Planning & Worldbuilding EarthForce: UFO Defense Planning and OOC CYOA Quest

[Husky_Khan]

I'm Pacific, what is AMERICAN to you?

Central. My flanks are protected by two oceans and two coasts. The only threat to me now is from.... Space...

 

[Grav]

I don’t know if some skills we already have, so let me know if there is repetition.

 

[Husky_Khan]

I don’t know if some skills we already have, so let me know if there is repetition.

Oh that's fine. If you choose a skill again, it just increases the skill to a higher rank.

Skills will go from basic, proficient, skilled, expert and master... a basic one to five scale. Still pondering if all non-exotic skills will start off with a 1 ranking or not or if it'll be based on background (ie a military background gives you a basic skill in a yuge swath of skills. Subskills are ones with... sub skills. And Exotic skills are ones that are... well.. exotic.

Similar 1 to 5 level when it comes to influence with organizations as well.

I'll be updating the character and whatnot with the decisions from the previous post as soon as I get the time.

Planning on breaking up all of this character generation with a flashback.... we'll see how it goes. 👽

Edit:

Here is the character so far.

https://www.the-sietch.com/index.php?threads/earth-ufo-defense.1014/#post-19903

 

[Husky_Khan]

Busy weekend. I will attempt to get an updated Quest post up Monday or Tuesday.

[4]Department of National Intelligence - National Security Agency
+ Choose four Espionage skills (Choose an espionage skill (Communications, Cryptology, Computer Programming, Editing, Hacking, Investigation, Security, Surveillance)

I apologize for not being more clear... this is my first time but the idea is to choose four of the following skills that are listed in that line.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Updated the character and all of that jazz with your choices from the last two posts. I'll be adding the Corporation/Private Organizations to the list of organizations in the RP thread directory as well over these next few days.

As for my latest Quest post... this is a bit of a test run and I'm using this flashback to "The Incident" as a prototype for how I see these more 'action' quests going. I see this RP as being part X-Com and part X-Files. There'll be a lot of stuff of marshaling and organizing resources and this will result in delegating resources and personnel (as well as leveraging favors and influence) to investigate mysterious groups or persons of interest in some cases... and in other cases.... intercepting spacecraft and engaging in actual direct combat with hostile groups or entities, extraterrestrial or otherwise.

The favors, skills and influences in this first mission are "freely provided" so to speak... just so you as the players can get a hang of what I'm angling towards when it comes to actual Questing.

 

[Grav]

Well going for an Investigation synergy this turn.

 

[Grav]

We gain favor from the Marshal Service but lose influence. However our Interrogation goes up to 3. Though Blasterbot would have no loss or gain for the Marshals., wed also have a Diplomacy 1 rather than an Interrogation 3.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Well if there isn't a tiebreaker by the time I write up my next post (which should be up by Saturday at the latest) I'll find some way to arbitrarily choose a tiebreaker since I can't have both options win everytime.

Also I've been incrementally updated all sorts of stuff in the other thread while trying to prevent myself from getting too lost in the minutiae but expanded on the organizations spoiler tab and some bits. Will be adding more to it as I get time.

 

[Grav]

Well if there isn't a tiebreaker by the time I write up my next post (which should be up by Saturday at the latest) I'll find some way to arbitrarily choose a tiebreaker since I can't have both options win everytime.

Also I've been incrementally updated all sorts of stuff in the other thread while trying to prevent myself from getting too lost in the minutiae but expanded on the organizations spoiler tab and some bits. Will be adding more to it as I get time.

If nobody replies by then I say a coin flip. I’ll check it out.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Shorter post this time. If we're stuck at two participants at the time and you both vote... there's no need for me to dilly dally for a day or two if the circumstances allow so I'll see about making the Questing posts a bit more rapid pace then the current two a week pace if the tempo of the Quest and my own time table allows it. With that said, that means there potentially could be another RP post Monday or even tomorrow if circumstances permit.

I updated the character with blasterbots choices since he won the coinflip.

Also expanded the background elements of the RP a great deal... adding new spoiler tabs for "assets/facilities" and filled out various organizations including foreign countries, the corporations, NGO's and adding details on personnel (generic and named ones like our Marshal). At this juncture I think the only thing that will be added to this Quest in the near future will be a simply resource managing mechanic. Most of what needs to be done now is just "filling out" the very empty and underpopulated information tabs I already have.

There'll probably be a flurry of updates if and when we get past this current Mission and we get onto hopefully fun, potentially Quest destroying/making decisions in the last stages of the 'introductory phase.' And as always, feel free to suggest stuff.

We gain favor from the Marshal Service but lose influence. However our Interrogation goes up to 3. Though Blasterbot would have no loss or gain for the Marshals., wed also have a Diplomacy 1 rather than an Interrogation 3.

Actually you'd get Diplomacy 2... I decided that since character improvement likely wouldn't expand much past once we get past the character introduction stage, any skill (that isn't exotic) that you put an initial point in will be automatically boosted up to the number 2 to start off. So it'd be Diplomacy 2 as opposed to Interrogation 3 AFAIK. This was done so the character wouldn't be some weird... diet generalist but seem like someone who is very diverse and capable and thus capable of actually commanding a hopefully worldwide semi-covert agency or organization without being some sort of Alpha Super Skilled Superman (yet) .

 

[Grav]

Shorter post this time. If we're stuck at two participants at the time and you both vote... there's no need for me to dilly dally for a day or two if the circumstances allow so I'll see about making the Questing posts a bit more rapid pace then the current two a week pace if the tempo of the Quest and my own time table allows it. With that said, that means there potentially could be another RP post Monday or even tomorrow if circumstances permit.

I updated the character with blasterbots choices since he won the coinflip.

Also expanded the background elements of the RP a great deal... adding new spoiler tabs for "assets/facilities" and filled out various organizations including foreign countries, the corporations, NGO's and adding details on personnel (generic and named ones like our Marshal). At this juncture I think the only thing that will be added to this Quest in the near future will be a simply resource managing mechanic. Most of what needs to be done now is just "filling out" the very empty and underpopulated information tabs I already have.

There'll probably be a flurry of updates if and when we get past this current Mission and we get onto hopefully fun, potentially Quest destroying/making decisions in the last stages of the 'introductory phase.' And as always, feel free to suggest stuff.



Actually you'd get Diplomacy 2... I decided that since character improvement likely wouldn't expand much past once we get past the character introduction stage, any skill (that isn't exotic) that you put an initial point in will be automatically boosted up to the number 2 to start off. So it'd be Diplomacy 2 as opposed to Interrogation 3 AFAIK. This was done so the character wouldn't be some weird... diet generalist but seem like someone who is very diverse and capable and thus capable of actually commanding a hopefully worldwide semi-covert agency or organization without being some sort of Alpha Super Skilled Superman (yet) .

Good stuff then. Variation is always good.

Edit 1: Hmm, I’m liking one or two. 1 gives a lot of favor and influence but 2 gives us an informant.

Edit 2: Wait we already have an informant.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Good stuff then. Variation is always good.

Edit 1: Hmm, I’m liking one or two. 1 gives a lot of favor and influence but 2 gives us an informant.

Edit 2: Wait we already have an informant.

Oh yeah... it's the informant trait that you already earned from before. It's more of a 'neutral' option when it comes to the whole influence/favors game.

 

[Grav]

Oh yeah... it's the informant trait that you already earned from before. It's more of a 'neutral' option when it comes to the whole influence/favors game.

So is it useful to have more informants or more influence? I think I’ll go with 1 then.

 

[Husky_Khan]

So is it useful to have more informants or more influence? I think I’ll go with 1 then.

Well I added the term "Use" in front of the option to infer that you'd be utilizing the Trait: Criminal Connection that you already had. Choosing that option will lead to later options of course.

As for the other part of your question... I see Influence and Favors as related.... the higher the influence you have with a group... the more likely they are to give you stuff as the Quest plot dictates (ie your organization gets a recruitment boost and a Level 5 Influence US Army might offer up Green Berets as an option... instead of a spare Humvee) ... and the more likely they are to fulfill your favors when you call them in (Lvl 5 Influence FBI will be easier to call in a favor for using their FBI HRT Special Operations team while a Lvl 1 Influence FBI you might be able to use your favor to access the local FBI Field Office for an investigation).

In general though... I see "Trait: Connections" as more rare because it's implied that these connections are more then just working relationships. They are friendships. Even if you have crappy relations with the CIA... if you have a CIA connection, that individual agent will be likely to try and help you regardless... and hopefully vice versa.

 

[Grav]

Blasterbot has chosen two so another coin flip if nobody else votes.

Also what kind of gun do we have?

 

[Husky_Khan]

Blasterbot has chosen two so another coin flip if nobody else votes.

Also what kind of gun do we have?

Fair question. I detailed generic equipment a little bit for after character generation bit not right now.

Here's the basic equipment for a Field Agent at the moment.

Flashlight, Handcuffs, Handgun, Light Body Vest, Lockpicking Set, Secure Cell Phone, Tape Recorder, Taser

Also your vehicle (and Conklins)
Unmarked Police Car: High Quality Sedan with powerful engine, backseat confinement, lights and sirens, camera, secure radio, shotgun, spotlight, laptop computer and first aid kit.

It'll have all that minus the laptop (Yours is with you, not attached to the vehicle).

Gun specifically would be a Beretta, Glock or Colt et cetera. Agent Jimmy Woo has a similar pistol. The alternative for you would be a magnum revolver if you wanna go Dirty Harry instead. More punch and less rounds/slower reload.

Btw your partner Jimmy Woo also has the following skills.
Forensics, Investigation, Interrogation, Photography, Surveillance, Awareness, Driving, First Aid, Savoir Faire, Small Arms at either lvl 2 or 3.

Basic Agent/LEO stuff. But he's also an amateur stage magician and thus can do Escape, Lockpicking and Sleight of Hand at Lvl 3. He also has a Humanities: Religion skill but that's neither here nor there.

 

[Husky_Khan]

I noticed we maxed out influence with the FBI last post, which makes sense considering your main character is an FBI agent. But it has already come up so at this juncture any further influence gained with a Max-Influence faction will likely be translated into more 'favors' unless otherwise specified.

 

[Grav]

We can afford to lose some influence then.

 

[Grav]

You’re going to have to do a coin flip for coffee or Pepsi. That’s great.

 

[Husky_Khan]

You’re going to have to do a coin flip for coffee or Pepsi. That’s great.

Controversy. It's an important decision. This'll be added to the characters biography after all!

... Maybe.

I'll try and get a post up tomorrow afternoon. I've noticed people lurking. Hopefully the lurkers will vote. Add some diversity and three way impasses.