Crimson Skies: Air Pirates Wanted! (Interest Check)

[Sel Nar]

The Year is 1937. The United States you know is gone. Broken apart by ideology, religion, and distrust of the Federal Government, even as the Markets crashed, sending thousands into the poorhouses. As the States split apart, militias formed, barricading roads and rail lines at state lines, trying to isolate themselves. Within a year, the New lines had been drawn; over twenty nations now existed where, before there had been two.

Slowly, trade began to be reestablished, however, due to the damage to the original infrastructure, it soon became apparent that only air travel and transportation would be able to sustain the fractured nations of America. Zepplins begin to reappear, trading cargo and passengers between major cities. As trade began to boom, soon, Pirates appeared. Some attacked the ships for the purpose of spreading mayhem, some for ransoms, and some disenfranchised souls attacked to spread the wealth.

In response, Militas again formed, using high-powered planes loaded with guns and rockets to battle the pirates in the air. The newsreels crackle with the news, declaring the exploits of legendary pirates, and their heroic counterparts.

Pirates like Jonathan 'Ghenghis' Khan, The Black Swan, 'Marshall' Bill Redmann, and Nathan Zachary, the 'Gentleman Pirate' are lords of the skies, roaming as they please, yet they're countered by the brave men and women who protect precious cargoes and people from their depredations. Lyle 'Showstopper' Crawford, Paladin Blake, Founder of Blake Aviation Security, and Charlotte 'Charlie' Steele are all heroes of the skies.

You, men and women, may encounter any of these legendary pilots, either fighting with, or against, them. Do you have the Moxie, the Skill, and the Daring to take to the skies and make a name for yourself?

(Okay, now that I hopefully have your attention; Trying to set up a free-form Roleplay based on the Crimson Skies universe; Pilots are wanted, questions need to be answered, and, at the end of the day, will you salute your opponent, or load incindieary ammo and try to touch off his fuel tanks? The choices are up to you.)

[LadyDiscord]

Sounds interesting.

[asmariamoon]

I'm up for it.

[dready]

Got it, interested.

My plane's going to be the one below, with it's standard game armament of dual machine guns and its secondary being a shotgun blast.
Curtiss-Write J2 Fury

Character will most likely be a small town pilot who built it from scrap and trade after pilfering it from a failed pirate raid a few years back.
Also:
Airship Pirates

[AllieCat]

Hmm. interesting.. will have to come up with something :)

[Sel Nar]

If anyone has any questions about the setting, feel free to speak up; as most of you can guess, It's a lot like the old 'Two-Fisted Tales' our parents used to read in the Pulp comics of the 40's and 50's that inspired movies like Indiana Jones, or characters like Han Solo. (the archetypal 'Dashing Rogue' character, so to speak)

Dready; According to Canon, the Fury you chose has a quartet of .40 calibre MGs in the wings, and an underbody .70 Cannon that's unreliable, but stupefyingly powerful; a bit meaner than just a pair of MGs and a shotgun. :)

Quick vote; Anyone want a beat-to-hell old Carrier zepplin that can carry up to 6 planes?

Edit: a Link to the map of the 'Fractured States', too.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/84/Crimson_skies_map.png

[ReijiTabibito]

Ah, yes, the familiar world of CS!  I'm definitely interested, I even have a character done up for it.

I've got a link to a site where you can find information on planes.

http://firedrake.org/roger/csarchive/index.htm

[Sel Nar]

Just a note of warning; If any of you guys pick out a PR-1 Defender or Ford Hoplite, prepare for your fellow air pirates to point and laugh at you even after you get something actually airworthy.

Serious contenders for 'rugged, reliable, and mean' planes include the following

Hughes Aviation P21-J Mk.III Devastator (Well-armoured, can be easily modified to carry up to 6 guns and has Multiple rocket hardpoints) -> Cramped Cockpit and Difficult to Bail (If you're big, it's a tight squeeze, and a pusher prop means if you're not careful the plane can take a bite out of you when you leap out of its burning wreck midair)

Fairchild F611 'Brigand' (Big guns, big engine, thick skin and a rear-facing turret. An Ideal Fighter-bomber due to maneuverability issues) -> High-Torque Engine and Inferior Range (It's a gas-guzzler and has a tendency to try to rotate left; makes it harder to turn right)

Curtiss-Wright J2 'Fury' (Stupidly large amount of guns with a stupefyingly huge cannon under the body. Maneuverable but thin-skinned) -> Difficult to Bail, Poor Stall Speed, and the .70 Calibre is of Inferior make (in this case, the tail is right above the cockpit; hard to hop out. It's nose-heavy so stalls more quickly than other planes, and that big cannon under its belly has a bad habit of jamming at the worst times)

Sanderson FB-14 'Vampire' (Big, Slow, Oodles of Guns, Twin engines; the A-10 of the Crimson Skies Universe) -> Multiple Engines, Poor Maneuverability, Heavy Stick and Superior Range. (It sips gas, can fly home on one engine, but it's testament to the idea of 'Give a brick enough thrust and it can fly'. Also get a good upper-body workout just keeping the thing steady, or in a turn.)

Bell Valiant Mk II (Tiny, Stupidly maneuverable, hard to hit, but is undergunned; great for hit and run and 'luring') -> Superior Engine, Inferior Range, Dog Basket (The Engine is top-quality; can redline it with much less risk of flooding the cylinders, but the small size of the plane means little room for big fuel tanks. And there's ~Just~ enough room for a small pet to ride up with the pilot.)

All the planes listed have mre detailed information here. (thanks, Reiji, for the link, BTW)

http://firedrake.org/roger/csarchive/universe/planes.htm

[ReijiTabibito]

Not a problem, Sel.  How are we running this RP, exactly?  Like all the players are part of the same crew, or...?

Also, a really nasty plane is the Grumman Avenger.  Good armor, good speed, lots of guns, the only thing that isn't good about it is its maneuverability, so it gets used as an anti-bomber plane or an interceptor.

[Sel Nar]

Free-form, same crew situation. An old Zepp came down and decided to pick up some fresh meat from the hayseeds, and the hangars are looking a bit beat up. Gotta make some scratch for repairs, parts, fuel, ammo, and what-have you. :)

[ReijiTabibito]

Mkay.  That might mean I have to change my own character's backstory...

[dready]

Dready; According to Canon, the Fury you chose has a quartet of .40 calibre MGs in the wings, and an underbody .70 Cannon that's unreliable, but stupefyingly powerful; a bit meaner than just a pair of MGs and a shotgun. :)

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF YES! *happy dance with noodle arms* (~nwn)~ ~(nwn~)

And even though the canon is unreliable it's perfect for taking down larger targets, or less maneuverable opponents. I remember this much because it was the airplane that i used the entire game first run through after trying out the other one and was like 'psh, who cares about rockets, this thing gets shot up pretty easily compared to this one with the shotgun.'

You know, standard 'move fast, hit hard, get the crap out of there, then do it again' guerrilla tactics.

[lollipop]

I think I could very well be interested in this ... hrm ...

[Sel Nar]

Well, I'll be setting up a 'Character' Thread for you all; though the game is freeform, and there will be absolutely no dicerolling, I'm still using the original Crimson Skies character builds. Everyone has 450 points to feed into five statistics; as follows.

Gunnery, Split into three sections; Quickdraw (How fast you are on the trigger; the higher it is, the easier you get the drop on someone), Deadeye (Putting your bullets where you want them to be), and Steady Hand (Keeping cool under pressure; helps you clear jammed guns, and avoid being shocked or stunned when someone slaps some .60 calibre rounds into the canopy right next to you)

Piloting, Split into Two sections; Natural Touch (How well you can control the plane; doing 'crazy' stunts, redlining the engine without causing it to choke and spit smoke everywhere, and generally pushing it beyond its limits without breaking something) and Sixth Sense (Catch-all, Lets you keep on an enemy's tail, shake an enemy from your tail, Know when to bail out because some idiot managed to hit the fuel tank with magnesium rounds, and generally makes complex acts, like docking with a moving zepplin in a crosswind easier.)

In this case, the point cost to get to level 4 in any of those categories is 140 (10+20+40+70), and a level 5 skill costs 250 (+110 from previous) You can specialize, be a generalist, what-have you, but remember this; Most pilots average around a 2 or 3 on the scale. Legendary Pirates that fought in the Great war, before the splintering have around 8s and 9s.

For character creation advice and such, you can PM me if you have any questions, I ask that your introductory posts be akin to 'something your characters would be doing after a long, hard day', for example, telling tall tales at the local bar.

As a final note, the Start of the story will be in Free Colorado, in a mountaintop city called the Pirate's Haven. Feel free to guess why. ;)

Edit: Also, I have additional information about the planes the crew is most likely to use. I'll post that in the original post mentioning them.

[Haibane]

Hey, I remember this game! It was a blast. Completely daft but a blast. I'm interested.

Is there a plot though? I think it needs a plot.

I feel like I could play a shady millionairess who owns three or four cargo zeppelins running on a trade network across the states and bringing in enough profit to let her hire 3 or 4 good pilots that ride shotgun on each of her ships. Even though she is every inch a lady and always dresses glamorously she nevertheless captains the flagship, Blue Ridge. As for a name, not sure yet but for an image we'll go with Hedy Lamarr (only with a bigger bust!).

Her trading empire turns a good profit because she pays off the air pirates (protection money) to avoid her ships and even stages mock attacks so that her shippers will pay her high rates when she successfully 'defends' against these dastardly attacks.

EDIT: Eep! I see we have a plot already. My lady could be the zeppelin captain/owner then? Will that fit?

[Major Major]

I fancy a go at this; always did love alternative history.

[Haibane]

Useful?

http://www.wolfsshipyard.mystarship.com/Misc/Airships/Airships.htm

[Sel Nar]

Welcome aboard! Looks like I'll be acting as Narrator (and railroader of the plot on occasion  ;D) So, I guess I'd best get cracking and set up an introduction thread for each of your characters, Right? ;)

Edit: Haibane, those are some good pics, but they're a little Too Small for the CS universe; As a good example, the Pandora, known from the Video game, has 24 engine pods (12 on each side), each with a 750 Horsepower engine and .50 calibre dual MG turret, can reach up to 84 Knots on a clear day, and can carry 14 aircraft internally (6 ready-to-launch and 8 in 10-minute readiness). As a rough comparison of size, it's approximately the same lenght as the Chrysler building is tall, and it's one of the larger Zepplins about.

Most Cargo Zepplins are shorter, but thicker, so they can carry 30-50 Standardized Shipping crates (eg. the trailers on 18-wheelers)

[ReijiTabibito]

Okay, so, I'm confused.  How are we working this plot, exactly?

[Sel Nar]

The plot is as such (with a slight modification due to the inspiration Haibane gave me);

Miss Lamarr Was a wealthy heiress, however, due to the machinations of a rival company, her company's fleet was destroyed in a 'Pirate Raid', Leaving her with one damaged Zepplin that can carry a half-dozen (or so) planes. Revenge is a good motivator, at least to start. Hunting down the people that wrought wrack and ruin upon her, for no other reason than 'You're being successful'. well, it's a good idea, yes?

So, heading into Free Colorado, she stops at the Sky Haven (better known as Pirate's Haven) for repairs, Supplies, and bored freelancers that want some money, the freedom to travel as they'd like, and, of course, the opportunity to cause some mayhem of their own.

Edit: Of course, the pirates that do sign on have their own motivations and plots, right? Some may be runaways, chased by angry family members, some may have unpaid debts... And some just want the thrill of flying in combat.

[Major Major]

Care to toss up a template to work from?

And also, I had an idea for a character, but I'd prefer to discuss them to you in private.

[ReijiTabibito]

So, wait.  We have to work for Haibane's character?

[Sel Nar]

Alight; one basic Character Template coming right up:

Name
Age
Hair Colour
Eye Colour
Height
Weight
Birthplace (Eg. New York = Empire State; Please Refer to the Map of the Fractured States I posted earlier)

Plane (If any)
Gunnery
   QuickDraw
   Deadeye
   Steady Hand

Piloting
   Natural Touch
   Sixth Sense

Constitution (How tough you are; everyone starts at '3')

Distinguishing features/ Noticeable quirks:
History they're willing to tell others:

[Sel Nar]

So, wait.  We have to work for Haibane's character?

Have to? No. Remember, Mercenaries and pirates hold loyalty only to one another and to coin. I fully expect your characters to refuse anything that seems insane, immature, or otherwise too risky, regardless of the pay thrown about. And besides, What's a mercenary's favourite song? 'We got paid twice for doing one thing'

[ReijiTabibito]

Yes, but you said that our characters were getting hired by this Lamarr, who is the character proposed by Haibane.

[Haibane]

Yay! I'm captain of a huge flying penis dirigible. All those big vibrating engines... All those hot sweaty mercenary pilots needing to shower off and rest... Mmm.

I wouldn't necessarily want to be in command of the group, just in command of the airship, presumably some pilot or other will rise to the top of the bunch of air pirates and command them so mission decisions would be down to negotiation or discussion or even a vote if we want to nod towards democracy.

Miss Lamarr has a damaged zepp and wants revenge and she needs a crew of pilots to protect her and help her get back at some juicy vulnerable targets of her enemies. I assume that's the basic set up here? The pilots however have their own priorities and baggage; places and people they need to get away from or get to. But as to how we get from A to B with the plot I'm guessing it would be a group decision.

[Sel Nar]

Bingo. Also, some of the pilots are rookies and, while they can fly like mad speed freaks, they can't hit the broadside of a barn. From the inside.

[Major Major]

Like me then; I'm not a 'bad' pilot per se, I'm just lousy at dogfighting, so I've tailored my character to that end.


Name= Alec Macpherson
Age= 24
Hair Colour= Brown
Eye Colour= Green
Height= 5 foot 9
Weight= 'Slim'
Birthplace= Toronto, Protectorate of Ontario (or so he claims)

Plane= Grumman E-1c Avenger, painted in an all-over dull green colour

Gunnery
   QuickDraw= 2
   Deadeye= 3
   Steady Hand= 4

Piloting
   Natural Touch= 3
   Sixth Sense= 4

Constitution= 3

Distinguishing features/ Noticeable quirks: Huge 'walrus' moustace, otherwise is a dead ringer for the English actor Leslie Howard.

History they're willing to tell others: Alec doesn't say much, but this much has been gotten out of him; he has an almost psychotic hatred of the 'Red Skulls' Air Pirate gang, due to something in his past. Wierdly, though, he doesn't really hate other Air Pirates; he's actually noted as something of a gentleman of the skies (He doesn't 'plink' off already damaged planes and so on), but if there's so much as a single Red Skull in the area, all bets are off.

Outfit: Brown leather jacket, white dress shirt and tan slacks with tall leather boots; black "50 Mission Crush Cap" with headset.

[Major Major]

Say, Sel Nar, given the numbers I crunched there, could you give me an idea of what sort of pilot Alec would be, just so as I can get him in my head?

[Sel Nar]

Okay, let's see... Calm under pressure, good awareness on the flight, so is hard to tail and hard to shake when trying to tail an enemy pilot; is pretty good at getting bullets on target, and can shake a jam loose without losing the target. However, he's relatively slow; a lot of pilots can fire before he does, and he's relatively conservative when it comes to pushing the airframe; he knows what the plane can do, and is comfortable with that; stress fractures in the wings are not his idea of a good time.

[Major Major]

Sounds about right, actually; it suits my cautious nature. Thanks.

[Haibane]

Everyone has 450 points to feed into five statistics; as follows.

Did you actually mean to type 45 points? Or 50 points?

Major Major's char sheet doesn't seem to bear any relation to this point cost. Help! I'm confused!

[ReijiTabibito]

I've got this.  Okay, Haibane, you listening?

[Major Major]

Assume she is, then. I didn't really get it either myself.

[Sel Nar]

In this case, it's 'Use X points to buy Y levels'

Everyone starts at '0' levels in a skill.
it costs 10 points to buy the First rank (from 0 to 1)
it costs 20 points to go from 1 to 2.
40 from 2 to 3,
70 from 3 to 4,
110 from 4 to 5,
160 from 5 to 6,
220 from 6 to 7,
290 from 7 to 8
370 from 8 to 9
and, finally, 460 points to go from 9 to 10

So, the total point cost to 'buy' your way from Rank 0 to Rank 10 is 1750.

And remember; you have Five skills to buy points in.

As a comparison, however, a basic Milita mook has, on average, 2s across the board; they're slow, innacurate, can't push their planes (and are often too dumb not to when the plane's damaged), and are easily pulled out of formation.

[Haibane]

Aha! It was that blonde wig I'd been wearing when I was planning to use Mae West as my char image. I've got rid of it now and have my brunette Hedy Lamarr wig on so it suddenly all makes sense.

[Sel Nar]

Hell, I don't even have a blond wig and I have moemnts like that too. Hope my explanation helps. :)

[Haibane]

Here we go. Let me know if anything needs changing.

Name: Hedy Lamarr
Age: 25
Hair Colour: Brunette
Eye Colour: Hazel flecked with gold
Height: 5’ 4”
Weight: 112lbs
Stats: 37C-24-37
Birthplace: Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley; Appalachian Territory.

Plane: Hughes Bloodhawk that has been modified by removing the 2x40mm cannons and with the weight freed up a supergahrger unit has been installed with a third .3 inch calibre MG added. This increases the plane's ceiling from 22,000 to 23,000 feet, increases acceleration from 65 ft/sec to 96 ft/sec and increases top speed by 10mph to 310mph. (GM approved changes). It's no combat plane but it's a superb air-taxi and highly manouverable. Anything big enough to kill it, it'll simply get away from.

Hedy's Bloodhawk has a custom paintjob of silver overall with down the fuselage sides beautiful air-brushed artwork of a forest (an allusion to the movie that made her famous). The wings and tail fin bear blood red circles with an 'H' in one and an 'L' in the other. The spinner is also blood red.

Skills:
Gunnery:
   QuickDraw 2
   Deadeye 2
   Steady Hand 2

Piloting:
   Natural Touch 4
   Sixth Sense 4

Constitution: 4

(Total 440 points spent)

Distinguishing features/Noticeable quirks: Despite captaining an airship (and until recently owning a trading company that operated four ships) Hedy always dresses elegantly, usually in long gowns and heels with a fox fur wrap and gallons of heady perfume. Satin is her favourite textile! Her hair and make-up is always Hollywood-star immaculate and she favours the most expensive clothes and underwear. When she pilots her own plane she has a simple very soft and very form-fitting pale brown chamois leather all-in-one flight suit, boots, gloves, leather flying hat and goggles. To relax she might go naked under a sheer robe with four inch mules.

Publically Known Background: Born to a simple rural family, Hedy left school in Winchester at age 15 determined to find fame and fortune. She took higher education at Miss Aberlane’s School for Young Ladies in Lexington, capital city of the Appalachian Territory mainly taking classes in deportment, “health, beauty and feminine style”, acting and singing. She began touring with a small time theatre troupe, the Lexington Vagabonds, when she was 18 and her big break came a year later when the Hollywood mogul, R.K. Maroon owner of Maroon Studios was on a business trip in Philadelphia, and saw her on stage. He snapped her up, gave her a contract and whisked her off to the Nation of Hollywood where she began to star in a series of low budget reels before, at age 21, she hit the big time with Ecstasy a story of a lonely girl who gradually fell under the spell of a sadistic manipulating tyrant; the twist in the tale being that through her submission and wanton acts she eventually took control of him. She became infamous overnight for her nude scenes shot in a forest and a floodlit swimming pool at night and the close ups of her face as she acted out orgasms on screen. Hedy has always insisted she wasn’t acting.

After that a brief run of high paid starlet reels and glamorous parties and hi-profile charity events assured her a place in the top league of Hollywoods finest and famous. Though Hedy has always exuded a certain sensuality her brunette hair and moody styling gave her the title “The Thinking Man’s Pin-Up”. While most of her contemporaries went for the blonde bombshell look and played the dumb vulnerable card to get fans and win film contracts, Hedy played it cool and mysterious and gathered a devoted army of discerning fans and associates.

Hedy invested her millions into Winchester Flight, an air-carrying company that mainly traded cargoes up and down the west coast and across the mid-west to Chicago. Rumours soon circulated that she was a hard business woman as well as a pretty actress and she became known as the person to go to if you needed a dodgy shipment moved safely. Her four ships Blue Ridge, Shenandoah, Manassas and Lexington were hard worked and the crews and defensive squadron pilots well paid.

After her recent downfall at the hands of her main rival Charles Mortensen and his company Mortensen Aero, Hedy is looking to rest, repair, rebuild and get revenge; her “Four R’s”. She jokes that she has five Rs but only the most dashing and wealthy aviators get to play with the fifth one.

There are even rumours that Hedy is not averse to taking girls to her bed as well as long as they are curvy and pretty and pose her no threat.

Hedy’s air-combat skills are mediocre but she is a superlative pilot and while she can manoeuvre at low altitudes she prefers to out climb and out fly her opponents at high altitudes while avoiding combat. High speed manoeuvring is one of her trademarks.

[Major Major]

Looking good there Haibane. And I also updated my pilot character.

[asmariamoon]

How does this look?  I can always change it if needed.

[EDITED for (alternate) historical accuracy.]

Name: Rebecca "Rebel" Bond
Age: 22
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 140 Lbs.
Birthplace: Montgomery, Alabama, Confederation Of Dixie

Plane: Bell Valiant Mk. II
Gunnery
   QuickDraw: 3
   Deadeye: 2
   Steady Hand: 2

Piloting
   Natural Touch: 4
   Sixth Sense: 4

Constitution: 3

Distinguishing features/ Noticeable quirks: Rebecca Bond, or Rebel, as she prefers to be called, is tall and thin, with long black hair that she usually ties back in pigtails.  She doesn't consider herself very pretty, but most would be inclined to disagree.  She often dresses in a manner that some would consider odd, but that she considers dressing the part, with attire that makes people think that she might have stepped directly from a storybook about hunting for treasure and fighting off the navies of European countries.  She prefers the colors black and purple, and most of her wardrobe reflects those preferences.  The item of clothing she wears most is a black pirate's coat with lavender adornments.

As for personality quirks, Rebel doesn't have many, but the few she does have tend to scare close-minded people.  She is generally nice by default, unless someone gives her reason not to be.  She has a darker sense of humour than most, and absolutely adores horror novels and films.  Most would say that her biggest quirk is her preference of women as lovers.

History they're willing to tell others: Rebel grew up in Alabama state, as the daughter of a Great War pilot, Lieutenant William Bond.  Lieutenant Bond wanted Rebel to join a militia, however, Rebel viewed the militia as a pathetic attempt to try to keep order between fractured governments with seriously-opposing views.  Rebel deemed such peacekeeping to be impossible, but her father insisted that she either choose a militia to enlist in, or get out of his house, so Rebel chose the second option, and ran away to Free Colorado.

She quickly found a job in barnstorming, and saved up enough money from it to buy the plane she used from her manager.  Soon after she purchased her plane, she found out about the job being offered by Miss Lamarr, and, after properly outfitting her barnstorming plane, offered her services to the wealthy actress.  She's never been in a dogfight, so her precision with a machine gun and ability to think cool in the middle of a heated battle are, expectedly, sub-par, but she has lots of experience performing insane stunts and pushing the limits of her plane from her barnstorming work.

[Major Major]

I think we're going to get on quite well, asmariamoon.

[Alysanthia]

Looks like fun.

[Haibane]

I lady pirate eh? Gotta love those big coats with huge lapels.

[Sel Nar]

Everyone Does. That's why trenchcoats are still fashionable, who knows how many years since they first appeared.

[Haibane]

The 18th century in Europe was a fantastic era for men's fashions generally, men's clothing today is so boring.



*swoons* It's why highwaymen are so sexy.

[Major Major]

Say, just out of curiousity, what possible real-world aircraft are we going to see in this game?

[Alysanthia]

Oooh Highwaymen... *Shakes her head several times.* What? Oh yes, my character!

Name: Aimé Brigitte Augustin

Age: 20

Hair Color: Black with hints of auburn. 

Eye Color:  Blue but with shades of purples mixing in.

Height:  Five foot even.

Weight: 109

Birthplace: French Louisiana, Ville de La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans) in Orleans Parish.

Plane: Hughes Aviation J21-D Mark III Devastator, painted a dark shade of blood red with a white laughing skull painted on the sides. Twin serpents slithering out the mouth, both snakes are of a inky black color; their eyes resembling rubies when the sun reflects off them just right. On the tail written in white elegant letters is ‘La Petite Mort’ the name of the plane a bit ironic but Aimé planed it that way, because who would ever suspect a plane named The little death to do so much damage.

Gunnery
   QuickDraw: 4

   Deadeye: 4

   Steady Hand: 2

Piloting
   Natural Touch: 3

   Sixth Sense: 2

Constitution: 3

( Points left: 40)

Distinguishing features/ Noticeable quirks: Born with lightly tan skin, a trait most common among those in the southern part of French Louisiana. Her eyes though are a special inheritance from her mother’s side, the most and often quickest thing about her noticed; a clear violet color that seems to penetrate anyone she stares at. The second is Aimé's accent a soft and subtle southern accent. Her black hair is normally pinned up in a loose bun to stay out her face while she works, when allowed to be freed it tumbles around Aimé in playful waves; though not very tall her body is filled out in a most eye pleasing way.

Always seen dressed with a top hat she also wears loose, flowing dresses ranging from bright shades of reds to pitch black. Making sure to always be fashionable or lady like she carries around a small black silk fan, ready to give anyone a quick whack if they become to forward or say something idiotic; though when it comes time to fly, she dons a white mask made of a unknown material (bone but someone would have to be really close or hold it to tell.)

The design similar to Baron Samedi face painting, as well as wearing a long black duster and high collared black cotton dress; around her neck Aimé wears a blood red stone given to her by her nanny for protection.

History they're willing to tell others:  Born and raised in New Orleans, everyday was a celebration for Aimé. In fact she was born during the week of Mardi Gras, her family considering it a good sign named her after the girl’s Grandmother who helped build the large tobacco business her mother had inherited. Living in a vast plantation home, her parents did not believe in slavery so all their workers lived with them in the house and were paid weekly. Each worker easily able to go on and make it on their own after three years due to the large pay check that was directly deposited into their bank accounts.

Though she was living a privileged life Aimé enjoyed a vast array of simple things, all except for flying it seemed once a week the young girl was seen climbing into her father’s crop duster, learning all she could from the designated pilot. One day when the man was distracted the sneaky child took off, flying through the air she finally knew what she wanted to do with her life. Landing safely Aimé’s Nanny scolded her for months for doing something so dangerous; her father on the other hand saw potential and after the incident made sure that his only child learned all she could about flying as well as teaching her the value of being a decent shot.

After her nineteenth birthday and refusing all the suitors that came to her doorstep, Aimé set out on her own. But she is smart and keeps all her personal business to herself, many not truly believing that the polite and sweet nature woman was actually the pilot of La Petite Mort. After a year of accepting odd jobs Aimé over heard that a wealthy actress was looking for some pilots and never one to look a gifted horse in the mouth she quickly acted and took the the job. After all it would have been foolish to turn down the chance of adventure... 

[Sel Nar]

Say, just out of curiousity, what possible real-world aircraft are we going to see in this game?

For the most part, light cargo transports; Planes like the DC-2 and -3 are still used where the cargo just isn't enough to warrant a Zepp, while, for the most part, the British empire uses a large amount of Balmoral Light Bombers because they're transportable within a Zepplin (which is always a 'fun' experience for the three-person crew; having to unfold the wings and start the engines mid-launch is, at best, nerve-wracking), and the DeHavilland F9 'Hornet' is the plane of choice for the ROAF (Royal Ontario Air Force).

In general, what we recall as 'historical' planes of the time, like the Spitfire, the ME 109, or the Hurricane, have either been altered, design-wise, as to be totally unrecognisable, Or simply don't exist.

Hells, Military-grade Zepplins have even Superceded Light Cruisers in a naval role; they're big enough to have broadside batteries of up to Six Eight-inch cannon, though the recoil causes noticeable rolling.

[ReijiTabibito]

Alright.  My character should be coming up here soon.  Not the whole thing, just the stats and the plane and such.

[Major Major]

In general, what we recall as 'historical' planes of the time, like the Spitfire, the ME 109, or the Hurricane, have either been altered, design-wise, as to be totally unrecognisable, Or simply don't exist.

Well, that's a damn shame; I loves my Hurricanes and Spitfires, I do. Does that also mean the RAF is still using Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters, or maybe Boutlon Paul Defiant turret fighters? Or would they be using aircraft that only got as far as testing before being abandoned, like the Westland Welkin or the Miles M.20?

For the most part, light cargo transports; Planes like the DC-2 and -3 are still used where the cargo just isn't enough to warrant a Zepp, while, for the most part, the British empire uses a large amount of Balmoral Light Bombers because they're transportable within a Zepplin (which is always a 'fun' experience for the three-person crew; having to unfold the wings and start the engines mid-launch is, at best, nerve-wracking), and the DeHavilland F9 'Hornet' is the plane of choice for the ROAF (Royal Ontario Air Force).

What does this DeHavilland F9 Hornet look like?

[Sel Nar]

http://www.nobleknight.com/imagepage.asp?image=RAL20-120.jpg&name=De%20Haviland%20Hornet

The Hornet, for lack of a better descriptor, has next to no armour, only 2 guns, a Giant Engine, and is even smaller than the Bell Valiant Mk II. So it's damn hard to hit, shifty as hell, and happens to be both cramped and has.... unique flight characteristics.

(Poor Stall Speed, Cramped Cockpit, Poor Landing Gear, and has, at most, 2 Rocket hardpoints. And yes, Tissue paper for armour; the Nose Plating on the Hughes Devastator [approx. 50mm worth] is equal to all the plating on both wings and the nose of the Hornet [15, 15 and 20mm respectively)

[pendarious]

so Haibane doesn't want to command the crew....just the ship? so does that mean she's in need of a logistics officer?

[Sel Nar]

Considering that a decent-sized Zepplin in the Crimson Skies Universe is, on average, two to four times the size of the Hindenburg was in real life? Assume a minimum crew of 20, plus gunners if the Zepp has MG emplacements on the engine pods, and at the bow and stern.

Edit: Here's a good image of the Pandora, arguably the most famous Zepplin from the series (If you've played the PC and Xbox games, at least)



The picture is old; by 1937 the zepplin had 4 more engine pods, each armed with Twinned .50 calibre MG turrets, and there were heavy Quad rocket launchers emplaced on the bow and stern. There's also at least four turrets holding twin .70 calibre cannon around the pilot's cabin at the underside of the bow.

Needless to say, It's Big, fast, and mean. Bulk cargo zepps are even bigger, but usually slower and less-armed.

[pendarious]

so by all measure yes you'd need a logistics officer.......maybe two.

[Major Major]

And I'm willing to have a go at writing an Air Action Weekly report or two for the game.

[Sel Nar]

Mmm, entertaining Fluff. If you're up to it, go for it.

[Sel Nar]

Thread is up.

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=98959.0

I'm keeping this thread open until everyone that's interested posts their charactersheets. Get cracking, yes? Sooner you're done the hard part, the sooner you can play about in the world. ;)

[Haibane]

As far as commanding goes, Hedy is Captain and owner of the Blue Ridge. She says where it goes and makes strategic and tactical decisions. She will need things like an executive officer to run the ships administration and people like a navigation officer and a master gunner and engineer as well as a few others - probably a doctor, could even be a role such as master of marines (air-marines? Paratroops?) with a small NPC landing party. I'm thinking in terms of a naval warship style crew set up (only much smaller), or if you want to think in other terms, the crew arrangements on a Star Trek vessel. Sel Nar will have a better grasp of what it's like as I'm only going by hazy memories of the PC game.

As to whether the game story will need such posts to be filled only Sel Nar can say. I would think, going by the description you give of the Pandora, with all those gun mounts and such plus mechanics in the plane hangers, that an airship crew could be as many as 100 people.

What Hedy is not is in command of the plane squadron of air-pirates and mercenaries she is now hiring. I'd hope someone would rise up and command that unit or there could be a couple of senior pilots so that there is a need to make strategic and mission decisions by way of discussion in-character, for example Hedy might need to fly to X to get her engines overhauled and a new gyrocompass fitted but the pilot leader has to go via Z to settle an old score with an adversary so stuff will be compromises.

Think of Hedy as the captain of a WW2 aircraft carrier while our senior pilot will be the equivalent of the air group commander (though he'll fly too). Does that help?

EDIT: Sel, is that the IC thread you've put up? Also, hate to sound a bit like a GN, but 'Zeppelin' has two 'e's *chuckle*

[Major Major]

Just saying here and now, I'm not sure that Al would make a good leader, given he's more than a little nuts.

And for that matter, how many bars are there in Sky Haven?

EDIT: Actually, thinking about it... Hey Haibane, got any objects towards having Alec already on your payroll?

[Haibane]

 No reason why he wouldn't be, surely not all Hedy's previous pilots would have been killed/injured/forced to quit.

This does bring up some story critical elements though, one of which is that being in place he might be expected to be the leader simply because he knows the ship and the captain's methods. Secondly it would require us to build an existing relationship between him and Hedy, I'm not suggesting what this would be, just that the work is then needed to create it. Third, it would also require him to know the ship intimately and that would require me to design it and I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet unless Sel Nar is willing to give us a design including a layout plan.

Having a character with his 'foot in the door' on the crew already also confers some advantages I think plot-wise.

I'm thinking it may work better for story reasons if all the pilots are new though if Sel Nar wants him there for a good storyline reason I'll be okay with it.

[ReijiTabibito]

*poke*  I was talking over my character concept with Sel, and if you want, I can give you some of the details over PM to see if you'd like him to be your leader...or at least the fighter commander.

[Haibane]

I would say that's for Sel to decide, if he thinks your pilot is a good leader then he is the leader. I'm not sure it's up to me to OOCly pick and choose. Unless we do it all IC.

[Sel Nar]

And, having just dragged my sorry cadaver out of bed, Let me answer a few comments.

First off; No this is not the only bar in Skyhaven, it's just the one that's Literally about twenty feet from the Zeppelin hangars; Location, location, Location and all that rot. 90% of the time it's packed with Zepp crews on leave, so the owner of the bar is probably the only legitimate businessman in the entire city.

The Blue Ridge, as a retrofit cargo hauler turned light carrier, has a crew of around 45 people, not including aircrew. Most ships of its type have only eight engines, and, once the cargo boxes on the underside have been stripped, It'll be lighter and faster, with a rather sizeable internal bay used for plane storage and booty.

As for who gets to be flight leader, that's an in-character decision; If someone's ballsy enough, or insane enough to say 'Hey there, this is what we should do, and here's why' they're a bit more likely to get a promotion, even if it's a smack to the back of the head and being saddled with *shudder* responsibility.  ;)

Now, as for the internals of the Blue Ridge; well, about 85% of its volume is taken up by the internal gas cells that keep it afloat; In fact, Helium sales is probably the only legitimate export Free Colorado has. The Engine pods are all self-contained units with individual fuel supplies all drawn off of two central tanks; Like most freight haulers, it's unlikely to have more than eight or so light MGs as 'deterrence', so a major influence, on a defensive front, is upgrading the engines and guns from 'Slow and useless' to 'Not-slow and dangerous'

The Entire mid-section of the Zeppelin, like practically Every zepp made after 1934, has a Rolls-Royce Rotary Craft hangar; a large, rather wheel-like contraption that can carry a half-dozen planes in 'ready-to-launch' positions; when launching a plane, the 'spoke' extends out over a belly hatch and literally drops the plane nose-first out of the open hatch. (note: Do not try an emergency launch less than 1000 feet from the ground; It ends... poorly) Forward of the hangar is the main internal cargo bay, which can carry approximately the equivalent of Four rail shipping containers; Not as much as the external bays, and not nearly as easy to empty out, but it's well-protected, and is reinforced enough for people to use the empty bay as an excercise yard.

Just above the actual pilot's cab (the big metal pod right at the underside of the nose) is the crew quarters; usually split into four levels, depending on crew number; the quarters are generally small, approximately fifteen feet by ten wide, and most have portholes so off-duty crew can watch the scenery. The Pilot's cab itself is basically the bridge of the zepp, containing the controls, the main radio, and, defensively, at least four sets of guns. It also has, (in this case, at least) a private lounge so Miss Lamarr can at least 'talk shop' with any persons of interest without being spied on.

And yes; Haibane, that's the IC thread; feel free to jump right in whenever you like.

[pendarious]

well the character I have in mind is more the navigations officer type along with deskwork so to speak.

[Ramster]

Look what the Zeppelin dragged in, Haibane!

Hi guys, my geeky adoration of impractical flying machines and vague experience of the PC game means I simply have to join you. Mmmmmmm, air combat!

Because no combat flight sim is complete without a magnificent bastard of a German, here's my character:




Yes, you recognise him from somewhere.


Name: Graf Heinz von Oberammergau
Age: 47
Hair Colour: Dirty blond, greying
Eye Colour: Blue
Height: 6'0
Weight: 182 lbs
Birthplace: Bayreuth, West Prussia, Germany

Plane: A Sanderson FB14 Vampire he calls 'Bombensau', won in a high-stakes game of Circle of Death with a pirate. Heinz later shot the pilot with his Mauser automatic pistol for making infuriating rules throughout the game. It is painted in a black and white zebra stripe pattern of his own design and execution, which looks zany but in fact disrupts the outline of the large aircraft for superior camouflage. A bit like this:




Armament is 2 x .40 cannon, 2 x .60 cal cannon and 2 x .70 cannon, firing a variety of ammo types, and hardpoints on the wings for a heavy load of bombs and/or rockets.

Gunnery
   QuickDraw: 2
   Deadeye: 4
   Steady Hand: 3

Piloting
   Natural Touch: 4
   Sixth Sense: 3

Constitution: 3

(Points spent: 450)

Distinguishing features/ Noticeable quirks: He always dresses in riding boots with silver spurs, a nod to his Uhlan background of which he is extremely proud. They also come in handy in bar fights. So does his cavalry sabre, used by him on the Eastern Front in the Great  Wars, without which he will not fly. It has a specially designed clasp on the hilt designed to clip it in place in the scabbard, and stop it falling out if he has to bail out. He'd rather lose his plane than the sword. He wears the Iron Cross First Class over his heart on his flying jacket.

Heinz speaks educated English in clipped a clipped German accent. He is obsessively polite, having had to call his dad 'Graf' rather than 'Pappi' from birth.

History they're willing to tell others: Heinz doesn't mind boring people with his history, or his family's. He'll introduce himself as Graf von Oberammergau, and explain his family's exploits in every war since Napoleon, briefly touch upon his heroics on horseback in Poland back in 1915, then show off his medal and explain how he shot down six Frenchmen, bombed London twice in a Gotha G.V heavy bomber, and actually survived to get it.

After the war, he left the chaotic Weimar Republic with distaste, and enough family heirlooms to pay his way and accesorise. The fractured states of North America were truly a land of opportunity to him. Soon, he was air-dropping cases of whiskey above prohibitionist enemy territory from a rickety old Balmoral, and laying waste to anything that shot at him with broadsides of rockets. Shot down over the Republic of Texas, he taught some local pirates a drinking game he'd learned from an English pilot he'd taken prisoner in the Great War. Laughing drunkenly, he took of in one of their planes two hours later, and battled his way to Colorado Free State, where he repainted his new plane and made his services available for the right price.

[Haibane]

Hair Colour: Blue
Eye Colour: Dirty blond

Unusual...  :-\

Also, my word, he's got a huge... pipe.

[Major Major]

I think he mxed the two up.

[ReijiTabibito]

Name: Maxwell 'Silver Hammer' Quinn
Age: 23
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 149 lbs
Birthplace: Nation of Hollywood

Plane: One very shot up Whittley & Douglas M210 Raven - the thing is a flying gas can with a pair of functional .50 cannon.

Gunnery
   Quickdraw 3
   Deadeye 5
   Steady Hand 4

Piloting
   Natural Touch 3
   Sixth Sense 4

Constitution 3

Distinguishing features/ Noticeable quirks: Maxwell has a small book that he carries around with him in his jacket pocket.  The contents of this book are yet unknown.

History they're willing to tell others:  At the moment, nothing.  The Silver Hammer is a mystery.

Outfit: Tends towards the casual - trousers with suspenders and dress shirts.  ((For those of you with knowledge of Torchwood, think Captain Jack))

[Sel Nar]

Note: Reiji's character has a single stat boost, but, in return, he literally has to rebuild his plane from scratch. (roughly to the tune of, in-game, around 8000$ worth of repairs and parts)

[Haibane]

Thanks for letting us know. I was looking at those numbers and trying to work out how he did that!

Sorry to be a pest but can we get some idea of the value of things in the game world please? I can see that a nasty beer costs a dollar and a complete plane overhaul 8000 but a few other items' values would be useful to know such as the usual hiring rates for a rookie and a more skilled pilot and the cost of various bits of hardware like engines, guns, gasbags and a top-up of helium, etc.

[pendarious]

Name:  Frederick Steele
Age: 29
Hair colour: Black
Eye Colour:  Hazel
Height: 5 foot 11 inches
Weight: Stocky
Birthplace: Lexington Appalachian Territory
Plane- Doesn’t Have one any more. Formerly owned Bell Valiant MK II
Gunnary:
Quick draw-2
Dead eye-3
Steady Hand-3

Piloting:
Natural Touch-4
Sixth Sense-4
Constitution-3

Distinguishable features/Noticeable  quirks: Has a tendancy to to constantly check his pocket watch, checks over any written work at least three times and uses a magnifying glass in search of fine print. Has a love of Card games.

History  that they are willing to share: His birth was in the appalachian territory but he was quick to leave off for millitia services in the Georgia Territory He was a quick witted fellow then and a bit cautious in his flying. He crashed during a training mission and developed a strange nervous disorder about it. He soon took up logistics and navigation and he fit right in on the zepplins. His millitary career came to an end when he grew tired of the strict regimine. Soon he became a navigator for hire.


Outfit: He wears a tattered millitary style outfit with a cap that seems to be in better condition than the rest. He carries a silver pocket watch and a deck of cards at all times.

[Sel Nar]

I can see that a nasty beer costs a dollar and a complete plane overhaul 8000 but a few other items' values would be useful to know such as the usual hiring rates for a rookie and a more skilled pilot and the cost of various bits of hardware like engines, guns, gasbags and a top-up of helium, etc.

A Beer (even if it's shit) Costs $1.25

A Crappy revolver (6 shots, .32 calibre) is about 8$

Good Bourbon or imported Liquor can cost up to 50$ for a bottle

A Tommy gun (.45 calibre Submachinegun with 50-round drum magazines) costs around 80$

A Zepplin Engine replacement will cost around 1500$; they're big, bulky, weigh well over a ton, and labour will be around 500$ per engine. Additional engines, above and beyond what the Zeppelin's original design had cost 2500$ each due to the modifications to the frame.

A replacement bag is only 250$, and a full helium load, at least in Free Colorado, is 100$ per bag cluster (one cluster is, approximately, 1/5th the Zepp's internal lifting capacity). Helium is Far more expensive in other nations, with the ISA and Empire State costing 1500$ or more for a full load.

Replacement gun barrels are between 60$ and 140$ (20$ per .10 calibre increase); in general, about 1-2000 rounds will wear out a barrel; especially if needing to constant-fire; The bigger the barrel, the faster they wear out.

A Brand-new plane can cost anywhere between 6500$ to 14000$, depending on the type. A Devastator, for example, costs around 8500$, and is considered the 'benchmark' for pricing.

Edit: Average hiring fees are between 400$ and 1200$ a month; pricey, but you get what you pay for.

[Haibane]

That's perfect, thanks.

[Ramster]

Unusual...  :-\

Also, my word, he's got a huge... pipe.

No, there wasn't a hair dye incident!

And a big pipe like that, with a sort of cover if you look closely, prevents enemy snipers seeing the glow and/or smoke and taking your head off.

[Haibane]

Can we have an OOC thread please Mr GM?

[Sel Nar]

Already created; Link's on the first post of the IC thread.

[Dashenka]

I want it! I need it!

As ramster so eloquently put it last night... It has planes, pirates and Haibane. So I rolled over and well, surrendered :D

Wasn't too sure but just downloaded and installed the game... wow... I really want in now if there is still room.

A question if there still is room, I have two characters in mind... a very American Daisy Duke type with the very bad accent...or a Soviet Communist...

[Dashenka]

Name: Dixie Mae Clementine a.k.a. Calamity Rose
Age: 23
Hair Colour: Blond
Eye Colour: Green
Height: 5'5
Weight: 126lbs
Birthplace: Phoenix, Arixo

Plane: Hughes Bloodhawk. Lightest engine for better firepower. No hardpoints. 2x .60-cal, 2x .50-cal. Painted in Pink, yellow and black.

Gunnery
   QuickDraw 3
   Deadeye 2
   Steady Hand 3

Piloting
   Natural Touch 4
   Sixth Sense 4

Constitution: 3

Distinguishing features/ Noticeable quirks: When not flying, Dixie is a well gifted singer and guitar player.

History they're willing to tell others: Dixie is a countrygirl and not too used to the big city. Her looks made life easy despite her lack of her intelligence. Originally wanted to be a musician and learned to play the guitar and how to sing. Being the only daughter of five children, she often spend times alone with her mother when her brothers were out chasing cattle (in more than one way and her dad lay wasted and drunk in the pig shed. As soon as she was of legal age she learned to fly in her dad's cropduster and when the Navajo tribe invaded their land, she swore revenge on the Navajo for destroying her house and killing her parents, and to her brothers for leaving her out there and not helping her. Last she heard, at least one of her brothers was also flying.

[Haibane]

That looks like a serious overspend in points there Dashenka my love.

[Dashenka]

I modified... if its still too much blame it on ramster... I'm terrible with numbers :D

[Haibane]

Ramster must have been on the evil weed again; I still make you a whopping 70 points over!

[Dashenka]

Right... should be better now..

[Ramster]

Let's start with the 4s: 2x140=280. Each 3 costs 70 points, yes? And a 2 costs 30? So 70+70+30=170. 170+280=450.

QED.

No evil weed for me, unless you mean the mediocre supermarket tea I'm drinking!

[Sel Nar]

Looks good; Now the only question is; Will her plane Fit on the quick-launch rotor, or will it be on ten-minute readiness? :P

(Two alterations to the Bloodhawk; Drop the .70 cals down to .60, and strip the .40's entirely; It's too thin-skinned to be a brawler, yet with that gun loadout, that's exactly what you've turned it into)

Well, Welcome aboard, Dashenka; the Hiring hieress at the moment is heading to the Telegraph Office, so if your little lass is fast enough, she might (literally) bump into her ;)

[Haibane]

In this case, it's 'Use X points to buy Y levels'

Everyone starts at '0' levels in a skill.
it costs 10 points to buy the First rank (from 0 to 1)
it costs 20 points to go from 1 to 2.
40 from 2 to 3,
70 from 3 to 4,
110 from 4 to 5,
160 from 5 to 6,
220 from 6 to 7,
290 from 7 to 8
370 from 8 to 9
and, finally, 460 points to go from 9 to 10

So, the total point cost to 'buy' your way from Rank 0 to Rank 10 is 1750.

And remember; you have Five skills to buy points in.

As a comparison, however, a basic Milita mook has, on average, 2s across the board; they're slow, innacurate, can't push their planes (and are often too dumb not to when the plane's damaged), and are easily pulled out of formation.

You have 450 points to spend.

Two scores of 2 @ 30 ea = 60 (not 30)
Two scores of 3 @ 70 ea = 140
Two scores of 4 @ 140 ea = 280

= 480

Still 30 points over.

[Ramster]

You forget that everyone starts with Constitution: 3, or else everyone's going to have to do some serious tweaking of their characters.

[Dashenka]

Looks good; Now the only question is; Will her plane Fit on the quick-launch rotor, or will it be on ten-minute readiness? :P

(Two alterations to the Bloodhawk; Drop the .70 cals down to .60, and strip the .40's entirely; It's too thin-skinned to be a brawler, yet with that gun loadout, that's exactly what you've turned it into)

Well, Welcome aboard, Dashenka; the Hiring hieress at the moment is heading to the Telegraph Office, so if your little lass is fast enough, she might (literally) bump into her ;)

but in the real game I can use it like I said :D

[Haibane]

You forget that everyone starts with Constitution: 3, or else everyone's going to have to do some serious tweaking of their characters.

Eh? I paid 70pts for my constitution of 3...

Did I do wrong?

[Sel Nar]

Mea Culpa; Yes, Everyone starts with a minimum Constitution of 3 as freebies (Con 0 means 'dead')

@ Dashenka; Yes, but we're using the boardgame rules, which are slightly more stringent (for example, a rocket hardpoint can only carry One rocket [or two flak rockets], not three at once); Besides; unlike the PC and console version, you can fire All guns at the same time, not just one pair at a time. (you can also Double-down if you have a really good shot; doubles the length of the burst, pretty much promises you'll need new barrels once the fight is over, and runs the risk of a jam, but it can turn enemy planes into confetti)

@Haibane; you paid 70 for a con. of 4 I checked.

[Haibane]

My God. I shouldn't be on the internet in my condition. It's like going online drunk. I've no idea what I'm doing.

[Sel Nar]

And it's enough to cause polite chuckles from the rest of us yard apes. :P

[Dashenka]

Mea Culpa; Yes, Everyone starts with a minimum Constitution of 3 as freebies (Con 0 means 'dead')

@ Dashenka; Yes, but we're using the boardgame rules, which are slightly more stringent (for example, a rocket hardpoint can only carry One rocket [or two flak rockets], not three at once); Besides; unlike the PC and console version, you can fire All guns at the same time, not just one pair at a time. (you can also Double-down if you have a really good shot; doubles the length of the burst, pretty much promises you'll need new barrels once the fight is over, and runs the risk of a jam, but it can turn enemy planes into confetti)

@Haibane; you paid 70 for a con. of 4 I checked.

Aww but those .70's sound so nice :D Ill edit and get reading and posting :)