Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment Closed

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Alaen
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by Alaen » Thu Feb 20, 2014 5:32 am

Sparks normally don't let petty things like the laws of physics tell them what they can or can't do, so I think we're good on that.
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spiderwrangler
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Feb 20, 2014 6:13 am

Your starting area will be in a workshop/sleeping area that you can use as 'home base', so I was already planning on having assorted tools and some bits and pieces of things available to you. Other stuff you'll have to find/loot/build. I'll look through the things you have posted and add what I feel is reasonable to the official thread. Keep in mind that you have been captured and transported to the Castle as part of a work release imprisonment program, so anything too hazardous or dangerous will have been stripped from you.
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by WearsHats » Thu Feb 20, 2014 6:18 am

Wires? Volt meter?

Nerre, this is a steampunk world. The basic power source is a steam boiler. Computations are made with mechanical difference engines. It's springs and gears and levers. A volt meter, if such a thing even exists, is a highly specialized piece of equipment with very limited usefulness. Same goes for wires used to connect components. You'll find metal coils (after all, that's basically what springs are), but only for specialized uses like making lightning guns (which is highly advanced technology). And they're going to be much thicker than the kind of wires you're talking about, and likely not insulated.
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by gamecreator » Thu Feb 20, 2014 6:57 am

WearsHats wrote:Nerre, this is a steampunk world.
No, not strictly. It contains many examples of other "punk" genres.

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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by WearsHats » Thu Feb 20, 2014 7:31 am

My point stands. I'll leave it up to the GM to make the call, but from everything we've seen in the comic, electronics are very rare. A few particularly strong sparks specialize in using their own custom-built electronic components, but such things are far from standard/common. The castle itself has been shown to use a variety of techniques and sources, but seems to primarily rely on hydraulics.
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by gamecreator » Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:22 am

I don't know where you saw electronics on Nerre's list. A volt meter you refer to isn't one either.

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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:30 am

Nerre has sent me backstory/etc through pm, and I'll be adding that to official thread in a bit.

@Wears/others - I do agree that electronics as such in GG is quite rare, or at least rudimentary, or dependent on other systems to function. It does play an important role though (also I'm assuming that's partly where the term 'spark' comes from). Much of the use of electricity in the comic is for weapons/defense rather than the building of circuitboards or the like. If Nerre wants to be an electricity based spark, I'm ok with that, but extremely advanced electronics will be beyond the scope of the materials/training that players will encounter in this game.

@Nerre - I think your proposed character will work well with another idea I wanted to implement that I am keeping secret from you guys right now, but since I'm 'giving' you what you've asked for in some areas, I'll be taking away in others. After all, my intent was to start everyone as a newly emerging spark, and what you sent me was a fully developed madboy. Essentially, he'll be getting 'reset' to a lower level of competence for the purposes of the game and for balance. Hopefully you'll still like what he comes out as.

@LAYF - Unless other players object, I don't mind you playing as an accidental nudist (Bare Bunn?), but would probably have his work apron at least cover his more salacious bits and pieces. Also, is it Dunn Dunn, or Bunn Bunn... I think you've used both...
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:40 am

gamecreator wrote:I don't know where you saw electronics on Nerre's list. A volt meter you refer to isn't one either.
Voltage tester and electrician's tape were the two items that I most felt didn't fit the feel of the story. There's no sense arguing about what people 'get', since these are just requests for things they would like... I can always strip everyone nekkid and turn the castle loose on them. >:D
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by gamecreator » Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:46 am

Yeah, I doubt sparks would use (or need) measuring equipment often.

But my point is there were no electronics mentioned in the first place.

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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by WearsHats » Thu Feb 20, 2014 10:00 am

Latest 3 posts came in while I was typing up my own response, which was only intended as clarification of where I was coming from and what I was trying to say. Basically, though, spiderwrangler already said it better and more concisely than I could. I certainly wasn't trying to usurp the GM's place in making the call of what Nerre should or shouldn't "get" and I'm sorry things went that way.

The long version, as long as I typed it up, is below, for whatever it's worth.
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Feb 20, 2014 10:40 am

The other thing to keep in mind is that this is only a starting point. With practice, any of you could become an expert in any discipline. The intent of the Innate Skill was to give you a small boost early on, as well as provide a bit more flavor and personality to your character.
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by LAYF » Thu Feb 20, 2014 10:52 am

Ah. sorry... it is Bunn Bunn...

and yea.. an arphon is fine, since he do not want oil on his tools....
-Best regards LAYF

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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Feb 20, 2014 12:40 pm

LooksAtYouFunny wrote:and yea.. an arphon is fine, since he do not want oil on his tools....
By that do you mean his....ah... err... nevermind... :oops: ;)

@Nerre - Within the GG timeline, I'm setting this before the Wulfenbach invasion, so that part of your backstory is gonna become an overcharge induced hallucination that got you locked up in the first place... Heiro is welcome to stay convinced that it happened, but it definitely hasn't. :)
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Alaen
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by Alaen » Thu Feb 20, 2014 12:50 pm

Not to sound pushy, but can we get a heads-up on when the game will start?
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by LAYF » Thu Feb 20, 2014 1:19 pm

spiderwrangler wrote:
LooksAtYouFunny wrote:and yea.. an arphon is fine, since he do not want oil on his tools....
By that do you mean his....ah... err... nevermind... :oops: ;)
okay, sorry, I have to write the below....
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okay.. I start to scare myself... sorry.... :shock: :paranoia: :oops: :P o:)
-Best regards LAYF

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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Feb 20, 2014 2:10 pm

Alaen wrote:Not to sound pushy, but can we get a heads-up on when the game will start?
I think the characters are pretty well set, I need to update the official thread with an introduction and lay out the rules, and am tweaking a few more things, but I think the first post should go up within the next few days. I will push a PM to you all when we go live though.
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by LAYF » Thu Feb 20, 2014 3:12 pm

Sounds great :D
-Best regards LAYF

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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment closed for now

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Feb 20, 2014 6:17 pm

Intro, characters, and rules posts are up on the official thread. Let me know here if there is anything that seems incorrect, or you have questions on.

*It's looking like the first post may be up later tonight or early tomorrow. I'll still PM when it is, but just giving a bit extra heads up.
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment Open

Post by spiderwrangler » Tue Mar 25, 2014 11:54 am

Looking to potentially add 1-2 additional players that would be interested in joining... let me know if you are.
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NewOneAround
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment open

Post by NewOneAround » Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:07 am

Hello
I`m Interrested in joining your game, if your still recruting.

Name: Salpicon Bastianus Bennator van Krautenberg
Description:
Salpicon is a normal sized (178,53cm) of average weight (79785 gramm).
His birth has been 22 years ago.
His red hair is cut short and he is saved clean.
Half his face was burned and is scarred horrible. His left eye is a opto-mechanical replacement (of his own design)
His normal wardrobe includes:
a sturdy trouser (leather)
a lime-colored shirt (wool)
a apron with alot of pockets and strings to attach things (mostly leather, with a hint of iron and copper)
a pair of boots (leather, iron sole)

Backstory:
Salpicon Bastianus Bennator van Krautenberg hails from the city of Krautenberg (surprise)
He has been a student of the late Leopold van Krautenberg, who died a natural death (horrible Lab-Accident) shortly afer acepting him as a student.
He broke through pretty late (21) trying to build a full-automatic-recargeable selfignitig smoking pipe.
Miraculously he survived his first (self-applied) test, loosing only an eye and half his face.
Hence he was obssesed with mechanical replacements and addons to humankind.
After his mentor pased away he did a lot of research in this field with little success.
The only problem with research in experimental limb-reatachments and the like is a short surply of test subjects.
An ingenius idea later did show he was born a great trapmaker.
Shorty after that some people in Krautenberg lost some limbs to "Chainsaw-out-of-wall"-Traps and Exploding Beer-Mugs.

Buying a great deal of chainsaws and explosives at the market left a trail for the law enforcment to follow and soon he was arrested.

Innate Skill:
Trapmaking

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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment open

Post by BadgeAddict » Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:37 am

well...from the sound of that you'll fit right in with some of us more than others.....be prepared to be thrown to the wolves upon arrival.

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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment Closed

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:19 am

NewOne, you'll be one of two new players, Godbot has expressed interest as well, so you'll be the new additions for now.

If I have any further questions for you about your characters, or wish to make any alterations, I'll hash that out with you through PM. What color would you like to use to distinguish from the others? Currently we have :
Gabe
Bunn
Sam
Ursula
August
Hiero
Last edited by spiderwrangler on Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment Closed

Post by NewOneAround » Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:41 am

Oh yes...

I think Sal would like to be... color=#8A0030

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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment Open (2 spots)

Post by spiderwrangler » Mon Sep 22, 2014 3:05 pm

Hello interested gamers.

Opening SCH up for 2 new players, it wouldn't be necessary for you to reread the game up to this point, you would be introduced as an entirely new character, not taking over any existing ones.
*Quasi-disclaimer: This game is based around a new skill leveling system I'm working on, and while I think we've ironed out many of the kinks up to this point, it is possible that somethings will be decided or worked out on the fly as they come up.

Background: Set in the world of Girl Genius, players are sparks, the mad genius scientists of the era. If you aren't familiar with GG, that's fine, it's essentially Victorianesque steampunk adventure and science, in this case set in the Castle Heterodyne, the sentient ancestral home of the Heterodyne family, one of the most powerful in the land. The Heterodynes have been run off, and the Castle fractured into various personalities, each controlling a portion of the rooms there. Your character will be a spark of some note that has committed some disruptive or heinous act (FOR SCIENCE!), and been captured for your crimes. You've been mindwiped, which served to remove the majority of your higher level knowledge and skills (like forgetting how to ride a bike... you know you did it once, but can't recall how), which may be regained of the course of the game. The world is fairly open ended, you can try to do anything you want, but likely will be limited mostly by supplies and skills available (and my will, if you get too out there...). Your goal will be to survive, explore and built (both your skills and devices that may help with those three goals).

Mechanics: Each character starts with one level in a chosen skill. All tasks they attempt that would utilize that skill are made at 1d5, and all other attempts are Unskilled and rolls are made at 1d3. Each task will take a certain number of Completion Points (CP), determined based on what I perceive the difficulty of the attempted task to be. Finishing a task will award Skill Points (SP), the number awarded is reflective of the CP needed for the task. Gaining SP will eventually lead to gaining a level in the relevant set of skills, and will open up new skills that you may continue to gain levels in. Each time you gain a level, you'll increase the potential CP you can generate each 15 min turn, going from Unskilled (1d3) --> Level 1 (1d5) --> Level 2 (1d7).... etc., etc.

As you gain levels in multiple skills, they will synergize if you attempt a task that would reasonably pull from more than one skill you have a level in. Working cooperatively with your fellow sparks may further increase your combined efforts.

If you are interested, post here. I'll need a name, background, description, etc. as well as an idea of what you'd like your character's leveled skill to be. It should be something that is useful even at low technology levels to allow you to incorporate it into other things, should be suitable given your background, and not be completely overpowered. I'll work with you to find a skill I'm comfortable with.

It is currently 5:15 PM game time, any new characters will be introduced the following morning, so we do have a bit of time to sort out anyone that wishes to join and get them up to speed on how the game works.

I'd hope that any players joining would be up for checking in relatively frequently, update schedule is as often as I have postable actions for everyone and have the time to post, but twice a week at a minimum (Sunday/Thursday generally). Since many of the actions will be task based (reading this book, building this device, etc), many tasks will take multiple turns, and it's completely fine to queue up actions with me (especially if you know you are going to be unavailable for a period of time).
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Re: Surviving Castle Heterodyne - Recruitment Open (2 spots)

Post by Synch » Mon Sep 22, 2014 3:33 pm

I'm interested, I'll work on a character idea today.

EDIT: Spider, what Mechanics/Skill idea do you think would suit your game and rules and the existing players best? Combustion/explosives, biology, Marksmanship (creating scopes, laser sights, binoculars, gunsmith etc) or armorcraft.
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