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You and your fellow Agents have been sitting around your various desks for the last 4 hours; sipping coffee, browsing phones, mucking about on the company Wi-Fi. Lazing about and making up your hours. Just like every other work day for the past 3 years. Suddenly, there's a pinging on someone desktop (whoever drew the short straw this week and got put in charge). Apparently a murder, possibly Kodiak related. With much grumbling and groaning, you all make your way to the garage. Someone volunteers to drive, or maybe you play Rock-Paper-Scissors to avoid it. Whatever the case, you're soon on your way. One of the advantages of being on Task Force Kodiak is the sirens. You'll get through traffic soon enough. No one thought to bring coffee, so your trek to the Fordham Centre of Physical Science is mostly spent debating on what shop you'll stop at on the way back. The argument probably gets a bit heated until you finally arrive. Strange, quiet for a murder scene. The parking lot is mostly empty, a single Patrolman and her car wait nervously for you, her partner must be with the body. With much stretching, you all exit the car and whoever drew this short straw ambles their way over to the Officer. The others mill about, waiting for the dismissal. “Ca- can I see your badge?” The Officer asks. It's not nerves that cause her stutter, not really. It's confusion. Kodiak isn't well known, and where it is known it's the subject of derision. The Agent with the short straw flashes their 'Kodiak' badge, not as much authority as a badge for NYC's finest but not as much responsibility. The officer squints at the badge and a faint bulb of awareness flicks on. A pleasent surprise; so pleasent what the Officer says next is nearly missed. “Okay, follow me. I'll take you up.” What? With dawning horror, the Agent whips their head back around the parking lot. It's empty, except for the Patrol car. Empty. The Kodiak Taskforce are the first people on the scene. You're the first group here! Kodiak hasn't had an investigation in nearly 3 years, and now you've just caught yourself a murder. gently caress - - - - The year is 20XX and things are not right in the world. 5 years ago, an unknown terrorist group began a campaign of kidnapping, murdering and bombing upon the scientific community. In the culmination of their campaign, the Nobel centre was destroyed by a bomb in the middle of the prize giving ceremony just 3 years ago. Hundreds were killed or wounded during the attack, among them Physicist George Kodiak, who was set to receive the prize in Physics. A consummate Scientist and Philanthropist, born and raised in New York City, his death rocked the city and spurred the Mayor into action. He announced the formulation of Taskforce Kodiak, a special force made up of some of New Yorks finest, with FBI advisors, Private Military Contractors, foreign national experts and even a few highly skilled volunteers. It was supposed to investigate the terrorist group and put an end to their reign of destruction. However, the Nobel Centre attack seemed to be the last word from whatever craven group ordered it's destruction. The shiny lustre was soon lost, and Kodiak has since become whatever the Mayor or whatever someone sufficiently high up needs it to be. Dumping ground for those to incompetent to do anything worth firing over, a punishment detail, a surgical strike to the careers of those eyeing their superiors desks a little to openly, a safe seat for a beloved niece or nephew, a “Just-Before-Retirement” plan, a byzantine trap for those who actually believed in the cause, that place you go to every day and doss about on the computers all day. Whatever bought you here, now you're stuck with it. What's worse, you've somehow caught yourself a murder, maybe. You might be able to get out of it later, but right now you're in the neck for it. With most of your budget coming straight from the Mayors office, a failure here might mean closer observation in future, or even worse, an audit. And with 3 years in this shitheap of a detail, your CV is not looking to healthy. Better solve this quick while thinking about your options. It is your job, afterall you are technically Police Officers. Technically. So get your finger out, and start investigating. And hope to god there's enough investigative ability between the lot of you to solve this thing quickly; you've got coffee at the office getting cold. - - - - Game Format Welcome to Task Force Kodiak, a game of GURPs. The core idea of the game is that the players are Agents of Task Force Kodiak, a vote winning scheme by the Mayor of New York. For the past 3 years you have been dutifully been turning up and then getting turned away from various crimes around the City, which may or may not be under your purview. Until today! First come first serve, after all. Theme wise, I'm aiming for a sort of X-Files/XCOM kinda game. Definitely a few aliens, probably some deep sea monstrosities, maybe a zombie or a vampire here or there, who knows. The world is a big place. Probably less tacticool action then your average XCOM game, but more then you would see in an episode of X-Files. I've also been somewhat inspired by Call of Cthulhu in the making of this. Agents don't necessarily need to have a Law Enforcement background, especially if that is covered by other players, you are the Mayors private task force after all and the more "experts-in-their-fields" he can cram into it, the better it looks in his election campaign. However people looking to sign up should remember that Kodiak was initially set up to investigate terrorist activity and related crimes, so there will be a bit of that. This is coming out of the Mayors pocket as well, so he will expect a degree of value for money. That said, I've tried to set things up to allow for as many varied backgrounds as possible, including those outside of the US. The only thing you'll need to make a character to start with is 4e GURPs Lite, which you can get for free by typing into Google, though I have a lot of books and will add things as necessary. Feel free to use other source books as well, just clear it with me first so I know what to look up. Start with 100 points, a backstory, a picture of some kind to feed the minds eye, classic stuff.
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Jan 4, 2019 22:11
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Would I be correct in guessing that the mayor is going to have hired folks with at least basic firearm training, and the most common firearms to see use will probably be pistols? Not entirely sure what I want to play just yet; possibly a physics nerd.
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Jan 4, 2019 22:28
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hectorgrey posted:Would I be correct in guessing that the mayor is going to have hired folks with at least basic firearm training, and the most common firearms to see use will probably be pistols? Not entirely sure what I want to play just yet; possibly a physics nerd. Kodiak is mostly a very shiny, somewhat expensive vote grabber. A physics nerd from Europe won't necessarially have had firearms training when they were hired, but that doesn't stop the Mayor bragging about having a physics nerd from Europe on his team. That said, Kodiak has been around for 3 years, and at the start of it people thought it was actually going to be useful for something. There's no reason your physics nerd couldn't have got themselves some basic firearms training in that time as on the job training. As for what type of firearms, you're right in that pistols will probably be the most commonly used. You'd have to have a heluva silver tongue to convince him that you need assault rifles and rocket launchers.
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Jan 4, 2019 22:34
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Might resurrect an old character for this. How do you feel about a former MP with a trained EOD dog?
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Jan 5, 2019 00:10
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I'll look at making a character!
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Jan 5, 2019 00:21
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Looking to make something, thinking forensic pathologist (and team doctor).
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Jan 5, 2019 00:39
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One thing to keep in mind, I'm on UK time. So may not always be around immediately to answer questions. I've just made a Discord though, so post here on there and I'll see them soon enough. https://discord.gg/y3FPeS Rhyos posted:Might resurrect an old character for this. How do you feel about a former MP with a trained EOD dog? Sounds good! We may need to work out some specific details but nothing that can't be done.
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Jan 5, 2019 00:39
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First draft of sheet Cyril Hodges is a forensic pathologist who joined Task Force Kodiak after his brother was killed in the Nobel Centre bombing. Piell fucked around with this message at 03:44 on Jan 7, 2019 |
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Jan 5, 2019 00:53
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First draft of Dr. Michel Van Acker, a 53 year old Belgian physicist. Learned to pick locks because he got sick of forgetting his keys and locking himself out of his apartment.pre:| Total | 100 | | Stats | 60 | | Languages | 10 | | Advantages | 35 | | Disadvantages | -30 | | Skills | 25 | | Unspent | 0 | Stats | ST | 9 | Damage | Thrust: 1d-2 | Swing: 1d-1 | Basic Lift | 16lb | HP | 9/9 | -10 | | DX | 12 | | | | | | | | 40 | | IQ | 12 | Will | 12 | Perception | 12 | | | | 40 | | HT | 9 | FP | 9/9 | | | | | | -10 | Basic Speed: 5.25 Basic Move: 5 Dodge: 8 Languages | Language | Spoken | Written | Points | |----------+----------+----------+--------| | French | Native | Native | 0 | | Flemish | Native | Native | 6 | | English | Accented | Accented | 4 | Advantages | Advantage | Page | Points | |------------------------+------+--------| | Eidetic Memory | B51 | 5 | | High Pain Threshold | B59 | 10 | | Mathematical Ability 2 | B90 | 20 | Disadvantages | Disadvantage | Page | Points | |--------------------------------------+------+--------| | Absent-Mindedness | B122 | -15 | | Bad Sight (Farsighted, with glasses) | B123 | -10 | | Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) | B148 | -5 | Skills | Skill | Attribute | Difficulty | Relative | Absolute | Points | |-----------------------+--------------+------------+----------+----------+--------| | Astronomy | Intelligence | Hard | 1 | 13 | 2 | | Chess | Intelligence | Easy | 2 | 14 | 4 | | Interrogation | Intelligence | Average | 0 | 12 | 2 | | Lockpicking | Intelligence | Average | 0 | 12 | 2 | | Mathematics (Applied) | Intelligence | Hard | 1 | 13 | 2 | | Physics | Intelligence | Very Hard | 2 | 14 | 8 | | Pistol | Dexterity | Easy | 2 | 14 | 4 | | Poker | Intelligence | Easy | 0 | 12 | 1 | |-----------------------+--------------+------------+----------+----------+--------| | Total | | | | | 25 | hectorgrey fucked around with this message at 05:01 on Jan 6, 2019 |
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Jan 5, 2019 01:09
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Very nice so far. Skewing a bit on the nerdy side but that's no problem in the long term. Only one thing hectorgrey, I think you're over by 1 point on a few skills; Physics should be 14 and not 15 for example. A Very Hard skill with 8 points starts as Attribute+0 (So, IQ+0) and you're level 2 Mathematical Ability increases it another 2, to 14. Apart from that, I'm liking the look for everything. Can't wait to see a bit more in depth backstory from the bth of you, and everyone else.
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Jan 5, 2019 13:46
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A few quick dog questions whilst character generating - the premise is going to be that the character retired from service and got the ok to keep his service dog with their deployments both being complete. In terms of having an 8-ish (5 years in the military, 3 years in Kodiak) year old service dog, which would render them a bit past their prime, but having reached a peak of a rather elite role (most service dogs are considered at peak performance/training around 4 years old), would it make sense to include them as an ally with 25% of starting points, or with the Dependent disadvantage, also at 25% of starting points? Enjoy a picture of Ret. MSgt. McGriddles in the meantime: 
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Jan 5, 2019 16:56
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Rhyos posted:A few quick dog questions whilst character generating - the premise is going to be that the character retired from service and got the ok to keep his service dog with their deployments both being complete. In terms of having an 8-ish (5 years in the military, 3 years in Kodiak) year old service dog, which would render them a bit past their prime, but having reached a peak of a rather elite role (most service dogs are considered at peak performance/training around 4 years old), would it make sense to include them as an ally with 25% of starting points, or with the Dependent disadvantage, also at 25% of starting points? My initial thinking is for McGriddles to be an ally and an advantage, but it depends. Is he going to be regularly coming along, fighting tooth and claw the best way a doggie can? Then he's an advantage. Is he an old and worn veteran, who does his 9am game of fetch everyday, but then that's it, the rest he's sleeping the day away? That's a dependent. Looking at it, there's an option for both dependent and ally in the core book, with the cost depending on how much use you'll get out of him in play.
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Jan 5, 2019 19:01
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Ally it is, then! They've both seen some action, but they've still got mileage ahead of them. I'll have a post up soon!
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Jan 5, 2019 19:59
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 "Brewski" used to be the biggest word in Bryce Mordred's vocabulary. Born into a wealthy family in upstate New York, he followed in his family's footsteps being sent to Harvard, whereupon he likewise followed in his family's footsteps by wasting most of his time partying and chasing girls. His grades were mediocre at best, but he barely scraped through (likely due to his family's influence and "charitable donations") with four years of Economics study that he promptly forgot after graduating. Mordred entered the Albany Police right out of college. While he never had a reputation for brilliance, he was one of the best shots on the force and maintained a high level of physical fitness. After one too many times being caught with a female officer (usually by a different female officer), he was finally transferred out to Task Force Kodiak to try and get rid of him. Mordred is a generally good-hearted guy, but suffers from a lack of effort toward his work. His natural talents have long been squandered by his impulsiveness and inability to take responsibility.
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Jan 5, 2019 20:49
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chitoryu12 posted:Bryce Mordred And we have our first punishment detail! I'm enjoying the idea thus far. The only thing I would say is that Bryce is looking something like a "Face" of the group. If that's not what you wanted that's fine, but if you were going for that could I recommend something like "Attractive" or an influence skill? Only if that was what you were going for. Otherwise, I have a few questions for Bryce; some generic I'll ask everyone and some specific only for him. What's the worst thing you've ever seen during your time on this planet? Kodiak's pretty boring compared to some of the crazy poo poo that goes down on the streets of the world. What's the worst way you've ever appropriated Kodiak material? You use your expense account to get your morning coffee? Grind on some MMO's during office hours? Speaking of computers, there's a lot of them here and only a few of you. Maybe you "borrowed" one or two or ten? Do you think there are little green men from outer space? Ghosts and goblins maybe? Do you want to believe or are you constantly looking for the smoke and mirrors? So, rich family eh? That must be neat. How do they feel about the Mayor and how closely you're working under him? And how do you feel about how they feel? Staying on as a cop is very commendable, but you could fall into any career you wanted with barely any effort. Hell, Mummy and Daddy could probably get you back into "Actual" policing with a bit of work. Why stick at this poo poo detail for so long?
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Jan 5, 2019 23:31
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OscarDiggs posted:What's the worst thing you've ever seen during your time on this planet? Kodiak's pretty boring compared to some of the crazy poo poo that goes down on the streets of the world. "Dude we had this one little kid that tried throwing a loving grenade at us. Where the hell do kids get grenades? They don't have the money for that. That's like a year's allowance." quote:What's the worst way you've ever appropriated Kodiak material? You use your expense account to get your morning coffee? Grind on some MMO's during office hours? Speaking of computers, there's a lot of them here and only a few of you. Maybe you "borrowed" one or two or ten? "I mean, the only poo poo I've taken is probably some contraband liquor taken off a house raid. But most of this job is pretty dull, so nobody really pays attention in the off-hours if I go gently caress around. Maybe hit up a bar when I'm supposed to be on paperwork, you know?" quote:Do you think there are little green men from outer space? Ghosts and goblins maybe? Do you want to believe or are you constantly looking for the smoke and mirrors? "Like, aliens are pretty obvious. The universe is really big. But I dunno about anything else." quote:So, rich family eh? That must be neat. How do they feel about the Mayor and how closely you're working under him? And how do you feel about how they feel? "Dad is excited about it. At least it's an easy job. I don't talk to Mom as much since the divorce, but I think she's okay. I know they always wanted what's best for me, but they were probably hoping that I'd get something that had me in a suit and made a lot of money. Being on the Mayor's detail is better than just being a cop to them." quote:Staying on as a cop is very commendable, but you could fall into any career you wanted with barely any effort. Hell, Mummy and Daddy could probably get you back into "Actual" policing with a bit of work. Why stick at this poo poo detail for so long? "Because nobody notices if I'm taking a break. And there's a lot better places to party in NYC than in Albany."
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Jan 6, 2019 00:17
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OscarDiggs posted:Very nice so far. Skewing a bit on the nerdy side but that's no problem in the long term. Only one thing hectorgrey, I think you're over by 1 point on a few skills; Physics should be 14 and not 15 for example. A Very Hard skill with 8 points starts as Attribute+0 (So, IQ+0) and you're level 2 Mathematical Ability increases it another 2, to 14. You're quite right. I also forgot to remove the boxing parry - I'd meant to have a couple of points in boxing earlier on, but decided against. I'll modify the skills shortly. Edit: Skills modified - please let me know if I've missed any. Rhyos posted:Enjoy a picture of Ret. MSgt. McGriddles in the meantime: Nice to see McGriddles back in action  .Incidentally, here is John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot - very much the inspiration for this character:  Edit 2: A background of sorts: "Bon soir, madamoiselle officer; I am Dr. Michel Van Acker, with Kodiak. I understand there has been a murder?" When I first went to university in Leuven to study my PhD in astrophysics, I never suspected that I might be saying something so ridiculous. I will not pretend to be the most gifted of scientists, but I have always been quick to learn things - especially where mathematics is involved. I grew up bilingual; my father being a police officer from the Flemish part of Belgium and my mother a physics teacher from the French. My English, I learned before coming to America; it is not as good as some, but I find it good enough for my purposes. I came to America five years ago, to work as a researcher alongside the late Professor Kodiak. I was fortunate enough to not be in the Nobel building the day of the attack - for if I had been, I would most assuredly have died. I respected and admired Kodiak, and I miss him terribly. I volunteered to join Taskforce Kodiak as soon as it was formed. Three years have since passed, and I feel I am wasted here. However, my name has not been on any scientific papers for over three years. I have made applications to work at various academic institutions, but none have responded. As I stepped out to speak to the young police officer, expecting once more to be turned away, I had given up entirely on being able to do anything truly useful. So imagine my surprise when we are allowed access to the scene of the murder... hectorgrey fucked around with this message at 04:44 on Jan 6, 2019 |
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Jan 6, 2019 03:24
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hectorgrey posted:
Welcome aboard. The Mayors opinion polls must have jumped 5 points when the public learned the details of your recruitment. Some questions for you though, Doctor. What's the worst thing you've ever seen during your time on this planet? Kodiak's pretty boring compared to some of the crazy poo poo that goes down on the streets of the world. What's the worst way you've ever appropriated Kodiak material? You use your expense account to get your morning coffee? Grind on some MMO's during office hours? Speaking of computers, there's a lot of them here and only a few of you. Maybe you "borrowed" one or two or ten? Do you think there are little green men from outer space? Ghosts and goblins maybe? Do you want to believe or are you constantly looking for the smoke and mirrors? Some say New York it the greatest city in the world, but Belgium is still an ocean and change away. What was so special about Professor Kodiak that made it worth the trek? Professor Kodiak was the last and perhaps most famous victim of the terrorist attacks that seem to have stolen his name, but whoever they were, their campaign was going on for a good 2 years before the Nobel Centre Bombing. Did you ever feel in danger in that time? Did you ever suspect that you or your colleagues might be targets?
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Jan 6, 2019 12:36
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Ret. Sgt. Rick Keats and Ret. MSgt. McGriddles  Even the military needs cops. And cops need partners. Rick Keats had always had an affinity for animals, so the chance to enlist in the Army's MP canine unit was right up his alley. As with so many who sign up, a tour of the sandbox was mandatory. Even out in the desert, drunken brawls happen, folks inexplicably get their hands on drugs, and supplies from the locals weren't exactly the types of supplies they were looking for. From explosive ordnance to drug interdiction, Keats and his various canine cops through the years saw quite a bit, but in almost every circumstance, things weren't quite by the book. Understandable, given a foreign country and the stresses of combat, but there were occasionally things that didn't make sense. Fertilizer bombs cut with an unidentifiable compound, the loser of a fistfight mumbling in tongues, obvious drugs that acted like catnip to his dogs, reports of strange voices nobody else had heard, or one of the working dogs on active duty suddenly frantically digging in place. Stress takes a toll on everyone, though, and redeployment Stateside was a huge relief. Back in the States, Keats was kept in the base K9 unit, thankful for the more routine checks and policing actions. It's far less stressful to take your dog on a walk around a car than a possible minefield, especially with the years beginning to take a toll. As we age, things start to ache, postures begin to slip, it gets harder to maintain proper shape, especially for active duty. For the last few years of his military tenure, Rick was partnered with Master Sergeant McGriddles. While a goofy name, the rank was very much real - a handler's dog is granted one rank above their handler, both out of respect for service and to ensure that no abuse or misuse happens. Wouldn't want someone abusing a superior officer, after all. They clicked from the get-go, but after a year or so of service together, it was clear they were inseparable. Most working dogs are trained to separate and act autonomously from their handlers after shifts, but on more than one occasion, the pup had weasled his way out of the kennels and was found scratching at Keats' door. Toward the end of their service, this would prove life-saving. During an active deployment, you get used to the gunfire. Be it troops plinking downrange to blow off some steam, scaring away wild animals, or taking shifts during a long-range firefight, you just kinda get used to the echoless popping. Even on base, training fields have the off-rhythm pops of training sessions. You get to know the caliber, the weapon, the range, and so on. That morning, the sounds were different. Closer. Not where they should be. The call came over the radio of active shooters. It turned out to be a local conspiracy-driven militia, but in that moment, it was the sandbox all over again. Despite the armaments, the soldiers, the fact that it was a base of the finest military in the world, weaponry is only allowed in certain areas designated for their operation. While everyone dashed for the armory, it was the MPs that were that first line of defense. In the chaos, and equipped with a sidearm versus civilian and hunting-caliber rifles, the gunfight had to be drawn into close quarters, improvised ambushes that used the terrain and layout to their advantage. In those situations, a fast, steady trigger is the difference between life and death. And in an idiot move, he left the safety on. 2 rounded the corner. By the time he had realized his mistake, his dog had become a barking bullet, a 75 pound furry cruise missile. Unfortunately, a dog can only handle one assailant at a time. In the ensuing gunfight, Rick had managed to fatally wound the other assailant, but not before catching a round through the vest. Enraged, by the time the incident was over, the Master Sergeant had torn out the throats of those who would have harmed his handler, and was found with laying across Rick's chest, his body weight instinctively holding pressure on the wound. Yet another strange happening, as dogs aren't exactly trained to do that. He survived, obviously, but after so many years of service, it was time to hang it up. And after an active shooter incident, who could blame him? With a medical discharge and a granted request to have the Master Sergeant retire with him, it was time to decrease the stress level a bit. Until it got boring. Too boring to bear. As he was on a walk with McGriddles, he received a phone call. An old superior knew of an opening in New York that could use someone of his background. What was there to lose? Been a long time since I've GURPS'd, so feel free to check everything over and let me know if things need changing! Looking forward to this one! Rhyos fucked around with this message at 23:03 on Jan 14, 2019 |
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Jan 6, 2019 16:54
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OscarDiggs posted:Welcome aboard. The Mayors opinion polls must have jumped 5 points when the public learned the details of your recruitment. Some questions for you though, Doctor. In person, I have not seen very much. While I do not consider science to be boring by any means, it is certainly not very action packed. Still, I recall one time a desperate looking man with a knife attempted to rob me on my way home from the office. I slid a hand into my right jacket pocket, as though reaching for a wallet, then used a pen that was in that pocket to make it appear that I was pointing a pistol at him. At that point, he decided I was more trouble than I was worth - which is a good thing, because even if I had been pointing a real pistol, I'm not certain I could have pulled the trigger. quote:What's the worst way you've ever appropriated Kodiak material? You use your expense account to get your morning coffee? Grind on some MMO's during office hours? Speaking of computers, there's a lot of them here and only a few of you. Maybe you "borrowed" one or two or ten? With the help of one of the more computer savvy officers, I was able to set up an account on an online chess site, where I play to take the edge off of the boredom. I have occasionally used my expense account to purchase a bottle of brandy to keep in the office, and to pay for taxis for travel that was not for work purposes. quote:Do you think there are little green men from outer space? Ghosts and goblins maybe? Do you want to believe or are you constantly looking for the smoke and mirrors? Does alien life exist? Undoubtedly so. Our own galaxy is far too vast for it to be otherwise. Has alien life ever come here? Given the energy requirements to make it from even a system such as Sirius or Alpha Centauri in anything approaching a reasonable timeline, it is highly unlikely. No to mention that given our ability to detect the contents of a planet's atmosphere at very long range - and how we have yet to find a planet with the requisite hydrocarbons in the atmosphere to suggest industrialization, the evidence currently suggests that we are the most technologically advanced species in the galaxy. I am open to be proven wrong - it would be incredibly exciting - but that proof would need to stand up to rigorous scrutiny. As for the supernatural? That is, as you Americans say, bullshit. quote:Some say New York it the greatest city in the world, but Belgium is still an ocean and change away. What was so special about Professor Kodiak that made it worth the trek? Professor Kodiak was a truly inspiring individual. His work on stable fusion reactions was remarkable, and would have changed the world. This was not what I was working on, unfortunately; I was helping a different team which was working on the potential for using the manipulation of electromagnetic fields as a source of propulsion. quote:Professor Kodiak was the last and perhaps most famous victim of the terrorist attacks that seem to have stolen his name, but whoever they were, their campaign was going on for a good 2 years before the Nobel Centre Bombing. Did you ever feel in danger in that time? Did you ever suspect that you or your colleagues might be targets? There was, of course, always the possibility. My perspective was, however, that there are a great many scientists in the world - and that the odds of me being in such an attack were roughly equivalent to the odds of me being struck by lightning. Given how little control I had over the situation, there was little use in being scared - even when it didn't slip my mind entirely.
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Jan 6, 2019 18:35
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Rhyos posted:Ret. Sgt. Rick Keats and Ret. MSgt. McGriddles This is my first time GMing anything, Gurps included. We'll learn and relearn together. All looking good thus far. One thing, I'm not going to be restrictive when it comes to skills especially since we're starting with a 100 points. So if you wanted to roll both your Law skills into a single Law (USA) and have it apply to most everything that would be fine. Or keep them separate and have extra specialisation, your call. That said, welcome aboard MSgt. McGriddles. The Mayor and City of New York thank you for your year's of service. You as well Sgt. Keets. That said, there's a few questions for you. What's the worst thing you've ever seen during your time on this planet? Kodiak's pretty boring compared to some of the crazy poo poo that goes down on the streets of the world What's the worst way you've ever appropriated Kodiak material? You use your expense account to get your morning coffee? Grind on some MMO's during office hours? Speaking of computers, there's a lot of them here and only a few of you. Maybe you "borrowed" one or two or ten? Do you think there are little green men from outer space? Ghosts and goblins maybe? Do you want to believe or are you constantly looking for the smoke and mirrors? You're a busy man Keets, someone who needs to be doing something with his hands. By all accounts, Kodiak is a pretty dull assignment. Well what's your account? How do you feel about Kodiak? Task Force Kodiak is a skeleton crew of civilian volunteers, and the odd duck here and there who actually carried a badge and gun with purpose. Your one of very few Task Force members who has actually seen live combat. What do you think of that?
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Jan 6, 2019 19:04
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OscarDiggs posted:This is my first time GMing anything, Gurps included. We'll learn and relearn together. quote:That said, welcome aboard MSgt. McGriddles. The Mayor and City of New York thank you for your years of service. You as well Sgt. Keats. That said, there's a few questions for you. quote:What's the worst way you've ever appropriated Kodiak material? You use your expense account to get your morning coffee? Grind on some MMO's during office hours? Speaking of computers, there's a lot of them here and only a few of you. Maybe you "borrowed" one or two or ten? quote:Do you think there are little green men from outer space? Ghosts and goblins maybe? Do you want to believe or are you constantly looking for the smoke and mirrors? quote:You're a busy man Keats, someone who needs to be doing something with his hands. By all accounts, Kodiak is a pretty dull assignment. Well what's your account? How do you feel about Kodiak? quote:Task Force Kodiak is a skeleton crew of civilian volunteers, and the odd duck here and there who actually carried a badge and gun with purpose. Your one of very few Task Force members who has actually seen live combat. What do you think of that? Just don't give them automatics without teaching them trigger discipline.
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Jan 6, 2019 20:45
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Your discord link seems to be dead, so how does this look for a preliminary sheet for a goody two-shoes nypd detective who was forced out by corrupt elements?
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Jan 6, 2019 22:43
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Mid-Boss posted:Your discord link seems to be dead, so how does this look for a preliminary sheet for a goody two-shoes nypd detective who was forced out by corrupt elements? My bad, never made a server before. Everyone, this link to the Discord shouldn't expire https://discord.gg/h68fHBw As for your sheet, a little too heavy on the disadvantages. I'm leery of anything over 40, but over 50 is right out. You definitely need to lose at least 15 points worth. Past that, it'll be good to get some goody two shoes characters in and I'm eager to see your background. Everyone should be made aware that I'm only going to take 4 to 5 players. Right now we're at 5 exactly, so if we get any more I'll have to start making the hard decision of who to take on.
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Jan 6, 2019 22:56
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 The guy Beau wishes he was. The sides of the New York Police Department squad cars say "Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect". Beau strove to live by those words even when his colleagues did not, and his dedication to upholding his ideals stalled a promising career as a detective. Beau had stumbled onto evidence that several officers in his precinct were, with full knowledge of the Assistant Chief, planting drugs to inflate their arrest records. The embarrassment this would cause if the press caught wind would not fly - this was a reelection year after all. No, the whole thing would have to be swept under the rug. Officers were placed on leave, relocated, and privately chastised, but for Beau, justice had not been served. He wanted more, but was given an ultimatum instead - take a job in the Mayor's task-force, shut up, and quit making waves - OR - be blacklisted from every cop-job in New York. For a guy not long out of the academy, the choice was an easy one, and so until today Beau has been languishing at Kodiak, eager for a chance to do good for his city.
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Jan 7, 2019 01:36
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  Cyril was always an intelligent child, but he never quite learned to get along with the other children. Luckily, his fraternal twin brother Caleb always had a knack for making friends, and so Cyril wasn't left to his own devices growing up. The brothers remained close in their adult life, despite their paths diverging after the first four years of college as Cyril headed to medical school and his brother attempted to make his way as a reporter. Cyril enjoyed his studies into forensic pathology - he had always loved puzzles and mysteries, and (thankfully) he'd always had a strong stomach. Sadly, Caleb had been reporting on the Nobel Prize ceremony and became one of the casualties. When Task Force Kodiak had launched, Caleb quit his position to go work for Task Force Kodiak and find the people responsible for the death of his brother. Piell fucked around with this message at 22:42 on Jan 12, 2019 |
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Jan 7, 2019 04:08
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Mid-Boss posted:Beau Boffit Fresh out of the academy and your career is already dead, huh? Oh well, NYPD's loss is Kodiak's gain; hope you're ready for some on the job training. Some questions. You must have heard of Task Force Kodiak during your brief time as one of NYC's finest. What's the general word about the precinct concerning the Mayors apparent boondoggle, and your new place within in? Honesty and integrity make few friends, but what friends you find along the way tend to be steadfast and loyal companions. Have you got any friends back at your old precinct? Piell posted:Cyril Hodges A personal connection? Well, Kodiak is in need of all sorts. A man of your skill will be of high value. A couple of question for you. No hesitation at all, the minute you hear of the Task Force you quit your old job and join right up. Commenable of you. How disappointing has it been for you so far? A man of your considerable talents can only be indolent for so long. And of course, considering that Kodiak is technically part of regular law enforcement for the city, there's no reason why an expert couldn't lend his expertise to those in need. So, what do you do keep yourself busy, in your official capacity or otherwise? And if you could both answer the following 3. What's the worst thing you've ever seen during your time on this planet? Kodiak's pretty boring compared to some of the crazy poo poo that goes down on the streets of the world What's the worst way you've ever appropriated Kodiak material? You use your expense account to get your morning coffee? Grind on some MMO's during office hours? Speaking of computers, there's a lot of them here and only a few of you. Maybe you "borrowed" one or two or ten? Do you think there are little green men from outer space? Ghosts and goblins maybe? Do you want to believe or are you constantly looking for the smoke and mirrors?
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Jan 7, 2019 14:36
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quote:You must have heard of Task Force Kodiak during your brief time as one of NYC's finest. What's the general word about the precinct concerning the Mayors apparent boondoggle, and your new place within in? Yeah, I'd heard of it. The answer you get depends on who you ask. A lot of the newbies in the rank and file have no clue what Kodiak is about, and at the time, neither did I. To some, we're a joke - opinions are conflicted on whether we're a haven for the people who couldn't cut it at real policing, or the Mayor's boondoggle, set up to give his friends jobs. The guys who were paying attention when it was formed have more mixed opinions. They're more likely to know of us as "the anti-terrorist guys?" or "they're still around?" Some of the older detectives see it as a dream retirement job, getting paid to sit. To the guys who like action, that sounds like a nightmare. As for what they think of my place in it, they're baffled. Really, my only friend at the precinct is my old partner, Detective Davies, he's a little envious of the "cush job" but he's also the only guy still there that knows why I am where I am. Everyone else either wonders who I pissed off or whose rear end I kissed. The worst thing I've seen? I don't really like rehashing the gory details, but suffice it say, the worst thing I've seen is what man is capable of doing to his fellow man with time and power tools. Over next to nothing. Appropriated work materials? Why do you ask? Are things missing? We should file a report. I'm not proud to say I use my work laptop as a personal computer. Or that I spend a hell of a lot of time just surfing the web - and the Kodiak database (how are we privy to some of this info?). If things don't pick up I'm thinking of taking some online classes. As for aliens... God, can you imagine being there for first contact? My favorite Captain is Kirk, by the way. Look, I love scifi and fantasy, but as a cop I'm a natural skeptic, and anyway, it isn't likely to happen, but wow! Magic though? Spirits? Don't make me laugh. Mid-Boss fucked around with this message at 15:49 on Jan 7, 2019 |
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Jan 7, 2019 15:35
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What Task Force Kodiak The exact wording of Kodiaks remit is pretty nebulous. For those of you who read the founding documentation, the only sentence that refers to it's function reads as; “In the wake of the vile atrocity committed against sovereign citizens of the United States of America and it's allies, this document does bring into due effect an organisation of lawful persons with unrestricted powers to enforce the law of the land against the heinous, the inexplicable and the disorderly.” Well, heinous, inexplicable and disorderly do describe terrorism pretty well. What this means is over the years you've been called in for a wide variety of crimes “possibly” Kodiak related due to the simple fact that a lot of the time, dispatch doesn't really know whether they apply to you or not. From murders to kidnappings, to little kids wandering away from their parents in a park, to kittens stuck in trees. Of course, you've always been turned away before, either because the actual cops got there first, some other organisation like the FBI took command pretty much instantly, or because it wasn't actually a crime you could pursue. You are “Law Enforcement”. You're not cops, but you have all of the same general powers. Also in theory, NYPD is subservient to you, but I'd like to see you try and put that theory into practice. What actually happens in when they become aware of you, cops are pretty leery about untrained, unsupervised (mostly) civilians having police powers. This has been belayed somewhat by the structure and hiring policy of Kodiak, but expect a little bit of headbutting if Kodiak starts to rise in prominence. If you wanted to, you could petition to have an active case moved from regular NYPD over to you, but if any of your characters tried that over the years, assume you were refused every time. All this comes down to though, is that at game start the players chosen get to add Law Enforcement Powers at 5 points and Rank: Task Force Kodiak at level 1 for 5 points for free. What Task Force Kodiak Has The main resource Kodiak has is Kodiak HQ. A 3 floor building with a basement. Located in Brooklyn and an hours drive from JFK international, it's where you spend most of your working day. Well, all of your working day up till now. Floor 1 The ground floor contains your reception and front desk where you and any visitors have to pass through to reach the second floor. It's always manned by a secretary. Behind the reception room is a secure hallway, which leads to the main staircase and Infirmary. You're Infirmary is fully stocked with supplies and equipment which are state of the art... circa 3 years ago. Much better equipped then your average infirmary, it's got a fully stocked pharmacy, a clean room for emergency surgery and specialised equipment, like ultrasounds and portable x-rays. You don't have anything large, like MRI machines though. The Infirmary also contains the only elevator that reaches all floors, used for emergencies. You can access the Infirmary both through the secure hallway and staircase, the elevator, or through the secure garage. The garage takes up most of the ground floor, and has space for a fleet of vehicles. However, Kodiak only keeps 3 on hand for official business. 2 Black SUV's for general purpose work and a retired SWAT van, with the Kodiak logo sprayed on the side. Floor 2 Most of floor 2 is taken up by offices; both open plan for the drones and a couple of spacious, window lit offices for higher up staff members. Despite being the only field agents none of you qualify. It also houses your IT department such as it is. Finally, this is the floor where the Janitors keep their cleaning supplies, hidden away in closets here and there. There's enough desks for 20 or so agents, all stocked with computers, office supplies and whatever else. That is unless you've taken them for whatever reason. Floor 3 Floor 3 is something of a living area. 5 rooms of 4 bunks, with accompanying cabinet space take up most of the floor. You've also got a cafeteria (empty and unused. If you bring your own food in you use a fridge someone installed in an office on the previous floor.), a Gym, shower room and an all purpose utilities room. Perfect for washing and drying clothes at work instead of at home. Kodiak was envisioned to be much larger and much more intense then it has actually proven to be. Basement The basement takes up twice the floor space as the floors above. And it needs it. The main feature is the firing range and on site armoury. Again, built for a much larger force then the 5 of you, the armoury is built to stock necessary equipment for up to 20 agents. NYPD claimed most of it back over the years, but you still have standard issue glocks for everyone, stab and bullet proof vests, tazers, ammo and other basic sundry. You won't be needing to source anything yourselves working at Kodiak. (Well, nothing small scale anyway). It also houses your archival room, evidence lock up, holding cells (5 in the standard format), and morgue. The morgue is state of the art (again, circa 3 years ago) and connects directly to the Infirmary via the elevator. Basically, you're not cowboys, you're a legitimate, if unproved and untested, arm of the law. I may have missed some stuff off, but that doesn't mean you don't have it. If a regular police precinct would have it to hand assume you would to. If you want rocket launchers you'll need to find a seller yourselves, but for everything else the Kodiak operations budget should cover it, for now at least. Who Else Works At Kodiak You 5 are the chief field agents of Task Force Kodiak, but you're not it's only members. You are supported by a number of staff members to ease your integration into general law enforcement. Captain Steven Lee  65 year old Steven Lee is an NYPD Veteran. After getting injured 20 years into his career, he spent the next couple of decades and change piloting a desk, keeping his precinct in tip top shape. A few years from retirement, his transfer was requested directly by the Mayor. A master administrator, the Captain is in charge of keeping day to day functions running without interruption, and liaising with the various organisations you're likely to encounter; NYPD, Hospitals, the DA's offices, various Judges for warrants, arranging interviews with prisoners. He's also first in line for a bollocking from the Mayor whenever you gently caress up, so best to keep him on side. He's also in charge of the Armoury and investigating any “discrepencies” that may arise from it's use. Apart from the captain, you do run on pretty much a skeleton crew. Most don't actually work for Kodiak, their contractors that come in a few times a week, like you're mechanic that handles the cars, and your IT team (such as it is). NYPD handles your Evidence Room, to ensure the providence of evidence when it comes to actually prosecuting crimes. You could take that over yourselves at some point, should then need arise. But come on, it's not like you've actually got any evidence that needs locking up. As and when you need to, you could see about asking the captain to allocate more funds to your recruitment and payroll budget, to hire on some specialists to cover anything you're missing, but don't expect anything like that immediately; Kodiak has yet to prove it's value on that front. OscarDiggs fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Jan 8, 2019 |
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Jan 7, 2019 22:11
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Just out of interest, are we talking 9 mm or .40 S&W Glocks (since they're the two main law enforcement calibres)? I'm guessing 9 mm, since that's the one people generally think of when you say "Glock", but...
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Jan 8, 2019 03:00
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hectorgrey posted:Just out of interest, are we talking 9 mm or .40 S&W Glocks (since they're the two main law enforcement calibres)? I'm guessing 9 mm, since that's the one people generally think of when you say "Glock", but... It was clarified in the Discord, it's the TL7 9MM Auto Pistol
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Jan 8, 2019 03:03
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Piell posted:It was clarified in the Discord, it's the TL7 9MM Auto Pistol Ah, OK. Cool. Given that Glocks were mentioned, I had assumed it might be one from the High Tech weapons list. Are we looking at full magazine size?
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Jan 8, 2019 03:06
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hectorgrey posted:Ah, OK. Cool. Given that Glocks were mentioned, I had assumed it might be one from the High Tech weapons list. Are we looking at full magazine size? Stats from the book: 2d+2 pi damage, 2 Acc, 150/1850 range, 3 RoF, Shots 15+1, Min St 9, Bulk -2, Recoil 2 OscarDiggs posted:No hesitation at all, the minute you hear of the Task Force you quit your old job and join right up. Commenable of you. How disappointing has it been for you so far? Incredibly so. Three years of my life has been mostly wasted, and his killers have gone free for all that time. quote:A man of your considerable talents can only be indolent for so long. And of course, considering that Kodiak is technically part of regular law enforcement for the city, there's no reason why an expert couldn't lend his expertise to those in need. So, what do you do keep yourself busy, in your official capacity or otherwise? I've worked with my previous office (the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner) a number of times, assisting with forensics work. Otherwise, I've worked on getting myself better prepared for the more active duties this office was supposed to be performing, including weapons training and physical fitness. quote:What's the worst thing you've ever seen during your time on this planet? Kodiak's pretty boring compared to some of the crazy poo poo that goes down on the streets of the world I don't find it appropriate to discuss what has happened to the cadavers I've worked on unless it is in an official capacity. These people were victims, not some visceral story to be shared out for entertainment. quote:What's the worst way you've ever appropriated Kodiak material? You use your expense account to get your morning coffee? Grind on some MMO's during office hours? Speaking of computers, there's a lot of them here and only a few of you. Maybe you "borrowed" one or two or ten? I've never found it necessary to do so, my needs are relatively simple and the compensation is adequate. Also, it is hardly inappropriate to work on personal pursuits when no actual work is available. quote:Do you think there are little green men from outer space? Ghosts and goblins maybe? Do you want to believe or are you constantly looking for the smoke and mirrors? Aliens certainly exist, and there may be something behind all those stories from the past and strange occurrences that people experience all the time. I've seen no solid evidence of anything, but one can hope. Piell fucked around with this message at 03:27 on Jan 8, 2019 |
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Jan 8, 2019 03:15
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So, how's this coming along?
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Jan 12, 2019 04:48
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Closing submissions at noon tommorow and making the game thread either that day on Monday. We have 1 more person who said they were interested in making a character on the Discord and the extra time waiting for them let's me polish a few more things.
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Jan 12, 2019 11:20
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Richard Grey Richard Grey was born in Vermont and went through the police academy in Montpelier. During his training, the rifle skills he learned as a boy proved very useful, and he became a standout sniper candidate. Two years as a patrolman with the Burlington police force gained him a reputation as being rather odd, but spectacularly lucky. His big break came when his much-derided obsession with a lakeside cavern resulted in the biggest human bust in state history, as that cavern was used by traffickers as a waystation. A growing tendency to be in the right place at the right time covered up many blunders, and resulted in a chance encounter with a visiting New York police official and a job offer. For many reasons, he was uncomfortable with the idea of living in New York City despite accepting the job, and eventually decided that he would use the offered housing allowance to buy a cabin cruiser to live on. Things went well for about six years. He gained more respect when he figured out where a load of stolen movie props were hidden, but this was mixed with scorn when he insisted (despite all logic) that the props were actually genuine alien artifiacts. Things fell apart when the daughter of a prominant businessman, who was a high-level manager in her own right, was taken hostage by a disgruntled ex-employee claiming that he was fired to cover up her deliberate sabotage of the company. The standoff was overseen by a well-connected young captain who was looking to make a name for himself. When Richard attempted to set up a position that he simply knew was the right one, this captain overruled him in favor of a position that looked better to the news cameras and had coverage almost as good. Unfortunately, when the highly visible response caused the employee to haul the woman to the roof with a knife to her throat, the employee was shielded from rifle fire from the hostage's body - a problem the original site would not have had. This lead to the woman's throat being cut before a SWAT squad could take action, resulting in her death. The resultant firestorm caused the department to look for a scapegoat, particularly since the story refused to go away when the sabotage allegations were proven to be true. To protect his own career, the connected officer blamed the entire situation on his "incompetent" sniper, and Richard was railroaded out of the department. A fellow officer managed to secure Grey a job with Kodiak, which was accepted grudgingly because Grey still had a monthly boat payment to meet. He is no longer a particulrly dutiful employee,and there are persistent rumors that he's been quietly replacing the high-quality service ammunition in the armory with cheaper mass-market rounds.
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Jan 12, 2019 23:34
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Gnoman is the last submission I'll be taking now. Sadly I can only take 5 people, so I will have to drop someone. I plan on making my final choice sometime around Noon tommorow.
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Jan 12, 2019 23:47
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Okay. Thinking about it, I have made the final picks. Rhyos - Rick Keats and McGriddles, Ex Military MP and Dog Hectorgrey - Dr. Michel Van Acker, Belgian Physicist Midboss - Beau Boffit, Goody Two Shoes Cop Piell – Cyril Hodges, Actual Doctor Chitoryo12 – Bryce Mordred, Lecherous Cop Which unfortunately means, Gnoman – Richard Grey, Sniper Cop, won't be joining us this time. I'm really very sorry Gnoman; if this weren't the first game I've ever GM'd. I'd be willing to try it, but untested as I am even 5 might be to many. Thank you for submitting a character though. I will begin work on the game thread to hopefully be up today.
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Jan 13, 2019 13:17
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My bad, forgot to post the game thread link. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3879554
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Jan 16, 2019 10:47
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| # ? Jun 10, 2024 15:25 |
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I will be watching this with some interest! If you need someone to play and NPC or be a filler character at some, let me know. I have some ideas for the misfits that this universe loves!
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Jan 17, 2019 09:18
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