Unlimited chat! Unlimited chatter! Unlimited griping about poor copy-editing and lack of playtesting!
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 15:17, Thu 04 Mar 2021.

I'll have something a bit more concrete later, but BEHOLD, a post in OOC.

Behold! A post!

*murmurs from the crowd*

So! Here we are! What's next?

1. Everyone say hi. It's good manners.

2. Everyone give a little blurb on their character/hero in the Party Unlimited Thread. Nothing crazy. Just an idea of what you're looking to play, what categories you'll be looking, what *kind* of hero you are (speedster, high tech, mutant, bruiser, whatever). That way everyone can sort of decide if they need to make any changed to better fit the group.

3. Once it looks like everyone's more or less settled in, I'll show you the chargen rules and we can get started on that. So please refrain from making any significant mechanical decisions, or asking any detailed mechanical questions, until you see the chargen rules. In my experience, working from Fluff to Crunch in two distinct phases works best.

4. In the meantime, I'll have a few words to say about some general plans and principles for our little group project here.

Sound good? If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask!

Hello, all. Yes, that is a phonetic spelling of an actual word, what were you thinking?
Can't wait to see how this works out.

Hello, all! So far, my particular strange creation seems to be going toward divinely empowered angry bruiser paladin, whether I like it or not. Some of it, however, I can push back, and since I'm kind of being... weird about this, I'm willing to roll with changes as needed.

Hello all.  Looking to play a mutant of some kind.

I should have mentioned, I'm aiming at Ancient Master.

Hey there...Shadowbourne. And...Oooooo. This could get real interesting. I am looking at a Deevil Empowered/Corrupted Good sort of Supernatural Hunter(Hunts the Supernatural...Mages who summon Demons and Devils). We could do the classic Rogue vs Paladin  in a party....Paladin: With a stern look, "What did you do?" Rogue: Looking around sheepish, "Do? I didn't do anything...I don't think?"

Oh...and Darkness Powers.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:30, Mon 08 Mar 2021.

Well, I don't exactly have "obey or fall" anywhere here, unless that's how this works. I mean, I'm thinking of Black Adam, who absolutely did not suffer a notable power loss, given that I seem to be a more grounded and sedate Captain Marvel (these days called Shazam because that's what everyone called Billy Batson's superheroic side). So, I seem to be a fall-proof Paladin (unless my patron is super picky or something), which does give me some leeway and that is absolutely a good thing.

I have finally figured out how I would play this guy! He's old-school Superman - the one that went after people or beings who are legally or practically untouchable and went Force of Nature on them, like threatening to drop a CEO into a river their company was polluting, or carrying a warmongering politician to the trenches of a war they were pushing for.

I just updated this character's description to, hopefully, begin our discussion of who and what the group is.


This message was last edited by the player at 01:14, Thu 18 Mar 2021.

My random rolls for mutant characteristics has changed my concept in fundamental ways, but I can work with it.

Wait, I wasn't the only lunatic who did random?

Character creation thread is now visible. I normally like to get concepts decided before we start math, but that's clearly not going to work here.

So off we go!

Howdy folks. Doctor Roller here. Glad to meet ya.


Edit to add: Doc is a really smart Physical Training (Strength and Endurance) Hero somewhat based on the classic Doc Savage character.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:38, Mon 08 Mar 2021.

I went too brainy and too deep. But I'm fine now. I don't believe it will have any effects on how others interpret me.

In any event, I believe I can answer to Altruist.

Whoopsie doodle, though.

Welcome aboard, Doc, even though you have been here the whole time. I'll try and have a description up shortly, now that I know what I am.

One thing worth mentioning: it is my intention, at the end of chargen, to post everyone's character sheets publicly. In my experience, the more information everyone has about everyone else, the better the story runs. Surprises and secrets can be fun, but maintaining them often takes away more than it gives.

Also in my experience, some players are very very against this practice. I've never quite been able to figure out why, but I know it's a thing.

So if anyone has any very strong objections to me doing so, drop me a PM and we'll talk.

I have no objections to this. I'm assuming we know all of the information we know about our own characters. Dark Secrets are good story, but they tend to maximize the friction.

I have a good rules question. Can I Dodge into an attack? I am assuming this would require me to have an attack available.

I have no problem with a public character sheet. My memory being what it is it will hell me for the other players to know what Doc can do.

In reply to Altruist (msg # 18):

Or, you could just stand there and take the hit.  Unless you are trying to take it for someone else....

That is the idea. I'm Invulnerable, Immortal, and have stupid high saves, SDC and HP - I can count on one hand the number of things that can actually hurt me, never mind actually threaten me. With that said, my allies do not have these benefits, and defenses that others cannot hide behind have dubious worth.

Yep.  There's the arrogance and superiority. LOL

Perhaps, but it is arrogance that can be backed up - the Awesome Ego, if you will. Invulnerability in particular operates on D&D 2E Damage Mitigation rules - very binary. Either you have the thing which can damage them, and get to do damage and partake in the battle, or you do not, and get to go into a corner and cry if you cannot do anything meaningful other than damage, like taking away their actions by forcing them to deal with combat moves.

In my case, magical weapons and Physical Prowess Power Attacks deal damage, supernatural physical attacks deal half, deprivation, suffocation, and artificial poisons deal quarter damage, natural poisons deal one-sixth of their effect, and disease, aging, sickness, radiation, and any attempt by physics, psychics, or magic to do direct damage to me with external forces short of nova, nuke, or atmospheric reentry-level forces does nada with the prior exceptions. Likewise with actually dying from poisons - they can weaken me and set me up for something that can take me down, but I can't actually die from them alone.

Magic like Energy Bolt, Fire Ball, Circle of Flame, Call Lightning do nothing. Things like Magic Net, Fear, Wisps of Confusion, Life Drain, Stone to Flesh, and the perennial-for-good-reason Carpet of Adhesion; if things like that get past my saves, those can wreck my day. Psionics have a similar effect - I'd probably get annoyed at a telekinetic's efforts to bludgeon me to death, but Bio-Manipulation or something like that I would certainly notice, and said TK could use me as a bludgeon against everything else if I couldn't break out. Fire Fist and Psi-Sword expressly hit me.

So, yeah. That's why I'd want to dodge into a hit. Then again, I'm the Altruist, and might dodge into an attack I'm not invulnerable to if I think I can take it better or if I don't have time to calculate relative worth vs theirs and just act impulsively taking a hit I cannot handle.

I have a couple of characters, one currently in a game, with Invulnerability.

I've been GM with characters that had invulnerability. They tend to get negative chi infections and suddenly fall into a murderous rage.
        ...          yeah...        good times.....
This message was last edited by the player at 00:00, Sun 14 Mar 2021.

Well, yes - there are things like mind control, too, and saves only go so far at dealing with that. Mostly I'm looking for an excuse to tank the missile for someone else, or for a crowd or a building, and then look heroic afterwards.

Or get Worfed and knocked out, leaving everyone going "Oh no! If it knocked out Altruist it must be pretty serious The bad guy used his Alpha Strike up on the party tank, and is now open!"

Dealing with invulnerable PC's takes some effort, but with some trust and goodwill on both sides, I've never found it too daunting. You mentioned Mind Control, which is a classic. But there's also kidnapping loved ones, making you fight things you can't punch (like the weather), putting more things you care about in danger than you can possibly handle at once, direct moral quandaries, and the ever-entertaining public hatred.

And since this is a one-shot, this whole thing is mostly going to be about style and flash anyway. You'll all know where you're headed pretty quick, and then it's just how much fun we can have on the way.

Yeah, Invulnerability means dying in combat is highly unlikely. It does not mean immunity to failure.

Actually, Armageddon Unlimited might find quite the niche here as an enemy of Shadowbourne - about five hundred strong demonic heavies-for-hire that basically are Evil Personified, with a few officers capable of fighting us on level terms. The Angrar tech they use is actually some nasty stuff - basically demons beaten into power armor and weaponry that frequently have long-term adverse effects on the users, but boy does it pack a punch, especially for its price. Think Pentex from Werewoof: The Descriptioning, and you have a good idea - as an overt front for demonic influence, they'd turn the normally shadowy nature of the foe on its ear.

Buuuuut... you seem to have something in mind already. Too little, too late, but oh well. Honestly, they are probably one of the least interesting groups in Mercenaries, just because of how cartoonishly and obviously mustache-twirlingly evil they are.

In reply to Lord Siembieda (msg # 27):

I seem to remember Eisenberg's Lex Luthor using Martha Kent to get Superman to kill Batman.  It was the one thing that actually got me to see him as being Luthor.  Otherwise,I thought he was going a bit Joker-ish.

Alright, everyone. Two sheets done and two more almost done. We're just about there.

Anyone else excited for the Snyder Cut of Justice League? It's FOUR HOURS long. That's as long as the director's cut of Return of the King.

I'm going to do a communal streaming party for it this weekend with some friends. Some things I've read about it make me think it'll be just the right kind of crazy.

I hope it's good, but I doubt it will meet the hype. That would be nearly impossible. Still, I never find myself hoping that a work will be bad.

Exactly. I tend to like Zach Snyder's work, even when it's over-the-top and self-indulgent. I continue to love 300. I enjoyed Man of Steel. So if this cut is more Snyder, I'll probably have a good time.

I know this isn't a popular thing to say, but I liked the theatrical release.  Was it what I had hoped?  No.  But, it was still a fun romp, just the same.  But, then, what do I know?  I liked The Last Jedi, too.

I liked the theatrical version of Justice League too. Hated Last Jedi so much I'll never pay to see a Rian Johnson vehicle ever again. (Glad you liked it though. Everybody liked the same stuff we'd only get one kind of thing.)

I'm hoping the Snyder Cut is great but my confidence is low. That said I will be watching it asap.

I've got issues with the DCCU, but those are pure opinion. Criticism, especially if it is vitriolic, is difficult because communication always comes with the inherit drive to motivate others to feel as you feel, and part of that involves the invalidation of opposing opinions, at least in the parts that compete with your own vision. And because I get rather passionate about portrayals of characters I like, I have to be careful.

I will note that the MCU and the DCCU reflect their parent companies well. MCU has a mostly tight, driven plot that doesn't deviate too much from the rules it sets for itself, because anything it absorbs it alters to fit Marvel's vision, for better or worse. DCCU is more sprawling and competing, with differing visions of what it is to be because it is effectively a collective of multiple companies all doing their own thing with no grand vision or plan really uniting them.

Both have survived and both are certainly valid, but it is interesting to watch this rivalry play out on the big screens.

Sorry about the delay everyone. Had a week full of RL things. I'm hoping to get final details worked out by tomorrow. And hopefully we'll be ready to start Tuesday.

I'm sorry again, everyone. I'm wrestling some RL stuff. I haven't forgotten about this, we're still doing it. I just need to get ahead of a couple of things.

That's cool.  I'm still trying to finish up.  Real world got to me, too.

All's good.

I'm
• probing the depths of Shitsumon's reluctance to become Kōchō despite being the youngest son
• developing pithy phrases to describe the sounds made by a sharp katana shaving paper-thin slices of a thug's pinna
• trying to come up with a proper color scheme for Shitsumon's armor

Hah!...There would be no sound of a godly sharp katana slicing paper...it would cut so swiftly, so surely that it would be as if the paper had decided to become two pieces on its own!

Not paper, pinna. The outer part of the ear is the pinna.

Well, that sound is usually "AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" It's very loud.

Sharp enough blade they may feel nothing until they notice the bleeding. I had a cut once that took 4 stitches that I wasn't aware of until I got blood all over my work table.

I am of course picturing Shitsumon cutting people in half and having to tap them to make them fall apart.

I usually feel the cut, but not the pain until a day or two later.

[Language unknown: K addi? Un mith pesset k e witithmen?]
I suspect Shitsumon would begin by cutting their shoelaces off, and then remove incrementally larger pieces till they surrendered. Cutting them in half would be too easy, he might get bored.

Snatch them up at 300 mph, run up the side of a building and threaten to drop them.  Gotta love Extraordinary Speed and Adhesion.

Stand in front of them, and politely ask them to stop shooting you and turn themselves in.

A dart to the neck that injects a drug causing the felon to hallucinate that he is winning a fist fight with The Altruist whilst he is actually asleep and on his way to jail.

There was a character in the FemForce comic books that actually put a dream in the head of a villain they had defeated.  As she was being taken to prison, she believed that she had won and had taken over the world.

This is fitting, for the April Fools Day post. That anyone could win a fistfight with my character!

Actually, that depends on the definition of "win" at the moment, and sometimes, being an adequate speed bump is all someone might need to be to "win." Nevermind if they are a peer and can proceed to ragdoll Altruist all over the city...

Ok Boss but Doc totally has a bomb on the moon...

That's the spirit!

Reminding everyone that Doc can equip the team with improved armor and weapons for anyone who would find those things useful.

At a minimum everyone will be provided with a suit of flexible "underarmor" that will provide 40 SDC and has a built in comm system.


As an example of something he could build Doc could replace Shitsumon's 40 SDC armor with a set of updated O'Yoroi that has AR 17 and around 280 SDC or lighter suits with correspondingly less protection.

Honestly, sensory enhancement would be more my thing.

I should be able to miniaturize pretty much anything along the lines of NVGs or audio gear.

To make this easier how about everyone just send me a wish list and I'll haggle it out with LS and see how much of it I can have built before the we take off.

Give me a day. I'll have a post up tomorrow. Early, if possible.

So a game to pass the time.

Doc will suggest a scenario and you post how your character would deal with it.

Scenario #1: A tech Villain, armed with a 7.62mm minigun fires a 100rd burst directly at your chest. What do you do?

Shitsumon assumes he will always be acting, never reacting, so when his Zanshin indicates an imminent attack, he becomes invisible and flies (no footstep noises) in an arc to stand beside the villain. Then he becomes visible and cuts the minigun in half.

"You have some very misplaced confidence in your tech!" Altruist had to yell over the roar of the minigun, as the rounds had no effect. "Will you kindly turn yourself in, before I make you?!"

Gecko would run up and lash at his legs with his tail in an attempt to trip the shooter up.

Not much time...but two things,

One, I will post up tomorrow on story thread. Ran out of time today.

Two, Lunge at gunner, pull into Shadow as he APS: Shadow(Cloak of Shadow allows you to pull someone into shadowform with you...they loose all actions and are just simply a shadow, no actions)...wait about five minutes and drop him back on the floor babbling because he was afraid of the dark and he has now wet his pants :)

Update coming tomorrow everyone.

So. Combat. A few things.

1. Don't worry about what order you post in. That takes forever. Just post when you can and I'll assemble it when I do the round summary. Sometimes some things won't make sense as a result, that's okay.

2. If you do an attack, please include the damage roll in case you hit. And/or any other necessary rolls. Also include any effects that might be caused. Again, the less I have to look up, the fast we move along.

3. Please also, in every post, give me a dodge and/or parry roll in case someone targets you. And, if you have strong opinions about whether you'll dodge (and lost your next action) or not, let me know that too.

If you got any questions, let me know.

Darn it. Well, at least the initiative makes sense with the overanaylsis. I'll post soon.

Do you want all if our actions for the round in one post?

Let's do them one at a time for now. Keep things relatively simple.

Shitsumon, you can declare your next action now as well.

I did roll, but it was a bat 1 initiative for a total of eight. So, I am cool with "Suddenly fire and mildly suffocating." I got this. The blindness will be the real issue.

I literally put a fire extinguisher on the MACE to prevent this from happening to you but we  are currently too far apart.

I take four times longer than normal to be suffocated, and my PE is 27. I am mildly suffocating. I'm good on that front, unless he manages to keep a burn on me for several minutes straight. It's the lack of clear target that is going to be a hindrance.

I've got a quick plan, though.

Okay.  The Compandium of Modern Weapons is full of crap.  It says that M72a2 LAW (Light Anti-tank Weapon) weighs in at 12kg.  That's over 26#!  And absolute poppycock.  I trained with this weapon.  It weighs less than an M16a1 assault rifle, empty (about 6.6# without a loaded magazine).  Fire teams would be issued two per soldier.  No soldier is going to carry an extra 53# added to their already 65+# load-out.
LAWs only weight about 5#-6# from what I remember.

In reply to Gecko (msg # 72):

Yeah they are goofy sometimes.

Hey, would there any M72a2s in the armory?  I forgot a Carl Gustav was a two-man weapon.

Negative. LAWS are way too low tech for Doc.

It's not super difficult to operate a Goose by yourself (I would think even easier for a super hero). The M3E1 only weighs about 15 lbs. It's mainly a two man operation because the ammo is heavy.

The Carl Gustav isn't low-tech?  What about AT-4s?
Either way, I figure it will take him a Melee Round to load up before he is ready to do some damage.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:55, Mon 19 Apr 2021.

Actually, I was just reading that the US Army and the USMC have been using improved M72 LAWs in Afhghanistan and Iraq.  Apparently, there are relatively few tanks to take out and they have been used primarily as bunker busters, and because a soldier can carry two or three M72s as opposed to one M136 AT-4.

Essentially it is the same with the M3E1 (an AT4 is more or less a disposable CG). Updated warheads mean the weapon has a completely new lease on life. That means Doc can upgrade the warheads at need.

M72 have pretty much always seen more use vs hardened emplacements than vehicles.

True, but having been developed in 1963, and still being modified for a moder age, they are technically a newer technology than the Gustav (developed in 1946).  There is a M72a9 in production and use.

This seems like a good time to remind everyone that I asked for, and received, a budget to build and acquire equipment for the other members of the team.

Then I asked what, if anything, the other team members wanted.

I think there is a good chance that it may not be too late to request something (LS will surely tell me no if it is).

(I won't be acquiring any disposable rockets when I already own an M3E1 that has laser targeting and is capable of firing everything from straight HE to Guided Multi-warhead rounds up to 1200m. This is partly because the GM of this game is not interested in excessive crunchy stuff so one "Rocket Launcher" is probably enough.)

Well, I suppose two actions to load and fire (three if he wants to aim) won't be too bad, when he spends the rest of the round avoiding return fire.
What we could really use are some of those anti-armor/bunker buster rounds that penetrate then spray an incendiary inside.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:53, Tue 20 Apr 2021.

Shitsumon has only been in the country a few weeks, so hasn't had time to get more than the most rudimentary gear.

My character would only want things which would have a hard time surviving a flamethrower strike to the face. So, there is that. On the plus side, you guys are the eyes and ears anyways. Especially now, what with being blinded from napalm showers. It's so bright.

For sure, if anyone can think of anything they might have requested from Doc Roller, I'm happy to retconn it in. Part of the fun of a one-shot is for you to get everything you want so I can throw everything I want at it.

And Doc is right, it's not my thing, but if you want to geek out over the specific benefits of specific model of weapon, go for it. Even if you bring your real-life knowledge to bear and tell me "By the way, this one rocket launcher I'm using also plays trance music" or whatever, I'm happy to take that into account. I have my real-life topics that I'm super nerdy about (ask me about tarantulas some time), so I totally get it.

But that kind of things is outside my knowledge base and my 'Okay Winging It' Zone. So a little slack cut on both sides might be necessary.

My thinking is that while you may be a new arrival Doc would have been scouting you for a while. Anything you think would be beneficial can be put down to his planning ahead (like the flexible 40sdc armor and comm gear everyone got).

Hey guys...I am sorry for being absent. I will get a post up by tomorrow night.

Good f'n shot Gecko!

In reply to Dr.Roller (msg # 85):

Well, then. Shitsumon wants the doc to put a monomolecular edge on his arrows.

I'm juat glad his appearance is lizard-like rather than rodent-like....

We might have one prisoner. If I have time, they're going to the police, what's left of them. If not, well... hopefully the mecha isn't about to explode.

Although if it is, that could be useful - one kind of collateral reducing another.

Quick reminder that it's always a good idea to post relevant rules whenever you're doing something, or using something, that isn't immediately obvious. Like a lesser effect of a power that I might not remember, or abilities or equipment from non-Core books, or even if you're accessing something from your sheet that isn't obvious.

Not cuz I don't trust you or anything, it's just the less time I have to spend looking things up, the faster we move.

Having a full week over here. Will post as soon as I can.

No prob.

I was dumb, and forgot to put my text in radio talk, didn't I?

I'll fix it later.

Comic book time - I think I can fit that dialogue in before trying to stop a falling building.

I kind of assumed it was since it read like you meant for everyone to hear it.

Maybe we should adopt a symbol for radio dialog?

In other games I have used #"text"# to denote radio.

In reply to Dr.Roller (msg # 95):

That's the one I usually use too. That works for me.

Hey Gecko, I figured maybe there's fridge brilliance here.

I'm thinking that while your weapons might have those safety features in them, the enemy wasn't so cautious and designed their weapons to be more hazardous. For humans, this would be absolutely insane. Depending on how these creatures are set up, though, death and pain might not be concerns - merely inconvenient.

That said, the one that I left in their cockpit certainly is averse to their current situation. My character is supersmart, but I am not. My wife has noted that I am bad at "hints."

Whoops.

Ah, well. Greater good and whatnot. Building collapse delay takes precedence over saving someone who is the reason we have damage to reverse at all. Maybe he'll come back, if I'm correct in what they are.

Focus: the point is that maybe their explosives were actually altered by someone who considered them completely expendable, and thus theirs would detonate at close ranges. Like battleshorting, but more insane and reckless.

Whichever the reason, the situation remains as stated: there was an explosion, Shitsumon and Shadowbourne were caught in its radius.

Fair enough.  The designers didn't think about the safety of the user.  If the equipment kills the user, too, they can't complain to OSHA.

Dramatic Pause...    :)

Tried to get it in Wednesday then POOF it's 48 hours later. Update is happening tonight.

Sorry, everyone. Couldn't make it happen tonight. Tomorrow for sure.

I was dodging flying polyps in the finale of my CoC game yesterday anyway.

Sorry about the delay on that everyone. It was a big one and I had a hard time tucking it into my week.

OOC: roll me a strength check, anything aside from a nat 1 is a success.

The Dice Roller = 21:14, Today: Altruist rolled 1 using 1d20.  Strength.

...this is going to be one of those days, I see. Can I inflict some kind of consequence on myself in exchange for success?

Geez...

In reply to Altruist (msg # 105):

Yes, for sure.

Exhaustion gives you -1 attack, -5 to strike, parry, dodge, half movement speed,  for the rest of the melee.

To hold up a building? That's fine.

I'll have my post up later today.

I was going to add some damage too but since nothing else on the field right now can really hurt you it seemed a bit gilding the lily.

I'll also have a post up soonish.

Is Doc aware of who these people are or have any knowledge of them at all?

No, he doesn't. This is a complete surprise to him.

Gecko: let's go with Climbing, then. But since you have Adhesion, the penalties are reduced to -5/-15/-25.

I'll use adhesion, then can I add his tail bonus,as he would probably use it to either catch the person or himself?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:38, Wed 19 May 2021.

Nevermind....

The answer would have been yes :)

Didn't need it after all, but good to know.  I think of his tail as having adhesive surface, too, like his palms and soles, since it is also used for climbing.
In the early Spider-man comics, he could stick to a wall with any part of his body.  There is one where he looks like he is sitting to read a newspaper, and his back is sticking to the wall.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:54, Sun 23 May 2021.

When it comes to doing 'your thing' (which, for you, is Climbing and/or Sticking to Things, Being a Team Player, Saving People are Maybe Scared of You), I'm willing to interpret your abilities very widely. So, yeah, be as sticky as you can be.

Headed to Myrtle Beach on vacation. Posting will be more limited than normal for about a week.

Thanks for the heads up! We'll keep your spot warm for you.

I intend to post today. Probably going to be stealing a bit of Doc's job in a short term sense.

Net access here is more limited than expected.

My toes are fine. There's a lot going on.

Will Post Tomorrow...long week

Just a peek behind the curtain, this scene is probably about to wrap up, plus or minus who gets in whose face and says what.

Those penalties were shorter than I expected then. Yay!

I find Palladium works best when you try to make things make sense in the moment, but don't fret too much about how the moments fit together.

Planning a full update tonight.

Sorry, everyone, tonight do not happen. Tomorrow for sure.

Folks, I have to say, that even though the narrative got a little shaggy there at the end, that was one of the most entertaining combats I've run in a long time.

I really like each of your characters, and I like the way the group has come together.

I'm looking forward to ramping up the insanity to see what happens next.

Cool. Looking forward to it.

Same.

Yay, teamwork!

Yay, insanity!

Not sure where I stand on ramps, though.

Inlike ramps.  They make for nice, high-speed jumps.

Quick note: super hero games don't need to be police procedurals unless we want them to be. If you guys are enjoying walking through the post-op investigation, then I'm having fun running it. But if you want to skip ahead and abstract the investigate stuff into some dice rolls and an infodump so we can frame the next scene, that's fine with me too.

This will probably be the only chance we get to use this sort of thing.

On an aside, though, if one needs a roll from me for an attempt at information beyond what you need to provide us for the adventure, let me know. Altruist's real side is pretty good at getting information he shouldn't have.

About 90% of Doc abilities are "Between Fights" stuff.

At the same time I'd hate to see the game grind to a halt while we (I) split hairs.

Shitsumon is pretty much just a murder machine, but I'm happy to rp along on the investigation, that was part of the point to playing this character.

No, yeah, that's great. I love running this sort of thing. I have all this juicy info in my head and I can't wait to find reasons to give it to you. So please, investigate it up.

Please feel free to make pro-active rolls whenever you think it might be even remotely useful.

And, Shitsumon, don't worry, one of my Deliverables for this game is "Shitsumon kicks the shit out of someone in a badass duel."

Lost a good friend to suicide last night. I'm not gone from the game (In fact I f'n love it) but I am very very distracted.

Oof.  Sorry to read that.  My deepest condolences, Doc.

Doc, my sympathies. I hope things go as well and as they can go in such circumstances. Don't fret about us. Your spot is always open.

I've had a complicated and involved week, so I've been a little absent. I'll get an update up as soon as I can.

So, I somehow got really lucky, although the Hacking roll might not happen if he didn't have a safe place to do it from.

18:39, Today: Altruist rolled 37 using 1d100.  If it will not harm the PR of the team, Hacking check TN 76. This one might not happen, but he is trying to get info directly from the corpo's databases.
18:40, Today: Altruist rolled 44 using 1d100.  Streetwise, to pump the rumor mill TN 44. What's he hearing on ground level? Whatever it is, it is something that will help us out.
18:40, Today: Altruist rolled 32 using 1d100.  Social engineering MA usage - TN 55. Getting us inside information through social media, and huzzah!
18:42, Today: Altruist rolled 19 using 1d100.  Possibility of picking up a date in the course of the task, TN 65. Hey, if she sounded pleasant, and who knows? Maybe she'll actually want to help us out more. This might not happen, but hey, it's worth a roll anyways.
18:42, Today: Altruist rolled 53 using 1d100.  Intelligence, bringing it all together TN 69. Noice. This means we actually know quite a bit, and it can be sensibly explained.

So, this is surprisingly good. I'm used to X-Com luck.

Still haven't forgotten about you all. I'm experiencing an unusually complicated couple of weeks. A couple more days and I'll be back at it.

It's good. My character just did a whole bunch of nerd stuff.

S'Cool

Hey everyone. It looks like things are going going to remain complicated for me for the next little while. I'm not closing this game down, and I want to continue it. But I'll be out of commission, creatively, for while.

So I'm declaring a hiatus.

When I've got a bit of bandwidth, I'll check back in and we'll pick it back up with anyone who's still around.

My apologies. I hate doing this. But it's better than stuttering along a post or two   a month until we're all too frustrated to continue.

NP, I'll be here.

Yep, I'll be ready when you are.

Happens. I'll be on standby.

I'm still here.  Real life takes precedence.

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the support. Right now it looks like things will start to even out the second/third week of August.

I'll try to keep everyone informed as best I can.

Oddly, I cannot think of anything. It's strange. And annoying.

I'm waiting patiently.

Hello?

Why do we do that? You know, use the word "hello" as a question. Are we too lazy to add three more syllables and ask "Anybody here"?

Yep.

I am a potato powering a laptop in real life, so second that.

Hey everyone. I'm alive and still planning to pick this pack up. But it'll be at least a couple more weeks before I'll have the mental space and energy to do it.

Thanks for hanging in and checking in.

Hello.

My unfortunate update is that my mental health situation continues to be both tenuous and energy-consuming. I cannot foresee a situation where I will be able to resume this activity on a regular basis.

Thank you for your hard work and effort. I really, really enjoyed running this game for you folks and would have loved to continue it. It was one of the best Palladium experiences I've had in a long time.

I will be deleting this game at some point in the next week or two. If you wish to harvest anything from it, please feel free to do so.

Than you again.

Best of luck in your future gaming.

I enjoyed it as well.

Take care of yourself.

What a shame.  I have enjoyed this game and its Multi-class premise.  Gecko is an interesting character.
Hopefully, you will be able to get your issues under control and come back.

It's a shame, but only because it has been one of the more intriguing games I've been in, here.
I'm already re-purposing Shitsumon as a Japanese Supervillain in my own head world. He's SOOO much more fun as a supervillain.