[ScytheKnight]

OK so I'm looking into CFD a bit, trying to find a good point to place a game in the timeline. Unfortunately with CFD being scattered around so many books it's hard to get a concrete timeline.

When did rumors about CFD start spreading around the shadow community?
When was there confirmation about CFD in the shadow community?
When does the Lockdown fit into this?
When did rumors about what's really happening in Boston start spreading around the shadow community?
When was there confirmation about what's really happening in Boston in the shadow community?
When did rumors about CFD and what's really happening in Boston start spreading around the general population?
When/Was there confirmation about CFD and what's really happening in Boston amung the general population?
When did increased tension about CFD start in the general population?
When did large scale panic/riots about CFD start in the general population?

[ScytheKnight]

Whelp... guess that means just sticking it in at a random point and progressing how i see fit...

[witchdoctor]

The problem with what you're asking is that the information is spread out over so many books that it's hard to pinpoint exactly where CFD started being mentioned. It was hinted at ages ago and slowly more and more hints were dropped in various books until CFD was officially recognizing as happening. So to pinpoint the origins among various sources would require going through so many books as to be prohibitively time consuming. Sorry.

[ScytheKnight]

The problem with what you're asking is that the information is spread out over so many books that it's hard to pinpoint exactly where CFD started being mentioned. It was hinted at ages ago and slowly more and more hints were dropped in various books until CFD was officially recognizing as happening. So to pinpoint the origins among various sources would require going through so many books as to be prohibitively time consuming. Sorry.

Yeah fair enough. I was mainly asking because I don't even own all of the books CFD gets mentioned in. Ahh well, was worth a shot.

[witchdoctor]

I would say try Stolen Souls as that is the CFD plot book and that should give you most of what you're looking for.

[ScytheKnight]

I would say try Stolen Souls as that is the CFD plot book and that should give you most of what you're looking for.

Yeah, it's the main one I'm missing since I've mainly been running a Missions game so the crunch in SS has very little practical use for Missions.

[Mirikon]

The first place CFD (though not by that name) is actually mentioned would be in Storm Front, I believe. However, there were hints of it stretching back a lot. As far back as the Corporate Intrigue book, there was a mission where Lanier is hiring runners to dig up dirt on a NeoNET site experimenting on AIs. Other than the 'blank name' posts in the fluff, though, the only hints given were mostly on the Jackpoint pages or as background of other tech-related plots, as well as people just mentioning that things were... off with Evo's Mars base.

But yeah, first solid mention is in Storm Front, where they collect all those scattered threads, and Stolen Souls, where they give a solid look at what is happening.

[Beta]

OK so I'm looking into CFD a bit, trying to find a good point to place a game in the timeline. Unfortunately with CFD being scattered around so many books it's hard to get a concrete timeline.

.....

When does the Lockdown fit into this?
When did rumors about what's really happening in Boston start spreading around the shadow community?
When was there confirmation about what's really happening in Boston in the shadow community?
When did rumors about CFD and what's really happening in Boston start spreading around the general population?
When/Was there confirmation about CFD and what's really happening in Boston amung the general population?
When did increased tension about CFD start in the general population?
When did large scale panic/riots about CFD start in the general population?

It is clear in Lockdown that the Shadow community is interested in what is going on right from the start, and is pretty sure that the excuse for the lockdown (a sudden epidemic of viral encephalitis) is bogus, and they know about some of the AI and nanite based research programs going on.  In the fiction in the book someone manages to get some information out (maybe) a few weeks in, and the actual adventures have the player characters finding out the truth in what is going on -- and tries to tie them down to one of a few options for dealing with that info, none of which are to try and get it out publicly and none of which actually involves them getting out of Boston (really it is set up more like a retirement scenario--would have been nice for the book to let you know earlier in, to be honest).

Lockdown does NOT give any info on if/when word gets out more broadly, and ends promising that feedback from players (choices in the computer game, submitted results from RPG gropus) will determine what happens next.  So that part is officially To Be Determined.

[Wakshaani]

CFD has roots that go back to the 1st ed Imago adventure. It has a bit of a pedigree.

Storm Front's when it switches gears from 'Sneaky background stuff' to "Hey, this ... is kind of a big deal. JastJack, noooo!"

You can see some echoes in the 'nameless poster' bit, but it goes back even further.

Lemme grab that first post for the main questions.

[Wakshaani]

OK so I'm looking into CFD a bit, trying to find a good point to place a game in the timeline. Unfortunately with CFD being scattered around so many books it's hard to get a concrete timeline.

When did rumors about CFD start spreading around the shadow community?

About a year before Storm Front, but when FastJack dropped data on JackPoint, they bounced it via Shadowland, at which point the Shadow community started getting hard information. Before that, lots of "friend of a friend" stuff.

When was there confirmation about CFD in the shadow community?

Storm Front.

When does the Lockdown fit into this?

Two years after Storm Front? Three? Thereabouts. A *while*.

When did rumors about what's really happening in Boston start spreading around the shadow community?

About ten seconds after the first post went live. Or did you mean *accurate* rumors?

When was there confirmation about what's really happening in Boston in the shadow community?

During the Lockdown adventures, maybe, depending on the actions of the PCs. Otherwise about a month after the walls went up.

When did rumors about CFD and what's really happening in Boston start spreading around the general population?

About ten seconds after the sirens and military vehicles went driving that-a-way. The news media is fanning teh Hell out of that now.

When/Was there confirmation about CFD and what's really happening in Boston amung the general population?

Depends on teh PCs actions. As of this moment, the official UCAS government line is still "Pandemic lockdown" but it's STRONGLY rumored that encephilitis is a bogus reason. Lots of money being kicked around by people to know more! But, oh my goddness, the rumors.

When did increased tension about CFD start in the general population?

Pre-Storm Front, when Headcases moved from urban legend to reported on by the news media.

When did large scale panic/riots about CFD start in the general population?

Define 'panic'. Most of the population was in a snorting, "Can't happen to me" kind of thought process. Put it somewhere between AIDS and crack, since BTL abuse is "clearly the cause" in the view of some experts (or 'experts'), and a general, "Oh, only Those People have to worry about it. I'm normal, so I'm safe."

Lockdown could be a game-changer, however. depening on what happens.

For instance, if they closed Atlanta tomorrow due to "overly-aggressive pinkeye", then started walling the city off and preventing media crews in, people might be a TAD distraght. When rumors started up that it was actually the Black Plague and that bodies were being piled up and incinerated by the military with flame throwers, true or not, people would start getting fidgety. If it then came out that it was because a Coca-Cola and Nestle joint project had resulted in making caancer airborn and contageous, well, there might be *small* pushback.

[Prime Mover]

" If it then came out that it was because a Coca-Cola and Nestle joint project had resulted in making caancer airborn and contageous, well, there might be *small* pushback."

Made me snort my coffee, great line.

[Mirikon]

Yeah, Lockdown is going to end up as one of those game-changer moments that affects the setting for years, possibly decades after. It has the same potential to shake things up as Bug City, the Big D's will, the Shutdown, and Crash 2.0 did, and we're still feeling the aftershocks of all of those.

[SexyDan]

In Storm Front, the latest date among the files that Miles Lanier posts on JackPoint is August of 2074, so it stands to reason that the shadow community was aware of CFD (if not by that name) late in 2074.

I'm just starting to read Stolen Souls, which picks up where that left off. I've noticed it does occasionally mention dates in the April to August of 2075 range that I've seen, but I won't try to make sense of a timeline until I read through it more.

[Checkmate]

It's pretty strongly implied in lockdown that the info getting out(which happens in pretty much all cases) could very likely lead to the death of NeoNet(and possibly the serious embarrassment of Celedyr, which I suppose might cost him the Loremaster position.) There are also a number of lesser possible outcomes like the rise of a new mega or Evo or the Azzies getting kicked around.

[Mirikon]

From what I understand, one of the current Big 10 is going to go down as fallout from the Lockdown. Which one (and who replaces them) is going to depend on what gets out and to whom. The three contenders for this getting out are NeoNET, EVO, and Aztechnology. Who gets the real incriminating information is important. If it goes to NeoNET, then they'll likely paint EVO or Aztechnology as the villains (with an edge towards the Big A, because there's a dragon on the board). Same if it gets to Saeder-Krupp (for the same reasons). EVO or Aztechnology getting the package likely means NeoNET goes down, because they're the most involved, and the most precariously positioned. For the rest of the Big 10, it depends on what kind of deals are struck in the background. And that's got nothing on if someone like Maersk or Zeta-ImpChem gets it, and starts leveraging for a seat at the big table.