Interceptors Discussion II (attendance)

[quotemyname]

This is a continuation of this thread.

I really have high hopes for this team, and in order to make sure many of this team's goals come to fruition I have decided (after some discussion with other members) to take another look at the team.

I'd like to designate a Team Leader for out of character issues. The position will have no bearing on In Character stuff, it will just be to help with bookkeeping and decision making and such. I nominate myself, just because. Active team members should feel free to vote for and nominate whoever they think will be the best fit for the job.

It has come to my attention that some of the members of this team have not been posting as much as I would like. When you joined this team we asked that you be willing to post actively (enough for about 25 posts per month). Myself and the other team leaders felt that this was a reasonable requirement of less than one in character post per day (and it didn't even have to be in an interceptors thread!). The list of members that has been showing the dedication that we would like to see is: Gizmo, Heritage, and myself.

The point of this thread will be to determine what should be done with members that do not actively participate. This is as much a creative issue as it is a rules issue (specifically points contributed towards the team HQ).

In order to respect peoples real life needs in accordance with the system of play by post games, I would like to discuss what should be done with inactive members.

I propose the following:

:arrow: Three types of members: Active, Backup, and Inactive

:arrow: Only "Active" team members will be expected to pay for the Team's HQ.

:arrow: Active team members will have full access and control of Team HQ and Resources. Active team members may start and run Interceptor Threads and Adventures.

:arrow: Any team member whose active character becomes archived, they will be removed from the team roster. The points that they contribute to the team's HQ will have to be soaked up by the remaining active members. It's just not fair that inactive players help those of us that are active pay for things they aren't using. This would be like active characters getting power points for free and that isn't fair to other players on the site.

:arrow: Any team member that does not meat the 25 post per month requisite will be declared a backup member until such time that they prove they can rise back up to full active status. If they do not demonstrate their ability to do so within three months, they will be removed from the team. (see above)

:arrow: Any backup team member that demonstrates an appropriate reason for not being able to post as often as we would like (due to extenuating real life circumstances for example) will be allowed to remain a backup member for longer than the normal three month limit. Their case will be reviewed monthly, and I would like to request that they at least be able to stay in touch with other team members in some form or another to this end.

:arrow: Any player/character that wishes to join the team will be inducted as a backup member first. When they demonstrate that they are willing to properly meet team requirements, they will be upgraded to active status.

Any input you guys have would be greatly helpful.

EDIT: 2/1/10 reason: newly discussed changes to Interceptors charter

After some consideration, we have also decided on the following

:arrow: Expanded age range in order to encourage participation and attract more attention. The age range for eligible members has been expanded to 18-29.

[Gizmo]

To be fair, the holiday season probably presented an obstacle for a lot of people. With January well under way, however, I agree that we should be seeing more from the team as a whole.

The idea of reserve members makes sense, and the 'by-laws' as you've lain them out sound solid. Personally, I'd like to see who from the current line-up responds, since a few haven't been around for a couple of weeks now.

[quotemyname]

There are currently 5 of us, not counting Troubleshooter who was only in one thread which didn't even see completion. If the three currently active members vote yes to these items, then I think we can call this vote passed. Or, we could have Doc weigh in as a swing vote for good measure.

[Gizmo]

There are six, aren't there? The two of us, Heritage, blink, Warmonger and ex3lev3n, yeah?

[quotemyname]

Ah, yes. You are correct. I miscounted. Sounds like we will have to have Doc vote. I'll send him a PM.

[Dr Archeville]

I'm gonna wait for the others to weigh in before saying anything; you might not need my vote.

[Heritage]

I concur on the by-laws listed above; I too really want this team to work, and will do whatever I can to keep it going.

[quotemyname]

Okay so that's 3 out of six votes for yes. If no one else votes before the end of the month, we'll go with these rules, and assume that they don't object.

[Warmonger]

Well I would like to say I got some really good reason for not posting, but I don't. I kind of don't really want to play my char as much (I got reasons but they are kind of crappy). I mean I'll be back, I always come back, I'm just not sure when. I agree with the proposed rules and recommend you begin recruiting if you can find others. Till then place me on backup. Hopefully I'll be back within three months. Once again sorry all. Also I don't really know what happened to ex3.

[Gizmo]

Here's a thought: in-character, what about positioning The Interceptors as a sort of semi-formal network of young heroes? I mean, teen metas have Claremont and older, established heroes have made all kinds of connections, but if you're a twenty-something who nobody's ever really heard of and you get yourself into a situation you can't handle alone, who do you call? That way we could reasonably have a significant number of reserve members with a smaller core group, without worrying as much about filling slots or where people are disappearing to. The brownstones and Underground could work as a place for young heroes to crash or get medical attention if they can't go home for whatever reason. It'd also solve some of our concerns about publicity; to the public, it'd just look like a bunch of more or less random team-ups.

[quotemyname]

I read that idea... And instantly fell in love with it.

This would also solve the issue of determining who pays for the HQ. It will just be the core members that use it all the time, but if others are in a thread with us, we can easily take them inside and use the facilities.

However, there's just one thing I want to watch out for. The original purpose of the team was to have our members actively seek out and "Intercept" criminals. I'd rather not have the purpose of the team just become serving as a support network for other heroes in trouble.

[Gizmo]

Absolutely, but I think that can still work. This way, if there's a gang of super strong thugs about, we can call up some powerhouse type reserve members. If a mission requires stealth, or telepaths, or magic prowess, or strictly unpowered heroes... whatever, we can get the right group together and send people where they're most needed. Plus, having a larger network gives us a better chance of finding out about things before they go down, which plays into our whole proactive mission statement.

[Heritage]

I also like what I'm reading here. So how much do the three core members half to come up with next month to cover expenses? Q's right about the intercepting part, but I think that's covered more under the other thread.

And War, nice to hear from you! I know how it gets sometimes; I love my character, and I still sometimes want to take the occasional break from posting :D

[quotemyname]

The HQ and the MAVERIC cost a combined 34ep. Rounding up to the nearest 5 that's 35ep, or 7pp worth of Equipment feats.

Colt has spent 4ep on the HQ. I should be getting a boat load of pp this month, and I suppose I can delay hitting caps for a while to pick up the slack.

All of our characters are contributing 4ep. 34-12 = 22. We are basically going to need 5 more pp worth of Equipment to cover costs.

I'll purchase two more Equipment feats next month. Since Colt seems to be acting the leader it makes sense that I pick up most of the cost. That really leaves the two of you to come up with a combined total of 12ep. Think that's possible?

[Heritage]

I'll purchase two more Equipment feats next month. Since Colt seems to be acting the leader it makes sense that I pick up most of the cost. That really leaves the two of you to come up with a combined total of 12ep. Think that's possible?

Grim will be good for 2pp worth, so Jack woujld just need to spend 1pp.

[Gizmo]

Are you sure? We could split the ep cost more evenly if you like.

Equipment related note: is there like a standard grappling hook? Does the 'swinging' Super-Movement cover it? Maybe throw in a rank of Speed?

[angrydurf]

You can get a equipment Grapple gun for 2 ep that allows use of the swinging power. For each additional ep you can add a rank of linked speed I wouldn't go above 1 or 2 ranks of linked speed though.

[Heritage]

Are you sure? We could split the ep cost more evenly if you like.

Wait, I think I was thinking of ep like skill points, i.e. 1pp=4ep, when it fact it's actually 1pp=5ep, right? Actaully that still requires 3pp spent, but the extra 3ep could be used for something else for the character, I guess.

[Gizmo]

Have we nailed down how we're paying for the Underground yet? We should decide soon, with January's PP rewards coming up.

[quotemyname]

Just to make this easy, I'll buy 3 more ranks of Equipment. The two of you should buy one each.

Now, it is February. I think we can safely say that the rules posted in this thread can be adopted. So I'll go ahead and list the current members and their status.

Active:

Colt

JoAB

Grimalkin

Reserve:

All-Star

Razorwing

Elektron

Blink

Velocity

[Gizmo]

Suits me. (Gotta figure out a better shorthand for Jack... "JoaB" is just not flattering.) You realize, of course, that this makes the Interceptors' "Big Three" a boy scout from another world, a street-level vigilante who hates gun and a woman who's powers have mystical origins. The last one's more of a stretch, but c'mon, Jersey, Themyscira; same thing, really.

For the sake of argument, should we be looking at trimming some points or moving them around, now that the Interceptors general set-up has changed a bit? I'm thinking mainly about the MAVRIC; since Grim can fly and Jack could conceivably hitch a ride with Colt most of the time, how often are we going to need a big armored vehicle? If we do keep it, Jack should probably drop a couple ranks into Drive at some point.

[quotemyname]

We might as well keep the MAVERIC just for story purposes at this point. It might as well be bought and paid for by now. I seriously do have the points to throw around with colt. His power set is such that there are few things remaining that I need to buy with him. The point is the contingency of it all. If it turns out that we DO need a large armored vehicle at some point, then what are we going to do after we've put it up for sale by owner?

Also, we do technically have a team of inactive/reserve members we may end up having to cart around in big threads. We've already got it, we might as well keep it. We should also look into the powers again. We get more points to allocate once Jack gains a new PL. Since we're bound by the lowest in the group. So whenever that happens, we'll begin making those edits.

Also:

Suits me. (Gotta figure out a better shorthand for Jack... "JoaB" is just not flattering.) You realize, of course, that this makes the Interceptors' "Big Three" a boy scout from another world, a street-level vigilante who hates gun and a woman who's powers have mystical origins. The last one's more of a stretch, but c'mon, Jersey, Themyscira; same thing, really.

I lol'd :)

[Gizmo]

I seriously do have the points to throw around with colt. His power set is such that there are few things remaining that I need to buy with him.

Man, I wish I could say the same about Jack. Let's see, he needs some Luck and probably Leadership, Autofire on his Strike to get enough points into it to start getting some decent Alternate Powers, I'd like to set him up with Well Informed eventually to take better advantage of his his Charisma and he really needs a grappling hook at some point. Oh, and I'll have to meet PL caps next month if all goes well. Hurr... gotta figure out what to prioritize.

[quotemyname]

Luck, Autofire, Leadership, then Well-Informed. In that order. Luck saves lives, Autofire will greatly increase your combat flexibility, and while Leadership is a great feat, Colt already has it, so he can cover for you while you work on the first two. Well informed is nice to have, you're correct. It just so happens, I was thinking of picking that up for Colt as well, but probably not until next month.