Scum and Villainy out-of-character (OOC) thread.

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I can essentially fling tables (or similar sized things) or myself with my mind. I could pull some object from behind Hubba into his back.

Rest of the plan sounds good.
 
If we actually started using this thread, I think it would suffice for coordination.

Ok, our failure to deal with sightings at the hospital have caught up to us. I don't think a full on shootout would go well. How about if Steevo has the ship setup for this with a flashback and a rig roll so the ship starts and the ramp comes down, the driver of the rover (who is? Twitch is the pilot, I assume he's recovered? Wait, I just realized our pilot and the junky are the same person. Good thing there are no guard rails or stop signs in space.) makes a roll to dodge the baddies (badderies?) and hit the ramp. To screw future coordination and fun repercussions, someone could take out Hubba. Can Ida do any kind of Jedi mind trick to either blur their memorues or impair their shooting?
In answer about the mind trick. It's an optional mystic ability (sort of like a feat) and Ida hasn't got it.

Having the ship remote start is definitely on the cards. It's a surplus military transport and it does have the means for remote piloting (think something like the dropships from Aliens). The ZU class is fitted with a CG (contra-grav) system (as opposed to a thrust vectoring system on the main engines) so you don't get the huge rocket wash from its engines on takeoff.
 
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Is it worth talking to Hubba?
As you understand, he has a reputation for having a big mouth so you might learn something useful from talking to him. As you start the scene he's already let slip that he considers Lar Correia to be his 'business associate', which would be news to you given that Correia appears to have gotten shot in an altercation with Hubba's goons and Derryl appears to be completely in the dark about how Hubba got wind of the whole enterprise.
 
How about we ask him to explain how exactly Lar is an associate and if the answer is hard to swallow or dodgy in any way we go with Stan Stan's idea?
 
If we want we do as suggested and flashback to reconnoitering the landing site saying we want to make sure no cops are around before driving up. Assuming we see them we could have Twitch sneak on board while you're driving up and steal the ship out from behind them.
 
I'm gonna play dumb to get some info out of him. I left the reference to 'how the gang did it on Lushun' as a possible flashback point.
 
Welp, it is damn worrying how much Hubba knows. I assume that this is information gleamed from our currently-indisposed customer but whether it was delivered under duress or not is another matter.
 
Welp, it is damn worrying how much Hubba knows. I assume that this is information gleamed from our currently-indisposed customer but whether it was delivered under duress or not is another matter.
Or claims he knows ...

Also, there are five shares. Not all of the folks privy to this venture are accounted for.
 
In any case, Kal is of the mindset that he will go where the money goes. If working with Hubba keeps us out of trouble and we still get paid the same then he's open to hearing the offer.
 
If we want we do as suggested and flashback to reconnoitering the landing site saying we want to make sure no cops are around before driving up. Assuming we see them we could have Twitch sneak on board while you're driving up and steal the ship out from behind them.
Do you want to initiate the flashback? The field is pretty barren but there is a berm around the landing pads to support craft landing with reaction engines. Sneaking onto the field is certainly possible.
 
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In any case, Kal is of the mindset that he will go where the money goes. If working with Hubba keeps us out of trouble and we still get paid the same then he's open to hearing the offer.
It does occur to you that Hubba may or may not attempt to double cross you. He has not explained how he came by the share in the venture that he claims to have, and his reputation is not exactly trustworthy. However, that doesn't preclude you from lying through your teeth to him - or double crossing him down the track.
 
Séadna Séadna, RuinZealot RuinZealot, Bunch Bunch, Smith Smith, Stan Stan

I feel like the game has been faltering since Christmas, and I need your help in picking it back up. The impression I get is that folks are still somewhat engaged in the game but it's lost momentum. It would help pick the momentum back up if you make a point of doing something in the IC thread at least once/day and keep an eye on the OOC thread.

Also, I've tried to throw open a decision about what to do. Is anyone feeling uninspired about what options to take? Would a choice like the one below help?

I. Engage with Hubba
II. Bunch sneaks up to the ship and takes off
III. Open fire on the thugs
IV. Draw weapons and cover Hubba's goons while you load the rover onto the ship
V. None of the above. I think we should do ....
 
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Yea, I feel like sometimes I post too much (~50% of posts at times) so I back off. Then I realize that I haven't posted for a couple of days.

I think the group dynamics have also worked against us. We're leaderless combined with an unwillingness to step on each others toes. The effect has been to cause delays when consensus isn't clear. It's seems like things went faster when in smaller groups. I support more people going off half cocked without waiting for the group's assent.
 
Yea, I feel like sometimes I post too much (~50% of posts at times) so I back off. Then I realize that I haven't posted for a couple of days.

I think the group dynamics have also worked against us. We're leaderless combined with an unwillingness to step on each others toes. The effect has been to cause delays when consensus isn't clear. It's seems like things went faster when in smaller groups. I support more people going off half cocked without waiting for the group's assent.
Message received! Twitch will flashback and try to steal the ship.
 
Nobby-W Nobby-W wasn't posting simply from not getting back into the habit after Christmas. I'll correct that from now on.

No problem with anybody being as nutty and reckless as they want.

Stan Stan for leader? :grin:
 
Nobby-W Nobby-W wasn't posting simply from not getting back into the habit after Christmas. I'll correct that from now on.

No problem with anybody being as nutty and reckless as they want.

Stan Stan for leader? :grin:
I'm quite happy with the party calving. It's much easier to do with PbP games than around a table. For example, Ida could just hang about on-planet and do some research in the university library. Perhaps you could flashback a false identity.
 
Ships capable of atmospheric landing

Ships capable of landing in an atmosphere fall into roughly four categories:
  • Space plane: These take off and land on runways, much like today's aircraft. This configuration saves on the weight, complexity and cost of a thrust vectoring system. Also, GCFR[1] reaction drives are quite hard on landing pads if you're using them multiple times every day. Most orbit shuttles operating in areas with supporting infrastructure are of this type, and it's used in some other niches as well.
  • Thrust vectoring: These are streamlined hulls, often of a space plane or lifting body configuration that use a thrust vectoring mechanism to swivel the engines from pointing prograde to downward. They are capable of VTOL but are very noisy on takeoff and landing, and kick up a lot of debris if you use them on unprepared fields. Thrust vectoring systems are still considerably lighter and cheaper than CG systems, though.
  • Tail standers: Really old-school, but there are still some tail-standing designs in service although new production is limited to a handful of niches. Mainly found in heavy lift shuttles or shuttle craft designed to operate on vacuum worlds. Large tail-standing merchants are still fairly common in the Neutral Zone, although most are 40-50 years old or more. Big tail standers are LOUD on take-off or landing.
  • Contra Gravity (CG) systems: Most landing craft and streamlined ships designed for use on rough fields use CG systems. These have the advantages over vectoring systems of being much quieter and not having any jet wash. The disadvantage is that the CG modules to lift a starship are fairly heavy and use a lot of power, also requiring large open-mode or CHS[2] reactors to power them. The advantage is that a ship equipped with such a power plant also has plenty of spare juice to power weapons.
The Tranquility is equipped with a CG system and a large CHS power plant. It can be fitted with mounts carrying blast cannons.
__________________________
1 - Gas Core Fusion Rocket. Powered by a stream of plasma from the reactor, this is mixed into reaction mass held in place with a magnetic bottle. It is orders of magnitude hotter than a chemical rocket, so the specific impulse is much higher, typically of the order or 40,000-50,000.
2 - Compact Hybrid Stellerator. A tokamak style design that can form a plasma without having to start an arc; this means that the plasma touches nothing at all. Hybrid designs can operate in closed mode (circulating coolant through a radiator system) and open-mode, venting the plasma through a MHD geerator or through the engines where it is used to heat the reaction mass. Open-mode reactors can generate a lot of power but go through a lot of reaction mass in doing so.
 
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You guys want to drive in or should I try and squash the thugs with the ramp/landing gear?
 
If it can handle landing on concrete it can handle skulls no problem!

Just drive away or drive in.
 
If it can handle landing on concrete it can handle skulls no problem!

Just drive away or drive in.
ooh, use a HELM check to to kill!
Or pitch arse-down and burn the reaction engines. The RCS[1] on the ZU class is also fed from the main reactor and is quite powerful. It's good for about 1/20 of a G, so roughly 15 tons of thrust.
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1 - Reaction Control System; manoeuvring and attitude thrusters
 
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Or pitch arse-down and burn the reaction engines. The RCS[1] on the ZU class is also fed from the main reactor and is quite powerful. It's good for about 1/20 of a G, so roughly 15 tons of thrust.
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1 - Reaction Control System; manoeuvring and attitude thrusters
Well that's an area effect sort of thing I'd guess. Sure if you have to make sure every damn thing beneath you is dead fire a big ball of flame at it. Mostly I need them to be moving instead of firing from a stationary position.
 
Well that's an area effect sort of thing I'd guess. Sure if you have to make sure every damn thing beneath you is dead fire a big ball of flame at it. Mostly I need them to be moving instead of firing from a stationary position.
Yes, area affect indeed. It would cook everything on the pad and fling it over a wide area. The RCS might be a less drastic option.
 
How much stress do you take again? Is it 2 per added die?
 
Now, downtime

Stan Stan, Séadna Séadna, RuinZealot RuinZealot, Bunch Bunch, Smith Smith -

You can do to actions during downtime, as listed in the rulebook. I suggest that for those who have accumulated significant stress that at least one of those activities can be indulging your vice for some stress relief.

Séadna Séadna - Ida can use downtime to research things way related.

Others, look through the downtime section (page 184 in the rulebook)

Experience

I've marked the experience from desperate rolls on the character sheets here. Apart from desperate rolls, experience comes from three sources:
  • Playbook specific triggers - look in the rulebook for the playbook details and go back through the IC thread to see what you got up to that might qualify.
  • Expressed your beliefs, drive, heritage or background - Make sure you've listed this on your character sheet and go look through the IC thread to find examples.
  • Struggled with issues from your vice or traumas - This is a reward for role playing. It's worth looking at your character's vice and making a point of role playing it as a weakness of some sort.
Experinece is discussed on Page 50 of the rule book. Also, take a look at crew triggers on page 51. Getting Correia off planet can count as a successful transport operation.
 
  • Playbook specific triggers - look in the rulebook for the playbook details and go back through the IC thread to see what you got up to that might qualify.
  • Expressed your beliefs, drive, heritage or background - Make sure you've listed this on your character sheet and go look through the IC thread to find examples.
  • Struggled with issues from your vice or traumas - This is a reward for role playing. It's worth looking at your character's vice and making a point of role playing it as a weakness of some sort.
For #1
When you play a Scoundrel, you earn xp when you address challenges with charm or audacity
The hospital - intended just to confidently walk in, and tried to charm that Guard into helping us out.
Hubba - when we couldn't figure out what to do, Kal just decided to go for the guns blazing route, truly audacious!

For #2
Kal has made it pretty clear that his morals are bendable, he's in this for the money. I would say that is applicable to his Drive as a character but it's not a confident argument on my part as he has let things slide (failed negotiation, unwillingness to use money in bribery, open to hearing Hubba's proposition until he figured that Hubba would as soon shoot them as he would pay them).

I don't think I applied #3 at all, I imagine the hunger for being paid on this job would have distracted Kal enough to not need to drink.

Execute a successful transport or smuggling operation.
If the crew successfully completed a job that matches this trigger, mark xp.

Contend with challenges above your current station.
If you tangled with factions of higher Tier than your crew quality, or simply opposition more dangerous than your crew, mark xp for this. If you have any questions about this, the GM can help you decide.

Bolster your crew’s reputation or develop a new one.
Review your crew’s reputation. Did you do anything to promote it in play this session? Also mark xp if you developed a new reputation for the crew.

Express the goals, drives, inner conflict, or essential nature of the crew. This one is very broad! Essentially, did anything happen that highlighted the specific elements that make your crew unique?
We managed to get our contact off-world for #1.

Would contending with Hubba throughout the session and a final skirmish qualify for #2?

#4 is iffy but I think the crew are starting to feel out our place together and within the world, heavily working towards our goal of makin moolah.
 
[ . . . ]
#4 is iffy but I think the crew are starting to feel out our place together and within the world, heavily working towards our goal of makin moolah.
Stan Stan, Séadna Séadna, RuinZealot RuinZealot, Bunch Bunch, Smith Smith -
Speaking of which, now the group's been running for a while, we've done the characters and have some idea of what makes them tick - and I think folks have some feel for the setting. How about we do a sort of ongoing session 0 in this thread and come up with some party motivations or other similar bits of background, which might give us some idea of what actually constitutes #4.

So, to start with, after we've done XP, let's do something like FATE's phase trio. Take the list above that I've used to make The Pub ping you, and then:
  • For the person next in the list ( Smith Smith can wrap around to the start), write up how you got to know this person and what effect you've had on their life.
  • For the person previous on the list ( Stan Stan can wrap around to the end), write up some way that this person has affected your life.
After that, we can come up with a back story on how you came to be in possession of the Tranquility. Winning it in a game of Sabacc has already been done, although I'll buy that if you can embellish it.
 
I'm going to say that Steevo helped me get off Lamia. There were other members of the driver cult on Lamia and they were ready to head off-world and happy to have a way user aboard so I jumped planet with them.

Then for Will perhaps when the time came, seeing a somebody who wanted a way out of their previous life like I had tried to escape mine I helped get him out of the syndicate in some manner. RuinZealot RuinZealot you can choose what form that will take if it is acceptable. I'll develop it more in response to that.
 
Stan Stan, Séadna Séadna, RuinZealot RuinZealot, Bunch Bunch, Smith Smith

In the meantime I'm pulling all of the Spoiler tags out of the IC thread (at least those in my posts) so it's easier to scan the threads for stuff. Feel free to do this with your posts as well. I think I will start progressing the IC thread for the downtime, (i.e. the activities like vice to relieve stress and research) and move the XP and advancement off the critical path. When you do the XP you can update skills as you complete it.
 
I'll work out the XP part as soon as I reread that section.

During some downtime on a bland planet, Steevo went to a seminar on the mystical aspects of hyperspace that tried to draw parallels between otherworldly powers and multidimensional space. Ida was there and they got to talking afterwards. They both thought the presenter was way off but there was a seed of an idea. Steevo often asks questions about mysticism as it ties into his belief of a super hyperdrive that would make space travel nearly free. Steevo convinced Ida to join the crew partially to secure an info source, convincing her that ships have tons of downtime for meditation.

Steevo is a hobbyist collector of black market government documents. Curious why his best source dried up, he tracked it to its source. It turned out that Kal was trading sexual favors with a government official for documents. When she dumped him, Kal lost his source. Some of Steevo's best conspiracy theories are derived from the info Kal delivered.
 
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