Just to start the thread. I'll post more after I sleep.

Bumping this.

What style should we use to post IC?

I'm not choosy. All I ask is that you bold characters' names. If a consensus posting style emerges, I'll use that.

How about...

That would be fine.

Johnny Rocket

Once everybody's posted, all 7 of you, I'll move on.

Or once one week has elapsed. Can we please not wait that long at the start of the campaign?

My signature

Ahh. DSF is configured to not show sigs for me. Sorry!

POSTING COLOR MAP
. . "Speech color=cyan, optionally enclosed in quotes"
. . <Coms (spoken)Speech color=yellow>
. . <Coms (subvocal) color=violet>
. . <Coms (Text) color=black>
. . Thoughts color=darkkhaki and in italics
. . Memories, flashbacks, dreams color=lightgrey and in italics

POSTING COM INFORMATION
I like using the second line to provide current information about the character's COM.
Example: Johnny Rocket; [LTG, PAN=Hidden, 3] SIN=John Smith
. . Johnny Rocket=Character name/nickname
. . LTG=A wireless connection to the LTG (Local Telecommunications Grid) is established so he can get calls.
. . PAN=Hidden, 3=His PAN is on, running in hidden mode and the signal range is dialed to a 3.
. . SIN=John Smith=The SIN loaded in his com is John Smith. The mode generally determines if that SIN is broadcast though.

As a GM call now, so I know for later. Do we have to worry about missing shots? The RAW don't describe the bullets continuing on anywhere, and many GMs handwave it. Since we will be on a boat, will I need to worry about what happens when I fire a shotgun and the target dodges? I'd tend to say that damage to the vessel only happens if I Glitch or Critically Glitch, but I'd like your thoughts.

Despite what you may have seen in the movies, a gunfight on board a ship is like a knife fight in the telephone booth. The passageways are about 1.5 times an average persons shoulder width. Shotguns are actually the best weapon for firing below deck,,the shot is less likely to damage anything important.

WMS

WMS has my thought process down exactly....WMS, you were in the Navy...Do you recall whether they said pistol or rifle rounds could punch through bulkheads?

Yes I served 6 years in the USN.

.45 would not penetrate any major bulkheads, and minor bulkheads. Not office doors yes,,,hatches no. M-14 yes it could penetrate major bulkheads and minor ones.

Biggest problem was no cover in most passageways, any shot could ricochets wildly. Also most passageways were lined with various electric/pneumatic/electronic/gas devices,,, even a shotgun would affect those. Overhead you had pipes, cable ways, and valves on the overhead pipes.

WMS

Thanks for the info.

So...If you're shooting a pistol "below decks", you might hit something on a glitch IF you miss. Similar with all other weapons on SS or SA.

BF, if you miss, you roll on a D6. On a roll of 3 or below, you hit something.

FA, you roll on a D4. On a roll of 2 or less, you hit -something-. What that something is is GM discretion.

Narse and Gknoy, we're waitin on you two.

So, how do I make the fancy colors work?

I should be posting sometime within the next, oh, 10 hours.

Sorry about taking so long to get to post. This is my first Play-by-post game and it took a while to think of exactly what to post. It certainly is very different from tabletop games. Any advice would be appreciated, btw.

Narse, looks great!

Looks good, Narse.

GKnoy, you're it. C'mon. If I'm stuck waiting til tomorrow night, someone's going to get hit by the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, just to keep me amused.

WMS: Uh, I just realized. How the hell does one get aboard these floaty-things from shore in the modern age? A ladder? A mobile staircase? A rope? Being flung by catapaults?

it is called a gangway or gang plank. A ramp or walkway going from the ship/boat to the pier, if the boat/ship is high enough it might end in a stair like structure.

WMS

Ok I'm a land lover, so I don't quite get the distinction here. Looking to Wikipedia I find:
In older times, a captain was a nobleman given responsibility over a ship, but was not likely to have any nautical experience. The next officer of the ship would be the ship's master. The master carried out the executive functions of a captain, while the titular captain filled a ceremonial and legal role.

Is this the functional definition we are using?

No. In modern terms, the Master is the person legally responsible for the ship and all that happens aboard. They're the one the port authorities look at. The Commander (referred to by tradition as "Captain") is the person with actual operational control over the ship. Often, these are the same person, hence the term "Master and Commander" (and why being Master requires a specific skillset), but they don't have to be.

Legally responsible... Ouch, hurts to be Gunner...

Ok, My char. is not being volunteered for Commandership. I think it would make sense if one of the chars. w/ naval experience actually got the position. So with that in mind... who all wants to/should be commander?

It's your choice.

As you all discuss that issue, I'm going to take a moment and post something completely different:

Free Karma Opportunities

Okay - I am a newbie GM, and some of what would be really helpful to have, I can't create.

So....I'm outsourcing it for karma. Small amounts, nothing much, but karma is karma.

Yacht Map - 2 karma available - I need someone to draw up a map of the Thoundercloud. Yes, a map. More like floorplans, actually. Working with ship dimensions and notes I'll give you, this needs to be a clear enough map to see (on a computer monitor) at a glance where things are. Winner will have their map posted to this thread (in a link) and get credit for it, plus 2 karma. I'll be judging on clarity, detail, and faithfulness to the initial specs I give.

I'll add more opportunities as time goes on.

As a practical matter granted we know each other casually, having met maybe once before, or perhaps have been mentioned to each other somehow, what do we know of each others skills? Or how much of each others skills would we know about?

Sadly, it begins to appear Litany might have the relevant skills to be a leader.

Though not really a face, Johnny has leadership skill, pheromones and CAS navy experience. I would imagine him as more as Hannibal (A-Team) than a Picard (STNG) or other seasoned, serious leader type.

Though having the cruise director as the captain might be funny.

I'd say you have a -vague- idea of each other's skillset and reputation: You know each other's specialty, at least.

When life (or teammates) throw raw fish at you..... make SUSHI!!!!

Okay, a brief stylistic note...

About tenses.

Third-person present tense, please. It feels weird seeing future tense.

No, but it's disorienting.

So, the team is this;

Perhaps. But all those who would fit don't want to.

If they have to, the Navy reps are perfectly willing to have you all draw straws.

OOC I don't mind either way, IC Litany doesn't mind, is capable of "acting" as Leader, but she does think there should be someone in this group that should be better at this if it comes down to some serious action. You know what they say, "Never volunteer."

In any case it's interesting to see the character dynamics developing.

Agreed.

For what it's worth, you guys just got very calmly, very professionally dressed-down by Roberts - Blythe's "Can I go away now?" was a glaring example of a lack of professional demeanor, so he decided to lay it out to all of you. Ergo, you aren't at that moment being regarded as professionals, but as clueless people without a clue of what professionalism means.

He knows that isn't true, but you aren't showing that it isn't.

Actually, there are multiple who could lead.

While RJ pointed out rightly how quick I posted a negative response, it's still odd how nobody's stepped up.

See, if you lead, then all the people that know you well enough to hate are behind you, with weapons.

Need to give everyone a chance to post or something.

No actually Gunner Blythe has said, since he is designated Master, he will not vote on who is going to be Commander. Ip so facto it would be better for him as Master to have as little involvement in the decision of the Commander. That way down the road any head butting between him and the Commander will have less rancor.

He wants/needs to be busy, standing around on the bridge, while a discussion is taking place, in which he fundamentally thinks he should not/can not, partake in, goes against his grain.

So he will let two "sea going bell hops" do their thing. And he will do his thing.

"Vampire! Vampire!, Birds Away!, Poon Em!"

WMS

Careful, that need to be busy sounds like another great reason why Blythe should get the job...

We have ignition! Go Rocket go!

@Penta, would it have been reasonable for the dodge scooter to have been brought aboard the yacht?