General rules of conduct! Sign off that'cha read them.

I, your GM (the stars), just want you to have fun, so I will do my best to make sure that's what happens. There are a few things I ask:

1. Do not curse at your GM or another player (if there are ever other players) or otherwise hurl abuse OOC. That's not cool.

2. If I haven't posted in 48 hours and I haven't said anything in the OOC or sent you a private message about being busy RL, you may poke me in PMs. Otherwise, please don't! I will do my best to be on top of posting here and in other games, but sometimes the inspiration is just slow, and poking makes me slower.

3. You may reasonably assume that certain NPCs will behave as you'd expect. For instance, if your PC is ordering a coffee from an intergalactic coffee shop, unless I step in, feel free to have the space barista get your PC a coffee. If I have started playing an NPC, do not control it, even if it seems like your average every day android ticket taker. That NPC may be a Nefarious Spy set on your PC by a rival gang of insertwhatyourPCdoeshere. Ya just don't know.

4. Please do not include rape in any backstory stuff you come up with, whether of your PC or of somebody your PC knows. There are other ways to have tragedy in your PC's life, and I don't want to deal with this one.

5. Please don't hesitate to ask questions. I love answering questions.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:49, Sat 19 Dec 2020.

General rules of engagement! Aka, the crunchy stuff. In-game moves and other dice roll-y things.

WIP

Character Creation

Part I: Basic Stats

Do the thing. Distribute the scores among the below stats:
16 (+2),
15 (+1),
13 (+1),
11,
9,
8 (-1)

* Physical: brute strength, stamina, hardiness, used for non-weapon combat, endurance, are you too tired? etcetera
* Willful: nerves, steadiness, act under pressure, reflexes
* Charm: ability to influence other people, force of personality, manipulation, etcetera
* Expertise: perception, logic, creative thinking/smarts, fixing stuff, figuring stuff out, etc.
* Proficiency (Agility): combat w/ weapons, controlling cybernetics, piloting/flying/throwing, etc. (things that require fine motor skills)
* Techsmarts: hacking, security, programming, etc.


Cool Stuff
You get two points to spend here. Each thing is a point.
[ ] You’re better than just scraping by, you’ve got enough assets to be considered ‘well-off.’
[ ] You’re some sort of nobility. This comes with privileges, depending on where you’re at.
[ ] You’ve got a robot, genetically-modified superintelligent pet, AI, or some other sidekick-esque companion which is loyal to you.
[ ]  Favor. You’re owed a favor. You can figure out what it is or we can come up with it during play.
[ ] License to Fly. You’ve got a License to Fly, whether or not you yourself can pilot. Maybe you just have the License, and you hire a pilot. Either way, you don’t have to worry about interplanet or intersystem travel, because you’ve got an in. People will try to steal this from you.
[ ] Blackmail. You’ve got something on somebody else who could be useful to you. Tell me who the useful person is and what ways your character thinks they might be useful. They are an ‘ally’ of sort but they won’t like it. You can take this and the Enemy Trouble.
[ ] Super Cool Weapon. What it says on the tin.
[ ] Super Cool Piece of Tech. What it says on the tin. Tell me what it is.
[ ] Ridiculously Pretty. Born that way or modified that way? Up to you.
[ ] Ridiculously Strong. Born that way or modified that way? Up to you.
[ ] Member of Secret Organization. Name the Secret Organization and know that it might be a secondary way to get help.
[ ] Minor psionic ability

Trouble to Begin With
If you choose one of these, it gives you a point to spend in ‘Cool Stuff.’ Choose no more than two. You can choose Enemy and Member of Secret Organization more than once.

[ ] In Debt. You don’t have many spare resources and when you do the creditors are always after them.
[ ] Enemy. You’ve got somebody gunning for you. You’ve made an impression and it was a nasty one.
[ ] Bad Reputation. People in [choose circle/choose ] know you and dislike you. It’s extra hard to get them to do what you want.
[ ] No career. No resources, no allies, no home, no friends, nohin’.
[ ] Ill. You’ve contracted some kind of illness, whether tech-based or not, and although it isn’t likely to be fatal it does control some of your life and you have to make concessions to it.
[ ] Member of Secret Organization. Like with the Cool Stuff version, except you’ve gotta help them or else.


Serene Republic Advantages
Choose one.

[ ] Minor, useful body modification. Talk to me and we’ll figure out benefits. Can be 30/20 vision for added boost to sightbased rolls a cybernetic hand for extra proficiency or a chip in the mind that quells or amplifies emotions for extra will.
[ ] Xenoanthropologist. You’ve paid a lot of attention to non-human races and won’t embarrass yourself if you’re invited for tea.
[ ] High Tolerance for one of the following: Pain, Drugs/Alcohol, Strong Sensations [flashy lights, strong smells, etc.]
[ ] The Serene Republic proves the galaxy is small. When you’re in a strange place, you can roll 2d6 to see whether somebody you know (or somebody who knows somebody you know) might be nearby/around. 7 and up, the useful contact makes themself known. 6 and below, sorry, not this time. Basically: you can force a potentially useful contact. Whether they are actually useful is up to you.
[ ] Cultured. Some worldly, cultured people stuff has rubbed off on you—you know multiple languages.
[ ] You have an interest in ONE trade. Depending on what that trade is (tell me), there's an advantage.

Serene Republic Drawbacks
Choose one.

[ ] You're prejudiced against one of the following: Back to Nature-types, Dominion Military, Scientists/Academics outside the Serene Republic
[ ] Curiosity kills cats, and people from the Seren Republic. New experiences are hard for you to resist, whether because you've been culturally programmed to give them a try or because you've gotten a taste for it and genuinely enjoy trying new things, safe or not.
[ ] Sheltered. You're stressed when taken out of your (probably highly cultured, but still) comfort zone, and have a difficult time dealing with shocks.
[ ] Botched body modification. Maybe you went for a bargain, but you have a cybernetic implant or you've been genetically modified in a way that isn't very useful, and occasionally fritzes out... You might want to get that fixed...

Then:

You're done. Tell me what your character might have on them to start away we go.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:54, Mon 11 Jan 2021.

Character Creation!

Answer the following questions. They don't have to be very detailed, but they will help me be interested in your character and give me a grasp on who I'm messing with. I like a story hook.

Where is your character from?
How privileged was your character’s upbringing?
What was one of their biggest struggles?
Who does your character think fondly of in their life and why?
What is their greatest virtue?
What is their greatest weakness?
Who does your character care about? Why, or why not?
What is their occupation and why?
What are your character’s short term goals?
What, if any, are your character’s long term goals?
Tech Ascendant or Back to Nature?
Build or explore?

Put together a sheet:
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:56, Mon 21 Dec 2020.

Where is your character from?
--A Dyson sphere (I'll name it, if you want...?)

How privileged was your character’s upbringing?
--Middle-class, for the sphere. Insanely privileged, compared to most of the galaxy.

What was one of their biggest struggles?
--Affording college

Who does your character think fondly of in their life and why?
--His cousin-uncle Django, who was always kind to him and gave him presents. Martin (his AI) was a present from Django.

What is their greatest virtue?
--Virtue? Istvan is good at putting himself in someone else's shoes and seeing things from their point of view.

What is their greatest weakness?
--He's a bit of a coward. He doesn't think that's exactly weakness, though. He thinks of it more as a survival trait. Istvan would probably say his greatest weakness is that he's too nice, not hard-edged enough. On the other hand, of course, some people would say that he's already too uncaring and doesn't value people enough if he doesn't know them, but these things are pretty relative in the galaxy's various cultures.

Who does your character care about? Why, or why not?
--Himself. And Martin. And that's about it, really. (Django got married, moved away, hasn't kept in touch, is probably enjoying pleasurable dreams in suspended animation somewhere.) The society he came from believed that you're only as good as your achievements. Istvan says he doesn't believe in that, but he has internalized it more than he realizes, really... And Istvan isn't very impressed with most people's achievements. Sometimes he feels a touch of Imposter Syndrome, but then he remembers that he's pretty unimpressed with almost everyone he meets, so why shouldn't he be valued as good as them?

What is their occupation and why?
--Scholar and professor of information (which often extends to hacking but which also covers sociology, anthropology, art, art criticism, semiotics, and so on).
--Why: because it was what he seemed to have a knack for in school without stressing out too much.

What are your character’s short term goals?
--Get money to pay off his debt.

What, if any, are your character’s long term goals?
--Oooh, "where does he see himself in 10-15 years." Married to an heiress, having tenure and adamantium-level health care, out of debt, the hit of academic circles for his books, doing interviews and stuff.

Tech Ascendant or Back to Nature?
--The first one.

Build or explore?
--Istvan would say it's better to build first, then explore. That way you might have enough weapons, walls, lies and tricks ready for when the stuff in the unexplored region comes for you. ON THE OTHER HAND... Exploring is where the fast money is, if you're lucky and don't get yourself killed.

Nice. Crunchy rules for you to port him into will be upcoming.

Couldja sign off that you read & agree with the Rules of Conduct? Just a "Yes, stars" or "That seems reasonable" or "Agree" will do!

1, no problem

2, okay

3, okay cool

4, SUPER no problem

5, cool cool

Yes, stars, That seems reasonable, Agree