Star Truck: The Television Series (Planning/OOC)

Right, also that. Go forth, spend your new ten points...

Maybe pick up stealth, or skullduggery, so someone knows how to actually thiefery. :p

Or perhaps Xenology, seeing as I have 3 int but no skills to use it on. Also, I don't get either of those on my skill lists.

Perhaps one rank in Xenology, and 1 rank in ranged (light) (which is a non career skill for some odd reason) so I can use my little pistol better

Well remember, it's 5*level raised to, and +5 if it's noncareer. So that's 10 for either, 20 for both.

You could also forgo the pistol entirely, save your money. :p

Xenology is part of the Survivalist career so it's only 5.

Right right, miscounted something else again. You're correct, you're correct. Ranged light is useful, less for your pistol, and more for any future grenades you end up chucking.

Nor do I plan on using my rifle at point blank range...

Ideally not your pistol either. That's what a 15 bit truncheon is for. :p (Yes, the currency is the "Federal Bit".)

But fair enough. Either way, sheet's good then. Just need the fluff bits.

Yep. Just working on a formal sheet to go with it. Have a rough idea of a backstory already. Poor kid growing up, had to watch out for his neck all the time. Eventually became a privateer, but his only mission went poorly. Had to again use his wits to get back home. Still wanted in the Sector.

Make sure to come up with a motivation. It's not just fluff, that's 5 extra xp per "episode" you follow it. (Session, but, as a forum game, we needed something more concrete. So I'm gauging what does and doesn't qualify as an "episode" and awarding xp as that happens.) This isn't really targeted at you, just want to make sure everyone knows.

Also Jazz, were you finalizing the knight, then? Remember you add your brawn to your soak, so your soak is actually 4. Can you give me some details on thine oath?

And Flame, any idea who wants you? Eo is wanted by zee Russians because he's an escaped experimental technology. Could you also be wanted by zee Russians? For different reasons, but.

Mechanically, I suggest you guys start with the YT-2400 on page 260. 259 has the YT-1300, if you'd prefer the falcon's stats, but either way that's not what it looks like. Still accepting pictures, on that front. If anyone wants to submit what they think the ship should look like. :p

Here's some cool pics
http://adamkop.deviantart.com/art/YG-4210-Light-Freighter-499030854
http://madmanmike.deviantart.com/art/Nueblid-Freighter-01-324462938
http://theorangeguy.deviantart.com/art/Jackrabbit-Mk2-Light-Freighter-100955562
This one looked practical:
http://ywander.deviantart.com/art/Brantopoz-freighter-57410578 http://ywander.deviantart.com/art/Loading-up-the-Brantopoz-61184920

Yeah, just updated it to include a truncheon and whatnot. Hm, I could've sworn I remembered that, but maybe only on the other charsheet.

Hmm, motivation. Quixotic spirit despite a sadly corrupt society. A divine mandate to right great wrongs by such means as are necessary, particularly when gathering strength. Service to Progress. Internal conflict regarding the definition of Progress.

Maintenance of conflict at a level short of mutual destruction, but that prevents stagnation. Opportunistic destruction of cancers. Creating disutility is the only sin. Accidental sin is common; through humility, we recognize it in ourselves, and through ability, we may repent.

Basically, 'do great things, just be sure you know what they are.' Which is a problem that hardly any of the knights have worked out yet, so they just listen to the ones who think they have done so. That, or rally against them.

edit:
Nice selection of freighters. The Nueblid and Brantopoz both look satisfyingly lumbering. Though one's very big (5 decks!) and the other's very small (4 crew!). The YG-4210 is overtly Star Wars, however nicely rendered, whilst the Jackrabbit is more or less a long corridor (though I'm not sure what more to ask for).

That cargo-loading scene does go a long way towards selling the Brantopoz as something that could work, in sort of a distressingly mundane way. And there are just the four of us. (No medic? Aw...)

I figure size the Brantopoz up a touch, and replace the crane's head with articulated claw, and it's be very useful. You could even salvage space wreckage.

The YG-4210 IS Star Wars. It's an "old design" from two centuries before the prequels, but it's my favorite Star Wars freighter. Personally I like the Brantopoz better though.

Works for me Jazz. Just want some legal/ritualistic obligations for your duty bound obligation, and you're clear to go as the mysterious space knight.

http://ywander.deviantart.com/art/Art-Trade-Burning-Ember-2-73070482 Just found this one; though it's arguably sleeker than what we might want, it's a nice ship, and an asymmetrical design that isn't hamburger-based.

Alright, so I got the basics down:

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Bothan, Explorer: Trader

Negotiation, Cool, Perception, Piloting Space, Knowledge Underworld, Knowledge Outer Rim

1 Brawn, 2 Agility, 2 Intelligence, 3 Cunning, 2 Willpower, 4 Presence

1x Know Somebody (Can reduce the rarity of an item by 1 when legally buying an item once per session)
2x Wheel and Deal (When selling good legally, earn 10% more credits per rank in Wheel and Deal)
1x Smooth Talker (When making checks with Negotiation, spend [crazy ass symbol] to gain additional equal to ranks in Smooth Talker)
[racial] 1x Convincing Demeanor (Remove 1 black die per rank of Convincing Demeanor from Deception or Skulldiggery checks)

Hold-out blaster - 200 credits
Heavy clothes - 50 credits
Hand-held com thing - 25 credits

That's all I got so far, probably forgot a whole crap ton. I was busy all day.

Maybe we can trade up from a Brantopoz to an Albatross later on?

Ooh, an attribute-heavy build. I don't actually know how we're supposed to improve those mid-campaign (except by capping talent trees), so it has a certain logic.

Church obligations are mainly going to be 'keep up with current politics', as a time commitment. Taking tithes from members in the field would be obviously counterproductive, unless they happen to be perceived as off-mission.

It turns out I have no ground on which to stand with regards to complaint about Star Wars visual design influence. Oh well. Here's a couple knight costumes for the shop people to take their pick from. Hey, at least they don't have to do any alien makeup. (Oh. If I want a bayonet, should I go back and change my truncheon to a... knife?)

Capping trees, and cybernetic augmentation really. (If you were minmaxed you'd put all your xp in attributed, take 10 extra obligation for more xp, and mug your way to equipment later) but please don't do that now... :p

Very nice Jazz. I'm going to create the secretive order of mystic Knights now. And their evil counter parts. Something about balance...

Maybe just buy a vibrating blade once you get your first paycheck?

Also, if I may indulge in the star wars, I always loved this vessel: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20071127063156/starwars/images/thumb/0/07/Ghtroc720_layout.jpg/200px-Ghtroc720_layout.jpg http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20071127062432/starwars/images/thumb/e/e2/Ghtroc720_sotg07.jpg/400px-Ghtroc720_sotg07.jpg

Yes, it's a space turtle, but it's a space turtle with a plan.

get cyberarms and/or cyberlegs -> get shot by ion weapon, limbs fritz out -> ??? -> profit

Oh well, I won't really feel the regret until I get Ranged (Heavy) to 4. At least by then I'll have a bayonet. Maybe statted as a force pike unless there's something on p112 I should know about, since I don't see how I'd get Defensive 1 from it.

What? You mean we're not evil, even when the 'ends justify the means' thing occasionally goes into a positive feedback loop of self-righteousness? Well, okay, Lawful Neutral. So are we fighting anarchists or reactionaries?

Well I'm sure you certainly don't think YOU are evil... I'm not saying the galaxy at large doesn't perceive you as a nuisance at best, along with your equally infuriating counterparts that they have to respect on grounds of "Freedom of Religion".

What's on page 112? I just get the mechanics section, you're using the reference thing as I recall. You'd still qualify for the defensive bonus. (You're changing weapons to do this, affixing bayonet, technically. It'd all work out mechanically.) Though I don't see where the Force Pike gets a defensive bonus, I see that under the Gaffi stick... which is a cheap, useful melee weapon, and everyone with a passing use of melee should pick one up.

Threw out my own freighter suggestion above. It's star wars, but I always liked it.

And in the beta for this system, it was the mechanically superior option. It's been removed entirely now... I wonder whyyyyy...

Knightly orders: notoriously annoying.

I thought you meant game mechanics. But yeah, that's a broken reference. Looking at the force pike's description, the thing is that using Stun Setting turns off Pierce 2 (also, that the weapon is two-handed). I'd be using it instead of a vibrosword, thereby losing Defensive 1, among other tradeoffs. But I can hardly imagine swordfighting with a bayonet.

That ship seems comfortingly Ebon Hawk sized, though I lack similarly semi-plausible reference for animal-shaped non-mech vehicles. Which only started upsetting me after Lego Chima, so, I dunno.

Well, when they lack legal or military authority, their attempts at JUSTICE are much less likely to work, so I assume they mostly proselytize, put up posters, extol the virtues of abstaining from deathsticks...

I'm willing to let you guys reflavor equipment pretty heavily. I've always sorta been that way as a GM, and a player, when I can beg the GM. :p Basically, as long as it's mechanically identical, I'm willing to let you call things what you want. Like your lasersword idea, you could make it half force-pike, half blaster, and just have to spend a maneuver, mechanically, to swap it between the two. Maybe claim the switch is jammed or something.

Eh, an organized militia is a step up from a mere group of concerned citizens. Admittedly, plausible deniability is an issue.

Cool, cool. I should read the combat rules at some point. If I expected to primarily deal damage in melee, I'd have justification to fluff it as a sword, but hey. If we as a group can somewhat control engagement distance, that shouldn't be necessary. (Looking forwards to using those hard points, though. Hopefully Snowy's Repair Mechanics services will be unflaggingly reliable.)

He's, got, uh, well, 2 ranks in it... and int 2? He's... not your best hope, at all... That's... 2 dice? They're both proficiency, but still... :p

I wouldn't have taken mechanics at all if I expected anyone else to take the skill; in fact, I may take extra obligation in an effort to try to raise my int and suck at fixing myself less, unless I can down the line install a cyberbrain to become smarter.

So I found an online die roller for this system (In the event Eo, or we as a whole, can not be bothered to set oneup and use it here.) http://game2.com/eote/

I'm willing to trust your rolls, if only because any expended duration of flawless victory will only result in rocks falling. :p That, and you all seem trust worthy enough. Except you, Snowy. Got my eye on you...

But yeah, if we set the skype group up, you can tell me when you intend to roll, or I tell you when I do, destiny points can be spent simply, then the dice can be rolled, the result nodded upon, and displayed in post. Wouldn't have to tack an additional post after every single one. I'm debating this, and, if fairness is anything you're all worried about (Not that, as the players, you probably are. :p), I could handle all the rolls, so it wouldn't be too big of a deal. This also means, most importantly, you know if you've succeeded or failed, and by how much, BEFORE your post goes through. And we've already decided how your result has been spent.

The skype group is going to be important though. Something with records that are view-able, that I/you all can check fairly regularly. Because destiny points, and power usages, are going to need to be handled before virtual dice hit the metaphorical table. Good that we have a place to handle that.

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Also, important to everyone's chargen, potentially. I'm debating, and probably will, implement a houserule on the grounds of "it's kinda lame not to". I figure, what the heck, buying up attributes with XP is fine. It's exorbitantly expensive, utilitarian, and as the game points out, doesn't actually improve most of your derived statistics later.

I'll probably cap you at only one attribute at six. Maybe extend it so you can only have "two" at five, one of which will become your six, and three at four, two of which will become your fives.

So in the end, everyone's stats will, if maximized, be some arrangement of 3,3,3,4,5,6.  If I did it this way, upgrades from taking talents will ALSO be required to follow this pattern, though upgrades from cybernetics won't. How I'll adjust the cost-effectiveness of the talents is up to debate. Maybe I won't. I'll probably strip the dedication talent out, give you a 0 cost free square down there to move though, or maybe we'll invent something cool, or let you take something from the upper levels of another class after discussing it. Get some good customization going.

I'm debating it. I see the merits in forcing players to stay married to their initial attribute choices. Though it infuriates me that they end up so... low, and improving them is a matter of clawing through talents, then picking a different specialization, then clawing through talents... Which of course, players are then denied at char gen, because they need that XP to have high characteristics, if they're basically never going to get to change them. On the other hand, I might just be doing the reverse, frontloading you with skills and talents, only for every other drop of xp to be spent getting that idealized stat arrangement. I don't know. I know they did it this way for a reason, but just like the scoundrel talent tree set up, I sure as hell don't like what it forces players to do.

Thoughts?

Do what you feel is right. You *are* the GM, after all.