Mattchstick

HACKERS.CHATROOM ▐

"Choose your own adventure" is always fun, but it'll get boring if people run out of ideas and don't have anything to do. You should have some kind of over-arching story going on that people can fall back on so they have a sense of progress. Sure, I can make up my own mini adventure, and I probably will, but when that's done I would like something already built in to work on.

Suggestions:
1. Looming threat of a massive cyber attack that could threaten the internet globally. We have to work on tracking down hackers who are a part of the threat.

2. Looming threat of a massive terror attack that could kill millions of people. We have to hunt down operatives, locate hideouts, track weapon caches, etc. Act either as vigilantes or to steal money from the terrorists. A nice twist on that would be trying to convince the other characters to get involved in the first place. Like, why should I care? That way we can do whatever we want until we decide we want to get involved.

3. Mystery guest leaves clues and starts a massive global scavenger hunt of some kind, with promise of a large cash prize or whatever. That could lead to teamwork and shaky alliances between characters.

Personally I really like 2. Then players can do whatever they like doing towards taking down the terrorist threat (hacking, wet work, theft, counter intelligence, whatever). It could be one big mystery or a series of mass attacks with public warnings. Maybe a bomb could go off and kill one of a character's family. Maybe nothing would happen to affect them and that player decides to do their own thing for the entire RP.

Of course, it's on you to write the story. I'll co-GM if you want help.

HACKERS.CHATROOM ▐

Added background story

@Traps

Looking sharp!

HACKERS.CHATROOM ▐

Interest...ing. Definitely a Discord thing, with an actual RP going on here in Free or Casual. I like the hacker format concept, but it would be nice to have an actual roleplay. Casual slice-of-Life might do it. Do you have some kind of story in the works?

favorite mollusk

I can't believe I just Google'd "list of mollusks"

Ima go with the Cuttlefish.

We Protect. We love. We care. We are the good guys. Right?

Well, I'm still here.

Project Crossover [Video Game Crossover RP]

Ruben Verislav 'Guardian'

Character Name: Ruben Verislav 'Guardian'

Title: N/A

Kingdom: 2K

Visual Description:

Written Description: Ruben is a 6-foot, 280-lb slab of Russian muscle. He has a wide jaw and thin eyes, with hair and beard cut to a fraction of an inch. He wears standard-issue OD tan and green XCOM body armor, built to resist blunt force and modern ballistic ammunition. When he's not in armor, he wears OD green pants and a white sleeveless shirt.

Personality: Ruben is a blank-face, glossy-eyed rookie. He has almost no personality whatsoever. The only thing known for certain is that he has an affinity for medical treatment and logistics, and has risked his life to help a squadmate on one of his two recorded mission. Ruben has no real opinion on anything, as he has spent his career doing nothing but follow orders. When he isn't fighting (or eating, or asleep), he's training with weights and firearms. He's generally friendly around other soldiers, since they're all on the same side, but otherwise he has not formed any emotional attachments to anyone else. People who are not soldiers or commanding officers are nameless civilians who must be protected. He doesn't love fighting, nor does he hate it, and he has no sense of rebellion against (or affection for) his commanding officers.

However, deep down (though it isn't particularly deep), Ruben knows that, as a soldier, he's easily expendable, and so is everyone else. XCOM operatives die and are replaced on a mission-by-mission basis. It is possible that this knowledge that is hindering him from developing relationships or bonds with others.

Game: XCOM: Enemy Unknown/Enemy Within

Current Story: Ruben was brought on as an XCOM soldier a week after the start of the alien invasion of Earth. He has to date survived two missions, with one confirmed kill. His actions have resulted in a promotion to the rank of Squaddie and the determination of his class: Support. He was given the nickname 'Guardian' after staying with an injured soldier and escorting them out of combat when the mission was complete. He was determined to be one of the two most excellent Support operatives, and, upon news of a different situation, he was dispatched to participate in a much larger conflict (in a much larger world) while the other stayed behind.

Weapon(s):
Primary Assault Rifle: The standard-issue rifle for XCOM soldiers. It uses ballistic ammunition and fires in 5-round bursts. 25-rnd magazines.
Secondary Pistol: The standard-issue pistol for XCOM soldiers. It uses ballistic ammunition and fires semi-automatically. Infinite ammunition.

Stat.

Level Two: Corporal

Level 2: You have 10 stat points to distribute how you like.
(P)Damage 4
(P)Defense 5
(M)(E)Damage 1
(M)(E)Defense 1
Dexterity 4
0%
XP ////////// (3/20)

Squad: Alpha

General Abilities

Lv. 1 Smoke Grenade: Throwable smoke grenade that covers a small area in smoke, increasing the defense of those inside it. Only one can be carried/used per mission.

Lv. 2 Sprinter: When active, Ruben becomes invulnerable to all forms of damage while sprinting. He is also able to sprint for a longer period of time.

Special Abilities

Slot One.

Items

Slot One. Basic Medikit: A one-hand spray canister/gun that creates a human-sized blue cloud of healing stimulants. It heals 25% of total health and cures poison damage, and can be applied to anyone, including the user. Only one can be carried/used per mission.
Slot Two. Laser rifle (1). Found in Skyrim, wielded by Forsworn. Requires Research [Beam Weapons] to use/construct.
Slot Three.

Strengths

Field Medic: Ruben is trained and equipped to stabilize injured allies via Medikits, though he is trained for emergency situations and knows how to perform CPR, set a broken limb with a splint, force a dislocated limb back into place, craft and apply tourniquets, remove bullets and shrapnel, etc.

Logistical Support: Ruben is able to read a battle and determine a course of action that will result in the fewest casualties while completing the mission. Resource management and priority targets are his strong suits, and he keeps a mental note of what his teammates are carrying so that it can be best applied in combat. He will always prioritize survival of his team as a whole. It was this quality in particular that had him selected as a Support operative.

Speed: Ruben is an excellent sprinter and can cover large areas of smooth or rugged terrain quickly and without losing his footing. This also applies to climbing.

Weaknesses

Expendable: Ruben knows he is a soldier, and soldiers are merely replaced when they die. Dying is just part of the job. Subsequently, he does not form attachments with others. If you are a squad mate, he will try to save your life or die trying, and if you are an enemy, he will kill you or die trying. He hasn't developed much of a personality as a result, since personalities are irrelevant to the XCOM Initiative.

Panic: Ruben is susceptible to Panic. Panic causes him to either run randomly, hunker down, or attack randomly. They are just as much a threat to squad mates as himself. Panic can be instilled by physical injury, seeing a squad mate injured or dead, or through mental attacks caused by enemies. It is not a guaranteed event, though, and the effects are reduced as he completes missions.

Independence: All XCOM operatives are overseen and given orders to by the Commander. In combat, Ruben only moves, fires, and helps allies as ordered. Even if he detects a better, less risky way of handling an operation, he will always obey orders. Prior to Arcade, Ruben has never made an independent decision in combat. Even though he is no longer under the command of the XCOM Commander, he will still rely on someone to issue orders. Inevitably he will have to adjust to acting on his own. It will not be an easy transition.

Achievements

None.

Men vs. Women Race to 1000

721

The Band of Fools

It wasn't a particularly long ride from the base to the hamlet, but it felt much longer to Cedric. He was in a bit of a tough spot, his thoughts spinning rapidly between excitement, pride, and dread. He was riding straight out into the front, leaving the diggers and builders with their menial tasks behind. The fresh breeze that had swept away the rain pressed against his face, and he had to shake his head occasionally to keep his unkempt hair out of his eyes. Not only that, he had been given a place of authority. As far as he could remember, this was the first time he had been given direct command over other men, likely older than himself. His behavior and actions would be scrutinized and possibly even reported to Il, who would be expecting him to handle the task to the best of his ability, but it was still a rush in a time when moments of pride were hard to come by. Unfortunately, the task was a bit ambiguous, and he couldn't shake the aforementioned dread as he recalled his orders.

"When we arrive, Ottavio wants you to take two of the other men and locate any winter supplies the farmers won't tell us about. We can't leave anything to our enemies."

In principle, the squire was absolutely right. It would be foolish to leave supplies or resources for an invading force, who may not be so merciful to the farmer. In practice, Cedric was being told to interrogate and steal from unarmed non-combatants who were not at fault for the impending conflict. Of course, the Band members weren't exactly the heroes in this tale. They had performed other somewhat immoral and illegal acts that, in the eyes of a judge, would just as heinous, and over time Cedric had come to accept that they acted out of necessity, not malice. The same was true today. After all, they were not here to kill the man and raze his home. Gregory's men may not be so charitable. In the end, though, he would be robbing men of food and pride, and it did not sit well with him.

But orders are orders.

The first of the farms came into view. It was a pleasant little place, with only a home, storehouse, and stable. It couldn't have been more than three or four acres in size. Cedric saw a slight movement near the back of the house and a lump formed in his throat. A child. He estimated that the boy could be no older than 10. He appeared to be dancing around in a small yard, though as they grew closer Cedric could see a small sword in his hands and realized he was play-fighting. It didn't gleam in the sunlight, so it must have been made of wood. For a moment, Cedric reconsidered. He really did not want to be the face of the people who came to they child's farm and stole his food. What would he think of them? Cedric had hear the stories of warriors motivated by vengeance for the cruelty of older men, and he would have considered them merely campfire stories if he didn't know several by name in the Band of Fools with that exact story. Would the boy become an adversary in later life? He took a deep breath and forced the thoughts from his mind. It didn't matter. Orders are orders. They can't leave anything for their enemies.

He split off from the rest of the party, joined by several others who would be doing most of the work. After a few words, Il rode off, taking the majority of the force with him. Cedric dismounted and tethered his horse to a post, turning just in time to make eye contact with the boy, who stared at them and darted away. A few moments passed. Then, without warning, the door of the house opened and a men stepped out into the sunlight. He looked to be at least 60, and his hands and face were lined with wrinkles, but no one could doubt from his posture and appearance that he retained a great deal of raw strength. There was not an ounce of fat on his body. Whatever was not skin and bones was pure muscle, and Cedric knew that, if push came to shove, the old farmer would not go down without a fight. Their best hope was that he was a kindly, generous old man.

The farmer stopped in his tracks and eyed everyone carefully. His eyes narrowed and his mouth tightened into a scowl. He carried no weapon or instrument, but from a good ten feet away Cedric heard the man's knuckles crack as he clenched a fist. He was greeted by one of Il's men, who informed him of the situation and told him that they were acting for the greater good. Cedric tuned him out and turned to examine the storehouse, located near the edge of one of the farmers' few fields. Halfway between it and himself was the boy, who stared at him with wide eyes. He was still clenching his tiny sword in front of him, holding it as though he wasn't sure if he would need it or not. The child took a few steps to the side to get a view of the rest of the men, then returned his gaze to Cedric.

"Are...are you h-here to k-k-kill us?"

The Band of Fools

Uh...it's been five posts since my last, so I'm good to go, but I've kinda been waiting for other people to get another post in. It has been a while, though, so I'm going to go ahead and post.

EDIT: Aight, it's up, and goodness have things just become more complicated for Cedric.