cranebump

The latter. Outside scheduling events - which is a ways off - I see this as pretty casual. The main focus is to give some love back to the SF mishes. That said, I'm open to any ideas folks want to try that support this mode of play. I think it'd be really cool to have a toon that progresses with a team, be it a dynamic duo, or a full out spread of 8.

Hey there! Thanks for the reply. Hoping we can get some folks who enjoy OS teaming. I coulda used a lil' help tonight finishing off Yates arc versus Terra. Luckily Acrobattle had some temps he could throw out there (envenomed daggers) to whittle her down. 32 merits for that arc! Been so long, didn't remember playing it, so it was brand, spankin' new. Anyhoo, if/when you get an idea, hit me up at my global, @cranebump. I'm on Excel a lot, but plan to get Acro-alt (my main acro is on Excel) to 40, then run my second Long Rider, Whipsmart, up the chain (he's 20 right now, running all story arcs).

Been thinking about this awhile, esp. after the .38 Specials sort of died. And with most of the population having migrated to (or appearing to have migrated to) Excel and Everlasting, was wondering if perhaps Torch's niche could be (among other things), the place where (modified) old-school play still goes on. Maybe the sort of OSR server (without the pompousness, of course). So, proposed an SG dedicated to this idea here. If you're interested in trad (or "slow") play, focusing on the story-based contact missions, hit me up. Gramps wouldn't mind some comp'ny as he trundles about the city semi- slo-mo, Old-School Essentials style.:-)

Been toying with the idea a bit, but, as a fan of throwback play, looking for folks interested in making this a thang: SG NAME: The Long Riders Premise: The Long Riders is an SG dedicated to (a slightly updated method of) traditional, or, as it it sometimes called, "slow" play. The focus is the story, as it spools out into character history. Bottom line: Running to 50's cool. But how about enjoying the languid (nostalgic?) pace of the game as it just is? Preferably on teams that actually need each other beyond just filling a team to the sacred 8? Rules & Regs: Yeah, we have a few. Mainly, though: aiming for a bit of flexibility, while keeping it simple. Anyhoo, here they are (for the moment - cnosidering dropping the crafting aspect). Making and running a Long Rider: 1) **Ethos & ATs**: All ATs & ethos’s are welcome! We want to run on both stories on both sides of the fence. 2) **Prestige powers and such:** P2W is open from the get-go. Well, to an extent. Take any prestige power you can afford after conception and birth, with *one exception*: no purchasing XP enhancements from Lady/Laddie! We’re here for the “long (slow) ride,” after all. Now, Day Job XP boosts? Go for it! Get ALL them extrees! 3) **Taking the Ride:** We focus on story-based contact missions, on default setting. We collect those souvenirs that show us who we are, where we've been. We strive to experience the game just as it is. Um...more or less (prestige powers and all that, plus the way we enhance is a bit, erm, 'updated' [see below]). 4) **Making $$:** The Ride requires seed money, but ya got to go get it. No sending cash from that nasty a$$ fire farming Dutch Uncle who's always there making you weak.:-) Your toon has to earn their way. That said, do what you gotta - grab those AP explore merits, exchange them for Enhancement Converters and sell, sell, sell. Turn that rare storage into dough so you can keep your Rider enhanced (but not too enhanced [see below]). 5) **Enhancing Your Ride:** You may freely purchase any TO (I mean...if you want to), DO or SO you can afford. Now, IF you can scrounge enough cash to craft IO’s, feel free. Here’s the thing, though. Your recipes have to come from drops. No cheater-pantsing to buy those precious procs and such. Luck of the draw is part of the game. So, bottom line: you can purchase enhances from a typical trainer, and/or craft what drops in your saddle bag. You can hit the Merit Vendor for exchange purposes only (as in turn in the merits to acquire things you will sell for $$). You can also scrounge from base storage and trade with other members...well, when we get those things.:-) NOTE: You are allowed to play the market to grab components for your recipe drops. If you have the cash, make market purchases to get the stuff you need to craft those recipes. Again: can't buy the recipes from the market, but you can build what you earn. And yes: you can exchange hard-earned merits for sets, if you got 'em. But you cannot shift merits from one toon to another. They're yours, hombre. Use 'em wisely. 6) **Task Forces:** Wanna solo ‘em? Give it a shot! But when you team, team with other Riders, please. In fact, if you're planning a TF run, put out the word in advance. Especially for us old Cowpokes who might need time to mosey over (because adultin' is all about schedulin'). 7) **The Limits of Power:**As you probably figgered, there ain't no Incarnates in the Long Riders. In fact, L40 is a ripe age for retirement. That said, if you simply MUST get to 50, do it. Then retire that a$$, because you're too godlike to be in the saddle with us, brutha. 😎 **RP'ing:** This is a casual group. If ya wanna RP, go fer it! If others want to join in, that's a-okay. No one is compelled to do so, however. A Note on Travel: As far as travel goes, we like to mimic how a "real" team might work. Meaning not everyone has their own personal, multimillion $$ Team Transport. Honor system for this one, but the TT is used by senior leadership when running teams (meaning I can't go bebopping around in the company car when I'm solo). So, you'll need to achieve L30 (Master Sergeant Rank) to access one. When you do, I'll send the $$ to buy it from one of my lazy-a$$ other toons tooling around on cheater farms and stuff in that alt-dimension of weaklings called Excelsior (kidding! kidding!). Now, you wanna pay for your own TT access when you achieve MSG rank, feel free to send dough from your other bad (alt) selves and do it. Saves me from havin' to raise extra $$. As for that whole LR TP, ATT, Ouro, and all that? That genie's kinda out of the bottle. If you acquire/earn them, or can afford them, they're yours. On this topic: I already picked up a TT for Acrobattle, because it seems like, being the so-called leader and all, he should have one (and because I had to do something with those procs he had that I removed from his slots when I transferred and respec'ed him).:-) He'd already earned LR TP, Ouro, Rapid Response and some other nifties from day job log outs. Rank Structure, Permissions & Perks: We’re here to work for a living. So, naturally, our ranks are U.S. NCO-based. Further up you go, the more you can do. Sergeant Major (SGM) (there can be only one): Head of the group (yours truly), running as Acrobattle (global: @craneump). Mostly ceremonial, once I grind him to 40 (he was frozen at 38 when on the .38 Specials) First Sergeant (1SG) (L30): Need this rank to edit the base, promote/demote members, and other stuff. Master Sergeant (MSG) (L25): As Staff Sergeant, plus Promotion of members. Access to Team Transport (if you have one). Staff Sergeant (SS) (L20): Minimum rank needed to invite members. Sergeant (SGT) (L15)/Corporal (CPL) (L1): Gotta pay a few dues to move up, kemosabe. If you're a greenhorn and make rank, be sure to contact an MSG or higher to give you your bump. Administrative positions: No minimum level. Quartermaster: If base editing is your thing, I’ll immediately push you to the effective rank of 1SG and cut ya loose to get us a decent base. What we’d want: TP’s Storage Flavor! (got some ideas for a sort-of run-down-but-we’re-holding-it-together feel? We want YOU!). Scheduling: I’m usually on THU evenings/FRI mornings (USA, Eastern-Time). I happen to be on WED right now by luck of the draw. Discord: I've created one. Plan to send invites as we recruit solid members. It'd be nice to have a reg'lar posse. That's it fer now. I'll check back in to see if we got any nibbles. Torch is a quiet shard. Any super team working there is gonna feel like they have the run of the place if they're regulars. Esp. if it's a weekday (THU) group (or a morning team). Addendum-Costumes: There's no requires, but it might be cool if, when we ran as a team, we fit the motif. That could be an article of western (cowpoke) gear, or just wearing the longhorn emblem. The SG costume colors are red, accented with white, but that's also completely optional. It's your character, hombre. P.S. Don't knock morning gaming! One of my best experiences was a TT group we called Dungeons & Donuts. Had a solid couple years of good, SAT morning gaming with that team.:-)

Bit of a tangent, but: I always assumed the final confrontation with Veles marked the end of that particular enterprise. I assumed as much when tied in one of my AE arcs (Match Point) to the Eagle Eye story by positing that the Skulls were working for an more powerful entity intent on taking over the entire 'dine trade (to inevitably fund a personal vendetta vs. Kirk Cage). In my connected version, the PC doesn't actually take on the escaped Veles, but instead targets the fund source, coordinating their activities with EE's TF. Thus, the entire enterprise collapses when Veles's lab is burnt down as the real big bad (in the AE story) is defeated. No lab. No funding source. The whole thing just ends there. Unless, of course, I want to somehow drag all this into the Leviathan storyline I previously scripted.:-)

That took a while to read... On the discussion of “contrarian” attitudes of lowbie players: I have a few incarnates. I have a fire farming tank. I exploit the market for quick cash, and send tons of Inf to starting toons to buff them up. I team more than I solo. I also have a few characters who run pretty “vanilla” (gain $$ on their own, slot DOs early, SOs later; maybe IO, maybe not, depending on cash situation). What I have found through vanilla play is that much more of the game’s content suddenly becomes naturally relevant and challenging by default. I don’t have to fiddle with diff switches. I can just sort of play through. Further, the story mishes, by sending me hither and yon, have me exploring more of the zones and their maps than my typical rush through characters. It’s a nice change of pace. Now, do I want that ALL of the time? Nope. But it’s there. Advocates of slow /vanilla play remind me that the base game has a lot to offer, and I appreciate that.

On this track: I still haven’t managed to play the new Aeon thing. Does that cater to a certain playstyle?

I agree- if a douche bag falls in a forest, they definitely hear themselves. -) More on point: I’ve had maybe a handful of instances on teams where people weren’t their, um, best selves. But I imagine I may be missing a lot of kerfluffle by never having General switched on, on any character I have?

Grats to this month's winners!

Hail of Bullets, but with the Fire Breath animation. Because I've always wanted to shoot my mouth off indiscriminately.

I asked, but couldn't hear them through the shit.

It's true. Been that way since I had to deal with Bargle, Lareth the Beautiful, and and that crazy hermit near the KotB.

You can create a villain in chargen and play there. Chose villain when you enter, or when you reach decision point in Galaxy tutorial.

Ah, 5th. Every veteran player’s 2nd favorite edition.:-)

Off topic, but: Man the animation for one of the SB powers, that huge, stone marshmallow, just covers the screen. If you're zoned in as a melee toon, and you're running with multiple rock throwers, it can be hard to see what you're doing sometimes.

Sandman: spend an hour tracking down a single runner in Pos1 finale after someone else spawned the ambush early (again). Bit o’ Coin: log out all your alts while they are standing on top of the huge display behind Blue Steel in KR.

My L50 BR/SR toon had some issues hitting from time to time. But, somehow, ol’ Gym Beam didn’t care either way. Libations matter.

Familiarity and ease, I guess. Or maybe versatility. Of all my stable, I play KR Devil the most because I just like the interplay between TA and AR. Feels like I can help a team in various ways thanks to the flexibility of TA (-acc, slow, stun, immobilize). And since all his Kbs are proc’ed to KD, he can damage with some soft control. True, he’s not awesome at any one thing, but he can Swiss Army knife on just about any level. So, add feeling useful to teams as another reason.

The only thing that sometimes ravels out as “story” for me is with individual characters developing their own personal nemesis group, by virtue of contact selection partly, and partly by what “feels right.” For example, my staff/Ninj scrapper running Crimson arc, with an origin as a “former Black Ops who got out and made off with some high tech gear”, felt perfect with Malta as his nemesis. KR Devil will always be a Skull buster, due to gun toting and vigilante BG. Of course, this is all just me storytellIing in my head. Story in this game seems to be what one makes it.

AE scripting

Design Notes: *Two of the "customs" are basically a special group of The Lost, and some specially-designed PPD (I needed an aura on the latter, for story purposes). *Inspiration came from the question: Why are there no women in The Lost? *I anticipate this may be a springboard for a second story involving this group, especially since the Dawn Patrol connection needs more explaining (I think). *Costumes: rather than riff off the male Lost, I decided the new group had their own look, due to differences in how the Lost virus affects women. It's...sort of weird, actually.:-) *Initial tests had a hardy toon. Am in the process of running with some others less tricked-out. Thanks in advance, Crane

It’s still an MMO because it has a lot of players playing online. I think that’s the baseline definition maybe? Not the teaming aspect. As for your antipathy to teams, the “value added” comment says a lot. It seems like you’re seeing your teammates not as people, but rather tactical choices, power slots, and efficiency add and subtracts. And while I guess that’s pretty important under these new challenge settings, I feel like, for a lot of us, teaming isn’t about adding value, but adding the people themselves. What makes a team fun isn’t always (or ever?) about efficiency. If it were, then of course every team would be a disappointment in some manner, because there’s no such thing as perfection, and therefore no way to ever be satisfied. All that said, there’s still plenty of soloing out there for folks that want to avoid the madding crowd. I’m withholding any verdict on the new challenges til I play them. I do like the idea of no incarnate powers, if only to avoid the monotony of constant alpha strikes.

A backpack selection that isn’t for “school.” More styles of rocket boots.

I KNEW it!

Ahhhh...that explains the basic idea. That last mish was a hot shot! I didn't bother to clear or anything. I may have to play again and not save her to see what happens.