Logan D. Hurricanes Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 One of the perks of my job is Advanced Reader's Editions. I grabbed one called "Soon, I Will Be Invincible!" and began to read. I simply had to share this opener: This morning on planet Earth, there are one thousand, six hundred, and eighty-six enhanced, gifted, or otherwise-superpowered persons. Of these, one hundred and twenty-six are civilians leading normal lives. Thirty-eight are kept in research facilities funded by the Department of Defense, or foreign equivalents. Two hundred and twenty-six are aquatic, confined to the oceans. Twenty-nine are strictly localized—powerful trees and genii loci, the Great Sphinx, and the Pyramid of Giza. Twenty-five are microscopic (including the Infinitesimal Seven). Three are dogs; four are cats; one is a bird. Six are made of gas. One is a mobile electrical field, more of a weather pattern than a person. Seventy-seven are alien visitors. Thirty-eight are missing. Forty-one are off-continuity, permanent émigrés to Earth's alternate realities and branching time streams. Six hundred and seventy-eight use their powers to fight crimes, while 441 use their powers to commit them. Forty-four are currently confined in Special Containment Facilities for enhanced criminals. Of these last, it is interesting to note that an unusually high proportion have IQs of 300 or more—eighteen to be exact. Including me. The author is Austin Grossman, a freelance game designer. I should think so! I just knew it had to be a gamer behind the pen. I love the super population breakdown. I've done similar lists before, but never to this level of detail. I never thought to include microscopic individuals in the breakdown, for example. And a listing of off-continuity, that's just cool. So, how many living weather patterns does your universe have? BTW, on the book: The narrator of that first chapter is Doctor Impossible, the world's smartest man and fourth most dangerous man alive. Very nice. The book is a fun read, though there are a few pages missing in the front. I sure hope they catch that for the big run. Oh, and the dominant superhero team? The Champions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper-Man Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness One of the perks of my job is Advanced Reader's Editions. I grabbed one called "Soon, I Will Be Invincible!" and began to read. I simply had to share this opener: The author is Austin Grossman, a freelance game designer. I should think so! I just knew it had to be a gamer behind the pen. I love the super population breakdown. I've done similar lists before, but never to this level of detail. I never thought to include microscopic individuals in the breakdown, for example. And a listing of off-continuity, that's just cool. So, how many living weather patterns does your universe have? BTW, on the book: The narrator of that first chapter is Doctor Impossible, the world's smartest man and fourth most dangerous man alive. Very nice. The book is a fun read, though there are a few pages missing in the front. I sure hope they catch that for the big run. Oh, and the dominant superhero team? The Champions. Kind of reminds me of the way they begin episodes of NUMB3RS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karmakaze Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness There's more of that excerpt here: http://sooniwillbeinvincible.com/foiled-again-excerpt.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted May 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness Kind of reminds me of the way they begin episodes of NUMB3RS. I've never seen the show. Maybe I need to check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinanju Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness I've never seen the show. Maybe I need to check it out. You might be disappointed if you do. What he's referring to is that every episode starts with four numbers appearing on the screen. Something like: 5,000,000 dollars 2700 employees 1 kidnapped child 12 hours The show itself (which I watch) is a pretty straightforward crime drama. The FBI tries to solve a crime and makes use of the mathematical prowess of Charlie Epps (brother of FBI agent Don Epps). Nothing remotely superheroic about it. ...well, except that Charlie invariably uses math to help them catch the bad guys (and often lectures them on theories that, frankly, any FBI agent--or any well-read fan of guns, mysteries, true crime stories and so forth--really ought to be familiar with already). But, hey, it's aimed at a general audience so I try not to get too annoyed by that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness my folks love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Typist Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness Wow... that extended excerpt... it is ART. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karmakaze Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness Wow... that extended excerpt... it is ART. There's also one from a heroine: http://sooniwillbeinvincible.com/welcome-to-the-team-excerpt.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness You might be disappointed if you do. What he's referring to is that every episode starts with four numbers appearing on the screen. Something like: 5,000,000 dollars 2700 employees 1 kidnapped child 12 hours The show itself (which I watch) is a pretty straightforward crime drama. The FBI tries to solve a crime and makes use of the mathematical prowess of Charlie Epps (brother of FBI agent Don Epps). Nothing remotely superheroic about it. ...well, except that Charlie invariably uses math to help them catch the bad guys (and often lectures them on theories that, frankly, any FBI agent--or any well-read fan of guns, mysteries, true crime stories and so forth--really ought to be familiar with already). But, hey, it's aimed at a general audience so I try not to get too annoyed by that. I joke that Numbers is really a Technocracy campaign thinly veiled. The leads are a Iteration-X Statistician and his brother, the NWO field agent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wylodmayer Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness Off topic, I once played a rogue NWO stats guy who had lots of dots in what was then called Entropy, basically what is nowadays Fate. He didn't cause things to happen, in his paradigm, he merely figured out where to look to see things that were happening. His "magic" depended on having, as an ex-NWO member, access to detailed statistical information of the likes you've never imagined. Like, one time, we wanted to see if a car in the parking lot was both unlocked and had the keys in it. Mechanically, I used Entropy to bring this event about; in paradigm, he dug out his laptop and discs containing statistical info on car thefts, insurance reports and so on. After fifteen minutes, he had a list of the most likely makes, models, and years of cars to check for being both unlocked and having had the keys left in the car. We found a car that was the right color, make and model, and only one year off the optimal model year, and - what do you know? - it was unlocked and had the keys in it. It was a fun, albeit short lived character. That said, new Mage is much cooler. Sorry for the hijack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Typist Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness Where did you find these?? I searched the site, and couldn't find any links! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinanju Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness It was a fun, albeit short lived character. That said, new Mage is much cooler. Sounds like a fun character. However, I dispute your claim that new Mage is much cooler. I find it far less worthwhile. I liked the old version of Mage. (And I mean the original, first edition version--when you could do just about anything to make your magic coincidental.) The new Mage seems (based on what I've seen of it) to have moved away from freeform magic toward a much more structured--and limited--approach. And the wide open approach to magic is what I loved about the original game. My personal approach was to treat coincidental magic as insanely powerful. If you blew up your enemies with exploding gas mains--the gas mains were where you used them, regardless of where they had "really" been. If an enemy succumbed to a sudden heart attack from a previously undiagnosed heart condition...he retroactively had always had that condition. Mages were altering reality, rewriting history, every time they worked magic. And _that's_ why the Technocracy hated these guys. They wanted a nice, stable, orderly universe. But when they could spend years and billions of dollars building a computer chip that would serve their ends--only to have some stupid Virtual Adept "find" a flaw that rendered it useless (and as a SIDE EFFECT of what he was doing, not even as his primary goal)--well, they HATED that. These clowns were screwing up their plans left and right with no thought for the consequences. They had to GO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzMike Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness I sooo want to read this book Edit: Does anyone have the secret access code for the book's website? If you click on the orb at the bottom of the screen it asks for one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted May 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness I sooo want to read this book Edit: Does anyone have the secret access code for the book's website? If you click on the orb at the bottom of the screen it asks for one... The book has a publication date of June, so not long now It's going to be my lunchtime literature for the next week, I think. I'll post a review when finished. So far, enjoying the heck out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimble Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness I defitely plan on buying this book! Grimble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narratio Posted May 9, 2007 Report Share Posted May 9, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness Dropped it onto my wish list with Amazon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hainted Posted May 10, 2007 Report Share Posted May 10, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness I always figure bigger populations of supers(around 1 to 1.5% of the population)but I also include many non essential things.(I.e. if you can make a dot appear on your finger at will between the hours of 2 and 4 every other thursday it's a power and you're counted.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike W Posted May 10, 2007 Report Share Posted May 10, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness One of the perks of my job is Advanced Reader's Editions. I grabbed one called "Soon, I Will Be Invincible!" and began to read. I simply had to share this opener: The author is Austin Grossman, a freelance game designer. I should think so! I just knew it had to be a gamer behind the pen. I love the super population breakdown. I've done similar lists before, but never to this level of detail. I never thought to include microscopic individuals in the breakdown, for example. And a listing of off-continuity, that's just cool. So, how many living weather patterns does your universe have? BTW, on the book: The narrator of that first chapter is Doctor Impossible, the world's smartest man and fourth most dangerous man alive. Very nice. The book is a fun read, though there are a few pages missing in the front. I sure hope they catch that for the big run. Oh, and the dominant superhero team? The Champions. I don't have anyone I would describe as a "living weather pattern" but I do have a couple of characters that I tend to think of as "forces of nature". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted May 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness I finally finished this wonderful book and posted a review in the NGD here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted May 13, 2007 Report Share Posted May 13, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness Since it won't be published until June, how did you get to read it? And where do I sign up? It's already on my Amazon Wish List. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted May 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness Since it won't be published until June, how did you get to read it? And where do I sign up? It's already on my Amazon Wish List. 1) Spend a couple years getting an MLS. 2) Become a librarian. We don't get many real perks, but Advanced Reader Editions are sweet. This one paid off nicely. I just wish my office got the AREs of graphic novels, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted May 13, 2007 Report Share Posted May 13, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness 1) Spend a couple years getting an MLS. 2) Become a librarian. We don't get many real perks, but Advanced Reader Editions are sweet. This one paid off nicely. I hate you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Typist Posted May 13, 2007 Report Share Posted May 13, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness What's an MLS? Edit: Guessing- Masters in Library Sciences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted May 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2007 Re: Super Populations and other goodness What's an MLS? Edit: Guessing- Masters in Library Sciences? Science, singular, but yeah. Mine is actually an MLIS, Masters in Library and Information Science. Same thing pretty much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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