[Serenity RPG] Across the 'Verse - OOC.

[Maerdwyn]

Earth got used up. We found a new solar system and hundreds of new Earths were terraformed and colonized. The central planets formed the Alliance and decided all the planets had to join under their rule. There was some disagreement on that point. After the War, many of the Independents who had fought and lost drifted to the edges of the system, far from Alliance control. Out here, people struggled to get by with the most basic technologies; a ship would bring you work, a gun would help you keep it.

A captain's goal was simple: find a crew, find a job, keep flying.

-Cpt. Mal Reynolds

IC posts are underway.

Open recruitment has ended, but places are held open for Rhun and Shayuri should they wish to come in.

We're using the the Serenity RPG system; If you aren't familiar with it, I've posted some basics here, and will provide any necessary help to players who want to play but don't have the book. If you are familiar with it, that's great too.

The current crew:

Thanee, playing Tatjana, an Aspiring Kung Fu Master
Thondor, playing Aaron, the ship's pilot
Tailspinner, playing Derek, the captain
Ethandrew, playing Lucy, a passenger who may be pressed into service.
Kobold Stew, playing Castor, a crooning mechanic.


[Sblock=Rules and Character Generation]

[sblock=Basic Rules Primer]Basic Mechanic: You succeed at something if [Ability die]+[Skill Die] >= [DC].

Numbers to beat for tasks of given difficulty levels:
Easy: 3
Average: 7
Hard: 11
Formidable: 15
Heroic: 19
Incredible: 23
Ridiculous: 27
Impossible: 31

Combat summary. Tips on how combat works, how to determine DCs, how to use plot points, etc.
[/sblock]

Character Generation at Veteran Level

Character Sheet.

At character generation, you use a point-buy system to purchase the level of die you use for a particular attribute or skill.

You start with 48 Attribute points and then buy Assets (Things like Allure, Born Behind the Wheel, leadership, Linguist, etc) and Complications (Things don't go smooth, paralyzed, superstitious, deadly enemy, etc.). Assets cost 2 or 4 points, depending on the level of benefit, and taking a Complication will get you 2 or 4 points depending on their severity. You must purchase at least one Asset and one Complication, but may have up to 5 of each.

[sblock=Assets & Complications with Costs]
Assets, with costs. If it says 2/4, it can be taken in either minor or major form

Allure (2/4) (Tatjana)
Athlete (2/4)
Born Bheind the Wheel (2/4) (Aaron)
Cortex Specter (2/4) (Aaron)
Fightin' Type (4) (Tatjana)
Friends in High Places (2)
Friends in Low Places (2) (Aaron)
Good Name (2/4)
Healthy as a Horse (2/4)
Heavy Tolerance (2) (Tailspinner)
Highly Educated (2)
Intimidatin' Manner (2)
Leadership (2/4) (Tailspinner, 4)
Lightnin' Reflexes (4)
Math Whiz (2) (Aaron)
Mean Left Hook (2) (Tatjana)
Mechanical Empathy (2)
Military Rank (2)
Moneyed Individual (4)
Natural Linguist (2)
Nature Lover (2) (Tatjana)
Nose for Trouble (2/4)
Reader (2/4) (Must take a related Complication at same level)
Registered Companion (2)
Religiosity (2/4)
Sharp Sense (2)
Steady Calm (2/4)
Sweet and Cheerful (2)
Talented (2/4) (Tatjana, Tailspinner - leadership)
Things go Smooth (2/4)
Total Recall (4)
[Tough as Nails] - skip this one. It adds lifepoints, so you can just take extra Willpower of Vitality. instead]
Trustworthy Gut (2/4)
Two-Fisted (4)
Walking Timepiece (2)
Wears a badge (2/4)


Complications (Same deal, except you get either 2 or 4 additional attribute points for taking one of these)

Allergy (2/4)
Amorous (2)
Amputee (2)
Bleeder (4)
Blind (4)
Branded (2/4)
Chip on the Shoulder (2/4)
Credo (2/4) (Tatjana)
Combat Paralysis (2/4)
Coward (2)
Crude (2)
Dead Broke (2) (Tailspinner)
Deadly Enemy (2) (Aaron)
Deaf (4)
Dull Sense (4)
Easy Mark (4)
Ego Signature (2)
Filcher (2)
Forked Tongue (2)
Greedy (2)
Hero Worship (2)
Hooked (2/4) (Aaron)
Leaky Brainpan (2/4)
Lightweight (2) (Aaron)
Little Person (2)
Loyal (2) (Tailspinner)
Memorable (2) (Tatjana)
Mute (4)
Non-Fightin' Type (2)
Overconfident (2) (Aaron)
Paralyzed (4)
Phobia (2)
Portly (2/4)
Prejudice (2)
Sadistic (4)
Scrawny (2)
Slow Learner (2) (Tatjana , Mech and Tech Engineering)
Soft (2)
Stingy (2)
Straight Shooter (2) (Tailspinner)
Superstitious (2) (Tailspinner)
Things Don't Go Smooth (2/4) (Tatjana, Tailspinner))
Traumatic Flashes (2/4)
Twitchy (2)
Ugly as Sin (2/4)
Weak Stomach (2/4) [/sblock]

[Sblock=Purchasing Abilities and Skills]Then you purchase an ability die for each of six abilities: Agility, Strength, Vitality, Alertness, Intelligence, and Willpower. It costs 2 attribute points to buy a d2, 4 points for a d4, etc., up to 14 points for a d12+d2.

Initiative is derived from Agility + Alertness. Life Points come from Vitality + Willpower.

Then purchase skills. You get 68 skill points. You can buy general skills up to the d6 level only: 2 points for d2, 4 for d4, and 6 for d6. Then you can specialize in a skill, buying a d8 in the specialty for 2 points, a d10 for 4, d12 for 6, or d12+d2 for 8. [Thus, you could buy Guns d6, Pistols d8, and Rifles d8 for a total of 10 points.] [/Sblock]

[sblock=Skill list, and distribution of skills in the current party]
ANIMAL HANDLING
-Animal Training
-Riding
-Veterinary
-Zoology

ARTISTRY
-Appraisal
-Cooking
-Forgery
-Game Designing
-Painting
-Photography
-Poetry
-Sculpting
-Writing

ATHLETICS: Tatjana, Aaron
-Climbing
-Contortion
-Dodge (Tatjana)
-Gymnastics (Tatjana)
-Juggling
-Jumping
-Parachuting
-Parasailing
-Pole Vaulting
-Riding
-Running
-Sport: Baseball
-Sport: Soccer
-Swimming
-Weight Lifting

COVERT - Tatjana, Aaron
-Camouflage
-Disable Devices
-Forgery (Aaron)
-Infiltration
-Open Locks (Aaron)
-Sabotage
-Sleight of Hand
-Stealth (Tatjana, Aaron)
-Streetwise
-Surveillance

CRAFT
-Architecture
-Blacksmithing
-Carpentry
-Cooking
-Leatherworking
-Metalworking
-Pottery
-Sewing

DISCIPLINE (Tatjana, Tailspinner)
-Concentration
-Interrogation
-Intimidation
-Leadership
-Mental Resistance (Tailspinner)
-Morale (Tailspinner)

GUNS (Aaron, Tailspinner)
-Assault Rifles
-Energy Weapons
-Grenade Launchers
-Gunsmithing
-Machine Guns
-Pistols ( Tailspinner)
-Rifles
-Shotguns

HEAVY WEAPONS
-Artillery
-Catapults
-Demolitions
-Forward Observer
-Mounted Guns
-Repair Heavy Weapons
-Rocket Launchers
-Ship's Cannons
-Siege Weapons

INFLUENCE (Tatjana, Aaron, Tailspinner)
-Administration (Tailspinner)
-Barter (Tatjana, Tailspinner)
-Bureaucracy
-Conversation (Tailspinner)
-Counseling
-Interrogation
-Intimidation
-Leadership (Tailspinner)
-Marketing
-Persuasion (Tatjana, Tailspinner)
-Politics
-Seduction
-Streetwise (Tatjana, Tailspinner)

KNOWLEDGE
-Appraisal
-Cultures
-History
-Law
-Literature
-Philosophy
-Religion
-Sports

LINGUIST
-Arabic
-American
-French
-German
-Hindu
-Japanese
-Latin
-Portuguese
-Russian
-Swahili
-Swedish
-Tagalog

MECH. ENGINEERING
-Create Mechanical Devices
-Fix Mechanical Security Systems
-Machinery Maintenance
-Mechanical Repairs
-Plumbing

MEDICAL EXPERTISE
-Dentistry
-Forensics
-General Practice
-Genetics
-Internal Medicine
-Neurology
-Pharmaceuticals
-Physiology
-Psychiatry
-Rehabilitation
-Surgery
-Toxicology
-Veterinary Medicine

MELEE WEAPONS
-Clubs
-Knives
-Melee Weaponsmithing
-Nunchaku
-Pole Arms
-Swords
-Whips

PERCEPTION (Tatjana, Aaron, Tailspinner)
-Deduction
-Empathy
-Gambling (Aaron)
-Hearing (Tailspinner)
-Intuition
-Investigation
-Read Lips
-Search (Aaron, Tailspinner)
-Sight (Tailspinner)
-Smell
-Tactics
-Tracking

PERFORMANCE (Aaron)
-Acting
-Costuming
-Dancing
-Impersonation
-Keyboard Instruments
-Mimicry
-Oratory
-Percussion Instruments
-Singing
-Stringed Instruments
-Wind Instruments

PILOT (Aaron)
-Aerial Navigation
-Astrogation (Aaron)
-Astronomy
-Astrophysics
-Gunships
-Hang Gliders
-Helicopters
-Large Cruisers
-Mid-Bulk Transports
-Patrol Vessels
-Rocket Shuttles
-Short-Range Shuttles
-Space Survival (Aaron)
-Ultra-Light Aircraft

PLANET. VEHICLES (Aaron)
-Aquatic Navigation
-Canoes
-Cars
-Equestrian
-Ground Vehicle Repair
-Horse-Drawn Conveyances
-Hovercraft
-Industrial Vehicles
-Land Navigation
-Large Ground Transports
-Military Combat Vehicles
-Powerboats
-Sailing
-Scooters
-Scuba Diving
-Skiffs
-Submarines
-Yachts

RANGED WEAPONS
-Blowguns
-Bows
-Crossbows
-Darts
-Grenade
-Javelin
-Ranged Weaponsmithing
-Slings
-Throwing Axes
-Throwing Knives

SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE
-Earth Sciences
-Historical Sciences
-Life Sciences
-Mathematical Sciences

SURVIVAL (Tatjana)
-Aerial Survival
-Aquatic Survival
-Cold (Arctic)
-General Navigation
-Heat (Desert)
-Land Survival
-Nature
-Space Survival
-Toxic Environment
-Tracking
-Trapping
-Zero-G

TECH. ENGINEERING (Aaron)
-Communication Systems
-Computer Programming
-Create / Alter Technical Devices
-Demolitions
-Electronics
-Hacking
-Technical Repair
-Technical Security Systems

UNARMED COMBAT (Tatjana)
-Boxing
-Brawling
-Judo
-Karate
-Kung Fu (Tatjana)
-Savate
-Wrestling
[/sblock]

[Sblock=Gear]

You get 1500 credits to buy gear (unless you take an asset or complication that changes that total)


For gear, if you don't have the books, just be reasonable in what you want and you are likely to be able to afford it (But do be reasonable. Some poor huai dan from a rim world backwater isn't likely to have an Iskellian HMG 50 at the ready). Tell me the kind of stuff you want, and I'll price it out for you. [/sblock]

[Sblock=PLot points and how to use them] The games uses plot points as rewards for doing cool stuff. You can spend them either prospectively on a roll to purchase extra dice (1 pt for a d2, 2 for a d4, etc), or to change the result of a roll retrospectively (1 point per point of change). You start with six, and can keep up to 12 on hand. [/sblock]

Finally, if there are secrets you want me to know about your character, you may put them in spoler tags, or alternatively, pm me.


[sblock=Ship Design]
The party's ship will be communally created. Although not all the players will have ever set foot on the ship before, every player may have input in creating her. The aim is for her to have something for everyone, and to make her an additional unifying force for the party. As you are thinking about your character, think also about the features an ideal ship for that character would have.

The tougher and more complicated a ship, the more costly it is to maintain each month. Give requests in general terms, and I will stat it all out. At your option, you may spend personal funds on equipment/gear that will be on the ship when you get it (e.g, a lab for something

The game, in fact treats ships as characters. I will stat out the ship based on your collective input. There are ships for all sorts of purposes possible - from prospecting to medical to assault. Settle on a concept as a party first, and we'll go from there. Some illustrations of fan made ships can be found here.

[/Sblock]

[Sblock=Ship Traits]
Quirks:
Unique things about the ship, like noises blind spot, etc. usually minor or no game effect, but role playing opportunities than may net plot points.

Assets:
Allure
Cortex Spector
Fast throttle
Fuel Efficient
Good Name
Healthy as horse (Tailspinner)
Loved
Tough as Nails

Complications:
Branded
Dull Sense
Everybody has one
Gas Guzzler
Hooked
Lightweight
Memorable
Seen Better Days
Soft
Ugly as Sin [/sblock]

[Sblock=Ship Skills]
Athletics
Covert
Heavy Weapons
Knowledge
Mechanical Engineering
Perception
Pilot [/sblock] [/sblock]

The map of the 'Verse we will be using is at www.fireflyrpg.com, which is in the midst of revamping itself, and is a really useful place in the 'Verse. Their map is very useful for calculating distances between points in the 'Verse, but it is much less detailed than the glorious map produced by Quantum Mechanics, which I hope to obtain someday soon.

 

[Voda Vosa]

I might be interested, but I only own and know about d20 system. If you end up using that, I'll try a tough hero with melee weapons.

 

[Maerdwyn]

Great!

Just noticed the "After Earth" game you are in - Good to see another long running sf game around here: looks like a blast.

This is the game I ran a long while back; had a good time.

 

[Voda Vosa]

I like what I red, you seem like a DM of skill indeed.

 

[Thondor]

I am very interested in a Serenity/firefly game. I have the main book myself though I won't have access to it again until the 5th or so.

I would strongly prefer using the 'cortex' rules. I generally feel that rules written for a particular style of play shape game play in a positive way. (And the cortex rules are relatively simple an easy to pick up in my opinion.)

As for character I'm not really sure at the moment, perhaps the brainy type. Possibly with a mechanical and or pilotting bent but I'd have to come back to that.

 

[Thanee]

Very interested as well.

The Firefly series + Serenity movie are really great.

I'm only interested in the Cortex/Serenity rules though.


As for character, I have a martial artist (i.e. close combat specialist) pretty much ready (made that char for another game, but the GM unfortunately had/has some real life hazards to navigate through, so the game never really started).

Bye
Thanee

 

[Rhun]

If you run this using d20, I'd be down for it, and in fact already have a character built (though I'm sure he'd have to be modified for house rules or such). He was put together for a Firefly "Big Damn Heroes" game here on the boards a couple of years ago.

 

[Maerdwyn]

Cool! glad to see there's interest!

Edit - looks like we have two interested in d20 and two in Cortex.

Thondor and Thanee, have you guys played the Cortex/Serenity system? I'm reading it now, but don't have any playtesting under my belt. Like to get some insight regarding how it plays.

Rhun, did you start the Big Damn Heroes game, and if so, how long did it go?

 

[Thanee]

Yep, played two short campaigns with the original Serenity system (havn't tried the newer incarnation as in the Cortex System RPG, though it is pretty similar from reading it, just a bit more generalized). It's very easy to use and works very smoothly. For me it has the right balance as for rules lightedness, not too complex to stand in the way, but complex enough to not be overly simplistic.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Rhun]

Rhun, did you start the Big Damn Heroes game, and if so, how long did it go?

No, it was Watus that started it. We were just getting into the action when he disappeared. Actually, if you have looked at Blackrat's After Earth game...Shyuri's PC Melara in that game originally came from the Big Damn Heroes game.

After Earth is the only long-term sci-fi game that has stayed going that I've been in. Well, and one Star Wars game. Other than that, they don't seem to last that long.