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[meta] Gaming in Fenspace - time to give it a try
 
#26
Rats, Dr. D forgot to investigate the specific effects of his three costumer engines. It's almost as if he's been utterly distracted from his work up to the point that the distraction was affected by his work. Thus, in inter-gaming meta-space he'll give his 'Waved contraptions three the full scientific method with a respectable, if not stunning, 9. What does he learn about the idiosyncratic natures of each of the three beasties?
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#27
Oh, make me think about how handwavium works, why don't you?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
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#28
Well, at least how it games. Wink
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll
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#29
Well I already know that the one engine's constructs cause the wearer confidence & melodrama surges. Perhaps the other two cause other facets of Van Loan's personae : single mindedness, xenophilia, or charity. Perhaps one of the engines will produce megalomaniacal tendencies and Van Loan will be responsible for creating, and dealing with, literal costumed villains.
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#30
Oh, I have been incredibly lax in updating this. Last session, the Soviets announced the existence of the Tannhauser Gate - and I'm following the canon timeline pretty closely. Mea culpa.

Now... I have a bit of an issue. The group has another player - he's asked "how many points for the character?" I looked at the various GURPS writeups on the FenWiki:
  • Maico Tange (Infinity agent version): 143 Points (plus 25 points if her cover's blown and Infinity lets her stay)
  • Allison Dobbs: 150 Points
  • Tom Dobbs: 208 Points
  • Mal Fnord: 221 points
  • Noah Scott: 235 Points
  • Leda Swansen: 235 Points
  • Safety: 235 Points
  • Sora Hasegawa (season 0): 288 Points
  • Kohran Li: 361 Points
  • Yayoi Fujisawa: 372 Points
  • Yoriko Nikaido: 446 Points
  • A.C. Peters (post-accident, season 0): 3,273 Points
The trouble is, I have no idea which point values are out of whack with the others - the sample's too small. [size=smaller](I'll admit I was tempted to say "235 Points"...)[/size]

Could folks please stat out their characters, so I can get a better feel for who's in the far ends of the bell curve?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
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#31
I'll try, have to drag out the GURPs books from my phone or hard drive one
 
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#32
Time to systemize Fenspace : how crazy could that be? Crazy as a sack full of Heinlein kittens! 
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#33
I think the only GURPS book I own is "GURPS Timetravel".
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#34
If you don't have the books, don't get them on my account...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
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#35
I tried once..... just not enough of a GURPSmaster to come close. The only data available was that Jet was already intended to be somewhat min-maxed, has enough built in armour DR to survive a nasty botched (Even with the benefit of a reroll!) fall off a speeding car going 540kph and is capable of giving the Trained by a Master advantage to the right people by 2020's.

Ford and the Knight Sabers are probably saner... I'll have to look it doing it.

Anyway.... points enough to make the concept work is what I'd suggest. After that, it'd up to the GM to set the challenge to match.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
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#36
Rogge, email me a snail mail address and I'll send you a e-copy, I have most of them if not all.
 
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#37
I'd peg at 250 or so, since that seems to be the "Cinematic but not CRAZY" character limit. Allison Dobbs is at "Standard" GURPS cost for normal settings. (Looking it up in GURPS Action 1, yep. 250 for a middle of the road action movie protagonist.)

A lot of the folks with higher point totals have already had several sessions under their belt, as it were.

So... 150 to 250 or thereabouts. I'd also guess that a lot of our "player characters" traded points for gear, like Vulpine Fury's shop and his car/ship. I'd abuse the Gizmo rules and/or Metatronic generators, if you have access to the Pyramid Magazine they first showed up in, for folks who actively have a lot of wave at their disposal.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll
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#38
Since I'm not even familiar with GURPS, I'm not even sure where Dakota would land point wise.
_______________________________________________________________
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Sabre Fang
Dakota
Warning:
Dihydrogen monoxide
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#39
Part of my problem is that I'm trying to stat out abilities they would have and build to concept. Take for example this rough write-up of Greenpeace around the Second Phobos Invitational I dusted off.


Greenpeace Crolis (Total: 2059 Points)

Attributes (Sub-Total: 153 Points)
ST: 14 [40]
DX: 13 [60]
IQ: 14 [80]
HT: 13 [30]

Dmg: 1d/2d-1
Basic Lift: 39
HP: 28 [28]
Will: 15 [5]
Per: 14 [0]
FP: 13 [0]

Basic Speed: 7 [5], Dodge 10
Basic Move: 7 [0], Air 14 [0], Space 15 [5]

Social Background (Sub-Total: 10 Points)
Cultural Familiarity: Fenspace [0], Western [1]
Language: English (Native) [0], Japanese (Native) [6], SignAmerican (Native) [3]

Advantages (Sub-Total: 1704 Points)
Affliction 3 (HT-2, Ecstasy +100%; Contact Agent, -30%) [51]
Affliction 3 (HT-2, Unconsciousness +200%; Contact Agent -30%) [81]
Ambidexterity [5]
Beautiful [12]
Cybernetic Bioroid Body (Total: 297 Points) [297]
--Absolute Timing [2]
--Accessory (Tiny Computer) [1]
--Acute Hearing +1 [2]
--Acute Taste and Smell +2 [4]
--Acute Touch +1 [2]
--Acute Vision +1 [2]
--Catfall [10]
--Damage Resistance 10 (Tough Skin -40%) [30]
--Doesn't Sleep [20]
--Eidetic Memory (Photographic) [10]
--Enhanced Time Sense [45]
--Fit [5]
--G-Experience (All) [10]
--Hard to Kill 5 [10]
--High Manual Dexterity 2 [10]
--Lightning Calculator (Intuitive Mathematician) [5]
--Nictitating Membrane 3 [3]
--Night Vision 4 [4]
--Parabolic Hearing 2 [8]
--Perfect Balance [15]
--Peripheral Vision [15]
--Pressure Support 1 [5]
--Radiation Tolerance (PF 10) [15]
--Regeneration (Slow) (Heals Radiation, +40%) [14]
--Resistance (Metabolic Hazards) +8 [15]
--Resistance (Acceleration) +8 [5]
--Telescopic Vision 2 [10]
--Unaging [15]
--Vacuum Support [5]
Courtesy Rank (OGJ OF-6) [6]
Direwolf-class Neural Interface (TOTAL=95) [95]
--Absolute Direction (Requires signal, -20%) [4]
--Accessory (Biomonitor) [1]
--Accessory (3 Extra Ports) [3]
--Accessory (Tiny Computer) [1]
--Compartmentalised Mind (Dedicated Controls, Communications) [10]
--Detect (Attempted Hacking & Brainwashing; Signal Detection +0%) [10]
--Detect (Radio; Analyzing +100%, Precise +100%, Signal Detection +0%) [15]
--Neural Jack (Ultra-Tech p.217) [9]
--Radio (Burst x10, +30%; Increased Range 50x, +50%; Secure, +20%; Sensie, +80%; Underwater, +20%; Video, +40%) [34]
--Resistant to Hacking +8 [8]
Enhanced Move 2 (Air; Speed 56; Handling +5, +25%) [50]
Enhanced Move 22 (Space; Speed 62914560; Cosmic (Instantaneous Acceleration), +50%) (Supers p.26) [660]
Empathy [15]
Flight (Space Flight, +50%) [60]
Gadgeteer [25]
Independent Income 1 [1]
Legal Enforcement Powers 2 (International Jurisdiction) [10]
Patron (A.C. Peters; Quite Often, 2x; Equipment +100%) [80]
Patron (Crew of Prometheus Forge; Quite Often, 2x; Equipment +100%) [40]
Photosynthesis [90]
--Create 4 (Oxygen) (Always On -0%; Cosmic (No Die Roll Required), +100%; Extended Duration (Permanent, unless used), +150%; Reduced Fatigue Cost 1, +20%; Transmute Carbon Dioxide, +50%; Transmute Only, -100%) (Powers p.92) [64]
--Doesn't Breath [20]
--Reduced Consumption 4 (Food Only -50%) [4]
--Reduced Consumption 2 (Water Only -50%) [2]
Plant Empathy [5]
Reputation +2 (Accurate judge of character, All lawmen in space 1/3x, Sometimes (10-) 1/2x) [2]
Reputation +4 (Oxygen Supplier, Everyone in Space 1/2x, All the time 1x) [10]
Talent (Green Thumb) +5 [25]
Telesend (Handwavium Reaction) (Broadcast (Always On, -0%), +50%; Reduced Range 10, -30%; Reliable +10, +50%) [51]
Unusual Background (Plant-Animal Hybrid Cyber-bioroid) [30]
Wealthy [20]

Disadvantages (Sub-Total: -30 Points)
Cannot Speak (Mute) [-25]
Distinctive Features (Elven Looks) [-1]
Reputation -2 (Artificial Lifeform, 'Danes 1/2x, Sometimes (10-) 1/2x) [-2]
Unnatural Features (Green Skin) [-1]
Unnatural Features (Fairy Wings) [-1]

Skills (Sub-Total: 222 Points)
Acrobatics-12 [1] (DX+Perfect Balance)
Areobatics-14 [4] (DX+Perfect Balance)
Area Knowledge (Fenspace)-14 [1] (IQ)
Artillery (Bombs)-13 [1] (IQ-1)
Body Language-18 [16] (Per+4)
Computer Operation/TL8^-16 [2] (IQ+2)
Detect Lies-21 [20] (Per+4+Empathy)
Driving (Automobile)-13 [2] (DX)
Driving (Motocycle)-13 [2] (DX)
Dropping-12 [1] (DX-1)
Electronics Operation/TL8^ (Comms)-14 [2] (IQ)
Electronics Operation/TL8^ (Medical)-16 [8] (IQ+2)
Electronics Operation/TL8^ (Scientific)-16 [8] (IQ+2)
Esoteric Medicine-14 [4] (IQ)
Farming/TL8^-16 [8] (IQ+2)
First Aid/TL8^-15 [2] (IQ+1)
Flight-16 [12] (HT+3)
Free Fall-16 [12] (DX+3)
Freight Handling/TL8^-13 [1] (IQ-1)
Gardening-21 [4] (IQ+2+Green Thumb)
Guns/TL8^ (Pistol)-14 [2] (DX+1)
Guns/TL8^ (Rifle)-16 [8] (DX+3)
Guns/TL8^ (Shotgun)-15 [4] (DX+2)
Judo-14 [8] (DX+1)
Karate-14 [8] (DX+1)
Knife-15 [4] (DX+2)
Medicine!-12 [6] (IQ-2)
Navigation/TL8^ (Air)-14 [2] (IQ)
Navigation/TL8^ (Land)-14 [2] (IQ)
Navigation/TL8^ (Space)-14 [2] (IQ)
Piloting/TL8^ (Contragravity)-13 [2] (DX)
Piloting/TL8^ (High Performance Spacecraft)-13 [2] (DX)
Research/TL8^-14 [2] (IQ)
Science!-14 [24] (IQ)
Spacer/TL8^-14 [1] (IQ)
Speed-Reading-14 [2] (IQ)
Staff-18 [20] (DX+5)
Vacc Suit/TL8^-14 [4] (DX+1)
Weird Science-14 [8] (IQ)

The biggest single chunk of points there is the enhanced move needed for ~0.2c via wave drive (for future reference, that is Move 65616797.900262466666666666666667. I rounded down to 65616797). All the flight components added together are roughly a third of the points Greenpeace takes up.

I suppose I'm not very good at average. Better assume the Forge characters are at the far end of the curve.
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#40
IOW, they're very clearly NPCs the GM fell in love with and made them "DMPCs."
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll
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#41
... well. I would. But it's been fifteen years since I played GURPS, and I never did actually own the books. (I do own a random handful of setting books, mostly obtained in clearance sales, but do not own the core rules.)

And I never actually liked the system. Champions was more my style when I wanted uber-crunchy generica.

My current preference is for more open, narrative systems like FATE, anyway. So!

Christopher Marsden, CEO, Greenwood Inc

High Concept: Ludicrously Successful Fenspace Businessman and Philanthropist
Trouble: Insatiable Curiosity - A finger in every pie, a nose in every window.

First Adventure: There's gold in them thar stars!
It started with a bucket of handwavium and a dream, to solve Earth's resource issues through asteroid mining. Chris and a bunch of his friends got together and built a ship, hauled an asteroid into orbit, and cut a deal with a mining company... and then brokered the sale of what was left as a space station. The results left all of them wealthy men, and they built a better ship to continue the cycle with.

Crossing Paths (1): Fight The Man? But I AM the Man!
Some people view Greenwood's collaboration with the TSAB to be another symbol of 'Daneside governments suppressing handwavium research and the 'fen in general. Chris viewed it as keeping friendly contact with a legitimate, democratic, and influential superpower. It also got him a gorgeous wife and partner, so he's not exactly unhappy with the end of it all.

Crossing Paths (2): Racing to the Rescue, As Always
Shinji Ikari was but one of many worthy causes Chris found to put his money into supporting. The Knight Sabers, the Nikaido Foundation, the Minstrel's Aid Society, Operation Great Justice, the Space Patrol...

Skills:

Great (+4): Resources
Good (+3): Rapport, Will
Fair (+2): Contacts, Empathy, Fight
Average (+1): Notice, Shoot, Deceive, Crafts

Stunts:
Valkyrie Pilot (Can use Fight instead of Drive for spaceship piloting, but only when in a Valkyrie)
Corporate CEO (+1 to Notice, Rapport, and Contacts rolls when dealing with businessmen and government officials)
Been There, Poked Into That (Once per scene, Chris may declare a Situational Aspect dealing with the general state of the location or population, without spending a Fate point)

Refresh: 3
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
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#42
It really depends on the style of campaign style you want. Fenspace as a setting can easily handle both.... if the GM handles them right there's no reason why they can't mix together. Most wiki characters are going to be either NPC's, or PC's for a one-shot pickup game. A small subset of their abilities will only ever be useful or available to the PC's at any time - not to mention the cost involved in getting their help and getting them to give up their valuable time. They might require a task to be completed or something else from the PC - they might even require money which'll have to be earned. Really, it's just another opportunity for an adventure.

Even then, bringing along a ringer has its disadvantages. Both in XP, in reputation. Or in encouraging the enemy to up their response to match the new threat.

And remember that it doesn't matter how many points you throw at a character - they can still be outmatched by three sixes at the wrong time (For an in-universe view of it - take Jet going bounce-bounce-bounce-bonk at the end of the Motorcon story for a textbook example of the 'overconfident' disadvantage leading to one lethal botch for a high power character, and only being saved from 'turn in your character sheet' by the catfall ability.).

FATE, or other more cinematic systems would probably be a better match for Fenspace. GURPS is just a bit too crunchy for such an odd setting at times. I'd be inclined to use Fuzion..... out of sheer bloody laziness since all the Knight Sabers are either pre-made, or easily hackable from it ;P

As an aside, I'd think for gaming purposes it might be better to have more fleshed out character profiles - rather than hard-number stats, or simple a list of quirks. That'll let anyone playing a game in the setting adapt the power levels of the characters to match, rather than using what's set in stone. There's no reason why you couldn't make a 1kpt Noah Scott, or 500pt variant of AC if it suited the game balance. It gives people more flexibility.

Something like that. It's a bit wall-of-texty, but it gives a fair bit of background as to why Jet became the person she did, what sort of person Jet is, and what exactly Jet was doing and where she was in Fenspace at any particular era in the last 12 years. In most campaigns Jet would probably appear as an instructor for PC's (Panzer Kunst, Power armour, or home defence), or occasionally an unusual source of equipment. With a bit of luck, it's enough for someone to stat Jet up for whatever system they want to run....

EDIT: If there's no objections, I'll do the same thing for the rest of the Friggan stable. Everyone except Kotono has some odd background details - and Kotono's odd detail is that she was pretty normal. Daryl's grandfather was sentenced to life in prison twice by the same judge, ten years apart and under two different regimes.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
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#43
Speaking of Fate, here's my current (not final, still kinda iffy on the first aspect) write up for Rhett using the Fate Accelerated Edition rules:
Rhett the Catboy Parker
High Concept: College student and accidental catboyTrouble: It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Aspects:- College Fen: Rhett's a member of The University of Western Arizona's fen community, a diverse bunch with diverse interests.
- Have you met my cybernetic friend Ema? Ema is a beta-level AI residing in a waved mini-PC. Ema acts as a combination friend, tutor, and personal assistant/voice-of-maturity.
- Hss! I'm not a kitten! *Stomp!* Rhett likes to think all the wave did to him was change his appearance, but he does have to deal with some feline and kittenish instincts such as intense curiosity and a desire to frequently nap. 'Danes are likely to treat him as a kid (for good or ill) until convinced otherwise, while catgirls are likely to go into nurturing or snuggling mode.
Approaches:- Clever +3- Careful +2- Sneaky +2- Forceful +1- Quick +1- Flashy +0
Stunts:So these are those things called connections - Since his change Rhett has been pulled closer into the local fen community and been forced to interact with the local 'daneside bureaucracy (University administration, DMV, AZ DPS, etc). Thus once per session Rhett can declare that he already knows someone either in or who knows about an organization. "You know last month Professor Frost talked me into being one of the first victims to go through the medical center's new MRI machine, I bet he'd be willing to..."
What? We always land on our feet - Because Rhett's catboy nature is more than just decorative ears and a tail, he gets a +2 when cleverly overcoming trouble by ambracing/taking-advantage of his feline side.
(One more stunt available before impacting refresh)
Refresh: 3
-----

Will the transhumanist future have catgirls? Does Japan still exist? Well, there is your answer.
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#44
A joke I've frequently made about GURPS:
(Although Champions does this, too.)

It implicitly enables the Arthur Dent School of Flight.

"I do a move-through attack on the Planet Earth."

*clatters dice*

"18."
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
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#45
Since people appear to have forgotten they have FenWiki accounts:

http://www.fenspace.net/index.php5?titl ... ing_stats)]%[link=http://www.fenspace.net/index.php5?title=Greenpeace_Crolis_%28gaming_stats%29]http://www.fenspace.net/index.php5?titl ... ing_stats)]

http://www.fenspace.net/index.php5?titl ... ing_stats)]%[link=http://www.fenspace.net/index.php5?title=Chris_Marsden_%28gaming_stats%29]http://www.fenspace.net/index.php5?titl ... ing_stats)]

(I didn't post Rhett because that writeup's listed as a WiP.)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
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