Welcome to the Planitronics Penetration OOC thread.
I’d like to lay out the ground rules for posting in the IC thread now. As it seems to be an accepted format, we shall use this:
<Stolen from Meriss>

Act I, Scene I
Seattle ‘plex – Friday, Oct. 10, 2070

The Fixer calls:

Jean Benson – a human with a heart of stone, pure business with you. You are merely means to an end for her. She is cold, ruthless and oddly, fair – in her own way.

When the J. contacted her she looked through her contacts for her Prime ‘runners and found:

Nothing

All the Prime ‘runners are laying low, out of the country, or in the hospital.

So, she digs deeper – You have done a few jobs for her, haven’t screwed up or gotten yourself dead, so she decides to take a calculated risk.

Of course, when she contacts you, all business-like as usual; she won’t tip you to this.

She will tell you that the J. is a very valuable client, with a rep of being willing to give repeat business to ‘runners that perform well, and, if she loses him, you will lose her.

She gives you the run-down:
"He needs some people to do some B&E work at a secure facility. He says the facility is secured by matrix, magic and mundane means, and the data he needs is off-line."
She stresses that if you doubt your abilities she can find someone else.

This is your big chance.

If you accept she tells you the meet is Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Five Kings restaurant, downtown, at 11:00 sharp – dress sharp, pack legit and light, if at all, and ask for the Thompson luncheon.

Do the team members know each other?

Second question: To me, an Ares Pred in a concealed holster with a CCW is light and legit. Is it to you?

Belfast is still pretty new in the Seattle scene. At most he may have been on one or two runs with a few of the members. But if someone wants to have previous experience and Thomas is groovy with it, feel free to assume as much. Just let me know so I don't look like a tool in my own post. XD

Oh, and shame on you Thomas for using cyan instead of yellow for a comm call. I shall mock you now. Mock! Mock!

Scope's been in Seattle a while, but she's been running with a fairly specific sort of crowd until lately. Ditto on what Doc Funkenstein said though, if someone wants previous experience with Scope and Thomas is alright with it, just let me know first

Rock is born and raised Seattle. Puyallup Barrens to be precise, though he spent some time in the Downtown scene. He's better known around the Puyallup Crime Mall.

@Thomas

Willow's been in the plex for a while now, but isn't born and raised here bringing over a heap of history from Hong Kong.

Home base would be around the International District, so if you spend time down there you might have heard of her... or maybe not

Questions, questions, questions…

@Redjack:

• It’s possible that some or all of you know each other in a professional setting. You have, after all, worked for Ms. Benson before. Some <cough>Scope<cough> are more likely to work solo, where as others <cough>Gyre<cough> have skills that are valuable in a wider range of situations. I’ll leave the choice up to you all – I just don’t expect any of you to be bosom buddies.
• I think the Ares Predator is a Heavy Pistol – Light Pistols, Hold Outs, and Tasers are what I consider ‘light’. Feel free to bring whatever you want – the staff at the restaurant have procedures, and ‘Star is just a Panic Button away…

@Doctor Funkenstein – Mocking the GM <scribbles something on Belfast’s character sheet> Yeah, ya got me, failing to follow my own rules.

@All – If you all feel it’s appropriate for your characters to know each other it’s ok with me. Talk it out amongst yourselves and react accordingly at the meet.

@Redjack – Since you called Prince, I assume you want a concealed carry license, not a weapon. A rating 4 for the Predator – rush job – will cost 460 nuyen and take 8 hours. (Yes, I am taking into account his Loyalty.) I also assume you will give him the information needed, SIN to link license to, etc. If you want something other than a rating 4, multiply the price by 15% and figure ((rating)*2hours) for time. Let me know what you get.

A note about ‘grit’ in my little corner of the metaverse.
Grit is not just the stuff you try to avoid breathing, it’s not the stuff that collects on the windows of your pathetic doss – until the acid rain etches crazy, wavy lines through it. It is more a feel – something you live with every day.
Especially in the lower security areas – take for example a ‘D’ zone: although the gangers don’t mug every passer-by, expect chipheads, drug dealers, and meat merchants (both ‘pleasure’ and ‘edible’ types) to tempt you with their wares. ‘C’ zones are slightly better, gangs are fewer and more interested in their rep with other gangs, the aforementioned merchants don’t paw at the ‘tourists’ but are content to stay in their stalls.
Even the corp wageslaves have their grit to bear.
Although in ‘B’ and higher rated areas you might get through the night without hearing a single gunshot there’s still a chance you may fall due to some random violence. Even in the ‘AAA’ zones, there’s a chance that some ‘runner team will screw the run – and you become a <dead> innocent bystander.
Even top-of-the-food-chain corp Exec’s have their problems – Dragons; and Dragons have ‘things’ to worry about too.
It has been said before, and it’s true, “It’s not the bullet with your name on it you have to worry about, it’s the one addressed ‘to whom it may concern’.�
Welcome to the Shadows, chummer…

@Thomas - Two questions...
First, quick rules question... how do you want us to do dice rolls? Dice bot, real dice, or something else? If real dice, do you want the results in any particular order?

Second, where in the Emergence timeline are we? I wanted to know so I know how much about TMs is IC for character reactions reasons in case it comes up. Afterall, there is a big difference between "Ok, a technomancer..." and "OMFG, its a fraggin' Otaku!"

{ Sarcasm } And Scope, work alone? Never { /Sarcasm }

- Scope_47

@Scope_47 - The fairest way to do rolls would be to use InvisibleCastle posting the results and the link to the roll in your spoiler. I really don’t have a problem with you using whatever system you are comfortable with – if you cheat, you only cheat yourself, and if I suspect that you are cheating – well, let’s just say that I run the world, Great Dragons tremble at the mention of my… Oh, sorry – megalomaniac mode off – but I can adjust NPC’s and target numbers on the fly…
On the subject of Technomancers, perhaps Tarantula could enlighten us. I admit that I’ve been too cheap to buy Emergence yet – my personal opinion: Technomancers are people with unexplained powers. A technomancer would look like you or me and, as long as s/he appeared to be using a commlink, probably wouldn’t rate a second glance. Reaction to a TM who was ‘exposed’, as it were, would vary. After all, magic has been around for over two decades and there are still people who are disturbed by it – some actively hate it. Others research it and/or use it as part of their day-to-day job.

@Thomas
Ok, thanks for the link. I used it to roll for starting just so I could make sure I knew how it worked... so, is the following format correct?



Or if I was doing, say, a visual perception test:



Those formats acceptable, or is there one you prefer?

Either of those formats work for me:
They give me the essential information – what you are rolling for; and, the results of the roll.

If you wanted to use the InvisibleCastle with link you could so this:

Sure you can cheat on invis. castle, however if you use the same "name" over and over it DOES keep a history of the rolls that can be searched

Ooh, even more spiffy.

Garrett Blackthorne played by Saqqara is with us now.

Welcome Saqqara! <muhahaha>

You just need to add a COLOR tag to the link is all, Scope. The default color is a light cyan which disappears in the off-white background the SPOILER tag uses. Just make sure to put the COLOR tag inside the URL tags and you're good to go. Example:

@Redjack:

Be a rebel and show up in tres skank attire! Slutty yet elegant! <pauses> Don't look at me like that.

Analyze on the commcall is for the ID, and if its voice/video/VR.
For the resteraunt system, for ratings, alert status, and if theres any IC/spiders in the node.
Also, starting nuyen! Middle lifestyle = 4d6x100Â¥
[4,5,5,6] = (20)
For a total of 2,000Â¥!
Link

Damn, The Doc is right. Some people and their slothiness! Wait... what?

Thought I'd introduce myself and give everyone a quick hello, especially since I'm new around the joint. Mind the Doc though. He is indeed, a dirty, dirty man. For shame.

To directly answer Scope_47’s question – it appears formal or business attire would be appropriate.

The ‘Tour’ clearly shows (although I failed to clearly explain) patrons in business suits. It also reveals that the main halls have large windows (floor to ceiling, 2 meters wide – spaced by wood-grain ‘support columns’ which are 1 meter wide) along the exterior walls. The interior walls have a brocade print wallpaper above a dark wood-grain wainscoting (matches the support columns.) At the wallpaper/wainscoting joint there are window-boxes containing a variety of plants. (perhaps an herb garden?) The patrons that you see are dressed in business attire, while the serving staff are wearing uniforms consisting of white shirts/blouses, black bow ties, white jackets, red cummerbunds, black trousers and black, patent leather, shoes. The staff are using modern serving drones – you know the type; separate thermo-controlled compartments, force-sensitive pushbar controlling the drive and steering mechanisms – and the place settings are a modern, although unique, pattern.

Appropriate that Scope_47 should ask that question – as her character, a barely-human, cybered, killing machine – might actually know what a renaissance gown looked like – as opposed to the rest of you criminals.

@Tarantula – I’ve made some assumptions on what Gyre might do; if this isn’t what you had in mind then we may need to crunch the Matrix actions. Let me know:

<considered a rebuttal about some guy from Nantucket, but thought better of it>

Back on topic...

@Thomas
Now that everyone has posted once, I wanted to know what are the posting protocols? Do we wait on you to set Scene 2 and/or advance the time, or can we post the next thing we are doing if we want to do something else before the luncheon?

By all means if you have backstory or downtime activities that don’t reasonably require GM intervention or approval – proceed.

I will try to post the setup for the next scene not later than Saturday to give some time before the ‘soft’ deadline of Tuesday the 31st. Details are sketchy at the moment so ‘Official’ posts may be postponed until Aug. 6th.

I actually have a real question. No, seriously, I do!

How often does our Edge refresh? The recommended rate is once per gaming session, but that's kind of hard to do on an online game (pretty much every post is a new "session"). Once per game day? Once per run? Once per Combat Turn (that's not overpowered; honest!)?

Just curious. Thanks in advance!

The only contention with what Gyre did, was that he has no need to go into the reservations node, as he'd assume the J got his reservation in order. Other than that, fantastic.

Slightly off-topic:

Just got the augentation PDF...

it is so incredibly awesomtastic and fantabulous! I dearly wish it had graced my hard drive last week instead of this week... The Cyber-Psychosis neg-quality is almost exactly what I'd had in mind with Scope's personality RP-wise (so if I ever redo her for another game, that'll be the first thing on the sheet) - and the other new rules are just plain delectably tasty (though I'd not have changed much). +Le Sigh+ Such is life.

Still, I HIGHLY recommend the book

I hear that! I've been thumbing through it myself and there's a few things I'd have liked to have gotten. And I'm a damn mage (Go go Gadget-Trauma-Damper)! So glad this book was finally released. I won't feel so gimp the next time I go to make a mundane character.

And wait wait wait, Scope is a Cyber-Psychosis type. <swoons>

I expect to refresh edge once before penetration and again after exit from the target area, after that it depends on how much foot-dragging goes on before delivery of the package.

Clear as mud? <I think the good Doctor is worried about that Lowfyr comment – rightly so Doc, rightly so.> <<Oh, some more unfinished verbal sparring – “Rue the day? – Who talks like that?�>>

Act I, Scene II(a) – Arrival:
GM’s notes to players:
Fortunately for those characters without vehicles, or just those who want to take public transportation – the ‘rail stops at the Acrology, less than a kilometer walk – and the bus stops at S. Jackson St. and Bus Lane, about 0.2 km away. The Five Kings is within easy walking distance for Ms. Lain. (I almost sat a restaurant on her doss; how does that happen, Vegas?)
Today is Saturday, Oct. 11, 2070 – the weather forecast is for morning fog which should begin clearing by 10:00, daytime highs expected to be around 19.44 degrees. There is a 60 percent chance of showers in the mid-afternoon, with an expected PH of 4.6. (The weather has been brought to you by Gaeatronics, who remind you to cherish your Mother.)
However you manage to get there I need you to post here, in the OOC thread, what you are wearing/how you are equipped – even down to the piece of cherry bubble gum stuck to the heel of your left shoe – and how your gear is configured – PAN settings, weapon load-outs, etc.
For those who arrive early to scope the place out, in addition to the description below, the staff arrives between 10:00 and 10:30, the door(wo)man takes his/her place at 10:15, and what appear to be patrons begin to arrive at 10:25.
The description below is provided to allow you to post your characters arrival and reactions. They may approach the doorwoman but please do not interact with her yet – that’s Scene II(b)

The Five Kings restaurant:
Looks nothing like the Matrix icon you may have seen – instead you are treated to a vision that looks like a single-story office building. The main part of the building has large, reflective windows with a slight gold tint. Columns of white stucco alternate with the windows, providing a break from the monotony, and giving an overall ‘bland’ aesthetic to the structure. Jutting out from the center of the building, on the parking lot side, (east, toward 5th Street and away from the Acrology) is an entrance hall of some sort. A dark blue canvas awning with scalloped edges identifies the place as “Five Kings� on its arched end cap. Underneath the awning, a woman in a white jacket, blouse, trousers with a black bowtie and red cummerbund stands behind a thin podium next to a large, dark-brown door. The entire scene seems insignificant when contrasted with the awesome background of the Renraku Acrology.

If we can get all questions resolved and all posts in the IC thread done by Tuesday I should be able to get Scene II(b) setup by Friday the 3rd at the latest.

Thomas -

Probably because I am psychic... or is that psycho.. I can never remember

Will post IC soon - wanted to post the OOC bit first.

Appearance: Scope will be dressed in her Actioneer business suit. It is a tuxedo black pant-suit cut in a mixed neo-Japanese and neo-Italian style. Her shirt is azure blue silk garment cut in the same style and adorned with pearl-hued buttons. A tiny round pin on her suit's right lapel displays the Globe and Anchor of the UCASMC surrounded with the words "Semper Fidelus: Always Faithful." Her shoes are black, one-inch heel fully enclosed dress shoes (zipper, not slides); they are smooth with no ornamentation and polished to a military shine. She is wearing black trouser-socks, and she is also wearing black leather gloves of a hue matching the suit. Her hair is currently blond and tied back in a twist-tail, and her cyber-eyes are currently green with the standard iris pattern. She is wearing standard cosmetic makeup that is applied to accentuate her cheeks, raise and extend the eyebrows, and make her lips appear fuller (disguise check will be in IC post). She is wearing a pair of square-rimmed, small lensed glasses equipped with image link for AR.

Gear: In her left inside jacket pocket is a chrome, unornamented cigar case containing eight cigars - four brown and four black in hue. In her right inside jacket pocket is her commlink and two blank datachits. In her right outside jacket pocket is a chrome Zippo-style lighter: it appears to be old, the engraving of a mounted knight in rampant pose on the front of it is nearly worn away, the wick is nearly burnt down, and it is only half full of fluid. In her left outside pocket is a small stack of business cards that simply say "Ariel Angel: Security Consultations." The Actioneer suit's concealable holster is positioned in such a manner as to minimize any bulge that would break the lines of the suit, but not in such a way as to hinder a frisking (Palming Roll will be in IC post). In the holster is a Fichetti Security 600 pistol loaded with gel-rounds, no additional clips or ammunition. The Fichetti's smartlink is turned off (it is set up to use skinlink anyway, and her current commlink isn't capable of that), and the safety has been manually clicked into the 'on' position. She is wearing a sub-vocal mike and the earbud that came with her commlink for phone calls.

Cyberware: all wireless is turned off

Commlink Hardware/Software: Novatech Airware (3/3) with an Iris Orb OS (3/3). Software loaded: Mapsoft (Seattle Metroplex), Agent (R3, Named Sir Gawain - using the Analyze software looking for unauthorized users - any login that is not Administrator is considered unauthorized by Sir Gawain. Upon finding unauthorized user, he is instructed to send an alert to AR glasses and then reboot the commlink - resuming his duty upon successful reboot), Analyze R3, Browse R3, Edit R3, and Encrypt R3. It also has on it today's newspaper and this month's issues of Leathernecks: the magazine of the UCAS Marines, Popular Science, and Reader's Digest . The only things subscribed to the commlink are the pair of glasses Scope is wearing, the sub-vocal mike, and the stock earbud that came with the commlink for phone-calls.

Commlink SIN/Mode: The commlink is in Passive mode. Fake SIN 'Ariel Angel' is loaded along with fake licenses for wired reflexes, muscle replacement, smartlink, Nissan Chrysler Patrol-1, and a Fichetti Security 600. All licenses and SIN are rating 4. Her fake SIN/licenses claim that she is former UCASMC, and was honorably discharged in 2066 - now operating as a security consultant with a degree earned in-service (hence the licenses for the weapon and security vehicle). Her profile, should someone look, is:
User-Name: MarineGrl4Evr
Thought of the day: SEMPER FI!!
Personal: Not interested - that means NO.

Whew <wipes forehead> hope that was detailed enough... oh yeah, the soles of her shoes - though well worn - do not have any bubblegum on them (she isn't unlucky after all).

- Scope_47 <edited to correct typo>

OOC and IC coming from me soon too.. just have a pesky 9 hours of work (and then some sleep) between it and now

I'll be posting in the IC in the near future. Just having a little trouble describing the images in my mind's eye to text in a way that suites my sense of aesthetics. I'm anal like that. Sue me. That said, here's the requested information for the day of the meet. Spellcasting, summoning and assensing tests will be handled in the appropriate IC post(s) as they "officially" come up.

Appearance: Belfast will be riding to the Five Kings in his standard outfit (comfortable jeans, black muscle shirt, naval peacoat, Doc Martins, Oakleys) and scouting out the entrance from across the street for a little bit. As soon as he gets an idea of the kind of threads the other patrons are wearing he'll head to the nearest parking facility and Fashion something a little more appropriate for the situation. Probably a 10,000Â¥ Armani suit with elegant Mauri shoes, gold Bulova watch, and an equally-expensive pair of designer orichalcum-frame spectacles. No cologne, but a nice, clean smell. He'll also be using his best formal American accent rather than the usual one he picked up in the slums of Limerick. Much to the surprise of anyone who's had dealings with him before. Body language will be shifted to suit the new look as well.

Oh, and his shoes will, in fact, have bubblegum strategically stuck to them. Just out of spite.

As soon as he's out the door, though. WHOOSH! Back to tres casual.

Gear: Bel'll be leaving his handcannon at home this afternoon, but will have everything listed under Armor & Clothing on and Fashioned to be socially acceptable. His cheap-ass commlink will be set to Passive and all of his other wireless connectivity will be disabled, instead relying on their skinlinks. Sadly, electronics is a far cry from his specialty and he hasn't been in Seattle long enough to secure any fancy toys yet. All skillsofts will be loaded, most of the items under Common Items of Note will discretely distributed across his person, and of course his Suzuki Mirage will be parked down the street from the restaurant and facing the road in case a quick get-away is necessitated.

Magic: Bel will also be bringing his currently inactive Sustaining Focus. He will be summoning a great-form Guardian Spirit before leaving for the Five Kings but won't have him waiting on stand-by unless things start to feel edgy during the meet. Masking is in full effect, making him look mundane despite shedding his perceptions of the mortal coil to give the joint a good sizing-up of any magical safeguards inside and out. Once he gets a good idea he'll shift back to the physical, throw all the dice he has into Counterspelling himself and anyone else he recognizes, then will proceed to work that social mojo, baby, yeah.