'To Plunder the Stars Themselves' OOC Thread

[Lysimachus]

we probably don't want to damage this "tax scheme" to much, the Iron gods could gain much from this outpost

 

Could we have the Bounteous lady ram the asteroid base?

I think you pre-answered your own question. It's an option certainly, but perhaps more of a final resort...?

[Beren]

Character Sheet Updated with XP expenditure (Search and Double Team) and the not-quite full clip of penetrator ammo.

 

I think our options are:

 

False-flag with the Bountiful Lady.

False-flag with a captured/wrecked Remora vessel.

Stealth-drift in on a shuttle (either to the station itself or to the surface of a Remora that's heading there).

 

Keep in mind that every ship we destroy now is one that won't serve the iron Gods later, and the most vital information we need is of the stations internal layout and where our target is within it. Anything that might potentially put the system on guard before we're on-station should probably avoided.

 

Also, though I doubt the Bountiful Lady's captain is exactly eager to put his ship in more risk, he might not be exactly opposed to anything that helps put down the Rogue Trader.

 

 

So maybe use the Bountiful Lady to get close (with us on the exterior) and get Holger on board, see if Holger can hack the internal schematics and see if maybe some of Achard's men can chat around and determine where the Rogue Trader is, then void-walk/warp-jump to the nearest location, blow our way in through an airlock and work from there?

[Black Cohort]

 

we probably don't want to damage this "tax scheme" to much, the Iron gods could gain much from this outpost

 

Could we have the Bounteous lady ram the asteroid base?

I think you pre-answered your own question. It's an option certainly, but perhaps more of a final resort...?

 

just throwing out different options.

[Lysimachus]

Fair enough! :P

 

By the way, I don't think(?) you need to purchase Dodge as its a starting Skill for all Marines? (CRB pg36)

[Black Cohort]

Fair enough!

 

By the way, I don't think(?) you need to purchase Dodge as its a starting Skill for all Marines? (CRB pg36)

you are correct I missed it when I was making my character.  Why are so many generic marine level 1 upgrades things everyone already knows?

[Necronaut]

I believe they're listed for if you're trying to stat out an equivalent experience-level enemy or NPC from scratch.

[Lysimachus]

This ^.

 

Although I agree its odd. Just looking at the Ranks system, is that right you have to spend 5k xp (from 12000 up to 16999) all from the Rank 1, Chapter tables and Characteristic Advances before you can start taking from the Rank 2 tables? Feels like you run out of stuff you want to take before then...

[Black Cohort]

especially without access to the deathwatch tables, I intend to take a lot of stat upgrades.

[Commissar Molotov]

You could look at creating an Iron Gods table to replace the Deathwatch one!

[Lysimachus]

To be honest, I don't have a problem with you taking stuff from the DW Advances? Some of them are admittedly not suitable; DW/Inq/Xenos Lore/Ciphers, etc...

 

...but others; Interrogation, Sleight of Hand, Resistance Hot/Cold don't seem particularly specific to DW to me?

 

 

Edit: ooh, thats a cool idea, Mol....

[Black Cohort]

Could we replace the common lores on the deathwatch list with common lore (Iron Gods) and common lore (Solios Nebula)?

[Necronaut]

XP has been spent for Vesalius. I second @Black Cohort's question about replacing Common Lore (Deathwatch), which is a starting skill, with something more setting appropriate.

[Lysimachus]

Yes, definitely. I swapped out DW Training for Hatred of Authority, but I forgot about DW Hypno-conditioning... so that's Common Lore DW and Forbidden Lore (Xenos)...

 

I guess that could be something like Common Lore: Iron Gods and Forbidden Lore: Imperial Underworld (representing that most recruits have spent some time travelling through the seedier underside of the Imperium to reach the Solios Nebula...?)

[Lysimachus]

Ok, as an initial idea of how to mod the Rank 1 DW Advances table:

Note that the Common Lore: Iron Gods and Forbidden Lore: Imperium Underworld are included in your starting Skills and do not need to be bought. EDIT: And these need to replace the Common Lore DW and Forbidden Lore Xenos on the Skills section of each of your Character Sheets.

***

I've tried to keep it as close to the DW table as possible, Ciphers were a straight swap to some of the other types mentioned in the CRB. Hunter of Aliens would be much less useful so modified in the same way that DW Training became Hatred of Authority.

[Beren]

Well, I'm definitely getting some of these the next time we get xp.

[Lysimachus]

Just to clarify Svelk's question before I answer, is he suggesting getting some men on board Elysium to scout and report back? How would you get them aboard ahead of your team?

 

If you want more specific layouts, might it be an idea to go back to Tragg and/or his crew who have already visited?

 

 

Side point: Mol, I'm guessing it's just a typo, but if you've spent 2000 you've got 500 left over? (1750 + 750)

[Beren]

Yep. We get them aboard as 'crew' of the Bountiful Lady, while we wait on the hull or start crawling over the station's exterior. It's not just about the layout, but also where the Rogue Trader is at the specific time we're in position to launch an attack. Plus, they might be able to observe any troop movements, and get more detail on any military we're dealing with.

[Lysimachus]

Ah, gotcha! Ok, I'll have Achard reply.

 

As an aside, if there is something you (or any of you?) want to swap around or give back in order to take something from the new Advance list above, I don't mind?

 

 

So, just to clarify, is the current consensus that you want to try to use the Bounteous Lady to infiltrate your way aboard Elysium? Possibly plus sending the Dagger on ahead to feint an attack and retreat to try to draw off some of the gunboats? And having some human troops you can get aboard first to find Von Caeryd's location?

 

If everyone approves of that, the first step will be convincing Tragg to help, in which case I'll have Achard open a vox link so you can speak to him again?

[Commissar Molotov]

I don't think we have achieved consensus yet in this regard.

 

(I will reallocate my XP; I didn't realise that I had the wrong total!)

[Lysimachus]

I don't think we have achieved consensus yet in this regard.

No worries, I will hold back on posting any more from Achard until we have an agreed plan.

[Necronaut]

I definitely would like for us to put Odysseus's teleportation power to use. Either we come in on an unpowered assault boat and teleport over at max range or come along as hidden cargo on the "damaged" Bounteous Lady.

[Necronaut]

But! We also need to do some intelligence gathering. If it was possible for us to capture one of Von Caeryd's Captains or similar, we might learn some more of his habits?

[Commissar Molotov]

Beren mentioned the idea of capturing one of the Remora craft. The issue might perhaps be in trying to get them far enough away from Elysium for us to ambush them.

 

It might be possible to bring the Bounteous Lady to the edge of the system, out of range of Elysium itself. I like the idea of the Dagger "attacking" them before being driven off and fleeing. The Von Caeryd forces might then lend assistance/board/take advantage of the situation, allowing us to board or ambush? The issue will be in doing so without word getting back to Elysium itself.

[Black Cohort]

are there any stellar features that could shut down long range vox long enough for us to seize a patrol ship?

[Lysimachus]

Nice idea! My scientific knowledge of what would interfere with radio(vox) signals is very, very limited? :D

 

I guess some kinds of stellar radiation might? But if something like that is naturally occurring and 'normal' in the area, you'd think they would be aware/have planned around it?

 

Alternatively, I guess you could jam their signals, but as I understand it you do this by flooding an area with a massive level of radio waves so any actual signals are hidden/unreadable? But that would mean that although they couldn't get in touch with each other, they would know something was going on…

 

 

 

 

 

Edit: Overall, I think we may have hit a bit of a wall in the narrative and be getting a bit bogged down with the strategizing, trying to think of every possible scenario. After all, 'no plan survives contact with the enemy'!

 

So, if its ok with everyone, I'm going to try to pull together the various suggestions everyone has made so far and make a narrative post that lays out an initial 'plan' and moves us on. Then we can get back into the story itself (and see how the plan gets changed by contact!)