OOC Spycraft debriefing

Game Control

First Post
Codename: GhostFox said:

I will also sink 1 point for each of GhostFox's bread-and-butter skills: Move Silently, Hide, Jump and Tumble. The synergy bonuses will help a lot. I know it sounds munchkiney but I'm just trying to optimize my character's strengths.

--------------------

*BUT* IMO, surveillance is a valuable skill for any agent. Surveillance isn't a class skill for Fixer's and it's for Trained use only. Luddite is pretty capable with surveillance and one of other surveillance agents is gone (Roman - may he rest in peace).

1- Not munchkiny at all.

2- Actually, Surveillance isn't a problem even with the loss of Roman. It is a wheelman class skill and Kareem is competent in it (+5 at the moment).
 

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Luddite

First Post
One thing I am realizing is that I realy wont have the skill spread I want untill level 4 or so. I originaly though of being the "behind the sceenes" type of snoop. But now I realized I need to put some points in more "field" orient skills.

My character was computer jockey before this. So that is why no Hide or Move Silently to begin with.

As for SFA, it looks interesting. And most likely it will have things that I will want to add to my character. I would not mind some more toys. Though it would not be "in character" for Luddite to get any cyber implants or Chemical Treatments, but external gadgets are fine.

-Luddite
 


I like being difficult so I'll be long-winded and I'll do this backwards... ;)

And this is going to be loooong, so grab your favorite caffeinated beverage - you're going to need it to stay awake!

Some things may sound like a harsh criticisms, but the post is not meant to offend. Better tales of adventure and daring can be told once the GM knows the players a little bit better and vice versa.

We'll start with the good news first:

Feedback:
Most of my comments are coming from a certain perspective: If it's not fun, then we're doing something wrong.

WOW! Despite some rough moments, I thoroughly enjoyed the serial. I found myself constantly coming back to the forums to read the posts and updates. I was also eager to participate even to the point about daydreaming about the game from time to time!

Kudos to Control for putting this together.

I think there were some false assumptions and miscommunication that caused frustration at times. I assumed that we had more time to do some legwork, surveillance and other homework before the Team came down on the baddies like a ton of bricks. But the reality was time was the hidden enemy

Control was (half)joking about taking out the players - and I may have been a little peeved about that. I wasn't sure if Control was trying to set up an adversarial and competitive relationship between the GameMaster and the players. I find that this can be detrimental since it promotes bad metagaming. The players treat characters are like action figures and the decisions are always tactical and cold, with no soul or color to the characters. The players are afraid to anything "wrong" and the characters are flawless and NEVER make mistakes. It becomes boring really quickly when one plays an agent that doesn't make blunders from time to time or the character that doesn't have weaknesses.

I know that our Control delights and specializes in exploiting errors and weaknesses. We have seen this in the recent serial. But at least we are given a chance to climb out of the whole we dug ourselves. And we took the well deserved share of lumps and bruises. If Control really wanted to off the characters and piss everyone off, then it could verily been much worse than lumps and bruises.

Now I understand that the "I'm out to get you" attitude wasn't born out of malice or the sadistic DM syndrome. Control doesn't want complacent players. This is a good thing.

Control wants to game with players and characters that are smart. He wants players who actively contribute to the story. Keep moving or die. Take the initiative or you'll find the hellhounds breathing down your neck!

I would also like to see more situations and adventures that are crafted around the character's skills and history. Players can be a shallow lot sometimes *wink* I know I can be. :) Give the characters a chance to shine and show off their particular specialties. The players love that.

Once again, this responsibility doesn't solely rest on the GC's shoulders. Let us say that "Point B" is that cool event or encounter where the character can make a special contribution. The players must not assume that the GC will just lead them down the path from Point A to Point B. The players must figure out where point B is! :)

By the same token, it would be great if the players can also get to Point B by some other method. Sure, the players may drop the ball sometimes but there are times when the players want the ball - let them run with it!

Let me back up and say something again: players will drop the ball. This is an observation having both GMed and played. Often it can be painfully obvious to the Control what goes on, especially when the GC has a better grasp of the bigger picture. The baddies found out we were staying at the lodge - but the players had no chance to cover their tracks since we had no choice BUT to stay at the lodge. The Binga recon team was dead in the water - there were things we wanted to try but all the wells came up dry. Perhaps a little nudge and a little carrot may be in order to get things moving. That was frustrating - doubly frustrating because this dragged on for a couple of days. The lesson here is also for the players:
1. Pay more attention to what the GC says. Read between the lines. There's a Signal in the midst of all that "noise"
2. Don't give up too easily.
3. If you get a bloody nose, hit back hard and run away!

Enough of that. Moving on to other GOOD things:
I like how there was more than one thread and how Control handled it (though it may have been tough at times). This is very cinematic and can be effective if you know how to use it. The heroes in the Star Wars movies were often split up and each group had their share of (mis)adventures.

Speaking of movies, I found it refreshing that Control let the character's do cinematic things just as long as it fit the genre, even if it meant stretching the rules at times. This was evident in combat when combat was fast and loose. I liked that. Especially when the encounters take a more narrative, colorful tone rather than making the events an exercise in die rolling and rules juggling. Once again, I really like it when Control gave the players and characters opportunities to do something really exciting. :)

The pictures were a nice touch. The maps were great and helped me get a better grip on the tactical situation.

All in all, the series has been a great ride. I would do this again...

Backgrounds: Action dice are excellent idea. Now I'm seriously considering sacrificing a couple of skill points for a background.

XP and Levelling up: Great!

On an unrelated note and just to be a pain, a few "lessons learned" while going through the serial:
* Be at the right place, at the right time, doing the right things.
* Carpe diem! Sieze opportunity by the throat and plant a dirty kick where it hurts! Time can be the hidden enemy.
* Time can be your friend. Given time you will get to know your character and the rest of the team members.
* OOC Communication. Talk things through - let your fellow players know what you're thinking. This will also give the GC insight into what you plan on doing.

And the bad news in a bit...
 

Luddite

First Post
Game Control said:
Luddite, I think I count 13 new skill points. You should have 12/level.

Actully, the number of ranks were correct, my +SP notes had a bogus entry for spot. It will currently remain at 4 Ranks while I bring search and listen up.

-Luddite
 

Luddite

First Post
More thoughts on the whole thing.

Like any new game with new players and GM, figuring out expectations and the personalities of everyone is always a trick. So some of the problems will be "solved" as we continue to play.

One thing that sort of bugs me is the number of "Combats" in the serial. Below is a list of the threads and which ones had Combats and or Chases.

Mission Breifing

ACT I : Harare
1) Gearing Up
2) The Afircan Dream (Combat/Chase)
3) Regrouping

ACT II : Binga
1) Road to Binga (Combat/Chase)
2) Medecin Sans Frontiere (Combat)
3) The Lion's Share

ACT III : Finale
1) Shoot out at the warehouse (Combat)

Now for the first and last combat, we sort of controled the action. For the middle ones, we were jumped. I was hoping for some more "investigation" sceenes. But that may just be the nature of this serial.

One thing which we should do in the future is use the OOC threads. Some things we thought were a good idea, in fact blew up in our face. But that may be from under estimating our enemy.

-Luddite
 

Kareem_Amirr

First Post
Kareem “Taxi” Amirr Action Dice: 3d4
Wheelman 2 Home Office d0

Strength: 14 +2
Dexterity: 17 +3
Constitution: 14 +2
Intelligence: 14 +2
Wisdom: 12 +1
Charisma: 13 +1

Inspiration: +3 (+2 Level, +1 Wis)
Education: +4 (+2 Level, +2 Int)

Languages: English, Arabic, and Spanish

Vitality: 22
Wounds: 14
Defense: 14 (+10 Base, +3 Dex, +1 Class)

Saves:
Fortitude: +2 (+2 Con)
Reflex: +6 (+3 Base, +3 Dex)
Will: +1 (+1 Wis)

Initiative: +4 (+3 Dex, +1 Class)

Attacks:
Unarmed +4 (+2 Base, +2 Str) Threat 20, Error1
D3+2 subdual

.45 ACP Target Pistol +5 (+3 Dex, +2 Base, +1 Pistol) Threat 19-20, Error 1
D10+2 MilitaryBall Range 30ft Increments
*Laser Sight: +2 Attack w/in 50 ft.
-4 to Listen
















Skills:
Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Boating, Craft, Demolitions, Disguise, Driver, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Jump, Mechanics, Open Locks, Perform, Pilot, Profession, Sense Motive, Sport, Spot, Surveillance, Survival, Swim

Bluff +6 (5 Ranks, +1 Cha)
Boating +7 (3 Ranks, +3 Dex, +2 Feat)
Driver +9 (5 Ranks, +3 Dex, +2 Feat)
Mechanics +6 (5 Ranks, +2 Int)
Open Locks +7 (4 Ranks, +3 Dex)
Pilot +7 (3 Ranks, +3 Dex, +2 Feat)
Sense Motive +5 (4 Ranks, +1 Wis)
Spot +6 (5 Ranks, +1 Wis)
Surveillance +6 (5 Ranks, +1 Wis)
Swim +3 (1 Rank, +2 Str)

Abilities:
Custom Ride (4 GP), Lucky, Daredevil, Kick Start 1/session

Feats:
Speed Demon-+2 Boating, Driver, and Pilot. Threat Ranges for these Skills increase to 19-20

One Hand on the Wheel…-Maneuver check penalties for attempting another action while driving/boating/piloting decrease from –6 to –2



Gadgets (1 GP)





















Personal Budget: 49 BP (45 Base+4 Class)

.45 ACP Target Pistol 25 BP
.45 ACP Ammunition, 50 1 BP
Shoulder Holster
Laser Sight 2 BP
Suppressor 2 BP
Average Clothing 1 BP
Cell Phone
Headset Radio 2 BP
Lockpicking Kit 4 BP
Mechanics Kit 4 BP
Maglite 1 BP

(7 BP to spare.)




Mission Budget: 2d4 +4+mission bonus
 

Tokiwong

First Post
Hung Ji Kim
Codename: Tokiwong “Toki” for short and it means Rabbit King or “Rabbit”
Faceman 2
Nationality: Korean
Age: 26
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 176 lbs.
CR: 2
Department: Power Brokerage (O-1)
STR 10
DEX 14
CON 12
INT 14
WIS 16
CHA 18
Action Dice: 3 (1d4)
Wounds: 12
Vitality: 17
Speed: 30 feet
Initiative: +4
Defense: +2
Total Defense: 13 (Tuxedo Liner +1, Dexterity +2; DR 2)
Base Attack Bonus: +1
Saving Throws: FORT +3; REF +2; WILL +5
Attack: +4 9x19mm Target Pistol (1d10; +6 within 50 feet)
Special Qualities: Adaptable, Linguist +2, Department bonus of +1 to Diplomacy and Intimidate checks, Starting Faceman Feats, +6 BP for Personal Budget, +2 BP for Mission Budget, +1 GP for Gadget Budget, Cold Read 1/session
Languages: English, Korean, Japanese, German, Latin, French, Arabic (Modern)
Skills: Bluff (5) +11, Diplomacy (5) +18*, Intimidate (2) +11*, Gather Information (5) +9, Cultures (5) +8, Innuendo (4) +8/+10**, Spot (4) +7, Sense Motive (5) +10*, Language (1) +4
*Synergy Bonuses
**Send or receive/intercept messages
Feats: The Look, Persuasive,
Personal Budget Equipment: Bundle A, 9x19mm Target Pistol, 50 Military-Ball bullets, First-Aid Kit, Mirrored Sunglasses, 1 Designer Suit, Silencer, Laser-Sight, Headset Radio (Encrypted), Binoculars
Description: Bright lights, clean offices, dirty little secrets that is the meat and drink of Hung Ji Kim. A thorough student of the South Korean Political machine, he is canny, smart, and very persuasive. He is handsome and for a Korean relatively tall and suave. He never looks out of place and his disarming smile and gentle candor can get him just about anything… just about… He is smart not brilliant, but definitely smart, and witty and knowledgeable of the social climes of the world. He finds physical violence to be a necessity only if there is no other option… but in the end he is a team player, and always there for his friends, or at least those he can trust. He makes it a sport to seduce women, and finds that to be one of his favorite activities, when he isn’t working under his cover as a model.

Kim is slim for his build and muscular, lean and cut. He has a killer smile and dark hair with the tips highlighted blonde. He usually wears high fashion and tends to be clean-cut and very pricey. But being a sociable fellow he get casual with the best. His face is slim and lean and frames his almond colored eyes well. He stands at 5’ 10” and is rather tall for a Korean born male. Though his accent is invisible and he can speak a variety of languages with unnerving skill. His voice is silken and deep, to put it bluntly, the women love him. And Kim can’t get enough of them.

Despite his cosmopolitan attitude, Kim is pretty traditional in many regards, he is proud of his heritage and his country. He has a very distinct distaste for Communism and North Korea, and if there is anything he hates, he would hate the regime immensely. He has family in the North that he has never seen, outside of old pictures, and he pities the conditions they live under. In many ways the state of affairs in his country got him involved in the espionage lifestyle. He wants to remove Communism in all of its forms, remove threats to democracy, and hopefully reunite his country one day. At the moment he is satisfied with the work he has done and enjoys the lifestyle, he gets to travel and he loves to see the world… and the women that populate it…

Background: Romance with Lana Gauthier, met on his last mission to find Dr. Gournay... now the two have started a little romance... well a lot of romance.. though Kim's old habits can get him into trouble he has been faithful so far... (2 points)

*Used a skill point to add French as a language
 
Last edited:

Tokiwong

First Post
Yeah I likey

Justa quick question with my Diplomacy the synergy bonuses from Bluff, Sense Motive, and Cultures all stack correct...
 

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