Clops

Setting: AIF Classic™

Referee: Dave

Player(s): RooK

Artist

When you achieve fifth stage of an occupation, you can then go up in Artist for that occupation. This retroactively gives you a bonus 20 points from the occupation generator for each stage of that occupation. Then, if you also have a stage of Leader, you can train people in the enhanced occupation.

Setting

Planet Clops. 90% water covered, two main land masses. Northern land mass is about the size/shape of Australia. Southern land mass is a large thin continent going horizontal just below the equator. Wraps around 2/3 the planet. Looking at it on a map gives the impression of a face with only one eye.

During the fall of the confederation, a Trupepol controlled G1 arrived and eradicated the major industrial/population center on the northern continent. It's never been rebuild and the majority of the population live on the southern continent. Population of about 500 million.

Southern continent is made up of three provinces. Central province is the main seat of government of the planet. Lots of biologists - research/teaching/business interests. Western continent run by a biologist running a stim export business. Provides 20 free stims per day to citizens as a form of quality testing. Eastern continent is run by a cabal of hand to hand combatants.

Character

Three options:

• A character with 35 points in the being generator (no robots)
• A character with a stage of Decapitator (Regular striker & +1 severance & placement after 5 stages)
• A character with a stage of Stimmer (7D Stamina, 5 will power)

No mentalists. Any are very effectively hunted down and killed by the central government.

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That's, like, not even a decision. As if I can resist playing a Decapitator.

30-point 1^st-stage character in process...

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Introduction

Political Climate

• Eastern province (Yugakonai) and Western province (Blackcliff) are enemies. Central province (Vólkerzell) prevents all out war acting as a buffer and controlling the heavy weaponry of the planet.
• East thinks West are super dangerous because they burn out all their will power using stims. If the Trupepol ever come back, they'd have an instant army.
• West thinks East are super dangerous because hand to hand combatants from East keep chopping off their limbs.

Steppen Blitzer

• Her father was an adventurer who had a hobby of fathering children. Goes to a planet, fathers a child, raises them to adulthood and leaves.
• She's not a native of East, but gained citizenship when her father paid for tuition at the Decapitator dojo. It wasn't cheap for non-citizens.

In The Beginning

Game begins as Blitzer graduates and goes to Vólkerzell to explore. She has an ornamental blade 1D severance of 1. It's a message: "Yes, the blade sucks, but I can still chop off your head." Plus 100 credits worth of other gear.

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Well, as pleased as Steppy is about graduating first stage from the dojo, the ceremonial icon of her ilk is perhaps too much of a target for a green character to carry around brazenly. Is there some way to pay for secure storage of such an item?

Purchase of desired beginner gear pending...

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Near the border there are sword shaped lockers available for 1 credit per month. Seems to be a common request.

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Alrightythen: purchase a month of sword storage.

Then it's time to stroll into VOO-kuh-shell, and see what (very limited and appropriate for a green character) adventure there is to be found. Mostly meaning heading to a bordertown bar that isn't too scary, if such a thing exists.

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Game Night 2016-08-04 - Random Violence

• Yiptak striker tried to steal her stuff. Steppy ate his heart.
• Hired by a Medic named Crowley - exchanged healing for debt collection.
• Went to another bar to collect Crowley's debt.
• Croc Major all glowerly. Former victim of an Easterner.
• While watching target of debt collection, Croc gathered three others to jump Steppen.
• Steppen ate all their hearts.
• Went to collect debt. Ended up chopping off an arm to get it.
• Sent credits to Crowley, made friends with the debtor's companion as debtor ran away.

Plot Infliction 001 - Plotless

Steppen, Crowley, and Kundasal are hanging out in a bar...

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"OK, Kundasal, what sort of adventures do you normally get up to? And are they survivable by green guys?"

What are the functional parameters of Steppy's extraordinary sense of smell? Is there any additional benefit to sniffing the crotches of my teammates, to help establish what their scent is? Because that might be awkward to initiate.

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Kundasal: "Nothing really exciting. Did some enforcer type work for a gang near the Western border, but that got boring. Thought of trying to mug the Westerners to get their stims and sell them. But found out that the free ones they get don't work on anyone else. The province doesn't want it's people to sell them. Decided to come to this side of the continent to see what opportunities arose."

Crowley: "I don't think there's much in the way of jobs. Just random mayhem."

Kundasal: "Yeah, I'm noticing that. It's too bad. Random mayhem gets dull after a while."

I'm thinking that the sense of smell will be most useful if you ever need to track someone. Probably give a bonus to locate depending on circumstances.

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"I hear what you're saying - purely random violence is probably not going to sustain our interest. But perhaps if we are instead investigating about what the local power dynamics are, while letting the random violence wash over us, we can find some more interesting opportunities."

Speaking of which, Steppy peruses the news feeds to see what is in the public attention.

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Kundasal: "Local power dynamics are pretty simple. East versus West. Though I guess we could get more granular."

Nothing immediately pops out on the news. Life of Clops has been predictable lately.

A Zygroten approaches your table, smiling big. "Hey, you got on Disarmed.com!" He sends you an net-address to a video of you slicing off that guy's arm in the other bar. It's getting a few hits. "You should probably expect a visit from a Westerner soon. They like to take out the newbies before they get too powerful." Even without your enhanced senses, you'd be able to tell this Zygroten's pheromones are going on overdrive. He wants to get laid.

Crowley: "Whoah, found the video. That'll serve him right for not paying his debts."

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Horn Dog: "I appreciate the heads-up. My name's Steppen." I tightbeam him my comm address. "If you happen to notice any Westerners looking for me, feel free to contact me." Steppy gives him a good looking over; does he have any able-to-be-detected signs of having skills?

The guys [chatwiki]: "Looks like the influx of random violence is going to be ever-so-slightly less random. Thinking about this twist a little, a simple 'East versus West' paradigm seems too generic. It would be interesting to see if we could sniff out the primary movers and proxies of the standoff - because there usually are some. Even if they're somewhat unintentional. AND, I think we should keep a lookout for a possible Westerner-type as a recruit. A little pan-social aspect to our team might allow us to exploit new niches."

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Horn Dog gives you his comm address, plus points you to an ad on the net for a hotel nearby that rents by the hour. He winks and heads back to his seat. He's armed similarly to your, except he's carrying his Eastern Ornamental Sword.

Crowley: "I've been curious about that too. Seems odd whatever reasons there are for the conflict haven't been resolved, one way or the other."

Kundasal: "To be honest, I'm surprised West hasn't just bought some ships and smashed East. Hand to hand prowess is good and all, but not when you can be smacked from orbit."

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"Perhaps there is some Centralist sanction against such efforts, considering that the Central Province has most of the tech and is the seat of power. Plus, the low-level rivalry could be a useful mechanism for Centralist filtering and training of operatives. And nothing like having an overt rival to keep people distracted from other subtle influences. We should be wary of exposing anything that powerful people don't want attention drawn to."

Focussing on Kundasal: "So, how does one typically recognize a Westerner? Or, at least, a stereotypical Westerner who is likely to be blithely aligned against all Easterners."

During lulls in the conversation, Steppy will casually search the net for various different types of move boots. She doesn't want anything that would clash with her athletic-elegant aesthetic. And perhaps peruse for skilled technicians who might specialize in cool edged weapons. Just because.

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Game Nights (Unofficial Version)

An unstoppable force of wrath, ninja-bitch and her side-kicks hunted down some grudge bounties and played with them like chew toys. Finally growing bored with having established dominance over that first town, ninja-bitch moved on to seek worthy foes.

She found none.

Instead she found more bars with yelping puppies that needed kicking. Sure, one Groten got in a lucky shot. Ninja bitch was sufficiently impressed to let him live. For howls and giggles, she decided to help one of her side-kicks train, and set him against hopeless odds to teach him the kind of extreme skill that was expected of him. Then, at the edge of failure, she swooped in and slaughtered all who opposed them.

Also, there was possibly a widestroke blaster purchased so that Crowley would suck less if cornered.

Bada-bing bada-BOOM: Doubled in experience.

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Plot Infliction 001.5 - Possibly Even Less Plot

Steppy looks to see if there are any force gauntlets that can be concealed on forearms behind sleeves.

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Game Night 2016-09-08 - Mostly Random Violence

• Grudge Bounty hunting and hunted.
• Kundasal's family drama sent a bounty hunter after him.

Plot Infliction 2 - The Search For Plot

Crowley: "So, I wonder if anyone collects interest on my grudge bounty while it's sitting there waiting for my death."

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"I thought that interest was a market capitalization that was evolved away from when the Confederation introduced the hyperspacial-quantum credit currency. Its direct connection with concepts of inflation made it less competitive in pan-galactic economies in which investments often are measured in centuries, and the ability to maintain parity of value with a wider range of context was more important than rewarding hoarders. Indeed, aren't there many examples of planetary economies grinding to a near standstill due to the pointless concentration of value-counters that pretend to increase in self-referential value?"

[Looks at character sheet]
Intelligence = 2

"Uhhh... I mean, whatever. Just so long as it's mostly losers who come looking for you, so we can have fun chopping them up, instead of scary assholes needing easy pay. Right? Stabby stab stab!"

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A chill of crazy makes Steppy's ears flatten back.

"Maybe... Maybe the search for plot itself is the sign that makes them notice you, and then they find ways to make things miserable for you. Or, quote - interesting, as the Human curse goes. Maybe we should avoid plot as best we can, just pick aimless directions at every juncture. That way we have random experiences - and that still earns us experience - but it prevents them from being able to track us based on our plans. Because we won't have any plans, or plot, or whatever you want to call it."

Steppy winces.

"Shit, except for the bars thing. How do we not ping the bars for the delicious beverages and the soothing random violence? Because that's how they will always be able to zero back in on us: they focus on the bars. Bars are, like, the network of their consciousness."

Deep breath. "Maybe I could learn to like tea. And keeping my random acts of violence to outbursts in alleys and such." Crazy look at Crowley and Kundusal. "What do you guys think about tea?"

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Game Night 2016-09-15 - Fin

An Equidon with a quartet of biological stabby animals went grudge bounty hunting on the group. Two lucky shots with his cutting laser literally disarmed Kundusal, leaving Steppy as the only effective combatant. She was able to distract it long enough for the others to escape, but was killed in the process.