Guys, just for everyone's information, I live in Washington State and have spent considerable time in Seattle and as I keep reading about the cold and the snow I wanted to make sure that every one understands a little bit about the people that live in Seattle and how winter affects us.

It rarely snows in Seattle, and when it does snow the snow almost never sticks. It melts into slush almost immediately.

When there is so much as an inch of snow on the ground the city seems to almost shut down. No one knows how to drive in the snow, accidents, little fender benders, are common. Schools will close and bus routes will change if there is any snow on the road, its crazy. The snow in the foothills of the Cascades is nasty sometimes but there are a large number of people who head up Snowqualmie to ski so the roads are kept relatively clear and traffic stays pretty decent.

It doesn't get all that cold in Seattle, the wind is cold, but the ambient temperatures without wind chill aren't really all that bad. However, to the people who live in Seattle when the weather gets near freezing the people all start to bundle up like they're intending a journey into the Artic Circle. I usually wear shorts and T-shirt all year round, and only put on jeans from December to February, and even in those months not all the time, but people stare at me when I do so I'm odd.

I'm not trying to be critical but the number of people out and about in the posts, if the whether is really as bad as its been written, just isn't realistic. Seattlites deal with winter by refusing to get out of their cars unless its to go inside. The Seattle Center with its long sprawling walkways and food courts gets crowded with kids and the homeless, who are usually able to find shelter in the eating areas around the central fountain. News channels show weather reports constantly and talk about little else.

Everyone really reacts to the cold whether, I think far more so than people in like Minnesota do for similar whether.

I don't know what would happen with the GridGuide system, and I was always under the impression that with the smog and pollution in 2063 that Seattle creates its own micro-climate, a "green house effect" all of its very own. It just seems to me that if it really was snowing in Seattle the characters would be reacting more to it than they apparently are in the posts. I just wanted to throw my two cents in, please don't take offense, I just thought I'd add to the general pool of information.

double post

Sedna- Says you trust me. I just thought I’d restate it since you have to be thinking at least partly, “What the heck is going on???” I know I would.

Cedric- That is extremely interesting and valuable data. I frankly had no idea what it was like in Seattle as far as weather related dealings. I’ll have to reexamine some stuff in light of that. Thanks for telling us!

Players whose timelines are in and around January 9, take heed of what Cedric Rolfsson says. Because it is a nasty, unseasonable, untypical storm, especially for the area (don't you love what the Great Ghost Dance did to the weather in the Sixth World?), and I too have been noticing that several of you haven't really been taking that into account. (Did notice when tony did, in that driving getaway )

Major timeline events to keep track of, which are likely at least to touch upon your character:

JAN 6-8:
Some kind of disease going through the Puyallup Barrens. For now, the rumours still outnumber the cases. That may change.

JAN 8-9:
Heavy rain, turning into a winter storm overnight and through the 9th. About 3-4 inches. Even for the Sixth World, it's very unusual for the area.

NIGHT OF JAN 9:
Twin helicopter crash in the Barrens, possibly storm related, possibly not.

Any others that I've missed?

It would be a good thing to either report these types of events in this thread or the Shadowlands thread. Reason being that I do not read others posts, so I can keep the realism of my reactions and not metagame when I meet other characters.

Thanks for the update though. I think I was the first person to post on Jan 8th and I had it as a powerful rainstorm on the night of January 7th. When on 8th does the snow storm hit, so I can update my posts? I am currently at around 11:00am on January 8th in the timeline.

Slip

Urk. Already trying to add that to the current projects: a "calendar" webpage (I'm behind. There's a surprise. But I'll move that one up in the priority list and try to have something solid by this Sunday.)

In the meantime, could someone track down that e-mail with the almost hour-by-hour storm timeline?

Sedna - That would be helpful. Weather sould likely be controlled by the GM's anyway, so us players don't go around mucking things up.

Slip

Greetings All:
I am back to reading the posts that I missed last night. . and oh what a night it was. I had intended on having a few drinks and then coming back here to post before going to bed. However a faculty member and friend of mine showed up and decided that he wanted to buy several more rounds for everyone. So the night quickly degenerated to the point where I am just now having my morning coffee (it's noon here) Now I am reading all the fun posts that I missed and will be responding to everyone in turn

Cedric: Just a quick note. Thanks for that weather information. I too have never been to the area and had always assumed that the weather was more like that of Chicago. I am sure we will all make corrections in the future.

*Anyone else have any life experience that could correct or enhance any of the RPing action that has gone on thus far?

Um, I kinda preempted the weather on the morning of the 10th, I guess. Just heavy rain, but if someone else has a better idea let me know and I'll change my post to fit. It really isn't that important; I just wanted to make Eyes a little late.

Hehe, my character is so trolling for an early grave.

Hehehe . . . At least you are willing trolling for the invitation to an early grave. It seems that Dragon and Virgil are destined for that same grave without even trying

WinterRat1 and Scrapheap - Ok, I am back to posting.

Translations (mixing three different languages here):

huacalli: a wooden crate used to transport produce or small domestic livestock (usually for slaughter).

No la quiero regar: I don't want to screw up.

Ye tlacua-lo!: It is eaten (using a metaphor).

Esta chica se está saliendo del guacal: This girl is geting out of the rules (in the sense of finding a way to break the rules).

Preemptive roll if needed:

etiquette (5): 05 05 04 01 01

Noted. Thanks

Add one more to the temporary calendar here:

JAN 9-10: (stealing a page out of bclements' book )
Aftereffects of storm. Rotating brownouts throughout the Seattle area. Streets are finally getting what passes for plowed toward the end of the 10th; major arteries sooner. After the snow started tapering off, the temperature has been falling since noon on the 9th. Everything is now icy as well as slippery.

Weather forecast calls for a warming trend, bringing the unusual cold temperatures back above the freezing point by the weekend.

Not a problem Sedna. I will try to anticipate your requests for die rolls as much as possible in order to keep the action smooth. Though I will likely only find partial success in anticipating the need.

As an aside . . . I laughed when I heard about the cat ending up in the toilet tank. I happen to own what might be the world's most clumsy housecat, and he has ended up in the toilet bowl twice by his own fault

Sedna: on that, I figured that the power infrastructure in Seattle by the 2060's hasn't been upgraded in a while in many, if not most places. So, while a lot of power is available, actually getting that power to many places would result in overloads and brownouts during extreme periods (and this freakish storm would count as such).

Scrapheap and Slipshade- Assume you both see the other, and can now interact freely. I’m leaving it to one of you two to pick up the thread from here. The plot doth thicken…

Sedna: Perception roll (w/ -1 TN): 11 09 05 03 03 02 01

WinterRat-
No problem, but could you provide a quick description of what I see? Are there obvious signs of the firefight, gas, etc? People milling around? Are the kids anywhere to be seen?

Thanks again-

You’re still outside the shelter, so all you can really see is the busted in doors. There’s a lobby area/hallway inside the first set of double doors, and another set of double doors (which are also open) leading into a main room. The main room is where the three people are, and it looks chaotic, smashed tables, overturned chairs, that kind of thing. Beyond that, you can’t see enough to get a more detailed picture from where you’re at, since you’re basically standing outside on the curb by the street from where I ended my post. The gangers are all still standing around with you outside. No people milling around, they all seemed to have abandoned the place ASAP. Does that help?

Scrapheap - Here is a brief description of the people inside. When you get close enough to see them.

WinterRat-
That's perfect, thanks.

Slip-
I'll post something when I have more time, but here is a general description of the guy about to enter the Respite:

Sedna- You do not have to post in red for the duration of your time here. Just fyi.

WinterRat1 - Would any of the gang members with Scrapheap recognize me? I have been working at the soup kitchen once a week for the last month or two per my background.


Slip

Temporary Absence announcement

Tomorrow morning (Saturday) is my commencement ceremony and immediately following I will be driving to New York. My girlfriend has an internship located there over the summer and I will be traveling with her and helping get her settled into her new apartment. I will be flying back on Sunday and should be back in my apartment Sunday evening.

I will (barring a deluge of posting) caught up before heading to bed tonight, but then I will not be posting until Sunday night. Thanks everyone and have great weekends.

-bandit

Yes, you recognize them, and they recognize you. Assume you know Megan and Tyler's names, and the rest (whom are currently unnamed for a variety of reasons) and they know you too, as Max, just like Trancer and Melina.

Thanks, that will help with posting.

Slip

Won't be able to post further today. Will be back on-line for an hour or so tomorrow. As so often, Sunday is looking like the good day

Congratulations, bandit! You got there!

Scrap - Nice post, unfortunately I may not be able to get anything up for you until Monday. Sorry man, weekends are just to damn hard to post on for me.

Slip

My advise for the new graduate. . . . don't. Stay in college its a hell of a lot more fun than this career, real world crap. It keeps getting in the way of my hobbies.

Reality, congrats Bandit, big congrats.

Cedric

Cedric - LOL! That's the truth. I have thought numerous times that I may just go back to college and never leave. Just keep taking out those loans and never have to pay them back since I would still be in school.

Slip

And yes, congrats on the graduation!!!!

Heh, I echo the above thoughts. Money's no good if you never have time to spend it.

Thank you all for your congratulatory posts. I appreciate the support and advice . . . hopefully you will be pleased to know that I will not be leaving the academic world just yet. I will be starting a M.S. degree in the fall . . .you don't have to tell me about the many benefits of avoiding the real world

Thank you all.

-bandit

Sedna- Did you want me to post something in response to your last post or will Dragon automatically look back where he thinks he saw something?

PS- I didn't do drugs before posting your last post. And I didn't watch Alice in Wonderland. Just so you know.

grendel: Basing my post on Sedna's weather guidelines above. I'm going to give some preemptive rolls for trying to get a cab in the middle of the Ice Age:



Also, I have no clue as to what is in Everett, and whether or not a psec would have a map (and even if it does have a map, whether it would show anything of use). If it does, that's another option for Tony. Tell me if I need body rolls for him as needed.

banditf50: Way to go! And yes, stay in school. Real World bad, very bad

They left the truck for you if you want to take it. Otherwise it'll be about twenty five minutes before a cab shows up.

To the PS, I know, WinterRat -- and I actually had to edit something out of the degree to which I had adopted your -- no, it goes beyond "just" metaphor. Symbology, maybe? And Alleycat has the knowledge (if not emotional connection) to identify and comprehend the symbology -- parallel to my own areas of focus in real life as it happens, although her ability is probably much greater in the abstract/applied, worse in the practical/emotional. (Maybe invert the numbers for lit/arts and psychology; add in a couple of spiritual disciplines for the RL version.) Although if you think about it, there have to be many, many magicians who've told the Dweller on the Threshold to f-off in one form or another ... although there wouldn't be any records of how many of them survived the experience (intact or otherwise).

As to the threesome storyline, I'm already assuming that Dragon did automatically look back, and that's the most he can make out from any conventional angle in the kitchen. It's only Dragon's vision and perceptiveness that allowed him to spot it in the first place. (Forgot to mention in-post, it's middling dark in there: and if you test it, you'll find the electricity has been cut off.) There's something, close to the back, that seems to have fallen through the (less than inch-wide) crack between the refrigerator and the countertop/cabinets.

Given that you said you didn't want to make "tracks", I'm letting you figure out what to do about it

I am back everyone, after having traveled 1,700 miles (700 by car and 1,000 by plane) all in a 23 hour time-span. Nothing for those of you who do much international traveling, but a lot for my someone of my usual boring routine I am about ready get some sleep, but I wanted to post this first in keeping with my goal to never fall behind in awards again. . .

Sunday Karma Awards

Cedric: (May 9th-15th) 1 pt
Moirdryd: (May 9th-15th) 1pt

Good timing. For me at least, the boards just came back up

Sunday karma: (for the week of May 9-15)

bandit: 1 (+1 GM bonus + 1 for Sheepdog) = 3
Sentinel: 1
tiredronin: 1 (+1 for a reason I can't disclose yet ) = 2
WinterRat 1 (+1 GM bonus) = 2

[Sorry about that, bandit. Fixed now.]

Uh Sedna, that last post means what?

Just me watching the development of at least six separate and increasingly interlinking character stories (And no: it's not going to get explained further )

Oh, Eyes, since you've been working in and commenting on Shadowland a lot ("half a conversation"!), and I haven't yet been able to play with it IC, I'd better mention this explicitly -- and just fyi this applies to every player, not just you:

Every player is free to pursue any hook they want. You aren't limited to a linear pursuit. You'll be working with your player GM in doing so, and the rest of the world won't ever stand still while/if you're doing so -- but I want to emphasise again the essential freedom of your character's actions. (Of course, as always, with all actions come consequences )

Sedna- In your response post, please be sure to specify whether or not Alleycat will continue down the path they are currently going down, or if she will pull back and try to stop.

Was that an adequate indication of continuing down the path?

(There really isn't an adequate smiley for this. Although I'm looking at the ones standardly on the side, left column, third from the bottom, and trying to picture your face if I posted it.)

Wait, just tell me OOC, so Talia is/is not going along with it? Cause I actually am not really sure, reading that post. And that smiley would have gotten me fired, because I'd have been on the ground laughing so hard they'd think I was insane.

And now I'm suddenly flashing on grendel's Tino

Yes, she's going along with it. Yes, she's continuing along that path. And yes: she had to have that one random, disconnected thought at that moment ... or it really wouldn't be her.

OK that is what I thought, and that’s certainly what it sounded like, but given that that’s obviously a very significant decision for any number of reasons, I wanted to be absolutely certain I was reading your response correctly before posting the reply. Isn’t it nice to get some attention as a player for a change? Ah, it’s good to be back as a GM.

I use Extreme Ways as the music for the closing credits on my Shadowrun games.

Paul- give me an Force check for the watcher.