Howdy!

Thoughts on the era of play?  I'm leaning 60s but 80s is close behind.  "Tomorrow" would be my third choice but I'll run with whatever era the group would like most.

Let's get that answered before worrying about char gen.

Game name and my name are (perhaps) temporary.  Just wanted to get the discussion started. :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:24, Mon 19 Apr 2021.

The 60's were over by the time I was born in rl. And they really weren't an interest of mine, so I don't know much about that era. Which means I'd prefer if we did the 80's era as I know the 80's a lot better. I was still a child at the time, but that's better than not even being alive, isn't it?

Looks like we'll have 5 players.

I hope to get some char gen details up tonight.

Actually, I'm not sure the era really makes that much difference. I was thinking this over since I read Aliyah's post.

For example, the technology that was used in the original Mission: Impossible TV series hasn't changed significantly in the most recent M:I movies--it's just gotten easier to use.

Having recently re-watched the John Wick movie, he pretty much pulls off the entire movie without much use of gadgets and technology at all. Meaning, guns still shoot bullets.

The only real differences will be in computers and cell phones. Computers might be tricky, but then only the 'evil geniuses' will have them. Cell phones, on the other hand, can fall back on the Man from U.N.C.L.E. communicator pens (Open Channel D) and Maxwell Smart's shoe phone and Dick Tracy's two-way wrist radio/TV (from the 50s and early 60s).

The other possible problem is the political playing field. We're talking Cold War, Hippies, and such. Keep in mind, however, that M:I (as well as most of the spy shows of the 60s) tended to make up new countries to suit that week's plot. Whoever heard of Marnsburg?

I think all the elements for the game can be found in any of the three eras. I don't actually have a preference--I don't remember much from any of them!


On a side note, are we going to have a nemesis organization like THRUSH or KAOS?

I tend to agree with Gideon on the era tech.  Sure, the era informs the tech of the game, but in my mind the era is more tightly tied with the political landscape of the game.

In the 60s, for example, the tone/missions will almost certainly swing hard toward the Cold War whether using fake eastern European countries like M:I did or real ones.

A contemporary game would likely swing hard toward NGOs and cyber shenanigans.  An 80s game would be a mishmash as the information age ramps up and the Cold War winds down.

Just spit balling there.  Nothing set in stone.

I like the Cold War Era kind of spy stuff. It always really fascinated me, but I am definitely okay with either era. I definitely like the idea of the fake eastern european countries. Also the whole thought of psychic spies and governments experimenting on their own people is always fascinating to me as well. Then again I have been reading Spy x Family and it has a lot of those kinds of things.

Hi guys, happy to join the team.

I have a very slight preference for the '60's but am very happy to do the '80's cold war era as well.  Big fan of original Mission Impossible, Modesty Blase, 007, Out Man Flint, and Emma Peele.

Oh, and, yes, there will be rival organizations.

Seems like there's a lean to the 60s but let's get player five's input as well.

Tone-wise I'm not big on going cartoonish by including ice castles and invisible cars as seen in Die Another Day.  That's not to say that fun gadgets won't exist but outlandish technology will not turn up.  Often.

I wasn't able to get any char gen stuff posted tonight due to having to play catch-up on some work projects.  So, tomorrow it is.

I am okay with a more grounded approach. That suits me just fine, I kind of already have an idea for an Agent in mind. But I will refrain until everyone can discuss what they want to do.

The early to mid-Eighties still had the Cold War going on, so that's in play for that era, as well as the 60s.

If you've seen Atomic Blonde, that gives a reasonable portrait of what was happening in the world of espionage in the 80s. The Hunt for Red October is another film set in the same time period.

So, the question, really, is: Aliyah, would setting the game in the Sixties bother you too much? Some of us old fogies apparently have a soft spot for all those 60s spy shows, so that's why we'd like it there.


Here's another topic for discussion: how many of you have played TSR's Top Secret or Top Secret S.I.? How about the James Bond RPG? Spycraft? Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes?

With a little help I'd be able to do the 60's era if that's what the other players want. Like I said, I wasn't alive at that time and so don't really have the experience of seeing those shows to fall back on.

If you've seen any of the recent James Bond movies or any of the Mission: Impossible movies, then you've pretty much got a handle on the 60s espionage.

On the other hand, you might be able to find them on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu or any other streaming service. We wound up recording all of The Saint episodes when they aired on FETV.

Atomic Blonde is another one of my inspirations, and in answer to this question:

Here's another topic for discussion: how many of you have played TSR's Top Secret or Top Secret S.I.? How about the James Bond RPG? Spycraft? Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes?

I have played them all, though mostly Top Secret and James Bond.  80's cold war isn't bad, I can do that as well.  Reminds me of high school...

Gin hasn't checked in yet but it sounds like 60s it is.  (Maybe if things go well eventually there could be a time skip to the 80s with the Cold War winding down?)

Basic char gen info tonight.

In reply to Virtue Valentine (msg # 14):

I love Spycraft.  Still waiting on 3.0.  Played Top Secret a little but no other spy games.

Didn't get as much posted as I would have liked but it's something.  I know I need to build characters with most of you so let's get that started tomorrow.  Might be a good idea to discuss your overall character concepts as a group.

I was considering allowing multiple characters per person (but only one per mission per player) but for now let's do one character per player and see how it goes.

The game's classes are: Face, Hacker, Infiltrator, Martial Artist, Medic, Ranger, Soldier, Technician.

I'm happy to give more details on the classes but it's after midnight and my oldest has an appointment with the doc first thing in the morning.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:12, Thu 22 Apr 2021.

Hi all, thrilled to be joining you!

I think I'd be equally happy with either a '60s setting or an early '80s, so I'll just vote with whatever the majority is.

As to character concepts, I was hoping the system could accommodate something like a lockpicking / safecracking / pickpocket specialist?  A reformed former thief, or at least one in the process of being reformed.  :)  I'm precisely zero % familiar with the system we're using, would something like that be an Infiltrator?

I’m looking The Face.  Since this is based on 5e are there backgrounds o choose from?

I only have the Quick Start rules, but the sample characters they give show all the features of the standard fantasy 5e game, including backgrounds, ideals, secrets, bonds, etc.

I think the safecracking and lockpicking comes from backgrounds rather than the class. And skills easily cover it.


The rules I have don't cover Classes, so I'm not sure how they delineate them. The Infiltrator seems to be the Assassin type, though. None of the Classes would seem to fit the Thief category (as in Alexander Mundy from It Takes a Thief; "we're not asking you to spy, Al--we're asking you to steal!"). Hacker or Technician would seem to fill the role, especially Hacker since there won't be much computer hacking in the 60s.

I didn't even know there was a quick start rule set!  But now I have it, thx much  :)

So it looks like the character I'm imagining would be specialized in the Sleight of Hand skill...

Welcome Gin, 5e isn't too hard to pick up, especially if you have some friendly players and GM to help you. It looks to be a friendly group here and it should be a fun game.

With that out of the way, I'd like to throw my hat in for either the Martial Artist or the Soldier class. I've got no problem with Virtue being the Face of the group. I know women weren't really soldiers back then except for in the nursing and medical field, but I can make that work just fine.

Hey there Aliyah!  :)

Women weren't soldiers in the US in the 60s!  Other places had different rules though, maybe Aliyah is Israeli or something?  They've had women in their military for a long time.

That is an excellent point, I hadn't thought of that. Being part of the Israeli army could be fun. I might have to check that out, thanks Gin.

"Aliyah" is even a conveniently Hebrew sort of name!  Though "Rourke," a bit less so...  :)

Name changed to protect the innocent? Or maybe to try and assimilate into the US with a more American sounding name. I'm sure I can come up with something.

Stage name! Like Mandrake the Magician!


I can do Technician or Medic, though I hope Medic can do more than just patch up bullet wounds.

I could have missed something, but I definitely was thinking of doing Infiltrator. If that isn't something someone has picked.

The character I'm thinking of would end up being an Infiltrator, I think?  I was thinking of a lockpicker/safecracker/pickpocket sort of character, with secondary skills in maybe stealth and/or acrobatics, if I have points leftover.

Ah okay, maybe I could tailor my character in more of an outdoorsy ranger sort of person then. Then at least we have a more balanced group. ALthough I could also just work with technician. I am really pretty okay with whatever really.

I'm (slowly) getting class info posted in the char gen thread.  I'll circle back and get any questions I missed here afterwards.

From the post you have up now, it looks like Infiltrator class with the Thief background is exactly what I was hoping for.  :)

Only have the hacker, martial artist and soldier to put up.  It's likely I won't get them all up today.  After that I'll work on backgrounds, which should be faster.

Speaking of backgrounds, here is the super quick game background.  (More Soon™)

You are operatives for a division of a NATO-like organization.  (Or maybe I'll just go with NATO.  Acronyms are not my strong suit.)  This division, often referred to as The Division or, less so, The Agency, is headquartered in a secret level in the foundation of the Carbide & Carbon building in Chicago.  The headquarters sits directly on the raft foundation, below the building's lowest official level and is colloquially called The Basement or The Raft.

The Division--which does not officially exist--is a multinational team of spies, saboteurs, soldiers and other experts in a wide array of fields brought together to defend the member nations of not-NATO (or NATO...).



Yes.  They provide the same things as backgrounds in D&D do but they also provide ability bumps.



Feel free to pick whatever nationality you want and be a soldier.  I'm not that worried about historical accuracy.

Can you open the Character generation thread please? Or just copy the character sheet to our character sheets please?

Okay, definitely going with the Face, though I'm not sure which Archetype.  I'll wait and see about the backgrounds.

Okay cool, I'm still going between Martial Artist or Soldier. I'll see what the other players want to play before choosing.

Oh yeah!  Let me unlock it.  Wasn't thinking about the formatting.

Info is up for all classes!  I also copied the character sheet over for you.  Thanks to Gideon for making the sheet!

So, I definitely think I'm going to be a Ranger looking it over. With him being a former Green Beret that was plucked by this particular group for his aptitudes. At least that's the basics for what I have in mind. I know that sounds more soldier esque, but I feel like with him being part of a Special Forces unit he would be more suited to being kind of a ranger.

So, kind of like Eliot Spencer (the Hitter) from Leverage...

Yeah kind of haha.

That's awesome, I was imagining my character to be a bit like the blonde thief character whose name I can't remember.  :D  (Except with a lot less crazy.)

That would be Parker. I'm good with names and loved Leverage. Great show.

Parker, right!  That's the one, thx.  :)  I'm imagining someone with Parker's skill set, though a very different personality.

Ah, so more like Archie Leach, the 'father figure' that trained Parker.

... I've only ever actually seen like three episodes of the show.  :)  I just remember enjoying the thief character.

I've seen them all several times over, but that doesn't mean I remember them all (which is why I keep watching them again).

'Archie Leach' was a tribute to Archibald Leach, Cary Grant's real name, because he starred in the movie To Catch a Thief. The character in Leverage was played by Richard Chamberlain, so had nearly as much charm as Cary Grant.

Apparently, a revival series of it is in the works. Supposed to available sometime this year on Paramount Network. Does anybody get that one?

In reply to Gideon Drake (msg # 47):

I thought it was going to be on IMDB TV. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So now I just need to sit down and actually work on my character lol.

Are our backstories all known to each other?  Are we an established team at Game On or are we just meeting for the first time?

You can be new to the team if you want or you can say you gained those couple levels while part of the team.  As for your backstory, how much of it you share with your teammates is up to you. :)

We are based on Chicago, is there a sense of the focus (geographically) of our operations?  Will it be useful to have Asian languages (Japanese, Chinese, etc) or Spanish or Swahili?  Or is this more European focused so Russian, French, German?  NATO suggests a European focus.

I have a personal affinity for Japan, but if we are unlikely to ever go there I don't feel right using a language on Japanese.

For the 1960's can we swap out some gear?  Con Artist background gives her laptop, can I exchange it for a Forgery Kit, for example?

Are there suggestions/guidelines for "Double Life", "Secret" and "Bond?"

Thanks.

Global missions.  Though I think it's safe to say a majority will be in Europe.  HQ is just a building.



I'll be sure to have at least one mission in Japan.  It always bugged me when I'd pick things that never get used in games.



Yeah, that's reasonable..



Yes!  Thanks for reminding me!  I completely forgot to mention that there are secrets, bonds, etc listed for each background and that I'm happy to type those up.  I wanted to get the mechanical aspects posted so that part of char gen could get completed.  I'll circle back to backgrounds and get that typed up too.

Is there a specific one you want to know the suggestions for now?

I was going to focus on Chinese and Russian as alternative languages. I feel they might be the most useful for the time period

I took the Con Artist background, so if I can see the suggestions there it would be very helpful.

I decided that Virtue will be played by Yvonne Craig, photo in her description.  Do you guys think she could pass for half-Japanese?  I was thinking of building her first cover identity around that.

Is Vixen cool as a codename?  Was thinking Lady Koi for her cover codename (a famous kitsune)

Thank you for the answers!
This message was last edited by the player at 01:58, Sat 24 Apr 2021.

I'll have the con artist informed for you today.

Sure, why not?

And yes.  It's a very "on the nose" codename but there's nothing wrong with that.

For the cover identity it says I get the equipment of the cover’s background.  So I pick one of the other backgrounds and use that?  If so was thinking Diplomat.  So she is a former con artist turned spy under cover as a diplomat.

Is there such a thing as "masterwork" equipment in this game?  My character assembly has Gin ending up with a taser and a smartphone, neither of which seem exactly setting-appropriate.  :)  Can she trade those in to bump the thieves' tools she already has up to "really good thieves' tools," whatever that might be?

Alright, so I think I have everything done correctly. Should be good to go on my sheet anyway. So, if anything is out of order let me know haha.

I think I'm going to go with a soldier for Aliyah, Martial Artist is always tempting, but I like the soldier class as well. As for background, the soldier one seems best too. So that'll be Aliyah as soon as I can get her put together.

Great pic of Yvonne Craig! I've never seen her like that before! Makes me want to go back to the Sixties!

If Yvonne was playing your character it a Sixties spy movie, I'm sure Hollywood make-up artists could make her look a bit more Oriental if it was needed.

As it is, she doesn't have to necessarily look Japanese so much as she acts and sounds Japanese.


I don't see anything in the Quick Start rules that puts Properties on equipment other than weapons, but I don't see why there can't be an Advanced or Superior property for equipment. I know the Stargate SG-1 RPG went into a lot of properties for equipment, things like rugged or waterproof, so those should at least be available.

Also, we don't know yet what 'gadgets' the Agency is going to provide, such as an advanced communication device a la Dick Tracy's wrist radio/TV, so we may have an era-equivalent Smartphone.


In the Quick Start rules, there's no indication that there are skills for vehicles or explosives, but it does say there are vehicle Proficiencies.

My only complaint about the rules is that you can't get GOOD at a skill outside of your class/level/ability scores. Just because you have an 18 Dex, for example, it doesn't make you a concert pianist! For that matter, is there a skill for Perform?


As for Ideals, Bonds, Flaws, etc... if you don't have the rules, I don't see why you couldn't pull them from the standard 5e rules and just tweak them for modern times.

So, here's what we've got so far:


A few blanks to fill in. Do we need a Technician? NPC like maybe Q?
This message was last edited by the player at 01:19, Sun 25 Apr 2021.

I'll get these posts in the char gen thread but for my own sake I'm posting them here for now.


Con Artist

Double Life

• I subscribe a homeopathic medical lifestyle to the rich and stupid. They have no idea my new age cures are fake.
• I advertise several tropical holiday homes online, only when the guests arrive they find an inhospitable environment and no amenities.
• I fence the most expensive stolen treasures around the world, but only the fakes I make of the real treasures that I keep.
• I’ve convinced a large bank that I’m the dynastic owners’ long lost heir, standing to inherit billions.

Secret

• I know of a placebo medicine on the open market that generates huge profits but helps no one.
• Insider trading is rife within the financial sectors of the world, and I know who stands to benefit the most.
• My ‘charitable prince’ scam has infected accounts throughout the world, and I have the account details of hundreds of thousands of people.
• I’ve managed to convince someone to give me the president’s login details to their personal accounts.

Ideal

• If you’re dumb enough to be duped, you don’t deserve the wealth you’ve built up.
• What I do is a victimless crime—the only people that stand to lose out are the insurance companies that exploit people.
• All of this is a game and a test, and I haven’t found my limits yet.
• Everyone can be played if you set up the right circum- stances.

Bond

• I need to keep in contact with a victim regularly to see my con come through.
• As more people begin to know my fake persona, the more attached I get to it.
• I’m caught between the love of two partners, but I actually care for them both.
• I’ve played the con all my life, and have forgotten who are my victims and who aren’t.

Diplomat

Double Life

• I am a member of a royal family.
• I am my country’s chief international hostage negotiator.
• I am an aide to my country’s foreign minister.
• I lead an NGO in their mission of peace and protection.

Secret

• I know who is responsible for a high profile assassination.
• I know of an unauthorized military training facility in foreign soil.
• I bribed government officials in order to see a trade deal through.
• I am the corruption at the heart of my government.

Ideal

• My position allows me to enjoy the finer things in life, and so I shall.
• I work to further the goals of my political outlook and support leaders around the world who share those views.
• We need to bring people of different ideals together to build a stronger world.
• Diplomacy is the velvet glove that disguises the fist of power.

Bond

• I will make good on the peace negotiations that broke down.
• I will bring a war criminal to justice.
• I can ease the tensions between sworn enemies.
• I must repay the business interests that have donated to our cause.

Scientist

Double Life

• I lead a team of nano-technicians, and we’re looking at a breakthrough any day now.
• I’m a technician at a robotics lab, and can’t help but take my work home with me.
• I’ve dedicated my life to finding a cure for a disease, but it eludes me to this day.
• I engage in industrial espionage, paid for by the largest tech firms.

Secret

• I know the codes to disable experimental military technology.
• My research led me to human experimentation, not ethically cleared by the scientific community.
• A material I developed is in lots of manufactured products, but it’s properties can be dangerous.
• A government minister is a deep fake persona, never seen out in public.

Ideal

• Nothing is more exciting than the moment of a new discovery.
• I seek fame and fortune from the results of my re- search and development projects.
• I work hard to further human knowledge for the betterment of people’s lives everywhere.
• Without questioning why, we stagnate as a civilization.

Bond

• A discovery I made haunts me everywhere. “The patients I’ve cured are lifelong friends.
• I will prove my peers in the scientific community wrong about their flawed conclusions.
• I am obliged to continue my research for my government.

Military

Double Life

• I’m a leading figure in my country’s military.
• I’m trained in a specialist role and take pride in my work.
• I’m a private contractor, I work for whoever I please.
• I take green recruits and train them, turning them into elite soldiers.

Secret

• I was involved in a secret black-bag operation for my government.
• I found evidence of dangerous weapons and was told to cover it up.
• I know the location of operations personnel.
• My unit was witness to my government performing crimes against civilians, but we have been warned against speaking out.

Ideal

• I am willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect good people.
• I will be a sibling to everyone that fights alongside me.
• I keep my cool, whatever the situation.
• Surviving in hostile environments is what I’m trained for.

Bond

• I must preserve the memory of fallen comrades in arms.
• I must rescue my commanding officer from the captivity of our enemy.
• I serve to make my family proud.
• I owe everything to my unit leader.

There is no soldier background so I listed military.  There is also no thief background but con artist kinda fits that.

We can make up our own, too, or lift from 5e and modify them to fit this game.

Yeah, I meant military so it's all good. Thanks.

That's my take on it.




No such thing as masterwork.

I'm fine with some swapping of gear due to period differences in tech but it's also completely fine (and perhaps game appropriate?) to modify the gear a bit.

I think you could have a handheld two-way radio.  The first palm-size one was invented in the USSR in the late 50s.  Maybe you stole one and it was copied for use by The Division?

As for a taser, it could be reimagined as a knock-out gas device that does a puff of some gas that knocks a person out for a little bit.  The overall function in game terms can be the same but it's just re-flavored.  Alternatively, I don't see why an electric shock device couldn't be a gadget you would have.  Certainly the idea of using electricity to disable a person was considered at the time

There is some very ingenious stuff that was created for spies during the cold war.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:56, Sat 24 Apr 2021.

Sorry, background is Soldier as well. It just made sense for what I have.

The background is military, not soldier. And Aliyah's code name is the Blue Gazelle.

If your plan requires a role you don't have and can't reasonably fill, a competent NPC will be assigned for that specific part of the mission.  Mind you there may be limitations.  A tech NPC is not going to do things solo for example, one of you would have to sneak it into an office if you need it to gain access to that office.

Oh, and they won't be effective in combat and are unlikely to even engage in it.

What year is it?

So you mean we don't get a level 20 Super Soldier to carry us in Combat?

1964.  March.



Why not?  They'll just fight the enemy level 20 super soldier each mission.  :)

Apologies for not getting to review character sheets yet.  It's on my list for tomorrow.

...tomorrow!  For real this time.  :)

Ended up staying quite late at work due to multiple projects getting dropped on me so that left me no time today for reviewing your sheets.  My apologies.

Hey everybody, meet Gin.  :)

Awesome description!

So, she's English. In Chicago. I wouldn't know a Surrey lilt from London brogue if it jumped up and bit me!
This message was last edited by the player at 13:16, Tue 27 Apr 2021.

Thx much!  :)

Also - not sure if we know each other by our given names or codenames?  But Gin's codename will be Agent Wren.

A posh Surrey accent would be the sort of very proper British English that you'd hear on the BBC or probably imagine Shakespeare being performed in.  Very Downton Abbey.  Inner London street brogue would be your stereotypical low-class Cockney that you hear criminals use in movies.  :)
This message was last edited by the player at 13:21, Tue 27 Apr 2021.

In reply to The Director (msg # 76):

No worries, take your time. Beauty of PBP.

Aaaand it's midnight.  :|

So, today, I guess.  Hopefully.

Alright!  I've reviewed character sheets.  In doing so I realized that chargen gets wonky with purchasing ability points.  They want you to purchase ability points after picking a background.  So how does point buy work if an ability starts at 11 or 12 rather than 10?  They don't say, so I'm making the decision that you apply your background ability bumps after you spend your ability points.  Feel free to rearrange those points if you wish.

To the one two of you who applied your background bumps after spending points, you must be able to see the future.  Or you thought I wouldn't notice.  :P

-----

Thanks for your patience everyone.  It's very much appreciated.  It's a busy week so, while I'll try to get the post up tomorrow, it's likely to be Saturday.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:40, Thu 29 Apr 2021.

Looking forward to getting started!  :)

So, rules clarification question -

If I'm making a check against a skill I'm proficient with, using tools that I'm proficient with, do I get the proficiency bonus twice?

Like for example, picking a lock with thieves' tools would be 1d20 + DEX mod +3 + skill prof +2 + tool prof +2 = 1d20+7?

No, you can only ever add your Proficiency bonus once per die roll, no matter how many ways it might apply. That's the General Rule.

On the other hand, and it just may be me, but I don't see how you could be proficient with a set of tools without also being proficient in the skill that uses them, which seems redundant. If you were proficient with Thieves' Tools, wouldn't that make you proficient at picking locks and disarming traps as well, since how else would you have acquired your proficiency?

So, a Soldier who wants to pick a lock is proficient with Thieves' Tools (how did he get that?) but isn't proficient with the lockpicking skill gets the proficiency bonus.

In any case, one of your cover identities should be Locksmith so that you can claim the Thieves' Tools you are carrying AREN'T in fact Thieves' Tools but 'Locksmith Tools'.

Maybe you went to Locksmith Camp as a kid!

What then would ever be the point of being proficient with a set of tools?  Are tool proficiencies only ever useful when you're rolling a skill check with tools you're proficient with but a skill that you're not proficient with?  Does that ever happen?

In DND 5e there is no overlap between tools and skills, if you want to pick locks you have the tool proficiency, there is no lock picking skill.  On the character sheet template for this game there is no lock picking skill either, it seems to be the same idea, the tool proficiency covers it.  I don't have the Core book, however, so I could be missing something.

The paragraph for the Sleight of Hand skill is pretty explicit that it covers lockpicking:


So if skill proficiency bonuses and tool proficiency bonuses never stack, is there ever any point to being proficient with a type of tools?  Why not just spend that proficiency on the broader skill instead?

That's what I was trying to say: what's the point?

If you are proficient with Sleight of Hand skill, what does it matter if you are proficient with the Thieves' Tools?

Alas, I don't have The Spy Game core rule book either, only the fantasy D&D 5e CRB, and I couldn't find anything in there that explains it.

The answer is that tools give you abilities you can't otherwise do even with skill proficiency.  You cannot pick a lock with your bare hands, you must have the tools to do so.

Oooh, so it's not meant to be an extra bonus, but an extra requirement?  That makes sense I guess!  Thx  :)

So if you want to McGuyver something there is a penalty for not having the tools?

Or what if you have the tools but not proficiency with them?

So like, if I have proficiency in the Sleight of Hand skill, and I wand to pick a lock, and have the physical Thieves' Tools in my hands but not tool proficiency with them?

Not that that's likely to actually happen, I'm just curious about 5th Ed rules!  I've only ever played 3rd/3.5 editions.

The tools let you do things you otherwise can't, so there's no penalty for not having them other than having fewer options.

If you have the tools but are not proficient with them you cannot use the features the tools have.  So, going back to the lock picking example, you can't pick a lock with the tools if you dont know how to use them.

Once again I am failing in sticking to my expected post date.  The short explanation is: life.  The good news is the delay gave me a much better mission idea!  (I hope.)  That mission is starting tomorrow.  No exceptions.  :)

Finally!  The mission begins!

OOC questions:  I presume Yugoria is part of the Soviet Bloc; what do we know about Yugoria?  What is the native language?  Is Russian commonly spoken?

Yugorian is the official language.  It is a slavic language and uses the cyrillic alphabet.  It is close enough to Russian that it could easily be classified as a dialect.  If you speak Russian, you'll be just fine in Yugoria.

Yugoria borders a bloc nation but is not part of the bloc.  Its relationship with the Soviets is rather cool and has been for some time due to political meddling.  It is not allied with the West, however, and would likely fall right back in line with the Soviets should a foreign power try and push it around.  It's also unwilling to cozy up to the West because of the Soviet military presence nearby, similar culture, extensive business relationships, and familial ties with the Soviets.

Update tomorrow.  Sorry for the slowness right now.  I don't think I've ever been this busy except for maybe the first four days after first child was born.  The good news is that while this month is going to be crazy, it will settle down dramatically after that so expect a quicker pace the second half of June.

Have we lost a couple of players already?

Looks like this one has fizzled out?

Still here if we are proceeding.

The GM was on Monday, and I know when you get busy, days can slip by all too easily. If you're tired at night when you usually post, you think, "I'll do it tomorrow." The next thing you know, three days have disappeared on you!

We can sort of plod along a bit longer on our own.