conversations.from: system
conversations.value: **Setting: ** While most refuse to acknowledge it, the world is filled with strange, unexplained (possibly unexplainable) phenomena. While many of these are simply strange quirks of the universe, some have been shown to be dangerous to humans.
  
  That's why the BPS was founded, to find these phenomena, study them, and determine what should be done, if anything, to prevent them from causing harm or falling into the wrong hands. 
  
  The characters will be new members of the BPS, recruited from various walks of life due to their skill and expertise. The bureau is small, with very few employees (and very few people even aware of its existence), but fairly well funded and equipped.
  
  **Tone: ** Based loosely on shows like Warehouse 13 as well as the SCP, the tone will be somewhat serious. Not exactly GRIMDARK, but there may be some scenes with violence, gore, and the like.
  
  **Number of players: ** Ideally somewhere areound 3-4.
  
  **Player roles: ** Each player will take on a new recruit in the BPS. Roles can be almost anything that may have use in the bureau. Some examples may be researchers or soldiers, though something like hackers or even occultists could be considered (however, it is unlikely that I will accept characters that start out with any sort of supernatural ability)
  
  **Power scale: ** Regular humans, though exemplary in their field.
  
  **First Scene will be: ** An introduction to the Midwest branch of the BPS.
  
  **More details via: ** I will be posting a thread in the forum where questions can be asked. I also tend to be in the storium IRC that has been made by @Sagettaeri <http://client00.chat.mibbit.com/?channel=#storium>
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Necklace: A jade necklace with a hole through the center. Apparently useful equipment for field agents.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Teddy Bear: A fuzzy little teddy bear found on Jeremy Simon's bed.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Snow Shovel: Surely there's SOME use for this.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Identification kit: A package of false badges and identifications, allowing a person to claim with some authority being from various agencies when the need arises.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Handgun: Handgun issued to the team. Apparently uses non-standard bullets, though Mr. Gordon isn't clear about the details.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Create your own: What holds you back? What causes you problems in your life?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Create your own: What was it about you that stood out enough to be recruited? What role will you be performing?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Create your own: What are you good at? What quality about you sets you above and beyond your peers?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Create your own: What drives you? Why did you agree to join the bureau, what do you hope to get out of this work?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Focus (Lawrence): Aren't you supposed to be at the police station right now?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Mr. Gordon: The closest thing to a boss the BPS branch seems to have.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Focus (Sid): Aren't you supposed to be at the police station right now?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Focus (Story): Your shift at the salon starts shortly, right?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Snap out of it!: Only play on this challenge if you do not have an unfinished "Focus" challenge for yourself. Please describe who you're snapping out of their state and how.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Hope, Indiana: A small town in Indiana, near Columbus.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Agent Joe Worstell: FBI agent.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Mr. and Mrs. Simon: Parents of Michael Simon, one of the kids that went missing recently.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Mr. Gordon's office: The office seems to be more book than building, with a few old looking computers in one corner. Near the entryway is an old looking couch and a couple well-worn chairs located around a wooden coffee table.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Question students: Ask some of the students at the highschool about the missing people.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Bureau of Preternatural Studies: The Midwest branch of the BPS is located in Chicago, Illinois. To an outside observer, it is simply a warehouse in a district filled with the same.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Interview the teachers: Perhaps the teachers know something about the disappearance of the students?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Derek Masters: A student from Hope.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Notice something weird: About 45 minutes into the drive, something weird occurs. Do the agents notice?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Retrace your steps: While the group was still torn, it was decided that you would retrace your drive and see what it is everyone apparently missed.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Denton: Colors seem less pronounced, everything seems a bit older and less advanced than you're used to, but overall it seems like a standard small town in middle America.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Keep in contact: The group tries to outsmart whatever has been happening. Will it work?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: To the internet: You scour various sources trying to find a clue.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Maybe the cops have clues?: The police surely have been investigating the robberies. They may be able to help.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Get to the scene in time: You may not be on official business, but who knows what might happen if this criminal has too much time to spare.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Plan of Attack: There has to be some way to solve this.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Plan: It's generally a good idea to have a plan before you go in guns blazing.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Music Archivist: You have an ear for sound and an eye for rarity. Whether it's recordings, sheet music, or instruments, you can trace them back to their owners and that one moment of greatness.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Encyclopaedic Knowledge: Alan Cross wishes he was you. You remember all that useful information about the band members and the creative process (and some of the less useful things like their favorite breakfast cereal).
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Paranoid: You jump at shadows and you rarely trust anyone at first blush. You put a high value on secrecy. You're more than convinced that someone out there has it in for you - and everyone you know.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Preserve History Through Music: The history of music is the history of society and people. You want to preserve as much of it as you can.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Criminalist: Criminalists are responsible for investigating and analyzing evidence. They're responsible for figuring out what's important to the case and what doesn't apply to the case.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Occult Knowledge: You've studied the occult since you were a child. You don't have a complete understanding of *everything* related to the occult, but you at least have a passing familiarity with most occult-related topics. 
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: By the book: You have an encyclopedic knowledge of rules and regulations and you strictly follow them. Bending or breaking the rules makes you extremely uncomfortable.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Save the World: You've seen a future where humanity has been destroyed. 
  
  You've decided that it's your job to stop that from happening.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Retrieval Specialist: He's not here for the history and he's not here for the science; Lawrence was brought into the BPS for its enforcement capacity: keeping dangerous objects and dangerous people out of the way.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Tactical Acumen: A veteran of the US Marshals Service's Special Operations Group, Lawrence has the training, experience, and reflexes to handle himself in dangerous situations--especially when encountering opposition.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Solitary Shell: A life of chasing criminals and enforcing federal law has left Lawrence with little room to trust others, and little impetus to do so. He associates well enough with colleagues, but he doesn't let anyone close, and it leaves him socially handicapped, unable to let his guard down or trust allies. 
  
  Worse, deep down, he's just plain lonely, and easy target for the right manipulator...
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The One That Got Away: Lawrence didn't catch all the fugitives in his crosshairs. One in particular escaped, and it's the very one responsible for his isolation--the death of his family. The case is officially closed, but he'll never let it rest.
  
  Moreover, Lawrence has trouble leaving *any* loose ends be, now, as if afraid that some dangerous secret is always waiting to be uncovered.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Seasoned Field Agent: Keeping a cool head under fire is her specialty. She has seen action in the most hectic and dire of situations.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Guts: Despite the blood, mayhem, and insanity, she has been trained to keep it together.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Self-Doubt: She always searches for the best answer. Unfortunately, the best answer sometimes occurs halfway through executing her current action.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Make Friends: Her steely exterior, troubled youth, and fascination with the impossible has always made her feel distant. Perhaps here she can feel that she belongs.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Grifter: You rely on cons, social engineering, and other sundry scams to make your living off of the stupidity and greed of others.
  
  "Yeah, no, I said that's what I would do if I was a publisher. Unfortunately, I'm a thief so I have to do that thing.  Mickey Bergman, *Heist*
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Quick-Thinking: Mentally nimble, for you stressful situations are tailor made to be turned to your advantage.
  
  "She could talk her way out of a sunburn." -- Joe Moore, *Heist*
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Moral Flexibility: It's not that you don't know the difference between right and wrong, it's that you don't *care* about the difference.
  
  "Nothing made me a criminal. I *am* a criminal." -- Mickey Bergman, *Heist*
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Greed: Enough is never enough. You want it *all*. The bigger the take-down the better, and you're always looking for a chance to profit.
  
  "Everybody needs money. That's why they call it money!" -- Mickey Bergman, *Heist*
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Focused: To you, the job always comes first. Your first question is always "how can I be more effective at this job?"
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Dark History: Your childhood was traumatic and haunts you sometimes. 
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Enthernetwork: A good field agent knows to utilize every tool to give her an advantage. The internet is one of those tools.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Bureaucromancy: Lawrence has been working in and around the federal government for quite a while, and he's gotten adept at dealing with regulations, jurisdictions, red tape, and touchy pride.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Perceptive: You have a keen sense for detail and few things completely escape your notice.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Perfect Pitch: You have a sense for when something's just not right. It could be the notes in a song or the words in a lie, but somehow, you just *know*.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Book Restorer: You refurbish medieval illuminated manuscripts, rare first editions, and on occasion clippings from scrapbooks and other archival materials.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Dextrous: Your hands are capable of delicate work, from repainting details in miniatures and reapplying gold leaf to restitching bindings in the original patterns. With a little training, other tasks requiring lightness of touch are not out of the question.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Nearsighted: Due to constant squinting in bright light at very small details, your eyes are not quite up to snuff. Corrective lenses are required, glasses preferred as contacts aren't comfortable for long hours at the magnifying glass.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Preserve the Past: The knowledge and artistry of previous generations is a gift. It should be protected for the future.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Unreliable Tech: Technology is a miracle - provided it works.