Worse Than The Disease OOC 2

[u-b]

Spending 2 points to get Piloting 13. Also, I'd like to know:
1. How visible is the drone (it will be in the open sky, but it is small and light gray, and people are not always looking at the sky), so what would be the check to see it not from under the trees before Speed / Range? Assuming it is 2/3 foot elongated box with appendages sized at something like -12 +1 +1 = -10 or maybe just -10 for under 1.5 feet including arms and props.
2. How audible it is, assuming it's 70..80 dB? There is a table on HT158, but I'd like a modifier for continuous sound as not to roll every second the drone could be possibly heard.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Spending 2 points to get Piloting 13. Also, I'd like to know:
1. How visible is the drone (it will be in the open sky, but it is small and light gray, and people are not always looking at the sky), so what would be the check to see it not from under the trees before Speed / Range? Assuming it is 2/3 foot elongated box with appendages sized at something like -12 +1 +1 = -10 or maybe just -10 for under 1.5 feet including arms and props.
2. How audible it is, assuming it's 70..80 dB? There is a table on HT158, but I'd like a modifier for continuous sound as not to roll every second the drone could be possibly heard.

1) Work out its SM form its dimension (use the Speed/Range Table) first off. As for color and visibility, remember the Camouflage skill. It probably won't be easy to spot, especially from afar.
2) Sound of the drone is probably about 80 dB but the continuous sound means it moves up an effective step louder, so make it 8 yards distance for Hearing+0 rolls.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Alright, Sean has the deliveries and militia organised.

The new soldiers will arrive later today, in the late afternoon or at night. Fast-forward until then?

[u-b]

Yeah, fine with that. Also, is there a reference to read about "four gangs of armed deserters"?

[Shoot Da Moon]

Yeah, fine with that. Also, is there a reference to read about "four gangs of armed deserters"?

The gangs are former black neck tattoo raiders. There is not a “reference”. (What does that mean, exactly? A page number in a book?) Blackwire can have them help you out.

Anyway, time skip.

[u-b]

What does that mean, exactly? A page number in a book?

Yeah, I thought there is some "teams" section somewhere, with stats and such, like they have in Pathfinder, given you gave it as "X gangs" and not "Y people".

The troopers drive up in a humvee and are armed to the teeth, their bulky black body armor looking menacing in the night.

There are several things I don't quite understand about this. They are...
1. We were expecting 16 men, but the team has arrived in a humvee.
2. We were expecting to fully equip them, including weapons, armor and transportation (given how they were reporting being low on funds), but they came fully equipped.

I'm totally fine either way, but want to make sure we are in the same boat on this one.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Yeah, I thought there is some "teams" section somewhere, with stats and such, like they have in Pathfinder, given you gave it as "X gangs" and not "Y people".

There are several things I don't quite understand about this. They are...
1. We were expecting 16 men, but the team has arrived in a humvee.
2. We were expecting to fully equip them, including weapons, armor and transportation (given how they were reporting being low on funds), but they came fully equipped.

I'm totally fine either way, but want to make sure we are in the same boat on this one.

Well, the raider gangs under Blackwire’s command have the same general stats as the black neck tattoo enemies you’ve fought before. Although a few of the higher-ups have different stats.

Next points;
1) Ah, they have one humvee. Perhaps the men not in it are driving motorcycles (2 to a bike) alongside?
2) Well, these men are equipped, but other Rangers not out on missions are not (loadouts may be passed around among soldiers as needed). Besides, “funds” could mean being low on food, water, medical supplies and bullets (the men arriving may only have one or two reloads for their guns, after all). Fuel could also be running low.

[Shoot Da Moon]

I propose I run Sean, Bart and militia while Volthawk runs all the Rangers. Do we have stats and gear for the Rangers? Sean might spend some time tweaking that part. I expect two troop leaders, one driver/mechanic, explosives guy and 12 riflemen, but even if it is exactly that way, would like to have some details about the people.

The Rangers are;
2 Officers (see Officer stats on After the End 2 page 24, minus Callous, add Driving-12 skill)
One driver (see Private stats on After the End 2 page 24, minus Callous, add Driving-14 and Mechanic-14 skills, change Guns specialty to Shotgun)
One demo-man (see Private stats on After the End 2 page 24, minus Callous, add Explosives-15 and Driving (Motorcycle)-12 skills, change Guns specialty to Shotgun)
12 riflemen (see Private stats on After the End 2 page 24, minus Callous, add Driving (Motorcycle)-12 skill)

Their armor is TL 7 Improved Fragmentation Vest with Trauma Plates (HT 66, torso DR 4/2*+18, weighs 8+15 lbs.), Boots (Feet DR 2*), Leather Gloves (Hands DR 2*) and TL 7 Frag Helmet (HT 70, skull DR 5, weighs 3 lbs.).
Their guns are AK-47 7.62x39mm rifles (HT 120, 2 rifle magazines, 20 rifle bullets in each magazine) except for the driver/mechanic and the demo-man and S&W Model 29 .44M revolvers (HT 94, no speed-loaders, 12 pistol bullets).
They all have large knives (and Knife-13 skill, too), too. The driver/mechanic and demo-man both have a Remington Model 11 Riot shotgun (HT 105) with 12 buckshot rounds as their primary gun.

I'm leaving out some not-immediately-relevant info here, like other skills they have (Survival, Streetwise, Urban Survival, Intimidation) or miscellaneous equipment (tents, poles, bottles, first aid kit).

Does that answer your questions or have I missed something?

[u-b]

Does that answer your questions or have I missed something?

Seems good for now, but I will ask some questions:
1. Their general attitude towards rearming? Sean would propose to upgrade their gear where appropriate, leave one officer with the whole set of inferior gear to train and equip the militia (likely issuing the gear after appropriate interviews / background checks / marksmanship tests / training / whatever). The "inferior" gear will still be better than what the militia has at the moment.
2. If they are ok with rearming, some of them are proposed to get rifle + underbarrel grenade launcher combo. The question is, would they prefer to keep their 11-pound AK-47s or get new 7-pound M16A1s. The later seem to be better in every respect unless the AKs are Fine (Reliable).

The men will be given most of tomorrow to familiarize themselves with new gear.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Seems good for now, but I will ask some questions:
1. Their general attitude towards rearming? Sean would propose to upgrade their gear where appropriate, leave one officer with the whole set of inferior gear to train and equip the militia (likely issuing the gear after appropriate interviews / background checks / marksmanship tests / training / whatever). The "inferior" gear will still be better than what the militia has at the moment.
2. If they are ok with rearming, some of them are proposed to get rifle + underbarrel grenade launcher combo. The question is, would they prefer to keep their 11-pound AK-47s or get new 7-pound M16A1s. The later seem to be better in every respect unless the AKs are Fine (Reliable).

The men will be given most of tomorrow to familiarize themselves with new gear.

1) They're fine with it.
2) The AK are not Fine (Reliable). The M16A1s would be preferable.

[Shoot Da Moon]

I think we're waiting on you, Richard.
Anything to add?

[u-b]

Shuffling through the gear, I've found two things I would like to discuss:
1. The rangers came with TL7 ceramic+fiberglass trauma plates. Normally, the materials would make them semi-ablative, but then the TL7 price does not compare well with TL8 semi-ablative plates if they both co-exist at the same time. Should we...
1.1 Consider the stuff be titanium plates (not ablative) OR...
1.2 Reduce the market price of the stuff OR...
1.3 Keep things as is even if that does not make perfect sense?
2. When we last met some of Chalmers' Vermont Rangers, we've handed them some 14 flashbangs. So...
2.1 Are any of these rangers some of those rangers? And if so...
2.2 Any of them still have any flashbangs?

And yeah, we definitely need more Volthawk in this game, though the things do not seem perfectly well on that front...

I've been thinking, and I think it's time for me to drop from the [other] game. I've had less time for pbp things recently, and that's meant I haven't really been able to give [that] game the attention it deserves, hence often falling a bit behind and having to rush up to date. ...

[Volthawk]

Sorry, I'm still here. Just missed that there was a call for Richard to respond.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Shuffling through the gear, I've found two things I would like to discuss:
1. The rangers came with TL7 ceramic+fiberglass trauma plates. Normally, the materials would make them semi-ablative, but then the TL7 price does not compare well with TL8 semi-ablative plates if they both co-exist at the same time. Should we...
1.1 Consider the stuff be titanium plates (not ablative) OR...
1.2 Reduce the market price of the stuff OR...
1.3 Keep things as is even if that does not make perfect sense?
2. When we last met some of Chalmers' Vermont Rangers, we've handed them some 14 flashbangs. So...
2.1 Are any of these rangers some of those rangers? And if so...
2.2 Any of them still have any flashbangs?

And yeah, we definitely need more Volthawk in this game, though the things do not seem perfectly well on that front...

1) Consider them titanium plates (not ablative).
2) No, other Rangers got those flash bangs and are using them on other operations or have used them.

[u-b]

1. Are there any traders at the base now who can buy lots of stuff from us? Sean wants to procure enough bullets without going places like Gunmetal.
2. What would be the stats for 40mm Flame Jet round built generally like 12G round on HT103? Thinking of something with more content and wider spread than using a long 12G barrel, like maybe 1d burn range 35 cone with base 10 at price $100 adjusted.

[Shoot Da Moon]

1. Are there any traders at the base now who can buy lots of stuff from us? Sean wants to procure enough bullets without going places like Gunmetal.
2. What would be the stats for 40mm Flame Jet round built generally like 12G round on HT103? Thinking of something with more content and wider spread than using a long 12G barrel, like maybe 1d burn range 35 cone with base 10 at price $100 adjusted.

1) Yes, there are traders at the base right now. However, they have only $1300 in spare bullets (65% of it in pistol, 25% in rifle, the rest are miscellaneous) with which to buy wares. They can trade other goods for your goods, depending on what you want in return. They have water, food, medical supplies (bandages, antibiotics, PatchUp Punch, etc.), common tools (reloading tool, bolt cutters, duct tape, rope, multi-tool, etc.), 18 black powder slam-fire guns, 20 gallons of fuel, lots of melee weapons, 3 common revolvers, 4 speedloaders and 4 sets of common low TL armor.

2) Not sure. If the dragon's breath round is 10-yards-wide cone, 1d-2 burn damage, Range 75, fire once every 4 seconds, can't fire from auto-ejector. (I'd say it's a TL 7 item, for x8 cost. The underlying tech is shotgun shell, worth $10, so $80 for just one Dragon's Breath round.) Therefore, I think your proposal is acceptable, it's worth $100 per shot. Do you plan to invent it?

[Shoot Da Moon]

Richard, I‘d like you to roll before we move on, so we can handle the two interactions in one post.

[u-b]

Troops' gears at noon of DAY 84

Militia 1 - current full-time militia armed by us (not including the rest of militia not armed by us). Militia 2 is to be hired by the Rangers officer (from Militia 1 or otherwise), currently zero people. Militia 3 is maybe to be hired later on, now also zero people. Rangers 0 - gear shared or identical among the rangers. Rangers 1 & 2 - officers (the first one in charge of militia, the other one in charge of strike team). Rangers 3 & 4 - riflemen. Rangers 5 - demolition. Rangers 6 - driver. Scouts/Hunters - for reference. Sean's men (Bart + three militia) not listed.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Alright, that’s good.

Are the PCs finished with business for the in-game day?

[u-b]

Are the PCs finished with business for the in-game day?

Sean would like to visit Red Brick in the evening and stay overnight at Gunmetal if it seems there would be enough time left to do so.

[Volthawk]

Yeah, I'm good for the day.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Sean would like to visit Red Brick in the evening and stay overnight at Gunmetal if it seems there would be enough time left to do so.

Yeah, you can drive off in the early afternoon.
You remember the distance from the base to Red Brick, and then the distance from Red Brick to Gunmetal?

[Shoot Da Moon]

Do you need stats for any of the available stuff? I can provide a reference page number for High-Tech, Adventure Guns, or Pulp Guns.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Rolled in secret to see if the merchant's stock was good.

3d, higher is better.

Rolled a 4. Figured the bare minimum was 4 sets of what you wanted, but terrible.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Richard, I think we're waiting on you to see if you wanna contribute something to the discussion Sean is having with the Gunmetal contact.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Status check, players, are you guys okay? Still with me?

[u-b]

Sorta. I guess I can as well post today if we are not hearing from Richard.

[Volthawk]

Sorry, the last week or so has been pretty...messy (death in the family, immediately before other family came over for the first time), so this slipped my mind again.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Sorry, the last week or so has been pretty...messy (death in the family, immediately before other family came over for the first time), so this slipped my mind again.

Darn it, I'm sorry.
I figured you were probably dealing with very important stuff and I was worried I'd be poking you in the middle of it.

[u-b]

What skills would you like Chalmers to roll on your behalf? They may be rolled in secret.

Some persuasion to get Vermont Rangers' Intelligence Department, assuming there is one, roll Area Knowledge and Current affairs? Being an organization of more than one man they likely should have these above and beyond personal capabilities, which should be non-negligible by themselves. And then we'll see if we need more info. If successful, Sean will accept either raw info or, if that is classified, an advice based on that.