Pulp Sci-Fi, Firefly-esque. Ship Crew. Small group -- {interest check}

[Amarlo]

Okay well looks like that's the case then.  XO it is! :)  I was going for something else initially, more messy more anarchy and without clear military chain of command.  Between the Captain NPC (who is very military) and a head of security (i assume military? aiden yeah?), perhaps... the XO might have been a politically chosen position.  YC represents the civilian authority.  Though don't feel like you have to do that, she can certainly be military if you wish.  That's just me trying to inject a bit of chaos for later in the story.

I was actually going to go along the lines of a more diplomatic officer that started out in law enforcement and internal affairs :) I was going to turn her into a sort of second or third generation engineered "ambassador" that's otherwise questionable she should even be there, maybe. I'm definitely playing with intricacies in my head :P

[ZephySempai]

I'm definitely interested in playing a System's Engineer. A bit of a quirky personality; pretty laid back in general but gets the job done when shit gets real.

[Amarlo]

Oh, if the Phage typically do boarding parties I'm guessing there's a reason why they don't just blast ships into non-existence. Do they try to assimilate like the Borg? Do collect them for food? Slavery?

I figure this sort of thing would either be known or have rumors involved. I doubt they're like Reavers - raping and skinning people alive xD ... Actually, never mind, I won't count that one out yet >.>; Either way...

With hive-mind going on, are they cybernetic like the Borg or do they keep themselves connected to one another through psionic means? And if so, can they use these psionic means to try and bombard humans with attacks upon closer quarters like the Aliens from Independence day? Even in some cases temporarily taking control of their living/dead bodies through touch? Not saying it's something that would commonly happen to the pc characters but would it be a threat?

Sorry to bombard you with so many questions, I love to get the best grasp I can on things before I fully flesh out my character xD

[Thorne]

Hey, I recognize that guy.. >.>

Um. Okay, I got a little sidetracked with RL gaming. I'm still interested, I think. I wasn't interested in a command-type position (.. unless this is an, 'I need a corporal. You're it until you're dead or I find someone better' deal..), so .. um. Lemme see what I can put together. That might not happen until tomorrow, depending - I have a game to run today. <.<

So, dumb question, seeing how being boarded by hostile Phage is apparently a thing; how realistic are you aiming here? Is this a, 'you can't fire that in here, you'll puncture something and trigger a meltdown/rupture the hull!', where we're probably using 'standard' weapons (slug-throwers, laser pistols (if we can get them), knives and ..?

[Demosthenes]

Stopping by to show all of the interest in being a gunner on this ship. Thinking a mix between Queequeg and Hephaestus.

[Rotochron]

Interested in any position, looking closely at pilot but I'd rather not step on toes, so really anything's fine by me.

[Amarlo]

In the mean time if anyone wants to plot characters with me, feel free to pm me  ;D I love plotting! Past, present and/or future. Can be anything from acquaintences, friends, enemies, frenemies or even potential romantic interests :) I'm open to all sorts of connections.

[Joel]

Yassss!  I am so happy that there's plenty of interest in this game.  Apologies for the messiness of the setup at the moment, I know there's plenty of information still missing.  Please keep the questions coming though, I'm very open to fitting your ideas into this.

@Aiden: i think Tiron is off to a good start.  solid older character, no doubt experienced and qualified for the role.  the captain of the ship is going to much younger than Tiron and less experienced, but the captain is likely the son of the Admiral (im thinking something along the lines of Lee Adama though still working on it).  i'd be interested in exploring any sort of past experiences with either Tiron and @Amarlo, your character too.  also if anyone else has a military character in mind we should certainly plot.

@ZephyS: awesome the system engineers are certainly going to be the ones keeping the whole mission together in the end.  just watching out for Tinker's chief engineer character, it doesn't sound like she tolerates slackers. lol.

@Amarlo: a diplomatic officer would be an interesting appointee as an XO.  i certainly see the civilian fleet as holding all the resources and the military and having the necessary hardware so the two sides have to work together to get anything done.  also law enforcement in the Fleet is pretty ruthless I imagine, almost Western in it's quick justice.

About the Phage.  They do prefer boarding and disabling ships versus blowing them up.  They eat humans, either right on the spot or they abduct the victims.  It's unlikely that humans are their only source of sustenance, so there's probably something else going on.  Humans know that the Phage are an organo-silican organisms with multiple life stages similar to a beetle life cycle (e.g. zerg).  They also know that Phages communicate telepathically and that in the absence of telepathy that they essentially inactivate.... yeah it's pulp sci-fi.

There are other things... that could happen.  Frankly, they really don't know how the Phage works entirely or what they are capable of.  The destruction of Earth was so sudden that there were no real survivors of the conflicts there.  The Flotilla does fight the Phage out in deep space, but it's pretty clear that they are only encountering the Phage's expeditionary forces.

@Throne: don't worry darlin'.  the ship isn't military organized so it can be a big mix of people.  it sounds like we might actually have all the roles filled for officers between the captain (me), the XO (amarlo), and the head of security (aiden).

As for how Realistic things are... yeah it's not very realistic.  Bullets on the ship would be a bad idea in real life, but for the sake of this game we'll just ignore the issue of bullets puncturing the hull.  For the moment we'll start with bullets, but I can see lasers and more advanced weapons being improvised by the crew later if that's the direction people want to go (essentially the crew will discover items on their journey).

@Demos: welcome buddy!  a grumpy scary queequeg/hephs sounds like an excellent character for the gunner. 

@Rotochron: also welcome Roto.  this game is going to be first come first serve with character applications and at the moment the pilot is still open.  feel free to throw up any character ideas here and hopefully we can all sorta harmonize our interests.

[Rotochron]

Hoy Joel!

What's the flotilla do for entertainment? Did any old movies and such survive from Earth That Was, or was that all left behind in the mass exodus of survivors?

[Joel]

What's the flotilla do for entertainment? Did any old movies and such survive from Earth That Was, or was that all left behind in the mass exodus of survivors?

Heyo Roto ;)  Humanity was pretty advanced before the Phage came and destroyed everything so I can see ship computers having lots of media stored in them.  By far the -vast- majority of cultural material was lost during the invasion and even more of it was probably erased, repurposed, or just plain lost during the last 100 years of exodus.  People do not share equally in cultural goods so I can see some people in the fleet having access to a lifestyle almost at the level of pre-invasion levels and the vast majority of people in the fleet having some access of varying degrees from a little to none at all.  There are also 23 different civilian ships and each ship operates a little differently from the other so some ships might be a little more egalitarian than others.  Theres ALOT you are welcome to do here, it's purposefully vague for you to develop your character background.  However feel free to ask more questions!

[Amarlo]

i'd be interested in exploring any sort of past experiences with either Tiron and @Amarlo, your character too.

Fantastic, I'll message you when I have a chance :) My character will definitely be in her early-mid thirties.

@Amarlo: a diplomatic officer would be an interesting appointee as an XO.  i certainly see the civilian fleet as holding all the resources and the military and having the necessary hardware so the two sides have to work together to get anything done.  also law enforcement in the Fleet is pretty ruthless I imagine, almost Western in it's quick justice.

I actually have some fun images playing out in my head about Civilian law enforcement. Honestly, considering how things are in the setting I'd see law enforcement being a branch of the military rather than a stand alone in the long run - also policing military troops as well as civilian. In my head I have an image of the Bajorian occupation playing out - just naturally with less hate crimes and war games going on. Everyone's foods are rationed carefully to see that everyone receives the same amount/proper amount of nutrition. Foods are less based on enjoyment and more centered around fulfilling their nutritional needs, firefly's protein paste for example. Quarters are assigned as per individual and familial needs - privacy is practically non existent but also highly valued. Somewhat of a communistic approach to life and civilian management - no single individual is above the needs of another (Although that never typically holds true ;) ) Because every 'grain of rice' is counted so meticulously food theft is likely one of the highest crimes one can commit - aside the typical murder, rape, etc - and is likely dealt with in the same manner as most capital offenses; death.  Often times police officers will act as Judge, Jury and executioner - much like Judge Dredd >:D Especially when wasting time on things like court room dramas can be perceived as a considerable waste of time and resources while they're on the fringes like they are. 

But, well, that's what's been playing out in my head  ::), feel free to correct me if I'm wrong or add anything I may have missed.

About the Phage.  They do prefer boarding and disabling ships versus blowing them up.  They eat humans, either right on the spot or they abduct the victims.  It's unlikely that humans are their only source of sustenance, so there's probably something else going on.  Humans know that the Phage are an organo-silican organisms with multiple life stages similar to a beetle life cycle (e.g. zerg).  They also know that Phages communicate telepathically and that in the absence of telepathy that they essentially inactivate.... yeah it's pulp sci-fi.

There are other things... that could happen.  Frankly, they really don't know how the Phage works entirely or what they are capable of.  The destruction of Earth was so sudden that there were no real survivors of the conflicts there.  The Flotilla does fight the Phage out in deep space, but it's pretty clear that they are only encountering the Phage's expeditionary forces.

Of course they're not their only source of sustenance, that'd just be silly! :P But I see what you're saying. This is definitely not one of those situations where 'Well if there were no survivors then how do we know this story..?" can apply. 'And they were never seen again' definitely seems fitting, along with 'I just hope her death was swift and painless.. I can only imagine what they might do with her otherwise..'.. Lots of fear and apprehension spreading frightening stories 'to scare children into behaving'. I think this whole situation has a lot of potential for many rich backgrounds and futures :) I am super excited! ^^

[Aiden]

Amarlo, where you planning on going Military police background with your character? If so we might have some good background stuff there. Depending on yours, he could have been an instructor or CO for a time.

I was thinking of giving Tiron a sheriff/Marshall at some point after he retired from the marines. So he might have gained a rep for taking no shit, stern etc. So very few people actually feel at ease around him.

[Amarlo]

Amarlo, where you planning on going Military police background with your character?

What I was saying is that I think the Military police and Civilian police are one in the same :) Or at least, in my opinion, that's how I see it most likely going considering the circumstances.

I'm thinking she started out in the policing area and then as she ascended the ranks she became a more diplomatic officer between the civilians and those of a more martial lifestyle. Especially considering there are several large civilian ships, all of which likely expertly generate and trade in one thing or another - live stock, farming, cloth, industry, electronics, recycling, etc. I can see these sorts of things requiring a diplomatic overseer :) Not to mention an integrated lifestyle between civilians and military would definitely call for a go between, which might be why she was considered invaluable on this rag tag crew of multiple cultures (Different ships, different ways!) and lifestyles :) Or at least that's the general concept going on in my head at the moment.

[Amarlo]

Character In Construct Blurb and Reserve

Images

Name: Zia Caravella
Age:: 30-34ish
Ship Position: XO
Job history: --
Gender:: Female
Sexuality:: Heterosexual

(Double posting, my apologies!)

[Joel]

Honestly, considering how things are in the setting I'd see law enforcement being a branch of the military rather than a stand alone in the long run - also policing military troops as well as civilian. 

Of course they're not their only source of sustenance, that'd just be silly! :P But I see what you're saying. This is definitely not one of those situations where 'Well if there were no survivors then how do we know this story..?" can apply. 'And they were never seen again' definitely seems fitting, along with 'I just hope her death was swift and painless.. I can only imagine what they might do with her otherwise..'.. Lots of fear and apprehension spreading frightening stories 'to scare children into behaving'. I think this whole situation has a lot of potential for many rich backgrounds and futures :) I am super excited! ^^

Concerning law enforcement in the Fleet, it's Judge Dredd like but not like an occupation force that has jurisdiction over civilian and military alike.  The military would have it's -own- system of policing as would practically every civilian ship, independent of one another.  So it's sorta like local police versus federal investigators (in the American system).  But it's not even nearly as orderly as that.  Murder might be illegal on one ship and un-enforced on another.  However, because resources are exchanged amongst ships and the military doesn't trust the civilians and the civilians do not trust one another or the military, there has to be some sort of independent body that would investigate theft and graft of foodstuffs and other critical resources.  Justice wouldn't be about truth so much as just stopping the problem and recovering the stolen goods -- there are only show trials at best.  The situation is very similar to contract Sherifs of the 1800s Western America and to some extent the Pinkerton Agency.  In practice, I imagine this Fleet wide law enforcement is something set up by the Council (of ship captains and military) so law enforcement has some 'legal precedence' (very paper tiger) but in practice no one actually gives a crap about their authority.  Some cases might be cut and dry.  But some might involve a Fleet investigator over-stepping their bounds and then they end up thrown out an airlock.  So by and large, the Fleet recognizes the importance of Fleet wide law enforcement, but they are just tolerated.  They have to be exceedingly diplomatic in how they do their jobs.  On the other hand, they are very necessary because before them, it was mob justice.

addendum: yep also withholding information about a lot of things concerning the Phage and more from you guys.

[Amarlo]

Concerning law enforcement in the Fleet, it's Judge Dredd like but not like an occupation force that has jurisdiction over civilian and military alike.  The military would have it's -own- system of policing as would practically every civilian ship, independent of one another.  So it's sorta like local police versus federal investigators (in the American system).  But it's not even nearly as orderly as that.  Murder might be illegal on one ship and un-enforced on another.  However, because resources are exchanged amongst ships and the military doesn't trust the civilians and the civilians do not trust one another or the military, there has to be some sort of independent body that would investigate theft and graft of foodstuffs and other critical resources.  Justice wouldn't be about truth so much as just stopping the problem and recovering the stolen goods -- there are only show trials at best.  The situation is very similar to contract Sherifs of the 1800s Western America and to some extent the Pinkerton Agency.  In practice, I imagine this Fleet wide law enforcement is something set up by the Council (of ship captains and military) so law enforcement has some 'legal precedence' (very paper tiger) but in practice no one actually gives a crap about their authority.  Some cases might be cut and dry.  But some might involve a Fleet investigator over-stepping their bounds and then they end up thrown out an airlock.  So by and large, the Fleet recognizes the importance of Fleet wide law enforcement, but they are just tolerated.  They have to be exceedingly diplomatic in how they do their jobs.  On the other hand, they are very necessary because before them, it was mob justice.

Sounds great to me  ;D

[Aiden]

The police stuff sounds great to me, would add to his "No shit taken" personality as he had to be "diplomatic" and by that he might have broken a jaw or two, or shot a person in the knee if they pissed him off.  XD

[Joel]

we'll be putting character sheets here

an optional template is available for your use:

sheet

...

<<CHARACTER NAME>>      <<Character's Ship Role>>

NATURE:
    <<A brief description of your character's personality.  You may omit this section if you like, but think of it as an easy tl;dr for your fellow players to -quickly- get to know who your character is>>

APPEARANCE:
    <<A physical description of your character.>>
   
ABILITIES:
  <<A sentence describing the three major attributes or your character, chosen from the following list:  strength, dexterity, stamina; charisma, manipulation, appearance; perception, intelligence, wits.>>

• <<Knack Title>> - <<you may have 1-3 knacks for your character.  knacks are distinguishing qualities about your character.  they are the sort of things that other characters might nickname your character for.  they can be good or bad things.  please use moderation in your selection.  i.e. a marine will of course be badass, but an especially badass technician will require greater explanation in your history.>>
• <<Knack Title>> - <<brief description of said ability>>
• <<Knack Title>> - <<brief description of said ability>>

HISTORY:

    <<place a quote here if you like, delete this section otherwise.>>

<<place more blah blah here for an introduction to your character.  delete if you don't wanna.>>

...

    <<the meat of your history goes here.  go to town on the length.  if you have any questions on setting details please feel free to PM your GMs (Joel or Tinkertoy).  we are looking for realistic characters that exhibit a clear personality.  PLEASE PM YOUR SHEET TO ME (Joel) for OKAY>>

Code Select Expand


[justify]

[float=right][table][td][tr]  [/tr][/td][td][tr][img height=300]<<CHARACTER IMAGE URL HERE. USE ONLY PHOTOGRAPHS NO ILLUSTRATIONS>>[/img]

[spoiler=...][center]
[img width=200 padding=2]<<ADDITIONAL IMAGE URL HERE>>[/img]
[img width=200 padding=2]<<ADDITIONAL IMAGE URL HERE>>[/img]
[/center][/spoiler]

[/tr][/td][/table][/float][font=georgia][color=gray][size=15pt][b]<<CHARACTER NAME>>[/b][/size][/color][/font][hr][font=georgia][color=gray]      <<Character's Ship Role>>[/color][/font]

[font=georgia][color=gray][b]NATURE:[/b][/color][/font]
    <<A brief description of your character's personality.  You may omit this section if you like, but think of it as an easy tl;dr for your fellow players to -quickly- get to know who your character is>>

[font=georgia][color=gray][b]APPEARANCE:[/b][/color][/font]
    <<A physical description of your character.>>
   
[font=georgia][color=gray][b]ABILITIES:[/b][/color][/font]
  <<A sentence describing the three major attributes or your character, chosen from the following list:  strength, dexterity, stamina; charisma, manipulation, appearance; perception, intelligence, wits.>>
[list]
[li][justify]<<Knack Title>> - [color=gray]<<you may have 1-3 knacks for your character.  knacks are distinguishing qualities about your character.  they are the sort of things that other characters might nickname your character for.  they can be good or bad things.  please use moderation in your selection.  i.e. a marine will of course be badass, but an especially badass technician will require greater explanation in your history.>>[/color][/justify][/li]
[li][justify]<<Knack Title>> - [color=gray]<<brief description of said ability>>[/color][/justify][/li]
[li][justify]<<Knack Title>> - [color=gray]<<brief description of said ability>>[/color][/justify][/li]
[/list]

[hr]

[font=georgia][color=gray][b]HISTORY:[/b][/color][/font]
[center]
    [color=gray][i]<<place a quote here if you like, delete this section otherwise.>>[/i][/color][/center]

[right][i]<<place more blah blah here for an introduction to your character.  delete if you don't wanna.>>[/i][/right]

[spoiler=...]
    <<the meat of your history goes here.  go to town on the length.  if you have any questions on setting details please feel free to PM your GMs (Joel or Tinkertoy).  we are looking for realistic characters that exhibit a clear personality.  [b]PLEASE PM YOUR SHEET TO ME (Joel) for OKAY[/b]>>[/spoiler]

[/justify]


[RubySlippers]

I noticed there is no communications officer, is that role on the ship?

[Yuki]

Hi...

I would be very interested in playing a character close to Inara Serra. I was thinking on how to incorporate such a char into the background (but since you put Firefly on the table it ticked right away). So here would be my approach:

Vianna was raised as a companion (similar to Firefly) and while she grew up and being trained in her house it was identified that developed some psi-abilities (Babylon 5 like). The extend and skills are very negotiable. I could see something like perception of living beings (similar to a living motion tracker), foreshadowing abilities and heightened perceptions of  emotions (easier to detect lies and/or emotional states).
To equal out the balance to other players I would have her being in need to take medication to suppress the true amplitude of her skills as the risk would be high that it would turn her insane from all the feelings and emotional impact. The does not come without a side-effect which limits her development of muscles. While this does not effect her overall image and statue it clearly effects her combat abilities to the point where she could not even withstand the recoil of a gun should she fire one. While she could be of good use to the team and crew she also would be a weak spot as she has to be protected at all times during combat unless they want to get rid of her.
I could see Vianna working as a ship counselor or adviser while she is keeping her true origin (being trained as a companion) hidden from the crew to avoid "misunderstandings" and harassment. Yet one of the crew members or NPCs may found out about it and it could lead to conflict RP one way or the other. Maybe even her psi abilities are hidden from the main crew in the beginning and only the captain and security chief know about them?

I could see some good RP opportunities. Please let me know what you think.

[Etherealgirl]

Wow! This sounds great, is there any room/roles left?

[Joel]

Heads up everyone:  I just added a crap ton more information to the title post.  Please peruse at your leisure

Also, I'm sorta loose about ship roles because the Mission is purely volunteer based.  They certain need critical roles filled, but only a handful of crazy people were ever gonna volunteer to do this suicide mission.  The mission is not military although I'm sure it's more military than civilian in crew makeup.  Anyway my point is that beggars can't be choosers so a weird mismatch of crew members would be realistic.  Don't freak out if there's some overlap.  The captain would probably take anyone he could get especially considering how easy it is for people to die.

I noticed there is no communications officer, is that role on the ship?

Dooettt Ruby.  It'd probably be more someone keeping the com links working or decoding messages from discovered data banks.  The Phage does not communicate with Humans, although maybe she disagrees.  I'm very open to ideas here.  Also there's a lot more to the Phage than one would think.

@Yuki: This is totally a psychological horror of a game especially with the way that the enemy fights.  That the crew is going deeper into enemy territory without relief probably means some people could go crazy.  I totally see a councilor being welcomed aboard.  You are welcome to develop the psi elements of her character -- though be aware that the Phage communicates psionically and very bad things might befall your character later in the game. edit: do me a favor, if you wanna do the psi thing keep it VERY SECRET.  people who have psi aptitude seem to disappear from the Fleet.

Wow! This sounds great, is there any room/roles left?

Totally. It's first come first serve (but be nice and see what other people are into).  At the moment I'm reviewing a few apps and you can check the title post for more information about that later.  It is okay to have some redundant ship roles such as pilots and gunners for example.  Also I'm sure the doctor has assistants and in the case that the chief engineer dies there will be possible candidates to replace her in the pool of system engineers.

[Yuki]

@Yuki: This is totally a psychological horror of a game especially with the way that the enemy fights.  That the crew is going deeper into enemy territory without relief probably means some people could go crazy.  I totally see a councilor being welcomed aboard.  You are welcome to develop the psi elements of her character -- though be aware that the Phage communicates psionically and very bad things might befall your character later in the game. edit: do me a favor, if you wanna do the psi thing keep it VERY SECRET.  people who have psi aptitude seem to disappear from the Fleet.

Sent you a PM with my char sheet as I see her. I made her tactical officer/adviser but happily change her to counselor.

[RubySlippers]

I agree but communication between ships, handling coded information and other vital duties would be quite likely especially under adverse space conditions that what one lovely LT did in Star Trek and was important translation was actually secondary with translation computers but its likely she'll be a qualified person in linguistics as well.

[Amarlo]

Judging by how things seem to be going, when you say first come first serve are you saying positions are only reserved upon completetion and approval of a character bio? Because as you can see I've been more interested in asking questions and getting a full feel for the setting rather than shitting out a rapid fire character...  Will I be losing my position if I take my time? o.O