What does an online GURPS game have in common with a heavier-than-air aircraft on Chiron? I'll tell you: It's bloody hard to get off the ground. GURPS Alpha Centauri: Open Skies; Hidden Depths What: GURPS 4e When: Sundays, 16:00-20:00 UTC Where: Roll20, with Skype for audio. Why: Because we bloody well need you. Yes, my dears, it's that time of the year month orbital period again. It's time to brandish the bullhorn and hang up the recruitment posters, because sure as shingles, Chiron is a bit of a mixed bag of stuff even at the best times - and let's face it, it's never the best of times. Because of this, actually finding players has been a bit rough, and at the moment, I only have three. Many more have signed up, but in general, they never showed. As I'd like a minimum of four folks, well, someone here might get lucky. You're on the planet of Chiron, in the Alpha Centauri system, blatantly ripped from Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. Humanity has been there for a couple of centuries, and have gotten reasonably established at this point. You're going to be troubleshooters, in the RPG sense of the word. There trouble; you shoot. Or talk, bribe, convince, preach or run as fast as you can, depending on the situation in question. You're freelancers, at least initially, so unless you decide to get tangled up in something more permanent, you're going to have reasonably free reins. Have fun. Here's what I gave the others: You're starting in New Tangier, a rather sizeable hub in the Humanitarian Confederation of Planet. It's the largest human settlement on the so-called Diya Peninsula, one of the northern-most parts of the continent of Purusha. While not the most important of the cities of the Confederation, it still sees a lot of trade going through it, and it's got a population of 320,716 registered citizens, with an estimated 80,000 unregistered citizens also living somewhere in there, probably in the Hab Complexes. It's about 18.21 square kilometers big, which is sort of an outdated measure, given the ridiculous extent to which people build on top of one another. It's a democracy, and a reasonably functional one at that, running a rather laissez-faire economy. Law enforcement is functional in the upper-to-middle class segments of the city, with the lower class parts lapsing a bit at times. The lowest levels are occupied by an increasingly automatized industrial sector, fed by numerous sea-based generators. The last year or so, a major political topic has been the increasing water consumption of the city, as well as the rising threat of overheating. Recently, you've been contacted by a representative of the Golden Links agency, an "employment agency" specialized in finding skilled operatives for tasks in legal grey zones. She wants to arrange a meeting between you and a prospective employer, who wants to hire you for an out-of-city operation, primarily reconnaissance-based, allegedly entirely legal, and with a slight chance of mortal danger. No more details have been given, but she guarantees that attending the meeting will in no way require prior commitment to any sort of contract, beyond the usual non-disclosure agreement. And yeah, that's pretty much what you have. You might find out more, but that'll require a bit of work by your characters, and if you want that to happen, you'll have to actually make characters. Which means you'll have to be in the game - and what an excellent solution that would be. If y'all is interested, drop a message here or in a PM. I'll be looking forward to getting to know ya. - Iroel
