Meant to type tbh, but it’s post-run.

Maybe I'll just buy a Force 2 and Force 1 sustaining focus then.  Then they will both be legal foci.  I should be able to negotiate down to a price I can afford even if I need to buy street price.  I have a good 3/3 shaman contact, Negotiation(Bargain) 5, Etiquette 5, and Intelligence 6.  All things that help to get good deals if I am reading the handbook correctly.  On that note, if anyone needs anything, I might have a useful contact I could reach out to.

Could you explain what Initiation is?  I am not familiar with it.  Or is there a good place for me to read about it?

MITS page 58

Karma cost is 5 plus Desired Initiation Grade x3.

If you and I manage to find an initiation group, Cad, we'll only be at 5 plus desired Grade x2.

Question for CH- Can we find one or form one and initiate together? I'm down for an Ordeal. Been saving all my karma and want to get a couple of grades in if I can.

Heck, looking into it, I can most certainly create one with just you and I. We can undergo an ordeal and everything, pay the 3 karma costs, etc. I wanna say we'd just have to pick strictures. Fraternity would be a good one.

One level at a time :)

We can perhaps look at an ordeal next time, but the notion of initiation is pretty new and I'd rather scare the bejesus out of you with the metaplanes the next time around... ;)

I was a tually thinking of going with the meditation ordeal

I looked into Initiation a bit more and it looked like it could be fun to start up a group.  Caduceus would probably ace the meditation ordeal if we went that direction.  It might be difficult to start our own group with just two (or three if Noruas's character joins too), but it would still be fun to make the attempt.

Regardless, I think Caduceus will still attempt to get a Force 2 Sustaining focus from his shaman contact.  We still use street value for foci that are a legal Force level?  Should we roleplay out the exchange?  I can send you the info I have written up for all Caduceus's contacts if you would like, Copperhead/DeusEx.

If it's legal, no reason to pay street price unless you want it "off the books".  Artifacts purchased legitimately will be registered to you and may in some ways be traceable with you.  Same sort of thing as buying a gun through a store vs. a street-corner.

In that case, yeah, I would probably rather have it off the books.

Here are the ratings for anyone who's taking contacts from the past run (Papa, holler if you disagree)

5/1 Roxanne (Johnson)
1/3 Teehee (decker)
3/3 Val (rigger)
3/3 Freya (mage)
3/3 Hendrix (decker)

Is anyone doing anything interesting between now and the next run?  New characters want to make an IC color-post or two so we get a sense of who they are?  Do you guys want to meet/know each other ahead of time or will you be thrown together by your fixer at the kick-off for the next run?  Koby, you can fill in your description.  What's everyone doing with their money/karma/downtime?

If you guys just want me to kick off the next run now, I can, but I figured you might want a bit of R&R first...

I'd like to form the magical group with Cadeuces and initiate, thank ya. Would be happy to pay karma costs with your approval.

Same.

Ok.  Is Koby going to participate in it too?

(If so, you could set it up as Koby was looking for participants and that was your introduction to each other.)

You mean us looking for participants and finding koby?

Or vice-versa.  Initiation is a brand-new thing.  So perhaps Koby's interest is what twigs you to the knowledge it's even a possibility.

I don't really know anything about Koby yet, but the way I was envisioning it was that White Duck and Caduceus decided to try and initiate a magical group and tried to think of other people who they would feel comfortable asking to join.  Then perhaps one (or both) of them knew Koby from a different run and asked him to join up too.

That is, if Noruas/Koby is even interested.  That is the first thing we should find out.

Indeed.

You guys will also have to decide on what strictures you're going to take on.  Because you're dealing with both physical adepts and shamanic traditions, your base TN is 14 and you're rolling either 2 dice or 3 dice (depending on whether Koby is in or out).  You can roll an extra die for every 3 karma the group of you choose to put in.  (Everyone has to put in 3 each to participate at all).  You can drop the TN by 1 for each stricture and 1 for each month of dedicated work.  You've got ~3 months between the end of the previous run and the start of the next one.  You can use that time for both group formation and for the initiation itself.

In my opinion, I would say Fraternity and Secrecy seem like good Strictures to pick.  Exclusive Membership and Material Link might also be alright.  Thoughts?

Can Julia, my talismonger roommate be involved in some way? Perhaps it was her idea.

That would be a logical way for it to come about - particularly given that initiation is a pretty new thing.  Perhaps Julia knows Koby too?

I'd be happy to share the contact.

Anyway, by the way I'm reading it, we gain an initiation level by succeeding in the oaths for establishing it.

Cad: I like Fraternity, but the Oath itself also counts as a stricture. I suppose starting a magical group is its own thing.

The Oath can count as your ordeal.  (Keep in mind that if you ever violate your oaths, it can cost you a magic point...)

Hm....I believe I have no clue as to path of the initiation.

On another note, Noruas is Koby's contact.  So perhaps we meet through him hearing that you guys want to try this initiation thing?

That works for me!