Susano Posted December 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition i think i'll check this book out after the holidays I don't think it will be out until after the holidays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahuna's bro Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition I don't think it will be out until after the holidays. no problem i'll have to save my money till then anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Coming soon to Kazei 5... The Amnesia Files (a character concept) "I keep my memory backed up in a safe-deposit box. I know how archaic that sounds, but I gotta have it stored someplace secure, so it doesn't get hacked, cracked, or who-knows-what. You know of anything more secure than a financial district bank safe, ten meters underground, behind 60 centimeters of carbon steel, hardened against earthquakes, radiation, biological agents, robberies (in theory) and God forbid, market crashes? If you do, let me know. Why do I bother? Too much bioware, that's why. The wonks who designed my body didn't want me to be obsolete in a year, or a decade, so they made me compatible with new bioware. I've been upgraded more times than I can remember. Or could remember, if my memory still worked right. But the brain, now that's complicated. Somewhere along the way, something went wrong, and I didn't notice it right away. I started keeping digital records soon as I realized there was a problem, but by then it was too late. There's still a lot missing -- and I have no idea how much. In my line of work, you don't get far without a trauma damper. Mine is 'cranked up to eleven' so to speak -- I hardly feel anything when it kicks in, which is to say the least, surreal. Whattaya mean 'what line of work?' You never heard of me? Gee, I thought I was the one with memory loss, here. I'm a skip-tracer, bounty-hunter, retriever, whatever you want to call me. The name's Amnesia Watkins, and don't you forget it. Yeah, that's a joke. Remember to laugh next time. Anyways, like I said, too much bioware. And messing around with the brain is real tricky. The trauma damper works great -- it's a real life-saver. But it doesn't get along with my other brainware, and that's trouble. I think the problem started when I got my memory upgraded, but ironically, I can't recall anything about that now. I've got records of the operation, medical bills, etc. But the clinic at that address on the invoice is now nothing but a burned out building, and I can't locate the Doc who performed the installation, on account of him being slightly deceased. I really hope all that wasn't my doing, but it's all black -- I don't remember a damned thing. Why is that, exactly? Go ask a neural engineer -- I'm just a replicant with a gun. I think maybe my 'perfect recall' upgrade works a little too well, if you ask me. When I remember something painful, I can actually feel the pain all over again, then the trauma damper kicks in; blocking out everything associated with the pain, including little details like what I was doing at the time, or where it happened, whatever. Or maybe on jobs when I use the damper too much, it prevents the memory upgrade from laying down any long-term memories to begin with. I honestly have no idea. But it turns out, this isn't an entirely bad thing. After I've finished a job, especially a really nasty job, I tend to forget all about it, including little details like who hired me, or who the mark was. And that's actually a selling point for a lot of employers in my line of work -- they don't want me talking about them afterwards anyway, so if I've got a 'convenient' case of amnesia, so much the better. The downside is when the mark's next of kin comes calling, a week or maybe a year after I've forgotten all about them. Random idiots looking to get payback for things I can't even remember are such a damned nuisance. To make things worse, I usually end up forgetting about them, too, after I've dealt with their issues. What was your name, again?" ...I sincerely hope I get a chance to play this character in a K5 campaign. Soon. X.O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Oh, I see... well, here, a taste of one of the NPCs you'll find in the book itself: *beep* *beep* *beep* With a overwhelming desire to throttle my clock, I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling. It is 6:00 AM, and it's time to start another work day. But if you asked me (not that anyone would), I'd rather still be sleeping. I get out of my bed, which is a ground-hugging futon, and pull off what little I am wearing, a long t-shirt covered in wire-frame images of assorted cybernetic systems. I have no idea of what company the shirt was made for, but it only cost me five Hong Kong dollars in the street market, and I liked the design. Now naked (or is it nude? I'm never sure which is the right term at the right time), I walk into my bath to take a nice hot shower. I spend far longer in there than I should, but I don't care, it wakes me up, and I feel much better once I get out. There are times that I think whoever created the "massage" setting on the shower heads should be deified. Still naked I stand in the bathroom, dripping water on the floor, and stare at the mirror on the wall. Fairly well soaked, and with my hair plastered to my face and neck, at the moment I think I look very much like a drowned rat. I get a towel and try to remedy the situation. Anyone else looking in the mirror probably wouldn't have seen a drowned rat, but instead synthetic human. A rather obvious synthetic human, in fact. My name is Sarah J. Ferrari, and I am a replicated human. I like the sound of that. "I am a replicated human." It sounds almost like a confession. I'm sorry, Father, for I have sinned. I am a replicated human. And now that I've admitted that I have a problem, I can try and overcome my problem. Bulls**t. I am a replicated human, and all the therapy in the world isn't going to change that. Unless I opt for a full-body hard-shell cybernetic conversion, I am, and always will be a synthetic human. The problem is (and I don't exactly consider it a problem), is that I standout in a crowd. Not to many regular humans are pale blue, you see. I figure now is a good time as any to describe myself, since you're probably wondering about that "pale blue" line. Pulling the towel away, I take a look at myself. I stand five feet eight inches, and weigh a healthy one hundred forty pounds, with a fit and trim figure that is pretty much the de facto standard for domestic-use synthetics. Actually, I'm a little on the athletic side, which is a benefit in my line of work. Anyway, unlike certain feline-themed synthetics, I not top-heavy, although I'm not flat-chested either. I'm not sure exactly why I have breasts, since I won't be using them for anything (synthetics are sterile you see), although I do realize that a nice set (such as mine) can come in useful when dealing with a certain segment of the population. My skin, which is blemish-free, although not scar-free, is a pale blue color, although some areas, such as my nipples, lips, and tongue, are darker. My hair, which is straight and cut clean at the shoulders, is a deep blue shade, although when it gets wet it turns virtually black. My head is, in fact, the only place I have any body hair, which makes me wonder about my designers. Personally, I'm convinced that the people behind synthetic design are all closet perverts who program their current fantasies into this year's model. If given the chance I'd sure like to slap a few of them around. Where was I? Oh, yes. My eyes are a pale ice blue, my teeth a white (and straight), and my ears are where everyone other human has theirs, and not on top of my head like some stupid cat. Oh, and no tail either, thank God. Sarah J Ferrari, described by one PC as "the nicest evil person I ever met." And yes, she's blue (see below): And in case your wondering about her job? She manages a hotel in Hong Kong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamamura Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Must spread the rep around. yadda yadda. So going to buy this book. That will be some cold hard rep for ya guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition And not all of the NPCs are replicated humans, either (actually, there's only Sarah, the rest of the replicated human character sheets are just generic templates). There's a scattering of cyborgs, esper weapons, a fixer, a few corporate officials, a reporter, and even a rocker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrix3 Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Oh, I see... well, here, a taste of one of the NPCs you'll find in the book itself: Sarah J Ferrari, described by one PC as "the nicest evil person I ever met." And yes, she's blue (see below): And in case your wondering about her job? She manages a hotel in Hong Kong. The nicest evil person you'll ever meet manages a hotel? Is it an Evil hotel? Or did the person who said that have a bad reaction to the room service food? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition The nicest evil person you'll ever meet manages a hotel? Is it an Evil hotel? Or did the person who said that have a bad reaction to the room service food? The person who said that was a telepath and was commenting on Sarah's constant internal monologue on her life and the people around her. And the fact, that as a replicated human, she really doesn't like "normal" people for the most part. Oh, and Sarah "thinks" really loudly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition It also helps that Sarah is, as TV Tropes puts it, a Deadpan Snarker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition I don't think it will be out until after the holidays. That's disappointing. I was hoping to buy them as Christmas gifts for my gaming group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Dave would know better. I'm just guessing since it's December 10th already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattingly Posted December 11, 2009 Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Certainly not in time for Christmas, although I will be putting up the pre-order page soon. We've got a good lead on a sweet printing deal, and we're in the process of trying to pin it down. If we can't then we'll go with our standard deal (which isn't bad by any means, but we have to pursue a great opportunity when it presents itself). So although the printing is likely to be delayed briefly while we have the "our people will talk to your people" thing going on, rest assured that it will be out as soon as we can and the best that we can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition So y'all buy a copy, y'hear? (And buy a copy for all your friends, too!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted December 11, 2009 Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition The nicest evil person you'll ever meet manages a hotel? Is it an Evil hotel? Or did the person who said that have a bad reaction to the room service food? After being a con-chair for nearly 10 years, I will say this: hotel management is a level of evil that the ninth pit of hell envies. They are truly horrible b**tards in every sense of the word. Evil doesn't cut it, we need a new word to describe the deprived psychosis that is hotel management. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted December 11, 2009 Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition After being a con-chair for nearly 10 years' date=' I will say this: hotel management is a level of evil that the ninth pit of hell envies. They are truly horrible b**tards in every sense of the word. Evil doesn't cut it, we need a new word to describe the deprived psychosis that is hotel management.[/quote'] So, maybe this belongs in that *other* thread, but for some reason your comment made me think of a Kazei 5 / Faulty Towers crossover! Much hilarity (and violence) to be had there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition So' date=' maybe this belongs in that *other* thread, but for some reason your comment made me think of a Kazei 5 / Faulty Towers crossover! Much hilarity (and violence) to be had there....[/quote'] Actually... I recommend that if you have a game set in Hong Kong at least one PC should live in Mandarin Towers (the complex Sarah manages). She makes a great way to get PCs involved in something. Setting a game in the Towers would also be interesting.... And yes, Sarah's life in the PBEM tended to come across like a cyberpunk version of Faulty Towers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted December 11, 2009 Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition ... Oh great. Now I can wait even less! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Here's a taste of art (done by me) and the characters they represent, all of which will be in the final book: Dawn, a Rocker. The cable coming from her head connects the synthrig in her guitar, while the blade coming out of her thumb works as both a weapon and a guitar pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Hiroko O'Hara, a Zero Zone Street Samurai. Note her eyes, which have been replaced with cybernetic implants and her cable-dependent smartgun link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Katherine "Kitten" Ramis, a Mega-Tokyo Retriever. That's a 15mm Remington Stormbreaker in her hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Marta Nys, Hong Kong Street Samurai. In case you're wondering, there's nothing wrong with her fingers, she's just popped the implanted razor blades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Shion Nys (a.k.a. "The Empress"), Esper Weapon and older sister of Marta Nys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Temple, a Replicated Human (specifically a Lynx Class Security Synthetic) and Data Security Specialist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Zhen Zhen Li, Hong Kong Fixer (and Marta's lover). Note her cosmetically altered ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahuna's bro Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition the reptonfa has swung fort these characters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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