now if you want, I'll make an IC post anyways later); Dexter has a few more questions for Miss J:
1- How will the team travel when in Lagos? Jeeps? SUV? Boats?
2- Will her current "bodyguard" be along for the ride?
3- Are there any precise ROE to follow? (avoid civilian casualties at all cost? fire only if fired upon? leave no one behind? etc... Issue warning before engaging anyone?)
4- Do we have a cover story, if anyone asks who the hell we are?
5- The object we have to recover, how big is it? how can we transport it? is if fragile? magical?
6- What is the command structure for the op? Dexter can guess that Miss J will technically be in charge. He's mainly concern about who he's supposed to take orders from.
7- Do we expect to camp out in the wild ? (this will play on the amount of MREs Dexter will bring, as well as if he packs his single person tent or not)

I'd love to ask Ms. J some questions, but I'm not there (yet). *grin* That's a hint, SincereAgape.

That's the last time I'm trusting a spreadsheet I didn't write myself for char-gen. I need to decide what to trim/swap out on that last .25 point. All the .25 point powers are pretty important so I will probably wind up pulling a .5 and swapping in a .25 power to bring it down.

Hey, Mr. Juan, thanks for the offer. I think Hodder is in for a real change in trajectory in Lagos. Up to this point in his 'career' his view has been that if he has to resort to gunfire, he has failed to think and prepare properly, he has failed to charm his way through the problem, and he has failed to run and hide well enough.

He really doesn't understand yet how hard he is to kill when possessed. Not impossible, but hard. So he will act as if he is easy to kill. He is out there in the shadows to get cool, old stuff and weasel, trick and deke his way through the bad stuff. His firearm is there to be a last resort to resolve momentary blockages so he can get on with the things he would rather do. And, I guess, to look less like a mage than some do. He is an adept, and will try to resolve issues with his physicality first, spirits and spells if that doesn't work, and the pistol if neither other option is appropriate. Any weapon he might want to carry will have to be very portable and easily tucked away so he can climb, jump, run, swim, crawl, hide... etc.

So a sniper rifle is just too big and out there for Hodder. An SMG might be more appropriate, but Dexter probably could make the best case for the shotgun, in the sense of a tool to clear the path to the waiting plane, propellers turning and beginning to taxi, through a crowd of armed and unarmored locals. Of course in that situation, Hodder may try his Influence spell, or summon his bound fire spirit to possess him so he could run, literally on fire, through that crowd. Or fly over them. Or some combination of these, before he starts firing.

Now, the presence of team members makes things different for Hodder, who is the lone infiltrator type. He can be a real little shit, but he won't leave teammates in the lurch. This possibly is why he tends to work alone, so he is free to run and hide when he thinks it is necessary. Working with this team, if he has to stand and help the team move as a unit, may teach him the value of combat tactics and the true strength of his ability to escape damage. He would hope as I do that it doesn't come to that.

###

I sense already some factionalization in the team, along gender lines. Hawkeye, for her own inscrutable reasons, seems drawn to Vera (well, that's scrutable, who isn't drawn to Vera?) and repelled by the two men. The men, on the other hand, seem to have a natural, practical camaraderie developing. This could be some fun to play! And how will little Dartha affect that balance of power? Man, this is beginning to sound like a reality show.

EDIT: Many of those extra questions are things I figured would be hashed out on the plane, though the MREs obviously need to be brought with us.

Thats what I was thinking also... until I realized that some of those answers might change Dexter's kit list. If we already have decent room and board set up along our travel route, then, Dexter will probably bring less rations than he might he they were bound to spend 20 days in the jungle Same things with weapon: if the J insist on them being as careful as possible with collaretal damage, he'll bring more smokes and flash bangs, and less frags and white phosphorous (even if it is my favorite weapon in SR after the new gauss rifle )

I can see that the addition of Dartha to the heady emotional and inter-personal brew in this party is going to be EVER so much fun. On the other hand, I can also see her not saying much with all this going on around her, either.

I found the problem with her sheet! I KNEW I couldn't have screwed up that huge. Enhanced Perception is only 0.25/level not the 0.50 I originally had it at. Now I'm back in line. Thanks for pointing out the error, folks!

Man, Durlan is smooth and subtle

Yeah, subtle as a rock

Hi guys. To answer the questions and concerns.

@Karoline. About the money. You're such a sweetheart personality wise, and thus far have been a strong positive influence in this game as well as the Dumpshock community in general. As much as I would like to give you the money requests. The offer still stands. 15,000 nuyen for five days of work with 5,000 nuyen up front. The 5,000 is apart of the 15,000 nuyen total. For most jobs, the amount that is paid upfront is usually apart of the payment.

Now if the job goes more then five days, you guys have legs to stand on for a re-negotiation. (Hint from GM)

Sorry about the confusion.

-For all of your supplements for five days + will cost 100 nuyen (unless otherwise noted in a book).

@Pete. Thank you for rolling the resistance for the spirts. Really helped save time and energy. Overall the rolls look good. A few notes.

1.) It's all good. Next time for the first set of rolls to boost your stats. I believe a PC suffers a minus 2 for each 'failed or do over roll' for the same objective. Thus, in the future of Belloq is going to summon spirits or increased reflexes and he fails or does not like the result, he will suffer a -2 penalty for each following roll unless he waits the appropriate amount of time.

2.) The glitch for the Air Spirit, would have wiped out any drain that you might have suffered.

3.) @Mr. Juan. - The list looks good, other then the fact that Dexter will be looking like John Rambo upon landing in Lagos. To answer some of your questions for Ms. J.

1- How will the team travel when in Lagos? Jeeps? SUV? Boats?
-That is not determined yet. She is planning to find a ground vehicle when they arrive in Lagos.
2- Will her current "bodyguard" be along for the ride?
-No. Durlan will not be coming.
3- Are there any precise ROE to follow? (avoid civilian casualties at all cost? fire only if fired upon? leave no one behind? etc... Issue warning before engaging anyone?)
-Avoid civilian casualties. Other then that it is up to your discretion. She comes off as the altruistic type. (And as a note. As a GM i tend to favor morals, altruism, and benelovence in stories. That being said, edge reward back to PCs will be based off this and how much they stay in character.)
4- Do we have a cover story, if anyone asks who the hell we are?
-No cover story. Just tourists. You are looking for a sextent.

5- The object we have to recover, how big is it? how can we transport it? is if fragile? magical?
-Fragile. Should be able to carried by one person.

You are looking for a...........

Sextent


6.- What is the command structure for the op? Dexter can guess that Miss J will technically be in charge. He's mainly concern about who he's supposed to take orders from.

Ms. Johnson is in command. However, she is not the dictator type. She encourages a democracy amongst the team, and hopes everyone see's eye to eye. She is the foreman of the board, thus her vote counts the most. But she is opening to listen to suggestions.

7- Do we expect to camp out in the wild ? (this will play on the amount of MREs Dexter will bring, as well as if he packs his single person tent or not)
-She is planning to get lodging for everyone. But the mission may require the team to eventually brave the wilds.

@Chrysalis. I believe Germany and Europe are to dangerous to fly through in 2072, thus border patrols will be tighter and the flight pattern would be more dangerous. Ms. Johnson prefers to fly through Cairo and then land in Assante. Via Private charter jet. From there it is bush plain time.


@Kerenshara. I am not sure of other dice rolling engines. I'll trust you and your magical dice, until you can post from home or a place where you have access to Invisible castle. I am still working on your character sheet.


@Everyone. DigitalOyabun will be joining us in game as member number 6.

-Any items you would like to buy will be at book price. Normal Availabilitiy rules still apply. So if it's an item you cannot get within12 hours, you will not be able to get it.



-Fire away if you have anymore questions. Or feel free to email me.

SincereAgape@hotmail.com

Vera is only taking one for the team.

Ah, I misunderstood how the contract was falling out. I though that we'd get 15k regardless of how long it took, but we were going to be protecting her for a minimum of 5 days. If we get to re-negotiate after 5 days then I'm happy.

ALso, what are the odds of getting a motorcycle on the plain? I admit I don't know how good one would be in the lagoony area and whatnot, but it would be nice to have some form of transport going in.

Don't you mean he is taking on of the team?

She's going to say no to the motorcycle. It won't fit on the bush plain.

Poor motorcycle.

No time for IC tonight So take for granted that Dexter leaves

Seems more like a woody to me.

Hi guys,

Working on getting Kerenshara and Digital Oyabun's characters caught up in game through OOC and PMs. Once that happens, the next chapter will be posted.

Fun stuffs. Should we ICly move ourselves to the tarmac?

Hey Karoline, not yet.

KK, I'll just do my shopping and go home then.

Hi guys,

Quick update. Spoke to Kerenshara and DigitalOYABUN. Their characters will be meeting the Big Four in Cairo. Since tomorrow is the start of my weekend, I'll hopefully have a tarmac/airfield post up tonight at the Seatac airport.

I am also planning to clean up the OOC and Recruitment threads to make them more organized.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like it disorganized and natural - don't make more work for yourself.

Yeah, organization is for those that have a negative quality related to it

"Organization" is for people too lazy to bother looking for things.

and/or too forgetful to remember where they are in the first place. Always fight with my mom over that stuff. She would insist that I clean up and make everything organized, but the only time I couldn't find stuff was when she had moved it. Then when I couldn't find something because she had moved it and she found it in 2 seconds she would go "See, if you just kept everything organized you wouldn't have this problem." and I'd reply "And if you hadn't moved it I also wouldn't have had this problem."

I still loves her though

I adhere to a system of "organization" I learned (inherited genetically?) from my father:

"Organization By Piles"

Or as a friend called it "Geography and Geology" for what general area and about how deep.

Works like a charm for me, but it drove mom NUTZ!

Yep, that's a good way to go about it

Both my parents are so neat though. I must have learned it from my teachers who would generally have a good 8-12" layer of papers on their desks, yet could find virtually anything in under a minute of rummaging.

*cough* since this is the OOC thread, I suppose we should shift back to here.

I've switched from third to first person. This is mainly because I've been writing lately and using first person, and so it was really hard for me to switch back to third.

Oh, think I forgot to mention that she is wearing a backpack, which she is taking onto the plane with her as her carry on bag.

It seems Pope has overslept and missed the flight

OK, I'm in. I didn't post a time stamp, because that's what each of the arriving characters will see as they board, whatever time that winds up being.

I had this sudden urge on having Vera vomit on Kerenshera's characters shoes.