[X] "I dunno, I never really thought about it. People make choices that don't make sense to me, but maybe they make sense to them. If school making more sense than social stuff puts me on the spectrum, I'm there."
[X] Peter met with Eddie Brock, and listened to his job offer.
Inserted tally. Vote Closed. Eddie Brock wins out, and Peter is simply socially awkward but genius intelligent. I think we also the first write-in of the quest - I am glad.
While I work on the update; I think it's about that time we also had a discussion about the type of spider-man they expect and want. We're soon approaching the point you'll be making your first outing, so I thought of asking the question.
Suit/aesthetic/gadgets/approach/value system/ - feel free to pitch in about anything you want. If you want your Spider-man more like Batman or Superman, if you would like him tangling with crime syndicates or mad scientists more, whether spectacular was your favorite cartoon or unlimited, whether you'd like more focus on spider or peter, darker stories or light hearted, - really, speak out and be heard. While I do have some plans myself, this is one of those things that would be better if everyone collaborated, so that I have some idea what you guys like and want.
Adhoc vote count started by asphaltus on Jul 15, 2020 at 2:18 PM, finished with 19 posts and 14 votes.
[X] Peter met with Eddie Brock, and listened to his job offer.
[X] "I dunno, I never really thought about it. People make choices that don't make sense to me, but maybe they make sense to them. If school making more sense than social stuff puts me on the spectrum, I'm there."
I like A Scientist Peter. Think of The Time That Doctor Octopus had his run as Peter Parker.
Value System Wise, He Believes in Reformation, so he's unlikely to kill, and tries to help even his villains out on getting on the right track. (Kindness)
I would lean more toward Batman. Superpowers are not his wheelhouse. Spider-Man, like a spider can, uses determination to win. I am most fond of Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Hopefully this version Spider-Man faces mad scientists and common crooks. He should only face mob bosses and the like when helping other heroes. Kingpin might be the exception. In the cartoon Kingpin's schemes were stopped by happenstance not intentional design on Spider-Man's part. Peter has a saving people thing as many fandoms call it.
Batman owns a company though, but I see your point. As for keeping the classic villains - I have plans for giving everyone a fresh perspective. It'll be interesting, hopefully.
What about the gadgets/suits though? I'm not planning on giving you any default options.
I want classic red and blue suit, it honesty looks the best I don't want edgy Spiderman quest I would prefer him to act Captain America and Superman then fucking Batman who is quite honestly overused and way too overpowered. Of course, modify the suit appropriately because of his different background, but I want the core of the suit to be the original classic non-edgy red and black etc suit.
Edit: and please by god no Peter Parker worshiping Tony Stark like the MCU shit.
The building seemed new; sleek lines of grey with reflective glass ran down side by side, converging into a modest revolving door. Eddie stood in front of it, wearing his trademark black jacket and goofy smile. "Come on, chief! Move it!" He beckoned.
"What is this?" Peter asked.
"This, baby doll, is the future." His arms made a wide arc. "And you, my friend, are going to be working here."
"I didn't come for the future. I came for the pizza." Peter repressed the urge to sigh. "And I didn't agree to any job."
Eddie laughed. "Don't worry, I already agreed for you."
"What?!"
"That was a joke, Petey. Now come on in! We'll have pizza afterwards!"
Peter rubbed his temples in exasperation. This was Eddie – a hyperactive badger who did what he pleased. What had he expected? "No pineapples though." He wearily followed. "I won't budge on that."
"So what's this place about?" The lights on the buttons blinked as the elevator ascended.
"You're going to see." Eddie chose to play coy. "And you're going to love it."
12… 12a… 14…15.. 16… 17. The doors opened to reveal a white wall with the words DB in big, bold letters, with Daily Bugle in softer italics below it. "Ta-da! What do you think?" The Daily Bugle. Oh no.
"You work here, Eddie?" Peter was concerned. "What kind of – wait, and you want me to work here too?What the hell are you thinking?" he whispered. "What are you talking about?" Eddie whispered along with him. "It's great place!"
"The Daily Bugle is a – a rag, Eddie. You publish nothing buttrash!"
"Trash? Now wait a second – when did you get so judgemental?"
"Judgemental? Me? You're the one working for a tabloid, Eddie. What was your last headline? See this B-Level celebrity drunk off his ass?"
"Actually, I think it was somewhere closer to C-List Singer Has An Affair, Pictures Inside. But you were remarkably close." A deep voice interrupted them. A middle-aged black man was staring bemusedly at him. "Joseph Robertson, editor-in-chief. But you can call be Robbie. And you must be Peter Parker, our very enthusiastic applicant. Which I realize now has been bit of hyperbole, right, Eddie?"
Eddie threw a quick look at Peter before turning to the man. "No, no - what are you talking about? He's actually very thrilled – uh, he doesn't like to agree right away – it's his thing, y'know?"
"At least you know better to fib in your articles." Joseph sighed. "Come along, please."
The office, to Peter's surprise, looked more like a tech-startup rather than the traditional cubicle farms. Bean-bags around tables, hexagon looking computer stations, and a giant LED screen setup that covered the entire wall. "You're not wrong, Peter." Robbie suddenly spoke. "The Bugle has been a tabloid, and a trashy one at that. But we have come under new management recently, and are making some changes. Your employment opportunity is a part of it. In here, please. Not you, Eddie." He opened the door to a glass cube and walked in.
"Okay, don't be too mopey or technical or try to flatter him – he's going to follow up on what you begin with and is gonna really listen whatyousay at the end – okay? Okayyougotthis good luck!" Eddie rattled off before giving him a pat on the back and leaving.
Peter entered and sat down at Robbie's sign. The wooden chair was solid, but comfortable. "So, Peter. I suppose you have no idea what this about?"
"All I know is that you have an opening that I can fill."
"Succinctly said. And you have no interest in journalism, either?"
"I want to be scientist, but… I'm not averse to trying out new things."
Robbie leaned back in his chair. "Good. We couldn't hire you if you didn't – the news is all about new things. They're quite similar – science and news. All about discovering unknown truths." He looked pensive for a moment. "Or that's how it supposed to be."
Peter hadn't considered it that way, but…"I guess so."
"Right." His gaze sharpened once more. "Let's talk about practical things now. The Daily Bugle, as I've said, has come under new management making some changes. We're downscaling physically and moving most of the operations online. Like everybody else, I suppose." He grimaced. "One of the advantages of the Internet is the availability of space, and we want to make use of that to target a wider audience. More specifically, the younger demographic. Like a Teen Bugle."
"Did you seriously name it Teen Bugle?"
"Well, that's how we knew we had to hire some actual kids. We decided to keep it as in-house as possible, you know, mostly relatives and friends. And, Eddie, our star employee, has always been very vocal about you."
Uhoh. "What has he said?"
"According to him, you're the next coming of Einstein, Schrodinger and Oppenheimer all rolled into one. He never stops praising you." Robbie crookedly smiled.
Peter squirmed in his seat. "You know he's a bit of a goof, right?"
"Oh, of course. I would be a poor reporter if I trusted only a single source." Before Peter could ask more, he changed the subject. "Let's get down to the brass tacks. Your work, should we offer and if you accept, would be to write a few articles every week, from your own perspective. Authenticity is key for relating with teenagers; that's what we need. You'd also be helping around the office – typical intern stuff. The hours are flexible; I'm sure we can work something out. Of course, if things go well, we might get you a press pass as well." He smiled. "But that's far off stuff. What do you say about the present?"
"Uh – Why me?"
"You're not the only applicant, Peter. Right now, you're not even an applicant; I don't even know if you want the job or not. Do you?"
He made up his mind and answered.
***************************
What did Peter say?
[] No, thank you. [] Yes, I would like it very much. (Trait: Give This Kid A Nobel Prize!Lose 1 Fate Point, Get the Job.)
[] Yes, I would like to give it a try. (Begin Social Conflict: Vote by Plan)
- [] [Intro] Choose your argument. See Spoilers.
- [] [Body] Choose Gambit Decision. See Spoilers.
- [] [Body] Choose your argument. See Spoilers.
- [] [Conclusion] Choose your argument. See Spoilers.
This is the second, advanced social conflict tutorial, where the training wheels start to come off. You have advantages, but you can still lose.
STAKES: The reason we are doing this. This will be revealed based on the narrative. In this case it's pretty clear, but when you're arguing against an unknown person, you might have less information.
STAKES:
Joseph Robertson is unsure of Peter Parker's potential. Peter Parker wants to prove himself.
Before every social conflict, there will be an opposed perception check which will reveal the opposition argument. This is player-centered (other guy won't be making this roll). In this case, since Eddie helped you out, you have complete success. Yet since you don't have much expertise in social conflict, you will not be able use the knowledge to the fullest.
PERCEPTION CHECK ROLL RESULT: 1 Advantage. You have a general idea of the guy.
RESULT: Complete Success.
Robbie: Ethos Resistance is Lowest, followed by Logos, followed by Pathos.
Deception, Leadership are his highest argument skills/stats. Middling in Charm, Coercion. Weak in Negotiation.
Has Strong Cool, Discipline. Middling Vigilance. Weak Negotiation.
Robbie Strain = 16/16.
Sometimes, you will begin conflicts with advantages; extra dice you can spend wherever you want to bolster your roll. Knowing more about the topic, or the person, or his angle will give advantage dice when you finally talk with him. Advantages can be used by writing the name of the advantage next to the part of the argument, and whether you want to use it in OFFENSE or DEFENSE.
ADVANTAGES Eddie's Help: Eddie Helped You Out. 1 Boost Die.
HOW IT WORKS
Charm is opposed by Cool.
Deception is opposed by Vigilance.
Coercion is opposed by Discipline.
Leadership is opposed by Discipline.
Negotiation is opposed by Negotiation.
Whatever argument approach you use (LOGOS, ETHOS, PATHOS) – the damage will be subtracted from that resistance. Whatever damage is left, is subtracted from strain.
Peter's has 1 skill rank Negotiation; the others are zero, and will use base stats. His Logos Defense=3, Ethos=2, and Pathos=1. His Strain is 13. The first to midpoint can concede/or carry on at the threat of malus. (In your case, it is <=7, and Robbie <=8)
In one round, both exchange arguments. You attack, your opponent defends with opposing skill. Your opponent attacks, you defend with opposing skill. That's one round. There are three rounds. Intro, Body, and Conclusion.
You want to attack the opponent weak points, and defend when he attacks strongly. Feel free to write-in or question this explanation.
INTRODUCTION
Peter:
- [] [Intro] Stick to the facts, and the truth. There's no need to embellish. (LOGOS: (Charm, PRESENCE))
- [] [Intro] Try to provide a more complete picture. Warts and all. (ETHOS: (Charm, PRESENCE))
- [] [Intro] Wait - elaborate on this deal a little bit more. (LOGOS: (Negotiation (PRESENCE))
- [] [Intro] WRITE-IN
Robbie Argument: Ethos (Charm, Presence) - Peter will defend with (Cool, Presence).
BODY
Gambits are special moves that one can use in a part of the argument.
Robbie Argument:
Base: Logos (Charm, Presence) Gambit – How Much Do You Know? – Replace your argument with a Knowledge (INTELLECT) check, and force opponent to do the same. Success nets you additional 2 Success+2 Advantage. Failure creates additional 2 Failure+2 Threat. Subvert : Deception Check.
Gambits can either be accepted, rejected, or subverted.
Accepting a gambit means – well, accepting it, and playing according to the conditions given.
Rejecting it means you don't face the gambit, and fall back to base argument, but suffer 2 strain (direct, no reduction).
Subverting is trying to play smart – in this case, replacing the Knowledge (intellect) with a deception (cunning) check. If you win, you get the benefits, but if you lose, you get the penalty and suffer 2 strain.
Peter:
- [] [Body] Continue talking about science. That's his strongest suit. (LOGOS: (Charm, PRESENCE))
- [] [Body] Try to steer towards what you know of journalism. This is what they're looking for, after all. (LOGOS: (Charm, Presence))
- [] [Body] Talk more about this teen angle. This is what he actually wants you to write about. (PATHOS: (Charm, Presence))
- [] [Body] Breach into the topic of Daily Bugle. Peter wants to know more about their planning and ideas. (ETHOS: (Charm, Presence))
- [] [Body] WRITE-IN
CONCLUSION
Condition: A condition is similar to an argument status effect, influencing things from the background. There is no way of negating it – you will have to choose keeping it in mind.
Robbie Condition: Attentive – If Peter succeeds against him, he gets an additional Success+Advantage for each Success above 2. If he fails, he gets an additional Failure+Threat for each Failure above 2. (This is only for Peter's offense, not defense.)
Peter:
- [] [Conclusion] Discuss about his strongest suit, Science. (LOGOS: (Charm, PRESENCE))
- [] [Conclusion] Discuss about the difference he wants to make. (PATHOS: (Charm, PRESENCE))
- [] [Conclusion] WRITE-IN
Robbie Argument: ETHOS (Charm, Presence) – Peter will oppose with (Cool, Presence)
**************
QMNote: Updated the Xp shop and the new FAQ. Apart from the big heavy thinking choices, we are also having an informal discussion about the type of Spider-man you want to play as. Chime in if you haven't already – I want to know your thoughts.
I mean, don't get me wrong. I really just don't want to deal with the math I'd have to do to actually say yes. And irregardless of what you say I can't say yes without that math being done, for each choice. Brain, Just won't let me.
So you don't want the job, or don't want to deal with the mechanics? Cause they're different reasons - I'd have to tweak some things if it's the latter.
So you don't want the job, or don't want to deal with the mechanics? Cause they're different reasons - I'd have to tweak some things if it's the latter.
Really, Just Don't mind me. I'm currently a bit more stressed then usual, which means that my levels are less likely to try and bunker down to get into the nitty gritty.
So, for right now. I do not value the job enough to deal with the mechanics. This is more like a supply and demand and chart. With artificial inflation.
That Said, I'll actually go right ahead and do it anyway.
So 3 out of 4, even with a bit of deduction reveal that those are the strongest aids for Peter Parker.
[] Yes, I would like to give it a try. (Begin Social Conflict: Vote by Plan)
- [] [Intro]
- [] [Body] Accept Gambit
- [] [Body] Breach into the topic of Daily Bugle. Peter wants to know more about their planning and ideas. (ETHOS: (Charm, Presence))
- [] [Conclusion] Discuss about his strongest suit, Science. (LOGOS: (Charm, PRESENCE))
For instance. I know the best intro must be one of these
- [] [Intro] Try to provide a more complete picture. Warts and all. (ETHOS: (Charm, PRESENCE))
- [] [Intro] Wait - elaborate on this deal a little bit more. (LOGOS: (Negotiation (PRESENCE))
Ultimately, The Question is simply what among these two is better. Logos with negotiation or Ethos with Charm.
Everything else should be along these lines. Heh, but I can't accept saying yes. Unless I've proven to myself which of those 2 are more mechanically sound. Though, I'm pretty sure it's about equal? Since it would be a
1+2=3-2=1
or 2=2-1=1
But Since Ethos is a relative unknown we just know that logos defense is stronger then ethos defense. We can basically assume that the unknown quantity's possibility means that. Ethos is better then Logos, since a 1 difference is the best it can be. So,
[X] Yes, I would like to give it a try. (Begin Social Conflict: Vote by Plan)
- [X] [Intro] Breach into the topic of Daily Bugle. Peter wants to know more about their planning and ideas. (ETHOS: (Charm, Presence))
- [X] [Body] Accept Gambit
- [X] [Body] Breach into the topic of Daily Bugle. Peter wants to know more about their planning and ideas. (ETHOS: (Charm, Presence))
- [X] [Conclusion] Discuss about his strongest suit, Science. (LOGOS: (Charm, PRESENCE))
- [X] [Eddie's Die] Conclusion
Now, For The Job itself it is loose-hours. Which is ideal for a job, thus it is better to take it then not.
Yeah, I just did the math on it well loose math as it were. Now The Question becomes where do you put the Eddie die, and the answer really is in The Closing Statement (Really it's not it should be put in the intro. Best to start strong. I just like the idea of a killer punch right at the end, and this does break my logical viewpoint.)
So you don't want the job, or don't want to deal with the mechanics? Cause they're different reasons - I'd have to tweak some things if it's the latter.
Mechanics seem fine at a glance, but the problem is they require more time commitment than most posters are going to be giving for a quest(on average, 10 minutes a day per update, 7 of which is spent reading the update).
I might be missing it but I did not see how much XP it costs for talents.
[X] No, thank you.
Edit:
Void's list of useful T1 talents-
Social: Liar, Liar (Tier 1 Activation: Passive Ranked: No) Gambit: If the opponent tries to subvert this gambit, add +2 Success and +2 Advantages to your roll before the results are decided. Logically Decided (Tier 1 Activation: Passive Ranked: No) If your character makes an Argument with {Logos, Logos, Logos} Approach, you can replace the last Approach stat base with Intellect. Logic Trap (Tier 1 Activation: Active (Maneuver) Ranked: No) Gambit: Make a LOGOS Approach, and force the opponent to do so as well. Get additional Success = Skill Rank if you succeed. Get additional Failure = Opponent's Skill rank if you fail. Subvert: Deception.
Liar, Liar seems useful if we have an opponet who looks to subvert, Logically decided due to Intellect being our highest stat and Logic Trap since we are best at Logos type arguments .
Physical: Biting Riposte (Tier: 1 Activation: Active (Maneuver) Ranked: No) Retort: Once per encounter, your character may use this talent to add automatic VV to another character's check. Duelist (Tier: 1 Activation: Passive Ranked: No ) Your character adds 1 Advantage to their melee combat checks while engaged with a single opponent.
imposing a penalty on someone is always useful and duelist just screams to have for those 1v1 supervillain fights
General: Desperate Rally (Tier: 1 Activation: Passive Ranked: No) Once per arc, if the character's Strain falls below or equal to 4, he may recover 4 strain. Durable (Tier: 1, Activation: Passive, Ranked: Yes) Your character reduces any Critical Injury result they suffer by 10 per rank of Durable, to a minimum of 01. Grit (Tier: 1 Activation: Passive, Ranked: Yes) Each rank of Grit increases your character's strain threshold by one. Second Wind (Tier: 1 Activation: Active (Incidental) Ranked: Yes) Once per encounter, your character may use this talent to heal an amount of strain equal to their ranks in Second Wind. Toughened (Tier: 1 Activation: Passive Ranked: Yes )Each rank of Toughened increases your character's wound threshold by two. Tumble (Tier: 1 Activation: Active (Incidental) Ranked: No) Once per round on your character's turn, they may suffer 2 strain to disengage from all engaged adversaries.
Desperate rally and second wind are strain recovery which seems useful while Grit increases the strain we can take and toughened does the same with wounds. Tumble is a way to use strain to get out of a bad spot and durable helps if we take a hit.
