Welcome to the
Gray Area research facility. Here in the unoccupied Nevada desert, we conduct completely ethical (as per secret court ruling in
Ralston v. Gray Area Research Inc.) research on a variety of subjects. Standard safety procedures, a part of our comprehensive (as per ruling in
Watanabe v. Gray Area Research Inc.) code of scientific ethics, ensure that catastrophic accidents
cannot are unlikely to occur despite the mysterious nature of the scientific experiments being worked on here.
If you have come here to apply for a job opening, we are currently seeking qualified candidates to be researchers, security personnel, administrators, and more. Please continue reading if you are interested in a position here.
General Rules:This game uses a slightly more complex variation on standard RTD dice rules. For normal actions, or all actions not involving combat, two six-sided dice (2d6) are rolled. Probabilities are as follows, for the curious.
≤3 (8.333%): Critical Failure, the worst outcome; something very bad happens.
4 - 5 (19.444%): Major Failure, something bad but not terrible happens.
6 - 7 (30.556%): Failure, the action is not accomplished but with no other ill effects.
8 - 9 (25.000%): Success, the action is accomplished but nothing spectacular comes of it.
10 - 11 (13.889%): Solid Success, the action is accomplished with particular success and better than expected.
≥12 (2.778%): Critical Success, the action is completed very well and something particularly good is liable to happen.
As you may notice, the probabilities are slightly slanted toward the negative end. More on why later.
For combat actions, or attacks, a more complex system is used to account for the defender's chance to dodge, block, or simply withstand the attack. Specifically, two six-sided dice are cast as normal for the attacker, while the defender rolls one six-sided die for their block, dodge, etc., which is then subtracted from the sum of the first two; or, in dice algebra, 2d6-d6. This one has a more complex probability table:
≤-2 (4.63%): Critical Miss, the attacker botches the attack so badly that they injure themselves or leave themselves vulnerable.
-1 - +3 (45.36%): Miss, obviously the attack doesn't hit but with no adverse effects on the attacker.
4 - 6 (33.79%): Hit, the attack hits but without causing more damage than expected.
7 - 9 (14.35%): Solid Hit, the attack goes particularly well (for the attacker!) and causes some extra damage.
≥10 (1.85%): Critical Hit, the attacker seriously injures the defender well beyond what they had expected.
The slanted probability, particularly for normal actions, and the presence of a defense roll are both intended to accommodate for modifiers.
The first type of modifier, a skill, is really more of an attribute; either you have it or don't. Having a skill grants +1 to all rolls for both normal and combat actions using the skill. Decisions on what skills are used for an action are at the discretion of the GM, though you may optionally suggest which skill is to be used when giving an action. The exact skills within this game are given below.
The second type of modifier is the action modifier. Most actions do not have these. When an action is deemed particularly difficult or easy, rolls for it it may be given a -1 or +1 modifier, respectively. The GM will try to warn you if the modifier is reasonably difficult to expect, so you may reconsider accordingly.
Another form of modifier is the status modifier. These will also be dispensed at the GM's discretion, though they should always be rational. For example, someone in bad health can receive a -1 status modifier to actions involving physical effort. Someone under the effects of steroids, however, may receive a +1 to these same actions for a time.
The final type of modifier is the equipment modifier. Like the others, it is fairly self-explanatory. Armor of any sort can grant a +1 to defense rolls, the right tool can give a +1 to repairing something, and so on.
All modifiers can and will cancel out. For instance, having a skill with firearms (+1) can be canceled out by the difficulty (-1) of shooting someone really far away.
Standard results are given according to the format ([Roll]+[Total Modifier]). Combat results are given according to the format ([Attack Roll]+[Total Attack Modifier]-[Defense Roll]-[Total Defense Modifier]).
If you have played the original Half-Life or its expansions (and I know you have), you know the drill. Experiment goes horribly wrong at a huge research facility, and the people there have to survive/get out/fight aliens and mutants for great justice. Oh, and the army comes in. And some kind of mysterious spies/assassins. And terrorists, just for good measure. This game begins right after The Event, before things get really bad or the soldiers/assassins/terrorists arrive.
The map above is intended to be a rough schema depicting connections between large areas of the facility, and does not represent actual positions or distances, nor the contents of each area. Rest assured that both are being worked on.
- Logistics Depot: The home of most residential areas, materials storage, and other logistical support for employees.
- Sector A: The main physics research area, containing one of three monitor stations for the particle accelerator.
- Sector B: Chemical synthesis laboratories, creating new ambiguously toxic substances for a brighter future.
- Administration: Where the pencil-pushing bureaucrats who run the facility do their work.
- Sector Γ: The second particle accelerator monitor station.
- Sector Δ: The third monitor station for the accelerator.
- Power Plant: The nuclear plant that supplies the rest of the facility with the huge amounts of electric power it uses.
- Sector E: Biological and ecological research complex. Main draw is the "biodome"-type facilities of flora and fauna.
- Sector Z: Aerospace research and development. Also home to extra administrative offices, since the old area got too crowded.
- Sector H: Experimental weapons lab, by contract with the Department of Defense. High security.
- Airfield: Adjacent to Sector H. Supplies and personnel are flown in to the base here.
- Sector Θ: Geology and meteorology research outpost, far from the other areas to avoid interference with its research.
- ?: ██████ and ███████ concerning █████████ ██████.
Special areas:
- Rail System: The Gray Area rail network connects the major areas of the facility. Mind the gap.
- Utility Tunnels: These small, dark, dank tunnels give the technicians access to machinery, and connect areas of the facility when trains are impractical. They probably connect to some air vents, if you're into that sort of thing.
- Particle Accelerator: Gray Area's most ambitious experiment (except for ███████), a giant particle accelerator. Note that due to the nature of near-light-speed particle beams, entering while the accelerator is on may be fatal.
- Surface: Technically, this is the non-area. Everything that is not mentioned above can be presumed as part of the surface. It's a big desert with some rocks here and there. Use your imagination. Some other areas are connected to the Surface.
Coherence Length makes use of the following skills:
- General: Science, Machinery, Charisma, Sabotage, Driving, Survival, Stealth
- Attack: Firearms, Melee, Brute Force
- Defense: Dodge, Block
The class system for Coherence Length is fairly simple; all it affects are one starting skill, initial inventory, and choice of starting position. The classes are as follows:
- Scientist: A researcher at Gray Area, doing "perfectly ethical" experiments in the name of progress. +1 to Science. Inventory: Cell Phone, Scientist ID, $30. Start: Any lettered sector except H or Θ.
- Security Guard: A Gray Area security guard, tasked with defending the facility and other personnel from danger. +1 to Firearms. Inventory: Light Body Armor, Schlock 17 (+2 Magazines), Radio, Security Guard ID, $20. Start: Anywhere except Sectors H and Θ.
- Technician: Someone who knows how to keep the scientists' cool toys (and everything else) running. +1 to Machinery. Inventory: Toolkit, Radio, Key Ring, Technician ID, $20. Start: Anywhere except Sectors H and Θ.
- Administrator: Unlike those particle-smashing pencilnecks or half-retarded technicians, you have the honor of being a humble, friendly accountant, lawyer, or manager. +1 to Charisma. Inventory: Cell Phone, Clipboard, Administrator ID, $30. Start: Logistics, Administration, Sector Z.
- Soldier: If something happens at the facility, YOU! WILL! BE! DISPATCHED! to deal with the situation. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?! +1 to Firearms. Inventory: Heavy Body Armor, M5 Carbine (+2 Magazines), Radio, MRE x2. Start: Surface or Airfield, delayed (see below).
- Terrorist: Destroy the [infidels'/Jewish lizards'/capitalist pigs'] evil particle accelerator and you will be rewarded with [72 virgins/freedom!/a classless, stateless society]. +1 to Sabotage. Inventory: AKA-47 (+3 Magazines), Extremist Literature, Pipe Bomb. Start: Surface or Logistics, delayed.
- Black Ops: If the soldiers fail to █████ the ███████, you will be sent in with the sole directive of ██████ the ███████. +1 to Stealth. Inventory: Silenced Pistol (+2 Magazines), Flashbang Grenade x2, Radio. Start: Surface, delayed.
Player Name: [Your username; this is here to make things easier on my part]
Name: [Character name here.]
Class: [Class here. Note that Soldiers, Terrorists, and Black Ops will not join the game immediately.]
Personal Skill: [Choose any one. Cannot be the same as your class skill.]
Starting Position: [See class details for options.]
Notes: [Optional. This is to specify your terrorist agenda/scientific specialization/anything else that is irrelevant for gameplay but good to know for RP.]
What's with the title?
I just needed a concept from physics represented by a Greek letter that looked like one of the letters in the word, to riff on HλLF-LIFE. Eventually I found coherence length, represented by ξ. And there I knew I had it.
This looks way too complicated.
I, too, am concerned with that. However, it is my observation that complication has not stopped RtDs from being successful in the past, and I have also noticed some with rules worthy of a full-fledged tabletop RPG. So there you have it.
Is Valve going to sue you?
I don't see why they would have the grounds to; I have not used any of their copyright and only the odd parody of their trademarks. And they tend to be pretty chill about their IP, if all fifty billion MLP-TF2 fanarts are any indication.
Lol n00b u barely even plaed RtDs u think u can RUN 1
Yes.
Are there aliens?
Probably. I'm still figuring the whole thing out, but you can't really have Half-Life without alien monstrosities.
What inspired you to make this?
A dream I had maybe a year ago about a farcical black comedy about rival groups in a CERN-esque facility, plus a month's worth of Half-Life addiction, plus the observation that anything and everything can work as an RtD if you put your mind to it.
The game will begin immediately after The Event. At first, only Gray Area personnel will be in the game, so if you want to join immediately then choose one of those roles. After some amount of time, the first soldiers will enter the game, as will the terrorists. Finally, the Black Ops will join.
Due to the complexity of the game, allowed actions are more complex than in some RtDs. Movement between adjacent/nearby areas, and picking up items, does not usually qualify as an action. Thus, it does not require a roll, and a standard action may be done before or after. However, if handling the item is difficult, or the movement is something like climbing or leaping a large gap, then it will qualify as an action and require a roll.
In addition, multiple actions can be done in one if they are reasonably connected, to keep simple things from taking several turns. "Pick the lock and put the bomb inside" could work; "Pick the lock, take the gun out, and shoot the soldier with it" would not, because there is no strong connection between opening the container and shooting the soldier.
Turns will be conducted once all players have posted, or in approximately three days (I cannot guarantee that this will be always true, or that the term will be a regular 72 hours, due to my own obligations) from the posting of the last one.
Player Name: SealyStar
Name: Dr. Morgan Seal
Class: Scientist
Personal Skill: Sabotage
Starting Position: Sector Z
Notes: This is not an actual character, this is an example.
Force the vault open.
Dr. Seal (7+2) cuts a jagged hole around the perimeter of the vault door with his welding torch, and the door falls open, revealing a vault full of dangerous-looking weapons.
Pour the acid into the test tubes.
Dr. Seal tries to pour the concentrated hydrochloric acid into the series of test tubes, but his hand slips (2+1), and the flask falls to the floor, spraying the hapless scientist with broken glass and acid!
Dr. SEAL, Scientist
Location: Sector B
Skills: Science, Sabotage
Inventory: Box Cutter, Empty Test Tube x3, Cell Phone, Scientist ID, $22
Status: Minor Lacerations, Acid Burns
Execute/Dumbo.exe - Cion Traber, Technician
GreatWyrmGold - Dr. Drake, Scientist
anailater - Callum Reaney, Security Guard
Patrick Hunt - Harvey Sam Bekter, Security Guard
Objective - Dr. Wallis Brenlyn, Head Honcho (Administrator)
CubeJackal - Riley Thompson, Technician
Alexandria - Alexis Kitty Wagner, Security Guard
Lethargy - Horace Goodwell, Technician
USEC_OFFICER - Mykhailo Sewick, Terrorist
scapheap - Ash Aidan "Ace" Anderson, Soldier
Harry Baldman - Mr. Shtuk, Millennialist Leninist (Terrorist)
As this is both my first RtD and certifiably rather complicated compared with the standard, I am open to any questions before the beginning of the application process. Particularly feel free to ask about defining the skills; I figured they would be self-explanatory, but if you have a question, please ask. I'd like to keep this slightly dark but also comedic; as part of this, you can, and are encouraged to, push people into the particle beam, among other things.
