[OOC] The Starship 'Fritjof Nansen'

[Adina]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

I'll catch Jeff and hold him down; you apply the electrodes.

Good luck with that, I'm still pretty fast on my feet.

Originally Posted by Agemegos

Luke Bunyip finds that he can't continue. Zorg has kindly agreed to take his place. Zorg's participation will necessitate delaying the commencement of play until the beginning of November.

Huzzah! (I can wait.)

As things stand zorg is holding cards for the dean of Survey, the first lieutenant, the counsellor (international law), and a marines commando private.

He might swap the counsellor for the press secretary or the ambassador's aide with the agreement of the player currently holding those cards, and require no further fiddling with the allocation.

Acceptable with me.

But if zorg were unwilling to play the dean; if he were to play the captain, the ambassador, or the military analyst and the marines detachment leader; that would necessitate shuffling the chairs at the big table.

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

The selection process that got us here was short and we have until November. I don't have a problem with you just redoing from start.

Maybe you will need the electrodes. I rather fancy the chance to play Captain Lowell.

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Could you just reuse the same tenders but include Zorg's?

Possible, the only thing is zorg's wouldn't be quite a blind test. But I will yield to the mighty Hat.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Yay! That's fine by me.

Originally Posted by jmurrell

Huzzah! (I can wait.)

A point of clarification for the benefit of the peanut gallery. We have been in a predicament (possibly even a pother, whatever a pother might be) behind the scenes for a couple of days, since Luke told us that he wouldn't be able to continue. The cheers are for zorg's recruitment, not Luke's departure.

Good luck with that, I'm still pretty fast on my feet.

Okay. Sir_pudding can catch you, I'll apply the electrodes.

Maybe you will need the electrodes. I rather fancy the chance to play Captain Lowell.

Possible, the only thing is zorg's wouldn't be quite a blind test. But I will yield to the mighty Hat.

Here's the thing. The point of the simultaneous blind tendering process was to get roles assigned without players getting committed to characters part-way through. Now that jmurrell has specific thoughts of playing Lowell and Karapyetchenko, martinl of Drolegant, sir_pudding of Strickland and MacAdams any operations of the Hat must be accompanied by more pain and disappointment.

[zorg]

First, I'm rather happy that you'll have me. I'm looking forward to November.

Second, about the characters. I don't mind at all playing whatever characters/roles/functions are left, and/or were assigned to Luke. There's no need to restart the whole selection process.
About the tenders/outlines: if it makes things easier for Brett, I can easily use the outlines Luke gave (has given?). With four characters, I don't mind having less input than usual.
Unless, that is, Luke was intending to play four deaf-mute quadriplegics.

If you do prefer me to add my own, unique touch (the one I'm famous for) to the characters, I assume there's no rush, and I'll hash things out with Brett during the course of September.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by zorg

First, I'm rather happy that you'll have me. I'm looking forward to November.

Welcome aboard!

Second, about the characters. I don't mind at all playing whatever characters/roles/functions are left, and/or were assigned to Luke. There's no need to restart the whole selection process.
About the tenders/outlines: if it makes things easier for Brett, I can easily use the outlines Luke gave (has given?). With four characters, I don't mind having less input than usual.
Unless, that is, Luke was intending to play four deaf-mute quadriplegics.

If you do prefer me to add my own, unique touch (the one I'm famous for) to the characters, I assume there's no rush, and I'll hash things out with Brett during the course of September.

Righto. Your places in the T.O. are as follows.

1. Your role in the scenes in which the senior staff discuss strategy with the Mission Commander is to play the Dean of Survey, which is to say the leader and spokesman of the explorers and scientists. If you don't change that I don't have to re-arrange anything else.
2. As for the scenes in which the explorers/anthropologists make contact with the people of the colony and either get into trouble or discover what their problem is, you can either play the Dean of Survey as above, or if you prefer you can generate a separate character as a field researcher. Luke had not yet announced a decision as to which he would do.
3. In the scenes in which the diplomats meet and negotiate with colonial high government officials, go to diplomatic parties etc., you get to play the Counsellor, which is to say the expert who advises the ambassador on international and constitutional law, supervises the AIs who draft the legal boilerplate, etc.
4. In the scenes in which the naval officers undertake actual naval operations such as space combat, you again have a choice. Luke was going to play the First Lieutenant ("Number One", the X.O., etc.), but the Astronomy (Gunnery) Officer is also available and suitable. An NPC XO is not a problem at all.
5. Finally, in the scenes in which Imperial marines conduct commando operations, you get to play a junior Imperial marines commando private with at most twelve years' experience.

Luke Bunyip's plans (which you need not necessarily carry out) were as follows.

1. Dean of Survey Luke's plan was to play the Dean as "Marco Polo meets Mark Zuckerberg", an entrepreneur-explorer whose outlook was to see colonies as opportunities for Imperial shipping and trade, i.e. as a source of advantage and profit for the Empire rather than [just] as sinks for aid and effort. That's a great character idea — I'll use it for an NPC foil if you don't hang onto it — but not obviously the person the Empire would put in charge of the academics.
2. Explorer/field anthropologist Luke hadn't got around to deciding whether to play a separate character from the dean for the actual mucking about on planets getting into scrapes bits. The disadvantage is having to manage five characters rather than four. The advantages are (a) that you still get a voice at the big table even when the PC explorers have been kidnapped, trapped in a vast complex of caves etc., and (b) that it gives you the freedom to play a prudent, academic dean who would never get into scrapes and also a rapscallion of a field researcher who plays participant ethnography as an extreme sport.
3. Counsellor Luke's plan for the counsellor was to play "'Bones' McCoy if he had become a lawyer and not a doctor": a cynic who knew to expect the worse of mankind but who was nevertheless a loyal and sympathetic friend and gallant proponent of doing the noble thing even in adversity.
4. First Lieutenant Luke's plan was to play the First Lieutenant as based on James Cook, someone you will never have heard of. His idea was that his character should be an absolutely expert navigator and ship-handler and a resourceful problem solver, who even had some experience of dealing with backward and isolated colonials, but with a background in the merchant service, not in the Navy (and therefore without great skill in combat), and that he should be dedicated to the safety of his ship, i.e. getting everyone back home alive. But you're neither Australian nor New Zealander, so you've never heard of Cook. If you would rather play the Astronomy Officer (i.e. person in charge of shooting things with the big laser) I will run an NPC Number One.
5. Commando private Neither Luke nor martinl has said anything about what their gunslinging young kicker-in of walls is might be like. Sir_pudding is playing a low-key but very effective NCO, and jmurrell is playing a very young marine with only two years of experience after initial training.

We had barely begun work on cutting and polishing characters to fit into their teams. Other players are just about to leap in with suggestions about how your character ought to interface with theirs. Jmurrel is playing your boss in the strategic discussions and naval operations, your subordinate in the exploration and anthropological bits, the boss's door-opener and drink-fetcher in the diplomatic scenes, and your team-mate, maybe your off-sider, in the commando raids. Martinl is playing a colleague (the Ambassador) at the big table, a subordinate or messmate (depending on your character choice) in naval operations, a subordinate in the exploration bits, your boss (the ambassador) in the diplomatic bits, and a team-mate in the commando bits. Sir_pudding is playing a sort-of-colleague in the strategic discussions, sort of subordinate in the exploration bits (the military analyst), a messmate in the naval bits (the Chief Engineer), and your boss (the marines detachment leader) in the commando bits. That comes to twelve places where your four (or five) characters have to interact with other PCs.

[zorg]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

Righto. Your places in the T.O. are as follows.[*]Your role in the scenes in which the senior staff discuss strategy with the Mission Commander is to play the Dean of Survey, which is to say the leader and spokesman of the explorers and scientists. If you don't change that I don't have to re-arrange anything else.

That's fine with me. No need to change anything here.

[*]As for the scenes in which the explorers/anthropologists make contact with the people of the colony and either get into trouble or discover what their problem is, you can either play the Dean of Survey as above, or if you prefer you can generate a separate character as a field researcher. Luke had not yet announced a decision as to which he would do.

I'd prefer to play the Dean here, too.

[*]In the scenes in which the diplomats meet and negotiate with colonial high government officials, go to diplomatic parties etc., you get to play the Counsellor, which is to say the expert who advises the ambassador on international and constitutional law, supervises the AIs who draft the legal boilerplate, etc.

Love that one.

[*]In the scenes in which the naval officers undertake actual naval operations such as space combat, you again have a choice. Luke was going to play the First Lieutenant ("Number One", the X.O., etc.), but the Astronomy (Gunnery) Officer is also available and suitable. An NPC XO is not a problem at all.

I'd prefer not to be XO. My real world tactical abilities are sufficient to write the plot of an Eighties action movie with Steven Seagal. Coordinating military action in Flat Black is not something I'd feel confident in doing. Better give me the Death Star gunner, and tell me what to blow up.

[*]Finally, in the scenes in which Imperial marines conduct commando operations, you get to play a junior Imperial marines commando private with at most twelve years' experience.[/LIST]

See above. Limited experience combined with absurdly high training suits me just fine.

[*]Dean of Survey Luke's plan was to play the Dean as "Marco Polo meets Mark Zuckerberg", an entrepreneur-explorer whose outlook was to see colonies as opportunities for Imperial shipping and trade, i.e. as a source of advantage and profit for the Empire rather than [just] as sinks for aid and effort. That's a great character idea — I'll use it for an NPC foil if you don't hang onto it — but not obviously the person the Empire would put in charge of the academics.
[*]Counsellor Luke's plan for the counsellor was to play "'Bones' McCoy if he had become a lawyer and not a doctor": a cynic who knew to expect the worse of mankind but who was nevertheless a loyal and sympathetic friend and gallant proponent of doing the noble thing even in adversity.

I can just use the Dean concept, if that makes things easier for you. It's not something I would have thought of myself (which isn't a bad thing, of course), but I can run with it.

As to the Counsellor, well. I totally dig the cynic part, but the dude who's advising on law won't be the proponent of "the noble thing" if I'm in his head. :) Rather, I can see someone with total disregard for any ethics the laws might be based on, and the absolute willingness to warp the legal aspect as far as it can go - for the good of Humanity and the Empire, never for any personal gain.

So, basically, like a more world-weary, hardened, disappointed McCoy, who's almost given up on the noble thing.

If that's OK, of course.

[*]First Lieutenant Luke's plan was to play the First Lieutenant as based on James Cook, someone you will never have heard of.

grin

If you would rather play the Astronomy Officer (i.e. person in charge of shooting things with the big laser) I will run an NPC Number One.

Aye. And I'll think about the gunner next week, and get back on this point.

[*]Commando private Neither Luke nor martinl has said anything about what their gunslinging young kicker-in of walls is might be like. Sir_pudding is playing a low-key but very effective NCO, and jmurrell is playing a very young marine with only two years of experience after initial training.

As I said, I'll likely prefer someone with little experience, lots of idealism, and a can-do attitude.

We had barely begun work on cutting and polishing characters to fit into their teams. Other players are just about to leap in with suggestions about how your character ought to interface with theirs. Jmurrel is playing your boss in the strategic discussions and naval operations, your subordinate in the exploration and anthropological bits, the boss's door-opener and drink-fetcher in the diplomatic scenes, and your team-mate, maybe your off-sider, in the commando raids. Martinl is playing a colleague (the Ambassador) at the big table, a subordinate or messmate (depending on your character choice) in naval operations, a subordinate in the exploration bits, your boss (the ambassador) in the diplomatic bits, and a team-mate in the commando bits. Sir_pudding is playing a sort-of-colleague in the strategic discussions, sort of subordinate in the exploration bits (the military analyst), a messmate in the naval bits (the Chief Engineer), and your boss (the marines detachment leader) in the commando bits. That comes to twelve places where your four (or five) characters have to interact with other PCs.

I'll prepare a mind map.

[Agemegos]

Rather than being helped by the other players to refine and detail his character concepts, zorg seems to be twisting in the wind.



Piñata!

Originally Posted by zorg

Love that one.

You don't get enough of that sort of thing at work?

I'd prefer not to be XO. My real world tactical abilities are sufficient to write the plot of an Eighties action movie with Steven Seagal. Coordinating military action in Flat Black is not something I'd feel confident in doing. Better give me the Death Star gunner, and tell me what to blow up.

Splendid! I'm happy to have the writing of the first lieutenant through which to insert a bit of naval custom and express a bit of hard-nosed Imperial harshness. I will point out, though, that the first lieutenant is not tactical officer, the navigator is. The first lieutenant's battle station is in the auxiliary control room supervising damage control.

I can just use the Dean concept, if that makes things easier for you.

It comes to the same thing as far as I am concerned.

As to the Counsellor, well. I totally dig the cynic part, but the dude who's advising on law won't be the proponent of "the noble thing" if I'm in his head. :)

Will he nevertheless be a loyal friend and voted "most likely to show up with a sympathetic ear and half a litre of cognac when Life has screwed you rotten"?

Rather, I can see someone with total disregard for any ethics the laws might be based on, and the absolute willingness to warp the legal aspect as far as it can go - for the good of Humanity and the Empire, never for any personal gain.

And will this ruthlessness extend to orbital laser bombardments, marines assaults, and turning resistance leaders over to unsavory dictators?

If that's OK, of course.

It is at very least worth discussing.

Aye. And I'll think about the gunner next week, and get back on this point.

In the back of my mind I am filking an Orbital Laser Artillery Song that will be known to everyone who went through Imperial junior school. To the tune Open Up Your Heart and Let the Sunshine In

I'll prepare a mind map.

I ought to do up a table of organisation and post it somewhere, colour-coded for who is playing what.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by zorg

I'd prefer to play the Dean here, too.

With both the Dean and the Analyst on the ground and in trouble, whose left a the big table? Just the Captain and the Ambassador?

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

With both the Dean and the Analyst on the ground and in trouble, whose left a the big table? Just the Captain and the Ambassador?

They could ask MacAdams to step in.



Is this a compelling reason not to have either the dean or the military analyst played in the contact party?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

They could ask MacAdams to step in.

They'd probably want him if military action was on the table, in any case.

Is this a compelling reason not to have either the dean or the military analyst played in the contact party?

I don't think so, I was just making sure that I had that right.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

They'd probably want him if military action was on the table, in any case.

If everyone were comfortable about a corporal advising the CO about military capabilities the military analyst could report through the dean in regular form.