Interest Check/Recruitment Thread: The Bug War of Winter 2014

Odradek

Hey

Hey guys

who wants to play Last Stand

What's Last Stand?: This is Last Stand Fight giant monsters in bug armor. Rip parts off giant monsters to get better bug armor. This is mainly a system for fightin' but we'll see where it goes.

What do I do?: Just tell me if you want to join up. I'd prefer that you have a headset/mic/webcam so we don't have to chat this out, but if someone really wants to join the game and doesn't have one, I can probably make arrangements or find something for you to do.

When is this happening?: Well since a bunch of Heapers are college students, I thought mid December would be a good time to start. It also lets me figure out exactly how I'm going to do stuff.

Where is this happening?: Here

Should I buy the Last Stand pdf?: I honestly don't know. The monster list is in there, and I kind of want you guys to be surprised at what I throw at you. I might just send you some word documents with relevant rules.

Is this going to happen? I've been burned before.: It really depends on everyone's schedule, but I don't foresee problems on my end.

So

Who wants to go cancel the apocalypse?

Character sheet info on google docs here

EXTRA INFO ABOUT THE SETTING POST HERE

Yarrun XIX

Not going to be in a place with consistent Internet service for a portion of December, but, you know, mark me as a possible

Odradek

Okay, so that's Yarrun as a possible.

Anyone else?

Odradek

Bump for weekday people.

Calica

I'm a possible but don't know what my schedule will be like in December

Odradek

Maybe I should just ask again in late November and see how many people know what their situation looks like then.

Odradek

I'm still planing on doing this. I'll start taking actual recruitment on November 20th, but until then here's the opening page of Last Stand.

One-Armed MIKE said:

One-Armed MIKE said:

Welcome to the war for Earth. The SPN Corporation is devoted to protecting mankind from an invasion of giant insects and the terrors of the deep. If you’re the kind of person that believes giant ants shouldn’t rampage through Las Vegas or UFOs shouldn’t swoop through our cities, you’re the kind of person the SPN needs for the experimental Bio-Armor Initiative. You will become the last line of humanity’s defense. You are the Last Stand.

One-Armed MIKE said:

Last Stand puts you in the role of an SPN Bio-Armor Agent, ready to throw down with fast, exciting action. This is a huge Hollywood summer action movie blockbuster. You’re here for explosions, one-liners, terrifying monsters and over the top everyman heroes armed with the latest high-tech weapons corporate money can buy. After all, if the Earth is destroyed by invaders who’s going to be left to buy everything?

One-Armed MIKE said:

Not the bugs, we can tell you that!

One-Armed MIKE said:

If you want to jump right into Last Stand the following data, rated Classified by the Board of Directors, should be everything you need to know to face the alien threat.

One-Armed MIKE said:

The original invasion happened years ago. The creature that would become the Flying Bio-Armor Fortress Bastion crashed into the town of Aurora, TX late one night, near the edge of the city. Its arrival on Earth was officially an accident, a coincidental collision, and yet hundreds of black-clad agents were on the scene hours before the crash. They hauled the creature away almost immediately, paid off any witnesses and cleaned up the scene as if they’d rehearsed the procedure for years.

One-Armed MIKE said:

They had, is the thing. The story never got out and the damage was repaired, people went on with their lives. Until recently, when the invaders came back.

One-Armed MIKE said:

As part of humanity’s defense against the invaders, you’ve been implanted with a biological organism termed Bio-Armor. This wonderful alien-tech suit enables you to fight single-handedly against swarms of giant insects and marauding radioactive lizards. Pretty cool, huh?

One-Armed MIKE said:

The SPN creates each suit from the corpses of the invaders. Once implanted, it can only be removed after the death of its owner. (There is a process the SPN uses for swapping suits, but after you’re implanted there’s no going back). It’s not all bad; you get the package for life, excellent salary, sweet benefits, and the suit can be improved when you attach new invader parts.

One-Armed MIKE said:

This book contains everything you need to know for Earth’s Last Stand against the invaders. 

I want whoever's interested to read that, and tell me what kind of world we'd like to go for, tone we're going to use, and characters you'd like to build based on that description. This system is made for everyone to work together and tell stories together, so don't feel like I'm the person controlling every aspect of the game. I want this to be fun for everyone. Also please post if you're even vaguely interested, and remember that you're not straitjacketed to joining the game if you express interest before your schedule shows incompatibilities.

Odradek

Recruitment is open

Yarrun XIX

I'm in. 90% in.

Odradek

Bump

Odradek

Okay so I want to get this going with at least three people, but I have no where to turn for recruitment but HH and #Yackfest, Anyone have any ideas?

Tanya

Depends on the scheduling, so put a will if the scheduling permits it, but I'm not gonna be angry if the scheduling excludes me.

Odradek

http://whenisgood.net/ Crystal suggested using this

Tanya

On phone at the moment, well click through it later at home though.

Calica

Odradek said:

http://whenisgood.net/ Crystal suggested using this

you'll have to set up times you can make it, Odradek, and then give the link somewhere people can sign up

Odradek

Thank you.

http://whenisgood.net/m7jacd9 Here are two possible days. My schedule will open up more when Christmas break starts after the 10th. This first meeting will just be for character creation, going over the rules, and brainstorming general ideas about the campaign.

Tanya

Filled it out. 

Crystal

I filled it out as well.

Odradek

Good, good.

Odradek

Okay so it looks like

Yarrun is only going to be available after sunset for the next two weeks exactly.

Crystal can make it later on the two saturdays that I suggested.

As can Counterclock. 

It looks like Saturday the 29th from 5-7 might be best. Now two questions:

Does anyone else want to join?

Does everyone have a mic/headset/webcam?

Yarrun XIX

Well, I'm only going to be available after sunset every Saturday forever.

The December date is definitely out for other reasons. The November date is also probably out.

Crystal

I don't have any of those, sorry, I should have mentioned that from the get go but forgot.

Odradek

Okay.

So two new questions and one old question

1. Does anyone else want to join?

2. Does anyone feel okay getting a mic/headset/webcam if they don't have one?

3. Does anyone have any friends who might want to join.

Odradek

Hello?

Tanya

Hello, those questions don't really apply to me, I'm good on them and most people I know work that schedule, so no help from me there.

Odradek

Okay, so Counterclock is fine, Crystal says she doesn't know anyone who wants to join and might be able to get a mic, and Yarrun, what's your deal?

Yarrun XIX

I'm visiting family on Saturday. I don't know what they have planned for Saturday night, but they probably have something planned for the night.

I have a concert the Saturday after that. It will most likely not be over until 6, and there'll be dinner after that. 

Odradek

Hmm.

If you still want to join the game Yarrun, I can maybe meet with you over IRC or PMs to make your character, if you think you can fit out schedule in the future.

Odradek

Looks like this Saturday is not good for me, Yarrun, or Crystal. I will do next week instead.

Odradek

Bump

Odradek

Any updates guys?

Tanya

I'm still okay to go for this weekend.

Odradek

Hey Yarrun, you able to make it?

Yarrun XIX

I don't think so, actually

Yarrun XIX

For what it's worth, Saturday after 5 should be fine after this weekend.

Odradek

Okay, we'll find a different meeting time, and I'll just talk to Counterclock and Alicia about what kind of character they want to play.

Tanya

This isn't a serious ask right now, but is there any possible way within the limitations of the game to get a skeleton pet? Also do note it is acceptable that it were a dog instead.

Odradek

I will rule that it is acceptable to have a fourth party member who is a super-intelligent dog in skeleton power armor on the condition that you can think up a backstory.

Odradek

Sent PMs to everyone with a character creation kit of pages taken from the book.

Odradek

Also one extra thing: The Last Stand system is pretty modular. Canonically, you can't take the armor off, but you can replace bits and pieces, and even temporarily take powers from invaders by ripping off parts of their bodies. If you want to, you can  even surgically attach said power and make it a permanent part of your arsenal. So don't feel straightjacketed to what you choose.

Odradek

What say you to our first meeting being 5:00 PM Saturday EST?

I'll talk with Yarrun about his character whenever he has time again.

Tanya

Excuse me mr. Myrmy, that would be 2pm for me right? Just making sure cause time zones break my mind.

It is 9 am where I am.

Odradek

I believe so.

Odradek

We're just gonna meet in Roll20's IRC channel to talk about characters, what we want, and so on. I don't think it's necessary to pull out my headset yet.

Odradek

https://app.roll20.net/join/558750/EQ6bjA Here is the link to join as a player

Odradek

Meeting in 30 minutes. I'll post a link to the campaign room at 4:50

Odradek

Here is the campaign room

Odradek

So for the record:

Yarrun wants to be a sneaky eel who specializes in Operative.

Crystal wants to be a tactical ant who specializes in Tactician

and Counterclock wants to be a disruptive Jellyfish. 

Section also wants to join the party

Yarrun XIX

As I mentioned in the room, my eel's actually more Tactician than Operative. It's just how the stats ended up working out. Still sneaky, just tactical about it.

Odradek

Okay.

That still works out with Crystal's disruptive/tactical

Odradek

Some stuff about the setting because Clock wanted it.

The general tone is goofy action movie. One liners are okay, and expected, and it's fun to play up the crazy powers the team has.  That said, it's not all sunshine and roses. The SPN corporation is the one thing standing between humanity and annihilation, and they're about as trustworthy as any megacorp. SPN agents can't take off their bio-armor and live a normal live anymore, and they're considered company property most of the time.

Bio-armor is an engineering miracle. It has a built in communications device that gets internet anywhere, and lets agents access their SPN supervisor and a tentative database on the invaders. It's also squishy and chitiny and gross, and you can't take it off. It has incredible regenerative properties, and you can eat pretty much anything remotely edible now. Agents are often in the armor either because a tragedy has led them to seek revenge, a terminal disease or injury made the armor the only option or they just really, really want to help humanity. The citizens of earth are a bit on edge about the whole "people in weird monster suits fighting bigger monsters" thing, but the SPN PR committee is working to change that.

There's a relatively weak one-world government as a result of constant invader attacks, but it can pretty easily be strong-armed by the bigger nations or the SPN corporation.

No one knows where the invaders came from. Some say that they lived deep within the earth until our technology awakened them. Some say they're an advance force sent by aliens to clean up and terraform the planet. Some say they're psychic manifestations of our love of b-movies. No one is really sure, although everyone has their own pet theory. Whatever they are, they seem to teleport in, in groups, at major population centers.

SPN agents live in The Mobile Flying Bio-Armor Bastion, or the Bastion as it's sometimes called. It's the hollowed out corpse of a humongous invader that crash landed in Aurora Texas in 1997. It's more livable than you'd expect.

Further information is available at request.