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PTN, we need a mech with piledriver fists.
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Feb 9, 2016 08:00
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PoptartsNinja posted:The Order of the Five Pillars had agents loving everywhere (sometimes literally). They're the only ones to successfully infiltrate ComStar. I thought Subhash Indrahar was the head of the ISF (and damned good at his job), and the O5P was the domain of the Kurita Keeper of the Family Honor, who I think is currently Constance Kurita? I think Omi is supposed to take over at some point in the future, but I guess she isn't even born yet here in the PTN-verse, and even in the canon timeline she got a fatal case of the assassin before she could formally take the position (but not before loving Victor and having his kid, and didn't he save her from a previous assassination attempt when he was still lusting after her or something?), from what I can remember from what I gleaned off of Sarna. Maybe the Smiling One runs both here or in the canon timeline and I misunderstood, I dunno. wiegieman posted:PTN, we need a mech with piledriver fists. I think one of the cut enemy reinforcement pirate mechs in that one mission with Macho Man Randy Savage Charger mech was supposed to have them, but he got cut for time and difficulty for PTN to track a reinforcement mechanism. He was supposed to be based off of Scott Steiner too, so we missed out on some Big Poppa Pump action. I think there was supposed to be a Hulk Hogan mech as a possible enemy reinforcement mech that mission as well, but he was cut for the same reasons as well. Shame, I was so excited when PTN showed the cards for those mechs, only to be disappointed when they weren't used. Still, Macho Man Randy Savage Charger Wrestlemech action in that mission more than made up for it! GhostStalker fucked around with this message at 08:17 on Feb 9, 2016 |
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Feb 9, 2016 08:09
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Servicio en Espanol posted:Mercenaries with pristine SLDF mechs and their own private space station/mech factory? No reason for anyone important to pay any attention to those guys I love how from their point of view it is like... Okay guys, we are using centuries old mechs, we just need to fudge our background as using old machines but still well maintained. Let us see how far behind these mechs are behind current IS stuff- 
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Feb 9, 2016 08:42
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GhostStalker posted:BIG O, SHOWTIME! Now, I don't know anything about anime, but it strikes me that stopping a giant robot from robbing a bank by throwing said giant robot into a skyscraper, toppling it, is possibly not worth the cash and gold bars in said bank. Especially if there were people in that skyscraper, as there were all over the ground watching the fight. And that's not even mentioning the skyscraper the main character's giant robot smashed as it emerged from the ground.
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Feb 9, 2016 08:56
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Dolash posted:Now, I don't know anything about anime, but it strikes me that stopping a giant robot from robbing a bank by throwing said giant robot into a skyscraper, toppling it, is possibly not worth the cash and gold bars in said bank. Especially if there were people in that skyscraper, as there were all over the ground watching the fight. And that's not even mentioning the skyscraper the main character's giant robot smashed as it emerged from the ground. You have engaged your brain. This demonstrates that you have misunderstood the appeal of Giant Robot Anime. Stop thinking and watch giant robot fights.
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Feb 9, 2016 09:02
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DivineCoffeeBinge posted:You have engaged your brain. This demonstrates that you have misunderstood the appeal of Giant Robot Anime. Stop thinking and watch giant robot fights. I think that might be part of the appeal of this thread, where we can enjoy giant robot fights while keeping our brains mostly online. Even the wackiness of wrestling-themed pirate mechs feels pretty well-grounded, and I can hardly recall any instances of plucky/angsty teenagers.
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Feb 9, 2016 09:09
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Dolash posted:I think that might be part of the appeal of this thread, where we can enjoy giant robot fights while keeping our brains mostly online. Even the wackiness of wrestling-themed pirate mechs feels pretty well-grounded, and I can hardly recall any instances of plucky/angsty teenagers. We had that one kid post-nuke who had terrible piloting stats because while he had an Assault Mech, he had no goddamn clue how to pilot it. Does that count?
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Feb 9, 2016 09:12
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Dolash posted:Now, I don't know anything about anime, but it strikes me that stopping a giant robot from robbing a bank by throwing said giant robot into a skyscraper, toppling it, is possibly not worth the cash and gold bars in said bank. Especially if there were people in that skyscraper, as there were all over the ground watching the fight. And that's not even mentioning the skyscraper the main character's giant robot smashed as it emerged from the ground. This is about the least of the problematic decisions in The Big O. The poor city just gets more and more messed up as time goes on, really. Show is classy enough to have its own LAMs, too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Myh07ybceU
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Feb 9, 2016 09:40
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Sweat dripped down Jason Youngblood’s bare arms, his every motion sending small droplets splattering to the locker room floor. He took a long pull from a bottle of a local electrolyte-infused energy drink favored by Galatea’s mercenary Mechwarriors and stretched limbs tired after hours in the cockpit. In spite of Duncan Kalma’s praise, to Jason’s eyes the “Demon Hawks” were still rough around the edges. There was potential there, but most of them had difficulty keeping up with Jason in the field. That, he felt, was going to be a problem. Duncan was one of the worst pilots he’d ever worked with, and he’d vetted half of their inductees. If most of the Hawks were at Duncan’s level, Jason would have his work cut out whipping them into shape. It didn’t help that he and Duncan were butting heads about pretty much everything anymore. It wasn’t just arguments about the unit’s terrible name, Jason had pushed hard for a uniform paintjob to make the unit look more professional. Duncan had scoffed at the, in Jason’s eyes minute, costs and then cited units like the 17th Recon who went into battle with individually painted machines. Duncan thought pilots worked best if they were able to operate largely independently while Jason felt that they needed to be able to work in tandem and trust one another. He’d even managed a reasonable compromise: the pilots would be allowed to paint their machines however they wanted as long as they added a blue and gold stripe to their `Mech’s left torso, right arm, and right leg. Their hirelings would be allowed the freedom to paint their machines how they wishes, while still obviously being members of the same company. Duncan had accepted that, albeit reluctantly. The Demon Hawks couldn’t exist without the pair’s pooled funds, but some days Jason couldn’t help but feel that Duncan brought more headaches than his investment was worth. It wasn’t all bad with Duncan, sour as Jason had gotten with him of late. The man was no genius but he was a reasonably proficient strategist with fairly reliable tactical sense in the field. Off the field was where Duncan usually shined: he’d proven himself to be a capable scrounger and as a graduate from the Allison MechWarrior Institute he had—or at least was good at faking—an air of credibility. He could talk the military talk and walk the military walk in a way that seemed to put negotiators at ease. He was also, Jason found, incredibly cheap. Duncan wasn’t a miser, exactly, but he liked both comfort and saving money and as long as he didn’t cheap out on ammunition Jason was perfectly content to let the man beg, barter, lie, or otherwise connive his way into cheap accommodations or “first-time buyer” discounts. How he’d managed to buy an Atlas with only six and a half million C-Bills Jason would probably never know. It was with only minor trepidation that Jason had left the contract search in Duncan’s hands while he worked to drill the rest of the company into something resembling a cohesive unit. Jason had to fight his instinctive urge to take a hands-on approach to every aspect of the unit, while Duncan preferred to keep his hands-off anything that didn’t directly involve their bottom line. Mistake as it may have been in a game of poker, Jason did trust Duncan to find them the best contract possible. The man was tenacious, he’d fight for every concession he could. As if summoned by Jason’s thoughts, the young Kalma entered the locker room with the typical, disaffected slouch he wore whenever he wasn’t actively trying to impress someone. He cradled a noteputer in the crux of his arm, and wordlessly set the machine atop Jason’s neurohelmet before sitting down on the wooden bench beside it. “You’ve found something, then?” Jason inquired slowly. He’d promised to keep his nose out of the contract negotiations unless Duncan requested his counsel, but even if they only had a single job offer he knew Duncan would consult with him before taking it. “We’ve gotten four offers since we posted the unit to the MRB database last night,” Duncan sounded a touch bewildered. It was unusual for a new unit to receive any direct offers, their capability would be in question until they’d fulfilled at least one contract and proven themselves reliable. Galatea wasn’t hard-up for company-sized units either, which meant either someone was making offers to every mercenary company that had a pulse or someone had been watching them. Jason rubbed his eyes. “How many of them are traps?” “About half?” Duncan admitted, tapping the noteputer’s return key to pull up the first offer. “Or, if not traps, at least not entirely honest. This one’s from the New Star League, for example, but my gut says it’s actually a ComStar operation. Recon into Capellan space. Very unusual, given the interdiction. Pay’s about on-par for a new unit like ours, and it’s three months so it’d be a decent shakedown exercise. Salvage rights are nothing to write home about but they’re willing to go fifty-fifty with us if we lose any equipment in combat, which is pretty generous. Command’s completely independent too, which means we won’t have to worry about a liaison breathing down our necks, but it also means the Star League can disavow knowledge of us if things go wrong. I’m not sure I like that.” Jason said nothing, letting Duncan continue. The man tapped the return key again, bringing up the next contract. “The next one’s weird as all get-out. Duchy of New Syrtis is calling for an extraction raid on, get this, Arc-Royal—” “The hell does the Duchy want in Steel Viper territory?” Jason asked incredulously. His brow furrowed as he considered the implications. “Extraction raid. They want a repeat of the job we did for the Bounty Hunter. Pop in, steal some Clan `Mechs, and get out before we get caught.” “Probably,” Duncan didn’t sound entirely convinced, but Jason let it slide. The man was always suspicious. “Pay’s about seven million, which is twice what a new unit our size can probably hope for on a three-month contract, but it’s still less than we’d get selling a single captured Clan `Mech on the open market, and they’re being stingy on the incidentals like transportation costs. Salvage rights aren’t the worst I’ve seen. The next one’s pure bullshit though.” “Take a look,” Duncan tapped the button yet again, bringing up the third contract—and drawing a whistle from Jason. “Duchy of Andurien wants to pay thirteen million to put us on retainer for two years. This one just feels really off to me. I know you don’t pay much attention to what’s happening in the Free Worlds League—I know I try to pay as little attention to the League as I can—but the Duchy has basically been a Rim World puppet kingdom for the past two hundred years. Hell, Andurien V was down to about ten million people as of the last official census, so I’m not sure they even have a real Body Politic anymore!” “So that begs a couple of questions—“ Jason began. “Raises a couple of questions,” Duncan interrupted. “Begging the question is a logical fallacy. But to continue your thought: if the Duchy isn’t even a real entity anymore, why is the Rim World Republic trying to hide the fact that they’re hiring mercenaries? At least being on retainer means they’re not going to use us aggressively, but it means we could get stuck doing anything from mopping floors for two years to spy hunting to riot duty. And get this,” Duncan tapped the screen, drawing Jason’s attention to the support clause. “One-hundred percent battle-loss compensation. They’re not offering straight support for maintenance but they’ll replace anything we lose in battle. Which is either incredibly generous if they’re expecting combat, or incredibly stingy if they’re planning on putting us on garrison duty to scare off pirates for two years. They’re also not offering salvage rights but they are offering a bounty for combat kills. I have no idea what to make of this one.” “Oh, hell,” Jason breathed. “No salvage rights means they want whatever we kill, but a bounty means they want to actively reward us for taking down hostile targets. It’s a “defensive” contract but they’re well within their rights to shuffle us to any world in the Duchy without further negotiations. Amaris is looking for units to help him fight the Clans.” “Damnation,” Duncan squeezed his eyes closed. “I think you’re right. Think they’re sending this out to every company-sized unit on Galatea?” “And Heroditus, Solaris VII, Westerhand, Fletcher, Astrokaszy,” Jason rattled off. “If they’re expecting heavy combat it’s a good deal. They’re agreeing to replace any `Mechs we lose no questions asked, but—” “But if it turns into a meat grinder,” Duncan finished, “they won’t have to pay bounties or battle-loss if they get us all killed. At least it’s MRB certified, so the base pay’s already funded and waiting in a ComStar account. Thirteen million for our next of kin to fight over.” “Last one’s from House Sandoval. Pay’s a little low for six months, but they’re offering full salvage rights. No battle loss compensation and they’re not paying much of our maintenance fees, and it’s a planetary assault so it’s bound to be risky. We could win big with this one,” Duncan mused. “Success with minimal losses means we’ve made a name for ourselves in the Draconis Suns, and Hanse Davion’s always looking for reliable mercenaries to shore up the AFFS. We could also lose big if we get blown out of the sky or if Duke Sandoval decides to throw us into a fight we can’t win to buy his own troops time. I think this contract’s being more honest than the others, but it’s risky all the same. They’ve all got really similar timetables but I think I can use the other offers we’ve received to win us some concessions on whichever contract we decide to pursue. So,” Duncan paused momentarily, “what do you think?” A) Employer: The New Star League Contact: Precentor Blane Mission: Reconnaissance Payment: 3.5 million c-bills Length: 3 months Command: Independent Overhead Compensation: Generous Transportation: full reimbursement Salvage: 50% Shared Support: 50% battle-loss compensation B) Employer: Duchy of New Syrtis Contact: Colonel Beck Mission: Extraction Raid Payment: 7 million c-bills Length: 3 months Command: Liaison Overhead Compensation: Light Transportation: 60% reimbursement Salvage: 100% Equal Exchange Support: 75% straight support, 25% battle-loss compensation C) Employer: Duchy of Andurien Contact: Mr. Johnson Mission: Retainer Payment: 13 million c-bills plus bounty Length: 2 years Command: House Overhead Compensation: Generous Transportation: full reimbursement Salvage: None Support: 100% battle-loss compensation D) Employer: House Sandoval Contact: Colonel Williams Mission: Planetary Assault Payment: 5 million c-bills Length: 6+ months Command: House Overhead Compensation: Generous Transportation: employer-provided Salvage: Full Support: 50% straight support  Vote: So, this vote’s a little different than the typical political / combat theater vote. What I’m looking for this time is: 1) Which contract to pursue 1A) Star League Recon 1B) New Syrtis Extraction 1C) Andurien Retainer 1D) House Sandoval Planetary Assault 1E) Seek other contracts 2) Two demands to negotiate for 2A) Pay 2B) Command Rights 2C) Overhead Compensation 2D) Transportation Costs 2E) Salvage Rights 2F) Support 2G) None 3) One concession to make, if necessary 3A) Pay 3B) Command Rights 3C) Overhead Compensation 3D) Transportation Costs 3E) Salvage Rights 3F) Support 3G) None 4) What to do if negotiations fall through 4A) Take the original offer 4B) Negotiate a different contract 4C) Seek other offers These votes are all independent but if you wind up negotiating for something the employer is already offering the best possible deal for (or are trying to concede somewhere that your employer is offering you the worst option for), a runner-up demand and/or concession will be used instead so your votes for option 2 and 3 can never be wasted. Remember: some concessions are more persuasive than others!
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Feb 11, 2016 01:05
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Jesus Christ don't choose the Duchy of Andurien contract it's a goddamn deathtrap. Contract: D House Sandoval Negotiate on: 2B) Command Rights 2F) Support Concede on: 3C) Overhead Compensation If negotiations fall through: 4A) Take the original offer
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Feb 11, 2016 01:23
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C. has Mr. Johnson as a contact too. Abort! Abort!
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Feb 11, 2016 01:27
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1A 2F 2G 3G 4B Because it sounds like a nice milk run that could go horribly wrong
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Feb 11, 2016 01:34
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1D 2A 2B 3C 4A
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Feb 11, 2016 01:35
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1B 2E 2B 3C 4B
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Feb 11, 2016 01:43
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Zikan posted:Jesus Christ don't choose the Duchy of Andurien contract it's a goddamn deathtrap. Or is it a chance to be a part of Inner Sphere history?!
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Feb 11, 2016 01:48
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Getting a good rep with the Suns seems like the most logical choice. 1D 2B 2F 3C 4A
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Feb 11, 2016 01:48
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1D) House Sandoval Planetary Assault 2) Two demands to negotiate for 2B) Command Rights 2F) Support 3) One concession to make, if necessary 2C) Overhead Compensation 4A) Take the original offer
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Feb 11, 2016 01:52
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I'm really interested in the Liao storyline going on atm, so I'm going with the Star League recon. It has the potential for some hi-tech salvage if any of the Capellans' new toys are involved or if they end up getting a contract against the clans, so I'm voting to demand Salvage Rights, with Support as the second demand since going blind into Liao space or fighting clanners seem like fairly high-risk propositions for a rag-tag new merc outfit. Transport costs as a concession if necessary, although I have no idea if lower pay instead would be a better deal. Take the original offer if negotiations fall through because I still wanna see what's happening. 1) Which contract to pursue 1A) Star League Recon 2) Two demands to negotiate for 2E) Salvage Rights 2F) Support 3) One concession to make, if necessary 3D) Transportation Costs 4) What to do if negotiations fall through 4A) Take the original offer
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Feb 11, 2016 01:56
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quote:“Raises a couple of questions,” Duncan interrupted. “Begging the question is a logical fallacy." 1A Let's go see what the Caps have been up to! 2A Mo money 2F More dakka 3C 4C
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Feb 11, 2016 02:01
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Oh man, a contract straight from a Mr. Johnson.  The only way that would have been better is if it had been on behalf of a Kurita. Never deal with a dragon.I'm honestly between C (because the actual scenario would be AWESOME) and D (because it'd make the most sense for the characters, in-story). I'll have to think about it before I make my official vote, but I'm glad PTN gave us merc negotiation options this vote. This is going to be sweet.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:02
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Contract: D House Sandoval Negotiate on: 2B) Command Rights 2F) Support Concede on: 3C) Overhead Compensation If negotiations fall through: 4A) Take the original offer
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Feb 11, 2016 02:03
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1D for the contract. It's by far the least sketchy. the Star League/Andurien ones are super suspicious and probably a lot more dangerous than they seem, for obvious reasons. Similarly the New Syrtis one is a hail-mary very far away from any employer support. D is still risky, but the risks are mostly known, and being involved in what appears to be probably an occupation of the ex-Outworlds Alliance means a much less dangerous OPFOR, which is key for a newish merc unit. With full salvage, generous overhead, and employer transport on that one, negotiating for better support rights and pay on that one: 2A and 2F. Command rights would be a nice area to look at as well, but for this sort of operation it's doubtful that the DS would budge. Realistically a new unit probably can't salvage everything it kills so concessions on salvage, 3E, seems best - even 50% salvage rights would be pretty saucy. And if all else fails, the original offer isn't bad terms at all, so 4A is the way to go. Either way, it's not a high-paying contract, but it's one that opens the most doors for the unit and is least likely to be walking into something the Hawks just aren't prepared for. And if they can do a good job on the killing and salvage, it could be worth a lot of money for them anyway.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:06
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Vote C motherfuckers. I want the craziest fight of the bunch. Maybe I'll even live through it, who knows.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:06
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I don't care about anything else on here but doing contract C It's a contract for a Mr. Johnson, goddamnit! We can get two great 80s tastes TOGETHER.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:07
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Duchy of New Syrtis is a Capellan Confederation puppet state now, maybe we'll be able to see some of our Hell Horses Death Commandos acting as liaison officers for the raid. It would be nice to see Wilberforce and Steve again. 1B 2E 2D 3E 4B
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Feb 11, 2016 02:08
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1)D 2)A,B 3)E 4)A Try to get some independence in exchange for not having first pick on garbage periphery 'mechs. The offer is risky, but good; I'd take it even if they do not wanna give on the contract. One can always negotiate new terms with a prospective new employer on the field if they try to use you as bait or something. But that being said, legends are made by mercs who get thrown to the wolves and manage to end up on top despite everything.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:11
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Zikan posted:Contract: This strikes me as reasonable for these mercbabies.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:18
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Night10194 posted:It's a contract for a Mr. Johnson, goddamnit! We can get two great 80s tastes TOGETHER. 
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Feb 11, 2016 02:31
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Oh dear god. Is it wrong that I desperately want this?
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Feb 11, 2016 02:33
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apostateCourier posted:Oh dear god. Is it wrong that I desperately want this? Yes. Yes it is. This is not stopping me from wanting it, too.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:35
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apostateCourier posted:Oh dear god. Is it wrong that I desperately want this? No. What you want is INCREDIBLY RIGHT.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:36
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apostateCourier posted:Oh dear god. Is it wrong that I desperately want this? An undertaking 45 years in the making (although most of those years were concurrent)! Spoilers: Word of Blake + Aztechnology
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Feb 11, 2016 02:38
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I kind of feel all of these contracts are potential death traps, but I guess that's the nature of the business. A 2e 2g 3d 4a Wanna see that dragon fight a mech.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:41
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vorebane posted:I kind of feel all of these contracts are potential death traps, but I guess that's the nature of the business. Every contract is a potential death trap. If it weren't, why would we bother to hire mercenaries? [EDIT] Removed the vote info from the quote so it doesn't cause confusion when they're being counted.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:42
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PoptartsNinja posted:Spoilers: Word of Blake + Aztechnology Fuckin' had to be, didn't it.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:43
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You're making me wish I could switch my vote. Then again, we already had remote drones last mission, which would be half the fun of being a Rigger.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:43
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PoptartsNinja posted:An undertaking 45 years in the making (although most of those years were concurrent)!  I'm so happy that this exists, and is free.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:44
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Ablative posted:Fuckin' had to be, didn't it. Best Ever posted:To the surprise of very few, Aztechnology found the
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Feb 11, 2016 02:46
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1A 2A 2F 3E 4A As much as I love Shadowrun, I really want to see what going on behind the CapCon's blackout, and I have a soft spot for
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Feb 11, 2016 02:47
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The reward for D seem tempting, but on the other hand we would be hiring ourselves out for heavy offensive action under the command of someone who has sculpted the contract such that they are free from any financial responsibility for our survival. That should be cause for serious misgivings. Like, even assuming they weren't being outright malicious and deliberately trying to get us killed so they wouldn't have to give us salvage, what reason would they have to risk any of their own forces when they can get us killed for free? Voyager I fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Feb 11, 2016 |
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Feb 11, 2016 02:47
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