@inane.imp. . . Your Idea has surely a lot of Merit; as for an example, there are a lot of possibilities yet similarly parallel in the R.P.G. during Character Creation. . . Essentially there are randomized results that describes Your own personal Geist (the one gifted from childhood by Parents to a young pre-teen and that essentially "grows" with the Human !!) weirdly developing sentience and IMMEDIATLY being subsumed by A.L.E.P.H. and giving the Player Character the "unrefusable offer" to join "Big Brother Computer" as a sort of Lhost / Posthuman / Myrmydon / Cyborg-Operative (and ONLY those !!). . . While is a sensible idea being the "Sole A.I. Bill" that is prevalent in the rest of the Human Sphere, I found quite appalling this Idea forced by a G.M. on a Player that wants to portray a Character as "Hardcore Ariadna Patriot" or "Nomad Heroic Veteran". . . The Option that You offer is a sensible idea to expand about a very interesting Character that is, rule-wise, a Reskinned A.L.E.P.H. but that is instead a Nomad / Submondo / Whatever chased by "Inquisitors" whenever happens to be in Hyperpower Territory, but that could easily plunge in the chaotic, free-for-all "Virtual Wild West" of Arachne with far more abandon and usefulness. . . Also the Idea of the "Corporeal Character" being just a "Real World Mobile Platform" for wh at is essentially a Virtual Person floating in the Net is very cool and supported by the Fluff of the aforementioned Posthumans (essentially they are "Veteran" Major Motoko Kusanagi of Ghost-In-The-Shell that jumps from multiple bodies during difficult operations); I will say that (in My Games, at least) will surely allow it with a Player Character that Buys with Character Creation Points (as the purely Randomic Creation Rules would very difficultly allow a similar "Lucky Lottery" result) a Lhost Body good for its tasks, and also a Cube+ with special, customized "Personal Quantronic Signatures" that allow Him an immediate "Altered Carbon Resleeving" if a suitable Body is nearby and the "Basic One" is destroyed. . . This is My personal Rule-Canon, of course, but I doubt the Official Rules of Posthumans will be very different from this, when We finally we will have the A.L.E.P.H. Manual available (that I personally await with eagerness equal to the Ariadnan one and the "Expanded T.A.G.s Catalogue" when Modiphius will release them !!). . .
The thing about a sentient LAI is that it’s security through obscurity. Anytime it makes big waves it risks getting caught, so you can limit it to PC level actions (in a way that Aleph and Svengali aren’t). TBH if that happened to a Nomad character of mine I’d spend Lifepoints to Hazard a career as a Reverend Agent: the fucking Devil executed my childhood companion, damn right I’m bitter enough to defect back to Nomads (with my shiny new Lhost).
@R-z. . . I'm busy discussing with My fellow G.M. of mine L.G.S. for the Expanded Background of Dogwarriors (and their Wulver progeny too !!) of the "Minotaur Brigade" Mercenary Company that I'm describing in Fan-Art / Fan-Fiction Subforums. . . I will just propose Three different Ideas in light frame, that I will essentially expand further later: 1°) Katya Volkova; Ariadnan Kazak Dogwarrior; Stavka Female Operative. . . Essentially the typical "Icy Aryan Blonde K.G.B." Femme Fatale of James Bond movies, could morph from a scantily clad "Eurobabe Supermodel" in Usanka Fur Hat, High Heeled Boots and White Wintercoat into a fearsome 3m. tall "Engine of Death" with snow-white fur and merciless ice-blue Eyes (so essentially an "Arctic Lycanthrope" more Husky than Timberwolf !!). . . Her Mother was a Stavka Operative that while unkowingly pregnant was bitten during a mishap in the Antipode Kennels; the mostruous "Alpha Chieftain" that is part "Genetic Grandfather" of the Kazak She-Wolf is around and kicking and "Feel" the Character as "Kin" so the miniature will be obviously "Devil Dog Team" but with Kazak Markings rather than U.S.Ariadnan. . . Further complications of Background is from the fact that She hopelessly fell in Love with an handsome Caledonian Highlander Mormaer Noble that She was supposed to kill; not only this, but She sired Him two children, twin daughters, that are now quickly growing into a fearsome pair of Wulver Amazons with a whole slew of Background Complications of their own. . . . . . . . 2°) Alpha-Strike; "Nomad-Born" Dogwarrior; Anti-Armour Assault Specialist. . . Potential Miniature inspired by Privateer Press "Warpwolf" from the "Circle Orboros" Army List. . . Obviously the Military / Gladiatorial applications of the Cuckoo Retrovirus transmitten by Antipode Bite would not escape the notice of the most unsavory elements of the Praxis Black Labs of Bakunin Mothership, so soon some of the "Doc. Moureau Mad Scientists" that specializes in Chimeras created from birth (rather than the more frequent "Surgically Biografted" specimens) would try some unsavory experiment. . . The sole survivor of a particularly bloody Moderator Dragnet operation into the darkest recesses of Praxis (that needed Taskmasters Superheavy Powersuit with dedicated Nonlethal Weaponry to subdue Him) this monstruous Combat Beast has a continuously mutating growth of Bony Spikes protruding from a malleable, quicksilver-like morphology and incredible Regenerative Properties and a Berserker Fury that dwarf even the most savage "Dog Bowl" star quarterback. . . To balance this, the Dogwarrior Form is far more bearable for Him, as has protruding spiky grrowths that lacerate the skin and muscles, need monstruous uptakes of Food and also with the need to be sedated with Pacifier Drugs when not in combat and also be "Stabilized" by continuous "Injected Infusion" of Spinal Fluid of Ariadnan Antipodes to not incontrollably devolve in what will be essentially an "Infinity-Verse" Khaos Spawn from Warhammer 40.000 !!! . . . . . 3°) Omega-Jackal; "Haqqislamite" Dogwarrior; Heavy Close Combat Specialist. . . Potential Miniature inspired by another Warpwolf; the sword-wielding "Stalker". . . Polar opposite of the slavering, slobbering "Berserker Barbarian" that is Alpha-Strike, this unfortunate Bourak-borne street thug had the ill luck of running afoul of a particularly vicious "Silklord" that had connections with the aforementioned Black Labs of Praxis, by also smuggling "Gene-Therapies" derived from the Runihura "Super Soldier Program" that failed spectacularly (so instead of a "Capitan America" Tariq Mansuri, or even a relatively controllable "Bruce Banner / Hulk" produces "Marvel Abominations" !!!). . . But even if submitted to the same horrible treatments, conditioning punishments and Gladiatorial Trials that broke down the "Nomad Dogface" into that fearsome, but pathethic wreck, the Devout Haqqislamite found solace in the Dervish Philosophy "Bladedancers" that lose themselves, in a very controlled manner, into the "Sword-Dancing" kind of "Samurai Zen Void-Mind". . . Considered the most spectacular success of the Program, nonetheless this Jackal-Headed Dogwarrior (weirdly resembling the mythological Egyptian God of Death, Anubis !!) immediatly rebelled against its "Creators" as soon as the Moderators Squad attacked that nightmarish compound, even helping putting down the more crazed "Fellow Chimera Inmates" and helping subdue and pacify those that could be somehow still "Salvaged". . . Phisically in Dogface seems the typical "Veteran Retired Soldier" from the Desert Tribes of Bourak, albeit a little more wrinkled, grizzled and scarred, wielding with pride the Red Turban / Cloak of the Khawarjis (albeit with an uniform a little too frayed and loose, for those well-respected "Warrior Savants" !!) and with a monstruous Curved Glaivesword (resembling a two-handed Khopesh made of Teseum !!) strapped on the back, and apparently too heavy to be lifted even from a burly Dogface. . . Then "Anubis" appears and, effortlessly wielding the curved blade in a single clawed paw, then the "Wind-Dance of Whirlwind Death" start to reap its bloody harvest. . . . . !!! . . . . . As those Three will feature as "N.P.C. Officers" in My "Mercs Brigade" project, feel free to borrow whatsoever background idea from these that You want. . . . !!!
@inane.imp. . . Cool concept; also I plan to have an N.P.C. in My "Mercs Brigade" that is essentially an Escaped Ex-Templar on the run from the Pan-Oceanian Military Orders as its refused to "Abandon" its life-time "Bonded Companion" of an "Evolved Geist" hosted into its Knight Sword. . . Essentially will be a Cyberpunk take of the Fantasy Worlds Trope of the D&D "Hapless Paladin" with the obnoxious talking, sentient "Holy Avenger Sword". . . . . !!!
@R-z. . . These were "Exotic Snowflakes" that were yet written as "N.P.C. Crew" for My Project; if You want something more less weird let's analyze a little what was written yet in C.B. / Modiphius background. . . We have exactly THREE well-describe Dogwarriors Character Background; and of one of them, Mc Murrough the earlier "Posterboy" of Dogface concepts in Infinity, its generic archetype (troubled Caledonian "Orphan Street Urchin" that grow up as a Thug Enforcers, to be later almost conscripted into a Mercenary Bodyguard career, to later develop honour and a iron-spine such as to impress even Father Officer Gabriel DeFersen to the point of being given its "Templar Smartsword" !!) is recycled a lot in the other unnamed Caledonian "Lycanthropes" (such as the Cameronians, always appearing in "Scottish Pict-Berserker Celtic Attire") and the slightly more normal Dogface / Dogwarrior ones that seems irregular guerrilla forces. . . Then there are the unnamed U.S.Ariadnan "Devil Dog" K-9 Teams where a Pistol+Kabar / Shotgun "American Werewolf" is the "Alpha Leader" of a single-member Antipode Pack (3 Antipodes in a "Triplet Pack" are intelligent as an average Human Soldier, even if pheromonically controlled; a single one is just a very smart big dog) much like Colonel Voronin's kind of "Attack Dog"; this is the extent I know of them. . . Let's instead concentrate on the extan well-fleshed Background of the other two written Dogwarriors; from the "Outrage" Manga we have Domovoy, the ONLY written Dogface from Kazak ethnicity; it is a nasty fellow, with a lot of "Bratya / Vory" Tattoos of the Russian Mafyia, has a string of failed marriages (He himself jokes about being a Merc to pay for multiple Alimonies !!) and while He is able to fight very effectively, with Two Teseum Daggers and / or Two Chainrifle, has a lot of control problems: First He does not "Morph" easily even in the middle of a fight, requiring its Merc Ally, the Oniwaban Nakadai, to cut a shallow wound on its arm, then totally go "Mad Fury" in battle (by throwing away the Guns and fighting in Close Combat even with a dangerous Druze T.A.G.) and when faced with a "Soft Target" (the Female Druze Hacker resembling Valerya Gromoz) goes totally "Werewolf Frenzy" and not only kill Her in a savage way, but even start to devour the still warm corpse in a cannibalistic way; after this is needed another "Operation" by the Ronin Ninja comrade, by injecting Domovoy with what I assume is a "Viral Ammo Syringe" to forcefully revert from Dogwarrior state (and the Dogface is horrified of the disgusting feast He has done, vomiting back the human flesh !!). . . On the polar opposite of the spectrum we have Lieutenant Duroc, the ONLY written Merovingian Dogwarrior, and it seems to have described in His beackground ALL the "Perks" of being a "Werewolf Soldier" and none of the "Flaws"; thanks to His deep, mutual partnership with Margot the Paratrooper Lady, He is described as being the ONLY Dogwarrior able to wthstand not only cramped flying vehicles (a things described psychologically unbearable to "Vanilla Dogwarriors" !!) but also to act in a very lethal manner, wild and yet professional, on the Battlefield. . . On the "Civilian Life" spectrum also Lt. Duroc is described to be one of the few Dogfaces to be quite handsome when not in "Full Battleform" and that instead of having a string of unsuccesful relations (another common feature of Dogfaces) its Partnership with Margot is very stable and respectful (they are clearly hinted to be a "Weird Furry Lovers' Couple" probably inspired by Deunan Knute and the giant cyborg Briareos of "Appleseed" intersped with the more N.S.F.W. renditions of the "Red Riding Hood & Wolf" fables !!). . . Another useful bits of Background from the R.P.G. Manual is the fact that all STARTING Dogface Player Characters, even if they are the most "Hilbilly Rustic Redneck" of Ariadnan Countryside have BOTH an Installed Cube AND a personalized Com-Log with Geist, much like ANY other P.C. hailing from the more advanced parts of the Human Sphere. . . This hints that the typical Dogface P.C. (the ONLY other Race available on the Basic Manual, other than "Baseline Human" with or without Cybernetic / Biograft Implants) is far more wordly and cultured if compared to the typical assumption of Dogwarriors as "Caledonian Street Thugs going to Mercenary Wetwork after a failed Dog-Bowl Sport Career" that is a prevalent Background. . . Hope all those musings of mine are useful to nail down a successful Dogface Character for You. . . . .!!!
Just wanted to add that @Koni of C.B. Staff said they will create a dedicated R.P.G. Subsection and will search for the appropriate placement inside the Infinity Forum, either as part of an existant Subforum or (as suggested by @AdmiralJCJF as a new, independant Subforum Section on its own). . . Please anyone interested in this discussion check on relevant thread the Forum Feedback Section. . . . .
Q: How does everyone handle 'You may spend your Assets to immediately purchase additional equipment, or you can choose to save your Assets for later use.' as part of Decision 9? It honestly makes no sense to me the way written (without an example)
@inane.imp. . . I too have a lot of difficulties about wrangling My mind about the unnecessary complexness of the "Starting Acquisition Rules" and of the Gear Cost that I feel quite too abstract. . . For an example, I'm an Ariadna Merc in a Dawn Outfit that sell things to its Members in the Border Fort they are supposed to guard; if I want to replenish on Exotic Teseum-Alloy Ammo for My Combirifle, why I, the Player, should risk a Roll that will give a possibility of NOTHING in exchange of wasted Money (unrealistic in a Planet where Guns and Clips are more plentiful than Land Vehicles and Fuel) and forcing the G.M. to either flatly say NO or "Handwave" everything ??. . . When it describes in abstract a Corporate Player that wants to re-invest its "Ill Gotten Gains" in a Pan-Oceanian Lobby titles it goes very goo to actualize a lot of stuff for numberless huge amount of "Human Sphere Credits"; but if we have to do "Street Level Roleplay" for an improvised "First Session" mission and wants to stock up on Assault Pistol Spares or Nonlethal Slugs for a Shotgun it fare very poorly for a suspension of disbelief. . . Call Me "Old School Roleplayer" but I ALWAYS liked more a tagible value in Gear that I CAN acquire and CANNOT instead have, even if I surcharge the Price of a 1:10 factor; it is one of the issues that plagues many otherwise excellent Modern R.P.G. as a mere Luck% will dictate what You can have or not (and not EVERY G.M. or Playersgroup is good with too much handwaved, not very well well-balanced in excess or in scarcity !!). . . You should consider going to the Modiphius Forum where there is a "Homebrew Changes" section that is endorsed by their staff and check for something about giving differentiated stuff to Acquisition Roll. . .
I was honesrly just hoping to get an exampleeof how it's supposed to work before I went searching for ways to fix it.
@inane.imp. . . Could honestly not really describe how properly employ it; I found the system confusing and not very well understandable. . . Just for an example of how much I found it hard to digest is the fact that @Solodice started its R.P.G. Campaign in the first days of July 2017 and I had not My Player Character ready and well-balanced until the start of August 2017 (I was also in a Vacation Place where I could have relaible Internet Connection during the middle of the Night, also !!). . . Thanks god "Starting Careers" and "Life Events" grants some very useful Packages of Stuff yet from start or some unfortunate Players could have some Character that even if created to be Elite Special Forces on Frontline Duty have not even a decent Light Armoured Uniform, a Basic Pistol and an Army Knife (all things that even "Irregular Warbands" of the Game would have as standard issue). . . Even worse for Civilian Based characters that could be considered like the Warcors or Civilian V.I.P. of Infinity, but far away from the Frontlines, where they could not have access to very useful "Cyberpunk Gear" like Hi-Tech Police Detective stuff for "Deckard-styled Privater Investigators" for an ambiance like "Blade Runner / Altered Carbon" or Hacker Gear for any kind of decent "Netrunners". . . I found also extremely complicate the issue of attaining Biotech Bodygrafts, Cybernetic Implants or Genetic Enhancements that are quite prevalent for some kind of Characters hailing from specific parts of the Infinity Background. . . My character was supposedly being part of the Haqqislamite "Runihura" Super Soldier Program (but made more like "Wolverine Regenerating" Djanzabans / Janissaries rather than the "Captain America" package of the Khawarjis) but it was a total headache to try to "Acquire" the desired Biogratfs at Character Creation and I had to shoehorn and kitbash an unbalanced compromise that has My Character with powerful Regenerative Capabilities that could seriously go bad with an Unlucky Roll. . . @Section9 in the same Game tried to create a believable and well-rounded Chimer Uberfallkommando Veteran hailing from the Undercover Police Moderators of the Nomad Mothership Bakunin, but the Creation Lifepoints System did not allow the desired outcome until the G.M. "reverse-engineered" the N.P.C. Stats and totally handwaved the "Implanted Packages". . . On the another side, I found quite a suspension of unbelief for too easily create a "Ghost In The Shell" Cyborg with a Combat Grade Lhost with Starting Character Points as the Creation System seriously imbalance a P.C. towards being co-opted into A.L.E.P.H. Forces. . . The Background is Cool and well-represented by Modiphius as far as an "External Source" can do, but I found the Game very difficult at Player Creation (same critiques were moved to Modiphius developers for another of their best-sellers, Mutant Chronicles, that was disliked by some too hardcore fans). . . . . . . . I had not time to check the Homebrew Section that I spoke for, even if it seems potentially very good for My "Ariadnan Mercs" upcoming L.G.S. Campaign; but for strictly sticking to "Official Rules" then I still recommend to check on the Discussion Forum of the Modiphius Site, as the Developers are not afraid to receive constructive critiques and try to answer the questions when they have the time. . . . .
Nathan Dowdell, the designer who wrote that part of the rules, answered the same question for me on Facebook thus: "For pre-game acquisitions, my inclination is for the GM to set aside a particular amount of game time as "pre-campaign prep time", during which characters may attempt to acquire any extra items they want - this might be a few days, a week, or a month, at the GM's discretion. Heat generated, Cashflow lost, and Shortfalls suffered during this time carry over into the first session. This has the advantage of not requiring an entirely separate set of acquisitions rules purely for character creation. Alternately, you can try something a little more stratified with no rolling - though this is entirely off the top of my head: A character may choose any number of items (or a finite number, set by the GM) to acquire pre-game. Each item costs a number of Assets based on the following factors - 1 per Restriction rating (so, Restriction 2 = 2 Assets), 1 if the Cost exceeds Earnings, and 1 per Shortfall the acquisition's Cost would inflict (use an average of the Cost here, rounded to the nearest whole number: each combat die is 0.5, a die with Tariff 1 is 0.667 per die, a die with Tariff 2 is 0.833, a die with Tariff 3 is 1, so an item with a Cost of 2+4 dice, Tariff 1 is 4.667, rounded to 5)."
Hoorayyy!!! The R.P.G. Subforum is a reality !! Thanks for Your efforts on this @AdmiralJCJF, as I understand it could be quite a burden to have a steady presence BOTH Here AND in the Modiphius Games dedicated threads. . . . !!! Now it will be a matter to link all the old threads (Forum Feedback, Fan-Art, Fan-Fiction, Background Fluff in the Army Facion ones and this very in Off-Topic English) towards the newer, fresher "Kitchen-Sink Collection Subforum" ! ! ! ! !
Hey, @psychoticstorm , Can this thread please be moved into the RPG subforum? BTW, this is how you get threads moved.
'eh, to PM I'd have to copy an address and we all know I'd screw that up. This gets the thing moved to the place. Thanks 'though, always appreciated.
Was wondering that as well. I bet one of the changes is that dogface is now just a choice instead of a roll first.
