What follows here is a baseline attitude.   They can be swayed with your respective dice-rolls...


Watt Marshall
Requires 1 victory
The one-armed private was relatively new to the Bravo Brutes.  His loyalty isn't real strong.  He thinks the whole situation in the flight deck was stupid and pointless.   He's a soldier, though, and he followed orders.  He's primarily a combat engineer, and was part of the boarding party responsible for creating ingress & egress solutions (making doors & blowing shit up).


Corporal Bin Te "Bear" Nguyen
Requires 2 victories 
Bear is a relatively thin guy with a sweaty complexion.  Most likely from a low-G environment.  He's third-generation soldier and second-generation Zenda-Meier.  He's not particularly loyal to Shy, but he is loyal to Zenda-Meier.  His contract isn't over until it's over.  His duty, ultimately, is to return to Zenda Meier.  However, since he has no clue where he is right now, his best bet to meet his objective is to stick with his unit.

Corporal Karin Eaven
Requires 4 victories   
It doesn't take long to figure she's a zealot.  She's bought into the Zenda-Meier line about  "purity of the species" etc.  Bottom line is that she appears to simply enjoy killing.  She's not interested in joining up, and she's not interested in any further interaction with the crew here.   However, if Shy says to join up, she will.  She doesn't have to like her orders to follow them.

Sergeant Christopher Shy
Requires 3 victories   
He's a practical man.  Simple and direct.  According to him, Jax (the body in the control room) shot first.  What came from that was combat reactions.   He doesn't hold anyone responsible, but says that he can understand how their ongoing presence here might cause too many distractions or complications.  Some things can't be forgiven.  He is also inclined to seek a return to Zenda-Meier, where he'll make a report about what happened on Ptolomen station and--probably--be subject to disciplinary action.

In Fate parlance, this is a contest.

Normally, this would be done by rolling opposing rolls and whoever gets the higher roll would score a "victory".  Accumulate enough victories and you succeed.   And we can do it this way, if you prefer.

However, I suggest we do it like this:

Each marine has a set position.  If you do nothing, they'll stick together.   If you want to try to "convince them" to join up, you'll need to roll a series of skills to do so. These will be the formal "attacks".  They'll roll to defend.

You can roll up to four "attack" to "convince them" using whatever skills you like.  I'll want to know a bit of detail, though ("I roll Rapport to try to convince him that we're the best option available to him right now, and that Zenda-Meier thinks he's dead...")

You can roll to create an advantage, etc. as normal.  This doesn't affect your "attacks".

You can invoke your Aspects or the Aspects of those in the room.   Also, for this, you can spend a fate-point outright for one victory (which means you could actually just buy Marshall off with a fate-point).

I have pre-defined the marines' relevant defense stats (but I don't want to  reveal them) and pre-rolled four dice-roll defenses for each of them, which I've added in a GM-only comment with each marine below.

There's nothing that says you have to do this, nor have to go all the way through.   If you don't want one (like, say, Karin), there's no need to even bother.

Does this make sense?

Mostly.  HOWEVER...

There is a missing elephant in the room.  :o

What about Armin?

I suspect that he will have his own ideas about staying or departing.

I also suspect that the others may be significantly influenced by his decision...?  :)

Sorry, I prefer nearly always to stay IC when possible.

Baylee sits across the table from Watt and watches him. The files the system had on him glowed in her peripheral but that wasn't how Baylee operated. She worked with her senses and her instincts. So, she glanced at the amputated arm and spoke, "How's the arm healing? Infection?" She looks at Casks since he was the doc, "The doc treating you well?"

Baylee waits for Watt to answer then ploughs into the meat of the matter, "I want you to sign our charter. That would make you an official criminal. As opposed to working for ZM as an unofficial criminal. I can't promise luxury or ease, but you'll get an equal cut, a say, and freedom. And we'll see about getting you soemthing like a new arm. Now, ZM can probably promise you an arm or they might just fire you. Not sure. I'm not offering you the world, just a place in it. I won't betray you, leave you behind, or abandon you. Come what may. But, if you want off this ship, done. I won't hold you either."

She shrugs. That's the offer. "But, I also want to see what you got. You ready to show me what you can do?" There was no hint in her demeanor, nor a moment in her thoughts where she planned to treat him as weak or less for the lack of an arm.

Start there? Casks can play off Baylee's tactic if he wants. My Rapport is awful!
Bai Ling-Li rolled 0 using 4 Fudge dice.  Rapport. No bonuses so, no successes!
Bai Ling-Li rolled 2 using 4 Fudge dice.  Fight. +4. Not being cruel, but not holding back for his injury or health. She'll do what she can to push him as far as he can go.I have it in my mind, Baylee is actually a pretty great Fight instructor.

Sorry, I prefer nearly always to stay IC when possible.
I prefer to use abstracted mechanics for when we want a resolution that isn't played out.
I obviously misunderstood.  I didn't think you wanted to play this out.

Bai Ling-Li rolled 0 using 4 Fudge dice.  Rapport. No bonuses so, no successes!
Baylee rolled 4dF(+0) + Rapport(+0) for Result(+0) vs Marshall's Defense(+0)
Actually, you tied Marshall's Empathy defense.  A character with a +1 skill has a potential roll-range of -3 to +5.  You still could have succeeded!   Just because you're mediocre at a skill doesn't mean it's a fail all the time!

Marshall's not interested in fighting, and he's not convinced to join up.  It would mean reneging on a signed contract, and how much would you really trust him if he'd turned his back one employer already?  He's not a deserter.  Now, you guys triaged him and didn't space him, so he won't erven try to stand in your way for whatever you plan to do next.  But if you drop him on the next habitable rock, he'll be reporting back to ZM--provided there's even a ZM presence in this system.

As for fighting? he thinks you're completely bloody crazy to ask a guy who's had his arm severed hours before to go toe-to-toe with you.  'Cause, yeah, that's obviously a fair fight and a fair assessment of his skills.   If you force him to fight, he will defend himself, but if you don't push him to do so, he won't initiate.   With his blood-loss, mostly he wants to rest.

All of this can change if you care to push it further with additional rolls.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:41, Fri 18 Feb 2022.

No, doing it like this is fine. I'll think IC, you can arbitrate just like that. As for rolls, I keep gettign Fate mixed up with Shadowrun because of how the dice pool sorta feels. Now worries. I knew I had a chance.

Baylee considers the responses, shrugs, and then doesn't push the contact. In fact, her face falls in disappointment as Marshall proves to be far less firce than she wants in a warrior. She'd probably call him a coward right to his face. She was an unarmed prisoner with swiss cheese memories against armed, trained marines and whopped their assess. "Please enemy soldier, I've been injured and lost blood. Don't kill me!" She won't offer him a place on the ship after those answers unless soemthign drastic happens. She'd dismiss him but keep him away from the other marines until she was done.

She'd just call for the next one unless Casks had anything to add or he rises in response to her taunts. Baylee's feelings on this type of thing are strong.

In reaction to Bear, she'd have a lot of sympathy for his loyalty. She likes it. But not to Zenda-Meier. Her line here would be something akin to 'loyalty to a tyrant is not loyalty. It is enslavement.' Again, she offerd freedom, equality, and comraderie only. She'd try to sell comraderie as real loyalty. Well, not 'sell' so much as explain what her feelings on comraderie were. Slightly different approach, here she will ask to spar first before talking. Perhaps, sparring will earn his respect as a military type.

13:00, Today: Bai Ling-Li rolled 1 using 4 Fudge dice.  Bear Fight. +4.
12:59, Today: Bai Ling-Li rolled -2 using 4 Fudge dice.  Bear rapport.
So, terrible Rapport but I was hoping for Casks to help with that. My astncronous timezone is probably not helping. Great on teh fight for the sparring. She might try to bank on that and play on his military history. What could he learn at Zm that she couldn't teach?

The older man declines to add anything until after the first interview ends and he is alone with Baylee.

"'用人不疑，疑人不用'."

"Captain, before proceeding to the next interview...  What types of people and skills are we looking for?"

"For example, you referred to me as 'the Doc'.  I have a healing ability, but I don't currently remember having any medical skills."

"An actual field medic could be useful... but there are tensions between the techs and the marines.  What is our priority?"

"Meanwhile, we are starting with the lowest ranks, and working our way up.  What are your thoughts about Armin?  Did he really need us to get off the station, or... did he have another reason for bringing us along?"

"IF we think that Armin could be of use to us, and IF for some reason he wants to stay aboard, and IF we want some number of the marines aboard, then Armin's choice might sway them..."

* Chinese proverb: "Employ someone, don't doubt.  Doubt someone, don't employ."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:46, Sat 19 Feb 2022.

Marshall thinks you're a bloody loon for wanting to fight him.  :)

As to Bear:

• Baylee rolled 4dF(+1) + Fight(+4) = Attack(+5) vs Bear's Defense(+2) = SUCCESS WITH STYLE
• • This is one success needed of two to convince him to join up
  • As a success-with-style, You get what you want and you get a bit more on top of that. So, let's call it a boost (a one-time Aspect) on a future roll.
  • You can apply this boost as a one-time +2 to the rolled Rapport roll if you wish.
  • You'd said "Perhaps, sparring will earn his respect as a military type.".   Would you care to put a label on that boost, so you can use it down the road?   I suggest something like Grudging Respect, though I don't think the "Grudging" serves you very well... so it's not right as is, yet.
• Baylee rolled 4dF(-2) + Rapport(+0) = Attack(-2) vs Bear's Defense(+3) = FAILED
• • To be fair, even with the boost, this won't succeed. So, probably better to hold onto that boost.

Bear doesn't see ZM as a tyrant.  It's a paid employment thing for him.  But, he supposes that in your position, he might feel the same way.  Especially since you seem to be taking the "Brain-Freeze" real hard.  To him, he figures it's easy to cast yourself as the hero underdog when you feel that you've been wronged.


Convincing Bear needs two successes in this contest.  You've used two possible "attacks" on him but you have gained one success.   You're half-way there. You can cease at any time, or try to further convince him with two more "attacks".   You can also roll to create advantages (that won't affect the number of "attacks" you have remaining.

And yes, I do rather enjoy this abstraction if it.  I haven't played out such a contest, before.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:39, Sun 20 Feb 2022.

I'll give Casks a chance to chime in on Bear before trying to press my advantage with him.

You're right, "grudging respect" isn't what she is looking for, so perhqaps something more like "That Girl's Got Chops" or soemthing similar.

Haha, if Baylee was a smarter type, she might try to convince him that there is little difference between working for ZM and her.

ZM - A chocolate covered turd. A veneer of legality over a shit center of dubious legality and terrible HR practices.

Her - Sour Candy. A little tough to deal with at first, but you grow to like it.

Guh, now she kind of wants to sapce the armless guy. Haha. Baylee really is a bit merciless.

As to Armin, Bayle is willing to let Casks take the lead on that as the theories he just shot across her bow kind of confuse her. *hand waves* "Yeah, sure, whatever. You ask him qquestions til you're happy." She doesn't even really think she can talk to the man without wanting to eviscerate him or, you know, throw him through a plate glass window.

She's much more focused on the personal dynamic between her and the hires. A real, honest comraderie. Thus why she'll hate fakers and that armless, coward $%^&*.