This thread is for welcoming new players, OOC questions/announcements, and the like.

First and foremost, thank you so much for co-creating with me! I am excited to get to know each and every one of you and hope you all thoroughly enjoy your stay!

First cup of tea/coffee is on the house, folks! ;p
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:55, Tue 10 May 2022.

Welcome Robert "Bob" Johnson and John Tashiro! Pull up a chair! :) First drink is free!

Welcome Karl Kidd! Take a seat wherever you like! :)

John takes a seat, and proceeds to coat the chair with ice. Any drink he is given flash freezes without him touching it.

"Snow cones, anyone?" He asks, sighing, white mist coming out of his mouth.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:58, Tue 10 May 2022.

The bartender gives John a worried glance and mutters cautiously, "Be careful who you show those powers to out there. It could get you killed..." but then reaches over and grabs the, now frozen, shot of whisky for himself. "Mmm... this is good."


Before he can say anything else, another announcement is heard: "Welcome Esperanza Oshiro! There are plenty of seats, please seat yourself."

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
In case it wasn't obvious, this is all ooc. I'm just having a bit of fun haha

---

Welcome Sarah Collins! What will you be having tonight? Menu is on the counter.

Welcome Blain Carter! Our chef is out today but I pour a fine whiskey.

ATTENTION ALL PLAYERS!

Please make an announcement here when your character sheets are done so I can check them before play! Thanks! :)

Hello every one. I am super excited to face the post-apocalypse with you all.

Welcome new players! Your free flavored ice is on its way!

My sheet is done.

In reply to John Tashiro (msg # 10):

Thanks John! I will review tomorrow. Very hectic day today. :) Thank you for being so prompt!

Welcome Jack Spade! Do you want your drink neat or frozen? ;p

Hey there everyone! Description is up. Maybe more to come. Character sheet will have to wait until later.

Looking forward to getting started :D



"Hello! I'll have... umm... wiiine? Is that a thing here? Something sweet, and not too strong."

Hello Sarah, welcome and I love your description

Thanks!

In reply to Sarah Collins (msg # 15):

Love it, Sarah! LMK when you are able to complete your character sheet! :) I begin reviews tommorow!

Hola everybody!

i will be making things go BOOM for the duration! :)

And my sheet is finished, Boss.

In reply to Esperanza Oshiro (msg # 17):

Esperanza definitely has the best character description!

Thanks! :)

In reply to Esperanza Oshiro (msg # 19):

Bob Johnson, somewhat confused telekinetic, reporting in.

Esperanza's description is pretty baller.

Welcome Bob!

Well, I think my sheet is done?

Never enough PP, am I right?

I had to turn Essie into an unskilled dumb-dumb to make her work for this game.

In reply to Esperanza Oshiro (msg # 23):

I still remember the good old days in M & M when you got 4 skill points for every 1 pp.

Sigh...

I had to resort to exactly 3 PP for skills.

Never enough skills! I think I ended up with, like, 25 points in skills. It's still not enough. Super powers? What are those?

Alas, I had to give up a lot of ability points to do... all the other stuff I wanted to do.

So I'm with you both XD

I am a helpless human basically. please protect me

In reply to Blain Carter (msg # 27):

See thats the sort of thing I am looking to avoid

Bwahahaha you guys are funny! XD

Can't wait to start playing!

I have an IRL meeting in 20mins that will be like 2 hour long (ugh) as soon as that's done, I'll start approving and getting the first IC thread started! :)

Awesome, I am excited.

Question should we be working on character connections or do you have that handled/we are meeting in game?

Welcome Viktoria Zacynthos! Drinks cost money, Ice cones are on the house! ;p

Blain, Any of you can choose to pair up and your first sessions will reflect that. So, yes! Just let me know if any of you decide to do so.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 33):

Sigh...what flavor ice cone do you want?

I don't have yellow. For...obvious reasons.

:P

hehehe

haha John!

and guys, let me know soon about any pair-ups!

If anyone has a deep background in science or tech, John may have known them.

Any one interested in a team up? If so please message me direct and we can chat.

In reply to Blain Carter (msg # 37):

Would Blain have investigated the crime that turned John into Doctor Zero?

That is entirely possible actually.

In reply to Blain Carter (msg # 39):

Well, this is what happened-but I can't tell you everything because if you just solve the crime and arrest everybody I will lose out on my main bad guy!

You can't just arrest your main bad guy before the first session!

hehehe

So, Doctor Emily Kessler came up with the idea of using a new form of cold fusion for energy purposes. She would harness Zero point energy, that is the energy that would be released upon reaching absolute zero. However, something happened with the reactor, and one person-John Tashiro, locked himself in the containment unit to shut the reactor down before it hit zero. While John managed to not have the building turn into a huge glacier, something weird did happen. A humanoid made of ice and dead cold flesh seem to come out of the accident.

John and Emily would have been available for interview afterwards. The thing is called 'Doctor Zero' because he seems to feed on Zero point energy and is dressed in a jumpsuit and lab coat. Needless to say, Doc Zero vanished after the...'meltdown' is not the right word, but close...and is being accused of corporate sabotage by the owner of Charnycorp, Richard Charny.

Charny is a long time plutocrat, backer of right-wing politicians, and has been sued unsuccessful many times for many crimes, but economic and otherwise. A lot of rumors about backing right wing mercenaries, but no proof. An investigation does reveal that some sort of device was put into the reactor at the last moment. However, there is almost nothing left of the device, and what it did, due to the extensive damage of having every atom is rendered still and all of its potential heat energy absorbed. So...not much to go on as physical evidence goes.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:24, Wed 11 May 2022.

Welcome Lucrezia Anastacia Lopez! Try our new whiskey made with real lizard people tails!

Welcome Tyler Jensen! Sit wherever you like.

Welcome all!

Hm...big cast.

Hey all!  Feel free to just call me Lucy.  :)

In reply to Esperanza Oshiro (msg # 43):

Haha yeah i just had to close the game to new applicants. The game will playout a bit like a sandbox so you will be broken up into smaller groups.


Please see if any other players want to team up for the first scene. Otherwise, as I approve enough character sheets, I will begin opening threads by the end of the week.

Hello everyone, I'm Tyler and I like card games.

I'm leaning into the concept of making card games real though my best friend plays tennis and my family has been employed by super villains as a computer programmer (grandfather) and a soldier/security for my late father.

Still young 18-19 age.with the idea for disguise of trench coat, cloth mask and a homemade shield of wood and a child's tennis racket.

Hey all! I created an announcements thread. Please check it out.

I also created a 'state of the world' pin. Please let me know if there is anything else that needs to be further fleshed out.

So so far only John Tashiro, Esperanza Oshiro, and Sarah Collins are ready for approval?


Does anyone want to team up before I start IC threads?

New Background, given the situation we all live in!

John and Emily actually work for the military police state that runs the city. As they have access to actual technology, they need scientists and engineers to fix their gear. Emily and John grew up in families that lived in the richer sections of the city. Those families are allowed privileges that the rest of the people don't get access to. However, both John and Emily met in a secret resistance enclave.

Given how they where both key members of the rulers tyrannical machine, they both could steal small parts of technology to help the underground resistance. Emily knew the cause would need tech to survive, so she was a genius who figured out how to access Zero point energy. The man who runs the supplies for the city, Richard Charny, had tasked Emily to experiment with her research for his purposes in secret. After all, the supervillains who really run the world do not want limitless energy for everyone, just them. If they found out what Charny was doing, they would get rid of him. Emily used this to her advantage, and got the parts needed for John, her engineer boyfriend, to put together.

The plan was working well, and it looked like the Zero point reactor was going to be a full success. However, the enforcers had gotten wind of the resistance's hidden lair, and moved in to take the place down. John forced Emily into the secrets passage with the others, but he had to stay behind to destroy the reactor. In doing so, the enforces shot the device, causing it to malfunction.

The reactor went off, and John was transformed into what the enforcers called 'Doctor Zero'. John managed to discover later how to change back, but he soon realized he could not stay human forever. Not without some sort of treatment with technology Emily and he had no access to...

ooooo John, that is really good. I like that

In reply to Blain Carter (msg # 51):

We can still adapt your background to the new setting. Maybe you worked for the enforcers while really being part of the resistance?
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 20:28, Wed 11 May 2022.

Anyone want to team up with a glass cannon?

I could make a latte machine for you out of thin air as a bonus!

In reply to Esperanza Oshiro (msg # 53):

The resistance would LOVE to have you! I can make ice stuff, but it's not the same as heating units, weapons, and coffee machines!

In reply to Esperanza Oshiro (msg # 53):

You had me at Latte

I just need a final grouping of who wants to start together as it seems you are coming to a consensus.

Lucy's only real current contact at the start of the game is a local drug dealer, but if anyone would have reason to interact with one of those they might have encountered her?  :)

Sarah is very much new to the area. She can easily be found working as a doctor/faith healer, and she has a strong association with a cult of very well-armed wiccan hippies based in the mountains nearby.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:52, Wed 11 May 2022.

There is no reason Tyler couldn't be involved in either drugs or helping out at a clinic.

He is looking for work at the moment and he is a brilliant and a little lazy.

Sheet is done and up

You know what just occurred to me, I feel like I missed an opportunity in a game named "Search for Eden" to play a character named Eden  :D

I considered having my hero name be "Adam"

Utilized a random team maker, and this is what it spit out:

Team 1

    Tyler Jensen
    Esperanza Oshiro

Team 2

    John Tashiro
    Sarah Collins

Team 3

    Blain Carter
    Lucy Lopez

Team 4

    Robert Johnson
    Jack Spade

Team 5

    Viktoria Zacynthos
    Karl Kidd

John has a very chilly aura XD

In reply to Sarah Collins (msg # 64):

Everybody loves free snowcones!

:P

Hehehehe
This message was last edited by the player at 17:31, Thu 12 May 2022.

Well if we do the randomized groupings at least I give Espreanza either small ugly goblins or a dragon to hide behind.

ouch Lucy, I'm third on the list of dislikes

In reply to Blain Carter (msg # 67):

... in Lucy's experience #3 and #1 are generally the same thing, often with a side of #4 mixed in there just for fun  :D

In reply to Lucy Lopez (msg # 68):

Shots fired, shots fired. all units respond

Tyler please add an avatar asap.


So far here is the approved list, if you are ready for review and not on this list, please let me know asap.

If you ARE on this list, I need to know if you want to start a scene in a team up (Doesn't mean you have to know each other yet, that can happen in game) or start solo.

• John- Team with Blaine
• Esperanza
• Sarah
• Lucy - solo
• Blaine - Team with John

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:59, Thu 12 May 2022.

I'm happy to get started in a solo thread too if you like?

Updated. Will try to start these today or by the latest, Monday.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 70):

I am fine ether team or solo, whichever is easier. That being said, given my new background, the resistance would constantly be on the lookout for newly emerged metahumans.

Everyone please check the most recent announcement.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 74):

Done!

Character descriptions are visible to everyone. Are you sure that's the best place to put background, plot points, and goals? Isn't there a section of the character sheet for that?

I kind of don't want to know everyone's story right from the start :(
This message was last edited by the player at 16:52, Thu 12 May 2022.

If you don't want that visible, please feel free to pm me in a new message. It's just easier for me to reference in your description.

In reply to John Tashiro (msg # 75):

Thank you, Jon. If no one responds to you being in a group by Mon the latest, I'll get started on your solo adventure.

You can make a private message inside the description so only the GM can see it.

In reply to John Tashiro (msg # 79):

That's a good point.

I'm good with either solo or group, whichever is easiest.

In reply to John Tashiro (msg # 79):

... does that work in the description page?  I think that's only supported in actual game threads.  The "Insert a Private Line" clickbox doesn't appear as one of the options on the description page.

I just tried it, and it doesn't seem to work.

What you could do is write a pm about your background in the Ooc. You do a test post, with all the info you only want the GM to see. Then you copy and paste it into your description?
This message was last edited by the player at 17:30, Thu 12 May 2022.

Okay, you're right. I did a test in one of my own games, and it works, it's just that only the GM can see it.

YUp! Can confirm it works for me. Thanks all. You are a great group! :)

World question. What is the ball park population of this city/town?

In reply to Blain Carter (msg # 87):

Good question! The Dust bowl is one of the biggest 'cities' left in the country. Population of about 5k residents but there is a lot of travel in and out that increases that number during certain seasons.

There are also a bunch of smaller settlements surrounding it and people come into town frequently to work/trade/ do crime/etc.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:02, Thu 12 May 2022.

I am bumping the updated team up list:

Waiting on responses to PMs. When all parties have answered in a team up i'll start their thread.

• John- Team with Blaine
• Esperanza- possibly with Lucy and Sarah?
• Sarah - Possibly with Lucy and Esperanza?
• Lucy - solo, possibly with Esperanza and Sarah?
• Blaine - Team with John

This message was last edited by the GM at 18:08, Thu 12 May 2022.

I updated my description with my NPCs.

Thank you. That sharpens my mental picture of the place a lot

Are sports even still I thing. One of my NPC's I have listed as a Tennis Player but it feels odd that would even still be a thing. That said tennis is a small number required sport so it might still work.

In Old Man Logan, kids still played video games (albeit they were a luxury item, but still), so I'm sure sports are a thing. just not like...widely organized I would assume. Very local stuff.

Yes sports are a thing. Just no leagues so they are a local distraction for the communities that can afford them. The dustbowl can, if just barely.

A suggestion? If you don't want people reading other groups private threads, you can set different people into different groups in the GM screen, then assign threads to those groups. That way, only people who you want to read certain threads will have access to them.

Is it really a big deal we can see other people's stories? I would like to read them. It's like reading the other comics in the Dustbowl series.

Lucy, Tyler might know you from whatever Stands for school in the dust bowel. He is older though his best friend is an athletic girl.

It would have a start point to build a connection if we want to.

Though he wouldn't be considered and athletic build. Though also in shape if a little skinny.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:07, Thu 12 May 2022.

In reply to Tyler Jensen (msg # 97):

Ummm...  not likely.  :)  Lucy is a new-ish arrival in the Dustbowl, she definitely wouldn't have gone to school here.

Though that thought does prompt me to wonder - is public schooling still a thing, in our post-apocalypse?

My thought process would be keeping a population under control is easier if you indoctrinate the children to belive it's best. Not all villains probably would but the more successful ones I think would. It's also an useful way of keeping an eye on family's and having a good place to grab a hostage.

In reply to Tyler Jensen (msg # 100):

Ah, but then those little hands cant go to work in the factories. Which make all the parts for the tech needed. Which then only the richest members of society enjoy.

Those both do sound like properly dystopian options!  Just curious which way we're going, if there are going to be like, truant cops hassling Lucy all the time?  :)

I'm thinking of expanding my backstory a bit. I'm thinking it's already suggested by my NPC's my family are kinda already part of kingpins minions maybe his grandfather is more a minor tech Lt type thing. Making his story more like the silver spoon kid not liking the events he is seeing. Would explain him kinda interacting with the rare sports person and the like.

In reply to Sarah Collins (msg # 95):

I appreciate the suggestion! I thought of that but with the amount of players I have (x 2 games) that's a bit too much work for me to do/keep track of. I don't mind people reading too much as I assume all of you are mature enough to not meta-game.

Also, there are no public schools though some citizens in towns have taken the responsibility of holding small classes where they can. But nothing like in the real.

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Lucy and Esperanza! You two are up! :)

---

Attention!

Everyone! Please read the latest announcement!
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:34, Fri 13 May 2022.

Sarah and Tyler! You two are up.


If anyone else's character is ready and not in a game yet, please let me know.

Ok, I just need to get this out there...  I seriously have a cousin named Sarah Collins, and yes, we're Irish.  (Or, Irish-American.)  None of us are redheads though.  :)

That's amazing :D

Welcome, John Reeves! Hope you enjoy your time out west! :)

Wait how many points can I use?

135.

What's the max I can put on a stat?

We are currently Power Level 9


This message was lightly edited by the player at 18:16, Sat 14 May 2022.

Thank you, Esperanza. John, feel free to reference the srd:

https://www.d20herosrd.com/
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:23, Sat 14 May 2022.

No problem.

A portly middle-aged fellow with thinning hair and an impressive beard walks into the saloon, rolling a Kennedy half-dollar over his fingers. He sits at a table with some folks sitting and drinking and flips the coin into the air. He catches it, waits a moment, and opens his hand, revealing a penny. "I lose more money that way!" he chuckles. Karl then reaches to the patron sitting next to him and pinches his nose, saying, "Got your nose!" To everyone's surprise, Karl was actually holding a full adult nose. He grins ear to ear, squeezes it to reveal its a sponge, and once again starts laughing like a jolly mischievous Santa.

Im done with my character sheet

Sorry for a fairly short post, it's been a hectic weekend and I just wanted to get -something- posted  :)

I was going to post rattling off the information on the back of the car since a +12 to reverse information seems reasonable bit I don't know what exactly identification of a  vehical would be. I think Tyler would know.

I figured I'd ask before I post.

In reply to Tyler Jensen (msg # 118):

Thanks for posting, Lucy!

And Tyler, no need, he meant he was going to just take down the make/model/ license plate number.

Narrator in non Combat situations like this do you want to control the summons or should i handle them in RP sceniro's like this one. I do not intend to keep it around to long.

Tyler, feel free to control them in and out of combat. I have enough NPCs to worry about ;p

If there's a plot reason, ill assume temp control. other than that, have at thee! ;p


Thanks for asking!

Aside from Karl Kidd, Is anyone else fully approved and not currently in a scene?

I've finished my character sheet

Yay!  Glad for more people to get started!

Looks like we've lost 3 of our 10 already?  That seems about the standard RPoL rate, sadly  :)

I need someone to approve my character

In reply to Lucy Lopez (msg # 125):

Which 3?

Im guessing she means: Jack Spade, Viktoria Zacynthos, and Robert Johnson. None have logged in for a week.

The three that haven't logged in to the for over a week.  Two of them have never posted even once.

Ah yes. Not sure what happened with them. Jack Spade and I were speaking over Disc because he totally changed his pc a few times which I had no issue with then he went MIA. Hope all is alright.


I should be back to posting tmrw y'all. Haven't been feeling well. I appreciate your patience.

If we end up with a smaller cast, it allows more intimate stories, so I'm not upset about it. :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:11, Tue 24 May 2022.

I'll wait for you to get an answer Tyler, before I respond IC :)

Sigh... Ok the game has been pruned. Congrats to all that remain. This will allow for a more focused story telling experience and, honestly, more fun for me.

If you have types of scenes you would like your characters to explore, please tell me here:

(E.g. more combat, more investigation, social intrigue, survival horror, etc.)

After the next set of scenes that are already planned I will be reshuffling plot to better suit the smaller group, so this is the time to get it in.

I'm honestly having a hard time figuring out a 'plan'. Any ideas?

In reply to Sarah Collins (msg # 133):

If you lost somebody on the mountain, you might look for him there. I have a meeting with Blanie back on the mountain in just a few days. If your person has just been saved from a gunshot wound, he might tell me about you and to look for you on that moutain.

I was thinking we head into town and we try to figure out a police officer to help us find out infomation.

Perhaps that would lead us to meet Blain Carter.

Sorry for all my lateness, work is busy busy!

I guess I'm still a little bit fuzzy on 'where' Michael was lost and what they were doing at the time? Did I miss that in the IC thread?

They don't know where Michael was lost. OOC, if you read the other scenes, you may hazard a guess but IC your pcs do not know. Neither does Doran or any other cult member..

They also mentioned that Michael was doing a standard supply run in the Dustbowl (i.e. food and other necessities).


Though.... If you want to search the Mountains instead of the Town, I'm sure Doran wouldn't mind.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:33, Wed 01 June 2022.

Who is 'Rose'? XD

I have no idea how that happened. Sorry sorry

Haha don't worry Tyler, I've mixed up NPC names already more than once ahaha

Ill wait for an in character post but I'm good with end scene i think.

ok make a post in game then please. After that, we're just waiting on Sarah to initiate phase 2! :)

The answer to Tyler's last IC question is "Sure!"

Karl Kidd is no longer part of the game. we are now a 4 person team! :)

So what is Blain up to after his last scene?

Checking on his partner and eventually returning to see if doc shows

woot excited for the new scene

Seeking clarification: we found a corpse with a smashed-up head at the base of the mountain, and some kind of trail that leads up the mountain? And that's where our scene starts?

What kind of thoughtless jerk would just leave a headless man at the base of a mountain. I mean really what is the world coming to?

In reply to Blain Carter (msg # 149):

Don't blame me, I just made him ice sculpture! And left him intact too!

:P

hehehe
This message was last edited by the player at 16:02, Wed 08 June 2022.

Thats at the top of the mountain. We are talking about the poor soul at the bottom

:)

In reply to Blain Carter (msg # 151):

How many people did you...er, I mean...'accidently' died on that mountain?

:P

Yes, Sarah. That is correct.

Mountain climbing is very dangerous.