Mentor

Re: Traveller Hero Update

Thanks for the update, William. I am still chomping at the bit.

Re: The Future of Small Arms

Why are we shooting BB's from orbit again? I see that pop up on page 5 of the thread but can't find where it started.

 

Anti-matter BBs would involve a huge energy output to make - probably not a cost effective weapon. At that point, you might as well get a super tanker and ship thousands of gallons of high rated Greenhouse gasses from Venus to take out the whole planet... it's probably a cheaper venture.

 

A modern day oil tanker sized container full of Sulfur hexafluoride has enough GWP to probably take out the Earth overnight...

 

Anti-matter is just way too over doing it, and it takes near nuclear amounts of energy to generate even a few molecules of the stuff.

Just for the record, we are not discussing the "Present of Small Arms.":D

In the context of the story, the ruler of The Empire of A Thousand Suns stumbled on a dimensional rift with tons of cheap Antimatter2, not just regular antimatter. He was a genius who created the Imperium shield force field to control the stuff, which eventually became the fuel of star travel, the microscopic base for small arms ammo, and the fuel of a galactic civilization.

Antimatter2 fulfilled the most importan criteria of a science fiction energy source, far more important than being efficient. Antimatter2 is first and formost cool.

Re: The Future of Small Arms

I wonder how far one of those BBs would get before it burned up in the atmosphere.

In the Sten novels, they were made of Antimatter2 and surrounded by a force field called the Imperium Shield, so I presume that version was nearly indestructable. In real life, I suppose it would depend on what the density and material composition of the BBs were.

Re: Code vs Killing (Total)

We have generally chosen to define Code vs Killing to apply to humans and very similar humanoids. Demons, animals, undead, and creatures which don't appear humanoid are not automatic.

Some players define their character's Disad even more stringently, but that is role playing.

Re: The Future of Small Arms

I still like the mini mass driver for hypersonic velocities; superheavy but tiny projectiles, allowing a magazine to hold thousands of BBs each with the hitting power of a MaDeuce (.50 cal. HMG); and all the smarts, ergonomics and targetting sensors and assists making missing unlikely.

Similar in almost every way to the Willys gun in the Sten series of books.

Re: Post-Holocaust Starting Point Level?

I do along with 75+75 if you want a Gamma World mutation flavor or even 100+50 for something more along the lines of Morrow Project for PCs. This based on the preferences our groups players have for not doing the D&D, everybody starts off at 1st level feel. We would rather be competent and capable and have tougher challenges than just adequate with lesser ones.

Re: New Judge trying to understand Unstoppable Healing

Just say no.

We would simply inform the player that the construct is unbalanced for our campaign, especially as a Multipower, all of which are GM calls anyway. If the player is hostile or recalcitrant in the extreme, and you don't wish to boot him out of the campaign (my first choice, BTW) design a continuing attack that prevents the Regen from functioning.

I accept that there are a few character concepts for which the power might be reasonable, but I would expect the player to pay full price and not allow a Multipower placement.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Just finished Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson. The rise of Newton and Liebniz during the 17th Century against the background of the reigns of Charles II' date=' James II and William III. Very interesting indeed.[/quote']

One of my favorite series.

Re: The cranky thread

I'll see your kitten and raise you a toddler. We might have to skip the tree this year.

Hint from a three time dad. Put the tree in the playpen. It works until they're three. Then you try distraction.

Re: Musings on Random Musings

I have fired seven people in eight years and every time except one was the hardest thing I ever did. That one exception, sometimes I wish I could rehire the SOB just so I could fire him again.

Re: Sentinels

Deja Vu.

Sntinals was the name of our original Superhero team from 1983-84 thereabout, so was looking to see if the poster was someone i woud recognize. No joy.

Re: Can we relate these discussions to direct play experiences? (newbies esp. pls rea

My belief is that' date=' if someone posts a new thread [i']solely[/i] for the purpose of helping others out, and we refuse to participate on the grounds that any thread which does not directly apply to the game of the thread-starter is a waste of our time, we do a tremendous disservice to those others that the thread-starter was trying to help out.

 

It may still be theoretical in that we aren't sure if anyone is actually having (in practice) the problem that we foresee in theory, but this doesn't mean that we can't (or shouldn't) evaluate whether the situation could arise in a real game, and (based on that) decide to make the system into one worth playing (for the future stability) before players actually get to it.

I don't like the approach of banning or preventing any kind of expression of opinions or ideas, regardless of my opinion as to their utility. For one thing, there are so many really smart individuals on these boards that i can count on some of them to come up with great ideas I would never have conceived of. Some individuals have a fascination for the the mathematical structures and others for the philosophical gaming design structures of Hero or other systems, neither of which are shared by me.

I am more relating to the meaning of the build in the contextual melieu of the play based on the stated actions of the players and game masters involved. Theoretical damage or hitting capabilities in a character which in play would never get close enough to the heroes or villains in the story are only probably intersting in the vaccuum of the discussion and may look foolish when applied to a game universe.

Re: Can we relate these discussions to direct play experiences? (newbies esp. pls rea

Personally' date=' when a thread is purely theoretical and clearly has no actual play application for the thread-starter (i.e., they're just brainstorming about mechanics for its own sake), I just ignore them. I won't waste my time on it, but if that's the conversation they want to have, let them. On the other hand, some discussions intended to solve a real problem, or to design something for play, really are mechanical-theoretical in nature. Examples are good, but I agree with Keith and Shrike, the best approach for presenting a particuliar problem will vary.[/quote']

 

I agree. I find myself reading builds or complaints about powers or rules and honestly wonder if they are actually playing in a game. Likewise in threads about CHA cost and "optimal" power sets, I wonder if the person posting would enjoy playing that character or allow them in agame. Game mechanics are not a set of either mathematical exactitudes nor real world physics models.

Re: Musings on Random Musings

David Hasselhoff's single 'Jump in My Car' is out as a single in the UK. There is a concerted campaign to get it to No 1.

Bear in mind this is not Germany

Well, my British cousins were able to somehow keep Slim Whitman singing for decades after he faded in the US, so I know you blokes can do it with Hasselhoff.

Re: The cranky thread

Condolences, Solomon. Loving an animal is tough, sometimes.

Re: Dyson Sphere (shell) - Dysonica Anyone?

Rather than real world science, I think "rubber science" or "magic" or "gobbledygook" if you prefer is the way to set up Dysonica.

*From the Terran Galactic Republic Encyclopedia.

*In the year 45000 BCE the Zeboid civilization population reached critical mass which was not matched by its projections of available energy.

Fortunately, due to the existing availablity of Quantum Fusion the process of creating Fantasium out of practically any material with sufficient carbon or hydrogen was barely sufficient to convert the worlds, moons and planetoids of three systems into the shell and topsoil of the habitat.

The perfection of the nanoreplication bots made the formation of habitats practically simultaneous with construction of the superstructure. Increased availability of solar energy during the construction process made the progress of Dysonica icrease geometrically. In a mere 1300 Earth years, the sphere was ready for habitation by the seventeen trillion Zeboids who survived the final years. Unfortunately, that was the time of the Ennui Wars in which the populations of the various habitat suffered from an induced form of apathy causing them to cease all education and production and even began to destroy the machines and bots maintaining Dysonica. Eventually, automated system control shut down or deactivated all systems not related to life support and environmental maintainence. Susequently the Dysonica population had been reduced to around a few hundred billion Zeboids, living a subsistence lifestyle in most cases.

Only since the arrival of the TGR exploration fleet in 4257 CE have the semi aware AI systems had any interface with living beings at the control center. Since Dysonica covers the land area of about 200 million Earths, it is not expected that there will ever be anything like control of the artifact by the 380 billion humans of the Terran Galactic Republic.

Re: Guns on cards

Where's Vera?

Re: Underwater Pyramids.

. . . Nuke the site from orbit?

The Atlanteans tried, of course and that is what set off the Tectonic Wars 12000 years ago. Very messy.

Re: Why do we have skills?

Concept and a challenge.

My first long running PC was the only enhanced human, a mix of Batman, Cap, and Doc Savage, on a team of aliens, metabeings and mystical creaures. It was sort of like living in a world ruled by Khan. "Ours is the superior intellect."

The ultimate challenge is when Double eagle was able to take out a marauding Firewing type who should have beat him down or just left by the PC doing the sneaky martial artist schtick.

Blasts are flying around the city in the general and specific direction of our hero.

City knowledge-He's on top of the Barret building, *Blam* << "Die, puny human."<< Dodge, stealth, security systems-bypass elevator security, get to the stairs, climb, pick the lock, stealth, find weakness, find weakness, punch, abort to martial dodge, *Blam* "damn, the villain took an air conditioner out.", punch, martial dodge, punch. "Take him in, Captain."

Re: Making colonization attractive?

Possible attractions

1. Find a resource which makes long term presence worthwhile; energy, metal, food, room

2. Find enough of a reason to emigrate; population pressure, pollution, war, oppression of a group, etc.

3. Possess the technology to make colonization possible; terraforming, FTL, suspended animation, robots, genetic environemental engineering, artificial grav, cheap interplanetary travel.

Lots of ways to play.

Re: Dyson Sphere (shell) - Dysonica Anyone?

It gets us back to the actual campaign itself, then. Are the PCs part of the still functioning society that built the sphere or the unsophisticated descendents surviving on the structure now running automatically? Is FTL impossible making the world and local space the only real gaming melieu?

I like the idea of having an "all of the above" for possible habitats. In fact the scale involved leaves plenty of room for absolute diversity as well as huge areas of relative homogeneity and regions nearly impassible between them.

Anything conceivable can be done on a 1AU Dyson Sphere.

Re: WWYCD: Whoa! Ninjas!

Double Eagle, a synthesis between Cap, Doc Savage and Batman, is a master of Martial Arts himself as well as being hunted by the Ninjas. He would continue to stymie them as much as possible but his detective skills, KS: Ninjas, and backstory would cause me to ask the GM for a roll at determining more on the Master.

Cyberknight would try to follow them from the air counting on his Power Armor to protect him from their attacks. Likely more useful as a crimetopper than a mystery solver.

Prodigy is a mentalist with a 95 point Psychic VP and would discover the spoiler data per telepathy. Psychic healing, mind control or mental defense, usable on other s would be attempted in order to "organize" their thoughts.

Re: What power sets do you like, but never play?

A basic Brick may be easy to play' date=' but a full Brick with an assortment of "Brick Tricks" can be fun and challenging to play.[/quote']Honesty compels me to admit that my definition of basic still includes its share of the "Brick tricks" to which you refer.

Re: Musings on Random Musings

That's not what my birthday card said.

Dude, its in Farsi. Give it here, you have it turned upside.

See, right there.

"Death to America."

Death to Enforcer84."

"Death to All the Bands You like."

"Many happy returns."

"Mohammed and the Boys"

Re: The cranky thread

Funny how people keep using UPS to send flaming bags of dog poop' date=' isn't it?[/quote']

Apparantly the dead give away from the sound of the huge truck was only marginally worse than my brothers and I chortling and guffawing with glee when we did it. We always got caught.