apologies guys.

I will be posting tomorrow.  The city decided that today would be an amazing friday to go bonker-balls and I'm tapped at the moment.

Yes.  Yes they do.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:15, Sun 14 Feb 2021.

I figured they did, but Martin isn't enough of a techie to make an authoritative statement.

Just wanted to make sure Cruz has the info he needs to comment.

I presumed that since Techs don't have lock pick as a selection in the Street Rat template (but do have electronic security system), they probably deal with them without picking them per se.  Drill them out with ye olde toolhand perhaps?  <shrug>

Why pick the lock when you can take the whole door out of its frame?

That taser is like Cruz's cyberware - he didn't buy it just for show.  Also, after seeing that fucked up shrine one level up, he's got a bad feeling that getting thrown off the building is the best out come if this guy catches 'little shit'.

On a autobiographical side note, when I was about 15, some friends and I were tied up and robbed by a machete-wielding man on a volcano in Ecuador. I thought I was going to die. Obviously, we got away.

I wish a good Samaritan had been on hand to Tase that a-hole.

-

In reply to K. Takanori (msg # 197):

Well that's fucked up.

Wish somebody would have been there for you and your friends as well.

In reply to Data Source (msg # 198):

Thanks. I can laugh about it now but, at the time, I thought i was a goner.

-
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 21:37, Wed 17 Feb 2021.

Damn, that's fucked up.  Remind me to avoid that volcano*!

*I really haven't been anywhere in central/south America except for a destination wedding in Cancun, so it's all drug dealers and machete wielders in my mind anyway... which I know is stupid.

This was back in '88 or so. It was pretty safe then, overall. A buddy and I hitchhiked pretty regularly at 13 (I'm mortified thinking about it now), and my brother and I took taxis home from school everyday for a year-and-a-half or so, all without incident. Ransom kidnappings weren't really a thing yet, I guess. But there was a lot of anti-Yanqui sentiment there (mostly manifested in political graffiti). I remember at least two bomb threat evacs at my international (re American) high school. And petty crime was pretty common. One of our rental homes was broken into and robbed. And then there was the dramatic, dragged-out mugging I mentioned. Quito is a lot different now, in ways both good and bad. I haven't been back, but I have an old friend who returns once a twice a year. It's a beautiful country.

I undeleted a post (#98) that includes a question for y'all.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 22:05, Fri 19 Feb 2021.

I'm not trying to game the system, so if this is out of bounds, let me know. If we decide to infiltrate the pagoda, it would be good to have some heavier firepower on hand than a couple of pistols and Cruz's shotgun. A fixer of Black Jasper's standing would be able to supply us with heavier weapons (submachine guns and/or assault rifles), no?

-

I think that he would, but the question becomes how to play balance that exchange.  And it’s a conversation I’m willing to have.

From my point of view, CP assumes that the characters use their own weapons/gear in conducting the jobs they take on.  Whether that’s realistic (or fair) is up for debate.  So if Jasper did provide equipment, I’m thinking it would have to be loaner gear with a potential financial downside for loss/damage.  The flip side of that is it is in Jasper’s interest to have you complete the task.  In the real world he’s not going to say: “sorry about your kiddo, my guys couldn’t afford the right guns even though I have access to the gear they needed and wouldn’t give it to them for reasons.”

I guess the real question is - do encounters scale, or, it is what it is...?

*cough*scale*cough*

That all makes sense. Kenji has his own subgun, so he prolly doesn't really need heavier firepower for this op, but I thought the matter was worth bringing up.

A "you break it, you buy it" policy makes sense, but I do get how it would still undermine game parameters, so if all of Jasper's heavy iron is being used by other crews, getting serviced, or in Police lockup until a bribe is made to the right party, etc., I'll understand.

Now, what about helmets? Helmets seem very un-cyberpunk to me, but if it's a choice between taking a round in the dome or not, the latter is obviously preferable. I couldn't bring myself to buy a helmet, so, if everybody else has one, that's one piece of loaner gear that Kenji would need until he can buy his own.

-

For now, let's assume that you are going forward with the guns you have. For future ops, we can work some kind of loaner system out. If you need a helmet, feel free to drop one in your gear.  We'll consider it on loan from Jasper.

Martin has a helmet, but I envision it as a full-face motorcycle helmet rather than something overtly tactical.

I'm good with proceeding with current armament, especially as we have meta intel that encounters will scale (meaning the GM won't punish us too hard for using out starting equipment).  Longer-term, suppressed+smartlinked is a goal, but that can wait.

@Keys - for non-smartlinked weapons, is there any user authorization, or can we reasonably assume that battlefield pickups will be usable (subject to the previous owner's attention to maintenance)?
This message was last edited by the player at 01:31, Thu 25 Feb 2021.

Sweet sweet Skinweave has got me covered.

In reply to M. Lowell (msg # 208):

I'm going to go with Smart Weapons are reprogrammable but not immediately operational.  Cruz might need a minute or two to update the options.  Presumably these would function in a way that if you lost your weapon in a scuffle, some Scav couldn't pick it up and shoot you with it right away.

In reply to Data Source (msg # 210):

I like that ruling, as it spotlights Cruz's role ability and it prevents us getting shot with our own Smart Weapons.

-

I like that. I'll have to pick one up at some point. Hopefully Kenji doesn't take a bullet, bat, machete, brick, etc. to the head before then.

Should we ask Royce to show us the way through the garage to the Listener compound?

-

Is it ok that Kentucky's got his sub gun? I was going to post IC about him returning to the rental to gear up but you beat me to the punch (not complaining).

-

It’s all good.  I’m trying to find the balance on advancing, character agency, and momentum