Team -

My work schedule for the next couple of weeks is heavy with off-site meetings and evening overtime, so I'll start the third mission on the weekend of the 30th-31st.  That should give everyone time to drop at least one post in the intermission thread if you haven't already.

I have several items for this thread, which I'll drop into separate posts for ease of organization (and to artificially inflate the game's post count).  I'll unlock the thread for general use once I've finished those tasks.

In game time, the third mission will begin on Wednesday, June 10th, 2015.  Since the conclusion of the Australia operation, the following events have occurred off-screen:

• Magnitude 7.8 and 7.3 earthquakes in Nepal (real world).

• Memorial service for Oberfeldwebel Gerhardt Geerts, KSK, White Cell agent killed during Operation PEASANT WRENCH (surveillance of a suspected Iranian high-energy physics laboratory on the Caspian Sea) (game world).

• FIFA corruption scandal (real world).

• Preliminary analysis of recordings, artifacts, and specimens from the Australia op, as listed in the [Meta] Intelligence Summaries thread (game world).

• Integration of Sergeant "Crit" Crittenden into Amber Cell, Doctor Jeannette Ghosten into Green Cell, and Korporal Asbjørn Hummel into White Cell (game world).

• Blue Cell covert acquisition of an ex-Bulgarian Mi-24V, upgrade of its avionics to modern NATO standard, and installation of a Project RETICLE signal analyzer (game world).

• Major counter-terrorism raids in Melbourne (real world).

• Spike in American UFO reports submitted to MUFON (real world).
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:52, Mon 18 Jan 2016.

Starting with Chapter Three, I'll be implementing a few system changes.  We will stick with the base Twilight: 2000 v2.2 engine to minimize churn, but some more stuff will get tacked on.

Assistance

My general rule for skill assistance will follow the specific case I was using for spotter/sniper synergy.  The assistant makes a skill check (whatever relevant skill applies) at the same difficulty that the primary actor will be using.  If the assistant succeeds, the primary actor rolls twice and takes the better die result.

Rate of Fire

Handled as discussed in the Chapter Two OOC thread.  This isn't really an explicit change so much as a peek behind the GM screen.

Hit Location Table

Handled as discussed in the Chapter Two OOC thread.

Network Skill

Effective immediately, I have added one new skill to everyone's sheet: Network (CHA).  This represents your character's ability to call on acquaintances, friends, and contacts for information or assistance.  It replaces the hard-wired contacts system.

If you had contacts on your sheet (defined or undefined), your new Network rating is equal to the number of contacts you had.  The same will apply to any new PCs who enter play after this point.  If you didn't write down your contacts during character creation, I determined your new Network rating by rolling 1d6 (and you are all stupidly well-connected).

From here on out, Network is considered a normal skill, subject to advancement according to the usual rules.

Each character's first use of Network per mission is at average difficulty (target number is [Network + CHA] x2).  Each subsequent use increases difficulty by one level.  Difficulty also may be modified by story factors - in general, it's one level easier if you're "at home" and one level harder if you're in remote or unfriendly territory.  Exceptional requests will also present higher difficulties...
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:43, Mon 18 Jan 2016.

And we're live.

As suggested in the SOPs thread, Colt Wasps are now available as sidearms.  Priority goes to White Cell and Grey Cell.  At Bulk 2, these weapons are not as concealable as standard duty sidearms, but they'll fit under a properly-tailored jacket or in a small bag.  Appropriate holsters are available.  Suppression isn't really an option.

Other sidearms and backup guns are at your discretion.

Based on feedback from the field, the standard deployment load consists of HK-417s for everyone in Grey Cell and its Amber Cell support unit.  In addition, there are limited numbers of:

• suppressed Glock 21
• suppressed FN P90
• suppressed Mk.18 rebarreled for .300 Blackout
• Sako TRG-42
• Remington 870P (14" barrels, some specialty ammo available)

You are not required to use these but they are available to simplify the equipment selection process.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:29, Thu 28 Jan 2016.

It occurred to me recently that the HK MP7 might be a good GC weapon. As a true military PDW, it packs more firepower than a traditional SMG, but is more compact than the vast majority of non-bulpup 5.56 carbines. I'm no ballistics expert, though, so I'm not sure if its 4.6x30mm cartridge offers an anti-ET performance upgrade compared to our 5.7×28mm P90s.

And any chance of replacing the HK417s with Mk.17 SCARs? The reports I've read are mixed but tend to favor the latter's performance as far as handling the recoil of the 7.62mm round. It's probably moot but I thought I'd put it out there.

-

I frequently refer to Dr. Roberts for terminal ballistics information that isn't always accurately captured in game systems.  He's written on the PDW calibers before:

https://pistol-forum.com/showt...-FN-5-7-mm-HK-4-6-mm

Stats-wise, I think Paul Mulcahy represents them pretty well, and the MP-7 and P90 are roughly equivalent in terms of damage and penetration in this game engine:
http://pmulcahy.com/submachine...n_submachineguns.htm
http://pmulcahy.com/submachine...n_submachineguns.htm

As far as the TF47 standard for infantry rifles, that's an area I haven't read on as much.  I went with the HK products because Paul Mulcahy's stats favor them on recoil over the FNs.  If there is a style/thematic preference for the FNs, I don't have an issue swapping them out and giving the better recoil stats to reflect real-world reviews.  Got a reference URL?

On second thought, the HK417 makes more sense. Anyone with experience on the AR-15/M4 platform- i.e. everyone- would be able to shoot it with minimal technique adjustments.

As for sub-guns, I just think that the MP7 looks a lot cooler (and is more compact to boot).

-

That's valid.  :)  I'm partial to the P90 because it's what I used when I was into airsoft (and when I had a full Stargate SG-1 costume for conventions).

ETA: I guess what I really should have said was, "pick one of each of the following types for the standard deployment package:

• assault rifle or battle rifle
• suppressed handgun
• suppressed submachine gun or PDW
• sniper rifle
• shotgun"

I'm fine if you guys want to change up any of the above.  Sorry for the inappropriate executive decision.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:01, Fri 29 Jan 2016.

Well, if there are only four left, maybe you could get them in the same room by calling a final four tontine cage match?  :P

Sorry, just seeing this edit.  I'll sleep on this and work on it tomorrow morning.  Is this an 'each individual picks', or do we have to come to a consensus as a group?

And... Is that Mk.18 in .300 Blackout 3/5 bulk?  :)

This is a team standard that serves as the default equipment package if you don't have time or inclination to go gear shopping on an individual basis.



Judging from my own .300 BLK SBR, I'd say only when the suppressor isn't mounted.  Suppressed, it goes to 4/6.

As a general FYI, Andrey will not be present on this op.  He is off chasing some leads on another thing (but can be called on with a one-level-easier Network check if you need intel from him).  Apo has some real-life time commitments that are eating his skull, and this was an opportune time for everyone's favorite Russian to duck off-stage for a bit.

As most of you know this is outside my area of expertise so I'm happy go with the flow (although from an IC POV Seb did find the TRG42 quite effective in Libya)

I'll probably just pull from the stuff originally slated for shipment myself.

Like James, I'm pretty fuzzy on matters of jurisdiction and disclosure. Technically, James still has FBI credentials- i.e. if he identifies himself as an agent and someone looks into it, he'll show up as active, right? I think I'm clear on that, but I want to be sure.

Second question, how much can James draw from Bureau resources? This is what I'm fuzziest on. For example, could he call his former boss and ask her to look for FBI files on the phantom squadron? Or, would that violet Grey Cell OPSEC. AFAIU, we're still running top secret, right? We don't want other agencies scrutinizing what we're doing, correct?

I'm reluctant to freestyle because I don't want to presume too much but, at the same time, I feel quite constrained in what I can write because I might be presuming too little. I'm not complaining, just seeking clarity.

-

Legally, James is still an active FBI agent.  His current assignment is a thing called Task Force 47.  The first layer of the TF47 onion is a generic "counter-terrorism task force."  If anyone with sufficient clearance digs deep enough, they'll find the story that was given the PCs when they were recruited - i.e., emergent threats, etc.  So anyone who tries to validate Special Agent James Choi's credentials will get a completely legitimate confirmation.  If they have sufficient juice, they will learn that his status is "FBI liaison to multinational task force."

As far as calling in assistance from the Bureau, that is a balancing act.  James certainly can request investigative or research support.  Bureau personnel generally will know not to ask too many questions about why he's looking into specific things (though some of them may be personally curious).  However, the PCs (and TF47 in general) still don't have a firm handle on what other parties might know about the alien presence on Earth.  So asking the wrong questions in the wrong quarters always runs the chance of raising some flags.

I intent to err on the side of story, so feel free to loosen those constraints a bit.

Now... separately from James, none of the other PCs have legal standing to perform espionage or law enforcement in the United States.  Hannah and Michael are active-duty U.S. military personnel, and the Posse Comitatus Act has some things to say about that.  Seb is an agent of a nominally allied intelligence agency and Crad and Lina are foreign military personnel.  So James is the only one who can legally do most of what Grey Cell does on U.S. soil.

For story purposes, one way around this is to give some U.S. government agency a reason to run interference for Grey Cell.  The FBI is one logical choice, given James' involvement.  They might ought to be involved in this case anyway, given that the apparent murder of a retired two-star admiral may have national security implications.  They are not yet there because the Office of Naval Intelligence (in the form of one Commander Stephen Vest) has slowed the wheels of bureaucracy enough to give the PCs a head start.

The FBI is not the only agency that the PCs could go to.  Through Vest, they could engage Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) due to the apparent threat to former U.S. Navy personnel.  The initial site for setting up the Cave (unless Lina issues orders to the contrary) is on the military side of the Canaveral reservation, which potentially puts them in contact with NASA and the U.S. Air Force.  NASA has a limited number of sworn federal law enforcement personnel, though they're mainly site security.  The Air Force has the Office of Special Investigations (OSI).

There are three local police departments investigating the homicides.  Contact with any or all of them might yield useful results.

I am also open to the mad schemes y'all might generate on your own...

Ok, I see a few options and different scenarios so far:

First, how we work:

a) The whole team links up before doing anything - seems inefficient to me.

b) Painter, Double Down, Lizard King, and Dealer fly down and start working on Task X, then Dancer and Bull Frog setup shop then start working on Task Y.

c) Something else...

What we work:

1) We try to intercept the adversary at the next potential target.

2) We start from Navy Nuke in Key West and work our way up, intercepting the adversary at some point along the way.

3) Something else...

My feeling is that if it's not too much work for Teg, we split into two teams and send one group to Key West to interview/relocate Paddon and one team Pembroke Pines, FL to work the next potential target.  A sort of meet in the middle strategy.  Cons are that if either team goes kinetic (and the Pines seems more likely), you've only got 50-60% of the shooters and you may end up in a firefight before any of the shooters have guns* (since the pallets are coming with Seb and Lina).

*Teg's going to hate me for this, but <glib Euro perspective on!>Of course it's America so Omdahl, Choi, and Dacovetti can walk into a Walmart and come out with a small arsenal of non-automatic weapons.  And also, since the target is in Florida, you've got no duty to retreat, which is damn near a free-pass to get into firefight.  :P</glib>

PS: Also, what do you guys think about LE Alignment. (Law Enforcement .. not lawful evil)  Maybe it's just the LL Cool J and Mark Harmon factor, but I think NCIS might be a good way to go.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:21, Mon 01 Feb 2016.

I’m in favour of splitting into two teams to cover Pembroke Pines and Key West for reasons stated. Also, as the focus seems to be in southern Florida can Lina and Seb reoute to either Miami International or Fort Lauderdale or, if that’s not possible would Homestead ARB be feasible? They could then maybe link up with the Pembroke Pines team?

NCIS sounds like a good call to me. I haven’t mentioned it to Teg but I had also considered the possibility of using the Network Skill to see if Seb knew anyone at Canaveral that he could reach out to – given his previous assignment involved security at the French space centre in Guyana it seemed not unreasonable that he might have met some of his American counterparts at conferences / meetings etc.

Dacovetti can probably network reasonably effectively with NCIS as well.  His JSOC background should lend itself well to "I know a guy who knows a guy" type stuff.

This is a post to say I'm not posting much right now because I'd rather let you guys talk this out.  I've just done a pretty big infodump, so let me know what other information you want at this stage.  If there are outstanding IC questions I've missed, remind me and I'll get to them ASAP.

If we do gown the road of splitting into two with one group headed to Pembroke Pines to protect the next target  and the other going to Key West to talk to the ex nuc dude does anyone have any preference as to which one their character does?

From my point of view it makes the most sense for Crad, Hannah, James and Michael to proceed directly to Pembroke Pines, while Seb and Lina divert their arrival to Homestead, then rejigger the configuration after we have info from those two survivors.

In reply to Karolina Kowalska (msg # 23):

I'm good with that.

Agree to the above.

We can even do some off the shelf Attar scouting with the thermal camera attachments they have for iPhones now.   If we do manage to thwart an attack we'll have to be prepared for our adversary to go off pattern.

Sounds like a plan is forming.  Let me think about how I want to handle the split narratives and I'll target Thursday for the next turn post.  In the meantime, if there's any additional procurement or prep work you want to do, let me know so I can work it in.

Also - how is the team going to Pembroke Pines going to handle equipment until Lina, Seb, and Amber Cell arrive with the deployment package?

Do we have gov't credit cards available for on site purchases?  If not, Michael will just spend his own money to outfit what he can.  I figure he's already got a Concealed Carry permit.  In the last post, I had him packing already, but if that doesn't work, there's always gun shows, it is Florida, :)
He'll also swing by the local Best Buy and load up on Go Pros for documenting the op, maybe a security store to pick up more surveillance gear to get them started.

How much are we going to need? Being outgunned and having to improvise is becoming a bit of theme.

-

Maybe show your badge at the armory when you are done with the DVC?


This message was last edited by the player at 05:14, Thu 04 Feb 2016.

Look on the bright side – if the scenario had been set over here and you’d had to rely on what you could buy over the counter you’d be taking them on with golf clubs and cricket bats...

Speaking as the GM, I will try not to get you guys into a(nother) heavy firefight before the deployment pallets arrive.

The Bureau will handle priority air transportation to Florida (business jet).  They also will provide James one official vehicle (unmarked but with lights, siren, radio, and an M4 and a Remington 870 in locking mounts in the trunk) once he's on the ground there.  His choice of black Suburban or black Charger.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:39, Thu 04 Feb 2016.

I diverted Lina and Seb's flight to go direct to Key West to save the drive time from Homestead (and to get them sync'd up closer to the timeline of the advance team).  Hope that's okay.

The flights from NYC, DC, and Atlanta took a little while to arrange because the Bureau didn't have G650s on standby for the other PCs.

(The G650 is a sweet ride, and less obvious than a C-17 in a lot of circumstances.  Don't ask how TF47 got one.)

I will be remarkably unproductive this weekend because XCOM 2 releases tomorrow (Welcome back, Commander.).  But I'll be checking in here regularly for IC or OOC questions.

Also, in answer to Keys' earlier inquiry - yes, you guys have access to "government" (read: black account) credit cards for any reasonable purchases.  Vest has also arranged a rental car (in addition to the Bureau ride) for the team currently in Miami - feel free to describe it when it comes on-screen.

As far as weapons before the deployment package arrives: Lina and Seb can bring in anything up to Bulk 4 (folded) in their bags, which will not be searched at NAS Key West.  The other PCs are assumed to have their concealable sidearms of choice and, in the case of Michael and Hannah, concealed carry licenses valid in Florida.  James, of course, can carry under his Bureau credentials.  The aforementioned FBI long guns are also accessible.

The C-17 bearing Bannon and the rest of your Amber Cell support will be on the tarmac at Homestead shortly before 0500 tomorrow morning.  The Cave will be operational four hours after arrival.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:28, Fri 05 Feb 2016.

Just a few thoughts:

Does the nursing home have any kind of surveillance system we can pull the tapes from and examine?  Ditto the hospital. Michael would want to snoop around while they were waiting, anyway, just to scope out what's going on around the hospital.  I'll get a post up tomorrow and let Rae lead the charge with the Doc to set the tone.

The nursing home has a rudimentary, antiquated surveillance system.  Its coverage only gets the exterior doors and it's on dedicated wires, so no remote hacking.  It's as much to keep tabs on residents who wander away as it is to deter unwanted entry.  They will release all records to James with a warrant, which - if you want the exposure - will be ready in the morning.  This includes their medical records on Captain Albinson.

The hospital has a much more extensive system, including - Michael and Crad will pick up on this immediately - thermal cameras in the admission areas to detect people with elevated temperatures.  The contract security company is not confidence-inspiring, though (and their armament is limited to PR-24 batons and Tasers).  It's a classic case of millions for machinery and pennies for personnel.  With several hours to kill in the waiting room, Michael and James have determined that Mercy's WiFi is surprisingly secure.  However, the agents have found a way to get a live feed from the exterior (color but not thermal) cameras at the entrances and in the parking structure.

General snooping indicates that Mercy's foci are orthopedic surgery, oncology, and cardiology.  They do not see a lot of cases that require law enforcement involvement, so Special Agent Choi's presence has made some minor waves.  Albinson was transported here because this is the best stroke center in the Miami area.  Crad's assessment is that this is not a particularly adept trauma center; he'd much rather send any of the team to Jackson Memorial.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:05, Fri 05 Feb 2016.

Your stuff is always top notch but this short piece is exceptionally good. You're a hell of a writer, Teg.

-

So...so we split again and move to secure the next victim, or hold steady?

We could always leave Painter in situ whilst the rest of the team move on?


I left the type of SMG intentionally vague as I don't know if we ever established whether we re using MP7's or P90's? I'd prefer the MP7 purely on the grounds that it looks cooler.

Michael is an MP7 man, again probably just because it looks cool.

SOP updated with MP7.  We did settle on the HK417 as the general-purpose long gun, yes?  I don't think there were any concerns over the other selections.

(Most of the Amber Cell French contingent is sticking with .357 Magnum personal sidearms.  Word has spread.  A few have latched onto Wasps, though.)

Thanks, man.  I'll admit that's not something I would have written when fully awake.  Maybe I filter too much.

Was a security camera tape from the nursing home available/turned over as requested? James would like to see if anyone entered the Captain's room right before the stroke.

Do we have a go-to judge on staff that can issue federal search/arrest warrants? I'm thinking that for something like the "foreign body", the hospital's not just going to hand it over, even if we ask nicely.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 15:27, Sat 06 Feb 2016.

That will require a warrant, which the Miami FBI field office will arrange in the morning.

Hey, maybe we should look into the recent cluster of passing aged rock stars too.

-

Any initial thoughts on the new XCOM Teg?  I tend to wait for the first patch on most games these days, but XCOM 2 was very tempting... though I'm still holding out for now.

Fucking epic.

It's not quite direct inspiration for this campaign. but it would make an excellent RPG setting in its own right.  The premise, if you have not heard, is that it's the outcome of playing the 2012 game on Impossible Ironman mode and losing.

It's 20 years after the fall of XCOM.  Earth lies under the heel of an alien-controlled puppet government which is slowly driving the Avatar Project, a shadowy master plan toward probably apocalyptic ends.  A global propaganda campaign recasts XCOM and other resistance groups as terrorists and the aliens as benevolent elder space-brothers.

Members of your core command team have kept the flame lit.  They've recruited a scattering of willing operatives and have established a mobile base in the hulk of a downed UFO.  Your mission is to unite the scattered resistance groups still fighting across the globe and use that network to seek out information on Avatar with the eventual intent of bringing it down.

Technically, it's running okay, though our gaming machine is five years old and is choking out on framerate.  We have a new rig on order, originally bought so we could play The Division at max graphics; XCOM 2 should be screaming fast on it.  I'm supposed to pick it up sometime this week.  I have seen quite a few annoying typos in the game text, which leads me to believe no professional writer was involved in the dev effort (cue professional-offended huffy cat face).

Strategic gameplay is a bit more complex than XCOM.  You have multiple resource types: space in your mobile base, power to run the facilities in those spaces, communication links to resistance cells (analogous to satellite control facilities in XCOM), alien alloys, elerium crystals, scientific staff, and engineering staff.  It's easy to get sucked into an incident pit where you're short on multiple resources at once and struggling to get yourself back to operational viability.

And time.  Oh, gods, time.  Time is a resource and the whack-a-space-mole nature of not being able to solve all the problems has been turned up so far the dial broke off.

Tactical gameplay is very familiar, with the addition of a simple but beautiful stealth/ambush mechanic.  If you start an op in stealth - and not all missions will allow you this luxury - the enemy forces operate in laid-back patrol mode until you walk into their vision range (which is clearly indicated when you plot movement).  This allows you to put most of your squad on overwatch, then have one shooter start the party.  The resulting cinematic kill-cam action as your other troopers pop up and mow down the aliens as they scatter for cover... that will never get old.

You have to fight smart, though, because the AI is much smarter and the enemies have some much nastier abilities.  And many missions have timed objectives, which means you can't hunker down in defensive positions and wait for them to come to you.  You have to keep pushing forward.  And your people get shot to shit.  Many times, I have had to recruit new resistance fighters because I had so many people in med-bay or in body bags that I couldn't field a full squad.

All of this may make it sound like a horrible play experience but it's really not.  It's a lot of fun.  The challenge level is just high enough that when you pull a mission success out of your ass, you feel like you've accomplished something.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:09, Sun 07 Feb 2016.

I'm supposed to be grocery shopping and instead I'm reading about how it runs on Mac (gotta love day-one Mac release games)...  Hmmm... don't really have time for this... but...

Ow, right in the free time.

Yeah, my relatively new MacBook Pro (refreshed just before I came over here), can only run the game on low (which looks pretty bad).  I can probably eek out more performance if I installed Bootcamp and ran it under Windows (the Iris 6100 drivers are better), but that's a lot of work when my desktop seems to run it fine.  Still, I can tell by the fans spinning up it needs a lot of system resources.

Edit (PS): So Steam has something called streaming, and I can use it to run XCOM 2 on my desktop, and send it to my laptop via my wireless LAN.  So... I'm effectively running it at MAX rate on my laptop now.. :)
This message was last edited by the player at 19:53, Mon 08 Feb 2016.

@Teg
I'll be happy to take Crewe with Michael to pathology, I just wanted to make sure you saw my post about that from a few days ago.

Yep.  I was giving Hannah and James a chance to provide input or ask additional questions before moving to that.

So I restarted XCOM 2 a couple of times, because the existing team just wasn't doing it for me.  So I made my own group...

http://i1113.photobucket.com/a...0010_zpsvehesas7.jpg
http://i1113.photobucket.com/a...0005_zpsqefpwddi.jpg
http://i1113.photobucket.com/a...0004_zpshpjstnld.jpg
http://i1113.photobucket.com/a...0007_zpsa9niqm83.jpg
http://i1113.photobucket.com/a...0009_zpstvp9rllz.jpg
http://i1113.photobucket.com/a...0003_zps2nt2a5zy.jpg
http://i1113.photobucket.com/a...0002_zpsig55yz8e.jpg
This message was last edited by the player at 17:28, Thu 11 Feb 2016.

That is a thing of beauty.  I agree with all the class assignments, too.

Super cool. My only gripe is James' billing. He should be first or second, or, at the very least, AND FEATURING...

;)

-

Hey, hey, Lizard King.  Ladies first!

Oh, and very, very nice Spartan.  My only qualm is when those team members die (notice, I didn't say 'if').

Needs a Painter.  :)

I'm teaching tonight and probably won't be home until fairly late.  Turn post may have to wait until tomorrow.

Yeah, I'm going to add Painter as a Specialist, Nemesis as a Sniper (does the least amount of running, so easier on the knees I think, plus I need at least one more), and Barfight as a Specialist as well, hopefully tonight.  Maybe Maatsen as well (any callsign/role suggestions?).  I'll probably assign Andrey as Ranger as I see him as being picked up for sneaking around/recon work.  Should give me enough operatives to get through the game.. Insh'allah...

Haven't made it to any Psi content yet, so not sure if I should set anyone up for that role, or if they get anointed like XCOM.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Disassemble a sectoid.  :)

---

I just want to know when we get that sort of firepower!

For those who are online right now, I've updated the IC post to fix the color formatting and change the description of the foreign body.

*waggles finger at Teg*  Yeah, I saw what you did...:D  Happens to the best of us (which you are definitely on that side).

In reply to Hannah Omdahl (msg # 61):

Yep, I saw it too... ;-)

XCom 2 is popping up all over the place and I'm starting to get a little jealous. I haven't read a single negative review and any criticisms are minor and drowned out with effusive praise. I'm pretty sure that I would need a new PC or some pretty significant upgrades to be able to play it in all of its glory. I guess I'm stuck helping settlements for the Minutemen in Fallout 4.

-

I recommend playing the original Enemy Unknown first.

(If I say "the original," it sounds like I'm referencing the series' progenitor.  As you're not familiar with the franchise, the best place to start is probably the 2012 version.  Not the original-original 1994 game.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:54, Sat 13 Feb 2016.

I'm nervous about my last IC post. It sounded pretty good in my head but I'm having second thoughts. This is where me not actually being an FBI agent, and getting most of my knowledge of said from popular media, could come back to bite me in the ass. If it sounds totally off-the-wall, let me know- I can take it. I'm amenable to GM-prompted edits for the sake of verisimilitude or gameplay.

-

It works for me. The only tweak I'd suggest is that the lab isn't a crime scene. It does, however, contain the only piece of physical evidence in what may be about to become a homicide investigation, so securing it and maintaining the chain of custody on that evidence (including any lab results recorded up to now) will look much the same from a procedural perspective.

It may be worth gambling, however, that none of the hospital personnel in the room are all that well-versed in criminal law and can be bluffed with good Persuasion and Leadership checks...

Don't look at me.  Hannah's only got a 1/7 on Leadership and a 2/8 on Persuasion ...

It's 19:29 and he needs an hour to secure the workshop.  Doesn't Paddon know?

Might be worth running Hannah by our comatose patient as well, maybe she can pick up some brain activity or thoughts even if the speech centers are toast...er combat inoperative.

Hannah is willing to try it... but...



I'm just trying to set realistic expectations.  Her Psi/Awareness is, uh, not that great (okay, okay, it is piss poor - only an amazing roll got her any concrete information on the rice grain) ...

Oh, and we probably don't want Adessi in the room at the time, if we can help it.

I had the best intentions about posting tonight, but then I came home and ran, and now it feels like something is crawling around my sinuses and scratching to get out.  Tomorrow night is as close to date night as the Finance Committee and I get during tax season, so expect the next turn to go up Saturday afternoon.

No worries, take care of yourself!

In the event that Paddon needs a radio call sign further down the line I nominate "Desperado."

I'm not sure what/how much James should tell the MDPD detective. Here's what I'm considering.

We're here doing an investigation into a possible terrorist cell we believe is about to go active. No more, no less.

Ask her for police protection for our hospital patient. What about the others?

I anticipate that she won't acquiesce to the request unless I give her more information about the investigation. So, how about I tell her that we believe that a terrorist cell with connections to Libya are targeting elderly, ex-servicemen in the Florida for assassination since they are a.) affiliated with the U.S. military and are b.) soft targets, compared to active duty personnel.

What do you think?

-

It's more or less true..

As Keys said, it's pretty much what's happening. I'd suggest being a little vague on details - you have credible intelligence that you can't discuss further that a known terrorist cell with links to the Middle East is specifically targeting this list of individuals. So can she please arrange for said individuals to be taken into protective custody.

The less specifics she has the more active her imagination can be. And let's face it, if you give her the names she might ask for your source anyways, so you're heading off a potential question at the pass.

If that doesn't work, threaten her with the Patriot Act.

(Yes, I know Libya is in Africa, not the Middle East...like I said, keep it vague!)

Turn is up, for certain values of "turn."

Is the current plot pacing okay?  I know my posting has slowed down and I apologize for that.

I'm good with the current rate.  It always seems to drift a little outside of combat, but that allows me to put a little more thought into what I'm trying to say, which is nice.

+1 to all of the above...

First off, I would like to beg for everyone's forgiveness and apologize for my silence during the last week or so.  RL has thrown me for a loop as I have just returned from a whirlwind, three day trip to visit the dying patriarch of my mother's family.  My maternal grandfather helped to raise me and it was a difficult trip on a number of levels, having only been recently (like Sunday) been informed that his failing health (he'd been diagnosed with congestive heart failure due to a leaky value which was considered inoperable due to his advanced age) had reached a critical stage.

I, like most of my family, has been cloistered and a bit of a basket case for the past couple of days.  Needless to say, it has severely curtailed my RPoL time and my creative juices.

However, now that I am back home, I will endeavor to get back into the swing of things (though it may take a day or two).  I will forewarn everyone, however, that it is very likely in the near term that I will again have to travel (this time likely for a funeral).  When that happens, I will try to be better about giving everyone a heads-up and not simply disappearing like I did this time.

As for the current scene, I just figured that Hannah had a headache and had passed out.  Or is that nosebled-out?  ;)  Anyways, more seriously, I will try to get an IC post of ASAP.  I am fine with the current (slightly slower) rate - probably for the obvious reasons above - and will try to respond to Barfight (which, by the way, will be an unequivocal 'yes' to mounting the guns.  I mean, seriously, we were outgunned the last two times, as I recall - and as such, we won't be this time, if DD can help it.  Besides, if we have called in the MH-60S, things are already sort of pear-shaped, we might as well be armed to the teeth... :D).

Yikes.  I think I speak for the whole group when I say you have our sympathies.  Thank you for the update, and take what time you need.  Hannah will still be here when you can come back.

So... I didn't stay home today to play XCOM 2, but since I was home anyway...

The problem with putting Grey Cell in the character pool is that the game engine randomly selects specializations for people when they move from recruit to squaddie, even though you've selected them already.  So in my current game, Barfight is a sniper (and damn good one), Dacovetti is a heavy weapons guy, Hannah is a maximum slash ranger, Lina is a medic, Bannon is heavy weapons, Cooper is a hacker (which is funny given the PC's EDU score of 4) and I still haven't been able to hire on Seb because I can't spare the supplies just yet.

Interestingly enough, Choi managed to end up as a Sniper/Gunfighter, and I noticed after an encounter with a Faceless that slashed him for 4-5 pts of damage, he ended up with scar across his face that he didn't have before.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:47, Mon 29 Feb 2016.

@Team - before we get too far into Paddon's infodump, does anyone mind if I do a bridge post to reunite the team the next morning?  I'd like to get everyone linked back up again so you have the opportunity to make some IC decisions about the next phase of the operation.  Any background actions you want to request from other agencies can occur overnight if you want to give me a list.

@Spartan - I have seen that as well and I keep meaning to report the class assignment behavior as a bug.  I've had characters gain scars, too, which I thought added some subtle detail to the play (and lose them after a few more missions, which I liked less).

In reply to Tegyrius (msg # 83):

I'm good with the teams linking up again.

Dacovetti will want to know the preliminary results of whatever Green/White cell can figure out on the medical device as well as what the findings on the spectrum analyzer in the general area of operations.  Link up!

James will want to know what the good detective has on the other case but I'm fine with a linkup.

-

I'm good with the link up as well.

I think there's also a request out to get a warrant for the nursing home's security footage.  Were there any other loose ends?

Is Charlie Sheen what we're calling one of the ET models? I seem to remember James coining it, but I can't find it in the IC and I can't remember why I came up with it- something to do with Two and a Half Men? (like someone we blew in half?)

-

Chapter Two, Post 168:

Thanks.

So, at the very least, we should probably:

• Look into the laundry service.
• Investigate Frye's stuff- maybe chat with his attorney/daughter.
• Follow up on the Spetznaz lead.

What else?

-

Apropos of nothing, I will note that caramel bacon Long Johns are a real thing.  Our local bakery creates them.  They are diabetes in tube form.

I have this mental image of the Europeans (Sebatian and Karolina) looking at that and becoming so disgusted that they walk out in a huff, going outside to have a traditional continental breakfast consisting entirely of cigarettes and coffee.  :P

I know that was a lot of infodump... feel free to ask for OOC clarification as well as IC.

In reply to Tegyrius (msg # 94):

Sorry, I haven't had a chance to digest it yet. I'll get on it later today after my guests have gone.

Just so I don't space it, Michael will help Green Cell come up with a "power switch" so we can turn on/off the nano device should we encounter another stroke in progress or be victims of the technology ourselves.

Great idea on the countermeasures.

-

Duly noted.

Also, if you guys want to pursue the Air Force angle further, that would make an excellent reason for Grey Cell to stay stateside after the current operation concludes.

I vote for following up on the AF stuff.  If no one else ties all this together, we should!  Earth in the balance and all that...

I kind of alluded to this IC, but I'm down with Seb / the French contingent (plus anyone else that wants to join in) doing close protection for the veterans whilst the others do some more investigating (e.g. following up on the AF angle).

I'm not trying to split the group and / or increase the GM workload so if you don't want to go down that road it;s fine by me, it just seems like a logical solution.

Did we have the local PD look into the cleaning agency that "sent" the Attar assassin to the nursing home? IIRC, James was going to ask Salcedo to check it out, or we were going to do it ourselves. The Attars are long gone for sure, but maybe we could track them down by starting there. Who knows, perhaps they have human confederates connected to the business- it's not entirely outside of their MO.

With this intel-heavy campaign orientation, and a combination of OOC and IC discourse, I have a hard time of keeping track of what we know, who we know, what we've done, and what our allies are doing. I don't want to add to GM workload, but an intel thread/campaign log would be helpful. We could crowdsource it, each of us adding to it when we spot something that we think we should remember.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 21:12, Sun 27 Mar 2016.

If getting a hold of those flyboys and their documentation/tech gets us closer to piloting an alien craft then Hannah is all for it...:D

More seriously, I agree with both Dealer and Bullfrog.  We should follow up on the AF angle, and we may need to split the party (sorry, if it increases the workload, Teg).

And the Lizard King has a point.  A summary might be in order, crowd-sourced as necessary.

How would you guys feel about having Seb, Choi, and Dacovetti secure and investigate Hawkins, while Hannah, Crewe, and Lina secure Ceelen?  I'm all for the AF angle, but I think we move to secure the last Navy targets before we 'Aim High'.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:02, Mon 28 Mar 2016.

That means Lina and Hannah going to the Bahamas. Is swimwear involved? If so Seb wants on that detail.

Seriously, seems reasonable but I think there are three seniors that need picked up

Ceelen - current residence Freeport, Grand Bahama
Hawkins - Homestead, Florida
Herrera - Port Charlotte, Florida

Unless I missed one of them getting bumped off, which is possible...

If we want to minimise Teg's workload maybe Painter and Vidry could collect one of them?

Might be an idea if the teams that don't have Choi each take an NPC NCIS agent with them in case any Federal Agent style badge flashing is required (although I'm not sure what weight that would carry in the Bahamas)

---

On the subject of intel, I think the outstanding items are summarised here (Msg 71)



I don't think a final decision was ever reached on who specifically was checking out the laundry service. It's mentioned again in Msg #74 but not resolved

If we want to split into three groups, I'm fine with that.  Two-on-Attar seemed to mostly work out ok for Seb and Dacovetti... :)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:48, Mon 28 Mar 2016.

To clarify, I'd rather leave further investigation of the Air Force lead to the next mission.  I do not have even a sketchy framework prepped for that yet.

Also, I am currently running on limited brainpower.  It's tax season, which means I have no wife - but I have a convention LARP coming up in mid-April and we're down two people at work.  So I may continue to be slow until after I'm done with vampires in Venice.

Okay.  Intelligence summary thread is available.  What else can I do to provide motivation and forward movement?  I feel like I may have made this investigation too sandbox-y.

Thanks Teg!

I think we just need to pick an angle and go for it.  I'm down with going after Hawkins.

How about splitting into three teams, picking up the three remaining veterans and bringing them all together in one central (and well guarded) location?

If we split into three teams of two, a PC is going to be on his / her own with Painter so how about

1 x team of 3 PC's
1 x team of 2 PC's
1 x team of 2 NPC's (Painter / Vidry)

Once we've grabbed them all we can take it from there.

That seems good with me.  I think the 3 PC group should take the Ceelen job, via the helo, to give Hannah two door gunners if needed.

You're not flying Delta then? :)

In reply to Sebastien Durand (msg # 111):

It's selfless leadership - I'm making sure Hannah gets her flying hours.  :)

OK, I'm good with Seb being in either team. If you want him as a door gunner his Autogun is decidedly average...

Barfight will be along wherever the MH-60 goes and he probably has a pretty good Autogun.

Dacovetti's autogun is 0...have a nice flight!

Okay, so we have:

Ceelen retrival - Hannah, Barfight

Hawkins retrival - Michael

Herrera retrival - Crad, Vidry

Unassigned - Seb, Lina, James

You can also take a few of the other French air commandos on any of the teams if you want additional shooters to round things out.  One of them is almost certainly capable of being an additional door gunner if needed.

I don't have a strong preference for James' assignment. Where would y'all like to place him?

-

In reply to James Choi (msg # 117):

It might be better for him to go after Hawkins where his FBI clout might be more useful than it would be in the Bahamas where he has no jurisdiction (if that makes sense - am on my phone)

How about Seb, Mike and Choi take the Hawkins mission?  For whatever reason, I have a bad feeling about that one.  Lina, Hannah, Barfight, and one of the Air Commando's can take the MH-60S down to get Celeen.  Plus I think that will align better with pacing at this point.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:32, Sat 02 Apr 2016.

In reply to Karolina Kowalska (msg # 119):

Works for me. Seb has had a bad feeling about Hawkins since he found out that he was a ringer.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:54, Sat 02 Apr 2016.

I like this plan.  Let us go forward and talk to this "Hawkins."

Sounds like all is in readiness.  I'll get a turn post up tomorrow.

So, argh.

I hate to do this but I need to idle this game until after April 24th.  With the wife being immersed in tax season and the massive amount of writing I still need to do for the convention LARP I'm running on the 22nd-24th, I just don't have the bandwidth to give GMing right now.  This is particularly irksome because I had just figured out how to handle the current plot points.

I'm sorry, guys.  Hang tight and Grey Cell will be back in three weeks...

Life happens, no worries!

Yes, I think we all understand RL takes priority.

And on that note... to set expectations now... I'll be extensively curtailing my online posting for June/July/August, due to some major work commitments coming up.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:32, Mon 04 Apr 2016.

No worries, totally understandable...I shall look forward to the restart!

What Dave said.

-

Ping.  Interest check.  How's everyone doing?

I'm still here. My situation remains broadly the same as it was a couple of weeks ago, i.e. due to work shenanigans I have less posting time that I used to, but not to the extent that I'm going to have to drop out of anything.

My holiday plans are still undecided though (I'm on holiday the week commencing 09/05 and the missus and I have been considering options that may involve dropping off the grid for at least part of that week).

Ready, willing, and able.

-

I should basically be good to go at this point (or tomorrow morning, anyway).  Patience with the limits of others is no problem however.

Please forgive my delay in responding.

I am here, and pretty much none the worse for wear; it has been a slightly rough couple of weeks (my mother is still a touch emotional at times - which is understandable).

I'd love to get back into this game; I won't promise that I will be the fastest poster, but I think that trying to get back into the swing of things would be good for me.  I definitely have been feeling out of it for the last month or so...

I'm back at a proper keyboard now and ready to proceed.

OK, holiday plans have been resolved.

I'm away Friday night to Sunday night, during which my only web access will be via my phone so I wont be posting anywhere. The rest of the week I'll be at home.

Seb will go round the back of the house in case anyone inside tries to do a runner.

Before I post though can I clarify who heard what in regard to the phone call Choi took? I can't see a reference to it being on speaker so presumed Mike and Seb could only hear James' end but Dealer made a reference to immigrants and crime that ewould suggest we heard both ends so just want to clarify so I can post accordingly

I assumed that since Dacovetti responded that James had it on speaker phone. I can go back and an IC recap of the call before we exit the vehicle if that would be more realistic.

-

Having it on speaker phone is fine by me and saves the need for a edit. I just wanted to be sure we were all on the same page.

It strikes me that speaker phone would probably be the most realistic option anyway as it gets the info to everyone faster.

Yeah, did a bad job sharing my thoughts on that one. Sorry guys!

Rae, are you looking to call Hawkins and chat or do a sneaky recon?  I can go either way, I just want to make sure I parse your last post correctly.

I was thinking giving Hawkins a heads-up that we're arriving. It'll tell us if he's home, alive, and/or under any kind of duress. I wanted to run it by you guys because maybe there are more/better reasons to drop in unannounced. What do you guys think?

-

In reply to James Choi (msg # 139):


I think it's worth giving him a call and asking if we can stop by and talk to him in like 5 minutes and see what happens

I'm going to try to get the turn post up tonight.  As a clarification, your full weapons loadout arrived on the KC-10 from Incirlik, so feel free to adjust/retcon your armament and other gear as needed in this and subsequent turns.

Also, what the hell has Google done with sharing maps through Drive (and making them unusable) instead of sharing them through Maps?

Dunno, but the new way sucks for our purposes ... Must be some other use case/scenario that they are targeting (and probably poorly, I might add)...

I just discovered this issue today when I tried to access one of my T2K unit location maps. Not cool, Google, not cool.

-

Did it mention in Hawkins' file if he was married?

You didn't get full personnel files on any of these guys - just names, terminal ranks and ratings, and address/next of kin summaries.  Vest has some guys working on compiling more comprehensive data.

Cool.
Thanks!

What Seb’s aiming to do is synchronise his move with the other two so that he comes over the fence at the same time as they get out of the car.

Shit, this is a tough scenario. James doesn't want to get shot by an old lady either. Then again, he doesn't want to shoot an old lady, if it can be helped.

Should he call her out? Something like. "We know you're armed. We've got the house surrounded. Put the weapon down and come out with your hands up."

It's a long shot, but if she's not cooperative, we could call the local PD, say she pointed a gun at us and won't come out of the house. Or do forgo the warning and just kick in the front and back doors and probably shoot it out with her? We can use the same excuse if it comes to that.

-

Not advocating for or against, but you do have a local PD contact.

Updated my phone call back home with a question to Chief Paddon about any women working with the Squadron.  It's not a big leap with pass codes and guns.

Maybe Choi's next conversation goes along the lines of: look, we know you just called someone to verify who we are with a status code.  You're a pro.  We're pros.  Let's have a nice civil chat over lemonade on your back porch where your neighbors can see us or we're going to call the police and tell them you threatened us and continue this conversation somewhere much more unpleasant.  Without lemonade.

If you want Seb to try and make a covert entry at the back I'm game. Worst case scenario it might distract her away from you guys. If Seb has to take a shot he will.

I don't think that I could have put this better myself. Mind if I cut and paste it into the IC (as James)?

-

In reply to James Choi (msg # 153):

Works for me!

Sorry about the confusion.  Teg set Hannah's player (me) right, by correcting some of my obvious misreading of the Freeport situation.

I have edited Hannah's IC post appropriately.

No worries.

I was wondering if Barfight had any stick time and could get the helo over to the Marina area to pick us up?  Also if there is anywhere to pick us up.

Also, depending on what thermals reveal, we may have ET hostiles to engage.  Door guns trump handguns for that.  I'm pre-certain they fired on the helo first and this was an act of self defense.

I'll try to post something IC tonight.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:35, Thu 09 June 2016.

Barfight is not proficient enough to put down anywhere in the area and pick you up.  All of the potential LZs are urban streets or parking lots and, well, he's not Hannah.

I am presuming that Choi's mic is still open and therefore Durand can hear both sides of the conversation in the house?

I'm not sure how a throat mic works IRL. I imagine he'd have to be activating somehow, which might be a little obvious. Plus, I believe that the old lady invited Seb in. She knows he's there, at least.

-

OK, I didn't read it as Seb was invited to the party or that she knows he's there - I read the reference to "Tell your partner he's invited too" to refer to Dacovetti given the follow up about not leaving a Federal Agent in a hot car. I didn't see anything that implies Seb's been made.

I guess we maybe need Teg to rule. I don't mind either way but it affects how my post goes.

I read it again and I think you're interpretation is the correct one.

-

As far as the PCs know, Seb has not been made.

http://www.kcra.com/video/veue...ed-to-video/40485186

Keep watching the skies.

Having revealed his incompetence as an investigator, a much-chagrined Choi is going to resign from Grey Cell. Prior to our little face-to-face, was Darnell Hawkins gender ever mentioned IC or OOC? Wouldn't it be mentioned in whatever personnel files we were given access to prior to the visit? If I/he missed that somewhere...

It's embarrassing.

-

No one's gender was ever mentioned in any IC piece of intel you guys received.  Military photo records likewise were not included - only recent passport photos, and Miz Hawkins doesn't have a passport.  I probably didn't do a very good job of explicitly calling out that discrepancy, but Darnell Hawkins' gender was a deliberate misdirection.  With sufficient time to read her file, Paddon might have picked up on some cultural cues from before the PCs were born, but he's the only one.

ETA: Hawkins also has some additional assistance in remaining low-profile, as she will reveal in the next turn post.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:32, Tue 19 July 2016.

Phew. OK, cool. That's what I was hoping. Nice twist.

-

If anyone is to blame ICly, it would be Crad, who might have picked up something gender-specific in her VA medical records.

Teg, quick question – is there just the one thermal anomaly in the car? What about the driver? Also, anyone in the back or is it just the two of them (Charlie Sheen and driver)?

Human driver, Charlie Sheen in the passenger's seat, no one visible in the rear seats or cargo area.

An additional clarification: as far as Seb can see, neither of the suspect vehicles has stopped in front of the house yet.  They've just cruised past.

I just realized that I never specified the handgun Michael is carrying in this operation.  I'm guessing the Wasp is probably out for civilian ops in the US environment, so I guess that leaves the Glock 21 with the MP7 in the car.

The Wasp is a bit large for on-body concealment in any clothing appropriate for early summer in Florida.  You could carry it off-body in a backpack, attaché case, etc...

Cool. I'll go with the Glock in hand and the WASP in the vehicle in a reinforced backpack that can also carry the laptop.

Shall we attempt to bug out in the Suburban? The baddies, no doubt, have its plate number so we may be exiting the frying pan for a high-speed fire. We could also try to pull a Paul Simon and slip out the back, Jack.

What's the play?

-

You do have a couple of sources of backup: local PD (through Salcedo) and Amber Cell. James, for that matter, could also engage the local FBI field office. And then there's whoever Hawkins called earlier.

Just a reminder, since it's been a while (real-time) since some of those options were established.

I was thinking about having James call Salcedo but something held me back. It's this:

Not wanting to get unsuspecting uniformed cops shot up by Charlie Sheen et al. We know what we're up against; they don't.

I hadn't considered the FBI, but do we want to drag a couple of agents (it would take a while to get their local tactical unit up and to the 'hood so I can't imagine more help than that) into a potential shoot out with aliens?

I guess I struggle a bit with how much we want other agencies to find out about the threat. I've been under the impression that this is all very, very need to know. We don't have MIB neuralizers, so the more people we involve, the harder it will be to keep all of this TOP SECRET. Maybe that assumption is misguided. Should I be less concerned about that?

-
This message was last edited by the player at 03:20, Sat 30 July 2016.

Seb already suggested calling whoever Hawkins called earlier (Msg 139) so that remains his preferred choice for scrambling some back up. Presumably whoever is on the other end of that phone is a) already cleared for this and b) may be able to call in someone else already cleared for this to assist, thus removing any clearance issues.

To be fair, if a gunfight does break out in a residential street I'm presuming the local police will rapidly get a number of 911 calls and will respond anyway, so it may be better if we do contact them first - that way we can at least give them some forewarning - off the top of my head say it's terrorism related and if they see the suspects they need to shoot to kill without issuing any warnings (Choi may need to take the responsibility for giving that order - he's the only one that has any sort of jurisdiction here).

We can try and head off any awkward questions at the pass later ('strange toxic gaseous clouds? They were using chemical weapons. Come on man, have you never seen The Rock?').

I like that plan.  We need to get the police in the loop sooner rather than later so we don't get shot in a running gun battle.  Hawkins back up may be worthwhile or not, but we can notify Foundation at the same time she notifies her people.  We probably don't want to try and Alamo up in the house, one of those plasma bombs and the house in on fire and we're heading for the exits in an uncontrollable manner.

That leaves slip out the back or go for the suburban?

Might be worth trying to steal a neighbor's car...

It all makes perfect, horrifying sense now:


This message was last edited by the GM at 23:53, Mon 01 Aug 2016.

Holy crap, I've done a horrible job of keeping up here.  :(  Turn post is up.  Not a lot of action - yet.

Eh...life, et al.

No worries!

Just to clarify, Michael is still in the house, right?  I was looking back through my posts and there's some ambiguity there.

My understanding was that he was still in the house.  The dwarf citrus tree in question is in an indoor pot.  :)

In reply to Tegyrius (msg # 182):

Cool.

I should have been able to figure that one out.  I have one in my house.  Doh!

Did Choi hear the Kohler's transmission re the QRF?

I wasn't aware that we had one on hand. I thought the group consensus was ask MPD for help. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have had Choi call Salcedo (his intention was to ask her for backup). Once again, I'm confused AF about jurisdiction, currently-available resources, ROE, etc.

So, if Choi knows the QRF is on the way, he won't ask Salcedo for backup. I can just imagine the bloody clusterfuck of GC, the terrs/ETs, the QRF, and the MDPD all rolling in on the same residential gunfight. Instead, James will tell her to cordon off the neighborhood and put out an APB on the vehicles we saw.

If he doesn't know the QRF, I won't metagame. James will ask for Salcedo for backup.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 00:45, Mon 15 Aug 2016.

Crap.  I was going to update the others in my post and forgot.  I'll edit.

Edit: Done
This message was last edited by the player at 01:07, Mon 15 Aug 2016.

"QRF" may be a bit generous. It's four Frenchmen in a Suburban, amped up on Red Bull and carrying weapons that are amazingly illegal as soon as they leave the airbase. They're a last resort that is guaranteed to start a diplomatic incident if they're caught. James knows Amber Cell's capabilities and willingness to run the risk. Whether he's okay with it is another matter entirely.

Legally, James is the task force's key to legitimacy - he's a federal law enforcement agent for the agency that's the lead for domestic counterterrorism and counterespionage. He can get away with a lot by waving the asymmetrical Bureau badge, especially now that Salcedo has IDd two murder suspects as Russian nationals.

Does that help? I'm fine with more OOC discussion before you guys lock in your next moves.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:08, Mon 15 Aug 2016.

That thought picture made me LOL. Thanks.



Well, fuck. I think James'd rather call on the Amber Cell QRF than throw MDPD into the fire. As I've mentioned before, he doesn't think it's right to put people who don't know who/what they're dealing with in harm's way. He's signed on for this shit; they have not.



No pressure there.



I'm/he's counting on that.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 02:18, Mon 15 Aug 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzOFTYIHHPc

Inexplicably, the scene where the farmer describes his probing isn't on YouTube.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 15:24, Sat 27 Aug 2016.

Team -

Been largely offline for the past few days because I did something inexplicable to my back and neck.  Not sure what happened but I have been spending a lot of quality time with heating pads and ice packs - away from keyboards.  Hope to be back to this and Balefyre shortly.

I feel your pain, Teg. Literally. For the first half of the summer, I was battling upper back and neck pain. It took weeks to work itself out. Then, on my birthday (6/27), I pulled a muscle in my lower back while working out. That took several weeks to heal. I'm just now starting to feel "normal". What a drag it is getting old.

-

Seriously.  TMB (Too Many Birthdays) Syndrome sucks.

Though I expect the alternative is worse...

I should get turn posts up here and in Balefyre before the end of the day.  The next four to five weeks are going to be crunch time for me - we have our 10-county full-scale exercise on the 21st, immediately followed by moving our office and emergency operations center, immediately followed by the national IAEM conference.  I will post when and as I can.

Seen on the streets of Gdańsk earlier this morning...


This message was last edited by the player at 15:40, Mon 05 Sept 2016.

Seb's response would be to tell the QRF team to intercept on the grounds that there does not appear to be an immediate threat at our current location.

However it's possible that the G Wagen is a diversion and the main assault could till happen at the house so I'd prefer to have some sort of consensus.

Also, in a semi related note, I thought Seb was Empire Five but on the SOP net he is listed as Six and Choi as Five, which is, I think, a throwback to when Seb was in temp charge as it also has Cooper listed. So I've updated it the way I think it should be.

Anyone else got any thoughts on this?

In reply to Sebastien Durand (msg # 196):

I mixed.  Part of me says hit it, but without knowing how many people are in the G Wagen, we're wasting our resources.  If the police can eyeball the number of occupants and it's high, I say hit it.  If they can't, I'd vote for having the police keep an eye on it and bring the QRF in to extract us.

If we do hit the Wagen, it might also be worth considering making our own move and trying to escape under whatever situational stress that creates for our adversaries.

Got it.  The mention of the G-Wagen was addressed to James, since he was the one who had engaged the police.  I've corrected the dialogue to "Empire Two."  Everyone in that scene heard Kohl, though.

My take is a little different. Teg said the QRF is highly illegal and a shoot out on the streets in broad daylight might be counterproductive to our overall mission. I say, have the QRF follow the G-Wagen, see if we can't locate the cell's base of operations. Since it doesn't seem that the Attar team in the G-Wagen is coming to hit us, we can call in some of the black-and-whites to extract us, and take Hawkins in productive custody. With Hawkins relatively safe, we can reset, decide what to do next, and follow up on the G-Wagen from there. That is, unless Teg throws us another curve ball.

-

In reply to James Choi (msg # 199):


I'm open.  Rae's plan makes sense, too.

I'm fine with Rae's plan.

I'm totally on board with Rae's proposed plan but Seb's thoughts are his own. After all, something being highly illegal hasn't necessarily stopped DGSE before.


If I wasn't playing a sceptic the Seven of Nine references would have been flying here.

It's a bit selfish on my part, but I want to save the bad guys for us. IF the QRF can follow them to their hideout, then we can get in on the inevitable assault. That's partly my thinking with the track instead of takedown idea.

-

You guys do seem to do a lot better in fights when you have a chance to plan them in advance.  Which I suppose is dice mirroring reality in a beneficial way...

Also, I want to set this past week on fire.  And next Wednesday is our full-scale exercise.  I was informed yesterday that I'll be the operations manager for our EOC.  With federal evaluators in the room.  No pressure.

@Teg: You got this, man.

@All: Where should we have the PD take Hawkins? Do we have some sort of safe-house/FOB in the vicinity? It's been a while and I can't remember.

Also, do we want the PD heli to shadow the G-Wagen or circle over Hawkins' 'hood?

-
This message was last edited by the player at 21:21, Sat 17 Sept 2016.

You guys are working out of Homestead Air Reserve Base.  You do not currently have an alternate safehouse, as far as I can recall.

I think we may as well head for base (msg 90 of current IC thread)


Re the air support I'm in two minds. There's the possibility that we may get ambushed on the way back to Homestead, in which case if it stays with us it can support us).

But if it sticks with the QRF it can help with the surveillance.

Thinking about it, I'm inclined to say send it with the QRF. We may not get jumped, in which case it's not really required, whereas the surveillance is a definite go. In other words, if it goes with us nothing might happen in which case it's not needed, whereas if it goes with the QRF something (the surveillance) is definitely going to happen, so it can be used.

One other thing I meant to put in my last IC post but forgot - if we're bugging out we can't leave the dog behind.

I'm good with it either way, but here's what I'm thinking. The chopper could spook the bad guys. Over Hawkins 'hood, that would be a boon- keep 'em out of our way. With the G-Wagen, it might alert the aliens that they're being followed, in which case, they probably won't head directly back to their base. Also, if the chopper is above Hawkins', maybe they can spot the source of that low-freq transmitter.

Keys?

-

In reply to James Choi (msg # 209):

That all makes sense to me.

In reply to James Choi (msg # 209):

I concur.  Posting tonight.

And now one of our cats is in renal failure.  Fuck this month.

+1

Sorry to hear that Teg.  I know that sucks.

That sucks. I empathize.

-

This fuckin' month...

So yesterday was our ten-county chemical weapons exercise.

Today, we had a pedestrian vs. train incident.  Amazingly, dude survived with what seems to have been only a hand injury.  I think he tried to high-five a Norfolk-Southern locomotive.

Right as that was wrapping up, a crew drilling to install a geothermal HVAC system hit a pocket of natural gas.  Evacuations for surrounding residences and a high school and middle school with combined 1,800 students.  That feeling when you hear the HAZMAT guys reporting that their instruments are showing them standing in an atmosphere that's pure natural gas.  What.  The.  Fuck.

Keys, you ever have to kick someone's ass in your station for saying, "looks like it's gonna be a quiet day?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:22, Fri 23 Sept 2016.

Reminds me of...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AFf0ysgNiM

I bet the day went pretty fast, though.

-

In reply to Tegyrius (msg # 216):

Yeah, I've been known to tell people to STFU when they mention how they're bored because it's quiet or say things like: "Hey, maybe we'll sleep through the night tonight."  That one usually gets me to drag out the always popular "I'm going to murder you where you stand..." And then of course they're are the frequent flier patients who I swear can hear you mention them by name and decide to call.

I've never been in a pure natural gas env't, but I have found myself in ten inches off polluted run off water from a burning junkyard when the high tension power lines nearby started to drop from the heat and flirt with making contact with the lake we are in.
Me: Hey Cap, should we like, I don't know, get the fuck out of here?
Mr.-Reason-I-became-an-officer-to-take-control-of-my-own-destiny:  Shut up new guy.

Sorry to hear of the RL tribulations and woes, Teg.  I am sorry about your cat; I sincerely hope that it does not suffer undely.  My family's best wishes go out to you and yours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdpBZ5_b48g

Back to why September sucks... For me, the only significant male role model in my life passed away this month at age 85.  Let's be honest, for a guy/human male (born in 1931 even), that's a good run.  He was lucid, mobile, and very much a character until his last day.  He and my mother had dated for the past three decades, neither wanting to  get remarried, both having had train-wreck marriages.  He was an Army Counter-Intelligence Agent, who had served in Korea, Vietnam, and along with some very interesting domestic assignments, including being 2 blocks away when MLK was Assassinated... though he admitted that the Church Committee neutered domestic Army MI ops and everything after that was pretty routine.  Having come up through the ranks as an Enlisted man and retiring as a Major, he was every bit a text book gentleman and scholar.  I feel very fortunate that in the past few years he was able to open up to me about the things he had done in Vietnam, thanks to the declassification dates passing.

Spartan Sr., who has been estranged from me for two and half decades, reappeared this month.  A former 1/101st Airborne LRRP medic, I shouldn't have been surprised at how far gone his mind is, but I was.  The fact that he wasn't already dead however was something of a shock honestly.  His sister/my aunt, who I met for the first time two years ago when I was in Washington, hadn't heard from him in 15 years.  So yeah, I guess reallocating my 401K with an eye toward longevity is in order.  I'm still surprised most days that I've made it past 30, so whatever.

And  it's kind of a non-sequitur, but here's a picture of a Polish fire station for Keys that I took on my walk this afternoon.

http://i1113.photobucket.com/a...1713_zpsfmnya9gn.jpg
This message was last edited by the player at 21:57, Thu 17 Nov 2016.

Condolences, Spartan. My dad died two Septembers ago (at about the same age as your significant male role model) so this is a rough month for me too. I am by no means an expert on grieving and I won't offer unsolicited advice but if you ever need a sounding board or sympathetic ear, I'm here.

-

What Rae said (at least sympathies and not being an expert parts).  My deepest condolences, Spartan; sorry to hear your September was so poor.  Take whatever time to you need and come back to us if and when you can.

For myself, I am simply lame in RPoL response times.  My September has been far more mundane, if hectic; but what can you expect with an active 4th grader running around the house?  Still, I shall strive to overcome (I hope)!

Hey, guys.  Thank you all.

Spartan, I am sorry as hell for your loss.  Anything else I could say would feel ill-informed and inadequate.

Cat status: surprisingly, not dead yet.  We thought we were going to have to put him down last Tuesday.  We were literally about to stuff him in the carrier for the trip to the vet when he started moving of his own volition again.  It's still shaky.  We've been through two more rounds of subcutaneous fluids and twice-daily doses of anti-nausea meds and it still took him until Sunday to eat anything.  Even then, it's been pretty minimal.  We're buying a cross-section of our local pet store's soft treat offerings (part of the not-eating issue was a huge sore on his tongue, so all dry/crunchy food is out) and throwing every imaginable food at him to see what sticks.

Our vet is being fairly candid with me and I get the impression we've bought another two or three months at the most.  This was Camille's first cat - he was a street rescue who she acquired a few months before we met - and she was (justifiably) a wreck for most of last week.

We are currently redefining normal around here.  He doesn't require constant care but we can't just drop food on the floor and walk away now because the other two furry garbage disposals (11 pounds of Expanding Russian Blue Frontier and 17 pounds of brain-damaged pumpkin-with-a-tail) will dive on it before he can convince himself to eat.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:48, Wed 28 Sept 2016.

Man, I'm sorry for everyone's shitty months.  Big losses and big changes.  All I can do is offer my sympathy.  Losing a father is a massive transition even without all the added details.  I can't believe mine (also a Vietnam combat vet) has been gone five years.

Here's hoping October is an improvement!

Cat remains alive.  Attempts to administer subcutaneous fluids at home have resulted in cosmetic damage to wife's arms and a lot of feline sulking.  Oral anti-nausea meds are going only slightly better, with the infusion process looking a lot like one of those carnival games where you try to fill up a moving target with a water gun.  The other cats find the whole situation hilarious.

Work remains a goat-rope of epic proportions due to IT contractors over-promising and under-delivering, with a great assist from the low-budget prison-labor furniture contractor supplying incompetence instead of results.

As soon as the office move is over, I'll be in Savannah for the IAEM national conference.  I'm planning to travel light and have little free time, so I'll probably be off comms from the 14th 'til the 21st or 22nd.  I will attempt to get us back to a normal pace after that...

GM: -1 cat

My condolences, Teg.  Please take care of yourself and your wife in these difficult times.

Come back to us, if and when you can.

Sorry, man. We've been there too. If you need to vent, or want some empathy, you know where to find me.

-

In reply to Tegyrius (msg # 226):

Balls.
Sorry Teg. :(

So sorry Teg.  Our condolences as well.

Sorry to hear that man...

Guys, just a quick bit of advance notice - my folks are visiting this coming weekend so I’ll likely be offline most (if not all) of Saturday / part of Sunday.

Thanks, team.  We are dealing.  Fortunately, none of our cats were littermates, so they are not wandering around looking for their friend (though they are noticeably clingy of late).  More mercifully, perhaps, we're childfree, so we don't have to explain this to kids.  :/

I'll be traveling for work from the 14th through the 20th.  I expect to be stupidly busy with conference tracks and networking events, so I probably won't be posting from the road.  I have, however, given the Homestead element a little more progress... Bahamian element, if you get actions up by Tuesday evening, I'll try to give you your next turn before I depart.  We're on the cusp of resolving both scenes and getting the team back together at the airbase to determine your next move.

I can tell this is a very accurate military simulation, because so far we've taken a SEAL to the outback and a Central European to an ocean rescue.  :P

And by 'we', you mean 'you', right, Karolina? :D  Seriously, who is running this outfit?

So that's one CONTACT and one THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER quote for Chapter Three, for those playing at home.

In reply to Karolina Kowalska (msg # 236):

And I'm back.  And exhausted.  Gonna take today to decompress and do laundry (literal and otherwise) and will try to get the next turn up tomorrow.

I'm glad that you're still with us.

-

It was a good trip in terms of professional development.  Not so good in terms of vacation.  I was scheduled for conference sessions for five days straight from 0800 to 1700, plus a reception Monday night and the awards banquet Wednesday, with an 11-hour drive on each end.  I blew off a couple of afternoon sessions so I could see a little bit of Savannah.  It's a beautiful city if you can get away from the crowds; the river area is a bit too intoxicated and tourist-trapping for my taste.

At the risk of asking a ridiculous question, is the pod kinds floating on the bottom or is it flat.  I guess I'm asking if we poked/dragged it with a pool hook if the antigravity would be working well enough to cooperate?

It's sunk to the bottom of the pool.  The antigravity appears defunct.

Wedding anniversary today. Dinner with wife > turn posts. Expect next turn tomorrow. Rae - I'll post in Balefyre at the same time.

Congratulations dude.

You aren't going to get any argument from me!  I second the congratulations!  Have a great night!

Congrats, Teg. Enjoy!

-

Best intentions derailed by family medical issues, changes in the household vehicle fleet, and a fast-breaking employment opportunity.  Working on turn post now.  WTF, 2016.

Saw The Arrival. Enjoyed it. Up there with Close Encounters and Contact, IMHO.

-

I may try to catch a showing of that some night this week.  The trailers have piqued my interest more than the usual big-budget sci-fi stuff does.

Speaking of sci-fi... I think both groups are at a point where we can time-skip to getting the team back together.  Pertinent decisions are:

1)  Where is the Bahamian team taking Ceelen for medical care?

2)  What are Choi's instructions and/or further disclosure to Salcedo at this time, if anything?

3)  Will Salcedo be invited to return to the Cave with the team and Hawkins or will you ditch her in the field?

4)  Is the recovery team taking any specific precautions (i.e., out of the ordinary for intelligent people dealing with recovered alien biotechnology) in loading up the alien squid drone and transporting it to the Cave?
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:21, Sun 13 Nov 2016.

#2. I don't know. I'd like others' input before I go any farther with that.

#3. See #2. However, if we're staying in Florida for any additional length of time, I think we should try to co-opt Salcedo. In for a penny, in for a pound and all that. She already knows too much.

-

My feeling is that any substantive disclosure (directly or by virtue of them being in the wrong place at the wrong time) means that the Task Force has a new member.  So be sure it's someone you want to work with in the future.

Re 4 I'd suggest keeping several pairs of eyes on it during transit. With guns. Just in case anything strange happens. In other words don't leave it in the back of the van with no one keeping an eye on it.

For Detective Salcedo:  congrats, welcome to the shadow war.  Might be handy to have more law enforcement anyway.
If we have one, or have easy access to a Home Depot, transport the drone in a faraday cage.

I'm sure Michael is chomping at the bit to get into the CPU of the killer disc.

We do have the necessary freq to deactivate at least some nanoweapons.  Might be tricky to rig it up in a helicopter, but Barfight has McGyver written all over him.

It also might help to have Salcedo on our side if/when we decide to assault the Miami Attar hideout- assuming, that is, that the reaction force were able to tail the ters to said hideout.

-

Don't worry.  I haven't forgotten about that dangling plot thread.  :)

So... about Salcedo. Should we bring her into the fold? I'm leaning towards "what the heck". She already knows quite a bit and she seems pretty cool. On the other hand, I don't know if Teg would appreciate another major NPC to manage.

We have one vote for yes (Keys), one for maybe (Spartan) and... that's it.

This is a pretty significant decision so I'd like ya'll's input.

-

In reply to James Choi (msg # 257):

Fine by me...

In reply to James Choi (msg # 257):

I think anytime you have to say "I just put my entire fucking career in your hands. You can't tell anyone what I just told you or your career is fucked too," you have already cleared the substantive disclosure bar.

Yeah, prolly, but do you think she would have really bought the next-gen, military-grade drone bit?

-

But, really, only the second part of Lizard King's statement is true (his career isn't really in jeopardy - it's not like Task Force 47 is going to disavow him, and his FBI career is already f*cked, just like Hannah's army career).  So, James is only telling a little white lie, right?  And he's really trying to protect Salcedo (and her career), right?

More seriously, I am fine with it as a player and a character.  She's seen/heard more than enough.  And we need all the allies we can get.


Which was why you needed to take PSI and use the Jedi mind trick on her! "These aren't the drones that you were looking for..."

Just saying that I'm more Yes/Fait Accompli, than Maybe...

I actually overlooked the most pertinent point from Durand's point of view.

Is she cute?

I'm gonna tag Gina Torres as the actress playing Salcedo.

Which hospital is the Bahamian team taking Ceelen to?

Princess Margaret in Nassau...

Exclusive footage from Hannah's maritime operations training:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhjTdsOhlGU

Yikes.

And the band is back together (mostly).  I've tried to wrap up the investigative results of the last scenes without putting too many words in any PC's mouth.  Also applied a bit of GM fiat in leaving trustworthy allied NPCs to secure Ceelen while bringing all the PCs back together in Miami.  Let me know if I missed anything you would have been handling.

To summarize OOC, current outstanding leads:

1.  An Attar sighting that traces to a hotel/nightclub owned by the same Russian organized crime syndicate that's been involved in at least two attempted murders of squadron veterans.

2.  A recent phone call from the office of Admiral Frye's lawyer to Ceelen.

3.  Herrera is under police guard in his nursing home.  No TF47 assets were available to cover him due to the Miami commitments.

4.  Paddon and Hawkins are in Grey Cell custody and available for further debriefing if anyone has specific questions for them.

5.  Cyborg alien antigravity space squid corpse (?).

ETA 6.  You could also reach out to Andrey for additional intel on the Russians.

ETA(again) 7.  The captive Russians will be in port in about an hour.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:42, Sun 27 Nov 2016.

Also, I spent some time today working on a thing:

http://wiki.rpol.net/?id=61769

If the general consensus is that this is more useful than the existing threads, I'll continue consolidating static information on the wiki.  Let me know what you think.

This is RPOL's own wiki architecture, so the link is available in the top right corner of each of this game's pages.

So, team, what do we want to do next?

I think we should put a X-Cell surveillance team on the Attar hotel. Would it be productive to raid the Russian's offices in the meantime? That might draw out the Attars, too.

I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood for some shooting. If y'all thing additional investigation would be more fruitful instead, I'm totally down.

-

How about the following

Send PC's to the lawyer's office to see what they can find (logically that's probably one where Law Enforcement characters should take the lead, e.g. Choi and Salcedo)

Put PC's in to the Hotel to poke around and see what they find (Durand and Kowalska would scrub up well in civies)

Send a couple of French Commando NPC's to augment the security on Herrera.

Not sure if Mike and Hannah might want to poke around at the squid? Or they could come to the Hotel too.

At this point, James has enough to get a federal judge to sign off on an arrest warrant for Timofei Sokolov, who is still at large.  A successful Network check would also get search warrants for Basmanyskaya-controlled premises that he and the late Grigori Polzin are/were known to frequent - including the Delano Hotel.

I was thinking of a more undercover approach...

James has something to share with the core team (PC's only?) at the next appropriate juncture.

(Insert coming out comments here).

-

Michael would be dying to get his grubby little hands on the alien technology, but in the interest of keeping our narratives contained, I'm happy to go with an action team.  Maybe we can pull the warrants and hit the law offices while we wait.  Then we can do some under cover recon with the other part of a hit team if/when shit goes down.

I'm happy to take this in whatever direction you guys decide.  I know what the opposition will do in the absence of further action.  :)

Seb and Karolina could go chat to the Russians, give them some bad cop, worse cop treatment that doesn't invole having to worry about due process and Miranda rights (Seb ne parlez pas Russki so would need Karolina with him just in case they really don't speak English).

The American characters could go serve their warrant at the law firm (Hannah and Mike could 'pretend' to be LEO's. Jim and Salcedo handles the legal side, Mike and Hannah carry out a 'technical' search with fancy gadgets.

Dependent on info gleaned both groups combine to hit the Hotel (I mean, it's a Hotel, it's big, got lots of exits, so we need lots of people)

Thoughts?

In reply to Sebastien Durand (msg # 276):

Yeah, I like this.  Since the hotel was the last location of an ET, I think we need our team (whole, not half) to tackle it.  And some parallel processing on the Russians and Law Firm leads first will help keep us from falling too far behind as well.

In reply to Karolina Kowalska (msg # 277):

Agreed.  We need more intel before we take up the bug hunt.
We may be on a limited time horizon since they now know we are operating in the area.  So faster might better when leaning on our prisoners and reconing the law offices.

I am fine with Seb proposal as well.  It sounds like a reasonable allocation of resources and time management.

But then, doesn't every plan before it meets the enemy...:D

Is our working theory that the attorney has been compromised by the enemy and was used as bait to lure out the Admiral and Ceelen?  We will be thermal imaging him (do we have something less obvious, like a tablet with an IR camera - isn't there an app for that - ah, yes: http://www.flir.com/flirone/ios-android/ ?)?  Are we going to have rooftop snipers watching the office and covering us, just in case?

Oh, and Hannah knows Russian!  Well, a couple of technical phrases (and probably a couple of choice expletives) that Barfight taught her. ;)  There is a translation resource potentially in Barbrak, I guess.  Just don't get our chief mechanic hurt.  Hmmm... Chief Bannon also speaks Russian, I believe (and we know he can handle himself).

Seb won't have any qualms about using unorthodox methods to try and expedite the interrogations.

Oh gods. Have the Afghani interrogating the ex-Spetznaz guys?

Also, clarification: you can get a warrant for the hotel. Not the law firm (yet, without a good Network check).

In reply to Tegyrius (msg # 281):

Shame about the yelling coming from the law office for probable cause...

In reply to Tegyrius (msg # 281):

Barfight is going to have to wait his turn.

In reply to Karolina Kowalska (msg # 283):

I'll fetch the jug of water and the towels now...

I didn't write this into my background for nothing.  "and assisting the [REDACTED] with high value interrogations in [REDACTED]."  Time to put that (+) beside Interrogation to good use.

Yo, dawg. I heard you like redactions so I redacted your redactions.

Everyone's seen Zero Dark Thirty right?
This message was last edited by the player at 02:02, Fri 09 Dec 2016.

I don't have full character sheets for Barbrak or Bannon, but Barbrak is fluent in Russian and (obviously) English in addition to his native Pashto.  He also has a limited amount of Dari and some pidgin Farsi.  Bannon can make himself understood in Russian and German, has enough Arabic to not get lost, and has been picking up scraps of Pashto from Barbrak.



Can't make a federal case without breaking a few eggs.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:00, Thu 01 Dec 2016.

Did anyone have any thoughts on the wiki versus keeping stuff in the threads here?

I like the wiki.  It's way easier to flip through what you're looking for.

Meanwhile, in Miami...

http://gizmodo.com/over-a-doze...lion-doll-1789601423

-

"Oops."

Okay, so just to be sure I've got this right:

• Hannah and Barbrak will fly Karolina and Seb out to the Coast Guard cutter and commence interrogations while still in international waters.  Bannon will strongly suggest that he or Vest go with them so there is a senior American military presence to smooth things over when the Franco-Polish-Afghani human rights commission shows up.

• James, Mike, and Salcedo will hit the law office and play good cop/bad cop/overly-aggressive airman.

• Caradoc and Baudin will stay with Ceelen until he can be safely moved to Miami.

• Vidry will take three of his guys and cover Herrera in case the aliens/Russians make a move there.

• Unless anything happens to indicate otherwise, once the Russian interrogations and law office investigation are complete, the PCs will link back up and investigate the hotel.

Do I have all that right?

Any immediate actions on the possibility of a leak?

Will you take Vest, Bannon, both, or neither along to the cutter?

In reply to Tegyrius (msg # 292):

Re the leak, the plan was for Seb and Mike to take Rufus for a walk through the cave and see if he had a reaction to anyone.

Re taking someone to the Cutter, I'm inclined to say take them both. Vest might be useful squaring things with the Coast Guard given his relatively senior Naval rank. If Vest subsequently disapproves of our methods Bannon might be useful squaring things with Vest. The plan was to fast rope onto the Cutter though - is Vest qualified for that? Or can we land on it instead?

Ah!  Yes.  Dog.  That can be done before the team departs.

The cutter's helipad will support the team's borrowed Knighthawk if you want to land.

Oh yes, we want to land.  And we want to refuel.  The published range of the SH-60 is 450 nmi (518 mi or 834 km) at cruise speed.  The distance between Miami and GITMO is 829 km.

That's going to be the opener for negotiations.

Вы комбатанты, захваченные за пределами Соединенных Штатов. Гуантанамо является один час и тридцать минут полета. Сотрудничать или гнить, ваш выбор.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
You are enemy combatants captured outside of the United States. Guantanamo Bay is a one hour and thirty minute flight.  Cooperate or rot, your choice.

---

http://howmanyhours.com/fly/mi...naval-guantanamo.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_SH-60_Seahawk

Dog and taking a look at the electronic signature of the whole team to see if something specific is leaking out of their operations center that shouldn't be.

Not a lot of movement in the IC thread this week.  Is everyone off on holiday stuff or do you need me to provide more progress to move the action along?  If you want to hand-wave the investigation/interrogation rather than dialogue it out, I'm amenable to that, too.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:30, Sun 01 Jan 2017.

Yeah, that's me...  This week has been wacky (and illness filled with a cold bouncing around the family here).


*shrug*  Given Hannah's very limited grasp of Russian, I would have to say she is going to play an incredibly small role in any ... er ... interviewing.  I'm fine with whatever the rest of the group decides.  Mostly, she just ferrying people, I suspect.  And wants to thank there cutter's helicopter crew in person, if possible (and that is completely tangential to the actual interrogation).

I'm in Morocco until the 9th/10th, so moving the interrogation forward would be my preference.

Happy New Year.  I hate you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:49, Sun 01 Jan 2017.

Happy New Year.  I'd send you all some tajine and pastilla, but then the postal service would hate me too.

Very cool (and I don't hate you, even if I am a touch jealous).  Where in Morocco?  Casablanca ('Here's lookin' at you, kid...')?  Rabat?  Roughing it and camping in the Atlas Mountains?

The only time I was there was with a fully guided tour - but it was on a major feast day.  So, there were wandering packs of men with butcher knives wandering the streets.  Disconcerting at first; until we found out that they were there to help families slaughter and carve lambs for the dinner table, which made it (only) slightly less disconcerting.

And Happy New Year, everyone, from Sunny California!  It's a ... um... 'chilly' 50 degF here.

We flew into Casablanca, then did Volubilis on the way to Fez.  Two days here, then Rabat for a night, then two in Marrakech, one in Essaouria, then back to Casablanca for departure.  We haven't run into the Islamic Volunteer Street Butcher Brigade (now there's a name for a cyberpunk gang), but I did eat a steamed sheep's head on our Taste of Morocco tour.  I'm pretty sure the guide opens with that just to gauge the 'An Idiot Abroad' factor.

Good Lord, you're a braver man than I. Bad actors have succeeded in putting me off likely ever visiting any majority Muslim country. It's sad but my cowardice has won out.

-

In reply to James Choi (msg # 304):

But I'm so taaaaaaasty Rae... Really taaaaaaasty...



And for an in-game tie in -

"Friday lunch at GITMO!  Time to talk boys..."

Wut.

21:24, Today: Tegyrius, on behalf of Michael Dacovetti, rolled 18 using 1d20.  Interrogation.
21:24, Today: Tegyrius, on behalf of James Choi, rolled 1 using 1d20.  Interrogation.
20:26, Today: Tegyrius, on behalf of Hannah Omdahl, rolled 2 using 1d20.  Thing.
20:26, Today: Tegyrius, on behalf of Sebastien Durand, rolled 6 using 1d20.  Interrogation.
20:26, Today: Tegyrius, on behalf of Karolina Kowalska, rolled 1 using 1d20.  Interrogation.

Now that you have extracted information, let me know each team's respective next moves (which may be "RTB and share info face-to-face").

Do we bring everyone back together or have the Dealer/Lizard King team check out the while the others return.  My guess is we should wait for intel before hitting the island, and that we should do that as a group.

Edit: And if Choi wants to keep all the docs about the island to make sure they don't fall into alien hands, Michael won't mind.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:11, Thu 12 Jan 2017.

So we have the island to check out and perhaps a raid on the office park in Mirimar.  We've got one team ashore and one with helo on the boat.  We've also put out disinformation that we'll meet the Russians dockside when the cutter arrives in port.

My first thought is that the island is the enemy's goal, so short cutting to that might be our best move.  Helo takes off from cutter, we all rendezvous at base, drop off Russians, gear up and head to the island.

A few things to consider:

1) Do we even want these Russians on US soil, or is it better to keep them at arms length?  Lina will confab with Vest over this.  From a player point of view, I'd love to have these guys (or at least two) in a blacksite, undergoing tests and interviews by Rein Researchers, to understand how Sokolov is better able to resist the alien mind control effect.  Of course that's all meta knowledge, since Hannah's not really revealed that she's noticed anything unusual yet.

2) It would be great to whack whoever might show up dockside to disrupt prisoner transfer, but that presumes there's a conventional leak.  Since there's a possibility that the aliens are using some other mechanism to obtain intel, I don't think we should put our PC eggs in this basket, but is this something we can task out to local law enforcement?  Ask the Cutter to transfer one Russian (we take Sokolov and one other to serve as the experiment control) and have a police escort the third somewhere.  If they get hit en-route, we know we have a stranger in our house.  If not, we have a bit more confidence in our internal OPSEC and can perhaps look harder at external intelligence threats.

3) Hitting the office park is also an option and I'm somewhat on the fence when it comes to doing that before flying out to the island.  It feels like we've been behind the ball a bit and heading to the island would be a way to get ahead of the curve.  Of course kicking doors and taking down bad guys is what Operators do.  Maybe this is something we can task out to local SWAT, or just have the place cordoned and kick the hornets nest ourselves after we are back from the island.

Any and all thoughts/comments/suggestions welcome!

One clarification: Coel notified Ceelen that Ceelen had inherited a significant amount of corporate assets from Admiral Frye.  He did not give specifics on the island ("you've won a private island!" is a good way to be taken as a prank caller) and he has that information only in hardcopy - to the best of his and your knowledge, it has not been electronically transmitted.

Also, from the timing of events, Cole's call to Ceelen didn't compromise Ceelen.  The Russians hit Ceelen within ten minutes of the phone call, so they were already in the area.

I'm inclined to think that our next stop should be the office block in Miramar. Even if it's just for surveillance. We might be able to pick up some intel there that could be useful if / when we get to the island.

I don't have a strong view on whether to land the Russians on US soil or not but that may be because I'm thinking - possibly cynically - that if someone wants them to 'disappear' then they'll disappear regardless of where they are. If OPSEC is a concern we could fly them Homestead in the helo, which at least allows us to keep things in house.

There's also the Hotel...given the size, number of exits, number of people etc that may be a job for local law Enforcement, possibly at the same time we're hitting the island (if we're hitting the island)?

tl;dr my vote is to make the office block at Miramar our next objective.

Air mileage from Homestead to the Mysterious Island is ~775 miles.  The Knighthawk's range is ~500 miles, so you'd want a refueling point or two.  Your best bet would probably be to top off at NAS Key West, then fly to Cozumel and tank at the Mexican Air Force base there (if someone can secure overflight and fueling rights) before entering Belize.  Just throwing that out there.

Time and resources- how much have both do we have?

I'm inclined to agree with Spartan that we should head to the island forthwith. Of all of the options we have, this one seems the least likely to be on the enemy's current to-do list. We might be able to get the jump on them for once. The longer we delay, the more likely it is that the ETs or their allies will find out about the island. That said, we don't know fuck-all about this island, so we could be going on a wild goose chase. What do we stand to gain by going there? I'm willing to gamble that its intel the ET's aren't yet privy to.

Likewise, we don't want to let something else important slip while we're away. That brings us back to available resources. Can we use local law enforcement or call on other X Cell options to take care of loose threads? Once again, James doesn't feel good about sending allies into a potential Aliens-style throw-down dumb and blind.

I kind of like that Teg has set this up so that we can't do everything. That's realistic and raises the stakes. On the other hand, I don't know what to do next.

I got nothin'.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 23:46, Thu 12 Jan 2017.

You guys have no idea how much of this I am improvising as we go.  :)

I think my vote is to hit the island and let the "local assets" take down the office park.

I can safely say that Hannah has never been to Belize before.  And I do believe that the Army recruitment poster did promise her that she'd:

  "Travel to Exotic Places, Meet New PeopleAliens ... And Kill Them."

Or some such.

The island does have it's appeal.  Do we have any idea what Sokolov's client did (how long or any other information) at Miramar?  It could be anything from a drop point to an alien nest to an assassination site.  Or a simple vacation spot.

Of course, the same could be said of the island.  Though, it seems more like hiding place for either illicit alien tech or information/dossiers.  Or a safe house of some sort (or both).  Any of which we could likely be quite useful.  Though, us travelling the will probably negate any 'safe house' aspect to the place.

Sending "local assets" to either Miramar or Hotel seems chancy.  Like Lizard King, Double Down suspects that would just be sending unprepared people to die in a worst case scenario.  Except maybe as surveillance, which is probably reasonable (at least, it is least likely to get people killed); but even then they might not really know what they are looking for which could be either useless (nothing gained) or bad (they are discovered/killed).

Honestly, I have no idea what to do with the Russians.  Hannah would likely be fine with Gitmo (or Homestead); we are already violating jurisdiction protocols *shrug*.  As a point of personal paranoia, if their mental blocks have a homing aspect to them, then wherever they are held could be painting that location as a target as well ...

A propos of nothing whatsoever, there’s a programme on TV over here just now about a guy walking from Mexico to Columbia and on Sunday night’s episode he went through Belize.

The trip was due to the visitors' own vehicle having a mechanical problem (alternator went out, had to be towed).  Sokolov said the visitors didn't engage in small talk, but from what his boss said, he got the impression that this was a "take them back to their place" trip.

Well then,
We've got 9 hours to kill before the satellite comes online.  Let's shout up an office park!

We should probably also tell Crewe to ask Ceelen about the island when Ceelen comes round.

In reply to Sebastien Durand (msg # 320):

Do we think there is an SIGINT risk if we do so?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:13, Fri 13 Jan 2017.

Yeah, I was going to ask what precautions (if any) you are taking to isolate and identify your presumed leak. Whether it's electronic or organic.

The Bahamas isn’t a huge detour if travelling from Florida to Belize. If we wanted to we could touch down in Nassau, question Ceelen about the island then carry on to Belize (with Crewe). That way everything would be done face to face.


If Cozumel doesn’t work out could we use Guantanamo Bay? Saves any international legalities.

I ran those numbers last night. Guantanamo is actually far enough east that you'd still need another refueling stop between there and Belize.

Thought about this a little more over lunch. If you guys want to pursue the Belize option, I'll say there is another Coast Guard cutter somewhere in the Gulf that you can use as a refueling platform.

Did everyone select at least one suppressed weapon earlier during mission prep?  Just curious for planning.

I'm thinking we hit the office building at night (it's 17:30 or later on the boat anyway) and quietly.  Choi makes the call to Salcedo to alert LEO after we are onsite and have to go loud.  At this point I don't trust Miami PD, cellphones, Foundation, or anyone outside the team.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:21, Fri 13 Jan 2017.