Solstice Rain Remixed | Pilot NET | Page 2

limpid pawn Oct 12, 2023, 2:38 PM

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There hasn't been downwards pressure on the cressidium arms industry to figure out a cheaper solution to cheaper warfighting tech like how (IRL war economics so putting it in a spoiler) ||directed energy weapons are being developed as a theoretical counter to 3D printed munitions and drone warfare||

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Tl;dr spending a few tens of thousands on traditional munitions to blow up something that costs tens of millions is a ratio that's considered "good enough"

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When the thing you're fighting against costs barely anything and your munitions costs tens of thousands though, it's a bad ratio. That's what would kickstart a portable beam weapon revolution, but there's no fiscal incentive to spend the resources miniturizing the tech.

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So mechs and pilots are still very much a thing on Cressidium in my remix, but they're more conservative with using them because losing a frame is a loss of a lot of capital and time.

unborn forge Oct 12, 2023, 2:53 PM

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I think in my game I'm probably going a bit in the other direction. The wealthy VestSov [rich from historical dominance and colonialism] is ramping up military might to an even greater degree as the newer militant faction pushes through and achieves economies of scale and probably mistreats workers to lower costs. The Nov Elysia was sort of a distraction to try and cripple tactically selected LSA military manufacturing and resource plants [this bit is a work in progress, not exactly sure how they're gonna cripple em], cementing them as a military superpower.
LSA can't fight very well and is getting crushed, intel comes in that the Sov is building something even bigger. Union must step in.

I dunno, I think the original SR prompt is a bit restricting in how Union's not really meant to step in at all, makes finding a reason to continue the story [other than having the hostages captured again, not a fan of extending that plot really] since I'm kinda second guessing myself. Decided to just say 'whatever, Union steps in because that's the game. Deal wit it' cool

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This is for after the original module to be clear

nocturne basin Oct 12, 2023, 2:56 PM

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I am all for finding ways to make Union stick around after O:SR

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The “hands tied” thing is a good way to increase some drama/stakes tbf but the basic “okay hostages saved we’re back to being neutral” feels so… odd to me

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Maybe if the VSAF immediately sued for peace afterwards

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But it’s clear there’s more issues afoot, and one of the factions actively tried to kidnap and harm Union folks, so I don’t know I feel that should have some more gravitas

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In short, cool, love to see this approach, Dusty

unborn forge Oct 12, 2023, 3:00 PM

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Yeah, it feels like the only way to create more drama on the planet is to threaten Union directly, which feels kinda stupid to do in the first place.

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Even my player's characters are talking about how dumb they are lol

nocturne basin Oct 12, 2023, 3:01 PM

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Yeah there’s gotta be a bigger endgame to it

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In order to feel satisfying

unborn forge Oct 12, 2023, 3:03 PM

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I'm just going on the thought that the Sov wants to dominate the world basically because they can, measure themselves against the 'Great Men' Clueless of the past. The sun will never set on the Sov or whatever.

limpid pawn Oct 12, 2023, 3:18 PM

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My brain immediately goes to thinking about who's the Zabi family (gundam reference I'm sorry) amongst the VSAF that can continue serving up bigger fish to get fried

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That SR is the opening act in a greater plot/offensive and Kiros isn't the head of the proverbial snake

unborn forge Oct 12, 2023, 3:20 PM

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Yeah, I was planning on having Kiros reappear but one of my players was like “last time I saw an Operator do that they showed back up again”
Notlikeshade

copper mesa Oct 12, 2023, 4:22 PM

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Honestly my take for act 2 going forward is just the players stick around after rescuing both characters

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Like, there's a war ongoing, we should screw legality and just help

limpid pawn Oct 12, 2023, 4:55 PM

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I find it hard to believe that union would be like "We got our folks back onto the Rio. Have fun down there, kids!"

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I have to imagine that they would be allowed to intervene as a joint operation with the LSA and other allies factions with the proper rhetorical finagling

copper mesa Oct 12, 2023, 6:23 PM

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Lmao yeah I know

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I'm not sure how union works

limpid pawn Oct 12, 2023, 6:29 PM

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I think it would depend on omninet access. Generally flat in structure and units that don't have omninet are allowed some form of autonomy to react to conditions on the ground without waiting years for word back from a higher-up stationed four systems over.

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So, imo, it would probably be the Captian's call, unless you want to say they used omninet and rang back to the Admiral during downtime or something.

copper mesa Oct 12, 2023, 6:32 PM

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I see

limpid pawn Oct 12, 2023, 6:33 PM

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I would imagine some weapons systems/tactics would require approval from the higher-ups to activate or use, but a squad of lancers being big damn heroes would probably be okay

copper mesa Oct 12, 2023, 6:46 PM

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I'm definitely.leaning towards Rio Grande being the only ship on fleet and doing all decisions on the moment

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Just act of heroism

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Likely from Farris after being saved

unborn forge Oct 13, 2023, 12:39 PM

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Wrote some news stories for the player who rolled a 20 on gather information lol.

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Is There No Hope For The Sovereignty?

In the heart of the Vestan Sovereignty, political tensions continue to escalate in the wake of the attack on Nov Elysia. Many politicians deny any involvement and express anguish at the harm caused as the Purity Revival party formed 30 years ago continues to gain power and positions within the government amid assassinations. Recent weeks have seen an uptick in aggressive rhetoric and public demonstrations from the newer party, which advocates for a hardline approach to foreign policy and expansion through military dominance. Propaganda in the Sovereignty depicts increasingly neo-anthrochauvinist sentiment, suppressing foreign culture and trade to focus on weapons development and military expansion, annexing nearby territories as the opportunity arises.

Key members of the remaining older, more progressive members of parliament are expressing growing concerns over the direction of their government. They argue that diplomacy and cooperation are essential for the Vestan Sovereignty's stability and long-term prosperity. However, the voices of moderation are increasingly drowned out by the fervor of Purity party, raising questions about the Sovereignty's future and its relations with neighboring regions. It's common to see less and less of these compassionate voices as the days go by, people fleeing for their own safety or mysteriously disappearing.

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Are We Prepared?

Following the recent brazen attack on Nov Elysia by Vestan armed forces, the Leandric States Alliance (LSA) has rallied to support the besieged capital city. With assistance from Union, who played a pivotal role in repelling the invasion, Nov Elysia has begun the arduous process of recovery and reconstruction.

The LSA has condemned the unprovoked aggression from the Vestan Sovereignty's militaristic faction. Representatives from LSA member states have arrived in Nov Elysia to express their solidarity and offer humanitarian aid to the affected citizens. However, many fear the LSA is unprepared for an attack at the scale the Sovereignty is likely capable of at their full strength, proxy wars for resources are largely won by the Vestans and it feels as though the Alliance shrinks day by day.

In a joint statement, leaders reaffirmed their commitment to diplomatic solutions and regional cooperation. They called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to peaceful negotiations between the Vestan factions. The international community watches closely as Nov Elysia rebuilds, hoping for a return to stability in the region and an end to the cycle of conflict.

nocturne basin Oct 13, 2023, 12:42 PM

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unborn forge Is There No Hope For The Sovereignty? In the heart of the Vestan Sovereignty, p...

Oh this is great, bonus points if you turn it into a “handout” (digital or otherwise)

unborn forge Oct 13, 2023, 12:43 PM

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Hmm. That's an idea. I just posted it in the discord lol.

nocturne basin Oct 13, 2023, 12:44 PM

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Hey, it’s great writing either way, super expository

unborn forge Oct 13, 2023, 12:46 PM

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:3 I got some help from AI to be fair.

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My newest trick with it is getting it to write me 50 names and pick from them, I'll probably find something I like or combine a few.

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The other PC is getting talked to by an enthusiastic reporter from "Mountain View Post" - 'cause Union's all about mountains? I dunno, seemed cool.

copper mesa Oct 13, 2023, 1:11 PM

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Thats really.cool

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How did you go about it? Did this happen mid session then later you wrote it?

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Or is it a play by post table

unborn forge Oct 13, 2023, 1:13 PM

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It's play by post. We're in downtime for about two weeks so I'm taking it kinda slow.

copper mesa Oct 13, 2023, 1:14 PM

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Aah

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I've actually been thinking of just writing a huge paragraph of text for my two week downtime for my act 2 in my custom campaign

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I ask my players each what they spend their two downtime actions on, and then based on what they're doing, I'd write a proper story to fit in downtime

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I should ask that on gm corner brb

unborn forge Oct 13, 2023, 1:16 PM

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Yeah, my players aren't super proactive in this downtime so I'm throwing some stuff at them and tying up some loose ends and seeing what happens.

copper mesa Oct 13, 2023, 1:17 PM

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It's really just a manner of "do we return act 2 dealing with downtime" or "do we return act 2 with a briefing and encounter start"

limpid pawn Oct 13, 2023, 8:37 PM

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I'm having too much fun writing out the downtime events to be a bit more narritive

nocturne basin Oct 13, 2023, 8:38 PM

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that does sound fun haha. I know a lot of the downtime events seem to just "happen" to the PCs

limpid pawn Oct 13, 2023, 8:39 PM

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the part where they meet local soldiers speaking in incomprehensible pop culture references are going to be me doing a dankpods impression and talking about homestuck like how people today talk about ea-nasir

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I intend to do psychic damage with that one. That's what they get if they roll a 1/2

copper mesa Oct 14, 2023, 12:40 AM

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whats a recommended time start period?

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like at what hour should time be when they land at the plaza?

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considering it goes the full 36 hour, i wanna slot in rain for like 10 hours or so

stable thicket Oct 14, 2023, 12:58 AM

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I can see arguments for 0 or 1

nocturne basin Oct 14, 2023, 1:09 AM

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copper mesa like at what hour should time be when they land at the plaza?

6 AM

copper mesa Oct 14, 2023, 1:10 AM

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ooo fair

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pretty much done with the layout for this

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stuff that will be within foundry will be the clocks, the vip text and the weather state + time

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and i figured i'd make appropriate nodes for each state of them, was thinking of adding a tooltip as well for each one, like little pop up text above the node

nocturne basin Oct 14, 2023, 1:14 AM

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nice!

copper mesa Oct 15, 2023, 6:54 PM

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atm pondering how to write FOB Saber considering its now a blitzkrieg attack, any ideas?

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while i could still say its a makeshift base built in the moment, i gotta consider how fob saber looks like a walled off place with turrets and gun emplacements

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and hard to explain that it got built in the span of a few hours

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maybe could say it was a previous and long gone LSA outpost used in cressidium's war that the foundation stuck around

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was turned into a garage for motors

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and now suddenly with this it got reused once again

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hmmm

nocturne basin Oct 15, 2023, 9:23 PM

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copper mesa atm pondering how to write FOB Saber considering its now a blitzkrieg attack, an...

My take was that "FOB Saber is the one place where Union was allowed to land, to give demonstrations of the printing tech"

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In my remix, my original goal of the dropship was to rendevouz with the captain and ambassador at FOB Saber, as usual, before getting shot down and launching into Combat 1 and the point crawl

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Any defenses would likely be makeshift and thrown together, yeah

copper mesa Oct 15, 2023, 9:25 PM

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yknow i never understood how fob saber already had those walls around it lol

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but that's a good call, i forgot that fob saber literally has the only printer in cressidium

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i keep forgetting that union economy plot point lol

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i spent my weekend jsut working on assets and music

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actually nah, it's a good point: only printer in cressidium = put it in a fob

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got it all figured out now

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thank ya valk

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i really oughta give solstice rain a proper read through and though

copper mesa Oct 15, 2023, 11:34 PM

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since the maps are premade ive been giving them one hell of the foundry effects abuse

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just setting that immerssion

covert jolt Oct 16, 2023, 8:36 AM

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copper mesa yknow i never understood how fob saber already had those walls around it lol

FOB saber was built around a printer the union had brought

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The original intent was to use it to showcase the benefits of joining the Union

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Then it got repossessed into military service to keep Union ground forces operational

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 9:20 AM

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Yeah checks out

covert jolt Oct 16, 2023, 9:22 AM

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Essentially, FOB saber is built in the industrial part of Nov Elysia, specifically in an automotive plant where they had originally brought the printer to show off

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Easier to build the base around the printer than move the printer to another base

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Especially when you can use the printer to fab all your base defenses and basic infrastructure needs

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 9:24 AM

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Facts

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Thank ya

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Session o the 25th, I'm gonna see if I can finish writing my stuff and post them here for feedback

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Mostly just the Rio Grande, dropship and combat 1 stuff

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 11:05 AM

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Oh yeah, question, what do with Garcia

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Was thinking of putting him down in fob Saber if the aa was cleared before entering the fob saber

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If not, I'm clueless what to do with em

unborn forge Oct 16, 2023, 11:06 AM

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I put Garcia in with the PCs when they landed, after the holdout he pops out with some dudes and they're part of the escort they do in combat 2, and they also have another gal there - Lieutenant Saous - who works the omnihook for them.

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 11:07 AM

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Oh, that's interesting

unborn forge Oct 16, 2023, 11:07 AM

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The marines are injured and don't do much in combat, but they have some funny dialogue and sorta move things along.

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Like Garcia lost most of a leg and Saous lost an eye but they're chuggin along like badasses

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 11:09 AM

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usagi_thinking

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I like the thiught

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I'll probably put him in combat 2

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Thanks

unborn forge Oct 16, 2023, 11:09 AM

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:) Otherwise their only role really is to hang out at the FOB

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 11:09 AM

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Inside the bus obviously

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Like, intro would have him go with players, another dropship with other union soldiers

unborn forge Oct 16, 2023, 11:10 AM

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Yea. In combat they connected the omnihook to a player to clear a stunned condition and stuff, so maybe you could treat them like a reserve or something.

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 11:10 AM

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Ooh that's awesome

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Thank u

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Ur a genius

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 12:46 PM

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copper mesa Oh yeah, question, what do with Garcia

I want to revisit at least one random encounter to add Garcia to it tbh

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But having him in Combat 2 territory makes good sense too

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To the point that I think I may like that idea more lol

unborn forge Oct 16, 2023, 12:48 PM

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:) steal it

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 12:49 PM

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Consider it stolen lol

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 1:08 PM

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It's pretty good, I really like the reserve idea that you can "use him" to clear a condition

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Maybe something like once per round? Shrug

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Unsure how good clearing a condition is

unborn forge Oct 16, 2023, 1:09 PM

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I would say once per scene or mission tbh. Or use the LSA sniper reserve or something.

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 1:09 PM

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Ah I mean on that specific combat only

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Have Garcia on the bus, and he orders you around

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Hence condition clear

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I thought that's how you had it

unborn forge Oct 16, 2023, 1:10 PM

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Maybe they can use a commander trait.

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Yeah the condition clear was mostly a way to make the fiction line up and basically improvised in the moment. Because I was running the seeder where you couldn't see the mines [the right way] but the players and people I got advice from at the time were telling me I was running it wrong and you should be able to know their location. PC stepped on a stun mine and was saying that they think stun is stupid, so I kinda said "ok, if you can get the escort to the PC they can clear stun and everyone can see the mine locations."

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 1:35 PM

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copper mesa Unsure how good clearing a condition is

There’s barely any mechanics that clear conditions; Black Thumb 2/3, Stabilize, Grease Monkey 2, and anything that just outright grants immunity on-demand (which I think is only Aceso Stabilizer), plus whatever PEBCAC does

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It would be super valuable to have imo

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And would make him feel useful

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 1:36 PM

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Would it make the encounter more special considering its up against Archers, Priests andddd

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Engineer

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Not a lot of condition causes I think

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Actually

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Archer suppress counts as condition

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Hmm

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 1:38 PM

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Yeah, having him would make me want to change the controllers from Archers to Seeders in that combat

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Since I think Archers still get a shot off even if Impaired is removed? I’d have to reread

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 1:40 PM

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Hm

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Swap archers from combat 2 into combat 3?

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Who the hell has seeders

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Is it combat 3 or 4

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 1:42 PM

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I put seeders in Combat 3

unborn forge Oct 16, 2023, 1:42 PM

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There are archers, seeders and barricades in combat 2 isn't there?

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 1:42 PM

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I’m not sure if Fluffypaws is using my remixed combat

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Because I stripped down a lot of the fights to 1 of each role (approximately)

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 1:47 PM

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O I am

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I am just misremembering

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Doesn't combat 2 have archers?

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I mean, put the seeders from 3 into 2

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 1:50 PM

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Combat 2 has archers, yes. I think both the original and my remix has them

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 1:53 PM

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Right, well, I don't know if Garcia clearing condition for combat 2 oncd every round would be too much versus archers

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Priest wouldn't have a good target to boost if no Archers

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 2:04 PM

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Yeah my Combat 2 remix is a weird one from when I played it

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No Barricade and no Seeder meant that players could walk up and smash real easily

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Not sure if that was GM piloting error (I held off on early reinforcements), a matter of how I set up the opfor, or a combination of both

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Probably both

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 2:18 PM

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Thinking

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Seeder and engineer sounds dangerous

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It's just the Priests, tbh

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 2:18 PM

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That’s default SR lol

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 2:18 PM

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Wait really

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Lmao

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OK uhmmm

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I dunno then

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 2:19 PM

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Yeah take a look and correct me if wrong

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 2:19 PM

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I think it's fine to deploy teinforcements early, and it always depends on player behavior in the end

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 2:19 PM

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But Combat 2 was the Engineer and Seeder combat, with Cataphracts to boot

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 2:19 PM

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Gonna be running this with a bunch of newcomers to tabletop

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So I think they'll naturally play defensive on CO.bat 2

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Even if the objective is pushing forward

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 2:20 PM

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Yeah I ran for veterans who gave zero fucks

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 2:20 PM

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Hahahaha

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Yep

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 2:20 PM

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Or rather, at least one vet with zero fucks and a heavy slug shotgun

limpid pawn Oct 16, 2023, 2:34 PM

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I'm definitely looking at the remixed combat for my own sanity

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Using every NPC is fun but I gotta use these little dudes somehat effectively and I don't want to forget half of the unique things they all do

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Not to mention any narritive changes I make

covert jolt Oct 16, 2023, 2:36 PM

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Focusing on 2-3 NPC types helps new players keep track of what the hell they all do as well

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 2:36 PM

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I've run 5/6 of the remixed combats, with some alternative rules with them. The players I've run for have had very little trouble steamrolling them, but each party had at least one Lancer Vet

covert jolt Oct 16, 2023, 2:37 PM

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If you run the 4-6 they suggest by default it gets a bit much for newbies on top of remembering what their own mech does

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 2:37 PM

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I liked how Combat 1 played out the most so far, it just felt fluid and interesting

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I will definitely be revisiting my combats with an addendum for alternative enemies, probably using a roster of common enemies that get progressively more optional features alongside unique "officers" that are allowed to break the mold

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 2:48 PM

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Oh by the way Valk

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"Initially, players will only be aware of nodes 1, 2, 3, and U (as well as the connections between them). The Mission 2 nodes (4, 5, and 6) are hidden until the PCs discover clues that could clue them to their existence. Once one of those nodes is revealed, its connections will remain obscured until the PCs navigate to a node that has a direct connection to it."

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This part here has me confused a bit, you mentioned these nodes are revealed initially, but you still attach clues to nodes 2 and 3

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Do these nodes really need clues if the players already know?

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 2:49 PM

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copper mesa Do these nodes really need clues if the players already know?

The "clues" in that case are more like "prompts" or just "rumors"

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 2:50 PM

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Oh

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Okay that makes sense

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 2:50 PM

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like "oh yeah there's something interesting over there"

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goal was to give more rumors/reasons to go to the other places

copper mesa Oct 16, 2023, 2:50 PM

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Ha yeah I mean I intend on Kim giving debrief of the situation after.combat 1 and then he explains about shit happening in downtown, then the anti air causing issues, then I'd reveal the tactical map of mine with all 3 nodes on display

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Was just making sure

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Thank ua

nocturne basin Oct 16, 2023, 2:51 PM

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yup yup sounds reasonable

copper mesa Oct 17, 2023, 8:22 PM

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been writing stuff up and around, wanting to hear feedback on this part after players finish introducing themselves;


Garcia assures the players that they won’t have to deal with any public face and that they should just follow his lead. He talks about how they’ll be landing at Forward Operating Base Saber, one of the LSA locations that contains the only available modern printer that was installed as a way to show one of the many benefits of Union. As security detail, they’ll obviously be going there in their mech suits and once they arrive at FOB Saber, they’ll later talk with Farris and see what the plan is.

With that briefing being concluded, Kim closes it off and dismisses them all, letting them all follow Garcia into the hangar to get prepared and ready to depart on the dropships.```

nocturne basin Oct 17, 2023, 8:38 PM

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Yeah that’s pretty solid

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Glad to see Garcia getting more screen time tbh

copper mesa Oct 17, 2023, 9:11 PM

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well its thanks to dusty's idea of including garcia on combat 2 that i even put him in the briefing lmao

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past this, i just follow the same script/guide for the dropship scene, cept rewritten to include only the sudden beam attack by kiros that leads into the crash

nocturne basin Oct 17, 2023, 9:38 PM

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Honestly I think I may change my incoming posts as a result of this take lol

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I knew that Garcia’s lack of screen time rubbed me the wrong way but I had everything else on my mind when I initially was putting things together. Having him front and center in the briefing sounds excellent for ensuring his inclusion

copper mesa Oct 17, 2023, 9:53 PM

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yeah, plus, making him the "lead" flows better into the idea that the players crashing stranded gives a bit of "well shit guess we're on our own"

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which just leads later into maybe pushing the players into going to node 2 since they'll know that garcia is there

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i was even thinking that perhaps since garcia is there, if the players go to fob saber before going to node 2, i am thinking that maybe garcia arrives at fob saber later bruised perhaps?

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dont wanna say outright killed, but maybe kidnapped too

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oh by the way, i have a player who's an nhp and they've written the character as more of a hardware that's really good at piloting mechs

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however, i am curious about how the crew of rio grande would see the nhp

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my player said that they believe that the crew would be inbetween on seeing it as a pilot and as a tool, but i'm curious how Garcia and Kim would see the nhp

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the idea i discussed with this player is that the nhp is aboard the rio grande for its first field testing scenario

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i've never dealt with an nhp of the level of deadliness of a lancer, so me no sure how to go about it with these chars

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to summarize, the nhp is just a really good shooty thing that pilots mech good and for that its a really good nhp, but its also very slow and very much focused on just killing things even if it still has a form of personality

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https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1159252336003252375/1163960190685683862/image.png?ex=65417966&is=652f0466&hm=476e2f239ed2f94c0c89508db9ef94e0a94af4e6988a4f52f4626f8a65bf5c37&

olive musk Oct 17, 2023, 11:03 PM

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copper mesa oh by the way, i have a player who's an nhp and they've written the character as...

I like Legionaire for that reason. It's 3rd party but has alot of answers for things like this.

I would assume Garcia might be weirded out by it. Kim would probably be unsure but not cold. And Farris would probably be kind of curious at least to me.

copper mesa Oct 17, 2023, 11:11 PM

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aligns pretty well what i had in mind then, thank ya

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and yeah we're using legionaire for it

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Though legionaire itself wouldn't really help in deciding how these oremade characters would react to something like an nhp mech pilot hehe

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Then again I font have it my player does

olive musk Oct 18, 2023, 2:24 AM

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no but it IN GENERAL talks about the issues and hurdles of an NHP pilot

copper mesa Oct 18, 2023, 8:02 AM

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Ahhh true true

limpid pawn Oct 19, 2023, 2:25 PM

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For some reason, I got the idea of a player asking got a map of the world/region and while I don't feel like I could produce that, I've apparently set them as nations on opposite shores of an equitorial basin/inland sea. Okasnia (and others) is (are) a present force in the world, but they're an ocean/oceans away.

nocturne basin Oct 19, 2023, 2:27 PM

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Yeah that was what was on my mind tbh

limpid pawn Oct 19, 2023, 2:27 PM

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They have opinions on the arrival of Union, but the LSA/Vestan conflict is getting some special attention because despite being a cold war, it has the highest potential of going hot. Union would prefer it not going hot.

limpid pawn Oct 19, 2023, 10:24 PM

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Another idea as I'm chipping away at the beginning.

I'm thinking about progressing the negotiations ahead to when the some sort of treaty is in its closing stages and all that's really left is to have all the dignitaries involved sign it (and explains that the captain is on the surface as someone who can be an extra signatory for union).

The military presence at the beginning of the crisis could be explained by saying that, as a gesture of collaboration once the treaties are signed, there be a joint arms exercise between some of the mechanized cavalries of each faction. The Vastans requested a larger, multi-branch one at first and they seemed quite eager with their staging, but it was negotiated down to just the cavalries.

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This leads into a narrative beat at the start of the story as a roleplay coda for session zero where the leads of the three units are having a coordination meeting ahead of the operation. This introduces the LSA's *Unit Zero * and the VSF's infamous Furies. (them also being a unit can come up later)

Unit Zero's team of four immediately excuses themselves at the start of the beat (which is the end of the meeting) because they have bad blood with the Furies. Also because that's a lot of goddamn NPCs and some of them have to leave. Instead, the PCs will interact with them at downtimes.

The Furies are commanded by Kiros, but he's not a part of them. As such, his name and their connection with him gets dropped early on. They stick around afterwards because they want to chat with the PCs and ~~size them up before the operation begins~~ learn more about the equals they "haven't met in [Obliterated city that I need to name still]."

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I'm not gonna write down everything I'm changing, but I wanted to throw that out there to at least see if the framework makes sense

brave forum Oct 19, 2023, 10:55 PM

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limpid pawn This leads into a narrative beat at the start of the story as a roleplay coda fo...

Love this

copper mesa Oct 21, 2023, 2:12 PM

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hmm, considering that only one player as the omnihook, i'm thinking that once the players land on the crash site, the omnihook got screwed and for that they're really outta it, followed by the gunshots and chatter coming from the vestan forces that immediately make it clear they're hostile

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or would it flow best if the players have their omnihook working, meaning that kim can talk down to them about the situation?

nocturne basin Oct 21, 2023, 2:36 PM

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copper mesa or would it flow best if the players have their omnihook working, meaning that k...

My take is that Omnihooks are finnicky and take some time and care to tune properly, so you can't really use them unless you're taking a rest/full repair

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if you're in the middle of a firefight or just got out of a dropship crash you'll need to find a safe space to hunker down and start tuning again

copper mesa Oct 21, 2023, 2:37 PM

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yeaaaah

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that was my plan

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after the battle they can finnicky with it, whoever has it

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out the mech and so o n

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but to start off the omnihook is fucked upon landing, and the players know they're around hostiles cuz of the way how the vestans enter

nocturne basin Oct 21, 2023, 2:40 PM

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My take was "okay you're out of a fight and done retreating, now you can get hailed by command" so yeah what you said

copper mesa Oct 21, 2023, 2:41 PM

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i gotta sort out what the heck kim's gonna say

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or rio

copper mesa Oct 21, 2023, 2:57 PM

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oh and just a reminder @nocturne basin , players dont need to figure out all clues to come to the revelation, right? if they can figure out the revelation by saying it out loud or just coming to the conclusion all together, that's enough for me to tell them that a new node has been revealed and so on, yeah?

nocturne basin Oct 21, 2023, 2:57 PM

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copper mesa oh and just a reminder <@151414024003649537> , players dont need to figure out a...

right basically. If they figured out where a thing should be using one of their leads, add it

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like, if the harbor gets mentioned, put the harbor on the map

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the point of the 3 clues each is to have backup clues

copper mesa Oct 21, 2023, 2:58 PM

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right right

nocturne basin Oct 21, 2023, 2:58 PM

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(that and they're less so "clues" than they are "hooks")

stable thicket Oct 21, 2023, 2:58 PM

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The way I'd run it is that as soon as I give them one of the clues, it unlocks the location

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It triggers off me telling them, not them repeating what I told them

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I'd be generous with it

copper mesa Oct 21, 2023, 3:00 PM

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i get it i get it then

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well aint gotta worry about it until players finish either combat 2 or 3

brave forum Oct 21, 2023, 3:36 PM

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What should be the consequences of chosing not to handle the traffic & jammer nodes?

nocturne basin Oct 21, 2023, 3:38 PM

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brave forum What should be the consequences of chosing not to handle the traffic & jammer no...

What’s the “traffic” node specifically? Is that Downtown/combat 2?

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If you mean downtown, I might say that Staff Sgt Garcia isn’t present in FOB Saber and can’t provide assistance

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Since I was thinking of putting Garcia in Downtown

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Jammer is simply that “you still can’t easily communicate with folks” so you may be able to rescue the Captain and/or Ambassador but you can’t radio for help to pick them up

brave forum Oct 21, 2023, 3:50 PM

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nocturne basin What’s the “traffic” node specifically? Is that Downtown/combat 2?

Yah the escort. Removing Garcia seems like a good choice. He's locked up solving the crisis down there

nocturne basin Oct 21, 2023, 3:54 PM

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yeah, or simply hunkered down/injured/trying to keep everyone in one piece vs Vestan blockades

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the notable thing afterwards is now you can use Garcia as a "Reserve" or resource once the players bail him out

copper mesa Oct 21, 2023, 3:55 PM

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speaking of that, i feel like the dropship unlock from the anti air thing may be too much? not sure

nocturne basin Oct 21, 2023, 3:55 PM

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I like it as a 1 time use

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I still haven't written that part yet

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but I like the idea of "okay time to move fast" once to make up for lost time

copper mesa Oct 21, 2023, 5:20 PM

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fair

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got this lil cinematic doneso to play after the players get on the dropship

limpid pawn Oct 22, 2023, 7:51 PM

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A silly thought regarding the omnihook, what if that's the reason you have to control the crash site. It gives the party a reason to stick around other than "hey cool a free bombardment"

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The sitrep is a holdout after all. The objective is to keep the area secure. "The omnihook is still in the wreckage" seems like a good reason why the party wouldn't want to just break the enemy line and retreat.

nocturne basin Oct 22, 2023, 8:59 PM

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limpid pawn The sitrep is a holdout after all. The objective is to keep the area secure. "Th...

Reasonable, though now if they fail, they'll be Omnihookless. How that affects the rest of the module is going to be up to you.

How I plan to handle it is "if you succeed, you save your pilot, who can subsequently help you with skill checks"

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I do like the potential stakes of missing an Omnihook though, sounds like an interesting way to start

copper mesa Oct 22, 2023, 9:30 PM

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i think just justifying players sticking around makes sense anyway because you don't generally want to be chased down by enemies thru an unknown city until you clear them out

brave forum Oct 22, 2023, 9:44 PM

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limpid pawn The sitrep is a holdout after all. The objective is to keep the area secure. "Th...

I like that this gives the holdout more meaning. It's also easy to feed that into story consequences

limpid pawn Oct 23, 2023, 3:23 PM

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I'm trying not to make it a situation where having it isn't either pointless or irrelevant and that's proving difficult.

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So I imagined an international organization that trys to conserve space infrastructure and reorganized the entire geopolitical situation instead. bogotterShrug

brave forum Oct 23, 2023, 3:25 PM

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I'm personally not a huge fan of the concept of an omnihook, it shrinks the space for interesting stories

limpid pawn Oct 23, 2023, 3:27 PM

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Tl;dr to not post a wall here again:

Scuttling their omninet and going dark to Union Kessler'd the planet and that's what helped kick off the barren years. Eventually the nations came together to form the "Space Infrastructure Conservation Organization" (SICO) to De-Kessler the world. Space infrastructure is maintained and protected by them.

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VS backed SICO heavily when the entire world was on the anthrochauvinist grind, but VS now views SICO as toothless as the rest of the world stops being so seccom about things.

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(one of the points I wrote down was "flesh out VS/VSAF more")

copper mesa Oct 25, 2023, 9:38 PM

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the first session has gone SWIMMINGLY and it will only be next session i'll be able to reveal the lovely point crawler

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but the whole narrative rewrite with the blitzkrieg attack on the dropship went well too

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my players immediately love garcia too due to the briefing

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sadly i didnt get to fit in rio, but i hope to bring her in picture once my players finish the first combat. gonna have her speak to the players in a quick haste due to kim being occupied dealing with rio grande ordering so rio will be the one to introduce the map of nov elysia, as well with the whole mission objectives

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and then kim will come in to talk about how important things are and so forth

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gotta write up the script for that

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all in all, super fun, my 3 newcomer tabletop players are having a blast

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one thing i noticed

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my players are killing things fast

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BUT

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i think thats due to two players having anti material sniper

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bastion is so weak with their armor penetrated

nocturne basin Oct 25, 2023, 9:45 PM

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Combat 1 has a lot of armor on it yeah

copper mesa Oct 25, 2023, 9:45 PM

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my players got so much ap

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lmao

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first round and 2 enemies dead

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spawned in 2 more, which was a bastion and support

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2 more enemies died

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now i brought in a scourer and bombard

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and we stopped the session there

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start of round 3

nocturne basin Oct 25, 2023, 9:46 PM

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Normally I’d just be worried about whiffing the AMR shot and then feeling bad lol, so I’m glad they’re landing their shots

copper mesa Oct 25, 2023, 9:47 PM

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they hit like

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one player has the hurricane cluster

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superheavy gms

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and my god

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they got to land 3 tokens out of 4 in one blast 2

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WHY IS THIS THING ORDNANCE HEAT 2?!?

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i figured this would be loading

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but no...

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its just ordnance heat 2...

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yowza

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lemme get a screenshot of the current situation

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#

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down here is the latest reinforcements

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tbh one player is already structured

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i'm unsure how to go about the rio briefing of the map and what to do next

nocturne basin Oct 25, 2023, 9:50 PM

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copper mesa i'm unsure how to go about the rio briefing of the map and what to do next

How so?

copper mesa Oct 25, 2023, 9:51 PM

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as in, i want to push my players towards going to node 2 or 3, rather than straight for FOB

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i fear they may go for FOB if i tell them that they get full repair + license level up

nocturne basin Oct 25, 2023, 9:51 PM

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The incentive I use is “you get more exotic gear if you do more stuff and you only get 1 full repair period”

stable thicket Oct 25, 2023, 9:52 PM

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Right, if they use the full repair early then that's it

copper mesa Oct 25, 2023, 9:52 PM

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ahh

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so i should tell them that stuff then?

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okay

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thought the exotic award was a surprise

nocturne basin Oct 25, 2023, 9:52 PM

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Additional incentive is tying clues to finding Farris and Bannerjee or otherwise making the search easier to those nodes

copper mesa Oct 25, 2023, 9:52 PM

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like behind the scenes thing

stable thicket Oct 25, 2023, 9:52 PM

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Alternate solution: the stuff they need for a full repair is still en route and won't be available until Hour 8 or something

nocturne basin Oct 25, 2023, 9:52 PM

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Nah lay that on the table

copper mesa Oct 25, 2023, 9:52 PM

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gotcha

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yeah i mean i got garcia stranded on downtown now

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so that may be more incentive to go there

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but okie

nocturne basin Oct 25, 2023, 9:53 PM

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Absolutely

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Get Garcia and he can become an asset for the search/mobilization

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Delete the Rainmaker and you can get that 1 use dropship I mentioned

copper mesa Oct 25, 2023, 9:54 PM

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yeayeayea

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i will mention that then

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the rewards

cursive nacelle Oct 26, 2023, 12:06 AM

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NGL, I kinda wish this had all been usable before I ran it 😂

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Love what you guys are coming up with

nocturne basin Oct 26, 2023, 12:15 AM

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Simply Run It Again yeehaw

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But yeah I feel ya

cursive nacelle Oct 26, 2023, 12:43 AM

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Well I ran it once with a group of Randoms as my second time ever GMing, and now I'm running it for my main DnD group. So unlikely I'll run it a 3rd time

unborn forge Oct 26, 2023, 5:30 AM

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Been thinking about lancer missions where you pick your own combats sorta like the point crawl and about NPCs as reserves and was thinking that if you could gain some allies in the field you could send them to complete a combat for you (maybe there’s a roll to see how it goes).

copper mesa Oct 26, 2023, 7:10 AM

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im not sure on that part, i feel like the players don't have that much authority

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npcs as reserves shoudl just be backup you can use in combat

unborn forge Oct 26, 2023, 7:59 AM

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I mean, if I have a lot of combats or the players need to get something done like not immediately you roll like a d20 + bonuses for special equipment. On a 1-9 they failed and you gotta go rescue them, on a 10-19 you get one reward and lose objective or gain objective but suffer losses. 20+ total success, minor losses

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And it might resolve in like a day

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This is in my kinda setting too where it’s a quest board type of deal for combats/scenes

copper mesa Oct 26, 2023, 8:10 AM

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Oh that's tots fair haha

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It makes more sense in that way now

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I was just imagining something you declared and boom done

copper mesa Oct 26, 2023, 11:58 AM

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Just wondering, but are exotics shared for the team or does every player get the same exotics?

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Like 3 exotics for the whole crew to choose and use, or 3 exotics for each player

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I'm thinking of just using the SR exotics in this case

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Just to keep it simple

unborn forge Oct 26, 2023, 12:03 PM

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3 for the whole crew

copper mesa Oct 26, 2023, 12:11 PM

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Yeee figured

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I'm gonna see once I'm home to write the script to read for post combat briefing, then post it here for review

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Just wanna be as clear as possible with my players, since this will be their first point crawler

copper mesa Oct 26, 2023, 8:55 PM

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pondering having the more unique npcs in combats 3, 4 and 5 be furies lietenenanttnts

stable thicket Oct 26, 2023, 9:25 PM

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definitely read that as "furry lieutenants" at first

nocturne basin Oct 26, 2023, 9:29 PM

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This is not the first time someone misread Furies as Furries and it likely won’t be the last lol

stable thicket Oct 26, 2023, 9:34 PM

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All I can think about is that Between Two Ferns episode with Brad Pitt https://youtu.be/wnF-zTrHvGs?t=70

YouTube

Funny Or Die

Brad Pitt: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis

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Like FOD on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/funnyo...

▶ Play video

unborn forge Oct 27, 2023, 3:27 AM

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I think I stole the idea of having the rainmaker and elite sentinel in combat 3 being Furies and they talk about the furies and stuff to the players.

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4 and 5 I didn't really worry about it too much though

copper mesa Oct 27, 2023, 7:18 AM

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my players immediately called them the FURRIES

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😭

copper mesa Oct 27, 2023, 8:18 AM

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Dies from ace combat:
Solstice rain act 2

okasnia has been completely taken over, mass producing industry to fuel the Vestan coup forces
tartarus is somewhere amidst okasnia capital
entire act is based around liberating Okasnia capital from Vestan forces

Act 3:

vestan forces have a superweapon, a huge powerful naval fleet
have battles across vestan country pushing to the capital (or space airport)
finish it all off with a battle against vestan ships before the climax of fighting a giant size 4 vestan capital ship

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Then woo-hoo solstice rain over vestan seccomm DEAD wooooo...!!!

limpid pawn Oct 27, 2023, 12:13 PM

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Thinking about how I can invent a situation where I can name the final combat "Solstice Rain" so I can do the 'name story part after the title of the story'

copper mesa Oct 27, 2023, 1:09 PM

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Bless

limpid pawn Oct 27, 2023, 2:00 PM

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Okay so minor context: Mission 3 will have the PC party attempting to get into a space elevator to disable Tartarus before it goes online and prison world/deletes Cressidium

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I've thought of two possible options to pose to players as to how they do that.

Amphibious assault. More combat-focused. Hazardous because the city surrounding the elevator has "holy world" status and damage to it will have consequences (no support or possibly hostility from the residents of the city)
Orbital insertion. More narritive focused. Will have the PCs infiltrating the elevator and completing objectives in more subtle ways, but the more failures they rack up, the higher the likelyhood of capture/expulsion/having to retreat to the mechs and do combat

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I can't think of other options beyond that. "Blow the elevator up" is considered to be a fail state but players can always choose to fail yay

copper mesa Oct 27, 2023, 3:31 PM

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I like th3 latter

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If your players like narrative that is

limpid pawn Oct 27, 2023, 3:41 PM

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The point is to give them a little ability to choose their own path since the mission is gonna be a little more linear for them

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Idk what they're gonna end up liking but I'd like to make them both sufficiently tantalizing

rigid jay Oct 27, 2023, 5:30 PM

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I'm late to this (and a hack), but my version of TARTARUS was a submarine-mounted, water-cooled ground-to-orbit beam cannon the Vestans were planning to use in order to shoot down the Rio Grande, and they wanted to use Captain Farris as bait in order to get the Rio in its firing range

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Later missions post-OSR involved the players assaulting a Vestan carrier battle group under the cover of intense LSA e-warfare (reverse-engineered from the VSAF jammers used in Nov Elysia) to capture the flagship under a tight time limit, then use its broadcast codes to get to the submarine's operations area and board it before the Vestans realized they got a CBG stolen from them

copper mesa Oct 27, 2023, 7:00 PM

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that is awesome as hell

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also, i may not be able to do post-osr stuff because managing it and my custom campaign will be a pain the butt x_x

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but still, lots of fun stuff ahead atm

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@nocturne basin curious, but what were you thinking on going with this clue? 1st Lieutenant Kim provides a hopeful lead that Farris and Bannerjee (or someone who saw them) escaped to Downtown (post-Combat 1 briefing). as in, what sort of lead does kim say here? is it more him just speculating that this is where they may have evacuated?

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or is it more like "well this is usually where they are around during diplomatic visits, so perhaps they may be there"

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tbh i'm considering just turning this clue into being related to just where Garcia has crash landed, but i kinda wanna include this part with farris and bannerjee

limpid pawn Oct 27, 2023, 7:30 PM

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rigid jay Later missions post-OSR involved the players assaulting a Vestan carrier battle ...

Yeah, I was thinking about bringing an e-warfare aspect into it. Possibly could use it to give Rio an opportunity to shine.

copper mesa Oct 27, 2023, 7:52 PM

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and now, i present to you all my post-combat 1 briefing that you're free to give feedback on

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#

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feel free to tell me what i can improve, i made rio be part of the briefing due to me wanting to give her more of a spotlight, but still wanted to include kim in

nocturne basin Oct 27, 2023, 9:29 PM

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copper mesa <@151414024003649537> curious, but what were you thinking on going with this clu...

“When we last heard from Captain Farris, she was in downtown Nov Elysia”

nocturne basin Oct 27, 2023, 9:31 PM

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copper mesa feel free to tell me what i can improve, i made rio be part of the briefing due ...

This is my preference: I would not write up paragraphs of briefing, and instead just have bullet points that I would reveal over the course of a conversation

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Again, that’s my preference. If this makes you more comfortable, go for it

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But I’d feel like my hands are tied and I don’t get to “interact” with the players (and vice versa)

stable thicket Oct 27, 2023, 9:33 PM

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I don't think I'd ever want to prewrite text to read aloud to players, I feel like I couldn't avoid making it feel wooden or unnatural

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But that's me

cursive nacelle Oct 27, 2023, 9:36 PM

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If I were doing something custom I could see that, but I feel like it works really well for modules

stable thicket Oct 27, 2023, 9:37 PM

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Heh, when I eventually write a module, I plan on giving zero read-aloud text, just describing things to the GM in a way that makes it easy for them to create their own read-aloud text on the fly

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Good formatting goes a long way there

nocturne basin Oct 27, 2023, 9:42 PM

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cursive nacelle If I were doing something custom I could see that, but I feel like it works real...

Yeah no, it actively ties my hands in published modules too

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Lotta information to parse in purple prose

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I want the info I need to know cleanly presented to me and then let me handle the rest

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If I have a “this is how the NPC usually talks/what’s their motivation and mannerisms” and “this is what they know” I can get a LOT done

cursive nacelle Oct 27, 2023, 9:48 PM

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That's fair. I just have limited creativity and experience, so it's nice sometimes to have a more detailed text. For character stuff I can understand not going pre written, but I think I prefer it for scenario moments

stable thicket Oct 27, 2023, 9:48 PM

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I find that the amount that I enjoy a module is inversely proportional to how much read-aloud text it has

nocturne basin Oct 27, 2023, 9:51 PM

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Do whatever works for you tbh. I usually prefer like, 1 paragraph tops of read aloud text, to quickly convey the room/situation. But that’s about all it should do: convey the situation, and get out of the way for the players to react

copper mesa Oct 27, 2023, 10:05 PM

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ooo thank you

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i have pre-written text because it does help me a lot for briefings and stuff, cuz it is actual important information and my players aren't that experienced so

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it's just what i'm comfy with!! i didn't do pre-written for the first briefing because it was loose n all that

limpid pawn Oct 27, 2023, 10:22 PM

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I only wrote paragraphs to post publicly because my players were requesting it.

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Otherwise it's a pre-written preamble and then it's off to improv land (though SR looks like it'll require some notes)

copper mesa Oct 27, 2023, 10:35 PM

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i defs went improv for the first briefing

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i like to keep it slick and profissional, my players are being briefed in the situation after all

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if my players weren't new i would defs keep it just pure improv

copper mesa Oct 28, 2023, 5:19 PM

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oh yeah question @nocturne basin does completing kirmani plaza count as one hour still?

nocturne basin Oct 28, 2023, 5:19 PM

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copper mesa oh yeah question <@151414024003649537> does completing kirmani plaza count as on...

Yes

copper mesa Oct 28, 2023, 5:19 PM

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ahhh

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oke doke

nocturne basin Oct 28, 2023, 5:19 PM

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Unless you wanna give them the extra hour

copper mesa Oct 28, 2023, 5:19 PM

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hmm

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nah i'll go with 7 am then

nocturne basin Oct 28, 2023, 5:19 PM

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Which tbh I wouldn’t blame you

copper mesa Oct 28, 2023, 5:20 PM

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i think its chill

tiny horizon Oct 30, 2023, 5:09 PM

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did yall give kiros a callsign?

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i was thinking erebus

limpid pawn Oct 30, 2023, 5:32 PM

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I've named him Typhon for plot reasons

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Not only is there a Gaia involved. There's also an Elysium. I've worked backwards to say that Nov Elysia means "North Elysium" in cressidium dialect

hallow wagon Oct 30, 2023, 8:01 PM

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Tisiphone

stable thicket Oct 30, 2023, 8:05 PM

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which one is alecto and which is megaera

nocturne basin Oct 30, 2023, 8:06 PM

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There's the Hive and the Pyro right

stable thicket Oct 30, 2023, 8:06 PM

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yeah

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prob Pyro as Alecto

copper mesa Oct 30, 2023, 8:27 PM

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granted im thinking of going with just having his name on display on the token

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im still debating on it for important tokens/npcs

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if having callsign, mech name or their name

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cuz i have on the abilities stuff like this

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still need to properly write it usagi_pleading but i'm just battling on whether to stick with callsigns, mech names or actual names

limpid pawn Oct 30, 2023, 8:29 PM

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I believe I made Alecto the Pyro but I'll have to check my notes.

copper mesa Oct 30, 2023, 8:30 PM

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im very much inspired by wallflower and its way of making boss fight npcs have abilities and stuff contain flavor

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i must... make a choice...

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maybe i'll just do mech name + callsign for important characters

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i am just... so unsure

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augh

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ill get back to figuring out a nice aesthetic/vibe to it later

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must finish my last player's sprite first

limpid pawn Oct 30, 2023, 9:38 PM

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So this is due to my rewite where Kiros gives The Furies orders instead of being the ultra operator. The Furies are their own elite task force that the PCs will meet in session 0 and hear getting gassed up during missions 1 and 2.

Megaera "Mag/Meg"- Operator
Alecto "Alec"- Pyro
Tisiphone "Ty"- Swarm

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Elysium is a space elevator. Gaea is the city of supporting infrastructure around it. Tartarus was built into the space elevator. Kiros is the BBEG birthed from Tartarus. Hence "Typhon."

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Speaking of, anyone have any neat ideas on how to non-destructively disable a superdevice on top of a space elevator?

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So far I'm at "cut off the power" and that answer is so good that I can't think of any others

rigid jay Oct 30, 2023, 9:50 PM

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Hack its startup sequence

limpid pawn Oct 30, 2023, 9:52 PM

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The general sequence of Act 3 is

Disable Tartarus somehow
Neutralize Kiros (and rescue captain+diplomat if they beefed it on fight 5)
Oh no that was proto-paracausal tech [Fight that uses Eidolon mechanics]

nocturne basin Oct 30, 2023, 9:52 PM

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Cut the power is a good one, hack the startup is also good, what about seal it in blink space with a Napoleon system

limpid pawn Oct 30, 2023, 9:58 PM

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That would be dependant on if the PCs had a suit that could do blinkspace antics imo

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Oh. Right. "Blow it up" is an option, but the NPCs will be quick to remind them that that's a really bad idea (especially if captain+diplomat are there as hostages). They can do it if they push back hard enough and I, a GM who is committed to the bit, will oblige them.

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In short:

Blow up the elevator
Wow that sure is a lot of debris falling towards Gaea and Nov Elysia. Should probably do something about that, huh?
Alright naughty children you've pissed off the entire planet and blown up the fastest way to orbit. Good luck.

nocturne basin Oct 30, 2023, 10:29 PM

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limpid pawn That would be dependant on if the PCs had a suit that could do blinkspace antics...

Yeah my point was that player mechs could have relevant systems that could be creatively applied

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Or if there’s technology like that nearby, they could jury rig it

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I typically fall on the side of “give the players a bunch of environmental toys and see what they do with them”. There can be some suggested approaches, but they’re probably not the be-all-end-all

copper mesa Nov 1, 2023, 1:52 PM

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Gonna be writing up unique characters for The Vestans to match the elites in combats 3, 4 and 5

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Will post them here for those that wanna make use of them

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They'll be simple though, just personalities to role-playing to make those combats spicier

copper mesa Nov 2, 2023, 2:28 PM

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Forgot to post them, oops, I had my session yesterday and it went swell. Surprisingly though, 6 structure yoinked out of players in total

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They learned a hard lesson, grouping up is bad

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Bombard continues to be the number one painful teacher

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Ckuster munitions kept getting proc

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Sad

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But still, in terms of remix, they spent a short rest, traveled, met trapped civilians under car (one pilot used Investigate to check for anything else wrong, got a 22 so they successfully managed to lift the car with no consequences), tried to get info but the civviex were too scared

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And now they moved into Downtown because "WE GOTTA GET OUR BOY GARCIA BACK"

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They also all decided that the gameplam was to go downtown, get Garcia, and then head to FOB Saber

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I wonder how it's gonna be dealing with 4 remaining encounters on a full rest, though

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I told them that they'll be rewarded exotics per node they clear before arriving in FOB, though

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Guess it's a manner of seeing how much they can sustain after Downtown encounter

stable thicket Nov 2, 2023, 2:48 PM

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copper mesa They also all decided that the gameplam was to go downtown, get Garcia, and then...

This, right here, is why I love open-ended game structures

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The players are in the driver's seat of the adventure, making decisions that matter

stable thicket Nov 2, 2023, 2:52 PM

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copper mesa But still, in terms of remix, they spent a short rest, traveled, met trapped civ...

Was the civvie too scared as the result of a roll, or just due to how the PCs presented themselves? I admit my instinct is to use a successful narrative encounter as an opportunity to feed the players some intel, whether that's something from the revelation list, or a valuable rumor, or perhaps some sort of scouting related to a future combat

copper mesa Nov 2, 2023, 2:57 PM

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It's how the PCs presented themselves, the one who rolled successfully and took charge was an NHP with horrible social skills. They blasted their robotic loud speaker, their mech looks scary enough and as such, i figured I'd have the civilians run off scared

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I intended to have them stick around for others, but I figured it was interestingly enough here. They'll be meeting with Garcia soon enough anyway, so he'll be helping out give Intel on the situation

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As well interacting with some of the civilians on the bus as such

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As soon it landed on the civilian encounter, I humbly figured I'd have them able to mention how they were just on their way to the evac bunkers

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But I thought it was neat to have my player's silly anti social nhp trait play Into their actions

stable thicket Nov 2, 2023, 3:06 PM

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That's rad!

copper mesa Nov 2, 2023, 3:06 PM

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They're that pill fellow I've posted here before

nocturne basin Nov 2, 2023, 4:10 PM

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copper mesa I told them that they'll be rewarded exotics per node they clear before arriving...

You can also make it clear that they don’t have to necessarily long rest immediately at FOB Saber; they can still explore a bit before coming back for a nap

copper mesa Nov 2, 2023, 4:11 PM

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Oh, yeah, I should reassure on that too

nocturne basin Nov 2, 2023, 4:11 PM

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Like how i would run it is they don’t get the exotics until they finish the full repair

copper mesa Nov 2, 2023, 4:12 PM

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Gotcha then

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Will do when I return next wednesday

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My new players are loving it though

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But one of them got stunned from structure, then slowed by the support

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Sniff

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Felt bad but they accepted it. They enjoyed doing a Exposed -> 12 damage assault rifle combo

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So felt like that made up for it haha

copper mesa Nov 3, 2023, 6:59 PM

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sometimes im hit hard by how ridiculous my lancer pilots are compared to the rio grande crew https://i.imgur.com/JsF9oWx.png

Imgur

brave forum Nov 4, 2023, 12:36 AM

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@nocturne basin do you have a blank version of the Nov Elysia map? I don't think I see it on your blog.

nocturne basin Nov 4, 2023, 12:37 AM

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brave forum <@151414024003649537> do you have a blank version of the Nov Elysia map? I don't...

I do but not on hand, check me on Sunday?

brave forum Nov 4, 2023, 12:42 AM

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sounds good

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for now I've got the fully noded-out one as a placeholder

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yay!

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I'm looking at a much more limited roster for the Vestans than the train lightning remix, opening fight will feature only NPCs with no options, and then subsequent fights will add some that do have options. Does 7 npcs (not including rainmaker & kiros) seem like enough to fill out the 6 fights?

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forgive the cringe designations... it's on purpose, I swear

stable thicket Nov 4, 2023, 12:55 AM

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Embrace the cringe

brave forum Nov 4, 2023, 12:57 AM

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going for an "are we the baddies?" vibe for the vestan sovereignty

nocturne basin Nov 4, 2023, 3:29 AM

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brave forum for now I've got the fully noded-out one as a placeholder

nocturne basin Nov 4, 2023, 3:29 AM

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brave forum for now I've got the fully noded-out one as a placeholder

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These are the best I have at the moment

brave forum Nov 4, 2023, 3:46 AM

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top works for me

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I'll cut out some water

copper mesa Nov 8, 2023, 11:44 PM

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and just like that, look both ways done

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players are EXHAUSTED and are so giddy and happy about FOB Saber

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like they are defs immersed

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fun stuff

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now i wonder, how much info to drop on nodes here? i'm guessing i'll just tell about harbor and residence

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i do wanna leave the kiros node for last, but my players have done full rest, and they didn't do the downtown node

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how does this point crawler exactly? does it officially end after ending kiros?

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or is it intended to end after clearing all nodes?

brave forum Nov 9, 2023, 12:31 AM

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A pointcrawl is a model used for navigation, it doesn't necessarily require you to end the session anywhere. It's usually paired with some kind of ongoing clock or a set of events that develop. I'm not sure what @nocturne basin is thinking, but in this case I would have Kiros's defeat end the whole thing, but give consequences to the various nodes that were failed and/or weren't attempted.

nocturne basin Nov 9, 2023, 12:32 AM

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copper mesa how does this point crawler exactly? does it officially end after ending kiros?

I went over the victory conditions right? Rescue Bannerjee and Farris

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Do so before 36 hours pass

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I suppose I didn’t make it super clear that Bannerjee’s at node 6 and Farris is at node 5

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 12:33 AM

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oh no, that's fair

nocturne basin Nov 9, 2023, 12:34 AM

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Get them back to the Rio grande and you win

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If that means Kiros lives, he lives

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 12:34 AM

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though, considering how in my campaign i've turned some elites into actual Furies' participants, i'll likely lead into having any non-attempted nodes have consequences left

nocturne basin Nov 9, 2023, 12:34 AM

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https://tenor.com/view/rocky-iv-dolph-lundgren-captain-ivan-drago-if-he-dies-he-dies-dies-gif-4956349

Tenor

nocturne basin Nov 9, 2023, 12:34 AM

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copper mesa though, considering how in my campaign i've turned some elites into actual Furie...

I like this tbh

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 12:35 AM

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nocturne basin Nov 9, 2023, 12:35 AM

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Because then it means that cutting off the head doesn’t spell the end

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 12:35 AM

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i am very certain right now that my players are not gonna be able to do all nodes

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4 nodes open, and they're taking the full rest atm

nocturne basin Nov 9, 2023, 12:35 AM

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That’s ok

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They don’t have to

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 12:35 AM

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yeah of course

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my original intent of having kiros node be unlocked only after node 4 and 5 were completed may be thrown out the window

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and just unlock it once they have farris from the submarine (if they go for it)

nocturne basin Nov 9, 2023, 12:36 AM

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Yeah honestly

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Tbh Im mostly planning to just say “Kiros is in the vicinity of area 6”

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 12:37 AM

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any fun little rewards for the farris node?

nocturne basin Nov 9, 2023, 12:37 AM

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None that I’ve thought of yet, besides “here’s some useful Intel”

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Go wild

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Reclaim the waterways

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 12:38 AM

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honestly off the top my head is just another bombardment reserve

nocturne basin Nov 9, 2023, 12:41 AM

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I’d probably try to have something reflect in the reinforcements tbh

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Like in my personal game

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Because by cutting off the submarine and taking control of the harbor (and nearby river mouth) that means that the primary attack vector and escape vector for the Vestans is cutoff

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Seeing as I’ve been floating “retreat” rules maybe I’d say that their supply lines are cut off and now all damage they take is permanent (the NPCs can’t repair their mechs anymore)

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Alternatively, they can’t stabilize anymore

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 12:45 AM

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that's a good idea

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also this moment was funny

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so after the players traveled to downtown and met with garcia

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garcia was giving a rundown of the situation, explaining how he's spent his time after crash landing helping LSA forces escort civilian drops to the bunkers

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and all that time 3 of the lancers were gushing over garcia

#

#

it is very in character to be praising garcia in such a way, since one of the pilots is a clone rescued from a seccomm planet by union, so they owe their life to the union

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but its just so funny

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#

the pilot in question

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oh yeah, before heading to fob saber, players ran into a lost kid and the most mentally unstable character was forced to act to deal with the kid and it was a nice character development moment since they connected in a way

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tomorrow i'm gonna focus on writing down some downtime notes, and then finish writing up all the furies vestan peeps for each encounter and post em here as promised

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just keeping short and sweet

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oops lmao

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this is THE WRONG ONE ITS UNFINISHED

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https://i.imgur.com/JJNrS7L.png

Imgur

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okay heres the proper written one lmao

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this one is for the rainmaker on combat 3

brave forum Nov 9, 2023, 1:22 AM

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nice, love the name

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I don't think they give Kiros a callsign in Solstice Rain (maybe I just conveniently forgot) so I'm calling him Cronus.

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@copper mesa are you using the original Solstice Rain opfor?

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I was building my new one trying to get the 2x Struct / 1.5x Act, and noticed that the Solstice Rain module doesn't really follow that.

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 8:06 AM

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brave forum <@87994125059620864> are you using the original Solstice Rain opfor?

following remixed's combat balance

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so far its been really good and nice, very simple and easy to use

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 9:43 AM

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also, due to the nature of me liking to go overboard, I'm gonna turn Kiros' self-erasure into a 3d6 self-destruct

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the operator's self-erasure trait is sooooo underwhelming and i want this guy to go off with a proper nice bang

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my reasoning: i got too silly https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/760966283545673730/1171369010261139497/pw_nuke_boom.mp4?ex=655c6d67&is=6549f867&hm=0932b78a1f26d6f7479fde86bd9c543babb9d75ea5d86e53b326e13d2475f806&

▶ Play video

drifting moat Nov 9, 2023, 9:49 AM

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yoooo thats really cool!

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I'm still getting used to Foundry and all its systems, but the fact that you can script that sorta stuff is really cool

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 10:09 AM

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I'm overkill like that lmao

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You can do a lot of snazzy effects in your games

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There's huge libraries of effects, that one I just made it myself

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And used on top other ones for the crater

drifting moat Nov 9, 2023, 10:17 AM

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I did see them start layering over each other yeah

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I might try to do something similar when my game reaches Kiros, we've only done session 1 of Solstice Rain so far I have time

drifting moat Nov 9, 2023, 10:36 AM

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Actually that reminds me to ask, sorry if I should be asking in the gm corner instead but are there any general things and tips I should be keeping in mind?

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 11:07 AM

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like, for lancer in general, or tabletop rules?

drifting moat Nov 9, 2023, 11:35 AM

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Lancer, I've seen some general stuff like the activation/unit budget but this ruleset is quite different to 5e which is most of our experience.

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 11:47 AM

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brave forum I was building my new one trying to get the 2x Struct / 1.5x Act, and noticed th...

well right away this is the right mindset

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there's an excel sheet that claculates this stuff automatically, so you can balance your own encounters

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Overall, just follow that 1.5x activations, but don't make it a definitive hard rule. You can always drop one extra one as reinforcement as players push through, because remember, players can deal A LOT of damage

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#gm-corner is definitely the better place to ask though, they can give you a heap tons of info if you just ask the same question

drifting moat Nov 9, 2023, 12:11 PM

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copper mesa there's an excel sheet that claculates this stuff automatically, so you can bala...

I must have missed that, gonna have to take a look when I get back from worm tomorrow. Thanks!

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 12:12 PM

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The worms

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One question, I'm thinking of including a friendly LSA sniper to get as reinforcement for FOB Saber

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One time use in any encounter

nocturne basin Nov 9, 2023, 1:24 PM

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Sounds like a cool thing to include, but what’s your question

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 1:25 PM

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Oh forgot lol

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Uhhh just wanted to know how to go about it. Is it a reserve that they choose when to use, or should it just apply to the next encounter they choose to do?

nocturne basin Nov 9, 2023, 1:27 PM

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copper mesa Uhhh just wanted to know how to go about it. Is it a reserve that they choose wh...

What do you think?

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Like I can give you my opinion left and right but you know your table better than I do

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 1:45 PM

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I just wanna know if it's too much of a clutch, I guess?

unborn forge Nov 9, 2023, 1:55 PM

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All my players knew about the operator's self destruct ability beforehand and one of them had even played the module before so it didn't do much.

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gotta send a horde of operator telefrag grunts at them

nocturne basin Nov 9, 2023, 1:55 PM

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copper mesa I just wanna know if it's too much of a clutch, I guess?

Having an NPC buddy for one fight seems fine to me

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Also depends on whether it’s a reward for something they did, or if it’s just a freebie

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Doesn’t really change the power but it does change the feeling of what gets rewarded

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 1:58 PM

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Understood

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 1:58 PM

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unborn forge All my players knew about the operator's self destruct ability beforehand and on...

I will absolutely turn self erasure into a self destruct roll

stable thicket Nov 9, 2023, 2:59 PM

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Also, reserves are supposed to be good. I think it's fine for them to be a bit overpowered for a combat, it's a reward for something cool they did

copper mesa Nov 9, 2023, 3:09 PM

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trim fossil Nov 10, 2023, 1:38 AM

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I might be missing something but I'm seeing an LCP for the module on Comp/Con that directs to the itch.io site. I bought the module, but I don't see an lcp. Am I missing something?

tardy karma Nov 10, 2023, 1:43 AM

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trim fossil I might be missing something but I'm seeing an LCP for the module on Comp/Con th...

It's under 'demo' on itch.io

copper mesa Nov 11, 2023, 6:54 PM

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just wanna be clarified on one thing, but the H5 cover on top of the H3 submarine means that the H5 cover is, in reality, H8?

pulsar rivet Nov 11, 2023, 6:55 PM

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So this isn't really the post to ask general questions about solstice rain maps

copper mesa Nov 11, 2023, 6:55 PM

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augh

pulsar rivet Nov 11, 2023, 6:55 PM

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but no, it is height 5

copper mesa Nov 11, 2023, 6:56 PM

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understood, i was in doubt since in clear the air, buildings are height 5, but the cover on top of it is height 1

pulsar rivet Nov 11, 2023, 6:56 PM

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Understandable

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if you need some help visualizing it

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its meant to be size 2 cover on top of a height 3 terrain

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if that helps

copper mesa Nov 11, 2023, 6:56 PM

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yeah yeah i geddit it

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thank you lots

copper mesa Nov 11, 2023, 7:15 PM

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also, i figure i'd post these here since once i'm done with solstice rain i'll make it all public, but here's the two sessions so far, currently uploading session 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5tcIMDTHQQ https://youtu.be/qdrpMx1wivY

YouTube

Fluffypaws, The Fluffy Pawed

[Lancer RPG] Solstice Rain "Remixed": Session 1 (25/10/2023)

this is me running solstice rain remixed (https://trainlightning.com/solstice-rain-remix/) turning the linear missions of solstice rain into a point-crawler!! featuring 3 newcomers to tabletop rpg games, 1 veteran to tabletops but new to lancer and 1 veteran who's part of my other ongoing lancer campaign, ENJOYYYY

i tried my best to edit this t...

▶ Play video

YouTube

Fluffypaws, The Fluffy Pawed

[Lancer RPG] Solstice Rain "Remixed": Session 2 (01/11/2023)

unedited raw footage this time around since its just combat wrapup, wowza, good combat and introduction of the map!

▶ Play video

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only if curious anyway haha

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still wanna talk valk tons for the remixed and everyone else here for the ideas

brave forum Nov 11, 2023, 7:15 PM

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oh my goodness the vfx

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my computer would melt

copper mesa Nov 11, 2023, 7:16 PM

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the wonders of having players with good pcs...

brave forum Nov 11, 2023, 7:16 PM

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how do you get those nice hex-shaped tokens for the enemy mechs? did you make them?

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when I put mine on the map it's hard to see them

copper mesa Nov 11, 2023, 7:16 PM

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its a module, hex token size support

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something like that, lemme find it

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https://foundryvtt.com/packages/hex-size-support/

Hex Token Size Support | Foundry Virtual Tabletop

Hex Token Size Support, an Add-on Module for Foundry Virtual Tabletop

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here

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it allows you to give it a background, outline and offset the art as well

brave forum Nov 11, 2023, 7:18 PM

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oh hell yes

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I've been manually offsetting the art to make it look more centered

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its such a pain

copper mesa Nov 11, 2023, 7:18 PM

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damn

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for how long

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hopefully not that long

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i recommend reading over #lancer-vtt , it has a pinned guide on recommended lancer modules

brave forum Nov 11, 2023, 7:19 PM

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_>

copper mesa Nov 11, 2023, 7:20 PM

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its okay... ive been there

drifting moat Nov 12, 2023, 12:57 AM

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copper mesa also, i figure i'd post these here since once i'm done with solstice rain i'll m...

Still in the middle of the first session but I gotta say you did a really good job! The edits you did to the map really make it pop and it sounds like the players had a really good time. Seeing this Gives me ideas already for how to enhance my Solstice Rain game

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Sorry for asking if it already has been, but what modules are you using? The token stat overlay for example looks really good.

copper mesa Nov 12, 2023, 1:36 AM

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oh wow youre actually watching it? haha oh gosh i feel embarrassed 😩

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and yeah this session is for 4 new players, 1 isnt

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the module is this one, specifically this branch that includes the name on the tooltip https://github.com/msprijatelj/token-tooltip-alt

GitHub

GitHub - msprijatelj/token-tooltip-alt: A module that adds a toolti...

A module that adds a tooltip next to the currently hovered token to show some useful information for players and DMs. - GitHub - msprijatelj/token-tooltip-alt: A module that adds a tooltip next to ...

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https://github.com/Kuenaimaku/lancer-tta-configs#tta-config-2

GitHub

GitHub - Kuenaimaku/lancer-tta-configs: A community repository of T...

A community repository of Token Tooltip Alt configs for the FoundryVTT Lancer System. - GitHub - Kuenaimaku/lancer-tta-configs: A community repository of Token Tooltip Alt configs for the FoundryVT...

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and this config

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here's the third session that finished uploading https://youtu.be/OMIdGspjoE4

YouTube

Fluffypaws, The Fluffy Pawed

[Lancer RPG] Solstice Rain "Remixed": Session 3 (08/11/2023)

meeting up with garcia and a full-blown encounter done all in one session, wowza! finally arrived at FOB Saber

▶ Play video

dapper python Nov 12, 2023, 9:27 AM

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copper mesa oh wow youre actually watching it? haha oh gosh i feel embarrassed 😩

I watch bits of any runs I can find to learn from their setups and how they handle each session. I like a lot of what you do in the fx department - was that turn start cut-in macro shared here or did you make it yourself?

copper mesa Nov 12, 2023, 10:42 AM

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The banner that pops up? That's a module

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https://github.com/hiddenkrypt/LancerCombatBanner

GitHub

GitHub - hiddenkrypt/LancerCombatBanner: Foundry Module that adds a...

Foundry Module that adds a visual display whenever the turn changes, tuned for LANCER. - GitHub - hiddenkrypt/LancerCombatBanner: Foundry Module that adds a visual display whenever the turn changes...

copper mesa Nov 12, 2023, 10:44 AM

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dapper python I watch bits of any runs I can find to learn from their setups and how they hand...

I'm assuming you mean this

alpine nimbus Nov 12, 2023, 11:19 AM

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copper mesa oh wow youre actually watching it? haha oh gosh i feel embarrassed 😩

Watched it too, really great stuff.

copper mesa Nov 12, 2023, 11:27 AM

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Flush

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Yall too kind, our next session is on Wednesday and that'll be their downtime plus start of a new mission

dapper python Nov 12, 2023, 8:24 PM

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copper mesa I'm assuming you mean this

didn't realize this was a thing, thank you! I assumed it was your work just because of how nice everything else you made looked

copper mesa Nov 12, 2023, 8:25 PM

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daw thank you, i wouldnt make my game look that nice if it wasnt for all the work people put into foundryvtt

brave forum Nov 12, 2023, 8:40 PM

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@nocturne basin went back over the remix notes and I don't see this: how do you plan on recontextualizing the kiros fight with bannerjee?

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the original has him as (the equivalent of) a proactive node, attacking before the PCs extract, but if he's instead a static node holding on to bannerjee, the PCs will need to seek him out

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I'm also not sure how to justify the Hall of the Consuls, but then making the fight among (I think) shipping containers

nocturne basin Nov 12, 2023, 8:45 PM

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I’ll probably be liberal with my interpretation of the map

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I haven’t completely hammered it out yet tbf

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But I was waffling between “Kiros already has Bannerjee” and “Kiros’s squad hunts down the players after they rescue Bannerjee”

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Hell depending on the time of day, it could be either

brave forum Nov 12, 2023, 8:51 PM

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I'm really liking the visuals of the containers, and Kiros surprise-attacking the players

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I think I'm going to try and do Hall of the Consuls as a ground op

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and then "surprise! did you check the revelations?"

copper mesa Nov 12, 2023, 9:11 PM

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it's been mentioned before here, but my current idea for the node is that when the players approach it, they hear shots and booms before a LSA van turns over and crashes with radio chatter, before finally kiros reveals himself

limpid pawn Nov 13, 2023, 1:37 PM

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I'm taking the surprise attack route, but that's becuase I'm foreshadowing the furies very early as NPCs the PCs interact with and get insights about

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I gotta make a sound for the laser

brave forum Nov 13, 2023, 10:14 PM

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nearly ready for thursday! procedures & tables are transcribed so I can roll them easily

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opening fiction is all I have left (I think)

copper mesa Nov 13, 2023, 10:18 PM

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very nice

alpine nimbus Nov 13, 2023, 11:00 PM

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Really well organised.

rich fjord Nov 14, 2023, 2:11 AM

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Infinitely more organized than my notes.

brave forum Nov 14, 2023, 10:03 PM

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@nocturne basin question for you about timekeeping

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You've got it written down that clearing a node takes 1hr and resting takes 1hr. I assume if someone clears a node & rests after, that's all within the same hour?

nocturne basin Nov 14, 2023, 10:05 PM

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Actually, I assume they would each take an hour, for a total of 2 hours

brave forum Nov 14, 2023, 10:05 PM

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ooooh

nocturne basin Nov 14, 2023, 10:05 PM

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do what feels good to you though

brave forum Nov 14, 2023, 10:05 PM

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I was doing envelope math and I think everything can be cleared in 25 hours if players are fast, so adding ~5 hours to that pushes the timeline closer to the 36

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which I like

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players asked for the campaign to be hard so... enjoy stressing about time my bros

copper mesa Nov 14, 2023, 10:09 PM

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been going that way too, its 11 am, but after resting it'll be 9 pm

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which is neat, i can have the next encounters be at night

#

with some nice rain for it

#

then likely have the kiros encounter and stuff be at dawn

copper mesa Nov 15, 2023, 10:01 AM

#

got da session tonight, though, since its gonna be encounter encounter 3, 4 or 5 at night, anybody up for handing some music recommendations that could fit?

#

actually just for encounter 3 and 4, 5 i already got sorted that fits well enough day/night

#

but im a bit unsure on the songs i picked for 3 and 4

encounter 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLqhF2wswYk
encounter 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRSy5O0LDAE

YouTube

Ham

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon OST - White Devil

Track 4/13 - Disc 2/3
From the soundtrack of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon.

By: Keiki Kobayashi and the Project ACES team.

▶ Play video

YouTube

Hypochrisy 117

Halo: Reach Unreleased Music - "Inbound Imminent"

Heard during ONI: Sword Base when you are fighting the Covenant at Airview Base.

Music composed by Martin O'Donnell & Michael Salvatori.

▶ Play video

#

i would like to hear your own personal picks for these encounters errrrrm

#

sorry if its a bit out of topic for this channel

alpine nimbus Nov 15, 2023, 11:53 AM

#

copper mesa i would like to hear your own personal picks for these encounters <:errrrrm:1023...

It's not the Fall I used https://youtu.be/iIiOuydfkkM as a choatic "In the middle of chaos" vibe
We did Look both ways as the skill checks
Downpour I used https://youtu.be/GQ4Bg8TD4Ek?si=dvEx3rHM2p0jAltZ as a "showdown with Tyfonas and Bullfrog" kinda feel
Clear the air I used https://youtu.be/cDOSghFCDuA as a rising tension and heroic feel after everyone finally loaded up their mechs at Saber and came out guns blazing
Leviathan I haven't run yet but I have Magic spear from Ace combat 7 ready. For the daring rescue
Wake the Furies I plan to use Kings from Project Wingman for the "final showdown" vibe

I'm pretty new so haven't found a particular style yet but I do like the Ace Combat and Project Wingman OST's personally.

YouTube

World of Ennorion 🎶

The Battle of Asterion || Epic Sci-fi Battle Music Mix for Motivati...

Defend the New Sol Empire!

The Contingency has assaulted The New Sol Empire’s homeward of Asterion! Strike forces have landed upon the Thalassa Intelligence HQ where Kilowatt Squadron awaits. This is humanity’s last line of defense!

Epic Sci-fi Music Playlist for Work, Study, Motivation, or sparking Creativity!

Tracklist:

00:00 Release th...

▶ Play video

YouTube

Kastow

Project Wingman OST - Showdown (Extended)

▶ Play video

YouTube

Jose Pavli

Clear Skies - Jose Pavli | Project Wingman Soundtrack (2020)

♪ Music composed by Jose Pavli.
Purchase the FULL soundtrack here (Thank you!) :
https://bit.ly/36uGxkD

You would like to support me ? It's here :

♪ https://www.patreon.com/josepavli

Follow me :

►Twitter :
http://twitter.com/JosePavli

►Facebook :
http://facebook.com/JosePavli

▶ Play video

copper mesa Nov 15, 2023, 12:03 PM

#

Yeah i use a whole lotta ace combat and wingman too, for solstice rain I've been using halo 3 and reach, but I'm trying my damnest to find a song that may fit night time ops

alpine nimbus Nov 15, 2023, 12:05 PM

#

Yeah the Night time "Feel" can be hard to capture. perhaps a less hectic score with an ambient track of the distant gunfire from the city at large?

copper mesa Nov 15, 2023, 12:11 PM

#

i defs already got that gunfire going

#

but hmrhhh

#

would you say my two picks are too out there for the combats?

#

clear skies is good though but i was looking something with more rock

#

honestly i just need mroe synths i guess

alpine nimbus Nov 15, 2023, 1:06 PM

#

I have seen some synth and metal versions of the AC and PW tracks. https://www.youtube.com/@HaarasNC This guy has a number of playlists that are pretty great. I especially love the metal Magic spear and Siren Song.

YouTube

Vincent Moretto

Oh, hey! Sup mate?

New videos every week: VGM / OST remixes, original songs, unexpected covers & more!
Yep, you can use my work in your own videos (don't forget to credit me).

Welcome aboard!
\m/

#

https://youtu.be/yF1db6PMj-4?si=WGpk-JE6-oHo_9Tq

YouTube

Synthetic Mind

So it's Ace Combat 7 MAGIC SPEAR I but I couldn't synthwave-ize the...

If you like my music:

Download all my mp3 on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=44813688
IG: https://www.instagram.com/synthetic_mindz

Stuff I used:
-DAW-

• Ableton Live 10

-SYNTHS-

• Tal-U-No LX
• Waves Element
• Native Instruments Komplete A61
• Arturia Analog Lab
• U-He Diva

-GUITARS-

• Fender Strat American Std

• Line6 Heli...

▶ Play video

#

I hadn't heard White Devil before I like that one now, adding it to my list rn.

copper mesa Nov 15, 2023, 1:08 PM

#

i recommend assault horizon ost

#

lots of rock music in it

#

also damn thanks for this

#

didnt know of this channel

alpine nimbus Nov 15, 2023, 1:10 PM

#

I think music is one of the last details to add to a scene but it kinda like the icing. When it hits right it just works. I spend too long searching for ost these days.

copper mesa Nov 15, 2023, 1:13 PM

#

music for me is soooo important

#

😩

#

it really helps sell the mood of the scene

alpine nimbus Nov 15, 2023, 1:14 PM

#

100% I think it can also depend on the players, what kind of mood they are expecting. I think my gang are still like me in the "Everything is new" zone so we gotta figure that out.

copper mesa Nov 15, 2023, 1:15 PM

#

oh yeah for sure

#

none of my players played ace combat

#

or armored core

#

or anything of the sort

#

so all the tracks are the mood of the tabletop

#

analyzing a few of these synths and metals, hmhrrr i gotta listen thoroughly when i can so i can decide

#

damn you night time levels

#

and the different moods being presented

alpine nimbus Nov 15, 2023, 1:18 PM

#

Yeah Night themes I'm not sure how to capture thast feel. I'll take a look around.

limpid pawn Nov 15, 2023, 1:39 PM

#

I understand the answer is "you may have to just wing it" but generally speaking, would you go:

gauntlet sitrep with the BBEG as a commander (and his supporting squad) into a tier 0 eidolon
tier 0 eidolon into aforementioned BBEG gauntlet sitrep commander fight

#

1 makes more sense in a narritive sense and an eidolon makes for a neat final boss, but idk if there's a balance reason why would want to not do that

#

Mostly I was thinking about getting my PCs get a little heat on them for layers that have heat mechanics

copper mesa Nov 15, 2023, 2:11 PM

#

Never used an eidolon so I can't help

covert goblet Nov 15, 2023, 3:11 PM

#

copper mesa Yeah i use a whole lotta ace combat and wingman too, for solstice rain I've been...

What music and sounds did you use for the first 2 sitreps?

copper mesa Nov 15, 2023, 3:15 PM

#

covert goblet What music and sounds did you use for the first 2 sitreps?

https://youtu.be/nxAZeBwZdaQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-UAdXE4AbI

YouTube

Zaptroxix

"Transfer Orders" - Ace Combat 7

My Twitter: https://twitter.com/IgorL26

Track that plays in the 1st phase of mission 10, when you have to escort the Commander.

Composer: Keiki Kobayashi

Second Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKpYffs5TwLfosJT2QeDmZg

#AceCombat #AceCombat7#ACE7

▶ Play video

YouTube

Time Extended

Halo 3: ODST Soundtrack - We're The Desperate Measures (Extended)

Let's talk about music. https://discordapp.com/invite/wTzsktN

The original (which you can still find at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMuSDescITo) went as high as 13,000 views before it went unlisted. I'd say that this is certainly my most popular extension.

This wasn't incredibly hard to do, since Marty and company made the loops pretty str...

▶ Play video

#

transfer orders for first combat, desperate measures for second combat

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i would use more halo music, but i am horrible at looking up halo music, lots of the songs are all compiled in one track so its hard to look up the names of specific parts

brave forum Nov 15, 2023, 8:39 PM

#

limpid pawn I understand the answer is "you may have to just wing it" but generally speaking...

kiros doesn't have an NHP, does he?

tidal adder Nov 15, 2023, 8:44 PM

#

brave forum kiros doesn't have an NHP, does he?

From my understanding after reading the module all the nation states of Cressidium are significantly further behind in paracausal tech than Union so I believe neither the LSA nor the VSAF would have any access to NHPs by default.

brave forum Nov 15, 2023, 8:44 PM

#

that's also my thought

#

wondering if Engie meant to post in a different forum

tidal adder Nov 15, 2023, 8:46 PM

#

They had been talking about using the eidolon mechanics for a big act 3 final fight further up in the thread, but I'm unsure if that fight is narratively going to be an actual eidolon 🤷

brave forum Nov 15, 2023, 8:47 PM

#

ahh

brave forum Nov 15, 2023, 8:47 PM

#

limpid pawn I understand the answer is "you may have to just wing it" but generally speaking...

my understanding of eidolons is that they're meant to be a super duper definitely final boss fight

#

so I would prioritize a structure that puts the eidolon at the end

limpid pawn Nov 15, 2023, 8:56 PM

#

Okay so context: I'm doing some heavy rewrites

#

Tartarus is a paracausal device, the activation of which goes very poorly (either through PC sabotage or because it's a bad machine inspired by a stupid idea and made by fascists).

#

It failing unleashes something that is mechanically an eidolon but is not actually an eidolon. It's just [unspecified paracausal phenomenon].

#

I'm thinking about combat order because I saw some actual play against an eidolon and the party clapped it. The GM randomly threw an ultra in to try and make it entertaining.

hallow wagon Nov 15, 2023, 10:36 PM

#

Exotic Ultra with Realspace Extrusion

#

maybe a Bastion with Fearless Defender

limpid pawn Nov 15, 2023, 11:30 PM

#

I was thinking something with drones/funnels/bits

copper mesa Nov 15, 2023, 11:51 PM

#

session 4 went nice and that was the first downtime, fob saber was neat and lots of goodies done, as for rewards though, i've rethought a bit of the node rewards considering how my players went to fob saber first before the train depot

node 3 now gives the dropship to any node in 1 hour
node 4 gives the additional allied sniper LSA sniper for next combat

#

node 5 rewards i am unsure of atm, i'd like to give a nice reward for rescuing farris but unsure how

brave forum Nov 16, 2023, 12:02 AM

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ooh those are great

#

I really dislike the module's teddy bear reward

#

I don't want to blow up this teddy bear to protect my mech wtf

nocturne basin Nov 16, 2023, 12:08 AM

#

copper mesa node 5 rewards i am unsure of atm, i'd like to give a nice reward for rescuing f...

Scan info on the Furies/ways to get an advantage on combat 6?

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 12:11 AM

#

brave forum I don't want to blow up this teddy bear to protect my mech wtf

you dont gotta blow it up you just clutch it nicely

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 12:11 AM

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nocturne basin Scan info on the Furies/ways to get an advantage on combat 6?

perhaps 1 less structure on a enemy of choice?

#

which would equal to "weak point"

nocturne basin Nov 16, 2023, 12:12 AM

#

Maybe? Could work

#

I think that the enemies will fold quickly enough as is though

#

I’d rather reward them in a way that isn’t “you deal damage to them”

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 12:13 AM

#

hmm

nocturne basin Nov 16, 2023, 12:13 AM

#

But that’s my preferred

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 12:13 AM

#

maybe just lock-on applied to all enemies?

nocturne basin Nov 16, 2023, 12:14 AM

#

I was gonna say “you know how to bait them into a bad position and get the drop on them”

#

Maybe get a “surprise round” where the surprised side suffers from Brace Downside for their first turns

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 12:17 AM

#

that definitely can work then

#

feel like it takes a bit away of the badass intro of the vestans but i like the reward

nocturne basin Nov 16, 2023, 12:18 AM

#

Yeah I realized that as I wrote it down lol

#

It would feel better if they had been haranguing the party more directly this entire time

#

“Oh how the turntables” and such

#

Alternatively, a psych profile on Kiros that they can leverage over open comms

#

By using it, they can taunt Kiros as an [action of your choice] and he immediately starts trying to focus them down

#

Maybe with a free/quick action accompanied by an appropriate Pilot Trigger

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 12:25 AM

#

thats really good too sure

#

yeahhh

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also damn valk the operation winter scar

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yowza now i wonder how to incorporate some stuff

#

i skimmed a bit and theres some interesting things on it that can actually mesh well with the point crawler and story changes

limpid pawn Nov 16, 2023, 12:30 AM

#

I just saw the news and now I'm conflicted

nocturne basin Nov 16, 2023, 12:30 AM

#

I haven’t read it yet, and part of me wants to hold off until I’m done with the remix

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 12:32 AM

#

it's still a draft

#

but even then the remix can flow very nicely into it

#

as it is right now, too

limpid pawn Nov 16, 2023, 12:32 AM

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Mine can't 🙃

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 12:32 AM

#

you just do your own thing silly!

#

nothin obligates you to do the actual first party sequel thingy

limpid pawn Nov 16, 2023, 12:33 AM

#

I was gonna say "now it feels like fanfiction" but like

#

it kinda was fanfiction

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 12:33 AM

#

lol

brave forum Nov 16, 2023, 12:34 AM

#

the bit about tartarus makes me want to pre-seed it

nocturne basin Nov 16, 2023, 12:48 AM

#

my take is: definitely do so

limpid pawn Nov 16, 2023, 12:52 AM

#

yeah, it definitely seems like seeding the idea of tartarus as a thing is good

#

just not specifically what the thing is

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 10:44 AM

#

one of the things that i may take advantage of is due to the elites in my solstice rain being named vestan 33 elites is winter scar spoilers ||perhaps rename one to be the resistance leader in winter scar, and have that one evacuate in combat, perhaps. direct continuation sort of deal||

limpid pawn Nov 16, 2023, 1:43 PM

#

I may use that one new setpiece NPC or something like it.

brave forum Nov 16, 2023, 2:45 PM

#

copper mesa one of the things that i may take advantage of is due to the elites in my solsti...

foreshadowing the name ||Batos Rezmira|| could be cool

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 2:48 PM

#

Definitely

brave forum Nov 16, 2023, 4:12 PM

#

@copper mesa would you be willing to share the list of SOU33 pilot names you're using? I'm going to put Senka Sartre in my mission.

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:14 PM

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oh for sure

#

brave forum Nov 16, 2023, 4:14 PM

#

beautiful, thank you

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:15 PM

#

i was actually right now writing up the rest

#

also while i did say i'd likely include a certain someone, i think i'll do it for the mission bridging the gap between sr and winter scar

#

probably more fitting to introduce that character there

brave forum Nov 16, 2023, 4:17 PM

#

I'm putting them in a prologue negotiation scene (not sure if that was an idea from you or someone else) with a couple other named furies

#

have them basically as cover while Kiros & other SOU33 members are prepping for the coup; I'm mostly going to have em say something anthrochauvinist, try and get a PC to start a fistfight with them, and then have them get kicked out

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:19 PM

#

oh? like a whole narrative scene involving the players on negotiaons or so?

#

that's an interest take

#

my prologue was just kiros announcing on radio the assault but that's it haha

brave forum Nov 16, 2023, 4:23 PM

#

copper mesa oh? like a whole narrative scene involving the players on negotiaons or so?

yeah I forget who mentioned it here, but I really liked the idea

#

setting the scene on the ship, then the players go to ground and do some RP where they're waiting for Kiros who never arrives, but some other Furies are in the room and try to pick a fight with them

#

Bannerjee decides to start w/o Kiros, excuses everyone, and goes to meet with the Vestan & LSA representatives himself. The Vestans split and a few minutes later the fighting starts.

covert goblet Nov 16, 2023, 4:30 PM

#

copper mesa oh for sure

Are your notes directly in foundry or do you use something like Obsidian, Legendkeeper, etc?

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:30 PM

#

i use notion, actually

#

i like notion because its online and free, so i do it all on the browser and navigating it is pretty simple

#

i have a lot of the stuff setup like tables so its even easier to get stuff done

#

for example, in my custom campaign, i got it like this for missions

#

but for this point crawler, its like dis

#

i put all my notes and stuff within the node itself

covert goblet Nov 16, 2023, 4:33 PM

#

For D&D I've been using the free version of Legendkeeper (because of an entire continent worth of map and points of interest). But I'm out of free worlds to create and I'm cheap so been looking for other options. Was primarily looking at either Obsidian or just good ole google docs.

#

I forgot notion was a thing

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:33 PM

#

notion is p good for a free thing

#

very customizable so you can make your own structure for data and tables

#

using markdown and stuff

#

granted, it doesnt have stuff like timelines ala Obsidian or flowcharts

#

but it's a matter of style and organization

covert goblet Nov 16, 2023, 4:34 PM

#

Yeah, I figured something like a point crawl would be pretty nice in an obsidian flowchart

limpid pawn Nov 16, 2023, 4:34 PM

#

copper mesa oh? like a whole narrative scene involving the players on negotiaons or so?

I am doing this YesYes

covert goblet Nov 16, 2023, 4:34 PM

#

Especially things like revelations lists

stable thicket Nov 16, 2023, 4:35 PM

#

LegendKeeper would be rad if it had Notion-like databases

#

Databases are the killer feature of Notion for me

#

Waiting paitiently for Datacore to release for Obsidian

limpid pawn Nov 16, 2023, 4:35 PM

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Furies are gonna drop little things like "Kiros lets us get the fun toys" (handheld ship-class laser canon)

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:36 PM

#

yeah really the biggest part for notion for me is just, databases

#

but also it being always online

#

i can't trust myself having obsidian being on my local pc even if i have 0 risk of it exploding lol

#

but when we're talking about, my entire story and so on

#

i defs want it forever on the internet

stable thicket Nov 16, 2023, 4:36 PM

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You can set up Obsidian to sync to a cloud server

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:36 PM

#

aint that paid?

stable thicket Nov 16, 2023, 4:37 PM

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There are free options

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The paid version is just the built-in version

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:37 PM

#

oh

#

ah i kno wwhat you mean

covert goblet Nov 16, 2023, 4:37 PM

#

stable thicket LegendKeeper would be rad if it had Notion-like databases

Agreed, I unfortunately started with Legendkeeper as my version of Forgotten Realms and got it super bloated and it's what I have now. At least there is import functionality into Foundry through a 3rd part mod.

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:38 PM

#

ehh, i guess i can consider obsidian for another time

#

it doesnt have notion-like databases though, right?

stable thicket Nov 16, 2023, 4:38 PM

#

My biggest hangup on Notion is specifically that it's online only and I don't own my notes

#

But it's currently the best tool out there for me

#

So meh

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:38 PM

#

curses

stable thicket Nov 16, 2023, 4:38 PM

#

Anyway -- sorry for derailing the topic

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:38 PM

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nah its fine

#

in the end, everybody got their own preferred way of taking notes

covert goblet Nov 16, 2023, 4:39 PM

#

@stable thicket you wouldn't happen to be the dodgepong of the Netrunner persuasion from the mid 2010s?

stable thicket Nov 16, 2023, 4:39 PM

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aye

#

what's up netrunners

covert goblet Nov 16, 2023, 4:39 PM

#

Heh, small world

#

I was part of the Colorado crew and later the Wisconsin crew

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:41 PM

#

small world...

stable thicket Nov 16, 2023, 4:41 PM

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Sweet!

covert goblet Nov 16, 2023, 4:43 PM

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That's awesome! I haven't really played since the final "official" worlds under FFG.

/end derail

#

Session 0 for my Solstice Rain the week after Thanksgiving. Newbies to Lancer, but TTRPG vets. Using @nocturne basin's blog as inspiration along with some of the other content in this thread inspired by @copper mesa and @stable thicket.

stable thicket Nov 16, 2023, 4:47 PM

#

Hell yeah

#

Man I need to work on my blog posts

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:47 PM

#

sounds hella good then

#

i did run valk's remix for 4 new lancer players and 2 ttrpg newcomers

#

and they been lovin' how i been running it

stable thicket Nov 16, 2023, 4:48 PM

#

The whole remix?

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:48 PM

#

oh no no not finished yet haha

stable thicket Nov 16, 2023, 4:48 PM

#

Gotcha

#

Glad to hear it's working well

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:48 PM

#

yesterday was FOB saber, so just downtime and roleplay

covert goblet Nov 16, 2023, 4:48 PM

#

I'll probably leave the optionals on as they really....really....want to start at LL2. I'm pretty used to using complicated statblocks for 5E (MM sucks, use Conflux-Creatures, MCDM, or Kobold) and making some kooky things for BitD so should be okay to wrap my head around it..

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:48 PM

#

yeowch

#

optionals =/= difficulty just so you know

#

you can keep them off as needed

stable thicket Nov 16, 2023, 4:49 PM

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So they're appreciating the amount of choices they get to make in terms of which objectives to engage with and how to approach the overall mission?

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:49 PM

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yeppers

nocturne basin Nov 16, 2023, 4:49 PM

#

bless up

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:49 PM

#

from FOB saber, now to the train depot to take out the anti air

#

because they know, as i told them, that getting the anti air off gives them the dropship to any node in 1 turn

#

so they wanna use that dropship to go to the harbor

#

from there, not sure what happens for their plans

#

the train depot is the first elite fight for them, no reinforcements, but we'll see how it goes

#

i told them that they can get a npc ally for combat if they did combat 4

#

which would be theeeee jamming thing

#

so really, my players are valuing time over actual resources

nocturne basin Nov 16, 2023, 4:51 PM

#

well this is fascinating then haha

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 4:52 PM

#

by calculations, they'll have plenty of time to spare

#

i'm not sure to reveal node 6 when they finish the anti air raid

#

likely just gonna keep the reveal of node 6 for combat 4 and 5

#

i think they also just really notice at how LONG it takes to move around the militarized zones

#

so they may just be avoiding that for now by going to the train depot

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 5:28 PM

#

gonna post here the remaining elites now

#

## CALLSIGN - “KRATOS”

## Personality

Sadistic and downright crazy, Bertrand is known for her cruel and merciless ways of taking down her enemies in the dark. Earning the rank of “Executor” among the Vestans, she has always been forced to “hold back” due to how brutal she is whenever in combat.

Due to the uprising, she has promised to put herself to the very best. It has brought those she goes into battle with great worry.

## Tactics - Elite Assassin

Simple and straightforward, like any Assassin, she will go for the weakest member and whoever is more vulnerable. If for some reason things start to go awry, she will become frustrated, but not entirely berserk. She is still a professional and a soldier, as much as a sadist she is.

#

## CALLSIGN - “**HEPHAESTUS**”

## Personality

Karda has a laid-back but professional attitude during combat, there’s no reason for him to panic when his entire task is setting defenses and helping his allies in holding the front. He will absolutely take the hits no matter how hard they are.

Being apart of the Furies comes with being cunning, strong and brave, but Karda sticks out for being anything, but that. He genuienly cares about his companions in war, and whilst not having as strong of a view like others, he just believes that he is fighting for the right cause and that the coup will do better for the future of Cressidium.

## Tactics - Elite Barricade

Karda, like his personality, cares about others and will act like a proper Defender. He will setup barricades where needed to give more cover to his allies while also blocking the path of his enemies. Applying their slow and conditions, he’ll always do it to make sure his allies can shine. Like a Defender, he will push to put himself between his allies and enemies. He knows the risks, and he won’t die scared, but he knows he’ll die protecting his companions.

#

## CALLSIGN - “ARGUS”

## Personality

Jasmin is the leader of the operation managing the Vestan submarine used for the amphibious attack, highly respected as a Major ranking in the Furies. He is calm and collected after serving years being experienced in controlling and managing troops over various transport operations.

Though, when an objective is set in stone, Jasmin will follow it, no matter the cost. The task of maintaining the submarine and effective as a transport for troops, whilst also used for interrogating Farris, means that he will do anything to make sure that the lancers don’t even attempt to board the vehicle.

## Tactics - Commander Scout

Jasmin will always focus hard on whoever is the greatest threat to the submarine, focusing down on whoever is closest with its locking-on. The other abilities. He will not leave the submarine at all, even if completely out of range from anything, but he will support his fellow allies if he can when they’re in range.

#

## CALLSIGN - “TITHONUS”

## Personality

Kiros’ second in command. Just like Kiros, he will die for his beliefs and going into battle with Kiros brings him no greater honor. For that, he makes sure to follow Kiros orders to the last meticulous detail. In terms of personality however, like mentioned, he’s like Kiros: a zealot and maverick.

Very much active and aggressive, only the close second high-risk mech pilot to Kiros as he will swing and dash around the air to provide support onto Kiros, demoralizing and demotivating the enemies as he shows the true combined power of the Furies.

## Tactics - Elite Hornet

Nicolas’ personality shines in combat as he will berate and insult the lancers when applying its various debuffs. Whilst normally a mech of his type should maintain distance and remain as “covert” as possible, Nicolas will make sure that his target knows that he’s being marked for death. Zipping around, focusing on whoever Kiros is focused on, or simply annoying others who are not currently engaged with Kiros.

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there's all of em

covert goblet Nov 16, 2023, 7:37 PM

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@copper mesa I'm not finding the other elites/veteran/ commanders in my thread search. Did you include "MEGAERA", "TISIPHONE", and "ALECTO"? I see a few others depending on number of players. I think you covered some of these, but for some reason my thread search is bad:

Combat 3:
Elite or Elite/Commander Sentinel
Elite Rainmaker

Combat 4:
Veteran Mirage
Veteran Demolisher

Combat 5:
Veteran Pyro ("ALECTO" ?)

Combat 6:
Elite Hive ("MEGAERA"?)
Ultra or Ultra/Commander Operator ("TISIPHONE"?)
Veteran Pyro ("ALECTO"?)

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 7:39 PM

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It's apart of the remix combat lineup

brave forum Nov 16, 2023, 7:39 PM

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https://trainlightning.com/solstice-rain-combat-lineup/

Train Lightning

Valkyrion

The Solstice Rain Combat Lineup - Train Lightning

Explaining my process and reasoning as I make my personal revisions to the Operation Solstice Rain combat lineup.

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 7:40 PM

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Which has a complet rebalance of the encounters

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Yeah

covert goblet Nov 16, 2023, 7:40 PM

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Ohhhhh, gotcha

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Thanks!

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Wait, sorry, I may still be missing something, but the remix doesn't list any callsigns, hence my confusion when you said "remaining elites" since the remix. So when you say "remaining elites" I took that to imply that there were callsigns for the other veterans/elites as well, but that does not appear to be the case from my read of this thread or the remix.

copper mesa Nov 16, 2023, 7:49 PM

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I gave em my own callsigns haha

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All elites written that I posted have callsigns

limpid pawn Nov 17, 2023, 12:41 AM

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I'm reading winter scar now and you know what? So far?

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Hasn't effected my narritive changes that I've revealed to my players at all

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The opening scene of it is almost identical to what I had planned, except ||union is deliberating on if they're going to intervene instead of them having to convince the captain that they should intervene||.

limpid pawn Nov 17, 2023, 1:03 AM

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Oh my god literally everything works.

copper mesa Nov 17, 2023, 1:15 AM

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Oh yeah, been meaning to ask, any neat stuff to keep in mind when roleplaying Kiros?

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I kinda wanna have more contextual stuff to throw at my players during shittalking and so on

limpid pawn Nov 17, 2023, 1:20 AM

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Kiros is literally "sir not appearing in this film" in acts 2 and 3 for me. They just talk a lot of game about him and he was supposed to reveal himself then once I got a feel for what kinda villian the party might like.

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Now I'm guessing I'll be able to find a character I can just slide him into on the other side to make him a proper BBEG

copper mesa Nov 17, 2023, 9:03 AM

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https://youtu.be/VDNpxZpo0CA

YouTube

Fluffypaws, The Fluffy Pawed

[Lancer RPG] Solstice Rain "Remixed": Session 4 (15/11/2023)

roleplay, downtime, FOB saber shenanigans, lots of cool stuff before heading back on out

▶ Play video

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May as well post em, it's just downtime roleplay

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I'm expecting that it'll end on session 7, I think we'll be able to do all of this encounter in one go, and then players will either go to the harbor like their original plan, or likely go to the residences

copper mesa Nov 17, 2023, 9:29 AM

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Mayhap session 8 if they push to do all encounters. I don't expect them to do the last 4 nodes, even with all the help they'll get through reserves

limpid pawn Nov 17, 2023, 4:17 PM

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Feeling much better after finishing off reading Winter Scar. I can make it work with what I've got for the most part and without changing anything very much at all.

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I think my main things are ||tuncating the timeline of events|| and ||no NHPs for cressidium because I am not making this an NHP story.||

brave forum Nov 17, 2023, 9:42 PM

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first session done - absolutely brutal

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I said they could retreat w/o the omnihook; nope, not interested in that. One of them took a 9-heat overcharge & burned their core power to take out 3 enemies on the last turn of the last round, scraping out a 1-point win on the holdout.

stable thicket Nov 17, 2023, 9:57 PM

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Whew

brave forum Nov 17, 2023, 9:59 PM

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the end of the session went:

Player A: This is much harder than a normal fight, isn't it?
Me: Yes, but Player B asked for it to be harder.
Player B: Did I do that?
Player C: Yes, you did it after I asked for the game to be easy.
Player B: Hmm that does seems like something I would do

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so I think I'm going to dial back the next fights a bit 🙂

copper mesa Nov 17, 2023, 10:03 PM

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haha

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i guess i can suggest making combat 2 into the skill challenge

limpid pawn Nov 19, 2023, 3:17 PM

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A fun SR to Winter Scar bridging idea for if the party manages to stop the sub in Combat 5 ||The sub is captured by the LSA and can be used as an asset of some kind against the VS through reverse engineering or w/e||

unborn forge Nov 19, 2023, 3:18 PM

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My player mentioned wanting to do that and I thought it was neat but I think they lost interest, idk

limpid pawn Nov 19, 2023, 3:29 PM

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Alternatively, have the furies blow up the sub when they arrive

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Honestly that seems more in character

alpine nimbus Nov 19, 2023, 7:30 PM

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Yeah the Furies are looking to "Clean Up" so destroying the Sub and anything onboard seems kinda like them I think.

limpid pawn Nov 20, 2023, 1:52 AM

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Or "timetable says it's time to confirm the sub is load- oh well now what do we have here"

limpid pawn Nov 21, 2023, 2:06 AM

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In more reading of December Scar, I now have a decent explanation for why, in a scenario where The Furies are a separate entity from Kiros and the frame with the short-cycle lance dies, it can show up again ||in the final combat as Kiros returns if he wasn't killed.||

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The answer is that, when that pilot goes to use it, they simply say "Megaera sends her regards."

copper mesa Nov 21, 2023, 9:59 AM

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That is cute

limpid pawn Nov 22, 2023, 9:27 PM

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She may end up having a grand total of 3 lines of dialogue total but let me tell you I'm gonna enjoy all of them.

copper mesa Nov 23, 2023, 3:19 PM

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completely forgot to say so, but yesterday had combat 3 done

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for a deathmatch, it's likely going to end about round 4, is it expected?

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the melee player took the flank route, i dismissively put two grunts 4 spaces away from each other and that player used initiative to boost in and move, swing superheavy, and kill both grunt sentinels right away

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and ther ewas

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A LOT OF CRITS

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😭

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my players would not stop critting, i'm serious, i think that's why it went so quickly

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elite commander sentinel died from direct hit structure on their second struc roll

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and the rainmaker is grappled and stuck versus the melee player, who has dodged the superheavy slam down due to reflexes

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just the rainmaker, specter and seeder alive now

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we had to stop early-ish, but i'm pretty sure next week the combat ends with that remaining round

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just wanna know if its normal for a team deathmatch comp like this to end so quickly? is it because of the crits and the fact the grutns didnt get to do anything?

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lmk valk of your opinion, since you designed the encounter after all

nocturne basin Nov 23, 2023, 3:44 PM

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copper mesa lmk valk of your opinion, since you designed the encounter after all

Lol when I ran this combat for some LL2s they got so many lucky hits to start that I then introduced some extra enemies that then took too long to kill

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This is honestly expected, that the enemies get wiped

copper mesa Nov 23, 2023, 3:45 PM

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yeah i guess its hard to gauge balance when my players were critting non-stop

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even my brutal 3 player got 2 nat 20s

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back to back

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😭

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with their aux cannons

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nuts

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i think i only structured... twice?

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not sure, but my players took barely any damage

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still, dam

nocturne basin Nov 23, 2023, 3:48 PM

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Yeah no if they sweep let em sweep imo

copper mesa Nov 23, 2023, 3:48 PM

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though, my melee player popped core power

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everest

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after this combat, they said they're going to the harbor

nocturne basin Nov 23, 2023, 3:49 PM

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Hell yeah

copper mesa Nov 23, 2023, 3:49 PM

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combat 5

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after that, i'll reveal the kiros node

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and see where they go next

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i'm thinking for that combat to have an extended narrative skill checks for getting in and out the submarine

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something like dealing with the soldiers inside, defuse the hostage situation in whatever way, and finally getting farris out

nocturne basin Nov 23, 2023, 4:37 PM

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copper mesa elite commander sentinel died from direct hit structure on their second struc ro...

I’ll say this: I’d definitely use Maria’s structure/stress rules to prevent early enemy death (and anticlimactic PC mech destruction) if you aren’t already

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I believe I was using my own alternative test rules at the time, that had Always System Trauma on every structure check

copper mesa Nov 23, 2023, 4:39 PM

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tell me more

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i never heard of this

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TinselNoting

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and it wasn't much of a big deal for losing him that quickly

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the player did the killing blow with the anti material rifle

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rolled a solid 10 damage

nocturne basin Nov 23, 2023, 4:45 PM

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copper mesa i never heard of this

#1062222891342647366 Check this project out for the alt structure/stress rules

copper mesa Nov 23, 2023, 4:49 PM

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oh, that's interesting

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hmm

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i'm not sure, yeeooowch, maybe? it'd be a pain in the butt for my players and i'd need to reset it up on foundry

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and i have no clue how i'd set it up in foundry automated

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since yknow, when it happens, foundry automatically tells

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i guess you don't know how to go about it

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and i'm assuming the answer is just "do it manual"

nocturne basin Nov 23, 2023, 4:56 PM

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copper mesa i guess you don't know how to go about it

The solution is just substitute the results since they’re one to one

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It’s mostly just the Direct Hit results that get changed anyway

copper mesa Nov 23, 2023, 4:57 PM

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yeah, i know, it's just automation and the text in chat may wonky

#Solstice Rain Remixed

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