Age of Skysail: Fate Core Group Game

[TheGlyphstone]

This is shaping up to be a great set of players. Pumpkin Seeds's aspects scream a 'Sweet Polly Oliver' story to me. Kckolbe's guy will get along 'great' with my disenfranchised bastard highborn, and I was already planning to have my First Adventure be A Little Trouble In Big China or something similar, reflecting his journey to the exotic Orient to try and learn their long-held secrets of things that go BOOM, which gives lots of openings for a pre-game connection to Mai's character.

[kckolbe]

Interesting, Glyph, our chars are nearly opposite in status.

[SGTDan]

Okay, I like what I see, but I'm a little off-put here by what I don't see. Generally, creating Aspects and then filling in the background to make them work is discouraged in Fate, and I personally see it as going about things a little bit backwards. That said, I do really like a lot of those Aspects, and am very much interested to see how you make them work with your characters story and first adventure.

@SgtDan
I'm a tad miffed you went with Master & Commander rather than my personal favorite Napoleonic Era nautical adventure series (The Hornblower Novels by CS Forester; I highly recommend them if you're already a fan of M&C), but that said I'm not about to fault you for drawing on at the very least the visual inspiration  ;D

High Concept and Trouble look great, though you may consider changing up the Trouble to "Your Faithful & Obedient Servant, Sir" (or some variation thereof) which is the traditional valediction of dispatches for the Royal Navy.

@Pumpkin Seeds
I rather like the Trouble you have there (however anachronistic) and can't wait to see what sort of backstory lead to Catrina being Not the Marrying Kind. Your High Concept however I think needs a little work, or else, I'd appreciate if you explained more of what you mean by it. I'm ambivalent at this point to your final Aspect until I've seen the Adventure from which you derive it.

I have played Fate before and I know you should always put backstory before you chose the Aspect. However in this case I didn't have the time to write what I had in mind and what Aspect I wanted.

As for the Master and Commander bit, it's the only decent photo I could find of a Royal Naval officer. I'm normally not the man who uses actors as pictures since it's hard to not unsee an actor. Through the lack of any good results I was forced to use him.  If it is any consolation I love the Hornblower novels and would of used the movie if it had came to my mind sooner. I like your trouble Aspect as it fits the times, thank you for reminding me Chaos.

[chaoslord29]

I'll gladly add in the "always" and tweak the Concept wording as you suggested.  As for the Backstory Aspect, I didn't intend for him to be a Noble, just having had a family able to buy many of the advantages available to one.  I was hoping the Aspect would represent the knowledge one would expect of a noble (for invocations), but with the obvious signs that he is no noble (for compelling). 

I see him as being well educated in the ways important to a merchant, being good with sums, navigation, language, and knowledge of what commodities are found where and for how much.  His knowledge on art, music, and fashion, however...not so much.

Ah, I see what you're going for there, and I should have included a "Playing at being a noble" there rather than what it says verbatim. In that case, I think Silver Spoon definitely captures well what you're going for, and creates a sort of precious metals theme which is all the more suited to someone good with commodities and the finer points of trade. If you're still working on a name, why not include Sterling as his given or surname and then plug that into the Aspect for Sterling Silver Spoon.

This is shaping up to be a great set of players. Pumpkin Seeds's aspects scream a 'Sweet Polly Oliver' story to me. Kckolbe's guy will get along 'great' with my disenfranchised bastard highborn, and I was already planning to have my First Adventure be A Little Trouble In Big China or something similar, reflecting his journey to the exotic Orient to try and learn their long-held secrets of things that go BOOM, which gives lots of openings for a pre-game connection to Mai's character.

I was thinking the same thing on both counts

I have played Fate before and I know you should always put backstory before you chose the Aspect. However in this case I didn't have the time to write what I had in mind and what Aspect I wanted.

As for the Master and Commander bit, it's the only decent photo I could find of a Royal Naval officer. I'm normally not the man who uses actors as pictures since it's hard to not unsee an actor. Through the lack of any good results I was forced to use him.  If it is any consolation I love the Hornblower novels and would of used the movie if it had came to my mind sooner. I like your trouble Aspect as it fits the times, thank you for reminding me Chaos.

Ah, I understand then, though it set a somewhat unfortunate precedent in the subsequent submissions. No worries, hasn't stemmed the momentum of great character submissions.

Glad to have another Hornblower fan about! Though this RP is taking place a few hundred years prior to those events. I wanted to make sure everyone is on the same page where that is concerned, and if anyone would prefer to start in the latter half of the 17th or even the beginning of the 18th century. I would prefer we keep things Pre-American Revolution though who knows, maybe the circumstances will spell a very different story for that particular region.

[mai]

Glad to have another Hornblower fan about! Though this RP is taking place a few hundred years prior to those events. I wanted to make sure everyone is on the same page where that is concerned, and if anyone would prefer to start in the latter half of the 17th or even the beginning of the 18th century. I would prefer we keep things Pre-American Revolution though who knows, maybe the circumstances will spell a very different story for that particular region.

I wouldn't be opposed necessarily to a later start, but if that's the case I'll need to rework my character a bit, since a pretty substantial part of her backstory has to do with early 1600s Chinese politics, and that would need to be updated for a different era.

[kckolbe]

I definitely prefer 17th century, as the colonies were smaller and separate from each other.

[TheGlyphstone]

I'm happy with 17th century as well.

[SGTDan]

The British Navy didn't standardize uniforms,ranks and such till about mid 1700's nor did the rating system they used in ship building. I mean I am fine with the current setting, just it's difficult for me because I do not know much on the period. Also I do apologize about the precedent was not my intention but I should of foreseen it.

Oh! Speaking of rating, what rate could I start with? I was thinking a 74 Gun Third Rate since those were quite popular.

[chaoslord29]

The British Navy didn't standardize uniforms,ranks and such till about mid 1700's nor did the rating system they used in ship building. I mean I am fine with the current setting, just it's difficult for me because I do not know much on the period. Also I do apologize about the precedent was not my intention but I should of foreseen it.

Oh! Speaking of rating, what rate could I start with? I was thinking a 74 Gun Third Rate since those were quite popular.

I'm going to utilize a gm fiat here and just retcon the standardization of uniforms and ratings across the british (and everyone else's) navy taking place much, much sooner, due to the demands presented by maintaining order in the skies. I mean, the system they came up with had to incorporate plenty of older vessels, and I'm not such an expert on the period anyway to be able to tell the difference, let alone be bothered by it.

As for the vessel itself, I think you might be a little ambitious there friend. Third Rates aren't likely to be found anywhere outside national navies or company fleets, and I was still on the idea of ya'll playing an intrepid crew of dashing privateers. That lends itself much more I think to a smaller vessel better suited for swift pursuits and hasty retreats, crewed by yourselves and maybe a handful of NPC extras. A Third Rate requires a crew of between 200 & 300 and several thousand tonnes of supplies (powder, sail, timber, pitch, food, water, ammunition, etc.) to keep aloft.

I'm not taking the use or acquisition of such a vessel off the table of course, but I will say this: Leave some room to grow. The 74 Gun Ship of the line is more or less the pinnacle of naval warfare for the mid 18th Century. Even if you don't want to wait in the RP until you can afford to purchase or trade-up to such a vessel, a scene in which you commandeer such a vessel, makes for a much better setup than simply starting the game with one.

Start small, figure on having a brig, sloop, or maybe at most a frigate.

[mai]

Ok, here's the final version of my character sheet.


Name: "Lia" Li Yan (Li being her family name, Yan her given name, and "Lia" a westernized name she adopted for dealing with foreigners unable or unwilling to pronounce her real one)

Here's an image, although she wouldn't be dressed so formally most of the time

High Concept: Silver-tongued Emissary to the West - Li Yan is skilled as a diplomat, she has a way of talking to people, learning their language and earning their trust. However, she is still aware of her heritage, her loyalties and affiliations, and how obvious it is that she serves a foreign (and, in her mind, greater) power.

Trouble: Plum Blossom Amongst Weeds - Li Yan is tied to her homeland in many ways, most of which aren't exactly an asset in the far West. Some treat her with suspicion, after all, she's openly the agent of a foreign power. Other times, people with previous relationships to the Empire or its enemies will expect things of her or oppose her on the basis of her affiliation. And not only that, her appearance and manners mark her as something Other, an exotic treasure in the midst of her foreign companions, or, metaphorically speaking, a plum blossom, strong in the midst of adversity. The plum blossom is of particular significance, since her mother gave her a pressed flower in a pendant as a reminder of who she is when they first left the Middle Kingdom.

Backstory: The daughter of a minor noble functionary from the city of Shenyang, Li Yan accompanied her father as part of the retinue of an embassy sent West by the Wanli Emperor. Although she's a young woman now, she hasn't seen her homeland since she was a young teenager. She still remembers it fondly, if not terribly clearly after many years. On the trip, Li Yan distinguished herself by showing a keen eye for observation and a quick facility with languages. However, not all has been at peace since they left. The death of the Emperor and the capture of Shenyang by rebel forces has left the embassy on shaky ground, and so Zhong Wei, the ambassador, has decided to hedge his bets by extending his stay in the West indefinitely and shrinking the size of his retinue (by, for example, hiring out his functionaries' children to privateer ships). Secretly, he plans to gather as much valuable information on the rapidly expanding West as he can, so as to have something of value to present to the Emperor (whoever that ends up being) when he returns. Aspect: Zhong Wei's Eyes in the Sky

First Adventure: Li Yan hires on to a French ship, bound for the American colonies with the hope of taking a valuable artifact uncovered by an English expedition. Unfortunately, another privateer got to it first, and Li Yan is sent to negotiate with him in order to arrange a purchase and/or theft of the artifact. She manages to talk him into a drinking contest, wagering the ship (which wasn't hers to lose) against the find. Although Li Yan somehow manages to emerge victorious, she also comes away from the ordeal with a dangerous new affinity for the bottle. Aspect: Holds her liquor, as often as possible.

[SGTDan]

So maybe a Fifth or Sixth Rate then, I admit to be a tad ambitious with a 3rd Rate. However when I was taught to bargain, you start high and go from there. Fifth was often used as scouts or independent cruisers while Sixth Rates were often used for smaller duties. As for the fiat I appreciate it, relieves much of the headache I had finding information. My experience is 1700's and 1800's when it comes to naval history.

I suppose if we go with a Sith Rate then we can use the  HMS Rose, the one used in Master and Commander. She had about 20 nine ponders, carried about 160 men. Not to mention there's plenty of photos of her. There's also the HMS Surprise which was had  24 32-pounder carronades, 10 32-pounder carronades, 2  4-pounder guns as chasers and about 240 crew.

Also I rather start with a ship and keep the ship, it's a thing to become attached to your ships.

[chaoslord29]

So maybe a Fifth or Sixth Rate then, I admit to be a tad ambitious with a 3rd Rate. However when I was taught to bargain, you start high and go from there. Fifth was often used as scouts or independent cruisers while Sixth Rates were often used for smaller duties. As for the fiat I appreciate it, relieves much of the headache I had finding information. My experience is 1700's and 1800's when it comes to naval history.

I suppose if we go with a Sith Rate then we can use the  HMS Rose, the one used in Master and Commander. She had about 20 nine ponders, carried about 160 men. Not to mention there's plenty of photos of her. There's also the HMS Surprise which was had  24 32-pounder carronades, 10 32-pounder carronades, 2  4-pounder guns as chasers and about 240 crew.

Also I rather start with a ship and keep the ship, it's a thing to become attached to your ships.

I'm going to need you to sell me on that a little more. Is there any reason you would be wholly unsatisfied with something smaller than a strictly military vessel? After all, given the other characters who'll be making up the crew, you're not always going to be in need of a military vessel, or at least as I see it, you're going to need something capable of smuggling and subtlety on at least as many occasions. Smaller crew means less people who might need to keep a secret, smaller ship means more likely to be underestimated, and easier to maintain, supply, and less likely to be singled out by port authorities and governments.

Think about it this way, unless everyone's agreed that the focus of the game will be on military action, ship-to-ship engagements, and taking up arms in some international conflict (I included the 30 Years War as sort of a teaser or plot hook, didn't intend for it to be the focus), you're going to need a ship that can fulfill a lot of different roles, rather than something devoted solely to blowing enemy vessels out of the air. At the end of the day, Privateers aren't soldiers. They make their living preying on merchant vessels of their patron's nations enemies, so really they only have to be stronger than most merchant vessels, and fast enough to outrun anyone they can't beat in a straight fight. You're more like international men and women of mystery, and so instead of a tank or battleship, you need a super slick spy car.

I think the nautical (aeronautical?) equivalent of that is going to be a brig. Brigs are fast, maneuverable, and during the Age of Sail popular as both merchant and military vessels (especially during the early to mid 18th Century). It's tougher and more sea-worthy (storm-worthy) than a sloop or barque or smaller merchant vessel, but it's every bit as fast with the added advantage of being faster before the wind (thanks to it's square rigging). In the early 17th century, possessing a freshly commissioned and fully furbished brig is like having next year's high-end sports car before everyone else on the block; it's fast, it's sleek, it's sexy, and it incorporates the newest ship-building techniques and technology.  Many famous historical and fictional pirates lead successful careers aboard brigs, from Jean Lafitte to Captain Hook. Though sporting less guns than a 5th or 6th rate, brigs can mount heavier guns and offer a broadside of comparable weight to any single decker ship, but require a minimun crew of 12-16 to sail.

[mai]

I definitely agree, our crew doesn't seem terribly suited to facing up head-on against warships, and really that's not what privateers do anyway. Of course, we could always execute some daring raids on ships in harbor, or take prizes if we want bigger ships to play with for a time later on, but I think our main ship should be something small (also that way we won't have hundreds of NPC characters just sort of "around" all the time)

e: on second thought I guess it depends on how peoples' characters shape up. We've definitely got a couple military folks (a commander and a marine), and another if Glyph plays up the weapons-master element of his character. So maybe a more combat focused thing could work (although kckolbe and I will certainly be a bit out of place in that scenario, I think).

[chaoslord29]

I definitely agree, our crew doesn't seem terribly suited to facing up head-on against warships, and really that's not what privateers do anyway. Of course, we could always execute some daring raids on ships in harbor, or take prizes if we want bigger ships to play with for a time later on, but I think our main ship should be something small (also that way we won't have hundreds of NPC characters just sort of "around" all the time)

e: on second thought I guess it depends on how peoples' characters shape up. We've definitely got a couple military folks (a commander and a marine), and another if Glyph plays up the weapons-master element of his character. So maybe a more combat focused thing could work (although kckolbe and I will certainly be a bit out of place in that scenario, I think).

I think the point remains that if we play a campaign with potential for the more subtle and refined elements of privateering, then between preying on merchant vessels, ambushing larger warships, and engaging in high stakes diplomacy and spycraft, then everyone gets a chance to shine. A military focused campaign is necessarily less multi-dimensional.

[SGTDan]

I was simply going with the breadth of information there is on the Sixth rate, which was the main draw for me. It's not really a matter of wanting something to blow everything out of water. A sixth rate is a really tiny vessel all things considered among the most common two deckers. She's light,fast and often used as scouts. For me it's similar to a brig but better designed for comfort at sea.

As for the roles, I'm not looking for a solely military object. With modifications such as removing some guns and lessening the amount of powder and ammo you need to store, you can convert that space to cargo. My main concern was not firepower but crew comfort for longer voyages out at sea.  I'm not stopping you from going lower I won't mind, just putting cargo,comfort and other concerns into mind for a balance. My examples are military because that is the information that is readily available. Many explorers used converted fifth and sixth rates. 

As for brigs, 12 to 16 to sail but you combine everyone else you have a crew of roughly 155. Total guns would range to the same as the 20 gun Sixth Rate I showed you. Sixth rates and Brigs have the same firepower, one is just far more comfortable for long voyages. That was my only reason really was while yes it was larger, it's cannons were inboard,crew had a mess, wardroom for officers and guests plus with plenty of room to handle large amounts of cargo.

[chaoslord29]

I was simply going with the breadth of information there is on the Sixth rate, which was the main draw for me. It's not really a matter of wanting something to blow everything out of water. A sixth rate is a really tiny vessel all things considered among the most common two deckers. She's light, fast and often used as scouts. For me it's similar to a brig but better designed for comfort at sea.

As for the roles, I'm not looking for a solely military object. With modifications such as removing some guns and lessening the amount of powder and ammo you need to store, you can convert that space to cargo. My main concern was not firepower but crew comfort for longer voyages out at sea.  I'm not stopping you from going lower I won't mind, just putting cargo,comfort and other concerns into mind for a balance. My examples are military because that is the information that is readily available. Many explorers used converted fifth and sixth rates. 

As for brigs, 12 to 16 to sail but you combine everyone else you have a crew of roughly 155. Total guns would range to the same as the 20 gun Sixth Rate I showed you. Sixth rates and Brigs have the same firepower, one is just far more comfortable for long voyages. That was my only reason really was while yes it was larger, it's cannons were inboard,crew had a mess, wardroom for officers and guests plus with plenty of room to handle large amounts of cargo.

That's a good point about Frigates being converted for voyages of exploration, so if that's something you as a party would like to focus on I'd definitely take it into consideration. Can't help but think of the various brigs that were used for surveying, especially along coast lines, and then there's the famous voyage of the HMS Beagle (a brig) and Charles Darwin. Overall, I just took for granted that you guys would be in and out of ports between scenes and jobs (much like Shadowrunners get down time in between runs) since Fate doesn't lend itself to extended 'survival' themed adventures.  That said, I think it makes it all the more dramatic if an extended voyage is going to be all the more perilous in a brig, just means more chances for your characters to prove how exceptional they (and their ship) are!

I am confused however by the disparity in crew sizes that seems to exist in the material I'm researching. Some show brigs with crews of over 100, but the HMS Niagara, one of the most famous brigs in history had a crew of only 42. Overall, I don't want to get too hung up on these kinds of details, since Fate is a rules light system anyway. Having more or less crew might factor in when you want to board an enemy vessel or get boarded and there's now a situation Aspect of Outnumbered on the scene. Likewise a having the handier or better armed vessel is only going to make a difference when you want to use that to create and Advantage and apply aspects like 'Outgunned' or 'Flying circles round em' on the scene.

[mai]

well as far as the crew disparities goes, that's not terribly mysterious. A ship could be crewed with much fewer people than usually there were, and privateer ships especially tended to run with especially large crews (so as to crew ships that they captured).

[TheGlyphstone]

Indeed...from what I understand, a big part of the large crew sizes for military/naval vessels was cold-hearted casualty calculation; they built in enough 'spare' crew members that the survivors could still control the ship and keep it above water after a major battle. And as said, privateers often ran on a surplus to ensure they had prize crews available for captures.

[chaoslord29]

well as far as the crew disparities goes, that's not terribly mysterious. A ship could be crewed with much fewer people than usually there were, and privateer ships especially tended to run with especially large crews (so as to crew ships that they captured).

Indeed...from what I understand, a big part of the large crew sizes for military/naval vessels was cold-hearted casualty calculation; they built in enough 'spare' crew members that the survivors could still control the ship and keep it above water after a major battle. And as said, privateers often ran on a surplus to ensure they had prize crews available for captures.

Ah, that makes sense and actually lends itself well to our purposes. Mechanically, I'll allow you to decide the complement of crew you'll be taking on (and any resources that'll cost you), and you can use the usual minion rules for Quantity and Quality to determine how good the Crew will be any time you're not directly taking action yourselves.

Will we be wanting to use the Wealth optional rules and a Wealth Stress Track? Does anyone have an alternative system they'd like to pitch?

[mai]

I'm not familiar with the wealth optional rules, but I think given the variety of socioeconomic backgrounds our characters have, wealth as a skill might make sense? The folks with noble backgrounds or powerful backers could have a high wealth skill representing their ability to draw on those resources, while characters with less to go on might have a low skill, representing that they have a much harder time affording large purchases.

[chaoslord29]

I'm not familiar with the wealth optional rules, but I think given the variety of socioeconomic backgrounds our characters have, wealth as a skill might make sense? The folks with noble backgrounds or powerful backers could have a high wealth skill representing their ability to draw on those resources, while characters with less to go on might have a low skill, representing that they have a much harder time affording large purchases.

Resources is the Core skill, representing a character's ability to martial material wealth and it works almost exactly the way you described.

The addition of a Wealth Stress Track allows a character to 'spend' a certain amount in-character allowing time in between scenes for it to recover, or else taking Wealth related Consequences such as 'Strapped for Coin', 'Flat Broke', or 'Bankrupt'. Characters would start with one box on their Stress Track, and a high Resources Skill will add one or two more boxes to be checked off in exactly the same way Physique affects Physical Stress and Will affects Mental Stress.

[SGTDan]

Well I will offer some examples of what I was looking at, for review and discussion CL and party.

Best Brig example I could find, it's 18 guns on the main deck and one deck below for crew,ammo and such. Not terribly comfortable but what I think CL is thinking of. If you are wondering how cramped conditions are look at this and just add a few feet for non slaving ships.

What I was thinking of, much more comfortable for crew, remember morale is as big as money.This particular example has more guns then I was thinking. In my head the modified one we'd be using would be close to 14 guns on the upper deck making room for more cargo space or guest quarters while removing the cannons on the main deck to appear less threatening.. A side section with deck plans can be seen here. Another look was I thinking of while pondering it would be something like this.

Finally for size if anyone is curious about how a sixth rate sits in the water.

[mai]

something like this.

I like this one, it's got style.

[chaoslord29]

Well I will offer some examples of what I was looking at, for review and discussion CL and party.

Best Brig example I could find, it's 18 guns on the main deck and one deck below for crew,ammo and such. Not terribly comfortable but what I think CL is thinking of. If you are wondering how cramped conditions are look at this and just add a few feet for non slaving ships.

What I was thinking of, much more comfortable for crew, remember morale is as big as money.This particular example has more guns then I was thinking. In my head the modified one we'd be using would be close to 14 guns on the upper deck making room for more cargo space or guest quarters while removing the cannons on the main deck to appear less threatening.. A side section with deck plans can be seen here. Another look was I thinking of while pondering it would be something like this.

Finally for size if anyone is curious about how a sixth rate sits in the water.

Good on you SGT Dan, the more visual examples we have to go on the better. Keeping in mind of course that if we want to make some non-historical changes to any and all of these, well, this is a game about flying sail ships after all. One big difference of course is that weight is going to be a premium aboard any airborne vessel in order to remain aloft. Any given airship is probably going to be a bit lighter, smaller, and put crew size and weight of iron at a premium, but with the mechanism for flight Glyphstone and I have developed, maybe not in all cases. Here's a Cross section of the HMS Beagle, a retrofitted brig used as a survey vessel by the famous Charles Darwin. It had only six guns and a small crew but represents a lot of the potential represented by such a vessel. For comparison, here's the USS Niagara, a brig of war with a crew of 155 and 20 Guns. Brig or Frigate, I figure your vessel will probably fit somewhere neatly in between.

"Cavorite" is the particular brand of phlebotium that has provided for our age of Flying ships. Aeronautical (as opposed to just nautical) will fly using a combination of cavorite ore which (when wet) generates an anti-grav effect allowing a ship to fly, and C-Gas Balloons, which is a byproduct of refining cavorite from it's highly (HIGHLY) unstable state into usable material.

C-Gas is plentiful and easier to come by, but goes inert over time and is also highly flammable (as our stand in for hydrogen). C-Gas is a cost-effective solution for smaller military vessels and merchants on a budget, but a balloon takes up space that might otherwise be used for more sails, not to mention the explosive potential it represents in combat situations.

Refined Cavorite by comparison is used to some degree on almost all full-sized vessels as part of the keel or hull of a ship and water pumped from any convenient source is used to wet it and send the ship aloft. Allowed to dry out, the ship will descend slowly, but otherwise the use of rudders and planes allow for combat maneuvering. Vessels which rely solely on cavaorite can be fitted with more sails and overall canvas, making them faster and potentially more maneuverable than balloon vessels, as well as better in a drawn out fight since they have less risk of explosive combustion. Cavorite Vessels are a symbol of wealth and power, with the largest military vessels (dreadnoughts), sky-fortresses, and floating colony ships have entire hulls or else solid cores of the purest cavorite.

[TheGlyphstone]

'Pure' being a relative term, at least in my vision - the darn stuff is so expensive and difficult to mine that it's almost always smelted into an alloy with iron for plates of any non-novelty size...but the ratio of cavorite to iron in the alloy affects how much it can lift per area unit.