OOC Random Discussion

[Ramona]

My brain has shifted since this whole virus thing, turned to mush.

[SpinwardMarch]

My life hasn't changed much due to the virus. The chickens, cockatiel, and garden run on their own schedule, my job is to keep up with them. I live by myself, and don't mind being alone (huzzah for introverts!). It is just a long "summer vacation."

[Leitz]

Shall we head to breakfast, or are there wheels and deals to be made during the night?

[joertexas]

Shall we head to breakfast, or are there wheels and deals to be made during the night?

Well, Vee and Foix have their evening all planned out, so I think we're ready for breakfast...

[Tiglath]

Foix was very grateful for the rescue!

Please breakfast away!

[Leitz]

Foix was very grateful for the rescue!

Please breakfast away!

Well, Larry is the guest, I'll let Vee start.

[Leitz]

(OOC: Assuming Larry’s Google Fu is strong: Legio Patria Nostra = The Legion is our Homeland, II R.E.P. = 2e Régiment étranger de parachutists: the Legion’s élite “paras” - who now fight as Grav/Lift Light Infantry. Their most recent and notable battle honours include holding out at the siege at Hessia and before that the gruelling counter insurgency campaign on Lorissia).

I see Larry as highly intellectual and broadly educated (Int A, Edu C, Experience 12 yrs). So he would likely know what the tattoos and marks mean. He would, unlike me, have a much better handle on the Foix political situation and the war. Is there something I can read that would catch me up? I just know "there's a war", but not who is against whom. Is it just "others against Hourse Foix", "Foix against itself", or "Chaos versus the Empire, and Foix is on the side of ...".

On the other hand, Larry has spent his life on ships or administering smal business ventures. He has nothing against military action, just not a lot of experience with it.

[ffilz]

(OOC: Assuming Larry’s Google Fu is strong: Legio Patria Nostra = The Legion is our Homeland, II R.E.P. = 2e Régiment étranger de parachutists: the Legion’s élite “paras” - who now fight as Grav/Lift Light Infantry. Their most recent and notable battle honours include holding out at the siege at Hessia and before that the gruelling counter insurgency campaign on Lorissia).

I see Larry as highly intellectual and broadly educated (Int A, Edu C, Experience 12 yrs). So he would likely know what the tattoos and marks mean. He would, unlike me, have a much better handle on the Foix political situation and the war. Is there something I can read that would catch me up? I just know "there's a war", but not who is against whom. Is it just "others against Hourse Foix", "Foix against itself", or "Chaos versus the Empire, and Foix is on the side of ...".

On the other hand, Larry has spent his life on ships or administering smal business ventures. He has nothing against military action, just not a lot of experience with it.

So the background is pretty nebulous...

Due to some undefined activity far away from the Wine Dark Rift, the Imperium has pulled back from the region. Bastinadi used to be an Imperial world and is now independent. Local or civil wars have broken out on Tegel and Cheapside. Bistron has had recent runaway environmental issues and has been abandoned but for a high port. The PC group has additional knowledge that is not common and so currently unknown by Larry (of course you can read some world notes in the Google Doc).

I also have not yet done much more than produce UWPs for Gorbad, Ossary, Tristor, Hara, and Ahyf.

I have not generated anything for "South" of the Wine Dark Rift, though some world names have come up as part of the House Foix player contributed history.

I'm very much running this campaign by the seat of my pants... The next time I have some moments, I will detail out more of the nearby worlds, I may even generate the sub-sector(s) to the South, though I'd rather keep that kind of vague and focus things on the Wine Dark Rift.

[Tiglath]

How it all escaped from the Lab...

I can add that on the House Foix side a career benefit (of increased Soc) during character creation catapulted Foix higher up the noble tree than he already was. I took this and ran with it as a reason for a noble to be "slumming it" and travelling incognito.

Foix, suspicious of either "accident" or "coincidence" in his shady noble house, is concerned that the accident that promoted him may not have been an accident. However, despite various "conspiracy theories" no firm proof has emerged either way.

Through in game "establishment" we have concluded that the nobles of the House fight their "in house wars" on a micro scale (mostly between individual noble retinues) so as to not damage the fabric of the Domain and the House holdings - and because they do their "dirty laundry" in private.

[Leitz]

Through in game "establishment" we have concluded that the nobles of the House fight their "in house wars" on a micro scale (mostly between individual noble retinues) so as to not damage the fabric of the Domain and the House holdings - and because they do their "dirty laundry" in private.

So this is about building Gauvain's retinue? From a player perspective, that's pretty cool, and leaves a lot of options open. Larry would see it similarly, getting in on the ground floor.

So the background is pretty nebulous...

Works for me. I can easily conjure up Larry's background with needing too much detail. So far the only thing I've really used is that one place was a waterworld.

[Tiglath]

So this is about building Gauvain's retinue? From a player perspective, that's pretty cool, and leaves a lot of options open. Larry would see it similarly, getting in on the ground floor.

So far the only thing I've really used is that one place was a waterworld.

Yes and so the busy GM only has to run the odd assassination attempt and/or duel and then a "bar room brawl" to decide the fate of the Rift!

Frank's going to have to distract us with something soon though before we fall off the edge of the map!

And Shedezar (0538) is your waterworld!

https://ffilz.github.io/Gaming/winedark.html

[Tiglath]

Here's a distillation of some thoughts joertexas and I kicked around regarding the role of nobility within House Foix - and how it works. They may be helpful to illuminate the system Larry is now working within or just as campaign background.

Vee is Foix's girlfriend and thereby automatically and permanently (as a House Foix failsafe) gets the "bedroom title" of Lady. [House Foix well knows its own weaknesses and built in some "insurance" for its many "mistresses/lovers"!] However, Foix wants Vee to have more than this and, significantly, made her a Knight. She will by now have learned that to be further promoted in the nobility you must already have been Knighted. Although "Knight" is the same social rank as "Lady" Vee can now legally duel, raise troops and dispense justice in his name. This last is the key.

The House Foix nobility self regulates on this central element of trust.

Nobles raised from birth within the structure of the House are instinctively loyal to the Domain. Their sense of duty to the House both ensures the continuance of the Domain and the nobles' survival. Though some nobles may jostle for position and favour within the House all strive to maintain the system in which they exist as basic self preservation.

The system allows the nobility to do whatever they like (Foix's aunt Alicia digs up dead things) - their only active task is to steer policy (usually under expert advice). Having done so they then nearly always defer to skilled administrators usually referred to as "heralds".

Vee wanting to "get her hands dirty" and combine the executive and administrative roles in one person might be something of a shocker to the establishment of the House! However, as a noble she is at perfect liberty to do so provided the House is served.

Foix hiring Larry as her herald serves Foix well - both because Larry's competent in the role but also as political "cover" for Vee actually being "hands on".

A futher thought on Vee's rank. Foix making her a knight marks her for greater things and also makes her both independent and potent in her own right. However, even without that her current position as the Count's Mistress (what with him possibly still being married!) still makes her the potential "power behind the throne" and therefore very much a "rising star" in the jaded firmament of House Foix.

A cheery thought: Vee is possibly a greater potential threat to any opposition to Foix than he is. She might also be a better / more legitimate target!

[Leitz]

I'm trying to balance Larry as perceptive but not all knowing. For example, he perceives that Vee is emotionally significant to the Comte. While Larry doesn't (yet, unless explained) know the inner workings of being in a noble's retinue, he does know that blocking threats to Vee indirectly protects the Comte. Men will do crazy things to protect their women, and a threat to Vee might cause the Comte to put himself at risk. The more Larry can reduce that risk, the better things are.

He doesn't yet understand the Foix translation for "herald", but given the above it makes sense. He's already realized his "normal person's understanding" of herald is incorrect, something else entirely is intended. Whatever it is, it's a "high risk, high potential reward" position for Larry, and he is beginning to see that. Part of his last question to Vee was to better understand what she wants him to do, and not to do.

Assuming Grimaud did his homework, the mental picture of Larry is easy to discern. Larry has been a project manager for years, and learned multiple ship skills to support the mission of whatever ship he was on. Larry is a specialist (Admin, Int, Edu) and generalist (pilot, eng, navg, comp) who has been in less than ideal conditions (Eng-2) but not too close to any active firefights (personal and ships guns at 0). As a competent, but seldom promoted free trader, Larry moved from ship to ship, and business to business, making his contributions and building his connections and skills portfolio. As he said early on, he was in the process of starting his own business. Leaving the Merchants before retirement speaks of confidence, yet he's never sat in the Captain's chair. The highest he's been is lead project manager and chief engineer.

Grimaud would understand that. Larry even hinted at it when he talked about being awash with business ventures and beautiful ladies. Larry is confident in what he can do, and aware that he still has a lot to learn. That's what makes being Vee's herald, in the Foix definition, interesting. Challenging, of course, since there are so many beautiful ladies about.

[SpinwardMarch]

I am also trying to get a handle on Cmdr. Taheri's new position.

She is retired Imperial Navy, trained to fly and and run various ships' operations, take orders from her superiors, and give orders to her subordinates.

(Engineering, Electronics, Mechanical, JoT, ship's boat, Vacc suit, gunnery, all at 1; Str 12, Dex 12, End 10) She keeps ships running and shoots things. Otherwise, she keeps her mouth shut and observes.

All this nobility stuff is quite outside her general knowledge (Int 8, Edu 9, Soc 7), except for her readings from that very ancient playwright, William Shakespeare (lots of great quotes and curses).

So perhaps a side debriefing for both player and character would be good.

She will be working on improving her Laser Rifle stat to 1.

The player is not an writer, but a music historian ("retired"), specializing in medieval and Renaissance musical instruments and how to perform on them.

[Ramona]

LOL, you think it's outside of YOUR wheel house Anastasia is a complete brutish lout. She's from a low tech planet and has a social of something like 2... I can't find her right now.

Ana is literally a character from a Mad Max planet someone put powered armor on and pointed in the direction of the shooting. Here you go dear, here's a big gun and some bombs and off you go, have fun with the neighbors.

[Leitz]

I would say "I hate to point out the obvious..." but actually, I enjoy the heck out of it.

Diversity can produce something very weak and easily disrupted. Or it can catalyze into something totally new. Powerful. Cool.

It's up to us.

[Tiglath]

I must confess I didn't see the twist coming here!

I thought to set up an "is she mad or is she bad" option for Lysette Eloise while explaining why Foix suffers less with the past (although he no doubt got top level therapy too!) Yet I didn't forsee Ana's (quite brilliant ) reaction as Foix apparently got to "skate" on his PTSD (although he has suffered). It all seems so terribly unfair but then I thought of course he would! He'd fall in a sewer and come up smelling of roses!

[Leitz]

There's a wide variety of possible reactions from traumatic events. While difficult, the diversity of the team, and their reactions, opens the door to something deeper than the usual "I sing my sword and rolled a 17, did I hit?"

Rather enjoyable, too.

[Ramona]

In the rom-com chick flick versionOf this story, you’re the douche bag ex-boyfriend who gaslit the hero into insanity.

[Tiglath]

It's all just a terrible mistake!

Foix has simply misinterpreted the section on his character brief that said "drives women insane"...