sinanju

Re: Cat Up a Tree Iron Maiden, Rose Hancock, Black Mask, and Raven can all fly, and would rescue the cat. Black Knight can't fly, but he'd get the cat out of the tree somehow (possibly via the Mr. Incredible technique...).

Re: Star Wars: Technological Stagnation?

Re: Star Trek: Rebel Generation Quark: "Here, try this." Alien Customer: "Gah! What is it?" Quark: "It's a human drink. Root beer." Alien Customer: "It's so revoltingly sweet!" Quark: "Just like the Federation. The scary thing is? If you drink enough of it, it starts to grow on you." Alien Customer: "Just like the Federation." --The aliens in ST:DS9 got all the best lines.

Re: Off-world crops? http://www.nss.org/settlement/ColoniesInSpace/colonies_chap09.html Chapter 9 from "Colonies in Space" considers the possibilities for feeding colonists. You can raise all kinds of vegetables hydroponically in large quantities, year round. In addition, you can raise various animals--fish, rabbits, goats--which can eat the parts of plants we don't (raising animals that eat the same plant foods we do is a wasteful extravagance), and use them for meat (or in the case of goats, for milk, butter, etc.).

Re: Science, Technology and Crafting -- How do you handle it? If the tech level allows for small-scale manufacture of exotic, high-tech items, and the PCs have the time and money to invest, you can't really argue with them spending their "down time" in-flight building things. If I wanted to limit such things, I'd have an out-of-game conversation with the players and tell them that, yes, realistically they could it, but it will make the game harder to GM and less fun to play. Alternatively, if the tech DOESN'T allow for that kind of thing, just explain to them that, yeah, the engineer understands how to build a laser pistol, and maybe even knows how to do some repairs on one. But he doesn't have the multi-billion dollar fabrication facility, including "clean rooms" that make surgical theatres look filthy, required to manufacture some vital component of the laser pistol (or whatever). Sure, anybody with half a brain and a little knowledge (or a good instruction book) can assemble a computer from parts. But only Intel (and their peers) can design and fabricate the integrated chips that make them work. (And, frankly, if it's possible to build batteries or capacitors that can power a laser pistol, the authorities are probably going to keep a firm eye on them. If you can get a case of them, you can build a case of laser weapons...but if you can afford/have the connections to do that, why would you need to build them in the first place? Just place an order.

Re: A real laser pistol? Power from vacuum? Photons affecting more than one electro

Re: Personal Companion Bots. and a months long voyage.... So women don't replace us with sexdroids, obviously. It can be programmed to be obliging, helpful, unfailingly polite, non-argumentative, AND it can "go all night" whenever she likes? Something's gotta be done!

Re: A real laser pistol? Power from vacuum? Photons affecting more than one electro Well, it'd be like trying to reconstruct mnemonic memory circuits using stone knives and bearskins. Sixty years really ain't so bad. Or as an article I read once explained, if a modern day cruise missile landed at White Sands in 1949, they wouldn't even know how to begin to reverse engineer it. There are simply too many steps between what they knew at the time and design of current systems. They'd be able to determine how it flew (wings and flaps aren't all that different), and what it used for fuel. Maybe even that it contained a nuclear warhead (though far more advanced than anything contemplated then). But the sensors? The GPS uplink? Integrated circuits in the computer guidance system? Using then-current tools just to test it would destroy it.

Re: What have you Summoned? I play a reality-manipulator, Raven, who has a Summon power. It lets her "coincidentally" encounter any sort of creature that would normally inhabit the area. The game takes place in Hudson City, so she can run into cops, the SWAT unit, or EMTs as needed; or run into a pizza delivery driver if she's hungry/needs to feed someone; a cabbie, if she needs a vehicle; members of groups she needs to contact in a hurry, and so forth. She can't summon specific individuals, but if Highland Street Thugs Member #23 will do...he's easy to find.

Re: A real laser pistol? Power from vacuum? Photons affecting more than one electro Sounds like a variation on the perpetual energy machine. Yeah, sure. I'd love to be wrong, but....

Re: A Superhuman Registration World What you seem to be missing is that the villains in question are the guys in gray suits running the national government. Any government that would threaten to murder innocent relatives, friends, or lovers in order to coerce a third party is evil. Full stop. Superheroes fight evil. They do not work for it. And "Hey, here in Islandia, we only shoot your loved ones if you get out of line, in EastAsia they rape them to death. You're getting a much better deal" doesn't hold much water.

Re: Superhumans and their families Rose Hancock (aka Lady London) was a refugee from Britain living in the USA (the powers that be there wanted to seize her when she manifested her powers, so she fled); she had family but they cut her off when she ran away. No romantic relationships. Iron Maiden (I've played her in a couple of campaigns, but mostly she lives in my fiction these days) is seriously involved with a couple, and has playmates on the side. Plus, a best friend, a therapist, and a number of other supporting NPCs. Black Knight is 90 years old. He spent most of those 90 years married (and faithful) to one woman, and gave up a lot of his dreams of adventure to keep his promises to her. Now that he's been rejuvenated and is Nigh Invulnerable , he's making no promises to ANYONE. Drinking, dancing, carousing, brawling. So lots of acquaintances, no serious relationships.

Re: A Superhuman Registration World No assassination threats? That's mighty white of them. All of my PCs will be looking up Magneto and volunteering for the cause, thanks. They want a civil war? We'll give 'em one to remember. Superheroes are supposed to protect people from supervillains--only in this case the supervillains are running the government. It's gonna get ugly, but it's got to be done.

Re: WWYCD: Holes in the story Iron Maiden: "Why are you telling me that? I didn't ask for jelly. I asked for cinnamon." Raven: "I know. That's why I'm here." (Whips a huge box of jelly donuts out of nowhere and hands them to the clerk.)

Re: "Neat" Pictures

Re: "Neat" Pictures Sigh. Another "Atlas Shrugged" joke gone wrong....

Re: ...If I End Up In an Urban Fantasy Novel 67a. But first, I will check to see if Vampire$ Inc. exists, or used to exist. Because in that world, not just any silver will do. It has to be silver from a blessed crucifix. (Fortunately, Vampire$ Inc has connections with the Vatican...)

Re: "Neat" Pictures

Re: ...If I End Up In an Urban Fantasy Novel I'm not sure of the limit, actually. I'm pretty sure you can't transform running water into holy water, so no rivers, streams or seas. I'm pretty sure it also has to be clean water, so probably nothing that has fish and other critters in it--after all, they do their business in it. So no lakes either. But a bathtub? A swimming pool? No problem! The important thing is, you get a sample of holy water from helpful old Father Flanagan, pour it into a larger body, then scoop some out again and put it away. You never need run out as long as you're careful about putting some away for a rainy day.

Re: ...If I End Up In an Urban Fantasy Novel 65c. (65b already taken) Holy Water is homeopathic. Pouring holy water into a larger body* of water turns it ALL into holy water. As long as you keep a stock of "seed" holy water stashed somewhere, you need never run out. *Within limits. You can't turn the sea, or Lake Michigan, into holy water.

Re: Personal Companion Bots. and a months long voyage.... CONSUMER REPORTS, July 2122 - We've long admired Rossum's Universal Robots. They've been reliable, durable, and easy to maintain. Alas, the same cannot be said of their new line of sexbots. Rushed out in response to the surprising introduction of the Domestic Companion by Wright Robotics, they failed numerous tests. Details follow in the article (click through to read), but suffice to say that a manufacturer of robots destined for manufacturing, mining and other industrial uses may not be the best folk to build a robt intended for more...intimate uses. Our testers suffered a number of injuries, from severe bruising to crushed genitals, and even a near-fatal electrocution while engaged in amorous activities in a hot tub (this despite the manufacturers' claims that such behavior was perfectly safe). We advise our readers NOT to purchase an RUR Sexbot until and unless substantial changes are made.

Re: Personal Companion Bots. and a months long voyage.... Well...except in situations where having a human form is advantageous. Like "general purpose servant" robots. With a humanoid shape, they can move through spaces humans have designed for...humans to move through, and manipulate items designed to be manipulated by humans. If they're also intended to serve as sexual surrogates, a human form is especially useful.

Re: Deciding on Supers MMO Well, I found a copy of CO at the local game store today and bought it. I've installed it (the patches are downloading now). One nasty surprise was when I agreed to intall the Raptr gaming chat program...which added an unasked-for toolbar to my browser. I deleted that immediately, and left a nastygram for the makers when I got a pop-up asking why I was uninstalling it. Don't ever, EVER install something on my machine that I didn't explicitly invite you to install, people. Otherwise...I'm hoping to have fun with CO. We'll see how it goes.

Re: Personal Companion Bots. and a months long voyage....

Re: Personal Companion Bots. and a months long voyage.... Sure, I'd get one. Why not? It may still be masturbation, but it's a lot more entertaining than the old-fashioned way.