Didn't they cap the 7 basic stats at 40? I seem to remember this, but can't find the rule... Otherwise -> Eeeeeeewwwwww :) -Joe

Ancient History wrote:

[b]A Word on Language[/b] When referring to genderless or intersex characters, I've chosen to use the formulation ze/hir/hirs/hirself rather than he/him/his/himself or she/her/hers/herself. Hopefully this won't cause too much confusion.

Just use the masculine or it/it/their/themselves. There's no reason to use tumblrfag PCspeak.

well, I've been following the blog since it started, but I've been lax on giving feedback, so I'll have a go, because I want to give incentive to you continuing. First, the bad: I have one major complaint regarding the content of Farcast: Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense Of Scale. By this I mean is that you've been inflating numeric values beyond reasonable expectations, which makes the entries harder for me to use as a GM. I'll give a couple of examples of what I mean. First, I will cite 082, the Breach, which is a staggering third of a light-year away. That's over three trillion kilometers. To get out that far on plasma rocket engines only capable of 0.01 g acceleration, you'd have to launch nearly ten years earlier and accelerate constantly to get that far out. And since it is specifically "a station" or "an outpost", it's just too impractical a distance at this stage of transhuman expansion. A closer distance of 0.03 light years, while still far, is much more believable. Another example is most of the NPCs have absurdly high skill ratings, especially for characters that are supposedly self-taught or mildly inept. I'll point out 066, Dewitt Y. as an example. Here we have someone that is explicitly self-taught in intelligence gathering, and he has multiple skills--most of his listed skills, actually--at levels at or exceeding 60, which, by book, is "Expert competence (competitive driver, marksman, PhD)" and some that exceed 70, which is "Experience from expert-level work, has had unique innovations or insights". Looking at his skill listing, this is someone capable of competing with James Bond, not someone that is suggested to be used as an annoyance or comic relief. So, my suggestion for this is simple: when you write up your NPC entries, look at your initial impressions for skill rates and drop them by 10-20. That'll make them more believable and less super-transhuman. Alright, enough of the bad, time for the good! The good is, simply, there are alot of really awesome character and setting ideas in here. I love the self-educated spy idea--a cross between the neighborhood busybody and the conspiracy theorist. Ideas that make my life as a GM easier, such as the Solnar, are a boon and help flesh out the setting. The Planet Killer has my players rubbing their hands in glee and shitting their pants in terror, often at the same time. Token started an hour-long debate on the legitimacy of her lifestyle, and got one player trying to purchase her to set her free. There are great and awesome character concepts here, which often inspire my own thoughts and ideas in directions that I know I wouldn't have taken on my own. I love the variety of exsurgent viruses that have been shown on the blog and at least a couple of types will be making an appearance in my game. Little ideas that help flesh out the setting, such as the k-flask or $ense are wonderful details for me to be able to throw into a session. Technology gone wrong, such as Shedder or the Eternal Puppy, got me thinking for my own ideas how things might go wrong in my own game; right now, my players are blessing the critical success that the nanotech programmer got on his programming test, because the design of the deconstructor swarm that they were fabbing had been originally modified from a smart acid, and the conversion had been sloppy, which would risk the swarm reverting or going haywire. I wouldn't have thought of that twist without those examples pointing me in that direction. NPCs such as Innata Jayne, who I already yoinked for my game, and groups like the relicteurs, help point out sociological niches that I would never have considered. So, to summarize, I love the ideas and the unique directions they point me towards, but I occasionally have issues with the precise details of the implementations, typically because those details feel like they were inflated from a reasonable level that feels both in line with the setting and the stated skill level of the character in question.

Well, I'd happily give them a look over as an editor before they get published. *innocent look* No, seriously! It's easier to keep up a stream of ideas when you've got a sounding board! :D All joking aside, though, the offer stands, if you want someone to look them over beforehand. Beyond that, a surprise? I love surprises! :D

I've commented on a few posts, but I have to say I love the blog. It feel in-universe, but still in a unique voice. Can't wait to see it in totality.

I hope you can keep it up, I really like them :)

http://www.farcastblog.com/2013/08/229-isotope-ants.html These remind of when I studied computer science, there was a student made game called "Ant Wars". You'd write a C program for your ants' behavior - each ant had a 16 byte memory and could only sense and communicate over very short distances, and you had to make your swarm perform a coherent strategy with that. Then our swarms would do battle, competing for resources and trying to eliminate each other. It was great fun.