Hi everyone I need help with making my EP game better, essentially Im shooting for if "EP was real and all this was infact possible" how would it realistically happen. Below is my first session of my new game and I am feeling a little lost on what is possible / not possible in EP for what the players can do/NPC's can do, resources involved and all that. If you all would not mind with helping me with consructive criticism, suggestions or whatever I would appreciate it. Areas I had specific Q's I taged with (GM Q and then some text ).
Here goes with the summary of the session
The Barsoomian Gambit
Session 1 Summary:
[i] The Fire Wall Sentinel Team code name ******** (Consisting of 5 Team Members in 6 Morphs (one member was running two alpha forks in two morphs) was tasked by their handler, designation ************ to investigate unusual activity at an extensively damaged Martian Dome habitat just inside the Titan Quarantine Zone. Firewall assets had noticed shuttle flights into the Quarantine area that were been removed from mesh records and out of satellite databases. The Sentinel Team discovered via adroit use of mesh research and infosec a well written AI Virus that was designed to eliminate references to activity in this area of the TQZ and to alert an unknown source to intrusions noticed by standard surveillance of the TQZ. The Sentinel Team took note of where the AI Virus was taking its information from via careful infosec surveillance (XP uploads, mesh recordings, Specific Satellite networks) and decided it would be far too difficult to remove the AI Virus from the Martian Mesh and keep the removal unnoticed from those that uploaded it.
The Sentinel Team however still had to infiltrate the TQZ covertly, this was aided by a member of the Team who is a Martian Ranger (who patrol the TQZ) code name *********. ********* provided ****** the Teams infosec specialist (an AGI) via their ****** contacts access to an off the books satellite network watching the TQZ. The infosec using the access info infiltrated this satellite network so no trace of their presence in the satellite system mesh would be left. The specialist quickly realised attempting to hack all the satellite coverage of this specific area (using the current satellite network as starting point) of the TQZ would be a mammoth undertaking and very difficult decided instead to use the satellite coverage to observe the other satellite’s in a attempt to plot a course to somewhere near the TQZ target site that would potential avoid satellite coverage (the course would be updated in real time during the trip) and then proceed on foot to the target location (GM Q I ruled a navigation role to plot the course and update it in real time as they flew and a pilot roll from the pilot to react to sudden course changes).
*** used their hyper corps contacts to secure a flying security car (Martian variant) for the trip (a Rank 5 Favour) and Martian Ranger asset lodged a guided tour of sites near the TQZ as a cover with the Ranger as the Tour Guide. Using real time uplink with the satellite system to avoid as much satellite surveillance as possible and flying as low as possible to limit visibility the team piloted to within 10km of the TQZ and went by ground for the rest of the distance. Upon approaching the TQZ area of interest the team encountered a sensor wall, Metal Poles made from smart materials with a full sensor suite on top scanning the area. The Ranger asset had the encryption code to access the sensor net (it was a Martian Ranger sensor wall) but did not want to alert Ranger HQ to his presence, therefore the infosec specialist in her swarmoid form dug into the sand spread out and approached the sensor net, theorizing that the Martian soil would ablate her heat/electrical signature and provide cover from the sensor net. (GM Q: I decided this was feasible so I ruled an Infiltration vs. Perception of the sensor net to get close with modifiers for the sensor nets enhanced sensors and modifiers for the swarmoids small size, low heat signature and been buried under the Martian Soil).
At this point the swarmoid infosec specialist made a critical mistake in approaching the Sensor Net and one the other team members silhouetted themselves at a critical time (GM Q both critically failed their infiltration rolls) and were spotted by the sensor net a nearby AI-driven Reaper synth flew in to investigate (resulting in the above two Team Members hiding and hoping the reaper would go away) just as this happened a nearby covert-ops team who had gained access to the sensor net shut it down and the Reaper Synth via a hacked back door into the system (with a command for the sensor net to return a maintenance routine to the Martian Rangers), as they came in a Martian Buggy they saw some of the team only a fraction of a second before the team saw them.
The Team attacked as the Covert Ops group bailed out of the vehicle wrapping their invisibility cloaks around their chameleon armour. Just before they could get out of the way one team member caught them in a Seeker Standard Plasma Burst Missile incapacitating two of them. The remaining two returned fire with Fully Automatic Type 86 Rail Gun Machine pistols cutting down the Seeker Gunner but the third member was noticed by another team member and caught in a hail of sub-machinegun fire cutting him down. The last managed to “fade” and vanish making his way to behind the sub-machine-gunner however the infosec special closed on the down sensor using the encryption key hacked her way into the system as a “hidden status” intruder and turned the sensor net on (isolating its data output so it reported “situation normal”) locating the invisible Covert operative and linking the sensor data to the Sentinel’s Tactical Network, the Submachine Gunner knowing exactly where his target was cut him down in a hail of smart bullets before he could fire.
The Sentinel team knew the covert-ops team would be missed and also knew they needed to deal with the op’s teams cortical stacks (they determined quickly that each probably had a emergency ego caster but it had not been activated yet the bearer had to either activate it or a set of circumstances (i.e. dying) had to activate it). While team member 1 used a portable nanofabber to repair/create the damaged invisibility cloaks for the Teams Usage (GM Q how long to fix this?, I decided that they could process the Invisibility cloak (which use metamaterials) and pump out 4 “virtually new” copies using the damaged ones as a basis very quickly-15 Mins as the nanofabricator special list got a exceptional success on programming the fibber and a hardware (electronics-for the invisibility cloak) critical success on understanding how the cloak works is hardware-Electronics the right skill for the Cloak? ), The second attempted to remove the Cortical Stacks, however he made a critical error (Critically failed his medicine/demolitions roll) and blew the stack causing all 4 to “emergency far cast”. At this point the AGI infosec specialist headed off a approaching Ranger by sending “false Data” from the sensor net and linked to the Reaper (GM Q which was shut down and imho vulnerable to uploads due to the shut off switch from the covert-ops team and the infosec’s intrusion into the Ranger Sensor net which the Reaper was connected too) and uploaded herself to it, taking it over.
At this time the incapacitated team member (the Seeker user) who is staying behind as his synth is badly damaged uses his nano-swarms to consume the remains of the 4 covert ops team members for raw materials and clean the battle site, leaving the Martian Buggy (slightly Singed-They are really tough) there and buried himself in the sand while his medichines repair him. The reaming team members with an the AGI infosec specialist now in 3 Synth Morphs (the New Reaper with a Virtual Reality left in the sensor net showing the Reaper Patrolling as normal) head off to the Martian Dome seeing definite activity (heat bloom, electricity sources, movement) and a sensor net around the dome. [/i]
That is where the 1st session ended I am curious do the above situations sound reasonable? Can anyone offer constructive criticism? Does the sensor net near the TQZ sound sensible? What about the groups actions in defeating the challanges? How can they defeat a covert-ops teams sensor net around the dome? (I assume in would be pretty much every sensor in the main rules)? How long before the covert ops team is missed and some one push’s the panic button? How long till the covert-ops team is re-sleeved for interrogation/give the report to their officer in charge? How long does the group have to get into the Martin Dome habitat and sort things out? The enemy is very well funded and equipped, how many would be investigating the dome?
Just would like some help with this mission structure as I am feeling for some reason a bit lost with EP atm. Any and all suggestions or further clarifications/questions are welcome.
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Help with my Eclipse Phase Game (making it more "intune with EP")
Sun, 2011-05-08 23:21
#1
Abhoth
Help with my Eclipse Phase Game (making it more "intune with EP")
Mon, 2011-05-09 10:57
#2
nezumi.hebereke
Re: Help with my Eclipse Phase Game (making it more "intune ...
I can put in my comments about my personal understanding. Of course, they will vary from game to game, and don't take them as canon truth.
Is there a reason real-time monitoring didn't pick up on this?
Again, you have the issue of real-time monitoring. Also, I imagine given how cheap the technology is, you would have very many satellites canvasing the area, so I don't see a lot of dark zones floating around. However, if you're already outside of the TQZ, you can either enter by ground or something else with an extremely light signature and perhaps evade detection, or launch something so fast and loud that you'll get to the target before defenses can scramble. Another alternative is to depend on the weather for cover. Mars has awesome dust storms, which will blind most sensors very effectively. Finally, if some people can pursue you, that implies some people are permitted to enter the TQZ. Add yourself to that list and you don't have to hide at all.
Also, it seems odd that a Ranger would be given so much access. From my job, I have privileges to do what I need to do, but I can't access data, muchless manipulate it, unless it relates to my specific duties. The best I can do is get through some of the defenses so any hacking is easier (with the downside that, if it's detected, it's traced right back to me).
Your fence sounds a lot more busy than mine does! Realize that the TQZ is HUGE. IMO, it's too large to regularly station morphs or even patrols. The best you can reasonably do is post warnings, effective surveillance, and have fast response squads. But all of those will still be limited by cost.
Given the cost and risk of infection, I would tend to assume emergency ego casters are probably not issued for Rangers. Reading through, I'm not sure why the characters weren't dead (and hence, egocasted out), but that's not a big deal; you probably did everything right, and I'm just reading too fast.
Assuming the character has a fabber with him plus the necessary feedstock, I would tend to rule he first needs at least partial blueprints to enact a functional repair (which he can draft up himself). Repair time would be a fraction of the normal time to build one from scratch. Given successes like you got, 15 minutes isn't unreasonable, but the understanding is that this guy is pretty much a genius.
That's neat, how you used the emergency farcaster to turn the body into a bomb. Bear in mind, the emergency farcaster is indeed explosive, so I would rule that the operating character (and anyone else next to a body) would have to roll something to avoid damage. I'm not sure though why you were bother to remove stacks. No witnesses?
Not 100% with you here. The hacker connected to the reaper (which had been disabled and, I assume, thoroughly hacked, but is functional), to connect to the sensor net to send data up through the sensor net back to the rangers suggesting something going on at another location?
As a GM, my issue would be firstly, you can't connect to the sensor net without an infosec roll (or three), assuming the net is even intelligent enough for it to function like that. Secondly, the rangers would respond by sending squads to BOTH locations.
I have no problem with disabling an AI-driven reaper, then uploading a character to it. Uploading from a cyberbrain toa cyberbrain takes about 10 minutes.
There are a few methods. First is using cover and reducing your signature. Second is portraying yourself as someone who is permitted access. Third is approaching from an unwatched direction. Fourth is to use smaller, remote tools to interface and modify the sensors and create a dark zone. If its active sensors, you should be able to map them out with the right tools, and that helps you avoid them. If they're passive, you'll just need to be smart and lucky. If it's a poorly engineered facility (as many facilities are), you may also be able to hack wireless signals to mess with the sensors that way.
Given the available technology? Not long at all. There's no reason the events couldn't be watched in near-real time by an AI who can immediately request backup.
Much longer. They need to be tested and quarantined against possible TITAN infection.
I don't think the rangers would follow them into a foreign dome like that. They'll wait outside (and probably kill anything that exits and test it at their leisure). As for your bad guys ... depends on details you haven't outlined here (how important is the dome? How well populated? How close is bad guy infrastructure? Are the sentinels detected, and if so, as what?)
Assuming this is an empty dome of low significance, the sentinels would be rated 'suspicious local activity'. They'd probably deploy some drone sensor nets to classify the sentinels, and a fireteam or two to round them up.
If the dome is of high significance, it would be a function of value of the dome, so if the dome is worth $10M, you might spend $5M to defend it against a certain attack, $500k against a possible attack. All of this is capped by their signature; they can't use stuff so big that the Rangers notice it.
Tue, 2011-05-10 21:02
#3
Abhoth
Re: Help with my Eclipse Phase Game (making it more "intune ...
My net has been down for a bit and I want to reply more fully but in the mean time a short response, in the introductory eclipse phase adventure (on which the above home brew mission is based) called Mind the WMD a guanxi network has infiltrated the TQZ and started excavating for titan artifacts. While this was going on the firewall team hit the Dome City where this was happening and they were consequently followed by an unknown black ops team.
How did they get in? In the adventure it doesn’t even say the “security barrier” even exists but it must nor is there any mention of how the various parties evaded the TQZ barrier surveillance.
Given what you said about Real Time monitoring by AGI’s and AI’s and the ease of using such technology would they approach the TQZ using some kind of vehicle equivalent of an Invisibility Cloak? With radar avoiding design and flying low enough or even driving to reach the perimeter of the TQZ and then they breach the sensor net at the TQZ barrier? To breach the sensor net around the TQZ I guess they can use the same suggestions that you gave for breaching the sensor net around the Dome City.
Sorry I was not clear but the 4 man team that intercepted the Firewall group were not the rangers but a black ops group that had setup shop watching approached to the dome city where they are excavating (they had already bypassed the TQZ security barrier). The Reaper been nearby on a random patrol was simply a response to a critical failure on an infiltration roll by one of the players.
I guess I can retcon things a little for the group to make it make more sense, the idea was that the players would get close to the Dome before anything happened but lots of really badly timed critical failures kind stopped that. The ego casters for the black ops team are obliviously going to be examined carefully for exsurgent virus which will give the players some time to act but not long, as regardless the Dome is now on full alert and they Still Have to Infiltrate a Live and Aware target now.
They could use there martian fly car with Seeker Plasma missles via AI to be a distraction while they cut a hole in the sensor net and infiltrate? When you cut a hole as you mentioned How? I don’t see the gear in the main rules? How do you defeat X-ray, Gamma-Ray, T-Ray, Lidar, Enchanced Vision, Motion Sense, Thermal etc sensors? I assume some technology exists that diversts the sensor tech by creating barriers (like the reverse of a T-Ray to cancel out a T-Ray or similar technology for defeating sound sensors, creating opposing waves of sound to cancel out things and using a invisibility cloak helps with the enchances senses and thermal vision). Any suggestions? More later I guess and thanks for the help!
Wed, 2011-05-11 12:05
#4
nezumi.hebereke
Re: Help with my Eclipse Phase Game (making it more "intune ...
I haven't played this mission yet, so to a degree I'm wandering in the dark. Unfortunately, like most missions, they try to cram as much action into as small a word count, so they do sometimes leave out details the GM needs to fill in (sorry!)
Like I said, I would be mildly surprised if there was a literal 'barrier'. Who is the barrier there to keep out? TITANs? If they're rolling out, I doubt a fence or wall will do much. Normal travelers? Generally a sign saying 'Warning: TITANs' will suffice. Plus the cost of walling off such a huge area is certainly non-trivial. The better response, IMO, is to mark it off on all maps, keep it under observation, and provide strike teams to react to incursions. Even with that, the fiction seems to suggest people regularly fall past that line (on purpose or not). If the Guanxi is operating in the area, they MUST have done something to keep the heat off, otherwise they'd already be tagged and dealt with, so the PCs may just benefit from that.
HOWEVER, given the functionality of nanomachines, there's no reason why they couldn't have set them out to just create a fence or wall like you described, so I don't think you have to retcon. Just roll with it.
The armed Guanxi response due to critical failures seems fine, as long as it has a reason.
That, or using concealed routes (remember Mars is very craggy, and flying down a cave or valley provides excellent concealment). The vehicle rules are pretty weak, but I assume there's plenty of stealth equipment available that Firewall agents should be able to get access to. Or again, have them fall into the Guanxi's protected channels.
When it comes down to it, no one has seen a TITAN threat for 10 years, and the Martian government has more immediate matters to win voters over with than keeping a perfect perimeter. You can play the perimeter up or down however is appropriate for your game, due to the capriciousness of politics.
Remember that the sensors are part of a larger system. Sensors map the area and track anomalies. Their data is gathered and sent back to be assembled into a cohesive map. Anomalies are rated. The computer must decide which ones are worth raising an alarm and which should be ignored. This data must be passed on to the appropriate parties for action. Those parties then must go out and find said anomaly and be able to address it. A break in any of these steps creates a hole. The sensors themselves aren't perfect. They are going to have trouble telling a swarm from a dust devil. They can't penetrate deep underground or around odd geological outcroppings. They have limited fields of vision, and while sensors should have overlapping fields, that won't always be the case. Sensors break down, and with that number of sensors, you will have a non-trivial number of failures (failures will be investigated, but it may give you an opening to install other hardware).
Once you get access to either the wireless signals (remember you can use directional sensors to extend your listening and transmitting range) or wired lines, you can then begin hacking to interfere with all of the OTHER steps in the infrastructure.
Remember that you don't have to defeat everything. If something is on one type of sensor but not the other ones, it'll probably be marked as an anomaly of the sensors and watched to see if it goes away. But ideally, you'd want to go through layers. Be as small a target as possible. If you look like a martian rock, the fact that you roll won't make a huge fuss. Take advantage of the environment. Martian dust storms are very common, and they blow tons of iron flecks in the air (aka chaff), blocking just about any type of sensor which is likely to see you. Caves and chasms still offer cover. Disguise yourselves as those guys you just offed. Or yes, create a diversion.