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[ANDROID] - Game #1: Rebooted - starts on page 14
Mordenthral
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Welcome to New Angeles
In the futuristic city of New Angeles, five detectives are investigating a vital murder case. They are:FFG Lead-in wrote:Commissioner Dawn lifted the sheet, glanced at the cooling corpse underneath, and then grimaced. It was just as the officer on the scene had said, and it meant a lot of paperwork and a lot of overtime for her detectives...
It is the future. Mankind has spread itself out across the solar system with varying degrees of success. The Moon and Mars are colonized. A plan to terraform Mars is well underway, hindered only by a civil war that has broken out on that planet. On Earth, a massive space elevator has been built, stretching up into the sky. It is the hub of trade in the solar system, and most people refer to it as the “Beanstalk.”
Computers have continued to advance, and that, combined with discoveries in the field of neurobiology, has led to brain-mapping, a method by which a human mind can be stored electronically. Recently, two rival companies used this development in different ways to create artificial, sentient life. Jinteki created human clones that can be matured and educated in a fraction of the normal time. Haas-Bioroid, on the other hand, built robots with brain-mapped, artificially intelligent minds, calling them “bioroids.“ Naturally, this has caused no end of trouble.
With both companies selling their artificial humans, or androids, as cheap labor, thousands of already-impoverished humans have found themselves unemployed. This, combined with their deep mistrust of scientists playing God, has led many lower- and middle-class citizens to hate and fear the androids. A group calling itself Human First has sprung up, calling the androids “golems’“ – referring to the legendary soulless clay creatures. Human First has attacked the androids on numerous occasions, usually wielding sledgehammers as their weapon of choice, since the androids are often physically resilient.
In this hotbed of hatred, fear, and prejudice, the men and women of the New Angeles Police Department attempt to maintain order. Their job isn’t easy, since their charter requires them to patrol not only New Angeles but also the Heinlein moon colony located across the Beanstalk. Nev- ertheless, they continue to guard the thin blue line between civilization and anarchy.
- Caprice Nisei, Psychic Clone
- Floyd 2X3A7C, Doubting Bioroid
- Louis Blaine, Corrupt Cop
- Rachel Beckmann, Estranged Bounty Hunter
- Raymond Flint, Troubled P.I.
In Android, three to five players each take on the role of one of these detectives, and are given two weeks to solve the case. They investigate the murder by traveling around the map and following up leads to discover evidence that they can use to convict the suspect who they believe is guilty. In addition, they attempt to uncover the conspiracy behind the murder and deal with problems that spring up in their personal lives. The detective who best manages all of these tasks and collects the most victory points (VPs) wins the game.
Players
Mordenthral as Rachel
scrivenerjones as Floyd
SeGaTai as Caprice
Vyolynce as Raymond
XiV as Louis
Reserves
NotoriusBEN
... someone else I can't remember
The map: Which wouldn't be possible without the help of MrBlarney:
Father Michael Is Offering Counselling. - Move Father Michael to the Church of St. Theresa (K3). The first detective to spend 3 Time there discards up to five trauma.
Mr. Li Is Holding Court. - Move Mr. Li to the Midway (F4). The first detective to spend 3 Time there may gain one of each type of normal favor.
A friend in need - Let's sit this one out
You can draw up to 3 light cards by adding 1 bad baggage to this plot.
- Good: Concern. 1 each time one of her Bounty cards is played. (ends with "Why not crash at my place?")
- Bad: Greed. 1 each time one of her Bounty cards is discarded to pay for another card. (ends with "Don't call me, I'll call you.")
Directives
1. Floyd must choose light tactics during fights. Floyd cannot gain Trauma.
3. At the start of the fourth day of each week, if Floyd does not begin his turn at Haas-Bioroid, he must immediately move there and end his turn. Floyd receives 1 extra Time each day.
Finding Himself - What makes a soul?
Your maximum hand size is 7 cards.
- Good: Compassion and Honor. 1 for each different type of location he enters on his turn after the first. (ends with "I had what I needed all along")
- Bad: Cowardice and Disdain. 1 each time any other player uncovers a piece of the conspiracy. (ends with "We're all just machines.")
Someone To Love - Caprice is a clone
Caprice cannot gain anymore Daniel favours.
- Good: Trust. 2 each time her Sanity goes up 1. (ends with "Let's take things slowly.")
- Bad: Betrayal. 2 each time her Sanity goes down 1. (ends with "I'm sorry, Caprice. I can't love you...")
Haunted by the past (2 week plot)
- Good: Insight. 1 per evidence sacrificed. (continues to "You were right, Ray!")
- Bad: Regret. 1 per dark Haunted card played.(continues to "We can't keep searching.")
Bad Mood - Dark cards played by Louis cost 1 more or 1 less (your choice.) If a Light card is played by Louis his mood changes to Good.
Good Mood - Light cards played by Louis cost 1 more or 1 less (your choice.) If a Dark card is played on Louis his mood changes to Bad.
On The Take - This one's for Jim!
Louis cannot choose Light tactics during Fights.
- Good: Loyalty and Duty. 1 per Light Fight card or Dark card. (ends with "There was no other way.")
- Bad: Fear and Guilt. 1 per Trauma gained or Time lost. (ends with "You made a mistake, Blaine.")
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Like Horus Heresy, the rulebook is quite large, so please reference the rules or ask if there are any questions. Below is a summary, taken mostly from Ben Bays' document on BGG; extra things and clarifications added in by me.
Things from the RULES:
-Peek at an opponent’s entire hand of cards OR
-Peek at all evidence on a single suspect sheet (you may not share info).
After use, pass the Jimmy the Snitch marker to the player to the right who moves the marker per the “moving leads” rules under “Follow up a Lead” below.
Move Jimmy the Snitch and Lily Lockwell to location specified by murder sheet.
Place a puzzle piece of any type. Do NOT move hero marker.
Place 1 good or bad baggage on any player (including self).
Receive 1 political favor (yellow).
Receive 1 street favor (red).
Exchange any 1 normal favor for any other 1 normal favor.
Gain 1 Hass token (worth 3 VP).
Place a hit token on any suspect.
Gain 1 Jinteki token (worth 3 VP).
Gain 1 society favor (blue).
Gain one corp favor (green).
Gain 1 good or bad baggage to place on any player’s plot card (including self).
Place 1 of your warrants on any restricted area to enter for 1 Time instead of 3.
Gain a dropship pass. Pass may be discarded to move to any location for 1 Time.
Place an alibi (worth -5 evidence) on any suspect.
Discard 1 point of trauma from your character.
Place 1 good or bad baggage on any player’s current plot (including self).
-(Happy endings are where plot score > 0)
-(Sad endings are where plot score < 0)
Guilty hunches are +2 VP per link
Each society* (blue) favor is +1 VP per link
Sad endings are -1 VP per link
Each political* (yellow) favor is +1 VP per link
Innocent hunches are +2 VP per link
Each street* (red) favor is +1 VP per link
Happy endings are +1 VP per link
Each corp* (green) favor is +1 VP per link
Each Hass Token is +1 VP per link
-Each Jinteki Token is +1 VP per link
Caprice blinked and glanced over at the dark-suited man seated next to her in the hopper. She looked away again, just before they made eye contact. One did not make eye contact with the Chairman of Jinteki Corporation, even if one were riding in the same hopper.
"Caprice, I hope that you realise the importance of this case." Chairman Hiro straightened his tie. "This is a test run, a pilot program, but Jinteki had to call in many favours, bend many rules, to bring you this far. Our reputation, our honour, is at stake. If you fail, the loss of face would be..." He shifted, looking out the window again. "It would be unfortunate."
An image, sudden as a gunshot: Her face, a dozen times - all her sisters, all the other Niseis, sobbing, clutching one another, tattoos showing, heads bare, naked, bubbles - the vats, they're being reclaimed, broken down, recycled - failed project, will try again. Nisei Mk. III will be more stable -
She gasped, placing one hand on the cold, hard plasglass of the windowand clenching the other tightly. Deep breathing. The plasglass was real. Cold. Smooth. Real. The vision was not. That was... that was not. A trickle of blood ran down her fingernails as she fought for focus.
"You understand me, Nisei-san?"
"Hai, Director. I will not fail you." She closed her eyes, resting her forehead on the window. Real. When she opened them again, they were coming in to land at Levy University. She could see the gardens - and Daniel was there! A tiny thrill ran through her, and she smiled faintly as she closed her eyes once more.
"You will report directly to me, Nisei-san." The door opened and the Chairman stood. "Make us proud."
Or we'll recycle your entire genotype.
"Officer, please step aside and let me read this room." Bemused, he did as she asked, watching as she closed her eyes, then drifting his gaze further south. Without opening her eyes, she spoke, "Officer Lee, it would aid my concentration considerably if you would think of a blank sheet of paper instead of... my assets."
Chairman Hiro - The Chairman is, in many ways, directly responsible for Caprice's creation. A brilliant man, he discovered the genes responsible for her unique abilities. However, he is a fierce man, and demands total success on this assignment, or else.
The Sisters - Although Caprice's sisters have never yet been awakened, she can feel them in her mind at all times, floating in their nutrient baths. They comfort and support her. To them, she is more mother than sibling, as her experiences form their only stimulus.
Daniel - Daniel is a young art student that Caprice met while walking in the gardens near Levy University. Although she is confused by her own feelings in regards to him, Caprice does know that being near Daniel makes her feel warm and happy.
Then last week, he'd gotten his partner killed. And for what? Some filthy creds from the mob. Mr Li's men were loading up a truck with stolen goods when Jim came across them while out jogging. He tried to play good samaritan and got himself killed. No, that wasn't right. Jim had gotten killed doing his job, the same job Louis was supposed to be doing when he took Li's dirty money to look the other way.
The coroners said that it was a heart attack, but Louis knew better. It was Tanaka, Mr Li's enforcer. The smug S.O.B. showed up to Jim's funeral and gave Louis his condolences with a smile. It was all he could do not to pull his gun.
Somehow, Sara had known. Louis supposed she couldn't be his wife for over tewnty years and not sense something. He'd been on thin ice with her for awhile, and the funeral was the last straw. While she didn't know what he'd been up to, she had her suspicions. Packing her bags, she told him, "Louis, I'm gonna go look for the man I married. He sure as hell isn't here." Without another word, she left to stay with her sister. As things stood, he expected her to file for divorce any day.
And now, on top of everything else, this weird murder investigation. Top priority from the high brass - no explanations given. The Commissioner assigned him to the case because she felt Louis needed something to focus on. She even gave him a new rookie partner to keep him busy.
When had he gotten lost in the dark? Was there any way for him to make it back to the light? To be honest, he just didn't know.
Look, kid, you gotta choose your battle. If it's one thing I've learned on the beat, it's to keep your head down when someone's swinging the axe around. There are lots of people in this city who make it their hobby to get rid of anybody making waves. So, you wanna make a difference, learn how to do it without rocking the boat.
Sara - Louis' wife. They're undergoing a trial separation right now. Things don't look good so far. Sara suspects that he's been making deals with criminals, and that's more than she can bear to take after twenty years of being a loyal cop's wife.
Mr Li - The mafia boss who has Louis in his pocket. An older Asian gentleman, Mr Li is a man who abhors the use of excessive violence to accomplish things. Tanaka almost certainly did the killing under his own initiative.
Tanaka - Mr Li's number one lieutenant and his primary enforcer, Tanaka is an ambitious and cruel man. He uses exotic poisons to kill his victims, a quirk no doubt inspired by his reptilian personality. If Louis had one wish, it would be to take Tanaka down.
Accessing police records. Scanning facial files....match found. Edward Templar: Male, Caucasian, Age 28, IQ 92, Black Hair, Blue Eyes. No past criminal offenses. Recently fired from Gemini Motors.
"Mr Templar, please desist your attempts to steal my cycle. Given your lack of criminal record and your recent loss of employment, I am willing to forgive this incident."
The man looked up at him, startled. "Who are you? How did you know all that about me?" Then his eyes narrowed as they fell upon the tubes on the back of Floyd's hands. "Hey, you're one of those damn robots that took my job!" Angrily, he stood up from the bike and advanced towards Floyd, who mentally revised the man's IQ downwards by several points.
"Incorrect. I am a bioroid, which is a registered trademark of Haas-Bioroid Incorporated. My personality is derived from a human braintape rather than a computer program."
"Whatever. Robot or toaster, it's all the same to me!" Templar jabbed a finger in Floyd's direction. "All I know is that you're taking jobs from honest, hard-working citizens!"
Floyd blinked. "Given your recent activities, Mr Templar, I question your use of the word 'honest.' However, I am investigating an important criminal case, so I am willing to forget this relatively minor infraction if you leave now."
Templar snorted. "So, they're letting you toasters play cop now too? Well, I don't think so!" With a roar, he swung his fist at Floyd's face as hard as he could. There was a crunch of breaking bone, and the man howled as his hand shattered.
"Unfortunate," said Floyd, completely unaffected by the blow, "I had hoped not to waste the time it would take to arrest you. However, I suppose there's no avoiding it now. Assaulting an officer of the law is a serious offence." Lifting the groaning man up with one hand, Floyd marched him back towards the station.
"Although I find the concept of life after death intriguing, Father Michael, I hardly feel that it is necessary for a logical support of ethical behaviour. Game theory such as the Prisoner's Dilemma and a simple analysis of risk versus reward is ample evidence that ethical behaviour is logical without debating the existence of the soul."
Director Haas - Director Haas is a powerful woman in charge of Haas-Bioroid. She built the company from the ground up, recruiting the best researchers she could find. She has had a chilly attitude towards Floyd ever since he embarrassed her in a board meeting.
Father Michael - A priest at St. Theresa's, Father, Michael has become one of Floyd's only real friends. The two of them spend hours debating religion and philosophy while playing chess. Floyd met Father Michael when following up a lead on an earlier case.
Simmons - Simmons is another of Floyd's rare friends. The young tech keeps Floyd's systems in tip-top shape, not to mention providing him with new technology from time to time. Although young and naive, Simmons has a good heart.
The bottle was half empty now. He scowled at it.
His secretary beeped for attention. Ray pressed a few buttons and there was a note from the Commissioner: "Captain (wasn't that nice? He hadn't been a Captain in years), need an outside perspective on this one. Usual rate. - Dawn."
Here was something. Money (the rent was late again), and even better - a puzzle. A case was good. A case was always better than sitting alone in the dark with his ghosts.
Ray ignored the bottle while he thought. The file showed some images - a chalk outline, file photographs - and then he saw the corpse and his gut jumped. Ray closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was Keene in his mind's eye, looking scared and confused. He'd been dead six hours when Ray found him, but he'd looked terrified, scared out of his wits. Focus on the case, Ray - forget Keene, solve the puzzle.
He looked again, hand shaking while he poured another shot. Alright. The murderer was standing here, the victim over there... It started to take shape in his mind, he could see it, he could - he blinked. There was something wrong with the crime scene. He reached out, his fingers brushing the screen of his monitor as he furrowed his brow-
The secretary beeped again. "Hey, Ray! Ray, are you there?" Kate. Blonde and beautiful. Red lips, like cherries or Martian beer. "Ray, hey, I'm in town. We should do dinner, talk about old times."
The scotch spilled across the table.
"You wouldn't know it to look at me now, but I was an ace pilot in the War. Used to have the most beautiful girl... Then one day, everything just turned sour. My friends got killed, my girl left me, and I started getting the shakes when I tried to pilot." He sighed, "Gimme another drink, will ya? I can still remember my name."
Kate - Every man has his kryptonite, and Kate was Ray's. They shared a passionate love affair during the War until she took off one night without a trace. Now she's back in his life just as this murder case comes up. Coincidence? Perhaps.
Keene - During Ray's army days, Keene was his best friend. Keene once carried him on his back twenty miles when Ray was too hurt to walk. Ray still blames himself for his friend's death even though the military investigation cleared him of any fault.
Parsons - Parsons is dead, probably. He was Ray's Sergeant during the War. The day Keene died, Parsons was lost behind enemy lines and never seen again. Ray has made a hobby of writing to various Army officials, keeping the search for Parsons going.
She pulled up short on that thought and almost missed her mark getting up to leave. After the last conversation she'd had with her father, she honestly didn't know if they were on speaking terms anymore. Things had gotten pretty bad between them since Mom died. Money was always tight, so she'd gone into bounty hunting to make ends meet, and her father, the last Boy Scout, didn't approve of her lifestyle.
Catching up to Poole, she grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back with practiced ease. "Good evening, Mr Poole. You are cordially invited to accompany me to the bounty station downtown. Should you choose to struggle, I will be more than happy to deliver you with a broken arm."
Poole tested her grip briefly before hearing the tell-tale creak of strength implants and giving up. Rachel was roughly twice as strong as most men and about a hundred pounds heavier than she looked, partly due to her intensive training, and partly due to semi-legal surgery. Another thing her father constantly lectured her about. "Corrupting" herself with cyberware. Sometime she wondered what world he lived in.
Anyhow, this mark was just seed money for the big score. A high-profile murder had been committed and she'd managed to wrangle a piece of it. If she could just bring in the killer, she'd be set for life. Maybe she'd even pay off her father's debts, if he asked real nicely.
"Don't kid yourself, honey. Every one of us is all alone in this life. If you want something, you've got to take it yourself, because if you trust someone else to get it for you, they'll stab you in the back each and every time. And why shouldn't they? They've got things they want too. The only difference between you and them is that they're smart enough not to trust you."
Captain Beckmann - Rachel's father, Captain Thomas Beckmann is the last honest cop in town. Or, as Rachel has been known to say, "The biggest sucker in New Angeles." He disapproves of Rachel's bounty hunting, and the two are no longer speaking.
Oliver - A teenage boy who often serves as an informant for Rachel. He has helped her track down dozens of bounties, but lately he's been taking bigger and bigger risks, as though he's desperate for money.
Lena - Rachel's best friend. The two of them went to high school together. Now, Lena works for the Levy family and makes more money than Rachel could ever hope to see. Lately, Lena has been pressuring Rachel to accept a loan from her.
I'd sign up but I think one more thing to keep track of on here would make me go insane...er.
Chicago Megagame group
Watch me struggle to learn streaming! Point and laugh!
Roxie HT, the owner of Roxie HT's Cabaret, seems to have become the latest victim in a string of brutal killings this morning. Since the details on the murders haven't been leaked to the press, but match each other closely, we're pretty sure we've got a serial killer on our hands.
On a topic-related side note, FFG has put Android in their Christmas sale for $25.
IOS Game Center ID: Isotope-X
I put a link in the OP right above the player list.
IOS Game Center ID: Isotope-X
IOS Game Center ID: Isotope-X
Also, if you're Floyd, try to get a Dropship Pass, since it'll make going back for your maintenance super-easy. Especially if you are going to do any investigating planet-side since it takes a good amount of time to go back up the Beanstalk.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
As for movement rulers, I already posted a link to files on BGG that visually represent ruler movement.
Sending me the movement plan beforehand keeps things above board.
Looking forward to this one.
Reserve up, I suppose.
Twitch Stream
Dude, get it while it's $25!
Cap is in the reserves! I'll give until the end of the week for the last person to sign up. In the meantime, if you seek any clarity, please keep it coming. Or, go ahead and hash out who you want to play and stick the last sign up with whatever's left.
It's less of a "Let's find out who did it!" game, and more of a "I think that person is guilty, so I'm going to pile up evidence against him whether he is or not so I can prove it in court."
Which totally makes sense in a noir setting, and is awesome.
Say I have a hunch that Mark Henry did it. I look for evidence that not only damns him, but I find stuff that exonerates the other key suspects. But now, throw in each detectives personal motives for needing to be the one that solves the crime. Caprice doesn't want her and her sisters to be broken down into goo. Rachel needs the money to get her big score. Etc. Naturally, if another suspect is looking more and more like the one who really did it, and it's not the person they've been investigating the whole time, they're going to want to do something about it. Only have 2 weeks. Can't start fresh, or give in and just say, "hey, Blaine is right. That shitbag Sgt. Thoris is really the one who did it. Way to go, Louis." Nothing to do but rub the numbers a bit...
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
I'm still a little sore about you replacing some of my pixelwork though. But only a little bit. Only because the use of the scanned tokens are more readable - even though I still think the player tokens are a little large. :P
But I'll put something in the OP.
I felt bad switching to the easier to see components too, but… well, they're easier to see, dagnabbit.
I've added the 4 current players to the game on handtracker.
Still room for 1 more!
Not sure how kosher it is to sign up for a game here when I literally just registered 5 minutes ago though :P
But yeah I meekly !signup, although I have no problem lurking instead if you'd rather have someone who's not such a forum newb.
You guys go ahead and work out who gets which character.
From most wanted on the left, to least wanted on the right:
Raymond -> Floyd -> Caprice -> Rachel -> Louis
Regardless,
Louis -> Floyd -> Caprice -> Raymond -> Rachel
Also, XiV needs to register on the handtracker.