You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Recent posts by t_catt11
Topic: Zombies in Chicago: Chapter 2 Q&A
Subject: there
Flashback two is up.
Posted on 2012-10-23 at 04:30:15.
|
Topic: Zombies in Chicago: Chapter 2
Subject: flashback two
They made it to the doorway with no time to spare. Father Ted had indeed not been up to the task of hauling Mac out of the wheelbarrow by himself, and Murph had been forced to grab the bounty hunter in what surely had to have been a painful grip as the two of them manhandled his semiconscious form through the door just ahead of the screaming horde. Murph was certain that it had hurt, maybe even set the man's healing back a bit... but that had to have been better than the alternative.
It had taken the combined strength of Murph, Alaster, and Sir Brian to force the door shut and hold it long enough for Father Ted to bar it against the onslaught outside. Even so, they eventually did get the door fully secured, though it was hours before the screams outside had subsided enough for the survivors to rest.
The survivors had found themselves in a small apartment building which seemed secure; the windows had burgler bars, and the other two doors had been similarly barricaded. There had been some provisions left behind by the earlier occupants; never in the history of mankind had cold beanie weenies, canned tuna, and lukewarm crystal light tasted so good.
Sadly, Alaster had not left his foolishness outside. After the evening meal, Murph had been preoccupied with Amber and trying to coax her into letting the dead child go. Father Ted had fallen into an exhausted sleep while sitting up, Mac was still drifting in and out of consciousness, and Brian - an awkward stranger - sat by himself. None of them thought to look after the carpenter (who, truth be told, was old enough to look after himself). The screams had been the first indication that something had been wrong.
As near as Murph could tell, the wannabe drunken fool had taken it upon himself to explore every nook and cranny of the building - all alone - and had been surprised by one of the screamers when he opemed a bedroom door. Murph heard it scream as it pounced, then heard Alaster's own screams as he had been pinned beneath it.
Unfortunately, the moron had been two floors up; even though Murph had taken off at a dead run, there was nothing he (or anyone else) could have done. The SLP roared in the mechanic's hands to end the zombie as it straddled the prone form of Alaster, but the damage had been done; the man was gurgling, blowing bubbles in his own lifeblood from a ruined throat. The panic in the young man's eyes sickened Tommy Murphy, but the only thing to do for him was to dispense a little mercy in the form of a ten gauge slug.
Just like that, another life had ended in a brutal, senseless fashion. Murph had become to be numbed by the horror of it all.
Posted on 2012-10-23 at 04:28:57.
Edited on 2012-10-23 at 18:43:14 by t_catt11
|
Topic: New Here! Ello Everyone!
Subject: greetz!
Welcome to the Inn!
Posted on 2012-10-23 at 02:30:30.
|
Topic: Hi, New here...
Subject: welcome!
Welcome to the Inn!
Posted on 2012-10-23 at 02:30:09.
|
Topic: Interest in another Star Wars game
Subject: well
I can attest that Ayrn is a guy. Dad of seven.
Posted on 2012-10-22 at 18:27:02.
|
Topic: A Star Trek Question
Subject: no worries
I never figured that you'd change him. I'm simply affirming that, in my mind, he's a solid Trek character concept. To say nothing of the fact that he's a blast to read.
Posted on 2012-10-22 at 18:08:30.
|
Topic: A Star Trek Question
Subject: meh
I call hogwash. Starfleet is regularly depicted as bending over backwards to accomodate cultural diversity, of which they typically lump in religious views. Worf's Kligon sash was clearly non-uniform, but was allowed. The Bajoran earring thing doesn't fit canon, to me, unless it really is a form of preaching.
In my trekverse, this is a nonissue. Were a starfleet officer to be actively seeking converts while on duty, that might be an issue. Otherwise, no.
To me, Lieutenant N'Doog's conscientous objector status is handled much like the real life military - he's put in a non-combat role. Issue solved.
I can't see that he would be allowed to pass command training, since line officers do have to use force from time to time, but there's no reason that an engineer would have to make such a choice.
For the intents and purposes of the Discovery game, I reserve my right as GM to rule that this is a non issue. My starfleet is a bit more formal than the one frequently depicted on TV, so I feel fine making this ruling.
Posted on 2012-10-22 at 17:59:49.
Edited on 2012-10-22 at 18:00:21 by t_catt11
|
Topic: Interest in another Star Wars game
Subject: sweet
Love some Star Wars. I am in over my head as is, but I hope this one takes off!
Posted on 2012-10-22 at 15:29:35.
|
Topic: Star Trek: The Cassius Incident Recruitment
Subject: sweet
Loving the interaction and anticipation for this game, folks. I may see what I can do to get a thread opened so that those who wish can start on their own subplots and such.
Posted on 2012-10-22 at 15:28:55.
|
Topic: My 4-Year Anniversary
Subject: heh
Woo, she posts!
Posted on 2012-10-22 at 15:26:49.
|
Topic: Voyages of the Rocinante - Firefly RPG QnA
Subject: yep
Not my game, but please, let me interject my two cents.
Its cool to question the GM. It's cool to challenge the GM (GMs do occasionally overlook details, come close to making mistakes, etc). With that being said, consider the following:
The GM is the all powerful creative force behind the game's universe. If he says that a rescue will enable the crew to uncomfortably fit fifteen people inside of a cargo hold with roughly the storage space of a Honda Civic, then said cargo hold must expand into extradimensional space/cause items inserted inside of it to take up less space/shut up, because the GM said so. Take your pick, all three are valid explanations.
Realism is appreciated in most games, but consider that heroic tales often gloss over small details in order to advance the story. Were I you, Loki, I'd give way to the accomplished storyteller, lest you find others filling the role of the hero.
Good GMs (like Alacrity) put hours into these games because they enjoy the games. If you turn them into a chore, why bother?
Posted on 2012-10-22 at 15:22:40.
|
Topic: Star Trek: The Cassius Incident Recruitment
Subject: yep
Definitely a lot of potential!
I have reservations on every single department head spot. For those of you who need to still flesh out your characters, do so.
If you haven't sent me anything concrete, please at least send me a character name, species, gender so that I can stub out the roster.
I hope to begin actual game posting by early next week.
Posted on 2012-10-19 at 13:48:42.
|
Topic: Star Trek: The Cassius Incident Q&A
Subject: of department heads and NPCs
Most player characters in a Trek game are department heads.
The fact is that there are just too many tasks aboard a ship like Discovery for one person - or even one group or people - to do.
Odds are that you'll have watches to stand on he bridge. You'll have projects to perform an/or oversee. Perhaps there is research, or day to day operations, or a host of other things.
This is where NPCs come in. As a department head, you have wide freedom to create junior officers and/or enlisted personnel to help fill out those duty rosters.
If you create an NPC, you can treat them as a secondary character - post for them, of you desire (or not, if you simply made them up to give your character someone to command).
Note that if you are really ambitious, it's usually okay to have an NPC in someone else's department.... just clear it with them first. Never post for someone else's NPC, kill them off, etc.
You'll see that Eol Fefalas has created quite a few Tactical officers and crew, and he sometimes posts for them. However, several are just names stubbed in to fill up the roster. Both approaches are fine.
If you have questions about this, don't hesitate to ask.
Posted on 2012-10-18 at 21:34:16.
|
Topic: Zombies in Chicago: Chapter 2 Q&A
Subject: there ya go
One flashback post. More coming.
Posted on 2012-10-18 at 19:35:06.
|
Topic: Zombies in Chicago: Chapter 2
Subject: flashback one
The first one of the group to fall had been Emily.
Murph knew in his heart that, if he lived through all of this, if the world didn't completely come to an end, that memories of the girl would likely bother him for the rest of his life.
People often spoke about the death of a young person as a tragedy, how so much potential had been wasted... and in this kid's case, such sentiments were very accurate.
She'd been smart, been resourceful, and would have been useful, what with her actual medical training. Mac probably owed the girl his life, as far at that went.
But she'd just been so weak, so pale. The cough had gotten steadily worse back at O'Brien's until it was likely full pneumonia, and the meds they'd pilfered hadn't had time to take effect. When the screamers had rushed out of the grocery store, terror had gripped the girl as she'd left them all behind in a dead run.
That run had really taken it out of her, though. She had gone terribly pale, and her expression had changed to one of abject despair. Probably some guilt of her own at leaving Mac behind like that.
Those final moments on Cornelia, when the screams had come pouring down the street from both ends, Emily had given up. Murph could still hear her little moan of despair, could see in his mind's eye how she only took a couple of serious strides before stumbling and falling to the street.
He'd wanted to turn back for her, but there just wasn't time. Amber had needed him, wouldn't let anyone else touch her. It was all Father Ted could do to keep the wheelbarrow holding the semiconscious Mac rolling down the street, and there would be no way the evangelist could pull the wounded man out by himself in time to get him through that doorway before the screamers were on them.
And so, Tommy Murphy had left that girl to die... though deep down, he wondered if she hadn't simply chosen to go out that way.
The mechanic remembered the three barks of the .357 as the creatures washed over Emily. At the time, he'd sincerely hoped that the last shot had been a self target - it would have at least been easier that way - but the blood curdling screams that followed proved that the girl had made a legitimate final stand.
Murph found those screams returning when his eyes were closed. He honestly wondered if they would ever completely fade.
Posted on 2012-10-18 at 19:30:54.
Edited on 2012-10-18 at 19:32:14 by t_catt11
|
Topic: Star Trek: The Cassius Incident Recruitment
Subject: woo!
We have an official roster entry for our new ship's counselor!
Posted on 2012-10-18 at 17:13:23.
|
Topic: Star Trek: The Cassius Incident Q&A
Subject: ino you should know
As you all know, I am the GM of this game. I am playing the role of Captain Blair, but understand that he is as much a plot device as a player character.
Commander Avanti (NPC/possibly Alacrity) and Lieutenant MacTavish (Eol Fefalas) are the executive officer and second officer of the USS Discovery, respectively. This means that they have full authority to issue orders to anyone on the ship, if need be. There are other characters on board (the chief engineer and the ship's doctor are good examples) who technically outrank MacTavish, but in the absence of Blair or Avanti, he is still in charge - Blair, Avanti, and MacTavish are line officers. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, Google can be your friend (check "line officers" and "chain of command"). In the absence of the above, any officer may be given command of the bridge, and thus, the ship - but this is typically designated ("Lieutenant Ames, you have the bridge").
Somewhat coincidentally, Eol Fefalas (and, when if he decides to be active, Alacrity) make up what I refer to as my "command staff". While I am the only person who knows the full details of what will happen in our main plotline, I do share relevant details with the two of them, allowing them to act as co-GMs. If they see an area of the story lagging behind or wandering off into a tangent, they are fully within their rights to help get things back on track. This may result in one of them making a post or contacting you privately. Listen to them - they have the full authority of a GM in pretty much all matters.
Finally, my version of Trek is slightly more military than that often portrayed on the various TV shows. Unless a superior officer has given you leave to act more informally, assume that you should saulte, make formal reports, etc. Pay attention to the standard forms of address (which basically mimic those of Her Majesty's Navy):
Superior officers are always referred to as "sir" (unless you are using the proper rank address below). This is regardless of gender. Likewise, the term "mister" is pretty universal, regardless of gender.
All flag officers are always called "Admiral", regardless of grade. A commodore is called "Commodore".
The captain (or commanding officer) of a ship is always called "Captain", regardless of grade (such as when a commander is in charge of a smaller vessel).
A full commander is always called "Commander".
A lieutenant commander is called "Commander", unless a captain (or higher) elects to refer to him as "Mister". However, doing so is giving offense, as it indicates that the lieutenant commander is a junior officer.
Junior officers (ensign up to lieutenant) are referred to by their ranks or by "Mister" Lastname.
Cadets or warrant officers are referred to as "Mister" Lastname.
NCOs are addressed solely by their rate (the term rate is preffered over "rank" for enlisteds). It is appropriate to address a petty officer (of any grade) as "Petty Officer". A chief petty officer is referred to as "chief", a senior chief petty officer is referred to as "senior chief", and a master chief petty officer is referred to as "master chief".
In addition, note that chief petty officers are expected to assist in the training of junior commissoned officers, so while the lowliest ensign may technically outrank a chief, the ensign would be wise to pay proper respect!
Enlisteds are typically referred to as "crewman" or "yeoman", without the last name attached.
Posted on 2012-10-18 at 16:52:27.
|
Topic: Star Trek: The Cassius Incident Q&A
Subject: useful links and info
Some links you may find useful!
Memory Alpha: the biggest Star Trek wiki on the internet. If you need to know canon trek info, check here.
RDI Trek Tools: our own in-house trek tools include the ship's roster and logbook, among other items. Use these to help keep things straight in our game.
Galaxy Class Specs: complete details of the Galaxy class vessel. Use this to figure out what deck a given department is located on, what types of probes the ship carries, what a given security rating is, and on and on. Special thanks to the "Star Trek: a Call to Duty" community for this superb recource!
Galaxy Class Crew Compliment: a full breakdown of all officers and enlisted crew on the ship, by department (Word Doc format).
Bridge layout: The current standard Galaxy Class bridge layout is as follows. In the center is Command area with three common seats, for the Captain, the Executive Officer to his right, and the Counselor to his left. Further out from these are two more seats that can be used by VIP or other non-stationed personnel.
At the front of the bridge is the Conn, starboard, and Operations, port, stations. Conn is the combination of Helm and Navigation, and Operations controls and monitors most vital ship functions. Operations is commonly in control of sensors aboard Galaxy Class starships.
Behind the Command area is the Tactical Rim. Here is the Primary and two Auxiliary Tactical stations. All tactical and security functions can be controlled and monitored from this point.
On the back wall from port to starboard are Engineering, Environment, Mission Operations, Science I, and Science II. These five stations are normally unmanned. The Chief Engineer is in Main Engineering, Environment & Mission Operations can be controlled at the Operations console, and Science I & Science II are the science department's presence on the Bridge. However, normally the Chief Science Officer [if the ship has one] is not a Bridge Officer. The position is a management and authority one, meant to control all the sub-departments which do their work in the various labs on board the ship. It is not uncommon however for some Chief Science Officers to conduct their business directly on the Bridge.
In the case of the Discovery, the captain has standing orders which require the presence of at least one science officer, one security officer, and one engineering officer on the bridge at all times in addition to the normal personnel.
Posted on 2012-10-18 at 16:48:52.
Edited on 2012-10-18 at 16:49:55 by t_catt11
|
Topic: Star Trek: The Cassius Incident Q&A
Subject: Star Trek: The Cassius Incident Q&A
This will be the Q&A thread for the moderated freeform game, Star Trek: the Cassius Incident.
We'll start with posting guidelines.
Posts in a Trek game need to be structured, else things quickly devolve into chaos. Therefore, I ask that you follow some guidelines.
First, start every post off with the date, location, and the time (in 24 hour, or military, format). We will be using "actual" dates insted of true stardates, as stardates are much more difficult for the casual player to keep up with. You will hear Captain Blair reference these in character, however. If anyone cares, our trek tools page include a stardate calculator.
Your post header should look something like this:
Stardate: 2368.07.10
USS Discovery, Main Engineering - 1615
Your text starts here...
The very nature of a Trek game - with everyone working independently - means that there will always be several storylines going at once. If we wait for one another, the game will almost immediately become so mired down that we wo't be able to continue. By giving our posts headers, we're able to back post, change scenes, etc, without too much confusion.
Please stay on the same mission day, except when backposting. In other words, if the rest of the ship is on day three, the CSO doesn't need to be sharing the discoveries he makes on day five. It's okay to go back and post a conversation you might have missed, but don't go ahead. As captain, my main function is to keep the story as organized as possible - I'll do this by regulating mission dates.
Be creative. Improvise. Add wrinkles to the plot. It's perfectly acceptible for the chief engineer to suddenly report a problem with the transporters just as we're about to visit a planet's surface. Maybe he'll need to fix it, or maybe the need for us to go is so pressing that we're forced to take shuttles.
If there's a problem on the table, don't be afraid to come up with solutions. If you have any doubts or questions, email me.
Please, by all means, create NPCs as needed. If you're the chief of security, you'll obviously need security personnel to flesh out your duty roster. We won't be having twenty people playing those roles, so you'll need to create them.
There's no need to go so far as to create a bio for most of them, but if you plan to use them in a recurring role, it wouldn't be a bad idea.
Nw, then... don't be that creative! Don't "God mode" - i.e., don't play your character in such a way that he solves every problem without help, knows the answer to every question, never has any trouble, etc. Share the spotlight - everyone deserves a chance to contribute on the missions. Don't control someone else's NPC wthout conferring with them first.
Never, ever control another person's main character. It's okay to make reasonable assumptions, but post them as such. This is bad:
Captain Blair nodded to Commander BillyBob. "So commander, what is your plan?" he asked. The commander paused for a moment, then spoke, "Captain, we should fire up the xyz in order to make the abc work correctly."
In this case, I'm posting the commander's intentions and speech for him. No, no no.
Better:
Captain Blair nodded to Commander BillyBob. "So, commander, what is your plan?" he asked.
OOC: assuming BillyBob shares the plan...
Blair nodded again. "Carry on," he stated.
I'm reacting to what I anticipate the answer to be, but giving myself edit room if it happens differently than I expect. I am not controlling the commander.
Format your posts.
This is a writing intensive game, and we all have different styles of posting. That's fine, but I want some standards, so that no one is confused.
Speech should always be included in quotes.
"How are you doing today, ensign?" Blair asked.
No bold, no other colors. Just quotes.
Internal throughts should be italicized.
Why does he keep blathering on? his players wondered.
Italics is done by adding the <i> tag before the italicized text, and adding the </i> tag after the italicized text.
Communictions via a communicator or other device is set aside with a special symbol.
Captain Blair keyed the intercom. "Blair to engineering."
=/\= Engineering, Thompson here. =/\=
"Thompson?" Noah asked. "Where is Commander Kennedy?"
There was a moment's hesitation before the reply.
=/\= Commander Kennedy is a little... preoccupied right now, sir. =/\=
Computer speech uses this same notation. It might seem cumbersome at first, but this makes the posts so much easier to read!
Posted on 2012-10-18 at 16:40:07.
|
Topic: Star Trek: The Cassius Incident Recruitment
Subject: okay
This game officially has a name.
Star Trek: The Cassius Incident
I am about to post the Q&A thread. A lot of it will be material recycled from an old Trek Q&A, as most of the info is still applicable (posting guidelines, ship specs, etc).
Posted on 2012-10-18 at 16:34:18.
|
Topic: Zombies in Chicago: Chapter 2 Recruitment
Subject: hah
Good luck with that, Gruggster. He can have a lightsaber, but I'm betting the plastic blade would not be great against zombies...
We have a full six players already. I might allow one more (maybe two if there was a crazy reason to do so).
Expect at least one flashback/wrapup post today. I'll keep going with those until the last chapter is fully sewn up, then we'll proceed with new zombie goodness.
Posted on 2012-10-18 at 13:45:45.
|
Topic: Forum activity
Subject: Forum activity
Nice to see the forum activity picking up. As usual, a lot of it has to do with games actively recruiting (imagine that... games driving traffic on a gaming site).
Go to see!
Posted on 2012-10-18 at 13:39:39.
|
Topic: Star Trek: The Cassius Incident Recruitment
Subject: cool
We are getting very close. We need an Engineer, but if we have to, we can NPC.
Honestly, the response has been way stronger than I have any right to hope for. We're all but filled up with half a day of recruitment in place.
I'll start a Q&A thread soon, where I'll put up posting format, extensive info on the Discovery, and sundry other topics.
Posted on 2012-10-18 at 03:42:25.
|
Topic: Star Trek: The Cassius Incident Recruitment
Subject: cool
Loving all the interest. Just PM me details, folks.
Posted on 2012-10-18 at 01:20:11.
|
Topic: Zombies in Chicago: Chapter 2 Recruitment
Subject: yep
I just PMed him back to you. For some reason, I thought you decided to use him in another game?
Posted on 2012-10-17 at 21:05:01.
|
| |
View/Edit Your Profile | Staff List | Contact Us
Use of the RDINN forums or chatrooms constitutes agreement with our Terms of Service.You must enable cookies and javascript to use all features of this site.
|
|
What game do you own the 
Return to Charadun - Q&A
The Morphing Game
Return to Charadun - Recr
