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Welcome to Paris!
IT'LL BE FINE;
still paris, not quite so gay.
The battle of Valmy has been won! Congrats, everyone. Goethe was saved, the spy was captured alive, and the artillery of the Prussians was seriously decimated by the quick thinking of several brave COST operatives. Not to mention the excellent job everyone did taking down Prussian soldiers and keeping morale high!
However, the Commander has gotten word that trouble is brewing in Paris itself. Like several of the Sans-Culottes who fought in this historic battle, COST's operatives will be splitting off from the main French army to return to Paris proper and check up on the situation there.
HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS
For starters: info on Paris is here Read up.
Anyway. We're always trying to tweak the system to give you a better experience in Agoge.
As such, November is going to be lighter on big logs that everyone can jump on, and heavier on small events that people can react to, interact with, and influence.
There will be three HRHW missions this month with a total of 18 slots, and each will have an influence on the future of the game in various ways. Two of those missions will involve multiple later 'events' that characters can interact with, spacing the missions and sidequests out several months. We'll also have updates on the state of Paris that won't have IC logs associated with them, but that your characters are welcome to react to with logs or network posts as you please.
We encourage players to check our calendar regularly so they know when things are coming up. We're also tweaking the pacing of that every once and a while, so keep an eye out!
If November looks really stuffed with things to do-- keep in mind not all of those events will pertain to all players.
Likewise, we encourage players to set up their own logs and come up with their own sidequests and events. The sky's the limit, and we're happy to help with anything you guys might need or want to do.
TEST DRIVE MEME
That's right, this log will also be doubling as a TDM for the next app cycle. Characters not currently in game, but thinking about joining up, can feel free to comment in this planning post to introduce themselves and get some planning on, if they feel so moved.
WHAT'S GOING ON
Several things are happening in Paris when COST's forces arrive.
For starters, there's a riot on the streets. This is avoidable-- Paris is a big place-- but it's entirely possible to get caught up in it. Carts are being overturned, store windows are being smashed, and the average people of Paris are destroying property left and right. This is a dangerous and violent situation; friend from foe can not always be discerned, and it's entirely possible to be attacked if someone so much as suspects you're not loyal to the revolution.
You also have the opportunity to witness one of the first executions via guillotine in the French Revolution. Have... fun?
There will also be a consecration of several liberty trees, and a few speeches to attend. Most importantly, several of them are mocking the monarchy, proclaiming French liberty, and extoling the virtues of republicanism. These are in various clubs, as well as street corners and soapboxes. It's a little hard to escape them.
This has been pretty consistently whipping up a fury outside the Tuileries palace, where the king and queen of France are being held. There are guards stationed to keep the rabble out, but there's still a crowd shouting profanities at the palace and generally making a ruckus.
HIGH RISK HIGH REWARD MISSION
If you don't care about the HRHW mission and want to skip all this tl;dr, click here.
This log will also involve a High Risk High Reward mission. It will not be open to characters not currently accepted into Agoge.
The result of this mission will have major consequences for the rest of the France mission! However, though there will be other equally important HRHW missions next month (with more signup slots than this one and more time to plan), so don't sweat it if you miss out on this one.
ROYAL PAIN
This is a mission that will involve undercover work, diplomacy, blending in, and strength.
Essentially, there is reason to believe Regency operatives have planted themselves near the king and queen in the Tuileries palace. Accordingly, COST needs operatives nearby as well. Characters will offer their services as either a servant in the palace, or a palace guard in Lafayette's regiment. With the monarchy's popularity in shambles, it's having difficulty keeping people employed to serve and protect it; now is an ideal time to sneak in when their standards are low.
This mission is a setup for a future mission that will be unveiled on the 4th & 9th of November. Do not sign up if you do not want your characters to potentially be involved in that mission. The mission will not involve any high amounts of gore or violence, so content warnings shouldn't be a concern; however, we're just letting you know this one's a two-parter.
⏩This mission is rated at a 19 out of 30 in undercover work, or 20 out of 30 in speechcraft, or a 18 out of 30 in strength. (If you need a refresher on how skill and difficulty ratings work, here you go.)
⏩There are 5 signup slots, and signups close on the 25th (that's in 3 days). After signups close, the success or failure of the mission will be rolled, and you can plan how you're going to play that out, or play it by ear, it's all good.
⏩The worst possible outcome no one succeeding in getting close to the palace. This will have consequences later, as it will mean Regency spies within the palace can act unhindered.
⏩The best possible outcome is everyone is able to secure some kind of position near the palace. This will have consequences later, as it means Regency spies within the palace cannot act unhindered.
⏩The success of this mission will be determined individually, as everyone's 'interview' for the position they choose to infiltrate the palace as will be separate. However, the more people in the palace by the time of the next mission, the better.
⏩Because this mission's outcomes will be decided in advance via dicerolls, there's no 'due date' on the log being threaded out.
⏩If everybody fails, the 'mission' on the 4th & 9th will be relegated to a spectator log.
⏩Characters who succeed in getting a position in the palace will have several benefits-- access to better food and clothes, nicer sleeping areas-- and downsides-- the average people of Paris will not trust them, and are more likely to act violently toward them. Depending on how the rest of this mission goes, these undercover rolls may last the rest of the mission (ending, in IRL time, on December 1st, though the characters will be told the time of mission end is 'unknown'). Characters cannot be ICly forced into this mission; they must consciously choose to sign up for it. All of this will be explained to them before they make the decision.
⏩You can choose which skills your character wishes to use for this mission. Undercover requires blending in, doing your research, and seamlessly slipping in with the natives. Speechcraft (aka lying) means your character's blending in maybe isn't seamless, but they're good enough at coming up with excellent reasons for things to have everyone fooled and suspicions mostly quashed. The strength skill is only for those wishing to wishing to sign up as a guard position; essentially, maybe you're a bit weird and you don't fit in, but you're swoll enough that nobody cares.
⏩We're gonna try something called penalties and bonuses here. We'll factor them in ourselves, so give us the skill level of your character before the penalty or bonus will be factored in. Crossdressing will involve a -2 penalty to every skill level except strength. Having done the job the character is attempting before (in a longerm capacity) will involve a +3 bonus to all skill levels. Your character actually researching the position in depth, asking around for people who have done it before, and trying to get a handle on things beforehand, will result in a +2 bonus to every skill level except strength.
⏩The roles available are paneterie assistant (available to either gender, but it would be beneficial if you can bake...), First Maître d'hôtel (male or crossdressing only, butler position), the Grand Chambrier to the Queen (female or crossdressing only, make up the queen's bedroom and do her laundry), Lieutenant Gendarmes (male or crossdressing only, be the king and queen's bodyguard), or guard of the front gate (male or crossdressing only, self-explanatory). Not all positions need to be filled, and multiple people can volunteer for the same position.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
As for everyone who isn't signing up for the HRHW mission and / or just wants to plot out what they're doing for the main mission: Feel free to jot down any ideas or interests you have in the comments and see who bites.
Remember: HRHW missions aren't the only way to influence the plot! Coming up with plots of your own, missions you want to play out, or influencing the scene in some way can have a consequence on history, for good or for ill. Let us know if you have any big ideas, but really, anything within reason goes.
Just like last time, feel free to get as creative as you like with the situation and scenarios involved! If you have any questions, please let us know!
ONE MORE THING
This is a new game with an somewhat ambitious goal and a lot of moving pieces; we're still trying to figure out how best to suit our playerbase. Please let us know in a designated thread below if you have any suggestions, or if there are any problems you've run into!
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And he could proposition her if he feels moved to. She won't consider it if she doesn't already have some reason to respect him. idk, if you're interested in him not necessarily getting what he's looking for I can volunteer as tribute.
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We can see how it pans out, but I'm ready for this cr.
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