Remember this all starts with a TACTICAL NUKE... my fortress may be rubble we have to scrounge through to get stuff....or maybe the wasps are already there or... I believe he just wants to know what we all put into our group base I know his first few adventures are gonna be getting our families some where safe and getting supplies... so if thats all in one place not much to make us all bond is it...

I don't know how closely Sphynx will follow the story line but wasn't a barrier placed "over" the blast? And what would be the purpose of spending large amounts of money on something you won't even start with? If you know that your HQ is going to be turned to rubble before you ever get to play, why buy it? Why not spend it on personal gear or something else that won't get "nuked?"

It was my impression, and correct me if I am wrong Sphynx, that the materials (shops, gear, money, etc) we contribute to this fortress will be post quarantine and we would have use of them. Otherwise there isn't a point in spending the money on them, right?

Yeah I dont know but, he has hinted that we can't stock pile ammo so wouldn't my facility have a ton of ammo.... hes got to deal with it somehow.

I can only assume there will be some story about looting or some such to explain the lack of "stockpiling."

IIRC, the nuke that was detonated in Chicago only had a blast radius of about half a kilometer.

And where did those buildings fall? and who put out the fires that spread ... i dont think the firemen wanted to get eaten by the insects from the largest hive in north america......
things get bad in a matter of minutes and till they actualy build the wall ( they just blew up more building in a ring around the zone they just gunned down anyone and anything trying to leave.....

I guess we'll find out, neh?

I have 50,000 that can go to the fortress. And an Electronics shop that I purchased (which I figured was my dad's place of business, but can be anything). If Frater's purchase and mine are redundant, I'll drop the shop and contribute 65,000 instead. I just wanted to make sure the tools of my trade were available.

I also have 20,000 of money on credsticks if anyone thinks that would be better spent on contacts or the fortress, I'm game.

Sphynx was pretty fair in our last game about not letting folks waste their chargen efforts. When someone in that game purchased a street doc contact at the buddy level and that contact - for circumstances we couldn't have foreseen - was unavailable (not a lot of Shadow Clinics in the 4th World, neh?) that PC got a replacement buddy that matched up nicely. Not exactly written for the character, but it points to Sphynx's fairness.

I wouldn't worry about wasting money so much as why we'll need a 'fortress' in the first place...

I have exactly ¥71 on my end that I can put into the HQ.

My newly remodeled guy will have about 400,000 left over. Maybe the bar is across the street from the HQ?

That's a pretty good idea. After all, Sphynx did say that we didn't have to limit our "fortress" to being a single building. I think that we should make the entire block our playground.

ES_Sparky: Keep your electronics shop, I'll trade mine to an Enchanting Shop.

Perhaps we should have all of these places be on the same block. Maybe servicing the HQ or something?

If he lets us that would be ideal, I kind of think hes gonna let us start close. Im anxious now I just watched Mimic to get me in the mood.

Nothing like towing around a pregnant wife and blasting some bugs and "rival" warlords trying to take our stuff.

Just a re-calc. We have 180,071 to go towards the living areas for everyone put together, and every shop in the book pretty much. Sounds almost like you decided to take over a mall or something. Not alot of living space. Or maybe you took over a WalMart or something. The area you will be in will be determined by what we build here. If I notice more money went into the living areas, you'll most likely be 'at home' and protecting it with a nicely setup 'workshop'. But, seeing that there's apparently more money going into shops and stuff, it looks like you will be in the 'wrong part of town' when the frag hits the fan, unable to get home, making a fortress from the place you are at...

Hope that helps in you guys figuring out precisely what's donated.

Sphynx

I have 3 safehouses and an apartment with very sturdy walls, doors, and a lack of windows. Anything less, and he wouldn't feel confortable about leaving his daughter alone when he goes to work.

New Thread: "[CHAR] Bug City", for this game.

Are we supposed to know each other before the game begins? Should we link histories, develop shared experiences, and stuff like that? Or do we start as strangers brought together by a necessity of circumstance?

You're welcome to link pasts to create a longer standing unity, those that don't will simply find my first post(s) do it for them. When I start the game, before your first posts, you will all be a team.

The last two weeks have been total and utter hell. I am not going to be able to do up a character in time to make the deadline, so I'm sad to say I am going to have to drop out (not that I was totally in anyway). Sorry Sphynx ... and everyone else.

Well then my urban brawl fan contact and I always watch the games and get our beers at the pub. Been there at least twice a week for 2 years, and I even run the "friendly" super brawl pool at the pub for him.
Other than that I can't think of good links to the charecters but if any of you can to me feel free.

yah, everyone can be regulars at their favorite neighborhood pub. Kind of know each other from all the time and $ spent wasting their lives in front of the TV's and bar taps.

- Well, Eric and Ana could easily have done some runs together. Hennesy's pub is a good candidate for the 'local to the precinct' bar that Eric and Mike go to.

- John - didn't see a background. Though I saw some mention of a kid, Ana's kid and his kid could know eachother.

- Nick and Ana's parents could be in the same nursing home.

- Gnat could have been called in to investigate the homicide of Ana's boyfriend. Or the homicide of the man that killed Ana's boyfriend - completely unrelated events, of course.

- Able - no hooks from your BG yet, but since we have a lot of law enforcement folks we could go that route. Ana could know you from Mike's pub.

- Josef - Again lots law enforcement folks. Another guy who spends some time at Mike's. Ana's kid and Josef's kid could know eachother.

- Mike - owner of the pub where most/all of us hang (or live in the rooms he rents out).

Totaly dig the same nursing home idea.. at least I wont be alone having to drag a old senile person around. Maybe I can hand cuff him in our "fort" so he doesn't walk off.

Editting...

Well, I went to start the IC write up today for you guys to read, but alot of you haven't posted your [CHAR] yet. In 24 hours the game will begin, if you haven't posted in the [CHAR] thread, you're not in the game.

Anyhows, as it stands, here's how I see the starting location, based on what I remember from this thread, and what I read in the [CHAR] thread.

Mike Hennessey owns an apartment complex that also acts as a bed and breakfast. The building is about 20 rooms in size, including a Penthouse room, and a rather large Pub/Tavern on the bottom floor. It sits on a 5 or 10 acre piece of land <help pick a location in the city limits?> There are 8' high walls surrounding it, and a huge wrought iron automatic swinging gate that cars come through if they have the keycode on the sides, and is open to the public in the front. The building looks something like this:

Woodlands in 2064 Chicago? Like a private park? I'm thinking lakefront then. If that's not too steep as far as real estate goes.

And if we want, it'd be fine if Ana is living out of one of the rooms, though living there would be something of a new thing. She moves around a lot.

Sounds good to me. Sure there are many parks in chicago. Millenium, & Grant are definatley in the containment zone. Most are by the lake shore but they are all big. And most of the nice apartment towers in chicago face them its called the "gold cost". I would suggest parking being underneath the building... only really really big & nice places have their own parking lots the size that building would need. Most people park on the street or use city parking lots (the kind you got to pay by the day or hour). Um my one question are
1)How BIG is the containment zone? And how close are we to the edge of it?
2)I assume it goes into the lake how far out into the lake is safe before the metroplex guards gun you down?
3)I assume that the building has other occupants and probabley security are they gonna be like an npc "gang" we get to start with or did they mysteriously disappear?
4)Does chicago have grid guide? I would think it would and even though the cameras and transpoders are probabley toast in the first few hours the magnetic coils would still provide power to grid guide cars...
5)Is the power on, I assume the EMP from the nuke nocks it off for a few hours but does it come back on? Do the metroplex guards controlling the wall control it?

1a) Your character doesn't know yet.
1b) You're near the center of the city but still on the east side (the Museum is across the street about 5 blocks away)
2) Your character doesn't know yet.
3) Stuff you find out when the story begins.
4) Had Grid Guide a minute ago....
5) Stuff you find out when the story begins.

Well, a big compound on 10-15 acers of land, doesn't really go with the "local neighborhood pub/watering hole" idea for my guy, but I can change my guy to fit a more "upscale, B&B, private retreat/getaway kind of place." -- Just have to take out the big screen TV's and add a wine celler. oh... and maybe start washing the mugs...

If this is what people want then it is good with me. I can do rich/upscale.

If people want to do low rent, old school tenement building with pub down below and everyone living/working above I can do that too.

It only makes for a minor personality adjustment for my guy.

Leave the pub how it was before a dwarven gritty blue colar type. Only the penthouse was luxury (before my dumb orc ass decided I needed a demolitions shop in the living room). Maybe you hire someone to take care of the renting and just run your pub... wouldn't have to change nothing.

I am kind of confused by the bed and breakfast thing.... no idea where that came from... did I miss someones post? Who lives in a damn bed and breakfast?

Ok, step 2.

First of all, how about you all DON'T live there, it's just a place owned my your good friend Mike who you've aided before. Shit hits the fan, he calls you for help (he's still rennovating the 'rooms' for occupation maybe, having recently inheritted the place, and only running the pub side of things so far). Shit's hit the fan, and his 'fortress-like' home sounds like a good place to secure up with all the lawlessness going round now that LoneStar has quit due to lack of employees who all went home to protect their loved ones.

I suggest that because you're all kinda 'tough', a bit more Shadowrun looking than you'd expect all living in one building... but all living next door is also cool with me.

Thoughts?

Ohhh ... bye bye penthouse... I kinda liked at least one of my dependants starting in a secure place. It doesn't much matter to me... Shits hitting the fan and no matter where I start I'm gonna have to go out to get my pa.... just need to find out if I got to worrry about the wife too. And Sphynx you make it hard to plot...

Lone Star?... They have the contract in Chicago?..A CAS compnany...Jesus well I guess Knight Errant has the CAS sector of Denver while Lone Star has the UCAS sector ... Just more of the same from FASA... GOOO FASA. lol no wonder they went under.

Here is my 2 cents worth:

Hagvas owns a "small" arms manufacturing facility [READ: Firearms Facility] that is looking branch out [READ: Armor, Vehicle, Demolitions, & Ammunition Shops]. Facility is surrounded by a three meter wall, concertina wire, etc...

Ana owns the now closed electronics shop across the street. business closed when her father got sick.

Next to Ana's shop is "Hennessey's" the pub where all the factory workers across the street go after work. Also a place where local "talent" generally goes to meet with Johnsons as it is centrally located and serves good food and spirits.

On the other side of the pub is Eric's magic shop. Eric may provide "Hagvas Arms" with magical security; wards, elementals, etc... Eric and Ana's children might go to the same school.

Locke Ana and Baker could easily know each other from previous jobs, live in the area when the fecal matter hits the rotating blades...

Gnat and Eric might know each other through Eric's shop. He has an excellent library and Gnat may use it from time to time...

That gives all of us a connection to someone else in the group, puts us in the same area and provides a reasonable "perimeter to call a "fortress."

As for lifestyles: We live and work in the area so maybe there is a Residential block on one of the other streets facing Hagvas' facility. Penthouse and all...

I think I'm going to stick with the original apartment complex as per the ascii drawing (primarily because I've already started writing the story around it). The beginning story will entail how you 'create' the shops, since none of the backgrounds really stressed on the shops as something that were a major factor other than the pub. After all, if this story line happened to me, I don't care who was in my way, I'd stockpile like a crazy man, especially if I had the sort of firepower you guys have, cause who's gonna stop me?

Most were bought as 'shops' anyhows, meaning enough to fill a van at best. I'm going to say that since his apartment complex was under construction, there's a machine shop with enough tools to give you the 'shop' bonus for nearly anything, which explains the firearm/armour spots with no ammo, it's for fixing, not stocking.

I'm more interested now in why you are here. In the 'neighborhood' scenario, you'd be so busy defending your own shops that the game would never really take-off like I need. So, 1 building as the 'fortress' is best, so the current step is to decide how the team came to be there. Residence is ok (anyone who wants to be living there is fine), but other ideas could revolve around someone calling you, or maybe you walking down the street and running in for safety, or maybe to help against some thugs trying to claim the place....

So most important question right now is, why are you there, at the apartment complex?

Gnat could've asked Mike for a place to crash after he got kicked out of his apartment, so he could be a temporary resident in the complex when the city gets locked down.

For people who already have a home, it would still make sense for everyone to decide to band together at one place to increase chances of survival across the board.

The Penthouse is done... and they even finished construction on knocking down some walls for the new babies room edition. Everything below that is being renovated now. Turning it from Spacious Loft apartments into "Economical Apartments" more apartments = more nuyen....hence all the components for the various shops and facilities of mine... Ill stick with the top floor of the pub thanks !!

I'm sure any one else wanting to live there can just claim their floor is done with renovations... I suggest picking a floor also (toward top or bottom) leave the middles open so we can use them as a buffer fire fight zone if the insects try to come from either top or bottom.

But no matter what the rest of you choose my Penthouse is there..and my Wife is in it!!!! Now time to blast my way to pops and pick up more ammo and supplies on the way. Who's With Me.

Your penthouse is right above the pub? On the second floor? Shouldn't a penthouse bee on the top floor?

It Is on the top floor.... hence "everything below that is being renovated now" Meaning its ABOVE everything else.... I said the "top floor of the pub" meaning the whole building sorry if this led to confusion...

Actually, I was thinking it was only a 2 story building anyhows... ?

LoL ok never mind I am right above the pub then. Makes for easier defense than a large story building anyway !! And no long flights of stairs up... ok I am happy... Can we KILL BUGS soon??

So, where do I live? Also above the pub? Do we share the place? Some sort of odd couple thing? The slobby dwarf and his highclass human roomate?

I am an orc, so is the wife. Maybe the top floor is split you get one half I get the other. With shared roof access in the lease (but I doubt I'll go up there lol). Share one stair way up with our doors on opposite sides of the landings? Stair way up can be a seperate door right next to the front entrance or just inside the pub?

Personally, I think we're lending too much time to a relatively minor detail. For my part, I say let Sphynx decide and get on with the game.

I've been ready for days.

Wrote this last night, but forgot to post:

**************
That was Spynx's conglomeration of our various expenditures.

I'm thinking we took over a combined retail/commercial area that had the shops/stores/bars/restaurants below and living space above. A common urban arrangement. To provide a lot of different quality of hosugconverted to high-end condos but squatted in by the rest of us rent-control hold-outs.

What I don't know about is the forested area. It will be good to have if we need to uh... grow food : / or something else woodsy and uncomfortable.

10-15 acres isn't all that big when you consider the size of Central Park (843 acres). A good-sized urban park would be that big. For visualization, an acre is about the size of an American football field without the endzones.

The area that we take over could have a big park like courtyard that the buildings surround - part of which is fenced or easily defensible. Or we could claim a nearby park as our turf when everything goes down.
***************

Having said that. I'd like Ana to be crashing in one of the rooms, which she knew about because she's a regular at the place. The pub part.

Is this to be our OOC thread?

Actually, I think it'll be interesting if we want the PCs to stay together but some of them are torn because they'll have to decide whether to leave their families and risk their necks or stay behind to watch over their families while other families' fates are unknown.