PLOT ENGAGEMENT (ARCHIVED)

[larkers]

> 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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> NAVIGATION

Comments

[personalwar]

Having direct contact with some of the mercenaries would hopefully give him a chance to earn their trust at least to some degree, while maybe also being able to pick up on some information via listening in on the conversations they have amongst themselves. I assume they would be careful with what they said to each other in his presence (or when communicating with him about an op via implant), but are there any off-handed comments or other tidbits of information he might pick up on? Even if he doesn't have full context for them.

Jack would figure that there are tons of mercenary groups out there and that not all of them necessarily have any connection to the Displaced drop-offs or the kidnappings to the Gates, but in light of the monster event, he would bring up the Displaced as a general topic and try and gauge the mercenaries' feelings about them, to see if that reveals any possible connections to those topics or information they might have. What might he learn by doing this?

He wouldn't reveal himself as a Displaced right away with this set up, instead hoping to slowly learning more about the mercenaries via working with them, even if it's not directly.

[larkers]

The mercenaries' opinions on the Displaced tend to vary, just as the general public's does. However, some of the mercs do seem to think the Displaced are trouble, though they won't say why outright. Some even seem a little afraid of them. There are rumors among the mercs about what the Displaced are capable of, some of it realistic and some not so much. Maybe the mess the Displaced made of that kidnapping mission has gotten around through word of mouth?

As for eavesdropping, he won't find much information there. The mercs tend to be tight-lipped around strangers, and so most of what he'll hear is the general sort of grumbling among coworkers. It is pretty clear that the different mercenary crews are aware of one another and gossip about each other, however. Apparently these guys aren't huge fans of the mercenaries that work for Pulsar. They tend to be dirtier and more underhanded on their jobs, and a few of the people Jack will overhear take issue with that, whether because they're afraid that will bring more scrutiny on their own work or just because they don't think those sort of tactics are necessary.

If he wants more sensitive, in-depth information, his best bet might be to grease the wheels so to speak, whether that be through his power or other means.

[personalwar]

Given that the mercs would let on that they were at least somewhat wary of the Displaced and what they were capable of, he would steer away from using his power, concerned that it would scare them off or breed distrust even if it did force them to give him information.

Instead, after pinpointing which of the mercs were more sympathetic to the Displaced, he would contact one of them via neural implant -- not as part of a job, but off-hours so to speak. He would reveal that he was a Displaced and, now that he knows the merc groups are all aware of each other to some degree, would ask if they had any information about which other merc groups were based in New Amsterdam -- and what their purview was.

He figures there must be a reason why all the drop-offs have been in NA, which is his thought process for this line of questioning. Would this get him anywhere?

Thanks for the help!

[larkers]

This might take a bit of gentle back and forth, as his mercenary contact will be understandably nervous at first, but eventually his excitement over talking to one of the Displaced privately will win out. He'll say that there are three main mercenary groups working out of New Amsterdam—one contracted with Giles Bell, one with Vyonation, and one with Pulsar. Those groups work specifically with those companies, and don't take outside jobs. None of them were the ones responsible for the Gates job, it's just that word about it spread fast. Riverstone, on the other hand, works with multiple groups for different jobs.

That's a pretty basic question, one the merc would feel comfortable answering. However, if Jack asks for anything more detailed, his contact will want to know why he's digging. Is he working for the Displaced? Why do they want to know?

[personalwar]

The next question Jack would probably ask would be in regards to Global Spiral, as he at least has that name to go off of when it comes to the Gates kidnapping incident. He'd want to know if this guy is aware of the group, if he knows who usually hires them (does Riverstone?) or what kinds of jobs they generally do, etc. etc.

If the contact wanted to know why he was asking all this, Jack would explain that the Displaced as a group had some interaction with Global Spiral, but wouldn't really want to say more than that, citing that it wasn't his place to speak for the Displaced as a whole. He would imply that he'd had a run-in with them that he wasn't too thrilled about, but wouldn't go so far as to allude to kidnapping or anything like that.

[larkers]

His merc is familiar with Global Spiral! Like the other mercenary groups, they're pretty well known in these circles. However, he hasn't heard of Global Spiral having any connection to Riverstone. From what he knows, Global Spiral tends to work with a corporation called Scherer Corp. He doesn't seem to have any real idea what that corporation does, though.

Jack might remember that a Morningstar agent named Gavin dug quite a bit into the mercenaries, and could be a good back up source as he pieces this together. Gaby would be a great go between for this, as she's publicly stated that she knows him!