Alternity: The Elements of Eternity - Comm Chatter

[Capt. V.F. 'Van' Chase]

Okay, just a few points I wanted to bring up for discussion. It's a bit meta, but I'm having a very hard time coming up with a post for Milena right now. My options are, "Ignore what the character would actually do, but live" and "Do what the character would actually do, and get blown up."

1. Milena is not on the comms. Nothing during their rescue was mentioned at all about integrating Milena or Sebastian into the group's communications, so using that isn't going to be very effective. What Shiro probably should have done is just use the Shikon to project/broadcast like a PA system.

2. Shiro is either directly in front of Milena, or on the opposite side of the tank, behind her. (It's hard to tell, based on the wording of the post.) If it's the former, she has no way of knowing that he's an ally, and will react accordingly. If the latter, she may not notice at all. (See also 1, above. If she couldn't hear his warning, and can't see him, she won't react at all.)

3. Blowing up the tank. Okay. There are now 3 people attempting to blow up the tank. None of them are communicating with each other (and they -are- on the same comm frequency). There is a group member at Death's door (Kittani) lying not far away, and Adrian and Sebastian are only protected by a single wall/open doorway. (I'm ignoring Milena for the moment, but I'll get back to that.) This is a Bad Idea. We're talking about missiles. Explosions. Yes. Cinematically, very satisfying! Logistically, not so much. Unintended casualties are almost inevitable at this point. The tank is much tougher than squishy humans.

4. We really, really need to read the posts prior to ours. Isis's sensors (unless Dave rules that they're going nuts) would have picked up Milena's movement and position, but she's still a heartbeat away from pushing the "Blow Shit Up" button.

5. "Why the hell did she run toward the tank?" Simple. 1, she has no way of knowing that people are planning on blowing it up. (See 1, above.)With missiles. 2, it fits her background. If you're not sure how, see 4, above. Logically, she's in the safest possible place right now (until her rescuers obliterate her.) She also has the advantage of being in a position to make one of the two tank operators exit the tank (!) to be able to get at her. The cannon has already levelled the motor pool- a single wall, with party members behind it, isn't really a stretch, I think.

If you guys are still insistent on blowing it up, that's fine. I'm not going to just randomly have her decide to traipse off somewhere. If she's killed, she's killed, as far as I'm concerned. Actions have consequences. (I actually told Dave he shouldn't have clued Max in to Milena's whereabouts in the chat, and let him blow the tank up with her right there, if only to make a point.) With the lack of IC and OOC communication, I'd say it's pretty surprising we've only got one near-casualty and not a TPK.

I want to point out, too, that this isn't intended as an attack, or to belittle anyone. I just want the game to go beyond this round of action without losing half the characters involved, and we all (myself included) need to be more vocal about what's going on- especially when our characters might have noticed something that we, as players, missed. The more we communicate, the less likely it is that these misunderstandings will keep happening!

[SalmonMax]

I was planning on revising my action and just shouting at Mileena.

Would that fix the problem?

[Capt. V.F. 'Van' Chase]

No, it really doesn't. It addresses the issue of Milena not being warned, but it doesn't address any of the other problems. I have to leave for work now, but I'll check this/the chat room when I get home.

[SalmonMax]

Alright, I can only talk for myself.

One, my original idea was to get grenades and charge the tank. It was because Kittani suggested going for a mecha missile that I changed that action. So yes, I am listening and trying to coordinate with other PC's.

Two, Isis has no ability to help Kittani medically. I decided my best option for helping our fallen comrade was doing what I could to eliminate the threat as quickly as possible.

Three, Isis has -no intention- of pushing the firing button while a friendly is in the blast radius. That includes Mileena. It also includes any other ally who is too close. The impression I have is that Mileena is the only one in danger from the blast of a missile impacting the tank.

That's all I got, so I hope it's enough.

[Rorx]

Having seen Isis fiddling with the missiles Gabe has given up on that ans is now looking to take out anyone who pokes there head out of the tank.

[Capt. V.F. 'Van' Chase]

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

Alright, I can only talk for myself.
Two, Isis has no ability to help Kittani medically. I decided my best option for helping our fallen comrade was doing what I could to eliminate the threat as quickly as possible.

No one suggested that you should! I only suggested that, perhaps, causing a huge explosion with a wounded teammate likely being inside the blast radius would probably be a bad idea, tactically speaking. I say that because we have no idea what that blast radius actually -is.-

Quote:

Three, Isis has -no intention- of pushing the firing button while a friendly is in the blast radius. That includes Mileena. It also includes any other ally who is too close. The impression I have is that Mileena is the only one in danger from the blast of a missile impacting the tank.

Isis didn't know Milena was in front of the tank. (And Shiro is now next to it, as well.) I've already been informed that Dave had to point out to you that she was standing there, and you were not previously aware. It may not be a desirable outcome, but the fact remains that had he not said anything (because no one else was), the missile would've been fired and she'd be dead. Had Dave not informed Justin that Shiro left the tank for everyone else to deal with, he would not have come back. Should we have dropped Justin a line, OOC, to remind him that he should be keeping up with the posts? Probably. Should Shiro have been paying more attention to his teammates than shiny gun phat lewt? Definitely.

My point is that there is a distinct lack of player communication and paying attention to what's going on, and Dave is going to get tired of giving hints. He's already said as much.

[Gavin Qel-Droma]

I just figured the missiles were more potent than the grenades, so it made sense to use those. Then again, I didn't anticipate Milena being this close to the tank. Such is the chaos of combat.

And yes, Isis told everyone to stay put and Kitty ignored her. She's hot headed and look where it got her.

Good points though, we have comms so why aren't we using them to coordinate a strategy?

[SalmonMax]

Wait wait...brakes on.

Isis didn't know Mileena was in front of the tank? Since when? She ran right out at it. How could Isis not know?

And Dave didn't HAVE to inform me. He saw fit to say something, assuming I wasn't going to take you into account. In this case he assumed wrong. It was never, ever, my intention to fire while Mileena was in the line of fire.

Dave may have thought that wasn't the case, and that I wasn't reading. He was mistaken, if so. Next time, I suggest asking me directly. PM me. I'm nice.

As for using comms to strategize, I thought we were. That's what the whole "run for the missiles" thing was...coordinating with Kittani's idea.

The problem is that we don't have a leader, or an overall plan, so we're breaking into little subgroups who aren't coordinating.

[Justin OOC]

Ok I've already apologized for my part in this. I'm sure Shiro's gonna catch hell IC for his rookie mistake.

Currently he's assuming Milena's an ally because she's not dressed like the guards he killed earlier, and not inside the tank. Now it may or not be logical for her to think this is an ally because I don't think she knows her rescuers had mecha support. On the other side, it's clearly armed with anti-personnel weaponry as well as anti armor and it hasn't opened fire on her.

[Capt. V.F. 'Van' Chase]

I was under the impression, based on Dave's reminder to you in chat and your response, that you had either 1, not noticed, or 2, forgotten. You were describing Isis's next action, which was firing the missile(s), and how she'd go about doing it, when Dave commented that you'd probably kill Milena in the process.

If that's not the case, that's fine, but the fact remains that a lot of assumptions are being made on all sides, and none of them seem to be very accurate.

And if the fact that there isn't a leader is a problem, then step up. If you see a need for something, either fill that need, or find someone who can. It doesn't do any good to just complain about it not happening. (That's not directed specifically at you, either, Max.)

So, lest it be said that I'm just being critical, and not offering suggestions... People with comms- post that you're using them. Communicate. Shout at Milena if you need her to move. Get Kittani out of the line of fire. Make sure Adrian and Sebastian are safe. Start actually organizing a battle plan. Make a distraction. Clear a path. Snipe one of the tank operators when they come out. Try scrambling communications, or hack their comms, pretend to be maintenance and request radio silence while you recalibrate the satcom array. Someone play leader.

There are a lot of things to do besides "blow up stuff."

Adrian and Sebastian aren't going to be posting any time soon, so here's the run-down as I see it.

Kittani's lined up to play sniper. Milena's getting in position to usurp control of the tank when/if the hatch opens so the guy can come out and shoot her (per the last NPC post). That'll (hopefully) disable the tank without having to worry about a blast radius. (Yes, I promise, I did have a plan, but like everyone else, assumed my posts were sufficient for coordination/strategy purposes.) This is going on long enough and causing enough ruckus that we're probably going to start seeing retaliatory action. Isis and Shiro would be great, with the heavy artillery, for dealing with barracks, vehicles, etc. and making sure the escape route is secure. Gabe, I'm not so sure about. He seems to be a bit of a Jack-of-all-Trades.

Now, I'm sure you guys have other ideas about what should happen, and I'm not in any way saying this is what I expect. I'm only posting my suggestion to show that it's not that difficult.

EDIT: Justin ninja'ed me!

Originally Posted By: Justin OOC

On the other side, it's clearly armed with anti-personnel weaponry as well as anti armor and it hasn't opened fire on her.

How was it going to do that? It just landed. An entire round is 6 seconds, and her turn is immediately after his, at the beginning of a new round. She doesn't even have time to scream, heh.

[Dave ST]

Justin, might wanna add some damage to that roll.

[Capt. V.F. 'Van' Chase]

Originally Posted By: Justin OOC

(ooc If she allows him to grab her and carry her he will take her away from the tank and to the others, hopefully the others can get the bikes and get the hell out of dodge. He'll wait till they leave this time before he leaves.)

First, it's been said before- not enough bikes. They brought two from the ship, with two riders on each. Now they've got two more people. Lack of vehicles was the entire reason they were headed toward the motor pool in the first place. Now they've got to deal with an exploding tank, a wounded teammate, and a mad scramble to find something usable in the levelled motor pool.

Second? Hell no, Milena's not going to let some lunatic in a mech grab her. He shot the tank she was trying to disable -without killing anyone-, causing an explosion that -still- might kill one of the teammates... remember, we've got Kittani at death's door, Adrian, and Sebastian to extricate, and he thinks she's going to let him pick her up? Fat chance. She fully expects he'd try to do something else flashy and end up crushing her.

OOC, I get why Shiro shot the thing. I'm a bit frustrated, since you knew what I'd planned on doing, but IC, Shiro didn't know that, so it's fair.

[Dave ST]

The mission is completed, Destiny has been set in motion.

I'm leaving the thread open for the PCs to do some final RP to close out some scenes before we move on.

This is free form involvement, if you need to speak with Erebus or your other crew members let me or them know. Alternitively you can do a short side fic, not a bad idea since these are worth Bonus XP.

Kittani is in medical

Isis is in medical (having a dignostic ran)

Everyone else is free to roam about as they please. If this goes no where, then I'll end it and get you all on track for your second missions. I'll dole out XP before the next missions begin.

[Gavin Qel-Droma]

I'm planning on posting something in line with Isis in terms of Kitty healing in a med bay, I've just been busy.

Oh, and Kitty is avail for fics if anyone is interested.

[SalmonMax]

Oh, good call...I should mention that Isis is also available.

[Justin OOC]

As is Shiro, if anyone wants an independent opportunity to yell at him.

[Gavin Qel-Droma]

Oh, Kittani is P.O.ed at Shiro. Which if you think about it is completely hypocritical since Isis told her to stay put and she didn't, which ended getting her shot by a tank.

But hey, its totally different in her case, that's what double standards are all about.

[Justin OOC]

As she's the one who got hurt, Shiro expects some greif from Kittani. He knows he screwed up she got hurt. He won't know th rest of how it all went down until someone tells him.

[SalmonMax]

Isis of course isn't angry at all.

Though she may politely request that next time Shiro retreats due to incoming enemy action, he warn any allies in the area.

[Dave ST]

You guys want more time or you want me to close the chapter and move on to the next missions?

[SalmonMax]

Well, I was going to suggest a fic between Isis and Kittani as they recuperate...but I don't have any specific ideas for it. It just seemed like it might be fun.

I'm fine with moving on, if that's what peeps want.

[Gavin Qel-Droma]

Well, let's do it! I'm not much on ideas either, but they could just simply exchange ideas on what went wrong and down there and go from there.

Since none of the crew are really close any opportunity for them to have bonding moments is certainly pretty cool.

[Rorx]

Either way is fine with me Dave.

[Dave ST]

Character sheets that need updating better be so soon... I'll be posting the next missions by the end of the weekend (hopefully).

Once the missions are posted the character thread will be locked and any PC not updated will be treated as a Level 6 PC. The missions will be gauged at the level your PC should be, not the level they currently are.

That gives everyone four days, updating should take you about 20 minutes.

[Dave ST]

Oh, one thing... give yourself max HPs for the level, do not roll your HPs.

[Rorx]

Updated Gabe in rough - will post it up Saturday

[Dave ST]

Why didn't you just 'Edit' the sheet that was already posted?

[Rorx]

Because recently my system has been wonky when things are bigger than the edit box, it doesn't like scrolling down and staying there - it keeps going back to the top of the post and just flashing down to where you had scrolled to as you type each character. This problem might be related to the update to IE 8.

The second reason was that I only had a working copy of the character saved on my systems, so I wanted to copy it into a file as it appeared here anyway. Having done that I've edited that version to make sure I have an up to date copy offline and will paste it back in later.

[SalmonMax]

Isis is updated.

Basic changes:

+1 level in Soldier advanced class

+10 HP

+1 BAB

+5 skill points spent on +1 Computer Use (cross class), +1 Spot, +1 Listen

+1 to Will save

Class Feature: Bonus feat gained

Bonus feat used on Advanced Firearms Proficiency.

Just in case she captures a weapon capable of automatic fire sometime.

[Rorx]

Gabe updated

Changes - +1 Level in Battle Mind

+1 Base Attack giving +6/+1

+1 Fort Save

+1 Defence

+11 HP

+5 Skill pts (Drive +1, Profession +1, Concentration +1, Cross Class = Craft(Visual Arts) +1)

Class Feature - Psychic Shield, Psi Powers (+1 x 1st Level = Combat Precognition)

[Gavin Qel-Droma]

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

Just in case she captures a weapon capable of automatic fire sometime.

Kittani can upgrade any weapon to use automatic fire, providing the weapon could normally support that feature. She can also create and install any of the 'Gadgets' in the books with relative ease, including masterwork items.

Just an FYI.

[SalmonMax]

Oooo...

Well, Isis has special feat bonuses with her integral plasma pistol. Maybe we could look at upgrading that sometime.

[Dave ST]

Ahh, fun with engineering.

[Dave ST]

It appears no one is interested in posting their fun on a night out before a job.

Seriously people... if you don't want to participate then just say so, I could be doing other things with my time.

[SalmonMax]

Hee...I was hoping to jump on someone else's bandwagon. Isis isn't a character who has an easy time initiating "party fun night," but she should be entertaining as she tries to take part in it.

[Rorx]

Well since I was the last to post - I thought it reasonable to wait for someone else to post next

[Dave ST]

Guys, I need to know what's going on with this. I mentioned to all of you that the thread was left open for you all to mingle and write and its been left untouched.

While understand that we've all been busy, and it's certainly my intention to move this game a bit slower than some others (since more than half of you are in pretty much all 20 games that are going on) so you'll all have time to post it's my impression that you guys really aren't interested.

If not, that's fine. Just let me know so I can maybe start working on other projects. I realize some of you are busy in other games and keeping up with them all is tiresome, so let me know what's up.

[Rorx]

I'm happy to carry on with this game Dave. Been a bit busy in RL recently, but then I was the last to post anyway....

[Dave ST]

Well, this pretty much speaks for itself. Rorx, sorry, but one person ain't enough.

Game's Closed

[Capt. V.F. 'Van' Chase]

Okay, that's fair. Honestly, this little game got swallowed up on the forums, and it was almost impossible to see when there'd been activity. It also didn't help that every time someone gets an idea, they feel compelled to make yet another new game, and since we aren't getting new players quickly or frequently enough to sustain them, other ones just sort of fade away.

Maybe this one can be revamped and resurrected later, maybe even with a smaller, more focused group. I really liked the idea and the theme of the game, and I'm sorry we, as players, let it lapse. (Because, let's face it- we did.)