Ok, glad to see we are moving to the next scene, although I like Ida's - we'll have to come back here some time

Since Slick doesn't have a CAS SIN, he will need to apply for a travel visa, and his SIN passes.

Now, up to you - still feeling out the pacing and how everyone likes to move, but here is my plan. I'm going to wait until tomorrow night, at which point, assuming that no one has started a new conversation and or a fight in the doughnut shop, I'll write up the drive through the border.

I want to point out again (just in case you missed the info dump on border crossings) that you are taking a risk bringing weapons across the border (Unless you live there like 30 and Stuntman and have an appropriate license). Btw, for the purposes of this run, I am going to assume that 30 and Stuntman already have a travel visa for the UCAS border. If the adventure takes more than a week in game, then they will need to apply for another one.

If there is something you want to do before you cross the border, please make sure you post it either tonight or tomorrow.

Oh, whoops. I somehow thought the action was taking place in UCAS territory, not CAS. Darn you similar acronyms! *shakes fist*

Okay, hmm. I need to figure out what I'm doing with my gun. Gonna think on this.

~Umi

Yeah, I'm thinking carrying a shotgun pistol through either type of security checkpoint is going to be more trouble than it's worth. I should probably just buy myself a cheap burner pistol on the other side. They shouldn't be too hard to get a hold of, it is the CAS after all... although, are we going to stand by the whole SR5 nanomachine meltdown thing and say that nanoforges popping out disposeable firearms are no longer a thing? Fine if so, I'll manage.

Oh, question - is the taser cool to carry through? I imagine I can declare it rather than try to hide it, as the thing's street legal and unlicensed normally.

~Umi

This is slightly off-topic, but is anyone else annoyed by how few options there are for smuggleable weapons in SR5 so far? No weapon mods, so you can't invest in making your favorite gun MAD undetectable, no guns that are MAD undetectable on their own, no MDS bags...

Heck, really the only way I can see to conceal a gun from anything more advanced than visual perception and a pat down at the moment is to use an implanted cybergun. That or plan to hack every MAD system you go through on the fly...

~Umi

Correct - nanotechnology does not work.

Tasers, since they are legal, are legal to be brought through the checkpoints.

While I agree the lack of concealable weaponry is lamentable, I'm not sure how unexpected it is.

None of the weapons in the SR 1-3 rules were non MAD detectable were in the core book, and in SR4 all you had was the Raecor Sting. I am sure that once Run and Gun comes out we will have more options.

Buying a gun in the CAS can work - if you are looking to pick up an illegal weapon you should just work your contacts (if applicable) for someone on the other side of the border who you can get you one.

Eh, if I have the taser, I don't really need a pistol too. I'll stash it and stick with the legal stuff.

EDIT - Okay, so wait, is Ida's on the UCAS side of the border? Because it says near the CAS border, but that could be either side.

~Umi

Actually, ya know what, I'm editing my IC post where I headed to the donut shop, Slick just left his gun at home. Easy, clean, moving on.

~Umi

No problem with editing the post - and Ida's is on the UCAS side of the border

Ok, so now we can pick up with you guys planning it out from here - I took the map that Ronin so thoughtfully provided and used the 3d software from google earth to give it a more futuristic feel. It should also give you a sense of any high ground in the area.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Also, I'm playing the tension between Slick and Stuntman up. If anything I did is something you feel is outside your character's personality, please just let me know, and I can either edit the post, tone it down in future, or both.

Opti summons his spirit at Force 4 getting 2 hits

Force 4 spirit resists also getting 2 hits.

Opti needs to resist 4DV of Stun damage, rolling Char + Willpower and getting 5 hits.

See - that went well

Not a big issue at all, but if you could keep OOC stuff to the OOC thread, that would be awesome - rolling for the spirit I mean

Go ahead and write up the summoning/interaction with the spirit if you would like, otherwise I will be happy to

Lay off the deepweed, Opti!

~Umi

Ok - I just rechecked the link I added, and I had turned on the Google Earth imaging, but now I realize that doesn't stick when you click the link.

So if you go to it, then in the upper right hand corner there is a box that says "Satellite" - just go over it and click "Earth" instead to give you the 3d view - and again thanks to Ronin for using visual aids - really adds something

understood

Hello all,

Just checking in again - are we ready for me to have you arrive at the location? I can write that up, or if there is more to discuss in the car, that's cool as well. I'll give it until tomorrow night before I write up the next installment.

Hope you are all doing well

I'm good.

I feel like Slick's under enough personal stress, internal and external, that's he's gonna clam up. He kinda figures he's at the point where if he presses his luck he'll be walking home, and he'd rather take out his frustrations on the job ahead.

~Umi

Okey dokey - barring some word from Ronin or future IC posts, I'll be posting your arrival at the park tomorrow. It will include a fairly detailed description of the area, and give you guys the weekend to plan.

Question - What's the weather like as we're driving? Totally serious.

~Umi

Clear skies and a crisp 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Opti's rolls for perception and assensing:


Astral Perception - Perception 2 + intuition 5 [6] = 1 hit http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4235360/

Followed by an assessing test on our guy (if he is there yet. if not, when he arrives) -

Assensing 2 + Intuition 5 [7] = 3 hits http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4235362/

@Opti,

At this time of the morning, the park is still relatively quiet. It is a little early for the government workers who come out here to eat there lunches (although they will be there by the time the meet happens.)

I am thinking you are basically there about 20-25 minutes before the meet.

As you do a quick astral scan, you do see the government offices which are warded, and a few watcher spirits zipping about on their day to day. The park itself only has maybe 30-40 people in it - 10 of whom seem to be doing some time of exercise in one of the open areas, and the rest are children and their parents scattered around the area.

No one is standing near the statue, and no one (that you notice) seems to have any aura about them other than playing/enjoying the day.

I didn't post last night for a couple of reasons, one of which is we seem to be missing a player.

The last post I see from Ronin is from September 11th (whether IC or OC).

I sent him a PM a couple days ago, but haven't heard anything back. I'm hesitant to move forward without him, given that he was the one that picked this spot to begin with, and I'm not sure what his plan was - but it seemed to me he certainly had one.

I'm going to hold off for the weekend (or until he posts).

If we still haven't heard by Monday, then we'll figure out what to do from there.

Hopefully everything is going well for him in real life

Ok - as of now have not heard anything from Ronin - I'm going to use 30 as an NPC for now - I'll try and keep him in line with what Ronin has done with him so far, and certainly he is more than welcome to come back at any time.

I'll put an IC post up in a couple of hours.

If we have to kill him off, do we get to vote on the method?

Because I have ideas. Terrible, hilarious ideas.

~Umi

Now now, I'm hoping he is just busy - and hopefully good busy, not bad busy.

I'm confused..am I in the car or am I the one who sat on the bench 100m from the meet spot?

Sorry - that was 30 - I fixed the IC thread.

If they're carry weapons legally the icons should show separate from the pan... unless it's not wireless or a decker is hiding them. Will do a perception test to see what hardware I see on them.

Ok, so your Matrix Perception test is Computers + Intuition (9 dice), -2 for being on the public grid, -2 for running silent - you get 3 hits

Now, the way I work Matrix Perception tests is that if you have something specific you are looking for, it narrows the search - so instead of those 3 hits just turning up any 3 random icons over 100 meters from you, it gives you 3 icons on your targets. In this case, (we'll call the two goons Big and Beefy) you spot Big's commlink, and Beefy's commlink and gun.

You can do another Matrix Perception check to see if Big is carrying a gun, or you can do a different perception test to see what kind of gun Beefy is carrying. (or both).

I wasn't sure if I should write this up IC, or if you wanted to do that - let me know one way or the other.

I'm gonna do an ettiquette test as part of that last post to try and improve this guy's mood towards me. Ettiquette 6 + charisma 8 + pheramones 2 + first impression 2 is 20[9] before whatever other modifiers are going on.

Damn you are smooth individual

However, unless I'm missing something, isn't that 18[9]? (Skill+Stat+Quality (2)+Augmentation(2)) [Social Limit + Augmentation (2)]?

As far as modifiers, they balance to 0.

Normally I would say Johnson is neutral, but the handling of last night kicks him to Suspicious (-1), but your desired result is Advantageous to him, which is a +1, which makes it net 0.

As I said above, you are a smooth individual with 8 hits.
The Johnson rolls his Perception+Charisma of 10 dice, netting 4 hits.

Since you've gotten at least 3 net hits, you've moved him from Suspicious to Neutral, which will help in any future Social Skill tests

let me check Big's status on if he has a gun and we'll check and see what gun Beefy has...To see if the gun is slaved to the commlink you got to get a mark on one of them, correct?

Ok, another Matrix Perception test to spot other icons on Big: nets you 2 hits., so you do indeed spot he has a gun.

A separate Matrix Perception check on Beefy's gun itself yields two hits again. - which gives you two pieces of information. In this case the two pieces are 1) that it is slaved to another device, and 2) that it is a Browning Ultra Power.

If you wanted to know WHAT it was slaved to, then yes, you need a mark on the device itself.

perception test to see if I can identify their commlinks

Big's Commlink - 1 hit is a Hermes Ikon

Beefy's Commlink - 2 hits is also a Hermes Ikon, with the additional hit you can tell it is running on the local CAS grid.

As the meeting progresses, I'd like to roll perception to scan the park for external threats, potential backup for the Johnson, anyone who looks vaguely suspicious, people waiting in nearby vehicles, LoneStar or other LEOs in the general area, nearby drones, maybe even snipers and the like.

Intuition 6 + Perception 5.

Modifiers I would assume might include +3 for "Perceiver is specifically looking/listening for it", and either -2 for "Object/sound not in immediate vicinity" or even -3 for "Object/sound far away" depending on distance. Visibility and weather are clear and shouldn't be a factor, and I have Image Magnification for zoom up to 50x, so that might affect just how "distant" things are.

Also, not sure if my "Searching" specialization applies in this sort of situation.

Anything remotely interesting I'd like to study in Thermographic (and Ultrasound if within 50m), as well as listen in on via directional or laser microphone.

Additionally, I'd like to also sweep the area with Ultrasound specifically looking for anything invisible or camouflaged.

~Umi

Ok, so let's address this, as you bring up good precedents for future tests

First off - we never really established where your character is in regards to the meet. The car is parked about 500 meters from the statue, you have had plenty of time IC to walk to where you want to be before the other guys got there (30, for instance is on a bench about 100 meters from the statue) - so for the purposes of range, we would normally need to know where you are. For this specific example, we'll assume that you moved closer and that your Vision Mag takes care of the rest.

For your Searching/"Perceiver is specifically looking/listening for it" modifier, for me your list of potential items you are looking for is too broad. It would need to be narrowed down a little, so "Suspicious looking people" - and then give a general direction would be one, "Aerial Drones", "A gunshot", etc

For the purposes of this instance, it doesn't matter that your list is too broad, since even if I made you break it down into 5 or 6 different perception checks in order to gain the bonus, you are talking about only needing a minute or two to look around, and the meeting is going to go on longer than that.

It is just important for future perception checks, where you might be doing one as a simple action in combat, where time is of the essence.

So, your perception checks are in order, and as follows:

Johnson's backup (besides Big and Beefy who are obvious)
Suspicious people
People in the parking lot in vehicles
LEOs
Aerial Drones
Ground Drones
Snipers
Invisible/Camouflaged

And here are your results

Nice rolls all around.


Suspicious people - none that you see
People in the parking lot in vehicles - there are several parking lots around the park, and a fair number of people in all of them. Some are drivers, some are people who are eating in their cars, no one seems to stand out.
LEOs - Knight Errant has the contract for security in the CAS Sector, and there is a patrol of 2 officers in the park about 800 meters away. Their car is parked in one of the nearby lots.
Aerial Drones - you see 2 Horizon Floating Eyes moving over the area of the meet
Ground Drones - there are several, but they seem to be moving using their dog-brain around the park cleaning up trash
Snipers - non that you can see
Invisible/Camouflaged - again, none that you see

A separate matrix perception test on each of the flying drones.

What information are you looking for?

armament ly but also what grid they're om

Hosepipe - I just need to know if you are running silently or not (as it applies a -2 modifier).

Btw, that is a good question for all of you, are you running silently as a default or not?

Also, I know that Hosepipe had suggested slaving your items to his deck, but as of now I haven't seen anyone do it in character, so I'm going to assume that all of your devices are slaved to your own commlinks.

Burner running loud and clear as usual, implanted running silent. Neither are slaved to the other or to anyone else, although I've been treating it such that when I connect to my burner via my Datajack (which I'm not actively doing, mind), my implanted link gains command control over the burner.

Slick's not about to give up control of his hidden headware when he has a perfectly good decoy, and the burner has nothing of value on it so it's essentially a prop anyways. If it gets hacked, the hacker isn't getting much useful information at all, and will be limited by the poor performance of the device.

~Umi

Regarding Hosepipe's Matrix Perception, I forgot he already answered that question previously

So, Matrix Perception against the drones:

Here are your rolls

And their rolls

So you learn nothing further about them.

With regards to Opti's post - right now you cannot communicate with Stuntman using the commlink, as he at the very least is within the jammer's radius (I sort of pictured you standing with him, let me know if that isn't the case.)

If you are in the jammer's radius, your commlink isn't working either right now.

On top of that, just so there isn't confusion later, since you don't have a DNI, nor a subvocal mike, if you want to communicate via your commlink you would need to actually speak out lout into it (which would be awkward if you are standing in front of someone and trying to communicate silently.)

I am sort of sorry to have to post this, as yout idea was a very good one

Understood. You had the right of it. I am right there. In that case, i'll modify the post to reflect Opti just speaking up.

Ok - just an FYI, at this point we are in free role-play with you guys until you give me a direction you want me to push the plot along.

Any questions, as always just let me know.

I'm debating with myself what Slick would do next.

On the one hand, the team has a lead to follow up on and can probably get to work without too much trouble. On the other hand, Slick's currently spooked and his cowardly side is poking out in places.

Regrouping and planning our next step seems wisest, but depending on which side of the paranoid line Slick ends up on shortly, he might not be acting very wisely in the near future.

I'm tempted to just make a "Sanity Roll" to determine how he handles the situation, but I figure I'll wait on that until I've given this some proper consideration.

~Umi

Okay... hopefully "not acting wisely" means something more along the lines of being a little paranoid causing people to have to calm you down IC, and not becoming VERY paranoid and shooting everyone.

Please do not blow up the adventure Umi

Ha! No, nothing like that.

~Umi

Bump - just checking in to see where you guys are in your thought process

Ok - should I be assuming that the game is dead?

If so, then I enjoyed playing with you guys. If not, then if we could push this along it would be great.

I'm not sure if you are waiting for me, but I feel at this point there still needs to be some conversation between you guys before I can push the game in any direction.