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[GMT+1] GURPS 4e Alpha Centauri LFP & Interest Check

Hello, You are all cordially invited to partake in what is assured to be one of the greatest GURPS campaigns on Roll20 set in a slightly altered version of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri - If, perhaps, only because it is the only such. I am Iroel, as well as an awful lot of other names I shan't bother you with here, and I have for some time considered starting a GURPS campaign of my very own. After some more time, I've decided to actually do so, in order to avoid wasting the time I've put into it. This, then, is the product thereof. My proposed campaign takes place on the (annoyingly) alien planet of Chiron, in the Alpha Centauri system. Inhabited by vast mats of hostile fungi, psychic mindworms, lovecraftian spore launchers and, recently, humans, Chiron is a delightful place; a true paradise for all. Well, all, that is, who seek sources of drama and conflict, which you are sure to encounter, especially the latest contract being offered to you through the Golden Links agency. It's gonna be dirty (For you), dangerous (For you), questionably legal (For everyone) and quite lucrative (For them). Well, that's Morganites in a nutshell, pretty much. In any case, life on Chiron isn't boring. Rather far from, actually, and I hope that I'll be able to do a decent job of giving you a proper view thereof. It'll be my first time GMing, so expect a bit of trouble there, but that shouldn't last too long. I may be overly fond of rules for added realism, but then, if I hadn't been, I'd hardly have chosen GURPS; still, it shows in the chosen set of houserules, and if you're looking for Wuxia, this may not be the game for you. I'd be more than happy to accept newbies, in particular because that'll give me another reason to brush up on the basics, instead of getting ahead of myself. Speaking of getting ahead of myself, I suppose I should present to you the crunchy stuff, and let y'all have your say after that: Game: GURPS Alpha Centauri: Open Skies; Hidden Depths Genre: Science Fiction {Medium-Hard Science, Realism, occasional touches of Cyberpunk} Time: Flexible and up for discussion, but preferably sometime between Fri.18:00-Sun.04:00 GMT+1 Medium: Roll20 /w Voice, w/o Video. ...and I reckon that's it for now. I have made decisions concerning character creation, which might be found by sufficiently inquisitive souls (Warning, their location is currently a work in progress), but for now, what really matters is interest. I would prefer working on characters alongside potential players, rather than being handed a box of premades and trying to get them to fit in. That, after all, is a bit of a bother. So. Any takers?
Incidentally, I should probably also state that knowledge of, and experience with, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is not necessary, though at least skimming the Wikipedia or TvTropes page will be appreciated.
Love Alpha Centauri and sci-fi games. Though the time of the game could be a huge factor.
Well, when are you available? On weekdays, my schedule is naturally constrained, but when I say Fri 18:00 to Sun 04:00, I mean any time within that space. Granted, not the entire period, because hey, I like the occasional sleep, but any, say, six-hour period therein should be fine. Actually, let's stretch it and say any time from Fri 18:00 to Sun 20:00. That's a 50-hour cleared time slot with très grande flexibility.
Sunday is free to me, and in Fridays I could do like 2-3-4 hours. I am GTM so very close to your time. What faction you want to focus on and what period of colonization? Early? Or already developed nations we have to face? (I played Alpha Centauri and it is one of my best loved Civilization clone, and the quotes there are fascinating). 
Well, given that I'm running it in GURPS, I was going to do it with more of a focus on individual characters. That is to say, you don't represent the interests of any states (Unless you really get into a big mess), as much as you just represent yourself, your ideas and wants, and try to manage in this here world. The setting will, as mentioned, be a little different from the in-game one, as I feel that some simplifications have been made in order to make it viable as a TBS game. For one, there's not a 1:1 correspondence between factions and states - First of all, with the bases as far from one another as they are (Even if they're not as distant as in the GURPS: Alpha Centauri book; I did the math on that and it was ridiculous), they're more like semi-autonomous city-states, and secondly, how much they belong to a given faction is more a spectrum than a boolean value. Some of the game's factions don't even have any states aligned with them; the Data Angels, if they exist at all, come to mind. Others may have several, such as the Peacekeeper remnants of the UN, who, true to their nature, fractured immediately upon arrival, especially along the lines of old-world religious and cultural differences. You'll be starting in the city of New Tangiers (Duck's Gully if you look at ancient maps), which is theoretically a part of the so-called Humanitarian Confederation of Planet, one of the larger and more self-righteous UN successor states. Tech-wise, think of it as generally a 5 across the board - Pre-Sentient Algorithms and rudimentary aircraft to exist; mind-machine interfaces don't (officially). Cybernetic replacement parts along the lines of prosthetic limbs are in, having half your brain replaced with a computer is not. Well, officially, again. Psionics are reasonably well-understood, by talents, the very basics are known by citizens, and myths, legends and rumours breed enthusiastically in the drone-filled hab complexes. Xenoempathy is an exception - It's in the developmental stage, mostly, but other than those actively involved with it, few understand a word. This, of course, does not stop rumours either.
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This campaign sounds really interesting! I've never played with the GURPS ruleset before, but I'd be more than willing to learn. I'm based in GMT+1, Sweden, the timeframe you suggested sounds like it'd work for me. How many players are you looking for?
I think four or five would be optimal, but I'd be willing to run with three or six if necessary. As for the ruleset, it's a bit front-heavy. That is to say, there's a lot of stuff that needs to be done ahead of game, while most things during a session is easy enough. It's particularly front-heavy for the GM, which is either really fortunate, or really unfortunate, depending on who you ask. As I was planning to do character creation with the players, being new really shouldn't be a hindrance - Creation is the hardest part, and we're doing it together. In case you don't know, mostly everything in GURPS works off of a simple 3d6 roll-under mechanism. There's a skill for practically everything, you apply bonuses or minuses from things like extra time taken, proper equipment, very tough tasks and so on, then aim to hit the target number or under. The bell-curve means that most people routinely succeed at every-day tasks, while catastrophic failures and marvelous successes remain suitably rare.
This would be my first Pen and paper so I am not really experienced however I read tons (literal metric tons) of documentation about pen and papers and will be reading up on Alpha Centauri. However if I am chosen I would like to ask if it's possible to delay to 18:30-19:00 on the 15th as I have a rather important meeting.
Oh, the timing is by no means settled. It could, for all I know, end up being 02:00 to 06:00, the night between Saturday and Sunday. Granted, it probably won't, because I won't be terribly awake at that time, and sleepy GMs lead to TPKs, but in theory. In any case, the 15th is definitely too early to start - We need people's characters in order, and I have a feeling that won't be happening within the space of two days.
Iroel Q. said: Oh, the timing is by no means settled. It could, for all I know, end up being 02:00 to 06:00, the night between Saturday and Sunday. Granted, it probably won't, because I won't be terribly awake at that time, and sleepy GMs lead to TPKs, but in theory. In any case, the 15th is definitely too early to start - We need people's characters in order, and I have a feeling that won't be happening within the space of two days. Alright then, I wasn't sure about how ready you were, if you have any suggestions as to what I must absolutely read to get started, thanks again for GMing this (I myself am in GMT +1(currently France) ). As nothing is set in stone Ill try to accumulate as much information as possible but if there are any specifics I must read about please let me know.
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I'll start reading up on the rulebook and whip up some simple character concepts for the character creation.
angrybrit said: Alright then, I wasn't sure about how ready you were, if you have any suggestions as to what I must absolutely read to get started, thanks again for GMing this (I myself am in GMT +1(currently France) ). As nothing is set in stone Ill try to accumulate as much information as possible but if there are any specifics I must read about please let me know. Ludvig "Pinmissile" L. said: I'll start reading up on the rulebook and whip up some simple character concepts for the character creation. For both of you, the best thing to do would probably be to read up on the GURPS Lite rules, as they're accessible free of charge on the SJGames site. For settings info, the TvTropes page is probably the best, actually, and I've also made a Wiki , but it's very much a work in progress, and probably not of much use yet. Concerning characters, try to think of them as persons first and characters second. GURPS is too big, and certainly too open-ended, for it to be particularly practical to start out by looking at nifty abilities, and then building a character around that; if nothing else, a rough concept should probably be picked before going anywhere. If you're interested, we could get together on Skype at some point and talk it through in more detail.
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Iroel Q. said: If you're interested, we could get together on Skype at some point and talk it through in more detail. Of course, I'll PM you my Skype ID.
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I'll be the one to shamelessly bump the thread. Anyone more players interested?
For those players who have already responded (And for those who might be thinking of doing so; I shan't exclude anyone), at which times would you be available, do you expect?
Okay, right. We're in a bit of a pickle here. Due to a sudden and acute case of Real Life, well known as one of the more tragic afflictions to occasionally strike roleplayers, one player had to drop out, so we're a bit short on manpower here. We've now got three players and a GM, with one player not being able to attend all sessions due to a chronic case of Real Life. So more like two and a half players. And that's just no good. So, I'd like to fix that. Because for all the hassle in it, I'd still like to run this here campaign, and if I'm to do that, this needs fixing. So we're recruiting again. If you, the reader of this post, are at all interested in a lovely game of GURPS: Alpha Centauri, and you aren't already a player, we'd love to have you. Talking about the verge of fawning over you here. Doesn't matter if you have any experience with GURPS, Alpha Centauri, or Science Fiction at all, either. If you have opposable thumbs and a functional cerebral cortex, you're in. Time wise, which I realize will be awkward for a lot of people, we've settled so far on Sundays, GMT+1, 10:00-14:00. A microphone will not be required, though a functional sound system will. If you have any interest at all, feel free to drop a message here, or in a PM. I'll send you further contact details, that we may work out something.
I'd be interested, have experience with GURPS, Alpha Centauri and sci-fi. Sadly I work nights and would never be able to attend at those hours :( (I sleep until 14:00 GMT+1)
Well, there's always the chance of moving it, I suppose. If I can get another person who can also manage, I'll be willing to try to make it work with Sunday 14:00-18:00. That's just about as far as I reckon I can stretch it, though, what with making it work for everyone and all.
I have Sunday off so that would work quite well for me. Just send me a PM when you know :) (or send me a PM if you need maps or something similar drawn up, I think I have some AC tiles I made laying about somewhere in my library)
Any more room in the game?
I would be mostly interested in participating as well. I've played a fair bit of Alpha Centauri, and loved it. Can't say I have any experience with Roll20 or Gurps though, apart from reading the 3rd edition rulebook quite some time ago.  The time window is doable on my end, I think, although one of the proposed schedules would put the game at 4 am to me lol. 
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To the extent of my knowledge we're still on standby for more players. I know I'm still up for playing, Karasu might be too. Iroel still wants to run the campaign. Two players is just what we need to get this off the ground, really.
Like he said, we never quite got started. The amount of interested players was low - only three, in fact - and on top of this, one of said players had to drop out. As you can imagine, two players was not quite enough. We'll have to narrow down the scheduling a bit, and I'll have to actually pull up my notes again, but other than that, I'm definitely interested in getting this up and running. If you'd be so kind as to send me your Skype names, I'll add you, and we can get a bit of talking done there. I cannot guarantee that I'll get much done this week, due to exam-related miscellanea, but I'll try my best to at least get us talking.
I am also interested. Enjoy Gurps. And love the Alpha Centauri setting. My Timezone may be problem though. I am GMT-10 but that may work out if you play in the evenings, let's me play early AM before I have to tackle my list of errands and such. Once your exams are done let me know if and when you want to do this. Best time for me is starting Saturday 04:00 GMT until Sunday 04:00 GMT. Maybe that will work out? Cheers,
Okay, I am reasonably done with most of what has been occupying my time, at least for now. Like I said, I'd appreciate the Skype details from a few more of you, that we may discuss how the timing and such will work, and get started on some character work. I'll probably also open a few threads for it in the game forum, but I'll strongly prefer getting the first things done in real-time; there are too many variables for it to be practical in other manners.
I'm interested in participating  if there is still room for one more player. I can't quite tell how many players are committed reading the thread. Science Fiction is my favorite genre. I'm totally unfamiliar with Alpha Centauri. I am well acquainted with GURPS and I use it as my primary RPG system. I live in the US and I'm in the Eastern Time Zone. It looks like GMT+1 is six hours ahead of me. I'm available on weekends. I'll need assistance converting time from GMT+1 to Eastern. My Skype address is scott.proutyv
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Scott P. said: I live in the US and I'm in the Eastern Time Zone. It looks like GMT+1 is six hours ahead of me. I'm available on weekends. I'll need assistance converting time from GMT+1 to Eastern.&nbsp; <a href="http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/usa/eastern-time/convert/" rel="nofollow">http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/usa/eastern-time/convert/</a> I'll add you to the Skype group chat.
At the moment, I have three players in a Skype chat. At the same time, I have eight players listing interest in this thread. Even discounting the one guy who had to drop out, those numbers are not exactly the same. As I'd really rather not be forced to run the game with less than four players, and I can't arrange for scheduling without actually talking to people and seeing when they're available, I'd like for those still interested to send me their Skype contact details or contact me in some other fashion, so we can get this show on the road.