Worse Than The Disease OOC 2 [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

u-b

2023-05-26, 05:22 AM

Sean counts more than 15 of this mutant wolves out there. They spread out, only bunching up close together in 3s at a time. Each such bunch is about 5 yards away from each other. The animals in general are keeping at least 10 yards from the car at all times (the farthest out is 20 yards), but they are circling. If they decide to attack, the bunches will close in from all directions.
Whoa! How did we allow them that close? I mean, if they are "keeping at least 10 yards", are they running near their maximum speed all around our car, including off-road? There should be some some cover / concealment they've used, so does that affect their movement? The situation would mean Sean does not have speed penalty if they run parallel. Or, maybe they were in a sort of ambush that we've driven into and they are closing in? Not sure how they could be "circling" around at that speed. Also, are they medium-sized?

I think that was it, but check through TS some more to see what the exact penalties for shooting from a moving car is.
Hmmm...
1. Sean has -3 for "bad road" as per B548.
2. Acc + aim <= SR 4 as per B548. This probably does not place the limit on the laser.
3. Skill is <= Richard's Driving as per TS 31. This probably goes before speed/range (but see above for parallel movement) and thus is the worst one. Likely caps the laser and the bond, but not the RoF bonus.
4. Speed / range, target size, and all other stuff.

Like that?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-05-26, 06:44 AM

Whoa! How did we allow them that close? I mean, if they are "keeping at least 10 yards", are they running near their maximum speed all around our car, including off-road? There should be some some cover / concealment they've used, so does that affect their movement? The situation would mean Sean does not have speed penalty if they run parallel. Or, maybe they were in a sort of ambush that we've driven into and they are closing in? Not sure how they could be "circling" around at that speed. Also, are they medium-sized?

Hmmm...
1. Sean has -3 for "bad road" as per B548.
2. Acc + aim <= SR 4 as per B548. This probably does not place the limit on the laser.
3. Skill is <= Richard's Driving as per TS 31. This probably goes before speed/range (but see above for parallel movement) and thus is the worst one. Likely caps the laser and the bond, but not the RoF bonus.
4. Speed / range, target size, and all other stuff.

Like that?

Looks like the mutant wolves have bizarrely high speed and natural camouflage? The nearby wilderness is just by the road, it is very good for ambushes. They are SM +1.

Yeah, those modifiers are relevant. Laser sight not limited. The Driving skill of the guy at the wheel applies before speed/range modifiers.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-05-27, 05:09 PM

Richard, anything to add to this?

We want to...
1. Drive straight towards the base in the usual manner.
2. Announce our presence to the security forces at the base and be let in.
3. Summon 4 armed guards (hunters, militia or something).
4. Summon Tariq of Simone.
5. Send the captive with 2 armed guards and Tariq or Simone to be held safe and not contacted by anyone for some short period of time.
6. Summon some doctors.
7. Have the doctors examine Sean and Richard and declare their verdicts.
8. Still with 2 guards go to the radio room to hear any news.

Volthawk

2023-05-27, 06:54 PM

Shoot Da Moon

2023-05-28, 01:31 AM

How badly hurt is the prisoner, again? Worth checking whether he's in the kind of state where we should really get him medical help too once we get there, or if he can be put somewhere secure and left for a bit without risking him, well, dying.

He got shot in the leg very badly. He may not be permanently crippled, but he is very likely going to be crippled for a long time.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-05-30, 09:23 AM

Sorry for the delay.
Richard does not need to roll regarding the disease yet.
Sean is under the care of a Physician for now, but he’ll need to expend medical resources to get the most benefits of it. Check the stockpile on the gear sheet, not to mention the food and water you got at the base.

I’ll roll for Bart and the others in 2 game-time hours to see how they journeyed to the base.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-04, 09:04 AM

Richard, you should roll Interrogation skill, please.

u-b

2023-06-07, 08:36 AM

OC: 200 rifle bullets is $2000 worth in the AtE economy.
I mean, there was 10 of them. Or it was 200 bullets for the whole lot?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-08, 04:59 AM

I mean, there was 10 of them. Or it was 200 bullets for the whole lot?

The mercenary was paid 200 rifle bullets. He does not know what the others were paid.

u-b

2023-06-09, 12:39 PM

Also feel free to throw questions from Richard himself.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-13, 10:24 AM

Volthawk/Richard, you okay?

We need you for this interrogation session.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-14, 11:29 AM

Sean, roll for recovery. Then we can mark off another day?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-15, 10:51 PM

Since all the PCs are in recovery for in-game days right now, we can take advantage of the slowed action to discuss the campaign so far.

As players;
* Are you enjoying the campaign overall?
* What do you recommend the GM change about the campaign or his GM-ing, if anything?
* What would you like to see in the campaign next?
* Any particular highlights of the campaigns so far? (Highlight stuff you want more of in the future, in particular.)
* Anything you find notable in general about the campaign events and/or play?

Thanks in advance!

u-b

2023-06-16, 01:00 AM

1. I like this game so far. In fact, one of my favorites.
2. No particular thing. I sometimes have trouble differentiating between "that's weird because that's a hint", "that's weird because that's the way this world is" and "that's weird because GM is not perfect", but I rather expect that this cannot be changed.
3. I'll just go with Sean, and he has a multitude of plans. Of note:
3.1 See if we can get the food trucks delivered. This might be less than trivial.
3.2 Arm an equip Vermont Rangers (less than trivial without #3.1 above).
3.3 Use Vermont Rangers (a lot of options, including that same gutter lab, but also other intel, up to the slavers' camps). The rangers should have a list of locations to search for heavy weapons, so we can as well search them before we are on the offensive.
3.4 See how the mutants' attack(?) on the raiders' factory vent and see if they would like to cooperate further.
3.5 See if the drone kit gets delivered to Waffle House (we have a car parked there as a payment waiting for it).
3.6 Generally proceed with the offensives against the slavers and try to stop mutant animals from rampaging the state.
3.7 Eventually chat with Gunmetal leadership maybe.
3.8 Maybe organize some investigation against Bread Basket and the reward on our heads, but this would not be done by us personally.
3.9 Oh, and we must heal Richard. Not sure if he can get well without Red Brick's help.
3.10 Finally get down some Shelter or something and generally investigate the fall of Old World.
4. I mostly expect to see variuos stuff in the future, as it unfolds w.r.t. our actions, not simply more of the same, so I'll pass on this one.
5. Well, the latest attempt on our lives was pretty damn notable. I think we should have gotten ourselves killed, if that would not be so bad for the whole campaign. But generally, it's like one notable thing is ontop the another and, like, half of everything in the game is in some way notable, which is good enough.

Volthawk

2023-06-16, 04:02 PM

* Are you enjoying the campaign overall?

Yup, enjoying it a lot. Sometimes I get a little behind and I've probably forgotten some of the stuff going on, but that's a me thing rather than a game thing and hasn't impacted enjoyment much (particularly since u-b is pretty on top of things and good at picking up the slack).

* What do you recommend the GM change about the campaign or his GM-ing, if anything?

I'm terrible at answering these kinds of questions, since I might have a minor annoyance at some point but before long I've mostly forgotten it so when the time comes to look back it's barely a memory. Hm. I guess sometimes the exact details of an encounter can be a little unclear, hence us having to sometimes put a little bit of guesswork into our roll posts, but that's a downside of the medium really rather than a GMing flaw.

* What would you like to see in the campaign next?
* Any particular highlights of the campaigns so far? (Highlight stuff you want more of in the future, in particular.)
* Anything you find notable in general about the campaign events and/or play?

Ended up bundling these together, since u-b's handled specific future missions quite well (only thing that came to mind that wasn't broadly covered there as far as specific scenarios go is some more poking around in the Gutters, because I'm curious about what's going on down there - including finally dealing with the zombie lab once we're prepared) so I started writing more broadly and found these three blending together a bit.

I've been really enjoying the process of slowly putting everything together - our understanding of the old world developing from early mundane assumptions to finding out about the biotech going on behind the scenes, wildlife encounters escalating from hunting and that rabid bear to finding out about more mutated specimens and now those wolves, mutants going from "oh, this injector caused mutation and Red Brick are worried about mutants" to fighting mutants with extreme changes and then through interrogation and diplomacy finding out their origins and the roots of their ideology, and when it comes to the raiders finding the link between Mailer and them and our general campaign against them to unravel the network, hell even these smaller internal things in the cities too - it's all been great fun, being able to chip away at things and through that, and things chipping back, finding out all these previously-hidden details.

I've been enjoying the way the game's been...structured, I guess? There's been a nice ebb and flow between periods where we drive around, do interrogations, meet people and shop and stuff between bigger engagements when we attack a base or get ambushed or whatever, and...yeah, it's worked quite well for me. As far as the engagements themselves go, feels like there's a good balance when it comes to you throwing curveballs that mess with our plans and us being able to do what we set out to do - for instance, snipers in particular are hard to do well on the GM side and so far they've walked the line pretty well, being scary and surprising without being a situation where one of us just dies suddenly. The battle bus turning up at the latter end of one of the base raids was also a lot of fun, as another example.

I really like the radar base conceptually, too. This whole settlement thing starting up has been a fun way of the world reacting to what we're doing (and from an IC perspective, something Richard really likes), and I'm interested to see how that keeps developing.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-17, 10:34 AM

Alright, the current in-game day can pass by without incident.
I believe most of your delivery orders will arrive at their destinations in the late afternoon of today.
The rest will arrive tomorrow.
You will mostly hear about current affairs in and around the radar base, with periodic news from other places over the radio.

Both of you should make the same rolls as yesterday for recovering.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-18, 05:05 PM

Sean calls Bread Basket on the radio. Not the VIP guy's people, but those of the city leadership. He raises the following topics:
1. There was an attempt on his and Richard's lives, which has to be sorted out before we can continue with the jobs the city is posting.
2. There seem to be a reward on our heads or something, so this does not seem to be one-off, so this will have to be investigated before we return to Bread Basket.
3. Is the city in any way behind it or maybe has anything at all against Richard and Sean? If not, maybe the city is interested in knowing more about it? This might or might not be related to the tasks we have contracted to be doing.

Sean, make a Reaction Roll with your usual modifiers and a -5 penalty.

Volthawk

2023-06-18, 08:27 PM

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-18, 09:36 PM

As a health update (assuming that's another 2 HP lost), Richard is now at 6/12 HP - he was at 10HP just before the ambush, and now that's been two failed intervals at the radar base for 2 HP each. Looking back, you wanted to be told once he drops below 2/3 HP, and that last interval did it.

Richard now suffers constant nausea; this persists until his HP rises back above 2/3 max. Consult the Injuries, Illness no Recovery chapter of Basic Set: Campaigns, on ailments.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-22, 03:44 AM

Richard, have your say about the current matters, and then roll to resist the disease as before. Fingers crossed.

Then we'll move onto the next day.

u-b

2023-06-22, 05:27 AM

I think we've both rolled for two days, including the first day of room rest.

Richard's rolls are in #1444 (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25796919&postcount=1444) and #1447 (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25804307&postcount=1447).
Sean's rolls are in #1446 (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25801898&postcount=1446) and #1450 (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25805152&postcount=1450).

After these rolls (I believe today's evening) Richard is at 6/12 and Sean is at 5/11.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-22, 04:38 PM

Okay. Then Richard just needs to chip in on helping plan the next move and handling social interactions.

u-b

2023-06-26, 04:21 AM

The reports of the robots come from the middle of the state, about 50 to 70 miles away from the radar base.
How is this positioned relative to the shelter where we've had a chat with the computer system?

No more plans for today. I've rolled for today's healing, resulting in the recovery of another hit point.

A question about spending the remaining char points: can I take Attribute Substitution perk to base Forward Observer on Per? I have one for Driving and I guess both piloting and actual observation would not be overly dissimilar to either that or what Per is for. It should be TL-appropriate to use the drone with Forward Observer, I gather. Willing to take familiarity penalties on actually calling artillery strikes until Sean has practiced with that part of the skill.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-26, 08:31 PM

How is this positioned relative to the shelter where we've had a chat with the computer system?

No more plans for today. I've rolled for today's healing, resulting in the recovery of another hit point.

A question about spending the remaining char points: can I take Attribute Substitution perk to base Forward Observer on Per? I have one for Driving and I guess both piloting and actual observation would not be overly dissimilar to either that or what Per is for. It should be TL-appropriate to use the drone with Forward Observer, I gather. Willing to take familiarity penalties on actually calling artillery strikes until Sean has practiced with that part of the skill.

The robots’ patrol looks to be 25 miles north-east of that Shelter.

Yes, you may purchase that Perk but you’ll need to learn that Skill first - and you need the time and opportunity to learn you that Skill before you can spend Character Points on it. Either get a teacher, a manual, or lots of time studying and practising with the equipment.

Ditto Piloting Skill for the drone.

u-b

2023-06-26, 10:35 PM

Ditto Piloting Skill for the drone.
Hmm... I rather hoped for this clause:

At higher tech levels, Forward Observer is less about observing targets and more about operating specialized technology such as drones, GPS, and laser designators. To remotely pilot a drone or use a laser designator to direct “smart” munitions onto a target, make a DX-based skill roll.
Will it just take two instances of Attribute Substitution to cover both uses or do you want a separate Piloting?

Also about the skill(s): normally it'll take 400 hours of practicing to learn a skill without spending an otherwise-earned character point. How much is needed with a character point?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-27, 04:33 AM

Hmm... I rather hoped for this clause:

Will it just take two instances of Attribute Substitution to cover both uses or do you want a separate Piloting?

Also about the skill(s): normally it'll take 400 hours of practicing to learn a skill without spending an otherwise-earned character point. How much is needed with a character point?

Need Piloting skill.
I’d say seperate Perk for different Skills.
If you got a Character Point, it’ll take just 6 hours.

u-b

2023-06-27, 04:40 AM

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-28, 01:37 AM

Can I use Piloting with Observation to just look around without calling in artillery? I have enough CPs to buy that, and a spare day too.

Also, how good of a drone we have? Assuming 60% of a $48000 car, we can have...
- DJI Air 2S kit with video controller, two spare battaries, other parts, a charger, all in a bag
- 512 GB of digital stroage card per GURPS errata to record the videos (could be much more per Amazon, but we use GURPS prices when we have them, I guess?)

This would mean a fair deal, reasonably profitable for the seller.

Yes, but you’ll need to practice the Skill for a good portion of the day before you can spend the Point/s. Which means you’ll miss out on resting today.
Once you have the Points spent, you can do some flybys, yes. I may decide that is too much activity for daily recovery rolls, however.

You have the DJI and the other stuff, the storage card is worth $100 per GB (adjusted for TL already factored in).

u-b

2023-06-28, 03:01 AM

I think the drone arrives tomorrow, and choosing one day to practice should not be problematic given how Richard's condition looks like. The card is priced as per the errata (http://www.sjgames.com/errata/gurps/4e/high-tech.html), which sort of reflects the improvements over the years, so $1*512*16 = $8192 total.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-28, 07:03 AM

Alright, what about Richard/Volthawk?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-06-29, 06:51 AM

Ready to move on to the next day once you've both rolled for recovery and confirmed your activities for the day.

u-b

2023-07-03, 02:33 AM

Vaccines are less difficult to make than antidotes.
1. Can we have the numbers to compare?
2. Will a vaccine be more narrow than antidote with respect to possible mutations of the virus?
3. Inventing either, what do we get in the end? A batch (of what size) or a reliable, repeatable production process?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-03, 10:47 AM

1. Can we have the numbers to compare?
2. Will a vaccine be more narrow than antidote with respect to possible mutations of the virus?
3. Inventing either, what do we get in the end? A batch (of what size) or a reliable, repeatable production process?

1) Vaccines are a $1,000,000 invention. That's -9 and 1d days for a Gadgeteer.
2) No. Variants merely require adaptations for both vaccines and antidotes.
3) A dose (possibly more if you roll VERY well because it's an one-shot item) plus a repeatable "recipe" that simply requires "parts" and a roll.

u-b

2023-07-03, 10:54 AM

1) Vaccines are a $1,000,000 invention. That's -9 and 1d days for a Gadgeteer.
1. Is it expected that a vaccine would create immunity or resistance for a prolonged period of time? Meaning, do people tend to get this disease once pre lifetime or again and again as exposed or what?

3) A dose (possibly more if you roll VERY well because it's an one-shot item) plus a repeatable "recipe" that simply requires "parts" and a roll.
2. Would it be less than $1,000,000 for each additional dose? What if we want to make a batch from the start?
3. What if would take to invent a facility to commetcially produce the thing?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-04, 08:24 AM

1. Is it expected that a vaccine would create immunity or resistance for a prolonged period of time? Meaning, do people tend to get this disease once pre lifetime or again and again as exposed or what?

2. Would it be less than $1,000,000 for each additional dose? What if we want to make a batch from the start?
3. What if would take to invent a facility to commetcially produce the thing?

1) Once you've had the vaccine, you're immune for life. Variants could still infect you, but a vaccine for a variant is easier to make after you've made one.
2) Yes, the cost has to be spent every time you roll for inventing.
3) Oh boy. An entire medical lab costs at least $6000 (3000x2, TL 5) for the basic equipment, a "suitcase lab". Field labs and mobile labs give quality bonuses but cost more, take much more space and require external power or a variety of batteries.

u-b

2023-07-04, 09:03 AM

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-05, 06:08 AM

I mean, we could be persuaded to eventually invest in a full room-sized TL8 Mobile Lab ($1.2M nominal, but probably cannot be bought) if there would be a prospect of getting the state clear of some disease(s) like it was done with smallpox, but with an incremental cost of $1M per dose that does not seem practical. Sure enough no one has done this in all these years. I'll think about what can be done with these numbers and post IC maybe later today.

Also, I've asked about Sean's possible antibodies and was told it might help with vaccine, so, to clarify...
1. What sort of help it might or might not be?
2. Can we instead invent some immunoglobulin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunoglobulin_therapy) (and, if so, at what price / difficulty)? We surely should be able to extract something from Richard once he recovers...

1) Examining you and rolling Diagnosis skill would act as a complementary roll for the invention roll. It would also count as "parts" equal to your HT times $100 times the margin of success.
2) Yes, that's effectively "fabricating parts" for inventions of a suppressant, a vaccine or an antidote via a Pharmacy skill roll. Maybe Richard could roll his HT as an effective complementary roll to it. First things first, though...

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-06, 06:22 AM

Wait, sorry, I think I got something wrong.

First, check AtE 2 page 40 for rules on fabricating;
Rolls for fabricating have the same modifiers as inventing (a vaccine gives -9).

Success supplies (margin of success + 1) x 5% of the parts you need for this specific project (only); critical success also gives you +1 on the final skill roll for your project. Failure simply wastes time; critical failure inflicts 1d‐3 injury (ignoring DR) from a minor accident.

I was wrong earlier about the value of the antibodies' "parts" and the complementary roll.

You got the time needed right.

This makes the following amount of "parts" out of $300000 required:

(6 + 1) * ($1000000 * 0.05) + 4 * 12 * $100 = $354800

This also gives +1 to the resulting roll, which, in 8 more days, will be:

[roll0] on Pharmacy 14(?) (20 skill, -9 difficulty, -2(?) if there never was such a vaccine, +2 equipment, +1 versatile, +1 extra time, +1 complimentary success)

That middle equation is wrong, sorry (forget the $100xHTxmargin figure, that was wrong).
The fabrication simply made 35% of what was needed (before we factor in that Gadgeteers only need 30% of value for inventions, so 35% of $1,000,000 was made).
No bonus for extra parts, but you do meet the threshold. Inventing a vaccine is on the table.
You got the skill modifiers right except for the complementary roll success (I was wrong about that, and you did not roll a critical success on the fabrication roll). Still a success, but barely (margin of success 0)...

[roll0] on Diagnosis 16 (20 physician, -4 default)
[roll1] on Chemistry 16 (15 skill, +1 time)

[roll2] x4 days for the whole invention, half of them first to fabricate parts

This part is right, I'm willing to throw you a bone on that complementary roll and have it stand...

Rolling for bugs then: [roll0]

Now, bugs...
The roll should be 1d+2 for Gadgeteers, minus double the margin of success (0x2=0). So 3 bugs. See B476...
No extra doses because the margin of success is too low.

Volthawk

2023-07-07, 11:00 AM

Health update, that last failed HT roll (been pretty unlucky for those, huh) puts Richard at 0/12 HP after Day 81's HT roll.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-08, 05:29 AM

Health update, that last failed HT roll (been pretty unlucky for those, huh) puts Richard at 0/12 HP after Day 81's HT roll.

Well...at least it's not a death check yet...

u-b

2023-07-09, 02:06 AM

OC: record the meals consumed today (and yesterday if you have not already), mostly by Richard.
A total of 20 rations marked as spent over the course of 5 days. Not spending any for the troops, because presumably they patricipate in the base's economy and produce enough value to have themselves fed even if they have some days off.

A question about radar base radio intercept facilities: do they have a computerized TL8 radio scanner? Thinking of something like a highly-parallel software-defined-radio receiver and a specialized software on top. If not, maybe they can try to procure it? Sean will try to provide the funds.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-09, 09:31 AM

A total of 20 rations marked as spent over the course of 5 days. Not spending any for the troops, because presumably they patricipate in the base's economy and produce enough value to have themselves fed even if they have some days off.

A question about radar base radio intercept facilities: do they have a computerized TL8 radio scanner? Thinking of something like a highly-parallel software-defined-radio receiver and a specialized software on top. If not, maybe they can try to procure it? Sean will try to provide the funds.

Yes, the food and water supply of the base is maintained by both trade, hunting and foraging. There will probably be traders from elsewhere coming in either later this day or tomorrow. The cold weather might be a problem, though. Good thing you still have those heated clothing and batteries, or your mutations would be a bother.

The base’s radio scanner is not as advanced as TL 8, it’s probably a TL 7 or late TL 6 model. Getting such hardware would be very difficult, unless the leadership of Gunmetal decide to help you out. And then, it’d be expensive as all get-out.

Contacting Gunmetal and trying to see if they want to sell you something that high tech would require a Reaction Roll, at a basic -4. (Other reaction modifiers apply.)

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-09, 09:37 AM

Second dice rolls thread; https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?657760-Worse-Than-the-Disease-DICE-ROLLS-2

u-b

2023-07-09, 10:37 AM

I think we have both rolled for today's recovery (with usual results), so can as well make it tomorrow, unless some radio intercepts come in. Speaking of which, what kind of equipment do the men have in here? Sean would eventually want to have...
1. Large Radio Scanner + Direction Finder + Large Long-Range Antenna Array, TL8 (either here at base or somewhere like Gunmetal if that gives better coverage and we get a premission)
2. Medium Radio Scanner + Direction Finder, TL8 (in a car)
3. A computer with software to accompany that

Or we can ask allied forces for their intercepts, if any, if they have better gear. The main question is how much trouble was repelling the attack - are they just fine or did they suffer heavy losses or something.

He only hopes it is enough.
Sean has ordered six, and we are just getting started...

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-10, 08:50 AM

Speaking of which, what kind of equipment do the men have in here?

The base's radio is a ruggedized large TL 6 model with a long range antenna.

u-b

2023-07-11, 12:02 AM

The base's radio is a ruggedized large TL 6 model with a long range antenna.
Hmm... I have it recorded for some reason that it's a TL8 thing. I mean, they should not have been operating TL6..7 equipment by the time the end came. Or is it not the original radar base equipment?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-11, 09:05 AM

Hmm... I have it recorded for some reason that it's a TL8 thing. I mean, they should not have been operating TL6..7 equipment by the time the end came. Or is it not the original radar base equipment?

Oh, my mistake. Must've consulted the wrong notes.

Yes, it's a large TL 8 model. Not ruggedized.

u-b

2023-07-12, 03:55 AM

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-12, 09:57 AM

Spending 2 points to get Piloting 13. Also, I'd like to know:
1. How visible is the drone (it will be in the open sky, but it is small and light gray, and people are not always looking at the sky), so what would be the check to see it not from under the trees before Speed / Range? Assuming it is 2/3 foot elongated box with appendages sized at something like -12 +1 +1 = -10 or maybe just -10 for under 1.5 feet including arms and props.
2. How audible it is, assuming it's 70..80 dB? There is a table on HT158, but I'd like a modifier for continuous sound as not to roll every second the drone could be possibly heard.

1) Work out its SM form its dimension (use the Speed/Range Table) first off. As for color and visibility, remember the Camouflage skill. It probably won't be easy to spot, especially from afar.
2) Sound of the drone is probably about 80 dB but the continuous sound means it moves up an effective step louder, so make it 8 yards distance for Hearing+0 rolls.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-13, 07:42 AM

Alright, Sean has the deliveries and militia organised.

The new soldiers will arrive later today, in the late afternoon or at night. Fast-forward until then?

u-b

2023-07-13, 07:47 AM

Yeah, fine with that. Also, is there a reference to read about "four gangs of armed deserters"?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-14, 10:19 AM

Yeah, fine with that. Also, is there a reference to read about "four gangs of armed deserters"?

The gangs are former black neck tattoo raiders. There is not a “reference”. (What does that mean, exactly? A page number in a book?) Blackwire can have them help you out.

Anyway, time skip.

u-b

2023-07-14, 11:02 AM

What does that mean, exactly? A page number in a book?
Yeah, I thought there is some "teams" section somewhere, with stats and such, like they have in Pathfinder (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/downtime/rooms-and-teams/#TOC-Teams), given you gave it as "X gangs" and not "Y people".

The troopers drive up in a humvee and are armed to the teeth, their bulky black body armor looking menacing in the night.
There are several things I don't quite understand about this. They are...
1. We were expecting 16 men, but the team has arrived in a humvee.
2. We were expecting to fully equip them, including weapons, armor and transportation (given how they were reporting being low on funds), but they came fully equipped.

I'm totally fine either way, but want to make sure we are in the same boat on this one.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-15, 06:25 PM

Yeah, I thought there is some "teams" section somewhere, with stats and such, like they have in Pathfinder (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/downtime/rooms-and-teams/#TOC-Teams), given you gave it as "X gangs" and not "Y people".

There are several things I don't quite understand about this. They are...
1. We were expecting 16 men, but the team has arrived in a humvee.
2. We were expecting to fully equip them, including weapons, armor and transportation (given how they were reporting being low on funds), but they came fully equipped.

I'm totally fine either way, but want to make sure we are in the same boat on this one.

Well, the raider gangs under Blackwire’s command have the same general stats as the black neck tattoo enemies you’ve fought before. Although a few of the higher-ups have different stats.

Next points;
1) Ah, they have one humvee. Perhaps the men not in it are driving motorcycles (2 to a bike) alongside?
2) Well, these men are equipped, but other Rangers not out on missions are not (loadouts may be passed around among soldiers as needed). Besides, “funds” could mean being low on food, water, medical supplies and bullets (the men arriving may only have one or two reloads for their guns, after all). Fuel could also be running low.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-18, 12:59 PM

I propose I run Sean, Bart and militia while Volthawk runs all the Rangers. Do we have stats and gear for the Rangers? Sean might spend some time tweaking that part. I expect two troop leaders, one driver/mechanic, explosives guy and 12 riflemen, but even if it is exactly that way, would like to have some details about the people.

The Rangers are;
2 Officers (see Officer stats on After the End 2 page 24, minus Callous, add Driving-12 skill)
One driver (see Private stats on After the End 2 page 24, minus Callous, add Driving-14 and Mechanic-14 skills, change Guns specialty to Shotgun)
One demo-man (see Private stats on After the End 2 page 24, minus Callous, add Explosives-15 and Driving (Motorcycle)-12 skills, change Guns specialty to Shotgun)
12 riflemen (see Private stats on After the End 2 page 24, minus Callous, add Driving (Motorcycle)-12 skill)

Their armor is TL 7 Improved Fragmentation Vest with Trauma Plates (HT 66, torso DR 4/2*+18, weighs 8+15 lbs.), Boots (Feet DR 2*), Leather Gloves (Hands DR 2*) and TL 7 Frag Helmet (HT 70, skull DR 5, weighs 3 lbs.).
Their guns are AK-47 7.62x39mm rifles (HT 120, 2 rifle magazines, 20 rifle bullets in each magazine) except for the driver/mechanic and the demo-man and S&W Model 29 .44M revolvers (HT 94, no speed-loaders, 12 pistol bullets).
They all have large knives (and Knife-13 skill, too), too. The driver/mechanic and demo-man both have a Remington Model 11 Riot shotgun (HT 105) with 12 buckshot rounds as their primary gun.

I'm leaving out some not-immediately-relevant info here, like other skills they have (Survival, Streetwise, Urban Survival, Intimidation) or miscellaneous equipment (tents, poles, bottles, first aid kit).

Does that answer your questions or have I missed something?

u-b

2023-07-18, 01:41 PM

Does that answer your questions or have I missed something?
Seems good for now, but I will ask some questions:
1. Their general attitude towards rearming? Sean would propose to upgrade their gear where appropriate, leave one officer with the whole set of inferior gear to train and equip the militia (likely issuing the gear after appropriate interviews / background checks / marksmanship tests / training / whatever). The "inferior" gear will still be better than what the militia has at the moment.
2. If they are ok with rearming, some of them are proposed to get rifle + underbarrel grenade launcher combo. The question is, would they prefer to keep their 11-pound AK-47s or get new 7-pound M16A1s. The later seem to be better in every respect unless the AKs are Fine (Reliable).

The men will be given most of tomorrow to familiarize themselves with new gear.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-18, 10:56 PM

Seems good for now, but I will ask some questions:
1. Their general attitude towards rearming? Sean would propose to upgrade their gear where appropriate, leave one officer with the whole set of inferior gear to train and equip the militia (likely issuing the gear after appropriate interviews / background checks / marksmanship tests / training / whatever). The "inferior" gear will still be better than what the militia has at the moment.
2. If they are ok with rearming, some of them are proposed to get rifle + underbarrel grenade launcher combo. The question is, would they prefer to keep their 11-pound AK-47s or get new 7-pound M16A1s. The later seem to be better in every respect unless the AKs are Fine (Reliable).

The men will be given most of tomorrow to familiarize themselves with new gear.

1) They're fine with it.
2) The AK are not Fine (Reliable). The M16A1s would be preferable.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-20, 05:55 PM

I think we're waiting on you, Richard.
Anything to add?

u-b

2023-07-21, 03:10 AM

Shuffling through the gear, I've found two things I would like to discuss:
1. The rangers came with TL7 ceramic+fiberglass trauma plates. Normally, the materials would make them semi-ablative, but then the TL7 price does not compare well with TL8 semi-ablative plates if they both co-exist at the same time. Should we...
1.1 Consider the stuff be titanium plates (not ablative) OR...
1.2 Reduce the market price of the stuff OR...
1.3 Keep things as is even if that does not make perfect sense?
2. When we last met some of Chalmers' Vermont Rangers, we've handed them some 14 flashbangs. So...
2.1 Are any of these rangers some of those rangers? And if so...
2.2 Any of them still have any flashbangs?

And yeah, we definitely need more Volthawk in this game, though the things do not seem perfectly well on that front...

I've been thinking, and I think it's time for me to drop from the [other] game. I've had less time for pbp things recently, and that's meant I haven't really been able to give [that] game the attention it deserves, hence often falling a bit behind and having to rush up to date. ...

Volthawk

2023-07-21, 12:06 PM

Sorry, I'm still here. Just missed that there was a call for Richard to respond.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-22, 01:47 AM

Shuffling through the gear, I've found two things I would like to discuss:
1. The rangers came with TL7 ceramic+fiberglass trauma plates. Normally, the materials would make them semi-ablative, but then the TL7 price does not compare well with TL8 semi-ablative plates if they both co-exist at the same time. Should we...
1.1 Consider the stuff be titanium plates (not ablative) OR...
1.2 Reduce the market price of the stuff OR...
1.3 Keep things as is even if that does not make perfect sense?
2. When we last met some of Chalmers' Vermont Rangers, we've handed them some 14 flashbangs. So...
2.1 Are any of these rangers some of those rangers? And if so...
2.2 Any of them still have any flashbangs?

And yeah, we definitely need more Volthawk in this game, though the things do not seem perfectly well on that front...

1) Consider them titanium plates (not ablative).
2) No, other Rangers got those flash bangs and are using them on other operations or have used them.

u-b

2023-07-22, 05:32 AM

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-22, 05:20 PM

1. Are there any traders at the base now who can buy lots of stuff from us? Sean wants to procure enough bullets without going places like Gunmetal.
2. What would be the stats for 40mm Flame Jet round built generally like 12G round on HT103? Thinking of something with more content and wider spread than using a long 12G barrel, like maybe 1d burn range 35 cone with base 10 at price $100 adjusted.

1) Yes, there are traders at the base right now. However, they have only $1300 in spare bullets (65% of it in pistol, 25% in rifle, the rest are miscellaneous) with which to buy wares. They can trade other goods for your goods, depending on what you want in return. They have water, food, medical supplies (bandages, antibiotics, PatchUp Punch, etc.), common tools (reloading tool, bolt cutters, duct tape, rope, multi-tool, etc.), 18 black powder slam-fire guns, 20 gallons of fuel, lots of melee weapons, 3 common revolvers, 4 speedloaders and 4 sets of common low TL armor.

2) Not sure. If the dragon's breath round is 10-yards-wide cone, 1d-2 burn damage, Range 75, fire once every 4 seconds, can't fire from auto-ejector. (I'd say it's a TL 7 item, for x8 cost. The underlying tech is shotgun shell, worth $10, so $80 for just one Dragon's Breath round.) Therefore, I think your proposal is acceptable, it's worth $100 per shot. Do you plan to invent it?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-24, 04:28 AM

Richard, I‘d like you to roll before we move on, so we can handle the two interactions in one post.

u-b

2023-07-28, 12:27 AM

Troops' gears at noon of DAY 84

Militia 1 - current full-time militia armed by us (not including the rest of militia not armed by us). Militia 2 is to be hired by the Rangers officer (from Militia 1 or otherwise), currently zero people. Militia 3 is maybe to be hired later on, now also zero people. Rangers 0 - gear shared or identical among the rangers. Rangers 1 & 2 - officers (the first one in charge of militia, the other one in charge of strike team). Rangers 3 & 4 - riflemen. Rangers 5 - demolition. Rangers 6 - driver. Scouts/Hunters - for reference. Sean's men (Bart + three militia) not listed.

https://i.postimg.cc/8NmfpLWt/image.png

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-28, 09:59 AM

Alright, that’s good.

Are the PCs finished with business for the in-game day?

u-b

2023-07-28, 12:33 PM

Are the PCs finished with business for the in-game day?
Sean would like to visit Red Brick in the evening and stay overnight at Gunmetal if it seems there would be enough time left to do so.

Volthawk

2023-07-28, 06:27 PM

Yeah, I'm good for the day.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-07-28, 10:49 PM

Sean would like to visit Red Brick in the evening and stay overnight at Gunmetal if it seems there would be enough time left to do so.

Yeah, you can drive off in the early afternoon.
You remember the distance from the base to Red Brick, and then the distance from Red Brick to Gunmetal?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-02, 10:51 AM

Do you need stats for any of the available stuff? I can provide a reference page number for High-Tech, Adventure Guns, or Pulp Guns.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-03, 06:56 AM

Rolled in secret to see if the merchant's stock was good.

3d, higher is better.

Rolled a 4. Figured the bare minimum was 4 sets of what you wanted, but terrible.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-07, 10:52 AM

Richard, I think we're waiting on you to see if you wanna contribute something to the discussion Sean is having with the Gunmetal contact.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-10, 08:29 AM

Status check, players, are you guys okay? Still with me?

u-b

2023-08-10, 08:50 AM

Sorta. I guess I can as well post today if we are not hearing from Richard.

Volthawk

2023-08-10, 12:07 PM

Sorry, the last week or so has been pretty...messy (death in the family, immediately before other family came over for the first time), so this slipped my mind again.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-11, 07:05 AM

Sorry, the last week or so has been pretty...messy (death in the family, immediately before other family came over for the first time), so this slipped my mind again.

Darn it, I'm sorry.
I figured you were probably dealing with very important stuff and I was worried I'd be poking you in the middle of it.

u-b

2023-08-12, 08:12 AM

What skills would you like Chalmers to roll on your behalf? They may be rolled in secret.
Some persuasion to get Vermont Rangers' Intelligence Department, assuming there is one, roll Area Knowledge and Current affairs? Being an organization of more than one man they likely should have these above and beyond personal capabilities, which should be non-negligible by themselves. And then we'll see if we need more info. If successful, Sean will accept either raw info or, if that is classified, an advice based on that.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-13, 07:10 AM

Some persuasion to get Vermont Rangers' Intelligence Department, assuming there is one, roll Area Knowledge and Current affairs? Being an organization of more than one man they likely should have these above and beyond personal capabilities, which should be non-negligible by themselves. And then we'll see if we need more info. If successful, Sean will accept either raw info or, if that is classified, an advice based on that.

Okay, sure.

The intelligence people will need time to do their digging. Let’s say they’ll come back to you with a report tomorrow morning.

So Sean can do other things in the meantime.

u-b

2023-08-13, 08:53 AM

So Sean can do other things in the meantime.
Let's say Sean goes to Gunmetal as planned and does some shopping there and stays overnight. Meanwhile Volthawk can play the Rangers' officer in charge of militia doing his thing, like...
1. Evaluating the gang in more practical sense to get a better understanding of how we can use them and whether that matches what they have said (and whether they have any kind of their own transportation, etc.) and/or arranging how they are to be contacted when needed (radio, certain bar(s) or what not) and probably paying the men one day worth welcome pay for their trouble out of the pre-allocated funds given earlier by Sean.
2. Being contacted by Leemus and having him pre-screened for the superiors (like Richard and Sean).

We'll pick the officer (and Leemus) some early time tomorrow.

AdamSpeg

2023-08-14, 07:10 AM

I'll follow all your lead on how best to introduce Lemus (spelling change). GM can prompt me in the IC Thread whenever he'd like me to start action.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-14, 09:04 AM

I'll follow all your lead on how best to introduce Lemus (spelling change). GM can prompt me in the IC Thread whenever he'd like me to start action.

No worries. I'm on it.

AdamSpeg

2023-08-16, 08:46 PM

Reposting as requested.

ST 15 DX 12 IQ 10 HT 12
Secondary
Damage 1d1+1/2d+1, BL 45
HP 15/15 Per 10 Will 11 FP 12
Basic Speed 6 Basic Move 7

High Pain Threshold
Damage Resistance 1 (Tough Skin)
Fit, Very
Unfazeable

Gigantism
Overconfidence
On The Edge
Low Empathy
Klutz
Staid
Uncongenial

Intimidation 14
Guns (Light Machine Gun) 17
Guns (Rifle) 19
Guns (Pistol) 18
Knife 13
Fast-Draw (Ammo) 13
Throwing 12
Climbing 12
Hiking 12
Running 12
Urban Survival 10
Stealth 14
Garrote 13
Tactics 9
Observation 10
Forced Entry 13
Search 11

Shoes
Leather Jacket
Leather Gloves
Backpack, Frame
Blanket
Crowbar, 3'
Personal Basics
Cord, 3/16", 20 yards
Lantern
Oil, Lantern, 1 pint
Large Knife
Canteen
Waterproof Matches, Box of 50
Traveler's Rations, 10 meals

DR: Eyes 1, Skull 3, Face 1, Legs 1, Arms 2, Torso 2, Groin 1, Hand 3, Foot 2, Neck 1, Vitals 2
Dodge 9, Parry 8 (Large Knife), Parry 9 (Natural Attacks)

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-17, 09:22 AM

Judging by the skills on Leemus' sheet, I'm gonna say Leemus does not know much about The Gutter, just the urban legends and common knowledge.

The Gutter is a vast underground network of Old World structures. It is rich in many varieties of treasure, but it is beyond dangerous due to the rampant disease, traps, haywire security systems and other treasure hunters that lurk in the depths. Many have died in The Gutter, but every so often you hear of someone coming back from the depths with the kind of payoff that makes risking a thousand deaths worth it.

u-b

2023-08-17, 11:28 AM

Sean hands Lemus some gear for the mission, lines 184..195 of group gear of our doc (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UB2DfTqiFqjDXtfrV_eeewbZ6b7hVAdybZ5mxvMtPAI/edit#gid=1601554603). Also, feel free to copy / make a full page for yourself, like that of Richard and Sean.

AdamSpeg

2023-08-17, 08:06 PM

Thanks, I've put all his equipment there to keep track of. Could you explain the formatting a bit though, what is the difference between travel load vs combat load?

u-b

2023-08-17, 11:06 PM

That is mainly useful when traveling on foot. The idea is that you drop the backpack before any planned combat.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-19, 09:50 AM

Richard, have you rolled for HP recovery yet?
Your HT roll and the Physician roll can both heal you for every day of rest.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-20, 02:41 PM

Richard heals some more.
Next day! Record the meals (food and water) consumed.

u-b

2023-08-20, 03:32 PM

To everyone's horror and sorrow, however, the people of the radar base discover three merchants who came to this base selling clothing, blankets and other cloth items have committed suicide sometime last night. They left no note. Their fellow merchants mourn...

(OC: Sean and Richard, I believe you two have the Guilt Complex Disadvantage? You may be severely troubled by these deaths...)
I think guilt complex only triggers if we have reasons to believe we are somehow responsible. Right off the bat, Sean would rather expect someone else was responsible. I'll write to the effect some time tomorrow, but basically Sean does not buy the "suicide" part of the story and will start to investigate it at length.

Volthawk

2023-08-20, 04:19 PM

Nah, Guilt Complex triggers if anything bad happens to people it covers, regardless of the details - it not being your fault just reduces the duration of the depression a bunch and makes self-control easier.

The question really is whether the visiting merchants are among those covered by it - it covers "those who play a significant role in your life. This includes adventuring companions, employers, subordinates, Allies, Dependents, and those toward whom you have a Duty or a Sense of Duty". The mechanical ones aren't relevant, I think (Richard has a party-level Sense of Duty, but that's about the same as adventuring companions, I suppose, and shouldn't cover these guys), and they're not employers (I'm guessing that's supposed to mean long-term employers, rather than our PCs becoming strangely attached to everyone who pays them to do something) or members of our team, so I guess it depends on if they count as subordinates or being significant in some other way. IIRC last time we discussed heirarchy with the merchants, they were quite insistent on keeping independent, so they're probably not subordinates, and as for the general significance...well, I mean, the fact that they've been described as three nameless merchants mean they probably weren't individually significant to the exiles.

Richard's not going to be happy about it either way, of course, but I think he and Sean are spared from the heavy depression.

Although for future reference, hm. It saying "If anything bad happens" with that emphasis on the anything means it probably should've come up in the near-death scares we've had before - not every battlefield injury, of course, but the couple of times we've had someone go down to 0 or even into low negatives. Something to note for the future, I suppose.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-21, 02:19 PM

Good point. You're both fine for now. The deaths do not trigger Guilt Complex.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-27, 07:24 AM

makes a trip to the facility that has been of his interest.

You're referring to the gas station with the lift down to the underground laboratory here, right?
Could you point me towards a specific post in the IC thread/s where it was first arrived at?

u-b

2023-08-28, 01:28 AM

Yeah, that one. We've first arrived there in post #652 (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25679145&postcount=652) on page 22 (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?641241-Worse-Than-the-Disease-2-IC/page22).

OC: -20% travel time, mark off the fuel used. Do you need me to remind you of the distance?
Yes, I'll need the distance and how much fuel is a bike's tank (and how much fuel is Humvee's tank if it is not like the normal cars').

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-28, 04:20 AM

Yeah, that one. We've first arrived there in post #652 (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25679145&postcount=652) on page 22 (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?641241-Worse-Than-the-Disease-2-IC/page22).

Yes, I'll need the distance and how much fuel is a bike's tank (and how much fuel is Humvee's tank if it is not like the normal cars').

The distance to the gas station form the radar base is 75 miles.
A motorcycle without flaws has a fuel tank of Range 200 (miles).
The HMMWV has a fuel tank of Range 300 (miles).
1 gallon of Gasoline is good for about 42 miles.

u-b

2023-08-28, 04:29 AM

1 gallon of Gasoline is good for about 42 miles.
For the HMMWV? And what about the bikes? They probably do more miles per gallon, I'm just not sure how much goes in that 200-mile tank.

u-b

2023-08-28, 12:44 PM

.What is the range penalty for shooting that far?
Range penalties are on B550. For 200 yards, it's -12. Also read pages 34..35 of AtE2 for navigating the crumbling structures.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-08-29, 07:36 AM

For the HMMWV? And what about the bikes? They probably do more miles per gallon, I'm just not sure how much goes in that 200-mile tank.

The gallon gives that much miles in every tank, I believe. An average car has 12 gallons to a tank (I'm taking the Sedan stats as the average car, it has Range 500, rounding down that means 1 gallon of gasoline is good for 42 miles).

AdamSpeg

2023-08-31, 11:53 AM

Klutz along with things like Overconfidence/On the Edge is so bad haha, I'll need to save my points and buy that off.

u-b

2023-09-01, 07:30 AM

I'll leave it to Volthawk to determine how many of his men will do the "storming" and where the rest will be if they remain outside. Reading the rules, we can collapse this building by simply repeating enter-leave-enter sequence with a number of men, but right now that's not the plan.

Volthawk

2023-09-02, 06:14 PM

I don't think I remembered to say it here, but for the last week and a bit I've been very low internet due to travel and other stuff (related to that death in the family I mentioned before), hence not being around to give Ranger-related instruction (I was able to post here and there elsewhere, but I slipped behind here and it seemed like the rest of you had things in hand). Getting up to speed now.

EDIT: What did we say the rangers were equipped with, again?

u-b

2023-09-03, 12:56 AM

EDIT: What did we say the rangers were equipped with, again?
Lines 252..333 of the doc (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UB2DfTqiFqjDXtfrV_eeewbZ6b7hVAdybZ5mxvMtPAI/edit#gid=1601554603). We've left one commander back at base, so say lines 259..270 are out. The rest of the men are in.

Volthawk

2023-09-03, 10:07 AM

Lines 252..333 of the doc (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UB2DfTqiFqjDXtfrV_eeewbZ6b7hVAdybZ5mxvMtPAI/edit#gid=1601554603). We've left one commander back at base, so say lines 259..270 are out. The rest of the men are in.

So two shotguns, two BARs and an M16 with underbarrel GL, gotcha.

Has the launcher been given the same kind of field mod Tariq had to remove the minimum distance? Considering having that guy offer to sling a stun down there, but that might not be viable in the circumstances.

u-b

2023-09-03, 12:07 PM

So two shotguns, two BARs and an M16 with underbarrel GL, gotcha.
Not quite. Two shotguns, seven BARs and six M16s, of which two are with GLs (look at them numbers). Also special duplex ammo in BARs that gives less damage and shoots x2 rcl 1. The shotgun guys are the demolition man and the driver, the rest are troopers and one officer. BAR guys all have radios.

Has the launcher been given the same kind of field mod Tariq had to remove the minimum distance? Considering having that guy offer to sling a stun down there, but that might not be viable in the circumstances.
Having less minimum is property of the ammo and we make all new ammo of that kind, so you are good on that account. I guess they both are loaded with flashbangs because Lemus is with all frags, to that's that unless you reload. Good news you can shoot straight at BAR guys because they have all protected senses.

u-b

2023-09-04, 03:55 AM

I will be away for about two weeks starting tomorrow, but that should not seriously affect my posting rate.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-09-06, 05:38 AM

Lemus, the bad guys have Dodge 9, and they will attempt to dive/retreat (+3) if you shoot at them.

AdamSpeg

2023-09-06, 11:45 AM

Lemus should probably start breaking his shots up when given the chance, he's seriously overkilled the last two targets. 1 or 2 shots at the head maybe.

Volthawk

2023-09-07, 08:16 AM

u-b

2023-09-07, 01:22 PM

Can those three rangers still see that group of five after taking a couple of seconds for confirmation? If so, what's the range, and how far apart if they if the rangers go for hitting several in one burst? On that note, what level of guns skill do the rangers have, again (all rifles, for reference)?
Here they are (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25826579&postcount=68). The equipment there is dated, but the skills are current.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-09-08, 07:37 AM

Can those three rangers still see that group of five after taking a couple of seconds for confirmation? If so, what's the range, and how far apart if they if the rangers go for hitting several in one burst? On that note, what level of guns skill do the rangers have, again (all rifles, for reference)?

The Rangers can still see the targets.
The attackers are 7 (the nearest two) to 10 (two more) to 15 (the single furthest) yards away. They are all 3 yards in between one another when at the same distance (so the two at 10 yards are not 3 yards from the 15 yard one, you see).
The Rangers have base skill 14, IIRC.

u-b

2023-09-08, 01:38 PM

The Rangers have base skill 14, IIRC.
It's 13 and 15, one more with their collimating sights and then those with radios and BARs have spend some time aiming.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-09-09, 06:59 AM

It's 13 and 15, one more with their collimating sights and then those with radios and BARs have spend some time aiming.

I stand corrected.

u-b

2023-09-09, 07:52 AM

Perhaps I misunderstood. At the beginning of the multiple projectiles section, it says "Use Shotguns and Multiple Projectiles (p. B409) to determine the number of hits.". I assumed that meant that they worked like shotguns in the sense that most ranges they do the full multiplied amount of shots, but at close range they have the normal RoF with a damage/DR multiplier based on the multiplier. I'm not sure how else to interpet B409 being referenced there.
Hmm... hadn't considered that rule. We'll have to see what the crowd (https://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?p=2501104) and our GM say about it.

As for the damage, to show my working (using the rules in HT166): 7d+1 damage is converted into 25.5, multiplied by 0.85 to get 21.675. Dividing by 3.5 to get dice again leaves me with 6.19 - 6 dice with a remainder of 0.19 which (as the damage is between 1 and 10 dice, and the remainder is between 0.15 and 0.42) converts to +1.
This seems correct.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-09-10, 04:57 AM

Hmm... hadn't considered that rule. We'll have to see what the crowd (https://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?p=2501104) and our GM say about it.

This seems correct.

I'm comfortable with saying VoltHawk is right.
It does not appear to unbalance the game right now, the results are quite plausible, no-one objects to it as ruining any fun...
Passes the smell test.
We're good here.

u-b

2023-09-10, 11:38 AM

I do not think duplex ammo should be strictly worse below 50 yards and that seems to be supported by majority opinion on GURPS forum, though people differ on details quite a lot. I think I can propose a resolution to my satisfaction in a day or two when new posts stop coming in and will see if it is acceptable for everyone.

u-b

2023-09-13, 06:24 AM

Okay, we got no more responses on GURPS rules forums, but from the three we got basically no one recommends using B409 rule with multi-ball ammunition as it was neither designed nor intended for that. What we can do instead is...
1. Just ignore it and keep the rest as is.
2. Nerf things a bit as per HT172 multiple-projectile loads damage formula instead of the more specific HT173 multi-ball damage values, which gives us 5d+1 instead of 6d+1, AND/OR...
3. Nerf things a bit by treating shots under 50 yards to be equivalent to solid slugs, doing 7d+1 instead of two separate projectiles.

I'm fine with any combination of the above.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-09-13, 03:46 PM

Volthawk

2023-09-13, 06:29 PM

So to confirm, we're saying that duplex just does the normal duplex thing at all ranges?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-09-14, 10:59 AM

Sure.

We have not had much range in our gunfights so far anyway, IIRC.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-09-15, 12:47 PM

This might be a good time to double-check how many bullets you have left in your respective magazines right now. Just in case you might be running out...

AdamSpeg

2023-09-15, 02:52 PM

By my count, Lemus has 9/30 bullets still loaded.

u-b

2023-09-17, 09:15 AM

If you are waiting for me, Sean's current mag has 11 rounds left (24 - 1 - 12) and the rest of his loadout is as per the doc without the backpack, so combat load.

Volthawk

2023-09-17, 10:16 AM

Ranger-wise, they've only fired that burst at the north group, so that's one BAR at 11/20, another at 17/20, and an M16 at 7/20.

u-b

2023-09-17, 10:32 AM

Ranger-wise, they've only fired that burst at the north group, so that's one BAR at 11/20, another at 17/20, and an M16 at 7/20.
Well, not quite. Look at all those extended capacity magazines...

Volthawk

2023-09-17, 10:40 AM

Well, not quite. Look at all those extended capacity magazines...

Ooh, yeah. I forgot about those.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-09-17, 01:45 PM

Good. Now that we have that settled, let's turn our attention back to the active enemies.
Lemus can move forward and try spotting them all again. He would be vulnerable to getting shot in the back, though.
He could signal to his allies where the bad guys are, and they might set up a flanking maneuver that way, if they can move quickly enough.
The risk is, the enemies will almost certainly reposition if you guys can't nail them all in time.
And the alarm is still raised either way.

u-b

2023-09-22, 10:47 AM

For the record, Sean is still waiting for the grenades to explode.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-09-22, 08:23 PM

For the record, Sean is still waiting for the grenades to explode.

His patience is rewarded with gore and noise.

Volthawk

2023-09-25, 06:17 PM

Which rangers can see/shoot at the new group (assuming that they're not out of the fight already due to Sean's shooting)?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-09-26, 08:13 PM

The targets have no cover penalty if you're firing at their vitals, the cart is at their waists.

As for the Rangers, they do not see the newcomers from their position. Only Sean...

Shoot Da Moon

2023-10-07, 06:40 AM

When you decide on a plan, try to explain the steps of it in this thread, noting what you roll BEFORE you post it IC.

u-b

2023-10-07, 01:45 PM

Unless corrected, Sean's plan is to...
1. Look at the next buiding to the west from a window of floor 1.
2. Reach the SE corner of that building while covered by Lemus, two M16 guys and potentially some of the rest of the group.
3. Look along both outer walls of the building and inside of it.
4. Either open some fire or wave for the rest of our four to run over to him and then enter the building.
5. Then we'll maybe search it and see how it goes.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-10-08, 03:46 AM

Alright, does this make sense to you, other players?

Volthawk

2023-10-08, 04:00 AM

Yup, sounds good.

AdamSpeg

2023-10-08, 11:59 PM

Yeah, that makes sense.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-10-09, 07:51 AM

The bells are still ringing in the background, they might wind down and stop soon.

u-b

2023-10-14, 06:55 AM

If nobody minds, we do the next buiding.

AdamSpeg

2023-10-14, 02:53 PM

Yeah, let's keep building clearing.

Volthawk

2023-10-14, 05:47 PM

Sounds like a plan to me.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-10-15, 08:51 AM

If nobody minds, we do the next buiding.

Building to the west? Or north? Or...?

u-b

2023-10-15, 10:34 AM

I think north is the gas station. We've moved one building west already and will move one more building west as Sean's intended in #1118i.

u-b

2023-10-20, 11:40 AM

No other ladders. Getting to the second floor from the outside could require a decent amount of climbing.
How high are the lows of the second-floor windows? Lemus is tall, we should be able to peek at maybe up to 3.5..4 meters from the ground.

AdamSpeg

2023-10-20, 04:10 PM

Lemus is probably tall/strong enough to let someone stand on his shoulders if required.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-10-21, 03:35 PM

How high are the lows of the second-floor windows? Lemus is tall, we should be able to peek at maybe up to 3.5..4 meters from the ground.

Let's call it 5 meters high per floor. So 10 meters to get to the roof.

AdamSpeg

2023-10-25, 05:55 PM

Is anyone carrying climbing gear?

Volthawk

2023-10-25, 07:27 PM

Is anyone carrying climbing gear?

I don't think the rangers are carrying anything suitable, and looking at the equipment sheets it doesn't look like Sean is either. We do, however, have a load of rope and a grapnel in the car.

u-b

2023-10-29, 03:11 PM

When Sean looks out a window to the north, he spies someone on the roof of the different building, who quickly ducks out of sight.

The building north of the tavern looks to be an Old World hotel, left somewhat to ruins. The windows are ALL boarded up, obviously after the Old World fell, probably as part of making it a secure hideout for locals.
Assuming this is the same building...
1. How many stories tall it is?
2. What is the equivalent throwing distance from Sean's position to the roof of the hotel?
3. What sort of cover the guy ducks behind? It along the perimeter of that roof?
4. How many windows on each floor?
5. Are the windows boarded 100% shut or are they firing holes?
6. Assuming the hotel is not perfectly square, is the south side the long side or the short side?
7. Does the hotel seem to be better preserved compared to the rest of the buildings in here (like cared about most of the time since the end)?
8. Any fire ladders leading up the hotel?
9. What would be the distance from the nearest backpack assuming Sean wants to keep maximum distance while still observing the building to the north? Can Sean have cover from the backpack(s) while at it?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-10-30, 11:26 AM

Assuming this is the same building...
1. How many stories tall it is?
2. What is the equivalent throwing distance from Sean's position to the roof of the hotel?
3. What sort of cover the guy ducks behind? It along the perimeter of that roof?
4. How many windows on each floor?
5. Are the windows boarded 100% shut or are they firing holes?
6. Assuming the hotel is not perfectly square, is the south side the long side or the short side?
7. Does the hotel seem to be better preserved compared to the rest of the buildings in here (like cared about most of the time since the end)?
8. Any fire ladders leading up the hotel?
9. What would be the distance from the nearest backpack assuming Sean wants to keep maximum distance while still observing the building to the north? Can Sean have cover from the backpack(s) while at it?

1) 3 stories, counting the ground floor.
2) The roof of the north building is on an higher elevation even on the roof - so about 25 yards?
3) A waist-high stone "lip" of the roof. Yes, it's the perimeter.
4) 4 windows on each side of floors 2 and 3. The bottom floor has less windows, none of them are open or even not boarded up.
5) You're not sure, could be either. That would require a closer look.
6) The hotel is square. All sides seem pretty equal.
7) Not really.
8) You do not see any. Perhaps they were removed?
9) The backpacks are easily seen from outside the rooms, through the doorways. Going to a window at a far end will get you away enough to avoid danger.

AdamSpeg

2023-10-30, 03:47 PM

Lemus watches the windows/doorways of the hotel for movement or commotion as the grenade detonates on the rooftop.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-11-04, 09:09 PM

In case, we’re not on the same page;

The hotel is burning. It looks like it will continue to burn.
You guys are just going to watch it burn all the way down?

u-b

2023-11-05, 12:49 AM

Basically, that's Sean's plan. He would watch for anyone trying to escape, but for that to be 100% proof Lemus will have to move to the hotel's NW corner and Sean is not insisting on that (he's fine either way).

Shoot Da Moon

2023-11-05, 06:54 AM

And what about the other players?

Unaffected by any outside factors, the fire as it is now will take a good hour to burn through all the hotel's floors.

AdamSpeg

2023-11-05, 06:38 PM

Lemus isn't in a rush, unless something interrupts the party I think we're fine waiting.

Volthawk

2023-11-05, 06:55 PM

Seems fine to me too. Richard's not there to be worried about collateral damage and losing access to anything stored away in there, anyway (but OOC it seems fine to let it happen).

Shoot Da Moon

2023-11-06, 06:37 AM

Alright, I made a few secret rolls for myself.
The results will reveal themselves to you in due time...

u-b

2023-11-21, 01:27 PM

OC: Remind me, is the North building you're talking about here, the one you're blowing up a door, is that the pawn shop?
Yes, that one.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-11-22, 09:55 AM

Yes, that one.

Both doors of the pawn shop have DR 20 and HP 35. Got enough explosives?

u-b

2023-11-22, 10:06 AM

Both doors of the pawn shop have DR 20 and HP 35. Got enough explosives?
I thought to use HEDPs, those are 7d(10) and we have a number, but now thinking of it, I'm not sure how much hit points a tight jet of molten metal would deal to a door. Technically it's neither impaling not piercing, but you might want to rule some sort of injury tolerance to that for a door-like homogenous object, in which case plese let me know. Also requesting the ruling on hitting the locks and the windows (respectively size mod and DR+HP).

Shoot Da Moon

2023-11-23, 09:13 AM

I thought to use HEDPs, those are 7d(10) and we have a number, but now thinking of it, I'm not sure how much hit points a tight jet of molten metal would deal to a door. Technically it's neither impaling not piercing, but you might want to rule some sort of injury tolerance to that for a door-like homogenous object, in which case plese let me know. Also requesting the ruling on hitting the locks and the windows (respectively size mod and DR+HP).

Is it (tight-beam?) burning or crushing? Homogenous objects have no special resistance to those damage types.

As for the SM of the lock, I believe it's -5? It can't be much bigger than a padlock.
The windows are SM -2 at the smallest, no bigger than SM -1. A (slim or small) human could crawl through one, in theory (if they had a good entry angle to climb in through).

DR+HP for the window? The lock?
The windows have bars (DR 5 & HP 12 each), the fragile glass is nothing to worry about.
The lock hardware is DR 12 and HP 14.

Making any skill rolls for the attempt?

u-b

2023-11-23, 09:28 AM

Waiting for people to comment on the plan and then maybe for Lemus to execute the blasting. Otherwise, Sean will maybe target the lock, but that is not guaranteed to trigger the trap, so not the preferred method of opening.

Volthawk

2023-11-23, 12:14 PM

For reference, seems like a good plan to me.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-11-24, 02:35 PM

When ready, post IC and roll the dice, I guess.

u-b

2023-11-26, 11:42 AM

Are you taking out the front door or the back door? Either way, Lemus did hit the target, so roll damage for the grenade.
South door. Or, failing that, west door. And we might need more than one grenade, depending on how damage rolls (both on direct attack, linked and maybe fragmentation, including against the lock).

Shoot Da Moon

2023-11-27, 10:04 AM

South door. Or, failing that, west door. And we might need more than one grenade, depending on how damage rolls (both on direct attack, linked and maybe fragmentation, including against the lock).

South door is the shop's front.

And the grenade does enough damage to severely weaken the door...

u-b

2023-11-29, 07:13 AM

I mean Sean has no idea how strong, and how insidious, that chemical is, so would prefer no one to linger downwind of the building emitting it and we will have moved all around S and E, targeting the NE building next. I'll post with the assumption that the chemical is of no issue at those ranges and directions, but Sean would absolutely prefer not to rely on sight and smell when determining whether his people are safe. The morning is fine, we still have lots to do, and no, we haven't yet checked the E building.

AdamSpeg

2023-12-01, 10:57 PM

Apologies for slow/lack of posting, moving house rn.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-12-02, 12:31 AM

Apologies for slow/lack of posting, moving house rn.

No problem. Take your time. RLCF.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-12-10, 05:10 AM

Players other than Sean's, what are you doing while the conversation is going down?

The hostile with the bomb vest has not tried to detonate yet. He may not...

AdamSpeg

2023-12-10, 05:29 PM

Lemus doesn't think shooting the man is a good idea while Sean is so close, but he is keeping watch over the conversation and the bomber's collaborators. He makes sure the bomber doesn't move after Sean as he runs away, and is ready to fire if the man looks like he's going to break towards them.

Volthawk

2023-12-12, 05:38 PM

I've been out of it a bit forum-wise (well, in general too but particularly for forum stuff), but my understanding is that all this is going on out of the sight of the rangers, but Sean's retreat will get him into their line of fire so they can act if the suicide guy follows, so I suppose they're just holding position, not wanting to provoke anything themselves yet.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-12-13, 09:34 AM

Alright, we can move on then.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-12-15, 08:33 AM

The target's on the floor now, and he's Move 1 until he Changes Posture to something better.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-12-21, 12:11 PM

The van driving towards the area is currently 125 yards away, going at 10 yards a second.

u-b

2023-12-21, 01:55 PM

"Huston, we have a problem"

Sean orders most of the group to retreat to NE house. One militia man is told to go to the cars. Bart is ordered to come to NE house with the dogs. Sean will take his time observing the north from the NE house, then we will move out.
I totally meant to write SE house as we have not yet checked NE.

And on the horizon, Sean spies a windowless black van driving towards the area in the distance, going down a old broken road. It is coming from the far north east.
I guess Sean could be able to see the van anyway as there is no tall structures in between, just pointing it out for you to confirm and maybe change some details, then I will post my actions.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-12-22, 12:52 PM

"Huston, we have a problem"

I totally meant to write SE house as we have not yet checked NE.

I guess Sean could be able to see the van anyway as there is no tall structures in between, just pointing it out for you to confirm and maybe change some details, then I will post my actions.

Dang it.

Well, I guess you're right that you'd see the van coming, it's using an obvious road and no cover besides maybe the buildings themselves are present on that side.

u-b

2023-12-23, 02:17 AM

Shoot Da Moon

2023-12-23, 07:24 AM

Thinking of actions:
1. The van is 125 yards from NE building so maybe under 200 yards from Sean?
2. How "windowless" it is? Windshield (tinted)? Driver's door window (tinted)? The most interesting thing is whether Sean can see the driver.
3. Now, if Sean can see the driver, the question is about penalties... Say, the heart/torso have sitting (-2) and some cover (-2) and maybe some darkness (-X) if behind tinted glass? And for the thead it's just darkness? I am not sure if Sean can ignore point darkness while otherwise in daylight.

1) Yup. Maybe 150-180 yards, Sean has not taken time to measure it out more fully.
2) Van's got a windshield (of course), both driver's side and passenger's side have side windows, maybe windows on the back (can't see from this angle), but no windows on the sides. Sean can vaguely see people in the windshield (not tinted) but it's a long distance and the sun's glare probably does not help.
3) No tinted glass. Penalties for sitting, cover. I don't think the darkness penalties for the time of day outside are anything more than -2 (only if it's late afternoon), at most. And I think we're still early enough in the day that is straight -0 Darkness?

u-b

2023-12-24, 07:04 AM

Any more shots, or are you simply watching the van from a distance to see what happens?
Can Sean see someone sitting next to the driver?

Shoot Da Moon

2023-12-26, 10:27 AM

Can Sean see someone sitting next to the driver?

Too hard to tell without getting out binos or whatever and actively zooming in on the van. You'd need to take time (a minute?) and make an Observation roll.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-12-28, 11:56 AM

Do you still want to fire upon the passenger side, Sean?

And either way, can you double-check to see how many bullets are left loaded into your gun? I believe you are half-way empty on your current magazine.

Lemus, same question, how many shots have you got left?

u-b

2023-12-28, 01:26 PM

Assuming Sean has spent four seconds aiming and looking, that should give more than enough time for the Rangers and Lemus to shoot at the cargo compartment (they were aiming already, so can shoot even twice). Sean will shoot, but I can as well resolve after them, so we wait for Volthawk?

So far Sean has spent a total of 19 rounds out of his 24-round semi-extended magazine.

Shoot Da Moon

2023-12-30, 02:38 AM

That salvo probably killed everyone in that van.

u-b

2024-01-02, 03:04 AM

2 from the east, 2 from the south-east. All of them are far away right now, from about 120 yards from Sean.
What would be the distances between these and our cars?

They aren't all on proper roads, some are going down streets between buildings or behind obstacles. That'll make it hard to aim at them from afar.
Can we quantify the difficulties? Like, "a 50% chance a given guy can be targeted with at most 1 second of aiming" or some skill penalty other such sort of thing.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-01-02, 09:18 AM

What would be the distances between these and our cars?

Can we quantify the difficulties? Like, "a 50% chance a given guy can be targeted with at most 1 second of aiming" or some skill penalty other such sort of thing.

The car would be about 20 to 40 yards closer to them than Sean is. Still a decent ways off.

The buildings or other cover is reachable by the bikers in 2 or 3 seconds. If they keep going, they become visible again in another second, then they might duck behind cover again 1 or 2 seconds after that.

AdamSpeg

2024-01-03, 03:56 PM

With classes starting back up, I'll have to go on leave from this game. Thanks for letting me play.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-01-04, 09:27 AM

Dang it, we'll need someone to NPC Lemus then.

And we may have to consider another recruitment pass to see if new players wanna join?

u-b

2024-01-04, 10:51 AM

And we may have to consider another recruitment pass to see if new players wanna join?
I'm not sure about re-recruitment while we are stuck in the middle of this. This feels like I am the only one making decisions and the others are just pulling the triggers. Not sure how this could be helped, but likely we'll have to have more non-combat stuff for new people to do.

I'll do two militia men and Lemus (Bart and one mitia man are in transit, so will skip on this round) and leave the Rangers to Volthawk.

u-b

2024-01-04, 02:06 PM

It will take me some time to update the ammo used by Lemus. Should not be too difficult to track, just give me a few of days.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-01-21, 10:47 AM

Everything okay in your end, players?

u-b

2024-01-21, 12:54 PM

Sorry I'm being slow the last week. I have no clear idea of how best to proceed so was sort of taking my time to think it over. Should have probably requested Volthawk's input right away, but I guess he's still busy.

It seems we haven't done the N "poison gas" house (which might or might not be safe to visit right now, both in terms of residual gas and in general). Other than that, we have:
1. Teepee/gas station.
2. Recently used metal hatch.
3. Some camp to the north?
4. Unknown amount of time until the next reinforcement, which they will have.

I'm leaning to something like the following at the moment:
1. Maybe ignore the camp?
2. Move some men to NE building?
3. Get some men into NBC gear?
4. Reposition the humvee somewhere when we are done with this?
5. Follow the wounded person?

I'd surely have Volthawk's take on this before we proceed, because if we are caught underground when more reinforcements arrive, the Rangers will have to fight on their own.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-01-27, 11:04 AM

Interesting thoughts.

Other players, what do you think? I assume there might be RL trouble on your end, so you can't post as much or right now?

u-b

2024-01-27, 12:27 PM

I think we have only Volthawk left and not much even of him at the moment, so I'm not sure if I really should solo this wargame. I surely can, with some amount of screw-up for lack of a second opinion, and I will have my due amount of fun, but maybe we can do better? I guess that depends on whether and when Volthawk can expect to be back. He's sort of active on the forums, so maybe PM him? If he would be sparsely available or has lost interest, maybe we could be better off starting another game, either in this same world or elsewhere, so that everyone is on the same scale and the scale itself is a bit less? I am not sure we will have better luck rectuiting people into existing enterprise. I did not apply the last time around because I am not a huge fun of horror mindset, but will consider many other genres.

Volthawk

2024-01-27, 08:20 PM

Yeah, sorry. I've just been finding it really hard to keep interest/investment in this particular protracted battle, particularly since the ranger directly thing isn't really doing it for me in Richard's absence and it broadly ticks on without me anyway, so when my opinion is asked I sometimes miss it. I'm still interested in the game as a whole, it's just that, well...we've been in these buildings for, what, nearly half a year now and while I do like GURPS combat and this game's had some fun battles...

But yeah, that's unfair of me, bit of an a-hole move to go quiet like that. Sorry. As far as the current situation goes, it seems like sticking around up top is just asking for a war of attrition that doesn't look great for us given that, like you said, they don't seem to be running low on reinforcements. Seems to me like there are two practical choices - either we make use of the gap between reinforcements to get into the Gutter and do the damage we can before pulling out, or we just cut our losses and leave. Trying to clear the place out fully feels like a bit of a fool's errand - although on that note, I haven't been exactly keeping track of what we've got on us (minus ranger grenades and such), but do we have enough explosives with us to do some structural damage to the buildings? Making some barriers might delay any else coming long enough to make an attack on the Gutters more practical. As far as the rangers holding out above while a smaller group attacks the Gutters goes...that seems like the most practical approach, because as it stands they're doing a pretty good job of stalling us out, and it's not impossible that they'll eventually throw out something that can't be stopped by mass rifle/BAR fire.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-01-28, 10:09 AM

I was worried the action was starting to drag and the players were losing spirit. Leaving a PC directly out of the action and having the player control NPCs was not a sure thing. I am heavily tempted to try recruiting more players, if we're not totally stuck in a sand trap here.

u-b

2024-01-28, 10:27 AM

In contrast with Volthawk, I'm not against this type of action, but I do prefer it to be some collective game. As for letting his PC out of the action, that's only half of the problem if he would prefer not to command a mass of troops. Namely, that someone else will have to command the whole mass and he'll still end up in somebody else's wargame, so to speak, not sure if he would like it or not. Same thing with prospective new players. I think we are transitioning out of squad level of a typical RPG and not everyone will be a fan. Not sure if an how we do anything about it. I'm techically not against sending people on missions and letting you resolve it, but with stakes and scales as they currently are it is implausible that the PCs will delegate the whole operations for maybe another in-game-year, so we are likely to have both PCs and lots of NPCs in the very same fight, should we pick any.

Anyway, having gotten Volthawk's opinion on our plans, I'll write IC to get the men underground.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-02-06, 08:55 PM

Sean, you do not need to keep rolling Stealth skill. You've already rolled it once, I can just use that result if it comes into play. Multiple rolling is just chasing critical failures.

Otherwise, you're fine. Coming up on a climax, in fact.

u-b

2024-02-09, 08:18 AM

If Sean does not kill those three men, the BAR guy and the M16 guy will aim at them on round 1 and shoot at them on round 2. Presumably, targeting something unarmored, like legs. I'll roll at that point.

u-b

2024-02-12, 09:20 AM

OC: what do the rest of the guys do, then we handle the remaining bad guy.
I think Lemus and Rangers should stay put, Lemus waiting for orders wigh GL and Rangers ready to shoot if some people decide to emerge from the doors right behind Sean.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-02-14, 02:41 AM

I think Lemus and Rangers should stay put, Lemus waiting for orders wigh GL and Rangers ready to shoot if some people decide to emerge from the doors right behind Sean.

Alright, time to roll for the bad guy...

Shoot Da Moon

2024-02-27, 01:29 PM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handcar

This is what the mutants mean.

u-b

2024-02-27, 01:47 PM

But raiders definitely exited this place through the other 5 exits, too. They know how to scatter for safety when the shift hits the fan.
This part is partly interesting, but I wouldn't go chase those raiders myself to avoid triggering the interactive mode and slowing the game down even more just as Volthawk is effectively sidelined. But maybe I would unleash some dog-led NPCs on the trail so that either Volthawk plays the whole operation or, if he does not want to, it would be resolved by GM? Sean can be around on call in case things turn out ugly.

a huge battery
What chemistry is this? Is it portable? Good value for its weight?

Also, are raiders' weapons accounted for?

Shoot Da Moon

2024-02-28, 08:39 AM

u-b

2024-02-28, 01:28 PM

The battery is a very large one, an industrial engine part. About the size of a backpack. Probably weighs about 20 lbs.
I think size and weight do not match, unless it is something fancy, which, given the other equipment quality, I guess it's not. They probably would not waste a non-rechargeable battery to refrigerate their food, so... a TL7 pickup truck's lead-acid battery? Will weigh 40 pounds and fit in a small backpack, more or less filling it. Let us approximate it with a Very Large Rechargeable Battery from HT13. Nominal 20*8*5 = $800. Hooked up to an inverter costing about as much? Or is it some sort of a portable fridge? I think portable one would be too small. Let's see... 20 men * 3 meals * 3 days of refrigirated food would be about 180 pounds. It they have more, a good chunk should be dried or canned. We'll see if we can cram some of it into cars. While we are hauling the first load of stuff to the surface, what loot do the men there report? Also, can we haul the fridge out? A TL7 or TL8 thing with maybe some conditions?

Volthawk

2024-02-28, 07:43 PM

This part is partly interesting, but I wouldn't go chase those raiders myself to avoid triggering the interactive mode and slowing the game down even more just as Volthawk is effectively sidelined. But maybe I would unleash some dog-led NPCs on the trail so that either Volthawk plays the whole operation or, if he does not want to, it would be resolved by GM? Sean can be around on call in case things turn out ugly.

I'm a little unsure of the value of hunting them all down, to be honest. Splitting up our NPC forces into five to hunt down groups of raiders is a little risky for them - sure the groups are small (2-4 each, as I understand it), but they're good at hiding and know they might be pursued. Meanwhile, as far as we can see these guys were just the guys carrying out the work - they had to bring in files with the relevant information, so they weren't experts by the sounds of it, so whether they live or die will likely do nothing about the risk of this starting up somewhere else, as the General can just give some new chumps the data and send them off. You got one of them unconscious, right? That means we have a prisoner already, so getting more for info purposes probably isn't needed. I dunno, just feels like a situation where at best a dozen or so raiders die and at worst we lose some people.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-02-29, 10:14 AM

I think size and weight do not match, unless it is something fancy, which, given the other equipment quality, I guess it's not. They probably would not waste a non-rechargeable battery to refrigerate their food, so... a TL7 pickup truck's lead-acid battery? Will weigh 40 pounds and fit in a small backpack, more or less filling it. Let us approximate it with a Very Large Rechargeable Battery from HT13. Nominal 20*8*5 = $800. Hooked up to an inverter costing about as much? Or is it some sort of a portable fridge? I think portable one would be too small. Let's see... 20 men * 3 meals * 3 days of refrigirated food would be about 180 pounds. It they have more, a good chunk should be dried or canned. We'll see if we can cram some of it into cars. While we are hauling the first load of stuff to the surface, what loot do the men there report? Also, can we haul the fridge out? A TL7 or TL8 thing with maybe some conditions?

Yeah, your numbers are better than mine.

Let's call it a TL 7 pickup truck's lead acid battery. 40 lbs. Hooked up to an inverter.
The fridge is not quite portable. Getting it on a trolley would help with pushing it around. 180 lbs. of food. Don't forget the bottle of water, too. Most of it is canned.
Hauling the fridge would require getting your own trolley, at least. And it would be hard.

u-b

2024-03-06, 04:01 AM

I will be away for just over a week starting 10th. Not sure how much I'll be able to post, but likely at least once on 14th or 15th.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-03-06, 06:47 AM

Alright, thanks for the heads up.
Stay safe.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-03-08, 09:58 AM

If memory serves, the other PC was spending all day in the lab when we last left him?

Shoot Da Moon

2024-03-11, 10:24 AM

All PCs have earned 3 bonus Character Points.

u-b

2024-03-22, 12:45 PM

OOC: next day? Tomorrow's gonna be DAY 87 if so.
No objections.

Volthawk

2024-03-23, 03:02 PM

Day 87? Nice. Now to find where day 86 began because I have to admit, I've kinda lost track of where Richard was healing-wise.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-03-25, 10:43 AM

Day 87? Nice. Now to find where day 86 began because I have to admit, I've kinda lost track of where Richard was healing-wise.

Didn't make any notes on this?
Any luck with searching the IC or OOC thread for "DAY 86"?

u-b

2024-03-25, 01:45 PM

Day 87? Nice. Now to find where day 86 began because I have to admit, I've kinda lost track of where Richard was healing-wise.
#28 here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?657760-Worse-Than-the-Disease-DICE-ROLLS-2) are your last healing rolls. You can search IC and OOC on those dates for a total (I cannot do that at the moment because my internet is acting up).

u-b

2024-03-26, 12:20 PM

OOC: I think the Leadership or Administration skill is what you're looking for?
The officer has Leadership 12 and he is in charge. But he has no Detect Lies, so I thought about running something complementary to (1) evaluate the men and (2) try to make sure there will be no surprises.

u-b

2024-03-26, 12:46 PM

Any luck with searching the IC or OOC thread for "DAY 86"?
So, DAY 86 is #1032 here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?641241-Worse-Than-the-Disease-2-IC/page35), but I'm not sure if this helps us much. The last number I see positively with hit points and date is this (and the forums already ate the old dice thread):

Health update, that last failed HT roll (been pretty unlucky for those, huh) puts Richard at 0/12 HP after Day 81's HT roll.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-03-27, 07:31 AM

I'm fine with fudging it, let's say you recovered 2 HP (1 from resting HT rolls, another from Physician care) every day after you hit that 0/12 HP.

Assuming it has been more than a day since then?

Shoot Da Moon

2024-03-27, 07:32 AM

The officer has Leadership 12 and he is in charge. But he has no Detect Lies, so I thought about running something complementary to (1) evaluate the men and (2) try to make sure there will be no surprises.

Perhaps Psychology skill is a fit for what you want to accomplish?

u-b

2024-03-27, 01:41 PM

Perhaps. But not having it trained, Sean just hangs along, mainly observing and noticing.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-03-28, 04:32 AM

Well, the task should go smoothly for now.

Anything else Sean does this morning/day?

u-b

2024-03-28, 04:48 AM

Check if we have Troubleshooters' contacts sometime in the evening. If not, then that's all.

Volthawk

2024-03-29, 10:10 AM

Didn't make any notes on this?
Any luck with searching the IC or OOC thread for "DAY 86"?

I did...but I've changed laptops since then and apparently the notes didn't make it over.

So, DAY 86 is #1032 here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?641241-Worse-Than-the-Disease-2-IC/page35), but I'm not sure if this helps us much. The last number I see positively with hit points and date is this (and the forums already ate the old dice thread):

I'm fine with fudging it, let's say you recovered 2 HP (1 from resting HT rolls, another from Physician care) every day after you hit that 0/12 HP.

Assuming it has been more than a day since then?

Okay, so Richard hit zero on day 81. Richard stabilised the next day and he didn't get worse, I'm pretty sure, meaning...six days of healing to put him back to 12. Full health and good to go again.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-03-30, 05:18 AM

Okay, so Richard hit zero on day 81. Richard stabilised the next day and he didn't get worse, I'm pretty sure, meaning...six days of healing to put him back to 12. Full health and good to go again.

Glad to hear it!

I believe the radar base still has a doctor and team working on treatment for the disease you got?

Anyway, Sean's reaction roll is Neutral. That may not be enough...

u-b

2024-03-30, 05:45 AM

I believe the radar base still has a doctor and team working on treatment for the disease you got?
Not on a treatment. On a vaccine. So, eventually sometime we might be able to maybe produce enough not to need those NBC suits if there is just that one viral disease in there. We'll see how it goes, but since you've told you don't get ill with it twice, no effect on Richard.

Anyway, Sean's reaction roll is Neutral. That may not be enough...
Now, should Richard roll his own or reuse the Sean's roll with his own bonuses?

Shoot Da Moon

2024-03-31, 09:19 AM

Now, should Richard roll his own or reuse the Sean's roll with his own bonuses?

A roll of an influence skill for a better reaction is possible, at -2.

Do we have an idea of how long the doctor will be working on the vaccine? Even if we don't have a note on that, we could search the thread for the previous posts covering that, right?

u-b

2024-03-31, 11:14 AM

I guess we can try to recruit someone now, on the assumption that the PCs and some NPCs will hit another combat and the new men are part of the militia. Not sure if people will bite, but a fairly good time as re-recruiting times go.

Volthawk

2024-03-31, 12:24 PM

A roll of an influence skill for a better reaction is possible, at -2.

Do we have an idea of how long the doctor will be working on the vaccine? Even if we don't have a note on that, we could search the thread for the previous posts covering that, right?

That should be searchable, I remember the invention system and bugs were mentioned...
OOC talk on it starts here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?656499-Worse-Than-The-Disease-OOC-2&p=25815335&viewfull=1#post25815335), but the actual rolls being discussed were right at the end of the old roll thread which is now dead.

u-b

2024-03-31, 01:24 PM

[roll2] x4 days for the whole invention, half of them first to fabricate parts
That [roll2] was 1d6 and the total was something like three weeks, not sure more or less.

Shoot Da Moon

2024-04-01, 06:15 AM

I think we still have re-recruiting thread up. Can anyone check and bump it? Or ask around and feel out anyone interested in a GURPS game? I still think you guys have NPC back-up that even the odds enough. Every PC is certainly combat capable and well-equipped.

u-b

2024-04-01, 07:43 AM

It was this thread: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?650789-GURPS-AtE-Worse-Than-the-Disease-Re-recruiting-2

Unfortunately, the forums ate it.

I think we should be able to handle this without additional assistance, but if we are to recruit more people, the moment seems quite reasonably good (except for forum timeouts).

Shoot Da Moon

2024-04-02, 10:52 AM

Dang it.

Okay, what are we up to, Point Totals-wise? When new players want to create new characters, how many will they need to be on par with the other players?

You fellas will also want to post in the new recruitment thread (once/if it gets made) to welcome in new players and fill them in on the current events, too.

What kind of PC type should we tell prospective players to make when joining?

u-b

2024-04-02, 01:18 PM

Sean has 199 points, Richard should have 201 and for new players 200 seems like a nice round number. We definitely want someone who can fight and is willing to do so, because we are picking them going to a combat and that is a large part of the game anyway. We also want people who want and can do other stuff, but I am not quite certain what that stuff would realistically be. We have NPCs (Simone, Tariq, Doc) to cover the most essential stuff, but maybe we can use a electronics/radio/computer/gadgeteer guy or an artillery guy (though the later might be a bit non-trivial to explain) or a second scout. I don't see much of use of some other templates. Stepping outside of templates, maybe some expert guy who's much into stuff like area knowledge, current affairs, contacts, etc. We definitely can use that one. Or a some other expert (The Gutter seems of interest, if appropriate, as are the mutants if the new guy is to be one, or Old World history, especially of practical variety). Other things might or might not quite work, I'll opine when they are named. Just let's make sure the guy's good with a type of gun or some such.