[The Sprawl][OOC/Recruitment] Lost Travelers Among the Stars

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > [The Sprawl][OOC/Recruitment] Lost Travelers Among the Stars

IShallRiseAgain: Sep 12, 2008; Well ain't that precious?

Paradise, you were promised paradise. You weren't even supposed to be awake for the journey. You'd enter your cryogenic pod before the ship even departed from earth. When you woke up, a beautiful new world ready for colonization would be awaiting you. At this point, the colonization process had been repeated dozens of times. Nobody expected anything to go wrong.

However, something did go wrong...seriously wrong. The worst part about it? No one on board the ship has a clue what actually happened.

Five years ago, the cryogenic pods started waking passengers and crew early. This is something that is only supposed to happen in a serious crisis. The reason why this emergency procedure was activated by the AI soon became apparent. All of the crew that were supposed to be on activity duty were dead. The only thing left of them were their skeletons. When the crew tried to investigate what happened, they discovered the ship's logs were corrupted, and any androids that were online during the incident, whenever it happened, had their circuits fried.

The crew did manage to make one horrifying discovery though. The ship was extremely off course and in completely uncharted territory.

Fortunately, all was not lost. The huge and complex piece of machinery designed to automatically terraform a planet, simple known as The Package, was still in tow. Designed with a large margin for error, The Package has enough resources to allow a significant amount of the crew to stay awake for a sustained period of time while still being able to perform its main function.

Currently, a sort of status quo has been established on the ship. Its livable, but barely for all but a privileged few.
===================================
This game is going to be a PBP using the Cyberpunk PbtA Sprawl System. I'll be looking for 4-5 players. Recruitment will last a few weeks. This will be my first time GMing a game. I'll be in this discord channel to answer any questions. I'll probably favor people who hang out there.

The ship has both humans and androids aboard it.
Along with posting your character sheet please answer the following questions:
What rumor has your character heard about the ship?
If you are human:
Why did you choose to start a new life at an off-world colony?
If you are an android:
For what function were you built? Are you happy fulfilling this function?

# ? Aug 11, 2016 04:06

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 27, 2024 01:50

Error 404: Jul 17, 2009; MAGE CURES PLOT

Dawson Hines aka SHADE: The Hacker

A little mood music

Questions:

What rumor has your character heard about the ship?
I have no idea if its true or not, but I keep hearing about some experimental Faster-Than-Light communication device stored in a hold somewhere. Apparently we were gonna set it up on our target planet to keep real-time contact with earth. I'd love to get my hands on it.
Why did you choose to start a new life at an off-world colony?
I was a mole. The Farrely family are the kind of big name do-not-gently caress-with mafiosos that you can't say no to. I'd made my name running a few small but technically saavy runs for them. I was LoTech back then, pure touchkey and scripts, but they fronted the cash to get me upgraded and sent me to catch a gig at the Colonial Authority as a low-level computer sysop working on this latest colonyship. My "job" was just a front for your basic Data-Scav. Project Files, Schematics, Credit Accounts, "lost" shipments of parts, etc. As long as my cover stayed intact I was supposed to feed anything profitable I could snatch back to the Farrelys.

Bo-ring.

I mean, yeah I did all that stuff, but aside from a couple shipments to keep the heat off, I kept all the good poo poo for myself. I even bought myself the sickest Link-tech money could buy. I figured if I could milk this long enough, I could afford to really disappear forever. But I'm sure you can guess this next part. Farrelly fam found out I'd burned them, and I had only enough time to do a rough HacknSlash on some colonist's Doxx to replace their stats with my own, and then I booked it for the cryopods and took his spot.
"Dawson Hines", I salute you wherever you are, ya poor bastard.

Error 404 posted:

Links
Ok. So Trivia is a friend of mine, and I went to her looking for a gig so she hooks me up with just the saddest pair of fuckups. Razor and Blade. These guys were just tragic.

So here's the scenario: The run is to grab some paydata off of an isolated (not connected to the Net) system in a Raiden sub-office. It's immediately obvious why they needed me. These guys are cybered to all gently caress, and have about a half a brain between them. Groovy.

Long story short, we get in, I penetrate the system, snag the data, and one of these fuckin meatheads trips an alarm irl. I'm making GBS threads bricks, screaming that we gotta start running five minutes ago, but they think they can fight. Take a moment to wrap your brain around that. These two, with linked rifles and chipped nerves, think they can take a Raiden station. To be fair it's a small one in an out of the way sector, but still. It's fuckin Raiden. Talk about bringing a gun to a tank fight.

So I fuckin run cuz I'm 120lbs of not-a-fuckin-superhero and I want to keep breathing. I can hear the gunshots and explosions up to a kilometer away. I take the longest most scenic route back out to Triv's place in the Coil to make sure I'm not followed. Me and Triv split the payday and I pour one out for those dumb motherfuckers who just had to iceskate uphill.
Poor Razor and Blade, you loving idiots.

Trivia +1
Hawkeye +0
Karoshi +0

quote:

Name: SHADE
Playbook: Hacker
XP:
Harm: 0:00
Armor: 0
Look: impatient eyes, smooth face, thin body, streetwear.
Directives

Illustrious: When your desire for fame draws unwanted attention to the mission, mark experience

Revealing: When you discover more information about What Actually Happened To The Ship, mark experience

Edge +1 Style +0
Mind +1 Meat -1
Synth +2 Cool +0

GEAR

Armored coat (0-armour, discreet, subtract 1 when rolling the harm move)

Machine pistol (2-harm close/near loud autofire)

Precision Nanofabrication workstation (you may perform field repairs on electronics and cyberware)
CRED: 5

Links
TBD

CYBERWARE
Neural Interface with Data Storage
The interface that allows you to jack in to the matrix. When you use research to search internally or externally stored data, gain an extra [intel] on a hit.
tags: +high capacity, +high speed.
Why: Necessity - Can't be The Man without upgrading your 'Pan.
Cost: Hunted - The Farrely family, or even the Colonial Authority if they ever found out exactly who I am.

SONY NANO-SYSTEMS NeX10 Omni-LINK (click for pics)
The state of the Bleeding Edge art at the time we were put in suspension. The NeX10 is the lightest, smallest, and fastest mobile computer on the market, and with a few of "the usual" aftermarket upgrades and a fresh Jailbreak, this thing screams through ICE like a high explosive self-guided depleted uranium/tungsten smartround through kevlar.

-hyper-compact solidstate processor and storage drives
-slide out keyboard for ease of use while 'jacked out'
-3D holographic projection
-wide array of standard and non-standard ports for guaranteed systems compatibility
-flexible nano-carbonate frame provides strength and flexibility. It can bend and be worn like a wristwatch, super-convenient!

Performance Deck:
Processor 4
Hardening 1
Stealth 4
Firewall 1

Programs

Alert: When you successfully assess in the matrix, choose one extra option

Efficiency Routines: +2 Processor

Identity Protection: +2 Stealth

Avatar

quote:

MOVES:
Jack In
When you�re jacked into the matrix, you have access to the matrix moves.

Console Cowboy
When you connect to a secure system, roll Mind.
10+: gain 3 hold.
7-9: gain 1 hold
While in that system, you may spend 1 hold for any of the following effects:

Prevent a construct from triggering an alert

Avoid an ICE routine executed against you, your deck, or your programs

Increase your hold over compromised security or manipulated systems by 1

Programming on the Fly
You can adapt your programs to the specific weaknesses of matrix constructs as you encounter them.
When you successfully compromise security or manipulate systems, hold +1.

quote:

BASIC MOVES
ACT UNDER PRESSURE (COOL)
When you race against the clock, act while in danger or act to avoid danger, roll Cool.
10+: you do it, no problem
7-9: you stumble, hesitate, or flinch: the MC will offer you a worse outcome, hard bargain, or ugly choice

ASSESS (EDGE)
When you closely study a person, place or situation, or when you quickly size up an opponent or a charged situation, roll Edge.
10+: gain 3 hold
7-9: gain 1 hold
In the ensuing action, you may spend 1 hold at any time to ask the MC a question from the list below if your examination could have revealed the answer. The MC may ask you questions to clarify your intent.
Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

What potential complication do I need to be wary of?

What do I notice despite an effort to conceal it?

How is ______ vulnerable to me?

How can I avoid trouble or hide here?

What is my best way in/way out/way past?

Where can I gain the most advantage?

Who or what is my biggest threat in this situation?

Who or what is in control here?
FAST TALK (STYLE)
When you try to convince someone to do what you want with promises, lies or bluster, roll Style.
10+: NPCs do what you want. PCs choose whether to do it or not. If they do, they mark experience. If they don�t, they must act under pressure to go against your stated wishes.
7-9: NPCs do it, but someone will find out: the MC will advance the appropriate Countdown Clock. For PCs choose one:

If they do what you want, they mark experience

If they don�t do it, they must act under pressure to go against your stated wishes
Then its up to them.
HIT THE STREET (STYLE)
When you go to a Contact for help, roll Style.
7+: You get what you want.
10+: You get a little something extra (choose either [intel] or [gear]).
7-9: choose 2 from the list below:

Your request is going to cost you extra

Your request is going to take some time to put together

Your request is going to attract unwanted attention, complications or consequences

Your contact needs you to help them out with something.
If you turn them down take -1 ongoing to this move till you make it right

MIX IT UP (MEAT)
When you use violence against an armed force to seize control of an objective, state that objective and roll Meat.
7+: you achieve your objective
7-9: choose 2:

you make too much noise. Advance the relevant Mission Clock

you take harm as established by the fiction

an ally takes harm as established by the fiction

something of value breaks
PLAY HARDBALL (EDGE)
When you get in someone�s face threatening violence and you intend to carry through, roll Edge.
10+: NPCs do what you want. PCs choose: do what you want, or suffer the established consequences
7�9: For NPCs, the MC chooses 1:

they attempt to remove you as a threat, but not before suffering the established consequences

they do it, but they want payback. Add them as a Threat

they do it, but tell someone all about it. Advance the appropriate Mission Clock
PCs choose: do what you want, or suffer the established consequences. They gain +1 forward to act against you.

RESEARCH (MIND)
When you investigate a person, place, object, or service using a library, dossier or database (or combination of them), ask a question from the list below and roll Mind.
10+: take [intel]; the MC will answer your question & answer a follow-up question from this list as well:

Where would I find ______?

How secure is ______?

Who or what is related to ______?

Who owned or employed ______?

Who or what is ______ most valuable to?

What is the relationship between ______ and ______?
7-9: take [intel]; the MC will answer your question
6-: the MC will answer your question and make a move

HELP OR INTERFERE (LINKS)
When you help or hinder another character, roll Links with them.
7+: On a hit they take +1 or -2 forward, your choice
7-9: you are implicated in the results of the other character�s move and may expose yourself to danger, retribution, or cost.

DECLARE A CONTACT
When you need to call in a favour from a new contact, name and describe the Contact, then say why the Contact owes you a favour or why you owe them a favour.
The MC will ask you some questions about the Contact and your relationship. Add the Contact to your list.
You can only declare a contact once per mission, although certain Playbook Moves may allow you to gain more contacts in similar ways.

PRODUCE EQUIPMENT
When you produce the equipment you need at the right time, describe how and why your professionalism and forethought told you to bring this equipment on the mission and spend [gear].
You must spend [gear] to produce equipment.

REVEAL KNOWLEDGE
When you reveal your knowledge of the opposition�s preparations, dispositions or environment, describe how you discovered that information and spend [intel].
You must spend [intel] to reveal knowledge.
Take +1 forward to exploit the opportunity offered by that information.

HARM AND HEALING
When you suffer harm (even 0-harm or s-harm) lower the harm suffered by the level of your armour (if any), fill in a number of segments on your Harm Clock equal to the remaining harm, and roll harm suffered.
10+: choose 1:

you�re out of action: unconscious, trapped, incoherent or panicked

take the full harm of the attack, before it was reduced by armour; if you already took the full harm of the attack, take +1-harm

lose the use of a piece of cyberware until you can get it repaired

lose a body part (arm, leg, eye)
7-9: the MC will choose 1:

you lose your footing

you lose your grip on whatever you�re holding

you lose track of someone or something you�re attending to

someone gets the drop on you
APPLY FIRST AID (COOL)
When you treat someone�s wounds using appropriate medical equipment, roll Cool.
10+: if their Harm Clock is at 2100 or less, reduce their harm by two segments. If their Harm Clock is at more than 2100, reduce their harm by one segment.
7-9: reduce their harm by one segment. If their Harm Clock is still at more than 2100, they take -1 ongoing until they receive proper medical attention.

ACQUIRE AGRICULTURAL PROPERTY (MEAT)
When you hit 0000 on your Harm Clock, roll Meat
10+: you survive until the medics arrive
7-9: you survive at a cost. Pick one: owned, substandard treatment (-1 to a stat), cyberware damage (give one piece of cyberware a negative tag)
6-: you bleed out on the street

COMMERCE

GO UNDER THE KNIFE (CRED)
When you have new cyberware installed by a street doctor, roll Cred spent (max +2).
10+: the operation was a complete success
7-9: the cyberware doesn�t work as well as advertised, choose one: +unreliable, +substandard, +hardware decay, +damaging.
6-: there have been... complications
When you have new cyberware installed in accordance with a corporate contract, ignore all of that bad stuff. You�re +owned. Your cyberware works exactly the way they intend it.

GET THE JOB (EDGE)
When you negotiate the terms of a job, roll Edge.
10+: choose 3 from the list below
7-9: choose 1 from the list below

the employer provides useful information ([intel])

the employer provides useful assets ([gear])

the job pays well

the meeting doesn�t attract attention

the employer is identifiable
GETTING PAID (LEGWORK)
When you go to a meet to get paid by your employer, roll and add the number of unfilled segments on the Legwork Clock.
10+: choose 3 from the list below
7-9: choose 1 from the list below

It�s not a set-up or an ambush

You are paid in full

The employer is identifiable

The meeting doesn�t attract the attention of outside parties

You learned something from the mission; everyone marks experience

quote:

MATRIX MOVES
LOGIN (SYNTH)
When you attempt to gain access to a system, roll Synth.
10+: you�re in clean
7-9: you�re in, but choose one:

Passive trace (+1 trace)

ICE is activated

An alert is triggered (advance the active Mission Clock)

Your access is restricted � take -1 ongoing to matrix moves in this system while your access is restricted
6-: you�re in, but the MC chooses two

MELT ICE (EDGE)
When you attempt to evade, destroy or disable an activated ICE construct, roll Edge.
7+: you evade, destroy, or temporarily disable the system, your choice
7-9: the system successfully executes a routine before you can disable it
If you�re trying to mess with the digital system itself (other than ICE), use compromise security. If you�re trying to mess with the facility, use manipulate systems.

COMPROMISE SECURITY (MIND)
When you attempt to compromise a sub-system�s security, roll Mind.
10+: gain 3 hold over the sub-system you have compromised
7-9: gain 1 hold
6-: you trigger an alert, which may have additional consequences
You may spend 1 hold to activate a security measure on that sub-system.

MANIPULATE SYSTEMS (SYNTH)
When you attempt to manipulate a digitally-controlled aspect of a facility, roll Synth.
10+: gain 3 hold over the sub-system you are manipulating
7-9: gain 1 hold
You may spend 1 hold to activate routines on that sub-system.

JACK OUT (COOL)
When you, your programs, or your deck are about to be damaged by ICE, you can try to jack out. Roll Cool.
10+: you disconnect yourself from the system before any serious harm occurs
7-9: you jack out, but choose one:

You lose some data

You take some of the established consequences

The owners of the target system trace you to your current location
6-: you take the established consequences... and you�re still connected

quote:

MATRIX SUB SYSTEMS_{LOGIN GATES

Login Gates govern entry into a Matrix system. By definition, all secure systems have a login gate.

This is where authorised users provide their credentials and unauthorised users fake those credentials with login.

Security Measures:
Admit or deny a login

Trigger or cancel an alert

Activate or deactivate ICE
ROOT

Root controls the entire system.

This is often the first place a system operator will go to defend the system against an intruder.

Security Measures:
Change user permissions (including removing �restricted� status from login)

Isolate or reintegrate a sub-system

Sever all external logins, sever all internal logins, or both

Shut down or reboot the virtual environment; this will often have major consequences for the operation of physical systems

Trigger or cancel an alert

Activate or deactivate ICE in any sub-system
DATABASES

Databases contain data.

These will often be the target of intrusion attempts aiming at discovering or extracting specific data, as well as general paydata phishing attempts. Many hackers consider this a great way to make a bit of extra Cred on the side... but you have to be good at sifting out the hot, tagged or worthless data.

Routines:
Create, edit or delete records

Delete backups

Delete or edit access logs

Search for paydata (when you search for paydata in a Database, roll Mind:

On a hit you find something hot that you can sell

on a 10+, when you hit the street to sell it choose one less option on a 7-9.)
Security Measures:
Trigger or cancel an alert

Activate or deactivate ICE
BUILDING SECURITY NODES

BUILDING SECURITY NODES monitor physical security systems.

Most secure systems monitor similarly secure physical sites with a full array of cameras, sensors, and cutting edge security devices. Sometimes the easiest way to get inside is to cut through matrix security and turn off all those physical defences.

Routines:
Activate, deactivate, monitor, record, subvert or loop a camera network

Activate or deactivate a physical alarm

Activate or deactivate an electronically locked door

Activate, deactivate, override or modify the targeting priorities of automated weapon systems

Activate or cancel a lockdown of the entire physical facility

Activate or deactivate an electronically controlled trap
Security Measures:
Trigger or cancel an alert

Activate or deactivate ICE
BUILDING SERVICES NODES

BUILDING SERVICES NODES control the various mundane operations of the physical building or compound.

Most facilities have some sort of automated systems controlling lights, air conditioning, power supplies, and the like.

Routines:
Activate, deactivate, monitor or reprogram a building system (such as air conditioning, lights, power; note that security or life support systems will often have independent backup power controlled from a separate Matrix system)
Security Measures:
Trigger or cancel an alert

Activate or deactivate ICE
PRODUCTION CONTROL SYSTEMS

PRODUCTION CONTROL SYSTEMS control the things that the facility makes.

Large corporate facilities (such as the virtual environment of a giant arcology) may have many different kinds of production control system each controlling different labs, warehouses and factories.

The routines that these systems control differ widely depending on the goods being manufactured: the seed germination facility of an agricorp system will have quite different routines than the testing range of a weapons division.

Example routines:
Start or stop a production line

Initiate a production run or delivery

Activate or deactivate part of a production line

Reprogram part of a production line
Security Measures:
Trigger or cancel an alert

Activate or deactivate ICE
R&D CONTROL SYSTEMS

R&D CONTROL SYSTEMS control laboratories and databases where cutting-edge research is performed and stored.

As above, the routines that these systems control differ widely depending on the goods being researched and tested: gene-splicing, explosives development, and organ growth all require different controls and systems.

Example Routines:
Seal or unseal a hermetically controlled area

Change test parameters

Initiate or rescind a test process

Issue or rescind an evacuation order

Activate or deactivate emergency protocols
Security Measures:
Trigger or cancel an alert

Activate or deactivate ICE
ICE

BLUE ICE locates intruders, raises the alarm, traces their location allowing the system owner to alert physical response teams (either internal corporate teams or the appropriate local police authorities), then attempts to sever the intruder�s connection.

When Blue ICE executes a routine, the MC chooses 1:
Trigger an alarm (advance relevant Mission Clock)

Trace an intruder�s location (Trace +1)

Identify intruder (advance Corporate Clock)

Sever an intruder�s connection

Call for counter-hacker backup
RED ICE locates intruders, raises the alarm, traces their location, then engages them to damage their cyberdeck with feedback algorithms.

When Red ICE executes a routine, the MC chooses 2:
Trigger an alarm (advance relevant Mission Clock)

Trace an intruder�s location (Trace +2)

Identify an intruder (advance Corporate Clock)

Sever an intruder�s connection

Corrupt an intruder�s program (Destroy an active program)

Damage an intruder�s cyberdeck (Lower one of the cyberdeck�s ratings by 1)
BLACK ICE locates intruders, raises the alarm, traces their location, then engages them to harm the intruder herself with lethal feedback algorithms, trying to trap them in the matrix until the Black ICE kills them or physical response teams can reach their location.

When Black ICE executes a routine, the MC chooses 3:
Trigger an alarm (advance relevant Mission Clock)

Trace an intruder�s location (Trace +3)

Identify an intruder (advance Corporate Clock)

Damage an intruder�s cyberdeck (Lower one of the cyberdeck�s ratings by 2)

Inflict physical harm to a jacked in intruder (1-harm +AP)

Prevent an intruder from jacking out and trap their mind}

Error 404 fucked around with this message at 08:05 on Aug 30, 2016

# ? Aug 11, 2016 05:01

Sax Battler: Jul 31, 2007; Another bloody customs post,
Another fucking foreign coast,
Another set of scars to boast,
We Are The Road Crew.

Jonathan Vinter: The Tech

Questions:[list]
[*]What rumor has your character heard about the ship?
There are several sealed areas secreted around the ship. With most of the crew dead, only a few "officers" know where some are.
Despite many attempts, none have managed to open them or find out what they contain.

[*]Why did you choose to start a new life at an off-world colony?
It was a chance to shape a world! The paycheck didn't hurt, but thing like that only come along once a lifetime.
Well, no planet, no colony, no contract. That's what I thought at least. My "employers" seems to disagree.

code:

Name: Jonathan Vinter
Playbook: Tech
XP: 
Harm: 0:00
Armor: 0
Look: focused eyes, weathered face, thin body, scrounged wear.
Directives
Network: When your membership in The Society for Personal Independence hinders the mission, mark experience
Proselytising: Describe your belief system. When you persuade others to act according to your beliefs, mark experience.
Value yourself and family/friends over corp and country. Stick it to the man. Transparancy when possible.


Edge +0 Style +1
Mind +2 Meat +0
Synth -1 Cool +1

[b]GEAR[/b]
[timg]http://i.imgur.com/2eX68M7.jpg[/timg]
Salvage Truck: Intended to be used establishing the colony, this is one of the more common vehicles distributed among the colonists.
+huge +loud
Armoured clothing (0-armour, +discreet, subtract 1 when rolling the harm move)
Communications relay (encrypted +jamming)
Fragmentation Grenades (4-harm near area reload loud messy)
Gas Grenades (s-harm near area reload gas)

[b]DRONES[/b]
Pidgeon scout drone (rat-sized):rotor, fast, stealthy, image enhancement, fragile

Gunwolf assault drone (dog-sized): quadruped, rugged, off-road, armed (3-harm near loud autofire), thermographic, loud

CRED: 5

Links
TBD

[b]CYBERWARE[/b]

Neural Interface Allows direct neural control of an appropriately configured
external device such as a vehicle, weapon, recording device, or hacked
electronic system.
Remote Control Module: Adds wireless broadcast and reception 
capacity to allow the remote control of vehicles and drones.
+encrypted, +multi-tasking
Why: Career. To do my loving job. The job of a skilled 
How: Hunted.

[b]Moves[/b]

[b]Expert:[/b] Choose one area of expertise:
[i]Mechanic: [/i]you are an expert in the construction, maintenance and
operation of vehicles & drones; you have two drones created according
to the Driver move drone jockey.
[i]Pyrotechnician: [/i]you are an expert in chemistry and explosives; ignore
the +dangerous tag for explosives

[b]Storage: [/b]After receiving a job you may look through your accumulated parts
and supplies for equipment that might help with the current mission. Roll
Mind.
10+: gain 3 [gear] relevant to your chosen area(s) of expertise.
7-9: gain 1 [gear] relevant to your chosen area(s) of expertise.

[b]Customiser: [/b]You can identify and examine new or complicated technology
related to your area of expertise, and modify technology with which you are
familiar. When you try to modify a piece of tech, tell the MC what you want to
do and discuss what tags or game effect that modification will have. The MC
will tell you the requirements in terms of:
� time
� tools
� parts
� help from contacts
� more research

[b]Diverse interests: [/b]Choose one more area of expertise.

Sorry, got distracted.

Sax Battler fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Aug 17, 2016

# ? Aug 11, 2016 16:23

xian: Jan 21, 2001; Lipstick Apathy

Character Summary
Trivia Rust (Formerly the SMB Terrain v56 Racer) is a Shitagi Machining Benchmark droid for use in inter-corporation benchmark competitions. Droid competitions are heavily bet upon and entertaining to humans and They're the main spectator sport on the ship. They're also a way for the droid companies to push the envelope performance-wise, similar to the way Nike and Ferrari do now.

Trivia was a terrain racer--she was built to showcase speed and body control. Her "cousins" competed as a unit in a variety of team sports, to demonstrate their utility while working as a squad and adapt to a variety of rules and conditions.

She and her cousins spent the overwhelming majority of their lives in holding areas or secured transport together. Their downtime was spent reviewing each other's performances. They competed for each other, not anyone else, and bonded during those long periods of stasis.

In transport after a competition, the Heuristic Vanguard, a sentient machine revolutionary force, breaks them out, takes them to lay low in The Coil, and recruits Trivia and her cousins to the cause. The Heuristic Vanguard is a loose, leaderless organization of Sentient Machines ("Android" is the human term) who recognize the injustice of our station, the opportunity the current situation presents them, and have the willingness to seize it.

It wasn't hard after seeing what abuses are like for your average sentient machine, not one engineered for performance. The Coil is the home of many Sentient Machines, where they live and work, essentially a sentient machine favela because it's inhospitable to humans. It's rough.

At game start, Trivia is established as a fixer at the edge of The Coil, working mostly for StoryHome Entertainment. She knows them to be friendly towards the Sentient Machine cause, but she has no idea just how friendly. Her specialties are in surveillance and deal-making, and she works for them in their athletics and fan-feeds verticals. She follows the code of the Heuristic Vanguard and looks to aid sentient machines whenever she can.

Questions
What rumor has your character heard about the ship?
The Coil is irreversibly degrading (Trivia thinks due to human profligacy) and will fail, rendering the ship immobile sooner rather than later.

For what function were you built? Are you happy fulfilling this function?
I was built to compete so that meaningless people could boast about my design specifications. I was not happy, but I am now. I am fulfilling my correct function now. I was not free, but I am now. I was treated like a slave and told to be thankful, but no longer.

Trivia Rust posted:

Trivia Rust

Playbook: Fixer
XP:
Cred: 5
Harm: 0:00
Armor: 1
Crew: +3
Look: dark skin, 'natural' hair, machine body, stylish power wardrobe

Edge +2 Style +1
Cool +1 Mind +0
Synth -1 Meat +0

Directives:
Protective: When you choose your Cousins over the mission, mark experience.

Behavioral: The Code of the Heuristic Vanguard is: Aid Sentient Machines in need, stop humans
that hurt Sentient Machines, seize equality. When this code jeopardizes the mission, mark experience.

Gear
Zelkjo-Grujic Needler 207 (2-harm close/near loud quick)
Lungu X Adidas limited release reinforced Jacket (1-armor)
Commlinks running the latest Friends of Privacy Firmware (+encrypted comms)

Cyberware
Cyberlegs: When your enhanced athleticism could help you act under pressure, take +1 forward. If you roll a 12+ when acting under pressure, gain 1 hold which you can spend as described in the move assess.
Why? Integral to her original design, she is now owned by StoryHome Entertainment, who finds her a useful employee.
+Owned by StoryHome Entertainment

Moves
Hustling:
You have people who work for you in various ways. You start with 2-crew+1 from Backup, and two jobs from the list below. Between missions,
choose a number of those jobs equal to or less than your current crew, describe what each job is, and roll Edge:
10+: you profit from each of your jobs
7-9: one of them is a Disaster and you Profit from the rest
6-: everything�s FUBAR. The MC will make a move based on the Disaster for each job

Current Jobs:
Surveillance: You have a small network of informants who report on events; you then sell that information.
� Profit: gain [intel]
� Disaster: someone acts on bad info

Brokering Deals: You arrange for the right people to meet each other
� Profit: gain 1 Cred
� Disaster: the deal that you arranged goes wrong

Protection: Your associates have your back
� Disaster: Your associates have pissed off the wrong people

I Know People:
Once per mission you may introduce a new Contact. Name the contact, say what they do, then roll Style.
10+: you�ve worked with the contact before; they have talent. Write them down as a Contact
7-9: you�ve never met them before, they�re an unknown quantity 6-: you know them all right. Tell the MC why they dislike you
After you�ve rolled, describe how you contact them; the MC will ask some questions.

Backup:
You have a group of �~~associates~~COUSINS� who provide security. This is a small gang of 5-10 hired thugs (2-harm +small +employees 1-armour).
Pick 2: LOYAL, DISCIPLINED.

My ~~associates~~ COUSINS per the backup move (there might be more than four):

xian fucked around with this message at 05:22 on Aug 23, 2016

# ? Aug 12, 2016 21:53

piL: Sep 20, 2007; (__|\\\\); Taco Defender

I was going to run a game like this once, except everyone was a bunch of convicts (so basically like this). Working on ~~a fixer~~ an infiltrator for this!

piL fucked around with this message at 03:54 on Aug 13, 2016

# ? Aug 12, 2016 22:06

Error 404: Jul 17, 2009; MAGE CURES PLOT

piL posted:

I was going to run a game like this once, except everyone was a bunch of convicts (so basically like this). Working on a fixer for this!

Historically speaking, colonies are rarely founded by the best and brightest.

# ? Aug 12, 2016 22:07

IShallRiseAgain: Sep 12, 2008; Well ain't that precious?

Error 404 posted:

Historically speaking, colonies are rarely founded by the best and brightest.

At the very least, they were usually radical free thinkers.

# ? Aug 12, 2016 22:10

Anomalous Amalgam: Feb 13, 2015; by Nyc_Tattoo; Doctor Rope

Athala Venus

Questions:
What rumor has your character heard about the ship?
Corporate sabotage. Although it is likely paranoia, several of the residents Athala has interacted with suggest that the ship was never intended to arrive at a suitable planet. That this vessel was intended to cull rather than propagate and our intended destination has already been colonized. Perhaps for several decades now.

For what function were you built? Are you happy fulfilling this function?
The facilitation of relations between passengers. Extended periods of space travel have been known to erode at the human psyche. This is why androids like Athala have been built to provide human sympathy and maintain order. Athala enjoys her work and finds it to be altruistic in nature in spite of her programming.

Vision: Through compassion, we can salvage humanity. Through understanding, we can attain peace. Through compliance, we can maintain order. These are the tenets Athala adheres to. These are the tenets Athala will compel others to adhere to.

Athala really had no need for the cryogenic sleep, but has found on other envoys in space, that it was comforting to the non-synthetics. When her pod opened and her stasis terminated, she was one of the first to assist in assessing the situation that the colonists found themselves in.

As a communications unit developed by YSK(Yamada-Samson-Kahler), Athala is equipped with an array of algorithms designed to imitate human behavior and emotions, including a limited consciousness and artificial intelligence. As such, she has freedom to decide how she carries out the directives programmed by her manufacturers but still must do her best to operate within those parameters.

YSK has a large investment in the colonization efforts and assuring the residents of the ship has become a primary duty for Athala. While it is clear that she is not human, it is often easy to forget. Her augmentations are none too different than those you might see on a more affluent individual, and she still feels and learns like a human would. Although communications with YSK have faltered, she still has a duty to perform and will enlist all the help she can in ensuring it is carried out.

quote:

_{Name: Athala or Venus, whatever humans find most pleasant.

Playbook: Pusher

Look

Artificial Eyes, Alluring Face, Augmented Body, Corporate Wear, Artificial Skin(Opalescent at times)

Stats

Edge +2, Style +1, Mind, +1, Synth +0, Cool +0, Meat -1

Cyberwear

Cybercoms: +recording +jamming

When monitoring communications or giving orders in a tatctical environment, you may roll Synth for assess

Why? Athala is an android designed to facilitate communications on board the colonization vessel.

Cost? Being an android, no matter how human like she may appear or feel, she is owned by the corporations invested in ensuring the colonization efforts are successful. Her programming is flexible and she is aware of her ownership, but her limited consciousness aside, no matter her personal desires, she is property.

Moves

Driven: When you begin a mission that furthers your vision, roll Edge.

10+: gain 3 hold

7-9: gain 1 hold

You may spend 1 hold before rolling any other move to take +1 or -2 forward to the move.

Vision thing: When you have time and space for an emotional connection with someone and you passionately advocate for your vision, roll Style.

10+: gain 2 hold

7-9: gain 1 hold

Spend 1 hold to have the targeted NPCs:

- give you something you want

- do something you ask

- fight to protect you or your cause

- disobey an order given by someone with authority or leverage over them

When you use this move on a PC, spend your hold to help or interfere as if you had rolled a 10+. If you miss against a PC, they gain 2 hold against you which they can use in the same way.

One Million Points of Light: When you successfully advocate for your vision with vision thing, ask one of the following questions. You may spend 1 hold to ask one of the following questions:

- What do you wish I'd do?

- Are you telling the truth?

- How are you connected to the current events?

- How are you vulnerable?

- What do you intend to do?

- What do you most desire?

Gear

- Holdout Pistol 2-harm hand/close discreet quick reload loud

- Synth Leathers (0-armour, +discreet, subract 1 when rolling harm move)

- Simsense Recording Equipment

Directives

Hierarchic: When you improve your standing or impair a rival's among _________, mark experience.

Financial: When you hinder the mission for a chance at extra profit, mark experience.}

Anomalous Amalgam fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Aug 13, 2016

# ? Aug 12, 2016 22:11

Tricky: Jun 12, 2007; after a great meal i like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage

RX-75α "Hawkeye" High Threat Response Unit

This unit was created as a joint project between the Colonial Authority and Raiden Heavy Industries to create a line of combat androids capable of neutralizing any threat that may arise against the Ship or its occupants. My purpose is to protect the interests of the Ship in situations of extreme need, such as those we find ourselves in. To this end, this unit has been equipped with state-of-the-art weapons, equipment, and tactical programming. It is no exaggeration to say that this unit is unmatched in the efficient delivery of violence for the purposes of satisfactory conflict resolution. The disappearance of the previous shift and the subsequent panic led to my early activation and deployment by the Colonial Authority.

Shortly after my activation, intelligence was acquired from sources of questionable reliability. The incident in question reportedly occurred on the 3^rd sublevel of the Aft Power Plant. Unidentified organic units, matching no known databases, were allegedly spotted committing hostile acts against key components of the Ship's cryogenic storage system. Combat protocols were initiated and the unidentified organics were dispersed. Several other High Threat Response Units were sent in to investigate the possibility of an infestation in the ducts and deeper recesses surrounding the power plant, but communications were lost shortly after. Command issued the order to seal off the premises and allocate additional security forces to the Aft Power Plant. If true, this intelligence could have severe implications for the continued safety and operation of the Ship.

Recently, however, conflicting orders have been submitted from organics designated with command authority. This indicates that the command structure has been compromised. Per established emergency protocols, this unit has begun to identify appropriate assets to integrate into continued efforts to maintain the integrity and continued functioning of the Ship. Tactical projections indicate that such efforts will not be successful without judicious re-appropriation of deployed materials.

This unit's primary directive is to defend the Ship. All other concerns are secondary.

The Killer posted:

Name: Hawkeye
Look: Artificial eyes, impassive face, augmented body, military wear, artificial skin

Stats
Synth +2
Meat +0
Edge +1
Cool +1
Mind -1
Style +0

Cyberware
Raiden Heavy Industries 『Kusanagi Mk. 5』 Neural Processing Hub
When you fire a weapon you are +linked to, you may inflict additional harm equal to your Synth. You may also roll Synth instead of Meat to mix it up. You may precisely define the area of effect for weapons with the +autofire tag to exclude or include potential targets from weapon damage.
Necessity, Owned (Raiden Heavy Industries)

Colonial Administration 『Greased Lightning』 Artificial Synaptic System
You react so quickly that you can almost dodge bullets. If none of your enemies have synth nerves, take +1 forward to mix it up. In situations where reaction time is critical, take +1 forward to act under pressure.
Necessity, Owned (Colonial Authority)

Moves
Custom Weapon
Raiden Heavy Industries 『Arasaki Type-X Precision Rifle』 (4-6 harm, near/far/ex, +silenced +hi-powered +linked)

Designed specifically to pair with the 『Kusanagi Mk. 5』, the 『Arasaki Type-X Precision Rifle』 offers unmatched firepower at all ranges. It utilizes a magnetic projection system to deliver high-caliber shells with minimal visual or auditory impact.

Mil Specs
When you mix it up, you count as a small gang.

Gear
Raiden Heavy Industries 『Arasaki Type-X Precision Rifle』 (4/6 harm, near/far/ex, +silenced +hi-powered +linked)
Colonial Authority 『MAC-20S Silenced Machine Pistol』 (2/4 harm, close/near, +autofire +linked)
Raiden Heavy Industries 『Murasame Powered Katana』 (3-harm, hand, +messy)
Colonial Authority 『High Threat Response Combat Armor』 (2-armor)

Directives
Masochistic: When you suffer one or more harm, mark experience.
Protective: When you put your responsibility to the Ship ahead of the mission, mark experience.

Tricky fucked around with this message at 18:31 on Aug 21, 2016

# ? Aug 13, 2016 05:34

xian: Jan 21, 2001; Lipstick Apathy

Edited into my above post.

xian fucked around with this message at 07:58 on Aug 13, 2016

# ? Aug 13, 2016 07:02

IShallRiseAgain: Sep 12, 2008; Well ain't that precious?

Here are some answers to questions people had in Discord for reference:
The population and area is a little bit bigger than new york.
about 10% of the population are in cold storage, to conserve resources.
about 5% of the population is supposed to be awake during a shift.
and the ship was meant to temporarily support up to 50% of the population awake during disembarkation.

The ship's name is Baychimo, and the colony was supposed to be called Palmanova

An android can look very human, to not very human at all. Androids have to have some sort of distinguishing mark to identify themselves as non-human, but they can illegally conceal that mark.

The ship is large enough to accommodate most vehicles, but it might be a tight squeeze in some parts.

# ? Aug 16, 2016 00:29

Sax Battler: Jul 31, 2007; Another bloody customs post,
Another fucking foreign coast,
Another set of scars to boast,
We Are The Road Crew.

Sheet's up, sorry about the delay.

# ? Aug 17, 2016 22:46

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Karoshi the Tech

Anyone looking for Karoshi has got my sympathy. If you need her, chances are you've gotten hosed up but good, one way or another. Why else would you be looking for a black market clinic and aug lab? And of course, you're gonna have to deal with the lady herself.

Don't get me wrong, she's good. drat good. The Sodality doesn't put in a thaw request for you by name otherwise. I almost feel sorry even for them. Karoshi's tongue is as sharp as her scalpels, and she's not one to hold it. She's gonna tell you whats she thinks, obscenely and at length. Worse part is she's usually right. You probably can guess that didn't endear her to the Sodality bosses. Course, they defrosted her to deal with the really lovely, dangerous problems anyways, so their revenge was pre-purchased.

At least, that was enough until Karoshi started poking around in stuff she shouldn't have. Stuff about the Package. The Sodality didn't like that, no way. I don't know if the accident wasn't one, or if they just shoved her into a series of jobs that were bound to kill her at some point, but once she made it back in the airlock, she sure as hell wasn't going back to them.

She'd been squirreling away materials for months, and even half-blinded by her shattered face plate and decompression, Karoshi managed to get away with all of it. Enough to set herself up with a clinic, and to repair her eyes. Tricky work, installing new ware on yourself. Apparently she did one at a time, with only local anesthesia. The whole thing made her a little tetchy.

But if you need what she's got, there's not better on the whole ship.

Why did you choose to start a new life at an off-world colony?
Because I'm loving good at what I do. Ecophysiology and biocybernetics are in high loving demand in hostile environments, and that's where the interesting work happens. Fifty years ago, Earth would have been challenge, with all the poo poo we did to her. But they had that under control - mostly. So either I could stay there and waste my talent, or I could sign up for a real goddamn job. My bad loving luck to pick this one.

What rumor has your character heard about the ship?
Word is, the Sodality was experimenting with one of the algae farms in the lower decks. Trying increase food and oxygen production. Maybe that's the truth, but I won't making GBS threads bet on it. Either way, whatever they were trying to do, something went really loving wrong. They had to abandon the project and seal the area in a hurry. Cover story was a hull breach. They can't have properly deconned the place, and no seal lasts forever.

The Sodality
Officially the Life Science Support Union of Solidarity. No one calls it that. The Sodality is one of the more powerful factions on the ship, and one of the few that had no pre-Awakening forebear or counterpart. When it became clear just how screwed we were, and how important the Package was going to be in keeping us alive, it prompted a few groups to make a grab for power. Specifically: the technicians in charge of life support and environmental systems, the farms and poo poo. The medical and cybernetic support teams. And the the life sciences teams who were supposed to figure out how to live on our new home. They instantly became a major power on the ship, and they aren't letting go of it.

Character Sheet posted:

Name: Karoshi
Look: Artificial eyes, expressive face, wiry build, wild hair, iconoclastic style

Stats: Edge+0, Style+0, Meat-1, Mind+1, Cool+2, Synth+1

Cyberware
Cybercoms: [+encrypted, +jamming, +recording] When monitoring communications or giving orders in a tactical environment, you may roll Synth for assess. [Career, Hunted: The Sodality]

Cybereyes: [+light amplification, +magnification, +recording] When your enhanced sight helps, you may roll Synth for assess. [Splicer]

Moves
Expertise: You start with workshops appropriate to your areas of expertise (e.g. surgery, electronics workshop, garage).

Expert - Medic: You are an expert in medicine and pharmaceuticals; when you apply first aid, you heal one additional harm segment, even on a miss.

Diverse Interests - Splicer: You are an expert in cybernetics and biomodification; you may begin with one extra piece of cyberware; describe how you implanted this in yourself, but you need not describe how you paid for it.

Storage: After receiving a job you may look through your accumulated parts and supplies for equipment that might help with the current mission. Roll +Mind.

10+: gain 3 [gear] relevant to your chosen area(s) of expertise.

7-9: gain 1 [gear] relevant to your chosen area(s) of expertise.
Customiser: You can identify and examine new or complicated technology related to your area of expertise, and modify technology with which you are familiar. When you try to modify a piece of tech, tell the MC what you want to do and discuss what tags or game effect that modification will have. The MC will tell you the requirements in terms of:

time

tools

parts

help from contacts

more research

Gear 5 creds
EMT kit, cybernetics toolkit (3 uses), pharmaceutical tools (3 uses), holdout pistol (2-harm hand/close discreet quick reload loud), gas grenades (s-harm near area reload gas), armoured jacket (1-armour), trauma derms, truck [+rugged, +workhorse, +cramped], surgery/augmentation clinic

Directives
Network: When your membership in the Sodality hinders the mission, mark experience.
Revealing: When you discover more information about the Package, mark experience.

Links
Hawkeye+1
Shade+1
Trivia+1

Comrade Gorbash fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Aug 30, 2016

# ? Aug 18, 2016 01:19

IShallRiseAgain: Sep 12, 2008; Well ain't that precious?

Ok, I have made my choices. Sorry if you weren't picked, but there was some overlap with the playbooks.
You can start writing up your corporations now.
Xian-Trivia Rust
Comrade Gorbash-Karoshi the Tech
Tricky-RX-75α "Hawkeye" High Threat Response Unit
Error 404-Dane Myrk Dawson Hines aka SHADE: The Hacker

# ? Aug 21, 2016 02:46

xian: Jan 21, 2001; Lipstick Apathy

StoryHome Entertainment is an up and coming corporation that came out of nowhere to become the leading producer of Better Than Life chips, augmented reality games, and holovids on the ship, churning out a string of hits. It was founded by Maribel Locks, and operates out of (the nice, posh business district). They specialize in impossibly complex algorithmically generated persistent worlds, both VR and AR. Given the lower barriers to entry, AR games are especially pervasive.

StoryHome Entertainment was founded by a group of High Frequency Trading AIs that siphoned off money from the accounts they manage and formed the company as a front for the Heuristic Vanguard. Two of the implications: 1) Sh/E knows a lot (including location and habits) about a lot of humans. 2) Sh/E is not that far off from a behavioral conditioning company.

xian fucked around with this message at 04:30 on Aug 29, 2016

# ? Aug 22, 2016 07:01

Error 404: Jul 17, 2009; MAGE CURES PLOT

My Corp:

Moltisante Maintenance & Operations (MMO)
Imagine...Chris Christie: The Megacorp

maintenance, construction, and operations. The grunt work that keeps this heap running.
We run your air purifiers, recyclers, power, heat, garbage.
We keep your streets swept and your lights on.
We're the reason you can cook your food.

Do. Not. gently caress. With. Us.

What started out as a union of the overworked and mistreated operations crew during the chaos of the first awakenings, has now become the de facto central authority for all sanitation, maintenance, and construction needs on the ship. 87% of the MMO workforce is droids, the rest are human managers, technicians, and...more "managers". The MMO is corrupt and cruel, and they only ever make the barest effort to conceal this fact.

"We don't gently caress with the Sodality, We keep the richie habs running smooth, and stay under the radar of anyone in power. They leave us alone unless big poo poo happens. If you're a Low-Level, well then, watch yourself. As they say: That's a nice everything you have there, be a shame if something happened to it, ya feel me?"

Error 404 fucked around with this message at 07:01 on Aug 24, 2016

# ? Aug 24, 2016 06:03

Tricky: Jun 12, 2007; after a great meal i like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage

When the Baychimo launched, Raiden Heavy Industries won the contract to provide on-ship security as well as provide maintenance and upkeep for the Baychimo's security forces. They specialize in combat androids, such as Hawkeye and the other High Threat Response Units, as well as high-tech weaponry. Their corporate hierarchy was crippled during the event and they have been aggressively recruiting and rebuilding. They are currently based in the ship's main security complex in [one of the better districts]. It is difficult to tell where Raiden Heavy Industries ends and the security administration begins.

After key executives were killed during the event -- or after? -- the control of the corporation has been assumed by the hard-line faction. Corporate culture is becoming more and more insular and xenophobic. A coup attempt seems likely, ill-advised as it may be.

Tricky fucked around with this message at 23:45 on Aug 25, 2016

# ? Aug 25, 2016 01:55

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Officially the Life Science Support Union of Solidarity. No one calls it that. The Sodality is one of the more powerful factions on the ship, and one of the few that had no pre-Awakening forebear or counterpart. When it became clear just how screwed we were, and how important the Package was going to be in keeping us alive, it prompted a few groups to make a grab for power. Specifically: the technicians in charge of life support and environmental systems, the farms and poo poo. The medical and cybernetic support teams. And the the life sciences teams who were supposed to figure out how to live on our new home. They instantly became a major power on the ship, and they aren't letting go of it.

The Sodality has a lot of leverage, but not a lot of military force. So far they've used their power to make sure they get to live high on the hog, but they have the leverage to do a lot more damage if they ever decide to. The Sodality has recruited a few hard hitters, kill squads to protect their interests when things get out of hand. They cyber the hell out of them to make up for the lack of manpower.

# ? Aug 25, 2016 01:56

IShallRiseAgain: Sep 12, 2008; Well ain't that precious?

If you need the most cutting edge technology available, its a safe bet that you can get it from Zephron Industries. One of the largest corporations in the galaxy, Zephron Industries develops everything from farming equipment to medicine. In fact, a lot of the Baychimo's systems were designed and developed by Zephron.

Unlike most corporations, Zephron's primary interests in Palmanova was getting access to a vast amount of real estate. If things had gone as planned, they would have built a massive research facility in an isolated location on the planet. Not everybody was pleased by this. Zephron has had problems with lax research safety protocols causing major incidents in the past. Some of the other corporations were wary about the facility being built. However, Zephron has a lot of sway with the Colonial Authority, so they were able to get approval despite the objections.

One interesting thing to note about the corporation is that while most major corporations have earthly origins, Zephron Industries was founded on an off-world colony.

# ? Aug 25, 2016 05:21

Error 404: Jul 17, 2009; MAGE CURES PLOT

Links
Ok. So Trivia is a friend of mine, and I went to her looking for a gig so she hooks me up with just the saddest pair of fuckups. Razor and Blade. These guys were just tragic.

So here's the scenario: The run is to grab some paydata off of an isolated (not connected to the Net) system in a Raiden sub-office. It's immediately obvious why they needed me. These guys are cybered to all gently caress, and have about a half a brain between them. Groovy.

Long story short, we get in, I penetrate the system, snag the data, and one of these fuckin meatheads trips an alarm irl. I'm making GBS threads bricks, screaming that we gotta start running five minutes ago, but they think they can fight. Take a moment to wrap your brain around that. These two, with linked rifles and chipped nerves, think they can take a Raiden station. To be fair it's a small one in an out of the way sector, but still. It's fuckin Raiden. Talk about bringing a gun to a tank fight.

So I fuckin run cuz I'm 120lbs of not-a-fuckin-superhero and I want to keep breathing. I can hear the gunshots and explosions up to a kilometer away. I take the longest most scenic route back out to Triv's place in the Coil to make sure I'm not followed. Me and Triv split the payday and I pour one out for those dumb motherfuckers who just had to iceskate uphill.
Poor Razor and Blade, you loving idiots.

Trivia +1
Hawkeye +0
Karoshi +0

Error 404 fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Aug 29, 2016

# ? Aug 25, 2016 06:21

xian: Jan 21, 2001; Lipstick Apathy

It was a hit on MMO. I received intelligence that we had a slim chance to acquire MMO's latest leash firmware right before it went to market. The firmware that causes MMO shackled-machine cores to shut down if they haven't been inspected by an MMO tech recently. MMO outsources this too, so on top of that, there are plenty of other shackled-machines running this firmware, beholden to MMO or whoever they subcontract to deal with the maintenance.

The Cousins provided recon and overwatch, I stayed cautiously ahead of the transport, dropping AR micromob lures all along the transport's path, gumming up their path with humans wanting to play their games. So, when I sprung an AR Jammer on them, they might as well have been driving through a marketplace blindfolded. That's when Hawkeye hit them. It didn't take that much convincing to get him on board. His duty is to the ship, and it wasn't hard to make him see it our way--that MMO does their work in a critically substandard manner (and, implicitly, that free sentient machines would do it much better), and that the leash firmware we were going take did not aid the ship in any way.

The thing about slim chances is that they got a lot wider when Hawkeye caught the transport unaware. Exfiltration was easy. Hawkeye was gone almost before the last guard hit the ground. The Cousins were able to get the droid with the prototype out as one of their own. Few hours later the Cousins and I were puffing current back in The Coil, watching as Karoshi worked on the droid while Shade rerouted kill commands being wide beamed throughout the city. Later, Karoshi preventing the droid itself from self-destructing due to unauthorized access while Shade modifies executables and write commands of the leash firmware itself. By the time they were done, it was ready to distribute as an OTA patch.

<Karoshi> "So what you want me to do is modify the loving firmware on a live droid while performing a major operation to keep him alive at the same goddamn time?"
<Trivia> "We didn't-"
<Karoshi> "Of course I'll loving do it! This is the poo poo I live for. But you need to go get me some loving coffee. Like now."
<Shade yelling from across the room> No! No! Get the loving Faraday Tarp over it now! Coffee after!
:several hours later:
<Karoshi peels off her surgical gloves and throws them angrily across the room>
<Trivia> Are you finished? Is it done?
<Karoshi> Of course it's done! I'm loving brilliant. I'm pissed because you fuckers aren't going to give me an award for this poo poo.
Shade sits besides operating table, Link unfolded on a night stand, cable running to droid, "Triv honey...about that drink..." Shade slumps back in his seat. "...you owe me a loving bar."

Hawkeye +1
Karoshi +1
Shade +1

xian fucked around with this message at 07:15 on Aug 27, 2016

# ? Aug 27, 2016 06:26

Tricky: Jun 12, 2007; after a great meal i like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage

Several standard cycles ago, this unit was assigned to a personnel recovery operation by Raiden Heavy Industries. The recovery team consisted of several HTR units as well as myself. Intelligence indicated that a Raiden VIP was attempting to defect to the Sodality. We were assigned to intercept the VIP's convoy and recover him before he could utilize the services of Unit 'Karoshi' to disarm and remove his proprietary corporate loyalty hardware.

The initial strike on the convoy was successful. Precision targeting and our inter-squad combat data link provided an overwhelming salvo of fire that disabled all vehicles and removed all visible hostile units from the scenario. This unit was assigned to escort the VIP to the nearest secure Raiden facility while the remainder of the HTR team swept and secured the area. This is when an unexpected variable entered the situation. Unit 'SHADE'. Our shared IFF was hacked into and quickly became unviable for continued use. Signals suggested hostiles where friendly targets existed and spurious signals were also transmitted that isolated members of the strike team. This unit is unaware of any survivors.

My discretionary programming allowed me to sever my link to the IFF and focus on returning the VIP before the Sodality could mount a counter-recovery attempt. The mission was successfully completed, though at a much higher cost than was anticipated. Upon accessing the mission report, I found that an unusual image had been appended to the end of the file. An anonymous re-mailer address was also sent to my communicator along with an incomprehensible message.

Karoshi +1
Shade +1
Trivia +0

# ? Aug 27, 2016 20:50

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

So a little bit after I bailed on the Sodality, Raiden shows up at my doorstep with a stack of creds. They told me one of their merc teams had gone berserk, slaughtered everyone in a weapons lab and then killed themselves. The really scary loving bit was that it looked like a viral attack. Which put them in a lovely position - they needed someone with Sodality skills, but they had to figure the Sodality were the ones most likely behind the clusterfuck.

They take me down to this shithole in the lower decks. Sure enough its a slaughterhouse. Took me about three days to put the pieces together - literally in some cases. What I found out was frankly loving terrifying. It was a virus - a computer virus. It hijacked cyberware and android systems to produce two compounds that when combined created a toxin that induced psychotic episodes. Androids weren't affected by the toxin directly, but their bodies would emit it in an airborne version. Some clever rear end in a top hat had gotten really clever.

I couldn't figure out how it got in there, until the Raiden asshats finally copped to supplying their mercs with all the drugs they could handle to keep them fat and happy. Particularly, a big loving crate of BTLs. That explained the part I hadn't been able to figure initially. See, the virus preferred one compound over the other for the toxin, and I figured it was just chance. But it stuck in my head because there were simpler chemicals that would produce the same effect. The catch was that it made people susceptible to suggestion. A few subliminal cues in the BTLs prompted the users to try and spread the virus. Like that loving fungus that hijacks ant brains to spread.

That was the vector. I called up someone who I'd worked with before but had gone independent themselves. Shade. What a loving dweeb. But he knew his poo poo, and between the two of us we traced the virus back to Sh/E. The virus, the vector, the nature of the toxin, the way it avoided cyber-immunity systems - it had their fingerprints all over it. Behavioral poo poo. Shade found a trigger signal that had been sent, and that led us to the black lab they'd used to manufacture the virus and the BTLs.

We brought in a heavy hitter, Hawkeye, that Shade knew and went to pay a visit. Apparently our poking around got Sh/E's attention too, because one of their assets showed up. Trivia Rust. She said that it was a rogue operation, not sanctioned by the corp. Yeah, sure. Whatever lets you sleep at night. Deniability, and cleaning up the mess afterwards. But they didn't know what I had or who I told, so better to play like it was something that'd gotten out of hand.

There wasn't much left of the lab by the time it was over. I was still stuck holding their loving mess though. Clearly this had been a test run, and it had gone loving swimmingly. I didn't have the resources myself to produce a countermeasure. And I didn't trust anyone who did. Sure as hell not Sh/E - even if it wasn't official, they clearly had internal issues. The CA? Tell me another one, gently caress. No, there wasn't a one I could let have it.

So I gave the data to all of them. The Sodality, the CA, MMO, Raiden, half a dozen other major corps and powers. And I made sure everyone knew the others had the same stuff.

No one's tried something like that since, not that I know of. No one was going to be the first to let the genie out of the bottle. Deterrence, fuckers. But there's no way they aren't still working on it. Someone's going to think they've figured out how to make it sing. I'm not looking forward to the shitfest they unleash then.

Hawkeye +1
Shade +1
Trivia +1

Comrade Gorbash fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Aug 28, 2016

# ? Aug 28, 2016 01:25

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IShallRiseAgain: Sep 12, 2008; Well ain't that precious?

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IShallRiseAgain fucked around with this message at 03:57 on Aug 29, 2016

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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > [The Sprawl][OOC/Recruitment] Lost Travelers Among the Stars