The Peacemakers - Alternity, Star*Drive (OOC Discusssion)

[Angel Tarragon]

[sblock]So she's in the USO?[/sblock]

Ozmar:
[sblock]Oh hell, that is a freaking wonderful idea![/sblock]

 

[Samnell]

Not a big ship. I am thinking something more like a small vessel. Perhaps even a civilian vessel that was conscripted for Concord service?

That could be interesting. We were just minding our own business and we got drafted!

I am thinking primarily military, although the idea of civilian contractors is intriguing. And I guess it will depend on what characters ya'll want to play. Fer example, the diplomat idea that Frukathka suggested might need some work. Maybe I'll ask you to come up with some backstory to explain what your characters are doing on the ship?

For Ozmar:
[sblock]
I'm picturing an Inseer-themed sort of mechanical/grid "genius!". Very high opinion of his skills that he's fairly able to back up (at least for a PC of his level). He was a genetic experiment (mutant, hyper intellect, unsure of drawbacks yet) of uncertain origin. Some Hatirans found him in suspended animation at an abandoned military facility left over from GW2.

They thawed him out and discovered to their horror that he was the product of genetic engineering. They weren't the type to punish him for the "sins" of his creators, but decided it was vital for his soul that he not glory in his unnatural birth. He was settled on a strict agricultural colony where hard, often tedious labor was the norm. They wanted to fill his mind with natural, proper things.

He never knew enough to be curious, but spent childhood bored out of his skull. He didn't know what was missing (and wasn't allowed to) and ended up thinking it was a product of his horrible nature. Then he serendipitiously discovered computers. Not sure quite how yet, but he found everything that was missing in his life and promptly ran off, enthusiastically rejecting the heritage of his discoverers in favor of the complete opposite.

He's still running from his past to a degree. He's legally able to run his own life now and more or less settled into his new identity, but his relationship with authority and discipline is complicated. I can't see him joining the military outright, or necessarily being happy there, but there's also an element of attraction to it. He wants to be an out-and-out rebel innovator and gridpilot desperately. But at the same time, he was raised in that kind of regimented life. He's sometimes consciously fighting an automatic deference to authority and guilt over running away and what he's doing now. He doesn't always succeed, and often enough ends up settling for an at best arguable notion that he's doing things on his own terms.

I'm not sure if this is making any sense at all. Basically, the PC has a tension between who he wants to be (sort of a cyber-hippie information anarchist) and what he spent most of his life being (a technophobic, deferential Hatire farm boy). The Inseer side (religious, not necessarily nationality-wise) is outwardly dominant but it hasn't replaced all the old, ingrained habits. He's been consciously avoiding authority figures, but I can see him courting the kind of legal trouble that might get him stuck back in the midst of authority out of some subconscious baggage. Maybe he's serving out some kind of probation in lieu of prison? Or otherwise ended up dragooned into the job? I'm open to suggestions.

Since he ran away, he's been having recurring nightmares that may or may not have to do with suppressed memories of his year or two of life pre-stasis that he lacks conscious recollection of.[/sblock]

 

[Ozmar]

I am seeing civilians here. Not sure how they get involved in the military. But, what if they came together as fellow crew on board a civilian privateer for a variety of reasons, perhaps under a captain/owner with military experience, and through various brushes with the law, they ended up plea-bargaining a stay on any criminal prosecution by agreeing to serve in the newly-formed Concord fleet? Maybe the Concord has some kind of privateer-sponsoring program to supplement their military fleet? I am thinking something along the lines of Firefly, but with some kind of over-head authority (ala Starfleet) that can send the ship on various missions....

I may not be making much sense. I'm a bit sleepy...

Ozmar the Tired DM

 

[Samnell]

I am seeing civilians here. Not sure how they get involved in the military. But, what if they came together as fellow crew on board a civilian privateer for a variety of reasons, perhaps under a captain/owner with military experience, and through various brushes with the law, they ended up plea-bargaining a stay on any criminal prosecution by agreeing to serve in the newly-formed Concord fleet?

That makes sense to me. One of the recurring references to the Concord in the Star*Drive stuff is about how it was really thrown together and stuck with the leftovers of vanished stellar nations. An actual uniformed Concordan presence could work too, I think. If someone wants to play our "supervision".

[sblock]As I'm thinking this guy through, I still can't see him as an official member of the military. It's certainly possible that that could change for him over time in the right circumstances. But I think he could work even up to being a civilian in a military environment...as long as he didn't come on board entirely willingly. The plea bargaining idea works for me. I can see him trying to hack the wrong datacore and getting caught. Something harmless enough that it's illegal, but he doesn't come across as a terrorist or something of that sort. His plea bargain/probation is a term of service that's supposed to be rehabilitory and constructive. He might take to it. Hard to say.[/sblock]

 

[Ozmar]

That makes sense to me. One of the recurring references to the Concord in the Star*Drive stuff is about how it was really thrown together and stuck with the leftovers of vanished stellar nations. An actual uniformed Concordan presence could work too, I think. If someone wants to play our "supervision".

[sblock]As I'm thinking this guy through, I still can't see him as an official member of the military. It's certainly possible that that could change for him over time in the right circumstances. But I think he could work even up to being a civilian in a military environment...as long as he didn't come on board entirely willingly. The plea bargaining idea works for me. I can see him trying to hack the wrong datacore and getting caught. Something harmless enough that it's illegal, but he doesn't come across as a terrorist or something of that sort. His plea bargain/probation is a term of service that's supposed to be rehabilitory and constructive. He might take to it. Hard to say.[/sblock]

Good ideas. These can probably work. If someone wants to play the Concord "Commander", then that will be great, otherwise I may create an NPC to command the ship. Any civilian PCs will have been forced (or may have joined willingly) for various reasons to join the ship. For example, former VoidCorp Employees may simply be ordered to follow their commander as part of the Treaty of Concord (recall that each stellar nation donated ships, planets and citizens to the new Concord). Someone from the Nariac Domain would put their personal interests under the goals of the Concord and would be likely to willingly help out. Others may have been "war criminals", or have been accused (right or wrong) of some crime and managed to avoid imprisonment due to a plea bargain.

Recall also that 26th century medical tech means that humans can live up to 250 years or more, so your characters might have been active in GW2, even though it ended about 25 years ago.

 

[Hammerhead]

My idea for a character would be a Sesheyan ex-Voidcorp employee who was donated to the Galactic Concord and is quite happy to have his freedom. Likely a free agent, with some good perception, investigation, and combat-type skills.

 

[Ozmar]

Sounds cool. (BTW - Do I know you Hammerhead? I saw you're in Minneapolis.)

Since VoidCorp did have to give up some employees, it would make sense that some of them are seshayans, and the Concord's sensibility in regards to its citizens is very different from VoidCorp's so you would be very likely to enjoy your new sense of freedom.

Ozmar the Seshayan Advocate

 

[Samnell]

Recall also that 26th century medical tech means that humans can live up to 250 years or more, so your characters might have been active in GW2, even though it ended about 25 years ago.

Yeah. I just want to play a reasonably young (twentysomething) PC.

 

[jkason]

Okay, I've only played Alternity once, and that was ages ago. I don't have the books, but I'm really liking the setup here, so I'm going to throw my hat in. If, of course, you'd be willing to help me with some of the mechanics.

I'm kind of having a fun idea for the "commander." Or, rather, for the guy who's officially in charge but really isn't. The way I see it, some full-of-himself Admiral decided that his low-ambition son, fresh out of officer's training, needed command experience. He had pull, but only enough to assign the boy to this ... nontraditional setup.

Like I said, though, the son's not all that ambitious. He's interested in life (xenobiology / medicine, maybe? Not sure what kinds of healer classes there are in this system), not guns. He let his father bully him into military service, but he's about as interested in leading as he is in jumping into a vacuum without a spacesuit. While everyone expected there to be some sort of struggle for command, our boy pretty much showed up and made a deal: They run themselves more or less as they see fit. He's even willing to take orders along their pre-established chain of command (whatever it is). So long as they take missions when they come down from the top (thus maintaining their cover), he'll act as their legitimate face and file reports that cover for them. They get freer access to the system and out from under the scrutiny of the Concord. In exchange, the crew agree to indulge our boy's xenobio curiosity (letting him suggest missions / gather information / samples) and not turn him in for dereliction of duty.

They're not actively trying to sabotage the system, but they aren't too concerned with maintaining it, either.

Anyway, it was a thought.

jason

 

[Ozmar]

Okay, I've only played Alternity once, and that was ages ago. I don't have the books, but I'm really liking the setup here, so I'm going to throw my hat in. If, of course, you'd be willing to help me with some of the mechanics.

I'm kind of having a fun idea for the "commander." Or, rather, for the guy who's officially in charge but really isn't. The way I see it, some full-of-himself Admiral decided that his low-ambition son, fresh out of officer's training, needed command experience. He had pull, but only enough to assign the boy to this ... nontraditional setup.

Like I said, though, the son's not all that ambitious. He's interested in life (xenobiology / medicine, maybe? Not sure what kinds of healer classes there are in this system), not guns. He let his father bully him into military service, but he's about as interested in leading as he is in jumping into a vacuum without a spacesuit. While everyone expected there to be some sort of struggle for command, our boy pretty much showed up and made a deal: They run themselves more or less as they see fit. He's even willing to take orders along their pre-established chain of command (whatever it is). So long as they take missions when they come down from the top (thus maintaining their cover), he'll act as their legitimate face and file reports that cover for them. They get freer access to the system and out from under the scrutiny of the Concord. In exchange, the crew agree to indulge our boy's xenobio curiosity (letting him suggest missions / gather information / samples) and not turn him in for dereliction of duty.

They're not actively trying to sabotage the system, but they aren't too concerned with maintaining it, either.

Anyway, it was a thought.

jason

Jeez, the game isn't even started, and you're already an inch away from mutiny and taking your ship off to the Verge!

That sounds good. I'm working on and will be posting (soon) a "primer" on both the Star*Drive setting and on the Alternity system. And my plan will be for me to maintain active copies of everyone's char sheet, so helping those who do not have the books/rules will be easily accomplished.

Ozmar the Helpful GM