Chris Goodwin

Danger International has Twilight 2000 conversion notes. 
 
I actually played in a conversion campaign way back in the day.  I'm pretty sure most of us had never played the original, but we had a number of former and eventual military in that game.  It wasn't as much a conversion as an original campaign in that universe.  

Second to both Foglios.

Sorry, guys: this one takes a bit of set-up.  Well, no; it _doesn't_ take a bit of set-up.  I just wanted to brag a little about getting to be a _player_ for the first time in a few years!   Out of town, ran into-- of all the people on earth-- Davien.  His buddy / GM has rented a table at a joint in the 'boro, and he's headed there, and asks if I'm interested.   I recall just what a horrible player Davien was, but if he's not running......
 
Short version:  I tagged along, GM offered me a pre-gen, and we sat down to play what he estimated to be a four-hour session using his freshly-acquired reprint of TFT.  Won't say I wasn't insanely jealous.  😕
 
blah-blah-blah we have spent the past three game days trying to talk one character (and his asinine player) into letting the fairies go.  We had to travel through a fairy-infested wood (this GM's fairies were cute, and very dangerous) and the player had decided to capture a couple and "breed them" to sell them as good luck charms.  "Fairies," everyone (except me; I was just playing essentially an NPC, as, being fair to the group, I was up-front about not having played TFT since discovering Champions way back when, so I was more "character actor" than mover and shaker) including the GM tells him-- "do _not_ bring good luck!  They may have brought good luck with some other group or some other game, but in this world, in this game, they do not bring good luck."
 
Didn't sink in.  He wouldn't let it go.  Day three (game time), the GM thinks he has it sussed out: when Jack the Jerk (who has completely de-railed the game, meaning there is no way I am going to see the session concluded) goes to feed his fairies, he notices that he can't breed them; they are both female.
 
Does this encourage him to let them go?
 
_NOOOOoooOOOOooo_!   He pitches a stink about going back to the fairy wood so he can capture a male, blah-blah-blah.
 
Day six, game-time, and we have already flat out _missed_ a Relatively Important Event screwing around with "but fairies are good luck!" guy.   As we're making camp (_again_), one of us hears something-- a song?  A chant?  A prayer?  
 
He alerts us and we snap to attention, weapons on hand, keen to find the sound.   We trace it to the little basket cage with the two she-fairies.  
 
"Well, what are they saying?"
"Do any of you speak fairy?"
A round of "no" from the table, save Mister Fairy Breeder, who says "I have two languages that might be like fairy, and a couple unspent points.  I could use them to know Fairy."  The GM rules that this guy is passingly familiar with Fairy, but doesn't actually speak it; he just recognizes various patterns:  angry speech; friendly speech: pleading, etc.  Further, he rules that they are clearly chanting together, and that it's not a song, but a prayer.
 
"So what are they saying?"
"You don't speak fairy; we've established that."
 
"Right, but I should be able to know what the words are."
"Okay, you recognize fairy words!"  (GM clearly _well_ beyond perturbed)   "Happy now?  You know that they are sing-chanting a prayer."
"But what are the words?!"
GM, starting to say something supremely snarky, as we've all realized this whole adventure is scrapped (we'd been just beyond the fairy wood for six game days, and nearly four real hours.  PC-on-PC violence was a very real possibility at this point, but Dingbat just failed to pick up on it), then his face has that flush of absolute relief, of hope, of-- it bore all the signs of a deeply frustrated man who has been struck with true inspiration, and an idea that could solve all his problems.   He beamed a closed-mouthed smile so wide that I was willing to bet real money on just how much it physically hurt.  Then he says "well, you don't speak fairy, of course, but the haunting beauty of their prayer captivates you; you are spell bound, mesmer--"
 
"Are they mind-controlling me?!  Fairies can't mind control!"
 
As if there had been no interruption, the GM continued "there is resolve, peace, longing-- the truest, deepest of emotion in their voice.  It touches something in you, and you feel as if you have transcended your mortal form, shaken free of all concerns---"
 
"But what are the words?!  If I can understand fairy, then I should know the words!"
 
GM, in a hollow, lilting falsetto that was actually quite impressively musical:  
 
"Mosura....   y  Mosura.....    Dongan kasakuyan indo mu......"
 
Duke's character:  "Well, I'm totally creeped out, and tired of arguing with this clearly crazed person, and I leave my tent and my bedding and hop on my mount and take off as fast as the fading sunlight will let me!"
Davien's Character "Yep; Duke's right behind me!"
 
 
   
 
So Davien and I left, met up to grab some food and a couple beers (not in a restaurant, of course; despite what our idiot governor thinks, there's a plague about), caught up for an hour or so, remembered why we don't keep in touch, and went home.  I swung back by the game joint in time to see the GM and one of his players leaving together.  "So.....   Giant moth?"
 
"Colossal moth.  Humongous dragon-eating moth."
 
"Good to know."
 
I fired up the truck and went home.   
 
 
 
I have to say, I was sort of impressed; I didn't know anybody remembered more that the first line of that song. 
 

I would like to nominate Phil Foglio.

Edition purity is a myth.  When playing any edition, if there's something from some other edition that does what you want it to, why wouldn't you use it?
 
There's three major rules changes between 3rd edition and 4th, and one between 5th and 6th -- note I'm not talking about the host of minor differences from one to the next in terms of changing point costs for some power or skill.  
 
I don't understand the notion that if "we're playing 4th edition" that something from a later or earlier book  is off limits.  At least if I'm the GM.  If you want a concept, ask me, and I'll try to come up with a point cost or something; what's the difference whether I pull something from a different "edition" or make it up myself?
 
More tools for the toolkit!

First:
 
Excellent question!
 
Which makes it that much more painful for me to have to say "well, that's up to you."  Unfortunately, though: it's up to you.  You _can_, if you so choose, take real-world information and build your weapons that way.  It's perfectly valid within the rules.
 
You can _also_ completely ignore what you know about the real world and make Bronze weapons completely unbreakable-- also perfectly valid within the rules.
 
 
Now if you are just asking which part of the bronze weapon is inferior to the steel weapon: the DEF or the BODY, well...   that's harder to answer.
 
If I take a twelve-pound hammer head and drop it onto a cut slug of bronze, I get noticeable deformation.  If I do the same thing with the same volume (or even the same mass) of steel, I get a small divot.
 
This suggests that the damage is more easily transmitted to the bronze than the steel.  Of course, you knew that.  Here comes the much harder question:
 
Did either of them take BODY?  They are both the same mass / volume that they were before.  Neither of them is less effective at being a cylindrical cross-section of metal.
 
 
I don't have the equipment to make swords out of either  (probably because I don't have the know-how, so the need never really came up   ).   I can buy rods, though (or waste gobs of money and turn them on the late from larger stock.  Either is fine, really).   So let's define the object-- intact and straight-- as being "a sword."  Anything that changes its shape is BODY damage.
 
All things being equal, ---
 
ah-- I see Old Man has replied.  Whatever he said, it's guaranteed to be much shorter, and most likely correct.--
 
anyway, all things being equal, when I clang the two "swords" together, with enough force, it's much easier to deform the bronze one.  If we define loss of shape as body damage (since it becomes less and less useful as the original item), then it was easier to inflict BODY damage with the same force, it would appear that DEF is lower for the bronze item.
 
It's harder to measure the amount of torsion and flexing the two will stand up against, at least in a thought experiment, but suffice it to say that mild steel tends to take more of  a beating, too.
 
 
Problematically, though, you can make the bronze equally durable-- even moreso-- by adding more of it.  That is to say that you can make a bronze rod equal in strength to a steel rod of a 1/2" diameter.  You'll end up with something like 7/8" diameter bronze rod  (though it depends on the usage, the length, etc-- but the point is you can gain "equality" of BODY and STR by pouring on more of the softer material.
 
And honestly, that's probably the easiest way to go about it:  give them equal  (or _roughly_ equal BODY and DEF-- particularly if they are to be weapons or armor), and add more cost for the steel items and more mass / encumbrance penalties for the bronze ones.
 
It's probably not the answer you want, but it saves you a huge investment in science experiments. 
 
 
HA!
 
 
Yep:  Old Man was both more brief and dead-on, as expected. 
 
Gad!
 
I forgot about the new "merging answers" feature!
 
I wonder if this one will, too....
Yup.
 
Neat.
 

This probably won't help you much, 
 
but I have run into the problem twice-- 
 
to be clear:  I am extremely anti-piracy to the point that I _don't_ have games I used to play but would still like to have simply because I can't acquire them legally-- or at least, haven't been able to as of yet.
 
At any rate, on the two occasions that I found out there were scans being distributed, I hit up eBay.  Eventually, I found a copy of the book in question (and obviously, again for the second one) and bought it.  I didn't _want_ the printed book, as I had no intention of playing the game again, but had fond memories of it and therefore would like to have a nice clean PDF to read again for the memories...
 
At any rate, you are legally allowed to own one digital back-up of anything you own in print.  While it's generally assumed that you will make your own, I can't help but think you've got better ground to stand on this way.
 
Oh-- I also did it once for More Guns (supplement to Guns Guns Guns).  The company still exists, but after repeated e-mails with questions on how to buy x (which showed being for sale on the website) went unanswered  (I don't give up easily; I tried for two months), I finally found a used paper copy and a "digital back-up" to go with it.
 
 

I haven’t seen that Powerpuff Girls episode since it came out, so probably about 20 years now, so I can’t help you on that.
 
i can help you on DC Heroes rules though.  The stat block in that game is organized in an interesting way.  Across the top, you’ve got Dex, Str, and Body.  These are physical stats.  In the middle going across, you’ve got Int, Will, and Mind.  These are the mental stats.  On the bottom row, you’ve got Influence, Aura, and Spirit.  These are the spiritual stats.  Physical stats are used in physical combat, mental stats are used in mental combat, spiritual stats are used in spiritual combat.
 
On the left column, you’ve got Dex, Int, and Influence.  These are your Acting Values, in Champions terms basically your OCV and DCV, for each form of combat.  So Dex helps you hit people and helps you dodge in physical combat, Intelligence does the same against telepaths, and Influence does it against wizards (magic is usually spiritual combat in DC Heroes).  The center column, Str, Will, and Aura, are your Effect Values.  In Champions terms it’s how many D6 of damage you’d do in that type of combat.  So Aura measures the strength of your soul’s roundhouse kick.  That’s good to know if you have to fight off a ghost or something trying to possess you.  The final column gives your Resistance Values.  Body, Mind, and Spirit act basically as defenses, as well as Hit Points/Body/Stun, for their respective levels of combat.

If this helps, one of our board colleagues, @KawangaKid, has the beginnings of a suggestion of how to write up the Powerpuff Girls on his blog, here:  http://armchairgamer.blogspot.com/2019/03/gaming-with-kid-fighting-crime-trying.html
 
Edit to add:  Note that Strength values for DC Heroes characters (of which the PPG writeups are) are 1/5 their HERO System values, while the other stats will approximate 1/3 of their HERO System values. 

As another option... 
 
Treat them as superheroes, only they haven't had their "origin" yet.  Their origin involves gaining magic items.  Have them write up their characters as 175 points, or whatever power level you decide to start them at.  Except that mentally, you've decided that their power level is "really" 400 points.  
 
Alternatively, why not either let them write their characters up at 175 points, and you add magic items to bring them each up to 400 points?  Or let them write their characters up at 400 points, including magic items of their choice?  
 
If the players and the GM want to play in a game where characters have a bunch of magic items... why not just start out with that?  Why pretend that it's a "standard heroic" power level game?  Why go through the gyrations of placing magic items for them to find?  
 
In a way, this is something like the "resource pool" expanded to include magic items, which seems to be pretty common among Fantasy Hero games.  

Oh, there's a reason why OIF is a Limitation.  It's because the equipment can go down with the ship.  
 
I'd assume that when you get back to civilization you can acquire duplicates, or spares, or replace them somehow, but "shipwrecked on a desert island" is not one of the conditions that allows you to do that. 

As another option... 
 
Treat them as superheroes, only they haven't had their "origin" yet.  Their origin involves gaining magic items.  Have them write up their characters as 175 points, or whatever power level you decide to start them at.  Except that mentally, you've decided that their power level is "really" 400 points.  
 
Alternatively, why not either let them write their characters up at 175 points, and you add magic items to bring them each up to 400 points?  Or let them write their characters up at 400 points, including magic items of their choice?  
 
If the players and the GM want to play in a game where characters have a bunch of magic items... why not just start out with that?  Why pretend that it's a "standard heroic" power level game?  Why go through the gyrations of placing magic items for them to find?  
 
In a way, this is something like the "resource pool" expanded to include magic items, which seems to be pretty common among Fantasy Hero games.  

True, but the GM saying "No" also works.   

Some good points Chris Goodwin.

If you pay CP for something, it’s yours. If you pay gold for it, you are just renting it. 

Now I am bit out of date here, but in broad strokes this is fast overview of how things work.
 
In Basic training every sailor receives a very basic introduction to the overall Navy.  This includes basic structure as well as an intro to shipboard life and very basic critical skills such as general shipboard firefighting and damage control.
 
From basic most sailors will then go on to their Rating’s A School.  Ratings are how the Navy defines a person’s job.  The list of ratings has changed over time as technology has changed.  Some Ratings have been retired and some are “new”.  Over time some have even been combined.  But for our purposes think of the Rating as a person’s career field.
 
After A School a sailor will either go directly to their assignment or they will go to a C School.  A C School addresses a specific specialty.  A particular aircraft type, ship type or system depending.  DC (Damage Controlman) is a Rate as is HT (Hull Technician).  Both utilize welding as a skill, but with different emphasis. 
 
And then there are a laundry list of specialized training schools.  Shipboard Firefighting and Aircraft Firefighting are two specialized schools that concentrate on, well firefighting. 
 
I don’t see your templates as being for someone out of boot, but rather someone that has spent a few years in. 

I still wish someone would write up WAR HERO and then do modules for major war epochs

No problem, feel free. 
I would change the term "metal working" to "Structures".   It's a little more accurate since they do more than just the metal parts and are responsible for the entire structure.
 
 

Final bump, for those who were sitting on the fence! 
 
This is the last night to get the Adventurers Club / Haymaker excerpts combo on Bundle of Holding.  If you haven't made your mind up yet, you don't have much longer before it's made up for you. 

I use the Marines in their traditional roles as specialized shipboard and amphibious (but from space) combat troops. Since firing normal weapons can be as deadly to themselves as the enemy, they are also proficient with blades suitable for confined spaces (Cutlass, Short Sword, etc.) and non-penetrating weapons such as shotguns and other firearms with frangible rounds. 

I seems like magic skill is at best loosely connected to the ability to access magic.  Someone could be a fantastic spellcaster, with no RSR and no Magic Skill, while we could have a researcher who understands the theory but lacks any practical ability.  With that in mind, perhaps a skill roll to reflect a greater impediment to accessing the underlying magic is not the best simulation.
 
Not RAW, I believe, but what about imposing a requirement to make a roll for every spell without tying it to a characteristic?  Make the base roll 15-.  For most heroic games, that is as easy, or easier, to make as any characteristic roll.  Now apply the usual cost for penalizing a skill or char roll to reduce this roll by 1.
 
So if we have our novice wizard who will only make his skill roll half the time, and our master who does not require a roll at all, and they enter a powerful 11- magic nullification field, 11-. each can access the magic if they make the 11- roll, but the novice still has to make his normal RSR roll to sculpt the magic in the manner he desires, while the greater skill of the master means that, if he can access the magic at all, it will do his will.

For the Navy the ships security force gets the "combat" training as well as station security.  I also tried to stay RPG generic instead of too much detail.  Broad strokes for playing the game.
 
Spec Ops types like the SEALs are their own category and should, IMO not be lumped into the conventional templates.   I really don't know how much the various team skill sets blur together these days, SEALs, Raiders, Rangers etc.  Or if they even use the same names for the Army and Marines.  Out of my wheelhouse you could say.

Awesome!  That's exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.  🙂
 
 
Yep... it's AFSC in the Air Force   
 
I was USAF from 1988-1992, so in theory I'd be the one to write that... but they've added two weeks of, I'm told, actual combat arms training.  When I went through we learned how to shoot AR-15's chambered down to actual .22 caliber, with one day for classroom training and one day at the range.  
 
But I'll give it a go.

I spent a tour in the Army as an 11B and then went Navy where I retired as an ATC.
 
I would suggest renaming the Basic Military Template to Basic Army/Marine Template.
Then create two new templates called Basic Navy Template and Basic Airforce Template.
 
For the Basic Navy Template I’d suggest something like
3     Climbing
3     Paramedic  
2     Survival
3     Electronics/Mechanics/Navigation/Systems Operation (pick one)
2     KS: Enemy Forces 8-
2     KS: Theater Operations 11-
2     KS: Military Procedure 11-
2     PS: Damage Control 11-
2     PS: Fire Fighting 11-
2     PS: Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Marine (pick one) 11-
2     PS: Welder/Metal Working/Electrician/Electronics/Seamanship (pick one) 11-
2     WF: Small Arms
 
Total Cost:  27
 
I’m a 5th ed players so that is where I grabbed the costs.
Someone familiar with the Airforce would need to speak to that template.   But what the Navy needs is a large step away from what the Army or Marines need, especially combat arms.
And one last thing, the Navy doesn’t use the term MOS (Military Occupational Specialty), they use Rates (a descriptive occupational designation such as AT = Aviation Electronics Technician, ET = Electronics Technician, MM = Machinist Mate which are then narrowed into sub-specialties by the NEC (Navy Enlisted Classification).   An AT works on aircraft electronics (radios, radar, acoustic, etc) and an AT’s NEC identifies exactly which type of aircraft or system they specialize in.

Thanks for making it available. 
 
I'll give it a read when I have a chance (aka after the election and aftermath). 
 
And I'll try to get each of my adult daughters to give a review. One went to college to be an elementary teacher and reads a lot of YA science fiction and fantasy both professional and fan fiction. The other is interested in gaming and is part of a My Hero Academia roleplaying game group.