lapsedgamer

Re: Barring weaponry, what's in a slightly futuristic [30+ years] APC? I was actually thinking about the vehicle itself, not the tracks or wheels.It seems like the weight they can put on the suspension systems is higher with tracks. More armor.More weapons. I could be thinking about this wrong, but there are no wheeled MBTs.

Re: Barring weaponry, what's in a slightly futuristic [30+ years] APC?

Re: Barring weaponry, what's in a slightly futuristic [40+ years] APC? In maybe 50+ years, but not in 30. I also don't know if I would invest that kind of processing power on a hologram, when I could put it into a remote unit that I can then put weapons on. I think they were called cybershells in GURPS Transhuman Space. If we want posit that level of tech, I would give the APC itself semi-autonomous AI, with a suite of useful skills such as First Aid/ Combat Surgery, Chemical Biological Decon, Field Expedient Repair, Basic Tactics, Forward Observer, Vehicle and Aircraft Recognition, and so on. That would be in addition to the ability to self-drive and operate it's own weapons systems for close support. In limited situations, the squad could deploy then have the APC move to an overwatch position on its own and provide fire support and engage targets of opportunity. Every troop has some sort of IFF tag on them to prevent friendly fire. If the squad is pinned down or someone needs evac, the APC can move around to make things easier. Eventually, if the tech is good enough, you could dipense with drivers all together. Like you said, even without true AI, the troops could call up the database to handle common situations if separated from the rest of the unit. "Based on diagnostics from his personal uplink, Private Jones is suffering from a sucking chest wound. In the absence of a trained combat medic, please follow along with following steps for immediate aid. Since you have selected audio output, I will dsiplay graphics to assist, as well as reading the steps aloud. Please reply verbally, or touch the screen, when you are ready to proceeed."

Re: Barring weaponry, what's in a slightly futuristic [30+ years] APC? I suspect that the tracked would just be that much tougher, and I hate to think about what would replace the current main battle tanks. Mobile rail gun platforms?

Re: Barring weaponry, what's in a slightly futuristic [30+ years] APC? Those sound a little too finicky for rough use to me. Jet engines with intakes at or near ground level in crappy conditions. I don't know.

Re: Barring weaponry, what's in a slightly futuristic [30+ years] APC? I basically agree with the Old Man here, with the caveat that you might be need the surface to move your own men and supplies quickly at some point.

Re: Barring weaponry, what's in a slightly futuristic [30+ years] APC? APC's are not just straight transport anymore. They have a lot of combat support ability even now. Bradley Fighting Vehicles pack quite a wallop with a 25mm chaingun and antitank missles standard . If you think of the kind of firepower and technology the individual soldier will have access to, it only makes sense that the vehicles will eveolve along the same lines.

Re: Barring weaponry, what's in a slightly futuristic [30+ years] APC? How about an easily replacable mount of pre-packed Metal Storm projectiles. No moving parts. You just slide another cansiter into the mount and use the vehicles electronics, or a backup battery, to actuate it. Use the variable rate of fire for multiple roles: anti-personnel or point defense.

Re: Barring weaponry, what's in a slightly futuristic [30+ years] APC? I was thinking of a rack of folding eagle-sized drones for recon, remote target designation for the APC's fire-and-forget missles, and antipersonnel purposes. Add to that a couple of RC-car-sized bomb disposal/minesweeper bots. Just how "smart" they would be is up for debate, but I can really see a real life version of that old B-movie Screamers eventually.

Re: Which tools from the toolkit can be dropped in a low powered game? Must spread rep. That's basically what I would do. I was thinking about this for a simplistic con game. I would change the character sheet to have no costs shown for anything, and no END stat. I would highlight the primary and secondary attacks by dice in a seperate bolded "combat" section along with the phases OCV/DCV/MCV/DEF/BOD/STUN/Charges. I was also thinkng of spelling out ranges and variations for attacks, as I might want to remind folks about things like spreading and bouncing right in the listing for the attack. If was going for a D&D 4th vibe, I might buy everything with charges behind the scenes and just list uses per encounter or day. Also, to me no END means no pushing, only haymakering, so there is some penalty for the extra damage. I also wouldn't build anything that wasn't covered in the Basic Rulebook.

Re: New Product: Who Would Win? [card game] Don't be silly. That would just break the game. Of course if it were a collectible card game you could sell ultra rare Chuck Norris cards for a lot of money. What was that thing back in the 90s? The Black Lotus?

Re: Skills. How much is too much? What did you start with? The only time this was ever an issue to me as a player or GM was when another player had some character that was basically just a certain group of combat abilities with a very thin characterization pasted on. You know, the guy who would have everything in his multipower figured out to a gnat's behind, but couldn't be bothered to name his DNPC or purchase any background skills at all.

Re: Viper: From Hydra To Cobra? Hunted by Viper does not mean that you are their biggest priority at the moment. An organization that large is bound to have other things going on. Based on the number of points you get form the disad, you could be hunted by a particular faction with the organization or some other variation on the basic theme. Let's face it, your hero may not be that big a thorn in the organization's side yet. As he/she gains experience and smashes bigger and bigger plots, the organization becomes more and more willing to devote resources to dealing with you. Eventually, you get a senior member of Dragon Branch on your tail, until them it's there's a squad of agents with their boss. "Isn't that that hero, the Wombat?" "Yeah, he was mentioned in the briefing this morning." "We're already on this bank heist though, and the Nest Leader told us not to deviate from the plan. We have to be here to cover the escape route. Besides, he seems to be passing us by." "Well, call it in anyway, and if he sticks his nose into our business, we'll deal with it."

Re: More City Books

Re: More City Books A Babylon book would rock. Maybe there will one day be an expansion on the material in Mystic World, maybe called Mystic Places, with more information on other dimensions. Though I believe the management has said that the setting stuff doesn't sell as well. I live in Seattle, and Seattle really couldn't sustain a book by itself. If it was me, I would do a West Coast book with maybe Seattle, LA, and Portland (Vegas?). Seattle is just a small town when you really look at it. 500,000 people or so in the metro area, another 1.5 million or so in the outskirts. Seattle might sustain maybe one or two true supers, with one or two more in the outlying areas. Not included in that number, I could see a low-level military super or two at Lewis/Mc Cord and some kind of low-powered vigilantes in Tacoma and Spokane. No one would really be world class, except maybe the Microsoft Corporation's corporate super. This is actually something I'm tinkering with for a con game in the future. Closer to a more (but not entirely) serious version of Mystery Men than something like the X-Men. NOTE: Seattle now has about 650,00 in the city and 3 million in the metro area. Wow. A lot of people have moved her in the last ten or so years.

Re: Ralph Mellish, an ordinary man The concept is awesome, very Kingdom Come. I rep you. The only thing I would ask is why you didn't go more over the top with the various summoned agents. I 'm guessing that this is meant to be a playable charachter and not an NPC? I would think that the ability to create 800+ point folks would be unbalancing in your world. Also, does Ralph disappera when the avatar is around, or does he have to try and survive by himself?

Re: What Have You Watched Recently? I swore I was done with No Ordinary Family, but I just watched the most recent episode on Hulu. Now I really am done. On a side note, they're selling D&D in the red box at Target? I saw a commercial for it with the show. When did this happen? Is this now a mainstream activity? Who made this decision, and why wasn't I notified that I could live out in the sunlight with the normal people? I guess this is all theoretical because I haven't played any D&D in two plus decades, but how times have changed. We were pariah when I was in high school. Now you can just go into Wal Mart's slightly upscale cousin to get your fix.

Re: A complete character: discussion and stats from scratch for Champions

Re: A complete character: discussion and stats from scratch for Champions Very cool. I may pick that up so I don't have to spend too much time writing it up myself.

Re: A complete character: discussion and stats from scratch for Champions I was thinking way over the top. The elemental spirit of homicide. Like the Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. Created at the scene of the first human murder and constantly present in the background in all eras of human society. He represents all that human hatred and animosity in a corporeal form. I see someone who is dressed to the nines in the fashion of the day. Black suit with black shirt and blood red tie. Can be very handsome or lovely. No one says the spirit always has to manifest as a male. However, he has an frightening aura that tells you that he is a dangerous character. Very Saint of Killers. Can turn completely monstorous instantly, sort of like the vampire game face on Buffy. Stats a bit shy of Taipan, with similar I can kill you with anything powers. He has to physically kill you, so no drains or death rays, but he gets insane to hit bonuses and called shots, so that theoretically you have to be very much on your game to avoid being killed outright. Prefers to kill close up because he generally has such an advantage, but can expertly use any weapon ever created in the history of mankind up to the point he manifests. In extreme cases, could use poison or something to accomplish the job, just usually doesn't need it. Can be very cold and calculating or brutal and unrestrained, just like people who commit murder. Will take contracts, but this is not always the case, sometime he is compelled to commit crimes of passion, or go through patterns of serial murder. Feeds of the psychic energy of killers, so he tends to manifest near big crime ridden cities. Oh, and he's immortal. You can dispel him by killing him, but he will just manifest somewhere else. Tough to kill, but not impossible. More powerful the more murderers are around. Would be unstoppable in a place like a prison.

Re: Master Villains in Champions that can survive a point blank Nuke Would you allow abort to Extradimensional Movement? If so, the Empress of a Billion Dimensionscould do it. For that matter, so coul Black Rose. BTW, not many supers in the comics could stand up to that level of damage without specific preparation. I believe Superman has in at least one alternate reality (DKR), but it almost finished him. I doubt that Thor could. Galactus or Krona could, but are they really written up, or just plot elements.

Re: What does a "20 Comeliness" look like to YOU? Don't you guys know that this thread is no longer supported by Hero Games, as it deals with a concept that no longer exists in 6th Edition. Get with the program.

Re: Your favorite SF gear.

Re: Where do gangsters get pool babes? 12-14 tops. 24 COM (or +3 Striking Appearance for you 6E folks) is really hard to get in real life. Women I would cut off a limb to be with like Monica Belluci or Christina Hendricks are probably only going to come out in the 18-20 range. Maybe Scarlett Johansen or Angelina Jolie get a 22. It's really subjective. However, I agree with Kraven. Tori Spelling at her best was not close to an 24.

Re: Examples of low-powered/street level supers not from comics The point of Marvel-Team-Up was that on any given day Marvel characters would just run into each other and interact. So he was never really a team player in the book. It's like a pick-up game of two-on-two at the local courts. No one is really affiliated long term unless they want to be. Spidey was just that one guy who always seemed to be around, or maybe it was his ball. By the way, Marvel Two-In-One and Marvel Team-Up are perfect models of how to run a pick-up Champions game, or a game with only a handful of players.