mrbits

Eeehn, I can see this taking on some very unflattering shades of RP. Yes yes it's all fictional alien races, but it would only take a couple of immature players to anger a lot of people and make things terrible. Wouldn't wanna see the round where sex or skin colour comes up as a topic of inferiority... Also! I can't speak for the admins, but I know that I would not want MY server to be "that one SS13 server with the genocide event." Security doesn't arrest cultists for practicing religion. Security arrests cultists for murder, mayhem and trying to summon a gigantic animated .gif that destroys the whole station. The "but they haven't done anything yet!" catch doesn't work here, either, since CentComm and NatSec have a fair understanding of the cult's mystical bullshit - particularly the part about using dark magic to mind control free-willed individuals.

I can't wait for every civilian and the clown to come in and kick the beehive for wa-ha-ha-hacky hijinks.

name: Callista Gold d;ob: Augus%t 7, 2532 age: 25 sex: f race: human blood type: AB+ education: 2548-2551: Tinycog High School, Lowell City, Mars 2551-2553: Dr. Slagathor’s School for the Arts, Tau Ceti V qualifications: - classic theatre training - musical training; Singing, songwriting - practiced orator - basic first aid training - religious studies; Cult of the Eternal Phoenix medical records: --n%one security records: - spec;t_in fina--;[none overview: Callista Gold is a charismatic young woman turned religious celebrity thanks to the Cult of the Eternal Phoenix - a pan-galactic church that promises spiritual immortality to its followers. The Cult believes Callista has a special connection to the Eternal Phoenix, giving her visions and the power to lay the Phoenix’s favour upon anyone she chooses. Callista has spread the word of the Phoenix in flashy, extravagant ceremonies and concerts, winning the hearts and souls of true believers across many different worlds. Recently, the Cult has made spreading the word aboard the NCS Cyberiad her top priority. Emboldened by the spirit of the Phoenix, Callista is dedicated to saving the souls of this station’s crew. additional notes: - entered the Cult as an acolyte; Was made a High Priestess after just 2 years - while not officially an employee of NanoTrasen, an agreement between NT and the Cult means Callista benefits from protection and services like any crewmember so long as she obeys the station’s laws commendations: - none reprimands: - none OOC notes: [ERROR! ‘record.name(first, last)’ string invalid;] was approached by the Cult of the Eternal Phoenix, who offered to pull her out of a dead-end acting career and make her a star in exchange for promoting their agenda. After a little data editing, a few favours and some generous cloning/genetic augmentation later, Callista Gold rose from the ashes like a magnificent firebird! While idolized by her fans, the real Callista Gold is a manipulative, self-centered individual using the Cult to keep her excessive lifestyle growing even more excessive. Maybe she actually believes in reincarnation under the Eternal Phoenix. Maybe she really does have a spiritual connection to some psychic alien bird god thing. But right now? She plans on living forever in a flesh-and-blood kind of way. Fortunately, when you can afford AAA-grade cloning procedures, “death” is just a word... ((artwork coming soon, maybe!

beep doop

I was pleasantly surprised by Dark Heresy. The rules were fast but allowed complexity, the combat was quick but meaningful and the pre-made adventures I ran were excellent (though my expectations on pre-made adventures were unfairly darkened by D&D pre-mades.) The rules of the game meant the epicness of the players was measured not by how inhumanly powerful they were on paper, but by what they accomplished DESPITE being human - which I felt was really appropriate for the Warhammer 40k setting. I was also fortunate enough to have a group of players who understood the type of game Dark Heresy is. When I said "make your characters, but know that you may not have total control over when you're afraid or when you lose a limb," they all said "okay cool." A DM's best tool is cooperative players.

Some folks seem to really enjoy Nations. As far as I'm concerned, though, whenever Nations is announced I just climb into the cryodorms and wait for the next round to start.

I'm a big fan of alternate ways to earn karma. Maybe helping admins with work on the forums, coding, donations, etc. I know we want to stay away from paying-to-win since karma is supposed to encourage strong RP and actually doing a good job aboard the station. But, as someone who has earned a total of like 1 karma over 15+ shifts as a security officer or warden, I can't help but feel there is some kind of imbalance. The idea that you'll earn more karma being a loud and abrasive buffoon instead of a legitimate boon to the crew is a problem anyone can understand. Ah, whatever. I probably haven't played enough rounds to say whether this is a regular problem or just a string of bad luck. All I can say for certain is that - as someone who really wants to unlock Slime People - playing jobs that rarely earn me any karma is not appealing, even if the station needs that role filled. And, I'm clearly not alone in thinking that. somewhat unrelated: The stories about earning 50+ karma in one month (so the system must work!) make me laugh. "NEW PLAYERS HATE HER! Learn how this newly-arrived Botanist earns 74 karma/day with this ONE WEIRD TRICK!"

@Habalabam: Sorry, my wording must not have been clear. The number of vampires on a station would only be known to the hunters, not the rest of the crew, so only the hunters would begin knowing it is a Monster Hunter round. Also, the hunters would know the REAL names of the vampires (I'm assuming vampires have REAL names like Changelings have Mr. Pho, Mr. Pi, etc.) but they would not know the names of the vampire's crew names. Like the rest of the crew the hunters would need to track down and figure out who the vampires are, then eliminate them. And yea, as @Eldrin-Kanthos said, the hunters would be treated as traitors by the crew. Sure, a hunter can SAY he's working for the Order, but he's got Syndicate weapons and snuck aboard the station with the Syndicate's help, so it'd be understandable if security was just a little skeptical. @Fj45: I can't speak to the power of a vampire's stun since I've only encountered them a few times, but if the vampire's stun is OP then that's more a problem with vampires than this particular game mode. Also, if that's the case, I'd say a crewmember with Syndicate gear in addition to their standard kit would do better against a vampire than a crewmember with just their standard kit. Vampires vs. Changelings could be interesting, but I feel Vampires vs. Hunters/Traitors has a cool dynamic - Powers vs. info and equipment, as opposed to powers vs. powers. Also, the changelings would need to be kept in the dark about one-another's presence, for it to be at all fair for the uncoordinated vampires (which would indirectly tip the round's hand and let the changelings know its a hunter round.) @Habalabam's second point: Items like that would be hella cool to use as a hunter, but dedicated vampire killing equipment that only hunters could acquire would be irrefutable proof that someone is a hunter and not just a lying Traitor, removing a lot of the mystery. Of course, if there was anti-vampire techniques/options available in all rounds, even when there's no vampires aboard, that would certainly help obfuscate the situation. Salt, mirrors, garlic, etc...

I've played Dungeons & Dragons since 2nd edition, though I certainly put in the most hours on 3.0 and 3.5. I always dreaded the late game when things were well and truly off the rails (Save vs. death monsters! Save vs. death spells for the players to use on monsters! Teleporting everywhere!) but early and mid-game were delightful. I'm not super impressed with the direction 4th edition took; In my opinion they turned it into a tabletop version of a raid MMO (tank, healer, DPS, etc.) Fine for people who are into that sort of thing, but not my bag at all. We'll see how 5th edi-sorry, D&D Next. We'll see how D&D Next goes. Sadly, playing so much D&D jaded me on many tabletop game elements used by other RPGs. I'm not really a fan of level systems anymore, for example, and I roll my eyes at games where magic items are Wal-Mart common. It's not fair, I know, and I try not to let it paint my views of new fantasy tabletops, but I'm only human. I've played Shadowrun since 1st edition. Really cool idea for a game, and each iteration got better and better. Sadly, I've just come to find that - even when running optimally and with all the improvements between editions - it's dull to run. Rules upon rules upon rules, modifiers galore, all conspiring to bring the session to a crawl. 5th edition was particularly toxic, in my opinion: The rules didn't take a step forward like in other editions - more like a step to the side - and Catalyst Game Labs did a dreadful job on the book. Referencing tables that don't exist, mix-matching the names of game elements ("What the hell is a move action? Is it like a minor action?") and no sense of flow for information made reading that 450+ page tome an absolute chore. Oh, and the .pdf copy of the book crashes regularly by running out of memory! Classy. I definitely understand why people still want to play Shadowrun - it's a hella cool system. But, as my group's primary GM, I'd be more inclined to keep the Shadowrun setting and use it with another system. Something like, say, Savage Worlds... Over the last year I've started playing Savage Worlds and I think it is my new favourite tabletop game (though I'm still in the honeymoon phase so my opinions are definitely biased!) It's fast, to-the-point and easy to play and run. It offers a lot of flexibility for players to optimize their characters, but random elements like exploding damage and a deck of cards for initiative each round helps prevent an encounter from being solved. Admittedly that same unpredictability makes it less ideal for EPIC characters (high-fantasy warriors who can slay 100 orcs without taking a scratch, superheroes able to take on legions of killer robots single-handedly, etc.) but for more gritty, pulpy style adventures it's fantastic. Mutants & Masterminds is a favourite of mine for it's character creation. The game uses a d20 system similar to Dungeons & Dragons, except you spend points to directly improve elements of your character, instead of indirectly taking classes and feats that give you bonuses in those elements. M&M taught me a lot of really cool ideas regarding game design and character creation, but after playing it so much I've found the gameplay itself is a little dull: Turns out when your plan to accommodate any and all manner of wacky superpower is to make the system incredibly generic, well, that has a direct impact on how interesting the game is to actually play. Walls of text. DEAL with it.

Haldo, I've been on-again off-again designing a special game mode for SS13, but after playing on Paradise Station and seeing the vampire antagonist options I thought this'd be a great place to pitch my idea. So, without further ado, I present... Monster Hunters! or Hunters, or "The Order," the name's a work in progress... Summary: Sinister vampires have infiltrated the NCS Cyberiad, pursuing their evil goals at the expense of the station and its crew. Their arrival has not gone unnoticed, however: A secretive order of monster hunters is already here, waiting to strike! Having taken up positions across the station as normal crew, the hunters are tasked with killing these creatures of darkness once and for all. Background: The Order (working title) is a mysterious cult of warriors who have waged a secret war against the creatures of darkness for countless generations. The Order's goals are ultimately benevolent but they have always acted in secrecy, to hide from the creatures they hunt as well as the fearful and hateful suspicions of the people they protect. In 2557 AD the Order has fallen on hard times: Space travel has allowed evil to run and hide across the stars, while the Order's own ranks are spread thin. Worst of all several influential vampires are secretly operating on NanoTrasen's board of directors, ensuring any attempt to ally with the galaxy's largest corporation would lead to disaster. To adapt, the Order has made friends with The Syndicate, who provide the hunters with equipment in order to act out missions that are (indirectly) harmful to NanoTrasen. Gameplay: Beginning Play i. Opting in for being a vampire in a round of Monster Hunters would be done by toggling the Vampire eligibility option to 'Yes' in the Game Preferences menu. Opting in for being a hunter (a warrior of the Order) would be handled the same way (requiring the implementation of a new entry in the Game Preferences menu.) ii. At the start of a round of Monster Hunters, 2-4 players begin as vampires while another 2-4 will be hunters. The exact amount of vampires and hunters would be dependant on the number of players in the round. Ideally there would be an equal number of vampires and hunters (2 vamps vs. 2 hunters, 4 vamps vs. 4 hunters, etc.) iii. Vampire players begin play knowing that they are a vampire, but not who the other vampires aboard the station are (if any.) iv. The hunters begin play knowing that they are hunters, and will see an icon over their head and the heads of any other vampire hunters (if any.) This allows hunters to immediately know who is part of the Order. Hunters will also begin the round knowing exactly how many other vampires are aboard the station, and their true names (assuming vampires have "true names" like changelings? I could be wrong, haven't played a vampire myself, yet.) The Round i. At the beginning of the round, all vampire players will be given standard vampire objectives which they must complete in order to win (drain N units of blood, kill X, steal Y, etc.) If a vampire player completes their objectives and escapes aboard the shuttle/ an escape pod at the end of the round, they win. ii. At the beginning of the round all hunters will be given one objective - Eliminate all vampires on the station. This is a communal objective, so if 1 vampire is eliminated by a hunter then that vampire is considered eliminated for all other hunters. A hunter does not need to evacuate the station at the end of a round in order to win; Elimination of all vampires is their primary goal. iii. Vampires have access to all vampire powers and game mechanics, as normal. iv. Hunters begin play with a special Order PDA and 10 telecrystals with which to purchase items. This works exactly like a traitor's PDA - secret code to access items menu, same items available, etc. v. The crew are expected to perform their duties aboard the station as normal, which includes dealing with vampires as well as stopping the Order, who - according to NanoTrasen - are members of the Syndicate and have come to sabotage the NCS Cyberiad. Design Notes 1. I thought it would be kinda cool to have players who opt in for Monster Hunter round be randomly assigned to either vampire or hunter. Sadly that would mean that a player who is toggled 'Yes' for Monster Hunter, 'No' for Vampire and then begins a round as a vampire would know they are in a round of Monster Hunter, removing a lot of the surprise. So, instead I feel the addition of a Hunter antag role would work best. Players who spawn as hunters would know that they are in a round of Monster Hunter, obviously, and that would be working as intended. 2. If it is possible for a new vampire player to join a round once it has begun, then it'd be critical that the Order players be informed of the new arrival ASAP. It would be incredibly uncool if the Order eliminated all 3 vampires and went into hiding, only to learn at the end of the round that they failed to kill an unknown 4th vampire. 3. The idea of giving hunters access to special vampire stalking equipment - silver bolts, holy bullets, etc. - was really tempting, but sadly the presence of these items would be able to prove to the crew beyond a shadow of a doubt that one is indeed a hunter and not a traitor. 4. If possible it would be good to have Vampire + Traitor as an eligible round type so that, if Syndicate items are found in the same round a vampire, the crew can't be sure if they are dealing with Syndicate agents or hunters from the Order. It could also lead to some great opportunities for deception ("You don't understand, I have to kill the Research Director because he's a vampire!") -=-=-=-=-=-=- So, yea. That's my pitch for a game mode. I'd love to hear people's opinions on it. Too slow? Too boring? Too chaotic? Not chaotic enough? Are there problems with the items or game balance you feel I didn't address? I think Monster Hunters could be a lot of fun if executed well, but I have an obvious bias since I wrote it down. Let me know what you think!

Hey everyone. My (user)name is mrbits, and I've been an off-again on-again SS13 player for a while now. I stopped playing SS13 when my regular server began enforcing heavy-handed rules in a (misguided) attempt to eliminate griefing. Doing your job less-than-perfectly? Job ban. Leaving your station? Job ban. Not knowing how to do every little thing? You get the idea. In the end it was faster to call the admins than to call security, and you could always spot the the antags because they were the only people misbehaving who weren't banned yet. But I digress. Walking away from that server was a boon, because it let me discover Paradise Station! I've only played, oh, 10 rounds so far but I'm loving it. The jobs are interesting, the station is cool and the addition of alien races and a karma system is really nice. Looking forward to playing with you all, in the future.