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Mass Effect 2: The Search for an Anti-Reaper Weapon
Captain Carrot
Alexandria, VARegistered User regular
Alexandria, VARegistered User regular
In the wake of the Battle of the Citadel, Admiral Anderson is chosen by the Council (a decision spearheaded by Councilor Udina) to oversee a covert initiative dedicated to finding a way to defeat the Reapers; while the details were kept classified out of a concern for public safety, the Council reluctantly admitted in private that the geth had not been the real threat behind Saren. The Alliance research group Cerberus provides much of the staffing and brainpower for this effort, but the other species contribute resources and personnel as well. Anderson is still gathering intel when the Normandy is attacked, and while Commander Shepard's injuries are serious, the data that the Normandy's sensors provide lead him to believe that the Collectors have what the galaxy needs: intact Reaper technology, and enough information on them to give the Citadel's fleets a fighting chance when the real invasion began. When Shepard is out of the hospital, the Normandy should be repaired and upgraded, and she should have a list of team members to pick up.
This is going to be a reimagined tabletop version of Mass Effect 2 (and 3, if it gets that far); Bioware has admitted that when they were making 1, they didn't have 3 in mind, and this is a chance to fix some of that. The system is still in question; FATE is certainly good, but I'm open to suggestions. Players can either make their own character or go with an established Normandy resident; if someone wants to be Shepard, bear in mind that you won't be making choices alone, unlike the game, for obvious reasons. Also, we need to agree on what happened in 1; my preference would be for a living Wrex, Council, and Rachni queen, but this is up to you guys.
This is going to be a reimagined tabletop version of Mass Effect 2 (and 3, if it gets that far); Bioware has admitted that when they were making 1, they didn't have 3 in mind, and this is a chance to fix some of that. The system is still in question; FATE is certainly good, but I'm open to suggestions. Players can either make their own character or go with an established Normandy resident; if someone wants to be Shepard, bear in mind that you won't be making choices alone, unlike the game, for obvious reasons. Also, we need to agree on what happened in 1; my preference would be for a living Wrex, Council, and Rachni queen, but this is up to you guys.
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But i am 100% in.
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Think I'd be good with coming back, assuming you'd want it that way.
Why I fear the ocean.
In case anyone does want to play pre-existing characters, unless someone is interested in Jacob, I'm cutting him. He just has no function in the story at any point. He has daddy issues, but nothing that isn't done better by anyone else, particularly Miranda. His mission in 3 is frankly not important in any way, so he doesn't even get that as an out, unlike Thane (who's not terribly interesting except as the only drell we know in 2, but cutting him would mean losing "His prayer was for you", and nerts to that.)
Grunt was my favorite character from the second game, but he wouldn't necessarily be around yet. I could settle for Garrus, I guess.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
On that note, a character I'd like to play is a korgan merc who gets picked up somewhere along the way, somehow, if adding another krogran when Grunt's on the ship isn't an issue. Thumbnail sketch would make him part of the last generation born before the genophage, so he got to grow up when the krogran were running rampant, dropping asteroids onto Palavan, and then the crushing turnaround when the genophage hit. He's got a phlegmatic, if nihilistic attitude, thinking like Wrex in ME1 that his race is destined for extinction, and if that's the case, then the last victory left to them is to keep breathing as long as possible.
I've heard about the FATE and Fudge systems, and know how they work in general principle, but haven't played them. Is there an online resource that lays out the workings of FATE?
http://www.faterpg.com/resources/ should do you fine.
For a loyalty mission for my character - hmm... this could be a little complex. Anything related to actually curing the genophage would have an immense resonance with him, which could in some way cross-over with the whole Mordin/Maelon thing. Destroying the research would be devastating to him, and would definitely cost his loyalty if already earned.
The other possible loyalty avenue would be something
That's just my idea, modify or change it however best fits your needs. As far as I've got him developed now, something along that avenue would fit best for a loyalty mission. He's estranged, and his feelings regarding them are complex, but a threat to his former mate, and especially his daughters, is the kind of thing that would give him pause in the middle of trying to save the galaxy. After all, the krogan have no future, but still, they're his legacy, the lives he lent shape to that will carry on after him.
Bioware originally planned to have a Mordin/Grunt challenge like Tali/Legion and Miranda/Jack, but discarded it in part because Grunt doesn't really care about the genophage. Could do that here.
Wouldn't even necessarily have to be much of a conflict: he's worried about them, and he wants to see them before going on the suicide mission. Would have different dialog depending on whether Mordin's mission has been done yet, of course.
Alkas Revenius (I don't even know if that sounds Turian enough...) grew up on Invictus., a Turian colony known for its deserts, hazardous jungles and large amount of Terminus Systems criminals hiding out. As such, Alkas grew up a hardy Turian, but also got a taste of the dark side of the galaxy. Something he resented. From a young age, he showed biotic abilities. He was below the Turian mainline as far as biotics went, but that was enough to get sent to a Cabal training facility. There, the grueling training forged him into a fine Vanguard. He showed a strong affinity for small arms and sabotage, as well as resourcefulness that would often compensate for the limits of his own biotic potential. The problem is, Alkas did not want to be a Cabal operative, Alkas wanted to be an historian, Sadly, his biotics made him too useful to the hierarchy.
Alkas had a complicated relationship with his family and his instructors. He would never show insubordination, but he always resented that his birth forced him on a path he didn't feel was his. With time, he did not abandon his ambition, writing unofficial chronicles in his spare time, but resigned himself to the fact that he would never fully live out his dream. He did not come from a particularly famous family, nor did his family have any sort of birthright for him. His father was a civilian pilot and his mother was an administrative assistant. There wasn't much glory in their jobs and Alkas never craved glory as a result.
During his time in a Cabal, he did make one enemy worth mentioning. Kervi Jark. A fellow Cabalist, he excelled in controlling his biotics, came from a family with a particularly strong militaristic tradition and felt superior to Alkas in every way. He saved Arkas' life on one occasion, something Kervi never let go, claiming Arkas had was now in his debt. Arkas quickly rose through the ranks and the two of them lost track of each other. On the other hand, he made several good friends. Grei Kallas was one of those good friends. She was a middling biotic, average in most ways as far as cabalists went, which is very good, due to the stringent requirements of cabals. Sadly, she would often disobey orders and go her own way. Arkas admired her resolve, but lost track of her as she was transferred away following a particularly ugly incident wherein her decision to protect civilians from a geth incursion cost the life of a fellow cabalist.
I'm thinking Grei could have ended up court-martialed or even straight deserted and that the loyalty mission could involve her.
That's what i got for now...
Alkas Revenius would be a Turian Vanguard of above-average resourcefulness and below-average biotic ability.
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Well, there's the fact that he's really resourceful, making him pretty useful in missions, but also the fact that he's not from a top cabal and the Hierarchy doesn't trust Shepard enough to lend her its best and brightest yet.
in other words, he's the big fish in a small pond, not quite ready to go in a bigger pond yet, but with enough potential to be able.
Check out my site, the Bismuth Heart | My Twitter
I will probably not have a lot of rolls no matter what, but how would people feel about doing it diceless? That is, you fail when you want (and when it's dramatically appropriate) or when your character is trying to do something they suck at, and you succeed when you want. I've run a game that way before, and it went pretty decently.
edit: though if it's Anderson putting the team together and not Cerberus. It kinda seems like a stretch that such a character would be allowed in considering Anderon's disgust at the mere mention of Banes' name.
I guess regardless: would another human on-board be dull?
I have to look at the ME universe history a bit more and see if I can come up with something remotely interesting. Essentially I had a somewhat ruthless (in a pragmatic sense) infiltrator/ tech-head in mind.
Ruthless, pragmatic tech head?
That reads STG all over in my book. If you know you're at war with them, you already lost.
Why I fear the ocean.
edit: or mostly tbd? (kinda assuming this)
debating between biotic han solo type or more infiltrator-ish
(though I'm not sure how much it matters aside from "flavor" based on what I understand about FATE - though it seems it would matter some with aspects)
If anyone does, an STG infiltrator could also be fun.
Or an STG adept, with a focus on using his abilities in tiny, imperceptible ways.
Why I fear the ocean.
I always make those choices in my games , so I would go with that. Kaiden is one of the more rational individuals on the Normandy, that said Ashley seems like she would add a lot more drama (e.g. add more interest). Especially since I just found out
Guess it would depend on the past game?
Malthea was 80 when the Batarians took her. She doesn't know what happened to her family, only that they're gone. Instead of learning history and politics, she learned to survive, to keep her head down, to not be noticed. She became very good at not being noticed. As part of this process, Malthea forced herself to forget everything about who she used to be, from her family's faces to her own real name. Eventually, the Batarian slavers made a big score: a female Salarian, just a few years old. They held her for an astonishing amount of ransom, keeping her in the same compound as Malthea. Unfortunately for the Batarians, the STG was not far behind, and killed them all.
As Malthea no longer knew who her family was, Leot decided that she would come with them. Thus, Malthea found herself on a Salarian world, training with the STG. While she was a hopeless Sniper, and did not have the technical acumen for hacking work, she had a specialty in getting close and where she shouldn't be without being noticed. Thus, she was trained as a more hands-on operative, until she was noticed by an Asari SPECTRE. Despite her objections to leaving the first real home she remembers, she is taken back to what she is told to her homeworld, and her family. She remembers none of them. She stays there for a time, trying to reforge dead connections, and having her mind healed and trained by the adepts hired by her family. She eventually convinces them that she would heal better and faster in Commando training, with the advantage of developing her biotic abilities.
An STG-trained Commando is a political anomaly, an experiment waiting for a catalyst. And when a mission comes up that would not only be a test of ability, but also an attempt to forge new diplomatic relations, Malthea's name comes up on the short list of two different species... Where does her loyalty lie? Who commands her? Can she stand against the Collectors, and ultimately, the Reapers?
It's good for bonding. Even better for team spirit!
Why I fear the ocean.