On Tuesday, 3 Jul 2012, Andrew Pritchard wrote:
>1) I am assuming this is a different universe to Stars of Albion, in
>that we aren't ruled by the Old Ones, instead Queen Victoria (the
>human one)

This is a totally different universe; it just happens to be
Victorian-era Call of Cthulhu, entirely coincidentally.

>2) Does Mawson's have any proof that the dispatches are still on
>board? How do they know for example that the dispatches haven't
>floated the surface and are lost at sea?

There's no proof, but it seems unlikely, based on normal procedure
with diplomatic bags. The Baron would not have carried it around at
all times, risking losing them; he would have had several assistants
with him, officially acting just as his servants, and one of these
assistants would be awake and on guard in his cabin at all times. It
is also normal procedure to weigh down a diplomatic bag at sea so it
will not float; it's better to lose it than have it fall into the
wrong hands. There's no knowing - it's possible, for example, that
Lafayette did not sink, but was boarded, although debris from her has
been found - but if she did sink, and if the sinking was not connected
with theft of the bag, it is almost certainly in the Baron's cabin.
Mawson doesn't expect miracles; if the bag or the ship aren't roughly
where they're expected to be, that can't be helped.

>3) Is there a list of skills and their costs? If this is d20 modern, I
>assume that we're still using STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA. What dice
>are we rolling for them - or is it assigned points?

Not until I get home to my manuals - don't worry about formal
character creation tonight.

-- 
David Damerell <damerell@chiark.greenend.org.uk> Kill the tomato!
Today is Middle Day Again - a public holiday.
Tomorrow will be Second Monday, Presuary.