Star Frontiers Network

Since I keep developing material or rulings on how something will be handled or editing and clarifying post as per situations as they arise; it could be tough to keep up with those things (finding every folder and thread that's had a change). So that no one is surprised by really important stuff I'll post a brief update to this thread of anything new like:

New clarification of what various NPC contacts can and cannot do for you and how I'll handle determining that- see Character Generation thread & the post on NPC contacts

New post in equipment folder detailing how pay is determined.

Larger version of Port Royal map uploaded to background folder, Places of interest on Clarion

BTW those are 3 real updates from today.

I did do some minor or cosmetic changes to some of the NPC contacts but they're not really worth mentioning here.

Also if you want to recommend a change or modification of a rule or ruling in use, this would be a good place to discuss it.

I anticipate less of a need to update stuff as the game becomes more established.

Latest updates

Rank structure and Astrographic Readout added to Background folder

Pay scale

and Royal Marine badge and motto added

thanks to those who contributed and special thanks to Terl Obar for taking the time to modify the badge with the new motto.

Tanar Daagron played by Terl Obar now has a character portrait in his character thread and its a nice piece of canon artwork of a yazerian astrogator pouring over astrographic information- nice!

No probs.

You got mail, BTW.

OOC: Just a little note: be careful writing things into the future past the 2 week mark as things pick up from there and we may end up with inconsistencies in the time line. I want people to have a lot of room for creativity to develop interesting and memorable characters and the down time is a great opportunity to for that but its best to stay within the time period specified as I plan for action or other to pick up from there. Chapter 1 Wanderings in the Dark picks up at the end of the 2 week period and may hold some surprises as I'll be using material I dreamed up before I ever joined the forums and started blabbing all my ideas.

You do realize two "weeks" GST is twenty days, don't you?

(The Frontier week is a tenday, per KH0).

oops Well since you were paid for 5 days out of 7 twice lets call it 1 week (10 days pay) and drop the off days.

sorry about the mistake, it was product of the planet I grew up on.

Yeah, but this is CRM not Spacefleet, they can use their own system.

jedion357 wrote:oops Well since you were paid for 5 days out of 7 twice lets call it 1 week (10 days pay) and drop the off days.

sorry about the mistake, it was product of the planet I grew up on.

It's all good.

All we know right now is the one planet.

..subscribing.

Just a note on game play.
1. Some players have little or limited military experience and some have more. Yet this is a game where the PCs are part of a military chain of command. Lets all try to maintain some semblance of military decorum and protocol; sure not everyone will get it exactly right but its ok as long was we're trying.

Lets also avoid outright or over the top insubordination. I don't think a game with that will make for a lot of fun, at least I'm sure I wont find it fun.

2. I've noticed two styles of play in my GMing experience A. is the approach reacting within the role over the reacting to the game the emphasis is the story from eyes of the character B. is the approach of reacting to the game with the story and role of the character being secondary concerns. Neither is right or wrong in my opinion but both are present in this game to one degree or another and I'm ok with that. I'll will tell you that my focus is A. but above all we ALL should be having fun. Still I expect real consequences to unusual events in game. These npc reactions to PC actions could have unpleasant consequences for your PC. Example: spitting in the face of a suspected pirate in a bar could cause him to decide to gut you with his sonic sword and if you dont have a defense for that weapon it could easily leave you below 0 STA OR addressing a senior officer with what could only be construed as gross insubordination would require appropriate discipline.
Frankly I don't see how including discipline in a game would be fun but this is a setting in which military discipline would be enforced and we all chose to play these roles and this setting. Even if its your inclination to view an RPG as a game first and foremost lets all try to keep things within shouting distance of believability and what might be expected from military personnel.

3. Concerning crazy actions on the part of PCs- I'm perfectly happy to let most stand and just apply reasonable consequences.
Sometimes I don't even know what an NPC will do or say till I see your actions. IF I feel something goes to far beyond or is detrimental to the game. I'll edit or disallow it though I'd rather avoid such heavy handedness.

4. IF I describe an NPC as angry, that is just that NPC not me and its not personal. As for any discipline by a senior officer I will refer to it abstractly and not actually play it out IC. I'd rather not have too but if someone is playing a PC who is perpetually getting into trouble but without actually doing enough to get into real trouble that will be ok as those kinds of people make it into the military and that could add flavor to the game.

5. I firmly believe we all should be having fun with this and I hope you find the tone of game that I want to run as a GM to be palatable to you.

6. Feel free to discuss anything with me by email if you are unhappy with how things are being done in game.

Royal Marines should be upstanding citizens, models and the best military outfit in the Frontier. We should acting accordingly. I can't imagine a troublesome character getting to our advanced level.

I'm having fun. And trying to get used to playing an XO type.

Can you list the chain of command?
I'm assuming it's; Captain --- Ike ---- Who?
For example; If Ike is in charge at the time and he goes missing or unconscious who is next in line?
--------------------
I don't remember the Captain's actions or words indicating treason. Comments like this are unacceptable.

The treasonous Captain wrote:

@jedi and everyone else:

It's a POV thing, internal to the character, and not said by the character in game.

The Skipper probably isn't a traitor(unless jedi's planning something we don't know about), but Lyssa has her own ideas on what a Queen's officer should and should not do in the face of the enemy.

In particular:

Article 99 of the UCMJ wrote:Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)

Any person subject to this chapter who before or in the presence of the enemy--

(1) runs away;

(2) shamefully abandons, surrenders, or delivers up any command, unit, place, or military property which it is his duty to defend;


(4) casts away his arms or ammunition;

(5) is guilty of cowardly conduct;

(6) quits his place of duty to plunder or pillage;

(8) willfully fails to do his utmost to encounter, engage, capture, or destroy any enemy troops, combatants, vessels, aircraft, or any other thing, which it is his duty so to encounter, engage, capture, or destroy; or

(9) does not afford all practicable relief and assistance to any troops, combatants, vessels, or aircraft of the armed forces belonging to the United States or their allies when engaged in battle;

shall be punished by death or such punishment as a court-martial may direct.

Yes, I left out 3) and 7), because this is her interpretation of what would be a similar reg in whatever passes for Clarion's UCMJ(the Royal Military Code, perhaps?).

Anyway, as long as Lyssa doesn't come out and say the Captain's a traitor, there's nothing the Captain can do about it. Since it is strictly in Lyssa's head, it remains referee knowledge and not character knowledge.

Larry wrote:I'm assuming it's; Captain --- Ike ---- Who?
For example; If Ike is in charge at the time and he goes missing or unconscious who is next in line?

Lyssa, due to her time in service, then Tanar.

EDIT: I had second thoughts about this post

It dealt with handling the varied ease or difficulty of some tasks under the system of 1/2 ability score +10% per level.
The problem is defeat security and bypass security on a computer should not have the same chance of success.

I'm still weighing options and will most likely, for right now, just apply an arbitrary-ish modifier for easier and harder tasks as I dont want to commit to then change rules repeatedly.

Anyone wanting to discuss this matter by email is welcome to collaborate with me as I plan an article on task difficulty modifiers as an add on for these rules we're using and for SF2000 which is similar in system mechanic.

I'm a big fan of "on the fly" mechanics.
I can email the mechanic if interested.

IMO, anything written down as a rule should be able to be memorized.
Anything you have to look up detracts from the game.

.02

jedion357 wrote:EDIT: I had second thoughts about this post

It dealt with handling the varied ease or difficulty of some tasks under the system of 1/2 ability score +10% per level.
The problem is defeat security and bypass security on a computer should not have the same chance of success.

I'm still weighing options and will most likely, for right now, just apply an arbitrary-ish modifier for easier and harder tasks as I dont want to commit to then change rules repeatedly.

Anyone wanting to discuss this matter by email is welcome to collaborate with me as I plan an article on task difficulty modifiers as an add on for these rules we're using and for SF2000 which is similar in system mechanic.

Arbitrary modfiers sound good for right now. I can wait for the book.

I've applied task modifiers so far but they are simply the old AD subskill % chance - 25%(which represents 1/2 of an above average ability score) I may need to bump that up to -30 or -35% but so far its what I've done. Interestingly Grelude succeed using it and Tanar failed once despite it. of course if the PCs are succeeding too much then I could just drop in higher level computers, robots, locks and such.

@ simplymenotu sure please do send me those mechanics.