larkers | PLOT ENGAGEMENT (ARCHIVED)

PLOT ENGAGEMENT (ARCHIVED)

> PLOT ENGAGEMENT (ARCHIVED)

What is Plot Engagement and how does it work within Meadowlark? This is the page where players can come discuss with us how to facilitate plots within the setting. However, there will be occasions where a plot doesn't work within Meadowlark's world, and we'll suggest alternative routes. For small worldbuilding or gameplay details, please direct your question to the FAQ. If you're ever not sure if you're at the right page, don't worry—we'll help you get it sorted out. We know we have a load of info!

WHEN WILL YOU HEAR BACK?

◉ All Plot Engagement answers go out on Sunday, except during events.
◉ The deadline to submit a question and ensure you'll hear back from us on Sunday is 11:59 PM UTC on Saturday.

PLOT ENGAGEMENT INCLUDES

◉ Player plots! If you'd like your character to become a mafia boss, this is your place to start. Typically, this involves anything that could impact the setting or other player characters.
◉ Character career advancement that gives the character additional power or status within the setting.
◉ Metaplot exploration and information! We plan all events to give characters something to explore after the event ends. This is the place to do it!

SUBMISSION TIPS

◉ Specify what your character is looking for when they're investigating. What questions are they asking and what angle are they trying to explore?
◉ If you have a specific goal in mind but don't know how to reach it, please let us know.
◉ If you link a thread to us, please summarize it! That helps us process the plot in question.
◉ Don't worry about not knowing the setting like the back of your hand before you submit the plot—that's up to us! We're here to help you with any adjustments to get you on the right track.

NOTES & THINGS THAT YOU CAN HANDWAVE

◉ Characters always start out in entry level positions. Characters can update their skill sets to the 2512 standard through paid apprenticeships or internships.

◈ If a character is advancing within a major corporation (as noted on the Setting or Locations page) or one of its subsidiaries, we will need to approve this advancement.
◈ If a character becomes a supervisor at a local bar or other small business, we do not need to approve this advancement.

◉ Joining the police force within a city requires three months of IC training (six months OOC).
◉ We'll approve whether someone has social media fame, but we will not be providing social media follower counts. Once you have a plot for how to use those followers, that's where we step in!
◉ All Morningstar business goes on our Morningstar page. Please feel free to discuss specific plots here (including joining), and go there for signups and anything else.
◉ Characters getting jobs, finding apartments, participating in the fighting rings, getting married, making workplace friends, the creation of minor NPCs, etc. do not need to be run by us. Please let us know if these expand into player plots or other plot bits!

QUICK LINKS

◉ FAQ: For small worldbuilding or gameplay details.
◉ Setting: Our setting page! We'll update as needed.
◉ Jobs: A reference for who's working where!
◉ Locations: Both major and minor locations within New Amsterdam, as well as outlines for other megacities.
◉ Mod Contact: For wider game concerns.
◉ The Story So Far: Gamewide plot events up to current (your CTRL+F best friend!).
◉ NPC page: Includes NPC blurbs and inboxes.
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Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

i'll start drafting this up probably this weekend or early next week, then. just for clarification's sake: am i allowed to use the mansion setting from the masquerade ball arrival log as the setting? since the charity programme is being funded by lynch and others, it seems reasonable to me that this location would be within the realm of possibility.

also, i don't want to assume too much in terms of the success of the silent auction, but i'd love to know any outcomes there that i can tie into the mood of the day for the more public event — or any big npcs presence i can notate, that sort of thing. any info you can give me to bounce off of is appreciated.

Hey Jenna!

We're scheduling this log for February 29th, then! That's the last Saturday of February, so you have a bit of time! Since we're working on the event, we'll get back to you about the rest of this information. We won't be able to review the log itself until it's closer to the date, and we'll be providing the information on the NPCs and the silent auction around February 9th. Feel free to sit tight until then!

And that location is fine!

Hey Jessi!

Since it's an event, we're going to get back to you about the rest of this, but feel free to hit up El's inbox at your earliest convenience!

Hi there, belatedly! He'd also be asking for some funds to head out to the gates. Train tickets are pretty expensive and there are a handful of them (Loki won't get into specifics) that will be needing travel and lodging money. Loki will say, though, that he definitely plans on touching base post-trip. There are still some things he wants to talk about, ok.

Hi mods! Following the latest Maeda run in, Strange is finally sticking his oar in irl. Jason's told him about having the layout to the apartment but he'd rather not show his face if he can help it so he's going after Hideki first with the intention of learning what he can via his power and making a plan from there. Jason's already told him Hideki doesn't know anything so he's expecting the evening to be heavy on the "and making a plan from there".

Jason advised him that Hideki can be traced on nights out by following his social media. First of all, is Hideki still frequently out in public and is there a club or casino Stephen can fancy up for and follow him to to try and surreptitiously do his thing from afar?

Hey mods! Would it be possible to wiggle [mini] Jason [Titans] in as a temporary intern over at Tempo? It's going to be a very basic gig, so things like getting coffee, being an errand boy and probably being kinda bored. Thank you darlings!

Hello again, mods!

Klaus learned through Caroline about Kovacs being fake Banksy and Cassius' involvement in that. Klaus then encountered Kovacs again at an art party. Klaus had been up until then working as an assistant in an art gallery to .. middling results. In speaking to Trace, she said Kovacs could've been helped then (because he is an art dilettante) in return for better clout in the art world for Klaus - like a professional referral even to overseeing a gallery - in return for Klaus being his art guru in this party and every other. Helping him along with the lie.

Before Kovacs disappeared, Kovacs did work in facilitating this move using his city influences. Simply put, would traveling to Everest have put this move in jeopardy or could Klaus take the his lead and step up in a more substantial capacity with Kovacs' stamp of approval?

i keep forgetting to do this but okay, here are my super important questions:

i. what can damian expect re: a recovery timeline for the arm injury and learning to work with his brand spanking new cybernetic arm. i'm assuming the arm has no actual sensation to it? correct me if i'm wrong here!

ii. a. damian wants to augment it. if he's getting a robot arm, he's going to take the most of it. this definitely means black market dealings. if damian reaches out to some connections he made while in the fighting rings, will he be able to find any leads on who he can go to in order to find parts? he wants to stick a sword that wouldn't be detectable in there.

ii. b. will he be able to figure out how to modify it himself as he's been in the game for a while now and is pretty used to the technology, or will he need to go to an npc?

iii. things have gotten out of hand enough that damian feels he needs more info about maeda and the parts of the world he doesn't understand. would it be possible for him to talk to gaby about it?

Edited 2020-02-09 20:56 (UTC)

and these didn't quite fit with the other thread, so! just consider this thread my justice league plotting thread so i can stick it all in one place.

damian has gotten money from loki to purchase a building. would it be possible for him to purchase one under a pseudonym or through a third party so his name isn't on the deed? could he reach out to el and arrange something.

secondly, if he wants to enhance it + build security + build a proper training space for people to practise their powers, what would be the timeframe on that?

Hey guys!

So, that whole run in with Maeda has made Kate curious about how widespread this issue is, as in, how many players of Maeda's social class are manipulating the fighting rings and underground, and how common it is for them to retaliate in such violent ways. Basically, she wants to dig in more to how much corruption there is among the rich jerks of New Amsterdam, and how much it affects "normal" people or the less powerful.

Considering the Maeda thing went so south, she'll want to be much more careful about investigating this, so what's the best route for her to take? Would talking to Gaby help, or could she find out more or build connections among those people through the customers that come to her coffee shop? Any young heirs she can charm or befriend? I'm open to pretty much anything!

I don't want this to be focused on Maeda specifically, though, since I don't want to step on Jessi's toes!

Thanks! <3

Hey again, Brandon!

1. The company themselves would be very confused with who and what Klaus is looking in to! If he decides to search the premises, he'd get push back from management, and maybe even have the NAPD called if he pursues without specifications of any credentials (like a warrant). If he wants to search their records, it would need to be through means online! The limos themselves would've been detailed after their pick-up, so there's probably not much left! (Well, except employees yelling at Klaus in the background.) How hard he goes on the physical search is up to him, but the NAPD would show up eventually, so let us know if it goes that far! If he'd like to search their records, that might need a different approach.

2. There are a few hints left in the threadi in the brain surgery log! Could you touch base with Ashley and let us know how the thread would've gone? It's here for reference! (CW: body horror.) If you have any outlying questions on this, please let us know. We're happy to work things out for you guys to get the outcome that's IC for you guys!

Thanks! Give us a holler if you need anything!

Hi Jessi!

We're going to say that a lot of this depends on what Jason is willing to offer in return.

1. The kids that Durcell is exploiting will agree to stop working for her, but they will need something solid offered in return. It's only when Jason offers more than "a better life"—IE something tangible—that they'll spill about what they were doing for Durcell. Jason will know that she's trying to get dirt on Jovavich's connections, and they'll have pictures of some of her meetings (most will be with easily identified corporate figures from Pulsar, Vyonation, and Giles Bell—but at least one meeting was with Johann Grey, the doctor from the brain surgery plot). Jason will likely have to ask around to confirm the last one.

If he decides to use them as spies himself, he'll find that they're surprisingly well trained and capable of ducking surveillance! It's up to Jason whether he wants to skip on this resource for moral reasons or not.

2. The same goes for the Hi-Jacks, but they will want something in return for their efforts. We'd need more feedback on what Jason is likely to give before we move forward!

3. One suggestion we have is that Jason can redirect the kids to tailing Maeda!

Hi Jenna! Looping back to this finally - sorry for the wait!

1. We added a new element to the silent auction for players to get their characters some serious credits via the Event Aftermath (just ctrl+F Caroline!). They can also get their objects looked over in the days before the event and see if there's any interest in them! We still don't think this will involve a lot of RP, but it's an opportunity for getting information, especially since Caroline will have resources on hand!

We'd ideally like for the silent auction's success to be directly correlated to how many relics and old goods Caroline gets to have bid on, but we're willing to be flexible about this! We also think it's definitely believable for Caroline to come up with this idea herself, in case you're wondering!

2. NPCs on hand will be gubernatorial candidates Joseph Lynch and Simone Durcell, Elin Zepatka (a fondly thought of philanthropist in New Amsterdam), many members of the more elite members of the Riverside Mob, and Matek Kattan (first mentioned here under the Community Meals section!). Fun fact: Kattan is actually Ball's real name! He's a reclusive person who isn't often seen by the public, but he will make a brief appearance at Caroline's event on both days.

There will also be a lot of charitable folk in the city, but little presence from the big three corporations outside of friends who are close to Elin, Joseph, and Simone. This primarily means employees at Ibis from Giles Bell, as well as employees from Caudata Tech (the subsidiary that Durcell runs) will be present, as both Ibis and Caudata tend to work largely independently of their current corporate overlords (Ibis, for what it's worth, has a lot of clout and has functioned this way for centuries). Otherwise, the corporate boards are still throwing in with the Jovavich campaign. Leading up to the event itself, there will be rumors of them shifting their support to Lynch's campaign, but they won't be making that big move just yet.

For what it's worth, getting the backing Caroline does get on this event will speak well of her, even with her Riverside Mob connections.

Many of our other named wealthy NPCs are not going to appear at a function that is in direct contradiction to Jovavich's campaign and message, so please stick to what we provided here!

3. This location is fine, though if you want to make up a new one, go ahead!

Hi Veronica!

This sounds fine, and you can retroactively assume that he offered Loki some credits through a third party account that he keeps (as he'll want to keep his identity a secret at least until after the gates are activated). Interestingly enough, Ball will actually be working at Loki's company, so he'll send him a message under his real name to inform him that he'll be at Caroline's event once Loki's back at work, so he'll be make time for Loki there. His real name is Matek Kattan!

Hi Gee!

Unfortunately for poor Mister Doctor Strange, this is not going to be a terribly fruitful path for information. Hideki is a moron, in short, and won't be able to offer up anything telepathically for Stephen. What does his mother do? Why are all these guards around the apartment? In theory, he probably knows … the first answer … in a very shallow way of, "My mom is on the board at Giles Bell," which is public knowledge.

Finding him isn't hard because he does post where he is every time he's there on Cooltalk, but some of those locations may be hard to enter (or cost a lot of credits that Stephen doesn't have). That's going to be the biggest barrier. Hopefully Stephen doesn't spend too much money on this inevitable dead end.

Hideki can't help that he's an idiot.

Hi Veronica!

Loki can absolutely get Jason an internship at Tempo. Keep in mind that, because he'll have been hired on Loki's recommendation, Jason's behavior will reflect on Loki, for better or worse!

Hey there Brandon,

Klaus is definitely free to get a job of a higher rank at the gallery, though he might not manage to grab the title of manager or anything higher. He'd most likely fit into something like Associate Curator or a Gallery Docent! He'd still have to work his way higher to Director or Manager if he wants something a little more bougie. The gap in time with the Everest expedition wouldn't be a factor here, so no worries with that!

While Cassius is certainly busy with certain other aspects of things right now, he'd most likely take note of Klaus' involvement in Kovacs' favor, along with the funneling of credits through Hope! He most likely wouldn't directly make a move against him, but we want to make sure you're aware of his eyes on this!

Hi Shikki!

i. Thank you for bringing this to us, and we apologize if we quoted a different timeline earlier. Sensation in cybernetics and prosthetics are standard, thanks to the way they interface with the neural implant. As for recovery time, the initial healing period would be about two weeks, during which he'd be fitted for the prosthetic. The arm would take another two weeks to be custom built, and once it's attached, Damian will be able to control the level of sensation, essentially turning it on or off. In total, you can assume anywhere from three weeks to a month.

ii. a. Yes, the fighting rings would be a great place to start! All it would take is watching some fights with a close eye to identify some of the regulars who have augmented cybernetic limbs. While it might take some work to earn their trust enough to get direct answers out of them, if Damian plays his cards right he should be able to get some useful information here.

ii. b. Given that all cybernetics involve neural implant functionality, the tech is very advanced and therefore Damian would likely need an NPC to help him with this. The best path we can think of here is if he can find a Giles Bell scientist who's left the company/gone rogue for some reason, who would have the know-how to modify the arm while also being willing to do it in a less than legal way.

iii. Sure thing! We can either set up a log or if you want to wait for the next arrival log (which is going up on Feb. 15), Damian can hit her up then.

Hi Shikki!

Damian will need El's help acquiring a building without leaving a trail. If he wanted to work more independently after choosing the initial location, El can help him set up accounts to launder money through to cover his tracks.

His best bet would be choosing a spot near the fast travel hub in New Amsterdam so that in the future, he can easily expand to other locations if needed. Some of the relics found in the ruins can also be used to create teleport points around New Amsterdam itself as a tool to allow the League to work more efficiently and stay under the radar.

As for properly setting up the space, that depends on the amount of money Loki is putting into it and what resources Damian uses! He won't be able to rely on public contractors, but El could pull some strings to set him up with Morningstar-affiliated people if Damian wants. However, this would compromise the location, so it might be a good idea to rely on other characters to help him expedite things. If Damian goes it alone, it will naturally take a bit longer.

Hey Jenny!

Since it seems that Kate would like to find the source of this corruption on a bigger picture level, that would mean digging deeper into corporate corruption. She could start off her investigation by questioning both Gaby or the new Morningstar agents who've recently entered New Amsterdam about this! Gaby in particular has a line on the types of intimidation tactics that are used on people so that they'll move out of certain apartment buildings, or how small business owners aren't allowed to succeed because they might rival big business. Morningstar in particular aims to protect the lower class from these intimidation tactics where necessary, though Kate is by no means obligated to join up with them!

Maeda specifically is the on the board of directors for Giles Bell, but if you'd rather go in a different direction with this, Pulsar and Vyonation would provide separate avenues to look. A point that we've tried to really hammer in when it comes to the corporations is that everyone is working with everyone else, so the distinctions between these companies are not as solid as one might think at first glance. The big thing is that the corporations are all in bed with one another. Their support of Jovavich is evidence of this, and they otherwise have a fairly oligarchical hold over New Amsterdam. Maeda is just one aspect of the corporate strangehold that has defined this world—and the fact that she can move so freely likely means that it's true for many of the corporations. Another thing is that Maeda is married to someone on the board of directors for Pulsar.

Cassian has been digging into this as well, so as far as PCs go, he would be a good person for Kate to reach out to. Rey also has connections to Riverstone, another corporate juggernaut who seems to have fingers in way too many pies (albeit in New Beijing rather than New Amsterdam). She can also schmooze with some of the wealthy and philanthropic folk at Caroline's event at the end of this month (OOC). They'll likely be far more forthcoming about the corporate establishment in 2512 … at least assuming that Kate butters them up to get them talking. A lot of this depends on Kate's approach, as we know she can be a bit messy when she's being self-righteous and headstrong.

As a note, if you commit to this plot, we can see it taking a lot of angles! It's a big plot and one that we've had simmering since our very first log in game with the refugees in the safehouse, so please feel free to bring anyone else on board who's interested.

Associate Curator will do for him for now. Worries forgotten!

Great. Thank you for that! More for Klaus to inevitably hate him for!

1. He probably searched enough to almost make them call the NAPD because he would've tried to lie his way into having a warrant and such, then he would've tried to charm them before backing off cheekily, probably with a 'No harm, no foul, mate,' sign off.

He would like to search their records and would definitely be in search of somebody technologically inclined to help him with that. This is now a crusade for both he and his daughter. R E V E N G E.

2. So, Ashley and I figured because they've been drugged so heavily, they were most likely tortured, experimented on and then dropped off wherever you guys decided to drop them back off. They were not effective in saving themselves or each other. More reasons to be angry!

3. Because my brain is bursting! Klaus has an inkling and might want to travel to New Beijing with Timothy, essentially in a foolhardy effort to see what happens to people when they disappear (namely Kol, because the last place he was was in New Beijing.) Obviously, he will hit a brick wall in his existence since, Kol was simply spirited back to New Orleans, he figures. But, what if they tried to look deeper into when anybody disappears and where or how they might. Say, they tried tracking down last known whereabouts, tried finding witnesses - in this case, take Kol for example. Is there anything they could stumble upon or would this be one giant wild goose chase.

tl;dr. It could be cool if they're unlucky in what they're after but stumble onto something sidequesty/metaplot-y/distracting.

This is the level of idiocy he was told to expect, Hideki's forgiven.

As much as a surprise nugget of revelation would've been a bonus, Stephen's actually out for more generic logistical info! So things like: when can his mom (& other parent?? I don't know his homelife situation sorry hideki) be relied upon to be out of the house, do the guards tend to go with aoi or remain around the apartment, is there ever any time the apartment is empty or are there always staff in, does the whole building have heightened security or just the apartment?

Initially he will have wanted this info to see if there's any time he can mind control Hideki into letting him or someone else into the apartment without it immediately landing them in hot water but it's the 26th century and the place is probably kitted out with other security measures so because he's less dense than me he's going to turn more toward seeing how elaborate a plan he'll need to concoct to be able to enter the building and hang out on a different floor so that he's within range to read Maeda or anyone else in the apartment's minds at some point.

He'll do his best to steer Hideki toward thinking about his mom and her schedule and the building setup (a staffed reception desk? or do guests just get in by being granted implant access?) using little intrusive thoughts about his mom and home cloaked in Hideki's own neural signature, and by latching on to any relevant thoughts he does have and amplifying them to try to encourage him to think down those lines. Then he'll just nab any clues he can from impressions he gets.

Owing to the fact that Hideki is a rich kid and Stephen lives in a basement though going into venues is probably scrapped in favour of lurking outside until he figures out Hideki's signature so he can get on with it from afar without losing all of his worldly wealth. Also if the moral of the story here is that Hideki will be too drunk or distracted to be nudged into thinking about family and home while out on a nighttime social spree that's good too! Strange'll just have to start taking risks again rather than creeping about after unknowing youths... probably a healthy swap.

Edited 2020-02-11 18:56 (UTC)

hi there!

re: artifacts taken during this event

1. would the displaced have been drawn to these particular items somehow in the ruins? some kind of mental pull, a voice in their head, chest glowing, etc.?
1a. if not, would displaced begin to have any "i'm not just keeping it because it's shiny, it feels weird" connection to these items the longer they have them?

i know they're going to be linked to the fast travel system/more abilities/etc. in the future, and i just want to know if they would sense this somehow as opposed to just hanging on to these items because they lifted them in the ruins. thank you!

Hi Iola!

Can you take this to the Event Aftermath where people are more likely to see it?

Thanks!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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PLOT ENGAGEMENT (ARCHIVED)

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