[Aftermath!] GURPS Operation Morpheus, Session 2, The Cut Scenes

Tuesday Night Sessions - GURPS Aftermath! Operation Morpheus Session 2 (October 14, 2003)

Domain Commune: A meeting of the Domain Council convenes. Council member Karma Stephens asks for an opportunity to speak. Chairperson Gale Norman grants Karma the floor. Karma talks to other council members Christian Martin, Robert Weale, Deborah Maynard and Chris Damitio about the necessity of increasing trade with other local communities and investing in new groups to explore the ruins. The council talks about food production and recent hostilities with Duke William of the Duchy of Sydney.

The Computer System: In a darkened room, a large mainframe computer is working away. On many monitors around the room are images flashing too fast for the human eye.

The Mystery Man: Still in the same room, the man is watching the computer monitor. The uniform, on second look, appears more of a paramilitary uniform than official RAA. The desk lamp illuminates the title of the book - "Poisons for Professionals."

Knights of St. John: Grand Master Seth Zuckerman calls his knights and brothers of the Order to a meeting. Several knights, Sir Kevin Nelson and Sir Alex McLean, speak of the defenses of the community. Brother Pat Lichen talks about the food supplies in storage and Brother Ty McBride talks about the hospital and current issues.

The Creatures: These same creatures are barely seen running through dark woods in the middle of the night.

[Magic Items] Shadow, the Daleland's Bardic Sword

I wrote this weapon up for my Savage Worlds multi-verse mixed-up Forgotten Realms campaign where it was used to good effect.

Shadow, The Daleland's Bardic Sword is a simple longsword of local forging. The first owner was a bard who loved the Dales so much he had it enchanted with knowledge of the Dalelands (Knowledge Dalelands, uses owners Smarts attribute +3). The sword actually speaks out loud (very talkative) with a precise British accent, even in the middle of battle (a minor distraction). The sword has a base enchantment (+0 Fighting) that will operate against creatures that can only be struck by magic weapons, but it works best while in the Dalelands themselves (+1 Fighting).

Longsword (base $300)
+0 Fighting ($200)
+1 Fighting, limited to Dalelands ($1000 x 50%)
Skill: Knowledge Forgotten Realms, limited to Dalelands (owners Smarts) +3, talkative ($3000 x 50% x 50%)

Total $1750

[Fae Northwest] Stalin in the Woods

A few years after the fall of the Soviet Union, a number of statues of Lenin, Stalin and Mother Russia were moved from Russia to all around the world, bought and paid for by rich industrialists, collectors of Soviet memorabilia, and other, less savory, personages.

One statue of Stalin found it's way into a woodland park in Seattle. Who placed it there remains unknown to this day nor is there any indication where in the Russia it actually came from (it doesn't match any known statue). The Seattle Parks Department, after investigating, formally stated the piece was donated by an anonymous benefactor and that it would not be removed (despite the fact that the paperwork is a jumble or non-existent or contradictory in nature) because it presents "a cultural asset to the community." Full stop, no further investigation or questions would be answered on the matter. Good day and thank you very much.

Over the ten years or so the statue has been in the woods, it's moved at least 25 times, never returning to the same place twice. Each time, it's concrete base has moved with it, securing it soundly to the new location. No evidence of the moves has ever been found: workers paid, witnesses to the act, or even paperwork filed at City Hall.

On some nights, it is rumored, the statue will answer your questions of the future, the present and the past. The price of such knowledge is unknown but my sources have assured me it isn't cheap. And sometimes, the statue does more than talk.

[Alignment] Neutral Evil

Neutral Evil, "Malefactor"

A neutral evil villain does whatever she can get away with. She is out for herself, pure and simple. She sheds no tears for those she kills, whether for profit, sport, or convenience. She has no love of order and holds no illusion that following laws, traditions, or codes would make her any better or more noble. On the other hand, she doesn’t have the restless nature or love of conflict that a chaotic evil villain has.

Some neutral evil villains hold up evil as an ideal, committing evil for its own sake. Most often, such villains are devoted to evil deities or secret societies.

Neutral evil is the most dangerous alignment because it represents pure evil without honor and without variation.

[Auld Lang 'Zine] 1001+1 Nights, Issue #17

Issue #17, One Thousand and One Nights and One Night RPG Campaign Design 'zine

Issue no. 17 of One Thousand and One Nights and One Night Campaign Design 'zine was published in November 2007.

This issue I talk a bit on what I'm reading and write up two of the characters in the book, an excellent quote about dragons, and a look back on when I was a killer GM in a brutal Aftermath! game (actually using the system rules).

Amazingly, all of the links still work: Aftermath! from Fantasy Games Unlimited, Footfall (Niven and Pournelle), Keep on the Borderlands (Emerson) with two PCs from the novel Willow, Elven Ranger, Level 2 and Mead, Elven Wizard, Level 2, and Criminal Minds (CBS).

[Monsters] Elven Wraith

I wrote up this Elven Wraith for the Savage Worlds multi-verse mixed-up Forgotten Realms campaign. Unfortunately, his background (which I totally have forgotten and didn't seem to write down anywhere) was never revealed.

Elven Wraith (Wild Card)
Agility d8 Smarts d8 Spirit d10 Strength d8 Vigor d10
Pace 6 Parry 8 Toughness 10 Charisma -0-

Edges: Armor (+1 leathery skin), Bony Claws (Str +1), Undead (+2 to recover from Shaken, +2 to toughness), Improved Block (+2 to Parry), Fearless (Immune to Fear/Intimidation), Quick, Wizard, Arcane Background (Magic), Power Points 25.

Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d10, Guts d10, Intimidation d10, Spellcasting d8

Spells: armor, blast, bolt, healing, light, invisibility, zombie.

The Elven Wraith was the main flunky of the Big Bad, after the PCs took out the Balrog. He was the general of the Big Bad’s army at the final battle. Taelisin gained the Wraith’s enmity early on in the game, but Popper was the one who managed to kill him. He used a LAW rocket in the final battle right when it looked like the PCs were facing certain defeat. The PCs never learned what his name was.

[Magic Items] Worg-Bane

I used this weapon in a Savage Worlds multi-verse mixed-up Forgotten Realms campaign and it worked pretty good. I used the Magic Item creation rules from the Fantasy Gear Toolkit.

Worg-bane is a finely crafted longsword of elven manufacture. This ancient blade is the scourge of evil Worgs everywhere. The sword has a base enchantment (+0 Fighting) that can harm creatures that are harmed by magic weapons, but works best (+1 Fighting, Intimidation +1) when used by an Elf (Guts +1) against Worgs.

Longsword (base cost $300)
+0 Fighting ($200)
+1 Fighting, limited to Worgs ($1000 x 50%)
Skill: Intimidation +1, limited to Worgs ($1000 x 50%)
Skill: Guts +1, limited to against Worgs, limited to Elves ($1000 x 50% x 50%)

Total $1750

[Aftermath!] GURPS Operation Morpheus: The First Session, Part 2

Session One: Part 2: "Land of Canaan" (March 28, 2104)

Important People: James (S), Bill (C), Bob (E), Alexis (C)

Important NPCs: Miles Dayton, Rich Johnson, Amanda Hayes, John Ritter, Robbie the PolRob, Capt. Adele Droblas, Matt Borselli, Ph.D. Physics, Unknown Robot.

Group B spends the first week in training with Group A to become familiar with their weapons and armor, and then they are all fully deployed.

The first actual project dropped in Group B's lap is a security vault on the first floor of the Anderson Stuart bunker where an Unknown (possibly military) Robot is guarding a set of three big vaults. The Council doesn't know what is there and, figuring that it may contain important equipment for it to be guarded by the Robot, wants the contents intact. Group B is warned that they should avoid explosives because of possible damage to the vault contents.

Group B is shown to the First Level Security Station, where they can observe the Robot over the security cameras in the foyer and the vaults. Observing the Robot, they find out that it mainly stays in the vault foyer and regularly, but erratically, patrols the three vaults. They also learn that there are several different types of robots around. Anderson Stuart has control of several dozens of Police Robots (PolRobs) and Security Robots (SecRobs), but, while this Robot is similar to PolRobs and SecRobs, it is also different and it is wearing military combat armor. Hence, it could be a military grade robot. They are also told that no one has tried to enter the vaults or attempted to talk with the Robot.

Bill and Bob talk about various ways of blowing up the Robot, which both James and Alexis nix, reminding them both to avoid explosives. Alexis determines, by observing the Robot patrol, that the Robot is probably an AI. Bill decides to build a radio signal jammer in case the Robot is in radio contact with the UDC. He contacts Matt in Supply and gathers the necessary parts to build the device, spending several hours working on it. James enters the vault foyer for the first time and displays their one Blue/3 Civilian Key Card. The Robot tells him that he has three verbal warnings to exit before the Robot will open fire. James leaves the foyer before the third verbal warning.

They figure that with combat or explosives out, electricity may be the answer. They seek a way to shut off the electricity, but, unfortunately, the vaults are on a dedicated line. Alexis checks the electricity usage on the computer and tries to figure when the Robot will power down. It seems the Robot recharges every 12 months and the last time it did was 2 months ago. Another dead-end. Alexis gets Captain Droblas to give her military computer authorization to connect to the UDC. Captain Droblas grants each of the team Sodium/5 Military Key Card access and gets them the appropriate Key Cards. Alexis then tries to get control of the Robot but only succeeds in running several diagnostic programs that do not further their plans.

Meanwhile, Bill has returned from Supply with his jammer built and, in the process, procures a very battered PolRob that the team dubs Robbie. Alexis is still booted into the UDC mainframe but is still limited to what she can do. In the hallway, Bob is trying to figure out the power routings.

Group B then decides to try to use military structure to order the Robot to stand down. James dresses in RAA military uniform and enters the vault foyer a second time. The Robot asks for proper authorization and James uses Captain Droblas' Cobalt/4 Military Key Card. The Robot identifies James but notes that the Military Key Card he is displaying belongs to someone else. The Robot refuses to stand down and orders James to exit or it will open fire.

James calls Captain Droblas and tries to get the Captain to go into the room with her Key Card but the Captain is busy and says, "Have you done as much as you can? First, do as much as you can on your part before calling me in. Don't waste my time."

End Session One.

[Cat] Lt. Dan, A Lament

Tonight I will raise a parting glass to Lt. Dan. It's been three years to the day since he passed away, our beautiful orange tabby with a snarky attitude. If he could shoot us all with his laser-cat-eyes, he would (with me probably as the first target).

He was a good boy, though. And he is missed.

[Auld Lang 'Zine] 1001+1 Nights, Special Issue

Issue Special, One Thousand and One Nights and One Night RPG Campaign Design 'zine

This first special issue of One Thousand and One Nights and One Night Campaign Design 'zine was published in November 2007.

Part of the reason I wrote this issue was the desire to help others write, layout and publish their own 'zines. It talks about how I do my own 2-page 'zine, getting started writing, finding your own voice, layout style, layout options (including where to put the header, also known as the Nameplate), adding graphics, what program you use (I use Open Office), and round off the issue with info on websites and advertising.

I don't know how many people have used this but I hope that it inspired someone to write a free 'zine. If you are inspired to write one, let me know and I'll review your 'zine on this blog.

[Blogs] Ranked 106th!

From a post dated September 15th over at Cyclopeatron, the Asshat Paladin blog ranked 106th, with 34 followers (tied to malevolent & benign, a fine blog - though spotty of late - with a bunch of neat stuff, like this and this).

Which led to the an obvious problem - If I follow him, I lose my 106th but if I don't and tell people about him, I still lose my place. Aaarrrggghhhh!

My desire for cool blogs outweighed my own self-interest and of course I followed malevolent & benign. So should you.

[Auld Lang 'Zine] 1001+1 Nights, Issue #16

Issue #16, One Thousand and One Nights and One Night RPG Campaign Design 'zine

Issue no. 16 of One Thousand and One Nights and One Night Campaign Design 'zine was published in November 2007.

This issue I talk about my Savage Worlds Forgotten Realm Campaign (which included a Balrog!), a review on Confessions of a Part Time Sorceress (I may have been too harsh but believe the point is still there), and a bit on Tricky Owlbear's Behind the Spells.

Some of the links from the game note page still work - Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress (on Amazon), My Savage Realms! Notes, and a bunch from wikipedia: Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner, Balrog, The Dreadful Flying Glove, and Keystone Cops.

[Webcomics] Doors + Windows

Doors + Windows is a noir-horror webcomic by Shawn Gaston. It's in black and white, with some color (usually red) and tells a compelling story about a simple missing persons case that goes horribly wrong. Narrated by Jack (no last name given), a hard-smokin' Private Eye, it has dames, danger and death, all wrapped up in 30 pages.

If it doesn't provide you any ideas for a Dresden Files game, I don't know what would.

[Resources] The Mystery of Florinda Donner

Carlos Castaneda was a modern shaman who wrote many books on magic and gathered a number of followers. Now, he's pretty interesting but after his death in 1998, the real mystery begins.

Several of his closest followers were known as the "witches" - Florinda Donner-Grau, Taisha Abelar, Amalia Marquez and Kylie Lundahl. These women were Carlos' lovers and wives and fellow mystics.

The day after his death, these four "witches" disappeared. And four weeks later, Carlos' adopted daughter Patricia Partin disappeared, too. Her car was found abandoned in Death Valley. And in 2003, bones were found near the site.

In 2006 the skeleton was identified as Patricia's body.

And no one saw the rest of the "witches" ever again.

Where did they go? Did they have some other place to go? Are they all dead or are they living somewhere else? Or possibly somewhen else? And what happened to Patricia (if that really was her skeleton)?