Messages

31

Role Play Theater / Re: DoW the 3rd

« on: June 29, 2013, 09:43:47 AM »

Create Avatar: 10 points
A new consciousness emerges in the immaterial plane, driven by emerging senses of order, justice, and fairness among creatures in the world that were just beginning to realize their potential.  These would be nurtured to maturity in time, and the new entity took upon itself the responsibility in guiding them toward the path of civilization. John Locke, the god of Law, began his careful work. 

Command Avatar: shape land: 2 points
His influence first manifests in B1, where a new spring creates a winding river that branches to flow into the bay at B2 on the northern branch, while the southern branch winds through C1 before emptying into the sea at D2.

Shape climate: 2 points
The forest in C2 spreads into C3, creating a swamp region.

Points left: 5

32

Role Play Theater / Re: DoW the 3rd

« on: June 27, 2013, 05:40:42 AM »

Edit: Bleh, might as well keep stacking.

Shape climatex2

A temperate forest grows in C/D 1/2

A coniferous forest grows in B1/2, petering out into tundra as it approaches the A row.

points left: 5.  Watch me roll 2 next turn.

33

Role Play Theater / Re: DoW the 3rd

« on: June 20, 2013, 09:03:33 PM »

Shape land: 3 points
The land in B1/B2 is extended south to include C1/2 and D1/2, with an arbitrarily natural looking coastline.

Shape climate: 2 points
A gentle northward current nudges the temperate zone in C1/C2 north by one square.

Points remaining: 4

34

Role Play Theater / Re: DoW the 3rd

« on: June 19, 2013, 06:15:06 PM »

I suppose I could take another swing at this, hopefully this time a tad more peaceful and not quite so much in the middle of things. 

35

Role Play Theater / Re: Warhammer 40k campaign: Liberation of Skrynne

« on: June 11, 2013, 09:03:50 AM »

After Action Report:

After a rough landing on Skrynne's southern continent, the squad arrived to find the spaceport under siege by Orks.  They successfully defended their craft from a small group of raiders who had broken off from the main mob, allowing their platoon to disembark safely and flank the Ork mob to break the siege. The squad sustained only minor injuries, owing to the Orks' notoriously poor aim and some well-placed shots on the Guardsmen's side breaking their morale before they could reach melee range.

The spaceport was secured, and techpriests were called out to tend to the crashed landing ship.  The nose of the ship had buckled badly on impact, and an autopsy determined that the pilot had died from his wounds shortly after opening the main door.  He was posthumously promoted two ranks and awarded the Medallion Crimson for his sacrifice.  Additionally, one of the engines had sustained heavy damage but the tech-priests were able to stabilize it before it could cause any further harm.  The spaceport will be short one runway until the pavement is repaired, and repairs to the fortifications are expected to take several weeks.  In the meantime, the new arrivals are inprocessed and assigned sleeping quarters.  Ammunition and equipment has been resupplied. 

Recruitment remains open (though at this point new players will miss out on a little EXP).  Additionally, this thread may be used to discuss the outcome of battles or for off-duty roleplay between missions.

If people would like to continue to play, a new mission will be issued next week.  The second mission in this mini-campaign is fairly long, and I expect that it will take three or four sessions to complete.  EXP will be awarded for each session, but once the squad leaves the base recruitment will be closed.

Everyone who participated in the battle has gained 400 EXP. 

For the Emperor, ever onward.

36

Role Play Theater / Re: Warhammer 40k campaign: Liberation of Skrynne

« on: June 08, 2013, 04:13:17 PM »

Update: due to a surprise change at work, I will be pulling a one-time shift on the 9th from roughly noon to midnight (adjusted to US Eastern).  Therefore, I am moving the launch time to the 10th, sometime between 17:00 and 20:00 Eastern.

37

Game Room / Re: Battlefield 3?

« on: May 27, 2013, 04:54:26 AM »

I'm afraid that outside of Planetside 2, the most modern FPS I have is Battlefield 2142.  Good old Battlefield 2 is much better in my opinion though. 

The main reason I haven't tried to get a group together for it is I haven't thought of a way to get us all on the same team, as just about all BF servers autobalance and most scramble between matches.  I suppose if we're patient and find a server that doesn't scramble, we could gradually move onto the same team as people come and go.

38

Role Play Theater / Warhammer 40k campaign: Liberation of Skrynne

« on: May 26, 2013, 02:14:13 PM »

It is the 41st millenium...

For more than a hundred centuries, the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth.  He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods, and the master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies.  He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology.  He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die.

Yet in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance.  Mighty battlefleets cross the Daemon-infested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomicon, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will.  Vast armies give battle in his name on uncounted worlds.  Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors.  Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defense forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, to name but a few.  But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants --and worse.

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times.  Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned.  Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim, dark future there is only war.  There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.

Nevertheless, you are the Imperial Guard, the Hammer of the Emperor, and the backbone of the Imperium.  It is your solemn duty to hold back the darkness that encroaches on all sides, and bring the light of the Emperor to the darkest corners of the galaxy.  Your regiment, the Perlian 41st Liberators, is a proud regiment that traces its roots back to before the 13th Black Crusade, when Ciaphas Cain, Hero of the Imperium, led the Perlian planetary defense force to free the planet from the vile taint of the Orks.  Their aptitude for purging the stubborn greenskins has not gone unnoticed, and they have been deployed to the planet Skrynne on the Spinward Front to deal with the Ork infestation there.

Perlian is home to a prestigious school of the Schola Progenium, and as a consequence soldiers from that world, such as yourself, receive excellent training that confers the following benefits:

+3 to Willpower and your choice of Weapon Skill or Ballistics Skill
 Training in Common Lore(Imperial Guard), Common Lore (Imperium), Common Lore (War), and Linguistics (High Gothic, Low Gothic)
Air of Authority or Unshakable Faith as a bonus talent
+1 Wounds

The Commander of the 41st Liberators is cautious and level-headed, encouraging his troops to plan ahead and be aware of the battlefield.  You gain Foresight as a bonus talent.

As a Line Infantry regiment, your training grants you the following attributes:
+3 Strength
-3 Intelligence
Bonus skill: Athletics
Bonus talent: Rapid Reload

Additionally, the 41st Liberators prizes marksmanship and trains its troops to aim their weapons with great precision.  You gain an Aptitude for Ballistics Skill and Deadeye Shot as a bonus talent.

Unfortunately, Perlia's prestige and the fame of Ciaphas Cain, Hero of the Imperium has resulted in the Depertmento Munitorium receiving a multitude of requests for Perlian troops, most notably to aid planets beset by Tyranids.  These demands have left their resources stretched thin, and it will be more difficult than usual to replace fallen Comrades.

The standard issue gear for the 41st Liberators is as follows:
2 Uniform
1 Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer
1 Knife (1 kg)
1 Best Quality Plasma Gun (18 kg)
2 Hydrogen Flasks (for plasma gun, 1.5 kg ea.)
1 Mk 36 Lasgun (4 kg)
4 Charge Paks (for Lasgun)
1 Imperial Guard Flak Armor (11 kg)
1 Red Dot Sight (0.5 kg, may be applied to any primary weapon)
2 Frag Grenades (0.5 kg ea.)
2 Krak Grenades (0.5 kg ea.)
1 Rucksack
1 Entrenching Tool
1 Mess Kit and Canteen
1 Blanket and Sleeping Bag
1 Rechargeable Lamp
1 Personal Hygiene Kit
1 Imperial Guard ID
2 weeks of rations
1 micro-bead radio (headset)
1 Chrono (watch)

You may be issued additional gear as required by your role in the squad, or if High Command deems it necessary for your mission.  Note that this gear will put an average character rather close to their weight limit, and either build your character with that in mind or be prepared to leave some stuff sitting in your locker.

Characters will be generated using point-buy, starting with 20 points in each attribute and with 100 free points to distribute.  Please use the character sheet below and post your characters in this thread.  Contact me if you need a copy of the relevant rules.

We will be hitting the planet on June 9th at 1400 Eastern.

The Emperor protects.

39

Role Play Theater / Re: Dawn of Worlds the 2nd!

« on: May 24, 2013, 04:22:32 PM »

Catastrophe: 10 points
In the skies high above the scarred southern half of the continent, as the forces of the Wyrms and Sons meet in battle, the largest fleet of airships ever assembled by Foxkind gathers...

A priest of the Empirical Truth stands upon the bridge of the flagship, His Eternal Will, and unrolls a large scroll.  Dipping a quill in ink, he signs the bottom of the scroll as he reads its proclamation.

"We have arrived, and it is now that we perform our charge.  In fealty to the God-Emperor, our undying lord,  and by the grace of the Golden Throne, I declare Exterminatus upon the former Human city of Solaris.  I hereby sign the death warrant of an entire city, and consign a million souls to Oblivion.  May Imperial justice account in all balance.  The Emperor protects."

As he rolls the scroll up and seals it with the Imperial seal, the admiral of the fleet passes out the orders to initiate Exterminatus.  Thousands of newly-developed vapor bombs are dropped overboard.  These bombs, constructed with a potent mixture of promethium and skywhale oil imported from Batosian lands, saturate the city and several miles around with the liquid fuel and flammable vapors.  Once the Exterminatus munitions are fully deployed, the flagship drops a single guncotton bomb into the center of the city.

The resulting blast is visible for thousands of miles, a blinding light that overpowers the sun.  The shockwave rips the city from its foundations, flattens everything around it, breaks several windows in Cadia and Null Military Command, and shakes the armies clashing nearby.  Many of the Sons' rear echelons either die from the overpressure, or are deafened as their eardrums are shattered.  One airship failed to maintain minimum safe altitude, and was caught in the blast.  After the shockwave passes, the dust and ash from the explosion rise up into the sky as a mushroom cloud.

Not a single stone of the city remains.

The Emperor and his armies make an admirable show of force in the final battle, mere mortals with steel on their chests and fire in their hearts showing no fear as they do battle amongst gods, demons, and mages.  However, as the battle draws to a close and Saul stands alone, the Emperor orders his armies back.  He knows the time for reckoning has come.  His soldiers have done their duty, now they must look to preserving themselves.

After the battle is over, the demons vanquished, and the world changed once more, the Empire holds a great memorial service to honor the fallen.  General Creed stands in the greatest auditorium in Luminurbis, delivering a long and passionate speech honoring those who gave everything in service to the Emperor, and remembering all the hardships the Empire has gone through.  Finally, he wraps it up with a message for the living,

"It is only natural to seek culpability in times of tragedy.  It is a sign of strength to cry out against fate, rather than to bow one's head and succumb.  Inevitably many shall fault the leaders who send their sons and daughters to die in battle, the generals and admirals who must weigh every precious life against the immeasurable cost of failure.  But these leaders only perform the duties of their office.  To further fear them is redundant, to hate them, heretical.  Those more sensible will place responsibility with those who force the hand of the Empire.  With some fortune they may foster this hatred into purpose, and further rule their own fate by coming to the Emperor's service.  May Imperial courage never be found wanting.  The Emperor protects."

Points left: 4

40

Role Play Theater / Re: Dawn of Worlds the 2nd!

« on: May 23, 2013, 04:32:07 PM »

The Council is reluctant to consider the proposal, having bore witness to the excesses of the other races and the disaster they had brought to the world, but the Emperor advises them that they will need allies if they are to face the multitude of threats that surround them. 

With the Emperor's guidance they ratify the treaty.  However, during discussion of the possible dangers of interacting with xenos the topic of Otterium inevitably came up.  As a condition to their joining the treaty, Otterium in all its forms is banned from Imperial lands until such a time as the Adeptus Mechanicus deems it safe. Individuals found to be infected with Otterium, regardless of race, must be exiled from Imperial borders for the duration of the ban. 

41

Role Play Theater / Re: Dawn of Worlds the 2nd!

« on: May 22, 2013, 01:41:13 PM »

The generals in charge of the armies lost at Solaris are executed for gross incompetence.  The Empire's resources are vast, but they are not unlimited.  One cannot expect to waste millions of lives and billions of thrones of equipment and expect to go unpunished.

The Empire has had enough.  One solution remains for the continent's troublesome southern half, a solution for which the Empire must make extensive preparations.

Command Avatar: 1 point
The Emperor travels to Blackwell, and with a group of hand-picked Engineers of the Adeptus Mechanicus he expedites the creation of the 3rd Imperial Airship Fleet, to replace the one lost.

Command city: Cadia: 2 points
Ever faithful, Cadia draws up the 4th Cadian Imperial Regiment to replace their losses.

Command city: Blackwell: 2 points
Blackwell studies the events leading to the 101st's loss in detail, taking the lessons learned to train the 82nd Air Assault Regiment.

Command City: Ironworks: 2 points
Ironworks, using plans filed with the Adeptus Mechanicus, constructs the 4th Imperial Airship Fleet in preparation for the final solution to the demon question.

Command City: Porttown: 2 points
The drydocks of Porttown forge the 2nd Imperial Ironclad Fleet.

Points remaining: 3

42

Role Play Theater / Re: You can have your sci-fi in any shade, so long as it's dark.

« on: May 20, 2013, 04:21:52 PM »

Looks like nobody really cares, so I'll try to go for Only War.  If you're interested, post here and state whether you would like to be in an infantry, mechanized scout, mechanized infantry, tank, or cavalry (hunter-killer) regiment.

If you would like to play but don't have the rulebook, look me up on Skype and I will try to get you what you need to play.

43

Role Play Theater / Re: Dawn of Worlds the 2nd!

« on: May 16, 2013, 05:14:41 AM »

(Are you sure you're rolling 2d6?  I'm finding it hard to believe that nobody has rolled above 6 on that for the past twenty plus rounds of combat.  Also, damn it what does it take to get a losing army to retreat?!

From rolling 2d6 in the chat room:
(tech bonuses equal, omitted to save space)

Code: [Select]

3rd CIR 10-v
-----------3rd CIR
HoS 2------^

1st IAF 2v
---------SE 7-1(6)--v
SE 9-----^--------1st CIR
[Reserves]1st CIR 7-^
101st AA 11-v
------ 101st AA
PoA 7-------^

Reserves:
1st CIR^
2nd IAB

Result:
Imperial victory, SoA forces trapped in city, thus destroyed. 1st IAF retreats/is destroyed.  Using brackets really helps keep track of what's going on.  Personally I would prefer 3d6 to normalize results even more and reduce random BS, but the game calls for 2d6 as that is the core mechanic of this system.

You don't have to use my results per se, but hopefully this example gives an idea of the methodology.  I don't like raising such a fuss about this, but I do feel like the sudden and undocumented abandonment of the 2d6 standard last turn is unfairly penalizing my faction.)

44

Role Play Theater / Re: Dawn of Worlds the 2nd!

« on: May 15, 2013, 06:18:43 PM »

Command Avatar: Build City: 1 point
For many decades after the rash and unjustified destruction of Luminurbis, demonic incursions plagued the lands once protected by the light of the Aeronomican.   Hundreds of thousands of loyal troops gave their lives to hold the Empire together in these troubled times, while nefarious new diseases and dire famines claimed countless innocent lives as well.  Bodies were carted out of the cities to be buried in mass graves, and as it became more difficult to find room for them they were thrown into furnaces to be burned to ash and returned to the soil.

Then one day, the earth quaked with a mighty shaking.  The sun turned dark, the mountains trembled, and the stars fled from the sky. People hid themselves in terror, fearing the terrible wrath that had surely been visited upon the world.  In this darkness, a great pillar of light rose from the volcano where Luminurbis once stood, its shining brightness rolling the sky back like a scroll.  Behold, the city itself rose from the mouth of the volcano, wreathed and shielded by holy light, the tower of the Aeronomican still intact.  As its foundations rise above the mountain, the source of the light is revealed: the Emperor, holding the entire city atop a single paw, his light brighter than the sun and visible from one end of the world to the other.  He speaks with a thunderous voice, the sound of which echoes throughout the world:
"By the power of your faith, I am the God-Emperor of Foxkind!  Let this be a sign unto you; that so long as you are faithful, My holy city shall never fall.  Its light will protect all who seek peace and order, but destroy all who seek ruin and chaos.  There are others who seek peace like us, and with them we shall create a new world order.  Under the banner of the Empire, we shall create a safe, and secure, society.  Peace!  Through!  Power!"

The Emperor sets the city atop the volcano, sealing it and rendering it inert.

Command city: Luminurbis: 2 points
The Lightguard were protected with the rest of the city, but I'll spend the points to bring them back anyway.

Command city: Cadia: 2 points
The Emperor's return inspires thousands of faithful to volunteer for His service, prompting the Department of Defense to form the 3rd Cadian Imperial Regiment.

Command city: Porttown: 2 points
Porttown raises a regiment trained to fight ship-to-ship on the high seas, and secure beachheads to make way for the rest of the Emperor's armies, forming the 1st Porttown Marine Regiment.

Command city: Blackwell: 2 points
Blackwell raises a specialized regiment trained to rappel out of airships behind enemy lines, forming the 101st Blackwell Air Assault Regiment

Command city: Ironworks: 2 points
The forges of Ironworks work overtime to replace the lost artillery brigade, raising the 3rd Ironworks Artillery Brigade

Command Order: 2 points
The Department of Defense gathers the armies for their largest operation yet.  The time to destroy the demon menace is at hand.  First it will be necessary to establish a foothold in their cursed lands. 
The 1st Cadian Imperial Regiment, 3rd Cadian Imperial Regiment, 1st Imperial Airship Fleet, 101st Blackwell Air Assault Regiment, and 3rd Ironworks Artillery Brigade are dispatched to seize Solaris and establish a staging area for further operations.  They are instructed that failure will not be tolerated: regiments who vanquish their foes must march swiftly to assist their brothers still locked in battle, but any threatened with imminent destruction must wisely regroup to fight another day.

General Creed looks over the battle plans in the command room table, "Excellent.  Preliminary bombardment by our artillery will commence at dawn.  Once our artillery have breached the walls, the 1st and 3rd Cadian regiments will be tasked with securing the breaches, eliminating defenders there to open the path to the city proper.  Once the enemy is sufficiently committed to the breaches, the airships will drop the 101st behind the walls and provide close air support while we secure the city.  We will need to purge the whole place with fire before we start repairing the fortifications, who knows what filth may be lurking in there."

Points left: 1

45

Role Play Theater / You can have your sci-fi in any shade, so long as it's dark.

« on: May 14, 2013, 09:28:54 PM »

I'm looking to run a basic, pre-written mission to get the hang of GMing in a dark futuristic setting.  It won't be a campaign for now, but I may try to expand on it if the mission goes well and ideas are abundant.  This will likely start coming together some time after Dawn of Worlds ends.

The settings I have rule books for and that fit the theme are Only War and Dark Heresy in the 40k 'verse, and Cyberpunk 2020. If you would like to suggest something else you can, but you'd need a way for me to get my hands on a source book.  I'll dig up a canned mission for whichever one more people are interested in and try to organize from there.