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[Eclipse Phase] Roanoake (recruiting)

NeadenNeaden Registered User regular
edited August 2011 in Critical Failures
Shamelessly stolen from Rainfalls OP on the Eclipse Phase General thread:
forumcover.jpg
Your mind is software.
Program it.
Your body is a shell.
Change it.
Death is a disease.
Cure it.
Extinction is approaching.
Fight it.
General Setting Information
We humans have a special way of pulling ourselves up and kicking ourselves down at the same time. We'd achieved more progress than ever before, at the cost of wrecking our planet and destabilizing our own governments. But things were starting to look up.
With exponentially accelerating technologies, we reached out into the solar system, terraforming worlds and seeding new life. We re-forged our bodies and minds, casting off sickness and death. We achieved immortality through the digitization of our minds, resleeving from one biological or synthetic body to the next, at-will. We uplifted animals and AIs to be our equals. We acquired the means to build anything we desired from the molecular level up, so that no one need want again.
Yet our race towards extinction was not slowed, and in fact received a machine-assist over the precipice. Billions died as our technologies rapidly bloomed into something beyond control... further transforming humanity into something else, scattering us throughout the solar system, and reigniting various conflicts. Nuclear strikes, biowarfare plagues, nanoswarms, mass uploads... a thousand horrors nearly wiped humanity from existence.
We still survive, divided into a patchwork of restrictive inner system hypercorp-backed oligarchies and libertarian outer system collectivist habitats, tribal networks, and new experimental societal models. We have spread to the outer reaches of the solar system and even gained footholds in the galaxy beyond. But we are no longer solely "human"... we have evoled into something simultaneously more and different -- something transhuman.

Huh. Sounds neat. What's this about transhumanity?
Transhumanity is damn simple. In the future, we'll theoretically be able to enhance our bodies and minds, eliminating weaknesses like sicknesses, disabilities, genetic disorders, and even death. So as a theme, it raises questions like what defines humanity? What does it mean to defeat all these weaknesses? What does it mean when you can upload your mind and personality onto a flash-drive? If we can make computers and animals sentient, are we responsible for them? What defines 'you'?
The PDF is free! Released under a Creative Commons liscense you can legally download it here!
Campaign Specific Stuff
Welcome to the world of tomorrow! Earth is dead but the solar system is full of life more then it ever has been before. Rusters live comfortably on the surface of mars, Aquanauts swim in the oceans of Europa and even the sun has Surya and Salamanders living in the Corona. Others have discarded biological bodies all together, living in cybernetic pods or inhuman synthetic forms free from aging and the other problems of organs. And then there is you. Maybe you are an infugee who had to leave everything behind on Earth including your body. Maybe you are a mercenary who had a contract that went wrong, got shot in the head and didn't have enough for a new body. Maybe you are a decadent son or daughter of a hypercorp empire who squandered their fortune in drugs and gambling until the debt collectors repossessed your very body. Whatever happened you find yourself too poor to afford a morph, leaving you amongst the millions of others forming the new underclass who do not have a body. You are desperate enough that you have done something you used to think you would never do, you have signed an indenture contract with Pathfinder to work on an exoplanet one hundred light years from Earth for three years. At the end of your contract you will be transported back to Mars and given a splicer morph and 10,000 credits to start a new life. Assuming nothing goes wrong of course.

Themes of the game:
Exploitation. Pathfinder is profiting from an underclass of people desperate for a body to make a fortune. On the other hand, for all their talk about equality and rights the other factions seem content to just let you be stuck as an infomorph.
Caught Between Worlds: You are on a strange world with beauty and dangers unlike anything in our own solar system. You are also an intermediary between the lower class laborers and upper level management.
Who Am I?: The face you see when you look in the mirror is different then what it was before and may change from day to day. What makes you you? Are your morals as willing to change as your body is?

Yeah but what will we be doing?: Pathfinder is a hypercorp who have control of the Mars gate and work with colonizing and resource extraction of exoplanets, planets that are beyond our solar system. Chulak is one of these planets. Pathfinder has found some valuable materials on the planet and want to bring them back to mars so they can make a big profit. Other hypercorps want these materials for themselves or already provide these resources and don't want the competition and have been sabotaging Pathfinders operations. Some of these companies have even been stirring up the indentured workers with talk of “freedom” and “rights” which have inspired saboteurs and unionists to crop up on the planet. To protect its assets Pathfinder has hired begun hiring multidisciplinary troubleshooting teams to go to the planet and keep an eye on things.

Is this just going to be a bunch of philosopher and existentialist angst?:At some point you might get eaten by a giant land sea cucumber. It'll be ok though, you can just get put into a new body.

Who you are: Though you are too poor to have a body your skillset has made you stand out to the pathfinder management. You will not be a common miner but instead work on an interdisciplinary team to fix problems as they crop up. Of course, the other factions on Chulak might make you a better offer, or at least an offer to look the other way, smuggle some interesting genes out or even join the revolution.
Special Character Creation Stuff!:
Skills: As characters are not Firewall agents Network: Firewall and Firewall Rep cannot be bought at character generation. All other factions will exist to a certain extent but initially at least networking in hypercorp and protocol skills may be valuable. Additionally given the fact that the game will take place on an exo planet vehicle skills and traits that allow help you dealing with switching morphs are also recommended.
CP Expenditure: As you are all starting off as an indent morphs are going to be provided to you from Pathfinder so you will not need to buy your own Morph at the start. Instead depending on your skillset Pathfinder will assign you an appropriate morph that you can then customize with your starting cash. Don't expect to hold on to any morph for too long though as farcasting, switching morphs for different situations etc. will all be emphasized. All backgrounds will be allowed including those that say you have to start off in a certain morph. Make sure you have a rationale for why your character is becoming an indentured worker though. Infugee background will be very easy to explain, if you want the hyperelite background you have to say where your money went. If you feel a specific morph is really essential to your character just say so and we'll figure something out that works. This doesn't mean you can start with say a reaper or a salamander though.
Gear: Assume any non morphs and non weapons can be purchased for the average cost for the price category. Everyone traveling to Chulak is thoroughly scanned for any weaponry as well as certain drugs and other equipment that a hypercorp might forbid cannot be purchased at character creation. Assume Pathfinder will give you necessary equipment for your different missions such as breathing apparatus or a vehicle.
Muse: Make sure to design your muse. During play the muse is a mutually controlled character but you get to design its personality.
Sheets that do the math, so you don't have to:There are a couple of freely available character generators using excel. I've used this one with good luck but you can do it by hand. Characters start with the standard 105 aptitude points and 1000 CP.

TLDR: Do you want to play a transhumanist settler of Pandora without any blue people who is stuck in a game of Paranoia? Then this thread might be for you.

Neaden on

Posts

  • RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    Awww hell yes I am in, this sounds like a lot of fun! I'm away from my books now, so expect an app tonight/tomorrow.

  • kuhlmeyekuhlmeye Registered User regular
    I will likely be apping tomorrow.

    PSN: the-K-flash
  • INeedNoSaltINeedNoSalt with blood on my teeth Registered User regular
    I would like to play this thing

    Just sayin'

  • kuhlmeyekuhlmeye Registered User regular
    So, I made this awhile ago. Not sure if it's still up to date, but it's free to edit/use if you want.

    https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag8KegFZbM8ddGI4akhPVnlqZ2dBSnNGRXFKS3lHeFE&hl=en_US

    PSN: the-K-flash
  • Captain CarrotCaptain Carrot Alexandria, VARegistered User regular
    I should be able to make a character by tomorrow.

  • Gabriel_PittGabriel_Pitt (effective against Russian warships) Registered User regular
    My interest is piqued. Pencil me onto the roster!

  • Void SlayerVoid Slayer Very Suspicious Registered User regular
    edited August 2011
    Looks like a great setting, just got done reading the intro and certainly making a character even if just for fun.

    I was thinking an Ex-network security specialist who worked for a hypercorp on earth and now lives as an infomorph Simulspace development artist.

    I used Khulmeye's spreadsheet it is pretty good except for traits and specialties, as well as treating bought attribute points after skill buy not before. I'll double check everything later.
    March Hare, Artist and odd-job infomorph refugee hacker

    Gear
    Bought gear:
    Alice (Standard Muse);INT 20.Skills: Interest:Poetry 40, Academic: Puzzles 40, Profession:Con Schemes 40 - Free
    1 Month Backup - Insurance Free
    AR illusions - Moderate
    Exploit - High
    Spoof - Moderate
    Sniffer - Moderate
    Tracker - Moderate
    6 units Medichines - Low
    4 Smart Rats (Pat'thara (stone) - grey colored and the largest, constantly eating and moving; Olad'ya (Muffin) and Tart - twin brown rats with white feet, both like sleeping; Tiger - Dark red and the smartest of the four) - Low
    Small Electronics Fabber (Looks like beat up leather briefcase)- Moderate
    Blueprints: Kinetic Pistol Accushot rounds - Low
    Blueprints: Kinetic Pistol - Low
    Blueprints: Armored Clothing - Trivial
    Blueprints: Kinetic Pistol AP rounds - Low
    Blueprints: Bodyarmor Light - Low

    Light Kinetic Pistol - Low
    100 Light Pistol ammo:AP - Low
    100 Light Pistol:Flux - Low
    100 Light Pistol:Accushot - Low

    Armor Clothing (Well tailored dark green suit with a bronze trim)- Trivial
    Armor Vest (dark urban camo, dark grey, slate, dull steel) - Low
    Heavy Helmet (Same as the vest)- Trivial
    Ablative Patche - Trivial
    50 credits leftover

    Background
    Born and raised in Russia, Evgeny Bobrov joined a Eurasian corp, which no longer exists, that sold network security services to other companies. His memories seem normal up until about 6 months before the TITANs began operating openly. He does not know what happened during this time except that he awoke with significantly enhanced infosec skills and occasional nightmarish images involving people turning into horrific monsters. He has recently become convinced that his earlier memories may have been altered as well, he has found no records of several people he knew.

    He awoke as an infomorph in the inner system, with a huge bill for psycho surgery and cortical stack retrieval. He has been working at various jobs from XP production and simulation design to acting as a muse or security program.

    Evgeny has been forced by various circumstances to live as an infomorph for a long time, making the best of it he can. Part of these reasons are his debts, which he just does not want to walk away from by joining some anarchist group. The rest is that he feels he can do more for his causes by working to find a place in the inner system corps or governments and spends most of his earnings helping other infomorphs there. In some cases he has had to struggle to keep payments up for others or even himself to be allowed to exist at all in some mesh systems.

    Being an infomorph is basically so familiar he has trouble remembering what being "human" really feels like. This feeling has lead him to progressively more extreme XP, to the point it started to frighten him he might be addicted. He has experienced the injustices, both large and petty, infomorphs are subjected to and wants them to be recognized as fully human, but he wants and needs something different for himself.

    Void Slayer on
    He's a shy overambitious dog-catcher on the wrong side of the law. She's an orphaned psychic mercenary with the power to bend men's minds. They fight crime!
  • kuhlmeyekuhlmeye Registered User regular
    Ah, I see that now. If you buy skills up to 60, then by attributes to raise, it doesn't account for that. I can fix that though.

    PSN: the-K-flash
  • kuhlmeyekuhlmeye Registered User regular
    So I realized I had been editing my template for my character. This has been rectified.

    PSN: the-K-flash
  • NeadenNeaden Registered User regular
    Looks like a great setting, just got done reading the intro and certainly making a character even if just for fun.

    I was thinking an Ex-network security specialist who worked for a hypercorp on earth and now lives as an infomorph Simulspace development artist.

    I used Khulmeye's spreadsheet it is pretty good except for traits and specialties, as well as treating bought attribute points after skill buy not before. I'll double check everything later.
    https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AloqIPyTwzludC1DX2VmdU5XdW8xejltWjRXY0xtREE&

    Background
    Born and raised in russia, Evgeny Bobrov joined a Eurasian corp, which no longer exists, that sold network security services to other companies. His memories seem normal up until about 6 months before the TITANs began operating openly. He does not know what happened during this time except that he awoke with significantly enhanced infosec skills and occasional nightmarish images involving people turning into horrific monsters. He has recently become convinced that his earlier memories may have been altered as well, he has found no records of several people he knew.

    He awoke as an infomorph in the inner system, with a huge bill for psycho surgery and cortical stack retrieval. He has been working at various jobs from XP production and simulation design to acting as a muse or security program. Despite his success all of his money has gone to either his debt or retrieving other infugees from cold storage. He sees this opportunity with pathfinder to finally get a real body once again without creditors hounding him, but more important will be the offer of new experiences to enhance his creations.

    Looks good. The two things I would say though are 1. Its not clear to me if he wants to stay an infomorph or not. You have infomorph rights as a motivation and the right at home trait for infomorphs so I'm not sure why the character wants a body. Is it just so he has more status and can have a better career? 2. You didn't put any points into fray. Fray is your dodge skill and with yours only a 10+morph bonus it means by and large you are going to be getting hit on any given attack. I would probably put at least some CP in there if I were you.

  • NeadenNeaden Registered User regular
    edited August 2011
    Are people still interested in playing? I haven't heard back from most of you. If you are having trouble thinking of a character I could suggest wmQxS.jpg

    Neaden on
  • kuhlmeyekuhlmeye Registered User regular
    edited August 2011
    I'm still working on a character, I just haven't had enough time to get back to him.

    Hopefully I'll have time tonight or tomorrow night, just a couple long days at work!

    kuhlmeye on
    PSN: the-K-flash
  • Void SlayerVoid Slayer Very Suspicious Registered User regular
    Oh yeah I am still interested.

    On my characters motivations:
    I am thinking Evgeny has more been forced by various circumstances to live as an infomorph for a long time, making the best of it he can. Part of these reasons are his debts, which he just does not want to walk away from by joining some anarchist group. The other is he feels he can do more for his causes by working to find a place in the inner system corps or governments and spends most of his earnings helping other infomorphs there. In some cases he has had to struggle to keep payments up for others or even himself to be allowed to exist at all in some mesh systems.

    Being an infomorph is basically so familiar he has trouble remembering what being "human" really feels like. This feeling has lead him to progressively more extreme XP, to the point it started to frighten him he might be addicted. He has experienced the injustices, both large and petty, infomorphs are subjected to and wants them to be recognized as fully human, but he wants and needs something different for himself.

    I also added a bit of fray though I think I'll keep the art and interest skills I took, he is a creative spirit, not really a fighter.

    He's a shy overambitious dog-catcher on the wrong side of the law. She's an orphaned psychic mercenary with the power to bend men's minds. They fight crime!
  • Captain CarrotCaptain Carrot Alexandria, VARegistered User regular
    I'm busier than I was expecting, so feel free to start without me.

  • RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    I'm working, just torn between an assholish Uplifted raven, or a somewhat psychotic member of the Lost generation who ended up in debt when she tried changing her identity to evade the constant discrimination and paranoia she suffered from.

  • Void SlayerVoid Slayer Very Suspicious Registered User regular
    edited August 2011
    The lost would be a great choice, you can get some nice slights and it offers many good roleplaying opportunities. Unfortunately one of their biggest advantage seems to be gaining the morph that goes along with the choice.

    And if she is only slightly psychotic that is quite an improvement. :)

    The raven sounds fun though, what are your thoughts on why she was uplifted and what kind of treatment she has received. I am assuming rough considering her personality.

    Also I was thinking about starting with a fabricator and some blueprints to create some custom guns and equipment, making lots of custom one of a kind looking items fits him. I will cost some cp though because of my background so I am looking into rearranging things.

    Void Slayer on
    He's a shy overambitious dog-catcher on the wrong side of the law. She's an orphaned psychic mercenary with the power to bend men's minds. They fight crime!
  • kuhlmeyekuhlmeye Registered User regular
    edited August 2011
    Just so everyone is aware, I updated my template to fix the errors void slayer caught.

    I fixed the skill buy section by essentially adding a "Pre-Morph" attribute total to calculate skill buy from. So if you buy skills first, and then purchase attributes, the changes in CP spent is reflected. I also added a Specialization section below the skills, and a Traits section below the Rep. These have also been added into the overall CP total at the top.

    New link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag8KegFZbM8ddGI4akhPVnlqZ2dBSnNGRXFKS3lHeFE&hl=en_US

    Also, I should be able to finish up my character tonight.

    kuhlmeye on
    PSN: the-K-flash
  • Gabriel_PittGabriel_Pitt (effective against Russian warships) Registered User regular
    I just had stuff blow up at work, so I'm not sure I'm going to have the time and attention to appropriately participate. So I don't leave anytmorph hanging, I'll bow out of this one.

  • INeedNoSaltINeedNoSalt with blood on my teeth Registered User regular
    edited August 2011
    I died for awhile. :(

    Then I assumed things had moved on and become awesome while I was dead, so I didn't really check back.

    INeedNoSalt on
  • NeadenNeaden Registered User regular
    So Rainfall, Kuhimeye, Voidslayer and INS are you all still interested? I've also been thinking about it and if you guys want we can start off with something smaller and more focused like solving your own murders rather then a larger campaign.

  • kuhlmeyekuhlmeye Registered User regular
    edited August 2011
    Thomas grew up on Mars. Valles-New Shanghai to be specific. His childhood wasn’t a good one. Growing up in the slums in New Shanghai wasn’t good for a child, but he survived it, but not without gaining some rather unpleasant habits. After he turned 18, he joined up with Fa Jing and was sent out to the Main Belt on a mining crew. He managed to kick most of his unhealthy habits, but XP was still a secrect pleasure. It was a year into his first expedition when the TITAN’s began their work. Luckily for Thomas, they weren’t all that interested in mining crews in the belt.

    He returned home after 3 years in the belt to find most of his family missing or dead. Wanting to get away from Mars, he joined Direct Action as a grunt. SecOps was the perfect fit for him, and gave him the chance to hone his instincts. Unfortunately, it also got him back in contact with the criminals and Scum he was used to from his childhood. He got to know them well during his time with Direct Action. He also acquired their disdain for local and system law enforcement.

    Present:
    Overall, Quin Long had been a good choice. Plenty of people he knew, easy for someone like him to disappear. Not what he had wanted though. He could still picture the day, about 4 months ago according to his records. The job was fairly standard, running security for a shuttle run from Venus to Mars. The only problem was that he knew a couple Scum drug dealers from his “side job”.

    Not really a side job, sir. I never approved.
    Look, just... Keep playing it. Right now I don’t care.

    Things got a little... out of control. An argument got a little heated. Things like that could happen when you hang out with drug dealers. Thomas had ended up having to beat the two senseless. He knew they were still alive, he was good at that. He locked them up in one of the cargo holds, figuring someone would find them after they landed. The rest of the trip went fine. It was less than 24 hours later when things went downhill. Fired from his job for killing two Venusian citizens. (That I know I didn’t kill.) Casted out from those he knew, those he worked with. Forced to the Trojans.

    At least I can disappear here. No one to harass me.
    Don’t speak so fast, sir.


    It was just then that he walked through the door of the bar. He didn’t belong. Not one bit. Tall, nice clothes, overall good looking. And looking right at Thomas. Slowly he walked over, downing the drink he picked up on the way in. He eyed Thomas carefully.

    “So, you’re Thomas Bashamell, I see. What if I said I could make it all go away?”
    Thomas Bashamel

    Let me know if there is anything odd with my sheet.

    kuhlmeye on
    PSN: the-K-flash
  • Void SlayerVoid Slayer Very Suspicious Registered User regular
    Hmm, actually your specializations are not adding or subtracting to the cp total it looks like. Your main sheet has it but not that one.

    I took your new sheet kuhlmeye and remade my character. Took some equipment and blueprints because who knows what the material situation will be like on mars.

    Certainly still interested, a murder mystery sounds like a good choice as well.

    He's a shy overambitious dog-catcher on the wrong side of the law. She's an orphaned psychic mercenary with the power to bend men's minds. They fight crime!
  • NeadenNeaden Registered User regular
    Looks good kuhlmeye, I'd like to have at least 3 people if you are still interested INNS.

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