Hey, everybody else has started a let's play and abandoned it. Lets Play X-Com!

[chiasaur11]

I'd rather be among the 50 (or 100, or how many you have) annonymous thinkers, thank you very much. Being totally unrecognisable in-game and hired/fired en masse like slaves or cattle beats having to face death is the sacrifice I am willing to make to ensure others have more fun on the battlefield.

Good to see.

Spoiler

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I'll want five pages on the Enforcer project on the desk by tomorrow. Chumbley has some experience with robotics from the cyberdisk thing, might be a good place to start.

[Copper8642]

And what, let me out of the storeroom? Right.

On that note, who said I was unattractive? I'll take the beatings and ridicule... but ugly? Too far, too far.

[Eldan]

We could also transfer him to Public Relations and actually send him there as a target. This way, no description would be necessary.


Of course, it's hard to tell if he'd scare the kids away or if they'd just laugh at him.

Although, that could actually be used to sort out prospective recruits.

Which ones would we recruit? The brave ones or the tactically astute timely retreaters?

[Murska]

Which ones would we recruit? The brave ones or the tactically astute timely retreaters?

Both, of course.

[Alex Knight]

Of course, there aren't any aliens in X-COM either. Well, apart from Chumbley.

And he will be gone soon. Oh, yes.

Hey!

<stuns Eldan again>

He gets coffee for the boss. That's one less thing we have to let Copper out of the storeroom for.

Besides, he gave me some good info on how best to thwack that psi-dude we captured.

[pendell]

X-com land attractions:

The "beat Copper with a shock rod" booth. With a real, 100% effective stun rod. 1 quarter, 1 swing. We give you your money back if you make him scream.

Everybody knows that when you have a problem, you have a problem. But when you have multiple problems -- lots of people with ready money and a desire to hit something, a beat-worthy X-com employee -- they can be made to solve each other.

Don't forget we need employees -- excuse me, 'cast members' -- to dress up in alien costumes to pose with the kiddies for the camera.

I volunteer to wear the Chrysalid suit.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[chiasaur11]

X-com land attractions:

The "beat Copper with a shock rod" booth. With a real, 100% effective stun rod. 1 quarter, 1 swing. We give you your money back if you make him scream.

Everybody knows that when you have a problem, you have a problem. But when you have multiple problems -- lots of people with ready money and a desire to hit something, a beat-worthy X-com employee -- they can be made to solve each other.

Don't forget we need employees -- excuse me, 'cast members' -- to dress up in alien costumes to pose with the kiddies for the camera.

I volunteer to wear the Chrysalid suit.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

Chrysalid?
We haven't run into anything by that description, and when I asked Chumbley about them, he just started whimpering softly for about an hour.

So, what I'm saying is you'll need to design the suit yourself.

[Johnny Blade]

On that note, who said I was unattractive? I'll take the beatings and ridicule... but ugly? Too far, too far.

Well, excuse me for always turning away because of my sheer repulsion before being able to get a good look at you. So you're not ugly, I guess.
But, given your unique status, you will be before this is over.

Which ones would we recruit? The brave ones or the tactically astute timely retreaters?

Well, the latter would fit right in, I suppose.

[Pie Guy]

I'm pretty sure that I said I wanted to be recruited on an earlier page, how many other people in the world are there with death wishes?

[Flickerdart]

I'll throw myself into the fray. I'm an accomplished Colonel in Gral's X-Com already, with incredible scouting power and awful psionic strength. Maybe I'll be luckier this time.

edit: Ah, it was because the game confused my stats with those of a tank, and I ended up with 25HP more than you're allowed. I think I qualify as awesome now.

[chiasaur11]

I'm pretty sure that I said I wanted to be recruited on an earlier page, how many other people in the world are there with death wishes?

You're going into the American X-Com base. Just takes a while for the updates to catch up to the requests.

Also, if everyone wanted I could go a tad faster for the next couple of days. Is one mission a day a good rate or do we want to go faster?

[Copacetic]

You're going into the American X-Com base. Just takes a while for the updates to catch up to the requests.

Also, if everyone wanted I could go a tad faster for the next couple of days. Is one mission a day a good rate or do we want to go faster?

Faster, FASTER FASTER!

See also; the text two spaces above this.

[Gralamin]

I'll throw myself into the fray. I'm an accomplished Colonel in Gral's X-Com already, with incredible scouting power and awful psionic strength. Maybe I'll be luckier this time.

Truly a great scout, if you look at his Credentials, it Appears the game thinks he is a tank, as It is impossible to have Health over 60.

I suppose I will also Sign up for Red Shirt Duty.

[Cubey]

Good to see.

Spoiler

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I'll want five pages on the Enforcer project on the desk by tomorrow. Chumbley has some experience with robotics from the cyberdisk thing, might be a good place to start.

Our work continues swiftly! Soon, we will have something like this:

Spoiler

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Aliens are screwed.

[Alex Knight]

Our work continues swiftly! Soon, we will have something like this:

Spoiler

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Aliens are screwed.

......

Sir, I'm willing to sacrifice Aldren and Copper if that's what it takes to speed up Lab Tech Cubey's research!

[Lord Herman]

Chrysalid?
We haven't run into anything by that description, and when I asked Chumbley about them, he just started whimpering softly for about an hour.

So, what I'm saying is you'll need to design the suit yourself.

I can think of only one reason why Mr. Brian 'I'm human, honest, the compound eyes are just a rare birth defect' Pendell would know about alien species we've never even heard about.

He's really really clever, and should be reassigned to the science team!

[Jimorian]

Dead, they sell for 20K, which is nice.

The Japanese will eat ANYthing if you put it in a nice bed of rice.

Ditto for the Scots if you deep fry it long enough.

[Johnny Blade]

Ditto for the Scots if you deep fry it long enough.

The problem being that the Scots simply won't eat it if it isn't.

[pendell]

Chrysalid?
We haven't run into anything by that description, and when I asked Chumbley about them, he just started whimpering softly for about an hour.

So, what I'm saying is you'll need to design the suit yourself.

No prob. I kinda had this dream of a big, black monster that zombifies everyone it touches. Yet for some reason, kids love it. My wife knows what a needle and thread are for ... I'll see what we can do.

I can think of only one reason why Mr. Brian 'I'm human, honest, the compound eyes are just a rare birth defect' Pendell would know about alien species we've never even heard about.

More likely it was all the funny business with time shifting back when the Euro base got hit. I have these strange memories ...

... or maybe it's whatever chow they're serving in the mess room these days. I swear I saw Copper in the food preparation area, and that would explain a LOT.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Sir, always happy to do what I can to ensure team discipline and morale!

<goes to beat some spine into Fiddler>

...not a redshirt.... not a redshirt... not a

*Alex bursts into the room*

DIE ALIEN SCUM *shoots Alex* Um... crap....

[Smight]

I find boddy count suprisingly low, what dificoulty are you playing on?

[chiasaur11]

Well, as March rolled in and the screamings of the Sectoid leader from the construction of the psi lab were a constant sound in the base. Made me sleep better, but the men couldn't wait until the soundproof booth was done. The klaxons of the alarm system were hardly audible over the din, but the Interceptor pilots were in the cockpit in seconds. The conveniently soundproof cockpits.

The ace pilots of X-COM are up to the job, of course. The enemy craft gets the explodo.

The Science teams manage to do well despite the screaming. Cubey summed the whole bit up. "It's like that monkey poop coffee. It keeps you awake, you don't like it at first, and you really don't want to know where it comes from, so you desperately think about anything else.

Medkits were the result of the first burst of inspiration. They came too late for Fri and Atranis, but they should stop bleeding out from being an issue for anyone else. We have plans for dealing with Headless Ninja based friendly fire as well.

Motion sensors also were invented. When asked why, Cubey spoke for the whole team when he said "They had them in Aliens, and that movie rules"
"But, in Aliens, the ranking officers, and almost everyone else, died horribly"
"Oh. Right."

Armor research was frontlined after that, and the results looked promising. We had plenty of alien alloys, and saving a trooper or two was worth some money.

Not a ton, mind you, but if it was less than 40k, it was a savings.
Unfortunately, before the new gear could go into production, Russia was attacked!

The mood was tense. We had lives on the line. Innocent people could die if we failed. Then, in a moment of bravery that would live forever in X-COM history, Trazoi spoke up.

"Sir, am I missing something? It's just Russians."
"Oh. Right. Ninja, not too many HE rounds on full auto."

Ninja grabbed all the ammo and flares he could carry. A night mission was a new and unpleasant experience, and we did not want to go unprepared.

As we disembarked, Lopez spotted, and I wasted, another Floater. It seems Floaters and people really don't get along. Maybe the Reapers pooped on a councilman's lawn or something.

The mission continued more or less routinely. We secured the north half of the map, saved a couple of Russians...

Then we went south. It seemed the Floaters took the "terror" part of the missions seriously. If those weren't dirty Reds...

"Sir, the Russians abandoned the glorious struggle back in the 90s"
"Thank you, BRC. Really relevant"
Well, if they were, say, American, or British, I might be pretty disgusted.

Even Russians deserve a little vengeance, though, and we made sure every single Floater paid.

We headed back to the Skyranger, tired but reasonably satisfied. We'd dropped every one of the monsters, and there were 9 less Russians threatening democracy without X-COM lifting a finger. Then we checked the cargo hold. Ninja was the first to spot it.

"Um, weren't all of those big dog things supposed to be dead?"
Eldan's response was standard
"Yes. X-COM has no aliens to worry about being alive on the Skyranger, and humanity has no traitor based worries HA HA!"
"...Right. Well, I'd doubt the claim, even if Knight doesn't, on a standard mission, but this time I had something not in an X-COM uniform in mind. See that movement in the back? Seems we got a stowaway."
Knight was as true to form as Eldan had been.
"Right. Want me to hit something? Because I have this Stunstick right here. Captain? What you want me to hit? Because if Sgt. Ninja is irritating you..."

I always appreciate blind enthusiasm.
"No, hit the thing in the cargo bay. At least now. We'll consider the Ninja part at a later date."

[Fri]

I find boddy count suprisingly low, what dificoulty are you playing on?

I also thought that, but I restrain myself from saying that out loud, because, you know, I'm a ghost.

It might give them wrong ideas and then they'll start bringing exorcists into the base. It can only goes downhill from there.

And ah, finally we got a medkit. As it is (or more specifically, the lack of it is) the indirect cause of my death, I'm torn whether I should do more or less creepy apparition to celebrate (or mourn) this event. Anyone know what usually ghosts do in these kinds of event?

[Artanis]

I am glad to see that even in death, I am still contributing to the war effort!

...well, I'd be glad to see it if not for the whole being dead thing, but still.

[chiasaur11]

I also thought that, but I restrain myself from saying that out loud, because, you know, I'm a ghost.

It might give them wrong ideas and then they'll start bringing exorcists into the base. It can only goes downhill from there.

And ah, finally we got a medkit. As it is (or more specifically, the lack of it is) the indirect cause of my death, I'm torn whether I should do more or less creepy apparition to celebrate (or mourn) this event. Anyone know what usually ghosts do in these kinds of event?

Well, without X-COM Util, every game of X-COM is on very easy, and if I grabbed Util there'd be other changes. Combine that with occasional (I can quit any time I want, I swear!) bouts of reloading (not every mission, and less often then I used to, but still on occasion) and you have the surprisingly low bodycount explanation.

[Cubey]

And ah, finally we got a medkit. As it is (or more specifically, the lack of it is) the indirect cause of my death, I'm torn whether I should do more or less creepy apparition to celebrate (or mourn) this event. Anyone know what usually ghosts do in these kinds of event?

I suggest an alternative approach: haunt the first Medi-Kit we ever produce. Manifest by shooting syringes at people. Or, because Medi-Kits' healing functions don't have any needles (wusses! I didn't work on that project, by the way), overuse stimulants on everyone and watch them run around like kids on sugar.

[Winterwind]

Fri the Talking Med-Kit?

Sounds awesome!

[Cristo Meyers]

Fri the Talking Med-Kit?

Sounds awesome!

All of a sudden I really want to be the medic on a Skyranger carrying around the possessed Med-Kit...

I was going to settle for Test Subject A for the live-fire testing of our new line of armor, but this sounds so much better.

[Alex Knight]

...not a redshirt.... not a redshirt... not a

*Alex bursts into the room*

DIE ALIEN SCUM *shoots Alex* Um... crap....

Next time, load yer weapon, recruit. This could have been another attack by the alien scumbags on our valiant forces.

Second....

<Stuns Fiddler>

Man up. We're all valued members of X-Com here, just below Lopez.

Well, except for Copper, of course. And Aldren....

[Alex Knight]

Knight was as true to form as Eldan had been.
"Right. Want me to hit something? Because I have this Stunstick right here. Captain? What you want me to hit? Because if Sgt. Ninja is irritating you..."

I always appreciate blind enthusiasm.
"No, hit the thing in the cargo bay. At least now. We'll consider the Ninja part at a later date."

Sir, yes sir!

C'mere you......

<sounds of stunstick thwacking>

Oh, think you're a tough guy, eh?

<sounds of even more thwacking>