Eclipse Phase Signup - We, who are about to die...

[Arhra]

Originally Posted by Geminex

In any case, look. This isn't a 'just one more' argument. Well, it kinda is, but primarily, I think that 7 people makes for a better game than 6. And I do have some experience. Hell, I'm co-dming something with 15 people! That was supposed to be 12, originally, but we boosted the numbers, because we didn't want to kick people out. And those were people who hadn't even committed yet. Drac and me have, we've gone through the 300-page manual, we've mapped out characters, we've put effort in, and we want to continue doing so. And letting us only helps you make this whole experience better.

You believe that seven people makes for a better game. To be blunt, I do not. From the very beginning, I decided five or six would be best. This is from a perspective of keeping management overhead down, allowing a nice level of interaction between people in the group, allowing a nice range of abilities, creating tailored events for individual characters, allowing a variety of different combat scenarios and, of course, making sure everyone's involved in a scene.

I attached a high priority to high level concepts to spare people from putting in a lot of work only to get rejected.

As for going through the three-hundred plages plus book, I must confess this sign-up was intended to target the players from Phoenix's game. Of which both you and Dracorion are examples.

I am glad the two of you are eager, but I am afraid eagerness alone is not enough.

Dracorion, your preference for developing personality and other features as you go has worked against you in this case I'm afraid. Your concept is a bit all over the place. It's been great to see you so involved so I'm very sorry to have to exclude you.

Geminex, while your character is solid, I fear your arguments for a group of seven have caused me a significant headache. Trying to decide on the best way to proceed and whether seven was feasible has reminded me of why I wanted to keep numbers down. So I'm sorry, but you are out as well.

Voidrazor, I must admit I have to wonder what act of Google brought this to the top of the search list. Weclome to the NPF but I am afraid sign-ups are closed for this game. If you are looking for Eclipse Phase specifically, perhaps you might have better luck on the official site's forums?

[Voidrazor]

No major google-fu, I just ran a search for Eclipse Phase recruiting and this was several spots down. When you, almost inevitably, need to re-recruit due to PBP turnover, please drop me a line at voidrazor AT gmail DOT com.

Have fun everyone!

[Sifright]

Is it just me or is the pad currently not functioning?

Edit: turns out the site is blocked by the corporate firewall.

[Arhra]

Alright, I'm a decent way through my digesting of the Eclipse Phase core book and regurgitating it as Reconstituted Book Product.

Now for those character questions I promised! Some are to help me generate plots for later and some are just thoughts I had that might be interesting to consider about what the characters believe or their opinions of certain things. No need to answer all of them, just ones you think are relevant to your character. I included some suggestions on how to answer them/random gibberish.

If there's anything nifty you've come up with that you'd like to add, throw it in.

I will also be hunting each of you down over the next few days to discuss certain Dramatis Personae as well.


Let Me Tell You About Myself!Let Me Tell You About Myself!
Q: What is your job?
A: In the space-future you don't technically need one, but I'm not sure if you'd be a protagonist if you didn't.

Q: Any particularly interesting hobbies you have?
A: You know, like flower arranging, teaching AIs poetry, or jousting.

Q: What's an average day/week in your life like?
A: I wake up, I have a piece of toast... Whatever option is most interesting.

Q: Where do you live?
A: SPAAAAAAAAAACE.

Q: Any particularly strong views on anyone?
A: You cannot escape the politics. Obviously a great tool for me setting up future adventures. I felt going through every major group by name would be tedious. Just talk about a few organisations or movements that you hate/love.


Please Set Personal PreferencesPlease Set Personal Preferences
Q: What is your muse like?
A: How much do you it treat it like a person, what kind of interaction do you have with it, is there any particular way you choose to represent it to yourself?

Q: How much do you use Augmented Reality?
A: It's pretty much inescapable, but how far do you go with it?

Q: Do you frequent simulspaces often?
A: Ones involving both dragons and dungeons are still going strong, I hear.

Q: Ever edited your own personality?
A: Come on, don't be shy. All the cool kids are doing it.


The Past, Another Country!The Past, Another Country!
Q: Where were you during the Fall?
A: Earth? Oh noooooooo.

Q: What's happened to your friends and family?
A: May want to ignore this one on account of 'MY PARENTS ARE DEAAAAAAD'

Q: Have you travelled much?
A: I don't need your movements for the past several decades, just the highlights is good.

Q: Any reason you can put a finger on how ended up where you are today?
A: Both physically and socially.


Death and BeyondDeath and Beyond
Q: Do you still have your original body?
A: What is/was it like? What happened to it? These are technically questions.

Q: Do you die often?
A: To die once is a tragedy. To die several times looks like... carelessness.

Q: How do you view resleeving?
A: Weird getting used to a new face? Have surgery to get back most of your old face? Body disposable? Do you try to take your main body with you when possible?

Q: Why do you have the morph that you do?
A: Because it is oh so very pretty?


The Conspiracy Has YouThe Conspiracy Has You
Q: What do you think the Fall was really about?
A: Communist plot?! Possibly involves TITANs.

Q: TITAN agents, do they live amongst us?
A: Oh yes, I'm sure it was all the work of these "TITAN agents".

Q: The Factors, what's up with those jerks?
A: They are highly evolved slime molds!

Q: Pandora Gates, what's up with those jerks?
A: TITAN scheme?!

Q: Are the Jovians actually right about everything?
A: Ahahahahahahah.

Q: Who else probably has some big schemes going on?
A: I'm telling you man, it's the Anarchist Conspiracy!

Q: THE MESSAGE CONTAINS NO RECOGNISABLE SYMBOLS
A: Acknowledge y/n?

[Krylo]

Let Me Tell You About Myself!
Q: What is your job?
A: High class social escort and bodyguard.

Q: Any particularly interesting hobbies you have?
A: Bodysculpting, though nothing too non-standard, singing, and thrill-seeking in general.

Q: What's an average day/week in your life like?
A: Is too intense for you. Alternatively: The average week involves many days of wandering around mars, shopping for new clothes (well new clothing blueprints), and keeping his social contacts happy with plenty of mingling where he can. A good week involves being shot at by one or more would be assassins, muggers, or terrorists. Though it's fun to pretend that he's saving lives, Marius is aware that with all the new technology he's generally only saving monetary assets for people with too much anyway. All the same, he enjoys the excitement when it happens.

Q: Where do you live?
A: Mars. Elysium. Though he travels to other martian (and off planet, on occasion) habitats in the line of duty.

Q: Any particularly strong views on anyone?
A: Marius has something of a mild loathing for everyone. Not that he lets any of it show, too much. Wouldn't work well with his line of work. But he finds the scum and crime syndicates/pirates juvenile, the anarchists naive, the hypercorps to be greedy and immoral, scavengers are pathetic, and the Jovians are assholes. If he were to have strong views on one, it'd be the Jovians, but even then he mostly just tries to avoid them.


Q: What is your muse like?
A: A muse is a muse. Marius tends to treat it something like a person, but only out of familiarity. As someone might call their car a she, or curse at their computer for not working as though it understands their threats. He's very much aware that his muse has no feelings. The muse, itself, however, acts like very proper, for the most part, and tries to keep itself as unobtrusive to Marius's life as possible. Like a secretary kept just outside of your office. It buzzes in now and then when necessary, but usually it does its job invisibly.

Q: How much do you use Augmented Reality?
A: Marius blocks all the advertisments and what not that he can, and uses it exclusively for information, though he uses that aspect of it quite heavily. Adblock Plus of the future, more or less.

Q: Do you frequent simulspaces often?
A: Not often, but he's been known to go into grittier more violent ones when he's having a slow week.

Q: Ever edited your own personality?
A: Marius tends to view personality editing on the same level as the Jovians do. It's the one thing they have in common. A man's mind is more than just the only thing he truly owns--it's the only thing he truly is. Editing that detracts from the truth of the individual. Even if the individual is objectively 'better', they aren't who they once were anymore. They're someone else. Someone fake.

The Past, Another Country!
Q: Where were you during the Fall?
A: SPACE! More specifically on a pirate ship. Yar har fiddle dee dee.

Q: What's happened to your friends and family?
A: He cut most of his ties with most of his old friends when he moved to hypercorp space, but what feelers he does keep out there tell him that they're still doing what they had been doing. A few retired to anarchist communes or scum barges. As for family? He couldn't really say.

Q: Have you travelled much?
A: He lived on a space ship for much of his adult life. He's been in lots of places. Notable exceptions include the Jovian republic, and anything past Pluto. In the former because it wasn't worth the risk and the latter because it wasn't worth the fuel.

Q: Any reason you can put a finger on how ended up where you are today?
A: Marius just wanted more than the life of a space pirate. It sounds romantic in the vids, and maybe it even is for awhile. Moving from place to place, taking what you want, taking no orders from anyone but your captain. Like a scum barge but more violent... but Marius wasn't happy being poor. He wasn't happy waiting for the big score that would let him retire to a private space station... and he wouldn't have been happy on a private space station, anyway. He wanted the good life, but he didn't want safety. In the end the first half of that led him to hypercorp space, and the second half led him to protecting the very people he had hoped to rob not long ago.


Death and Beyond
Q: Do you still have your original body?
A: Hahaha. No. His original body? Some splicer, of course. That's what all the originals are, aren't they? It caught a hypervelocity round between the eyes on a boarding operation. He hardly even remembers it.

Q: Do you die often?
A: Yes. Marius is a thrill seeker, and in the superfuture thrill seeking often means things that could wind up with your morph getting killed at a moment's notice if even a single thing goes wrong. Not to mention the fact that he finds true combat morphs unnecessarily expensive when you're throwing them into the line of fire constantly, and as such he often ends up losing morphs taking a bullet (or hail of gunfire, or knife, or monofilament wire) protecting a client.

Q: How do you view resleeving?
A: He's pretty used to it by now. And most of the weirdness, new face etc. are mitigated by the fact that he likes to, when he gets to choose his own morph, get skinflex and chameleon skin in it. Which he uses to change his appearance from day to day. He also likes to have sex swtich, for that matter, and, while he normally stays a man, he's been known to spend weeks as a woman without ever switching morphs. He prefers not to resleeve, though. It's an uncomfortable period getting used to the new body and all.

Q: Why do you have the morph that you do?
A: He mostly uses augmented pleasure pods, for two reasons: The first is that they are, indeed, so very pretty, and that helps in his line of work--as does the fact that they are often worn by prostitutes and rarely actual gunslingers. After all, he's supposed to be able to blend in to the crowd at fancy soirees. The other reason being that they are cheap and easily replaceable if need be. He usually adds 'morph replacement' into contracts with his employers, so they have to replace his morph if he dies protecting them, but it's also something he occasionally has to cut to make a sale, and something that he occasionally has to argue about, and it's just easier, and better for business, at that point to just get himself a new morph out of pocket.

When he has some extra money, or expects to be in a morph for awhile, however, he'll get himself an exalt. Or a sylph if he's really doing well for himself.


The Conspiracy Has You
Q: What do you think the Fall was really about?
A: Marius believes the party line, for the most part. TITANs were created by the military and unleashed in response to increasing aggression, and then turned against their masters. He hasn't really thought too much about it.

Q: TITAN agents, do they live amongst us?
A: He's heard of them popping up now and then, but it's such a remote threat he more or less ignores it.

Q: The Factors, what's up with those jerks?
A: They're arrogant assholes. That's Marius's opinion, anyway. They shouldn't be telling humanity what to do, especially not when they couldn't be assed to show up before we nearly pushed ourselves into extinction.

Q: Pandora Gates, what's up with those jerks?
A: Marius has no idea what's up with them.

Q: Are the Jovians actually right about everything?
A: Define 'everything'. Are they correct in that the fall was caused by unmitigated use and advancement of technology without proper safeguards? Yeah. Probably. Are they correct in that the opposite extreme, that is to say bioconservatism, is any better? Not at all. Plus, they're assholes.

Q: Who else probably has some big schemes going on?
A: Everybody has an angle. Marius tries not to think about it too much, though. He's a hedonist, just out to have fun.

Q: THE MESSAGE CONTAINS NO RECOGNISABLE SYMBOLS
A: Delete. Maybe have the muse, or someone with better knowledge of virii and hacks take a look at him (and his muse) after the fact to make sure nothing went sideways.

[Overcast]

Let Me Tell You About Myself!
Q: What is your job?
A: I'm a bit of a whore in that matter, I take any job that will use my given skills if someone pays me right. As such I'm known to be a psychosurgeon and a psychoanalyst, a negotiator, even have some experience as a criminal, but I guess above all I'm a businessman. I work to get paid and that is good enough for me.

Q: Any particularly interesting hobbies you have?
A: I'm a bit of a workaholic, but I do have a fondness for trying to create simulspace environments. I stumbled across it when I was trying to improve on some of my psychosurgery techniques and it has become an art I'm very fond of. My most popular one was a retelling of the old Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale, only with the wolf representing some internal struggle that is supposed to be picked up by responses you take when you deviate on the path to grandmother's house. Very thrilling from what I'm told.

Q: What's an average day/week in your life like?
A: I wake up and check my messages, see what things I may want to get involved in, what I'm definitely rejecting. Check my rep, who I pissed off and who I'm good with, try to see about making improvements to those I angered and how best to use what I have. Usually try to get to work right away to keep me occupied, but if not I'm usually reading or working on a new simulspace. I might head out and talk some people up to keep myself on the radar. Then when I feel just about like I'm going to die I usually turn out.

Q: Where do you live?
A: SPAAAAAAAAAACE. Nah but seriously I try not to stay in one place too long. I think it is those old scum habits creeping up on me, I get around and try to use my rep to get a place to crash wherever I am at the time. Long term situations are usually spent back on a barge, it keeps me moving and I can count on my rep to get me by there. Might stay in staff housing if it is offered for a longer job.

Q: Any particularly strong views on anyone?
A: I keep a relatively good relationship with both hypercorps and autonomists, but both know I'm not perfectly in line with how they believe. Back and forth with other Extropians, competition can get pretty heated after all. I got a few connections to crime, mostly for the sake of business. I have distinct dislike of Jovians and Ultimates, the joves cause they are too tight assed to live life properly, and the Ults cause they are so far up their own ass with their bullshit that it really fucks my high sometimes. Only people I really count on though are other Scum, boys know I'm always there to help them get what they need so they'll take care of me when times get rough.


Please Set Personal Preferences
Q: What is your muse like?
A: Allen is my assistant. He takes my messages, he helps organize my appointments, and he handles things that I either don't know how to do or am too busy to truly take care of myself. I guess I treat him like a person to a degree, but I guess that is because I know that is good for you. Sometimes the only person you can really confide in is someone who is incapable of betraying you without very capable hacking.

Q: How much do you use Augmented Reality?
A: I might dose a drop here and there if today's dinner is badly made or I'm getting bored in a negotiation with a hypercorp, but mostly I don't use AR for much more than being able to multitask my daily schedule and messaging.

Q: Do you frequent simulspaces often?
A: Simulspaces on the other hand are quite fun to me. I like to play around in them and even make my own for people to try out. It has a lot to do with the psychosurgery thing, you can't really expect that a used product is very good if you've never tried it yourself.

Q: Ever edited your own personality?
A: Not knowingly no.


The Past, Another Country!
Q: Where were you during the Fall?
A: I was pretty young during the Fall, just a tiny little five year old who didn't really have a fucking clue that the world was coming to an end. So I don't really remember much beforehand, just know we got out.

Q: What's happened to your friends and family?
A: Parents got me off the planet, spent ever dime we had on the hopes we were going to end up on Luna or something, so when the cruise ship stopped being so cruisy they were in a world of hurt. Raised me pretty good though, couldn't protect me entirely from barge life but I don't think anyone could. I got them going pretty good now, but it took a lot and they weren't very happy with me collaborating with criminals early on. Honestly they may be part of the reason I decided to move on to legitimate business. No siblings though, not unless you count the other scum I had to make nice with.

Q: Have you travelled much?
A: Spent a good 13 years on a barge so yeah I got around. Mostly bumped around the inner system during that time, the barge wasn't going too far from its old paths and I wasn't about to leave any time soon so I seen most of the inner systems by now. The outer are still a bit vauge to me, but business in the last two years and finally getting off that damn thing have gotten me acquainted with a few out of the way places.

Q: Any reason you can put a finger on how ended up where you are today?
A: Honestly? Just following my skills. I was weak so I had to be clever to make it in the barge. That got me to criminal enterprising, but that was too risky so I jumped off the barge and tried to get into business, using contacts at first to try to get to hypercorps but going Extropian because it felt more free. I am who I am because the world kinda forced me into my mold, but I'm going down to earth because I'm greedy and fuck death I can just get resleeved.


Death and Beyond
Q: Do you still have your original body?
A: My original body was a flat, my parents had me the old fashioned way back on earth. I still have it, after I switched out I kinda kept it frozen in a body bank in case of an emergency or just for the sake of nostalgia. I always visit it from time to time to remember my original face. Gotta say that is a little unnerving sometimes.

Q: Do you die often?
A: I try not to, death is expensive and inconvenient and I know enough about the human mind to know that it can fuck with you. Even looking at my old body can make me a little itchy in my new one sometimes, so I try to keep whatever I'm in alive if I can help it.

Q: How do you view resleeving?
A: Nothing is my first body, so if I fucked up by resleeving then I already killed myself and there ain't a damn thing I can do about it. So resleeving ain't so bad to me, but...I'm not dumb. It still kinda irks me to think about, but I try to ignore it if I can.

Q: Why do you have the morph that you do?
A: Because it is oh so very pretty? But really I took it as a sign of how far I've come. Like buying the most expensive thing on the shelf just to tell people, "I'M FUCKING RICH!" It's supposed to be a testament to my accomplishments.


The Conspiracy Has You
Q: What do you think the Fall was really about?
A: I don't know, I really don't think about it. All I know is what we are stuck in now, the Fall happened, and we can't stop it now.

Q: TITAN agents, do they live amongst us?
A: Can't prove they do, but they could. Know if I find any I'd probably try to find the rest, but honestly I don't see the profit in thinking about it till you are sure.

Q: The Factors, what's up with those jerks?
A: Factors fucking creep me out. I don't know if my ancestors were racists or something like that but something about some random ass fucks representing some unknown collective of alien species just doesn't rub me right. I just don't trust them.

Q: Pandora Gates, what's up with those jerks?
A: Lot of money in the gates, the future is on the other side after all, but who knows what the future holds for humanity?

Q: Are the Jovians actually right about everything?
A: If the Jovians are right about everything then you might as well burn my fucking cortical sack because this whole world ain't worth a damn if I have to live like them.

Q: Who else probably has some big schemes going on?
A: Schemes are always happening, but until you get a fingerhold you aren't going to see a thing till it is too late.

Q: THE MESSAGE CONTAINS NO RECOGNISABLE SYMBOLS
A:

[PhoenixFlame]

Let Me Tell You About Myself!
Q: What is your job?
A: I kill people for a living. No, I'm not an assassin, or a mercenary. I don't do wetwork, I don't fight in corporate wars. The stuff we do is for entertainment and absolutely not staged in any way shape or form. (So that the audience can fully appreciate it.)

Q: Any particularly interesting hobbies you have?
A: I like to collect old firearms. Mmm.

Q: What's an average day/week in your life like?
A: I wake up, surf the net, play VR with my friends, and then sometimes fight to the death with someone of similar disposition.

Q: Where do you live?
A: Verily sir, I live in space.

Q: Any particularly strong views on anyone?
A: I hate the corps, but you can't avoid the corps. They are, sadly, everywhere. Fortunately, they have a great deal of exploitable fortune and resources, mostly of the informational variety. Since the average person really doesn't NEED their materials, the best way to mess with these jokers is over the mesh. Getting someone else to do it for you is the best way.

Please Set Personal PreferencesPlease Set Personal Preferences
Q: What is your muse like?
A: My Muse is my dear friend and companion. It's about as sentient as me, and certainly moreso than anyone else I know. Therefore, my muse has a great deal of my respect and esteem. It's very handy, too. When's the last time anyone meat did a google search for you?

Q: How much do you use Augmented Reality?
A: Ever played AR games? Those are hilarrrrious.

Q: Do you frequent simulspaces often?
A: I love the fantasy simulspaces. Also, earth sims, as it's like being home without home actually existing anymore.

Q: Ever edited your own personality?
A: Sometimes. That's for me to know, and you to not ever find out.

The Past, Another Country!The Past, Another Country!
Q: Where were you during the Fall?
A: Earth. Yes, it was bad. Yes, I almost ran out of ammunition. No, the ammunition wasn't helping when I did have it.

Q: What's happened to your friends and family?
A: 'MY PARENTS ARE DEAAAAAAD' But, furthermore, so's everyone not my parents.

Q: Have you travelled much?
A: I went to mars once! It was pretty swell. The Cydonians have great souviners.

Q: Any reason you can put a finger on how ended up where you are today?
A: The same reason most razorgirls end up where I am. We have skills that interest people but do not want us to have.


Death and BeyondDeath and Beyond
Q: Do you still have your original body?
A: I was human once. NEVER AGAIN.

Q: Do you die often?
A: You may think it's carelessness, but think of it as exfoliation for the soul. If what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, what DOES kill you must make you hercules. After all, you can stand to learn from lessons you didn't live long enough to forget.

Q: How do you view resleeving?
A: I like to keep my body, and it's generally rather upsetting when it gets trashed, but you just have to roll with it and find a new look that suits you. The same look isn't necessary, but it does take awhile to get something that jives.

Q: Why do you have the morph that you do?
A: I am oh so very pretty. Also, ever seen a 7'6" Ultimate get knocked on his ass by a neotenic? Hiiiilarrrrious.

The Conspiracy Has YouThe Conspiracy Has You
Q: What do you think the Fall was really about?
A: Stupidity. Mostly ours.

Q: TITAN agents, do they live amongst us?
A: Yes, but I'm sure X-COM is protecting us.

Q: The Factors, what's up with those jerks?
A: More targets for X-COM. I hope they get to them soon.

Q: Pandora Gates, what's up with those jerks?
A: FFFF- Sectoids are involved.

Q: Are the Jovians actually right about everything?
A: No.

Q: Who else probably has some big schemes going on?
A: We of the anarchists are most certainly not committing any conspiracys that we are aware of.

Q: THE MESSAGE CONTAINS NO RECOGNISABLE SYMBOLS
A: Y.

[Arhra]

Hay guys, I heard you like knowing some of the changes to be made to the game so you can start making characters so I made a list of some changes to be made so you can start making characters.

Feedback on these changes is appreciated.

[Arhra]

Hay guys, I also heard you hate maths so I told a computer how to do maths for you like computers should.

[Overcast]

Might have all the basics of my character sheet figured out. I'd probably enjoy checking it out on my own on paper so I'll hit up a text sheet then work out the calc myself to see if there was anything uncalculated in the supercomputersheet you provided. Might be up within the week.