[OOC] The Trojan War

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

How about: public commercial rivals, drinking buddies in private?

Good dynamic, that one. lets do it.

[Michael Thayne]

For RI employees, it's worth noting typical lifestyles. About 2/3 of employees in the Helios system have Average wealth. Because space on board stations is at a premium, this means a cramped cabin. A typical married couple with kids will live in one cabin and put their kids (rarely more than two) in another. Personal effects are generally kept to a minimum: Intertial Compass; "Glasses" with Penlight, Flatcam, and HUD; Personal Computer; VR Gloves; Smart Brush (for cleaing one's skin with little to no water); Varicloth wardrobe; Video Walls (to make the cabin feel less cramped); Housebot shared with neighbors; and regular appointments with a hair-cleaning robot. (All these items are from Ultra-Tech). Any personal item needed only occasionally are likely to be rented rather than owned.

Comfortable Wealth gets you a cabin that's twice as big, and is realistically needed to support more than 1 non-working family member. Higher Wealth levels won't get you a larger cabin on the station, but can get you a storage locker for things like a varied wardrobe of tailored formal wear. Some members of upper management (Corporate Rank 5+) have personal spacecraft they use on weekends.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

RI employees have Corporate Rank, which costs 5 points/level. "Station Manager" is Corporate Rank 7—if more than one PC is interested in being Ithaca Station's manager, I might have PCs bid Unusual Background points for it. System Manager Adaeke Obidimkpa would have had Merchant Rank 8, but is presumed dead after the destruction of the Pillars of Herakles.

That raises a question: what's the total population of Ithaca and Troy?

Do you use GCA? Are GCA files a sensible way to send you characters?

Edit: Is the Duty required by Rank subject to the [-30] limit?

[ericthered]

If the rank of the station manager is representative and "The Arithmatic of Rank" is valid, then between 10,000 and 200,000, with 50,000 being the most likely.

[ericthered]

what skill is used to successfully put a satellite in orbit?

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by ericthered

If the rank of the station manager is representative and "The Arithmatic of Rank" is valid, then between 10,000 and 200,000, with 50,000 being the most likely.

Correct, though towards the low side of that. A little over 10,000 employees per station, plus around half that many non-working family members of employees

Originally Posted by ericthered

what skill is used to successfully put a satellite in orbit?

Piloting, almost always Piloting (High-Performance Spacecraft). Piloting (Aerospace) is mostly used for shuttles and aerospace fighters, though might be used for piloting a launch vehicle optimized for putting things in low orbit using nuclear-powered ram-rockets or something. If you're moving from one orbit to another and moving down a gravity well, Low-Performance Spacecraft is also a possibility, but you're probably not using the vehicle for its intended purpose.

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Do you use GCA? Are GCA files a sensible way to send you characters?

I don't use GCA. If you post character sheets with all point totals in square brackets (like in source books), I have a script that can add the points up quickly.

Edit: Is the Duty required by Rank subject to the [-30] limit?

No, the -30 limit is for mental and physical disadvantages. The main restriction on social disadvantages is "must make sense given the game's premise".

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

If you post character sheets with all point totals in square brackets (like in source books), I have a script that can add the points up quickly.

OK, here's a draft character. He's a UTO officer, serving as a diplomat: he's better suited to that than a combat command. He has one perk-level psi ability, which you'll find in Psionic Powers, p45.

Anthony Browne (249 points)
Pantropic Parahuman (Spacer)

ST 8 [0]; DX 12 [20]; IQ 14 [80]; HT 11 [10].
Damage 1d-3/1d-2; BL 13 lbs.; HP 8 [0]; Will 14 [0]; Per 14 [0]; FP 11 [0].
Basic Speed 5.75 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Block 7 (DX); Dodge 8; Parry 9 (DX).

Social Background
TL: 9 [0].
CF: South Asian [1]; Western (Native) [0].
Languages: English (Native) [0]; Indian English (Broken) [2].

Advantages
3D Spatial Sense [10]; Appearance (Attractive) [4]; Born Spacer 2 [10]; Charisma 2 [10]; Extra Arms (Prehensile Toes) 2 (Foot Manipulators; Short) [4]; Fit [5]; G-Experience 10 [10]; Military Rank (Squadron Leader, UTO) 4 [20]; Status (+5) [15]; Voice [10]; Wealth (Wealthy) [20].
Perks: Exposition Sense (Psionic Powers p45); Looks Good in Uniform; Psi Power Unusual Background [3].

Disadvantages
Code of Honor (Soldier's) [-10]; Duty (UTO representative) (15 or less (almost always)) [-15]; Overconfidence (12 or less) [-5]; Selfless (12 or less) [-5]; Slow Riser [-5]; Xenophilia (15 or less) [-5].
Quirks: Careful; Disciplined (PU6p18); Likes social events; Responsible (PU6p20); Responsive [-5].

Skills
Acting-13 (IQ-1) [1]; Administration-14 (IQ+0) [2]; Aerobatics-14 (DX+2) [1]; Area Knowledge (Helios System)-14 (IQ+0) [1]; Area Knowledge (Known Space)-14 (IQ+0) [1]; Area Knowledge (Sol System)-14 (IQ+0) [1]; Beam Weapons/TL9 (Pistol)-12 (DX+0) [1]; Carousing-13 (HT+2) [4]; Computer Operation/TL9-14 (IQ+0) [1]; Connoisseur (Clothing)-13 (IQ-1) [1]; Connoisseur (Food)-13 (IQ-1) [1]; Connoisseur (Wine)-13 (IQ-1) [1]; Current Affairs/TL9 (Headline News)-14 (IQ+0) [1]; Current Affairs/TL9 (High Culture)-14 (IQ+0) [1]; Current Affairs/TL9 (People)-14 (IQ+0) [1]; Current Affairs/TL9 (Politics)-14 (IQ+0) [1]; Dancing-12 (DX+0) [2]; Detect Lies-12 (Per-2) [1]; Diplomacy-16 (IQ+2) [4]; Electronics Operation/TL9 (Communications)-13 (IQ-1) [1]; Electronics Operation/TL9 (Security)-13 (IQ-1) [1]; Electronics Operation/TL9 (Sensors)-13 (IQ-1) [1]; Fast-Talk-15 (IQ+1) [1]; First Aid/TL9 (Human)-14 (IQ+0) [1]; Free Fall-15 (DX+3) [1]; Guns/TL9 (Pistol)-12 (DX+0) [1]; Housekeeping-14 (IQ+0) [1]; Intelligence Analysis/TL9-12 (IQ-2) [1]; Leadership-16 (IQ+2) [2]; Mathematics/TL9 (Applied)-12 (IQ-2) [1]; Navigation/TL9 (Space)-17 (IQ+3) [1]; Piloting/TL9 (Aerospace)-14 (DX+2) [1]; Piloting/TL9 (High-Performance Spacecraft)-14 (DX+2) [1]; Piloting/TL9 (Low-Performance Spacecraft)-14 (DX+2) [1]; Politics-16 (IQ+2) [2]; Public Speaking-17 (IQ+3) [1]; Savoir-Faire (High Society)-16 (IQ+2) [4]; Savoir-Faire (Military)-15 (IQ+1) [2]; Sex Appeal (Human)-13 (HT+2) [1]; Shiphandling/TL9 (Spaceship)-12 (IQ-2) [1]; Spacer/TL9-16 (IQ+2) [1]; Strategy (Space)-12 (IQ-2) [1]; Survival (Island/Beach)-13 (Per-1) [1]; Survival (Mountain)-13 (Per-1) [1]; Tactics-13 (IQ-1) [2]; Vacc Suit/TL9-15 (DX+3) [4].

[ericthered]

I'm mostly done with my character.

I'm thinking I want him to have a custom race. Its generally the stuff they did for spacer, but with additional changes to make the race take up less space on board a space craft. I'm kind of looking at a rat theme here. So smaller, more compact, and perhaps some night vision and smell upgrades. If we had TL10 I'd go for a tek-rat, but we don't. Do you want to make the first proposal or shall I?

Roger, how is your guy coming? I've got anything with sensors or computers nailed down. Do we want to make sure one of us grabs some biostuff? Are you doing anything with FTL?

[GnomesofZurich]

I'm changing my line of thinking and am now considering an asteroid miner. Would demolitions be an appropriate specialty? I figured I could start off with the Demolition Man template from Action 1 Heroes, and modify from there.

As ericthered notes, would a compact race (to ease space/supply/oxygen considerations) be appropriate? I had a 1/2 scale submariner demolitionist in a previous cyberpunk game on these boards (that went belly-up), so might try to reprise him in space, with some modifications.