Okay. Since we are definitely moving forward with this, I will start the Q&A thread for general questions. The recruitment thread will still be used for character creation.

Well, I want to get started fleshing out Rocinante, so here's where I'm going to do it (unless Al deletes the post and reprimands me). Now, Al said that the set up of the ship was up to us overall. Rocinante could be completely paid off and be the basic ship, or there could be upgrades and money owed on the boat. There are downsides to both. First of all, Fireflies are common ships. Everyone knows them, everyone's seen them, and their weakenesses are easy to exploit. That's the biggy for the basics. The downside to owing on the ship and outfitting her the way we want is obviously that money'd be owed to a person who'd likely collect at the end of a gun every month, and this is in addition to the normal costs of maintaining the vessel.

The standard stats for a Firefly are as follows:

Dimensions (LxBxH): 191 x 128 x 53 feet.
Tonnage: 2,400 tons.
Crew Quarters: Two double (one's mine... any suggestions on who's is number two?), three single cabins.
Fuel Capacity: 600 hours regular burn.
Cargo Capacity/Maximum Deck Load: 400/460 tons in hold #1; 100/220 tons in hold #2.
Passenger Capacity: Four double cabins aft of #2.
Gear: Two 20-ton shuttles.

That's really all there is that you really need to know. Now, there are programs you can buy to increase her performance and there are alterations you can make at the cost of tonnage and credits, sometimes sacrificing things like the shuttles, but in its current state, it requires a Maintenance cost of 1,920 credits/year. The more you add to it, the more expensive that becomes.

By way of comparison, Serenity's stats are:
Dimensions (LxBxH): 191 x 128 x 53 feet.
Tonnage: 2,400 tons.
Crew Quarters: Two double (one's mine... any suggestions on who's is number two?), three single cabins.
Fuel Capacity: 600 hours regular burn.
Cargo Capacity/Maximum Deck Load: 400/460 tons in hold #1.
Passenger Capacity: Four double cabins aft of #2.
Gear: Two 20-ton shuttles. Infirmary in #2 hold. Hover mule. At least six 50-pound, short range decoy missiles in cargo.

She also sports a few more programs, but her maintenaince cost is 3,872 credits/year.

Also, while you're thinking about it, you're going to want to define whether your character gets paid a salary, or wants a piece of the action after Rocinante's costs are all covered.

Cannons, I say! We need a cannon or two or three or seventeen, don't we? I mean, c'mon, I know they ain't much use against them big Alliance cruisers an' sech, but we need somethin'!

Or am I just bein' twitchy?

All considered, Dash'd definitely lobby for some "defensive" stuff. Might even whittle down his percentage of the take in order to get some iron strapped to the Rocinante.

I agree with Sam...defense should be a priority.
Never know what we'll run up against out in the wild yonder.

The Alliance don't take kindly t' civilian ships running the black with a cannon, so sportin' one'd make runnin' blockades an' the like a mite difficult. I'd steer away o' them obvious modifications.

This is the costs and such for adding different kinds of plating:

One point of Wound armor (damage resistant
hull plating) weighs 5% of ship tonnage, takes
up 1% of ship’s tonnage as volume, and costs 10
credits per ton of weight. One point of Stun armor
(electronic hardening, radiation shielding, etc.) takes
up 1% of ship’s tonnage (both mass and volume)
and costs 1,000 credits per ton.

Rocinante definitely needs an infirmary I think. I'm thinkin' tha' we do what the crew o' Serenity did an' use cargo #2 fer that.

Ya want t' upgrade the defensiveness o' Rocinante we could upgrade the manueverability, git us some decoy missiles like they done, an' we may want us a mule, er somethin'. Them 're some idears.

Still only 'ad one of you lot voice up with wha' kinda pay yer lookin' for.

Dash's in for the ride, full blown, takin' a cut o' the proceeds insurin' Rocinante's taken care o' first, 'course. What 'bout the rest ya'all?

A good defense negates the need for an offense, imho

I was thinking of of taking the last of my med school tuition and buying a share of the Rocinante...for better or worse, Willow needs to see something through to the end (I know, this is in advance of my background, but it'll make sense, eventually, hehe.

It is important that you have been together for sometime and on the ship. Therefore I will give you the following:

4 point to add to any of the ship attributes as you have a mechanic onboard steady for the last year.

You may add the Asset of "Loved" to the ship - meaning the ship will hold together beyond what is expected as long as the crew care about it.

You may add an infirmary as you have a resident medic.

The Quirk of the Rocinante is that whenever it starts a hard burn of the engine, the ship makes a noise throughout the decks that sounds like a horse galloping. It lasts less than a minute and no amount of tinkering will may the sound go away.

Not many ships beyond the Alliance miltary are armed in the Verse, and if the alliance finds armaments on a civilian ship - they will assume pirates and blow it out of the black.

I am very busy at work right now but I will post so more info on the weekend. We are looking good to go soon.

Hmmm...good point Van. That actually is more in line with my character's viewpoints as well.

From "The Art Of War":
Every battle is won before it is ever fought.
All warfare is based on deception. If your enemy is superior, evade him. If angry, irritate him. If equally matched, fight and if not, split and re-evaluate.

...get all logical an' make a point, why don'cha?

A'right, no boomers, I can get behind that all things considered... not like we'd be able ta do much ta them big cruisers with a cannon, no how. We'll just have ta dust 'em... Giddyap, Rocinante!

sorry Eol...I know how you hate pointy things

"Stop running with that point...you'll put yer eye out"

Been doin' some figurin' and prepped a sheet fer Rocinante tha' I've gotta run by the GM still, bu' it's pretty much the same story as the character sheet, so I don't think Al'll be put out. Anyhow's, I was lookin' at'cher suggestions an' this is wha' I've figured:

We be after defensivatin' Rocinante, so with them Attribute points Al's so generously offered up I says we raise Rocinante's Agility from a d8 t' a d10. That'll give us more manueverability an' I think with Dash at the controls that'll Dao-Gao-Yee-Chi Moh-Gao-Yee-Juhn any sah gwa we need t'. The other two points should go t' Alertness t' give us a heads up on ma fuhn. This'll raise tha' from a d2 t' a d4. If'n y'all don't have no problem with tha' I'll make the adjustments t' Rocinante.

Now, I already spent some credits t' purchase a large hover mule. I liked the way the crew o' Serenity could hoof it on that mule an' figured it'd be handy t' 'ave one ourselves, though I needs someone t' drive it cause I sure as hell can't. Leastwise, not that decent.

As far as outfittin' 'er further 'ere's the wave:

Wound armor (Rocinante)
120 tons/point.
24 tons volume/point.
1,200 cr/point

Stun armor (Rocinante)
24 tons/point
24 tons volume/point
1,000 cr/point
Each short range (100lbs-decoy [x5 cost] = 500 cr) apiece.

Now, I've spent a lot o' my lefto'er credits from gear purchasin' t' buy some basics fer Rocinante. Like I said, got the mule, added a garden bunk (figure tha' sits in the mess hall, 'bout the size o' a bunk an' can provide us with a paltry helpin' o' fresh veggies in the black), got 1 week o' protein paste fer all o' us; not the best tastin' stuff, but it's foodstuffs when we need it, outfitted Rocinante with 10 NBC masks in case we need t' worry 'bout gas an' the like. Placed these strategically 'bout the ship. 6 vacuum suits hang out in the hold, an we've 2 basic first aid kits (one in the hold an' one in the infirmary). I also purchased a medcomp for the infirmary. Any y'all wanna add t' this gear, it'll only 'elp us. Still need some more medstuff, real food won't be bad, but I figure we're dockin' soon so it'll be more likely tha' we're 'bout outta stuff.

Al, ya got any problem with this stuff, let me know an' I'll subtract. Otherwise, I've refigured Rocinante's maintenance cost t' be: 4,800 credits/year, or 400 credits/month. The four additional Attribute points raised the complexity t' Average.

I've sent ya my new character sheet figurin' this stuff in with Rocinante's sheet bein' a tab in there.

The following are about game mechanics. If any of this confuses you, feel free to ask.

How it is Done?
Any action is attribute + skill for a roll. The difficulty class of any action is rated as follows:

Easy – 3
Average – 7
Hard – 11
Formidable – 15
Heroic – 19
Incredible – 23
Ridiculous – 27
Impossible – 31
Sometimes when someone is working against you, then rolls are made in opposition. For Example, slipping past a guard unheard would be Agility + Covert/Stealth for the sneaker against the Alertness + Perception/Hearing of the guard. Highest roll always win in this game.

Of course, as it being an online game, I will be rolling all the dice, with the help of my daughter and wife.

What are Plot Points?
Note – Still not sure how this is going to work within an online game. This is the idea for the moment but I am open to suggestions.

Plot points are the characters chance to directly effect the outcome of the game. Everyone starts with 6 points, and can have a max of 12 at anytime. You expend plot points at any point in the game by adding a note at the bottom of your post or by PMing me.

Improve a roll – You call it before you do it. The number of plot points you use is the die you get to add (so 6 plot points equals a d6). For example, Wyatt wants to take out a Varmit with his gun. The Action is Formidable (15) due to cover. So Bromern says he is shooting at the man and added 6 plot points to his roll. So I would use his Agility + Gun Skill + d6 to roll his to hit roll, thus adding to the chances of being successful.

Save a Miserable Roll This is after the fact. You have failed on an action and you don’t want that to happen. Each plot point you expend is equal to a half point of increase. In online game play, this is done by a post to Q&A or a PM asking if you can change that outcome. For Example, Sam needs to pilot the ship through a tight space. I post that he attempts the move but fails and does considerable damage to Rocinante. Eol asks if he can change the outcome. I look at what he needed (19) and what he got (16) and tell him he needs to expend 6 plot points to change the outcome.

Stay Alive This will be what you use them for the most. You can effect the damage done to you by expending points. Each 6 points gives you a d6 of damage reversed. For Example, Willow has been shot for 12 points of wound damage. She only had 10 life points left and she needs to stay alive badly. So she expends 6 points to get d6 life points back.

Manipulate the Story You can change the story with 1-3 points expended. It can only be a simple change, nothing that will throw of the entire plot. For example, you meet with a major underground figure and you need an in with him. Kora expends 3 points to make it that she knows this man from the past. Not close friends but enough to make an introduction possible.

How do you gain Plots Points?
Your Complications are meant to make things interesting for the characters. Playing your complications is the best way to get plot points. Allowing yourself to be flawed, to make mistakes and in some way advancing the story will bring you plot points. Allowing your character to succumb to their “greedy” flaw or speaking honestly when the situation calls for a lie are food for plot points. Not every time you use a complication will net you points, only when it is done to advance the story.

For example – Wyatt and his crew have finished a job to find their employer is now dead, and his killer is standing over the body. Mr. Killer offers Wyatt three times what the employer was offering to pay for their job, as long as they just walk away. The money is good, and it would go well into fixing a huge pile of troubles. But Wyatt has Straight Shooter (Honest) and Credo (Loyalty to Word) as complications. He looks at the body. He looks at the offered platinum. He draws his gun and shoots.

You also get points for completing challenges within the game, doing cool or interesting ideas that make the story fun or exciting.

A Brief Guide to the Verse

Central Planets are the wonderlands of peace and technology. Plenty of food, housing, work and no one wants for anything. Well, that is what the brochures say. These planets are controlled tightly by the alliance, security is everywhere and people are encouraged not to ask questions. Not everyone is wealthy in the core, by those that aren’t are keep out of sight of the important people.

Ariel – High tech. Known for its medical facilities. Fantastic restaurants if you got the coin. Restricted landing zone – must have business on the planet.
Bernadette – One of the first planets terraformed for the settlers of Earth that was. Now the springboard of most that leave to settle elsewhere in the Verse. There is a huge underground slave market on this planet, scoping people to work the terraforming stations.
Londinum – Most like Earth that was. Home of the Alliance parliamentary buildings and governing complex, the main industry here is bureaucracy. This is the centre of Alliance Central command.
Osiris – The heart of the alliance legal system. Also the home of the Blue Sun Corporation – the biggest, richest corporation in the Verse. The Blue Sun Logo is everywhere and they have a hand in making everything (P&G meets Nike meets Microsoft)
Sidnom – Known for its beauty, this is the religious centre of the alliance. It is also home to many of the prestigious guilds, including the Companion Guild. Another landing restricted planet however they have so much traffic coming and going that passes are easily obtained or forged.

Border Planets are near enough to the core to be watched and monitored but far enough to get away with a bit more freedom and criminal undercurrants. Rich people get to indulge themselves more and the poor are allowed to be poorer as well. Tech is common but not wide spread.

Beaumonde – A heavily industrialized planet, and the manufacturing hub of the system (most owned by Blue Sun). Security is tight around docking ports near any Blue Sun plant. The pollution around the cities is very bad, so much so that you can’t see the stars at night. There is also ranchers and agriculture on the planet but far away from the cities.
Bellerophon – Home of the private estates of the wealthiest of folks - each one the size of a small town and floating a mile above the oceans of the planet. The rest of the planet is desert. Access is restricted to owners only and workers who have to be screened or have passes to go planetside.
Boros – Vast prairie lands, some cities with industrialization. Boros is the scrap metal capital of the world. The moon of Ares is the primary military shipyard.
Hera – A largely agricultural world, considered the breadbasket of the Verse. Home to the famous Serenity Valley battle.
Newhall – Newly Terraformed with large oceans. People live on floating stations or on small islands. The planet main industry is water.
Paquin – The Gypsy Planet, Paquin is home to carnivals, galleries and circuses. There is a grand opera house on Paquin and every form of entertainment imaginable.
Persephone – Very diverse climate, much like Earth that was. Has the largest spaceport in the Verse (Eavesdown). There is a tradition oriented aristocracy in Persophone that controls much. But there is also a huge underworld market on the planet as well.
Santo – A planet that was once considered prefect, was haven to hotels, casinos and clubs. The war devastated this planet and it is only now beginning to recover.
Verbena – A lush world of thick forest. This world is largely unused now after attempts to settle here were destroyed by the war.

Rim Planets are far way from the alliance. Tech and civilization is a bit sketchy here, but people learn to make do with what they got. Much like the American old west.

Athens – Rapidly changing weather and winds that blow constantly. Athen was ravaged badly by the war, many cities bombed out by the alliance. Legal savage operations have begun in those cities now to anyone will to bid on a contract. Athens has four moons all terraformed and settled with farmers. Reavers prey on these moons often.
Beylix – The system’s garbage dump. Trash is the industry on this planet. The place to go to start a new life or find parts for a ship.
Ezra – Once a peaceful world with farmers and ranchers, the war threw this planet into chaos. Criminal lords fight over territory as law enforcement has become non- existent. Eveyone travels armed on Ezra. One crime lord has a floating skyplex orbiting Erza – Adelei Niska.
Greenleaf – Massive jungles, rainforests and the home to all the major drug and pharmaceutical companies in the system. There is a huge drug-smuggling out here and alliance is aware of the matter. Landing is restricted as best can be, but many “unofficial’ spaceports exist in the jungles.
Haven – A mining moon run by mostly independent miners. The Miner’s consortium tries to blockade this planet or use spies to sabotage production.
Higgin’s Moon – This moon produces a clay that is used in ceramics for spaceports, ships and hundreds of other uses. The owner of the moon (who won it in a game of cards) is a man named Higgins who uses mostly slaves and indentured servants to do his work for him. The people on the moon call themselves Mudders and sing songs about a hero named Jayne Cobb.
Jiangyin – A small planet suitable of ranching and farming, life is a simple lot of hard work and an honest day’s pay. Each town is left to govern itself and the alliance has no interest in policing the world. Among the core planets, it is considered the most backwater place in the Verse.
Lilac – This planet is plagued by heat and a serious lack of water. Badly terraformed, farmers here fight a continuous battle against the elements. To make matters worse, Reavers’ territory is very close.
Regina – A mineral rich planet controlled by the mining consortium. Over three quarters of the planet population works in mining. A disease called “Bowden’s Malady” is rampant here, though drugs from the alliance do come on regular (semi-regular) shipments.
Shadow – A planet known for great farming and ranching, it was aggressively bombed by the alliance during the war. Shadow is now a ghost planet – no one can live there for long.
Triumph – a Tiny Moon in orbit of a gas giant. This place is a haven for those who want nothing to do with the modern world. It is like the Amish of Earth that was – no tech, no communication and no comforts. Often preyed upon by bandits and thieves – the people try to live a simple life. Women born here are treated as subservient and given as property to men.
St. Albans – The coldest planet in the Verse; snows all the time here. Mostly mining is the industry here, by independents because the consortium does want to settle here. There is a very strong minded community here that looks after each other no matter what the situation.
Miranda - A blackrock planet. Terraforming went wrong and killed the settlers. Can not by inhabited and salvage is not likely as it is within Reaver territory.

Firefly goes MMO
Looks like the Firefly universe will be online soon for all of us Serenity junkies.

Shiny.

I've never been a fanboy of anything before until Firefly. Now I count myself among the throng of people that bubble with excitement at anything new concerning Joss' genius and what is Firefly.