[Recruiting] Tales of the Solar Patrol

[Shrale]

Sorry to see the intial SP game stop or pause or whatever.

Not sure there's any interest or not, but here goes...

Episode I: OFF COURSE

A one-shot (run hopefully for 4-6 weeks) play by post for fans of Tales of the
Solar Patrol. Looking for up to 4 gamers (you might get to run more than one
pc) to keep things manageable. The group will be the crew of an Audie Murphy-class
patrolship THE INTEGRITY on patrols between Earth and Mars. If you have a better
name for the ship, please offer a substitute, I'm fine with that.

The crew will consist of almost any type of character that befits a patrol ship,
including a few non-standard ones (if you have a good idea for a character). In
this case most of the crew should have duplication (2 pilots/navigators, a pair of
engineers and some muscle); so don't be worried about taking something that's already
spoken for. Robots and Infomats can pick-up any slack for positions not duplicated
and a robot character is fine with me. Civilian observers, scientist-consultants are
welcome too. Just don't go too far afield.

About the GM -- I'm most familiar with GURPS 3e but you can make characters in any
edition you wish. The game would be high on roleplaying and ideas, not on nitpicking
abilities and minor points. You may need to explain to me something I don't know about.

Now despite being crewmen, the setting may take you to Earth in your investigations,
moons, other planets, space stations, just about anywhere, so don't fret about being
stuck aboard a ship all the time. Most Patrol characters will have equipment provided for
them as shipboard gear. As long as you don't push the boundaries too far, it's likely
"whatever you need will be found aboard your ship" meaning that long, over-exhaustive
lists of all sorts of gear won't be necessary. Don't panic if you forgot a cigarette
lighter or something.

The game will commence with the ship already in space as it detects an unknown, moving,
vessel at maximum range. Consulting patrol bulletins will find that there's a couple
of possibilities for this...or it's something new.

I'll let the players take it from there...

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[Captain-Captain]

Point range?

[Shrale]

As per the PDF pg 48

Based on 150-250 points, this can be considered the
“default” mode for the game – the book is, after all, called Tales
of the Solar Patrol, not Tales of the Belt Miners. The PCs are
the crew of a Solar Patrol ship, most likely an Audie Murphy class
frigate (see p. 33), and the campaign focuses on their missions
and adventures. This can make designing scenarios easy
for GMs, as there is no need to come up with complex rationales
for why the PCs are risking life and limb – they were
ordered to!

[Captain-Captain]

So, I assume we make 150 pt characters with some bonus points assigned for such things as background with the bulk going towards rank/position? (Ship Captains should be built on higher point totals than basic Patrolmen).

[Shrale]

You got it. You could play the ship's captain, or first officer, or a grunt.

You might make a scientist character that's 100 points but has a 125+ point Weird Science-type gadget (subject to approval of course).

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[Captain-Captain]

Engineering Officer 150 pt version:

Name: Al Lobrano
Race: Human 6'1" 182 lbs Brown hair, brown eyes Age: 26

Attributes [130]
ST 11 [10]
DX 12 [40]
IQ 13 [60]
HT 12 [20]

HP 11
Will 13
Per 13
FP 12

Basic Lift 24
Damage 1d-1/1d+1

Basic Speed 6
Basic Move 6

Ground Move 6
Water Move 1

Social Background
TL: 9 [0]
Cultural Familiarities: Western (Native) [0].
Languages: English (Native) [0].

Advantages [35]
Fit [5]
High Pain Threshold [10]
Legal Enforcement Powers (1) [5]
Military Rank (2) (Junior Lieutenant)* [10]
Rapid Healing [5]

Disadvantages [-70]
Charitable (12 or less) [-15]
Code of Honor (Patrolman's) [-15]
Curious (12 or less) [-5]
Duty (Patrol) (15 or less (almost always)) (Extremely Hazardous) [-20]
Overconfidence (12 or less) [-5]
Selfless (12 or less) [-5]
Sense of Duty (Comrades) (Small Group) [-5]

Skills [55]
Beam Weapons/TL9 (Pistol) DX/E - DX+2 14 [4]
Camouflage IQ/E - IQ+0 13 [1]
Crewman IQ/E - IQ+0 13 [1]
Driving/TL9 (Construction Equipment) DX/A - DX+0 12 [2]
Electrician/TL9 IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Electronics Operation/TL9 (Force Shields) IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Electronics Operation/TL9 (Scientific) IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Electronics Repair/TL9 (Force Shields) IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Engineer/TL9 (Combat) IQ/H - IQ+1 14 [8]
Engineer/TL9 (Electron Drive) IQ/H - IQ-1 12 [2]
Explosives/TL9 (Demolition) IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Explosives/TL9 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Fast-Draw (Knife) DX/E - DX+0 12 [1]
First Aid/TL9 (Human) IQ/E - IQ+0 13 [1]
Gunner/TL9 (Beams) DX/E - DX+1 13 [2]
Infomat Operation/TL9 IQ/E - IQ+0 13 [1]
Knife DX/E - DX+1 13 [2]
Leadership IQ/A - IQ+0 13 [2]
Machinist/TL9 IQ/A - IQ+0 13 [2]
Mathematics/TL9 (Applied) IQ/H - IQ+0 13 [4]
Mechanic/TL9 (Electron Drive) IQ/A - IQ+1 14 [4]
Navigation/TL9 (Hyperspace) IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Navigation/TL9 (Land) IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Piloting/TL9 (Aerospace) DX/A - DX-1 11 [1]
Piloting/TL9 (High-Performance Spacecraft) DX/A - DX+1 13 [4]
Scrounging Per/E - Per+0 13 [1]
Shiphandling/TL9 (Starship) IQ/H - IQ-2 11 [1]
Soldier/TL9 IQ/A - IQ+0 13 [2]
Spacer/TL9 IQ/E - IQ+0 13 [1]

Stats [130] Ads [35] Disads [-70] Quirks [0] Skills [55] = Total [150]

*I for one think Lieutenant Junior Grade would be a better title for this rank...

Solar Patrol suggests that the ships be named after War Heroes, usually enlisted rank. Not necessarily American. Here are a couple of suggestions

Sgt. Fred Kite, a British Tank Commander who won the Military Medal 3 times during World War II. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Kite

Ronald Leroy Coker. USMC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_L._Coker

Background: Al Lobrano grew up in Calexico, CA where his father serves as Chief Marshall of the Court there. His mother had been until the '54 Election a member of the City Council, having retired to go back to college and obtain a degree in Infomat programming.

Instilled with a sense of civic duty by his parents, Al became a cadet and then a patrolman, earning a slot in Oficers Training School where he graduated 2nd in his class.

After serving a 4 year tour in the Smedley Butler Class ship Władysław Sikorskihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Sikorski He was promoted from the rank of Patrolman 1st Class during this tour

He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Junior Lieutenant at the completion of this tour and reassignment seven months ago this ship.

Given the 50 Crew size of Audie Murphy class vessels, and the ratio of officers to enlisted men on the US Navy's Buckley Class DEs (15/213ths) there are probably four officers plus a Captain at most in chain of command assignments. Possibly a medical officer given the tech or Pharmacists Mates only. As an engineer of a low grade, Lobrano is probably the lowest ranked officer aboard.

[Shrale]

Very nice. Lobrano, I've heard the name before someplace. Must be Law & Order.

Anyway, have you any ideas on robots in the setting ?

I'm inclined to make them physically resemble some of the bots in Star Wars, such as the Assassin droid and others that have the spindly-humanoid look.
The one from STVoyager: Captain Proton is bit too goofy IMHO, especially the accordian arms.

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[Captain-Captain]

Originally Posted by Shrale

Very nice. Lobrano, I've heard the name before someplace. Must be Law & Order.

Anyway, have you any ideas on robots in the setting ?

I'm inclined to make them physically resemble some of the bots in Star Wars, such as the Assassin droid and others that have the spindly-humanoid look.
The one from STVoyager: Captain Proton is bit too goofy IMHO, especially the accordian arms.

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I took the name from Gustav Lobrano who edited Fiction and Art for the New Yorker back in the 1940s and 50s. Hey the guy bought the first Holden Caufield story from Sallinger in 1941. Not his fault WWII came in and held it's seeing publication till 1946... ;)

Edit: Officially, no such beasties as Robots. Infomats re poor computers and Sentience isn't on the horizion for them.

Your campaign? I might suggest going cyborg here with a small informat and a brain from some Venusian or Ionian critter being housed in some lifesupport equipment. The critter brain basically handling the robot's "Instinctive" activities, movement basic fighting and awareness of enemies. Their 'Higher functions' are Infomat based. The Informats they use can handle vocal instructions and communications and some capacity to understand the orders given.

There are limits and droid intelligence should be akin to those of Separatist Droid soldiers in Clone War era SW or "I Mudd" Androids from ST:TOS. The animal brains are better at figuring out deceptive and hostile motives than the SW and ST examples.

If you really want intelligent killer droid types, they have the brain of some sentient creature in a robot body.

Needless to say, most civilized folk are horrified and outraged over either innocent animals being used for this, let alone the intelligent peoples of the star system!

Droids should be something only clear and obvious bad guys resort to.

Now we need some more volunteers for this!

[Shrale]

Originally Posted by Captain-Captain

If you really want intelligent killer droid types, they have the brain of some sentient creature in a robot body.

No I meant looks only. Spindly humanoid types that can't be mistaken for a living creature.

I can't see this setting without Robots personally, so I'd stick to something obviously robotic (no Ash-style androids) and borderline primitive. Maybe advanced enough to splash in the odd claw for help, etc.


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[Shrale]

Originally Posted by Captain-Captain

Now we need some more volunteers for this!

Well, if you feel like making & running two PCs we could go head-to-head in the PBP. Someone else might wander into the game after a bit.

I'm still writing some other PBP recruitments up (working on GURPS SPACE ATLAS-4: VACATION ON MOONJAM, at the moment).

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