Eclipse Phase: Terminal Velocity

[Joose]

It makes a quiet "boioioing" noise as you do so.

[Dog Pants]

Fuck it, I'm going back inside. Coming Tiny?

[munchkin]

Tiny is busy running at the invisible wall, shoulder charging it and bouncing off again and again and again.

He heeeeeeee bouncy air!

Bounces slightly too hard and falls over.

Hrmph.... gone off the bouncy air. yep coming back in.

[The Shutting Downs]

*Sigh* You're going to make me do some work aren't you Gort.

No, don't answer, it was rhetorical

I will do a search of the kitchen and living room for clues plz Mr Joose, what do I need?

[deject]

Well then I'll play back the message.

[Joose]

I will do a search of the kitchen and living room for clues plz Mr Joose, what do I need?

That would be an Investigation roll, and you don't have your skills yet. Having said that....

Well then I'll play back the message

When you play the message, you hear a little bit of exhausted breathing, then your own voice.

Barry, its you. I mean, this is you, I am you Barry. I've not got much time before he gets in here, so I'll keep it brief. This isn't real. I don't know how long we have been here, but I know its looping, and its not real, thank god its not real, oh god...

There is a brief pause with some sobbing. In the background you can hear screaming, and a whirring noise.

Shit, pull it together Barry! Right, the last couple of loops I've been putting this together. There was some sort of a glitch, only short, but it gave us back our memory for a second or two. Or I think it did, I don't know. I don't remember. Whatever, it gave me a second to make this. This program, its just a little macro, but it'll block the signal that's shutting out our memories. I think its working, I think, its all still blurry... just...by listening to this, you should be starting to get things back. I don't know why we are here, but god damn, you have to get out. Get us all out. I'm not sure we could go another go around without starting to lose it...oh god! OH GOD!

There is the sound of a splintering door, and a faint, wet sound. You can just make out the words "Are you a resident/guest of this house?" before the recording cuts out.

Like the recording says, things are starting to come back to you! Namely, skillzors. Have some skill-laden character sheets:

TSD
deject
munchkin
Dog Pants

Skills are pretty self explanatory: Just like perception, the number next to them (+/- modifiers) is what you need to roll under to succeed. Descriptions of all the skills, including examples of the times you might want to use them (a nice touch, I think) can be found on pages 176-185.

[The Shutting Downs]

Well then, rolling investigation whilst searching then (taking time as it would) gives me:

60+20:

Roll(2d10)+0:
2,2

Is that Epic Success there?

[Joose]

Is that Epic Success there?

It is indeed. There's nothing to find though, but at least you are damn sure about it. Apart from what you have found already, the place is empty, there is nothing in the cupboards or drawers, or under the sofa, or anything like that. Its like a movie set, empty of anything but the essentials.

[Dog Pants]

Edgar picks up an empty champaign bottle and examines it, turning it over in his hands.

This ain't right. None of it is. Hear that commotion at the end of the recording?

He takes the bottle by the neck and smashes it into the service droid.

Clubs: 50
Roll(2d10)+NaN:
1,9,+NaN
Total:19

[Joose]

I wont do a proper combat, as its only a cheap housework robot, and you definitely hit it. Your improvised club smashes into the back of its head, which explodes in a shower of plastic and circuit boards. Its body freezes in mid chop, and slowly falls to the floor.

As it hits the floor, a message box appears, floating in mid air. It looks like a standard Simulspace error message:

Code: Select all

Unexpected activity encountered. Adjusting scenario to compensate. This scene will reset when alterations are completed. Please wait.

Deject, do me an Interfacing roll, with a +10 (for an advantage I'll tell you about it you succeed)

[Joose]

*ahem*

Deej?

[deject]

heh oops

Interfacing (55) + 10: 4, 9: 49 Success!

in my first real use of my new version of my dice roller, I now realize I didn't add my right click code for the new stuff.

[Joose]

Deject, your Computer Skillzors show you that the system is going into some sort of debug mode. Normally, Simulspace cant be hacked as such from the inside, but the debug mode is giving you a console, a way of connecting from inside the system as if you were outside the system. It looks like this has happened before, as there are signs that you used it to add the Dictaphone to the program, and you have metaphorically wedged it open a little (hence the +10)

In short: You can hack this.

I guess this is a good time to outline the hacking rules. Its pretty simple.

1) Defeat the Firewall. This is an Infosec Task Action (10 mins), which means you roll against your infosec, and for every 10 under your target it takes 1 less minute to complete. So, in this case, your skill is 55, you get the +10 bonus, so your target number is 65. If you were to roll 40, it would be a success, and it would take 8 minutes to complete. Task Action details are on page 120 of the main rules.

2) If the system is actively being monitored by someone/thing, then you must make an opposed Infosec test. This means you make a roll, and I make a roll for the monitor. If you succeed you have got covert access, if I succeed I've spotted you and locked you down, if we both succeed then you are in but the monitor has spotted you and will make doing further haxing more tricky.

3) Do stuff. This can be pretty much anything relevant to the system you have hacked, and is done via another infosec test. There's examples to give you an idea on page 259 of the main rules.

Also, don't forget that you can get your buddies to help you out. For every person lending a hand, you get a +10, up to a max of +30. Its not something you will always be able to do for every test, but I will allow it for this kind of hacking, where you can talk them through what you want them to do.

[Dog Pants]

Can I assist by typing on the same keyboard?

[Joose]

The faster you type, the harder you hack!

[deject]

Well, let's try this!

I have to beat 65 again?

4, 3: 43 Success! yay

[Joose]

I have to beat 65 again?

Also, don't forget that you can get your buddies to help you out.

But never mind, 43 does it fine. It takes you slightly under 8 mins to get access to the system that is running the Simulspace. From here you can see that the environment you are in is one of a few dozen identical systems, all running with 4 or 5 people in each one. You cant see exactly what is happening in the other systems, just that they have the same program going.

You also manage to get access to your Muses restored, as a program in the environment was blocking them.

For those of you that don’t know, Muses are basically digital personal assistants that sit in implants in your mind. They are nearly always available to you, and can do things like provide you with information (usually any publically available information), remind you of things, act as messengers, or other similar tasks. They can take any appearance you like, and are normally only visible to you, although you can make them visible to anyone else who lets you have mesh access with them (mesh is basically personal wireless networking).

I'll let you all pick a name and appearance for your Muses before I carry on.

[Dog Pants]

I was going to post a picture of my muse, but the google image search produced too much NSFW to be lingering on while Sprog is still up.

Edgar is a simple man who likes guns, women, beer and whatever the post-Fall equivalent of Nascar is. His muse is named Daisy, and takes the form of an unlikely proportioned blonde in short shorts and a tied up work shirt. She's programmed to always laugh at his jokes.

[deject]

I'll keep on with the Archer theme and have mine be Lana Kane.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3D7Y_ycSms[/media]

[The Shutting Downs]

Kurt's muse looks like the middle one, named Shelley, and does provide information in the form of an airline attendnt.