X-COM 2 - 2019 Campaign Thread

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Lazybones
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Re: X-COM 2 - 2019 Campaign Thread

Post by Lazybones » Tue Jun 11, 2019 1:52 am

Shadani wrote:
Mon Jun 10, 2019 1:13 am
((Some of us have talked a little about what to do this week, strategy-wise, and a few questions about how things work came up. Figure this would be the best place to ask for some clarification! In no particular order:

1) Both research and manufacturing havea base output of 1d10. I assume this means we choose an 'active' research project AND a manufacturing project each week, and those points go towards that project. In addition to that, we currently get 1d6 medkits each week. Is that right?

2) You mentioned in the rules that people can work on projects that aren't the active project, and that you count your work against the cost of that project. Can we 'complete' projects this way, though? Could Bo, for example, decide to focus on making extra medkits or tools and have a reasonable chance of actually making some if that's not the active project?

3) How many points of progress does a 'success' represent? It's not clear how much we can expect to contribute relative to the base output.))
Good questions.

1. Yes, that's how it works. But each player character can only support one project.
2. You could definitely make an extra medkit or a set of tools. If you wanted to do a "big" project on your own (one of the ones that costs 10 points, for example), I'd probably let you finish if by plugging away little by little until it's done (assuming it's a task that lends itself to this kind of approach). Heck, if you all teamed up you could probably complete a project on your own, if you wanted to.
3. I was going back and forth on this, but I'm currently leaning toward +1 for a Success, +3 for a Critical Success. Originally I had +2/+5, but since some of you already have skill bonuses in the low double digits we'll be seeing Critical Successes left and right. :) Maybe I'll bump it up once you add new facilities to the Avenger. That would also help as projects get more expensive down the road.

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Mirgalen
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Re: X-COM 2 - 2019 Campaign Thread

Post by Mirgalen » Thu Jun 13, 2019 6:12 am

They were on a ship. An old Alien ship that the X-COM folks had repaired. Compared to the old base JD felt that it was an upgrade except for the food that was a crappy if not worse. They went out for a training mission. JD noticed that team coordination was still not at the top. They were in a small forest with gentle hills on the left and the right. They should have stayed in combat formation and picked one of the hill to explore and clear first taking advantage of the elevation to see the whole area and finish the job. Instead it was a bit chaotic. The trainaing was completed but JD felt that in a real battle someone could have been seriously injured or worse due to their poor coordination.

Back in the ship and after getting some rest it was time to help “”make stuff”.
“I think we should improve our capacity or production. The former would benefit the later.”

// Going to team up with Daud (craft mechanical: 6 iirc)

smartalec
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Re: X-COM 2 - 2019 Campaign Thread

Post by smartalec » Thu Jun 13, 2019 3:17 pm

"I remembered this old book," said Victor, pausing to look up from the machinery he was helping install, wiping his brow. "Was about old wars, how they were faught back in the old world. There was lots of talk about strategy, different battles, turning points, and all that." He shrugged turning as a worker pushes something he's working on into place, and he gets back to work, attaching wires with a soldering iron as he goes. His voice takes on a thoughtful tone. "And all that was important. Can't waste stuff. Gotta use it well. But just as important was having the stuff to potentially waste, you know? Keeping everyone fed, stocked with beans, bullets an' bandages."

"Vic exhales, taking a moment to take a drag on the nearby treasured cigarette - already halfway used. "I guess we'll always have to steal from ADVENT to survive, but man, after living in a place where we had almost nothing, I'm real keen to be sure we got beans, bullets and bandages to spare. If these folks have been in this fight since it started, they're in it for the long haul, so let's plan long haul."

"Wait, what? Guns?" He looks up at a question someone shouts at him. "Oh, yeah, totally. No way I'm charging a mech with a baseball bat again. Sheesh."

((Vic is putting his craft electronic knowledge of +3 to assisting the Improved Manufacturing Capacity!

And also seconding the choice of research on Magnetic Weapons.))

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Re: X-COM 2 - 2019 Campaign Thread

Post by Shadani » Thu Jun 13, 2019 3:39 pm

Easier to work than think. Easier to work than mourn.

Problem was, having all this responsibility thrust upon her meant there was no getting away from thinking. There'd been something comfortable about trusting Angela, back on terra firma. No need to think too hard about the big picture. Just do your job. Do the best you can, moment to moment. Day to day. Mission to mission.

That didn't turn out to be a great plan, though. Angela didn't really know what she was doing, no more than any of them did. So far, XCOM didn't really seem too different on that front.

Maybe she should have done more thinking, back then. Maybe Angela and the others would still be alive if she had. Maybe, if she'd been smarter, more aware of the dangers around her, then her mother would have -

Fuck. No. Bad thoughts. Stupid thoughts. Dangerous thoughts.

Over the next few days, Jesse threw herself into the work, helping Shen and the others dismantle, assemble, and reassemble the gear and machinery they'd need to upgrade the workshops. Seemed like the smart play. When you're working your way up to a tough job, you have to make sure you've got the right tools. And right now, it felt like they were trying to climb a mountain with nothing but a stack of toothpicks.

((Going for the manufacturing capacity project as well. If personal contributions only add +1/+3, that seems like all the more reason to get the upgrades that double our base capacity as fast as possible.

Hoping to contribute with a +12 to repair, on the assumption that a lot of refurbishing old machinery is involved. +10 to craft mech if that doesn't count as directly related.

For the research project, my vote's on the medkit upgrade, on the assumption that would give us an immediate benefit instead of something new to add to the list of things we want to manufacture. Seeing as we probably want to do the research upgrade after we manage the manufacturing upgrade, anyway.))

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Vanya Mia
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Re: X-COM 2 - 2019 Campaign Thread

Post by Vanya Mia » Thu Jun 13, 2019 5:31 pm

"Weapons yes, certainly," Bo rolled her eyes. "It's like taking a step back in time, boys and their toys. Build it bigger, build it better, make it hurt more when what we really need is to stay alive. Bullets and bandages you say but when it comes right down to it where does the thinking go? Taking life not saving it! Those toys are not going to do you much good when you're spread all over the floor making a big, red puddle."

"You go ahead and make your new toys." She waved a dismissive hand towards the equipment they were installing. "Just don't come crying to me when you get hurt and I don't have anything to help. Oh wait." She huffed dramatically. "You won't come crying because you'll be making that puddle instead."


((Research wise I back Magnetic Weapons, as the +4 from better kits is less effective than having more of them and the scanner is cool but not as critical.

I still think the manufacturing points should go into Improved Medical Capacity, as we always need more of the buggers and it would double potential production. We could then sit on med kit production and ignore it for a while. Though if it comes to a split decision I'd switch to Improved Manufacturing Capacity instead.

Bo however is not into heavy lifting or getting dirty. I'll throw her +9 Craft Pharmaceutical behind the Improved Medical Capacity regardless of whether it is chosen.))

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Lazybones
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Re: X-COM 2 - 2019 Campaign Thread

Post by Lazybones » Fri Jun 14, 2019 12:54 am

I am totally going to use this game as an excuse to buy some cool new polyhedral dice.

Thus far we've had 5 folks weigh in on the manufacturing/research options. I'll post the results tomorrow after the usual posting deadline (24 hours before game time).

LB

Klasa
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Re: X-COM 2 - 2019 Campaign Thread

Post by Klasa » Fri Jun 14, 2019 6:40 am

"That was how we won the war you know. We just outbuilt the enemy by such a huge margin that they couldn't respond in kind at all. Not that we can replicate that now of course, the Aliens far outmatch us in that capacity, but the same principle applies. The more you have the more you can do with it. And don't worry Doc, while it is true I'm sure we'll build more guns it isn't like the stuff we're building can /only/ produce guns, it can also be used to produce equipment and tools, medical included. It's not like the Assembly Line could only produce Ford Trucks after all. We used it to make the B22s too. Heck, Lucy even used it to package those vitavetavegimen things in that one episode- You were a Lucy fan, right? Kinda remind me of Fred at times, you know? In a good way, of course, Doc!" Henderson said with a chuckle before getting back to helping with what he could.

(The old man definitely doesn't have much as far as skills go towards contributing towards stuff unfortunately, unless driving or survival comes into play. Either way, I vote Manufacturing Upgrade and Magnetic Weapons as far as the manufacturing project and research go.)

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Re: X-COM 2 - 2019 Campaign Thread

Post by Karvon » Fri Jun 14, 2019 6:53 am

The training mission was confusing for Stanley; he wasn't clear on what they were actually supposed to be doing, so followed the others and tried to stay out of the way of anything that looked dangerous. He got a bit turned around and lost sight of the others at the end. He could hear them shouting at him though, so eventually homed in on where the rest were waiting.

Back at the baseship, Stanley happily continued his exploring and inventorying useful stuff he might need in knocking together some gear. With the downtime, he decided to see what he could put together in the workshop as that seemed more interesting to him than research at the moment and no one had specifically asked for his help on projects they seemed buried in.

//I'll do some crafting. If anyone has any specific requests you'd like me to consider, post them, otherwise, I'll just make something I find interesting in my browsing the options.

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Re: X-COM 2 - 2019 Campaign Thread

Post by Lazybones » Fri Jun 14, 2019 3:39 pm

The clanging of the alarm klaxon echoes off the walls as thick clouds of cloying smoke fill the air. Dazed engineers stagger out of the manufacturing bay while damage control personnel rush in to fight the flames.

When the blaze is finally controlled and the smoke clears, Daud and John stare at the wreckage of the new automated welding and repair unit that they’d spent the last four days installing.

“What happened?” Daud asked.

John just shakes his head.

Daud looks at the waste of days of work and finally smacks his hands together. “Well. We’d better start again.”
FROM: DR. RICHARD TYGAN, X-COM RESEARCH LEAD
TO: DEPARTMENT HEADS; MEMBERS, PLANNING COMMITTEE
CC: CENTRAL
RE: Research/Manufacturing Progress Report, Week Ending June 14, 2035

Well, we’re not exactly off to a rousing start.

The fire in the manufacturing bay set us off our expected timeline for the bay upgrades. I understand that Chief Chen is instituting new safety protocols to avert future disasters.

Unfortunately, our initial work on the Magnetic Weapons project has progressed at a similarly anemic pace, especially since a majority of the Planning Committee elected to dedicate their efforts to support the bay upgrades. I will remind our new recruits that research is just as important as manufacturing, if not more so. Remember that our adversaries have a significant technological advantage.
The dice were cruel to X-COM this week. I think it’s time to invest in a new set with better mojo.

Base rolls:
X-COM Research Capacity: roll 1 (1 point to Magnetic Weapons)

X-COM Manufacturing Capacity: roll 1 (2 points to Improved Manufacturing Capacity, 3 points to Improved Medical Capacity).
All player character rolls are on Improved Manufacturing Capacity unless noted.
  • Daud: +8 vs. DC15, roll 19 (Critical Success). Offsets John’s Critical Failure. +500xp
  • John: +6 vs. DC15, roll 1 (Critical Failure). Offsets Daud’s Critical Success.
  • Vic: +3 vs. DC15, roll 5 (No Impact).
  • Jesse: +12 vs. DC15, roll 10 (Success). +1 to project.
  • Bo: +9 vs. DC15, roll 18 (Critical Success). +3 to Improved Medical Capacity, +500xp. Because of the Critical Success I’ll say she also had time to build a Medical Kit from supplies in the medical bay.
X-COM Medical Capacity: 4 (4 new medikits produced this week)

+450xp for everyone for IC posts this week.

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Lazybones
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Re: X-COM 2 - 2019 Campaign Thread

Post by Lazybones » Sat Jun 15, 2019 6:07 pm

You get another message from Central a few hours after the firehouse mission.
Good field work, Alpha. Thanks to you we have some new information to go on. I’m disturbed by what you learned about the ADVENT research program at the covert site, but it will take us some time to sift through the data you recovered. Until then, we’ll continue working on the available research and manufacturing projects.

Research Projects
  • Magnetic Weapons. It’s pretty clear that we need to upgrade our weapons technology as soon as possible. We haven’t been able to capture any intact alien weaponry due to their self-destruct tech, but Chief Chen says we should be able to manufacture our own magnetic weapons if we invest enough time and resources into the project. She says that completing this project should provide us with a working mag pistol prototype, but more advanced models will require further research. [Research Cost 10, 1 point completed]
  • Motion Scanner. This is an interesting idea from the Science Department, using particle displacement technology to develop a scanner that can detect enemy motion, even through solid objects. Doctor Tygen says that the scanner should work to about a hundred meters out. One prototype will be provided when the project is completed. [RC10]
  • Improved Medikit. Doctor Ranma tells us that we can improve our basic medical kits to provide more effective battlefield triage. All current medikit production will be upgraded once this technology is researched. [RC10]
  • ADVENT Trooper Autopsy. Now that we know that ADVENT soldiers aren't pure human collaborators, but actual alien-human hybrids, close analysis of the fallen troopers' tissue might shed some light on physiological changes the aliens have made, while their armor could help us in the development of superior materials for our own construction projects.[RC5]
Manufacturing Projects
  • Additional Medikit Production. We all know that medical supplies are at a premium. We can dedicate a portion of our manufacturing output to augment what Doctor Ranma can put together in Medical each week, but that means a cut in other areas. [Manufacturing Cost: 2/kit]
  • Advanced Surgical Kit. Our medikits are pretty fantastic, but even they can only do so much. This kit, designed for field use, can keep a critically injured team member alive long enough for more substantial medical intervention back on the Avenger. [Game Note: this is a one-use Raise Dead device.] [MC5/kit]
  • Improved Research Capacity. Doctor Tygen has been requesting upgrades to his facilities in the research lab for some time now. This upgrade would allow him to work on two research projects simultaneously. [MC10, adds +1d10 Research Capacity/week]
  • Improved Manufacturing Capacity. Chief Chen says that a few simple upgrades should allow her to significantly improve production in the workshop. [MC10, 2 points completed, adds +1d10 Manufacturing Capacity/week]
  • Improved Medical Capacity. Doctor Ranma has submitted blueprints for a device that would allow her to produce more medical kits each week. [MC10, 3 points completed, adds +1d6 medikits/week]
  • Mundane Toolkits. Chief Chen can produce just about any kind of ordinary toolkit in the workshop. Just let her know what you need and we'll see that it's added to the queue. [MC varies depending on the tool.]
As always, be sure to submit your recommendations by Friday so we can maximize our production decisions.
Just as an aside, the stun lance was an improvised addition and wasn’t supposed to drop (all ADVENT gear is supposed to fizz whenever its owner dies). But since you recovered it, I’ll let Doctor Tygan break it down and use its tech to advance one of this week’s projects (maybe a boost to Magnetic Weapons). The X-COM equivalent, the Arc Blade, is still a little ways off.

Your training will continue this week, and we’ll be issuing class kits at the start of the next session. Be sure to weigh in on which kind of recruits you’d like to prioritize, as that will influence the type of mission available next time (scientist, engineer, or medical doctor). New recruits will add bonuses to X-COM production capacity.

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