Howdy to all, I'm opening this thread to gauge potential interest in playing a Play-By-Forum gamemastered by Me. . . Hereby quickly the main points: 1°) Aliens of the Conbined Army as MAIN Playable Characters; Mirats, Shasvastii, Sygmaa and EVEN "indipendent rogue" Xenodrones / Overdrones / Pneumarchs (Human Sphere PC with a believable and solid background will be allowed BUT they would have been "Sepsitorized" not ONCE but TWICE). . . 2°) The insectile Exrah will be QUITE relevant in the Game; even if NO Player would express interest in "Playing a Technorganic Bug-Man" there will be Allies, Co-Soldiers and "Friendly Rivals" in the form of Kaskuda "Symbio-Pilots", Vanguards, Iskallers and other "Special Frames" NPC (the issue of "Ephemera Soldiers" will be addressed by GM Ideas). . . 3°) Ideally the Players will be "Rogue Splinter Elements" left behind by a failed C.A. "Stealthy Massive Incursion"; so they could work, similarly to Morat Krakots on Paradiso, as "Disposable Mercs" for the HUMAN Factions or E.I. "Loyalists" (for a VERY hefty paycheck in "Voodootech"). . . 4°) Loyalist Partisans of the Combined Army will be allowed ONLY if ALL Players will be O.K. with that; especially "Doubleplay Turncoats Wannabe" will NOT be allowed, no matter how cool the Backstory. . . 5°) Game will be set on Svarhalheima, on the border between Panoceanian and Yujingese Territories; while there will be "Snow-Covered Safehouses", Underground Stronghold Bunkers and "Loot Dropbox Caches" the Players HQ will be a GIGANTIC Mobile, Insectoid "Megaspidertank" that is gallivanting around the Borders, covered by a PERPETUAL Snowstorm engineered by "Voodootech Alien Climate Engines". . . 6°) Game will be set a LITTLE before the ill-fated mission of the "Outrage Team" against "Local Insurgents" and Druze Elites. . .
Some "Technical Issues" for the equipement available for the "Xenomercenary Stranded Player Characters". . . They have some nasty "Voodootech" (especially "Organic Nanotech Vats" belonging to Shas and Exrah "Genengineers") but they are far, Far, FAR "behind" Enemy Lines and QUITE "away" from CA supply chain. . . Especially Guns will be "Human Sphere Mercs" stuff pilfered from raided depots, traded for favors with "Border Rebel Insurgents" or pried from cold fingers of defeated foes. . . Ariadnan or "Haqqislam Lotek" made Guns, with Brass Cased Ammo (as Morats would NOT employ anything else) but "Enhnaced Somehow" by Alien "Tricks". . . Such as Smart-Scopes and Tac-Sights that will combine "Human Laser Red-Dots" and "Simple I.R. / Starlight / Thermograph" sight enhancers with "Voodootech AI Smartlinks Tacnets" (what a Shooter see is put immediatly in the "Enhanced Reality Vision" for perusing by Fellow Mercs). . . And "Cased Ammo" containing all manners of Nasty Payloads (Morat Vulkhan Shotgun Shells, Sygmaa Viral Clouds, Shasvastii Bio Nanoid Swarms, Exrah Toxic Molecular Acids). . . Also VERY Advanced Armours would be available; Svarhalheima is relatively rich in depots of Teseum and Nessium; by combined the "Neomaterial Supermetals" with Hyperadvanced Alien Nanotech will be easy to craft powerful protections. . .
Just signaling that some ideas about all of this Game are discussed in the Fanfiction Section, while graphical ideas will be developed as "Rough Concepts" in the Fanart one. . . While one of My fellow "Developers" (who will play a Character of a New Breed of Shasavastii PC developed starting on the stats of the last Troops released) is trying to create the "Surturans" as a viable Merc Force, I will concentrate on RPG contents. . . "Surtur" is the name that Pan-Oceanian Forces of Trollhattan have given to the enormous mobile fortress that is HQ of those "Stranded Combineds" turned Mercenaries. . . Is given due to the fact that the Technorganic Insectile "Mega Exrah Spidertank" somehow drink (with a enormous "Mosquito / Butterfly" biomechanical proboscys, laced with Teseum and Nessium) "Geo-Energy" from Thermal Vents and even Volcanic Fissures. . . Must search Chinese Grammar for correctly writing something similarly "Big Evil Sounding" for a "Unstoppable Fire Giant". . .
Work In Progress going on expeeditely. . . Soon "Rough Sketched Concept Art", Maps, Technical Specs Details and other "Text Based" and "Graphic Based" game-aids will be finished soon. . . Always open to Suggestions and New Ideas from everyone. . . . .
Forgot to add an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT Wargear Notice; as in the RPG the Plasma Ammunitions of the Combined Army are a sort of "Hyper Armor Piercing + Haywire E.M.P." (maybe casually, maybe purposedly "Anti Cyborg Ammo" against A.L.E.P.H. Myrmydons and Heavy Combat Lhosts). . . I think that will NOT give Players and their Allies EASY specialized "Plasma Guns" like those of Combined Army Loyalists; but rather the "Plasma Ammo" would be a quite costly and rare, but hyper-efficient "Multi Effect Ammo" for 40mm. Grenade Launchers. . . So Player Characters wanting to invest in Plasma Guns would have NOT CHEAP access to Single-Shot Pistol-Tubes (either as "Standalone 1h. Handguns" or mounted underneath Rifles); Pump-Action "Riot Police Grenade Launchers" and Heavy Brlt-Feed A.G.L. (rather "Serious Antitank Business"). . . This will NOT means that dedicated Player Characters with Technical Expertises would NOT have access to their OWN "Specialized Custom Plasmacasters" but it will be a PERSONALIZED rare wargear for specialized "Savant Warrior" Characters. . . Not something that even Drug-Hazed and Alcohool-Intoxicated Krakots could take off the gunracks to go burning the Bordertown Village Saloon where they lost bets on a barroom brawl. . . . .!!!
not sure i really understand the concept of PBF, but it would be interested to play a greedy af Exrah Void Operator. in terms of the Chinese name for the Surtur, i'm not much of a sinophile but there are a couple of options you might consider: - Feng/Fengzhu - a bit obscure because it's kinda like Greek ambrosia, but really its about the use of feng in conjunction with other words, like fengzhu to mean both literal giant pig and figurative swinish behavior. - Wangliang and its derivatives - generally means demon. You can link it up with feng/fengzhu above, something like wangzhu for demon pig in the vein of Sabbath's war pigs, which is an awesome anthem for mercs. Can't vouch for the accuracy of the translation, but Zhanzhu/战猪 is a more literal translation of "war pig." - Huodou - your more fire breathing analog, which is also likely a slander against an ancient tribe, which is both fitting in the literal "fire breathing monster" category but also could be fitting for the Human Sphere interpretation of the EI aliens.
@borisgreymenace . . . There are some examples of Play-By-Forum in the other Section of this specific Sub-Thread / Sub-Forum. . . Every 24-36 (48 sometimes) the Gamemaster reply to Character Actions; some other GM need MORE or LESS "Clock Answer Times" (especially for Combat Action that need a "Dice Roller Site" like Orokos) but I allow some leeway, and if "Alloted Timer" expire then I will either promote some action by NPG or evolve the situation nearby the "Frozen" Player Character. . . So You would like to Play an Operator; there are no Exrah Playable Profiles, but I will take from the Commissariat Example in the NPC Section of the Combined Army Manual, to start kitbashing a suitable Profile based on the Old Miniature Stats compared to extant similar kind of Troopers of the actual Wargame, transplanted into the RPG. . . Void Operators were "Orbital Zero G" Troopers with that weird "Organic Gunblade Arm"; will some "Special Issues" of the Character be reflected into the Game Stats. . . Some kind of Heavily Armed and Armoured "Paratrooper" (like Tiger Warriors "support gunners" or A.L.E.P.H. Ekdromoi) would be a good guess. . .
i dont have my copy of human sphere and can't find the N2 stat line. know a spot where i can find them? mostly interested in the Void Operators because they're the "commercial agents" which is a pretty good reason to play a warmonger.
Have to check with Forum Rules if the old, outdated N2 Stats of the Exrahs are OK to be scanned and put there or not. . . Even if they are NO MORE wargame miniatures allowed, Old Manuals are still a CB Copyright and Intellectual Property. . .
I would think they'd be ok to use. Since there are no other stats for Exrah available. In the Infinity RPG Player's Guide book there is a chart that is used for converting RPG characters into Army Builder (Spec-Ops) or Army Builder profiles into RPG character/enemy sheets. Here are all the old Exrah unit stats so you can use the chart to transfer them into the RPG. https://human-sphere.com/index.php?title=Caskuda https://human-sphere.com/index.php?title=Iskaller https://human-sphere.com/index.php?title=Vector_Operator https://human-sphere.com/index.php?title=Void_Operator
@borisgreymenace . . . Was thinking to allow Your Exrah Character to be a sort of "Special Forces Bugman Jack-Of-All-Trades" that will have SKILLSET generic and widespread, but a mix of Wargear, Add-On Talents (Biomechanical Neurochip Slots perhaps) and even "Superficial Cybernetics" based on Mission Parameters. . . Essentially Your character will be an chitinless "Ephemerah Pilot" who favours Void Operator "Biomech Armour" when off duty, but can choose: Vector Suit for Stealth Missions, especially those who need "Camouflaged Hacking" nearby sensible enemy targets. . . Iskaller Suit when it will needed to assault dangerous, fortified bases, especially with HALO launches with Paratroopings. . . Caskuda TAG-Suits when REALLY "Shit Hit The Fan". . . What would You think of it. . .?? The other "Surefire Player" @Golem2God , is creating a Jayth "Shaasvastii Multipurpose Support Officer" that could too select from a variety of Cybernetically Integrated Wargear, based on known variables; the "Core Premises" will be of a hyperflexible Mercenary Rapid Response Team, able to take on quite a lot of potential tactical scenarios. . . . . . . . Now we need JUST a "Morat-Krakot Oni-Ronin Samurai" to have a well balanced approach. . . Not that I will NOT allow a PC to be Sygmaa, Urkherit, Independent Drone or even "Reformed Lesser Umbra". . . . .will allow EVEN a "Good Renegade Splinter of E.I." inhabiting Drone Bodies (such as the "Starship Troopers Bug" frame, "Doctor Worm" or the old, vintage "Floating Jellyfish Frames") based on A.L.E.P.H. Manual Rules for Digital-Virtual Player Characters Artificial Web-Consciousnesses. . . . .
So also a "Morat Combat Specialist" join the "Jayth War-Shaman / Healer" and the "Exrah Professional Mercenary Pilot". . . I think we could daresay to start the Game, as soon as Character Sheets are finalized and optimized. . . Other players that are interested could join in a later moment; hereby PBP are enough relaxed and calm-paced that OTHER 2 or even 3 Extra Players would not be too chaotic overmuch, even joining in Mid-Mission. . .
ok, i finally got my hands on the old stats and have some ideas... If it's ok, I'd like to do a point buy. Based on the stats for the void operator, this is what I'd suggest for a host body Exrah: 3 LP, +2 agility, -1 brawn, -1 intelligence, -1 personally, talents long jumper, spacewalker, all medicine based tests (e.g. recovery and treat) on the Exrah are +1 difficulty, complication. For 1 heat, the GM may inflict EM quality damage to the vigor track. When moving, the Exrah may move an additional zone for free (either two zones as a free action, three as a standard). For career, I was thinking of using the maakrep tracker as the kit is similar enough to the msr void operator. Let me know how these ideas strike you
It seems a Solid Base upon which building the Stats and Skillset. . . Have You considered the option of being able to "Wear" all Different Chitinous Exoskeletal "Frames" of the Exrah Army. . . Another Career with which take would be EITHER TAG Pilot OR Heavy Infantry; should You decide to take BOTH, obviously this will means that You are a "Special Force Operator". . . Also was conisdering to have You not a MERE "Ephemerae Larval Drone" but rather "Noble Elite Breed"; while colourful and interesting as Background for a Wargame Miniature, all the Vulnerabilities written down in the Exrah Ephemerals will make EXTRA PUNITIVE a Roleplaying Experience based on these premises. . . But EVERYTHING could be customized, as there is precious little infos on Exrah in the RPG. . . . . .
If you dont like it feel free to ignore any threads and posts with content for the game and dont waste oxygen in typeing such posts. Its our decision to join and wasting our time.
I prefer to warn you guys from getting your hopes up. And yes, I'm salty that he's gotten ours up and then vanished without a word, and now he's back and starts a new one without even saying a thing to the old crew. Good luck.
You know sich things life and die with player interaction. And instead of trying to public shame another member of this forum you could have used the privat messages. Thats simple decency.
