#probably gonna err toward hack for now though

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

thoughts so far, in mostly no particular order:

observation = investigating things, exploring, learning how things work, etc

maintenance = doing Work of some kind; building things, doing chores, medical attention, etc

events = Shit What Happens, either without your input or because you kicked it off on purpose, and now you have to deal with it.

altogether these are called 'happenings,' and along with actions they make up the basic structure of the game.

observation, maintenance, and events are your 3 stats, which make it easier or harder to deal with each type of happening.

observation and maintenance will probably end up with different names, events might also as well.

each day you can use actions do or handle a certain amount of these things, depending on either number or magnitude. you could use 3 actions out of your day to do 1 major maintenance task or 3 minor maintenance tasks, for example.

as mentioned there are bigger and smaller happenings, which might take up more or less of your time to handle.

there are some daily happenings you can't control, at least not right away, whether they're random or something you have to keep doing. you can establish ways to deal with them more easily, or reduce/eliminate needing to worry about them at all, but if you let something pass without taking care of it there might be consequences.

possibly there are some happenings that might have consequences if you don't leave them alone, at least unless you're prepared.

if you have action slots left over after taking care of other happenings (or not taking care of them), you can use that time and effort to pursue other things, like increasing your stats, or building aforementioned infrastructure, or pursuing subplots or other projects.

speaking of which: if you want, you can play with subplots and/or an overarching plot to pursue as a win condition. (i am unsure as of yet how i'll go about generating these.) otherwise you can just play indefinitely.

some days there won't be any extra happenings beyond routine things you were going to need to take care of anyway; these are good days to do as mentioned in the previous two points.

even if you establish infrastructure to make some things more convenient, you'll probably still need to put in some kind of effort to maintain them or there will be consequences. (needing to spend a happening on maintaining a machine once a week, for example.)

you can go over your allotted limit of action slots on a given day--your action slots, not assistance from infrastructure--but you'll be missing that many slots the next day until you regain each one by resting. if you try to do this more than once in a row you'll start needing to pass checks to do it successfully, and once you're missing the same number of personal actions as your daily limit or higher you will start having to make checks to avoid larger consequences.

(collapsing completely until you've rested enough to restore all your slots, accidentally damaging infrastructure, taking penalties that you'll have to successfully use side projects to fix, etc)

(avoid pushing it if you can, is what i'm saying.)

you can overclock infrastructure this way too, but you're more likely to need to spend actions to fix it instead of just giving it time to recover like you would yourself.

every now and then a day might be eventful enough to require you to go over your daily action limit anyway. how often this occurs and how over-busy a day can be is up to you, depending on the difficulty level you want to play with, and may also change depending on how things go in your game.

a happening can be more than one type at once. for example, something that requires a medium amount of Maintenance might also require a minor amount of Observation. it's possible in some cases to eliminate one of these or reduce its level of difficulty; for example, you might be able to integrate the Observation into the process of Maintenance so smoothly that you don't have to spend the minor action on that task, and can do something else with it.

thoughts about generating, exploring, and discovering different areas in your locale of choice, not sure yet how that will proceed.

possibly there are some happenings that will give you reason to explore new areas, or make you aware of them at all, like a meteor falling somewhere you haven't been yet.

possibly some happenings that occur in unexplored areas will still have consequences if you don't explore the new area to take care of them, like you would other happenings.

possibly happenings in general being associated with specific areas, including the entire locale.

possibly extra category of actions for Travel between more distant areas?

some happenings might have a time limit beyond the one day?

still deciding how to generate things like NPCs showing up, but that's probably another thing you can choose to adjust the chances for depending on how you're playing a run.

other things you can adjust include things like the ratio of observation to maintenance to events, how often things happen in a day at all that you don't pursue yourself, how much routine stuff you need to build infrastructure for, etc

will probably be designed just for dice instead of the original game's playing card system, if only because playing card-based games can be a bit limiting and also i am disabled in such a way that i can't feasibly use them 😔

game is meant to be played solo, but i'm pretty sure it'll end up being adjustable for multiplayer with or without a DM.

i am excited about this one tbh, More to Be Added as It Occurs to Me

so i decided to check out The Lighthouse at the Edge of the Universe after seeing it mentioned it around a few times, and a) it's Pretty Neat! b) because i am me it immediately gave me Ideas for hacks/tools/some possible refinement of an original system i've been rotating for a while. hell yeah

[fandom-necromancer]

1081+1088. Highly Professional

This story was prompted by an awesome anon! Enjoy!

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Allen60

Sixty shifted through the multiple sensors his body had been equipped with. Zooming in he could see Captain Allen’s back of the head partly peeking through the blinds of his office. His infrared vision detected he hadn’t moved in a while and if he listened closely, he could hear tapping on the keyboard. From that sound alone he knew the man was using the backspace more intently than any other key. Allen was writing something. And he was growing increasingly frustrated. Before he could hack his way into the system to find out what exactly he was working on, he was interrupted in the most annoying way:

‘Hey, Sixty, how are you?’ ‘Fuck off, Connor.’ If he zoomed in enough, maybe he could get a glimpse on his screen from the reflection in the window… ‘So, good as always, huh? What are you staring at?’ The other RK800 bend forwards to try and get the same perspective as the younger android. ‘Oh, so we are spying on our superior? Do I sense something there?’ ‘I don’t know Connor, you tell me’, Sixty grumbled, interfacing with his terminal. That hack was too tempting to care for protocol. ‘Hmm, I would say you have a crush on him.’ The terminal produced an error sound as Sixty flinched at the words and turned towards the other android. ‘Excuse me? I’m not the one who allows his feelings to overcome him. It would be highly unprofessional and against protocol. And even if, the Captain surely has other things to worry about at the moment. His reports are sloppy, and his research is not as thoroughly as it used to be. He clearly has something else occupying his mind and knowing his professionalism, it has to be something serious.’ But Connor only grinned at him knowingly. ‘Oh, so you are worried about him? How cute!’ ‘No, I am not worried’, Sixty near exploded. ‘I simply try to keep an eye on the team to ensure the best results on future missions.’ ‘Sure, sure. That’s why you keep staring at Allen’s office only. Come on, you can tell me! It’s nothing to be ashamed about.’ ‘I don’t have to tell you anything, Connor’, he hissed. If there was one thing, he could bond with the RK900 over it was that Connor was annoying as hell. But, well, so was Nines in the end. Sixty was very content to stay at maximum distance from their desks, sitting in a completely different building across the parking lot. But of course, the other RK800 wouldn’t agree and stubbornly insist to come visit him.

‘Hmm, well then for the sake of ensuring everyone is at their best in future missions, why don’t you visit your Captain after work, hmm?’ ‘And just why would I do that? That is a violation of privacy and would be highly unprofessional as we are co-workers.’ But Connor didn’t falter: ‘But you could find out why Allen’s work is so sloppy. And helping him getting better would be beneficial to your work, wouldn’t it?’ ‘There is some… logic in your words’, Sixty pressed out between gritted teeth. He knew the android’s main goal was for him to find friends. Little did Connor know he didn’t need any. ‘Hey, we got the same brain, haven’t we?’ Sixty looked over to the office again and grumbled under his breath: ‘Yeah, only that some people know how to use it and not play pretend with a human.’ Connor ignored his words. ‘I would say pizza and beer would be a good way to infiltrate his house and start the investigation.’ He winked at him and pushed himself off the table. ‘Hey, not everyone is a fast-food-loving alcoholic!’, Sixty complained, trying to ignore whatever implications that wink suggested. ‘His favourite kind is Fungi!’, the RK800 called back to him, already on his way back, Sixties offense not even wavering his joyous tone the slightest.

-

The whole day had been overcast and by the time Sixty walked up to the small house pressed into the space between two others, it had started to pour. The small little droplets that had occasionally hit against him now was more of a constant stream that had him soaked through in minutes. Not that it mattered: his hull was completely waterproof, and he couldn’t get ill, but it let his hair stick to his head and his clothes to his frame. It destroyed all the effort he put into his perfect outer appearance and although Sixty had always hated admitting to having strong emotions, he hated it.

And not just the rain. He was about to invade a co-worker’s privacy with this, worse even, his superior’s privacy. It didn’t matter how well they got along and how much every friendly interaction made his pump whirr faster and his processor heat up a few degrees. If Allen had wanted this, he would have invited him already. This “worry”, as Connor had put it, was something extremely out of place. This was only him satisfying his curiosity, nosing into something that wasn’t meant for him, and still he rung the bell. ‘No, sorry, I don’t have-’, Captain Allen said, exhaustion tiring his voice as he opened the door. But he stopped as he saw the familiar face of his colleague. ‘Sixty?’ ‘I didn’t get soaked wet through walking to your house for you to say no to pizza’, Sixty deadpanned, overlaying that awkward feeling with pure confidence. ‘I have beer too. I know you’re sad, so let me in.’ ‘Err… what?’ ‘Your performance at work has been sloppy at best and you are constantly absent-minded. Because I… care for you – you and the team of course – I wanted to make sure I did my part trying to help you. I brought food and socially accepted drugs to apologise for my breach in protocol and unprofessional behaviour.’ They stared at each other, Sixty forcing his face to stay neutral and Allen looking at him trying to decipher the androids unique way of saying one thing and meaning the other. Then he smiled and laughed. ‘Get over here, you doof. Did you decide to take a swim or did your overly advanced processor forgot to bring an umbrella? Come in, I’ll get you a towel.’ ‘I don’t nee-‘ ‘You will if you want to join me at the table’, the Captain interrupted him while closing the door behind the dripping android. ‘Just put this in the kitchen for now, okay?’

Sixty nodded and located the room to put down the pizza and beer on the counter. From behind him he could hear Allen talk to someone. ‘Look Newton! Look who came to visit!’ Sixty risked a look around the corner to see the man kneel in front of a Great Dane. As soon as the dog spotted him, there was a low woof and he ran for him. Unsure about what to do but fascinated nonetheless, he watched the dog stand in front of him looking up and wagging his tail. ‘For God’s sake, pet him already, I can’t look at this’, Allen chuckled as he walked past him to inspect the pizza-box. ‘Okay, how the hell do you all know what my favourite type of pizza is? I swear I never told anyone.’ ‘Connor’, Sixty was ready to tell on his fellow RK800 unit. ‘He told me at least.’ ‘How does- ah forget it. Thank you, Sixty. Should we go to the living room? I… I guess I don’t have anything for you though…’ ‘I don’t eat’, the android said, standing up from where he had been slobbered by the dog. ‘… Right.’

They sat down on a table for four and Newton retreated to his own bed near it. ‘So, you are worried for me?’ ‘I wouldn’t call it worry. And it’s for the whole team.’ Allen smirked. ‘I never heard you making house calls with the others.’ ‘What does it matter?’ ‘Oh, nothing. Just an interesting point I think.’ ‘If I am giving you a special treatment, then that’s because you are the most capable human I know. That’s all.’ ‘Hmm-hmm’, Allen hummed knowingly and Sixty cursed inwardly. It had technically been the truth. But not the full truth. ‘Well, then, what are you all not-worried about?’ Sixty swallowed. ‘Your reports are missing important details. All your work e-mails have more typos than usually in them. During training you aren’t as attentive. There is something on your mind and… I thought I could help.’

‘Did you… Did you hack into my computer?’ ‘Not yet’, Sixty admitted. ‘But I can see every data-transfer in our precinct as most is transmitted through the android network automatically.’ ‘That’s… a bit creepy.’ ‘Don’t worry, I corrected all your documents. No one knows.’ ‘You… Wow. Okay, I am mad at you, but I guess I also have to thank you? Why are you doing this?’ Sixty took to watching the dog finding a better position. He didn’t want to admit it himself, but maybe he had to. ‘I respect you. And I heard friends care for each other. I thought keeping you from other’s gossip and your own embarrassment would be what you wanted.’ ‘Well, yeah, I guess so…’ ‘Can I ask what has you so distracted, Captain?’

The man rubbed at his temple. ‘Oh it’s- It’s probably nothing, but my sister is at the hospital at the moment. I didn’t have the time to see her yet and I tell myself it’s not that bad because she is doing well, and we talked on the telephone already. But I still don’t feel too good about leaving her alone there.’ ‘Is it something serious?’, Sixty asked. ‘Oh, no, not really. She broke her arm in a stupid accident’, Allen explained. ‘But we are siblings and we had always been very close. I should have been there from day one or at least freed some time somewhere to go visit her. But I had always been that busy and forgot and-‘ ‘Then go visit her tomorrow’, Sixty suggested. ‘I can’t, there is a lot of work and the dead-lines are close. I wanted to finish that.’ ‘I could do that for you. Then you could go visit her.’ ‘You would do that?’, Allen asked surprised. ‘Why have an advanced android in your team and never make use of his abilities?’, Sixty followed up with another question. ‘Heh. Always thought you were the cold type, Sixty, not gonna lie.’ ‘I am what people expect. I won’t be as quirky as Connor, because I don’t want to, I have a thing for rules, and I am ambitious. Doesn’t mean I’m not looking after the people around me.’ ‘The people?’ ‘You.’ Sixty was now very focussed on the dog. He had already said too much.

‘Thank you, Sixty’, the Captain said and meant it. ‘I may have had the wrong picture of you, but if you could do that for me, I would be immensely grateful.’ Idiot, I would do anything for you, Sixty thought, but looked back up and nodded. ‘It’s no big deal, really.’ ‘Still, I have to thank you’, Allen insisted and leaned back. ‘Hey, now that you are here already… Would it be highly unprofessional if you stayed a while longer?’ The android thought about it and shrugged. ‘I think we passed professional as I walked in here.’ ‘Oh good, because there is this movie on later tonight and I thought maybe we could-’ Sixty remained a neutral face as the man rambled about the plot and thought back to Connor’s words.

Yeah, okay, maybe he was right. Maybe he had a bit of a crush on this man.