Author Topic: [OOC] TOW - LAAF CIO - recruitment open  (Read 41978 times)

sentinemodo

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Re: [OOC] TOW - LAAF CIO
« Reply #270 on: 27 November 2014, 11:05:11 »
Some more after thoughts.

the scenario took far longer than I have anticipated.
we had A LOT of drop outs during the game and some RL caused delays.
and since you all have different specialties, made bits of game seriously one men stories.

that had certainly affected the gameplay, to the point that almost all have considered dropping at some point.

and the system is far more complicated than necessary (though I've begun to feel it)

Tell me guys, which one of you want to continue.

Sichr

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Re: [OOC] TOW - LAAF CIO
« Reply #271 on: 27 November 2014, 13:33:46 »
I want to play this scenario. In Shadowrun.
Don`t cry because it`s over. Smile because it happened!

Sichr

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Re: [OOC] TOW - LAAF CIO
« Reply #272 on: 27 November 2014, 13:35:01 »
Ah. Its already over. Touché  ;)
Don`t cry because it`s over. Smile because it happened!

sentinemodo

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Re: [OOC] TOW - LAAF CIO
« Reply #273 on: 27 November 2014, 14:23:51 »
Don't cry it's over. Smile that it happened. :)

Minerva

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Re: [OOC] TOW - LAAF CIO
« Reply #274 on: 27 November 2014, 14:39:37 »
Yes and it actually was finished.

Xzylvador

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Re: [OOC] TOW - LAAF CIO
« Reply #275 on: 27 November 2014, 15:36:40 »
I have somewhat mixed feelings.
I had some difficulties getting into the setting and into my character at first. Managed to get into character when the game started, loved the LIC briefing, really felt like Albert belonged there.
During the mission itself, that contact with my own character kind of came and went; though to be honest, that might be more because *I* was feeling out of my depth than any problem Albert had.
The lack of knowledge of/experience with the game system and its world make it harder to decide what to do.
Before, I had most experience with Shadowrun (and Pathfinder/D&D3.5, but that's different enough not to make any accidental connections) and despite all of its flaws, there are things (both rules/mechanics and setting) that just seem much better worked out in Shadowrun and some of the technology really seems strange...
(eg. I can set laser tripwires and motion sensors, I've got wireless communication built in my helmet, there are powerful computers and holographic projectors... but there seems no way to make my earplugs sound an alarm when a a sensor is triggered? Instead the only way to watch sensors it by carrying around several 10-15kg monitors and having a person actively watch it 24/7?)

As for the mission itself:
As I said, I spent most of the time feeling kind of at a loss... Which I guess is bad because I was supposed to be a leader, but instead I was just reacting to things instead of trying to act and make them react to me. Again, this is largely because of unfamiliarity and also the downtime(s) didn't do much to help.
Also, I couldn't stop myself from making Shadowrun comparisons (Sorry) and simply kept thinking 'Man, if this were Shadowrun, I'd probably have this and that do such or so!' but because this wasn't SR and I didn't have or couldn't do that, nothing much happened :(
That might also be because of a lack of 'roles' or 'classes' or however they should be called and knowing what's expected/possible. Don't get me wrong, I prefer classless, but (sorry, comparison again) in SR you knew you had to form a team, knew what skills were expected in total and sort of made it work. For this game I don't think we made a good team... Of course, since most of us were new here and had no idea what to expect, that's probably normal... but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to have one guy flying a gunship, 1 alone in ground combat inside a building and a third who can't do anything in combat at all just keeping her head low and hoping for the best.

Reading back, this all sounds a lot more negative than I mean to be and I know most of it can be blamed on inexperience in this game.
I had fun. The moments I got in my character, I really managed to connect with it, to envision the world he was in, the Steiner politics and nobility issues, the army-family thing, that was great! Horst was fun and I'm really wondering what's going on with these people.
And even though I'd still rather play SR4 (and suspect this mission would've been so much more awesome in that setting! ;) ), I'll certainly continue the game.
Also, I love the character creation system! (Well, once I had it figured out anyway. And now it's been too long so I've probably forgotten how it worked) I could never build a SR character, was always stuck on impossible choices, but this game builds it for you in a very cool way!

As for dropouts, december will be hard for me (retail) and I've still got some other RL stuff to get sorted out. But I don't really expect any more crashes in the nearby future. (Unless games get in my way, but Dragon Age: Inquisition crashes to desktop too much to be fun and The Witcher's still a few months away, so...)
« Last Edit: 27 November 2014, 15:39:10 by Xzylvador »

sentinemodo

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Re: [OOC] TOW - LAAF CIO
« Reply #276 on: 27 November 2014, 16:11:29 »
I have a mixed feelings myself.

but regarding some of your points:
- I didn't expect Sichr to fly away - in retrospect I don't think why I didn't - but it went that way. it turned into his very own stream of combat, and I don't feel bad about that piece. he had his opportuinity to shine, like he when he bulls-eyed the ninja with a 30 cm thick laser form couple of hundred meters in a straffing run (man that was awesome). In SR it also happened that way when his rigger drove his van. He sit there all run. Netz was talking. Rest of the guys did the fighting/spellcasting stuff.
- I didn't expect Red and Pirate to drop, they were both fighters (as is Wings) capable of holding their own in personal firefight - so had they been around you wouldn't have a feeling of being on your own in the building.
- Minerva is a face type - remember Netz, he was good with tasers, but that's about it. he bite a bullet, and goes down. I liked that your team has a soft spot, you need to protect and she had fair enough share of game time in the 'talking' scenes.
- lastly, you as a commander don't have to pull all the triggers, you made an order and people act, and that is a difference from 'do-it-yourself' shadowrun and military chain of command game that battletech is. your last order was a gamble, had the attacker had BOD 5 - he would be still standing, and remember he single handed team of your soldiers including a dog. I made a math for that to be sure he could pull it. had he survived, the Horst would be dead probably. but it was your call to make. you know I let the dices do their part.

now my parts of mixed feelings
- I feel this technology discrepancy as well, this is like roleplaying a film made in early eighties - with a vision of future that we have passed by in real life. it remind me some class B, cheap FX movie, with lots of plastic decoration and colorful clothing. it's starkly different from the grim SR, and it's difficult for me - I like to understand the things, and I don't like explaining the logic that I don't believe in. I tried to make it more coherent. But it is as it and I guess I am  one of the last 1000 fans of the setting. It's like playing a retro game, that have a feeling (remember eye of the beholder, or an old XCOM EU, or HM&M3?) - it is for that feeling I brought you to this forum and made you play this game. I had my share of fun :D

- the mechanic is awful, and I better stop here

- this particular scenario could have been done in SR - there very little Battletech yet, only a handful of recalling to mech combat, but no real stuff. it's gonna change next mission though.
« Last Edit: 27 November 2014, 16:13:01 by sentinemodo »

Minerva

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Re: [OOC] TOW - LAAF CIO
« Reply #277 on: 27 November 2014, 17:43:29 »
In my case the whole point is to understand the setting first and then invent stuff off the cuff.

Since BattleTech was originally all about feudal families fighting and I have in my games taken view the world view of everyone involved is roughly similar to late 1890's view. I especially channeled mindset of Ruritanian romance in how world works. Minerva herself is more modern invention. She is essentially Ian Fleming's James Bond, a very ruthless shark of Casino Royale novel.

ATOW game system is without doubt awful from mechanical standpoint and I have always played BattleTech using my own homebrew RPG system.

Sichr

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Re: [OOC] TOW - LAAF CIO
« Reply #278 on: 27 November 2014, 18:41:11 »
Well it seems this wys the maximum I would like to spend on this game. It felt like watchingsome strange theater through dirty window, and I feel...nothing. I would leave my place for some other player. It was a pleasure to meet my old chummers for one last time, well I think this is it. Bye.
Don`t cry because it`s over. Smile because it happened!

Xzylvador

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Re: [OOC] TOW - LAAF CIO
« Reply #279 on: 28 November 2014, 04:52:30 »
Aw, shucks!
:p
Sucks, Sichr, but I understand continuing a game that way isn't really ideal.

You wouldn't happen to be able to get me into a PF, DnD or SR4 game? ;)

sentinemodo

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Re: [OOC] TOW - LAAF CIO
« Reply #280 on: 29 November 2014, 07:05:57 »
OK, I understand that you two could game on. We need two more players at least.