'To Plunder the Stars Themselves' OOC Thread

[Machine God]

An internet cookie to the first person to spot where I got the hand gesture that Draak gave to Decimus in the reply about skin tone.

[Lysimachus]

An internet cookie to the first person to spot where I got the hand gesture that Draak gave to Decimus in the reply about skin tone.

This one?

 

Draak raised his left bionic hand which he turned over, bunched into a fist and then spread his fingers.

I've been sat doing it for half an hour trying to think where I know it from... :P

 

 

 

Anyway, heads up that I'll post the next update at the end of the weekend (either late Sunday or early Monday morning).

[Machine God]

 

An internet cookie to the first person to spot where I got the hand gesture that Draak gave to Decimus in the reply about skin tone.

This one?

 

Draak raised his left bionic hand which he turned over, bunched into a fist and then spread his fingers.

I've been sat doing it for half an hour trying to think where I know it from...

 

 

 

Anyway, heads up that I'll post the next update at the end of the weekend (either late Sunday or early Monday morning).

 

Yes that one. Draak of course doesn't have flesh on that arm and he doesn't know what a Hoover is...

[Mazer Rackham]

All I can think of is Terminator 2: Judgement Day?

 

(And yes I preferred the alternative cut - there I said it)

[Machine God]

All I can think of is Terminator 2: Judgement Day?

 

(And yes I preferred the alternative cut - there I said it)

Yes you are right, here have this cookie.

 

The scene where the T-800 cuts the flesh off of its left arm and shows the the fore-arm and hand to Dr Miles Dyson.

 

(Edit: Typo)

Edited September 11, 2021 by Machine God

[Necronaut]

Placeholders filled:

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/370180-to-plunder-the-stars-themselves-episode-1/?p=5739829

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/370180-to-plunder-the-stars-themselves-episode-1/?p=5740487

[Machine God]

I just updated my last post in the story and updated the spreadsheet. I swapped the Recoil Baffling for the Suppressor Stabiliser.

[Commissar Molotov]

Lysimachus:

 

Whilst I understand you're trying to foster narrative here I do think we need a little more information about the two worlds we're travelling to (or the parameters for the missions) as doing so would perhaps affect the squads that we divide ourselves into and allow us to talk about various strategies. Given that some of this information would be on the data-slates you've alluded to it seems out of character for us to ask Achard or Holger for it.

[Lysimachus]

Ok, apologies all, I'll try to be a bit more specific without spoilering the fun!

 

So, Mission A is Viorda Prime, which is as Varn described:

 

...the Viorda System is of the Imperium." He enunciates the last three words, biting them off in flat, cold contempt. "Viorda Prime is a Sub-sector Capital, a world of more than a dozen Hives and countless billions of lives. It is guarded by a large PDF, Arbitrators, orbital defences. It lies on a major warp route junction, meaning that Navy Patrol Groups can often be found passing through. An all-out attack on the system would therefore be… foolhardy. But a small team of specialists can infiltrate those defences and root out our target."

(And Holger has just now added more detail that the seller you are hunting for is one Gunther Lang, to be found within the mid-levels of Hive Tertius.)

 

So the part on Viorda Prime is very much NOT an all guns blazing kind of mission! If you tried, even Astartes would be quickly destroyed. Infiltrating a Hive will require skills in areas such as: stealth, intelligence gathering/interrogation, kidnapping, and (hopefully not, but possibly at some point...) fighting at close quarters?

 

***

 

Whereas Mission B to Viorda Secundus (planet and inhabitants described in the article linked in my latest IC post) is much more likely to get loud quickly! :P

 

Easier to get planetside in force as its much smaller/less defended overall.

 

Still an investigative element there (why have shipments stopped, etc?) but perhaps more likely to have to fight their way in? (I'm imagining a Convent House to be very similar to a Fortress Monastery, if on a much smaller scale). So team members (other than the Traveller, who I assume will definitely go there) might need to be the heavy hitters/tough guys?

 

What other kind of things am I missing/do people want to know?

[Trokair]

I think it was more a sense of don’t quite know what the story plan is, so can’t plan the small scale narrative stuff.

 

 

I have mentioned it to Lysimachus already, but I am going to be away for a week and a half or thereabout.

 

Brynjarr is not to keen to be planet side, but both missions will go down the gravity well, so not much choice. I am inclined for him to go to with Mission A to Viorda Prime, but it depends on what and where he is needed.

 

Brynjarr dose have Pilot Space Craft, which I assume includes orbit to ground landers, so that might be of use.

 

 

[Beren]

Svelk also has Pilot Spacecraft for what its wirth. For an Assault Marine, he's also relativey used to fighting in enclosed spaces and relative degrees of stealth, so Prime might be a good option for him.

[Necronaut]

Vesalius has a particular set of skills, skills he has acquired over a very long career...

[A.T.]

Osysseus' talents may be best suited to Viorda Prime. While he is not stealthy his abilities will likely work better against those who are not fanatical fire-loving witch-hunters.

 

He is also a passingly capable medic (though not currently equipped for it) depending on how the squads split.

 

 

(also Odysseus is giving a little light show for the benefit of Draak to help establish his place in the pecking order amongst the newly arrived astartes - if anyone wants to be present jump right on it, he has yet to convince anyone to take him up on the whole psychic 'patronage' aspect of his abilities but if someone fancies an unfair advantage in combat he's your man)

Edited September 13, 2021 by A.T.

[Mazer Rackham]

Orphiel has the preference for Prime, but the firepower for Secundus.

 

He'll just give an infuriating shrug and be fine with either...I doubt he'll be taking up Odysseus' offer - Secrets are only secret if they're secret (without a wandering mind peeking in your drawers! )

[Machine God]

Brynjarr is not to keen to be planet side, but both missions will go down the gravity well, so not much choice. I am inclined for him to go to with Mission A to Viorda Prime, but it depends on what and where he is needed.

 

Brynjarr dose have Pilot Space Craft, which I assume includes orbit to ground landers, so that might be of use.

+

Svelk also has Pilot Spacecraft for what its wirth. For an Assault Marine, he's also relativey used to fighting in enclosed spaces and relative degrees of stealth, so Prime might be a good option for him.

=

Two Pilots for two Planets. I doubt that the Traveller's ego would stoop to being a Pilot.

 

(Edit: Got rid of some text)

Edited September 13, 2021 by Machine God

[Commissar Molotov]

My first instinct would be as such:

 

PRIME

Orphiel (Tactical)

Draak (Devastator)

Ithan Khor (Techmarine)

Odysseus (Librarian)

Brynjarr (Tactical)

 

SECUNDUS

The Traveller (Tactical)

Radago S'ynek (Assault)

Svelk (Assault)

Decimus (Devastator)

Vesalius (Apothecary)

[Necronaut]

I'm pretty torn here: Vesalius is clearly capable of being a stealthy operator, but will likely be needed wherever the violence is worst.

[A.T.]

Two Pilots for two Planets. I doubt that the Traveller's ego would stoop to being a Pilot.

Odysseus also has pilot along with common lore(imperial navy).

[Mazer Rackham]

Odysseus also has pilot along with common lore(imperial navy).

 

Enough to mind trick a Navy man into walking right out of his front door and into a shuttle you fly him off in...?

[Trokair]

 

Two Pilots for two Planets. I doubt that the Traveller's ego would stoop to being a Pilot.

Odysseus also has pilot along with common lore(imperial navy).

 

So dose Brynjarr, then again as they both originate from fleet based chapters (or so it appears) this is not surprising.

[Commissar Molotov]

I'm pretty torn here: Vesalius is clearly capable of being a stealthy operator, but will likely be needed wherever the violence is worst.

Fighting against bolter-armed Sororitas is more likely to need an Apothecary - that was my thought. Plus A.T. mentioned Odysseus has some healing ability.

[Necronaut]

Yes there is that.

[Lysimachus]

If we're throwing ideas out, I hope no one minds if I stick my 2p worth in! To be clear, though, I'm NOT saying the following as GM! But obviously I did have a think about how you might split. This is purely my opinion, and not in any way saying you should or have to do it that way:

 

So we have team A (infiltrating Viorda Prime to find Lang) and team B (investigating the Convent House on Viorda Secundus)

 

The Traveller is definitely in team B.

 

Vesalius, being the archetypal 'sneaky guy', would be my first logical choice for team A? And Radago immediately after, as he also has similar stealth abilities?

 

Following on from that, I agreed Svelk and Brynjarr might be more use in team A. Both are shorter ranged fighters. Plus both Assault Marines and Brynjarr (if I remember right?) have the Double-Team talent, so putting them all together increases the usefulness of that.

 

Both Devastators mentioned joining team B, which again seems logical? Heavy weapons are not at all stealthy... :P

 

Also not stealthy is lugging around a Servo Arm equivalent! Plus the supplies to be taken for the Iron Gods from the Sororitas are of a technical nature, so for those reasons I'd probably put Ithan in B too?

 

Orphiel and Odysseus could go either way.

 

Orphiel's Storm Bolter is certainly nothing to be sneezed at in terms of shooty-shooty, but on the other hand his talent for interrogation could equally be very useful on Prime? ...I suppose if you did put both Heavy Bolters in B, then Orphiel might actually make a good 'light' Devastator for team A?

 

Odysseus is also a tricky one to assign. His psychic powers would be more effective in team A ...but not at all stealthy. While his offensive psychic abilities might be blunted a little on Secundus, I could see his defensive power Force Dome being very useful in any assault on a well-fortified position? Also, if Vesalius was definitely put in A, maybe Odysseus medical skills, however limited, would also be more valuable in B? One final thing is that Odysseus has Pilot Skill as well, but the other 2 Pilots (Svelk and Brynjarr) are both so far in A.

 

So in my head, Orphiel in A, Odysseus in B.

 

Hence my lists came out as:

 

Mission A: Viorda Prime

1. Vesalius

2. Radago

3. Svelk

4. Brynjarr

5. Orphiel

 

Mission B: Viorda Secundus

1. The Traveller

2. Ithan

3. Decimus

4. Draak

5. Odysseus

 

***

 

Again, that's just my musings on the subject, so feel free to take what you want from it and ignore what you don't! :D

[Commissar Molotov]

You clearly have a better sense of what the two missions actually entail. 

 

I'm happy to defer to whatever the players want. 

[Trokair]

That’s some detailed thoughts.

 

Following on from that, I agreed Svelk and Brynjarr might be more use in team A. Both are shorter ranged fighters. Plus both Assault Marines and Brynjarr (if I remember right?) have the Double-Team talent, so putting them all together increases the usefulness of that.

Brynjarr doesn’t, though we did discuss it as an option, Brynjarr went with a Stats advancement instead if memory serves (and that’s certainly what the character sheet says anyhow).