Black Lagoon Anime/Manga based RPG (Revised, NC:H, action oriented)

Started by Daril, June 05, 2015, 12:42:44 PM

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Daril

Note: This is a revision of an earlier RPG proposal I made.

I would like to do a RPG based on the anime/manga series Black Lagoon.  I intend for the rpg to be action oriented (the NC:H rating should be taken as an acknowledgement of the mature nature of the setting, not an indication of what the RPG will primarily be about).  I also intend for it to be relatively fast paced.  Ideally I would like to get players who can post daily, but at the very least I'd like to get players who generally don't require more than a couple days to make a reply.

Edit: Although my instinct is to focus on a crew of pirates/smugglers who operate some sort of boat, I am also considering another idea.  Please see the second post for details.

I'm thinking this RPG will follow a crew of pirates/smugglers/mercenaries similar to the Lagoon crew.  The main roles I'm looking to fill are captain/boss, helmsman/navigator, and mechanic (ideally I would like the last one to be a cute girl  :P).

Plot wise, I'm thinking of taking a page (or maybe several) from the source material and making the first job a kidnapping/ransom mission that ends up becoming a lot more hairy than the crew anticipated.  As in the person the crew was hired to kidnap turns out to be a major crime boss' daughter or something.
  :P

Here is the character profile template for those of you who are interested in joining:


[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Nationality:[/b]
[b]Sexual Orientation:[/b]
[b]Biography:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b] I'd kind of like to have both a picture and a written appearance for this, but may be willing to forgo the picture to makes things easier for potential players.
[b]Weapon(s) of choice:[/b] Please stick to weapons that were available circa 1995.  I can likely make some suggestions in this regard if you need them.
[b]Fighting style/tactics:[/b]


Here is a sample character profile.  I don't know if I'll actually end up playing this particular character concept.  I really like her, but she's in her present form at least she's an outsider who would have to be drawn into the crew over time (perhaps through a friendship with one of the other crew members).  So she doesn't really fulfill any of the essential roles I'd identified.

Sample Character Profile

Name: Sara McMillan
Age: 24
Nationality: Canadian
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
Biography: While she claims to be American because she thinks it increases her credibility as a gun for hire, Sara actually hails from Canada.  She joined the Canadian Armed Forces shortly after they began to train women for infantry roles.  However, her wild attitude did not jive well with military discipline and soon led to her being given a dishonorable discharge.  After this, her adventurous spirit led her to travel, and she ended up in Thailand where she caught wind of the city of Roanapur.  Being an adrenaline junky, she couldn't resist the allure of such a dangerous city and soon became one of its many guns for hire.  Her cowboy hat and general craziness have led to her being nicknamed "the cowgirl" among her peers.
Personality:  Sara is a rather boisterous person and a huge adrenaline junky who enjoys dangerous situations far too much.  She's considered mildly crazy by many of the people who know her.  She also tends to be rather sexually aggressive -if she's interested in someone, they'll tend to know it.
Appearance: Approximately six feet tall and well endowed, with blue eyes and long red hair, Sara sticks out like a sore thumb in Roanapur.  She often wear jeans and a sleeveless top, but her most distinct article of clothing is the cowboy hat that she almost always wears when she's out and about.  She also tends to wear a low slung gunbelt.

Weapon(s) of choice: Sara tends to be very heavily armed even by Roanapur standards.  She's rarely armed with just a pistol when she's going around her business.  Her favorite weapons include a "CAR-15" (M16A1 carbine) and a stainless steel Colt Python revolver.  Perhaps her most notorious weapon however is one that even she doesn't carry on a whim -a Soviet PKM belt fed machine gun with a custom backpack feed system.
Fighting style/tactics:  Sara's grasp of tactical basics is actually pretty good, she just tends to be very aggressive with regards to how she applies them.  As noted above, many of the other mercenaries in Roanapur consider her a bit crazy.  While she is actually a pretty good shot, she has a definite appreciation for rapid fire  She also has a tendency to shoot through the cover her opponents are using, a habit that has earned her the ire of quite a few of her competitors in Roanapur's mercenary community.

Daril

Although my instinct with this RPG is to focus on a crew of pirates/smugglers, I am also considering a group of straight up mercenaries.  I'm not really sure what I'd do story wise with that particular idea, but I'm wondering if I might be able to get more players with it.  People just don't seem very enthusiastic about being part of the boat crew and also seem to be having trouble coming up with characters for it.  Heck, the character I posted myself seems better suited to being a gun for hire than part of the crew of a pirate/smuggling boat.

Sessha

 I guess I am putting my name down here for this as well.
Locked, cocked and ready to rock!


Daril

Bump for July.

Aside from a pirate or mercenary crew, a third idea would be to temporarily assemble a group of independents for a job.  I prefer the idea of a crew since I think it's better for long term play, but I got some PM interest from someone who wanted to play an eccentric medic.  The character wasn't someone who would really belong as part of a small crew, but she'd be a great addition to tapestry of colorful characters that make up Roanapur.

Sorrow Singer

Sure, I'm an old fan of the black lagoon manga anyway. Goofy over the top sexy violent fun. I can throw a character together.

Daril

Great!  Are you more interested in the boat crew idea or the mercenary crew idea?

Sorrow Singer

While traditionally the Black Lagoon trading company operated out of 'The Black Lagoon' Their old war patrol boat. The majority of the time the boat just served as transport, and a lot of the fighting jobs took place either on larger ships, or solid land. So the Boat crew idea isn't really that limiting, plus it was the source of all of the good old pirate banter.

So personally a group of mercenary smuggler/shooters operating out of a waterborne relic would be preferable for the setting. And after all the entire thing is designed around dramatized pirate adventures in south east Asia. For people who haven't read the manga or watched the anime this setting is somewhere between firefly and the pirates of the Caribbean.

Sorrow Singer

"Ho' shit. Th' Fuck'n rumors true, you fucks ar' the crew wit' the honest to life fuckin' Samurai School Girl."
"Look at these clowns, can you believe it? That fucking slant actually brought a goddamn sword to a gun fight."
"No Fucking excuses, you piece of fucking trash. You really expect me to believe seven of my best boys bought it to a little girl with a Fucking sword?"

   - A Choice selection of last words.



Name: 'Tiny' Aya Hamasaki. 'The Samurai Schoolgirl.'
Age: 21
Nationality: Japanese
Sexual Orientation: Bi sexual
Biography: B movie reject material at it's finest, Aya could well have inspired 'Kill Bill.'
Family slaughtered before her eyes, Kidnapped at an impressionable young age, taught the killing ways as a young orphan. The Fuckin' works. No joke.
By the time the bitch was seventeen she was swinging a sword in one hand, with the gun fu in the other. One job went south another sideways, leadership kept getting dead.
Wasn't no mistake either, little killer had a mind to get some vengeance on those who wronged her. One week it was government officials, next it would be big league private military contractors, then the yak got hit. Tiny cleaned house until those left started getting wise, started getting scarce. Tiny packed up and then got out of town, Straight to the ocean. Joined up with some little crew in the middle of nowhere, god knows why. You ask me though looking to find the killers and controllers, shes still looking to get square.
Personality: An honest to god polite pirate. Tiny Aya barely touches the drink, scornes the drugs and doesn't smoke much. Oh and the holier than thou bitch doesn't even use 'curse words'. Shes like some sort of fucking antithesis to the point.
Good worker though, despite all the weird shit. Mumbles about honor and a good fight while cutting down goons with a mother fucking samurai katana. As dumb as it sounds she makes the thing work, pairs it with a nine mil and a lot of attitude. Seen tiny punch out a man twice her size when he made a pass at her, one punch. leverage she said after, fucking believe that? fucking leverage.
Appearance: Hair like iron, eyes like steel. Tiny Aya lives up to her name at five foot one inches tall, and weighing in at just under a hundred pounds. All of it muscle. Honest.
Shes a lithe killer, more about speed and grace than strength. Shes built like an acrobat, all tight muscles. Coiled like a spring. Wears her hair long and doesn't care much for makeup. She likes to wear black, comfortable practical clothes. Skirts and stalkings. Wears a fucking Japanese sailor schoolgirl outfit when shes on the clock.
Weapon(s) of choice: Tinys traditional armament is a sword. A genuine samurai katana, the real deal not some sort of imitation garbage. She maintains the weapon with meticulous care. Doesn't name it though, looks at you funny when you ask what she calls it. wasted opportunity if you ask me. Otherwise shes flexible, years of sketchy assassin training means if it shoots she can shoot it. that goes for the big toys too. Once told me she could hot-wire and fly a fucking helicopter gunship, have yet to see it, but then shes not exactly the lying sort.
Fighting style/tactics: Roll the B movie real. Fights like a snake, lots of rapid movement. In and out slash a man down, use his carcass as a shield and pop his buddy with a pistol. Seems fine with a gun, prefers her stupid sword though. some garbage about honor and dignity. Certainly works as a scare tactic though. Sometimes Tiny doesn't look human after a scrap. Covered in blood that gray hair of hers goes dark scarlet. That's the sort of shit that wakes you up in a cold sweat at night.

Daril

Initially I thought a katana wielding girl in a sailor uniform would be out of place in Roanapur.  Then I remembered that Black Lagoon has characters like Roberta, Shenhua, and Sawyer.  :P

One concern I have is that she seems a bit young.  At nineteen she's legal, but with her choice of attire I'm not so sure some of the older characters would be very interested in her (though Sara would probably find her cute  :P).

I'm actually still not entirely sure which character I'm going to play if we go with the boat idea.  I like Sara, but I'd sort of like to keep her in reserve for the mercenaries idea (if we get enough players I might try to do both ideas -a pirate/smuggler crew and a mercenary crew).  So I might end up playing a different character.  Possibly male, possibly female.  I'd kind of like to go for something relatively gender balanced with the boat crew (the mercenary crew not so much).

Sorrow Singer

fixed the picture, what i get for being lazy and not hosting it myself. and slapped two more years of life experience on her so shes not too young. And yeah i thought she would fit in okay, Black Lagoon was all about the absurd out of place characters and how they interacted with the regular sea scum. In a series complete with gun running nuns and elite battlefield maids I thought the samurai schoolgirl would be right at home.

Izaya Orihara

Seems interesting. I saw this a few weeks ago, though it didn't seem to be getting much attention.
Always liked Black Lagoon, too, which helps pique my curiosity in this.
Well, if I had to give a reason for my actions, I guess it's because I love people. I guess I wanted to see the faces that mankind has to offer.

Daril

What sort of character are you looking to play?  (I want to clarify that part right off the bat so I have an idea how the overall group is looking at this point.)

Izaya Orihara

Well, I had a few different character ideas, but I've been leaning towards the one below, considering the way I've been making increasingly androgynous characters. I suppose the other characters may or may not realise or believe that he's male, which could be a potential character point/thing to have in the RP.  It's probably best just to show you the app, so here it is:

Name: Yūki Ayanokōji
Age: 20
Nationality: Japanese (half-Japanese, and half-Spanish)
Sexual Orientation: Heteroflexible, with a preference for feminine aesthetics.
Biography:
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
Yūki was born in Nagano, on the 30th of June, 1975. His father was a businessman, though originating from a lesser branch of a Japanese noble family. His mother, meanwhile, was was a Spanish singer, author and model, who had come to live in Japan a few years earlier. Despite showing considerable intelligence, Yūki was always in the shadow of his older sister, with his appearance even then seeming remarkably femenine, and causing people to mistake him for his older sister, if they hadn't met her. She seemed to possess a genius level intellect, and quickly became skilled with whatever she happened to delve into, from the arts, to science, literature, and other areas. His father pinned the family's hopes on her, more or less ignoring Yūki. Her paintings were sold for millions of yen, and she became a critically acclaimed young painter and author. It would not, however, be long, before she vanished on a school-trip abroad, in America. Suspected by many to have died, with the evidence leaning that way, things took a turn for the worse. 

His mother spent increasing amounts of time working, and staying elsewhere, whilst his father became depressed, mentally erratic, and often drunk, with his mother eventually divorcing him. Showing increasingly poor judgement, he became involved in the criminal underground, black market trade and dodgy dealings, as well as gambling in the more literal sense, using contacts abroad in an attempt to gain wealth from illicit trade of various things into Japan, including guns. Yūki also became a target for abuse. At some point, his father was involved in a deal that resulted in being apprehended by the police. More and more of his past was revealed, and he committed suicide shortly after. His mother elsewhere, and unwilling to take custody of him, he was unknowingly given into the care of one of his father's associates, someone who claimed to be his aunt on his mother's side, going by the name Haruna Rokujō, yet had only happened to have met him a few times during meetings between her and his father.

After that, he was essentially kept at a remote house in the mountains of central Japan. It was better than nothing. He had food, drink and shelter, and clothes, ignoring that they were usually those worn by women. He was drugged, molested and violated by his "aunt" and her associates. He was also indoctrinated, too. He would be taught how to deceive, and how to kill, becoming an assassin of sorts, who would manipulate and kill those who were seen as obstacles to the one who owned him. He would work his way into their trust, or at least a situation in which he could kill them and escape.

Yūki came to target numerous individuals, officials, reporters, judges and the like, who had holier than thou attitudes, and a desire to stamp out the likes of the crime, Yakuza and terrorist networks in which his master was involved, a network that also manipulated and profited from the conflicts going on. He also eradicated those the network saw as rivals. One failure to properly kill a target resulted in a reward of imprisonment and torture, upon his return. Unsurprisingly, he never failed again. During his training, at what was essentially a terrorist training camp, he excelled at long-range shooting, whilst also coming to have a trademark means of closer assassination, utilising wires to choke, or slice through vital parts of his victims.

Nonetheless, whilst making a message to those who opposed his "aunt," it would also come to bring the attention of the Japanese authorities, as well as CIA in America. Though his name, appearance and gender remained a mystery for a while, the chaos being wrought brought their attention. Eventually, they caught wind of the place in which he resided, which had at that point become a safehouse on the west coast of Japan. At the same time, as armed police and counter-terror squads were sent in, a group of nearby Yakuza were manipulated into attacking the area, which also housed a number of guards who had been ordered to stay behind. Abandoned by his master, he was drugged into a state of insensability, and as the three-way battle commenced, was thrown onto a fishing boat.

Unmanned, the boat was left to drift, and managed to end up somewhere in the South China Sea, making it past the coasts of Taiwan and Indonesia without being investigated. It just so happened to be, that at that time, the Lagoon Company were on a mission in the area. Whilst they were taking over a freighter, the boat he was on, emerged from the distance. To sum things up, they found him on board, learnt of his talents after the drugs wore off, and decided to include him in the team. Something along those lines, anyway.

Personality:
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
Quiet and generally seeming apathetic, it can be difficult to tell whether he's simply good at hiding his emotions, or doesn't care. He has something of an inferiority complex, as well as a darkly twisted, nihilistic philosophical view of things, being somewhat aware of the common concept of morality, but regarding it as foolish, flawed and inapplicable to the real world. He lacks much in the way of social skills, and in some ways is naïve, of almost childlike ignorance in regards to society and people, yet at the same time pessimistic and jaded, ruthless to those that get in his way, yet also expecting others to grind him into the dirt, or attempt to do so. Accordingly, along with his experiences, he also developed masochistic tendencies, though whether he may have already had elements of that to begin with, is uncertain.

Whilst often cold, he can at rare times be remarkably fearful and eager to obey others, should he be cornered or overpowered. On the exceptional occasion, an older self of his can appear, which seems friendly, cheerful, good-natured, and tends to acts very carefree, masking many of his real feelings with a smile. Yūki is usually emotionally distant, refusing to allow anyone to become too close to him, though he may not always succeed, and tends to come off as shy rather than harsh, a demeanour supported by a lack of experience in anything approaching a healthy relationship. Of course, he might be quite a nice person, even if he wouldn't be the best at expressing it.

Appearance: Yūki is rather slim and feminine in appearance, with long black hair and brown eyes. He is 5'9" and whilst not underfed, weighs fairly little. Fitting his appearance, he is quite elegant, though when fighting, also possesses a ruthless precision. His clothing varies, though it is often of a kind that worn by women, even if he considers himself male. He has two bells tied to his hair, which serve to store the thin wire/strings he often utilizes in combat, though he also keeps more wire elsewhere.

Image gallery here we come

Weapon(s) of choice: Barrett M82, garrote wires/stuff like that, and some explosives. Two Vektor SP1 pistols.
Fighting style/tactics: Uses guns for longer range, or traps from a distance, utilising explosives and wires. He uses stealth, speed and agility to best effect, lacking much in the way of strength or endurance. In melee combat, he uses razor sharp wires to trap, disarm, maim and generally dismember enemies. Unarmed, his techniques involve previously mentioned speed and agility, whilst also attempting to turn the attacks of opponents against them, and avoid getting overpowered by individuals that can often be bigger and stronger. When fighting, he's quiet and focused.

Well, if I had to give a reason for my actions, I guess it's because I love people. I guess I wanted to see the faces that mankind has to offer.

Sessha

Quote from: Sorrow Singer on July 06, 2015, 02:02:18 AM
For people who haven't read the manga or watched the anime this setting is somewhere between firefly and the pirates of the Caribbean.

So does that mean Dutch is suppose to be Mal, Revy is suppose to be Jayne, Benny is Wash and Rock is suppose to be...Book?  ;D ;D ;D
Locked, cocked and ready to rock!


Daril

Okay, I've got a bit of a problem here. I'm getting some interesting characters, but most of them aren't a good fit for the crews I'm trying to assemble.  :-( Sorrow's character wasn't quite what I was looking for but I thought I could accommodate her.  But a second Japanese assassin character is a bit much for one pirate crew, and the medic type someone proposed via PM would be out of place as part of a small crew as well.  Perhaps I should go with my third proposal -assemble a crew of independents for some kind of job.  (That, and maybe give people more information about what I'm looking for with the pirate and mercenary crews.)  A temporary assembly of independents wouldn't be the greatest option for a long term RPG, but at least it would allow some of the interesting characters I'm getting to be used.

Rel Mayer

Is it for sure going to be a fast paced game? I am possibly interested in even playing a character that doesn't appear very often, but I can't keep up with daily posting.

Daril

Realistically, I doubt we're going to manage daily posting.  But in general I want to keep people from having to wait very long for replies.

GardenoftheDead

"I am you. I am a shadow, the true self."

Daril

Okay, this might be a good time to clarify what I'm looking for with the different scenarios.

If we're doing a crew of pirates/smugglers, then I would like to start with three or four characters.  I would like the crew to have more than one male to avoid a harem scenario.  :D  One character will need to captain the boat.  It would probably be good to have a mechanic as well (I would really like to get a cute girl for that particular role  :P).  A sort of helmsman/navigator might be good to have as well, as would a driver for on land segments (though that can probably be combined with another roll).

If we're doing the merc crew then I'm looking more for straight up soldier types.  Again, I would want to avoid a harem situation so I'd want at least two males (or possibly none -that's another way to avoid a harem scenario  :D ).  For that scenario I would probably be playing the "Sara" character I did up a profile for.  I'm not quite as sure what to do plot wise for this scenario as I am with the boat one but it is an option.

The "independents gather for a job" scenario is the one that offers the most freedom with regards to character types as it can accommodate characters who wouldn't fit well as part of a pirate or mercenary crew such as the medic character someone PMed me the profile for (a great character, but a quartet of pirates or mercs isn't going to permanently employ their own medical professional).  Unfortunately this is also the scenario I'm least enthusiastic about GMing.

So who's up for which roles in which scenarios?  It's possible we could end up doing more than one of them.

Sessha

Locked, cocked and ready to rock!


Sorrow Singer

Aya's Initial design is that of an enforcer type, but because of her ill defined limitless plot training she could double up as a navigator or driver.

Vex

Glad to see this is picking up in interest. I didn't have a specific idea back when I first saw this thread, but if we're interested in running with the pirate/smugger idea, I'd be happy to pick up the cute mechanic role. I've always enjoyed playing support characters that perform utilitarian roles, so the ass-kickers of the group can focus on what they do best. I'm thinking of an enthusiastic, geeky techie sort with some unorthodox engineering training, has a playful personality and adorkable appearance, but hides a bit of a cynical perspective on society that endorses a bit of a cold, impersonal view of the universe. Doubles as a hacker,  and kind of a high-tech communications and intelligence officer. Could triple down and make her a pilot and/or driver as well, but I'm not gonna force that one unless there's no-one else interested in that role. I figure a diplomatic captain-sort could take that role instead.

Naturally, that kind of character might not work for a merc-crew, if you decide to go that route. I'd be willing to redesign, if that's the case. I enjoy the sort of mature, serious setting the series brings, so I'd be interested in sticking it out, in either case.

Daril

I'm not sure I want to get into hacking too much, but the rest sounds pretty good (if you want her to be an intelligence source, maybe she trades info with the people she gets her parts from).

I'd kind of like to get a couple guys for the boat crew.  Alternately I guess we could go with an all female crew -it would be a bit skewed but at least it wouldn't be a harem situation.  :P


Izaya Orihara

Quote from: Daril on July 09, 2015, 05:55:32 PM
I'm not sure I want to get into hacking too much, but the rest sounds pretty good (if you want her to be an intelligence source, maybe she trades info with the people she gets her parts from).

I'd kind of like to get a couple guys for the boat crew.  Alternately I guess we could go with an all female crew -it would be a bit skewed but at least it wouldn't be a harem situation.  :P

Well, my currently posted character (Yūki) is a guy, though he doesn't look it. A trap, in other words.  :P
Well, if I had to give a reason for my actions, I guess it's because I love people. I guess I wanted to see the faces that mankind has to offer.

Vex

Quote from: Daril on July 09, 2015, 05:55:32 PM
I'm not sure I want to get into hacking too much, but the rest sounds pretty good (if you want her to be an intelligence source, maybe she trades info with the people she gets her parts from).

I'd kind of like to get a couple guys for the boat crew.  Alternately I guess we could go with an all female crew -it would be a bit skewed but at least it wouldn't be a harem situation.  :P

I'm not suggesting we do get into hacking much. I just thought it fit the character idea well. If you want to avoid it, I'm okay with that. I could write it off, or we can just have it as a list of her skills, and keep it in mind, should the need ever come up. No need to bring it into major focus. That she's a girl of science and mechanics, and has a head for engineering is more important, so either way's fine with me. I don't have her down solid yet, but either way, I could see her as the type to gossip and trade useful information with other mechanics and suppliers she comes across, so having her pick up the occasionally bit of Intel that way would work out fine, I think.

And like Izaya pointed out, Yūki is a guy, and thinks of himself as one. He just happens to be an androgynous cross-dresser. So, if you want to avoid a "harem" situation, I'd say the best fourth-man would be a male captain, a leader, officially or unofficially so. It could help if they could double as a negotiator of sorts as well, or at least the face of the group, so to speak. That's not to say we couldn't split those roles up, or that they couldn't be an ass-kicker as well, but that seems like it would fill the hole you're looking for.

In the mean time, I'll see what I can come up with for a character write-up on my end. I can't necessarily promise you I'll have it by tonight, but I should be able to have one up by the weekend.

Daril

The problem is, it still kind of seems like a harem.  :D

I had been thinking of taking on the Captain role if no one else wants it.  But I've also considered other roles for that RPG so I'm waiting to see what gets offered.

Vex

Name: Ae-Mi "Ami" Seong

Age: 24
Nationality: South Korean
Sexual Orientation: Predominantly Heterosexual, Bi-curious




Background
Biography: Surrounded by crew-mates with checkered pasts, and others outlining the notorious seas and ports she often finds herself in, Ami has an unexpectedly favorable background. Ae Mi Seong is the fifth child, and youngest daughter, of Hyun-Ki Seong, an entrepreneurial magnate who has been benefiting for decades under the industrialization of South Korea over the recent years. While many households have found plenty of disorder with the sudden formations of cities, and the clashing of rural, traditional roots meeting with the emerging economic and political realities, Ae Mi grew up in a life of virtual luxury and affluence for a Korean household, stable and up to date with the first world technologies, expensive cars, even their own private dock and a large yacht, which the family often used, enjoying their sea-front estate on the outskirts of bustling Busan.

While Hyun-Ki was happy to pursue the monetary value of the new ways, his own upbringing was still rooted with traditions, and he expected his children to follow suit. His sons would be heir to his financial empire, tasked with helping their family fortune grow and forging new opportunities for the family, and his daughters were to remain pure, feminine, and eligible to be married off to help unite ties with other heads of industry. Taking after after the patriach, his progeny were all resourceful and competitive souls, each striving to be the best, and to win their father's favor and support. He might had gifted his sons and daughters with luxeries from the East and West alike, private tutors, vehicles and toys as varied as the imagination, but he expected results from them. Affections were secondary to success and prestige that his family name should carry.

But, that's not quite how it worked out in Ae Mi's case. She was an academic, for sure, but she wasn't particularly competitive, nor concerned with perceived perfection. A tomboy, and troublesomely awkward in social situations, she was hardly the attractive garden of flowers her parents were hoping to cultivate, nor very assertive towards putting her mind towards the family business. She was unusually affectionate, naively trusting, and a bit of a push-over to her more aggressive siblings. She scored excellently on academic exams, but had little ambition towards finances or political goals, instead preferring to keep her nose in books and her hands dipped in mechanization of a more literal nature.

Ae-Mi had an avid interest in machines, engines, and electronics of all sorts. She read books and manuals on the subject in her free time, and relished the opportunity to witness the inner workings. While her kin were keen to enjoy the new computers of the age, she wanted to know how they worked, and spent hours understanding the hardware and coding. While her older siblings were happy to own and drive fancy cars to show off, she was with their mechanic, getting under the hood and watching him work. While the family sailed the nearby seas, relaxed with the scenic ocean, fished and worked on their tans, Ae-Mi was often in the helmsman or studying the engine, usually with the amusement of her crew. She loved to talk with other mechanics and operators, and learn about the occupational realities and substance of their training, and often, they were happy to indulge her, as most were rather impressed a young lady would actually bother themselves with getting their hands dirty and actually learning a bit of self-sufficiency.

At first, Hyun-Ki was happy to have her so enthused about mechanics, seeing as he didn't have much of a mind for it himself, and found her grasp of technology to be cute and handy. Not only did she enjoy herself, but she often helped the family learn their devices, helped recommend modifications for their vehicles and appliances, and informed them of the market realities of the technology of the day. They'd finally found a use for her unusual interests, and even her brothers and sisters tended to use her talents for machines and mathematics for their own purposes. It wasn't until Hyun-Ki came one one evening and discovered his pre-teen daughter working on his eldest son's car, smiling at him, unconcerned that her fair skin and delicate clothes soaked were soaked in grease and oil, that he realized that things were going as they were supposed to. The way she looked, talked, and even a bit of how she acted, reminded him of the pleabians he hired to maintain his expensive equipment. Once he discovered that she'd actually been joining their family mechanic in all kinds of private jobs, some for his friends and coworkers, he'd had enough. His daughter's reputation would not be tarnished on her silly hobby any longer, and with a stern ultimatum, he ordered her to stop with her work, stay at the mansion, and start focusing on making herself a reputable daughter for him. This was not something a powerful magnate's daughter to do.

Of course, teens are a rebellious sort, and Ae-Mi was no different. This was her fascination, after all. She reluctantly made her promise, but secretly continued on anyway. It wasn't too hard, seeing as she was quiet and her father was gone much of the time anyway. The bespectacled brunette continued to work with dock workers and mechanics, sneaking off at unusual hours to get time and practice on working on appliances, cars, and even some of their side-jobs, and they were happy to have her, if mostly for the free help on paid commissions. However, as it turned out, it might had been wiser for her to listen to her father's warnings, and stay away from the docks.

Hyun-Ki Seong was not a nice man. He was a cutthroat entrepreneur, one of the richest men in the new South Korea, and was quickly making Buson his personal domain, literally writing the rules and laws to his favor with his influence. Naturally, some people were going to take exception to that, people who were desperate and didn't have many means to get to him. Once one of the workers with a loose mouth started to talk to people with said interests, she became a juicy target. And, when she was fourteen, as she came into the workshop one evening, she was met with a cadre of gunslingers, along with the dead bodies of her mentors, and abducted, swept away on a private ship.

After being locked away for hours while they sailed away, her captors stripped her of clothes and tormented her, making her squeal for an audiotape they made for her father, so they could use her for ransom, hoping to get large sums of cash and a few influential changes from Hyun-Ki. They stopped shy of actually raping her, figuring she was more valuable for them undefiled, but that didn't mean they didn't derive some personal pleasure from brutalizing and humiliating her. Once they moved her to a remote warehouse on some unknown shore, they preached on about the crimes of her father, but sympathy was hard to reach when some of the crew laughed at her pain and openly talked about killing her after her father paid up, using her for their pleasures, or selling her off to some other organization. Her cries of anguish and fear rang out commonly through her chamber, with little attention, other than the occasional boot to shut her up. It was the darkest, scariest moments of her life, where she spent every day wondering if it would be her last.

Then, one day, Ae-Mi awoke to an explosion, ringing in from corridors. She couldn't see what was happening, but she soon recognized the cacophony as gunfire, mixed in with the occasional screams as orders were shouted in the distance. During the chaos, a foreign man, a Westerner whom she didn't recognize as part her kidnappers, dressed in a Kevlar vest, snuck into the chambers where she was held. Even when he untied her, she was weary of this new man, not sure what kind of fate he presented, but when he shot back at one of the men who came through the door, one whom she recognized putting the pain to her days earlier, she quietly decided to come along, joining him as they made their way back to their own war vessel. She passed countless men whom she recognized on the way back, all viscerally slumped on the ground and bloodied, as she passed along, following only by the insistent tun on her hand, as they raced to the boat. Once on, the man called back their men, shunted her into a chamber in the hull, and took off. Several small boats followed in tow, but her current captors managed to fend them off and lose their trail.

It was explained to her that they were mercenaries, working for her father, hired with the intention of getting her back. That, they did, exceptionally well, and she couldn't be grateful enough for saving her from whatever fate they had in mind for her. But, she wasn't sure what to make of them. She learned she couldn't trust people too easily, thanks to this whole mess, and they had an even harder look than the ones who kidnapped her. Were they really looking out for her safety?

Fortune stepped in one last time, as their engine petered out half-way to their destination point, leaving them stranded on open waters. While they were baking in the humidity of the Summer sea for hours, cautious teen was let out of her chamber, once it got too hot. She got a chance to listen to them bitch and complain, moan their worries off one another. For some reason, she found it funny that a bunch of amazing warriors, who pair top-dollar and obviously operated outside the law, killing people for money and taking adventurous jobs, were all thwarted by a little engine trouble, with not a one who could knew how to handle it. It humanized them, in her own weird way. So, she offered to have a look at it. It took some convincing, but the helmsman eventually let her have a look, and was a little impressed with how familiar she was with what she found. At her recommendation, they made a small trip at a nearby port for some parts, and within a few hours, she had it working. The crew of hardened killers and veterans of combat praised her and openly expressed their appreciation, making for a rather pleasant trip the rest of the way. They didn't chide her like a child, or patronize her with cute comments. It earnest praise, given from a group of hard-asses who certainly didn't have to mind their manners. They gave her a chance to shoot a couple of their guns that night, and even gave the young lady have her first taste of beer, and laughed when she got a little light-headed. Despite being born from a horrible experience, it was quite the enjoyable time, and one that left a lasting impression on her.

Of course, after she got back, everything didn't exactly go hunky-dory for her. Her family was happy to have her back, with relief and joy thrown around, as one would expect. But Hyun-Ki was a shrewd man, and it didn't take him long to figure out just how she had gotten kidnapped, and her accountability for it. For several years, she was on a rather tight leash, where she didn't have much of a choice but to obey her father. But, despite her gratitude for hiring the crew to save her, the his rebellious daughter was more assured than ever of what she wanted to do. Her calling was as a mechanic and engineer, a practical physicist, and even her father, nor a traumatic experience, could dissuade her from this. She pursued her ambition in secret even still, albeit in a more low-key fashion within her private school and home compound. It was inevitable her father would find out, however, and she knew it wouldn't go well.

How does that explain why she's out on a pirate's vessel, living like an outlaw? A girl's gotta work somehow, and the world still place too many restrictions on female mechanics and engineers of a certain variety. Besides, who wouldn't want to enjoy the open seas and keep a steady boat up in tip top shape while venturing off on some of the most adventurous work still available in an age increasingly moving towards order and world unity? Of course, few people really believe that's her only reason for being out here. Perhaps more truths will come out eventually. But, in the mean time, it's easy to see why Ami enjoys the life on the open waters, living away from "proper" society. Freedom is what she values. To live life the way she wants, and pursue the tracts she chooses. That is the ideological benefit of being a pirate, something normal society doesn't really offer, and it's ultimately the reason she chooses to stay, despite it's difficulties. It's dangerous, but Ami is a stubborn soul when it comes to that which she truly believes in, and isn't easily deterred from the path she has chosen, despite her inadequacies.

Description
Personality: For an outlaw living on the high-seas and dealing with violent and sociopathic criminals, Ami is surprisingly optimistic and personable. She isn't the most naturally charismatic of sorts, prone to techno-bable about topics she's passionate about, the occasional sufferer of foot-in-mouth syndrome thanks to her tendency to speak off the top of her head, to get distracted from conversations when subjects of greater interest occupy her mind, and her shyness about personal matters. Coupled with a general lack of social grace, or a fashion sense that tends to be more practical than visual, she often doesn't make for the best of first impressions.  However, those that interact with her regularly often find a bit of earth-bound charm in her, a person with a reasonably healthy and generally well-adjusted state of mind. She's friendly, pragmatic, orderly and often compassionate in her own way, even if she tends to have some rather unorthodox manners of expressing herself. Amongst her friends, she's often renown for her bubbly, silly, and energetic personality, especially when she's sharing drinks and ideas, and offering to lend them support how she can, emotionally, or sometimes in more assertive ways.

She has an intense fascination for physics, mathematics, chemistry and mechanical engineering, one that follows her quite passionately through much of her days, genuinely enjoying the prospect of fixing up old equipment, taking things apart in order to see what's underneath, and enthusiastically pining for new equipment and tech to play with. She's shifted a fair bit of focus to the computer and robotics boom over the past decade, and often will be found reading up on new manuals or tinkering with one thing or another.  Even regular maintenance and simple upgrades around the ship tends to give her a sense of satisfaction, as if to reaffirm her control over the principles she understands. Some have described her as kind of engaging to watch while she's at work, although they might have other fixations than herself.

Although Ami takes an optimistic bend about her life, that doesn't mean she sees everything in a rose-tinted shade. She's a hard atheist and determinist, believing the universe plays by specific rules that mostly deal with the physical. The rest is undefined. She's skeptical of those who claim a greater sense of meaning beyond the physical, be that religion, honor, or morality. She doesn't disparage those things, but experience and reason tell her those things are subjective, with little to no real objectivity to be found, so they're generally unreliable as a foundation. As such, she weary of the promises of society and those with moral authority, as, in her understanding, those principles they hold can be shifted and reshaped to suit their needs and desires. She doesn't see this as a particularly pessimistic belief, though. After all, that offers one a great amount of freedom to choose what's important to them. The universe offers us only a few truly objective rules, and the rest is up to us.

Appearance: Much like her personality, first impressions aren't her strong suit. If one were to pass by Ami on the streets, she likely wouldn't garner much attention. Even in the halls of her quarters, if one were to pass by her workshop, they likely wouldn't find her standing out very much, especially considering the eclectic nature of her crew-mates. When left to her own devices, she often wears simplistic and functional clothing, jumpsuits, overalls, simple t-shirts and tank-tops, pants, jeans, maybe shorts or skirts for hotter days. Her waist-length dark brown locks are often put up in a bun or updo when working or out and about, in an effort to protect them and for simple convenience, although she lets her hair down at night or when she's done for the day and relaxing. Light-brown eyes often sitting behind a pair of thin-framed glasses, with a elegant but not terribly inspiring design. When she's been working, it's not unusual for her to be covered in sweat or marked with dirt, dust, grime, oil, or any number of elements, depending on what she's doing. Standing at a rather average height for a woman her age, and often not embellishing her earthly tones very much, it's not surprising to see why she doesn't initially strike any chords of recognition in those who see her casually.

However, if one takes a closer look, there's a solid, unrefined diamond behind all that rough. In part, due to good breeding and surprisingly good nutritional habits, Ami is a rather healthy specimen. Her skin is fair and nicely tanned from being at the seas and working on outdoor equipment, and lugging heavy rigs around has given her modest strength that some people don't see her often plain visage. Her physique is surprisingly curvacious and supple, her busty shape, reasonably slender waist, and something unexpectedly close to an hour-glass figure. Her facial features linger on the delicate side, that highlights her rosy cheeks when she smiles earnestly and animates pleasantly when she laughs. Wrap it all together, and you've got a girl who might be a little sloppy and careless, but who cleans up rather well when she wants to, even better if she has a little make-up assistance. However, if one is willing to linger around the ship a bit longer in the day when she's been hard at work, they might find plenty enough to appreciate anyway, given her loose, simple style of dress, a light sheen of sweat, and her tendency to skip out on underwear when she's not planning on leaving anywhere.

Fighting Capabilities
Weapon(s) of choice: In general, Ami doesn't carry many weapons. She has a small handgun and a taser for emergencies, a necessity for her line of work, and occasionally adapts her tools as a makeshift weapon depending on the need, but in general, she doesn't specifically carry much with her. Likely for the better, given she isn't a particularly great shot under pressure. But, when she's forced to fight, she prefers to either catch her adversaries off guard with her concealed weapons, or to do so with superior firepower, often to absurd lengths, as an effort of intimidation.

Fighting style/tactics: Ami isn't much of a fighter, so she doesn't have a particular style, per say. Her preference is to hide or run away from conflict, or to prevent an extended engagement in the first place. She does have some modest degrees of weapons training, and has practiced quite a few hours with her personal handgun, and even some of the rifles amongst her crew. She's not a bad shot on the range, and knows how to handle a gun in a technical sense, but she lacks the true nerve of an experienced killer, and has trouble shooting moving targets in the high-stress scenarios that come with actual conflict. That said, when she's faced with something she can't avoid, she can get pretty inventive with what she has at her disposal, as she has proposed some rather unorthodox tactics to scare off her attackers or defend her ship. Her general tactic is shock-and-awe, to scare her opponents so much with her concoctions and firepower that they lose the will to keep fighting with her. Against those that can't be intimidated, however, she doesn't have a whole lot of solutions before. She can cook up a deadly solution for individual threats, but at least in larger battles, it's largely a bluff game.

Vex

There we go! It's still something of a work in progress, especially the background, but I often do like to leave a lot of open holes in backgrounds anyway, so we can twist it into a shape that best suits the story as it develops. I hope you liked her. She might not be tiny and demurely feminine, but I figured Sorrow and Izaya had those covered, so I wanted to create something contrasting them, a girl who's a bit more rough around the edges at first appearance but has some more adorable elements underneath. That is sort of the spirit of adorkable, after all.

I figure she could be our dedicated mechanic, tech-expert and land driver when necessary. I'll leave the captaining to someone else. But, if there's anything that you thought didn't quite fit the bill, Daril, let me know, and we can work it out. It's not perfectly set in stone yet, and I like to think I can be accommodating to the tastes of my GMs and partners.

Daril

That's quite an impressive profile.  And a bit of an intimidating one -my own profiles feel rather lacking in detail by comparison. :D

She seems like she'd tend more towards microelectronics than machinery, but as long as she picked up some good experience with the latter at some point she should work fine.

I'm a bit unsure about some of stuff you've put in the weaponry and tactics section.  I don't think the pirate crew tends to carry flamethrowers around and I'm not so sure about things like the incident with the hijackers.

Vex

Quote from: Daril on July 11, 2015, 06:22:12 PM
That's quite an impressive profile.  And a bit of an intimidating one -my own profiles feel rather lacking in detail by comparison. :D

Thanks!  I'm glad you like it! ;D

Although, it wasn't my intention to intimidate. I just get a bit verbose sometimes when it comes to character creation. I don't consider her entry to be any better than anyone else's nor is it a model to follow. Yūki's history is much more detailed, for instance, and Aya's style, taking the perspective of another pirate describing her, is pretty neat. I want everyone to be comfortable with their own write ups, regardless of how they choose to do it.

QuoteShe seems like she'd tend more towards microelectronics than machinery, but as long as she picked up some good experience with the latter at some point she should work fine.

I suppose, though to be fair, that's sorta the direction the most technological advancements were heading at the time, so it's pretty natural for her to be interested in stuff like that.. The personal computer was just taking off, the internet was just starting to be being widely integrated, conventional devices were getting smaller, etc. So, yeah, she's gonna have an interest in that sort of thing. But, to her, machinery in general is worthy of attention, and electronics is just a field of the larger category. In this day and age, the two are often somewhat intertwined. It's literally taking some of the only objective principles of the universe and manipulating them towards a specific end or set of functions. To her, that's pretty astonishing, regardless of the form it takes.

Her background gives her more initial focus on household electronics and appliances more than, say, ships and large weaponry. Until she left home, cars are probably the largest tech she's worked with. But, Ami has a passion for this sort of thing, and despite her appearance as a book worm, is more of a hands-on kind of learner. Once she was on her own, she was freer to pursue more complicated devices and machinery. I'm sure she would had taken a lot of time to learn how to work the finer aspects. In fact, I imagine most of what she reads is just are just manuals and handbooks aimed experienced engineers and mechanics. I don't see her as too much of a fiction enthusiast, save for possibly some sci-fi stories.

Just to be accommodating, though, is there anything about her you think should be changed or added to give her the kind of upfront experience you're looking for? Maybe she's had a chance to work on her father's yatch, and has some personal sailing experience? She comes from a wealthy background, after all. I could easily write her as coming from a port city like Busan. It would actually fit the time period well, I think, and if her family liked to sail, she'd be familiar with the technical concerns of running a ship.

QuoteI'm a bit unsure about some of stuff you've put in the weaponry and tactics section.  I don't think the pirate crew tends to carry flamethrowers around and I'm not so sure about things like the incident with the hijackers.

Ha! Well, don't worry about that stuff too much. I'm not particularly bound to it. I just felt some examples might be appropriate to give a feel about how she handles self-defense. She's more concerned with halting and deterring the enemy than actually killing them. It's purely a game of manipulation. To that end, flamethrowers just felt like the perfect example of an extremely intimidating weapon that really isn't practical to use in most scenarios besides intimidating and scaring them.

So, I don't mind at all losing them. I'll just have to think of a couple of different scenarios to illustrate this point. Any suggestions?

Sessha

 Well so far I'm gonna run a weapon's specialist. Here is a WiP for her. It won't be as impressive as Vex's but she's going to be fine.

Edit: Added some of her Biography. It might end up being as long as Vex's... Oh well.  ;D ;D ;D

Edit: Add more Biography. It's going to be epic in scale by the time I'm done. Oh well  ;D ;D ;D

Name: Alex
Age: 24
Nationality: American
Sexual Orientation: bi
Biography: Alex herself was if there ever was such a term as "Born with a gun in hand." it would be applied to her. Alex her whole life growing up proved how much she loved guns. She began at young age with shooting BB and pellet guns at the snakes in the backyard of her family's home in rural Iowa. The back end of her family's house butted against a creek. It was a prime breeding ground for the critters and she aimed to do some civic duty. So when she was old enough she took her pellet rifle and set up a shooting post in her backyard. She proved to have a keen eye at nailing the little buggers.

When she got into her teens Alex changed her targets and guns. For sweet sixteen birthday party her mom and dad gave her a Remington Model 700 chambered in 30.06 caliber and a membership to the NRA. To say she was overjoyed was an understatement. This opened up her world so much more than it had before. She became quite the hunter as well. Her best kill ever was bagging two stags with one bullet. The shot lined up so perfectly she had to take it. She saw both dear reach up for the salt lick as she began to squeeze the trigger. The rifle jumped in her hands when she fired. However both dear dropped like a couple of sacks of potatoes. When the found they gathered the two bucks, the bullet had passed through the eyeball of one dear, out the other eye into the eyeball of the second deer before exiting the other eye and hitting the tree behind them.

As she entered her senior year of high school Alex got the chance to attend an NRA "gun camp" so to speak. It really opened her eyes to what you could do with guns. During this gun camp she got the chance to try her hand at other types of firearms. Namely she got the chance to shoot several assault rifles, sub-machine guns and a variety of pistols. She proved adept at handling both assault rifles and pistols. The sub-machine guns while nice had a bit too much kick and muzzle climb for her tastes. This camp would prove a turning point in her life as well. Her love of automatic weapons.

It would seem that her and the NRA would have an interesting run-ins with turning points in her life. The second one came during a swamp hunt in southeast Louisiana. At the camp she was staying at with several of the other NRA members she was hunting with had an unexpected dinner guest. One of the members was standing too close to the water when out of no where a gator came rushing up on land after him. Before she could even think Alex has drawn her pistol, a Glock 17 9mm and began firing at the gator. She watched the rounds themselves bounce off the gator's hide with no effect. After empting the whole magazine at the critter one of the other hunters leveled an old 1903 Springfield rifle at the critter and emptied all five rounds into the animal killing it dead. After the other person was life lighted to a nearby hospital for injuries the game warden and police took a statements, after all it was a critter attack but it was a clear case of self defense. The experience did leave it's mark on her. While the 9mm might have been good for some things it was not the end all be all round she had been led to believe. The large caliber of the rifle was what put the critter down, not any of the thirty something rounds her and one other person put into it.

  The second thing that set her life on the path it would end up taking was in high school she went to join the JROTC. Like many of the people who joined them she stuck with it all four years of high school. Rifle team, PT team and Orienteering team were the things that stirred her passions. She also joined with a number of other students who caught the fever of joining up, but she didn't want to join the army she wanted the marines. It was just after her graduation that the marines themselves began accepting women into their ranks. Here would end up being her most traumatic experience ever.

After getting involved in the marines themselves and into basic she began to show herself as a prominent marksman and shooter. She began to even out distance many of her male counter-parts. She was physically driven to make something of herself. Marine Corp training began to have the effect on her of making a soldier out of her. During several events between the services and genders she outdid many of them and this earned her the ire of several of male counter-parts. Some of them decided to take matters into their own hands. This would set Alex on her path with Roanpar.

During a night maneuvers exercise a month Alex was jumped by a number of the other marines who she had humiliated during the competition the previous month. They pinned her to the ground and held her down, stripped her naked and then began to rape her repeatedly. When they had finished with her they left her staked out on the field till she was found half dead the next day by another group of soldiers. She languished in a hospital for a week before a board of inquiry was arraigned to hear the charges. However the case was handled off the books and for the most part it ended up coming down to her knowing who her rapists were but the law had ended up failing her and failing her hard. All of the men who had raped her went off scott free and she was left to be thought of as a troublemaker. So she resigned and left and since the military only taking only her marine K-bar with her. Since the military would not do justice she herself would see justice done. They had escaped justice from the law but they would not escape her.

A few weeks after she left the military the first one of the men she had accused of raping suddenly turned up dead, a bullet in his head and his genitals had been severed and stuffed in his mouth. This sent shockwaves through the group themselves. They began to get scared but in the end it came to nothing for them. Each one of the men who had raped her ended up sharing the same fate. It didn't take the cops long to figure out who was taking them out. Unfortunately for them so to did Alex. She had made several friends over the years and they got her in touch with people who allowed her to slip out of the country.

After she left the US, a wanted woman she found work for herself in a PMC working out of Southern Africa called Executive Outcome. After submitting her application she was hired by them as they were looking for people with her skill set. It didn't take her long to settle into life working for the PMC. Then the orders came down they were being shipped out to Sierra Leone to aid the government in suppressing rebel groups in the area. The fighting there would prove an eye-opener for her. The people she fought were worse than animals and wanted nothing more than complete power themselves. The atrocities they committed hardened Alex's heart. After on particular incident she gave up on ever using a weapon with a smaller caliber round.

Her fortunes seemed to come to a head when the UN took notice of the effectiveness of PMCs in combating area forces and they forced a scale back of the EO's budget. Which suited Alex just fine. Despite her military background training she had come to find some small measure of peace as a gun for hire. She still set her own terms for who she worked for but a trained gun for hire was good commodity and most were willing to put up with some of her "eccentricities." because she knew how to use a gun very well. After EO cut her last paycheck she skipped a ride out of Southern Africa as it seemed the US government was getting a little too nosey for her liking on who she was. She had heard from a friend that there was a city in Southeast Asia that she could make a living peddling her skills and people didn't ask too many question.. A city called Roanapur.

After she arrived in the city she found it a bit distasteful at first but then she fell into the rythum of the city. She acted as a bodyguard and all around thug for a few different cartels, the most notable among them were the Triads, Colombian and Italian mafia groups. However after one of the men in the cartel made a pass at her and almost tried to force himself on her did she finally have enough. She promptly taught him the error of his ways. Even to this day he still can't get it up with a woman after Alex, but then again castration does interesting things to the human body. It was then she was tipped off to someone who was looking to hire a new crew for a ship. He was an independent and she liked that idea. So she sought him out offered her services to be hired.
Personality: Much like others in Roanapur Alex has become hardened to life far from the white alabaster cities of the western world. She'll shoot dead anyone who she deems worthy of the bullet and it doesn't matter who they are. She also has no love towards rapists either. After all having been raped repeatedly while in the military and nearly raped a few times afterwards have made her part of the woman she was today. She's generally easy going for the most part but doesn't liked to be crossed
Appearance:
Weapon(s) of choice: Barrett M82A3 .50 cal. sniper rifle, SAKO TRG-41(chambered for .338 Lapua Magum), G3A3(with optional 50 round drum) Desert Eagle .50 AE, Glock 20 (chambered chamber for 10mm autolock), SIG Saur P226(chambered in .357 SIG) Marine K-bar
Fighting style/tactics: Gun toting wackjob, Pistol packin momma, Go Big or Go home!
Locked, cocked and ready to rock!


Daril

Sessha -right now I'm trying to find some male characters for the pirate crew, so I'm tentatively going to put Alex in the merc group (maybe as a sharpshooter?) with the possibility of transferring over to the pirates if a player drops out or I end up switching the pirate group over to an all female one.

Daril

Okay, so I've been giving some thought to the character I might end up playing if I end up doing the captain role for the pirate/smuggler crew.  The character I'm thinking of playing is in his early thirties, a former SEAL who survived a disastrous "unofficial" mission in South East Asia.  He ended up being saved from drowning by a smuggling craft and sort of got drawn into things from there (one of my major considerations with this character was how someone with his mentality ended up as a smuggler and pirate).  Now he's the captain of his own boat.  Very strong personal loyalties -despite his change in occupation, he still has a leave no one behind mentality.

If I do play the character I may end up forgoing a picture because off how much difficulty I'm having finding a good picture to represent him.  He's not supposed to look look super tough or action hero like, but he isn't supposed to look like a bishounen either.  I did briefly consider using this image despite it looking completely different from what I had in mind, but then I noticed the darn mechanical hand.

Now if we end up going for an all female crew then I'll need to come up with a female captain.  Not entirely sure what I'd do for that, but I was considering doing a character based on this image.  Though those pants look like they'd be uncomfortable to wear in a hot, humid climate.  :D

Lux12

I rarely play an "anti-hero" or "villain protagonist" sort so consider this a note of interest.

Vex

Quote from: Daril on July 13, 2015, 08:52:46 PM
Okay, so I've been giving some thought to the character I might end up playing if I end up doing the captain role for the pirate/smuggler crew.  The character I'm thinking of playing is in his early thirties, a former SEAL who survived a disastrous "unofficial" mission in South East Asia.  He ended up being saved from drowning by a smuggling craft and sort of got drawn into things from there (one of my major considerations with this character was how someone with his mentality ended up as a smuggler and pirate).  Now he's the captain of his own boat.  Very strong personal loyalties -despite his change in occupation, he still has a leave no one behind mentality.

That sounds promising. A captain with military experience and a fierce loyalty to his crew sounds like it would fit the bill quite well. As for why he's an outlaw, perhaps something about that ill-fated "unofficial" mission made it impossible for him to return. Maybe he was set up by a rival, maybe he was an unwitting pawn in a dangerous game of politics, maybe his commanders sent that team to die, and he knows it. If he returned, he would likely end up dead or charged with desertion or something. And if he tried join a different nation, they'd be asking him too many questions he can't answer.

So, that forces him to live in unregulated territories, and Roanapur fits the bill. His kind of skills, training, and expertise would be rather valuable there, and he could make a decent living, if he's willing to bend the scruples he might have had as a SEAL a little. It's not like he's being tasked to do much worse than what he was already doing, and he might actually enjoy the freedom he has while doing it. I could see how the command structure and rigid discipline required of a naval officer can be limiting to solving problems. Now, he's the captain of his own ship, and the only regulations on him are those that enable him to do good business.

Quote from: Daril on July 13, 2015, 08:52:46 PMIf I do play the character I may end up forgoing a picture because off how much difficulty I'm having finding a good picture to represent him.  He's not supposed to look look super tough or action hero like, but he isn't supposed to look like a bishounen either.  I did briefly consider using  this image despite it looking completely different from what I had in mind, but then I noticed the darn mechanical hand.

Ohh! Looks like Barret Wallace, from FF7. Interesting choice. I'm not sure what parameters you're looking for, exactly, but if you're interested in some like the example, I'm sure we could find examples that leave out the mechanical arm, like this one, or this other one. Do those fit the bill?

I think it's reasonable to expect that no one will find a character model that's absolutely, 100% perfect to your original design, so don't too afraid to adopt something that come close. Truth be told, though, I cut out a few possible images I liked for Ami as well, based on either clothing that didn't quite fit her, or technology that didn't exist in 1995 (well, technically laptops existed, just not as the sleek and versatile computers that they are today, more like digital typewriters). I think I might include some of them in her profile, seeing as I want to redo the history a bit as well, to allow her greater experience with ship engines and more complex machinery.


Quote from: Daril on July 13, 2015, 08:52:46 PMNow if we end up going for an all female crew then I'll need to come up with a female captain.  Not entirely sure what I'd do for that, but I was considering doing a character based on this image.  Though those pants look like they'd be uncomfortable to wear in a hot, humid climate.  :D

No ideas for that one yet, but I think she's got a neat look to her. Almost like mixing some traditional swashbuckling style with more modern clothing.  I am curious how the "all-female" crew would work out, though. Are we including Yūki in that one, seeing as he's often perceived as a female? Or would he be cast off, seeing as he considers himself to be a male?

Quote from: Lux12 on July 13, 2015, 10:27:32 PM
I rarely play an "anti-hero" or "villain protagonist" sort so consider this a note of interest.

It's sometimes refreshing to try something a bit different than you're used to. I certainly hope you enjoy it. Any idea on what kind of character you'd like to play? Daril is most interested in adding a male of some sort, but an all-female game is possible as well. I believe Daril is still open to someone taking a captain/leader figure. His potential SEAL was just him attempting to fill a niche, if I'm not mistaken. I think we could also use a negotiator of sorts, someone who's good at high-pressure talks and working with other outlaws to reach suitable, if not favorable, agreements. Could also share the role as captain, but not necessarily.

Daril

Quote from: Vex on July 15, 2015, 12:53:18 AM
That sounds promising. A captain with military experience and a fierce loyalty to his crew sounds like it would fit the bill quite well. As for why he's an outlaw, perhaps something about that ill-fated "unofficial" mission made it impossible for him to return. Maybe he was set up by a rival, maybe he was an unwitting pawn in a dangerous game of politics, maybe his commanders sent that team to die, and he knows it. If he returned, he would likely end up dead or charged with desertion or something. And if he tried join a different nation, they'd be asking him too many questions he can't answer.

So, that forces him to live in unregulated territories, and Roanapur fits the bill. His kind of skills, training, and expertise would be rather valuable there, and he could make a decent living, if he's willing to bend the scruples he might have had as a SEAL a little. It's not like he's being tasked to do much worse than what he was already doing, and he might actually enjoy the freedom he has while doing it. I could see how the command structure and rigid discipline required of a naval officer can be limiting to solving problems. Now, he's the captain of his own ship, and the only regulations on him are those that enable him to do good business.

I should probably give this some thought.  Actually I'm somewhat inclined to keep the details of the ill fated mission vague, but that seems like cheating somehow.

Quote from: Vex on July 15, 2015, 12:53:18 AMOhh! Looks like Barret Wallace, from FF7. Interesting choice. I'm not sure what parameters you're looking for, exactly, but if you're interested in some like the example, I'm sure we could find examples that leave out the mechanical arm, like this one, or this other one. Do those fit the bill?

I think it's reasonable to expect that no one will find a character model that's absolutely, 100% perfect to your original design, so don't too afraid to adopt something that come close. Truth be told, though, I cut out a few possible images I liked for Ami as well, based on either clothing that didn't quite fit her, or technology that didn't exist in 1995 (well, technically laptops existed, just not as the sleek and versatile computers that they are today, more like digital typewriters). I think I might include some of them in her profile, seeing as I want to redo the history a bit as well, to allow her greater experience with ship engines and more complex machinery.

Unfortunately, I specifically liked the alternate character design the artist used in that image.  I'm not really interested in the character's normal appearance.

Perhaps I'll come up with a good image for the character, but I've already done some fairly extensive searching without a lot of luck.

I certainly wouldn't mind if you tweaked your character a bit to play up her mechanically inclined side.

QuoteNo ideas for that one yet, but I think she's got a neat look to her. Almost like mixing some traditional swashbuckling style with more modern clothing.  I am curious how the "all-female" crew would work out, though. Are we including Yūki in that one, seeing as he's often perceived as a female? Or would he be cast off, seeing as he considers himself to be a male?

I'm not really sure how to deal with Yuki.  Though I might actually be more inclined to accept the character in an "all female" crew than a mixed gender one. :D  When I'm aiming to have a small, gender balanced crew that doesn't seem like a harem, having a trap in the mix really complicates things!

The other issue with Yuki is that I've already got one Japanese sort of assassin type in the crew (that katana wielding girl one of the other players is planning to do).  I think two would be a bit much.

QuoteIt's sometimes refreshing to try something a bit different than you're used to. I certainly hope you enjoy it. Any idea on what kind of character you'd like to play? Daril is most interested in adding a male of some sort, but an all-female game is possible as well. I believe Daril is still open to someone taking a captain/leader figure. His potential SEAL was just him attempting to fill a niche, if I'm not mistaken. I think we could also use a negotiator of sorts, someone who's good at high-pressure talks and working with other outlaws to reach suitable, if not favorable, agreements. Could also share the role as captain, but not necessarily.

Something I'd like to see in any further applications for the pirate/smuggler crew is a character who has some experience with watercraft operations.  Since there are so few of them I think the majority -if not he entirety- of the pirate/smuggler crew should have a role in operating the boat.

Lux12

Quote from: Vex on July 15, 2015, 12:53:18 AM
That sounds promising. A captain with military experience and a fierce loyalty to his crew sounds like it would fit the bill quite well. As for why he's an outlaw, perhaps something about that ill-fated "unofficial" mission made it impossible for him to return. Maybe he was set up by a rival, maybe he was an unwitting pawn in a dangerous game of politics, maybe his commanders sent that team to die, and he knows it. If he returned, he would likely end up dead or charged with desertion or something. And if he tried join a different nation, they'd be asking him too many questions he can't answer.

So, that forces him to live in unregulated territories, and Roanapur fits the bill. His kind of skills, training, and expertise would be rather valuable there, and he could make a decent living, if he's willing to bend the scruples he might have had as a SEAL a little. It's not like he's being tasked to do much worse than what he was already doing, and he might actually enjoy the freedom he has while doing it. I could see how the command structure and rigid discipline required of a naval officer can be limiting to solving problems. Now, he's the captain of his own ship, and the only regulations on him are those that enable him to do good business.

Ohh! Looks like Barret Wallace, from FF7. Interesting choice. I'm not sure what parameters you're looking for, exactly, but if you're interested in some like the example, I'm sure we could find examples that leave out the mechanical arm, like this one, or this other one. Do those fit the bill?

I think it's reasonable to expect that no one will find a character model that's absolutely, 100% perfect to your original design, so don't too afraid to adopt something that come close. Truth be told, though, I cut out a few possible images I liked for Ami as well, based on either clothing that didn't quite fit her, or technology that didn't exist in 1995 (well, technically laptops existed, just not as the sleek and versatile computers that they are today, more like digital typewriters). I think I might include some of them in her profile, seeing as I want to redo the history a bit as well, to allow her greater experience with ship engines and more complex machinery.


No ideas for that one yet, but I think she's got a neat look to her. Almost like mixing some traditional swashbuckling style with more modern clothing.  I am curious how the "all-female" crew would work out, though. Are we including Yūki in that one, seeing as he's often perceived as a female? Or would he be cast off, seeing as he considers himself to be a male?

It's sometimes refreshing to try something a bit different than you're used to. I certainly hope you enjoy it. Any idea on what kind of character you'd like to play? Daril is most interested in adding a male of some sort, but an all-female game is possible as well. I believe Daril is still open to someone taking a captain/leader figure. His potential SEAL was just him attempting to fill a niche, if I'm not mistaken. I think we could also use a negotiator of sorts, someone who's good at high-pressure talks and working with other outlaws to reach suitable, if not favorable, agreements. Could also share the role as captain, but not necessarily.

I'm not much of a leader, but I was thinking of some kind of negotiator. Someone who tries to be the moral voice of the group, however bizarre, if not questionable that sense of morality can be some times. Someone who doesn't seek bloodshed, prefers avoiding it, but perfectly willing to leave some blood in their wake if negotiations break down. The character would be male, though not exactly a "traditional" male.

Vex

Quote from: Daril on July 15, 2015, 01:53:19 AM
I should probably give this some thought.  Actually I'm somewhat inclined to keep the details of the ill fated mission vague, but that seems like cheating somehow.

I don't think it's cheating. I like the idea of keeping some of our details rather vague in order to fill them in at more dramatically appropriate moments. All one really needs to establish in their background is their training and capabilities. After that, I'm fine with leaving parts of their history more vague and mysterious. You never know when something might come up that might just be perfect to fit into a character's background.

Quote from: Daril on July 15, 2015, 01:53:19 AMUnfortunately, I specifically liked the alternate character design the artist used in that image.  I'm not really interested in the character's normal appearance.

Perhaps I'll come up with a good image for the character, but I've already done some fairly extensive searching without a lot of luck.

I see. Well, sorry that those couldn't be of use to you, then. If I could ask, though, what do you see this character looking like? I know Barret wasn't your original vision of the character, and you stated that you wanted something not too rugged, but not too pretty either. But that still doesn't offer a lot of insight. Did you have any other ideas? Brown hair, blue eyes, stubble? Lean slender build? Smoker? Eye-patch and a peg leg?  ;)

Quote from: Daril on July 15, 2015, 01:53:19 AMI certainly wouldn't mind if you tweaked your character a bit to play up her mechanically inclined side.

Thanks! I already said I wanted to improve her background a bit, as it seems like the weakest part of the character, so I'll definitely fit in some higher expertise about the character. I think I also want to give her a little experience with firearms to help out in certain fights. Not formal military, mercenary, or assassin training, of course, something more amateurish, but now that I've had a chance to think about it, it does make sense that a pirate and smuggler dealing with outlaws might familiarize herself with some weaponry use, even if she hopes not to put it to use often.

Quote from: Daril on July 15, 2015, 01:53:19 AMI'm not really sure how to deal with Yuki.  Though I might actually be more inclined to accept the character in an "all female" crew than a mixed gender one. :D  When I'm aiming to have a small, gender balanced crew that doesn't seem like a harem, having a trap in the mix really complicates things!

The other issue with Yuki is that I've already got one Japanese sort of assassin type in the crew (that katana wielding girl one of the other players is planning to do).  I think two would be a bit much.

His position in an all-female crew would be interesting. Most people they encounter probably think they're all women, so it would be fun to play with. Gotta love the humor and awkardness that comes with other pirates grabbing at his ass, trying to get an upskirt, or trying to hook up with him (of course, maybe some outlaws don't mind that discovery either). Maybe some of the crew don't even know he's not a woman. Could be fun with play with.

Yeah, I could see the second issue. While Yuki never specifies sword-training in particular, he seems to be more of a sniper and trapper, he definitely shares the "assassin" niche with Aya. Maybe we should request an alteration in style, to set up some more differences between the characters?

Quote from: Daril on July 15, 2015, 01:53:19 AMSomething I'd like to see in any further applications for the pirate/smuggler crew is a character who has some experience with watercraft operations.  Since there are so few of them I think the majority -if not he entirety- of the pirate/smuggler crew should have a role in operating the boat.

I agree with that. In the Lagoon crew, I think it was only Remy who didn't do something for the boat itself. Benny was a hacker and electronics expert, but he also served as communications, navigation and occasional driver. Dutch was the captain, mechanic for the ship, and handled most of the formal arrangements. Rock mostly handled the paperwork and finances, but he also could be a heck of a negotiator and a surprisingly solid unorthodox planner.

In our crew, I think we could fit a similar role. I certainly wouldn't mind Ami adding a communications and navigation role to her status as mechanic and electrician. Might even be able to fit in an inventory management sort and handling paperwork, as she seems like something of an orderly type in her own space, despite her often haphazard appearance. Not so sure about the others, though. What other roles should be filled, aside captaining and negotiating? I could see Yuki as a cook, I suppose. Not so clear about Aya.

Quote from: Lux12 on July 15, 2015, 02:10:04 AM
I'm not much of a leader, but I was thinking of some kind of negotiator. Someone who tries to be the moral voice of the group, however bizarre, if not questionable that sense of morality can be some times. Someone who doesn't seek bloodshed, prefers avoiding it, but perfectly willing to leave some blood in their wake if negotiations break down. The character would be male, though not exactly a "traditional" male.

Well, I'm not sure about a moral compass-type. After all, unless there's a bound agreement by the crew to act in a particular fashion, I don't think pirate and smugglers are really interested in a code of ethics being imposed upon them. But a negotiator and "face" type should be handy. That's certainly a role we could use filling, even if you're not interested in leadership.

I have to ask, what do you mean by not exactly a "traditional" male? Do you mean that he's androgynous and feminine? If so, I'd say we'd be a little weary about that, if just because Yuki already takes that approach. Not that we're asking for a hyper-masculine muscular bound type or anything, but we're not looking at a very big crew here, so we're looking to make sure the characters are somewhat diverse and rather different from one another.

Lux12

Quote from: Vex on July 15, 2015, 03:05:56 AM
I don't think it's cheating. I like the idea of keeping some of our details rather vague in order to fill them in at more dramatically appropriate moments. All one really needs to establish in their background is their training and capabilities. After that, I'm fine with leaving parts of their history more vague and mysterious. You never know when something might come up that might just be perfect to fit into a character's background.

I see. Well, sorry that those couldn't be of use to you, then. If I could ask, though, what do you see this character looking like? I know Barret wasn't your original vision of the character, and you stated that you wanted something not too rugged, but not too pretty either. But that still doesn't offer a lot of insight. Did you have any other ideas? Brown hair, blue eyes, stubble? Lean slender build? Smoker? Eye-patch and a peg leg?  ;)

Thanks! I already said I wanted to improve her background a bit, as it seems like the weakest part of the character, so I'll definitely fit in some higher expertise about the character. I think I also want to give her a little experience with firearms to help out in certain fights. Not formal military, mercenary, or assassin training, of course, something more amateurish, but now that I've had a chance to think about it, it does make sense that a pirate and smuggler dealing with outlaws might familiarize herself with some weaponry use, even if she hopes not to put it to use often.

His position in an all-female crew would be interesting. Most people they encounter probably think they're all women, so it would be fun to play with. Gotta love the humor and awkardness that comes with other pirates grabbing at his ass, trying to get an upskirt, or trying to hook up with him (of course, maybe some outlaws don't mind that discovery either). Maybe some of the crew don't even know he's not a woman. Could be fun with play with.

Yeah, I could see the second issue. While Yuki never specifies sword-training in particular, he seems to be more of a sniper and trapper, he definitely shares the "assassin" niche with Aya. Maybe we should request an alteration in style, to set up some more differences between the characters?

I agree with that. In the Lagoon crew, I think it was only Remy who didn't do something for the boat itself. Benny was a hacker and electronics expert, but he also served as communications, navigation and occasional driver. Dutch was the captain, mechanic for the ship, and handled most of the formal arrangements. Rock mostly handled the paperwork and finances, but he also could be a heck of a negotiator and a surprisingly solid unorthodox planner.

In our crew, I think we could fit a similar role. I certainly wouldn't mind Ami adding a communications and navigation role to her status as mechanic and electrician. Might even be able to fit in an inventory management sort and handling paperwork, as she seems like something of an orderly type in her own space, despite her often haphazard appearance. Not so sure about the others, though. What other roles should be filled, aside captaining and negotiating? I could see Yuki as a cook, I suppose. Not so clear about Aya.

Well, I'm not sure about a moral compass-type. After all, unless there's a bound agreement by the crew to act in a particular fashion, I don't think pirate and smugglers are really interested in a code of ethics being imposed upon them. But a negotiator and "face" type should be handy. That's certainly a role we could use filling, even if you're not interested in leadership.

I have to ask, what do you mean by not exactly a "traditional" male? Do you mean that he's androgynous and feminine? If so, I'd say we'd be a little weary about that, if just because Yuki already takes that approach. Not that we're asking for a hyper-masculine muscular bound type or anything, but we're not looking at a very big crew here, so we're looking to make sure the characters are somewhat diverse and rather different from one another.

Someone actually beat me to it. I guess that comes with the sort of characters I like playing being in low demand. X_X

The problem is I've come to hate playing macho types or anyone perceived as neutral male if you understand what I'm saying.They bore me. Not to mention I don't really feel any great measure of connection to them. Even the one character I have that has certain macho traits is still rather femme in expression. He's also has too many moral guide lines to get involved in something like this. He also leans toward close quarters combat and it looks like that's covered.

Sorrow Singer

Aya is supposed to be less of an assassin and more of an action movie hero type. Shes not about sneaking up on people and taking them down silent, shes all about the loud and proud full force take-down. Shes inspired by over the top B movie material. Think along the lines of kill Bill.

To flesh out background skills shes background has left a sort of flexible net of possibility. She could have skill at negotiation, undercover operations and business as easily as navigation, basic mechanics and driving. Depending on what the crew needs we can shuffle things around before making them concrete.

Daril

To be honest, I really would prefer a more "traditional" male character for the other guy in the pirate/smuggler crew (and I feel kind of bad saying that).

Accomodating some of the characters I'm getting would be easier if this was a group RPG with its own subforum, but those are impossible to get right off the bat.

Quote from: Vex on July 15, 2015, 03:05:56 AM
I don't think it's cheating. I like the idea of keeping some of our details rather vague in order to fill them in at more dramatically appropriate moments. All one really needs to establish in their background is their training and capabilities. After that, I'm fine with leaving parts of their history more vague and mysterious. You never know when something might come up that might just be perfect to fit into a character's background.

I see. Well, sorry that those couldn't be of use to you, then. If I could ask, though, what do you see this character looking like? I know Barret wasn't your original vision of the character, and you stated that you wanted something not too rugged, but not too pretty either. But that still doesn't offer a lot of insight. Did you have any other ideas? Brown hair, blue eyes, stubble? Lean slender build? Smoker? Eye-patch and a peg leg?  ;)

I'd been thinking (relatively) short brown hair, blue eyes that are usually hidden by sunglasses, with a deceptively moderate build.  Maybe a hat of some kind.  It's not set in stone though -I've been giving this image some consideration despite the hair.  Though that image is a bit vague, which is something I don't generally encourage.

QuoteI agree with that. In the Lagoon crew, I think it was only Remy who didn't do something for the boat itself. Benny was a hacker and electronics expert, but he also served as communications, navigation and occasional driver. Dutch was the captain, mechanic for the ship, and handled most of the formal arrangements. Rock mostly handled the paperwork and finances, but he also could be a heck of a negotiator and a surprisingly solid unorthodox planner.

In our crew, I think we could fit a similar role. I certainly wouldn't mind Ami adding a communications and navigation role to her status as mechanic and electrician. Might even be able to fit in an inventory management sort and handling paperwork, as she seems like something of an orderly type in her own space, despite her often haphazard appearance. Not so sure about the others, though. What other roles should be filled, aside captaining and negotiating? I could see Yuki as a cook, I suppose. Not so clear about Aya.

Let's see what the next crewmember brings to the table before we start adding too much to the current branch.  Though it would definitely be useful if there was more than one person who could handle helm and navigation on long trips.

QuoteI believe Daril is still open to someone taking a captain/leader figure. His potential SEAL was just him attempting to fill a niche, if I'm not mistaken.

That may have been true to begin with, though now that I've been developing the character I'm much more inclined to actually use it...  :D

Izaya Orihara

Among other character ideas, or alterations thereof, I found another pic which might be appropriate. Though my current character seems good, I could alter it so that he could do navigation type stuff. A possibility would be either a separate character, or an alteration of Yūki. The alteration of Yuki could involve making him half-Dutch and half-Japanese, instead, and perhaps changing his name to Marijn van Bylandt-Rheydt.

Possible appearance change

Obviously, he'd be less elegant and perhaps slightly more bloodthirsty, and perhaps be using those claw-blades among his other weapons, since they seem pretty interesting. I'm just conjuring up different ideas, mind you. Might be a bit weird if there's too many close-combat people, though. His speed and agility/acrobatics thing would come in useful, though.
Well, if I had to give a reason for my actions, I guess it's because I love people. I guess I wanted to see the faces that mankind has to offer.

Lux12

Quote from: Daril on July 15, 2015, 11:57:55 AM
To be honest, I really would prefer a more "traditional" male character for the other guy in the pirate/smuggler crew (and I feel kind of bad saying that).

Accomodating some of the characters I'm getting would be easier if this was a group RPG with its own subforum, but those are impossible to get right off the bat.

That may have been true to begin with, though now that I've been developing the character I'm much more inclined to actually use it...  :D

It's starting to look like I'm out then. I don't do "traditional" business man type negotiators.

Izaya:

I'm not sure if it's happening for everyone else, but the pic you put there doesn't seem to be coming up right at my end.

Izaya Orihara

Quote from: Lux12 on July 15, 2015, 02:03:47 PM
It's starting to look like I'm out then. I don't do "traditional" business man type negotiators.

Izaya:

I'm not sure if it's happening for everyone else, but the pic you put there doesn't seem to be coming up right at my end.

Ah, postimg sometimes seems not to work for some people. I've edited the post, so that the pic is linked from photobucket, instead.
Well, if I had to give a reason for my actions, I guess it's because I love people. I guess I wanted to see the faces that mankind has to offer.

Writersblockade

Ooooo! Me! Me! What's my timeline? I'm trying to finish up a character profile for another game, and I definitely have availability for this, depending on how everyone's post schedule goes.
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Daril

^You've got at least until next week as the next few days are going to be unusually busy for me.  (I should be able to find the time to check in, but my participation will be limited.)

What have you got in mind for your character (in general terms)?

@Izaya -Sorry dude, but your character really does not fit what I'm looking for with the pirate crew right now.  He might make an interesting addition to the city's rogue's gallery if we get big enough for our own sub forum (a long shot, but possible, especially if I manage to get a merc group going in addition to the smuggler/pirate one), but he's not what I'm looking for at the moment.

Sessha

 Ok Daril, I think now might be a good time to re-examine your ideas for this game. I think you might want to consider dropping the idea of coming up with something that equates to looking like the Lagoon crew. We've got enough people right now mostly who can do the jobs that need doing. 
Locked, cocked and ready to rock!


Writersblockade

I immediately started out thinking I'd go for an ex CIA agent as an intelligence based member for the crew. Knowledge of shady characters, ability to get pieces of information or even equipment from time to time. Male character.

If we don't go exactly Black Lagoon with this, we definitely have a possible Ronin scenario. Good movie, and could make for a mission-based rp
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Daril

@Sessha -I think I'd rather try to deal with two small groups than one big one.  I was thinking I'd come up with a boat crew, then try and come up with a crew of mercs.  Though I guess the second group could be a bunch of independents gathered together for a job rather than a permanent organization.  That might make it easier to accommodate some of the more oddball characters I've been getting.  We'll see.  Right now I've got my sights on completing a boat crew though.

@Writersblockade -One thing to consider with a former CIA agent would be the Church of Violence (seeing as how that seems to have some sort of CIA connection).  I was thinking my ex-SEAL character would definitely be on their radar (possibly as a potential asset).  Actually if you did go that route perhaps your character is keeping an eye on my character for them, though I'm not sure my character would appreciate that very much...

It would be nice if your character had some sort of watercraft expertise though.

Hmmm, I'm kind of wondering how things would work if I made your character the Captain rather than mine.  Not sure if that's the best idea though.  What do you think?

Writersblockade

I'd be game for that. Water experience would be fine. I could just say the agency recruited him from the Navy. I'll get something setup and give you a look. We can hash it out from there
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Writersblockade

Name: Cassius "Cash" Walker
Age: 44
Nationality: American
Sexual Orientation: Straight

Biography:
Cash spent his time during the Vietnam war in the Navy. He mostly spent it on the deck of a PT boat disrupting supply lines and running arms from one patch of jungle to the other. Taking fire from both sides of the river was an everyday occurrence, but casualties were fairly low, due to his LT Jack "Razorback" Thompson. Jack believed, and Cash would later use this very model, that wars come and go, but the lives of those he served under were the most important. It wasn't about getting everyone home more so than it was making sure that if they couldn't go home, that it be for the right reasons.

The philosophy hadn't killed Jack as much as dumb luck gone bad. During a resupply drop, the enemy had gotten the drop on them and the Marines they were supplying. It was a large force that was diverting it's troops to avoid US forces lying in wait. They had no idea the resupply was happening until they chanced upon it. Cash was manning a machine gun on the deck, laying down as much cover fire as he could in the dense jungle, while Jack piled as many bodies on the boat as it could take. He took a round right between the shoulder blades while loading a wounded man on board. The last sight Cash had of his friend and mentor was of his body floating lifeless in shallow waters. From time to time, it still managed to haunt him.

Jack got a medal. So did he, though it somehow didn't mean much. They say his quick thinking after Jack went down saved lives. He took it as just finishing what the man started, but that didn't matter. He served the rest of his tour running his own boat and applying those same ideals. It was the best he could do for the memory of someone history would forget all too soon. His tactics changed, however. He researched some of the best pirates in history to gleam whatever knowledge he could on how to do the job better. He turned his crew into true smugglers, and was often called on the most sensitive of drops. Some of those drops were without a doubt agency related. Secret men in too-clean BDUs pretending to be something everyone else knew they weren't. It was ridiculous, but orders were orders, and the jobs got done.

The agency hadn't forgotten him though. After his tour, they found him wasting away on an island. Girls, booze, and random acts of violence were the bread and water of a man too out of his mind to go home, but the suit said he had a mission for him that paid if he was willing to not ask questions. Apparently they were in a market for someone who knew how to get in and out of places quietly and with minimum loses. What could Cash do? Even with the cost of things being so cheap, the coffers were starting to run low, and he could use the scratch. One job turned to two, then to four. Time flew without him realizing it, until his crew eventually got burned. Cold war secrets were traded like baseball cards, and word of their shipment was in the wind.

Half his crew went out the hard way, and Cash had to drive a limping boat back with one good arm while his shoulder filled the cabin with the smell of burning flesh. To say that he and the agency had a falling out would be putting it mildly, but good resources were hard to find, and so were paying customers. Like it or not, they were tied together. Once Cash took enough time to see it, the truth took a few bottles of rum to swallow. Funny enough, no one took notice of the boat after the incident. That was one good thing about working with a shady entity. They kept just enough of an eye on Cash to know that he wasn't talking, and more importantly, no one was looking.

With the good news of not having to look out for a hit squad at his door in the immediate future, Cash paid his remaining members and told them to scatter. He honestly couldn't risk using them. He was going to stay in the transport business, and he was going to do it right, from the ground up. From there, Pacific Logistics was born. He spent his savings refitting the boat and adding a few helpful extras and quietly put the word out that he was hiring. His next crew was going to have to be more than mere cut-throats. To survive when things went bad, he'd need those that have already seen their share of shit.

Personality: Cool, calm, and collected. Forcibly so, because the results of him losing it was exactly what put him in the situation he's in now. When not on a job, he's very laid back about how the crew would enjoy themselves. His only rule is that if there's anything unlawful done while in-between jobs, that it not be traced back to him, the crew, or the boat. Especially the boat. You lie in the bed you've made, or you'll find yourself out at best, and very out at the worst.

Appearance: 6'2" African American male. No discernable tattoos. Burn scar on his left shoulder from a botched mission. He keeps it there as a reminder

Weapon(s) of choice:
Glock 18 w. Extended Clip
Remington 870 Marine Magnum Shotgun

Fighting style/tactics: Picked up Muay Thai after his tour and it's his choice of fighting style. Tactically, he strives to keep his crew and boat out of trouble that doesn't pay in advance. In a firefight, he'd much rather withdraw slowly, instead of taking a stand. Most of his battles were always against overwhelming numbers, and a tactical retreat meant you lived after killing a few of them. If he had to set up a stand a fight scenario, someone would be holding a dead man's switch to explosives to bring the place down on everyone. If his people can't go home, nobody's going home.
Story Lottery Profile
Here’s my O/Os!

I don't know who this Muse person is, but if it explains away the voices in my head, then I'm all for it!

Daril

Hmmm.  Is there any way to make him a bit less "Dutch"?  Not sure that was your intention but the characters do seem awfully similar...

Writersblockade

Yeah, that was totally the intent, but why go less dutch? We're basing this on lagoon, right? Of not, then you'll need to give me more info. Let me know what you're looking for, bud.
Story Lottery Profile
Here’s my O/Os!

I don't know who this Muse person is, but if it explains away the voices in my head, then I'm all for it!

Daril

I was planning to use Black Lagoon's setting with OC characters.  But I wasn't planning to use the OC characters as replacements for canon characters.  The canon characters are presumably still around, they're just not the main focus of this rpg.  Hence why I don't want the new characters to be too similar.

Do you think you can work with that?

Writersblockade

Hmmm... okay, I understand. Give me a little time to rethink the character. It's tough because I love the guy so much lol. I'm getting a few whispers from my muse though. She thinks we'll be okay.
Story Lottery Profile
Here’s my O/Os!

I don't know who this Muse person is, but if it explains away the voices in my head, then I'm all for it!

Daril

One thing we should also consider is what sort of boat the crew will have.  I was leaning towards something more "civilian" than the Lagoon Company's torpedo boat, but with my limited knowledge of watercraft I'm having trouble coming up with a civilian craft that seems like a good choice in terms of size and speed.  So I've ended up back among ex naval craft.  I was thinking of using a heavily modified Vietnam era "Nasty" patrol boat that had been rebuilt and repainted into a more civilian looking configuration (inspired by a patrol boat based yacht in the UK).  Another option might be to use a Soviet or Chinese torpedo/gunboat -the Chinese built hundreds of such craft over the years.

Sessha

 Interestingly enough there is a way to pull of a PT Boat in this day and age. During WW2 the US sold PT boats to many allied nations and while all the ones the US used were torched many of the nations who bought them are still using them to this day. Though after looking it over I'd say an old Vietnam era PTF Nasty would be a fine boat to use.
Locked, cocked and ready to rock!


Writersblockade

*smiles* okay, try this one on for size. I admit, I went a little overboard on the bio, but when my muse takes a hold of something, she won't let it go. If I force her to, then she pouts and I get shit until I somehow make it up to her. da hell.

Cassius "Cash" Walker

6'2" 190lbs
African American
Weapons of Choice
Glock 18 w. Extended Clip
http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=495
HK MP5-N w. suppressor
-has a mix of subsonic and standard 9mm loadouts, depending on the mission.

Name: Cassius "Cash" Walker
Age: 44
Nationality: American
Sexual Orientation: Straight

Biography:
Cash spent his time during the Vietnam war in the Navy. He mostly spent it on the deck of a PT boat disrupting supply lines and running arms from one patch of jungle to the other. Taking fire from both sides of the river was an everyday occurrence, but casualties were fairly low, due to his LT Jack "Razorback" Thompson. Jack believed that wars come and go, but the lives of those he served under were the most important. It wasn't about getting everyone home more so than it was making sure that if they couldn't go home, that it be for the right reasons.

Cassius, on the other hand, was more cynical than that. He wasn't there for God or country, least of all the country that would rather see him killed in a country they didn't give a shit about than be happy in his own. He'd seen the reports. Racial tensions at its highest, people like him running up north to Canada to escape the draft. It put a different spin on life for him. It wasn't his war...he didn't slap a Vietnamese and tell them how they should run their damn country, but here he was and there they was. And that was all there was to it. An idea came to him when he noticed grunts bitching about the lack of good smokes, since the country's version was pure shit. That got Cash's gears turning.

The way he saw it, people were making money on this whole thing. The shit cigs they sold were selling because that was all that was there. The key was to keep his ear to the ground and listen to the sound of the herd. Motherfuckers were out there getting their asses blown to hell and back, and they couldn't even get a pack of Winstons for their trouble? Fuck that! That was more un-American than any of the propaganda the commies were throwing their way. So in the spirit of America and the almighty dollar, Cash made sure to include a few "extras" on his excursions out.

There was money to be made. Soldiers were getting paid, and had nowhere to spend it half the time. Getting any piece of leave was more rare than getting ass without itching afterwards, which was where he came in. He started with a few cartons of cigs, and some joints. Nothing hardcore. A little at a time was all he needed to keep his own little train a chuggin'. The problem with success, though, was the possibilities it lay before you, and the greed it prodded awake with a gold tip stick. Some strange twist of fate would give him the opportunity to expand.

See, Jack's philosophy hadn't killed Jack as much as his penchant for self-sacrifice. During a resupply drop, the enemy had gotten the drop on them and the Marines they were supplying. It was a large force that was diverting it's troops to avoid US forces lying in wait. They had no idea the resupply was happening until they chanced upon it. Cash was working out a sweet little deal for some half used titty mags when they hit. The urge to live carried his feet straight to the machine gun on the deck, where he then laid down as much cover fire as he could in the dense jungle. Jack was pilling as many bodies on the boat as it could take,  but ended up taking a round right between the shoulder blades while loading a wounded man on board. The last sight Cash had of the guy was of his body floating lifeless in the shallow water.

He'd drink to the poor bastard's memory, then follow it up with another for the lesson the death taught him. The only way you could save others was to save yourself. Who knows how many more kids that guy could have helped if he hadn't put his ass completely out in the breeze? So some guy who bought the fucking farm anyway could have a few more seconds of life? Fuck that. Jack got a medal out of it. So did he, amazingly. He kept it somewhere...he forgot where. He couldn't melt it down, and it was only worth something to the dicks who wanted to pretend they saw the big grey ass of the elephant.

Some of the brass called him a hero. Said his quick thinking after Jack went down saved lives. He took it as just trying to survive, but that didn't matter. They gave him the boat, and he made it his personal ice cream truck. He served the best, the worst, and the blank-eyed in betweeners. if it wasn't cash, it was shit he could turn to cash quick. The money was piling in so many places, he couldn't hide it all. He had to switch tactics, and focused on getting the money to a bank without attracting attention. Turns out that was easier than he thought. They had a whole delivery system for getting unmentionables out of the country. He paid the price for the delivery, and spaced that shit out in case something disappeared, and that kept things flowing even better. He turned his crew into true smugglers, and because of it was actually called on the most sensitive of drops! Who knew being a sneaky bastard could be useful on so many levels!?

Some of those drops were without a doubt agency related. Secret men in too-clean BDUs pretending to be something everyone else knew they weren't. It was ridiculous, but orders were orders, and the jobs got done. They gave him funny looks sometimes. Like they knew...they probably did, but they already had their fingers and dicks into so much shit, some small time guy like him probably didn't warrant the attention. It all went fairly flawless. For god's sakes they had payments made to certain guys on the other fucking side for safe passage! The whole damn thing was a meat-grinding circus, and he couldn't tell if he was the monkey, or the motherfucker cranking the box.

When it was time to leave, he did so with pockets full and head raised high. He didn't go home. Couldn't. War, even with his outlook on life, changed certain people in certain ways. The allure of the nine to five, thanksgivings with the family, and baseball hadn't pulled on his heartstrings. He liked the place. He just didn't like where it stood at the time. He found a few islands to hop. He had an assortment of girls, booze, and random acts of violence to kill time with, but the day he saw some suit sitting across from him after a particularly nasty bender, he knew it must have been time to pay the piper.

The guy said he had a mission for him that paid if he was willing to not ask questions. Apparently they were in a market for someone who knew how to get in and out of places quietly and with minimum loses. What could Cash do? Even with the cost of things being so cheap, the money he'd saved was only going to get him so far before it started to run low, and he could use the spending money. One job turned to two, then to four. Time flew without him realizing it, until his crew eventually got burned. Cold war secrets were traded like baseball cards, and word of their shipment was in the wind.

Half his crew went out the hard way, and Cash had to drive a limping boat back with one good arm while his shoulder filled the cabin with the smell of burning flesh. To say that he and the agency had a falling out would be putting it mildly, but good resources were hard to find, and so were paying customers. Like it or not, they were tied together. Once Cash took enough time to see it, the truth took a few bottles of rum to swallow. Funny enough, no one took notice of the boat after the incident. That was one good thing about working with a shady entity. They kept just enough of an eye on Cash to know that he wasn't talking, and more importantly, no one was looking.

With the good news of not having to look out for a hit squad at his door in the immediate future, Cash paid his remaining members and told them to scatter. He honestly couldn't look at their faces without wanting to blow their brains out. He was going to stay in the transport business, and he was going to do it right, from the ground up. From there, Pacific Logistics was born. He spent his savings refitting the boat and adding a few helpful extras and quietly put the word out that he was hiring. His next crew was going to have to be more than mere cut-throats. To survive when things went bad, he'd need those that have already seen their share of shit, and saw the world in shades of gray.

Personality: Cool, calm, and calculating. Everyone's got an angle, even if they don't know it yet. When not on a job, he's very laid back about how the crew would enjoy themselves. His only rule is that if there's anything unlawful done while in-between jobs, that it not be traced back to him, the crew, or the boat. Especially the boat. You lie in the bed you've made, or you'll find yourself out at best, and very out at the worst.

Appearance: 6'2" African American male. No discernable tattoos. Burn scar on his left shoulder from a botched mission. He keeps it there as a reminder

Weapon(s) of choice:
Glock 18 w. Extended Clip
HK MP5-N w. suppressor
-has a mix of subsonic and standard 9mm loadouts, depending on the mission.

Fighting style/tactics: Picked up Muay Thai after his tour and it's his choice of fighting style. Tactically, he strives to keep his crew and boat out of trouble that doesn't pay in advance. In a firefight, he'd much rather withdraw slowly, instead of taking a stand. Most of his battles were always against overwhelming numbers, and a tactical retreat meant you lived after killing a few of them. When all else fails, roll the hard six and make a deal. Where they were, someone was always after something, and favors had a way of coming back to you, for good or ill.
Story Lottery Profile
Here’s my O/Os!

I don't know who this Muse person is, but if it explains away the voices in my head, then I'm all for it!

Daril

He still seems very Dutch-like... could you at least give him a different hairstyle or something (actually what is the character's hairstyle)?

At this point I think I'm favoring an ex-Soviet/Chinese P4 or P6 over an ex-USN Nasty.  Partly because there were so few Nasty class boats, and partly because of the complexity of the type's Deltic engines.  Ami may be a good mechanic, but she doesn't have a full blown naval depot at her disposal!

Writersblockade

Lol he's completely different from Dutch. Just happens to be another black guy in 'Nam. I even changed his weapon loadout. He'd have a low cut hairstyle. Doesn't have to be bald. At this point, I may have to leave the idea alone until you know what you need. Shoot me a pm if you still want to roll
Story Lottery Profile
Here’s my O/Os!

I don't know who this Muse person is, but if it explains away the voices in my head, then I'm all for it!

Daril

Dutch served (or at least claimed to have served) on a Swift Boat in Vietnam.  They're also both captains.  So they do actually seem kind of similar to me.  Though I'm wondering if I should just let it slide since getting rid of those similarities would probably mean substantial alterations in the character's background.

Sessha

Quote from: Daril on July 22, 2015, 11:28:24 AM
Though I'm wondering if I should just let it slide since getting rid of those similarities would probably mean substantial alterations in the character's background.

I think I said that from the beginning Daril. I'm building a character that is similar to Revy but woefully different. However I'm not changing a thing about her backstory. It took me a long, long time to figure out and then a slightly longer time to get most of it written down on the website. I'm not being mean but maybe you might want to relax off of people and let them create their won characters. Also I might add the fact that picking a premise wouldn't be a bad idea. Going with the whole mercenaries thing fits right in with the whole idea from BL to begin with. Now I've kept my peace mostly but I'm breaking my silence now only because I rather enjoyed the character Writer came up with and would like to see him played out.
Locked, cocked and ready to rock!


Daril

At this point there's a good chance I will more or less go with it.  But I'd like to get Writer's thoughts before I make a final decision.

(Sidenote: It does occur to me that what I said in this post may have inadvertently contributed to the problem with Writer's character resembling Dutch.)

As for the mercenaries thing, I'd stated before that I'm leaning towards doing two separate groups -one a boat crew and the other a crew of mercenaries or independents gathered for a job.  I find big groups tend to get bogged down, so I'd rather not make either group too big.  Plus having two groups allows for catering to different things.

Daril

I worked things out with WritersBlockade, so it looks like we have a Captain for the boat.  I'm planning to do up a profile for my ex-SEAL character to fulfill the role of the other male crewmember shortly (unless someone else wants to submit a character for that role).

Speaking of that ex-SEAL character, I'd originally planned for him to be someone who had been in Roanapur for several years (remember, he was originally going to be the boat's Captain).  Now I'm thinking of starting the RPG with Cash's crew fishing him out of the water following the failed black ops mission that killed the rest of his team.  I have some reservations about doing things that way -I'd planned to play my guy as someone who had already loosened up a bit- but it seems like a good way to give the boat group an initial story to concentrate on.

Sessha

 Sounds fine to me. I need to hurry up and finish Alex's backstory then.
Locked, cocked and ready to rock!


Daril

Is Alex one of the smugglers/pirates too?  I got the impression she was more of a merc type from her profile.

Sessha

 She might seem like a merc but she's kind of like Revy in the way I built her.
Locked, cocked and ready to rock!


Daril

I guess what I'm wondering is why she decided to take a job on a boat rather than as a land based gun for hire.  You're pretty sure you want to take this route?  I had been planning to see about organizing a merc group after I'd gotten the boat group together.

Sorry about the delay with my character's profile btw.  Still figuring out a few things.

Writersblockade


Made a few changes. Hard to find a picture of the guy I'm playing. Feel free to suggest some! Slight details made on the history and appearance. The boat that he "inherits" from the Agency job is left vague for the GM to decide which boat we're using.

Cassius "Cash" Walker

6'2" 190lbs
African American
Weapons of Choice
Glock 18 w. Extended Clip
http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=495
HK MP5-N w. suppressor
-has a mix of subsonic and standard 9mm loadouts, depending on the mission.

Name: Cassius "Cash" Walker
Age: 44
Nationality: American
Sexual Orientation: Straight

Biography:
Cash spent his time during the Vietnam war in the Navy. He mostly spent it on the deck of a PT boat (Riverine) disrupting supply lines and running arms from one patch of jungle to the other. Taking fire from both sides of the river was an everyday occurrence, but casualties were fairly low, due to his LT Jack "Razorback" Thompson. Jack believed that wars come and go, but the lives of those he served under were the most important. It wasn't about getting everyone home more so than it was making sure that if they couldn't go home, that it be for the right reasons.

Cassius, on the other hand, was more cynical than that. He wasn't there for God or country, least of all the country that would rather see him killed in a country they didn't give a shit about than be happy in his own. He'd seen the reports. Racial tensions at its highest, people like him running up north to Canada to escape the draft. It put a different spin on life for him. It wasn't his war...he didn't slap a Vietnamese and tell them how they should run their damn country, but here he was and there they was. And that was all there was to it. An idea came to him when he noticed grunts bitching about the lack of good smokes, since the country's version was pure shit. That got Cash's gears turning.

The way he saw it, people were making money on this whole thing. The shit cigs they sold were selling because that was all that was there. The key was to keep his ear to the ground and listen to the sound of the herd. Motherfuckers were out there getting their asses blown to hell and back, and they couldn't even get a pack of Winstons for their trouble? Fuck that! That was more un-American than any of the propaganda the commies were throwing their way. So in the spirit of America and the almighty dollar, Cash made sure to include a few "extras" on his excursions out.

There was money to be made. Soldiers were getting paid, and had nowhere to spend it half the time. Getting any piece of leave was more rare than getting ass without itching afterwards, which was where he came in. He started with a few cartons of cigs, and some joints. Nothing hardcore. A little at a time was all he needed to keep his own little train a chuggin'. The problem with success, though, was the possibilities it lay before you, and the greed it prodded awake with a gold tipped stick. Some strange twist of fate would give him the opportunity to expand.

See, Jack's philosophy hadn't killed Jack as much as his penchant for self-sacrifice. During a resupply drop, the enemy had gotten the drop on them and the Marines they were supplying. It was a large force that was diverting it's troops to avoid US forces lying in wait. They had no idea the resupply was happening until they chanced upon it. Cash was working out a sweet little deal for some half used titty mags when they hit. The urge to live carried his feet straight to the machine gun on the deck, where he then laid down as much cover fire as he could in the dense jungle. Jack was piling as many bodies on the boat as it could take,  but ended up taking a round right between the shoulder blades while loading a wounded man on board. The last sight Cash had of the guy was of his body floating lifeless in the shallow water.

He'd drank to the poor bastard's memory, then followed it up with another for the lesson the death taught him. The only way you could save others was to save yourself. Who knows how many more kids that guy could have helped if he hadn't put his ass completely out in the breeze? So some guy who bought the fucking farm anyway could have a few more seconds of life? Fuck that. Jack got a medal out of it. So did he, amazingly. He kept it somewhere...he forgot where. He couldn't melt it down, and it was only worth something to the dicks who wanted to pretend they saw the big grey ass of the elephant.

Some of the brass called him a hero. Said his quick thinking after Jack went down saved lives. He took it as just trying to survive, but that didn't matter. They gave him the boat to command, and he made it his personal ice cream truck. He served the best, the worst, and the blank-eyed in betweeners. if it wasn't cash, it was shit he could turn to cash quick. The money was piling in so many places, he couldn't hide it all. He had to switch tactics, and focused on getting the money to a bank without attracting attention. Turns out that was easier than he thought. They had a whole delivery system for getting unmentionables out of the country. He paid the price for the delivery, and spaced that shit out in case something disappeared, and that kept things flowing even better. He turned his crew into true smugglers, and because of it was actually called on the most sensitive of ops! Who knew being a sneaky bastard could be useful on so many levels!?

Some of those ops were, without a doubt, agency related. Secret men in too-clean BDUs pretending to be something everyone else knew they weren't. It was ridiculous, but orders were orders, and the jobs got done. They gave him funny looks sometimes. Like they knew...they probably did, but they already had their fingers and dicks into so much shit, some small time guy like him probably didn't warrant the attention. It all went fairly flawless. For god's sakes they had payments made to certain guys on the other fucking side for safe passage! The whole damn thing was a meat-grinding circus, and he couldn't tell if he was the monkey, or the motherfucker cranking the box.

When it was time to leave, he did so with pockets full and head raised high. He didn't go home. Couldn't. War, even with his outlook on life, changed certain people in certain ways. The allure of the nine to five, thanksgivings with the family, and baseball hadn't pulled on his heartstrings. He liked 'Nam. He just didn't like where it stood at the time. He found a few islands to hop. He had an assortment of girls, booze, and random acts of violence to kill time with, but the day he saw some suit sitting across from him after a particularly nasty bender, he knew it must have been time to pay the piper.

The guy said he had a mission for him that paid if he was willing to not ask questions. Apparently they were in a market for someone who knew how to get in and out of places quietly and with minimum loses. What could Cash do? Even with the cost of things being so cheap, the money he'd saved was only going to get him so far before it started to run low, and he could use the spending money. One job turned to two, then to four. Time flew without him realizing it, until his crew eventually got burned. Cold war secrets were traded like baseball cards, and word of their shipment was in the wind.

Half his crew went out the hard way, and Cash had to drive a limping boat back with one good arm while his shoulder filled the cabin with the smell of burning flesh. To say that he and the agency had a falling out would be putting it mildly, but good resources were hard to find, and so were paying customers. Like it or not, they were tied together. Once Cash took enough time to see it, the truth took a few bottles of rum to swallow. Funny enough, no one took notice of the boat after the incident. That was one good thing about working with a shady entity. They kept just enough of an eye on Cash to know that he wasn't talking, and more importantly, no one was looking.

With the good news of not having to look out for a hit squad at his door in the immediate future, Cash paid off his remaining members and told them to scatter. He honestly couldn't look at their faces without wanting to blow their brains out. He was going to stay in the transport business, and he was going to do it right, from the ground up. From there, Pacific Logistics was born. He spent his savings refitting the boat and adding a few helpful extras and quietly put the word out that he was hiring. His next crew was going to have to be more than mere cut-throats. To survive when things went bad, he'd need those that have already seen their share of shit, and saw the world in shades of gray.

Personality: Cool, calm, and calculating. Everyone's got an angle, even if they don't know it yet. When not on a job, he's very laid back about how the crew would enjoy themselves. His only rule is that if there's anything unlawful done while in-between jobs, that it not be traced back to him, the crew, or the boat. Especially the boat. You lie in the bed you've made, or you'll find yourself out at best, and very out at the worst.

Appearance: 6'2" African American male. 190 lbs, athletic build, but not sculpted. More like the build of someone made strong working and not through a gym membership. No discernable tattoos. Burn scar on his left shoulder from the botched mission. He keeps it there as a reminder. He keeps his hair cut low, and very neat. No mustache or beard. He'd be easily be mistaken for a businessman in a suit, and even keeps a few handy when meeting certain clientele with more discerning tastes than normal.

Weapon(s) of choice:
Glock 18 w. Extended Clip
HK MP5-N w. suppressor
-has a mix of subsonic and standard 9mm loadouts, depending on the mission.

Fighting style/tactics: Picked up Muay Thai after his tour and it's his choice of fighting style. Tactically, he strives to keep his crew and boat out of trouble that doesn't pay in advance. In a firefight, he'd much rather withdraw slowly, instead of taking a stand. Most of his battles were always against overwhelming numbers, and a tactical retreat meant you lived after killing a few of them. When all else fails, roll the hard six and make a deal. Where they were, someone was always after something, and favors had a way of coming back to you, for good or ill.
Story Lottery Profile
Here’s my O/Os!

I don't know who this Muse person is, but if it explains away the voices in my head, then I'm all for it!

Daril

Okay, here's the profile for my character.  I decided to do him up as a character who had been in Roanapur for a while (perhaps in part because of the casual appearance of the image I'm using).  For now I also haven't listed any weapons larger than his sidearm, in part because I haven't decided 100% on what he's going to end up with.  It may depend a bit on what some of the other characters are using.

Name: Jonathan Hawke
Age: 29
Nationality: American
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Biography: Johnathan grew up feeling somewhat distant from others, perhaps in part because of his father being away for long periods of time due to his job as a sailor in the US Navy.  He got into quite a few fights growing up, but managed to avoid getting into any serious trouble (at least officially).  At the age of eighteen he enlisted in the Navy.  His intention may have been to follow in his father's footsteps, but his career would soon turn down quite a different path when he became acquainted with a member of one of the Navy's SEAL teams during one of his deployments.  The team member encouraged Jonathan to attend Seal Qualification Training.  A short time later he did so -and passed with flying colors.
Of course, passing qualification training was just the beginning.  What followed was more than a year of hellish training.  But when it was over, Johnathan found himself a member of a very elite group of warriors -and part of a very close knit team.  He felt he had found his calling.  His team fought in Panama and Kuwait and achieved their objectives with no casualties.  Johnathan received a medal for his involvement.
Then came the mission to an island in Southeast Asia.  It was a "black" mission -not officially acknowledged, with the participants to expect no help from Uncle Sam if they got caught.  And it was a total disaster.  The team was ambushed by heavy weapons almost as soon as they got ashore, and suffered heavy casualties.  They managed to get their wounded back to the boats and get out on the water, but then they came under even heavier fire.  The boat Johnathan's team was on went down under the bombardment.  Wounded, he survived by playing dead and drifting away on the water.  He almost died from exposure but was eventually picked up by the crew of a smuggling boat operating out of Roanapur.
Whether due to a sense of debt to his rescuers or a lack of desire to make his way home after what happened to his team -perhaps both- Johnathan stuck around his rescuers and helped out with their jobs.  Gradually, he began to view Roanapur as his home, and the crew he'd joined as his team.
Personality: Jonathan is fairly quiet, preferring to remain unobtrusive and avoid trouble where possible.  He is quiet capable of handling it when he encounters it however.  He tends to remain pretty level headed when the shit hits the fan.  He also has very strong personal loyalties -the rest of the crew is his team, and he hasn't really shaken the "no man left behind" mentality he learned while in the military.  One of his vices is smoking, which he picked up during his early days in the navy.
Appearance: Jonathan is about 5'9, with a deceptively moderate build.  One of his most distinctive features is his blue eyes, but they are often hidden by the sunglasses he chooses to wear.  He has allowed his hair to grow out a bit since coming to Roanapur -long enough that he's ended up typing it into a short tail at the back- and is often unshaven.
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Fighting style/tactics:  Despite possessing good marksmanship, Johnathan relies heavily on instinctive shooting and rapid fire, as he believes that being slow in a gunfight means being dead.  He is a believer in overwhelming firepower and likes to have a large supply of ammunition handy.  He's also very skilled at hand to hand combat and knife fighting.  He isn't beholden to any particular style -in his view techniques are the means to an end, not the end itself.

Daril

Okay, I think we're getting very close here.

Anyone got any ideas for the name of the boat?  It's going to be an ex-Soviet one.  Probably a P6, as the smaller P4 is a bit narrow in the beam.  I figure it will have had its heavy weaponry removed, and maybe some additional weather protection added to its bridge area.

http://s-boot.net/sboats-vm-p6.html -Here's some pictures of East German P6s for reference.

I'm thinking of beginning the RPG with a job.  Anyone have anything in particular they want to try in that regard?

Sessha

 Now when you say weaponry are you talking about the two twin mount 25mm AA guns? I don't know if you remember the Lagoon had Torpedoes onboard.
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Writersblockade

Yeah, get rid of the AA, but something about having a few Depth Charges makes me smile. Probably keep the torpedoes. I'd say replace the 25mm guns with stand mounted .50 cal guns with light armor shielding as chasers. Sounds reasonable, right? As for names, I like the Weary, but I didn't think we'd be painting a name on her.
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Daril

I'd actually been planning to get rid of any obvious weaponry and switch over to stuff that can easily be hidden from view when not needed.  I'd thought about having the boat carry a .50 heavy machine gun that can be set up on deck when necessary, but my worry is that such a powerful weapon will make dealing with pursuing boats too easy.  I'd actually been leaning towards a mere m-60.  :P Perhaps with something like a SPG-9 for intimidating larger ships into surrendering when engaging in piracy work (such a weapon might also be effective against small boats if it could hit them).

Actually I've sort of been wondering what should go in the boat's communal arms locker in general.  I figure there'd probably be some submachine guns for boarding work.  I'm not sure there's be a lot of long rifles, though having a few might prove useful on occasion.

I'd kind of like to go with a name that's cool by being uncool, but "Rustbucket" is probably pushing it.  Especially for a boat that's primarily made of wood.  :D

Sessha

 Honestly I agree with Writer on this one. Remove the twin 25mm mounts, but leave the torpedoes and depth charges. Maybe you'd only need 1 .50 caliber heavy machine gun on the front end and for deployable firepower against other ships why not have a Mk. 19 40mm grenade launcher?
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Vex

Hey ya'll! Sorry I've been on the quiet side, but I'm still around, just in case anyone was concerned. I was originally just giving some time for Daril and Writersblockade to sort out the details of their characters. Seems you two weren't the only ones getting things done! Nice job on the updated bio, Sessha! She looks like a fun character to have around! Well, maybe "fun" isn't the right word, but a good addition to the team nonetheless!

Anywho, I said a little bit back that I wanted to do some changes on my sheet. Seeing as it looks like we've got our crew more or less assembled, I'm gonna make sure to get that done in the next day or so. I actually already have a decent idea of how I want to change her background, in a way that (1) gives her more experience with maintaining watercrafts, and (2) explains a little bit more why a non-badass like her would be semi-comfortable sailing the seas in a place like Roanapur. I also wanted to give her a little pistol training, so she isn't entirely helpless, and hopefully limit some of her "damsel-in-distress" potential, but she still won't hold much of a candle to the rest of the crew when it comes to fighting. She'll remain more or less the same character, though, so hopefully there isn't many worries about any major shifts from her side of things.

Sorry if this is butting into the boat discussion going on. Honestly, the armament of the ship really doesn't seem like it would as much of a concern to me as it would be to the rest of you, so I'll let you all settle that matter, if ya'll don't mind.

Looks like things are really coming together! Nice job everyone! I'm looking forward to getting started!  ;D

Sessha

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Daril

What do people think of "Lucky Strike" as the name for the boat?  And for the RPG itself, for that matter?

Considering that the boat is used for smuggling and may have to discreetly enter ports that are less lawless than Roanapur to pick up/deliver cargo, I don't think obvious weaponry is a great idea.  Granted its hard to tell if a torpedo tube it loaded, but they take up a lot of deck space, and the torpedoes themselves are heavy, could be dangerous if hit by enemy fire, and might be worth something on the black market.  :P  (Not that I necessarily think you guys are going to find those arguments very convincing.)  As for depth charges, when are we going to be fighting submarines?

A .50 could probably be set up to either the front or the rear depending on the situation.  MK-19s are cool, but after seeing what Revy did to those pursuing PBRs with a single shot M-79 grenade launcher, I'm leery of equipping our boat with a freaking belt fed grenade machine gun.  :D  This is where firepower like that becomes a double edged sword story wise -it can be pretty satisfying to employ it, but its hard to make that satisfaction last very long because the threat goes away so quickly.  That's my view on it anyway.

Sessha

 The Mk-19 is actually more of an auto-cannon. It's not really close to a machine gun. Fire rate's too slow for that. (60RPM for rapid fire and 40rpm for sustained. Though to be fair, those Vietnam PBRs can't take a hit, never were meant to really. Though honestly I think replacing one of the aft duel 25mm guns with one Mk-19 in a concealed location that could be easily accessed when needed. We disguise it to look like something else that way no one knows we have it until we need to pull it out. As for small arms locker eh honestly go with tried and true assault rifles. Cause when on missions that's where Alex is going to store her heavy stuff. Things like her Barrett .50, SKO-TRG-41 and her G3A3 with drum barrel.
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Sorrow Singer

Lucky strike sounds good, sorry Ive been sort of absent from the brainstorming process the rest of July is looking to be pretty busy on my end. But I'm still floating around for when this thing is ready to kick off.

Writersblockade

I would agree. Lose the torpedo launchers and depth charges. Give us a .50 cal we could set up in relatively good time, and throw in an RPG with 4-5 grenades in stock and a grenade launcher if you're feeling magnanimous lol. That should constitute enough firepower to use responsibly without going all berserk. The large caliber rifles would probably be broken down and cased until they are needed. Small arms and shotguns would be for use on the ship to avoid damage that could cripple the ship methinks, but someone let me know if that makes sense. It's one of the reasons my guy favors the weapons he has, to be honest.

Lucky Strike's a decent enough name for a boat. I'll think about it a little more.
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Daril

How about a .50 Browning, a SPG-9, and a supplementary M-60 (maybe two .50s if we want to have the option of mounting one forward and one aft).  I still think the MK-19 might make dealing with small speedboats a bit too easy (though I guess a .50 could make pretty short work of a small speedboat as well).

Stepping away from the weaponry for a moment (there's more to say on that, but let's get a few other things worked out first), would either Sessha or Sorrow be cool with their character being a new member who just joined the crew?  I was thinking we could start off with the newbie's first job with the crew.

Also, anyone got any ideas for the first job?  One of the one's I'd been considering is a raid on a freighter that another group of pirates is after.  We could also take a page from canon and have the group involved in abducting someone who turns out to be more trouble than they bargained for.  Though I'm leaning away from that option at this point.  Another idea would be to go to an island and take something out -probably not an ordinary job, but it could be interesting an interesting one.

Sessha

Why do a bit of both really? I'm a bit torn about this being my first mission and all but eh whatever. As for the mission thing I wouldn't be adverse to us having to get into a running battle over some cargo we were hired to transport. Someone else wants it and they send someone after us to get it. Oh and we fish your character out of the water somewhere along the way to.
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Daril

It doesn't have to be your character's first job with the crew if you don't want it to be.  I just thought that might be a good way to start things.

I ended up deciding against making my character a newcomer while working on his profile.  I found that I didn't want to try to write him before he developed certain characteristics.  Did you have some similar concerns about your character?

Sessha

 No not really. Though I think I have a solution to our gunboat problem. I'm in favor of the Mk 19. It would do the same job as the SPG-9, but it's got a much faster rate of fire. (40 RPMs as oppose to 5-6 RMPs.) It can be manned by one person which leaves someone else to do something else themselves. It's also about nearly 30 lbs. lighter than the SPG-9.(77.6 lbs. as to 105 lbs.) Plus it's smaller size means it's more easily hidden.

I would leave the M2 on a forward mounting and instead of an M60 I'd go with an M240. It's a much more stable and reliable weapon than the M60 itself.(It's also become NATO standard so getting ammo for it is dirt cheap.) Plus it can be fitted to many different types of mounts so it can be used a deployable weapon if additional firepower is needed. It can also be used on the land if more firepower is needed.
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Neysha

A SPG-9 is probably a fair bit cheaper to operate and maintain reliably,  as well as find ammunition for in quantity and availability.  The thing with many automatic grenade launchers is they need to be cleaned and maintained a lot and still are sometimes prone to jamming. And the grenades could be fairly hard to find and prohibitively expensive to buy in large quantities off the black market.
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Daril

Hi Neysha.  I think I saw you in my old recruitment thread.  Are you interested in trying to join in?  The boat's getting a bit crowded but we might have room for one more character.

@Sessha

I think part of the reason I like the SPG-9 is that it gives our pirates something a bit like a cannon to play with.  :P  My main objection to the MK-19 is still that it might make dealing with small craft like speedboats too easy.

Regarding the M60 vs the FN MAG, part of its that Vietnam War weaponry seems fairly common in Black Lagoon.  I'm not always set on having the latest and greatest.  In fact I think sometimes it's more interesting not to go that route (which isn't to say there are no new or rare weapons in the boat's arms locker).

(BTW I've deliberately avoided bringing this up so far, but since you brought up ammo availability -one thing that's kind of bothered me about Alex since the beginning is that all her pistols use ammo which probably isn't widely available in Roanapur.  I know you don't like nine millimeter very much, but what's wrong with forty five?)

Writersblockade

Actually one of the reasons I went with 9mm weapons. The subsonic rounds are specialty, but those are only used on certain missions. Most of the time hell have the mp5 handy on the boat, and the glock on the street during normal day to day
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Sessha

Quote from: Daril on July 28, 2015, 11:34:51 AM
Hi Neysha.  I think I saw you in my old recruitment thread.  Are you interested in trying to join in?  The boat's getting a bit crowded but we might have room for one more character.

@Sessha

I think part of the reason I like the SPG-9 is that it gives our pirates something a bit like a cannon to play with.  :P  My main objection to the MK-19 is still that it might make dealing with small craft like speedboats too easy.

Regarding the M60 vs the FN MAG, part of its that Vietnam War weaponry seems fairly common in Black Lagoon.  I'm not always set on having the latest and greatest.  In fact I think sometimes it's more interesting not to go that route (which isn't to say there are no new or rare weapons in the boat's arms locker).

(BTW I've deliberately avoided bringing this up so far, but since you brought up ammo availability -one thing that's kind of bothered me about Alex since the beginning is that all her pistols use ammo which probably isn't widely available in Roanapur.  I know you don't like nine millimeter very much, but what's wrong with forty five?)

To answer the questions first off the .357 SIG rounds are a standard round produced by SIG Saur since 1994 so getting the round isn't exactly all that hard. As for the .50 Desert Eagle. Not exactly something she pulls at the drop of a hat. As a matter of fact she's more likely to pull the SIG first since it's ammo is the cheapest to find. As for the 10mm they are a bit harder to find but not that difficult honestly.

As for the M240 honestly it's not exactly new and neither is the Mk. 19. The Mk. 19 has been around since the Vietnam era.In fact the Mk. 19 was sometimes fitted as one of the optional pieces of equipment on the old PBRs. I'm mainly advocating the Mk. 19 for it's ability to be concealed far better than the SPG-9 and as a limiting factor. Also the M240 is while a more complicated(mechanically speaking) machine than the M60 it is far better in overall maintaince than the M60. Besides which when dealing with fast moving targets even something as fast firing as an Mk. 19 isn't going to be horribly accurate. Hence why I suggested a mountable M240. Also in close quarters you aren't exactly going to be using the Mk. 19 now are you?

Anyway those are my counter arguments.
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Writersblockade

*laughs* It's a good counter. One thing, and I know it'll make people groan, I would say that if we're having difficulty with keeping folks honest on accuracy of fire, we could work on a dice system.

Hear me out. Most of the RP based stuff we do will barely involve guns, and if it happens to, it would be pure story anyway, BUT on decisive battles (gm discretion), we would employ a roll based system to determine hit and damage. I am aware that this takes this to a whole 'nother level, so I will understand if people object, but I don't foresee our posting speeds to be extremely high, so it might make for an interesting experience. Just a thought.
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Daril

@Sessha It's ultimately your choice, I just think those calibers would be at least borderline special order in South East Asia.  Heck, there are parts of the US where it's hard to find those calibers in stores.

My concern with the MK-19 is that one could walk rounds onto a target by observing where shots are landing and adjusting accordingly.  Might not work against a fast moving target at extreme range, but if you're talking a pursuing boat that's a couple hundred feet behind yours I imagine it might work fairly well.  I'll admit I'm not an expert on the matter though.

Just to be clear on this, I was thinking the heavy weapons would be dismounted and hidden away when not in use (one reason I chose the SPG-9 over some larger models of recoilless rifle).  I figured the .50 would be for dealing with other boats, the SPG-9 would be for intimidating bigger ships into surrender, and the M-60 is a supplementary weapon that doesn't really require a special mount like the others (and which might be useful for the rare land job as well).

@Writersblockade We might be able to use dice to settle disputes if it becomes necessary, but I generally prefer to go freeform.  I like to think that people will be smart about things and vary their accuracy a bit with the needs of the scene.  Also I'd actually intended for this RPG to be relatively quick paced (though I'll grant I haven't been the greatest at fast responses the last week or so).

BTW, would you be willing to consider options other than a suppressed Navy model MP5?  It just seems weird for your character to be using one of those when my character is the one who has extensive training with that particular weapon.  :D (Though I'd actually been planning on having him use something else).

@all So anyway, most important issue to get worked out here: does anyone have any preferences for what the first job should be?  I figure once we get that figured out, we can get things started pretty quickly.

Sessha

 My main issue with using something like a recoilless rifle is the sheer size of it. I'm speaking of things from the stand point of we don't have a lot of people with us. So that means we need weapons that can if need be, be fired by a single person. The SPG-9 with a trained gun crew can maybe 7 rounds in a minute. Now imagine all that being done by one person. Your fire rate would easily be cut in half. Possibly even more than that. As for portability the Mk. 19 is far and away better than the SPG-9. Again I point to the weight difference between them. The Mk. 19 weights 77.6 lbs. where as the SPG-9 weight 105 lbs. Plus the Mk. 19 can be mounted on the same tripod as the Browning M2. Also as anyone will tell you explosives are cheap and easy to get a hold of. Also if we have it I would think that the crew itself would be taking care of and cleaning their weapons. At least I know Alex would be. She's a gun nut and taking care of your guns can me the difference between that firing and saving your life to ending up in the morgue.
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Daril

I wasn't really thinking of the SPG-9 as a rapid fire weapon in the first place.  Frankly, its a completely different class of weapon than the MK-19.  Being able to use the same mounts as other weaponry would be nice, but for my part I still like the idea of the crew having a cannon type weapon.

I suppose we could put the matter to a vote if you're really set on it.

Sessha

 The reason I'm arguing this Daril is that the weapon itself for what you want to do is too heavy to use in fast pace deployment. Also most of your pirate groups don't even use weapons like the SPG-9 simply because it's too unwieldy in combat with a small number of people. In naval warfare the smaller your crew the more you have economize the number of people you have doing certain jobs. The rate of fire on a weapon has a HUGE impact on the battlefield. It's part of the reason why the M1 Garand was so effective against the Germans and the Japanese. It was a semi-automatic weapon with nearly twice the ammo capacity of either of the other two primary rifles. Plus it had about twice the fire rate of the other two.

Rate of fire was part of the reason why the M16 in later stages of the Vietnam was faring better in the eyes of the GIs than the AK-47. It relied on the idea that you fired three rounds into the bush and the guys to your right and left fired three rounds into the bush and so on for them. Just between you and your buddies you've about emptied a third of an M16's magazine. Also the Soviet Union took notice of this and decided to pursue development of their own 5.56 rifle equivalent. Then the AK-74 was created which fired the 5.45x39mm cartridge.

I know you like the idea of us pirates having a cannon onboard the ship, but I'm saying that it's just not feasible with as small of a crew as we have to say nothing of the fact if you want it to be deployed during combat. That's the whole reason I want to switch over to something like Mk. 19. It can be carried into position and fired by one person if needed be without any loss of combat functionality, plus that frees up someone else to bring up a third weapon, like say the M240.
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Neysha

Quote from: Daril on July 28, 2015, 11:34:51 AM
Hi Neysha.  I think I saw you in my old recruitment thread.  Are you interested in trying to join in?  The boat's getting a bit crowded but we might have room for one more character.

I am. What kind of character does your crew still need though?
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Writersblockade

If you don't mind me saying, Daril, we can use a bloody medic. I have a feeling this crew's gonna need it lol. At least someone that can keep a person alive until they can get to a hospital.
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Daril

@Sessha -I can put it to a vote if you want, but I don't view the SPG-9's size and rate of fire as being serious limitations in its primary role.  And its heavy punch might come in handy on occasion.

@Neysha -Another person with watercraft experience would be an asset.  Are you wanting to play an action oriented character or more of a supporting one?  Or are there any particular concepts you've been considering?

@Writersblockade -If the crew had a medic, I think it would probably be someone with rather basic training.  A highly qualified battlefield surgeon isn't likely to be employed by the crew of a small boat when they could be doing brisk business in the city itself.

Neysha

Cool. Thanks for the suggestions. I have an idea in mind and will post up a concept tomorrow.
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Writersblockade

I know, that's why I worded it that way. My character would have basic med experience, but it would be someone like a navy corpsman our something
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Vex

Alright! After a bit of a busy week, I finally got some revisions in for Ami's background. Feel free to read it on reply #27, if you'd like, but I warn you, it's a bit of a read. Sorry about that! Still, I think it does a better job at relaying her skills and a little bit about her favorable impression with societal outsiders, like the rest of the crew. I also modified her fighting capabilities to specify a bit of basic firearms practice, but she still doesn't shift as much of a warrior.

Speaking of, if you have any suggestions for a compact or semi-compact pistol for her, I'd appreciate it. I'm certainly willing to do a little research on my own, but I'm definitely not a gun aficionado, so I was hoping you might point me in the right directions. I was initially thinking a Glock 19, Glock 26, or Walter P99c, wanting to stick to 9mms for the most part, but I wouldn't really know if those were reasonable handguns to carry at this time, nor place in the world.

Quote from: Daril on July 27, 2015, 11:59:15 AM
What do people think of "Lucky Strike" as the name for the boat?  And for the RPG itself, for that matter?

I have no issue with the name. I'd say Writersblockade has the greatest say, seeing as he's the boat's presumptive owner, but if he's cool with it, I am.

Quote from: Daril on July 28, 2015, 12:25:34 AM
Stepping away from the weaponry for a moment (there's more to say on that, but let's get a few other things worked out first), would either Sessha or Sorrow be cool with their character being a new member who just joined the crew?  I was thinking we could start off with the newbie's first job with the crew.

I can't speak for Sessha or Sorrow, but I certainly don't mind being a relative newcomer to this whole thing. I'm not sure about this being her first venture with the crew, but I don't see her having been a part of this life for all that long, maybe a year or two at the most. I can understand why you might be adverse to writing your character before he develops a certain attitude, but I actually think that would be pretty neat, at least for Ami. She's pretty empathic and somewhat innocent, by Roanapur standards, but everyone involved in that mess becomes tainted sooner or later. I actually think it could be fun to discover what kind of dark side she ends up harboring.

Quote from: Daril on July 28, 2015, 12:25:34 AMAlso, anyone got any ideas for the first job?  One of the one's I'd been considering is a raid on a freighter that another group of pirates is after.  We could also take a page from canon and have the group involved in abducting someone who turns out to be more trouble than they bargained for.  Though I'm leaning away from that option at this point.  Another idea would be to go to an island and take something out -probably not an ordinary job, but it could be interesting an interesting one.

I'd be reluctant to start exactly the same way the original story did, just because we're already closing in on some parallels between them in our characters. I do like the abduction angle eventually, but probably not to start with. A simple package delivery might be ideal, something a faction wants delivered safely, even as an active force seeks to recover or destroy it. It's not terribly complicated, but if you're looking for an introductory venture, that might be ideal. That said, if you want to make it a little more complex, if could be that our employer doesn't have said package, and we have to retrieve it from someone else. To combined it with Sessha's idea, there might be a rival faction that desires it too, so it can be a triple threat game, between our deadlines, the rival crew, and the people we have to claim it from in the first place, assuming they won't hand it over willingly. Sounds like a freelance pirate job to me.

Sessha

Quote from: Vex on July 30, 2015, 07:54:18 AM
Alright! After a bit of a busy week, I finally got some revisions in for Ami's background. Feel free to read it on reply #27, if you'd like, but I warn you, it's a bit of a read. Sorry about that! Still, I think it does a better job at relaying her skills and a little bit about her favorable impression with societal outsiders, like the rest of the crew. I also modified her fighting capabilities to specify a bit of basic firearms practice, but she still doesn't shift as much of a warrior.

Speaking of, if you have any suggestions for a compact or semi-compact pistol for her, I'd appreciate it. I'm certainly willing to do a little research on my own, but I'm definitely not a gun aficionado, so I was hoping you might point me in the right directions. I was initially thinking a Glock 19, Glock 26, or Walter P99c, wanting to stick to 9mms for the most part, but I wouldn't really know if those were reasonable handguns to carry at this time, nor place in the world.

I have no issue with the name. I'd say Writersblockade has the greatest say, seeing as he's the boat's presumptive owner, but if he's cool with it, I am.

I can't speak for Sessha or Sorrow, but I certainly don't mind being a relative newcomer to this whole thing. I'm not sure about this being her first venture with the crew, but I don't see her having been a part of this life for all that long, maybe a year or two at the most. I can understand why you might be adverse to writing your character before he develops a certain attitude, but I actually think that would be pretty neat, at least for Ami. She's pretty empathic and somewhat innocent, by Roanapur standards, but everyone involved in that mess becomes tainted sooner or later. I actually think it could be fun to discover what kind of dark side she ends up harboring.

I'd be reluctant to start exactly the same way the original story did, just because we're already closing in on some parallels between them in our characters. I do like the abduction angle eventually, but probably not to start with. A simple package delivery might be ideal, something a faction wants delivered safely, even as an active force seeks to recover or destroy it. It's not terribly complicated, but if you're looking for an introductory venture, that might be ideal. That said, if you want to make it a little more complex, if could be that our employer doesn't have said package, and we have to retrieve it from someone else. To combined it with Sessha's idea, there might be a rival faction that desires it too, so it can be a triple threat game, between our deadlines, the rival crew, and the people we have to claim it from in the first place, assuming they won't hand it over willingly. Sounds like a freelance pirate job to me.

To be honest almost EVERYONE Roanapur carries some type of firearm, though usually it's a semi-automatic pistol of some form or another. Benny, Rock, Shenhua and Sawyer the Chopper are about the only exceptions to that rule. Anyway while Glock is nice I've always been more of a fan of SIG Saur myself. That being said if you want my opinion on it why not go with a SIG P225. It's a compact weapon that only has an eight round magazine in it but it's a good gun. If this were a more modern times(like2015) I would be ditching the Glock 20 in favor of the SIG P220 chambered in 10mm Auto. It's the latest entry in the handgun market for SIG.  ;D ;D ;D

Now all that being said I wanted to add something that would be useful for boarding stuff. Would anyone be adverse to there being shotguns onboard in the small arms locker? Something like an Ithaca 37, Frenchi SPAS-12, MAG-7 or even an AA-12. Just to name a few. They are after all one of the best CQB weapons ever devised.
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Writersblockade

Maybe the sig p226 carry or p228. I'm no fun but myself, but as a captain, I'd want her to have a small profile gun with stopping power. That way she just aims for the chest
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Neysha

Rough Draft... how does this look? Basically I made her a kind of jack of all trades to fill in the needed gaps. Primarily she's the medic, but she has a lot of experience operating watercraft recently (though nothing like this patrol boat), some maintenance and mechanical knowledge, some firearms or combat knowledge, some survival knowledge and a fair bit of specialty when it comes to being a thief and grifter.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
Name:Leah Layleigh (real name Ashley Blais)
Age: Twenty Something???
Nationality: American (She considers herself a global citizen)
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
Personality: Generally taciturn with strangers and wary in attitude. Despite speaking little and being generally unflappable, she doesn't have any personality or social behavior disorders. She's not even shy. She's just quiet with people she doesn't know. Handles stressful situations well and extremely adaptive to changing circumstances, lies constantly for nebulous and circumstantial reasons. Betrays strangers on a whim, exceptionally loyal to friends. Distrusts most forms of authority as her previous life paints her view of the world in very anti-authoritarian terms. Fairly nonplussed when it comes to ethics and social morals. Loves adventure and excitement and experiencing new things.
Appearance:
Leah is five foot four, and fairly muscular. Her natural hair color is brown but she dyed it blonde when arriving in Southeast Asia because it looked more exotic. She has dark brown doe eyes.
Weapon(s) of choice: Sig Sauer P228 9mm pistol and a Smith & Wesson Model 19 Revolver as her backups. Either an Ithaca 37 Pump Action Shotgun or an CAR-15 Carbine
Fighting style/tactics: Leah is best with weapons that can be considered sporting/hunting weapons as opposed to military style small arms. But she's familiar with most small arms in general due to the common traits shared with many of them. She has little formal military training or combat experience with their utilization.

Biography:Leah grew up in a ranch in Newton County, Arkansas with a large family whose primary business was farming marijuana and cooking delicious meth and other agribusiness pursuits. At an early age, Leah learned irresponsible survival and woodland skills including firearms use. Mostly however, she was involved in the family business of manufacturing methamphetamines but was canny enough not to get high on their own supply unlike some of her contemporaries in her extended family. It was apparent from her grades in elementary school that she was a bit brighter then your typical Newton County meth cooking white trash type and so there was an idea of having her pursue a career in the sciences, preferably chemistry or engineering, to help assist in upgrading the knowledge base and make more efficient the families operations. Sadly while she was in Junior High, the DEA enacted a sting operation that resulted in the arrests and capture of large numbers of her family after one of her immediate family members snitched on them. Due to her young age, she served six months in a juvenile detention facility and upon release, realized she couldn't return home and was dumped into foster care.

She was bounced around between numerous foster homes who typically took in kids and offered them the three hots and a cot type of benefit and little else. She immediately got distracted by such a listless and directionless life by boosting cars, pickpocketing people and burglarizing businesses, especially pharmacies and clinics. During her teenage years, she became more familiar with the craft that most thieves tended to have to excel in if they wanted to escape incarceration. Basic hands on skills such as utilizing shimmies, picking locks, taking apart car alarms, learning to hide and conceal items, as well as the more esoteric skills such as casing homes, businesses as well as situations and individuals as targets. During this time she was mentored by various other criminals, often do to the perception that her being underaged, female and White could be utilized for various beneficial means for any enterprising criminal.

For several years she was able to avoid law enforcement and managed to get her GED on time due to the fact she moved every few months. But as she entered a community college to pursue a career as a pharmacy technician it was derailed due to her previous drug offense related history. With no real career options available that she was interested in, eventually got certification in becoming a Veterinary Health Practitioner and practiced veterinary medicine for several months, before yet another sting operation revealed that she wasn't a licensed veterinarian from Liberty University, but a licensed veterinarian from the nation of Liberia. Finding her options in America drying up, Leah used her access to health and personal records to form several new cover identities and established corresponding documentation to obtain proofs of identity and residency. Then for relevant and certifiable job skills, she took several EMT courses before deciding to travel abroad. It was while crossing the border into Mexico that she ended up killing a human trafficker over a dispute on her future employment opportunities. (he wanted to abduct her for slavery purposes, which she was disinclined to go along with)

Traveling through Mexico, she didn't have an intended goal in mind but under her new cover identity and found employment with various tourism and event operators on a temp for hire basis which helped evade the long term need for local work permits. While the pay was low, but access to opportunities with people like her was almost boundless. While working on her Spanish, she worked in mostly tourist areas of Baja and even worked in support of various large scale events such the various off-road races and other events, where she found more lucrative employment as part of event and team support staff although the adrenaline junkie in her wishes she had more time behind the wheel of a heavily modified VW racer. She eventually made her way down the coast and found employment in various resorts and hotels in cities like Cancun as a part of resort/hotel medical staff where again low pay was the norm, but few suspected the American who was working for so cheap she might as well have been volunteering as being a criminal who used the free access she got to large amounts of resort and tourist areas to her own benefit. While the beach and infirmary lifestyle was captivating for a while, the adrenaline junkie in her yearned for something new and exciting.

Despite her increasing familiarity with Spanish, she decided not to settle here and moved to Belize where she hoped the language barrier would be far less. She soon found the small country to be a blessing far beyond easing over the language barrier. Much to her delight, she found the coastal communities literally swarming with foreign expats and retirees and lots of money. While that alone wasn't great, the fact that many of these older foreigners often had poorly secured boats and seaside bungalows or other lodging and accommodations was a benefit she couldn't pass up. Utilizing the fact she was employed in the EMS services was again another way she found an open door to access her targets and marks. The only limitation was a difficulty in finding a proper fence and laundering for her to actually profit off what she had earned. Due to the seasonal and heavy boating culture of expats in the area, she spent her time there enmeshing herself with some of the expats, befriending them and training on learning how to operate a range of civilian boat craft ranging from small boats with outboard motors to sailboats and even fishing yachts. Eventually the hidden side of her life was close to catching up to her, so she pulled a final heist which culminated in stealing the most common boat that could be found in the harbor, a small sport fishing boat that could be operated by one person.

Her departure was flawless in that law enforcement didn't even know about the robbery until the harbor master returned from vacation and realized the boat was missing more then a few days in a row without a word from the currently absentee owner. Unfortunately her local navigating skills meant a premature ending to her journey several hundred miles away as her vessel was caught on a bank of coral and she was forced to abandon her ship in the water and spend the better part of sixteen hours paddling an inflatable one person life raft to shore in calm waters. She found she had ended up in Colombia and figured it was as good as any place to reinvent herself and add more to her offshore financial nest egg. Spending the first few weeks setting up the apparatus of support she had now become accustomed to, after having done it three times before in the previous eighteen months, she spent her time in the health care industry, working first as a pharmaceutical and lab courier and embellishing her 'Baja Rally' experience to a fangirl degree. It was tough going driving in the often swirling streets of a Latin American city, but once she learned to navigate the streets, she got a job with the Colombian Red Cross as an EMS provider, mainly in driving ambulances and providing linguistic services for health care providers. Once again she used her background to grift mostly pharmaceuticals to supply in the black market.

It was also in Colombia that she learned a valuable lesson about being too helpful. Out of a fit of charity and selflessness, she volunteered with a Colombian National Police medcap mission into the interior of the country and worked for several weeks in fetid highland jungles and malarial swamps. The work she did there, treating both exotic diseases as well as grisly landmine injuries or gunshot wounds almost gave her a fresh perspective on life until one day, while as a passenger on a minibus during a routine shopping trip, it was stopped by left wing guerrillas and after finding out she was American, she was abducted for ransom. Her captivity was brief, as she rapidly enmeshed herself with her captors who, as they traversed through the jungle with several other captives towards their camp, still kept a wary eye on her and the others. Knowing escape would be nigh impossible if they reached their destination and knowing she was worthless as a hostage for a wide variety of reasons, she used an amateurish concoction of sap from the thorniest plants she could find, fecal matter and some plastic she pickpocked off one of the guerrillas, she poisoned the food that the guards and hostages ate communally while feigning a stomach ailment after having helped prepare the food. That night, everyone else was struck with seizures, vomiting and hallucinations. She promptly took the time to liberate one of her incapacitated captors of his weapon and bayoneted the first soldier to death, only to find the bayonet rather clumsy to work out of a spasming corpse. So she proceeded to beat the other soldiers to death with a shovel, finding it more expedient and in her case, rather thrilling. Then taking as much food, water and navigational aids that she could carry, she tried to make her way to safety, ditching the other hostages to their fate.

When she arrived in a mission on the edges of Northern Brazil, she was borderline feverish, shrunken to an almost decrepit form physically and had to be nursed to health over a period of weeks. Thanks to the isolation of her situation, she avoided too much scrutiny beyond telling her tale. After spending some time recovering at the mission, and taking an understandable break from criminality, she decided to volunteer her services as she made her way down the Amazon basin, typically working as a medic, translator and watercraft operator for various charities and medical missions that catered to the indigenous populations of the Amazon before arriving in areas of more economic activity such as agriculture and forestry. Despite the stringent work requirements in Brazil, due to the remoteness of locations here, she still found enough temporary medical work before finally catching a job as the medic and cook and deckhand aboard a logging ship traveling down the Amazon to the coast. This journey was both a legitimate, and illegitimate paycheck as she was also hired to escort an important package of herbal pharmaceutical compounds that were to be smuggled out of the country. She successfully completed her journey, and the smuggling package delivery. After settling more accounts in Belem, including tying off her finances in Colombia remotely, she decided to take a volunteer job with Doctors Without Borders, utilizing her 'experience' in Colombia and the Amazon as a strong selling point. She was hoping diving into charitable medical work was a cure for being an action and adventure junkie.

There was a brief layover in Nigeria, before she spent a majority of her fourth year abroad in the hellish (medically speaking) landscape of the West African countries of Liberia, and Sierra Leone. What she thought was bad in Colombia turned out to be possibly heavenly as far as Liberia and Sierra Leone was involved. She quickly grew tired of having to deal with amputees, tortured and mutilated captives and gang rape victims. It turned out that drowning in victims wasn't a cure for adventure, but merely something that pushed her back into her older, more established ways. When the United Nations and ECOMOG got involved in the conflict and a peace settlement was on the verge of being approached in both Sierra Leone and Liberia in the early nineties, she took full advantage of ditching her time with the Doctors Without Borders, after appropriating her own severance package and dabbled into gunrunning. Finding work as a translator for a unit of ECOMOG peacekeepers, she was able to function as the middlewoman between several militias sympathetic to her previous services as a medical worker so that when the militias disarmed, they would turn their weapons over to the unit of peacekeepers she was representing. After several shipping containers worth of weapons were collected, she contacted her contacts in Brazil about a tremendous job opportunity in getting large amounts of weapons for cheap. After brokering that deal, and making a serious chunk of change, she brokered several smaller smuggling deals, almost all of them involving weapons and munitions. Her good time however was ruined when South African based mercenary units hired by the government took over the 'disarmament' (ie gunrunning business) and she almost got a few bullets in the back of her head as payment.

Wanting to live so she could spend her ill gotten wealth and make even more, she hired herself out to local West Africans contracted by South American and Western European fisheries who used local fishermen to evade fisheries regulations all along the coast of West Africa. Working as a supervisor of various fishing vessels, it lasted only a few months before she was picked up by local law enforcements and arrested in Zaire. She escaped the local jail that night, before she could even think of a cheap way to bribe herself out of her predicament. Stealing a police boat, she tossed the tracker into the mouth of a local crocodile and burned her fuel until she ended up in Northern Angola. Delightfully, she found Angola was recovering from its own Civil War and disarmament process, only unlike in West Africa, the weapons were even bigger and more valuable. Posing once again as an English-Spanish (and to a lesser extent Portuguese) translator volunteering with the Angolan Red Cross while also passing intelligence relating to disarmament to the United States Defense Intelligence Agency and was able to travel the country largely on their dime. It was a short gig, mainly because her Portuguese was terrible so while the money was good, she eventually just took an all wheel drive vehicle and decided to trek across Southern Africa with yet another unknown destination in her future.

Following the uncertain road, she spent the next six months in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique literally working odd jobs but mostly indulging her true passion of being addicted to adventure. She dabbled in being a wilderness guide for tourists, often teaming up with local patsies for assistance and motor vehicles and found the corruption and lack of regulation in most of the game and tourist industry to work to her benefit in these jobs. She stuck around long enough to fulfill her bucket list of hunting local big game animals and getting stupid pictures taken with the corpses of animals she murdered. The true excitement she got was when a local law enforcement officer in Mozambique hired her based on her puffed up reputation to hunt down a group of poachers. The most fun she had since she arrived in Africa had occurred as she led a local posse across the veld, tracking them and then clumsily ambushing them in the middle of the night. Despite the chaotic running battle that occurred, it was considered a great success due to the number of bodies accumulated, a fair portion of whom were actual poachers! Humble to the end, she gave credit to her fellows in law enforcement but was still invited to an exclusive party at the local Governors mansion.

She took this opportunity to do what she normally did, depart the country with an even larger heist. She first switched the shipping labels on the taxidermy seized from the poachers, one fuel truck, a visit to the local druggist, dead dropped the details of the security of the mansion to local illegal huntsman collectives, cased the Governors mansion, and set her sights on the Governors most valuable possession, which happened to not be his loyalty and service to his constituents. By the next morning the mansion was on fire, the drunken inhabitants running screaming into the night as a mob of angry 'freedom fighters' hired by the local smuggling concerns assaulted the mansion. Within days, it was realized the Governors Yacht was missing, the safes emptied, and the Governors prized custom made Holland and Holland double rifle, worth more then a hundred thousand dollars, was missing. All of this was blamed on the 'Rebel' attack, as was Leah's mysterious disappearance. Leah's escape plans however were still defrayed. After making a brief stop in Zanzibar to refresh and reorganize her finances, she took it to Yemen, sold the yacht for far below its value and bought a far smaller boat which she used to bounce from port to port along the Indian Ocean. She tried her hand at fishing large game, but found it rather impossible to do without much experience.

Eventually she arrived in Thailand, just on the apex of her fourth year abroad. After selling that boat, she decided Thailand... finally, was a good place to cool her heels. She was hired by a wealthy Thai businessman to be an officer on his yacht as well as eye candy since there were few White females with her skill set available in Thailand. Initially she found the job fun, and spent the opportunity learning how to operate an even larger boat as well as taking the time to learn from some of her new shipmates the proper way to throw a kick and curious enough to her, a knee strike. Up to this point, she had trouble throwing a proper punch, not that she often needed to. Eventually though, the desire for adventure arose within her again and she quickly grew bored of being a minion for a decadent lifestyle and left that employer amicably as she became aware of the possible business opportunities in Roanapur. She decided to change herself up and for once in her life, didn't rob someone blind before departing.

Still in her twenties and having spent a fair time abroad, she arrived in Roanapur and after one glance, realized that this was probably the first place she could find legitimate illegitimate employment in a place that still somehow had a functional system of society not based on tribalism and warlordism, as the organized crime groups here seemed to keep everything far better in line. While for the most part, she operated alone, her major weakness was having to find and set up a network of fences, informants, launderers and contacts everytime she moved. Thus in Roanapur, while such things weren't in short supply, the competition turned out to be much more fierce. She couldn't get by being the cute White girl aid worker/medic anymore to open doors for her tradecraft. So instead she decided to find a job in the most lucrative business she had ever engaged in... smuggling.
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Daril

Okay, so first off with the story set up:

Assuming he's okay with it, I really like the idea of Sessha's character being on her first job with the crew.  Part of the reason for this is because it sounds like she isn't exactly "cool as a cucumber" and I can see my character having reservations about her because of that (that could go double if she's a replacement for someone he considered highly reliable).  Might make for some interesting tension.

Ami I'd figured would be part of the crew already because she has an important role as the boat's mechanic.  However, the part in her revised profile with her getting kidnapped has been giving me some ideas.  It would require some changes to her history, but why not adapt that part into the initial story arc for the RPG?  Our crew frees her when they raid the ship she's being transported on to get something else, and bring her back to Roanapur not knowing what they're getting into (or possibly thinking they might get an unexpected bonus for freeing her).  They then have to deal with daddy's heavily armed mercenary rescue squad coming after them (possibly just because the mercs don't want someone else getting paid for their job).  Yeah, okay, it's a bit similar to the first canon story arc, but I think it might be an interesting way to start things off.

For the most part I think Neysha's profile works.

Weaponry wise, it seems like we're getting a lot of SiGs, Glocks, and H&Ks.  I was hoping for a bit more variety.  I don't want to just dictate what people choose, but there are a lot of suggestions I could make.

Neysha

We should probably think about creating an OOC/Character thread so that this thread doesn't become intimidating to new members. :)

And yeah, the only pistols I personally have much familiarity with are Sig and Glock models... and I like the former more so... yeah. I see my character using shotguns and more traditional hunting/battle rifles as opposed to SMG's and assault rifles respectively however. Shotgun wise, she'd probably use an Ithaca 37 since that was still common in the American Midwest and South in rural areas at the time and due to the connections of Roanapur with the Vietnam War when it comes to weapons, a lot of Ithaca 37 shotguns rebuilt or built for use in the Vietnam War are probably available in Roanapur. As for a battle rifle, I'm figuring she'd want to use a M1 Carbine or derivative thereof since she wants something lightweight and easy to handle and she still isn't terribly familiar with assault rifles like the M16/AR15 family. I'm thinking for her backstory maybe she has a pricey big game Holland and Holland Custom Made Double Rifle or something else equally fancy that she stole from some African bigwig before she fled the continent but its something she keeps in the case as opposed to hauling around. ;)

EDIT:
I read the other bios (I avoided reading them before writing my own bio) and noticed Alex has some similarities in background in relation to my character, not just in general origins and beginnings, but in regards to there departures and traveling (namely Southern Africa) before arriving in Roanapur for business opportunities. Granted, our characters are still delightfully and dramatically different, but it's something that stood out to me.
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Daril

I think they're probably different enough.  Were there other concepts you were considering?

As for the OOC/Character thread, I will set up threads for that in a little bit.  I want to get a few preliminary things sorted out here first though.  I'm not too worried about this thread intimidating new players because I think we're pretty maxed out at this point.  Six players is actually quite a few for a RPG that's supposed to be relatively fast moving.

Neysha

Quote from: Daril on July 30, 2015, 04:34:43 PM
I think they're probably different enough.  Were there other concepts you were considering?

Oh no, I didn't mean it like that. I don't think their characters are similar at all really, just have common points of reference in their backgrounds. ;)

I'm fine with my character concept if everyone else is.
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Sessha

Locked, cocked and ready to rock!


Neysha

Yay our characters can totally be besties! :)

Both grew up in rural America and enjoyed hunting and outdoors activity while growing up.

Course while one character was honorably serving her country in the JROTC and Marines, the other was cooking meth, boosting cars and burglarizing businesses... cough. But our first kills did come as a result of sex crimes... though I doubt that would be a conversation piece between potential friends.  :p

But both our characters were in West and South Africa too,  so common point of interest there!  Though again,  honorable mercenary fighting savages like the RUF and its ilk versus American on the run posing somewhat nobly as an aid worker,  quite divergent lifestyles clearly.

So possibly friends, but also plenty of potential for antipathy as well! It'll be glorious!  :)
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Daril

I may also bring my merc character Sara into things.  Though probably not as a proper, permanent member of the crew.  But someone who gets involved sometimes (and perhaps brings some trouble of her own).

Right now my priority for this RPG is getting feedback on the ideas I'd mentioned earlier (see the quoted text below).  I'm particularly wanting to hear from Sessha and Vex, but the rest of you are welcome to chime in as well.

Quote from: Daril on July 30, 2015, 12:14:52 PMAssuming he's okay with it, I really like the idea of Sessha's character being on her first job with the crew.  Part of the reason for this is because it sounds like she isn't exactly "cool as a cucumber" and I can see my character having reservations about her because of that (that could go double if she's a replacement for someone he considered highly reliable).  Might make for some interesting tension.

Ami I'd figured would be part of the crew already because she has an important role as the boat's mechanic.  However, the part in her revised profile with her getting kidnapped has been giving me some ideas.  It would require some changes to her history, but why not adapt that part into the initial story arc for the RPG?  Our crew frees her when they raid the ship she's being transported on to get something else, and bring her back to Roanapur not knowing what they're getting into (or possibly thinking they might get an unexpected bonus for freeing her).  They then have to deal with daddy's heavily armed mercenary rescue squad coming after them (possibly just because the mercs don't want someone else getting paid for their job).  Yeah, okay, it's a bit similar to the first canon story arc, but I think it might be an interesting way to start things off.

Sessha

 Personally speaking I would prefer to leave people's backstories out of the first mission. I'm a big fan of the keep it simple stupid style of thinking. Also as has been stated lets keep away from too many similarities between this game and the series. I think a simple currier job gone bad would be a good opening for us.
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Writersblockade

Agreed. We don't have to go full throttle at once. Let's get a job in to be comfortable in our new skins, first
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Vex

Quote from: Sessha on July 30, 2015, 09:09:30 AM
To be honest almost EVERYONE Roanapur carries some type of firearm, though usually it's a semi-automatic pistol of some form or another. Benny, Rock, Shenhua and Sawyer the Chopper are about the only exceptions to that rule. Anyway while Glock is nice I've always been more of a fan of SIG Saur myself. That being said if you want my opinion on it why not go with a SIG P225. It's a compact weapon that only has an eight round magazine in it but it's a good gun. If this were a more modern times(like2015) I would be ditching the Glock 20 in favor of the SIG P220 chambered in 10mm Auto. It's the latest entry in the handgun market for SIG.  ;D ;D ;D

Oh, definitely! Even Rock admits at one point he thought it was stupid for him not to carry a gun himself, albeit in a moment of desperation. So, I was figuring Ami would learn the lesson early on. It was always in her sheet to carry one. I just never bothered to name a model until now. But, seeing as everyone has been pretty enthusiastic about specifics, I thought it appropriate for me to at least name Ami's personal weapon. I''ll definately take a look at the SIG list, seeing as both you and Writersblockade suggest it, but it seems Daril is of the opinon that we should have a little more diversity, so I'll see what I can find outside Glocks and SIG.

Quote from: Neysha on July 30, 2015, 10:59:02 AM
Rough Draft... how does this look? Basically I made her a kind of jack of all trades to fill in the needed gaps. Primarily she's the medic, but she has a lot of experience operating watercraft recently (though nothing like this patrol boat), some maintenance and mechanical knowledge, some firearms or combat knowledge, some survival knowledge and a fair bit of specialty when it comes to being a thief and grifter.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
Name:Leah Layleigh (real name Ashley Blais)
Age: Twenty Something???
Nationality: American (She considers herself a global citizen)
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
Personality: Extremely nice, bubbly, easygoing. Handles stressful situations well and extremely adaptive to changing circumstances, lies constantly for nebulous and circumstantial reasons, mildly flirtatious with people and militaria objects. Betrays strangers on a whim, exceptionally loyal to friends. Possibly sometimes interpreted as amoral in ethics and nonsexual in orientation but still often surprises in both regards. Does not have multiple personality disorder but often acts in a manner that leads to that perception to the extent it doesn't really make a difference.
Appearance:
Leah is five foot four, and fairly muscular. Her natural hair color is brown but she dyed it blonde when arriving in Southeast Asia because it looked more exotic. She has dark brown doe eyes.
Weapon(s) of choice: She is most familiar with various forms of shotguns and rifles, Dual Sig-Sauer P229 Pistols (she no longer fires them akimbo after bad experiences), occasionally a pet raccoon, tarantula or mongoose
Fighting style/tactics:
-Leah's main skill base is a haphazard knowledge of medicine and medical skills. She has a background in veterinary medicine, pharmaceuticals, as well as hands on experience whilst acting like a medical professional in the Amazon and Southern Africa. For all intents and purposes, she roughly has similar knowledge as a trained medic but in addition has a familiarity with an impressive amount of medicines and drugs, as well as experience with more random or exotic forms of illnesses, sicknesses and ailments.
-Leah is skilled with long rifles and familiar generally with bolt action rifles and semiautomatic rifles, especially derived from hunting rifles. She is also familiar with using shotguns and handguns extensively as well. She is familiarizing herself more with assault rifles and carbines.
-Most of her firearms experience is hunting and recreational as opposed to in combat situations. While she has been in combat situations a fair amount, she couldn't be considered a specialist in that regard. She has more training and experience when it comes to hunting, tracking, woodland survival and esoteric skills like using bows, trapping and other similar skills. While experienced, she is not a specialist when it comes to survival as much as merely proficient.
-Leah is not formally trained in any martial arts beyond taking random martial arts classes during her teenage years and brawling with her siblings when she was even younger. Her most formal training was learning how to throw a proper kick and knee strike whilst working in Thailand.
-Leah has plenty of experience handling and concocting explosives, chemicals, poisons and toxic compounds.
-Leah has spent a large amount of time recently in operating all manners of watercraft despite not being particularly familiar with them before departing the United States. Most of her time in the Amazon was spent helping operate and maintain small boats, motorized and otherwise. She had similar experiences in Africa and was an officer on a private luxury yacht while in Thailand for a number of months.
-Leah has a general familiarity with motors, machines, vehicles, locks, and other similar machinery due to her background.
-Leah is an experienced thief and burglar. She is proficient in picking locks, breaking and entering, evading basic surveillance and alarm systems and similar requisite skills.

Biography:Leah grew up in a ranch in Newton County, Arkansas with a large family whose primary business was farming marijuana and cooking delicious meth and other agribusiness pursuits. At an early age, Leah learned irresponsible survival and woodland skills including firearms use. Mostly however, she was involved in the family business of manufacturing methamphetamines but was canny enough not to get high on their own supply unlike some of her contemporaries in her extended family. It was apparent from her grades in elementary school that she was a bit brighter then your typical Newton County meth cooking white trash type and so there was an idea of having her pursue a career in the sciences, preferably chemistry or engineering, to help assist in upgrading the knowledge base and make more efficient the families operations. Sadly while she was in Junior High, the DEA enacted a sting operation that resulted in the arrests and capture of large numbers of her family after one of her immediate family members snitched on them. Due to her young age, she served six months in a juvenile detention facility and upon release, realized she couldn't return home and was dumped into foster care.

She was bounced around between numerous foster homes who typically took in kids and offered them the three hots and a cot type of benefit and little else. She immediately got distracted by such a listless and directionless life by trying to boost cars, pickpocket people and burglarizing businesses, especially pharmacies and clinics. For several years she was able to avoid law enforcement and managed to get her GED on time. But as she entered a community college to pursue a career as a pharmacy technician it was derailed due to her previous drug offense related history. With no real career options available that she was interested in, eventually got certification in becoming a Veterinary Health Practitioner and practiced veterinary medicine for several months, before yet another sting operation revealed that she wasn't a licensed veterinarian from Liberty University, but a licensed veterinarian from the nation of Liberia. Finding her options in America drying up, Leah used her access to health and personal records to form several new cover identities (including her current Leah Layleigh one) and decided to travel abroad. It was while crossing the border into Mexico that she ended up killing a human trafficker over a dispute on her future employment opportunities. (he wanted to abduct her for slavery purposes, which she was disinclined to go along with)

Leah spent some time in Colombia doing black market pharmaceutical work before being taken hostage by a left wing guerrilla unit. She escaped after having managed to poison them en masse. She then journeyed through the Amazon posing as a Nurse Practitioner with Doctors Without Borders. Before she could be found out, she then took a ship from Argentina to West Africa. Finding she had a natural talent for grifting, she managed to fund herself haphazardly as she toured through West Africa as an aid worker, Southern Africa as a hunting/tour guide, unprofessional medical professional, watercraft operator, and more grifting and thieving. This all ended as mere moments before almost being arrested by Mozambican authorities after defrauding several wealthy locals out of ninety thousand dollars worth of equipment (in the form of a custom made Holland & Holland Double Rifle), ended up taking a flight to Southeast Asia. Using her time navigating, maintaining and operating small watercraft in the Amazon Basin, as well as in West and Southern Africa, she was hired by a wealthy Thai businessman to be an officer on his yacht as well as eye candy since there were few White females with her skill set available in Thailand. She quickly grew bored of being a minion for a decadent lifestyle and left that employer amicably as she became aware of the possible business opportunities in Roanapur.

I think she looks good, for the most part. I like thiefy-types, ones who are street savvy and rogue-like, and it certainly doesn't hurt to have someone around who's good at getting along with others (even if for manipulative ends). I like most of her background, especially her younger years, but it does seem a bit all over the place once she ends up leaving America. It mean, she's basically spanned the globe in a few shorts years, an impressive feat to do while so young, with little resources, and while spending enough time in each continent to pick up a new skill.

I understand you wanted to make a "Jack-Of-All-Trades" sort, but I do wonder if you broadened her skills a little too much. She's a medic, a con artist, a pickpocket, a lockpick, an explosives expert, a chemist, a drug manufacturer, a poisoner, a hunter, a tracker, a wilderness guide, a watercraft pilot, a driver, a solid marksman, an archer, a trapper, a mechanic, an amateur martial artist, and a security expert. That's an extremely diverse set of skills. Although I understand you're making a difference of degrees, that she's not really an "expert" in any specific field, but that hits a lot of areas, and realistically, you don't need a specialist for most problems. A dabbler will often do. So, it's makes me honestly feel she's the most useful member of the team in virtually any situation, and outshines the rest of the crew in every area aside their specialized field. It really takes the wind out of the sails for some of our specialists.

Now, most being combat specialists in a gun-play heavy game, I imagine that most can manage to show their strengths in their respective areas often enough, but as a more support character, I honestly have no idea why Ami's on board while she's around. After all, Leah's an experienced helmsman, a capable mechanic, a solid shot with a rifle, good with making deals, street smart, a survivalist, amongst a number of other talents that she possess. So, if she can handle Ami's job most of the time, and she's more useful in many other situations as well, I don't see why they'd even bother with Ami, who isn't a good fighter, isn't a good with people, has limited watercraft piloting experience (less than Leah, anyway), and outside her specialization, really offers the team little else aside niche situations. I get that Ami is a more capable mechanic, and has more experience with electronics and vehicles, but honestly, how often is the boat really gonna receive a crippling, disabling malfunction in the middle of missions that they couldn't handle with a little downtime? There's limited space on that boat, after all, and I imagine Cash isn't interested in splitting the profits any more than he has to, so why have a dedicated mechanic if someone he already has on board can fill in the role fairly regularly, and she's capable of handling other needs on top of that?

This isn't meant to be hate-filled rant, and I hope it doesn't come off that way. It's not like I hold a grudge over it or anything. It's just a question of logistics and sensibility. I think she's fine, for the most part. I just think she needs to focus her skill set a little more, and perhaps a slightly more mindful of not stepping on the niches her teammates.

Quote from: Daril on July 30, 2015, 12:14:52 PM
Ami I'd figured would be part of the crew already because she has an important role as the boat's mechanic.  However, the part in her revised profile with her getting kidnapped has been giving me some ideas.  It would require some changes to her history, but why not adapt that part into the initial story arc for the RPG?  Our crew frees her when they raid the ship she's being transported on to get something else, and bring her back to Roanapur not knowing what they're getting into (or possibly thinking they might get an unexpected bonus for freeing her).  They then have to deal with daddy's heavily armed mercenary rescue squad coming after them (possibly just because the mercs don't want someone else getting paid for their job).  Yeah, okay, it's a bit similar to the first canon story arc, but I think it might be an interesting way to start things off.

It's not a bad idea, and I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to it, if we could make sense out of it. Although, like you and others have said, it's rather close to the first arc of the original story. I think that situation might need some reworking, however. Namely, she needs a reason to turn her back on "Daddy", after he spent a small fortune trying to get her back. Remember, in the first arc, Rock initially wanted to get back to his boss, and only turns on the company after they basically accounted his life as an acceptable loss, in favor of reattaining the documents. In short, they betrayed him, setting him up to die, and was even poised to use his presumed death to further their ambitions. Unless Hyun-Ki Seong, Ami's father, somehow betrayed her and set her up to die, or did some equally horrible act, it wouldn't make sense for her to turn her back on him, and it wouldn't make sense for him to want to kill her, after he's spent so much to recover her, let alone raise her.

I did sorta toy with the idea that Hyun-Ki was a crime boss of a sort, and he certainly is a scrupulous, shady individual, but I stuck more with an "amoral corporate billionaire who influences the legal system to his favor" type than an outright crime-lord. Still willing to change it, if we need to, but even so, just because he would be a criminal doesn't mean he'd be after his daughter. Maybe she's running away from him after learning something disturbing he was involved with? At any rate, maybe we can shift some of her history to provide more of an angle to work with. As written, we might need to work with a different angle. Not against using Ami as a bit of weak position, as a hostage or what have you, but we just need to have it make sense. I rather like that most criminals and outlaws in Roanapur are sensible people, if just with rather loose values and often objectionable priorities.

Quote from: Daril on July 30, 2015, 12:14:52 PM
Weaponry wise, it seems like we're getting a lot of SiGs, Glocks, and H&Ks.  I was hoping for a bit more variety.  I don't want to just dictate what people choose, but there are a lot of suggestions I could make.

Well, I did ask for suggestion, and that was open to you as well. So, do you have a suggestion for a compact or semi-compact handgun that would be ideal for civilian use?  :-)

Sessha

 Well Vex if you want some suggestions on where to look there are plenty of other companies out there that make decent pistols. There's Colt, Beretta, Browning and Smith and Wesson just to name a few for you to look at. They all make a 9mm compact pistol you can look at.

Though among the people here I have the most diverse set of guns. Mine range from companies like Barret, SAKO, Magnum Research, Glock and SIG.
Locked, cocked and ready to rock!


Neysha

Ami doesn't need a pistol right away.  Hell if she's new we could make it a plot point that her getting of a pistol can be a minor plot point or character development thing (ie getting a gun means she somewhat accepts her new life on Roanapur, and other characters can talk with her about getting her first gun and have sane or ludicrous conversations with her and others about it.

Maybe our first mission is to intercept an arms shipment of modernized US weapons the US government or one of its allies are shipping to an aligned group for reasons. It doesn't even have to be covert. They use some intermediary to deliver the weapons and our group is hired to intercept. The details don't really matter to us regarding the why of the shipment,  only the other W questions.

The fun part comes in that we were expecting a shipment of say... late model M 16 rifles and hand grenades and body armor blah blah and that's what we're paid to deliver to our employer. But we also find in addition, either some M240's or a Mark 19 grenade launcher. ;)

And our crew can have a vociferous discussion on what to do in regards to using those weapons.  Do we hand them over to our employer as a bonus find?  Do we leave it or ditch it? Do we sell it ourselves or keep them?  Blah blah blah... ;)
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Daril

While I can understand wanting to keep things simple initially, some of these ideas will only work if they're done right at the beginning of the RPG.

I think it's good to have one or two new crew members because we won't have to act like all our characters are already used to working together.  I particularly like the idea of Alex being a new hire because there are some things that I think might make my character nervous around her.  I will admit that's somewhat selfish on my part though -if Sessha really dislikes the idea of his character being a newcomer then we probably shouldn't go with it.

Yeah, there are some issues to work out with the idea for Ami.  What if she already wanted to get away from her dad, just... not by being kidnapped? The trick of course would be how to resolve the situation in a way that will allow her to join the crew.  Presumably Cash wouldn't allow her to join if that would endanger his chance of getting the reward for rescuing her.  But if she refuses to go home after the crew has already been paid, that might work.  BTW, it's really cliche, but what if she wants to get out of an arranged marriage with some guy she despises (or finds shady)?

It is a bit complicated, but I think it can work, and I think it's about the best of the story ideas we've got so far.

@Neysha -Okay, this is really bad of me since I already more or less passed your character, but I find myself inclined to agree with Vex's criticisms when I see them idenfitied so clearly.  It might be good to simplify your character's history.  My recommendation would be to concentrate on her getting involved in smuggling after she flees the states.

@Vex -I agree that Ami doesn't necessarily need a pistol immediately.  I also think it would be worth considering a full size model.  They tend to be easier to shoot well than the really small pistols, and Roanapur is the kind of city were concealment isn't quite so important.  BTW, I would suggest a Steyr GB for Ami.  Very high ammunition capacity, easy to load magazines, no manual safety, and its mechanically unusual, which I think might appeal to her.

Sessha

 Personally speaking I really like Ami's backstory as is. It fits more with the way her character is designed, plus as everyone in Roanpur has a story hers is special and remember that while Benny has become used to living life in Roanpur he's still not as hardened to life in the city as Revy or Dutch.

Though I think her going with someone like Alex who likes bigger calibers would be interesting.

Also you guys are forgetting one thing about Alex. She's a pretty cool customer most times, though there are certain triggers for her. Like for her it's dealing with rapists. She does not endure them at all.
Locked, cocked and ready to rock!


Neysha

Quote from: Daril on July 31, 2015, 12:48:55 PM
  BTW, it's really cliche, but what if she wants to get out of an arranged marriage with some guy she despises (or finds shady)?

Wealthy East Asian child in an arranged marriage as a cliche? That's about as cliche as a Navy Seal who can swim well. :p

Quote@Neysha -Okay, this is really bad of me since I already more or less passed your character, but I find myself inclined to agree with Vex's criticisms when I see them idenfitied so clearly.   It might be good to simplify your character's history.  My recommendation would be to concentrate on her getting involved in smuggling after she flees the states.

IT IS BAD OF YOU AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD. I kid. I kid. While I don't agree with any of Vex's criticisms and in fact found them bemusing to the point I just flat out ignored them, I do respect you Daril and the exceptional efforts you and the others have put into developing this RP so I'll abide by your decision and do a simplification of my character profile to better suite your request and Vex's sensibilities. Initially I wanted to engage in a point by point rebuttal of everyone of Vex's (IMHO baseless and meritless) points but deleting chunks and rewriting other chunks of a small biography actually is much easier to do then argue the point and gleefully excoriate someone and ultimately it was a rough draft after all. ;)

Rewrote it and edited out most of the contentious bits.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
Name:Leah Layleigh (real name Ashley Blais)
Age: Twenty Something???
Nationality: American
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
Personality: Generally taciturn with strangers and wary in attitude. Despite speaking little and being generally unflappable, she doesn't have any personality or social behavior disorders. She's not even shy. She's just quiet with people she doesn't know. Handles stressful situations well and extremely adaptive to changing circumstances, lies constantly for nebulous and circumstantial reasons. Betrays strangers on a whim, exceptionally loyal to friends. Distrusts most forms of authority as her previous life paints her view of the world in very anti-authoritarian terms. Fairly nonplussed when it comes to ethics and social morals.
Appearance:
Leah is five foot four, and fairly muscular. Her natural hair color is brown but she dyed it blonde when arriving in Southeast Asia because it looked more exotic. She has dark brown doe eyes.
Weapon(s) of choice: Leah has a basic familiarity with various semiautomatic pistols and revolvers. Beyond knowing more of the best places to stab a person, she is not very good with other weapons.
Fighting style/tactics:
-Leah's main skill base is a haphazard knowledge of medicine and medical skills.
-Leah has a basic familiarity with operating watercraft.
-Leah has a basic familiarity with small scale smuggling operations.
-Leah has a basic familiarity with the culinary arts. ;)

Biography:Leah grew up in a working poor community in Detroit, Michigan. Her father worked as a longshoreman before being injured on the job and being on disability. He later was self employed as a fishmonger. Her Mother was a delivery driver for a small transportation company. It was apparent from her grades in elementary school that she was a bit brighter then the average baseline and so there was an idea of having her being the first person in her family to go to college. Her mother and father were avid in pursuing fishing as a hobby and using the little money they had for recreation, often went on canoe or kayak based fishing trips. Unfortunately her future was derailed when her parents were caught in a sting operation by US Fish and Wildlife Service for illegally smuggling game into the country and was charged under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species after misidentifying several fish they caught in Canadian waters illegally that were endangered. The fines and legal fees quickly forced the family to sell most of their property and ultimately the prosecution was successful in pursuing a six year and ten year prison sentence for her mother and father when a five year sentence for conspiracy was tacked onto the initial charge.

With no extended family willing to take care of her financially, she was dumped into state foster care. She was bounced around between numerous foster homes who typically took in kids and offered them the three hots and a cot type of benefit and little else. She immediately got distracted by such a listless and directionless life by reading books on medicine and flirting with the idea of becoming a Doctor. However she spent most of her free time making clumsy attempts at petty crime, typically vandalism, buying and selling small quantities of drugs and theft which landed her in trouble with the law and juvenile detention throughout her life. Despite her hard upbringing, she eventually got her GED and pursued an education in community college to become a pharmacy technician. Her certification however was derailed due to her previous drug offense related history. With no real career options available that she was interested in, eventually got certification in becoming a Veterinary Health Practitioner and practiced veterinary medicine for several months, before yet another sting operation revealed that she wasn't a licensed veterinarian from Liberty University, but a licensed veterinarian from the nation of Liberia, having received the certification legitimately, but defrauding American law at the same time. Finding her options in America drying up, Leah used her access to health and personal records to form a new cover identity (Leah Layleigh) and decided to travel abroad. Her first stop was Roanapur.

Since arriving in Roanapur, she's worked as a butcher, a fishmonger, a fisherwoman, an unlicensed pharmacist, and as an unlicensed medical assistant for various clinics, hospitals and aid organization. Typically she uses her employment opportunities to skim off of inventory to resell particularly valuable items often overlooked, like miscounted pharmaceutical drugs, ignored medical equipment, and smuggling certain  parts of animals and plants to supply a knockoff 'traditional medicine' industry that thrives in the East Asian black markets. Her most favorite ongoing job was as a 'Marketing Sales Executive for a nearby large Asian owned pharmaceutical company where she sat in an office most of the day, shook hands with visitors, acted like the girlfriend of various executives and then occasionally studied intensely hard for brief moments in order to perform promotional marketing presentations for various people and groups. Due to a downturn economy in East Asia and office work drying up, she invested herself into the only other thing she was somewhat good at, which was smuggling.
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Daril

Looking at the original profile again, it wasn't really all that bad.  While I appreciate your effort, you probably didn't need to revise her early history quite so much.  Simplifying her skillset and the later parts of her history a little would probably have been enough.  Did you prefer the original version?  Or would you prefer to stick with the new version now that you've done it up?

While I was genuinely a bit concerned about her having too many different skills, if I'm going to be completely honest I think part of it was also that I was hoping to make her a more obvious fit for the crew by emphasizing the smuggling part of her background more.

Neysha

Quote from: Daril on July 31, 2015, 06:01:58 PM
Looking at the original profile again, it wasn't really all that bad.  While I appreciate your effort, you probably didn't need to revise her early history quite so much.  Simplifying her skillset and the later parts of her history a little would probably have been enough.  Did you prefer the original version?  Or would you prefer to stick with the new version now that you've done it up?

While I was genuinely a bit concerned about her having too many different skills, if I'm going to be completely honest I think part of it was also that I was hoping to make her a more obvious fit for the crew by emphasizing the smuggling part of her background more.

Well I revised the early history because she had accumulated a game breaking amount of dabbler level skills due to being a small time criminal, meth cooker and failed pharmacy student. And coming from a rural background. So in order to simplify her skill set, her background had to be decidedly less criminal and more urban because no matter how I tried to reconcile it, I just couldn't find a reasonable way of creating someone who didn't know anything dabblish about chemistry or thieving or poisons or hunting or firearms or other basic woodland skills if she did come from a rural background. So I moved her to the city.

Then I couldn't reconcile a character who didn't have diverse skills like... grifting, pickpocketing and burglarizing and lockpicking since most of that actually goes hand in hand with criminal behavior beyond small time/streel level stuff so I removed most of the small time criminal history in the teenage/young adult years as well so that for most of her life she was kinda typical in how she was raised, except she was familiar with boating but not so much as to threaten Ami's skillset so I made it mostly smaller (and non-motorized) boats. I kept the pharmacy tech thing because considering the other entry level parallel health field tracks, its the one I'm most familiar with personally and also least medical. (after all if she had significant medical skills, she could probably just be a medical worker in Roanapur... or anywhere) And the Veterinary thing is just amusing to me because it's so non-traditional when it comes to medical expertise.

So we have a character that knows medicine but not enough to ditch the smuggling company for a better check. She knows the extreme basics of watercraft but not enough to threaten Amy and due to her background, she has a basic familiarity with transportation as opposed to out and out smuggling because of her family history, which is what was requested in the first place. Basic medical expertise and some familiarity with watercraft. Everything else is kind of dressing to facilitate that.
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Daril

Okay, if you were allowed to create a character from scratch with no requirements or restrictions, what sort of character would you create?

Secondly, between the two versions of your current character, which one do you actually prefer?

BTW, I think Ami's area of expertise is more maintaining machinery and electronics more than actually using a boat.

Vex

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 07:55:16 AM
Ami doesn't need a pistol right away.  Hell if she's new we could make it a plot point that her getting of a pistol can be a minor plot point or character development thing (ie getting a gun means she somewhat accepts her new life on Roanapur, and other characters can talk with her about getting her first gun and have sane or ludicrous conversations with her and others about it.

I certainly don't mind this being the case, if it fits the story. If Ami ends up becoming a newcomer to Roanapur and as a new crew member of the Lucky Strike (or whatever we end up calling it), then that sounds like a reasonable thing to do. I'm not sure how much of a plot point it would make, but we can definately use it as a point of character development and interaction between the cast.

Quote from: Daril on July 31, 2015, 12:48:55 PM
Yeah, there are some issues to work out with the idea for Ami.  What if she already wanted to get away from her dad, just... not by being kidnapped? The trick of course would be how to resolve the situation in a way that will allow her to join the crew.  Presumably Cash wouldn't allow her to join if that would endanger his chance of getting the reward for rescuing her.  But if she refuses to go home after the crew has already been paid, that might work.  BTW, it's really cliche, but what if she wants to get out of an arranged marriage with some guy she despises (or finds shady)?

It is a bit complicated, but I think it can work, and I think it's about the best of the story ideas we've got so far.

Heh. Well, an arranged marriage is rather cliche, but that's not always a bad thing, especially if we can throw a bit of an adult twist into it, in that way Black Lagoon does so well. Maybe said arrangement was part of a rather large transaction between a couple of influential and dangerous factions, and someone had a motive to make sure that the deal didn't go through, or to get said factions to turn on one another, with her would-be husband's side feeling that, by not producing the bride, they were acting in bad faith. And Ami did want to get away from her father. Maybe she even wanted to run away, and did at first, but things got a little complicated after that.

How to resolve the situation is the tricky part. I don't see a lot of options here that would enable Cash to keep the money, keep his reputation as a reliable business partner (important for his job), and let him leave with Ami. Do one or two of those things, sure, but not all three. I'm not sure how to do that with this scenario.

Quote from: Daril on July 31, 2015, 12:48:55 PM
@Vex -I agree that Ami doesn't necessarily need a pistol immediately.  I also think it would be worth considering a full size model.  They tend to be easier to shoot well than the really small pistols, and Roanapur is the kind of city were concealment isn't quite so important.  BTW, I would suggest a Steyr GB for Ami.  Very high ammunition capacity, easy to load magazines, no manual safety, and its mechanically unusual, which I think might appeal to her.

I'm fine with that. Especially if we end up introducing her to the crew during the story, it only makes sense she doesn't have a hangun. And I'll even go back and edit the entry to clarify she doesn't have any weapons training. Learning how to use a gun could be a part of her character development as well. But, if we're going that route, then we don't need to assign her a weapon just yet. We'll let the characters decide what gun she ends up using, however that plays out.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 04:34:20 PM
IT IS BAD OF YOU AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD. I kid. I kid. While I don't agree with any of Vex's criticisms and in fact found them bemusing to the point I just flat out ignored them, I do respect you Daril and the exceptional efforts you and the others have put into developing this RP so I'll abide by your decision and do a simplification of my character profile to better suite your request and Vex's sensibilities. Initially I wanted to engage in a point by point rebuttal of everyone of Vex's (IMHO baseless and meritless) points but deleting chunks and rewriting other chunks of a small biography actually is much easier to do then argue the point and gleefully excoriate someone and ultimately it was a rough draft after all. ;)

Rewrote it and edited out most of the contentious bits.

Hmm...if you honestly thought that was the most contentious bits, then maybe I didn't do such a good job at explaining my point. My apologies for that.

If you feel like you want to engage in a point-by-point rebuttal, by all means. I like to think I can take criticism and have enough of a reasonable nature to admit I was wrong if it becomes clear that I was. If you like your original concept, it would probably be more straight-forward than to write around my criticisms or deleting chunks. Cause, honestly, I don't think the original character was bad. I said I liked it, and if I didn't get that across very well, I'm sorry. I rather liked much of her background before she left the States, and her "small-town crook" appeal.

Of course, you don't have to, if you like this new version better. Her story is more realistic, but it feels like the type I'd hear about for a criminal in a real-world game, rather than something Black Lagoon tends to appeal to. As such, I don't really feel it's a great fit. Her sudden arrival to Roanapur, a very much out of the way town most people don't know about, seems like a bit of an odd jump, but I'm not objecting to it. Just feels a little strange.

Quote from: Daril on July 31, 2015, 06:01:58 PM
Looking at the original profile again, it wasn't really all that bad.  While I appreciate your effort, you probably didn't need to revise her early history quite so much.  Simplifying her skillset and the later parts of her history a little would probably have been enough.

I agree with Daril here, Neyesha. Her history was largely good, and I didn't have much of a problem with her range of skills. My comments weren't even that much of a criticism, more commentary. Yeah, I think she went to a lot of weird places and crisscrossed the globe several times in an unusually short period, but I really wouldn't much care about that, even if you stuck with it. Likewise, her skills were just a bit all over the place, and I felt it should be a little more focused. Maybe I worded it wrong, and if was, I apologize, but it wasn't really meant to be a particularly harsh criticism, certainly nothing to re-write your entire character for.

Ultimately, my concern can be boiled down to one dilemma. If Leah (the first version) was a part of the crew, why would Ami be? If you honestly don't feel like she can replace her role in the crew, by all means, feel free to tell me why. If your point seems more reasonable than my own, I'll drop my concern about it and we can run with it. I'm not looking to cause a problem. I just don't feel my point is as baseless as you state.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 06:27:04 PM
Well I revised the early history because she had accumulated a game breaking amount of dabbler level skills due to being a small time criminal, meth cooker and failed pharmacy student. And coming from a rural background. So in order to simplify her skill set, her background had to be decidedly less criminal and more urban because no matter how I tried to reconcile it, I just couldn't find a reasonable way of creating someone who didn't know anything dabblish about chemistry or thieving or poisons or hunting or firearms or other basic woodland skills if she did come from a rural background. So I moved her to the city.

Then I couldn't reconcile a character who didn't have diverse skills like... grifting, pickpocketing and burglarizing and lockpicking since most of that actually goes hand in hand with criminal behavior beyond small time/streel level stuff so I removed most of the small time criminal history in the teenage/young adult years as well so that for most of her life she was kinda typical in how she was raised, except she was familiar with boating but not so much as to threaten Ami's skillset so I made it mostly smaller (and non-motorized) boats. I kept the pharmacy tech thing because considering the other entry level parallel health field tracks, its the one I'm most familiar with personally and also least medical. (after all if she had significant medical skills, she could probably just be a medical worker in Roanapur... or anywhere) And the Veterinary thing is just amusing to me because it's so non-traditional when it comes to medical expertise.

So we have a character that knows medicine but not enough to ditch the smuggling company for a better check. She knows the extreme basics of watercraft but not enough to threaten Amy and due to her background, she has a basic familiarity with transportation as opposed to out and out smuggling because of her family history, which is what was requested in the first place. Basic medical expertise and some familiarity with watercraft. Everything else is kind of dressing to facilitate that.

You honestly thought that doing all that was simpler than explaining your point and sticking with something a little closer to the original? I mean, you're basically admitting that you wrote most of that so that you could get around my sensibilities. I'm not sure how you translated "focusing her skills a little more" to "eliminate her entire history and get rid of most her skills". Don't you think this is a rather large overreaction? Or was that that point?

If it's the latter, then it's a rather roundabout way of doing it, and for all the extra effort, really doesn't make much of an argument besides your willingness to take it to absurdity. Again, it'd be a lot more simple if you would just make a straight-forward point about it. I think you'll find our cast is much more reasonable, including me, to just take your objections for earnest.

Daril

I may be overreacting a little here, but I'd like to ask everyone to be very careful with their choice of words to ensure that this situation does not result in animosity that could be damaging to the RP.  Avoid criticizing the other party's actions as much as possible and lets just concentrate on addressing the issues.

Quote from: Vex on July 31, 2015, 07:12:52 PM
Heh. Well, an arranged marriage is rather cliche, but that's not always a bad thing, especially if we can throw a bit of an adult twist into it, in that way Black Lagoon does so well. Maybe said arrangement was part of a rather large transaction between a couple of influential and dangerous factions, and someone had a motive to make sure that the deal didn't go through, or to get said factions to turn on one another, with her would-be husband's side feeling that, by not producing the bride, they were acting in bad faith. And Ami did want to get away from her father. Maybe she even wanted to run away, and did at first, but things got a little complicated after that.

How to resolve the situation is the tricky part. I don't see a lot of options here that would enable Cash to keep the money, keep his reputation as a reliable business partner (important for his job), and let him leave with Ami. Do one or two of those things, sure, but not all three. I'm not sure how to do that with this scenario.

I think for this to work Ami is going to need to stand up to her dad and say she's not going home with him.  I will admit it might be a bit questionable for Cash to employ her after accepting the reward for rescuing her.  So maybe she makes the break before Cash receives payment, daddy refuses to pay as a result (which the crew grudgingly accepts because they don't want to mess with a guy who hired heavily armed mercs) and Ami gets forced to help fix up the boat because of that?  (Been thinking the Lucky Strike could be in need of a bit of an overhaul at the beginning of the RPG -perhaps not all of her four engines are working, her electronics are glitchy, etc.)

Neysha

Quote from: Daril on July 31, 2015, 06:43:46 PM
Okay, if you were allowed to create a character from scratch with no requirements or restrictions, what sort of character would you create?

I always had in mind of creating a career criminal as in someone who made their living via criminal activity that doesn't require shooting dudes and dudettes every other day. The thing with a lot of the Black Lagoon characters.... they are all involved in organized crime and criminal activity, but for the major characters, I wouldn't ever say any of them are 'criminals' first and foremost outside of people who are really good at shooting/killing other people. Dutch is ex-military. Balaikala is ex-military. Benny is a computer engineer. Chang is a former cop. And you have other guys...former guerrillas, hitmen, CIA agents, terrorists... but not just straight... criminals except minor characters who are often portrayed as kinda.... incompetent by comparison. (ie the Italian and Colombian gangs) Even with folks like Revy, obviously not ex-military but they're defined more as gunfighters as opposed to just a standard criminal or mobster or what have you.

When it was suggested by Sessha to have a medic, I though oh that'd be perfect. I was a pharmacy tech for a while. I can totally work this in. I'll make a badass pharmacy tech who functions as a medic. That was what was in my mind. So she cooked meth when she grew up. But most meth is grown up in superlabs, and you can find this stuff all over the dirt poor areas of the Midwest and South and Appalachia, often in rural depressed areas. And if you grow up in a rural area, you obviously have some woodland skills. You can hunt. You can shoot. You can go camping. And guess what, you can cook meth so you know stuff about chemistry and concoctions and what goes boom and what makes you sick. It's total Anarchist Cookbook stuff. So I worked off of that. And I still wanted her to be a criminal. So after the drug dealing days were over, she had to survive somehow. So she was a small time criminal. She stole. She robbed. She pickpocketed. And she lies, because that's what she does.

Okay now I got this hillbilly criminal but I totally forgot, she needs to be familiar with boats. Either she moves from Arkansas to more cliche Louisiana, or I have her gain those skills after she leaves the country. I was specifically inspired by several works. One was by the author Sam Sheridan, who spent much of his twenties doing odd jobs on merchant vessels, up to and including a luxury yacht and various sailboats etc in journies from Bahamas to Thailand. He learned Thai kickboxing, Western boxing, meditated with Buddhist monks, worked construction in Antarctica, became proficient at oil painting and was a forest fire fighter all before his early thirties. And he didn't start that journey until after Harvard.

Another inspiration was the story of a twelve thousand mile canoe trip taken back in 1980. A father and two sons literally paddled from Canada to the Amazon, over twelve thousand miles in two years. They encountered alligators, sharks, hurricanes, guerrillas, drug lords, primitive tribes and malaria. Some of the time, rather amorally, they got by through by grifting and BS'ing their way through trouble or in order to extract sympathy and charity from locals or to avoid trouble. What was unspoken is how these natives must've viewed these crazy White people and how a career criminal could take advantage of that. I remember Che Guevara's early years, working as a Doctor in the Amazon fresh out of medical school and was thinking, man... what if he became an asshole even earlier in life? :p

After that, it was just a linear trip to get to Roanapur. I figured having her travel down the Amazon would be the best route and then she can get across the Atlantic and do the same thing over in Africa. After reading Nick du Toit's book My Friend the Mercenary and other books about the conflicts both in West Africa, the Great Lakes Region and Southern Africa, and even the recent story of the dentist who was trophy hunting a lion in Zimbabwe (and earlier had done so with a damn rhino) got me thinking with all of the NGO's and aid groups and ineffectual governments and organizations there, it's a ripe place for a person like her to thrive by putting up the semi false front that she was a medical professional which explores the dichotomy of... helping people, because while she acts unethically, it doesn't mean she isn't sympathetic or empathic, but also contrasts that with the fact that deep down, she's still a fucking career criminal. Even if she's helping people legitimately, she can't help but steal Cipro from the Medicines Sans Frontieres medical cabinet because she can make a lot of money selling it. And underneath all of that, deep down, she's an adventure junkie. It's just not fun staying rooted in one place helping people. In fact, it can be downright depressing. Why stick around for that when you can just move on.

And eventually she moves onto Roanapur.

*coughs*

And that's about that.

QuoteSecondly, between the two versions of your current character, which one do you actually prefer?

First one. Second character just smells pretty boring, but it'd be a fun challenge to play either to be honest.

Quote from: Vex on July 31, 2015, 07:12:52 PMHow to resolve the situation is the tricky part. I don't see a lot of options here that would enable Cash to keep the money, keep his reputation as a reliable business partner (important for his job), and let him leave with Ami. Do one or two of those things, sure, but not all three. I'm not sure how to do that with this scenario.

That sounds amazing to me because everything you just said would make for amazing story fodder and an engrossing first story. No need for a clean ending where everything ends up good for the smuggling company. Having to make choices in a range of good to bad options will be a great thing to explore and help develop the characters and move the plot along even more if we all as writers are willing to dive into this potential storyline. :D

QuoteMaybe I worded it wrong, and if was, I apologize, but it wasn't really meant to be a particularly harsh criticism, certainly nothing to re-write your entire character for.

Your intentions are largely irrelevant to me. A rewrite for the character became somewhat necessitated as a result of said commentary. *shrug* Again, I don't mind writing. I enjoy writing with a purpose in mind.

QuoteUltimately, my concern can be boiled down to one dilemma. If Leah (the first version) was a part of the crew, why would Ami be? If you honestly don't feel like she can replace her role in the crew, by all means, feel free to tell me why. If your point has merit, I'll drop my concern about it and we can run with it. I'm not looking to cause a problem. I just don't feel my point is as baseless as you state.

Like I said when I posted my character originally, I checked the requirements and didn't really read the other bios. They needed a medic and a watercraft operator. Your concerns are baseless because watercraft operator isn't synonymous with mechanic and electrician and whatever engineering field she specializes in. Just because I can change the oil in my car doesn't mean I don't need a mechanic. And in the original anime from the first dozen or so episodes I read (never read the manga) Rock IMHO is almost useless and if it wasn't for plot fiat, would be even less useful. I mean Rock has some business and negotiating skills but in a four person operation, it's rather... exceptional that he's there, which is a major point of the series of course. Benny suffers from this to a degree as well but he has a diverse set of skills, much in line with your Ami character. But Ami has the benefit of having a far more interesting backstory and her background and skillset seems more focused on waterborne craft then Benny's computer engineering background. So I honestly find Ami's role being threatened as completely unfathomable to be honest.

QuoteYou honestly thought that doing all that was simpler than explaining your point and sticking with something a little closer to the original? I mean, you're basically admitting that you wrote most of that so that you could get around my sensibilities. I'm not sure how you translated "focusing her skills a little more" to "eliminate her entire history and get rid of most her skills". Don't you think this is a rather large overreaction? Or was that that point?

If it's the latter, then it's a rather roundabout way of doing it, and for all the extra effort, really doesn't make much of an argument besides your willingness to take it to absurdity. Again, it'd be a lot more simple if you would just make a straight-forward point about it. I think you'll find our cast is much more reasonable, including me, to just take your objections for earnest.

When I rebuke arguments, I pretty much address every line with a couple paragraphs because I like to crush what I feel is baseless criticism with overwhelming force. For example, taking one line from your original commentary.

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I'm going to do some character comparisons. The first one is Walter Palmer fifty five year old Dentist from Minnesota that was recently outed for trophy hunting a beloved lion. The second one is going to be Sam Sheridan, a writer and his life experience up to the age of thirty, and Chris Kyle, a much lauded Navy SEAL sniper who was recently murdered and whose widow was screwed over Jesse Ventura in a court libel case recently. And we'll compare these characters to my master dabbler, Leah Layleigh.

Quote from: VexShe's a medic, an explosives expert, a chemist, a drug manufacturer, a poisoner

First off, a medic was required. But she's not an actually formally trained medic. She's actually had pharmaceutical training, and veterinary training and has largely actually been self taught or learned informally. I figure that gave her experience roughly equivalent to a medic (ie the four months a typical medic gets of dedicated medical training or EMT Basic training which is three weeks).

Saying she is a chemist drug manufacturer and poisoner is almost a contentless statement. She can cook meth using chemicals. She can create poisons... because she has a background in pharmaceuticals. A large amount of female murders were actually known for being very good poisoners. Creating poisons isn't a hard thing to do if you know how to cook meth and have pharmaceutical experience. Furthermore I never stated she was a formal chemist. It was mentioned that there was hope she could be when she was young that she could eventually go to college and be a chemist or chemical engineer or whatever because she was a smar tween, but it never happened.

Furthermore, she was never stated to be an explosives expert. She was familiar with explosives. In Michael Moore's documentary Bowling for Colombine he interviews High School Working Class kids who can make pipe bombs (like the Colombine shooters) and nail bombs and knockoff forms of napalm. You can see the videos of people making homemade napalm on Youtube. She grew up cooking meth. She knows how to make things blow up and not blow up since many of the chemicals used in meth and cooking other drugs, can also be applied to the creating of homemade explosives. Now lets look at our three examples and soon how they rate compared to Leah:

Walter Palmer is a dentist who went to medical school and been in practice and refresher courses for most of his adult life. He is a superior medic. He is probably subpar in concocting poisons and drugs but he has as much book knowledge to do so, if not the applied knowledge. He knows more about chemistry. He probably knows little about explosives.

Sam Sheridan is a trained firefighter, athlete and wilderness EMT and so likely has nearly the same amount of knowledge in medicine as Leah but knows more then her in regards to nutrition and therapy etc, It's doubtful he knows much about poisons, explosives or drug manufacturing however.

Chris Kyle was a Navy SEAL. He knows battlefield medicine and actually knows more about mental trauma and talked about it extensively post service. He used his medic training on several occasions. He also has training in NBC warfare and has been schooled on it formally. He might not know how to create more effective poisons then Leah, but probably knows more about chemical weapons and biological weapons and recognizing them etc. And if sufficiently motivated, he probably could conjure up something jury rigged like a simple chlorine bomb. He obviously knows more about explosives. His only weakness is I don't think he coks meth.

Interesting contrast so far.

Quote from: Vexa con artist, a pickpocket, a lockpick, a security expert.

Being a pickpocket, lockpicker and "security expert" which I'm assuming means burglar, almost goes hand in hand. The only exception to this is a con artist (or the term I use grifter). But being a grifter is still fairly common with most criminal activity beyond the street level stuff of mugging, buglarizing, pocket crimes etc. So I don't see it as exceptional. I'm not sure where her being an expert came in. Disabling alarm systems and evading them was described as basic knowledge. Lets compare this to our three individuals.

Walter Palmer is clearly inferior in all categories, except he can allegedly con or bribe local officials to allow him to hunt lions. ;) Or allegedly sexually harassing female receptionists.

Sam Sheridan seems like he'd be inferior to Leah but when it comes to grifting, because he's trained in drama and acting, he might actually be superior if sufficiently motivated. Furthermore, he references in his books that he learned how to pick locks and steal cars. So slightly inferior to Leah.

Chris Kyle probably can't pickpocket anyone, but Navy Seals are trained in lockpicking, breaking and entering, security systems and how to evade them. Furthermore Chris Kyle's specialization besides Seal training was in electronics. If anything, Chris Kyle might be a superior thief if he ever had the desire to be one in regards to things like burglary and breaking and entering. He's also decent at grifting. Navy Seals aren't as well trained as CIA Field Agents obviously, or even Green Berets, but tier one special operators are trained extensively to collect intelligence and gain confidence of locals etc, not so much spies or grifters as intelligence gatherers and interrogators and so forth.

Quote from: Vexa hunter, a tracker, a wilderness guide, an archer, a solid marksman, a trapper

Hunting, tracking, wilderness guiding, marksman(woman) and trapping almost all goes hand in hand that listing it individually is baseless. Alex is also a hunter and has military training and experience. Thus she therefore knows everything up here... except maybe archery which Leah is described as having a proficiency in. I don't know about you, but archery doesn't seem to be a very useful skill in this RP. I added it as window dressing for her rural background. How does she compare to the others though. And trapping is just making... traps... kind of shitty hunting. Depending on the nature of it, it might be considered unsportsmanlike.

Walter Palmer has hunted game across several continents and ranged from cougars, (the big cats, not older women), bears, elk, lions, rhinos and so much more etc etc. He probably has more experience hunting in North America and Africa then Leah. He is a superior hunter. He's probably also a superior archer as he's used both a crossbow and modern compound bow and killed large game with it. As marksman, they maybe equal, I have no idea. Trapping... again no idea. Wilderness guide... whatever that means... I guess Leah is superior due to her grifting skills.

Sam Sheridan. He's not a hunter or trapper or bowhunter or marksman AFAIK. However he has traveled the wilderness extensively and has been a forest fire fighter. His outdoorcraft is probably slightly below that of Leah.

Chris Kyle, due to his rural background, is easily a superior hunter, tracker, and due to being the most lethal sniper in history, obviously a superior marksman. He's probably a superior trapper as well. Beats Leah in all categories... often quite clearly.

So basically Leah barely edges out a dentist and a writer, and is schooled by the Navy Seal.

Quote from: Vexa watercraft pilot, a driver, a mechanic

These skills are so common, it is baseless. I think every character in this RP can drive a watercraft and drive a car and knows basic maintenance. She's lightly above the others in watercraft and mechanic crap... though I barely remember remarking on her being a mechanic. Lets compare her to the others.

Walter Palmer, if he's like the dentists I know, probably owns his own boat and takes it to one of the ten thousand lakes we have in our fine state every weekend he can. So he's a watercraft pilot, we'll assume. He obviously has a drivers license and can drive. No idea if he knows anything about machinery. If his hobby is boats or old cars, he might know a fair bit about mechanics. Either way, Leah is probably equal or slightly superior to him.

Sam Sheridan went to a Merchant Marine School, and spent many months sailing and boating . He too has a drivers license and maintains boats and thus has a great deal of mechanical knowledge. He's superior to Leah in every regard, clearly.

Chris Kyle is a Navy Seal. He knows watercraft and talks about operating them. He's also familiar with small engine repair and maintaining all manners of equipment including weapons, radios and other military equipment. He's also a pretty good driver. Clearly superior to Leah in every category.

Quote from: Vexan amateur martial artist,

I stated that Leah brawled with her siblings when she was young, took random martial arts classes (who hasn't) and not until recently, learned how to properly throw a knee and kick implying she didn't know how to do either before a few months ago. Whatever... let's compare....

Walter Palmer. I'm assuming he has no martial arts knowledge.

Sam Sheridan. Actual MMA fighter whose trained in multiple disciplines including Thai Kickboxing in Thailand, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Brazil, MMA in America and Boxing with former Olympians. He'll kick Leah's ass.

Chris Kyle... yeah... don't even need to say whose better here.

So after all that, we see in those categories... Leah is probably superior to the dentist, slightly inferior to the writer, and inferior to the Navy Seal sniper in the fields she's apparently proficient in.

How damning... but wait... there's more. While due to lack of knowledge I have no idea if Walter Palmer has anymore skills, we know Sam and Chris do. In addition to what was stated already we know Sam is proficient in the following: Business, Enviromental Sciences, Painting, Writing, Journalism, Firefighting, Carpentry, Construction work, athletics, sports medicine, arctic survival, philosophy, history, knife fighting, boxing, etc etc etc.

Chris Kyle meanwhile we know is proficient in the following: Electronics, radio operation and repair, counter-intelligence, interrogation, animal handling, horseback riding, underwater demolitions, rescue swimming, diving, salvage, videogaming (he was a gamer), writing, history, experienced in the rodeo, theology, night fighting, animal husbandry, knife fighting, sticking fighting, spotting, orienteering, small unit tactics etc etc etc.

And I just used the first three names I could think of. As I write this, I'm can just take a moment and see how she contrasts with someone like Les Stroud, or Sam Childers, or John Goddard, or Eric Rudolph, or Kinessa Johnson.

The moral of the story is that the first Leah Layleigh ain't hot shit. She's exactly as described. A jack of many trades.


Example over. So yes... it is honestly simpler. When I read your post, I immediately thought... I should do a line by line rebuttal but didn't want to waste the time or make myself appear mean spirited. Hence, deleting chunks and re-writing two paragraphs actually is (and was) much easier. Nothing facetious about it. Just a matter of practicality.

Though I do derive enjoyment from both back and forth discussions like these, I would prefer to explore the role play myself. Especially in regards to my suggestion for the actual first mission being the interception of a certain weapons shipment and meeting Ami being the incidental encounter. So the smuggling team gets the mission of intercepting an arms shipment of modernized US weapons the US government or one of its allies are shipping to an aligned group for reasons. It doesn't even have to be covert. They use some intermediary to deliver the weapons and our group is hired to intercept. The details don't really matter to us regarding the why of the shipment,  only the other W (Who, What, When, Where) questions. The fun part comes in that we were expecting a shipment of say... late model M 16 rifles and hand grenades and body armor blah blah and that's what we're paid to deliver to our employer. But we also find in addition, either some M240's or a Mark 19 grenade launcher. ;)

And our crew can have a vociferous discussion on what to do in regards to using those weapons.  Do we hand them over to our employer as a bonus find?  Do we leave it or ditch it? Do we sell it ourselves or keep them?  Blah blah blah... ;)

And it just so happens that Ami is on board this vessel and that can lead to the entirely other storyline as well of Ami being kidnapped and our team finding her.
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Daril

The medic suggestion was from WritersBlockade, not Sessha, and from my perspective if was not a requirement.  Though from what I gather you actually really like the medic part?

I'd have preferred not to have required nautical experience either, but I'd already received two characters that don't appear to have much of a nautical background and I felt that a large portion of the crew should have such experience.

Neysha

Quote from: Daril on July 31, 2015, 10:16:08 PM
The medic suggestion was from WritersBlockade, not Sessha, and from my perspective if was not a requirement.  Though from what I gather you actually really like the medic part?

I'd have preferred not to have required nautical experience either, but I'd already received two characters that don't appear to have much of a nautical background and I felt that a large portion of the crew should have such experience.

Oh well... either way. Yeah I'm down with the medical part. And the nautical part. Both make sense in my mind, especially in regards to the kind of group we have. Granted the nautical part was a later addition in the original biography. She's still probably second stringer to the boat commander, which again, fits her role most suitably. The only thing she is primarily skilled in, with regards to most of whatever the group does is medicine. And even then, her experience level is that of a medic.

In every other primary skill set (hunting, tracking, survival, explosives, firearms, mechanical repair, martial arts, stealth, breaking and entering, tactics, combat skills, marksmanship, driving etc) she's inferior to one if not several of the other crewmembers. She's the most skilled in some regards to niche things... like pickpocketing... and grifting... and cooking meth... and using a bow possibly lol, but I honestly still have no idea how applicable any of those skills would actually be. Honestly, I'm not even sure she'd be all that good in a firefight to be honest. Unless you're a sniper, (which she's not) using a bolt (or lever, or pump) action weapon when your foes have military/combat training and/or experience in most situations is actually a significant disadvantage, especially if they are armed with automatic or semi automatic weapons.
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Daril

To be honest I think I might have preferred a good driver myself, but it sounds like you're really into the medic part so let's roll with that.  It also sounds like you favor the first profile which I think is the better of the two as well.  If possible I'd like her experience aboard smuggling craft to play a larger role, as it would help explain why/how she got a job aboard the Lucky Strike.

As for the weaponry, I'd say the pump action shotgun may be useful, but I really don't see a lot of point in her using a bolt action rifle on jobs.  Even if she has only basic familiarity with the weapon something borrowed from the boat's small arms locker would probably be more useful in a firefight.  It shouldn't be that hard for the other crewers to give her a crash course so she at least knows how to fire some of them.

Writersblockade

Hmmm...I missed a lot lol.

@Vex. I hear where you're coming from with regards to your character balance concerns. The best I could tell you is that from Cash's perspective, redundancy isn't all that horrible a thing. The old adage "two is one, and one is none" is probably something that stuck to him in his travels and time spent with other military folks. Cash will be very adamant that Ami or Leah not go on trips that have a high probability for a firefight, but would find himself taking Alex, Tiny, and Jon as an "Away Team" for particularly prickly situations. This is for the benefit of setting up a smaller team that won't take long to gtfo if needed. To put it bluntly, certain skill sets have no place being under fire unless absolutely necessary. Ami keeps the boat alive, Cash keeps her alive, and the world keeps spinning

@Neysha, though it may matter to you or not, I actually liked your first version. I'd simply say that your character has picked up skills, but isn't necessarily a master. The same way that working for a good chef improves your cooking, but doesn't actually make you a chef. Nothing for nothing, I say give it a go.

I know we're still getting stuff together, but if I could request that we get a character thread created, it'll keep me from cycling through the pages. These should be final copies approved and posted by the GM, so that we eliminate as much confusion as possible.

I know we also have some other characters in play, or at least waiting, so if I forgot anyone, be cool lol.
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Quote from: Daril on July 31, 2015, 08:05:55 PM
I think for this to work Ami is going to need to stand up to her dad and say she's not going home with him.  I will admit it might be a bit questionable for Cash to employ her after accepting the reward for rescuing her.  So maybe she makes the break before Cash receives payment, daddy refuses to pay as a result (which the crew grudgingly accepts because they don't want to mess with a guy who hired heavily armed mercs) and Ami gets forced to help fix up the boat because of that?  (Been thinking the Lucky Strike could be in need of a bit of an overhaul at the beginning of the RPG -perhaps not all of her four engines are working, her electronics are glitchy, etc.)

Not an ideal situation, even then. I do think Ami needs to stand up to her dad, and this might sort of provide the vehicle to do it, but even if she does so, that means either Cash doesn't get paid, or takes a hit on his reputation by not delivering on the goods, so to speak. Either one I can't really say lends a particularly good circumstances for their initial relationship. Ami hurts the crew to bring her aboard, one way, or another. And she's really not so special as to justify the cost, especially for a crew with a rather mercenary outlook. I have a hard time seeing how it works out. I suppose she could be a bit of an indentured servant, in a sense, having to work off the debt she owes to them, but I'm not sure how sensible it would be.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 08:42:31 PM
I always had in mind of creating a career criminal as in someone who made their living via criminal activity that doesn't require shooting dudes and dudettes every other day. The thing with a lot of the Black Lagoon characters.... they are all involved in organized crime and criminal activity, but for the major characters, I wouldn't ever say any of them are 'criminals' first and foremost outside of people who are really good at shooting/killing other people. Dutch is ex-military. Balaikala is ex-military. Benny is a computer engineer. Chang is a former cop. And you have other guys...former guerrillas, hitmen, CIA agents, terrorists... but not just straight... criminals except minor characters who are often portrayed as kinda.... incompetent by comparison. (ie the Italian and Colombian gangs) Even with folks like Revy, obviously not ex-military but they're defined more as gunfighters as opposed to just a standard criminal or mobster or what have you.

That's what I liked about Leah, though. For a town full of crooks, none of them really have a background as a career criminal. So, despite Roanapur being portrayed as a whole town of criminals, Leah felt a little different. She's a thief and con-artist good enough to hang around amongst the most dangerous crowd in the world. That said, I suppose the reason that thieves and cons aren't much for Roanpur is that they're good at making a fool out of unsavvy, law-abiding citizens, as opposed to other criminals. Logicstically, it might actually take a more advanced kind of career criminal to pull that off, but as a concept, I still think Leah works. At the very least, because we're not going to be spending all our time in Roanapur, and being able to reason and socially manipulate outsiders is still a valuable skill. It's part of what makes Rock valuable for the Lagoon Company.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 08:42:31 PM
And if you grow up in a rural area, you obviously have some woodland skills. You can hunt. You can shoot. You can go camping. And guess what, you can cook meth so you know stuff about chemistry and concoctions and what goes boom and what makes you sick. It's total Anarchist Cookbook stuff.

Holy Cultural Stereotypes, Batman!

That does seem to be overstating it a bit, in all seriousness. I might be an urban city-gal, but my dad is actually from deep woods, rural South territory, living in exactly the kind of environment you're describing. He, and all his relatives and friends growing up, were Good Ol' Country guys and gals, living on the fringes of society, thirty minutes of forest to the nearest small town, surrounded by trees as far as the eyes could, dirt roads and Confederate flags everywhere. And, yeah, lots of meth cookery around, with the vast majority on some kind of drugs, and trading around prescription medicine, or their own brand of moonshine. But, even despite that, I wouldn't call him an experienced hunter. Or much of a gun enthusiast. I suppose he was a camper, but more in "let's haul our trailer up to the lake for the weekend, get pissed drunk and enjoy the fishing" sort. Certainly didn't know much about trapping. I know he doesn't know how to use a bow. I don't think he's set up a tent in his life. And he definitely didn't know anything about setting up a meth lab, even if he did enjoy the product.

That's not to say you don't have access to those skills living in that environment, but backwoods rednecks, just like career criminals, or modern society, for the most part, aren't just full of Renaissance men, who go around mastering everything in their domain. You learn the basic skills you need to survive, and beyond that, people specialize. My dad was an athlete, a physically imposing giant and a strong back, so if anything heavy needed liftin', physical labor needed doin', or an ass needed whoppin', he'd be the man to call. Not for game hunting, fixing up a Harley, or brewing some moonshine. Those would be his brothers and uncles.

Again, that's not to say that Leah can't be introduced to any and/or all of those kinds of skills. But being a rural American doesn't make you automatically proficient, just like being African American doesn't automatically give you superior basketball skills. It takes time to learn those trades, time you wouldn't be using for other pursuits. They are as legitimate as skills as anything else. So, it does add up.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 08:42:31 PM
That sounds amazing to me because everything you just said would make for amazing story fodder and an engrossing first story. No need for a clean ending where everything ends up good for the smuggling company. Having to make choices in a range of good to bad options will be a great thing to explore and help develop the characters and move the plot along even more if we all as writers are willing to dive into this potential storyline. :D

I'd normally agree with you. It is sort of a complex dilemma, with no clear answers, that would be awesome to play out. But, in this case specifically, we do have some metagaming realities that would sorta interfere with the choice. After all, they could just do their job, deliver Ami, and wash their hands of the whole thing. Totally legit rationale IC-wise, and in fact, might be the more logical choice for the characters, but, that would mean Ami leaves the game permanently, which is rather undesirable, I imagine. It seems a bit unnatural that they'd be forced to exclude this possibility. I'm still wondering now why they wouldn't, in fact. That's what's troublesome about it, to me.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 08:42:31 PMYour intentions are largely irrelevant to me. A rewrite for the character became somewhat necessitated as a result of said commentary. *shrug* Again, I don't mind writing. I enjoy writing with a purpose in mind.

Necessitated? With all do respect, I think that's a bit of a stretch. I'm glad to hear you're willing to go through the effort, and you actually enjoyed it. But, I don't recall at any point asking for you to rewrite Leah's entire background, skill-set, and even some of her personality. In fact, I went out of my way to say it was largely fine. My request was rather minor, and probably could have been made without cutting much at all, and frankly, I probably wouldn't had made a big deal even if you changed nothing. You decided to rewrite the character, on your own initiative. It was not a necessity.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 08:42:31 PMLike I said when I posted my character originally, I checked the requirements and didn't really read the other bios. They needed a medic and a watercraft operator. Your concerns are baseless because watercraft operator isn't synonymous with mechanic and electrician and whatever engineering field she specializes in. Just because I can change the oil in my car doesn't mean I don't need a mechanic. And in the original anime from the first dozen or so episodes I read (never read the manga) Rock IMHO is almost useless and if it wasn't for plot fiat, would be even less useful. I mean Rock has some business and negotiating skills but in a four person operation, it's rather... exceptional that he's there, which is a major point of the series of course. Benny suffers from this to a degree as well but he has a diverse set of skills, much in line with your Ami character. But Ami has the benefit of having a far more interesting backstory and her background and skillset seems more focused on waterborne craft then Benny's computer engineering background. So I honestly find Ami's role being threatened as completely unfathomable to be honest.

I'm glad you find Ami an interesting character, and thank you for the compliment. But that doesn't matter if we can't find a good reason for her to be with the ship. I'd rather not rely on plot-fiat if I don't have to. You're right that having regular capability to operate a vehicle doesn't necessarily mean that a mechanic is out of a job. But, if you have a responsible owner, who takes the time to educate themselves about regular maintenance and gains a bit of modest understanding of how things work underneath the hood, you can often cut visits to the mechanic out of your life for quite a while. If we have a group of experienced watercraft operators and navigators, who know how to maintain and keep a ship running, how often are you really going to need a mechanic to work on it? Is it often enough to necessitate having said engineer live aboard the ship? Or is it rare enough that a small crew with a private boat can just get by bringing it into a specialist in once in a while?

I'm thinking, if we've got a boat with a fair amount of wear and tear on it, tended by an experienced crew, but often goes into dangerous situations, it's somewhere between the two. So, having multiple mechanics on board seems to bit unnecessary. And if Leah is capable of hanging regular maintenance and upkeep herself, then why would the crew have Ami around, seeing as that's primarily what the latter brings to the table, aside the odd niche scenario? If we can't answer that, then we have a problem.

It's not really a question of whether or not Leah is better than Ami at her specialty. It's just a question of how often that would make a difference, as well as what other things that Ami brings to the table the Leah does not. As Ami's author, I'm not sure that the answer to these questions plays well in her favor.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 08:42:31 PMWhen I rebuke arguments, I pretty much address every line with a couple paragraphs because I like to crush what I feel is baseless criticism with overwhelming force. For example, taking one line from your original commentary.

That's a pretty generous description of what was in the spoiler. You spent a whole lot less time actually addressing my point, and much, much more comparing Leah to three real life people, for reasons that aren't very clear. I honestly can't say you "crushed" anything, aside a lot of keys in typing it. But, you took the time, so I shall address it, in my own spoiler section.

A Detailed Crushing of Vex's Baseless Arguments


Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 08:42:31 PMI'm going to do some character comparisons. The first one is Walter Palmer fifty five year old Dentist from Minnesota that was recently outed for trophy hunting a beloved lion. The second one is going to be Sam Sheridan, a writer and his life experience up to the age of thirty, and Chris Kyle, a much lauded Navy SEAL sniper who was recently murdered and whose widow was screwed over Jesse Ventura in a court libel case recently. And we'll compare these characters to my master dabbler, Leah Layleigh.

Can I ask a question? Why? Why are you comparing Leah to these three individuals? Are they important to the plot? Are they characters in the setting? What the point of showing differences between them? I can't say I understand your reasoning for taking as much time as you can to do this. The outcome of this comparison doesn't feel relevant at all. So what if Leah loses to each of these individuals? So what if she dominates them in every category? How is it relevant? To show adventurous people exist? Okay, you showed that. Not really really sure anyone was asking for that to be clarified, but sure.

It feels kinda like you're trying to show that Leah isn't as "game-breaking" as it was being asserted, as far as I can make of it. But, I'll remind you, I never asserted that she was. That was your assertion. I simply said she outshines most of the other characters in most scenarios outside their respective expertise, in which case, she does. Her skills are far more widely applicable than anyone else on the crew, aside perhaps our own Ex-SEAL.

But not being "broken" doesn't mean it's a good fit. If a generalist can replace a dedicated specialist in most instances that are relevant to happen in a given story, then why have the specialist as part of the crew? That's exactly the kind of scenario that leads said support character being deemed as "useless" (as you dubbed Rock). I don't want that to happen. Given the range of sheer skills that Leah has (and even by the end of your comparison to three random skilled people, she doesn't fair so bad), what does it hurt to simply modify her skills so she isn't stepping on someone else's specialty? She's got plenty of other skills to rely on, as you've demonstrated time and time again.

I will comment a bit on the choices you made, because I think there's a side issue that could be addressed by it. Walter Palmer takes vacations in exotic locales, funded by his practice. Sam Sheridan came from money, went to prestigious prep schools and top-tier university. He has family wealth to help fund his trips overseas. Chris Kylie was sent to other countries as part of his missions, paid for by Uncle Sam. Each of these men might had been globe trotters, but each had the money do so such things. This is something Leah lacks. I'm not saying it's impossible to tread from continent to continent if you don't have affluence. People have done it. But it sure makes it a hell of a lot harder.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 08:42:31 PM
First off, a medic was required. But she's not an actually formally trained medic. She's actually had pharmaceutical training, and veterinary training and has largely actually been self taught or learned informally. I figure that gave her experience roughly equivalent to a medic (ie the four months a typical medic gets of dedicated medical training or EMT Basic training which is three weeks).

Saying she is a chemist drug manufacturer and poisoner is almost a contentless statement. She can cook meth using chemicals. She can create poisons... because she has a background in pharmaceuticals. A large amount of female murders were actually known for being very good poisoners. Creating poisons isn't a hard thing to do if you know how to cook meth and have pharmaceutical experience. Furthermore I never stated she was a formal chemist. It was mentioned that there was hope she could be when she was young that she could eventually go to college and be a chemist or chemical engineer or whatever because she was a smar tween, but it never happened.

Furthermore, she was never stated to be an explosives expert. She was familiar with explosives. In Michael Moore's documentary Bowling for Colombine he interviews High School Working Class kids who can make pipe bombs (like the Colombine shooters) and nail bombs and knockoff forms of napalm. You can see the videos of people making homemade napalm on Youtube. She grew up cooking meth. She knows how to make things blow up and not blow up since many of the chemicals used in meth and cooking other drugs, can also be applied to the creating of homemade explosives.

As Daril said, a medic wasn't required. I don't think I have much else to add to that. No one's really objecting to it, though.

-Leah has plenty of experience handling and concocting explosives, chemicals, poisons and toxic compounds.

Quoted, from her sheet. That's a very broad statement. I don't see anything on there that suggests she can only cook meth. I don't see anything on there that limits her to basic poisons. I don't see anything that suggests that she can only cook up low-grade pressure explosives. As such, I have to take you by your word alone. And that listing on the sheet implies a lot more than you're saying above. If you didn't mean for her to have any more experience than that, then maybe you need to define her limits more clearly on the final draft.

Either way, my account isn't wrong. Leah is a medic (no contest), she is a chemist (as in, a person who studies and practicies in the field of chemistry), she is a drug manufacturer (again, no contest), and a poisoner (again, no contest). The only possible objection is seeing if she is an "explosives expert", but I'll admit, that itself is something of a vague term. I personally have no issue stating that someone who has "plenty of experience handling and concocting explosives" as an expert on the subject. But maybe your definition differs.

I'm not going to address the comparison aspect of this, because again, I fail to see it's relevance. If you think otherwise, and show me how it matters, I'll go ahead and address them. But, at the moment, I'm not sure what I can say about them. Am I supposed to pick apart their skills or history something? They're not really important to me.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 08:42:31 PMBeing a pickpocket, lockpicker and "security expert" which I'm assuming means burglar, almost goes hand in hand. The only exception to this is a con artist (or the term I use grifter). But being a grifter is still fairly common with most criminal activity beyond the street level stuff of mugging, buglarizing, pocket crimes etc. So I don't see it as exceptional. I'm not sure where her being an expert came in. Disabling alarm systems and evading them was described as basic knowledge.

Your own examples show that people can vary in each of these skills. Being a thief doesn't come automatically with breaking-and-entering know-how. As I said before, criminals specialize just like anyone else. It's not like there's a thief certification process that gives one the title of "Thief" if you proficiently pick locks, pick pockets, and disable alarms. Part of that is because how thieves operate differs from one to another. A great con-artist is just as much a thief as a convenience store robber, but that doesn't mean either of them know anything about picking locks. Each of these are legit skills, and take time to learn. Again, not saying Leah can't have had access to them, but it's unfair to dismiss them all as "going hand and hand". They are distinct skills.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 08:42:31 PMHunting, tracking, wilderness guiding, marksman(woman) and trapping almost all goes hand in hand that listing it individually is baseless. Alex is also a hunter and has military training and experience. Thus she therefore knows everything up here... except maybe archery which Leah is described as having a proficiency in. I don't know about you, but archery doesn't seem to be a very useful skill in this RP. I added it as window dressing for her rural background. How does she compare to the others though. And trapping is just making... traps... kind of shitty hunting. Depending on the nature of it, it might be considered unsportsmanlike.

Again, I think it's a bit amusing that each of your examples counteracts your point that all of these skills "go hand in hand". If they were just a natural extension of being a hunter, you'd think that Walter and Chris would be on virtual even ground in every category. But, they're not. How can that be? Is one just a flat-out better hunter than the other? Or maybe because they're, in fact, separate skills, and not a given proficiency for any one who loves the wilderness? I don't see, then, why you dismiss me separating them with a wave of a hand. It's not like you've actually made the case that these are extensions of a single skill. So, why am I wrong for doing so?

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 08:42:31 PMThese skills are so common, it is baseless. I think every character in this RP can drive a watercraft and drive a car and knows basic maintenance. She's lightly above the others in watercraft and mechanic crap... though I barely remember remarking on her being a mechanic. Lets compare her to the others.

Again, let me quote the original character sheet, if I may:

-Leah has a general familiarity with motors, machines, vehicles, locks, and other similar machinery due to her background.

That's a very vague statement. That can mean a whole lot of things. I assume, because you write it as part of her skills, that it means you're more proficient than being a simple operator. Otherwise, why state it? No one else bothered to write that they were a capable walker or a steady breather, or to be a little less facetious, a proficient driver. It's assumed most people are these things. If you remark it as part of your skills, I have to assume it's considerably above just knowing what motors, machines, and vehicles are.

I think that's the key to a big part of our misunderstanding. As you said, you barely made a remark about her capabilities as a mechanic, besides mentioning that she boosts cars. But, like any other skill, that's separate from being familiar to how "motors, machines, vehicles, locks, and other similar machinery" work, so I assumed that this wasn't that, or that it at least went beyond that. Thing is, all I have is that vague statement to work with, and like I said, that mean a whole lot of things. In my mind, it meant she was familiar with basic fixes, installations, and maintenance for equipment they have, which is the part that I think steps over on what Ami brings to the table. It's not the water craft operation that worries me. It's that part.

So, to thrust things into more of a productive discussion, what does that statement mean? If you say that she's barely more capable than most people regarding machinery or mechanics, why include that at all? And if she is more proficient than the usual person, then how much more so? Do you think she alone could take care of a ship and keep it running, save for more serious repairs? If you think she can, how does that not threaten Ami's role?

In fact, I could probably extend that much further. A lot of Leah's skills are somewhat broadly stated or vaguely defined. Perhaps more confusion could be avoided in the future if they were more plainly specified as to her limits about such things. That would also help demonstrate that she is truly "master of none".

Whew! Quite a bit. After getting through with that, though, I hope it brings us closer to settling what appears to be, optimistically, a bit of a misunderstanding. I tried to offer as much clarity as I can with the section, so I hope it helps you better understand where I'm coming from and what we can do to move forward.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 08:42:31 PMExample over. So yes... it is honestly simpler. When I read your post, I immediately thought... I should do a line by line rebuttal but didn't want to waste the time or make myself appear mean spirited. Hence, deleting chunks and re-writing two paragraphs actually is (and was) much easier. Nothing facetious about it. Just a matter of practicality.

Master dabbler? Yeah, just like I called her in my original post, right? Not being facetious at all.  ::)

Meh. Honestly, I didn't find it much simpler at all, so I wouldn't call it practical. In the end, we still went piece by piece, and you ended up doing a lot more work that doesn't look like it's going much of anywhere, seeing as it looks you're be adopting something closer to the first version anyway. If that's how you prefer to do so, fine, but I think it would had spared you much more time and effort to just spell out your point of contention in the first place.

Quote from: Neysha on July 31, 2015, 10:26:37 PM
In every other primary skill set (hunting, tracking, survival, explosives, firearms, mechanical repair, martial arts, stealth, breaking and entering, tactics, combat skills, marksmanship, driving etc) she's inferior to one if not several of the other crewmembers. She's the most skilled in some regards to niche things... like pickpocketing... and grifting... and cooking meth... and using a bow possibly lol, but I honestly still have no idea how applicable any of those skills would actually be. Honestly, I'm not even sure she'd be all that good in a firefight to be honest. Unless you're a sniper, (which she's not) using a bolt (or lever, or pump) action weapon when your foes have military/combat training and/or experience in most situations is actually a significant disadvantage, especially if they are armed with automatic or semi automatic weapons.

Really? Who's more capable with explosives? Or breaking and entering? Or driving, for that matter? I don't think any of the active profiles mentioned those, so if you're only one who mentioned them, I'd assume Leah is the best in those avenue. Otherwise, why mention them?

It's also a bit debatable just what is a "primary" skill. Aside combat, and seafaring skills, not much has been remarked by Daril as to what will actually come into play. But, if you ask me, I think there are a lot of non-combat skills that will see a lot of use. Locks aren't exactly rare in the world, explosives regularly come into the series, and the money generated from meth could, in fact, be a nice profit for Leah between adventures, seeing as she generally doesn't have to hide it much in Roanapur (although, she might face more competition as a supplier, if she went that route, she's likely not the only meth dealer in town). I think skills in tracking, wilderness survival, and infiltration will come plenty in handy in plenty of jobs as well. And you did specify "semi-automatic" rifles proficiency amongst her skills, which are far less limited in a gun fight than bolt-action rifles are. Maybe not enough to single-highhandedly win battles, but certainly enough to contribute.

Compare those to advance mechanics and see which one comes of more use in these sessions.  :-\

Quote from: Writersblockade on August 01, 2015, 12:08:31 AM
@Vex. I hear where you're coming from with regards to your character balance concerns. The best I could tell you is that from Cash's perspective, redundancy isn't all that horrible a thing. The old adage "two is one, and one is none" is probably something that stuck to him in his travels and time spent with other military folks. Cash will be very adamant that Ami or Leah not go on trips that have a high probability for a firefight, but would find himself taking Alex, Tiny, and Jon as an "Away Team" for particularly prickly situations. This is for the benefit of setting up a smaller team that won't take long to gtfo if needed. To put it bluntly, certain skill sets have no place being under fire unless absolutely necessary. Ami keeps the boat alive, Cash keeps her alive, and the world keeps spinning

It's not really "balance" that concerns me. I think this is another misunderstanding that seems to be plaguing Neysha as well. I don't really care if Ami is the "weakest" member of the team. I'm expecting it. It's simple function that I'm concerned with. What is Ami do for the crew? Her specialty deals with machines, electronics, engines, cars, and private boats. Those are already pretty niche concerns in this game, which is supposed to be fairly focused on action and suspense. If someone else can do that, while performing other duties for the crew, she really doesn't have much of a role, at least not one that really justifies why they're keeping her around. More so, if we end up running with Daril's idea, and she might actually cost him a pay day.

Redundancy isn't that horrible a thing. In fact, having someone else who can help her out in fixing something might be a boon. But, at what point does one become more of a burden than an asset? Space isn't unlimited, and crew have to be paid. It seems to me that, if the crew needs downsizing, and someone else can perform her role most of the time, Ami is first to be out.

So, how am I supposed to react? Acceptance? Should I broaden out Ami's skills a little more, maybe add some more academic interests, or that programing and hacking thing I suggested a while back? Ask Neysha to reel back her familiarity with machines? What do I do?

On an unrelated note, I too support the idea for a character sheet thread. But, if you're reluctant to do so, Daril, than at least consider putting a link up on the first post that links to each individual sheet in the thread. That alone would be a big help.

Neysha

Quote from: Daril on July 31, 2015, 11:38:32 PM
To be honest I think I might have preferred a good driver myself, but it sounds like you're really into the medic part so let's roll with that.  It also sounds like you favor the first profile which I think is the better of the two as well.  If possible I'd like her experience aboard smuggling craft to play a larger role, as it would help explain why/how she got a job aboard the Lucky Strike.

As for the weaponry, I'd say the pump action shotgun may be useful, but I really don't see a lot of point in her using a bolt action rifle on jobs.  Even if she has only basic familiarity with the weapon something borrowed from the boat's small arms locker would probably be more useful in a firefight.  It shouldn't be that hard for the other crewers to give her a crash course so she at least knows how to fire some of them.

I actually fully agree. And it can be a character development point.

Quote from: Writersblockade on August 01, 2015, 12:08:31 AM
@Neysha, though it may matter to you or not, I actually liked your first version. I'd simply say that your character has picked up skills, but isn't necessarily a master. The same way that working for a good chef improves your cooking, but doesn't actually make you a chef. Nothing for nothing, I say give it a go.

I know we're still getting stuff together, but if I could request that we get a character thread created, it'll keep me from cycling through the pages. These should be final copies approved and posted by the GM, so that we eliminate as much confusion as possible.

I know we also have some other characters in play, or at least waiting, so if I forgot anyone, be cool lol.

Yeah, the first one will be the one I stick with. I'll just modify it a teensy bit before I make a final submission for acceptance. And yeah, I have to agree, having a list of character profiles would be useful, as I'm also not exactly sure whose in this RP at the moment and with what characters either.

Quote from: Vex on August 01, 2015, 05:21:20 AMHoly Cultural Stereotypes, Batman!

I was going at it from her POV, not my own. Again, surprised that you apparently made another "misunderstanding."  ::) I guess I'll have to add more qualifiers with every statement I make in this thread to prevent more misunderstandings. :p

QuoteAgain, that's not to say that Leah can't be introduced to any and/or all of those kinds of skills. But being a rural American doesn't make you automatically proficient, just like being African American doesn't automatically give you superior basketball skills. It takes time to learn those trades, time you wouldn't be using for other pursuits. They are as legitimate as skills as anything else. So, it does add up.

Clearly not, but it does with Leah. Though I don't appreciate the equivocation with skin color based racism. That seems like a cheap metaphor. I'm sorry my lack of qualifiers irked you to the extent you felt the urge to decompress your anecdotal life story, but I thought I was implying it rather clearly that I was explaining her background from her point of view, not trying to malign the poor, white rural people at large. For that I apologize.

QuoteNecessitated? With all do respect, I think that's a bit of a stretch. I'm glad to hear you're willing to go through the effort, and you actually enjoyed it. But, I don't recall at any point asking for you to rewrite Leah's entire background, skill-set, and even some of her personality. In fact, I went out of my way to say it was largely fine. My request was rather minor, and probably could have been made without cutting much at all, and frankly, I probably wouldn't had made a big deal even if you changed nothing. You decided to rewrite the character, on your own initiative. It was not a necessity.

No it was necessitated by your criticism. Go back and read the thread please. :)

QuoteReally? Who's more capable with explosives? Or breaking and entering? Or driving, for that matter? I don't think any of the active profiles mentioned those, so if you're only one who mentioned them, I'd assume Leah is the best in those avenue. Otherwise, why mention them?

Navy Seals are trained in explosives and both soft and hard entry tactics. I just decided to list out all of the skills that she had that might be relevant or interesting to know. And to think that two of our American characters don't know how to drive... it seems odd to assume that they don't considering their background. And you kind of need a basic driving proficiency to be a Navy Seal, much less in later learning how to pilot watercraft. I'm pretty sure EO mercenaries have similar training and experience.

QuoteIt's also a bit debatable just what is a "primary" skill. Aside combat, and seafaring skills, not much has been remarked by Daril as to what will actually come into play. But, if you ask me, I think there are a lot of non-combat skills that will see a lot of use. Locks aren't exactly rare in the world, explosives regularly come into the series, and the money generated from meth could, in fact, be a nice profit for Leah between adventures, seeing as she generally doesn't have to hide it much in Roanapur (although, she might face more competition as a supplier, if she went that route, she's likely not the only meth dealer in town). I think skills in tracking, wilderness survival, and infiltration will come plenty in handy in plenty of jobs as well. And you did specify "semi-automatic" rifles proficiency amongst her skills, which are far less limited in a gun fight than bolt-action rifles are. Maybe not enough to single-highhandedly win battles, but certainly enough to contribute.

Contribute is such a bland word I have no idea what it means. And when I stated semi-automatic I meant in regards to the weapons she was using in her profile, which in general outside of maybe the shotguns, would be kind of still terrible to use in most firefights. And I doubt cooking meth will be a factor for several reasons. Drug manufacturers sounds like a terribly boring RP as opposed to action oriented smuggling. Plus Roanapur is located near a nexus of drug trafficking of all sorts and is a big enough city to actually have formed organized gangs of Italian/Italian-American and Colombians operating here as well, so the demand I'm guessing is minimal. But either way, cooking meth isn't a particularly hard skill to learn, certainly not like mechanics, and its relation to this RP is nebulous that I find that whole point rather disingenuous. As for the skills in tracking, wilderness survival and infiltration, I'm pretty sure at least two, if not more other characters have equal if not superior skills in both regards. One has a hunting, mercenary and military background, another IIRC is a former Navy Seal.

QuoteIt's not really "balance" that concerns me. I think this is another misunderstanding that seems to be plaguing Neysha as well. I don't really care if Ami is the "weakest" member of the team. I'm expecting it. It's simple function that I'm concerned with. What is Ami do for the crew? Her specialty deals with machines, electronics, engines, cars, and private boats. Those are already pretty niche concerns in this game, which is supposed to be fairly focused on action and suspense. If someone else can do that, while performing other duties for the crew, she really doesn't have much of a role, at least not one that really justifies why they're keeping her around. More so, if we end up running with Daril's idea, and she might actually cost him a pay day.

Redundancy isn't that horrible a thing. In fact, having someone else who can help her out in fixing something might be a boon. But, at what point does one become more of a burden than an asset? Space isn't unlimited, and crew have to be paid. It seems to me that, if the crew needs downsizing, and someone else can perform her role most of the time, Ami is first to be out.

So, how am I supposed to react? Acceptance? Should I broaden out Ami's skills a little more, maybe add some more academic interests, or that programing and hacking thing I suggested a while back? Ask Neysha to reel back her familiarity with machines? What do I do?

If Leah having a general familiarity with machines is the problem here, I'm not sure what to say. I stated it as such because a lot of engines on small vehicles, cars, and boats etc tend to have many similar characteristics and you can be a tinkerer with machines like that without being a mechanic. The fact that the main point of your contention was my statement of her have a general familiarity with machinery and that invalidates your character is still something I find bemusing because I'm pretty sure our boat commander probably possesses a similar familiarity with machinery (at least in regards to watercraft), he just didn't bother to add it to his bio.

Honestly, this whole preoccupation with Ami's skillset seems premature. Kind of like with the weapons controversy earlier regarding the machine guns and heavy weapons. I think a lot of these ideas can be explored in the RP itself and if we need to make modifications to characters after the Rp starts, it should be easy enough to do. Most of the things that are being discussed now, including Leah's master dabbler status, can be worked into the role play when it begins and should provide plenty of fodder for IC character development.

I mean seriously, stop short changing your character. She's automatically vastly more interesting nad just as useful as Benny. And far more useful then Rock, whose only usefulness largely is plot fiat. (I don't buy him being good at negotiation unless necessitated by plot, after all Dutch supposedly brokered the peace between Hotel Moscow and the Triads amongst other things) The only skill that Ami might want to add, IMHO, would be some accounting/financial skills possibly. ;)
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Writersblockade

I don't really think I misunderstood your situation, but that's just opinion, so meh. Ami's situation is very much like Benny's. Granted, Benny was a driver. If you want to make Ami more of a driving  enthusiast, I could understand that. Makes it so that she's in play for outside activities and solidifies her place with the crew.

Also, TBH I liked the hacking aspect. Maybe we don't use it so much, but the fact that it's there makes for an interesting tool.

Also, folks lol. We don't need the back and forth on the character issue.  Oneupmanship can be fun, but after a while it can wear on the group. Change your character if you need to change it. The only approval we technically need is from the GM. This is me asking that we stow it.
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Sessha

 Guys if I may I think we are blowing this whole thing waaaayyyyyy out of proportion. Personally speaking I want my jack of all trades around for the quick fixes. Not to mention that flexibility gives me another piece that I can put into play. In the situation I would want a dedicated mechanic onboard.  And I'll tell you why. Cause I wanted a dedicated mechanic onboard in case my shit gets broken! That engine is a highly complex piece of machinery, not exactly something I'm going to trust to a jack-of-all trades.  Also for the moment as near as I can tell we are already running the ship at below the full crew compliment. So we need someone down in the engine room on top of things. It's a fact of life. Besides if some manages to make it down to the engine room where Ami has to employ her gun that mission has gone seriously sideways. Those are my two cents on the matter.
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Vex

Quote from: Writersblockade on August 01, 2015, 07:06:47 AM
I don't really think I misunderstood your situation, but that's just opinion, so meh. Ami's situation is very much like Benny's. Granted, Benny was a driver. If you want to make Ami more of a driving  enthusiast, I could understand that. Makes it so that she's in play for outside activities and solidifies her place with the crew.

Also, TBH I liked the hacking aspect. Maybe we don't use it so much, but the fact that it's there makes for an interesting tool.

Also, folks lol. We don't need the back and forth on the character issue.  Oneupmanship can be fun, but after a while it can wear on the group. Change your character if you need to change it. The only approval we technically need is from the GM. This is me asking that we stow it.

Oneupmanship wasn't my intention, I assure you, but I fear this is what it's ultimately become, or where it may be going. It's my tendency to want to respond to someone who bothers to address me, but it might have gone a little over it's welcome. It's becoming increasingly obvious that further exchanges on the matter aren't becoming any more productive. No worries. I don't see any reason to keep it going. Consider this my concession.

I don't think Ami as much of a driving enthusiast. In fact, given her background, the time this story takes place, and the region, she might not have ever driven a car in her life. I added the possibility that she could have the skill, though, if it would be useful. Strangely, I can see her as a car enthusiast, just as someone who appreciates what a finely-crafted and tuned machine can do. She just doesn't actually drive them. I mean, I'm sure she understands how to drive a car, but, by that token, most teenagers do too. It just takes some experience to learn to drive well.

It was actually Daril who was hesitant about the programmer/hacker idea. He didn't want to devote much time towards it. I said something like you're saying, that we don't have to give it much focus, just keep it in mind in case it were to come up. Still, in her last revision, I sorta drove Ami slightly away from  this idea. But, if you all think it'll be useful, I can make sure to add it somewhere as a possible avenue for her.

Quote from: Sessha on August 01, 2015, 07:07:47 AM
Guys if I may I think we are blowing this whole thing waaaayyyyyy out of proportion. Personally speaking I want my jack of all trades around for the quick fixes. Not to mention that flexibility gives me another piece that I can put into play. In the situation I would want a dedicated mechanic onboard.  And I'll tell you why. Cause I wanted a dedicated mechanic onboard in case my shit gets broken! That engine is a highly complex piece of machinery, not exactly something I'm going to trust to a jack-of-all trades.  Also for the moment as near as I can tell we are already running the ship at below the full crew compliment. So we need someone down in the engine room on top of things. It's a fact of life. Besides if some manages to make it down to the engine room where Ami has to employ her gun that mission has gone seriously sideways. Those are my two cents on the matter.

We may have been. My apologies for the inconvenience.

I certainly don't have any aspirations towards having Ami in battle much. It's not really her role in things. Still, this is Roanapur. We're surrounded by possible threats every day, and if they decide to act against us, they're not exactly going to play fair at it. She might just get involved in a fight, despite her efforts to avoid it, by the simple chaos of the life.

And I wasn't really speaking of the boat's capacity so much as the finances. Having someone as part of the crew usually means more than just having a place on the boat. Everyone has needs, be it food, ammo, electricity, what have you, and are likely to expect a certain cut of the profits. It can still be rather expensive for a small operation, even if they're not at technical capacity.

Speaking of, remind me again what boat we ended up settling on? I can't quite remember, and I'm having a little difficulty finding it. A few suggestions, but I can't tell which one we actually stuck with. Or was that not actually decided?

Quote from: Neysha on August 01, 2015, 06:47:13 AM
I mean seriously, stop short changing your character. She's automatically vastly more interesting nad just as useful as Benny. And far more useful then Rock, whose only usefulness largely is plot fiat. (I don't buy him being good at negotiation unless necessitated by plot, after all Dutch supposedly brokered the peace between Hotel Moscow and the Triads amongst other things) The only skill that Ami might want to add, IMHO, would be some accounting/financial skills possibly. ;)

So, to make her more useful, you want her to take on one of the roles of the most "useless" member of the Lagoon Crew? Interesting choice.  :P

Still, I'll consider it. For what it's worth, I actually think Benny is the most "useless" member of the crew. I've actually seen unorthodox value in Rock as a unique form of problem solver for the crew. But, I also hesitate to say "useless", because Benny still provides a respectable role. Niche, perhaps, but useful enough. He just also tends not to be very assertive in his crew's affairs, so he gets left out of the spotlight the most.

You seem to think I'm short-changing Ami. So, what do you see in her? What do you think she brings to the table that you feel I'm not recognizing?

Sessha

 For starters this is the boat we all agreed upon. It's basically the Soviet version of a PT Boat. http://s-boot.net/sboats-vm-p6.html What we were still discussing was the kind of heavy weapons the boat would carry outside of the one forward single mounted Browning M2 .50 caliber heavy machine gun. There was some discussion on weather to use a SPG-9 Recoilless Rifle or the Mk. 19 Grenade Launcher. Plus the addition of a mountable medium machine gun like either the M60 or the M240. I of course favor the Mk. 19 and the M240 for ease of use, maintenance and overall reliability of the weapons. It seems this is becoming the prevailing thought process as I remember at least one or two other people saying something about these weapons getting added to the ship.

As for Ami and what not on the ship, I don't like that idea. In many of the heavy fire potential cases Dutch took Benny with him while Rock and Revy went another direction. Case in point during the terrorist plot towards the end of season 1. The reason I'd be keeping her on is quite simple as I explained before and because the crew compliment of the ship is a staggering 15 people. (2 officers, 2 petty officers and 11 other crew) We have if we stock it right more than enough resources to fit our small group for a full tour so to speak. Like I said if Ami stays mostly in the engine room and something gets down there then that means the mission has gone completely f-uped Sideways.

I honestly would want someone like Leigh to be up on the deck either manning the M240 or heck even the Mk. 19 or the M2. With her particular skill set she would best be served by being on the top deck rather than down below. Heck I'd almost say that I would ask her to take Alex's Barret  and lay down some heavy sniper fire on the back or forward end of the ship.

The problems that some of the players had with your character was that she had a too diverse set of skills. Granted you did build her originally as a Jack-of-all-trades, but the skill sets you do have were pretty far across the board even for a jack-of-all-trades type. That's been the leading cause of all the tension here. Also I will point this out as well. The gm, Daril made a call and then ended up backpedaling when he shouldn't have. So to that end.

Daril I'm calling you out. This is the time for you to make a call and stick with it. It's your game and you ultimately have final say on all matters pertaining to it. So I'm gonna ask you make a call on this situation and stick with it. I'm trying to be fair and impartial here so we don't loose players over this. I know which side of the argument I fall on but I also put the game above all else as well. So Daril I put it in your hands.
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Daril

Yeah, this got out of hand.  I likely would have intervened sooner if I'd been around.  I need to sleep sometimes though.  :P

Neysha, Vex, your discussion/argument is causing too much tension, so its over.  I'll take things from here.

Neysha, I'm going to PM you to discuss some things with your character (unfortunately that may not happen today since I'm going out soon and won't be back until very late).

Quote from: Vex on August 01, 2015, 05:21:20 AMNot an ideal situation, even then. I do think Ami needs to stand up to her dad, and this might sort of provide the vehicle to do it, but even if she does so, that means either Cash doesn't get paid, or takes a hit on his reputation by not delivering on the goods, so to speak. Either one I can't really say lends a particularly good circumstances for their initial relationship. Ami hurts the crew to bring her aboard, one way, or another. And she's really not so special as to justify the cost, especially for a crew with a rather mercenary outlook. I have a hard time seeing how it works out. I suppose she could be a bit of an indentured servant, in a sense, having to work off the debt she owes to them, but I'm not sure how sensible it would be.

The latter was more or less what I was suggesting.  Alternately, although Cash hiring Ami as a mechanic after accepting payment for rescuing her is a bit questionable, I don't see it as totally unworkable if she can convince her dad to give up on her before she takes on the job with Cash's crew.  We could even make her becoming a permanent crew member a gradual process.

I don't think I can really make it work better than either of those options, so it kind of depends whether you think they work well enough.  Personally, I think they do.  Ami is your character though so I will try to come up with something else if you dislike the idea or don't think it will work well enough.  (Basically, what I need from you now is a straight yes or no so that I can figure out whether I'm working with this idea or need to come up with a new one.)

Vex

Quote from: Sessha on August 01, 2015, 10:02:34 AM
For starters this is the boat we all agreed upon. It's basically the Soviet version of a PT Boat. http://s-boot.net/sboats-vm-p6.html What we were still discussing was the kind of heavy weapons the boat would carry outside of the one forward single mounted Browning M2 .50 caliber heavy machine gun. There was some discussion on weather to use a SPG-9 Recoilless Rifle or the Mk. 19 Grenade Launcher. Plus the addition of a mountable medium machine gun like either the M60 or the M240. I of course favor the Mk. 19 and the M240 for ease of use, maintenance and overall reliability of the weapons. It seems this is becoming the prevailing thought process as I remember at least one or two other people saying something about these weapons getting added to the ship.

Thanks for the clarification. It helps to have an idea of what I'm working with.  ;)

Quote from: Sessha on August 01, 2015, 10:02:34 AMAs for Ami and what not on the ship, I don't like that idea. In many of the heavy fire potential cases Dutch took Benny with him while Rock and Revy went another direction. Case in point during the terrorist plot towards the end of season 1. The reason I'd be keeping her on is quite simple as I explained before and because the crew compliment of the ship is a staggering 15 people. (2 officers, 2 petty officers and 11 other crew) We have if we stock it right more than enough resources to fit our small group for a full tour so to speak. Like I said if Ami stays mostly in the engine room and something gets down there then that means the mission has gone completely f-uped Sideways.

I'm not disagreeing with you. I'd rather have Ami avoid danger where she can, and even in the situations where she can't avoid it, she'd rather be with someone else than by herself. Unless there's a dramatic turn in her character, she's always going to prefer running or hiding. I'm just speculating off the rather chaotic nature of the series. Even if we take every precaution, we can't necessarily account for every scenario. Besides, it's a fantastic dramatic device, to take a character out of their comfort zone, and thrust them right into a situation they aren't used to dealing with. You're right that a mission has probably gotten pretty f-uped sideways if that happen, but who's to say it won't? Or that it'll happen during a mission?

Quote from: Daril on August 01, 2015, 12:27:14 PM
The latter was more or less what I was suggesting.  Alternately, although Cash hiring Ami as a mechanic after accepting payment for rescuing her is a bit questionable, I don't see it as totally unworkable if she can convince her dad to give up on her before she takes on the job with Cash's crew.  We could even make her becoming a permanent crew member a gradual process.

I don't think I can really make it work better than either of those options, so it kind of depends whether you think they work well enough.  Personally, I think they do.  Ami is your character though so I will try to come up with something else if you dislike the idea or don't think it will work well enough.  (Basically, what I need from you now is a straight yes or no so that I can figure out whether I'm working with this idea or need to come up with a new one.)

I'm not certain either of those scenarios will definitively work out in a way that makes total sense. I mean, I'm sure we can make it work, it just might seem a little contrived. It can't say without seeing how things play out. But, I enjoy your enthusiasm about the prospect, enough that I'm willing to give it a shot. I'm okay with running with it. So, yeah, go ahead.

I'll make some modification to her sheet to accommodate the new scenario. Not much, just a few shifts to be a bit more accommodating, and to take in the suggestions that others have made. I may also make her slightly younger, if we're running with the "arranged marriage" angle as part of it. 24 seems a little on the older side for that sort of thing, as least for the prospective bride at the time we're working with. She's only one year away from being "Christmas Cake", as the Japanese would say at the time. Maybe somewhere in 20-22 range would be more reasonable. Then again, having her be 24 could also help explain why her father might be a little eager to marry her off.

Sessha

Quote from: Vex on August 01, 2015, 10:48:08 PM
Thanks for the clarification. It helps to have an idea of what I'm working with.  ;)

No problem glad I could help. :)

Quote from: Vex on August 01, 2015, 10:48:08 PM
Thanks for the clarification. It helps to have an idea of what I'm working with.  ;)

I'm not disagreeing with you. I'd rather have Ami avoid danger where she can, and even in the situations where she can't avoid it, she'd rather be with someone else than by herself. Unless there's a dramatic turn in her character, she's always going to prefer running or hiding. I'm just speculating off the rather chaotic nature of the series. Even if we take every precaution, we can't necessarily account for every scenario. Besides, it's a fantastic dramatic device, to take a character out of their comfort zone, and thrust them right into a situation they aren't used to dealing with. You're right that a mission has probably gotten pretty f-uped sideways if that happen, but who's to say it won't? Or that it'll happen during a mission?

Which I am fine with. Part of the reason I was thinking she could stay in the engine room was so that if combat breaks out she's already in one of the safest places she could be on the ship itself, inside it and on the bottom. Though here might be a thought for you to consider for that little plot point about Ami picking up and using a gun later in the series. Maybe at some point someone does managed to get down there and she has to defend herself. Maybe she grabs one of the guns from the open small arms cabinet and ends up shooting the guy? It's a thought for you.  :-)

Quote from: Vex on August 01, 2015, 10:48:08 PM
Then again, having her be 24 could also help explain why her father might be a little eager to marry her off.

I actually do like the idea of her being nearly 24 and not married. In the mid-90s in Japan and in a few other places in that region a woman lost much of her desirability as a bride when she became 25. That's of course changed in the last like ten or some years, but that was the case back then.
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Daril

It's a bit tentative because someone could drop out and there may be some further profile revisions, but here's an interim list of character profiles:

My Own Character
Writer'sblockade's "Cash"
Sessha's Alex
Vex's "Amy"
Neysha's "Leah"
Sorrowsinger's "Tiny"

I'd been considering playing a second character in the form of a local girl who was the daughter of a (now deceased) pirate captain, but it looks like we're a bit full up at the moment.

Neysha

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Sessha

 Alright so what is the current running story for here anyway?
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Daril

Since Vex seems good with the idea, I was planning to do the story with the crew rescuing her character while after a different cargo.  I might try to start it on the weekend.

Daril

Okay, I'm planning to start this game right before the crew launches their attack on the freighter Vex's character is being held prisoner aboard.  That way it won't be long before her character gets a chance to participate.

Now, anyone got any suggestions for a "battle plan"?  I'd been debating whether to try to use speed or stealth to sneak up on the target freighter and board it before the crew knows what's happening, or use the Lucky Strike's heavy weapons to force the vessel to stop, then send over a boarding party by dinghy while one or two crew members remain behind on the torpedo boat itself to provide cover.  The latter option seems the most prudent but we're a bit short on manpower for it (if we leave two crewmembers behind, then we only have a three person boarding party).

Also, I'd still like to have one newcomer among the torpedo boat's crew -I figure it might ease the process of figuring out how our characters relate to each other if some of the characters are still figuring that out themselves.  Who is and is not okay with their character being given a "newcomer" role?

Sorrow Singer

Aya can be a candidate for the newcomer position if need be. Shes been a soldier of fortune for several years now and has a less than fully fleshed out background for a reason. Though her unorthodox fighting methods are going to be a little shocking to the crew if they haven't seen her in action before.

Neysha

I can go with newcomer as well. My character has the least amount of combat experience AFAIK.
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Writersblockade

Lol wouldn't that kind of decision be left to the captain?
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Sessha

 If the group was going after a freighter then the best thing to do is point your heavy weapons at them and have a few people board the ship. Even back then company policy was to let the pirates have the cargo. Plus we have a .50 cal and a Mk. 19 Grenade Launcher. I don't think anyone is going to be doing anything stupid.

Though to be honest our group doesn't have the manpower to knock over a freighter. There's a reason why in shows and movies you always see about 15-20 people storming a big boat like that. Now something like a fishing trawler that's a different story altogether but not a full on freighter. Too many people for three of us to take at ones.
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Daril

Out of the current candidates, I'm inclined to make Tiny the newcomer to the group.

Quote from: Writersblockade on August 07, 2015, 05:24:10 AM
Lol wouldn't that kind of decision be left to the captain?

In the interest of getting Ami's character involved, I was planning to hit the ground running, with the target ship being spotted in the first post and the crew swinging into action immediately after.  Therefore I think it would be good if the crew already knew the general game plan.  For that matter, it would probably be good if they all knew their specific roles in advance (who's boarding, staying behind, etc.).

Quote from: Sessha on August 07, 2015, 05:43:28 AM
If the group was going after a freighter then the best thing to do is point your heavy weapons at them and have a few people board the ship. Even back then company policy was to let the pirates have the cargo. Plus we have a .50 cal and a Mk. 19 Grenade Launcher. I don't think anyone is going to be doing anything stupid.

Though to be honest our group doesn't have the manpower to knock over a freighter. There's a reason why in shows and movies you always see about 15-20 people storming a big boat like that. Now something like a fishing trawler that's a different story altogether but not a full on freighter. Too many people for three of us to take at ones.

A freighter involved in illegal activities might put up more of a fight.  How difficult it would be to take over would probably depend on what sort of opposition is aboard.  I figure our crew isn't expecting more than a few guards this time around.  I was also thinking their plan was to grab some select cargo and go, not try to take the whole vessel back to port.

Couple things with the boat's weaponry.  Earlier, you mentioned a forward mounted .50 -I'd been thinking the .50 could be mounted either front or rear (actually I'd been considering having the boat carry a second .50 so that the option of mounting both front and rear was available).  I also don't remember having an actual vote on the SPG-9 vs MK-19.  We've had one other member who has kind of chimed in both ways on that issue.  I still favor the SPG-9 and its big punch.  The MK-19 might be very effective at sweeping the opposition off the deck of an enemy ship -which is part of the reason I'm not overly keen on it.  I favor including a couple of single shot M203s mounted on old M16A1s to provide grenade launching capabilities.  I figure they'd be useful, but not too powerful.

Sessha

My reasoning for liking the Mk. 19 Daril is again a question of logistics and manpower. The Mk. 19 can be operated by one person without any noticeable loss in efficiency, the SPG-9 while more powerful would see a drastic loss in efficiency(at least %50 reduction) when only being operated by one person. Which allow me to demonstrate why it's that high. The gunner is normally concerned with aiming the weapon. It's the loader's job to open the bolt, eject the spent round, load the second round, close the bolt and then lock it down. All the while gunner is drawing a bead on the target. Now imagine ALL that having to be done by one person. The normal rate of fire on an SPG-9 is 5-6 rounds a minute. More than likely a highly trained gun crew can fire up to seven rounds. But one person has to do the work of two. So let's review this new procedure shall we? The gunner fires the gun. Gets out from behind the firing mechanism, opens the bolt, ejects the spent shell, loads the next shell, closes and locks the bolt, sits back down in the gunner's chair and then proceeds to lead his target before pulling the trigger. See how much extra time is added by one person having to perform all those actions themselves? Also the Mk. 19 requires no training to fire where as to get any sort of accuracy out of the SPG-9 you need to be trained in it's use.

Also when you are storming a freighter, reguardless if you are only after one thing on the ship the ability to perform a shock and awe technique of something like the Mk. 19 which can clear a deck in two seconds flat is VERY scary indeed. When you go to knock over a freighter like that the ability of shock and awe is paramount. Being able to lay down a lot of firepower in a very short amount of time guarantees your enemy doesn't do anything stupid. It also decreases the amount of time you are one the boat plus in the ensuing terror of the attack people are rattled and more willing to be compliant if only to stop the shelling.

As for the vote thing I saw someone was talking about it earlier which is why I mentioned it myself.

Now as for the .50 cal. I'm fine with that. Though there was some discussion about the use of an either M240 or M60 machine gun. If you want to put a "Ma Deuce" on the back end I won't say no.
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Daril

See, I'm leery of giving our characters a weapon that would make destroying pursuing boats or sweeping the deck of a freighter too easy because I want to make things a bit challenging. I'm leery of rotary type grenade launchers for similar reasons.  I'm inclined towards the single shot models.  I can take a formal vote on it if you want though.

As for the machine gun issue, I still favor the M60 over the M240.  My character and Cash would probably be more familiar with the 60 -the 240 would have been a vehicle mounted gun when my character was in service, and it wasn't in service at all during Vietnam.

Actually in general I tend to favor going for somewhat older but still effective weaponry rather than the latest and greatest in this RPG.  Our characters are pirates/smugglers, not lavishly funded special forces.  In fact, I think the chance to play around with some older stuff is part of the fun of a RPG in this setting.

BTW, I don't think we should be going too gung ho until we have a basic battle plan worked out, but here's the start of the IC thread: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?board=346.0

Neysha

The M79 Grenade Launcher is a beautifully reliable and rugged implement of war and destruction. :)

Quote from: David Hackworth"And the R&D guys did produce the M-79 grenade launcher, the finest infantry fielded since the BAR. Colonel George Couch helped develop this compact, lightweight, reliable miracle, which ensured that infantry would never again have to find itself pinned down fifty meters from an entrenched machine-gun position, too far away to toss a grenade, too close for artillery, and nearly impossible to reach and knock out without severe casualties. With the M-79, one well-placed HE round could do the trick."
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Writersblockade

Quote from: Neysha on August 09, 2015, 12:44:45 AM
The M79 Grenade Launcher is a beautifully reliable and rugged implement of war and destruction. :)

#thetruthisinthere
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Daril

I'd been thinking of going with a couple M203s.  Though I suppose the M79 has the advantage if the operator is planning to use something other than a M16 as their primary weapon (or doesn't want their M16 to be muzzle heavy).  I could replace one of the M203s with a M79.

I'd been thinking the contents of the Lucky Strike's arms locker(s) would be along these lines, btw.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

One (or two) M2 Heavy Machine Gun
One SPG-9 73mm Recoilless Gun
One M60 General Purpose Machine Gun
Two M203 grenade launchers (mounted on M16A1 rifles)
One (or two) CAR-15 Carbine
Two shotguns (one configured to double as a line thrower?)
Various sub machine guns (about one per crewmember)


There would probably be a few strictly personal weapons that belong to specific crewmembers as well (any sniper rifles would probably fall into this category).  Actually, I can see the CAR-15(s) and some of the various sub machine guns being semi-personal as well, with various crewmembers having particular favorites.

Does that seem about right to you guys given the kind of work our crew tends to do?  (Well, okay, I already know Sessha favors a MK-19 over the SPG-9...)

Sessha

 I can also tell you Alex will never use ANY of the 5.56 guns in that locker. She'd take one of the shotguns before that happens. By the way if you can get rounds for M203 and M79s you can get rounds for a Mk. 19. Again also it's nearly thirty pounds lighter than the SPG-9. (If that comes up Alex will never fire it. Waste of time and manpower in her opinion.) Also a fairly easy way to get ahold of an Mk. 19. During the Vietnam Conflict the US sold many PBRs to other nations, plus any that were left in Vietnam when the US pulled out.
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Neysha

Quote from: Daril on August 09, 2015, 11:06:30 AM
I'd been thinking of going with a couple M203s.  Though I suppose the M79 has the advantage if the operator is planning to use something other than a M16 as their primary weapon (or doesn't want their M16 to be muzzle heavy).  I could replace one of the M203s with a M79.

I'd been thinking the contents of the Lucky Strike's arms locker(s) would be along these lines, btw.

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One (or two) M2 Heavy Machine Gun
One SPG-9 73mm Recoilless Gun
One M60 General Purpose Machine Gun
Two M203 grenade launchers (mounted on M16A1 rifles)
One (or two) CAR-15 Carbine
Two shotguns (one configured to double as a line thrower?)
Various sub machine guns (about one per crewmember)


There would probably be a few strictly personal weapons that belong to specific crewmembers as well (any sniper rifles would probably fall into this category).  Actually, I can see the CAR-15(s) and some of the various sub machine guns being semi-personal as well, with various crewmembers having particular favorites.

The M-14 rifle is still used by the Navy as a line thrower. That could be an interesting small arm to add to the locker. Plus it's a larger caliber and longer ranged then most of the assault rifles we'd have in stock. Plus it's still a common weapon to use.

QuoteDoes that seem about right to you guys given the kind of work our crew tends to do?  (Well, okay, I already know Sessha favors a MK-19 over the SPG-9...)

Well as you know, I prefer the SPG-9 because it's more aesthetically pleasing in regards to the utilizing a Soviet weapon on a Soviet Patrol Boat and finding ammunition and replacement parts is probably easier and cheaper since these weapons are widely used even now by pirates and insurgent groups worldwide. Plus I agree with Daril in the weapon being less capable adds more tension and drama to it all. Plus it almost looks like a naval cannon, which is cool!

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Sessha

 Me I rather like the idea of the contradiction between the two myself. American weapons on Soviet vehicles. Soviet reliability, American ingenuity. At least that's my thinking. Though to be honest Alex will need her own launcher since none of the M203s would fit her weapon of choice which is the G3A3. I don't like the SPG-9 for the reasons I already stated which by the way an SPG-9 is not a small arm, it's a mounted heavy weapon. Hell she would almost be tempted one of these days to dump the thing overboard once she got ahold of a Mk. 19.
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Daril

I'm pretty sure a round from a MK-19 can't make the sort of hole in a target vessel's hull that a round from a SPG-9 could. It's probably best to view it as a small artillery piece that can be stowed out of sight when not in use.

If we switch one of the M203s to a M79 Alex could borrow that.  If that's the case I might include a second CAR-15 though.  The CAR-15s would be larger than a lot of submachine guns and really unpleasant to fire in a confined space, but they would provide a useful alternative for situations where the enemy might be wearing body armor.

Speaking of submachine guns, anyone have anything in particular they want included in the mix?  I don't think my character would be inclined to use it very much, but I was thinking of throwing an old Tommy gun in among a few more modern models.  :P

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Sessha

 A small side note I found out. It seems for a short period of time in the early to mid-90s H&K did produce an MP-5 in 10mm auto. So yeah Alex will have one of those bad boys for herself to use.

On a different front I was sadden to learn that SIG's entry into the 10mm market with the P220 variant only carries 8 in the  box. So I guess I'm sticking with Glock in future for more modern gun bunny games. A sadness really. :'( :'( :'(
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Daril

Okay, this is an issue I've been meaning to address but keep putting off (partly because I've prioritized addressing other issues, partly because it seems to be a touchy subject). I want to give people a choice with their character's weaponry, but I'd also kind of like it to fit the setting too.  We're playing a ragtag bunch of pirates/smugglers in a Southeast Asian setting awash in leftovers from WWII, Vietnam, and the Cold War.  Yet pretty much everyone (well, the three players who have been specific about their choices) seems to be going for new or rare or expensive models (bonus points if the model was sold exclusively to US government agencies or fires ammunition that's probably close to impossible to find in Southeast Asia).  Surely there are other models you three like that would fit the setting well?  There are lots of interesting choices out there.

(If everyone else is dead set on being equipped like elite American agents/Special Forces maybe I should be the one to change my approach, but I want to at least make the issue I have here clear.)

Anyway, I'd been thinking it would be good to get things moving (even though I'm going to have limited availability later this week) so I figured maybe we should get a clear battle plan worked out so that people understand what their character's role is and can get posting.  Here's my thought on that:

I was thinking of starting with having the crew break the heavy weapons out of concealment, but with Alex already doing maintenance on the M2 it seems it's already out and set up.  So it might be more a matter of grabbing personal gear.

I figure a good plan would be to move in on the freighter, demand it stop and surrender, then rake the bridge windows with machine gun fire and threaten to put some holes in the hull if those aboard it don't comply.  :P  After that, we can leave a crewmember or two behind to provide cover while the boarding party goes over by dingy and secures the vessel (perhaps dealing with a few guys who aren't inclined to surrender in the process).  Any volunteers for staying behind to provide cover?

Also, knowing who's got what station when the boat is called to action would be handy as well.  For the initial stage, I figure we'll need a gunner on both the M2 and the SPG-9 and someone on helm.  The rest could use small arms to help provide cover.  Not sure if Cash would be hands on with one of those roles or the one giving the orders.

Sorrow Singer

If were ready to start up we should get an Ooc for the planning stage fired up, and launch the Ic when your ready. Aya's been pretty much established for a month now. As a side not she's not terribly picky when it comes to fire arms. and is willing enough to use the weapon of a dead man rather than heft too many weapons into combat. If you want some more technical selections ill have to do some research, or someone can recommend a basic side arm suitable for the era.

Neysha

Quote from: Sorrow Singer on August 10, 2015, 09:21:01 PM
If were ready to start up we should get an Ooc for the planning stage fired up, and launch the Ic when your ready. Aya's been pretty much established for a month now. As a side not she's not terribly picky when it comes to fire arms. and is willing enough to use the weapon of a dead man rather than heft too many weapons into combat. If you want some more technical selections ill have to do some research, or someone can recommend a basic side arm suitable for the era.

Well there were a lot of cool Vietnam War era handguns.

Type 51 and 54 Pistols: Chinese versions of the Tokarev TT-33.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_54_pistol

Type 59 Pistol: Chinese version of the Makarov PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makarov_pistol

Browning Hi-Power: Used by the Commonwealth troops more then Americans
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browning_Hi-Power

Colt M1911 Pistol: Obviously the most common pistol used by US Armed Forces
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1911_pistol

Smith & Wesson Model 12: Common revolver issued to US Armed Forces. Aluminum alloy version of the more common Smith & Wesson Model 10.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_%26_Wesson_Model_12

Smith & Wesson Model 10: The most popular revolver of the 20th century. An extremely common sidearm in the Western world and beyond before people started eschewing revolvers for automatic pistols.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_%26_Wesson_Model_10
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Sessha

 So where exactly was the vote for the decision between the Mk. 19 and the SPG-9?

And yes there are lots of choices out there but I wasn't impressed by them, hence why I didn't choose them.
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Writersblockade

I'd like to think that I was being reasonable with my weapon selection, especially since my first go-around was deemed too dutch-like. The MP5-N, I believe, was around during the 80s, as well as the glock 18. Someone can confirm for me. What I'm personally thinking is that while we are, in fact, a group of people suddenly thrown together in an episode of the real world, but with guns, we mostly have a pretty decent military or underworld background. The only old school weapons being used would be the ones that work. AK-47? Fuck yeah I'd let those on the boat, but it's not completely beyond the realm of possibility that the black market would have a shit-ton of american made weapons not doing anything other than waiting to be sold to the guy with the most money. Also not a stretch of the imagination to have Cash get his Agency contacts to throw him a bone or two now and then, especially since they trouble him still with jobs that have to be handled off the books.
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MP-5 probably isn't going to be that hard to find in Roanapur I'm sure. It's not Vietnam War era... but it's no big deal really.

I do like Daril's suggestion of a Thompson for a submachine gun of course. Those SMG's are amazing to fire, especially if you're using the correct low power ammunition.

And I officially vote for the SPG-9 right out of the gate. I think it makes a lot of sense, especially thematically at this juncture. Same with the M-60 IMHO. Always room for improvement later... up to and including Alex dumping the SPG-9 overboard if we get an automatic grenade launcher, which sounds like it'd be a hilarious plot nugget.

And the CAR-15 sounds lovely to me, especially since that's one of Leah's mainstay weapons.

She does have a fancy Sig handgun of course but I figure that handguns are more personal weapons to be honest so having 'nice' ones might make sense with regards to some of the crew. It's a prestige thing as well in having a nice modern handgun even if it's just hanging out in your holster for show... most of the time.
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Daril

I will reply to this tomorrow afternoon.  I just wiped out a whole post by clicking on a link.

Sorrow Singer

Ayas Kit will include a pair of well maintained Colt m1911's. Though one serves as more of spare. Preferring to stay light on her feat she doesn't typically carry more than her sword a brace of throwing knives and one of the pistols at a time. Though that certainly doesn't mean she can't, if the job demands it.

Sessha

Quote from: Daril on August 10, 2015, 08:53:42 PM
...seems to be going for new or rare or expensive models (bonus points if the model was sold exclusively to US government agencies or fires ammunition that's probably close to impossible to find in Southeast Asia).  Surely there are other models you three like that would fit the setting well?  There are lots of interesting choices out there.

First off the Barrett M82 has been around since the late 80s. It's not uncommon to find it in a small outfit like it was found in. Plus it's no longer being produced, as for ammunition for it well guess what? You have access to ammunition for the M2 you have access to ammunition for the M82. They use the same damn round, exactly the same round.

The SAKO TRG-41 using the .338 Lapua round? Yeah here's something funny about that one. It's available to both military AND civilian shooters the world over. So I guess that solves the issue of that ammo now doesn't it?

The G3A3 would in fact be one of the simpler guns to find ammo for. It uses the 7.62x51mm NATO round. Which by the way it's been around since the 1950s with more than 7000 variants made. I think we can find one in Roanapur. Hell with the German Army dumping the things in the mid-90s in favor of the G36 getting one would be easy.

The only one that would have an issue getting ahold of would be the ammo for the Desert Eagle .50 AE. Cause it uses a special type of ammo but as we've seen in Black Lagoon it's not that rare. After all the Church of Violence can get access to them for that old hag to fire off in her own Desert Eagle.

The 10mm auto rounds for the Glock 20? Well guess what there is a reason Glock still makes the Glock 20 model because they still make the 10mm auto cartridge, which again is available to the general public for purchase. It's uncommon yes but not rare. Even H&K still make parts for their K&K MP-5/10 despite not making the gun anymore in favor of the more popular 9mm version*hacks up lunch* Sorry about that thinking about that round made me queasy.

As for the SIG P226 and it's .357 SIG round? Oh yeah that's been made since the early 90s. The .357 SIG (1994) was the first modern bottleneck commercial handgun cartridge since the early 1960s.." Please take note of one particular word in there. Now say it with me "Commercial" What's that mean? It means it's available to the general public so getting ahold of it? Simple.

Quote from: Daril on August 10, 2015, 08:53:42 PM
There are lots of interesting choices out there.

Yet none that interested me.

Quote from: Daril on August 10, 2015, 08:53:42 PM
(If everyone else is dead set on being equipped like elite American agents/Special Forces maybe I should be the one to change my approach, but I want to at least make the issue I have here clear.)

No I am quite frankly enjoying this particular setting just fine. It doesn't mean we can't be equipped with stuff.

Quote from: Daril on August 10, 2015, 08:53:42 PM
I figure a good plan would be to move in on the freighter, demand it stop and surrender, then rake the bridge windows with machine gun fire and threaten to put some holes in the hull if those aboard it don't comply.  :P  After that, we can leave a crewmember or two behind to provide cover while the boarding party goes over by dingy and secures the vessel (perhaps dealing with a few guys who aren't inclined to surrender in the process).  Any volunteers for staying behind to provide cover?

This is a fine battle plan. It just means that only two people are going over on the ship while three stay behind and man the guns. Or well two of them do while the third acts as a loader and our mechanic stays down in the engine room doing her job.

Quote from: Neysha on August 10, 2015, 10:53:17 PM
And I officially vote for the SPG-9 right out of the gate. I think it makes a lot of sense, especially thematically at this juncture. Same with the M-60 IMHO. Always room for improvement later... up to and including Alex dumping the SPG-9 overboard if we get an automatic grenade launcher, which sounds like it'd be a hilarious plot nugget.

Where as I officially cast my vote for the Mk. 19 Grenade Launcher from the outset. Which if we go with that SPG-9 Alex will continue to call it a piece of crap and will never fire nor load it.
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Neysha

Leah can probably stay on the ship.  By default she's the least capable in all forms of combat and possesses the most mechanical aptitude by default,  which isn't very much but more then anyone else in the current crew. ;)

After looking over those Vietnam era handguns, I might even switch out her Sig for something more Vietnam era.  While it's certainly possible she could have a Sig, something more basic like a revolver would make more sense in regards to her situation. Especially since it's her backup and she's not particularly proficient with them.

This discussion does lay to rest the concerns that in a crew such as this that someone would be considered superflous which always struck me as a silly concern anyhow. :p
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Sessha

 Honestly I would stick with the SIG. It's a good weapon and it's has many variants among which is a sub-compact. Plus I'll admit I'd like to see a female character who's not a main line fighter type use something that isn't like a S&W .38 Special or something like that. Honestly I'd stick with the P228. It's a good gun for what it is.
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Neysha

Oh I know. I love the Sig I own. It's a pleasure to fire. Favorite handgun by far that I've used in my extremely limited experience.

She probably could've gotten one recently anyhow despite using a boring revolver during most of her travels. And sometimes carrying two backup weapons isn't exactly uncommon in action settings like these. It'll also make for a fun scene during the inevitable "show us your weapons" scene that'll inevitably happen and require a solid paragraph for each crewmember to detail and rightly so.  :p
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Sessha

 Oh yeah Alex has three handguns at her disposal and in descending order of damage output. Her weakest being her SIG.
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Daril

@Sessha -All you needed to do to get a vote on the MK-19 vs SPG-9 was say you wanted to take it to a vote when I suggested taking it to a vote.  But when I say "we can put it to a vote if you really want to" I'm probably not going to do so unless you confirm that yes, you want to do so.

I have more of a problem with some of your choices than others.  Ammo wise, in production does not mean readily available everywhere, especially parts of the world where you'd be lucky to find anyone using a particular caliber.  Getting someone to smuggle something in specifically for you is going to get expensive, especially compared to calibers where cheap surplus is readily available.

The biggest objection I have is definitely to the MP-5/10 though due to it being made specifically for US Law Enforcement.  I would consider a 9mm MP5 custom converted to .45 reasonable (even though I'm trying to get away from MP5s a bit), but it seems you consider .45 a boring caliber in addition to considering 9mm too small?  ???

@Writersblockade -While I'd like to see less MP5s (ditto Glocks and SiGs) its mainly the fact that its the model that was made specifically for the US DOD that I have an issue with.  I might have preferred to see Cash use something like the Swedish K that was favored by US covert ops types in Vietnam, but a MP5 model that wasn't made specifically for a US Government agency would be acceptable.

As for old versus new, soldiers tend to have strong loyalty to weapons that work, and the new isn't necessarily much better than the old -heck, there are people who consider the M16A1 a better assault rifle than the M16A2 model.  This is not to say the crew shouldn't have any new toys, but why spend a lot of time and money to acquire something new when old faithful is a proven performer?

Of course, Cash could be the type who is really into having the latest new toys.  If that's the case maybe I should be rethinking the contents of that arms locker.  I'd kind of prefer not to go that route though.

@Neysha -I'd like to get some variety but a Sig is probably fine.  Though, btw, if it's largely for show why not go for the pimped out look?  Get a hard chromed M1911 with pearl grips or something?  :D

Writersblockade

*laughs* If I have to change my glock out, I'm going duel-weilding Castor Troy gold-plated muthafuckin 1911s. Jesus those things were sweet as pancakes in bed!

I'm okay with the non-DOD MP5. I'd change it to the MP5K. It's small and won't cause too much trouble with storage. I'd also like to have the briefcase accessory in case I need someone to bring it with them on a negotiation ^_^
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Quote from: Daril on August 11, 2015, 07:36:26 PM
@Sessha -All you needed to do to get a vote on the MK-19 vs SPG-9 was say you wanted to take it to a vote when I suggested taking it to a vote.  But when I say "we can put it to a vote if you really want to" I'm probably not going to do so unless you confirm that yes, you want to do so.

I have more of a problem with some of your choices than others.  Ammo wise, in production does not mean readily available everywhere, especially parts of the world where you'd be lucky to find anyone using a particular caliber.  Getting someone to smuggle something in specifically for you is going to get expensive, especially compared to calibers where cheap surplus is readily available.

The biggest objection I have is definitely to the MP-5/10 though due to it being made specifically for US Law Enforcement.  I would consider a 9mm MP5 custom converted to .45 reasonable (even though I'm trying to get away from MP5s a bit), but it seems you consider .45 a boring caliber in addition to considering 9mm too small?  ???

When you mentioned before you were going to put it to a vote I was waiting for you to open the polls, but if you needed me to say something then fine call the damn vote already.

Actually all these ammo types ARE readily available. That's the point I'm making here Daril. The fact they are available commercially means there is a stockpile somewhere. It means I can walk into a gun store and buy that round off the shelf. If that can be done that means it doesn't have to be smuggled into the place. As for the MP-/10 it was only a small fantasy at best. I was really just thinking of having Alex go in for CQB with something like a French SPAS 12 or heck even an AA-12 loaded with shot or slug haven't decided on that.. Nothing beats a shotgun in close ranges against unarmored targets. Again the Barrett uses the same type of ammunition as the M2. I mean literally it uses the exactly same round. So if you can get ammo for an M2 you get ammo for an M82. The biggest problem is getting hold of the .50 AE for the Desert Eagle. Which for Alex is a gun of last resort. It's got the least amount of ammo of any of her handguns and is the most expensive to replace. I'll give you that but the others, no getting  a hold of it shouldn't be that much harder. I'm also going to point out that the ammo for her G3A3 once more IS readily available in large quantities. It's a fricken 7.62x51mm NATO round. With the German government practically dumping most of their stocks of G3s in favor the 5.56 G36 all that ammo for those G3s has to go somewhere.

As for smaller 9mm yes it is too small for me. It doesn't do enough damage. Go back and listen to the stories of the guys who fought the Battle of Mogadishu. They talk about how they would have empty half their magazines against some of those Somalis because they were hocked up on things like PVC or it's native equivalent. The big reason I like the bigger rounds Daril is they destroy more tissue on the way in. The bigger the hole you can blow through someone the less meat there is to support them. You know "In like a nickel out like a pizza." Also the biggest reason for the development of the .45 ACP was to provide a sidearm for the US officers that had more knockdown power than their rifles could produce. Also the US Government has begun to call into question the effectiveness of the 5.56 round and the 9mm M9.

Also as far as other people's gun choices are concerned leave off them. 

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Writersblockade

#174
I think it was Khat, or something like that. (least I remember that from Black Hawk Down, which was btw a good movie AND a good read) Yeah, high on shit, you can take a few rounds and keep moving. With someone with her back-story, wanting to always lean towards higher caliber items makes sense. Kill it til it's dead lol

I'd like to say that at this point, the conversation about weapon loadouts are purely from a point of style and atmosphere. Unless we are seriously incorporating a game system that attaches damage, range, rate of fire, and targeting pluses or minuses into this, then it really doesn't matter lmao. The more complicated we make the gun part of this, the worse it'll get when the bullets start firing. We're going to be having pages of back and forth over why or why not regarding a certain event. It'll drag down what was originally intended as a fast paced game, and we'll all be grumbling over the shit. Trust me. Been there.
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@Sessha -SPAS-12 is fine, I'd been thinking of putting one in the boat's arms communal arms locker already, so maybe she can borrow that.  I don't remember saying 7.62x51mm would be hard to find, but I'm not convinced shops in Asia are likely to stock 10mm and .357 SiG when pretty much no one there uses those.  Still not sure what's wrong with a .45, but whatever.

@Writersblockade -Keep the Glock if you prefer it.  Though dual M1911s would be fine too as long as they aren't gold plated.  :D As for K versus full size MP5, why not get both?

Anyway, we are voting on whether the boat is going to carry a SPG-9 or a MK-19.  We are also going to discuss the battle plan.  Here is the plan again (note the SPG-9 could potentially be replaced by the MK-19).

Quote from: Daril on August 10, 2015, 08:53:42 PMAnyway, I'd been thinking it would be good to get things moving (even though I'm going to have limited availability later this week) so I figured maybe we should get a clear battle plan worked out so that people understand what their character's role is and can get posting.  Here's my thought on that:

I was thinking of starting with having the crew break the heavy weapons out of concealment, but with Alex already doing maintenance on the M2 it seems it's already out and set up.  So it might be more a matter of grabbing personal gear.

I figure a good plan would be to move in on the freighter, demand it stop and surrender, then rake the bridge windows with machine gun fire and threaten to put some holes in the hull if those aboard it don't comply.  :P  After that, we can leave a crewmember or two behind to provide cover while the boarding party goes over by dingy and secures the vessel (perhaps dealing with a few guys who aren't inclined to surrender in the process).  Any volunteers for staying behind to provide cover?

Also, knowing who's got what station when the boat is called to action would be handy as well.  For the initial stage, I figure we'll need a gunner on both the M2 and the SPG-9 and someone on helm.  The rest could use small arms to help provide cover.  Not sure if Cash would be hands on with one of those roles or the one giving the orders.

Not a perfect plan, but I think it's about the best our crew can do with what they've got.  Besides, Revy and Dutch took out a whole ship full of Nazis, I think our guys can handle a few goons.

Tally for SPG-9 vs MK-19 is currently two for SPG-9 (myself and Neysha) one for MK-19 (Sessha).

Sessha

Quote from: Daril on August 11, 2015, 10:53:14 PM
@Sessha -SPAS-12 is fine, I'd been thinking of putting one in the boat's arms communal arms locker already, so maybe she can borrow that.  I don't remember saying 7.62x51mm would be hard to find, but I'm not convinced shops in Asia are likely to stock 10mm and .357 SiG when pretty much no one there uses those.  Still not sure what's wrong with a .45, but whatever.
[

Like I said either a SPAS-12 or what about a USAS-12 would be fine with me,(though I'm kind of leaning more towards the USAS myself.)  ;D However if I get the SPAS-12 I want the one with the 8+1 tube.

Interestingly enough if I had never found the 10mm I would have gone with the .45 ACP. I would just need to find something that had a decent enough magazine capacity. Which has always been the draw back to the M1911 and similar models. The low ammunition magazines. Now as for the .357 SIG round. I did some checking and it seems that there ARE a number of nearby countries that use the round itself. Also ordering the rounds from a nearby country that doesn't exactly have the same arms restrictions as the US and other countries would make it woefully cheaper than trying to smuggle it in. There are several nearby countries that can buy and import the bullets from other countries.
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Daril

@Sessha There are a few .45s with 12+ round capacity like the Glock 21, Star Megastar, and high capacity M1911 conversions.  I still think .357 SiG would be hard to get in Southeast Asia in 1995 but if you're set on it I won't stop you.  I know this has kind of been my fault, but let's get things wrapped up and concentrate on the plan so we can get the RPG moving, okay?

@All

At some point it would be good for Leah to get some experience with boarding ops, but since Neysha's good with her staying behind for this one let's go with that.  My feeling is that Hawke, Alex, and Tiny should be part of the boarding party.  I figure Cash can either lead the boarding party or remain on the boat as its Captain.  What do you guys think?

Or do you think the entire plan needs a rework?

Sessha

 Kind of yea. Remember that the SPG-9 take two people to fire with any sort of fire rate to speak of, though I would hold off on that since we are in the middle of a vote.

Though Neysha good post you made.  ;D I really felt Leah's frustration.
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Neysha

Maybe we can have an expendable NPC to help crew the vessel and do random sailor tasks. And be a loader for the SPG-9 during combat situations. ;)

And thank you Sess. :)
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Daril

I have another character idea but I think it's best to stick with the crew we've got for now.  I think we've got enough crewmembers to provide a loader for a SPG-9 during the "make them stop the ship" phase.  "Cover the boarding party" phase maybe not so much, but I wasn't planning for a SPG-9 to play a major roll in that phase anyway.

In general if we're going with the SPG-9 I don't think we'll be shooting it super rapidly anyway.  It's basically a small artillery piece.  It can do a lot of damage with each shot, but I doubt the crew keeps a lot of ammo for it aboard.

Vex

Once again, I hope no one minds if I stay out of the vote for the explosive launcher for the Strike. It's not something that concerns my character so much as much as many of yours. Besides, even if Ami does eventually get to learn the weaponry, I'd think it more natural to simply have her work with whatever the crew provides for her. That feels like a much more natural way to handle it. Not that I think she'll be using a grenade launcher or an artillery piece much anyway.

Although, I will say, I think I agree with Writersblockage over the matter of how much discussion this really warrants. I don't particularly mind, seeing as you all seem to enjoy the debate, for the most part, but keep in mind, this is mostly about style and ascetic, not really function. Complete realism of action isn't really Black Lagoon's thing, even if they manage to capture some aspects of warfare rather well. The Rule of Cool very much takes the reigns. As Remy herself states: "If you can hit your target, pretty much any gun will do the trick."

I concur with Sess, Neysha. It was a neat post to read.  :-)

Anyway, Daril, is there anything you'd like in particular you'd like from me while we're setting up? Should I go ahead with an introductory post, even though Ami won't be with the rest of the crew yet? Or should I hold off for when the rest of the crew happen upon her amidst the seizure?

Writersblockade

omfg you guys are killing me lol. If I knew we were officially posting, I could have did it yesterday!
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Sessha

 Yeah Writer the thread's been up since like two day ago.
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Writersblockade

We've still been arguing over story details! How was I supposed to know we were gearing up lmao!
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Sessha

 Well we are posting now so you can have Cash post now. Oh and do vote on which gun you want to use.
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Sorrow Singer

when/where did the thread go up? this is news to me as well.

-edit: Never mind found it

Daril

I did actually post a link to it.  I guess it got lost in subsequent discussions.

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=234440.0

(BTW, I realize it's in the wrong subforum, I'll try to get it moved.)

The main thing I want to work out at this point is who's supposed to go where when the order is given to prepare for action.  Settling this MK-19/SPG-9 thing would help with that.

Also, I've now got a character thread up.

Just hope things don't move too quickly now, as I'm going to have limited availability from today until Monday.

@Vex -If you'd like to do a post introducing Ami and the situation she's in right now I'd be fine with that.

Sessha

 Eh I don't exactly much care. Just leave it where it's at.
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Vex

Heh. Yeah, he posted a link a couple of pages ago, back on Saturday, although it was just to the Non-Con Exotic forum, not to the thread itself. The discussion might had drowned it out a bit. You guys were getting pretty involved in the discussions over the boat's armory at that point. Not that passion is a bad thing, of course. ;)

Anyway, yeah, NC Exotic does seem like the wrong forum. I don't think we're going to have any non-humans in this game.  :P

Quote from: Daril on August 13, 2015, 10:30:41 AM
@Vex -If you'd like to do a post introducing Ami and the situation she's in right now I'd be fine with that.

Actually, if it's alright with you, I think I'd rather hold off, until she's discovered, or at least, when she starts interacting with the crew. I think the narrative works better that way, to emphasize her largely incidental rescue, if we're largely taking the perspective of the crew. I just wasn't sure if you were expecting anything from me just yet, and was willing to do a post if you wanted me to.

Daril

We don't need a post from you quite yet, but I'd prefer you to be the one to establish you're character's current circumstances at some point.

BTW, I now have an OOC thread up: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=234776.0

Vex

No problem. I'll just wait until she's within range to interact with them. With her by herself, and presumably quite helpless, I simply feel like posting now, when she can add much to the scene at the moment, is a bit of a disruption to the early flow. But, when the moment comes, I'll be sure to lay out just where she's at, and what her situation is.