Playing: Mindjammer, An RPG About Chronies IN SPAAAAAAAACE!

[hivefleetbothan]

EDIT: This post is maintained as it originally was for solidarity, but we are officially starting this game, if you want to still join I could handle 1-2 more players, and character creation hasn’t officially started yet.
EDIT: If you are interested in what we are doing here: you should also check out the out of character thread created to talk about the game!!
https://206.81.1.216/t/companion-chat-for-mindjammer-an-rpg-about-chronies-in-spaaaaaaaace/10914

So, it is the weekend before finals week, I am taking some time off to relax, and I was wondering if any chronies wanted to help me break in my new copy of Mindjammer?

I am interested in running between a session or two of Mindjammer, a sci-fi game using the FATE core system. I own the core book (got it in the mail a few days ago), and free copies of the FATE core rules and a Mindjammer quick start guide are available on drivethoughrpg (linked later in post).
Anyways, is anyone interested in playing a game this weekend?

P.S: I am planning to GM’ing this game, but I don’t consider myself a ‘great’ GM or anything… certainly nothing to write home about. And the game will be run as a ‘play by post’ rules for this are found below.

Rules for a typical play by post game

Rules for a typical play by post game.

1. Posting: In order for a play by post game to move along, it is important that all players engage in the game at hand, therefore it is expected that players be checking the thread at least once every other day, the game moves along only as quickly as the least active poster, so in order to prevent the game from stagnating a minimum check/post period is set.
2. In Character (IC) vs Out of Character (OOC): A play by post game uses a combination of information intended for other characters and information regarding the game mechanics, questions and general remarks not necessarily related to what is currently happening. Typically, a game will feature two distinct threads, one for OOC and one for IC conversations, however I don’t believe we should unnecessarily clutter the forum with 2 threads. Instead I ask that all IC information be labeled (with a bold IC label) and all OOC information be placed in a summary bar. Additionally, since larger blocks of text may be involved, feel free to use bold/italics/colors (I don’t know if chrono does colors) to make anything you want your character to say stand out.
3. Dice rolling: In this game whenever die (dice is plural) are rolled we will use the discobot ‘roll 4d3’, because this will have discobot show its lovely face and give us a series of numbers please do not delete, attempt to alter or otherwise tamper with the discobot rolls. If you need to make multiple rolls (if say you are preforming two distinct actions, not dependent on each other) then simply add the additional 4d3’s into the roll command (making it 8d3), and the first four dice are used for the first action, the second 4 are used for the second action. This should help cut down on ‘bulking’ the thread. Additionally, when interpreting dice use this scheme: 1-Failure, 2-Neutral, 3-Success.

Characters.. For my sanity

Halcypher

Name: ********* ('Risk)
Culture: Commonality Culture
Genotype: Commonality Human
Occupation: Military / Privateer
High Concept: Merciless and self-serving killer
Trouble: No one must ever know
Other Aspects: I do what it takes; obsessive memento collector; amoral; don’t touch me!
Skills:
+5 - Ranged Combat
+4 - Athletics
+3 - Melee Combat; Physique
+2 - Deceive; Intrusion; Provoke
+1 - Resources; Investigate; Will
Stunts:
Lightning hands (+2 to any action relying on quick hand movement, drawing weapons, attacking, sleight of hand etc.)
Uncanny luck (once per session can find something he really needs or get out of a sticky situation) [this one might be too much?]
Customised retinal implant (+2 to reading behaviour / stress / lies)
Stress and Consequences:
Physical Stress: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Mental Stress: [ ] [ ] [ ]
Credit Stess: [ ] [ ] [ ]
General Consequence: [ ] [ ] [ ]
Credit Consequences: [ ] [ ] [ ]
Cultural Tech Index: T9 (+4)
Habituated Gravity: High Standard: 1.5G (+1)
Refresh: 3.
Extras / equipment:
1 aspect:
Regenerating ammo (1 aspect)
2 stunts:
Combat Suit (2 stunts)
T-20 20 megawatt blaster pistol [aspect: burst fire] (1 stunt)
Some kind of energy sword / blade etc. (1 stunt)
6 skills:
Handscanner with radar (1 skill + 1 skill)
4 remaining skill spent on bumping stats: Ranged Combat +1, Athletics +1, Physique +2 (giving an additional physical stress box)

Inferry

Name: Seven
Culture: Core World
Cultural Aspect: ?
Genotype: Mechanical
Genotype Aspect: Exotic Transhuman Intelligence
Occupation: Rouge
High Concept: ?
Trouble: Although well maintained, this frame it’s limited and has seen better days.
Other Aspect: ?
Skills:
+4 Stealth
+3 Pasive Sensing,Intrusion
+2 Technical,Will,Science
+1 CQC,Ranged Combat,Hull Strength, Ew
Stunts:
Maintenance Frame: Capable of moving in restricted spaces and surviving low-intensity environmental hazards.
?
?
Extras: ?
Physical Stress:▢▢
Mental Stress:▢▢▢
Credit Stress:▢▢
Consecuences: 3
Personal Tech: T10 +?
Gravity: Standard (0)

Rilover

Name: Bagheera “Baggy” Occupation: Merchant.
Culture: Commonality. Genotype: Ursoid. Age: 25.
Tech Index: T9. Habituated gravity: Standard. Apparent age: 30.
High Concept : Sophist Bear with a ride. (Credit to @Inferry)
Trouble:
Cultural Aspect:
Eats anything
Game Aspects:
Teller of tall tales
Skills:
Great (+4) Notice.
Good (+3) Pilot, Technical.
Fair (+2) Ranged Combat, Unarmed, Drive.
Average (+1) Physique, Rapport, Athletics, Resources.
Stunts:
Starship Pilot (Use Pilot for construct actions)
Body Lenguage reader (Uses Notice instead of Empathy).
I don’t know Rick, It seems fake.
Status
Fate points: 5
Refresh: 5
Physical Stress: [ ][ ][ ]
Mental Stress: [ ][ ]
Credit Stress: [ ][ ][ ]
Extras:
Mandatory Extra: Large
Candela (New trader starship,1 stunt/4SP) Fair (+2) Planing; Average (+1) Passive sensing, Ranged Combat; basic cargo.
Biomed kit (2 sp)
Transdermal Reinforcement
Notes: I have the Range Combat ability and the drive ability so
Has a gun just a basic plasma pistol.
Laika, a vehicle, since I can’t afford an extra It’s a vehicle from scraps that I’ve been building.

Snake153

Name: Serzalir
Culture: Neo-culture
Genotype: Viri
Genotype aspect: Natural Artist and Logician
Occupation: Sci-Tech
High Concept: Information Broker for Hire
Trouble: Curiosity Killed the Cat
Other Aspects: ?
Skills:
+4 - Intrusion
+3 - Stealth, Investigate
+2 - Contacts, Notice, Technical
+1 - Athletics, Ranged Combat, Resources, Will
Stunts: ?
Halo: Mindscape Implant
Extras: Hand scanner, Nanobugs
Physical Stress: [ ][ ]
Mental Stress: [ ][ ][ ]
Credit Stress: [ ][ ][ ]
Consequences: 3
Personal Tech Index: T8 (+3)
Habituated Gravity: Standard (0)

Xist

Concept - “Ash” is determined, focussed and independent, driven to protect the downtrodden and oppressed from harm. Running from the past he never lingers in one place for too long, and seems haunted by echoes from a former life.
Culture - Commonality Culture
Cultural Aspect - Humanity is Transcending
Genotype - Commonality Human
Occupation - Military : Space Force Marine Build
High Concept - Space Marine turned hunted rogue
Character Aspects - Haunted by the Past, Blessed are the meek
Trouble - Hunted by the Organisation
Skills -
Superb (+5) Athletics
Great (+4) Melee Combat, Ranged Combat
Good (+3) Rapport, WIll
Fair (+2) Intrusion, Stealth
Average (+1) Unarmed Combat, Notice, Technical
Stunts - Commander in Chief, Danger Sense, Face in the Crowd
Refresh - 5 (Standard/Unadjusted)
Stress Boxes - No bonuses to Physical or Mental (i.e Standard 2) Will skill grants an extra Mental Stress box (3)
Consequences - 3 (unadjusted slot allocation)
Tech Index - T9
Habituated Gravity - Standard (0.9G to 1.1G)
Extras - 1/2/6
Mindscape Implant
Advanced Defence Chip (Mindscape-enhanced evasion and self-defence routines analyse the flow of combat and let you use Unarmed or Melee Combat to defend against Ranged weapon attacks.+2 bonus to all Athletics, Melee Combat, or Unarmed Combat defend actions)
Skill Points spent on skills
Equipment - I’d guess skill and occupation standards?

Fraggles

I can’t believe I am doing this…
Homeworld: Lost Colony,
High Concept: “I am a robot that builds Hondas”
Aspect: Inferiority Complex, Exotic Transhuman Intelligence,
Tech Index: T7
Genotype: Installation
Career: Installation Occupation (Construction Organizing AI)
Skills:
(+5) Resources
(+4) Technical
(+3) Bureaucracy
(+2) Hull Strength, Passive Sensing, Systems
(+1) Empathy, Science, Will, Rapport
Credit Stress:[] [] [] []
Physical stress; [] [] []
Mental Stress: [] [] []
System Stress Track: [] [] []
Extras: Mindscape instance
Stunts:
Engineering Support
Construct Avatar: Steward
Repair Yard
Makepoint
Makepoint workshop

Drawback: ‘I can make anything as long as it is a Honda’

[Inferry]

I’d love to, but

• I don’t have or can run Table Top sim
• I don’t know how to play those
• my internet connection is not the best right now

But I’ll be lying if I say I haven’t been curious to play one of those.

[Vindace]

I’m really into D&D/Pathfinder, so I’d love to, but I have family in town for the next little while and am too busy otherwise. Maybe sometime though!

Edit: I think trying role20 and playing d&d would be a cool Chrono activity sometime.

[hivefleetbothan]

@Vindace

d&d would be a cool Chrono activity sometime.

I would definitely agree… I have no worries putting a pin in this. @Inferry (anyone else concerned) don’t worry about knowing how to play, I am pretty adept at teaching these sorts of things (Fate system is pretty easy).

[Inferry]

Oh, I would totally play a game if it turns out that I can.

[hivefleetbothan]

We could also do a game in a play by post format, something I think the forum could do (thanks to discobot and their die rolling abilities).

[Inferry]

Wouldn’t look too cluttered what with all the dice rolling on these games?

[hivefleetbothan]

Maybe… Fate uses the ‘fudge dice system’ so you roll 4d6, and look at the numbers (converting them to Successes, Failures and Neutrals then totaling them)…

[Inferry]

I don’t know what any of that means

But I’m in whenever you have the number of players that you need for this.

[Rilover]

This idea is soooo cool, I live in Mordor tho so I don’t know how smooth It will run, specially with my internet

I would love to play tho, I’ve seen people on YouTube telling stories of runs and It seems so much fun.

[hivefleetbothan]

I think this is why a play by post setup would work better… it would fix the time zone and varied connection issue (since we would play the game in a thread), and since it would be a slower paced game (due to it being run in the forum) then I can really look over the rules and figure out any issues that come up, since I am not 100% familiar with mindjammer (I am pretty familiar with the system it uses though).

If everyone who has posted is interested we would have 3 players (which is enough to play). If anyone else is interested we can easily have a few more characters jump in. I have gone ahead and edited into the op a typical rule set for a play by post game (namely: the pace, the IC and die rolling rules)

@Inferry right, sorry I don’t mean to start speaking another language. Basically fate uses a system of Win/Tie/Loose instead of numbers on the dice, then you add all the wins and losses together with whatever bonuses/penalties your character has to see how well you did the task… So if you roll 2 losses and a win the total from the dice is one loss (since losses and wins cancel each other out), that means that something not great is probably about to happen, unless your character has a bonus they can apply.
The fate core rules can be downloaded for free from: Evil Hat productions (at Fate Core – Downloads)
More useful however is probably the Mindjammer quickstart pdf, a free product released with a supposedly tremendously good fate core rules breakdown inside it (available at Mindjammer – Dominion – FREE QUICKSTART - Modiphius | Mindjammer Press | RPG Quickstarts | DriveThruRPG.com).

One of the nice things about Fate is that it is more collaborative storytelling than Dungeons and Dragons tends to be, so the game has a lot more give and take among the players/GM compared to D&D. It also features a character creation where everyone builds characters together to create a more cohesive party than five guys/gals who met in a bar then took up a quest to clear the inn cellars of giant rats.

[Rilover]

I hope you build contingency plans for… ya know… when eventually I make us die hahaha

If you set It up and tell me what to do I’m in ^^ never played this kind of stuff before so any recomendations aside from this game, like in general?

[hivefleetbothan]

@Rilover

so any recomendations aside from this game, like in general?

Stay in school? I guess I would ask what kind of recommendations you are asking for? General RPG related aides? Good games to try?

[Rilover]

Hahahaha YES!! Life is hard man, I got breathing and photosynthesis down, but I keep watching people moving about and putting stuff inside their mouths, what the hell?

I mean yeah like how you’re suppose to play?

[hivefleetbothan]

Great question, I think the best advice I can give is to peruse the quickstart guide for Mindjammer, it should give you a good handle on how fate works and the mindjammer universe.

However, I shall give an example of play here:

The adventurers, Jeremy (15 year old party leader and professional hockey player), Issiah (a 14 year old boy just exiting his goth phase) and Toby (a 17 year dropout misanthrope) are all standing around, looking bored. They hiked to the top of a huge mountain in search of a quest, but found it to be empty. Tempers are running high, rations and water are running out. Toby turns to Issiah and says Hey, weren’t we supposed to fight off the forces of darkness or something? Issiah, looking perturbed turns away and mutters Seriously Toby, you are the worst… I said that one time, ONE TIME! Provoked by the violence between the two partymembers, Jeremy declares he is going to step between them in order to try and stop them from attacking each other: he has the skill diplomacy at a +2, so he will add a +2 bonus to the result of
@discobot roll 4d3
In addition, Jeremy has the aspect (a important piece of character identity) ‘Infectious Enthusiasm’ Jeremy’s player describes how important this quest is going to be, and there are way more important things to worry about than fighting right now. The GM agrees this is a related aspect, so Jeremy ‘invokes’ his aspect to gain a bonus on the die roll (after he has seen it).

[discobot]

1, 3, 2, 2

[hivefleetbothan]

@discobot

1, 3, 2, 2

Things are not looking great for Jeremy, his die roll gave him a +0 overall, 1 loss, 1 win and 2 neutrals. He adds the +2 from his diplomacy skill for a total of +2. His player massages their temples, do they want to gain a +2 bonus on the roll from the aspect (for a total of +4) or reroll the dice (for a potential total of +6)… decisions, decisions.

EDIT: Also, I learned we can’t quote discobot… Good to know.

[discobot]

Hi! To find out what I can do, say @discobot display help.

[snake153]

I’d be interested in joining this.

[hivefleetbothan]

Well then welcome!

I am thinking that everyone should read through the quickstart guide and start thinking about what sort of character they want to play… And we get started Wednesday/Thursday.