Fat Gandalf's Bar & Lounge (OOC chat) - Chapter Two

[Psychie]

Psychie Congratulations! You have been awarded 1 bonus Action Point for providing your squadron with a cool name! From now on, your Traverser team will be known as the "Wild Cards"!

On your character sheet, under Action Points, please write "Bonus Action Point 1/1." This point is not lost upon levelling and should be used as a last resort (i.e. when nearly all others have run out of their Action Points! Hardy har har!).

Good going, you! =)

Does that count the two extra APs that I got during character creation? I had thought those were lost when we leveled up.

 

[Sherwood]

Good deal on the team name.

 

[Psychie]

Thanks, Sherwood!

 

[Purr]

-Psychie. Ah! I had forgotten about those. No. You have a total of 3 Bonus AP.

I do recall Sherwood being more interested in coming up with a better main weapon for the VHT than the little popgun of the EU-11, so I have to think that his efforts will be focused on that instead.

Like Sherwood, I can't stand the damage on that damned gun. The upgrade(s) for it in Broadsword were conceived by Your Friendly Neighborhood Dannigan before we even started this game.

 

[Sherwood]

Yeah, its crazy that the infantry portable HLW-6 does more damage than the EU-11! Same range, too! Ugh!

 

[Psychie]

So, I'm sensing a slight level of anxiety from you Sherwood. What exactly do you feel about it? Please, share! lol

 

[Purr]

Agreed, Sherwood! Many of the Heavy Weapons in 2nd Edition Robotech do the same or more damage than the EU-11. The only advantage to the EU-11 is the unlimited payload and that it benefits from the targeting computers (MECT) and skills (Weapon Systems) of the operator as opposed to W.P.s.

My BIG problem with the EU-11 really lies in the size of the damned thing. I mean, if you have the technology to put that kind of power into a human-portable weapon, then why not for a mech that stands 20 feet tall?

 

[Sherwood]

Exactly! It is enough to make my brain hurt!

 

[Psychie]

I am guessing that the primary weapon is supposed to be the main gun in Tank mode. The rest of the time, you can dodge, right?

 

[Sherwood]

But in the Robotech cartoon, it shows the VHTs using their EU-11's in mecha mode and tearing into the Bioroids. Just doesn't make sense.

 

[Purr]

Good guess, Psychie. The VHT can dodge (or parry like nobody's business!) in any form.

 

[Psychie]

Well, it is a goal for Mario to work on; upgrading the weapon system. In the meantime, you fire twice in tank mode and then evade, using the rifle as a backup weapon.

 

[Purr]

There will come a point in Broadsword where your characters (assuming they've played their cards right - wait! They're all Wild Cards! Oh! Does that make Mario the Joker Wild Card?! Ooooh!) will be able to modify their mecha to a certain degree (you may recall I mentioned this before game launch in our Conversation).

There are no small amount of possible modifications, but almost every one of them will require "leg work" of some form or another. Parts, schematics, inventor's information, or the like. This will open up the way for many a small side adventure not only in Florida, but beyond.

In time, it is quite possible your characters will have access to mecha that would make even General Steel and his Slayers envious. But until then, the Wild Cards are stuck with the vanilla models, especially given that the ASC is relatively new and their transformable mecha here in Florida are just as new (remember in Mario's prologue when the Malcontents first noticed Mario inside Rattletrap? They didn't recognize it).

 

[Sherwood]

Just out of curiosity, is one of the captured tanks in Zentraedi custody a command variant? I would love to get my hands on one of those with my comms skills.

 

[Purr]

While that would be so very cool, I say again, the ASC mecha are relatively new. According to the research I've done, the command variant has yet to be invented.

 

[Sherwood]

I understand. Any word on if Booty will be getting his own tank with us in the field? Or are we holding on IC stuff for that?

 

[Purr]

O.K. Let me remind again for everyone's benefit:

The Wild Cards' mission is to take 3 Valkyries (6 people maximum) and infiltrate a "Red Zen" base where 2 Eglin ASC Veritech Hover Tanks are being held.

Booty isn't getting his own tank; you chose him to help you get the two tanks you're after.

 

[Sherwood]

I think that Psychie was asking about after this mission.

 

[Psychie]

Exactly.

 

[Purr]

I think that Psychie was asking about after this mission.

*The GM is confused.* Huh? The question I answered was yours, Sherwood (post #116).

Psychie, what is your question (and what post is it in? I can't see any question of yours involving what Sherwood's asking)?

 

[Psychie]

I was wondering that, once we are done with this mission and have successfully recovered both tanks, will Booty be joining the Wild Cards as a tank pilot in the field with us as an active combatant, the same way that Mackenzie is with her Valk?

 

[Psychie]

I may not have been clear in my asking in the IC thread. Sorry.

 

[Sherwood]

It happens when we are not sitting around the table in person sometimes.

 

[Purr]

Oh! You're referring to Toph's question IN-GAME. Ahh! I thought you meant here in Fat Gandalf's where this chat has been going on all along. No wonder I can't find your question. =) *GM is un-confuzzled* =)

The Short Answer? I honestly have no idea what Cpl. Booty will decide. I think it's much too early to tell.

Here comes the Long Answer if you're interested (in the spoiler). Here are a few deep thoughts to ponder:

Spoiler

O.K. Firstly, let me point out that Toph is asking Col. Sharp in-character is a big difference than Psychie the player asking her Games Master. =) You're likely to get two different answers (as, seriously, Col. Sharp's perspective is quite different than mine - Col. Sharp is not the voice of the GM; he's a character - my voice is that of the "narrator." =) ).

Secondly, since you're asking me in OOC, my answer is - time will tell. How well do the Wild Cards get along with Cpl. Booty? Does a loner like him want to join a fighting squadron or sit around hoping to modify mecha (his true love)? Like all of my characters, Booty "tells" me what he's thinking and feeling. As it stands, Booty might or might not join; he "tells" me he doesn't know any of the Wild Cards well enough yet.

Booty is telling me this, though; he's with Reggie. Especially after Reggie's experience with the Anti-Unification League.

And lastly, the Wild Cards (at least in my mind) are the PCs plus Shirley (and The Dark Wizard's character should he join us; there is also the possibility of us adding another PC to our mix, but the time hasn't come for me to ask you guys about that just yet; I'll keep you posted).

So. Professor Stein and Hitomi are, of course, part of the mysterious UEG organization, Eternity. Col. Sharp is of the Army of the Southern Cross under General Steel. I'm bringing up the obvious here to state what might not be obvious - as time goes on, these characters might change their affiliation.

Shirley, for example, is really put off by General Steel. Your newly-crowned Squadron Leader honestly doesn't know if she can work under such a... well, you know what Steel is by now. Working under Col. Sharp is great, but what do you do when his boss seems near-to-evil? Do you quit? Transfer out? If you stay, how do you deal with it? If you leave, where do you go?

Professor Stein and Hitomi are virtually inseparable; MechaKitten is with them in Eternity. The chances of them splitting up are extremely slim. They make one hell of a team and they know it. Even if one of them chases lint balls and likes belly rubs (no, I'm not talking about Hitomi!). =)

And Col. Sharp? Well, he's in a special predicament, isn't he? Here's Professor Stein, a man he has trusted with his life for the longest time, and Toph, daughter of "Hiro," and a chaotic situation that involves "something worse than Zentraedi." Plus, he's the guy working directly under General Steel. Wouldn't you want a transfer if it were you?

Put yourself in any of their shoes.

My point is, it's like this - my characters make their own decisions and "tell" me what they want to do. I, as the GM, think about their decision and see if it's right for the game. Overall though, I just research, create, maintain, and narrate, etc. while letting my characters tell me how they feel and what they'd like to be up to. They often surprise me with their actions and sometimes even I don't know what they'll do next in response to your actions or situations that come up in-game.

Hope that answers the question! =)

Your thoughts?

 

[Psychie]

Ah. I understand now.