Behind the Screens at a March Pace, The mechanics thread for the online games Options

[Oak]

Oxytetracycline is a controlled substance in our world; however, on a GE roll of 12, you can buy a bottle of 50 over the counter, low dosage take 2 every 4 hours, for $30. Asprin is $3 for a small bottle (25), and insect repellent in a spray can runs $8.

As to the rest:

Oak's B Monster Movie World Shopping List
$304.50 Cash expenditure total (<$300)
$15.00 Canteen, aluminum 4-quart
$19.00 Swiss Army Knife, high-end model
$35.00 Tent (small enough to fit inside suitcase when collapsed), nylon with plastic collapsing pole frame and pegs, two-man 42"x80" rectangular base, 36" peak, nearly triangular from base to peak, zippered mosquito net doors and waterproof floor, all in one piece.
$12.00 2 Space Blankets
$45.00 Ronco Pocket Fisherman
$45.00 Binoculars in case, 5x
$8.00 Magnifying glass, 4" round with 6" handle, 3x
$12.00 First Aid Kit fits in pocket, with a few bandaids, tape, gauze, and antibiotic ointment
$25.00 Water proof poncho, good quality durable
$4.00 Flint & Steel in canvas pouch
$5.00 Box 200 waterproof strike anywhere matches
$33.00 Portable outdoor cooking gear (collapsible pot/pan, spork, salt, spices)
$29.00 Parachute cord 500'
$1.00 Qt. Chlorine bleach in plastic bottle
$5.00 Glass shaving mirror in protective metal casing with cover
$0.50 Plastic whistle with ball
no Wool socks, $5/pair
no Spork--hard item to find, usually people by $3 fork/knife/spoon clip together sets. You can get a spork for $5.
$3.00 Cooking/cleaning knife
$1.00 Whet stone
$7.00 Cheap wind-up wristwatch
no Food rations/concentrate, light and compact, ~$3/day

You have one twenty dollar bill that is dated 2002 or earlier, plus three singles. You also have a five and a ten and four singles that are dated later but look like money currently in circulation. That means $23 of completely legitimate money plus another $19 that will pass if no one examines it too closely. (See the Behind the Screens thread for the differences.)

Hey, I've got more than just the $300.00 from Mark -- I've got my own cash too!!!

Too bad most of my $200.00 is useless (grumble mumble GE roll 22 mumble grumble), but hey, every little bit helps.


Oak's B Monster Movie World Shopping List
$342.00 Cash expenditure total (<=$342)
$15.00 Canteen, aluminum 4-quart
$19.00 Swiss Army Knife, high-end model
$35.00 Tent (small enough to fit inside suitcase when collapsed), nylon with plastic collapsing pole frame and pegs, two-man 42"x80" rectangular base, 36" peak, nearly triangular from base to peak, zippered mosquito net doors and waterproof floor, all in one piece.
$12.00 2 Space Blankets
$45.00 Ronco Pocket Fisherman
$45.00 Binoculars in case, 5x
$8.00 Magnifying glass, 4" round with 6" handle, 3x
$12.00 First Aid Kit fits in pocket, with a few bandaids, tape, gauze, and antibiotic ointment
$25.00 Water proof poncho, good quality durable
$4.00 Flint & Steel in canvas pouch
$5.00 Box 200 waterproof strike anywhere matches
$33.00 Portable outdoor cooking gear (collapsible pot/pan, spork, salt, spices)
$29.00 Parachute cord 500'
$1.00 Qt. Chlorine bleach in plastic bottle
$5.00 Glass shaving mirror in protective metal casing with cover
$1.00 2 Plastic whistles with ball
$20.00 4 pairs Wool socks, $5/pair
$3.00 fork/knife/spoon clip together set
$3.00 Cooking/cleaning knife
$1.00 Whet stone
$7.00 Cheap wind-up wristwatch
$6.00 2 days Food rations/concentrate, light and compact, ~$3/day
$8.00 insect repellent in a spray can

[M. J. Young]

So you're saying it's impossible for me, at my current state, to transmute metals.

No, I am saying that it is impossible for you to teach yourself to transmute metals based on what you currently know about psionics. If you had an example, that would bonus your chance of success. If someone who knew how to do it explained it to you, that would bonus your chance of success. If that person was an experienced teacher who worked with you to help you get it, that would bonus your success. There's a difference between can't do it and can't learn it just by thinking about it. For example, I doubt that you could, right now, figure out how to build a flat screen television set from raw materials; but I do not doubt, given your previous training in electronics, that you could be taught to build any and all parts of such a device by someone who knows how to do it.

Is there such a thing as a skill so easy it's impossible to fail?

Yes. If you already knew 12@ teleportives, 1@ new 1@ telepathies would be automatic, unless there was some reason why your particular application was difficult.

We explain it this way: it's extremely difficult for someone who understands steam engines to repair a time machine, but not at all problematic for someone who understands time machines to repair a steam engine. Your highest biased psionic skill is a 4@7. In technology, that would mean you could understand gear systems. In body skills, you know how to fall roll out of a fall without getting hurt. You tried to learn a P9@9 transmute solids skill. In technology, that's the ability to transmit high voltage electrical power over a broadcast system; in bod, that's the ability to pick up an inanimate object and cause it to become part of your body. That's one of the things the bias system does: it makes it more difficult to learn things that should be more difficult to learn.

Help?

--M. J. Young

[John A1nut]

Thanks. Makes perfect sense.

[M. J. Young]

John III: A few details:

• Swiss Army Knife, 8-blade (3" knife, 3" saw, awl, screwdriver/bottle opener, can opener, tweezers, scissors, cross-point screwdriver)
• Cook kit, 4qt pot with frypan lid, 8 plates, 3qt pot with frypan lid, 2qt pot, all aluminum, 8 plastic cups calibrated.

That leaves $158 money from home in your wallet.

--M. J. Young

[M. J. Young]

I was derailed, and it's going to be a long and late night. However, I'm plowing forward with John II and Scott, John III, Adam, and John I. Donna sent me a message saying she was back, but she had not posted by the time I opened the threads, so I won't get to her today. That gives her a chance to get things organized for tomorrow.

John II has questions, I have answers. Scott, meanwhile, is trying to contact a lizard--and he's right, telepathy to animals is going to be fairly simple for him to learn the first time he tries it, beginner's luck and all. The roll is 84, but he tells me he has a 91% chance of success. I'm not certain of that, but I see a 7@1 bias, 2@1 BRA, and 15@ world bias against a P1@6 telepathy to animals, and my quick glance says he did the math aright, so he's got a solid connection with the iguana and a 1@3 SAL.

I remember promising John III that he would be permitted ed lev checks based on material he studied in the Architect's computer, and this seems like an appropriate occasion. I'll make it a simple check, applying relative success/failure against a 2@6 ed lev, 10+9=19, a reasonably strong success. He gets a 16 GE on wildlife tracks.

Getting a boat is not going to be a problem for Adam, so we'll move toward the confrontation and hope that I can manage moving John I into position more quickly. He's next anyway, so let's see what he's doing.

--M. J. Young

[M. J. Young]

It is good to have Donna back; let's try to get her going again. Following that we haveJohn III, Adam, John II and Graeme, and then Kyler. I've had a number of interruptions here today, but they have not been all bad; in fact, I am expecting Ryan to join us, reviving an early character sheet of The Psientist, so that should make for some interesting possibilities.

An 11 GE roll plays quite well for Donna. I was trying to figure out what should happen next, and also thinking that no one wants to be separated in this strange place, so this will help.

John III is hoping to increase the amount of information he gets from a "protection through guidance" skill, but I think I've about hit the limit on what I can slip into a protection without making it an information skill--which is what I think I will do. Without timing it, I'm going to guess that we've got a 10:00 TF. I'm also going to determine that he must read the passages from the bible--reciting them from memory is not acceptable, as the Bible is a required element of the skill. The skill requires both hands; the details of the need can be adjusted for the circumstance. I'm sure it's a 7@7 communicate off-world, but "what do I do now" seems like a single simple question, so a 0:03:00 TF is baseline and he's at +16 for time, +5 for appropriate words, +4 for the Bible, +3 for two hands, gives him a sit-mod of +28 on any use of this, and he has +10 for an alliance skill in an alliance world, 2@2 BRA, half his 2@3 religion, and a 2@7 mag bias. The world area bias is 7@, so we're looking at 110-7@7=33% chance this will work. (The chance of success will be higher once he learns it.) 08 is certainly in there (I was holding my breath). I'm listing it as 1@1 Request Divine Guidance M+7@7 10:00 TF requires extended reading aloud from a Bible, statement of need, both hands, answers what to do now, details in post 10 of An Unfamiliar Familiar Forest, +28SM. The 08 is a low success, but a success nonetheless.

We'll bring Adam near his objective, but hopefully just slowly enough that we can get everything else in position first.

John I rolls 05 on operate human-powered small boat, which means he either succeeded at the skill or learned it.

I'm trying to put John II into something of a holding pattern while everyone else, and particularly Scott, catches up; but Graeme is the only one doing any catch up at the moment. Things are going well from his perspective, as he just got his band on the network news.

Kyler gets a 26 GE for the next day, and that means there's going to be trouble.

I was wondering who was next, but it seems that I'm next, so let me go deal with my problems.

--M. J. Young

[Oak]

John III is hoping to increase the amount of information he gets from a "protection through guidance" skill, but I think I've about hit the limit on what I can slip into a protection without making it an information skill--which is what I think I will do. Without timing it, I'm going to guess that we've got a 10:00 TF. I'm also going to determine that he must read the passages from the bible--reciting them from memory is not acceptable, as the Bible is a required element of the skill. The skill requires both hands; the details of the need can be adjusted for the circumstance. I'm sure it's a 7@7 communicate off-world, but "what do I do now" seems like a single simple question, so a 0:03:00 TF is baseline and he's at +16 for time, +5 for appropriate words, +4 for the Bible, +3 for two hands, gives him a sit-mod of +28 on any use of this, and he has +10 for an alliance skill in an alliance world, 2@2 BRA, half his 2@3 religion, and a 2@7 mag bias. The world area bias is 7@, so we're looking at 110-7@7=33% chance this will work. (The chance of success will be higher once he learns it.) 08 is certainly in there (I was holding my breath). I'm listing it as 1@1 Request Divine Guidance M+7@7 10:00 TF requires extended reading aloud from a Bible, statement of need, both hands, answers what to do now, details in post 10 of An Unfamiliar Familiar Forest, +28SM. The 08 is a low success, but a success nonetheless.

Woo hoo! And now with a 7@7 mag bias!

BTW, I have a question to clarify my understanding (it doesn't matter this time since I made the roll, but it could make a difference in learning future skills).

When I learned Total Healing, I was able to use the appropriate Biblical passage as a 3@10 example, giving me a +40 for my roll.

I also thought that the Biblical passages I read regarding David and Daniel were usable as examples for seeking the LORD's guidance... but your computations didn't include the +40 this time around.

Was that just an oversight, or were there differences in the circumstances that made the healing example valid for the example bonus, but not the guidance example?

[M. J. Young]

I also thought that the Biblical passages I read regarding David and Daniel were usable as examples for seeking the LORD's guidance... but your computations didn't include the +40 this time around.

Was that just an oversight, or were there differences in the circumstances that made the healing example valid for the example bonus, but not the guidance example?

The best answer I can give to this is simply that I did not realize you 1) intended either of those as examples you were emulating and 2) were attempting to do what they did by copying how they did it.

The best solution to that in the future is to simply mention that you are using something as an example. The word "example" is a really good thing to say because it's hard for me to miss, but hopefully I am not always too boggled to recognize phrases such as "like he did" or "that way".

Also, the rules permit you to benefit from the one best example, not from several different ones. Normally, since you will be copying/emulating what the example does to achieve the outcome, it should be obvious which one you think is the best example (it's the one you're following), but if it's not clear, it helps for you to say whose/which example you are following.

Sorry I missed it. I actually have a very bad habit when it comes to posted scripture quotations. Since I've read the entire bible an unknown number of times (in excess of thirty, at least), I tend to say, "Oh, yes, that passage," and skim it very quickly to see where it ends. Thus it is quite possible that you did exactly what one of them did and I didn't recognize it, because I hadn't just read the quoted section but only used what you wrote to jar my recollection of it. Pointing out the similarities between what you're doing and what your example did will definitely help.

--M. J. Young

[M. J. Young]

We have a new old player, Ryan, joining us. I have already jotted down a brief history of his adventures to date and started a new game thread for him, so we will move on with John III, John I, Adam, Kyler, and a gather of John II, Scott, and Graeme--all of which hopefully I am going to do much later tonight, as I am about to leave on a long late journey. If I am still functional when I return, all threads will be answered. If not, I will post my apology and try to catch up tomorrow.

John III needs a GE roll for his travels, and 15 is barely on the good side.

John II is parked within sight of the complex, so I'm going to treat his situation entirely relative to what I know about the complex. Adam, on the other hand, has parked his powered boat half a mile away, so we're going to use a GE roll for what he encounters in the swamp. He's ready for surprises, but a 13 GE isn't going to give him any.

Kyler's levitation is only 1@2, and Mariska has not yet learned the skill at all, as far as my sheet indicates. However, it's a good plan, and with his 7@ bias and 2@1 BRA he's got a solid 47% chance to succeed. She, meanwhile, has a 2@2 BRA, a 6@1 bias, in a 15@ bias world, makes 98-48=50%, a better chance of learning it cold than he has of doing it, but that's the nature of beginner's luck sometimes, and she still could fail. The rolls, his first, are 03, 13, so that's success. I'll give Kyler new use on this, raising his SAL to 1@3.

I must congratulate John II. The Architect was actually the first character ever to think of using triangulation in connection with scriff sense to establish distance to a sensed object, and it's a clever use of the sense if I say so myself. Unfortunately I still have the problem of knowing where everyone is.

I think the going price for an iguana that size is probably in the range of a couple hundred dollars in our world, but since no one in their world is worried about endangered species or anything like that, it will be cheaper. Scott also wants to contact a couple of mammals if he can do so on three tries, 40 representing a solid contact with a rabbit, 79 failure on a mouse, 74 failure on a gerbil.

Graeme specifically wants that councilwoman to show up. What was her name again? It was something I thought I would remember, but it's been too long. No, it looks as if the dice which were so friendly earlier have now gone cold, as he rolls a 23 GE roll.

I'm done with the game threads--and since it's after four, that's a good thing. Tomorrow should be a Good Friday, but I should be here anyway.

--M. J. Young

[John A1nut]

Mr. Young, wouldn't the triangulation be new use of skill? Shouldn't I get bonus points for that? To quote Scott "Alms, alms for the poor"????????

[Tadeusz]

If I remember right, One Verser Way, the location of the Foundation that Di Vars started, was ten stories tall. Should probably have exansive ceilings (Di Vars didn't stint on materials--it would logically be a somewhat high-class building although not ostentatiously so, I would think).

So....15 feet per floor, ten floors...150 feet with maybe eight more for some of the roof sheds, and AC units that skyscrapers tend to have scattered on their roofs....of course, it would be really cool if the building was secretly a Transformer™... Just another demented idea from the fountain of ideas. I could see Di Vars doing that. Of course, I could also see him putting some sort of Ye Olde Plasma Cannon of Doom in the basement too as a 'In case of Armageddon, break glass' kind of thing.

Eric

[KylerSohse]

The giant robot idea is something I'm not so sure about... but the Ye Olde Plasma Cannon of Doom sounds like something that he might do if just for laughs.

In this case, the higher it is ... or, actually, the closer to the ant's height it is, the better.


Ky

[M. J. Young]

Yes, John, you can have a mark on one of your skills. Technically, though, I didn't roll for the use of the skill, so you might have failed it, right? Anyway, that would probably be your mathematics skill, which I don't see on your sheet, so you'll have to give me an idea of what your math skill is like (what are the highest kinds of math you studied, and how good are you at those), unless you happen to have skill in surveying or mapmaking that you would prefer to employ here.

Ryan again starts the game, then John III, Adam, John II and Scott, Kyler, and John I.

Ryan is getting back into the swing of his world, as we bounce reminders off each other.

John III has brought to my mind the story of Eric and the Gazebo, but that's for another time and place. In any event, he is concerned about the path he is about to cross.

Adam suggests disabling the watercraft, and makes a good suggestion concerning how--but it leaves me with a question. Anyway, asking the question gives me a bit more time to maneuver the other character into position.

I've looked up some iguana information for Scott, and put John II on hold at least until the next post.

Kyler is asking excellent questions about this machine. I'm suddenly wondering whether it carries an operator inside, is controlled remotely, or is an independent robotic mechanism. I'm sure some supervillain is behind it, but what it is is still something of a mystery even to me. Still, I think a GE roll will help answer the questions: 8 is strongly in Kyler's favor.

John I is using his panoramic awareness to negate surprise, but Navratilova is using ambush to surprise him, so we're going to have a relative success battle here. She's got a 2@7 SAL at ambush, which is a tech skill, so she's also got a 9@ bias and 2@2 college graduate BRA, totalling 67%. John is 2@2 at panoramic awareness, with a 10@ bod bias and 2@2 BRA, so it's a pretty close contest--64% for him. We'll roll her first, 87 to 19, things have just gone John's way. On the other hand, his stealth is only 1@6, 58% chance that he can creep in for surprise: 21 rolled, the dice have apparently gone hot.

I, though, have apparently gone away. It's the end of the week for me. I will join you for Easter, Lord willing.

--M. J. Young

[Oak]

John III has brought to my mind the story of Eric and the Gazebo, but that's for another time and place. In any event, he is concerned about the path he is about to cross.

Wait... You mean that our very own Eric is that Eric??? Wow, I never even made the connection before!!!

Meanwhile, has the road eaten me yet???

[John A1nut]

What I was asking is if sensing scriff and triangulating a location by it was a listed skill. I think it should be. I guess a 1@something triangulating scriff vectors would do.

[KaiserSoshe]

Request denied. Next please.


J/K Happy Easter all!

[Tadeusz]

No, while I have a few stories of gaming idiocy of my own (using a magic sword as a crowbar, and rolling a "1" on the save twice), I have not attacked a gazebo.

Smart aleck.

Eric

[KylerSohse]

Yeah, for some reason I always thought that was spelled Arik... but maybe that's just because the strange spelling looks more barbaric to my eyes.

For scriff sense by triangulation I would say that it's a new use of triangulation, but I wouldn't say that it's a new use of scriff sense, which isn't really a skill, it's an innate ability drawn from the fact that scriff attracts to other scriff.


Ky

[M. J. Young]

What I was asking is if sensing scriff and triangulating a location by it was a listed skill. I think it should be. I guess a 1@something triangulating scriff vectors would do.

I understand what you are asking. What I am answering is

• the skill has nothing specifically to do with sensing scriff, but is about triangulation. The same skill could be used based on vectors from stereo direction sense (which way the sound comes from), sight (the way forest fire towers do it), radio frequency directional detectors (the way the FCC locatesr an illegal radio station), gravity well sensing (which is used for astrogation, but not yet), or any other data collection that gives directional vectors from two or more points with a view to identifying where they cross.
• I am assuming you already have this skill as part of a larger skill, most probably mathematics, which is why I asked about your math background, although it could be part of a mapping or navigation skill, if you prefer.
• in order for you to get "new use" of a skill, or "new skill learned", you have to roll the dice for your success, which was not done in this case as it was assumed that you could do this without any problem--but if you want to argue for the credit in skill terms, it will have to be rolled, and if it fails then you cannot triangulate anyone's position, and the previous statement that you can is undone.

So consider it carefully, and tell me what you prefer.

--M. J. Young

[M. J. Young]

Yeah, for some reason I always thought that was spelled Arik... but maybe that's just because the strange spelling looks more barbaric to my eyes.

In the story, it was the player's name, not the character's name, that was Eric. There is player/character confusion, because of statements such as "Eric doesn't have an axe" which really meant "Eric does not have an axe on his character's equipment list." In the end, it is Eric who says he is going to roll up a new character.

--M. J. Young