Anyone up for a PbP game?

I changed the default vulnerability to supply crisis, and put in a high maintenance vulnerable: breakdowns instead.

I haven't seen duty in play, so all that with hold is a draft that we will try out (my own commander character hasn't had any downtime since he changed from trooper to commander!), so I guess we'll find out if will be unclear when we get there. I think it will work itself out, like spare parts for your broken down vehicles costing one hold, replenishing the ranks with recruits costing another, fresh base supplies another, and so on. Spending hold for bonuses would probably be about anything from parading your troops through the streets to impress the ruler you want to manipulate, to getting the advantage of having scouted out or otherwise preparing the area you enter in force.

There is something I know I want with commanding from the rear that isn't in your version, but I can't put my finger on it. I'll put your alternative in there as well, and keep thinking (and talking) about it. That allright? (These things usually work themselves out in actual play.)

Vulnerable:breakdown implies more 'unreliable' than 'high maintenance' to me, but I'm happy enough to go with it - they're using cutting edge tech, which still has little 'niggles' in it.  Works for me.

Talking of duties, there seem to be two kinds.  Let's call them 'home' and 'away'.  For the purposes of the campaign, 'home' is the ship, while 'away' is 'while the force is warring on the ground'.  For example, law enforcement and border patrols only make sense at home.  Raiding and scouting only make sense when away.

Given that duties come about during downtime, how likely is it that 'away' duties will come up?  And the rules suggest you need to pick 3 and stick to them.  Wouldn't it make more sense to freely choose dependant on circumstances, so you aren't stuck attempting to enforce law on a jungle populated solely with orks.

I'm fine with continuing the discussion on Battle Commander.  I do appreciate my version is fairly minimalist.

Finally, why would you ever choose a bolt pistol over a plasma pistol?  My experience as a gunlugger tells me that AP is *hugely* powerful.  I feel the plasma pistol should have something like 'cooldown' (reload), or 'overheats' (1 harm AP on miss when using it) to make a boltpistol useful.

The way I think about breakdowns is that they are the consequence of you stuff not being maintained highly enough. Exactly what that means in your case is something I'm looking forward to finding out from you in play! :)

I agree about the tasks. Let's have you pick your tasks from time to time.

Good idea about the plasma pistol. Let's give it reload.

I say, let's have you write down your choices from your playbooks, even if Smeg is still undecided. I'm eager! As you can see I haven't made name lists, so pick something you like. And some titles you think are cool as well. I need a name for the ship as well, and your email addresses!

Sure.  The disadvantage I was suggesting was more along the lines of 'pricey', where it cost 2-hold from duty to replace lost people/materiel rather than 1, since they're difficult to replace, but I'm happy enough with breakdown.

As for choices, well, I think ideas might change as we bounce ideas off each other.  But my thoughts for now:

Gender: Male  (I picture him as looking similar to Admiral Adama from (new) Battlestar Galactica)
Name: Silon Venris (Oh come on, after deciding they looked like Adama, on seeing the name 'Silon', how could I not?)
Scarred body, tired face (yes, I swapped the adjectives around.  Okay?), judging eyes, worn uniform.

Cool+1, hard-1, sharp+1, status+2, twisted -1

Basically, I'm picturing someone who was once the terror of the battlefield, and now age, arthritis, old wounds and other sundry medical problems have worn them down, so they are held together with medicines, willpower and force of habit.

Noble rank: Lord (unlanded)
Military rank: Commander
Ship role: Chief of security
Duties:
Law Enforcement
Border patrols (of secure areas on the ship)
Investigations (mutineers, traitors, chaos worshippers, etc.)
[Escort-to get]

Gear
Power sword
Las Pistol
Power armour

Command
Now, as you've probably guessed, I've spent quite a lot of time thinking about this, but I have finally decided:
I am chief of security.
The ship is about more than just ferrying my personal army from war to war.
Therefore, a small, elite force makes a lot more sense than a massive army.
But, I have a question: does power armour inhibit stealth, or is the increased bulk and weight offset by inbuilt stealth technology?

So:
Command can transport itself swiftly (Jetpacks!  Pleeeease?) +mobile
Well equipped (+1 harm)
Elite is power armoured (3-armour)
Only elite
High maintenance (Vulnerable: breakdown)

4-harm 3-armour elite 4-platoon (25-60 troops) +mobile +vulnerable:breakdown

[Yes, I have basically all but made assault marines.]
Their name:
Carrion Crows, after the story that crows flock to where there is about to be mass bloodshed.

If you are okay with the +mobile being jetbacks, can I get one as well; or do I need to give something up to do so?

So, there we go.  First draft.

I like your character! :) Security chief is cool.

Okay, so this is all open to change. Particularly, SoylentWhite's post came up as I was finishing this - I was expecting a bigger military force aboard when I picked Military Power as something the ship traded in. But there's no reason we can't trade in force despite the small army! Assault troops are a premium resource, I guess.

Also, a small question arises - we have the Security Commander with his assault platoon. Ship's Master gives me a militia of my own, and a security force too. How are we going to work that? The security force is easy, that's my private bodyguard - theoretically the elite, but... :) However, the militia seems odd in this context, any ideas?

Here's my draft character:

Lady-Captain the Honourable Penelope Carver
Mistress of the Glorious Bringer of His Light

Looks: a woman with burning eyes, a striking face and an athletic body, wearing extravagant accoutrements.
Stats: Cool +1, Hard -1, Sharp +1, Status +2 Twisted 0

I’m thinking a young woman, raised as a decadent noble with lots of money and no responsibility far from the ship. On Father’s death, turns out to inherit (against the expectations of the rest of his scheming family, but the prime contenders killed each other off) and has taken command.


Gear: Power Sabre

Domain: the Glorious Bringer of His Light trades in Military Power, Transportation and Secrets.
4-harm, huge, 2-armour
Ship is huge, and well-armed. It is also Ravenous.
Specials: ancient, enigmatic, posh.

Most Trusted Officer: Felix van Ermien, ship’s pilot
Most Valuable Officer: Gerard Oleanth, purser of the ship’s treasury
Most Worrying Officer: Can I put SoylentWhite’s character here? :)
Biggest Threat to the domain? The other claimants to my father’s estate, who feel they should inherit over his daughter.

What makes sense to me, given that (a) I'm likely to increase the command size to 6-battalion eventually (300-1,500) and (b) for an old guy, I'll be improving fairly rapidly, is that the elite force *was* battalion size.

Something (what?  It's a mystery!) happened, and the former captain took command of the forces and led them to a horrendous defeat where we suffered horrific casualties and I was wounded (and him killed), and while the harm has healed, I'm still getting back up to speed.

That explains (a) how the former captain died. (b) why we trade in military force.  (c) How I can be so old and improve so fast.  (d) how we have capacity for the forces to be arriving.

As this impacts on your ship and character, feel free to veto/amend this, but thought I'd suggest it.

Your security force acting as your bodyguard is basically pointing a massive finger at me saying you either don't trust me to do my job well, or you think I'll betray you.  You can totally do that, but be aware there will be friction between the groups as well as the characters.

The militia is just a militia - it's the crewmen who know which end of a gun goes 'bang'.  They just get drafted in when there are riots, otherwise they do their normal jobs.

A few things to perhaps consider:
1) What happened to your mother (I suggest either still alive, or only relatively recently deceased.)
2) How strong *is* your claim to the ship?  Is it simply you were here first, or are you the oldest?  The one named in his will?
3) Why wouldn't you have been raised on the ship?

What makes sense to me, given that (a) I'm likely to increase the command size to 6-battalion eventually (300-1,500) and (b) for an old guy, I'll be improving fairly rapidly, is that the elite force *was* battalion size.

Something (what?  It's a mystery!) happened, and the former captain took command of the forces and led them to a horrendous defeat where we suffered horrific casualties and I was wounded (and him killed), and while the harm has healed, I'm still getting back up to speed.

That explains (a) how the former captain died. (b) why we trade in military force.  (c) How I can be so old and improve so fast.  (d) how we have capacity for the forces to be arriving.

As this impacts on your ship and character, feel free to veto/amend this, but thought I'd suggest it.

Looks good to me!

Your security force acting as your bodyguard is basically pointing a massive finger at me saying you either don't trust me to do my job well, or you think I'll betray you.  You can totally do that, but be aware there will be friction between the groups as well as the characters.

I would think that having a squad of guards personally loyal to the captain would be appropriate in setting, and not a big insult, though I can certainly see how it would rub the Security Chief the wrong way. Also, of course, given Father's mysterious death, Lady Penelope will try not to rely too much on even the trustworthy old guard - even though you took a hit in the Incident, I won't be able to completely trust the security team that let Father die.

I'd expect rivalry and friction to result, of course :) part of the fun!

The militia is just a militia - it's the crewmen who know which end of a gun goes 'bang'.  They just get drafted in when there are riots, otherwise they do their normal jobs.

A few things to perhaps consider:
1) What happened to your mother (I suggest either still alive, or only relatively recently deceased.)
2) How strong *is* your claim to the ship?  Is it simply you were here first, or are you the oldest?  The one named in his will?
3) Why wouldn't you have been raised on the ship?

1) Mother I hadn't considered. I will think about her, but my first instinct is to have her back home on the planet Lady Penelope grew up, anxiously waiting for word.
2) I think that the good claimants fought over the inheritance, and are dead or indisposed. I am a lesser child, but distantly loved by Father, and is technically the rightful heir (after Father's siblings and older children got themselves killed). Wait - better! I'#m not a legitimate child, so there is some dispute as to the status of my claim even though the old Lord-Captain acknowledged her as his daughter and heir. How does that sound?
3) Because I'm a child by a lover who lived on a planet the ship came past every once in a while. The Lord-Captain loved Mother dearly, and spent a lot of time with her when he was on-planet. And very much enjoyed his infrequent visits with me, too. But Mother was too important on her world to leave, and Father had his other lovers and wife to keep him happy while he was away. I was never seen as a real part of his dynasty, except (according to his surprising will) by him.

There's a good argument that the squad of guards loyal to the captain is the primary duty of the Security Chief.

That will be made.  Repeatedly. ;)


If you're going to be an illegitimate daughter, you *have* to have your father's actual wife be alive and still on board the ship.  There are no excuses (beyond doing the probably sensible thing and offing her as soon as you get on board). ;)

Edit: I should point out that when I suggested killing the widow of a recently-deceased, well-loved captain during the time you are trying to consolidate power as being a *sensible* idea, that was sarcasm.  Realised it possibly wasn't clear.

This looks awesome! I've shared a folder for you in google docs now. Every doc in it will have the same sharing settings, so you don't need to share new docs when you make them and put them there. I hope you are okay with a first name basis, but if you prefer your forum alias, just change it in the doc.

I love your ideas about your characters and relations, but for the record I see specifics of what you have said here to be speculations about how it might be. Only what is on your sheets and what we see and state in-game becomes actual fact.

Soylent, of course it's okay to swap the adjectives! :) And, yeah, I prefer vulnerable: breakdowns for various reasons. For one, the hold economy in this case is so loose, I don't want to fiddle with it in that way, while the tag is something I know works well for this kind of stuff.

If you say you have jetpacks, I'm sure you do! But I would also assume that your 'mobile' means you have something like assault shuttles and troop transports under your direct command, on top of that. You know, for when jetpacks don't have the range covered.

Also, if you say your power armor is stealthy, I'm sure it is! I'd say it is still tagged with 'bulky' though, because of their size. If that's cool with you.

Un update about the Commander's gigs. You have your designated tasks (after all, that's what duty is about, right?), but they will change as soon as fictional circumstances make them.

Also, small changes to the gear. Advanced on laspistol was just a copy-paste error, for example.

I am thinking a corpulent, pale and unpleasant Navigator called Nostronox or something. A nasty little man who has a thing for getting into peoples heads to feel their feelings, as he doesn't really feel much himself. Some sort of trauma in his past made him all dead inside, and now unable to feel himself he preys on others emotions when possible.

A psyker who can mess with peoples heads is useful to have around, and if he hadn't been useful and protected by the guild I'm sure he wouldn't have been tolerated onboard for very long.

Perhaps the Captain (or the commander) actually managed to scare him once, and now he follows them around as much as possible, doing as they command or request, just hoping that he may cause another emotional outbreak.

Whaddaya think? Doable? Fits with the others? (Well, "fit in" is not the word. Compatible with the game?)

Sounds cool! But I suggest you keep an open mind about the specifics of who he is, on a deeper level, so you can discover and connect with those things in-game!

So, make a new doc, put it in the shared folder, and write down your choices from the playbook's options. And shout out with any questions, either here or there!

Just how would one use Take someones will, anyway? It seems like all it does is give the ability to hurt someone, not make them want to do something.

Is it used as leverage then, to force them to obey or face pain?

I haven't actually seen it in action, myself, but to me it looks pretty straightforward. It's more powerful against NPCs, obviously, since 1 or 2 harm is life-threatening to them, but I'd say generally that you want to use it to command people to do things they would rather accept than face incapacitation for refusing.

Don't forget that you can use the Read a person question "how can I get your character to..." to find out how far you can push your thralls.

Also, just to mention it, I can't take any credit for the move's design, since it is from the core Brainer playbook of AW proper.

I like the look of Nostronox :)

If you go for the idea of having been scared by one of us, then I'll remind you that Penelope hasn't been aboard her ship long - it might fit better with Silon.

As for tolerating him aboard, what are our options? Navigators are rare and vital, if we lose this one, who knows where we'd get another or what they'd be like.