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Smashing Axe

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Divinity: Original Sin
It depends how treave's going to implement addiction. Is our addiction measured as a cumulative effect, or does it require a significant level of intake over a relatively short period of time? As far as I'm aware most drugs require more than just a monthly dosage for addiction to set in. It's presumably been more than a month since we last had the potion, and I elect to choose it with A because...

1. It'd let us use our powers over an extended period of time.​

2. I really want to see how our ability works with battlefield management like treave mentioned pages back which will require us to use it staggeringly.​

3. In a life and death situation like this we should be prepared for the worst​
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Regular usage will turn you into a crack junkie, and along the way there'll be plenty of scenarios where you might want to use it to get out of trouble as you flee towards Earth.

Wait, I thought you didn't trust the cult. Just because Senya can't find anything wrong with it now doesn't mean it's totally safe. Maybe. :P
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Flower extract and certain compounds that are agonists for multiple neurotransmitters. It doesn't have any particular effect on normal people besides the addiction.
 

Smashing Axe

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Divinity: Original Sin
You won't tricks me, treave. Not this time. I was right about Shulgi, I'm on to you and your diversions! Although the cult is untrustworthy as hell, I'm not going to deny the use of the potion, even though I didn't originally vote for it.

That said, I can't recall if we can we use our powers intermittently without the potion. If we can I might elect not to drink the potion this time. Are you counting each vote seperately or in block this time?
 

Baltika9

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Flower extract and certain compounds that are agonists for multiple neurotransmitters. It doesn't have any particular effect on normal people besides the addiction.
Wait, I thought you didn't trust the cult. Just because Senya can't find anything wrong with it now doesn't mean it's totally safe. Maybe. :P

So we'll turn into a crazed MHD drug fiend, alcoholic and serial playa? Who does this remind me of?
Doomrider_Monochrome.jpg
"I DO INNAAAAANAAAAAA!"
I like where this is going. Will there be combat bikes? Not yet though, let us use this at a critical moment out in the field.
I'd like to try something different here. We've seen the utility of our powers in combat. However we've been told before that the ability is also extremely useful when planning the field of battle, so I'd like to propose we try our analytical skills at tacticular management of the battlefield and see how efficacious we can make it.
Thing is here, these guys need another pair of boots on the ground, not a pimple-faced kid nagging them over the intercom "No no no, go THAT way." We have the Captain to watch the battlefield, he seems like a smart and shrewd man so he should do just fine.
Our bullet time power, however, may make all the difference out there helping out these guys protect the colony for one; and two, we need to build a good rep with these guys (as gay as "Crocodiles" sound as a squad name), the military doesn't really appreciate cowards in their ranks, so cowering inside the carrier may just get us kicked out as quickly as we got in.. Besides which, they are the elite and Naim here is very likely a relative of Kyrie's, so earning BRO points with him is a good idea. And here's a little wisdom a Sergeant taught me: "When a superior gives you a "suggestion," it's not a suggestion. It's an order."
 

treave

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Codex 2012
If I'm unable to get a clear majority for a particular combination, same rules apply, only the alphabet-number combinations are counted in block. You can't switch on and off without the potion, but I think that's more for prolonged periods of crisis spanning a couple hours at least, so that you don't blow your load all at once.
That doesn't mean using your powers and potion here won't help though. Would definitely make things (much) easier.
 

Baltika9

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Well, in that case, using the extract on the battlefield will make much more sense that in the control center. May flop to BB1.
Say, treave, can we inject it during the operation, out in the field?
And another thing, how big are the mechs? I'm getting the impression of something approaching a Space Marine dreadnought in size. Edit: or are they more like power armor?
 

Azira

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Codex 2012
Flopped ever so slightly. The powers are useful. Very. But drugging up to use them is dicey. Will the time we can use them increase with experience, even if we don't shoot the elixir?
 

treave

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Codex 2012
I don't know how big a SM dreadnought is. 2nd gen CFs are about 13m on average, the Anhur is 15m. You can inject in the field but probably no point doing it later for this mission since the operation time is short. Yeah, as you grow into your powers you will gradually cease to need the drugs to control or prolong it. They provide you with an edge in the early chapters, and allow you to punch above your weight.
 

GreyViper

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So does that mean that Empress comes with us?
And if the so called "top pilot" botches the mission so that we lose the prototype. Would we have to steal a new one?

BB2
 

Baltika9

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They provide you with an edge in the early chapters, and allow you to punch above your weight.
And this is exactly what we need right now: those guys have five trained Centeotl crews, we have one busted-up CF and seven converted worker mechs, ergo we need maximum performance, otherwise this will be a suicide mission (and sending those guys without us will be even more so, we at least have bullet time and can see faultlines, so we may make a big difference). So, yeah, flopping to BA1.

Also, my gut is telling me we should get all drugged up here. Maybe a life-and-death situation will unlock some of Sparda's Ean's memories if we are in close contact with the Astral Plane... or something.
 

Tigranes

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AA2

Smashing Axe is right. Unless we want to become a parading Mech Warrior we should stick to our original strengths - analysis, planning, sabotage. Captain Grimrock already has a very high opinion of us, and what's important is that we be there to make the right decisions to ensure the plan as a whole succeeds - a plan that everyone in the military now knows is ours. That will give us all the good kind of recognition. Going out there and hoollaballoing about will make us a target of both lasers and jealousy.

My thought however is that we could probably do this without the elixirs? And since we're not exactly going to pummel on keyboards with tentacles the use of our powers should not be obvious.
 

ScubaV

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I agree with Tigranes. The risk of going out will not only be from a shitty construction mech being weak, but also Naim possibly looking to sabotage us. If we do go in a mech we should use the elixir to boost our survivability. Otherwise, let's keep the addiction meter low.

AA2
 

a cut of domestic sheep prime

Guest
Flopping to AA2. I also, agree with Tigranes. Plus, using up our powers in the command won't mean passing out as we'd have to reason to use the shatterpoint eyes. If we have to use our powers beforehand in the field, we might end up needing a rescue.

Also, why does this Naim (really, treave? A character named "name"?) give me flashbacks to a certain non-bro back in the labyrinth?

BA2
 

treave

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Codex 2012
He's Egyptian. :lol:

Probably pronounced Nah-eem with a silent h. I assure you that he is professional when it comes to carrying out the mission. They wouldn't have sent him here if he was just some loudmouth jock. He's reminiscent of Theseus?
 

Baltika9

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He's Egyptian. :lol:

Probably pronounced Nah-eem with a silent h. I assure you that he is professional when it comes to carrying out the mission. They wouldn't have sent him here if he was just some loudmouth jock. He's reminiscent of Theseus?
Not at all, no, it's just that some here are thinking in terms of Senya's pussy count. This guy seems like a professional enough officer that will work with what he has to achieve the mission he was assigned. I also think he won't do dumb shit when the Empress and Princess are on the ship he is supposed to be protecting. I also highly suspect he's a prince.

Also, the stupidest thing we can do right now is treat the whole thing as "lololo." We have the chance right here and now to earn ourselves friends and supporters in the military through proving ourselves as tactitian and soldier (sailor...spaceman, whatever term we are using) both.
 

TOME

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They already have enough people at the command. What they don't have is pilots for the CFs. It's in the field where we can do the most good for the mission.
 

GreyViper

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Estonia
You know about "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy" , A choice seems more passive role, while B seems more active. Second consider the human factor the plan misfires, but other pilots refuse to acknowledge your orders because they don't trust/like(not enough rank) you and improvise in the heat of battle. So A seems good for ship to ship combat, less for space mech where pilot skill counts more and orders are more like a guidelines to follow for best best of ability.
With B you are a pilot you have more mobility to engage moving single targets and as I understand they are the main threat now.
 

Baltika9

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Smashing Axe is right. Unless we want to become a parading Mech Warrior we should stick to our original strengths - analysis, planning, sabotage. Captain Grimrock already has a very high opinion of us, and what's important is that we be there to make the right decisions to ensure the plan as a whole succeeds - a plan that everyone in the military now knows is ours. That will give us all the good kind of recognition. Going out there and hoollaballoing about will make us a target of both lasers and jealousy.
Much bro-love and all, Tigranes, but the best way for this plan of ours to succeed is for us to be there on the front lines making sure it succeeds. GreyViper has it right when he says this
You know about "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy", A choice seems more passive role, while B seems more active. Second consider the human factor the plan misfires, but other pilots refuse to acknowledge your orders because they don't trust/like(not enough rank) you and improvise in the heat of battle. So A seems good for ship to ship combat, less for space mech where pilot skill counts more and orders are more like a guidelines to follow for best best of ability.
With B you are a pilot you have more mobility to engage moving single targets and as I understand they are the main threat now.
Yes, Senya is great of on-the-spot improvisation (I wonder who he got that from, hm? His daddy?:smug:) and the place where it will matter most is out there, in the field where the shit will be going down. Right now, they are sending out two mechs
That depends on you, son. If you are not confident enough, I won't throw you into the meat grinder immediately until I really need it. Emperor knows I'm not a wasteful man.:)salute:) Judging from your plan, we should be able to manage fine with just two mechs... but a third one would be nice."
against five trained, and likely experienced, enemy mechs. They will need maximum support and help if they are to succeed. And also, accepting the Captain's offer will pretty much guarantee us his protection (a man that has the balls to step up to the Empress is surely a man we want on our side); there's also the small matter that no general that ever lived got to where he got by sitting back and relaxing while men died by his plans and orders (Alexander, Napoleon, Caesar, etc) and by the time the general "will really need it," it will already be way to fucking late for us to make a difference. Think of this as our "Siege of Toulon," Napoleon made his plan and was on the front lines to see it accomplished.
I agree with Tigranes. The risk of going out will not only be from a shitty construction mech being weak, but also Naim possibly looking to sabotage us.
And the accusations leveled at Naim are absolutely groundless: he seems like a professional, experienced officer that will follow his assigned orders to the maximum of his ability (sure, he's hot-headed, but that doesn't equate him to Theseus); and out there, where squabbling equals death he will hold off all the bitching and moaning, I'm sure. And we aren't there to do combat, but to buy the ship time to escape, so juicing ourself up before the operation seems like the optimal thing to do, maximizing chances of success and all that.

In conclusion: Grimrock knows the gist of our plan (it's not that complicated, really) and he seems like a competent commander, he will not let us down. And he is more than enough to coordinate three mechas. This is our call to glory, bros, let's not waste it, eh? The best thing we'll get out of staying in the command center is lose any respect the soldiers had for us (the officer who tells others to do something he wouldn't do himself isn't much liked) and maybe become Grimrock's aide-de-camp. If he doesn't drop us from the draft when we get back (seriously, the Empire can draft underage students?). Barring any sudden reinforcements for the UNS, we should be fine.
Annnnd so begins teen filled angst with a false modesty hero complex.
I'd rather Senya gain confidence through actual deeds and successes, because that is the only kind of confidence that counts.

P.S.: treave, assuming we get to the point, will we be able to create and command our own squadrons/companies/divisions (and most importantly, name them; because "Crocodiles" sounds, well, underwhelming)? Or enroll in spec-ops? And will there be combat bikes?

Edit:
They already have enough people at the command. What they don't have is pilots for the CFs. It's in the field where we can do the most good for the mission.
Basically, this.

Edit 2: I also think that the Captain is giving us this "great opportunity"
By the way, for your first mission, I'm offering you a great opportunity.”
probably saving our ass from insubordination charges or securing us some nice accolades to cement our position, or a sweet assignment in West Point (please let it be so). Really, we should trust him for now.
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Naim belonged to the Crocodiles. You don't. The chain of command'll become clear later on once they sort out the chaos of this situation. You won't get a nickname like the 'Red Baron' (pretty much why I asked for colour preference) or name your squadrons yet. That's for if you build up a reputation as an ace pilot.

As for the draft, well, emergency draft covers every able-bodied man, woman and teen. As long as you're at least 16 you qualify. They figured if you're legally boning by 16 you should be able to legally murder someone for the glory of the Empire.
 

aleam iacis

Liturgist
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Nov 4, 2012
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115
Codex USB, 2014 BattleTech
Let's set ourselves up for being a star pilot, hero of the EMPIRE! If we do well here we can become a real pilot rather than just a one-time thing. Then we can lead our armies within the battle itself like Ean did(though lets not bite off more than we can chew and get sent out of commission floating in space for centuries)

But let's not get an addiction, and why use our powers before we absolutely need to? The combat will almost certainly last longer than 5 minutes, and if it lasts longer than 20 even our elixir won't prevent us from needing rescue.

BB2. Though I would be okay with AB2. No drugs, and don't use our powers unless we totally need to (probably not the very beginning of the operation, maybe the middle or the end). I mean, we still have Yua and our normal skills.
 

Baltika9

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Another reason to go out with Naim for the sortie
“So what's stopping them from hunting us down and destroying us?” This time Naim is the one who spoke up. “Look at your own map carefully, Hoshikawa. Unless we want to start travelling further away from Earth, the Ghostlot has a near certain chance of intercepting us on any trajectory. Besides that, we will have to fight against at least five CFs with one prototype.” He stops and laughs. “After your dismal performance against that Xolotl, don't tell me you're going to say that you're taking the Anhur out to fight five alone.”

I smile at him amiably. Of course I'm not planning to pilot the Anhur. I meant what I told the captain; I'm no hero – I'm not even a trained frame pilot. I only got into the combat frame and fought to stay alive. I tell him, “No, you'll be launching in the Anhur, Lieutenant Naim.” His eyes bug out in surprise.

“W-what? Captain, you can't be making me sortie out there alone! Though I am confident in my skills, this is too risky. If it is an order I will obey, but...”

Grimrock just laughs, leaving further explanation to me.

“Lieutenant Naim, if you would let me finish,” I say. “I would like the captain to commandeer six of the colony's construction mechs. With some work we should be able to outfit them with the spare weapons from the prototype project. They might not be able to hold their own against an actual combat frame, but with proper team-work they can at least coordinate with Anhur to provide fire support.”

“The element of risk is still unacceptable.” he retorts, intent on finding a flaw with my plan. “Battle doesn't always go the way you want it. As the experienced officer, I can tell you that we don't have good chances of fighting off five Centeotls while defending the Kaguya-hime's escape at the same time.”

“That is where the second part of the plan comes in. This is the risky part.” I bring up the astronomical charts, overlaying it on the map of the colony's surroundings again. “In about... forty five minutes, a small asteroid roughly 20 metres in diameter will pass by this region of colony space.” I highlight the sector for them. “We will lure the Ghostlot onto the Kaguya-hime's tail and retreat across this path.” Tracing my finger across the map, I mark the trajectory I had just proposed with a glowing orange line.

“They'll see the asteroid coming too.” complains Naim. “You have been indulging in too many fantasies if you think the Ghostlot will be hit by the rock.”
Pay attention to how he speaks to Senya and how he speaks to the captain. I'm willing to bet that after we did the equivalent of flipping him off in the fight, he will be much less inclined to pay attention to our words than he is to the captain's. Hence, us, an ensign (by the way, how the hell did we get drafted as an officer right away? I thought draftees without a diploma started from the lowest possible rank; or is Grimrock to cool to give a fuck?), barking orders to him, a lieutenant, may jeopardize the mission rather than aid it. And the imperial family along with it.
He should be fine under Grimrock (notice the sudden respect), but Senya I'm not so sure about.
Also, pay attention at the text for the choices
A. I should remain on the bridge to help oversee the operation, where my analytical skills will probably be put to better use. I have no desire to be involved directly in combat any more than I have to – best to spectate from the safety of the warship.

B. I accept the captain's offer. His assessment is correct. An extra mech out there would definitely put the Kaguya-hime and the Anhur in less risk, and being on site means I can react and respond quicker to situations as necessary to ensure the ship escapes successfully.
This will, for a lack of a better word, net us a rep of a pussy from the get-go in the military ranks: we planned the suicide mission and refused to go on it. It would be different if we were a non-field officer (Commander and above) with a track record, but first impressions can make a lot for us in the future. Being a complete hero is better than being half of one.
And being on the spot will help us react to TSHTF sutiations in a much more direct manner.
 

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