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Trinity Universe: Holo Lives


knave

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I'll be using a modified version of the freeform psi rules. Essentially Psions will be able to do at least as much as they can with freeform rules. They can attempt Psi actions that are more difficult than they are capable of - at increased difficulty.

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In response to current PMs.

No characters yet. Types of Characters: Up to you, so long as they have recently served in Proteus in a military type capacity (and seen combat - and been good at it) and be loyal to AEon.

To have achieved the above the character probably first served with another force - could be country based, mercenary, Order etc. If you want to be something unusual like a VARG pilot or something like that then - yes - I'll accept maybe one of those, but a) get your sheet in quickly, B) be prepared to spend a quite a bit of time outside your VARG/whatever (this game is going to be a bit more about investigation than combat I hope) and c) make sure that your character is balanced enough in other areas to be useful outside of VARG cavalry etc.

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Do you use the players guide's take on neutrals, or the core book? And do you use merits and flaws?

By the way: Isn't it easier to give players extra attribute/abilitiy/bonus points instead of an XP pool? I can see that the XP way is easier for you, but personally I hate building characters that way.... ::crazy ::confused ::dontgetit

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I'm using the Core Book take on Neutrals and giving them more XP.

I deliberately wanted to stick to giving XP rather than more Freebies as it more closely simulates characters who have actually been playing for a while rather than characters who start out powerful. ie - its easier to buy high stats with Freebies whereas players getting XP tend to spend them on stuff rather than saving them to buy something big. I'd rather players for this game built their starting character as normal and then applied their XP to simulate their career in Proteus or wherever. Sorry if that's annoying.

-Knave

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In response to questions -

1) Yes - please feel free to use the M/A Styles from the PG. If you don't have the PG, let me know what style you want and I'll figure something out.

2) You may also take merits and flaws from the PG. Again - if you don't have it - let me know what you want and I'll figure something a cost or benefit.

-Knave

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Not at all. The Martial arts style variations just give you +X to holds -Y to kicks etc with certain martial arts should you choose to specialise. All of them are mostly balanced, although obviously someone who has done Aikido is going to go for more holds than someone who has done Karate.

The ultimiate equaliser is Kung-Fu in which there are so many styles that you can pretty much pick any kinds of modifiers you want - provided they balance to a formula.

You may specialise in one of these at 3 dots and 2 at five - if you spend the points and if that doesn't put you over your 3 speciality per skill limit.

I'll list the techniques and fill in some systems- if you want explanations of anything that sounds cool - ask.

Brawl Specs:

Boxing +2 Acc on strikes and -1 less dice pool penalty on multiple strikes provided you do nothing else. or +2 dice if blocking dodge strikes.

Savate +1 Acc strikes, +2 Acc kicks and sweeps

Wrestling +2 damage clinches, +2acc on holds and tackles or 2 extra dice resisting / dodging clinches and holds.

zero g wrestling.

Martial Arts Specs

Aikido

Capoeira

Jujitsu

Karate or Tae Kwon Do: +1 Acc strikes, +2acc kicks and disarms, +1blocks and close combat dodges

Kung Fu: Add 2 dice to one offensive and one defensive maneuver of choice, then 1 die each to two more maneuvers (offense or def) And/Or +3 Acc on one maneuver and +2 Difficulty on another

Muy Thai: (Thai Kickboxing) No Clinches holds or throws allowed and +3 difficulty on dodges, however +4Acc on Kicks OR Lethal damage at +1 Acc. May add half (rnd up) endurance to stamina to soak bashing damage

Tai Chi Chuan

Uchukukundo - Zero G Jitsu - Phoenix Squadron and ISRA's zero G martial art.

Melee specs

Bojitsu/Quarterstaff

Escrima/Jojitsu (short staff)

Fencing

Kenjitsu

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Due to the onset of senility I've decided that neutrals and latents shall now use the PG guide rules for normals. Same XP as listed above. Sorry - I remembered the rules in the main book as being slightly less sucky and I know that not everyone has the PG, but I think we're covered now. ::crazy At least its a bump UP eh?

ack.

Sorry.

::dozingoff

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Since I'm mucking up your XP anyway

Ability Group Experience from the player's guide is active at current level * 3 - that means that whilst you have been loyal to Proteus your XP for the following skills has been bought at that cost rather than current level * 4:

Awareness

Firearms

Investigation

Resistance

One of (Brawl, Martial Arts or Melee)

And One of (Streetwise or savvy)

Assume that you've got all your XP XP in Proteus.

Next week you'll all have 40 nova points if you're not careful ::blink

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Okay sounds hot. I was planning on doing a Ministry Character, but since all information I want about the Ministry in Asia Ascendant can't be found I think I'll go with my third favorite Order (since I'm assuming Upeo aren't playable) the Norca!

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The meeting is being held at Trinity HQ in the Chicago Cube.

Umoja - would you like a copy of AsAs? Or are you saying you can't find what you want in it? PM me your email addy and I'll send it to you.

I'd have less trouble allowing a porter if I didn't believe that they'd be too constantly busy to have time for 'wierd missions' - so no, no Upeo please.

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The man raises his hand. "I am Taka Rochester, by the way. And by process of elimination, that must make you-" he raises a chiseled eyebrow at the young Sudamerican "- Mr. Harker. Yes?"

Nope... sorry - there are more agents present in the room than have so far been introduced. You may want to rewind that comment.

That said - anyone who wants to play and hasn't sent me a sheet yet - please 'urry up or you'll have to wait a bit for the next entry window.

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Right... I've been doing a bit of off main thread replying. I've been debating whether to keep it going or move everything to the main thread (so that I don't lose it and so that outside readers can see what's going on mainly), but I've decided to say 'Yah, boo sucks' to them for the now and let it continue. Hopefully it'll die down a bit once you guys trust each other or have killed each other off a few times ::biggrin

Extensive lift off scenes are likely to occur on Sunday Night. Anyone who hasn't yet given me a history or needs to give me further background info please do it before then!

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Just some general stuff on how I tend to run my game.

Psions

My rules for psi use works off a double psi sized pool - but that's not really important because the costs vary a bit. By my rules, it is possible to 'go gently' - to use only as much power as you deem necessary - in effect you buy down the cost of the power with 'excess' points . This will result in psions occasionally not having to spend any psi on small effects in modes they're really good at.

Alternatively you may use 'normal' effects - in which the 'result'/'damage' table gets bought up with extra successes. Additionally you may push harder or throw yourself at the problem - adding points up to your level in a mode. This chews through your Psi fast, and is often blatant to other Psions nearby, but has the best chance to overcome interference or frying that chromie etc.

However - Psions don't work in points - so Cinematic descriptions please.

---

Grenades

The grenades of 2121 all work in basically the same way. They have a pin plugged into them. This pin can be twisted to set the number of seconds of delay on the grenade (up to 20). The pin has one additional setting labelled RF. Should the be twisted to this position, the grenade and pin select a frequency and encryped code. Once the pin is pulled the grenade will explode in 20 seconds - OR when it recieves the code via the RF selected - which, strangely enough it will do when the two tiny buttons located on the sides of the pin are held down together.

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Group Membership

Just so that everyone is clear on this point. No-one who is affiliated with any organisation other than AEon would be allowed into this particular team because of the nature of their work. The one exception is ISRA. This isn't because AEon believes that ISRAns already know everything. It is because it is impossible to leave ISRA without commiting some sort of heinous act.

Clear1 "I'm leaving ISRA."

Clear2 "Right. I'll see you here tomorrow at ten past eleven.."

Clear3 "Tunafish"

However, make no mistake, even the ISRAns in the team are clearly working for AEon.

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I'm serious, guys.

Now we're in the drop ship, and there is no way Tiger is getting that far without getting people to tell them what use they are in a fight or on the job in general. If he has to kick their asses to provoke them into revealing their oh so precious secret skills, he will.

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A quick browse through the team files reveals the following about the character's stints in the Trinity.

Taka Rochester has been a Special Operations soldier for MARS ( Think Navy SEAL / SAS )

Tiger Vaughn has also been a Special Operations soldier for MARS

Robert Hastings has been a Covert Operations man (Think Intelligence operative)

Daniel Madina has been a Bomb Disposal tech and Investigator for AEon and the UN (Think FBI / Scotland Yard)

Talvin Sawhney has worked for Al Alif and for AEon as an Investigator (Think FBI / Bounty Hunter minus the bounty part)

Roosevelt Harker has been a long term Triton analyst specialising in communication (Think Scientist)

Andrew Thomas has been a technology specialist for Triton and Proteus. (Think Engineer)

Draw from that what conclusions you will.

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Right - since its come up, I thought I'd shift things to this forum - being as good a place as any to argue about stuff.

My take on Clearsentience works as follows. Before Clears are put through the tank they are taught techniques to block out or at least limit 'visions' or sensory input that they don't need. When Clears are dunked they are opened to the full extent of their talent. Advancing their skills allows them to focus - to listen to specific areas of their new sense - more or less the equivilent of learning how to operate the lens of an eye. Because of this, any Clear can have a flash of the future or the past or whatever, but they come unbidden and uncontrolled to those who don't have the skill to focus correctly.

-Clearsentience is always subjective and thus requires interpretation.

-Clearsentience is not telepathy - looking forward or backward in time to when someone else saw something, doesn't necessarily tell you what they saw - only that they saw 'it', and if you do see what they do, you don't necessarily understand - especially if that would require levels in modes you don't have.

Clears minds are different in three ways.

1) They can process more sensory information at once than normal humans. This doesn't necessarily mean that they can process everything they see - they have to work hard for that.

2) They can extrapolate what will happen from how things are now (generally Telesthesia)

3) They can see 'points of interaction' - these resolve themselves into visions of the past and future and different places. When clears see the future, they see truth just as they do when they see the past - although the interpretation is often more difficult. Seeing the future is NEVER like watching a movie.

Psychometry: Focussing on the past, and the future. This is the skill that is most likely to involve 'visions' and thus requires most interpretation. There is a 'danger sense' at level 5, but that might give you a vision of a stone defile in which a soldier's skins starts to burn for no apparent reason. That could be a warning of radiation or some similar invisible danger. This will never tell you to 'duck and take two steps left' in a brawl - as the interations are too close.

Psychonavigation Where things are in relation to each other. Think of it as a normal human's sense or orientation and where things are when out of sight, only much much much more sensitive. It allows the clear to track things and keep track of things. This could warn you of someone approching from behind, but again, it won't say 'jump, backflip, block high'

Telesthesia This power is all about taking in everything real and extrapolating what's going to happen next, or projecting / refining senses. Low levels of this power tell you how a few opponents you can see are going to attack by the near invisible muscle movements that precede the attacks. High levels allow the clear to take in an entire scene leading to 'block high, block low, duck sniper fire, punch git in throat, start running for the bunker NOW cause that E-15 is going to drop a nuke. run run, jump over slippery puddle of blood' - that sort of thing.

So there isn't a lot of crossover for any of the modes.

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Now we're in the drop ship, and there is no way Tiger is getting that far without getting people to tell them what use they are in a fight or on the job in general. If he has to kick their asses to provoke them into revealing their oh so precious secret skills, he will.

I'd have liked to see him try that - & remain on the mission. ::tongue ::wink

A quick browse through the team files reveals the following about the character's stints in the Trinity.

What? Tiger didn't try this first? And he's worried about the rest of us being up to the mission. The youth of today... ::rolleyes

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The point is: Nobody on this level of professionalism keep their skills secret. That's a sure way of achieving nothing else than mission failure. I've asked people several times, but haven't gotten much in the way of answers. Putting it here and phrasing it the way I did is my way of saying how important it is, in general and to my character. Snooping around in people's files shouldn't be necessary. In my mind the normal and easy way of getting to know people is through talking to them.

But let's go on. I'll just have to learn the hard way, won't I?

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Asbjørn, I think I understand what you're saying...but I'd like to clarify. Who exactly have you asked and not received answers from? (Other than Hastings...he's just being stubborn. ::tongue )

I certainly agree that there are some issues on communication within the IC group. Harker, for example, has never openly said that he's a clearsentient. He presented himself as a linguist and academic sort, but was agreeable to demonstrate his combat skills in order to satisfy Tiger's curiousity. Harker also never mentioned that he's skilled in working with communications equipment, or that he's good at interrogation, because Tiger seemed specific in trying only to discern how good someone would be in combat.

Nobody on this level of professionalism keep their skills secret.

Sorry, but I respectfully disagree. Using Hastings as an example(sorry, Prof ::smile ), someone who's used to working covert ops, particularly undercover, I imagine would habitually keep things secret for professional reasons.

Putting it here and phrasing it the way I did is my way of saying how important it is, in general and to my character.

Which is noted, and appreciated. ::smile

Snooping around in people's files shouldn't be necessary. In my mind the normal and easy way of getting to know people is through talking to them.

I don't think Knave was intending his information as something attained through snooping, just general dossiers available to mission personnel. I could be wrong, though.

Now, personally, I agree with you about getting to know people through talking to them. But, I've learned from experience(aka, the hard way), that not everyone feels the same way I do. In real life, I have little difficulty talking to people...even about personal issues. I'm fairly open that way. But I also know that other people are not comfortable talking, especially with someone they don't know very well.

I know it can be incredibly frustrating not to get an answer from someone on a topic that you consider essential...I do tech support for a living, after all. ::tongue ::wink

Sometimes ya just gotta take a detour to find the route you're looking for. I think it'd be awesome RP if Tiger took a swing at Hastings...I wanna see who wins. ::devilangel

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Asbjørn, I think I understand what you're saying...but I'd like to clarify. Who exactly have you asked and not received answers from? (Other than Hastings...he's just being stubborn. ::tongue )

I certainly agree that there are some issues on communication within the IC group. Harker, for example, has never openly said that he's a clearsentient. He presented himself as a linguist and academic sort, but was agreeable to demonstrate his combat skills in order to satisfy Tiger's curiousity. Harker also never mentioned that he's skilled in working with communications equipment, or that he's good at interrogation, because Tiger seemed specific in trying only to discern how good someone would be in combat.

I specifically said that combat skills was not all I was interested in, merely that those were easiest to demonstrate and start with. Tiger also feels that those are the most important at the moment, since we're going into a warzone and up against one of mankind's worst enemies...

My questions have mostly been general, addressed to the entire group. Let me put it this way: For example, the only one who's actually said he's a psion is Umoja's character. What if there was a psychokinetic on the team, for example. Imagine us in a combat situation on chrome prime, and suddenly there's a gout of flame from out of nowhere. Guess who just made himself a target? Granted, clears don't have all that many spectacular surprises up their sleeves, but not having that information out in the open leads to unnecessary risks.

Sorry, but I respectfully disagree. Using Hastings as an example(sorry, Prof ::smile ), someone who's used to working covert ops, particularly undercover, I imagine would habitually keep things secret for professional reasons.

Yes and no. We're supposed to be a team. We're the No Such Agency of the Trinty. Keeping secrets from your teammates is perfectly acceptable, but not the 'character sheet' secrets. Knowing that Harker is a qualified pilot can be very handy if the sh!t hits the fan. If the others have useful skills like that (and I'm sure they do or they wouldn't be on the team), keeping them secret is quite the opposite of being professional.

I don't think Knave was intending his information as something attained through snooping, just general dossiers available to mission personnel. I could be wrong, though.

I see I might have had the wrong impression of things here. I thought the general dossiers we were given at the briefing was what Knave was posting in between the story posts. The thought that there would be personnel profiles and that we were expected to check them didn't even begin to consider the faintest possibility of crossing my mind. My mistake, I guess.

Sometimes ya just gotta take a detour to find the route you're looking for. I think it'd be awesome RP if Tiger took a swing at Hastings...I wanna see who wins.  ::devilangel

It could happen.... But it's not likely. Not unless he asks for it. ::wink

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Nods... Sorry -can't help thinking that this is partially my fault.

Once I played in a cyberpunk game in which a similar thing happened. The characters had 7 hours to travel to see their Mr Johnson - in the back of a Semi. For 7 hours no-one said anything. All they did was to 'out cool' each other. ::tongue

The disks that Oswald handed out at the beginning of the game were Mission Files. I deliberately painted Oswald as an direct, 'this is your job - get out of my face' kind of guy. He doesn't want to know how you run the mission so long as nobody finds out about it. Which is nice when you're a role player cause you get a far more open pick of how to go about things.

Given that, Oswald fully expected you guys to 'get to know each other' on your own. Some of you have used various means of 'finding out'. Some of you have just asked - but some characters are justifiably tight-lipped through professional force of habit if nothing else.

I posted the 'personell description' as a hint that files are available - and as a hint as to why certain people are being quiet.

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