Shapers of the Apocalypse (Cosmic Horror vs. Player Characters)

I just find myself strangely drawn to the notion of us taking this buffoon and exposing him to the harsh realities of the cosmos until he becomes grizzled, hardened and proficient, far outliving all of his fellow characters until eventually taking a Servitor of Azazoth with him in a massive explosion at the age of 93. I don't pretend that it's a likely scenario. It's just gotten lodged in my brain somehow.
That can be arranged, even without making him President. Just make sure that he winds up on the 'unforturtunate' expedition, prefereably as the last survivor, and he'll be well on his way!

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[X] Henry Jackson
I certainly see no reason to deny a decorated veteran to chance to accomplish his final dreams. For is that not we are here for gentlemen? To live out our dreams of scouring the world of it's mysteries? Not only that, but he is respected, known and have contacts that he can leverage to our advantage.

[X] Simon Ulysses
A talented young man which a penchant for trouble eh? Hah, that certainly reminds me of lost times. But anyhow, the way I see it. Simon has a bright future ahead of him regardless of what happens, in which case let us snatch him up know and shape him into someone valuable to us.

[X] Tyler Freeman
Any sop can learn how to command a boat, and while such know how is valuable, I do not think that it is as valuable as dedicate and ambition. Both traits are qualities that Mister Freeman demonstrates in spades. And I can think of no other person I would rather explore the wonders of the Earth with.

[X] Gary Grant
Gary is fine man that I have had the pleasure of knowing for many years. He might not the sharpest man, but considering all of his adventures, I would count him as one of most creative man I know. Not only that, but he is also a genuinely likable person who can always be relied upon to lend you help.
 
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[X] Henry Jackson
Are you mad, gents? We cannot possibly give such a gloried position to a child! While Corbyn is no fop, he has yet to be seasoned and has not undergone the rigourous experiences that Henry is known for. Not to mention his greater reach and connections in our society. While old, he is most certainly more spry than most of us! I suggest that we have Henry groom young Corbyn during his tenure as VP - External; if Corbyn wants to fulfill his ambition of leading an expedition, he will do it well after learning the ropes from Henry.
(Henry also has really high Charisma, which is emphasised for this role.)

[X] Simon Ulysses
This young chap has a phenomenal gift for numbers and a natural talent for this managerial position. Morgan may have him beat on that front, but only barely. His ability will only grow more potent with time. We need men like him to care for and maintain our organisation in order to keep things running smoothly. His ambition will also ensure his loyalty and passion are funnelled in the right areas. Morgan will have plenty of things to name after himself. He just won't do it from this position.
(High natural management, and has 2 bonus dice to all tasks. Compared with Morgan with a perpetual 2 dice penalty to anything that does not involving naming something after himself.)

[X] Tyler Freeman
Tyler is a hard-working young man that is well-known for his stellar work ethic. Most of the members like him and are willing to follow his direction. His skillset certainly extends to the needs of most, if not all expeditions. His ambition will certainly drive him to ensure the success of our ventures. He'll certainly be able to manage our field assets well, and deal with unforeseen events. A possible choice for President when he gains more life experience. Wilhelm indeed is a fine navigator, but is too specialised in his field of interest. He simply can't stop yapping about wanting a yacht of his own!
(Wide range of skills, useful in fending off Tcho-tcho maybe)

[X] Michael Bainbridge
This is the only probable choice in this circumstance. Who chose these candidates for President!? Why is Gary even on the list!? We do not need a pampered, weak-willed twit in charge of this organisation if we want it to rise to prominence! If anyone picks him, they are doing a disservice to everyone under him, especially Tyler! He may try again once out of his honeymoon years. Peter doesn't have the drive to make an impact. The world is our oyster, and just wants to be known for finding some dusty old bones. Now, Michael fits this role. He has the drive, the passion, and the greatest motivation not to fail. I'm certain he'll lead us to greatness.
(Highest stats all around. Resources will build up fast in light of successful expeditions. The first few years may require us to dig deep, but once we gain momentum, we won't stop.)

Oh yeah, great to see you writing, @Academia Nut! Found Thousand Shinji recently and it was riveting!
 
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[X] Henry Jackson

[X] Simon Ulysses

[X] Tyler Freeman

[X] Gary Grant

@Academia Nut is Tyler Freeman of african descent? or his parents/grandparents were? because that would make our society, what they would call at the time a "radical". :D maybe one of our other members is secretly female as well?;)
 
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[X] Henry Jackson
Are you mad, gents? We cannot possibly give such a gloried position to a child! While Corbyn is no fop, he has yet to be seasoned and has not undergone the rigourous experiences that Henry is known for. Not to mention his greater reach and connections in our society. While old, he is most certainly more spry than most of us! I suggest that we have Henry groom young Corbyn during his tenure as VP - External; if Corbyn wants to fulfill his ambition of leading an expedition, he will do it well after learning the ropes from Henry.
(Henry also has really high Charisma, which is emphasised for this role.)

[X] Simon Ulysses
This young chap has a phenomenal gift for numbers and a natural talent for this managerial position. Morgan may have him beat on that front, but only barely. His ability will only grow more potent with time. We need men like him to care for and maintain our organisation in order to keep things running smoothly. His ambition will also ensure his loyalty and passion are funnelled in the right areas. Morgan will have plenty of things to name after himself. He just won't do it from this position.
(High natural management, and has 2 bonus dice to all tasks. Compared with Morgan with a perpetual 2 dice penalty to anything that does not involving naming something after himself.)

[X] Tyler Freeman
Tyler is a hard-working young man that is well-known for his stellar work ethic. Most of the members like him and are willing to follow his direction. His skillset certainly extends to the needs of most, if not all expeditions. His ambition will certainly drive him to ensure the success of our ventures. He'll certainly be able to manage our field assets well, and deal with unforeseen events. A possible choice for President when he gains more life experience. Wilhelm indeed is a fine navigator, but is too specialised in his field of interest. He simply can't stop yapping about wanting a yacht of his own!
(Wide range of skills, useful in fending off Tcho-tcho maybe)

[X] Michael Bainbridge
This is the only probable choice in this circumstance. Who chose these candidates for President!? Why is Gary even on the list!? We do not need a pampered, weak-willed twit in charge of this organisation if we want it to rise to prominence! If anyone picks him, they are doing a disservice to everyone under him, especially Tyler! He may try again once out of his honeymoon years. Peter doesn't have the drive to make an impact. The world is our oyster, and just wants to be known for finding some dusty old bones. Now, Michael fits this role. He has the drive, the passion, and the greatest motivation not to fail. I'm certain he'll lead us to greatness.
(Highest stats all around. Resources will build up fast in light of successful expeditions. The first few years may require us to dig deep, but once we gain momentum, we won't stop.)

Hear hear!
 
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How important are resources, and what's our base income/expected expenditure? I'm trying to get a feel for how much of an advantage Gary Grant's +1d4 a year would be.
 
Ballot
VP - External (Primarily uses Charisma to build Influence and make contacts)

[X] Henry Jackson

Treasurer (Primarily uses Management to build Resources)
[X] Simon Ulysses

VP - Operations (Primarily uses Management and variable skills to do various tasks)
[X] Tyler Freeman

President (Represents and leads the organization)
[X] Michael Bainsbridge
 
[X] Corbyn James
If other candidate "sees the only glories left to be in exploration" I would say that we let him go exploring the most dangerous and exotic places.
Corbyn is the only other option. And he has a lot of time to mature and grow.

[X] Simon Ulysses

Ahh, not the ideal choice, but better than someone obsessive.

[X] Tyler Freeman

Badass. Also, it's allow him to build position and respectability he needs, because I feel players will want him to be future President.

[X] Peter Schwartzwald

Ok, since I'm voting Tyler Freeman and Corbyn, both middle-class, I suggest that aristocracy get President position for balance. For around two dozens of turns it will be important. Also, he is passionate and not a glory hound, so it's another bonus.
 
VP - External (Primarily uses Charisma to build Influence and make contacts)
[X] Henry Jackson

Treasurer (Primarily uses Management to build Resources)
[X] Simon Ulysses

VP - Operations (Primarily uses Management and variable skills to do various tasks)
[X] Tyler Freeman

President (Represents and leads the organization)
[X] Michael Bainsbridge

"With all this bickering and argument, I almost wish I had submitted my own august and valued name into the lot, for let it never be said that the French lack the tradition and heart of explorers, nor the valor of lions."
 
[X] Corbyn James
[X] Simon Ulysses
[X] Wilhelm Sonnenberg
[X] Peter Schwartzwald
 
I don't know what amuses me more - mostly unanimous vote for 2 and 3 or hotly contested 1 and 2...
 
How important are resources, and what's our base income/expected expenditure? I'm trying to get a feel for how much of an advantage Gary Grant's +1d4 a year would be.

@Academia Nut can correct me for this but for the early game, AFAIK I wouldn't expect our Resources to go above single-digits. So 1d4 is actually a bit more than you might think at first.

In the new system, and again this is just based on my recollections so correct me AN if I'm wrong; Resources and Influence works slightly differently to how comparable resources did in Age of Strife. Firstly they're a lot broader in scope, which is why there are only two of them. (Though a couple sub-resources may show up later related to [REDACTED UNDER SECURITY CLEARANCE: DELTA GREEN].) The second big thing is that whilst they can go up or down for any number of the obvious reasons you might expect*, you don't expend them to do things. You test against them, with more difficult things having a higher test value.

It's quite a lot of fun.

*(Getting an endowment, gaining friends in local government, having an expedition end in disaster and acrimony, being audited by the IRS after some dodgy book-keeping comes to light, etc..)
 
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@Academia Nut can correct me for this but for the early game, AFAIK I wouldn't expect our Resources to go above single-digits. So 1d4 is actually a bit more than you might think at first.

In the new system, and again this is just based on my recollections so correct me AN if I'm wrong; Resources and Influence works slightly differently to how comparable resources did in Age of Strife. Firstly they're a lot broader in scope, which is why there are only two of them. (Though a couple sub-resources may show up later related to [REDACTED UNDER SECURITY CLEARANCE: DELTA GREEN].) The second big thing is that whilst they can go up or down for any number of the obvious reasons you might expect*, you don't expend them to do things. You test against them, with more difficult things having a higher test value.

It's quite a lot of fun.

*(Getting an endowment, gaining friends in local government, having an expedition end in disaster and acrimony, being audited by the IRS after some dodgy book-keeping comes to light, etc..)
This makes it almost tempting for me(Read as: Rich old high-class explorer) to vote for the dullard. But on matter of principle I'd like to avoid letting the lemming lead us around.
 
This makes it almost tempting for me(Read as: Rich old high-class explorer) to vote for the dullard. But on matter of principle I'd like to avoid letting the lemming lead us around.

Well I mean, it's not actually unprecedented for an organization to be headed up by wealthy, affable guy who is good at functions and paying the bills, whilst most of the actual work of running it is done by the more competent guy (or guys) one rung down.

Like, in proportional terms Deep Pockets is probably going to be woth an extra 25%-50% of our total Resources on any particular turn during the early game. That's also somewhat more valuable to Explorer Societies than it would be other ones, because Explorer Societies are especially prone to a sort of feast/famine cycle in their funding and support based on expeditions either succeeding or failing horribly. If an expedition falls through right when we were a bit overextended anyway (which is not like, outside the realms of possibility) then we might really appreciate rolling a 3 that turn.

I'm not saying you should vote for President Moneybags, that's your choice and I respect your choice. What I am saying is that he's not actually a joke candidate. There's quite a lot of careful thought on AN's part which has gone into him to make him fairly well balanced with the others.
 
Like, in proportional terms Deep Pockets is probably going to be worth an extra 25%-50% of our total Resources on any particular turn during the early game.

Probably more like 12-40%, but it will be a reliable source of income. It is temporary though. Still ruminating on how to do interconversion between temporary and permanent scores properly, but generally your Influence and Resources will work like personal skills, attempting to reach DCs, with a typical complication being a loss of temporary score. So the idea would be to spend your time building up resources to reliably get a high level mission off the ground, but that then burns out what you've set up for this task and you have to start over for the next one (but if you succeed you are likely to get boosts to your permanent scores).
 
Probably more like 12-40%, but it will be a reliable source of income. It is temporary though. Still ruminating on how to do interconversion between temporary and permanent scores properly, but generally your Influence and Resources will work like personal skills, attempting to reach DCs, with a typical complication being a loss of temporary score. So the idea would be to spend your time building up resources to reliably get a high level mission off the ground, but that then burns out what you've set up for this task and you have to start over for the next one (but if you succeed you are likely to get boosts to your permanent scores).
So it's basically the wealth system from Modern D20? Huh, not bad, not bad at all...
 
[X] Henry Jackson
Aligning ourselves with the military sounds useful.
[X] Morgan Blumstein
I like his ambition.
[X] Tyler Freeman
The Sailor doesnt sound that interesting
[X] Gary Grant
Being able to throw more money around should be cool, even if I like the Schwarzwald dude.
 
Y'know what, screw it.

[X] Henry Jackson
[X] Simon Ulysses
[X] Tyler Freeman
[X] Gary Grant
 
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